cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current income profile for academic pediatric emergency medicine faculty.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To survey academic pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) programs for information on financial compensation and patient care activities of PEM faculty and compare the results to the financial data published by the AAEM, AAAP, and MGMA. METHODS: A survey was mailed to program directors requesting information on medical school affiliation, ED census, recruitment, patient care activity and annual income for each academic rank. The survey also included questions on CME benefits, and income adjustment mechanisms/bonus plans for PEM faculty. The survey income data were stratified by program size and geographic region and then compared to income data from the AAMC, AAAP, and MGMA. RESULTS: Of 47 eligible programs, 37 (78.7%) responded,and four were excluded. Mean number of clinical hours per week for academic faculty and clinical faculty were 27.9 +/- 3.5 and 32.4 +/- 3.9, respectively, (P = 0.000). Clinical appointments in academic departments were offered by 82% of the programs. Mean annual income for all academic ranks was $121,503 +/- $15,795, and is nearly $37,000 less than the annual income for academic adult emergency medicine (AEM) faculty. Compared to medium and large programs, small programs are offering higher salaries to recent fellowship graduates (P = 0.004). When income data were stratified by program size or geographic region, no significant difference in average annual income was observed. Bonus or incentive plans were available only in 45.5% of the programs. CONCLUSION: Direct patient care responsibility of PEM academic faculty has not changed significantly in the past 13 years, despite the availability of clinical appointments within most of the surveyed programs. Our data indicate that the annual income for PEM faculty in academic institutions is significantly less than AEM faculty. No significant difference was observed between programs at the assistant, associate, or full professor level when stratified by size or geographic region. Bonus/incentive plans for exceptional patient care or scholarly activity were available in less than half of the surveyed programs.
Induction of cellular mRNA synthesis in BSC-1 cells infected by SV40

Abstract A marked stimulation of cellular mRNA synthesis occurs during productive infection of BSC-1 cells with SV40. The synthesis of ribosomal and transfer RNA is not stimulated.
Use of dry milk protein concentrate in pizza cheese manufactured by culture or direct acidification.

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) contains high concentrations of casein and calcium and low concentrations of lactose. Enrichment of cheese milk with MPC should, therefore, enhance yields and improve quality. The objectives of this study were: 1) to compare pizza cheese made by culture acidification using standardized whole milk (WM) plus skim milk (SM) versus WM plus MPC; and 2) compare cheese made using WM + MPC by culture acidification to that made by direct acidification. The experimental design is as follows: vat 1 = WM+ SM + culture (commercial thermophilic lactic acid bacteria), vat 2 = WM + MPC + culture, and vat 3 = WM + MPC + direct acid (2% citric acid). Each cheese milk was standardized to a protein-to-fat ratio of ∼1.4. The experiment was repeated three times. Yield and composition of cheeses were determined by standard methods, whereas the proteolysis was assessed by urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and water-soluble N contents. Meltability of the cheeses was determined during 1 mo of storage, in addition to pizza making. The addition of MPC improved the yields from 10.34 ± 0.57% in vat 1 cheese to 14.50 ± 0.84% and 16.65 ± 2.23%, respectively, in vats 2 and 3 and cheeses. The percentage of fat and protein recoveries showed insignificant differences between the treatments, but TS recoveries were in the order, vat 2 > vat 3 > vat 1. Most of the compositional parameters were significantly affected by the different treatments. Vat 2 cheese had the highest calcium and lowest lactose contencentrations. Vat 3 cheese had the best meltability. Vat 1 cheese initially had better meltability than vat 2 cheese; however, the difference became insignificant after 28 d of storage at 4°C. Vat 3 cheese had the softest texture and produced large-sized blisters when baked on pizza. The lowest and highest levels of proteolysis were found in vats 2 and 3 cheeses, respectively. The study demonstrates the use of MPC in pizza cheese manufacture with improved yield both by culture acidification as well as direct acidification.
Some fallacies in the first movement of Aquinas' third way

For the most part contemporary analysis has not dealt kindly with Thomas Aquinas' claim to have demonstrated by arguing from effect to cause that there is a God. The third I of his five ways has been assessed as particularly erroneous in its commission of modal, quantifier shift, and scope fallacies. In addition, it has been suggested that the third way contains a fallacy of composition and an unnamed invalid inference. This paper attempts to show that the third way need not be assessed as committing any of these errors. To this end we shall, first of all, informally exhibit the demonstration. This will involve characterizing the general strategy of the argument and noting a textual difficulty. Section II will present the various relevant charges of fallacy and attempt todefend Aquinas' third way against them. Finally, factors underlying the severe criticism Aquinas' argument has received will be sketched by outlining the framework of interpretation employed to preclude the presented ascriptions ~ f fallacy. Though it is indeed meaningful and necessary in a final assessment of Aquinas' argument to show that it meets all the criteria of a strict demonstration, this task is beyond the present more limited concern with the fallacies ascribed to what will be presently described as the first movement of the third way. Reference to other steps of the argument will only be a means of explicating this movement.
Observations on corneal potential.

The corneal potential has been studied in the excised cornea under conditions in which it was deemed to be free of stress. No differences were observed between the potential difference measured when no stress was applied to the cornea and when the cornea was subjected to stress. It is suggested that the corneal potential originates entirely from active transport across the membrane, particularly since the short-circuit current (an index of active ion transport) remains unchanged after distortion of the membrane.
Neurocysticercosis: An Update

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common helminthic disease of the nervous system in humans and a major cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. The presentation of the disease is dependent on both the immunological response of the host against the parasite as well as the location of the encysted organisms within the central nervous system (CNS). The principles of management utilized for intraparenchymal disease cannot be applied to extraparenchymal NCC. An advance in management of intraparenchymal NCC, the most common form encountered by physicians, is the use of both albendazole and praziquantel as a treatment strategy. Patients with subarachnoid NCC (SANCC) require months of treatment with both an antiparasitic agent and steroids to avoid complications such as hydrocephalus and vascular events during treatment. The determinants of successful treatment in SANCC have not been established, but response to therapy can be determined by evaluating several endpoints related to disease evolution including radiographic changes, serum antigen, and CSF antigen. Intraventricular NCC is primarily a surgical disease and data supports minimally invasive endoscopic removal of cysts in many of these patients. NCC is increasingly recognized in non-endemic countries due to increased immigration making it important for physicians to become familiar with the management of this disease.
Submicron poly(L‐lactic acid) pillars affect fibroblast adhesion and proliferation

Controlling cell adhesion and proliferation on synthetic polymers is key to tissue engineering scaffold development. It is accepted that surface topography influences cell response but the mechanisms behind this remain unclear. In this work, cell response is assessed to topographies larger than focal complexes (FXs) but smaller than focal adhesions (FAs). Poly(L-lactic acid) was patterned with 400- and 700-nm pillars via replication molding. Human fibroblast adhesion and proliferation were assessed. The development of focal contacts and actin microfilaments were evaluated via immunofluorescence. Cell interactions with surface topography were observed via scanning electron microscopy. Initial fibroblast adhesion ( 700 nm > smooth, but proliferation (>1 day) decreased with texture. Increased FX formation was observed on textured surfaces. However, FAs were narrower on textured surfaces compared with smooth materials and confined to interpillar regions. SEM showed that fibroblasts deformed the 400-nm pillars. It is hypothesized that surface texture mediated FX formation and increased cell adhesion, possibly via increased material surface area. Texture geometry limited maturation of FXs to FAs, decreasing proliferation. We conclude that surface texture can alter cell adhesion and proliferation and propose geometric constraint as a mechanism for this process.
Otolith analysis of juvenile walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma from the western Gulf of Alaska

Growth rate and hatch date distributions were estimated for juvenile walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas, 1814) collected in autumn 1987 from the western Gulf of Alaska. Mean juvenile growth rates varied geographically by as much as 45%. A trend for slower growth around Unimak Pass and the Shumagin Islands and faster growth upstream in the Alaska Coastal Current towards Kodiak Island was noted; the fastest growth did not occur in the main habitat region. Juvenile hatch date distributions were compared to identify regional differences that might reflect stock structure. Juvenile hatch dates were compared with hatch dates of the same cohort sampled as larvae to test for selective mortality. Regional differences in hatch dates, along with other information, indicated several minor spawning populations located around Kodiak Island and near Unimak Pass. For the main aggregation of pollock in the Shumagin Island region, hatch date distributions were not significantly different among the early larval cohort sampled in late May, the late larvae sampled in mid-June to early July, and the juveniles sampled in autumn. Neither growth-rate nor size-dependent mortality of pollock between the larval and juvenile stages appears to be a dominant factor in determining survival patterns. An alternative test was attempted, by which lengths-at-age during larval life were back-calculated from juvenile otoliths and compared with lengths-at-age of the population sampled as larvae in May and June. Pollock surviving as juveniles in autumn were not larger as larvae than the general larval population. This result is an example of the observation that back-calculated lengths are almost always smaller than the lengths of fish sampled at age (Lee's phenomenon). Problems in determining survival patterns based on otolith back-calculations and comparison of hatch date distributions are discussed.
Relationship between two quick screening measures of intelligence for neuropsychiatric patients.

As part of the routine testing battery, 180 neuropsychiatric patients were administered Form 1 of the Quick Test and the Satz-Mogel abbreviation of the WAIS. There was no significant difference between the mean IQ scores of all Ss on the two tests, and the scores on the two tests were highly correlated (r = .86).
Porcine dermal lesions produced by 1.3um laser pulses

An increasing number of industries, to include military, medicinal, and technological arenas, are using 1.3 micron laser systems for which current skin and eye guidelines are identical. No skin threshold, ED50 or exposure data are available. The mechanisms of laser-tissue interaction with skin at 1.3 microns are unknown. Together, these facts necessitate increased research to prevent future laser accidents and injuries. This study examines the method of interaction of 1.3 microns laser light with tissue in the Yorkshire pig. Our research addresses laser-tissue interaction through delivery using a Nd:YAG with an intracavity filter producing 1.3 micron light at 0.5 millisecond exposure time and in the range of 137 to 475 J/cm 2 . Laser exposure to Yorkshire pigs was evaluated for dermal lesion development. Lesions were appraised for acute, one-hour and 24-hour post exposure presentation.
Different roles for cytosine methylation in HLA class II gene expression.

We studied the role of cytosine methylation in the control of HLA class II gene expression in isogenic sets of cells whose members differ in their expression of HLA class II genes. These included: (1) T5-1, 6.1.6, and P30, which are a class II expressing B-cell line, a class II nonexpressing mutant derived from T5-1, and an HLA-DR expressing partial revertant derived from 6.1.6, respectively; (2) the class 11 expressing B-cell line, SB, and the class II non-expressing T-cell line, HSB, from the same individual. The use of sets of cells that differ in the way their class II genes are regulated allows us to study how that difference is reflected in the methylation state of their class II genes. At least five out of six class II genes in nonexpressing cells have a CpG site that is demethylated, when compared with the same class II gene in the respective expressing cells. The results presented in this paper indicate that most methylation changes in and around class II genes have a correlation with their state of expression. Some of these changes reflect rather than determine the state of expression. Other methylation changes appear to directly affect expression, whereas some methylation differences neither correlate with nor influence gene expression. Although 5-azacytidine does not affect class II expression in T5-1 or 6.1.6, it does induce expression in HSB. This indicates that the basis for nonexpression of class II genes is different in 6.1.6 and HSB.
Derivatives for Characterization of Phosphoserine and Phosphothreonine by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Phosphoserine and phosphothreonine are reacted with bis(trimethylsilyl) acetamide and bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide to form trimethylsilyl derivatives. The derivatives obtained show good GC/MS characteristics and their mass spectra are readily applicable for identification of these two compounds. Another characteristic feature of the mass spectra of these derivatives is the presence in high abundance of several phosphorus-containing rearrangement ions.
Generation of ATP by chloroplasts through solvent perturbation.

Abstract A two-stage method was discovered for generating ATP by chloroplasts in the dark at constant pH through solvent perturbation. With cold acetone as the perturbing solvent, the yield of ATP was found to increase with the volume percent of acetone in the first stage medium. The results are difficult to explain in term of the proton gradient model, but is consistent with the conventional model of prior water formation and subsequent ATP generation.
Interferon-gamma in Brain Tumor Immunotherapy

Interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) is a cytokine that acts on cell-surface receptors, activating transcription of genes that offer treatment potential by increasing tumor immunogenicity, disrupting proliferative mechanisms, and inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. However, abnormally low levels of IFNgamma are produced by tumor cells and local T cells in the glioma microenvironment. Current investigations into the immunomodulating effects of IFNgamma suggest that IFNgamma has the potential to be used clinically in the treatment of brain tumors and as a promising adjunct to other immunotherapeutic modalities. Here the authors review the published literature that highlights the potential role of IFNgamma in the treatment and immunotherapy of malignant gliomas.
Mouse and Human Homologues of the Yeast Origin of Replication Recognition Complex Subunit ORC2 and Chromosomal Localization of the Cognate Human Gene ORC2L

ORC2 is a subunit of the origin recognition complex in yeast and has been implicated in the initiation of DNA replication and transcriptional silencing. We have isolated mouse and human cDNA clones encoding proteins with 47.9 and 46.3% similarity, respectively, to yeast ORC2. This degree of similarity and the alignment of sequences suggest that these clones may represent a mammalian ORC2 homologue. The existence of such a homologue would, in turn, suggest the existence of a mammalian origin recognition complex, similar to that found in yeast. Although Northern blot analysis of various adult mouse tissues found the highest levels of expression of ORC2-like (ORC2L) RNA in testes, strong signals did not always correspond to tissues in which high levels of DNA replication would be expected. This finding may reflect functional roles of ORC2L distinct from those that it may play in DNA replication. Analyses of somatic cell hybrid DNA and fluorescence in situ hybridization were employed to map the human ORC2L gene to chromosome 2q33.
ANN back-propagation prediction model for fracture toughness in microalloy steel

Fracture toughness of microalloy steel was evaluated as per ASTM E399 standard. Artificial neural network back-propagation model was developed to predict the behavior of fracture toughness and tensile strength as a function of microstructure. Both fracture toughness and tensile strength were found to increase with the increase in martensite content in a dual phase microstructure of microalloy steel. The primary objective of the ANN Back-propagation (BP) prediction model was to validate and extend the application of microalloy steels for various engineering applications. ANN training model was found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The ANN training model has been used to predict the best/optimum toughness properties in terms of intercritical annealing temperature and martensite content. This can be used as a practical tool for predicting the fracture toughness in other series of steels comprising dual-phase microstructures and also to optimize strength and ductility properties.
IMPROVED SURVIVAL-RATES IN PRESENSITISED RECIPIENTS OF KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS BY IMMUNOSUPPRESSION WITH MATERNAL-SOURCE GAMMA-GLOBULIN

Abstract The effect on cadaver-kidney transplant survival-rates of a γ-globulin concentrate, prepared from clotted blood centrifugally expressed from placental tissue recovered from post-partum women, was evaluated in a prospective controlled trial in 195 patients who were also given a standard immunosuppressive regimen. Allograft-survival rates were analysed according to whether or not the recipient had lymphocytotoxic antibodies before transplantation (responders) and whether the graft was a first or second transplant. The graft-survival rate was improved in responder-type recipients of first transplants who had received the γ-globulin concentrate as adjunctive therapy (control group 28·8±10·1% vs. γ-globulin 55·5±9·7% at 2 years, P
An approximate analysis of unsteady flow of granular materials in bin/hopper structures

Abstract The paper deals with plastic flow of granular materials in bin/hopper structures during continuous gravitational drawdown without resupplying the material from the top. An approximate solution for wall stresses and discharge rates in incompressible flow is obtained by means of the method of differential slices. The solution is highly sensitive to the selection of points in a slice where plastic yielding is assumed. It is shown that incorporating inertial effects due to lowering of the upper surface of the material affects wall stresses and discharge rates only at the beginning of flow if compared with the steady state solution. A comparison with some experimental data shows slightly higher than measured discharge rates. The approach adopted can be modified to include compaction/dilation effects.
Glycogen phosphorylase in Dictyostelium discoideum: Demonstration of two developmentally regulated forms, purification to homogeneity, immunochemical analysis, cAMP induction, in vitro translation, and molecular cloning

A key step in the cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium is the degradation of glycogen to provide the precursors for synthesis of the structural end products of development. We have found that the enzyme that initiates this degradative pathway, glycogen phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan:orthophosphate alpha-glucosyltransferase; EC 2.4.1.1), is developmentally regulated and exists as two forms. During the time course of development, a previously undescribed activity, the "b" form, decreases, while that of the "a" form increases. The "b" form is inactive unless 5'AMP is included in the reaction mixture. The two forms differ in their elution from DE52 cellulose, affinity constants, thermal stability, affinity for 5'AMP Sepharose, subunit molecular weight, and peptide maps. In crude extracts, anti-a antiserum stains a 104-kD protein that is associated with phosphorylase "a" activity and appears late in development, while anti-b antiserum stains a 92-kD protein that is associated with phosphorylase "b" activity and is present throughout development. We have also demonstrated in vitro phosphorylation of the "b" form by an endogenous protein kinase and a corresponding loss of 5'AMP dependence. If intact cells were exposed to exogenous cAMP, "b" activity decreased and was replaced by "a" activity, as well as the 104-kD protein band on SDS-PAGE. In order to determine if the two forms of the enzyme are different gene products, we screened lambda gt11 expression libraries with antibodies against the purified "a" and "b" forms. Three clones were found to be overlapping by Southern analysis. A yeast glycogen phosphorylase cDNA clone (gpy) and a human muscle glycogen phosphorylase clone (HM-11) cross-hybridized with the Dictyostelium inserts, and gpy shared a few common restriction fragments with the Dictyostelium clones on genomic blots. Northern analysis of Dictyostelium total RNA showed that the Dictyostelium inserts and gpy recognize an mRNA of 3.2 kb, while on poly A-enriched RNA, the yeast clone detects preferentially a 3.6-kb message.
Comments on "Fabrication of ternary Mg-Cu-Gd bulk metallic glass with high glass-forming ability under air atmosphere" [H. Men and D.H. Kim, J. Mater. Res. 18, 1502 (2003)]

A new Mg-based bulk amorphous alloy (i.e., Mg 6 5 Cu 2 5 Gd 1 0 ) has successfully been developed by Men and Kim [H. Men and D.H. Kim, J. Mater. Res. 18, 1502 (2003)]. They showed that this alloy exhibits significantly improved glass-forming ability (GFA) in comparison with Mg 6 5 Cu 2 5 Y 1 0 alloy. However, this improved GFA cannot be indicated by the supercooled liquid region AT and the reduced glass-transition temperature T r g . As shown in the current comment, the new parameter γ. T x /(T g + T 1 ) defined in our recent papers [Z.P. Lu and C.T. Liu, Acta Mater. 50, 3501 (2002); Z.P. Lu and C.T. Liu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 115505 (2003)] can well gauge GFA for bulk metallic glasses, including the current Mg-based alloys.
Commentary Paper on "Shadow Removal in Indoor Scenes"

The technique proposed in this paper combines three algorithms for shadow removal in indoor scenes. First algorithm takes an advantage of the assumption on the chromaticity consistency: the ambient light chromaticity is approximately the same as the chromaticity of the diffuse light. Magnitude of differences between chromaticity values of shadow and non-shadow regions for different hue values are different for RGB and HSV color spaces so both spaces are used in conjunction by setting thresholds on these differences. Second algorithm takes a potential shadow region and applies a threshold on the intensity reduction of each pixel and its neighboring pixels. It is ensured that the shadow regions are above minimum specified size. The third algorithm uses a threshold on the intensity reduction as a result of light being blocked by moving objects. This reduction depends on the background geometry, light source, moving object size, and position. The threshold reduction caused by a shadow is obtained by manually specifying shadow regions and recording these values which are later used for shadow removal in the same scene.
Did They Get It? The Role of Fidelity in Teaching English Learners

Use of research-based practices for improving content area literacy of English learners is important both because of their growing numbers and their overall poor academic performance. However, how do we ensure that teachers are implementing proven methods with fidelity? This study shows the direct relationship between teachers' level of implementation of such practices on student achievement. Specifically, we report findings from research through the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE). In the study, teachers learned and implemented the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model of instruction to improve their students' language and content literacy development. The degree to which teachers implemented the model with fidelity resulted in relative improvement in student performance, underscoring the importance of teacher implementation of proven practices.
Monotone Paths in Line Arrangements with a Small Number of Directions

We give subquadratic bounds on the maximum length of an x-monotone path in an arrangement of n lines with at most C log log n directions, where C is a suitable constant. For instance, the maximum length of an x-monotone path in an arrangement of n lines having at most ten slopes is O(n67/34). In particular, we get tight estimates for the case of lines having at most five directions, by showing that previous constructions—Ω(n3/2) for arrangements with four slopes and Ω(n5/3) for arrangements with five slopes—due to Sharir and Matousek, respectively, are (asymptotically) best possible.
Scratching the surface and digging deeper: exploring ecological theories in urban soils

Humans have altered the Earth more extensively during the past 50 years than at any other time in history (Millennium Assessment 2003). A significant part of this global change is the conversion of land covers from native ecosystems to those dominated by human activities (Kareiva et al. 2007; Ellis and Ramankutty 2008). Although agricultural needs have historically been the dominant driver of land cover change (Millennium Assessment 2003), urbanization is now emerging as a primary process of land cover transformations around the world. As a result, urban ecology has emerged as an important research focus because of the increasing spatial extent of, and human population sizes in, urbanized ecosystems (Grimm et al. 2008a). Similarly to urbanized ecosystems, over the past several decades soils have been receiving increasing research attention due, in part, to growing appreciation of their linkages with aboveground ecosystems (Wardle et al. 2004; Wall et al. 2005) and global biogeochemical cycles (Schlesinger and Andrews 2000), and their roles in providing and regulating essential ecosystem services (Wall 2004). Yaalon (2007) recently pointed out that, although often underappreciated, soils are greatly impacted by human-mediated land cover changes and that greater understanding and mitigation of the impacts is needed to ensure the future sustainability of societies. Anthropogenic impacts on soils are perhaps most dramatic in urbanized ecosystems where humans remove, reconfigure, and pollute them to a greater degree than in other contexts (DeKimpe and Morel 2000). In this special issue of Urban Ecosystems, the two topics of urbanized ecosystems and soils are integrated Urban Ecosyst (2009) 12:9–20 DOI 10.1007/s11252-008-0078-3
Death, Narrative Integrity, and the Radical Challenge of Self-Understanding: a Reading of Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilych

Much contemporary theory suggests that, unlike works of biography or autobiography, human life itself is fundamentally comprised of disconnected moments and is thus devoid of literary form. People may seek to bind these moments together as narratives in the course of their efforts at self-understanding; but these narratives, it is often held, are little more than fictions or myths, impositions of form and order upon the flux of experience. In Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilych , we find a powerful refutation of this view. For what we see in Tolstoy's story are the grave consequences of a life lived moment to moment, without any sense of the whole. Only in the face of death could Ivan Ilych gain the requisite distance to behold the true meaning of his dismal life and only upon beholding this meaning could he see the contours of the life well-lived, that is, the life possessed of narrative integrity . By exploring the relationship between death, narrative integrity, and the radical challenge of self-understanding via the story of Ivan Ilych, the present essay seeks ultimately to identify ways in which the study of ageing might contribute to our identifying the good and virtuous life.
Kidney growth in children with congenital hypothyroidism.

The effect of hypothyroidism on kidney size has not been studied in children. The aim of this study was to examine the role of congenital hypothyroidism and levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) treatment on renal growth. Forty children with congenital hypothyroidism and 37 healthy controls were prospectively included. The mean age of patients was 8.2+/-4.7 years. Patients had lower height and weight standard deviation scores compared with controls. The mean L-thyroxine initial age and treatment duration were 37.0 and 60.5 months, respectively. In 62.5% of patients, L-thyroxine was initiated after 6 months of age, and 60.0% of patients had severe hypothyroidism. Patients had lower kidney length and total kidney volume compared with controls (P 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed significant relationship between relative kidney volume and average free thyroxine level (P 0.05). In conclusion, normal renal growth can be accomplished with L-thyroxine replacement despite considerable delay in treatment initiation and/or severe hypothyroidism.
Once is too much: Conditioned aversion develops immediately and predicts future cocaine self-administration behavior in rats.

Rats emit aversive taste reactivity (TR) behavior (i.e., gapes) following intraoral delivery of a cocaine-paired taste cue and greater conditioned aversive TR at the end of training predicts greater drug-seeking and taking. Here, we examined the development of this conditioned aversive TR behavior on a trial-by-trial basis in an effort to determine when the change in behavior occurs and whether early changes in this behavior can be used to predict later drug taking. The results show that conditioned aversive TR to a cocaine-paired cue occurs very early in training (i.e., following as few as 1-2 taste-drug pairings) and, importantly, that it can be used to predict later drug seeking and drug taking in rats.
The Science of Unitary Human Beings: An Integrative Review:

This article is an integrative review of the research which has been carried out based on Martha Rogers' conceptual framework, the science of unitary, irreducible human beings. Results of the review supported the model and theories which have been derived from the framework. However, because of methodological difficulties in measuring the concepts and because of the instruments being used, this support is not statistically significant. More research is needed using methods and instruments which better fit the concepts that are basic to the Rogerian principles of homeodynamics. Also, theories being used as the basis of the study need to be more definitively stated in future research.
The influence of culture on learning of psychiatry: the case of Asian‐Indian international medical graduates

Culture is ubiquitous and fundamental to the practice and learning of psychiatry. Its influence on psychiatric residency training assumes greater significance in the context of the current workforce dynamics in psychiatry, where 40% of residents are foreign-born, with a preponderance of them emigrating from Asian cultures. Using the Asian-Indian international medical graduate (IMG) as an example, the educational challenges faced by IMGs in learning psychiatry are reviewed. These difficulties are traced to the significant psychological impact of migration on IMGs, IMGs' cultural conflicts in using English as a second language, and to the differing attitudes towards mental illness in Eastern and Western cultures. To further delineate the Asian-Indian IMGs cultural hurdles in learning psychiatry, the impact of the Hindu world view on their individual psychologies and their interpersonal relationships is discussed. It is argued that the instructors involved in training IMGs must be conversant with these core-cultural differences of their trainees in order to better discharge their roles as teachers. An example from a psychotherapy training session of a resident is offered to highlight the issues raised in this paper. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hypoxia Induces Phosphorylation of the Cyclic AMP Response Element-binding Protein by a Novel Signaling Mechanism*

To investigate signaling mechanisms by which hypoxia regulates gene expression, we examined the effect of hypoxia on the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in PC12 cells. Exposure to physiological levels of hypoxia (5% O2, ∼50 mm Hg) rapidly induced a persistent phosphorylation of CREB on Ser133, an event that is required for CREB-mediated transcriptional activation. Hypoxia-induced phosphorylation of CREB was more robust than that induced by any other stimulus tested, including forskolin, depolarization, and osmotic stress. Furthermore, this effect was not mediated by any of the previously known signaling pathways that lead to phosphorylation of CREB, including protein kinase A, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, ribosomal S6 kinase-2, and mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase-2. Hypoxic activation of a CRE-containing reporter (derived from the 5′-flanking region of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene) was attenuated markedly by mutation of the CRE. Thus, a physiological reduction in O2 levels induces a functional phosphorylation of CREB at Ser133 via a novel signaling pathway.
An interpretation of the spectral measurement of optical pulse train noise

The validity of inferring statistical quantities, such as the variance of pulse jitter, from optical pulse train spectra is discussed in relation to a cyclostationary model. This cyclostationary model is derived from a low frequency, low noise approximation to a complete constant pulse shape model. It is shown that in order to gain information on the inherent timing jitter from the power spectrum, extra information on the optical signal is required. >
Parallel Computational Algorithms

As parallel processing computers have proliferated, interest in developing parallel computational algorithms has increased. Indeed, parallel algorithms have been developed for many of the ordinary serial computational algorithms. Some algorithms are highly parallel in their formulation although they were designed for serial computation, since most of their operators can be implemented as parallel algorithms without any modification. An algorithm containing such a natural parallelism consists of mutually independent operators which require for their execution the results of only a few other operators.
Behavioral and Ecological Determinants of Home Range Size in Juvenile Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus)

Numerous species of freshwater fish are known to be site specific, yet the ecological and behavioral factors influencing home range size have rarely been examined. In this study we examine aggression, predator avoidance and feeding rate in juvenile pumpkinseed sunfish as a function of location within their home range. We also compare the behavior of individuals within their home range with individuals that were displaced from their home range by being transplanted from one pond to another. Juvenile pumpkinseeds had a higher feeding rate in the center of their home range than on the periphery. Transplanted juveniles did not adopt a restricted home range over a 3-wk period and had a lower feeding rate than residents in the same pond. Aggression and predator avoidance do not appear to be important determinants of home range size in our study.
Solving training issues in the application of the wavelet transform to precisely analyze human body acceleration signals

Within the field of medical informatics, the analysis of human body acceleration signals to examine gait patterns can provide valuable information for multiple health-related applications. In this paper, we study the suitability of the wavelet transform for the analysis of body acceleration signals, and propose useful guidelines to solve existing issues in this field (such as the need for training), thus enabling a smooth application of this signal processing tool in medical environments. Making use of these guidelines, we have successfully tested our approach to analyze body acceleration signals, delivering a rich characterization of different gait patterns, without the need for training.
Optimization Based Rate Control for Multicast with Network Coding

Recent advances in network coding have shown great potential for efficient information multicasting in communication networks, in terms of both network throughput and network management. In this paper, we address the problem of rate control at end-systems for network coding based multicast flows. We develop two adaptive rate control algorithms for the networks with given coding subgraphs and without given coding subgraphs, respectively. With random network coding, both algorithms can be implemented in a distributed manner, and work at transport layer to adjust source rates and at network layer to carry out network coding. We prove that the proposed algorithms converge to the globally optimal solutions for intra-session network coding. Some related issues are discussed, and numerical examples are provided to complement our theoretical analysis.
Unconventional Warfare: Framework and Analysis

The importance and political implications of the subject of unconventional warfare are well known and need not be elaborated upon here. At the present time, the three branches of the American military services are expanding their “special” forces, preparing for the eventuality of conflicts of smaller scope than conventional warfare. On the Soviet side, the theory of peaceful coexistence—i.e., the thesis that capitalism should be eliminated by popular movements rather than by foreign armies—was reasserted at the January conference of the S.E.D. in Berlin, by no lesser authority than Nikita Khrushchev himself.
Reading Harry Potter: Popular Culture, Queer Theory and The Fashioning of Youth Identity

Popular culture provides materials out of which people create their identities. Since it plays such a prominent role in current society, particularly with youth, it is crucial for clinicians to engage with popular culture as a therapeutic tool. This article espouses some of the key tenets of the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies, a useful methodology in analyzing popular culture and the mass media. Paying attention to how therapy clients make meaning of media texts can be a powerful therapeutic tool. A case example with a gay youth, Steven—who inserts himself into the text of the Harry Potter stories—illustrates a cultural studies-informed therapeutic approach that draws both upon cultural studies methods and a strong theoretical partner, queer theory. By using a queer cultural studies viewpoint, Steven uncovered some of the hidden “queer” readings and messages in the Harry Potter books that helped him find support for his own sexual identity. In contemporary society, popular media culture is the dominant culture. The culture industries (organizations that produce and distribute art, entertainment, and/ or information) produce images and messages that provide the very materials out of which people constitute their identities (Barker, 2000). Media images supply the models out of which people construct their sense of gender, race, class, nationality, sexuality, and ethnicity. Media stories also provide the symbols, myths, and resources which help constitute a common culture for the majority of people in contemporary global, capitalist societies. Media culture helps induce individuals to identify with dominant discourses, values, institutions, and practices (Miller, 2001). Since media and consumer culture is so ubiquitous, it is important to learn how to understand, interpret, and critique its meanings and messages. In contemporary
Sarcopenia Is Related to Physical Functioning and Leg Strength in Middle-Aged Women

Background. In the aging process, loss of muscle is relatively continuous, but the initiation, timing, and amount of muscle loss that relate to functional compromise are poorly described. Also poorly understood is whether strength and functioning in aging are related to the amount of lean mass and its change as well as to the amount of fat mass and its change. Methods. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether 3-year lean and fat mass change predicted functional status in 712 African American and Caucasian women, aged 34‐58 years. Fat and lean mass were assessed with bioelectrical impedance. Lower leg strength (torque) was measured with a portable isometric chair, and two indices of physical functioning, walking velocity and double support (both feet touching the surface while walking), were measured with an instrumented gait mat. Results. Almost 9% of middle-aged women had at least a 6% loss (.2.5 kg) of lean mass over the 3-year observation period. Women who lost at least 2.5 kg of lean mass had slower walking velocity and less leg strength, although women who simultaneously gained more than 2.5 kg of fat mass (at least 7.5%) did not have less leg strength. Age was significantly associated with less velocity, less leg strength, and more time in double support. Conclusions. Even in middle-aged women, there is loss of lean mass among almost 1 woman in 10, and this loss of lean mass (sarcopenia) is associated with greater compromise in physical functioning.
Pursuing the Ideal

Many news organizations provide online readers with an opportunity to comment on public issues in the news through a news-mediated forum for discourse. These spaces are provided by news organizations as part of a mission to provide a public space for discourse, but are governed by a commenting policy that establishes the rules for discourse and behavior. These rules can help to meet the ideals of public discourse or stand in the way of productive public deliberation. This study examines the commenting policies of 21 news corporations in the United States to see how the policies facilitate or inhibit the creation of a space for ideal public discourse. A constant comparative analysis of the policies guided by the ideals of Habermas’ public sphere, as well as the expectations of civility norms, shows that news organizations establish rules to protect respectful and egalitarian spaces for the public, but fail to meet other critical needs of public discourse, including rationality, tolerance, reflexivity, and ...
Meta-analysis: Effect of corn silage harvest practices on intake, digestion, and milk production by dairy cows

ABSTRACT A meta-analysis was performed to determine effects of DM content, kernel processing (PROC), and theoretical length of cut (LOC) of whole-plant corn silage (WPCS) on intake, digestion, and lactation performance by dairy cows using a data set composed of 106 treatment means from 24 peer-reviewed journal articles from 2000 to 2011. Categories for DM content at silo removal and PROC and LOC at harvest were ≤ 28% (VLDM), > 28 to 32% (LDM), > 32 to 36% (MDM), > 36 to 40% (HDM), and > 40% (VHDM) DM; 1 to 3 or 4 to 8 mm roll clearance or unprocessed; and 0.48 to 0.64 cm, 0.93 to 1.11 cm, 1.27 to 1.59 cm, 1.90 to 1.95 cm, 2.54 to 2.86 cm, and ≥ 3.20 cm LOC. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed in SAS, with WPCS treatments as fixed effects and trial as a random effect. Milk yield was decreased by 2 kg/d per cow for VHDM. Fat-corrected milk yield decreased as DM content increased. Total-tract digestibility of dietary starch was reduced for VHDM compared with HDM and LDM. Processing (1 to 3 mm) increased total-tract digestibility of dietary starch compared with 4 to 8 mm PROC and unprocessed WPCS. Milk yield tended to be 1.8 kg/cow per day greater, on average, for PROC (1 to 3 mm) and unprocessed WPCS than for 4 to 8 mm PROC. The LOC of WPCS had minimal effect on any of the parameters evaluated. Starch digestibility and lactation performance were reduced for dairy cows fed diets containing WPCS with > 40% DM or WPCS with insufficient kernel processing.
Reuse of alum sludge for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater

AbstractIn this study, the efficiency of alum sludge for removing phosphorus from synthetic and municipal wastewater (MWW) was investigated. Orthophosphorus (OP) and condensed phosphorus (CP) were used as model pollutants. Alum sludge (A and B) from two local treatment plants was collected, dewatered, dried, and processed before use. Batch experiments were performed to determine OP and CP removal under equilibrium conditions. Sludge dose, contact time, and pH were optimized for both sludges. Adsorption efficiencies of OP and CP were determined by using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qo) for sludge A was found to be 4.86 mg/g for OP, and 4.21 mg/g for CP at 12 g/L of sludge dose, 90 min of contact time, and pH 4. For sludge B, Qo was 1.58 mg/g for OP and 4.71 mg/g for CP at 30 g/L of sludge dose, 80 min of contact time, and pH of 5.5. Results showed that pH of wastewater significantly affected adsorption capacity and better removal was achieved within p...
The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity

Gratitude is a common aspect of social interaction, yet relatively little is known about the neural bases of gratitude expression, nor how gratitude expression may lead to longer-term effects on brain activity. To address these twin issues, we recruited subjects who coincidentally were entering psychotherapy for depression and/or anxiety. One group participated in a gratitude writing intervention, which required them to write letters expressing gratitude. The therapy-as-usual control group did not perform a writing intervention. After three months, subjects performed a "Pay It Forward" task in the fMRI scanner. In the task, subjects were repeatedly endowed with a monetary gift and then asked to pass it on to a charitable cause to the extent they felt grateful for the gift. Operationalizing gratitude as monetary gifts allowed us to engage the subjects and quantify the gratitude expression for subsequent analyses. We measured brain activity and found regions where activity correlated with self-reported gratitude experience during the task, even including related constructs such as guilt motivation and desire to help as statistical controls. These were mostly distinct from brain regions activated by empathy or theory of mind. Also, our between groups cross-sectional study found that a simple gratitude writing intervention was associated with significantly greater and lasting neural sensitivity to gratitude - subjects who participated in gratitude letter writing showed both behavioral increases in gratitude and significantly greater neural modulation by gratitude in the medial prefrontal cortex three months later.