cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meta Distribution Analysis of the Downlink SIR for the Typical Cell in a Poisson Cellular Network

The stochastic geometry-based downlink analysis of a cellular network modeled as a Poisson point process (PPP) has traditionally focused on the typical user placed at the origin, which does not lie in the typical cell. In order to characterize the performance of the typical cell, one needs to explicitly consider the point process of users scheduled in a given resource block (RB), which is dependent on the base station (BS) point process. Therefore, we model the locations of the scheduled users using the so-called Type I user process, which places one user uniformly at random in each cell. However, this dependency in the locations of the BSs and users complicates the characterization of the point process of interferers as seen by the typical user of the Type I process. In order to overcome this challenge, we present a general approach to determine the pair correlation function (pcf) of stationary point processes with respect to a reference point. This approach is used to approximate the pcf the point process of interferers with respect to the typical user of the Type I process. With the pcf in hand, we provide the tightest known approximation of the point process of interfering BSs as seen by the typical user of Type I process, which is used to derive remarkably tight expressions for the moments of the downlink signal-to-interference- ratio (SIR) meta distribution for the typical cell.
Reproducibility by Other Means: Transparent Research Objects

Research Objects have the potential to significantly enhance the reproducibility of scientific research. One important way Research Objects can do this is by encapsulating the means for re-executing the computational components of studies, thus supporting the new form of reproducibility enabled by digital computing-exact repeatability. However, Research Objects also can make scientific research more reproducible by supporting transparency, a component of reproducibility orthogonal to re-executability. We describe here our vision for making Research Objects more transparent by providing means for disambiguating claims about reproducibility generally, and computational repeatability specifically. We show how support for science-oriented queries can enable researchers to assess the reproducibility of Research Objects and the individual methods and results they encapsulate.
COVID-19, wall building, and the effects on Migrant Protection Protocols by the Trump administration: the spectacle of the worsening human rights disaster on the Mexico-U.S. border

The COVID-19 pandemic has repercussions well beyond the confines of borders. National border policies can thwart international efforts to combat the spread of infectious diseases. These problems ar...
The effect of Cuban agroecology in mitigating the metabolic rift: A quantitative approach to Latin American food production

Abstract The historical development of capitalism created what Karl Marx called a rift in the social metabolism with nature, whereby soil nutrients were systematically siphoned into cities where they were discarded as waste and thus did not return to the land. An alternative mode of food production known as agroecology was developed by different scientists and activists partly to transcend this contradiction. Drawing on data from the United Nations and the World Bank, this work analyzes whether agroecology has contributed to mitigate the metabolic rift in agriculture in Cuba, the country where this approach to food production, adopted after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, is more widely developed. By means of a panel model, both an internal comparison through time within Cuba and a cross-national comparison of Cuba with the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), were developed to determine whether the post-Soviet transition to agroecology in Cuba successfully decoupled industrial agricultural practices from productivity in comparison to other countries in LAC. Decoupling is understood as the removal of the positive correlation between fertilizer use and yield. Synthetic fertilizer use is utilized as an indicator of industrialized agriculture, and productivity of maize and beans as a proxy measure of soil improvement. The model shows a reversal of the fertilizer use and productivity positive correlation in Cuba, where crop productivity has increased while the use of inputs has diminished, which suggests that agroecology has indeed mitigated the metabolic rift produced by industrialized agriculture.
Standing out in a networked communication context: Toward a network contingency model of public attention

Social media can offer strategic communicators cost-effective opportunities to reach millions of individuals. However, in practice it can be difficult to be heard in these crowded digital spaces. T...
Thermal and Electrical Performance in High-Voltage Power Modules With Nonmetallic Additively Manufactured Impingement Coolers

As high voltage, wide-band-gap power modules increase in power density with high switching frequency, they create localized hot spots and harmful electromagnetic interference (EMI). If not treated properly, these issues can drastically reduce the reliability of the devices. In this article, we propose a solution to address both of these challenges created by power module building blocks which are designed for use in a hybrid-electric aircraft traction inverter. Additive manufacturing is used to fabricate a nonmetallic jet impingement device to decrease power module temperatures. Moreover, the nonmetallic structure limits the accentuation of EMI created by the module operating at high switching frequencies. Conjugate heat transfer simulations are used to predict the thermal performance of the cooler. In this article, a reduction of maximum die temperatures is observed, along with an increase in temperature uniformity throughout the base plate. Experimental results show a minimum thermal resistance of 0.1 K/W and an average heat transfer coefficient up to 3600 W/m2.K at peak operation. Finally, EMI tests are performed to show a two orders of magnitude reduction of parasitic capacitance using the nonmetallic cooler compared with a metallic heat sink. This directly leads to a 25 dB decrease in the common mode noise.
Reynolds Intellectual Screening Instrument 1st versus 2nd Edition in a Memory Disorder Sample.

Objective The Reynolds Intellectual Screening Instrument (RIST) and its second edition (RIST-2) are brief intelligence screening instruments that potentially have value in older populations as their norms extend over age 90. This study examined performance on these two instruments in a sample of individuals presenting for evaluation in a memory disorder clinic. Method A sample of 1,145 subjects over the age of 50 was chosen from 1,761 consecutive referrals. Individuals who obtained a consensus diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI; n = 536), possible dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT; n = 400), or those with subjective cognitive complaints (SCC; n = 209) and who completed a neuropsychological battery that included either the RIST (n = 747) or the RIST-2 (n = 398) were included in the sample. No clinically significant demographic or neuropsychological performance differences were found for those taking either version of the RIST. Results Unlike the original version, RIST-2 Total and subtest scores were well below the mean for the DAT group and over 1 SD mean difference was seen for the DAT group when comparing the RIST and RIST-2 Totals. Diagnostic accuracy calculations suggested that the RIST-2 showed greater discrimination between the three groups although both versions achieved greater sensitivity than specificity. Conclusions Performance differences were evident when comparing the RIST and RIST-2, particularly for the DAT group. Although the RIST-2 evidenced greater diagnostic accuracy than its predecessor it should not be utilized in isolation for the clinical determination of DAT or MCI.
3,5-Diphenyl-2-phosphafuran: Synthesis, Structure, and Thermally Reversible [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Chemistry.

Treatment of trans-chalcone with dibenzo-7-phosphanorbornadiene EtOPA (A = C14H10, anthracene), a source of ethoxyphosphinidene, followed by formal elimination of ethanol yields 3,5-diphenyl-2-phos...
Theorizing institutional change and governance in European responses to the Covid-19 pandemic

After initial responses that appeared to be a disappointing replay of previous crises, EU governance in the Covid-19 crisis may very well result in paradigmatic change toward deeper European integr...
The case for estimating carbon return on investment (CROI) for CCUS platforms

Abstract Development of CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) platforms has been deemed crucial for achievement of the Paris Agreement goals. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is an important tool for assessing the efficacy of these technologies in achieving true net-carbon reduction. Critical review of previously published LCA-based evaluations of CCUS technologies reveals that there is an urgent need for more transparent accounting of carbon removal efficiency. Updated methods should incorporate better focus on the CO2 uptake as the primary objective and better differentiate apportionment between “avoided emissions” and true net sequestration. We posit that widespread, uniform application of a standardized ratio metric, carbon return on investment (CROI), will improve the usefulness of LCA to articulate true CO2 sequestration by candidate CCUS platforms. We present two case studies to illustrate the value of this metric for diverse CCS and CCU applications. We also provide several recommendations to make future CROI results as unambiguous as possible and boost their usefulness. These recommendations pertain to conventional LCA concepts, including: choice of functional unit (or declared unit) and system boundaries, application of system expansion, and proper mathematical formulation of the proposed metric. Future work should aim at carrying forward our work on proposed minimum CROI and incorporating the time-value of CO2 fluxes.
Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures: by T. Leaver, T. Highfield, & C. Abidin, Cambridge, UK, Polity Press, 2020, 256 pp., $22.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-5095-3438-8

Analyses examining a specific social media platform like Instagram have been prolific in the study of digital media, but most such contributions are journal articles that explore the economic impac...
SARS-CoV-2 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has affected children and adolescents throughout the world since its discovery in 2019. For many children, infection with SARS-CoV-2 presents as an asymptomatic to mild infection. However, in a small subset of children who become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a more severe post-infectious inflammatory illness has emerged, referred to as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Since its discovery in 2020, the scientific community has learned a lot about the presentation, evaluation, treatment, and management of MIS-C.
Going Beyond Lip Service When It Comes to Equity: Characteristics of Equity-Minded, Culturally Responsive Allies in Gifted and Talented Education:

The authors provide a history of inequities in gifted education and recognize the academic, cultural, and psychosocial needs of gifted and talented Black and Hispanic students, who are in need of a...
Photo-uncaging a Ru(II) intercalator via photodecomposition of a bridged Mn(I) photoCORM.

A Ru(II) intercalating complex capped with a Mn(I) photoCORM allows for a new mode of DNA intercalator delivery. The steric bulk of the Mn(I) photoCORM inhibits intercalation in the dark, and visible light irradiation (470 nm) dissociates the photoCORM, allowing for DNA intercalation of the Ru(II) complex.
Intraventricular Conduction Defects

Here the apex of the right ventricle is depolarized first. Septa] activation is now reversed (left and posterior). As a result, septal Q waves are not seen in V5 and V6, and only small R waves, if any, are seen in V1 and V2. The left ventricle then depolarizes, and the axis is displacec further posteriorly and leftward. The ST segment and T wave are displacec anteriorly (secondary ST-T changes). The lesion is best recognized by wide I waves in leads 1 and V5 and V6, usually with pronounced notching and an RSR’ complex, followed by an inverted T wave and a depressed ST segment. The QRS duration is at least 0.12 seconds, and often is 0.14 or 0.16 seconds, as the left Purkinje system is bypassed, and the left ventricle depolarizes more slowly, primarily by the myocardial cells.
The mitral patient before and after surgery; diagnostic-graphic investigations.

Abstract Twenty-one patients were studied before and after mitral valve surgery. Nineteen of them had predominant stenosis, and two had predominant insufficiency. The clinical and graphic studies are reported. The comparative value of the various methods is discussed. General criteria of exclusion from surgery are listed. Coincidence between clinical-graphic diagnosis and surgical evaluation of the valvular lesion was found in the range of about 80 per cent. Possible causes of error in the surgical evaluation of mitral incompetence are discussed. The electrocardiogram was recognized as a possible guide for evaluating the decrease of right ventricular load and the increase of left ventricular load which may follow surgical intervention. The phonocardiogram revealed changes of the first sound at the apex and of the second pulmonic sound by effect of surgery. It further revealed a practically constant increase of the interval 2-O.S. and a decrease of the interval R-1 which were considered proportional to the decrease of left atrial pressure. Changes of cardiac murmurs are also described. Phonocardiography was recognized as extremely useful in the diagnosis of mitral stenosis, in the recognition of aortic defects, and in the evaluation of the results of surgery. Electrokymography was used for the study of left atrial pattern tracings. A typical pattern, entirely different from that of normal subjects, takes place in mitral regurgitation. Possible causes of error are listed. Increased accuracy of study was obtained by taking eight to nine tracings in various projections, by calibrating the tracing, and by analyzing the pattern and its relationship with the heart sounds. The plateau pattern, previously described by Luisada and Fleischner, was explained by them as the result of mitral regurgitation. While several workers confirmed this interpretation, others raised certain objections. These objections are now refuted in detail. Two different patterns are now described: the early plateau, significant of exclusive or predominant mitral insufficiency; and the late plateau, revealing predominant mitral stenosis with moderate regurgitation. The atrial and valvular dynamics of the two conditions are analyzed, and it is concluded that the two left atrial electrokymographic patterns are the result of two different left atrial pressure patterns. The modifications of left atrial pressure by effect of surgery were typically revealed by changes in the electrokymographic patterns. Correlation of the electrokymographic data with those of other graphic methods, of the x-ray, and of clinical data led to a reliable evaluation of the mitral dysfunction. While two cases revealed evidence of exclusive or extremely predominant insufficiency, no case of stenosis, unaccompanied by some degree of incompetence, was found.
An unslotted multichannel channel-access protocol for distributed direct-sequence networks

A multichannel reservation-based channel-access protocol is investigated in this paper. The available system bandwidth is divided into distinct frequency channels. Under the protocol, one channel (the control channel) is used to exchange reservation messages and the remaining channels (the traffic channels) are used for information-bearing traffic. The performance of this scheme is compared to that of a single-channel reservation-based protocol. A simple contention-based slotted-Aloha protocol is also considered. Performance results take into account the effects of multiple-access interference on acquisition and packet errors. Results show that the reservation-based approach is advantageous under conditions of high traffic. In addition, a pacing mechanism that mitigates multiple-access interference and promotes fairness is described, and results are presented that demonstrate its effectiveness.
Specific malignant cells exfoliated from preinvasive cancer of the cervix uteri.

Abstract 1. The finding of a specific type of exfoliated malignant cells from preinvasive cancer is described and the morphology discussed. 2. In thirty of thirty-four cases of preinvasive cancer these specific cells were found, and in nineteen of twenty-one cases the diagnosis of preinvasive cancer was actually suspected and confirmed by biopsy.
Loan Sharks, Interest-Rate Caps,and Deregulation

Table of ContentsI. Introduction 808II. What Is a Loan Shark? 810A. Original Intent 811B. A Second Sense 813C. The Common Denominator 815III. Low Caps and No Caps 816A. American Loan Sharks 816B. British Moneylenders 819IV. Finding the Mean 821A. The Anti-Loan Shark Act 822B. The Extinction of a Predator 825V. The Rise and Fall of Mob Payday Lending 827A. Appearance and Reality 828B. Scope and Development 830C. Evolution and Decay 832VI. The Return of the Loan Sharks 835A. The Evolution of Payday Lending 836B. The Debt Trap 837C. The Scale of Payday Lending 839VII. Illegal Lending Today 841A. Where Prohibition Is in Effect 841B. Where Deregulation Is in Effect 843C. In Cyberspace 845VIII . Conclusion: The Minimization of Loan- sharking 847I. IntroductionDefenders of expensive, subprime credit products like payday loans often claim that imposing interest-rate caps on consumer credit will bring back the loan sharks that were said to have been starved into extinction by the policy of financial deregulation. This is the loan-shark thesis. The thesis is often asserted in passing by advocates of interest-rate deregulation,1 but it has recently been defended in detail in an article published in Banking Law Journal entitled "History Repeats Itself: Why Interest Rate Caps Pave the Way for the Return of the Loan Sharks."2 According to its authors, Justice David Baker and MacKenzie Breitenstein, "it is possible if interest-rate caps are again used as a primary means of regulating consumer credit that the loan- shark industry will return to prominence as regulated lenders will quit lending to high risk borrowers."3 This is said to be the perverse consequence of trying to regulate the price of consumer credit. Outlawing high prices spawns loan sharks, who are the worst sort of creditors. They beat or kill debtors who are late with their payments. Rate caps, we are told, unintentionally drive credit-constrained consumers into their clutches because price ceilings ration legal credit away from the least-advantaged and riskiest applicants. According to Baker and Breitenstein, the history of credit regulation in the United States teaches us this lesson.4But in this Article I will show that, depending on how we define "loan shark," this intuitively plausible thesis is either false and indeed exactly wrong, or too simple and thus misleading. Historically, there have been two distinct types of creditors that were derided as loan sharks, one using threats of violence to collect its debts but the other not. The former has been less common than the latter. In the United States, the violent loan sharks proliferated in the small-loan market after state usury caps were raised considerably and these loan sharks dwindled away as a source of credit for working people before interest-rate deregulation began to be adopted at the end of the 1970s. …
James Webb space telescope (JWST) project overview

The James Webb space telescope (JWST) project at the NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is responsible for the development, launch, flight, and science operations for the telescope. The project is in phase B with its launch scheduled for no earlier than June 2013. The project is a partnership among NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The JWST mission team is fully in place, including major ESA and CSA subcontractors. This paper provides an overview of the planned JWST science, current architecture focusing on the instrumentation, and mission status, including technology developments and risks.
A comparison of resolution requirements for boundary estimation from binary and grey scale images

The determination of the appropriate sampling rate for image data is often problematic because the traditional band-limited reconstruction approach for data sampled above the Nyquist frequency cannot be applied to sources which are not band-limited. High contrast edges play an important role in image content definition, and these sharp edges in an image source would theoretically require an unbounded spatial frequency range. The paper presents a theoretical argument supported by several examples for selecting a different minimum sampling frequency for grey scale and binary image acquisition. Implications with respect to image acquisition, image processing, and image compression are discussed. >
Hierarchical hybrid control: an IVHS case study

A case study of the difficulties associated with the design of hybrid control systems is presented. The authors use an intelligent vehicle highway system (IVHS) architecture as their example of a hierarchical hybrid system. The authors point out that, even though conventional analysis tools suggest that the proposed design should fulfill certain performance requirements, the simulation results show that it does not. The authors consider this as an indication that the conventional tools currently in use for the design and verification of control systems may be inadequate for the design of hierarchical control of hybrid systems. >
Toward a Multiple Party Representation Model: Moderating Power Disparity

Argues that the zealous representation model of contemporary legal practice with its emphasis on primacy of the client causes lawyers to assist and motivate their clients to exploit the clients' power advantages in non-litigation contexts. The article recommends that ethical rules shift to a multiple client representation model. The model would be based upon the Brandeisian "lawyer for the situation" and would empower attorneys in non-litigation settings to consider and evaluate the impact of their activities on other constituencies that the representation affects. Attorneys would become better able to encourage their clients to seek distributional fairness and balance in their business and personal legal activities to the possible long term advantage of both client and lawyer.
5 A Transfer-Appropriate-Processing Perspective of Pictures in Prose

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews pictures-in-prose. The chapter also introduces Morris, Bransford, and Frank's notion of transfer-appropriate processing, in the general context of scientific validity, and in the specific context of subjects picture processing in various item- and associative-learning tasks. The transfer-appropriate-processing theme is also extended to studies of learning from text. Researchers must be more sensitive to the specific functions of pictures, and to their associated degree of prose-learning facilitation on different learning outcomes. It is assumed that pictures serve different prose-learning “functions” and that these functions can be mapped onto different prose-learning outcomes. Five primary functions include (1) decoration, (2) representation, (3) organization, (4) interpretation, and (5) transformation. Text-irrelevant (decorational) pictures are not at all facilitative, whereas text-relevant pictures are. Based on theoretical analyses of the component processes underlying both tasks, it is predicted that, relative to the control condition: (1) single-image instructions can facilitate performance on the verbal-discrimination task but not on the paired-associate task, and (b) compound-image instructions would produce the reverse pattern.
Cooling enhancement of aerosol particles due to surfactant precipitation.

Light extinction by particles in Earth’s atmosphere is strongly dependent on the particle size, chemical composition, and ability to take up water. In this work, we have measured the optical growth...
PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS OF SHORT AND INTERMEDIATE-TERM MEMORY IN HERMISSENDA

Changes in cellular and synaptic plasticity related to learning and memory are accompanied by both upregulation and downregulation of the expression levels of proteins. Both de novo protein synthesis and post-translational modification of existing proteins have been proposed to support the induction and maintenance of memory underlying learning. However, little is known regarding the identity of proteins regulated by learning that are associated with the early stages supporting the formation of memory over time. In this study we have examined changes in protein abundance at two different times following one-trial in vitro conditioning of Hermissenda using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), quantification of differences in protein abundance between conditioned and unpaired controls, and protein identification with tandem mass spectrometry. Significant regulation of protein abundance following one-trial in vitro conditioning was detected 30 min and 3 h post-conditioning. Proteins were identified that exhibited statistically significant increased or decreased abundance at both 30 min and 3 h post-conditioning. Proteins were also identified that exhibited a significant increase in abundance only at 30 min, or only at 3 h post-conditioning. A few proteins were identified that expressed a significant decrease in abundance detected at both 30 min and 3 h post-conditioning, or a significant decrease in abundance only at 3 h post-conditioning. The proteomic analysis indicates that proteins involved in diverse cellular functions such as translational regulation, cell signaling, cytoskeletal regulation, metabolic activity, and protein degradation contribute to the formation of memory produced by one-trial in vitro conditioning. These findings support the view that changes in protein abundance over time following one-trial in vitro conditioning involve dynamic and complex interactions of the proteome.
Early education: Progress and promise for children from low-income families.

Abstract It has become normative for children to attend some type of early education before entering kindergarten; yet, gaps in enrollment suggest that children from low-income families, who might benefit the most from such services, remain the least likely to receive them. The public sector engages in two main policy strategies to address this gap, providing compensatory preschool programs such as Head Start or state pre-kindergarten (pre-k), and means-tested child care assistance. Federal and state investments in both types of programs have increased dramatically over the past two decades; however, still only a portion of eligible poor children are served. Evidence from the evaluation literature suggests that high quality early education improves low-income children's school readiness and other long-term developmental outcomes. States face considerable challenges in ensuring that children have access to quality early care and education experiences.
The acute treatment of bipolar depression: Historically relevant and recent controlled trials

Depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder generally predominate over hypomanic/manic symptoms and can be more difficult to treat. As a result, they are responsible for much of the suffering, morbidity, and mortality from this illness. However, there are many fewer randomized, controlled trials of treatments for bipolar depression than for unipolar depression, and this has led to much controversy and confusion regarding the best treatment strategies. A number of expert consensus panels have issued guidelines, taking into account the sum of the past and present literature, with treatment recommendations. This article examines historically relevant and recent randomized, controlled trials of acute treatments for bipolar depression in the context of the latest US expert consensus panel guidelines.
Differential effect of zoledronic acid on human vascular smooth muscle cells

Abstract Introduction The activation of human vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, adhesion and migration is essential for intimal hyperplasia formation. These experiments were designed to test whether zoledronic acid (ZA) would modulate indices of human smooth muscle cell activation, exert differential effects on proliferating versus quiescent cells, and determine whether these effects were dependent on GTPase binding proteins prenylation. ZA was chosen for testing in these experiments because it is clinically used in humans with cancer, and has been shown to modulate rat smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. Methods Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) were cultured under either proliferating or growth arrest (quiescent) conditions in the presence or absence of ZA for 48 hours, whereupon the effect of ZA on HASMC proliferation, cellular viability, metabolic activity, and membrane integrity were compared. In addition, the effect of ZA on adhesion and migration were assessed in proliferating cells. The effect of increased concentration of ZA on the mevalonate pathway and genomic/cellular stress related poly-adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase enzyme activity were assessed using the relative prenylation of Rap-1A/B protein and the formation of poly adenosine diphosphate-ribosylated protein, respectively. Results There was a dose dependent inhibition of cellular proliferation, adhesion and migration following ZA treatment. ZA treatment decreased indices of cellular viability and significantly increased membrane injury in proliferating versus quiescent cells. This was correlated with the appearance of unprenylated Rap-1A protein and dose dependent down regulation of activity. Conclusions These data suggest that ZA is effective in inhibiting HASMC proliferation, adhesion, and migration, which coincide with the appearance of unprenylated RAP-1A/B protein, thereby suggesting that the mevalonate pathway may play a role in the inhibition of HASMC activation.
Adolescent knowledge and use of injectable contraceptives in developing countries

Purpose: To review recent survey data on knowledge and use of injectable contraceptives among adolescents and young women in developing countries. The proportion of adolescents who are aware of this method, who have ever used it, and who are currently using the method, are described. Use of the injection is compared to overall use of any method, as well as to use of two other specific methods, the contraceptive pill and the condom. Methods: The data reported here come from a series of nationally representative surveys carried out in 25 developing countries, in the mid to late 1980s, as part of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) project. These are surveys of 5,000–10,000 women aged 15–49 years that obtain information on whether women have heard about each specific method, as well as on ever-use and current use of contraception. The data presented here are compiled from published sources, and focus on currently married young women (15–24 year olds), and adolescents (15–19 year olds). Results: Although the injection is recognized by a moderately high proportion of young women and adolescents (40–70% in most countries), use of this method is extremely low in almost all countries. The exceptions, based on DHS data, are 3 Asian countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand) and to a lesser extent, two Latin American countries (Columbia and Mexico). Other countries with moderately high levels of use of Depo-Provera, based on other sources, are China, Jamaica and New Zealand. However, apart from these few countries, when adolescents and young women do choose to use contraception, it is the pill that they are much more likely to choose. Conclusions: Problems of availability of supplies of the injection may explain some of the observed variation in levels of use of this method. Supplies are mostly provided by international donor agencies such as United Nations Fund for Population Activities and International Planned Parenthood Federation. The lack of approval of the method by the United States until recently also probably had a negative effect on the likelihood of some other governments approving this method or promoting it. Now, with the approval of the United States, supplies may become more available and there may be a greater willingness to use Depo-Provera and other injectables in the developing countries.
Time, Term Limits, and Turnover: Trends in Membership Stability in U.S. State Legislatures

Increases in legislative professionalization along with the implementation of term limits in about one-third of the American states raise significant questions about the path of state house and senate turnover. We first update turnover figures for all states, by chamber, from the mid-1980s through 2002. We then compare turnover rates in states with and without term limits. We find that turnover rates, overall, continued to decline through the 1980s but that the long downward trend abated in the 1990s as a result of term limits. The effects of term limits vary depending on the length of the term limit and the opportunity structure in the state. There is also a strong relationship between the presence of term limits and interchamber movement. In addition to term limits, professionalization levels, redistricting, the presence of multi-member districts, and partisan swings explain differences in turnover rates between states.
The effect of surface residual stress on the performance of high quality x-ray mirrors

The use of high quality X-ray mirrors at synchrotron beamlines as low-energy bandpass, harmonic rejection and high heat load optical elements has become routine. Nearly perfect optical surfaces generated on substrates and held in strain-free fixtures are of paramount importance to their success. Production of these mirrors requires extensive care, yet the effect of residual fabrication stress has not been closely studied. This paper examines the effect of surface and near-surface residual stress on the performance of hard X-ray mirrors using topography and X-ray reflectivity techniques. The present approach complements the information provided by standard optical metrology, giving a more comprehensive understanding of polishing induced surface deformation on X-ray reflectivity. This information is invaluable for the characterization of future, coherence preserving optics where scattering and evanescent sub-surface X-ray penetration may impact beam quality.
STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF HYPOTHALAMIC CONTROL OF THYROTROPIN SECRETION: EFFECT OF INTRAHYPOTHALAMIC THYROXINE INJECTION ON THYROID HYPERTROPHY INDUCED BY PROPYLTHIOURACIL IN THE RAT1

A minute amount of thyroxine was injected into the anterior hypothalamus of rats chronically treated with propylthiouracil. The subsequent development of goiter was studied in relation to the hypothesis proposed in a previous paper that the “thyrotropin center” of the anterior hypothalamus is sensitive to alterations in the concentration of circulating thyroid hormone and thus can secondarily control thyrotropin secretion by the pituitary. The development of goiter was markedly inhibited by the injection of systemicalty ineffective amounts of thyroxine into the anterior hypothalamus but not by saline injections into the same area or by thyroxine injections into other areas of the hypothalamus. Adrenal and testicular weight were not affected by such procedures. It is suggested that thyroxine injection into the anterior hypothalamus specifically affects thyrotropin secretion by the pituitary.
Characterization of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) germplasm: a critique

Descriptor characterization of sesame accessions regenerated in Georgia, USA gave only a very limited picture of the wealth of sesame diversity, and an inaccurate portrayal of literature pertaining to the crop’s domestication. Background information is far richer than touched upon in Morris’s paper, as elaborated in this appraisal. Patterns of sesame’s genotypic diversity follow geographic lines. Data from parallel approaches: taxonomic, genetic and molecular, identify the wild progenitor of sesame from the taxon Sesamum orientale var. malabaricum Nar.
Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from methanol by a new methylotrophic bacterium Methylobacterium sp. GW2

A new bacterial strain, isolated from groundwater contaminated with explosives, was characterized as a pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph, affiliated to the genus Methylobacterium. The bacterial isolate designated as strain GW2 was found capable of producing the homopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) from various carbon sources such as methanol, ethanol, and succinate. Methanol acted as the best substrate for the production of PHB reaching 40 % w/w dry biomass. PHB accumulation was observed to be a growth-associated process, so that there was no need for two-step fermentation. Optimal growth occurred at 0.5 % (v/v) methanol concentration, and growth was strongly inhibited at \( a \) concentration above 2 % (v/v). Methylobacterium sp. strain GW2 was also able to accumulate the copolyester poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-poly-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHB/HV) when valeric acid was supplied as an auxiliary carbon source to methanol. After 66 h, a copolymer content of 30 % (w/w) was achieved with a PHB to PHV ratio of 1:2. Biopolymers produced by strain GW2 had an average molecular weight ranging from 229,350 to 233,050 Da for homopolymer PHB and from 362,430 to 411,300 Da for the copolymer PHB/HV.
Assigning poetry reading as a way of introducing students to qualitative data analysis

Title. Assigning poetry reading as a way of introducing students to qualitative dataanalysis. Aim. The aim of the paper is to explain how poetry reading can be used to teach interpretive analysis of qualitative data. Background. A number of studies were located in the nursing literature that focused on using poetry to help students develop empathy for patients, to teach students to reflect on their own practice, and to assist them in developing self-understanding. No studies were found that described the use of poetry reading as a way of teaching the skill of interpretive analysis. There are, however, a number of parallels between the principles of poetry reading and qualitative analysis that suggest that this method of teaching would be successful. Data sources. International papers published on PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL were reviewed to identify challenges facing educators and ways of teaching the process of qualitative data analysis using poetry reading. Findings. Using poetry reading to teach skills of qualitative data analysis helps motivate students, cultivates a reflective mindset, and develops the skill of working as a member of an interpretive group. Framing interpretive work as being like reading poetry helps students pick up more quickly on the art that is a major component of the work. This approach also helps students learn the importance of cultural and contextual particulars as they begin analyzing qualitative data. Conclusion. Using poetry reading to introduce students to the complex skill of qualitative data analysis is an effective pedagogical strategy.
Phosphorylated proteins as physiological effectors

A variety of neurotransmitters, hormones, and other regulatory agents affect the phosphorylation of specific proteins in their target tissues. The types of stimuli that share this common effect on protein phosphorylation include numerous substances that do not act through cyclic AMP. These and other observations suggest that many different classes of regulatory substances achieve certain of their biological effects by altering the phosphorylation of specific proteins.
Near Term Application of Water Cooling

A joint General Electric and Electric Power Research program is nearing completion after six years of water-cooled turbine technology development. The first two years were devoted to preliminary combined gas and steam turbine cycle studies and preliminary gas turbine combustor and turbine hot section design studies. Beginning in 1976, the major emphasis has been on resolving areas of critical technology toward the application of water cooling to the heavy duty commercial gas turbine. Earlier papers, ASME 78-GT-72 and 79-GT-72, presented preliminary results for development tasks which investigated phenomena associated with application of water cooling to turbine hot section nozzles, buckets and flowpath components for operation at increased turbine firing temperature. This paper presents results obtained from mid-1978 through 1979, and deals primarily with near term application of water cooling technology to the commercial gas turbine operating on heavy residual oil or coal derived liquid fuels. Water cooling in the near term offers the promise of significant reduction of both hot corrosion and ash deposition at the turbine first-stage nozzle.Copyright © 1980 by ASME
Toll Pathway-Dependent Blockade of CD4+CD25+ T Cell-Mediated Suppression by Dendritic Cells

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) control activation of adaptive immune responses by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However, initiation of adaptive immune responses is also controlled by regulatory T cells (TR cells), which act to prevent activation of autoreactive T cells. Here we describe a second mechanism of immune induction by TLRs, which is independent of effects on costimulation. Microbial induction of the Toll pathway blocked the suppressive effect of CD4+CD25+ TR cells, allowing activation of pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses. This block of suppressor activity was dependent in part on interleukin-6, which was induced by TLRs upon recognition of microbial products.
ESR in Clay Minerals

IN 1963, Friedlander et al.1 reported strong, reproducible electron spin resonance (ESR) signals in native samples of three clay minerals. Because of the almost universal occurrence of clays in the soil, they suggested that these radicals might be of importance in soil chemical and biological processes. They also suggested that the signals (g ∼ 2) were due to organic free radicals, deposited on the clay from surrounding areas by percolating water.
A reconsideration of the impact of recalls on the market valuation of a product

Abstract This paper looks at the problem of determining the effect on the market valuation of a product of recalls due to safety defects when the analytical framework is misspecified. Using the car market, the results show that it is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the effect on the price of recalls from the impact of quality differentials among makes and models.
Intermediate filament complement of the normal and gliotic canine retina

Intermediate filament expression of various cell types in the adult canine normal and gliotic retina was determined by an immunoperoxidase method of using monoclonal antibodies on aldehyde-fixed tissues. In the normal retina, vimentin was present in astrocytes in the nerve fibre layer, horizontal cell processes, and Muller cell fibres from the internal limiting membrane to the outer nuclear layer. Neurofilamentous axons were noted in the nerve fibre, inner plexiform layer, and outer plexiform layer, although the degree of staining intensity varied among the three molecular weight neurofilament antisera used. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining was confined to the nerve fibre and ganglion cell layer; this was interpreted as representing fibrous astrocytes. Astrocyte density varied according to retinal topography with an increased number around retinal blood vessels and in the peripapillary retina. Quantitative, but not qualitative differences in staining for vimentin and the neurofilaments were noted in degenerative, gliotic retinas. In common with several other mammalian species previously studied, the canine Muller cells accumulate or express GFAP under pathological con ditions involving a gliotic response.
Usefulness of serum-ascites albumin difference in separating transudative from exudative ascites. Another look.

The serumascites albumin difference is reported to be superior to ascitic total protein, ascitic-to-serum total protein ratio, lactic dehydrogenase, and ascitic-to-serum lactic dehydrogenase ratio in differentiating between ascites from liver disease and malignant ascites, S-A>1.1 reflecting portal hypertension. We analyzed ascitic fluid from 46 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease, 28 patients with ascites associated with malignancy, 10 patients with rightsided heart failure, 4 patients with hypothyroidism, and 6 patients with miscellaneous causes of ascites to determine if this albumin difference is indeed a more valuable parameter. Analysis of our data confirms with a larger number of patients that the serum-ascites albumin difference is a more reliable indicator of transudative ascites, better termed portal hypertensive ascites. Malignant ascites without liver metastases had features of nonportal hypertensive ascites, and the serum-ascites albumin difference confirms this. The characteristics of malignant ascites associated with liver metastases, however, resemble those of the portal hypertensive ascites complicating liver disease. This new parameter is also helpful in distinguishing congestive heart failure with high protein ascites and portal hypertensive ascitic features from malignant ascites without liver metastases. Of particular note, myxedematous ascitic fluid, classically categorized as exudative, had an S-A>1.1, indicating the possible role of portal hypertension in the development of ascites in these patients.
Optimal scheduling of combined heat and power plants using mixed-integer nonlinear programming

This paper presents the application of MINLP (mixed-integer nonlinear programming) approach for scheduling of a CHP (combined heat and power) plant in the day-ahead wholesale energy markets. This work employs first principles models to describe the nonlinear dynamics of a CHP plant and its individual components. The MINLP framework includes practical constraints such as minimum/maximum power output and steam flow restrictions, minimum up/down times, start-up and shut-down procedures, and fuel limits. Special care is given to the explicit modeling of the unit start-up types (hot, warm, and cold), which depend on the component's prior reservation time, resulting in the differences in the time-dependent start-up costs of generating units. The model also accounts for the different operating modes (synchronization, soak, dispatch, and desynchronization) during start-up and shut-down of each unit. We provide case studies involving the Hal C. Weaver power plant complex at the University of Texas at Austin to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results show that the optimized operating strategies can yield substantial net incomes from electricity sales.
Modern system on chip challenges demand development of new skills in electronic engineering graduates

The ever-increasing demands of the System on Chip (SoC) market have created a compelling event for a new abstraction level for hardware design and verification. Unfortunately these same demands are hampering companies' abilities to develop the necessary skills in their existing engineering staff. The ideal place to develop the necessary skills for the next generation of hardware design and verification engineers is at the university level. This paper will outline the combination of skills necessary to equip electronic engineering graduates to be more attractive to leading SoC semiconductor producers, and will highlight successful implementations of such a curriculum at universities in the United States, Europe, and Japan.