cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is it time for a dedicated pediatric MRI ACR accreditation program

Participation in ACR accreditation programs has become an essential practice for adult and pediatric imaging centers across the country. The responsibility for these ACR programs is vested in the Commission on Quality and Safety, 1 of 7 operational commissions in the ACR. The MRI Accreditation Program evaluates the qualifications of personnel, quality control programs, MR safety policies, and image quality specific to MRI. Currently, the ACR MRI Accreditation Program is designed primarily to evaluate adult MRI practices, which are in many ways not applicable to pediatric applications and facilities. In this article, the authors describe the difficulties faced during the ACR MRI Accreditation Program at a dedicated children's hospital and offer suggested changes for the process.
Vision has a role in Limulus mating behaviour

In 1928 Hartline noted that the lateral eye of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, was an admirable preparation for research in visual physiology. Since that time, extensive studies of Limulus have yielded fundamental understandings of visual processes and of sensory processes in general1,2. However, except for demonstrations of primitive phototaxis3–5, studies have not yet revealed a possible role of vision in the animal's behaviour. We have further investigated the problem by studying mating behaviour, the only known behaviour exhibited by Limulus in its natural habitat. We report here that horseshoe crabs discriminate form and contrast during mating: males are attracted to painted cement castings of the female carapace and other forms, the degree of attraction depending on the form and contrast of the castings, and on the time of day. The discrimination of form may result from information transmitted by several sensory systems but the discrimination of contrast requires vision.
Crash victim simulation: Use of computer models

A review of crash-victim modelling is presented. Various computer codes simulating crash-victim response are discussed. An historical sketch and a review of the state-of-the-art are given. A review of injury criteria is also given. A discussion of ergonomic applications is given. Finally, an outline of research opportunities in ergonomics analysis of crash-victims is presented.
Resection of At-Risk Mesenteric Lymph Nodes Is Associated with Improved Survival in Patients with Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumors

Background Neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine commonly metastasize to regional lymph nodes (LNs). Single-institution reports suggest that removal of LNs improves outcome, but comprehensive data are lacking. We hypothesized that the extent of lymphadenectomy reported in a large administrative database would be associated with overall survival for jejunal and ileal neuroendocrine tumors.
Spatial reversal learning in Aroclor 1254-exposed rats: sex-specific deficits in associative ability and inhibitory control.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been associated with cognitive deficits in children exposed in utero. Cognitive deficits due to PCB exposure have also been documented in animal models, but the underlying behavioral mechanisms responsible for those deficits remain to be elucidated. The current study examined the effects of gestational and lactational exposure to PCBs on spatial discrimination–reversal learning (spatial RL) in rats using standard two-lever operant testing chambers. Pregnant Long–Evans rats (10/dose) received either 0 or 6 mg/kg Aroclor 1254 (A1254) po in corn oil from gestational day 6 to postnatal day 21. One male and one female from each litter were tested on spatial RL beginning at 190–220 days of age. Animals were reinforced with a 45-mg food pellet for pressing the lever associated with the correct spatial location (either left or right). After reaching 85% correct performance for 2 consecutive days, the opposite spatial location was reinforced. Five of these position reversals were given. Male rats exposed to A1254 made significantly more total errors (121.6 ± 12.5) on the first reversal than controls (90.7 ± 5.8). In contrast, female rats exposed to A1254 exhibited deficits on the fourth and fifth reversals (23.6 ± 4.2, 17.0 ± 2.8 and 36.7 ± 4.7, 26.8 ± 2.5 for control and exposed animals, respectively). Response-pattern analyses in the A1254-exposed male and female rats revealed fundamental differences in the underlying behavioral mechanisms responsible for the deficits. A1254-exposed males exhibited an increased tendency to incorrectly respond to the previously correct stimulus (i.e., perseverate) following a reversal while A1254-exposed females exhibited impairments in their ability to make new associations with a reinforced spatial location (i.e., associative deficit). These data provide new insights into the underlying behavioral mechanisms that may be responsible for the spatial learning deficits observed in PCB-exposed rodents and monkeys.
Pavlovian conditioning of distinct components of Hermissenda's responses to rotation

In two experiments with the nudibranch mollusk Hermissenda, distinct characteristics of conditioned and unconditioned responses to high-speed orbital rotation were examined. In Experiment 1, two principle unconditioned responses to rotation were identified, namely, reduced rate of locomotion and contraction of the foot. The magnitude of the foot contraction increased throughout a 20-s period of rotation, whereas locomotion was reduced immediately after the onset of the rotation and was maintained at this constant low rate throughout the stimulus presentation. These divergent response patterns suggest that the two responses emerge independently. In Experiment 2, a classical conditioning procedure was employed in which a light (CS) was paired with the rotation (US) employed in Experiment 1. In a subsequent test, it was found that the light had acquired the capability to evoke both foot contraction and decreased locomotion. Although the magnitude of these conditioned responses was reduced relative to the corresponding unconditioned response, the patterns of responding were virtually identical; that is, foot contraction developed gradually whereas locomotion decreased immediately. In contrast, animals that received unpaired presentations of the light and rotation, light alone, or no prior exposure to those stimuli exhibited foot extension in response to the light. These results illustrate a transfer of some of the response-evoking properties of the US to the CS as a result of conditioning, as well as the emergence of two independent conditioned responses. Moreover, these results suggest modulation of at least two distinct motor pathways as a function of learning.
Effects of radiative corrections on a U (1) cosmic string model

An infinite-length cosmic string model consisting of aU(1) gauge field interacting with a complex scalar field is considered. When the original scalar field mass parameter is imaginary, stable cosmic string solutions can exist at the tree level of the classical theory. It is speculated that no stable solutions exist at the one-loop level of the model in this case. When the original scalar mass parameter is real-valued, no string solution exist at the tree level, but stable string solutions may exist at the one-loop level.
Analysis of Voice Changes After Thyroplasty Using Linear Predictive Coding

Objective measurement of vocal quality is difficult in patients with severe voice disorders. Improved success has been reported using a modeling technique known as linear predictive coding. This technique uses an inverse filter to estimate a glottic excitation signal. The pitch amplitude is defined as the height of the first peak of the autocorrelation of the glottic excitation signal. In this study linear predictive coding was used to analyze voice disorders in patients with vocal fold immobility. Voice recordings were made in 16 patients undergoing vocal fold medialization and 10 patients who had no surgical procedure between measurements. The voice quality was rated by three speech pathologists. Five acoustic parameters were calculated from the samples. The best agreement with the listeners' perceptual analysis was achieved using the pitch amplitude. Both pitch amplitude and the perceptual ratings of voice quality improved in patients undergoing vocal fold medialization. Therefore the linear model of speech production and inverse filtering are useful in measuring vocal quality in patients with vocal fold immobility.
A cellular sense of touch

How cells sense and respond to physical forces is an area of intense investigation, which poses significant challenges for in vitro experiments and even greater obstacles for in vivo studies. Analyses of integrin complex dynamics in Drosophila melanogaster now provide evidence that altering mechanical force modulates the stability of integrin adhesion in vivo.
Plasma levels of JAK2 mRNA in patients with chronic myeloproliferative diseases with and without V617F mutation: implications for prognosis and disease biology.

Summary The association of V617F JAK2 expression levels with disease behavior has not been studied in patients with nonchronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) myeloproliferative disease (MPD). We found plasma levels of total JAK2 mRNA to be higher in patients with non-CML MPD (n = 175) than in CML patients (n = 45) and normal controls (n = 58) (each P < 0.001). Overall survival was studied in 68 patients and showed positive correlation with levels of total and mutant JAK2 mRNA in patients with the V617F mutation, but not those without the mutation. These findings suggest that total JAK2 expression levels play a role in the biology of the disease in V617F-positive patients, and a therapy aiming at downmodulating the expression of the total JAK2 mRNA should be considered. In conclusion, we studied JAK2 total and V6217F mutant mRNA levels in plasma. We show high levels of JAK2 expression in MPD patients and these levels correlate with survival.
Virtual Reality: An Empirical-Metaphysical Testbed

If the medium is the message, what is the message of virtual reality (VR)? This article examines virtual reality communications media. Some forms of VR, for example immersive virtual reality, literally situate the user inside an informed computational space. The essence of VR is the inclusive relationship between the participant and the virtual environment. Communication takes place through direct experience in the immersive, digital environment. Thus, these environments may directly implicate what we can say about our very ability to know, that is, about consciousness itself. In this sense, VR brings metaphysical inquiry within the purview of an empirical testbed that conjoins human psychology, or the psychological "presence" of the knowing self, with configurable digital phenomena to define "there." This essay argues that a fundamental message of VR may be to illumine timeless philosophical inquiries concerning the nature of knowing and being and thus direct our attention to what Aristotle called the eternal question: What is reality? VR directs our attention to the nature of reality by directing our attention to consciousness as the experie.
Effect of aromatase inhibition on bone metabolism in elderly hypogonadal men

Both estrogens and androgens play important roles in skeletal development and maintenance in men. The relative importance of estrogens and androgens in male bone metabolism, however, remains undefined. Anastrozole is an oral aromatase inhibitor that decreases estrogen production and increases androgen production in men. Currently, anastrozole is being investigated as a potential agent for the treatment of hypogonadism in aging men. Because anastrozole lowers estrogen levels and raises androgen levels, its effect on bone metabolism is difficult to predict. To assess the effects of anastrozole on bone turnover, we randomized 37 elderly (ages 62–74) mildly hypogonadal men (serum testosterone <350 ng/dl) to receive either anastrozole 1 mg daily ( n =12), anastrozole 1 mg twice weekly ( n =11), or daily placebo ( n =14) for 12 weeks. Serum gonadal steroid levels, serum and urine biochemical markers of bone turnover, serum osteoprotegerin, and total body bone mineral density were measured at baseline and week 12. Mean serum levels of total and bioavailable testosterone increased substantially in both treated groups. Specifically, mean ± SD bioavailable testosterone levels increased from 99±31 ng/dl to 207±65 ng/dl in the group receiving 1 mg of anastrozole daily and from 115±37 ng/dl to 178±55 ng/dl in the subjects receiving 1 mg of anastrozole twice weekly ( p <0.001 vs placebo for both groups). Serum estradiol levels decreased modestly in both treated groups (from 26±8 pg/ml to 17±6 pg/ml in the daily treatment group and from 27±8 pg/ml to 17±5 pg/ml in the twice-weekly treatment group, p <0.001 vs placebo for both groups). Despite these hormonal changes, no increases in biochemical markers of bone resorption were observed. Specifically, mean serum N-telopeptide and urinary deoxypyridinoline concentrations remained stable in both treated groups over the 12-week treatment period. Similarly, serum biochemical markers of bone formation (osteocalcin and amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 collagen), serum osteoprotegerin, and total body bone mineral density did not change. These data demonstrate that although short-term administration of anastrozole decreases serum estradiol levels in elderly men with mild hypogonadism, this intervention does not adversely affect bone metabolism over a 12-week period. This lack of an effect may be due to the concomitant increase in testosterone production, the relative modest effect on estradiol production, or a combination of both factors. These results suggest that anastrozole therapy is unlikely to have an adverse effect on bone metabolism when taken over extended periods and may prove to be a valuable method of normalizing testosterone production in older men.
Desilication veins in the Cadillac Mountain granite (Maine, USA): a record of reversals in the SiO2 solubility of H2O-rich vapour released during subsolidus cooling

Late-stage hydrous fluids, which evolved during the cooling of the Cadillac Mountain granite, Maine, USA, produced narrow veins that transect the pluton. The vein margins contain microstructures transitional between granite and the vein centre. They preserve the vestige shapes of original Na-rich alkali feldspar crystals that have been pseudomorphed by cordierite+quartz+K-rich alkali feldspar. Closer to the centres of the veins, the minerals change from an outer zone with cordierite, hercynitic–galaxite spinel, minor corundum, K-feldspar and plagioclase to an inner zone with remnant cordierite, hercynitic gahnite, strongly zoned almandine–spessartine garnet, chlorite and quartz. Three allochemical reactions are inferred to have occurred with the influx of hydrous fluids during the replacement process. Reaction (1) is Na-rich alkali feldspar+iron ions in solution=Fe-cordierite+quartz+K-feldspar+sodium ions in solution. Reactions (2) and (3) occurred during desilication. Reaction (2) is Fe-cordierite=hercynite+silica in solution, and reaction (3)isFe-cordierite+water=corundum+iron hydroxide in solution+silicic acid in solution.Two independent techniques, experimental silica-solubility data and spinel–cordierite thermobarometry, constrain the conditions of vein formation to c. 1.0 kbar and both methods indicate that the progressive mineral reactions occurred during cooling of the hydrous fluids from c. 775° to 400–340 °C. This cooling trend is consistent with the petrographic evidence, which demonstrates that reactions occurred before desilication, during desilication, and then diminished with a final phase of resilication. Although the veins are minor features of the Cadillac Mountain granite, they provide insight into the conditions that prevailed during cooling of the pluton, and similar features may be important for constraining the cooling history of shallow-level plutonic complexes elsewhere.
Effective reduction of blood product use in a community teaching hospital: when less is more.

Abstract Background The increased morbidity and mortality associated with liberal blood product usage have been convincingly demonstrated. The clinical problems they pose have prompted development of more restrictive evidence-based transfusion criteria. Education alone has a limited impact on the adoption of these criteria into practice. New York Methodist Hospital undertook a proactive approach to reduce unnecessary transfusions. Method In November 2008, an interventional monitoring program to ensure adherence to transfusion criteria for packed red blood cells (PRBC), platelets, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and cryoprecipitate transfusions was started. Blood bank technologists routinely monitored transfusion requests against a list of established criteria and experienced clinicians reviewed and adjudicated transfusion requests when the blood bank technologist's action was appealed. Results Transfusion usage decreased sharply in Year 1 (November 2008-October 2009) and continued to decrease in Year 2 (November 2009-October 2010). PRBC use decreased by 30.1% and 37.7%, with a 47.6% decrease in multi-unit transfusions; platelet use decreased by 24.3% and 41.2%; fresh frozen plasma use decreased by 41.8% and 31.1%; and cryoprecipitate use decreased by 38.7% and 56.1% during monitoring Years 1 and 2, respectively. Decreases occurred despite a 4.0% increase in hospital admissions during the monitoring years. The decreased blood product usage was accompanied by 28.6% reduction in complications. A 26.1% decrease in blood product requests from Year 1 to Year 2 suggested a practice change by the ordering physicians themselves. The total cost of blood products decreased by $2,235,676. Conclusion We established a successful method to reduce transfusions of all blood products using strict adherence to evidence-based criteria and continuous monitoring. Our model translates into improved patient safety by decreasing the number of unnecessary transfusions. This also led to a significant reduction in hospital expenses.
Relation of Hexanal in Vapor Above Stored Potato Granules to Subjective Flavor Estimates

SUMMARY Influence of air storage of commercial potato granules at 22°C was determined by gas chromatography and flavor tests by judges. Increases in hexanal content of the vapor above the reconstituted product at 93°C followed subjective flavor estimates closely. Sixty-five percent of the judges distinguished between air-packed granules and a control sample packaged in nitrogen atmosphere after approximately three months (5% level of significance). During this time, hexanal concentration above the reconstituted air-packed granules increased from 0.2 to 2.5 ppm. By the end of the fourth month, when hexanal had increased to 8.5 ppm, almost all of the judges detected flavor deterioration.
Grief and Loss Education: Recommendations for Curricular Inclusion

Currently, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2009) does not require course work on grief and loss, and it is possible for counselors to practice without any formal training in the area. The purpose of this article is to highlight the need for additional grief and loss education in the curriculum, provide a brief overview of the current literature surrounding grief and loss, and suggest pedagogical strategies for counselor preparation.
An inhalational behavioral chamber.

Abstract An inhalational (flow-through) behavioral chamber has been designed and prepared in order to facilitate recording of the behavioral performance of a small experimental animal (e.g., rat and mouse) while the subject is being exposed to an inhalant (vapor or gas). The animal can be clearly viewed during behavioral performance inside the chamber, which consists of a cylindrical glass jar. The apparatus is made up of easily available materials (e.g., glass, metal, Teflon, etc.) that are not affected by usual industrial solvents. At the present stage of its development, three types of behavioral schedules can be performed within the chamber: 1) schedules involving brain stimulation (e.g., self-stimulation, avoidance of aversive stimulations); 2) liquid-reinforced schedules (e.g., fixed ratio, fixed interval, variable ratio, variable interval, differential reinforcement of low rates); 3) shock avoidance (classical or continuous). The schedules can be microcomputer assisted. The device is suitable for study of behavioral pharmacology and toxicology of inhalants.
Pulmonary Hypertension Decreases the Predictive Accuracy of Echocardiographic Clues for Cardiac Tamponade

A number of echocardiographic clues of pericardial tamponade have been described, but their accuracy in patients with pulmonary hypertension has not been well elucidated. Four echocardiographic clues of pericardial tamponade, namely, right atrial collapse (RAC), right ventricular diastolic collapse (RVDC), marked (> 40%) respiratory variation in transmitral Doppler flow velocity ("flow velocity paradoxus [FVP]"), and inferior vena cava plethora (IVCP) were prospectively evaluated in 32 patients with large pericardial effusions. Of 12 patients with pulmonary hypertension, 6 had invasively determined evidence of tamponade and 6 did not; of 20 patients without pulmonary hypertension, 11 had tamponade and 9 did not. These echocardiographic clues were evaluated in a blinded fashion. Predictive accuracies for RAC, RVDC, FVP, and IVCP were 75%, 80%, 90%, and 95%, respectively, for the patients without pulmonary hypertension and 67%, 58%, 58%, and 83%, respectively, for the patients with pulmonary hypertension. Although all predictive accuracies were lower in patients with pulmonary hypertension, statistically significant decreased predictive accuracy was found only with FVP (p < 0.05). Interestingly, IVCP had the best predictive accuracy among patients with pulmonary hypertension. Our findings suggest that despite somewhat decreased accuracy in patients with pulmonary hypertension, traditional echocardiographic clues for pericardial tamponade may be useful.
Test for Susceptibility of Fermented Vegetables to Secondary Fermentation

A simple test is described for determining completeness of vegetable fermentations. Brines of fermented vegetables are adjusted to pH 4.5, inoculated with selected fermentative yeasts in culture tubes, overlaid with petrolatum, and incubated. Fermentation is indicated by separation of petrolatum from the brine due to gas production by the yeasts. Nutrient supplementation of fermented vegetable brines required to support gas production by yeasts and growth of lactic acid bacteria was determined. Absence of fermentable carbohydrate was the indicated reason for brines not being susceptible to secondary fermentation.
Developing independence in a life transition: Investing the self in the concerns of the day.

Developing independence involves mastering the tasks of each life transition. Those more anxious about developing independence will become more invested in the normative tasks of each transition, and this anxiety will spread to the domain represented by these tasks. In Study 1, Honors College students expressed their anxiety about developing independence in academic performance at the beginning of college when this was the normative task and in social relationships after college when this was the normative task. This anxiety could be distinguished from other (e.g., academic) anxiety. In Study 2, sorority women expressed anxiety about developing independence in family and sorority relationships. Data demonstrate the social construction of anxiety and the dynamics of personality change. The tendency to experience anxiety and negative affect has important implications for overall health and well-being. Higher levels of anxiety and negative affectivity have been shown to be associated with increased numbers of health symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction (Pennebaker & Skelton, 1978; Peterson, 1982; Scheier & Carver, 1987; Watson, 1988). Understanding the functioning and sources of such anxiety could help in understanding how it might be reduced (see also Carver & Scheier, 1990), which in turn might lead to improvements in individuals' overall health, well-being, and life satisfaction. Anxiety can take many forms, the content of which implicates the situations an individual will perceive as anxiety provoking and the potential strategies available to cope with that anxiety. Some people perceive performance situations as anxiety provoking (e.g., Jones & Berglas, 1978; Norem & Cantor, 1986a, 1986b), whereas others are more anxious in social situations (e.g. Cheek & Melchior, 1989; Langston & Cantor, 1989; Melchior & Cheek, 1990). Still others find developing indepen
Effects of hypothalamic knife cuts on the ingestive responses to glucose and insulin.

Abstract Parasagittal knife cuts through the perifornical hypothalamus either medial or lateral to the fornix produced hyperphagia and obesity and altered the rat's ingestive responses to dilute glucose solutions. The lateral knife cut rats drank less dilute glucose solution under both nondeprived and food deprived conditions and displayed less of a feeding suppressive response to glucose ingestion compared to controls. The lateral cut rats were also deficient in their feeding response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, although their altered sensitivity to glucose and insulin did not appear to be causally related. The medial knife cuts decreased the responsivity to glucose, but less so than the lateral cuts, and did not alter the ingestive response to insulin. Both the medial and lateral knife cuts did not appear to change the rat's responsivity to concentrated glucose solutions. The neuroanatomical and functional nature of the disorder responsible for these effects and its relationship to the hyperphagia-obesity syndrome are discussed.
Mutagenesis during transformation of Bacillus subtilis. II. An increase in chemically-induced mutations during competency.

Abstract During the development of competency in Bacillus subtilis there was an increased sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) treatments. The frequency of reverse mutation also increased among the MMS-revertible markers by a factor of 100 as compared to vegetative cultures. The frequency of 2-aminopurine(AP)-induced mutagenesis was the same in competent and non-competent cultures. Studies with DNA-polymerase-deficient mutants showed a direct involvement of DNA polymerase I in promoting MMS and transformation-induced mutagenesis in competent cells.
Lattice Boltzmann open boundaries for hydrodynamic models

The mixed initial-boundary value problem for the equations of nonhydrostatic fluid dynamics is mathematically well posed, but is physically and computationally ill posed. The ill-posedness is exacerbated by boundary data taken from integrations of hydrostatic flow equations. The difficulty is found both in fully compressible flow and in Boussinesq flow; the latter is emphasized here. The mixed problem for the Boltzmann equation is well posed in every respect. Inserting lattice Boltzmann kinetics between hydrostatic boundary data and nonhydrostatic dynamics resolves the physical and computational ill-posedness of the dynamics, by relaxing the boundary data to nonhydrostatic dynamical consistency. Simple numerical experiments with boundary data taken from exact and approximate analytical solutions demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Mobility prediction for unmanned ground vehicles in uncertain environments

The ability of autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to rapidly and effectively predict terrain negotiability is a critical requirement for their use on challenging terrain. Most methods for assessing traversability, however, assume precise knowledge of vehicle and terrain properties. In practical applications, uncertainties are associated with the estimation of the vehicle/terrain parameters, and these uncertainties must be considered while determining vehicular mobility. Here a computationally inexpensive method for efficient mobility prediction based on the stochastic response surface (SRSM) approach is presented that considers imprecise knowledge of terrain and vehicle parameters while analyzing various metrics associated with UGV mobility. A conventional Monte Carlo method and the proposed response surface methodology have been applied to two simulated cases of mobility analysis, and it has been shown that the SRSM method is an efficient tool as compared to conventional Monte Carlo methods for the analysis of vehicular mobility in uncertain environments.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Receptor Internalization Regulates Signaling via the Shc/Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway, but Not the Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 Pathway

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors activate divergent signaling pathways by phosphorylating multiple cellular proteins, including insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and the Shc proteins. Following hormone binding, IGF-I receptors cluster into clathrin-coated pits and are internalized via an endocytotic mechanism. This study investigates the relationship between IGF-I receptor internalization and signaling via IRS-1 and Shc. A mutation in the C terminus of the IGF-I receptor decreased both the rate of receptor internalization and IGF-I-stimulated Shc phosphorylation by more than 50%, but did not affect IRS-1 phosphorylation. Low temperature (15 degrees C) decreased IGF-I receptor internalization and completely inhibited Shc phosphorylation. Although receptor and IRS-1 phosphorylation were decreased in accordance with delayed binding kinetics at 15 degrees C, the ratio of IRS-1 to receptor phosphorylation was increased more than 2-fold. Dansylcadaverine decreased receptor internalization and Shc phosphorylation, but did not change receptor or IRS-1 phosphorylation. Consistent with these findings, dansylcadaverine inhibited IGF-I-stimulated Shc-Grb2 association, mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, and p90 ribosomal S6 kinase activation, but did not affect the association of phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase with IRS-1 or activation of p70 S6 kinase. These data support the concept that Shc/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation requires IGF-I receptor internalization, whereas the IRS-1 pathway is activated by both cell surface and endosomal receptors.
Methods of ranking economics journals

This paper reviews and critiques some popular methods of ranking economics journals, compares results of some methods, and suggests new uses of two old methods. International economics journals are ranked and used to provide a vehicle for the analyses. Journal citations over a five-year period provide the data input for the analysis. This study illustrates the significance of the method used in how journals are ranked. The Bradley-Terry model is used to estimate the odds ratios one journal will cite another. The model is also discussed as a possible tool for finding the boundary between fields and field journals.
The Dielectric Relaxation of 3-Bromomethylpentane

The dielectric premittivity of supercooled 3-bromomethylpentane in the temperature range of 145 K down to 114 K is reported here. Data were obtained by steady-state ac bridge measurements in the frequency range from 105 Hz down to 20 mHz and by transient measurements for relaxation times from 2 up to 2500s. With exception of the high-frequency data, the data are described by the skewed are relaxation function, and the relaxation parameter s is seen to approach 0.50 at the lowest temperature. The temperature dependence of the relaxation times can be represented by the empirical expression of Vogel with T? = 87.6 K.
Replication and Extension of a Hierarchical Model of Social Anxiety and Depression: Fear of Positive Evaluation as a Key Unique Factor in Social Anxiety

Wang, Hsu, Chiu, and Liang (2012, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26, 215-224) recently proposed a hierarchical model of social interaction anxiety and depression to account for both the commonalities and distinctions between these conditions. In the present paper, this model was extended to more broadly encompass the symptoms of social anxiety disorder, and replicated in a large unselected, undergraduate sample (n = 585). Structural equation modeling (SEM) and hierarchical regression analyses were employed. Negative affect and positive affect were conceptualized as general factors shared by social anxiety and depression; fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and disqualification of positive social outcomes were operationalized as specific factors, and fear of positive evaluation (FPE) was operationalized as a factor unique to social anxiety. This extended hierarchical model explicates structural relationships among these factors, in which the higher-level, general factors (i.e., high negative affect and low positive affect) represent vulnerability markers of both social anxiety and depression, and the lower-level factors (i.e., FNE, disqualification of positive social outcomes, and FPE) are the dimensions of specific cognitive features. Results from SEM and hierarchical regression analyses converged in support of the extended model. FPE is further supported as a key symptom that differentiates social anxiety from depression.
Mechanism of bradykinin-stimulated prostacyclin synthesis in porcine aortic endothelial cells.

Abstract Porcine aortic endothelial cells studied at confluence were found to synthesize both prostacyclin and prostaglandin E2. Addition of arachidonic acid, bradykinin, the calcium ionophore A23187 or thrombin stimulated prostaglandin formation, whereas addition of angiotensin II did not. Bradykinin was found to stimulate very potently arachidonic acid release from cells prelabelled with if[3H]arachidonate, the response being dose-dependent and half-maximal at 8 ng/ml. The rate of release of label (primarily arachidonate) from cells was increased by bradykinin (100 ng/ml) approximately 8-fold, with a return to control levels by 10 min. The calcium ionophore, A23187, similarly released [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabelled cells; the rate of release was approximately linear for 15 min. Both bradykinin and ionophore A23187 stimulated [3H]arachidonate release from endothelial cell phospholipids, an effect which was abolished in a dose-dependent manner by mepacrine. Release in response to bradykinin was prevented by incubation in Ca2+-free medium. Trifluoperazine, a compound which can inhibit calmodulin-mediated events, blocked the release of label stimulated by bradykinin. These data indicate that the likely mechanism of bradykinin-stimulated prostaglandin production in endothelial cells involves the activation of a phospholipase via a Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent pathway.
Language evolution: The importance of being human

The FOXP2 gene is implicated in the development of human speech and language. A comparison of the human and chimpanzee FOXP2 proteins highlights the differences in function in the two species.
The next battleground for patient safety: influenza immunization of healthcare workers.

The authors are from the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Perl is also from the Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Address correspondence to Trish M. Perl, MD, MSc, 425 Osler, 600 North Wolfe Street, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287. tperl@jhmi.edu The Next Battleground for Patient Safety: Influenza Immunization of Healthcare Workers
Effect of hydrocarbon chain length on the hydrolysis of several naphthyl esters in the presence of o-iodosobenzoic acid and CTAB micelles

Abstract The hydrolyses of the naphthyl esters of acetic, propionic, butyric, pentanoic and hexanoic acids proceed at relatively slow rates in solutions near neutral pH. These hydrolysis reactions were found to be accelerated when carried out in surfactant solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide which also contained o-iodosobenzoic acid, a strong nucleophile. The reactions followed pseudo-first-ordcr kinetics and the rate constant vs surfactant concentration profiles exhibited the maxima typical of bimolecular reactions conducted in micellar solutions. It was found that there was a systematic increase in the binding constants of the esters to the micelle. However, the ratio of the maximum rate constant observed for each of the compounds to each compound's rate constant in a non-micellar solution remained almost constant.
Distribution, shape and size of pores in capillary ultra-filters

Capillary filters result from arranging solids of elemental geometrical shape to regular patterns, e. g., sheets to stacks, rods to bundles, etc. Of all the filters used until now, they are the first to permit computations, pore counts, etc. Bundles of cylinders of tiny uniform diameters can be manufactured from textile fibers using various winding and other techniques. The distribution, shape and size of pores in such capillary fiber filters are mainly determined by the packing, the diameter, the plastic, and swelling characteristics of the fibers used. As obvious from microscopy, from measurements of rates of flow, and from tracer techniques, the pores of capillary fiber filters are in 3 characteristic conditions; preserving perfectly their initial geometry in glass filters; moderately deformed in “Dacron”, “Nylon”, “Orion”; squeezed to narrow gaps in (“Acetate” and) the “Rayons”. Theoretically there is no upper limit for pore sizes in such filters, whereas the smallest will border atomic distances in crystalline lattices. The pore sizes obtained by us experimentally are: 7-3 microns in “Dacron”, “Nylon”, “Orion” 6-2 microns in “Acetate” 4-0.9 microns in glass 6-0.022 microns in “Bemberg-Rayon” 5-0.012 microns in “Viscose-Rayon”. We hope that our filters will introduce the element of high selectivity in fractionation by size (filtration, diffusion, sieving, skimming) and by this open new avenues in the isolation and identification of microorganisms, viruses, colloidal dispersions, macromolecules, etc. In the realm of true solutions they should function as osmotic membranes, molecular and ionic exchangers, etc.
Mitogenic and drug-resistance mediating effects of PKCα require RLIP76

PKCalpha-activation is a key signaling event governing cell growth, stress-resistance, and drug-resistance. Our recent studies demonstrated that DOX-resistance mediating effects of PKCalpha require the presence of RLIP76, and their concerted action is sufficient to explain intrinsic DOX-resistance of NSCLC [S.S. Singhal, D. Wickramarachchi, J. Singhal, S. Yadav, Y.C. Awasthi, et al., Determinants of differential doxorubicin sensitivity between SCLC and NSCLC. FEBS Lett. 580 (2006) 2258-2264]. Present studies were carried out to further explore the suggestion from the previous studies that the mitogenic effects of PKCalpha also require RLIP76. RLIP76-/- MEFs were resistant to PKCalpha-depletion mediated growth inhibition, as well as to the PKCalpha-dependent mitogen, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Augmenting cellular levels of RLIP76 using purified recombinant RLIP76 increased growth rate in all cells, and restored the sensitivity of RLIP76-/- MEFs to both inhibition through PKCalpha-depletion and stimulation through PMA. These results show that RLIP76 is a necessary down-stream effector for PKCalpha-mediated mitogenesis.
Stability of Aspirin in Aspirin, Phenacetin, and Caffeine Tablets

The stability of aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine tablets containing starch and talc; starch, alginic acid, and talc; and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), alginic acid, and talc were compared with a control containing starch and magnesium stearate prepared by the precompression method over the period of five weeks at 45°, refrigerator and room temperatures. Taking appearance, disintegration time, and stability of aspirin into consideration, the tablet containing starch and talc prepared by granulating phenacetin, caffeine, and half the starch with 10% starch paste and dried (at 50° for twelve hours to a moisture content of 0.6 per cent) before the addition of aspirin, talc, and the remaining starch proved to be the most satisfactory of those tested.
Repeat Challengers: Are They the Best Challengers Around?

The role that challengers play in the electoral success of incumbents has long been a theme of research for students of congressional elections. This study focuses on the impact of a particular sub...
On the radiative properties of ice clouds: Light scattering, remote sensing, and radiation parameterization

Presented is a review of the radiative properties of ice clouds from three perspectives: light scattering simulations, remote sensing applications, and broadband radiation parameterizations appropriate for numerical models. On the subject of light scattering simulations, several classical computational approaches are reviewed, including the conventional geometric-optics method and its improved forms, the finite-difference time domain technique, the pseudo-spectral time domain technique, the discrete dipole approximation method, and the T-matrix method, with specific applications to the computation of the single-scattering properties of individual ice crystals. The strengths and weaknesses associated with each approach are discussed. With reference to remote sensing, operational retrieval algorithms are reviewed for retrieving cloud optical depth and effective particle size based on solar or thermal infrared (IR) bands. To illustrate the performance of the current solar- and IR-based retrievals, two case studies are presented based on spaceborne observations. The need for a more realistic ice cloud optical model to obtain spectrally consistent retrievals is demonstrated. Furthermore, to complement ice cloud property studies based on passive radiometric measurements, the advantage of incorporating lidar and/or polarimetric measurements is discussed. The performance of ice cloud models based on the use of different ice habits to represent ice particles is illustrated by comparing model results with satellite observations. A summary is provided of a number of parameterization schemes for ice cloud radiative properties that were developed for application to broadband radiative transfer submodels within general circulation models (GCMs). The availability of the single-scattering properties of complex ice habits has led to more accurate radiation parameterizations. In conclusion, the importance of using nonspherical ice particle models in GCM simulations for climate studies is proven.
VISIBILITY LIMIT IN MULTIPARTICLE EIGENSTATES OF DEFINITE RELATIVE PHASE

We show that if two multiply occupied boson modes are in eigenstates of the Hermitian relative phase operator, then the visibility of fringes formed by the interference between the modes is necessarily less than unity. For large total occupation numbers the visibility becomes $Vl~\ensuremath{\pi}/4.$ States with definite relative phase and unit visibility do exist. They are related to coherent states and are not orthogonal (not eigenstates of a Hermitian phase operator). This visibility limitation may make it possible to investigate experimentally the physical role of the relative phase eigenstates in interference measurements such as those on Bose-Einstein condensates.
Adolescent sexual activity in the family context: The impact of older siblings

Using approximately 2,000 sibling pairs from the ab] National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience of Youth, we examine the influence of an older sibling’s age at first sexual intercourse on the sexual initiation of a younger sibling. Hypotheses about differences by gender composition of the pair are tested, using a framework derived from social comparison theory and a two-stage failure-time model. Results provide evidence of a direct but modest-sized older sibling effect for white but not black youth. This effect is approximately equal in magnitude for same- and oppositesex siblings. Little support is offered for the greater salience and association of sexual activity for brother-brother as compared with sister-sister pairs.
Recurrence of Mandibular Tori After Surgical Removal: Two Case Reports

Mandibular tori are sometimes removed to enhance periodontal and prosthodontic treatment. The exact cause of these benign bony overgrowths is not well understood, and therefore, their potential to recur after removal is also uncertain. Two case reports are presented in this article that provide evidence that at least some mandibular tori recur after surgical removal. One patient was followed-up for 11 years, and the other patient was followed-up for 14 years.
Androgen Binding in Nuclear Matrix of Human Genital Skin Fibroblasts from Patients with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

Specific sex steroid-binding sites are associated with the salt-insoluble nuclear matrix from which lipids, histones, and chromatin have been extracted. In intact cultured normal human genital skin fibroblasts incubated for 1 h at 37 C with a saturating concentration (2 nM) of [3H]dihydrotestoster one ([3H]DHT), approximately 50% of the total intracellular androgen receptor-steroid complexes were found in the nucleus. Within isolated nuclei from such cells, 28-49% of the specific androgen receptor binding was associated with the nuclear matrix. The antiandrogen cyproterone acetate inhibited DHT binding within the nuclear matrix. Cultured genital skin fibroblasts from two unrelated patients with receptor-positive complete androgen insensitivity (CAIS, AR+), had normal (∼50%) nuclear binding of DHT, and 35% and 45% of it was localized to the nuclear matrix. Genital skin fibroblasts from a patient with receptor-negative complete androgen insensitivity (CAIS, AR−) had no specific DHT binding in isolated nucle...
Safety of human MRI at static fields above the FDA 8T guideline: Sodium imaging at 9.4T does not affect vital signs or cognitive ability

Purpose To assess whether exposure to a 9.4T static magnetic field during sodium imaging at 105.92 MHz affects human vital signs and cognitive function. Materials and Methods Measurements of human vital signs and cognitive ability made before and after exposure to a 9.4T MR scanner and a mock scanner with no magnetic field are compared using a protocol approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Results Exposure to a 9.4T static magnetic field during sodium imaging did not result in a statistically significant change in the vital signs or cognitive ability of healthy normal volunteers. Conclusion Vital sign and cognitive ability measurements made before and after sodium imaging at 9.4T suggest that performing human MRI at 105.92 MHz in a 9.4T static magnetic field does not pose a health risk. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:1222–1227. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Accuracy of PET/CT Scan in the diagnosis of the focal form of congenital hyperinsulinism

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine the sensitivity of the 18fluoro-dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan (18 F-PET/CT) in the diagnosis of focal congenital hyperinsulinism (HI).