cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Individual, community and service environment factors associated with modern contraceptive use in five Sub-Saharan African countries: A multilevel, multinomial analysis using geographically linked data from PMA2020.

The importance of the family planning service environment and community-level factors on contraceptive use has long been studied. Few studies, however, have been able to link individual and health facility data from surveys that are nationally representative, concurrently fielded, and geographically linked. Data from Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 address these limitations. To assess the relative influences of the service delivery environment and community, household, and individual factors on a woman’s likelihood of using a modern contraceptive in five geographically and culturally diverse sub-Saharan African countries. Nationally representative, cross-sectional data from PMA2020 were linked at the household and service delivery level. Country-specific and pooled multilevel multinomial logistic models, comparing non-users, short- and long-acting method users were used. The variables elected for inclusion in our multivariate analyses were guided by the conceptual framework to profile the different levels of influences on individual use of modern contraception. Average marginal effects were calculated to improve interpretability. We find that the effect of contextual factors varies widely but that being visited by a health worker who spoke about family planning in the past 12 months was consistently and positively associated with individual use of short-acting and long-acting contraception. Characteristics of the nearest health facility did not generally exercise their own independent influences on a woman’s use of contraception, except in the case of Burkina Faso, where the average distance between individuals and the nearest family planning provider was significantly greater than other countries. Inclusion of country fixed effects in the pooled models and the relevance of covariates at different levels in the country-specific models demonstrate that there is significant variation across countries in how community, individual, and service delivery environment factors influence contraceptive use and method choice. Context must be taken into account when designing family planning programs.
Evaluation of Physical Layer Secret Key Generation for IoT Devices

As aspects of our daily lives become more interconnected with the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), it is imperative that our devices are reliable and secure from threats. Vulnerabilities of Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2) have been exposed in the past, motivating the use of multiple security techniques, even with the release of WPA3. Physical layer security leverages existing components of communication systems to enable methods of protecting devices that are well-suited for IoT applications. In this work, we provide a low-complexity technique for generating secret keys at the Physical layer to enable improved IoT security. We leverage the existing carrier frequency offset (CFO) and channel estimation components of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) receivers for an efficient approach. The key generation algorithm we propose focuses on the unique CFO and channel experienced between a pair of desired nodes, and to the best of our understanding, the combination of the features has not been examined previously for the purpose of secret key generation. Our techniques are appropriate for IoT devices, as they do not require extensive processing capabilities and are based on second order statistics. We obtain experimental results using USRP N210 software defined radios and analyze the performance of our methods in post-processing. Our techniques improve the capability of desired nodes to establish matching secret keys, while hindering the threat of an eavesdropper, and are useful for protecting future IoT devices.
Impact of Social Determinants on Outcomes in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Background Durable, continuous flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) used as a bridge to transplantation and destination therapy continue to have improved survival. Despite ongoing advances in technology, LVADs continue to be associated with significant adverse events. Socioeconomic determinants are known to be associated with worse outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure. We sought to examine the association of social determinants with outcomes after LVAD implantation. Methods Using electronic medical records, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 358 patients undergoing LVAD (HeartMate II, HeartMate III, HeartWare) implantation from January 2006 to October 2018 at a tertiary care center. We collected data including median household income, comorbid conditions, self-identified substance use, and cognitive assessment determined by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment tool. We examined the association between 30-day readmission rate, right ventricular failure (RVF), need for hemodialysis (HD), and occurrence of driveline infection post LVAD implantation with the pre-specified covariates. Univariate two-group comparisons using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables or chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables was used. Results The study population was comprised of 74.9% males, with a mean age of 55 ± 12, 52% Caucasians, and 39.1% African Americans. The mean household income was $53,298. There was no significant difference between substance use (p=0.684), median household income (p=0.696), co-morbid conditions and occurrence of RVF after LVAD implantation. Similar comparison showed no significant differences between substance use (p=0.522), median household income (p=0.534), and occurrence of HD after LVAD placement. History of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was found predominantly in patients who ended up on dialysis compared to those with no past medical history of CKD (p=0.044). There were no significant differences between substance use (p=0.323), median household income (p=0.564), co-morbidities and occurrence of driveline infection after LVAD implantation. There was also no significant difference noted between the presence of RVF after LVAD implantation, the need for HD or the occurrence of a driveline infection and the clinical status (defined as ongoing LVAD support, transplant, or death). There was a significant difference between 30-day readmission rate and clinical status (p=0.001) such that increased mortality was associated in patients with ongoing LVAD support and patients who received a transplant if they had a hospital readmission. Conclusion Management of heart failure is not only dependent on disease process but also upon access to health care, education, and resources. This study demonstrated that social determinants did not impact outcomes related to LVAD support. Due to complexity of LVAD patients, health care providers need to carefully take into consideration the complex interaction of health and social factors which directly affect patient care.
Categorical Denial: Evaluating Post-1492 Indigenous Erasure in the Paper Trail of American Archaeology

To understand the implications of archaeological site recording practices and associated inventories for studying Indigenous persistence after the arrival of Europeans, we examined the documentary record associated with nearly 900 archaeological sites in Marin County, California. Beginning with the first regional surveys conducted during the early 1900s and continuing into the present, the paper trail created by archaeologists reveals an enduring emphasis on precontact materials to the exclusion of more recent patterns of Indigenous occupation and land use. In assessing sites occupied by Indigenous people from the late sixteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, we discuss how the use of multiple lines of evidence—including temporally diagnostic artifacts, chronometric dating techniques, and historical documentation—may help illuminate subtle but widespread patterns of Native presence that have been obscured by essentialist assumptions about Indigenous culture change. Our findings further reveal the shortcomings of traditional site recording systems, in which archaeologists typically categorize sites within the prehistoric-protohistoric-historic triad on the basis of commonsense decisions that conflate chronology with identity. Instead, we argue for recording practices that focus specifically on the calendric ages of occupation for any given site.
Logistics and supply chain network designs: incorporating competitive priorities and disruption risk management perspectives

In this paper, we conduct a systematic literature review to examine several logistics network designs and evaluate their performance with respect to cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, and resili...
Arteriovenous Fistula Placement, Maturation, and Patency Loss in Older Patients Initiating Hemodialysis.

Rationale & Objective The current clinical guidelines for vascular access do not have specific recommendations for older hemodialysis patients. Our study aimed to determine the association of age with arteriovenous fistula (AVF) placement, maturation, and primary and secondary patency loss among older hemodialysis recipients. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting & Participants A US national cohort of incident hemodialysis patients 67 years or older (N = 43,851) assembled from the US Renal Data System. Exposure Age at dialysis initiation. Outcomes AVF placement, maturation, primary patency loss, and abandonment. Analytical Approach Cause-specific and subdistribution proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of age and AVF outcomes, with kidney transplantation, peritoneal dialysis, and death treated as competing events. Age cutoff was identified by restricted cubic splines. We compared crude and inverse probability–weighted cumulative incidence functions using Gray's test. Results As compared with those aged 67- Limitations Reliance on administrative claims to ascertain AVF outcomes. Conclusions The likelihood of AVF maturation is an important consideration for vascular access planning. Age alone should not be the basis for excluding older dialysis patients from AVF creation because maintenance of fistula patency was not reduced with older age despite a modest reduction in fistula maturation
Is energetics or competition a stronger driver of male smallmouth bass seasonal reproductive timing

Intraspecific competitive ability is often associated with body size and has been shown to influence reproductive timing in many species. However, energetic constraints provide an alternative explanation for size-related differences of reproductive timing. In temperate fishes that experience a winter starvation period, for instance, a negative allometric relationship between body size and winter energy loss might explain why larger males spawn earlier in a season than smaller males, especially in fishes that exhibit paternal care, which is energetically costly and limits parental foraging opportunities. Male smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, defend nesting territories in which they care for offspring over an extended period. In northern populations, males rely on energy reserves over a winter starvation period and in spring must recoup energy losses before initiating reproduction, making them ideal systems in which to study contributions of competition and energetic allometry on differences of reproductive timing. Here, we harness data on parental male M. dolomieu from a 10-year study and show that larger males required fewer degree days—a measure of thermal energy experienced—in spring before they spawned each year and that the time of peak seasonal reproduction in the population was negatively related to the number of degree days accumulated before reproduction started. Furthermore, we found that growth of individual males between seasons better predicted changes in timing of reproduction than changes in size relative to competitors. Together, these results suggest that timing of reproduction in this population is more strongly influenced by energetic constraints than size-based competition amongst males.
Pedagogical Possibilities of Critical Engagement in Introductory CS Education

Computer science holds the unfortunate distinction, at least historically, as a pragmatic and often non-critical domain of practice - in terms of both theory and praxis. Nonetheless, we are witnessing a growing allegiance to AI and data ethics in both academia and industry, and purportedly, 200 university curricula claim to have complied with tech ethics [2]. This proliferation is a promising step forward and can be a useful corrective against discriminatory consequences concerning algorithmic systems, particularly in technical fields like CS and AI, where ethical issues are not discursively and normatively foregrounded. However, these efforts are more coordinated with conventional business ethics than more critical traditions of social justice [3] expected to prevail in educational settings [5]. It is required of educational systems to enable students to improve their technological sensibilities and skill sets to generate alternative possibilities that would challenge technocratic ideologies that are uncritical and limit innovation to the measures of efficiency and marketability. Nudged by these concerns and energized by the creative possibilities of a classroom, we realize the integration of the critical and social dimensions of computing technologies into introductory CS courses as a key area of attention and propose a pedagogical approach largely through concepts that have their legacies in intersectional feminist activism, collective organizing [1], and critical theory [4]. As reflected in the results from the surveys, this approach has resonated with %95.4 of the studied group of students.
Procedural (In)Justice as Inclusivity and Marginalization: Evidence from a Longitudinal Sample of Mexican-American Adolescents:

Objectives:Treatment by law enforcement officers, as representatives of the state that interact with individual citizens, may signal to individuals their political and social inclusion within socie...
Race, Politics, and Community in the Global Pandemic

Vang focuses on race, politics, and community in the global pandemic. The year 2020 opens up an examination of the unforgiving simultaneity of not only the biopolitics of disease but also reinvigorated settler state violence, the murder of Black Americans, the sharpening of political divisions, and how Asian Americans are situated in all of this. The pandemic has solidified for many of us the violence of the U.S. settler state government and its relational value of life that institutes death for BIPOC communities. The disproportionately high death rates among Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, according to the APM Research Lab, are triple those of white Americans.
Research on Evaluation Method of Integrated Energy Service Level of Power Generation Enterprises

China is in a critical period of energy transformation. With the in-depth adjustment of Internet information technology, renewable energy technology and power system reform, the development of comprehensive energy services is the main direction of the development of electricity sales companies, and it is also an important way to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy costs and promote the profitability of electricity sales companies. At present, the comprehensive energy service is gradually forming a new industrial form,there is no unified definition of comprehensive energy at home and abroad [1]. The current evaluation method of the comprehensive energy service level of power generation enterprises is not perfect. In this context, this paper first studied the relevant literature at home and abroad, on this basis, combined with the related theories and evaluation methods of comprehensive energy services and the relevant significance of business service capability evaluation, to illustrate the importance of this research. In this paper, a comprehensive energy service level evaluation index system is constructed to evaluate the power enterprises from four aspects, including four categories of marketing, operation management, economic benefit and social benefit index and 25 secondary indexes. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method are used to determine the weight and final evaluation basis.
Nonlinear properties of hyperbolic metamaterials

Efforts to examine large optical nonlinear response in structured and novel electromagnetic materials are ongoing. This work is partly motivated by the promise of leveraging structural resonances or regions of exotic materials response, such as the epsilon near zero or ENZ regime, to amplify the underlying nonlinear response of component materials. We explore the photo-induced change in optical properties under photoexcitation using pump-probe spectroscopy. The response shows characteristics wavelength and polarization dependent features that support the emergence of hyperbolic dispersion.
Determination of the compound class and functional groups in protonated analytes via diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions.

Diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions serve as a powerful alternative to collision-activated dissociation for the structural elucidation of analytes when using tandem mass spectrometry. The use of such ion-molecule reactions has been demonstrated to provide a robust tool for the identification of specific functional groups in unknown ionized analytes, differentiation of isomeric ions, and classification of unknown ions into different compound classes. During the past several years, considerable efforts have been dedicated to exploring various reagents and reagent inlet systems for functional-group selective ion-molecule reactions with protonated analytes. This review provides a comprehensive coverage of literature since 2006 on general and predictable functional-group selective ion-molecule reactions of protonated analytes, including simple monofunctional and complex polyfunctional analytes, whose mechanisms have been explored computationally. Detection limits for experiments involving high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry based on ion-molecule reactions and the application of machine learning to predict diagnostic ion-molecule reactions are also discussed.
Juvenile Court Dispositions in the Deep South: Examining the Concept of Justice by Geography

The concept of justice by geography suggests that sentencing decisions in the juvenile justice system are influenced by the geographical context of the courts. This study sought to examine this phenomenon by examining rates of harsh juvenile sentencing (dispositions) in 64 parishes (i.e., counties) in the Deep South using parish-level characteristics such as geographic location (urban/suburban vs. rural), race and poverty. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that places with high poverty rates experienced significantly higher harsh disposition rates than those with less poverty. Other measured parish characteristics were unrelated and thus, the justice by geography concept was not supported. Implications for juvenile justice policy and future research are discussed.
Saddlepoint Approximations with Applications: Sequential saddlepoint applications

When the joint MGF of ( X, Y ) is available, the conditional MGF of Y given X = x can be approximated by using the sequential saddlepoint method. Apart from providing conditional moments, this approximate conditional MGF may also serve as a surrogate for the true conditional MGF with saddlepoint methods. In such a role, it can be the input into a singlesaddlepoint method, such as the Lugananni and Rice approximation, to give an approximate conditional distribution. Thus, the resulting sequential saddlepoint approximation to Pr( Y = y | X = x ) provides an alternative to the double-saddlepoint methods of sections 4.1-4.2. Computation of a p -value for the Bartlett–Nandi–Pillai trace statistic in MANOVA provides a context in which the sequential saddlepoint approximation succeeds with high accuracy but the competing double-saddlepoint CDF approximation fails. Among the latter methods, only numerical integration of the double-saddlepoint density successfully replicates the accuracy of the sequential saddlepoint CDF approximation; see Butler et al . (1992b). Another highly successful application of sequential saddlepoint methods occurs when approximating the power function of Wilks' likelihood ratio test inMANOVA. This example is deferred to section 11.3.1. Sequential saddlepoint approximation Suppose ( X, Y ) is a m -dimensional random vector with known joint CGF K ( s, t ) where s and t are the respective components. The goal is to use the joint CGF to determine conditional probabilities and moments of Y given X = x .
Antigenic and Immunogenic Characteristics of Nuclear and Membrane-Associated Simian Virus 40 Tumor Antigen

Antisera were prepared in syngeneic hosts against subcellular fractions of simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed cells (MoalphaPM, MoalphaNuc), glutaraldehydefixed SV40-transformed cells (HaalphaH-50-G, MoalphaVLM-G), and electrophoretically purified denatured SV40 tumor antigen (T-ag) (RaalphaT). Immune sera were also collected from animals bearing tumors induced by SV40-transformed cells (HaalphaT, MoalphaT, HAF) and from SV40-immunized animals that had rejected a transplant of SV40-transformed cells (HaalphaS, MoalphaS). Immunological reagents prepared against cell surface (MoalphaPM, HaalphaS, MoalphaS, HaalphaH-50-G, MoalphaVLM-G) reacted exclusively with the surface of SV40-transformed cells by indirect immunofluorescence or protein A surface antigen radioimmunoassay. Immunological reagents prepared against the nuclear fraction (MoalphaNuc) or whole-cell determinants (HaalphaT, MoalphaT, HAF, RaalphaT) reacted with both the nuclei and surface of SV40-transformed or -infected cells. All reagents were capable of immunoprecipitating 96,000-molecular weight large T-ag from solubilized whole cell extracts of SV40-transformed cells. The exclusive surface reactivity of HaalphaS exhibited in immunofluorescence tests was abolished by solubilization of subcellular fractions, which then allowed immunoprecipitation of T-ag by HaalphaS from both nuclear and plasma membrane preparations. Specificity was established by the fact that all T-reactive reagents failed to react in serological tests against chemically transformed mouse cells, and sera from mice bearing transplants chemically transformed mouse cells (MoalphaDMBA-2) failed to react with SV40-transformed mouse or hamster cells. Reagents demonstrating positive surface immunofluorescence and protein A radioimmunoassay reactions against SV40-transformed cells were capable of blocking the surface binding of RaalphaT to SV40-transformed cells in a double-antibody surface antigen radioimmunoassay. This blocking ability demonstrated directly that a component specificity of each surface-reactive reagent is directed against SV40 T-ag. A model is presented which postulates that the differential detection of T-ag by the various serological reagents is a reflection of immunogenic and antigenic differences between T-ag polypeptides localized in nuclei and plasma membranes.
Composable Formal Security Analysis: Juggling Soundness, Simplicity and Efficiency

A security property of a protocol is composableif it remains intact even when the protocol runs alongside other protocols in the same system. We describe a method for asserting composable security properties, and demonstrate its usefulness. In particular, we show how this method can be used to provide security analysis that is formal, relatively simple, and still does not make unjustified abstractions of the underlying cryptographic algorithms in use. It can also greatly enhance the feasibility of automatedsecurity analysis of systems of realistic size.
Unique structure of the M loop region of β1-tubulin may contribute to size variability of platelets in the family Felidae.

Background: Platelet size is relatively uniform in mammals except for domestic cats. Uniform platelet production by megakaryocytes can be disrupted if microtubule assembly or dynamics is impaired. Mutations in the gene encoding β1-tubulin have been documented in dogs and people, and the resulting microtubule effects have been associated with production of large platelets. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate morphology of platelets on feline blood smears, determine the gene sequences encoding β1-tubulin in members of the family Felidae, and compare the findings with those in other mammalian species to determine whether predicted structural differences in β1-tubulin that might affect microtubule stability or assembly were present. Methods: At least 100 platelets/smear on blood smears from 15 domestic cats and 88 big cats were evaluated to assess platelet size variability. Platelet-derived cDNA obtained from a domestic cat and genomic DNA isolated from blood samples of domestic cats and other members of the family Felidae were analyzed by PCR using primers specific for β1-tubulin. Gene sequences obtained were compared with those of other common mammals. Results: Two differences in gene sequence were found in a highly conserved region encoding the M loop of β1-tubulin in members of the family Felidae compared with sequences from other species. Platelet size variation was present in big cats and domestic cats. In addition, a rare amino acid change was documented in the C-terminal region encoding the H11 helix in domestic cats. Conclusion: Members of the family Felidae have an altered M loop region in β1-tubulin compared with other mammals. This variation may contribute to the observed platelet size variability.
Process Capability Indices, Nonnormal

Data from manufacturing processes may often come from nonnormal distributions. Process capability indices for nonnormal distributions have attracted much research in the last 20 years. This paper presents process capability indices for nonnormal distributions and reviews various approaches to deal with the problem of nonnormality in evaluating process capability. Keywords: nonnormality; process capability indices; quantile; yield
Prostate cancer screening practices and beliefs.

OBJECTIVE: To examine primary care physician prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and prostate cancer screening beliefs, practices, and trends over time.
A Sobering Conflict: A Call for Consistency in the Messages Colleges Send About Alcohol

This article sets forth the argument that college administrators must adopt a more uniform policy about alcohol use. Part I of this article describes college student alcohol use and the efforts made by college administrators to discourage students from binge and underage drinking. Part II explains the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) and discusses how NCAA financial interests have led to the practice of selling and advertising of beer at college sports events. Part III discusses why a relationship between college sports and the beer industry is inconsistent with the goals of higher education. Part IV discusses ways to reconcile the conflict between how colleges and their athletic departments address alcohol use.
Double layer effects in the electrode kinetics of amalgam formation reactions

Abstract The potential dependence of two mechanisms for reduction of a divalent cation at a mercury electrode are compared. In one mechanism it is assumed that the ion is reduced in two consecutive electron transfer steps occurring at or near the outer Helmholtz plane. In the second mechanism, the reacting ion moves into the inner layer in an ion transfer step and then to an adsorption site at the interface in an adsorption step without the transfer of a discrete electron to the reactant in the double layer. The effect of variation in the location of the reactant with respect to that of the outer Helmholtz plane, and also of partial charge transfer and an asymmetrical barrier in the adsorption step are considered in detail. It is shown on the basis of careful estimates of double layer effects, that the potential dependence of the overall rate constants for the two mechanisms are similar, and that there is no clear way to distinguish between them. It is suggested that a study of the temperature dependence of these reactions would help differentiate between the two mechanisms.
It's Not Just Black and White: The Emergence of the Hispanic and Asian Communities in Northeast Florida

In 2005–2006 the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives carried out a series of research efforts with the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC) to 1) understand how dramatic demographic changes will affect the local community in the future, 2) identify creative ways that the city could prepare for this opportunity, and 3) plan how to limit potential problems that other communities have experienced from demographic shifts. In this paper, we present a condensed version of our report to the JHRC.
Below the Salt

The talk that I came here to give is about some work that we’re just getting started with, joint work with Sandy Clark (who is here) and Patrick McDaniel (who is out with pneumonia, so I’m standing in his stead). This is based on the observation that one of the ways in which we get into trouble is by designing protocols based on incorrect assumptions about the security of components at a lower level than the one that we’re reasoning about; we tend to make assumptions that change out from under us. And in particular I’m going to focus on various kinds of wireless networks. Wireless networks have of course increased in importance, partly during the time since many of the underlying protocols used for them had been designed, and in fact wireless networks are also where many of the most spectacular protocol failures that we point at to show why protocol design is important and interesting. If you want to know what happens when you don’t ask a smart protocol designer to help you, we can look to examples in wireless networks. I think we can expect this to be a rich source of cautionary tales for some time to come.
A laboratory evaluation of a nitrogen dioxide personal sampling device

Abstract A series of chamber experiments was carried out to determine performance characteristics of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) personal sampling devices (PSDs) under varying climatic conditions. The impact of extreme temperature on NO 2 PSDs was evaluated on two performance modes: (1) PSDs as stationary sampling devices; and (2) PSDs as exposure measuring devices. Extremely low temperatures affect both the accuracy and precision of the PSD measurements. Under conventional mobility patterns, the extreme temperature impact does not affect the ability of PSDs to measure personal exposures to NO 2 accurately. NO 2 PSD is a simple, robust, lightweight, unobtrusive, and easy-to-use sampler that measures exposure to NO 2 with sensitivity and time resolution not previously available with other diffusion monitors.
Small Angle Coherent Scattering of Gammas by Bound Electrons

Franz has shown that for nonrelativistic changes of photon momentum ($q$) the coherent scattering of gammas by bound electrons reduces to the form factor calculation. We consider the near-relativistic region, by an expansion in $\frac{q}{\mathrm{mc}}$. The corrections to the form factor calculation are very small for small atomic numbers, the order of magnitude being $(\frac{Z}{137})(\frac{q}{\mathrm{mc}})$. Numerical results for scattering by $K$ electrons of tin give an increase of the amplitude of 25 percent above the form factor value for $\frac{q}{\mathrm{mc}}=1.5$ and a smaller change for smaller values of $q$. Our results are incomplete since we neglect the effects of binding in the intermediate state.
The Myth of Healthy Obesity

In this issue, Kramer and colleagues' meta-analysis provides strong evidence that “healthy obesity” is a myth. The editorialists discuss the meta-analysis and conclude that no level of obesity is h...
Evolution of the freshwater ecosystem: The fossil record

Abstract The freshwater ecosystem may be as old as most life. Although freshwater life is taxonomically impoverished in comparison with marine and terrestrial biotas and ultimately derived from them, it cannot be assumed that freshwater communities have necessarily been less complex in the geologic past than they are today, although it is clear they have undergone a number of major changes. Freshwaters contain not only their own ancient and peculiar groups, some with ancestries as far back as the Middle Paleozoic, but they have been a theater for adaptive radiation of more recent immigrants from the land or sea, and a way-station for still other groups that passed through, both from sea to land and the reverse. This review summarizes first fossil records in freshwaters for many of these organisms, and examines the question of the changing complexity of the freshwater ecosystem through time by looking at the fossil record of continental aquatic habitats.
Transition metal nanoparticles protected by amphiphilic block copolymers as tailored catalyst systems

Several stable palladium, platinum, silver, and gold colloids were prepared by reducing the corresponding metal precursors in the presence of protective amphiphilic block copolymers. Some palladium and platinum precursors with different hydrophobicities, namely palladium chloride PdCl2, palladium acetate Pd(CH3COO)2, hexachloroplatinic acid H2PtCl6, and platinum acetylacetonate Pt(CH3COCH = C(O-)CH3)2, have been used in order to investigate differences in their catalytic activity. The polymers investigated for their ability to stabilize such transition metal colloids were polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) and polystyrene-b-poly (methacrylic acid). The metal particle sizes and morphologies were determined by transmission electron microscopy and found to be in the nanometer range. The catalytic activity of the palladium and platinum colloids was tested by the hydrogenation of cyclohexene as a model reaction. The protected palladium and platinum nanoparticles were found to be catalytically active, and final conversions up to 100% cyclohexane could be obtained. Depending on the choice of polymer block types and lengths, the precursor type, and the reduction method, different nanoparticle morphologies and catalytic activities could be obtained. These novel catalytically active metal-polymer systems are thus promising candidates for the development of tailored catalyst systems.
Candidate gene associations with mood disorder, cognitive vulnerability, and fronto-limbic volumes.

Background Four of the most consistently replicated variants associated with mood disorder occur in genes important for synaptic function: ANK3 (rs10994336), BDNF (rs6265), CACNA1C (rs1006737), and DGKH (rs1170191). Aims The present study examined associations between these candidates, mood disorder diagnoses, cognition, and fronto-limbic regions implicated in affect regulation. Methods and materials Participants included 128 individuals with bipolar disorder (33% male, Mean age = 38.5), 48 with major depressive disorder (29% male, Mean age = 40.4), and 149 healthy controls (35% male, Mean age = 36.5). Genotypes were determined by 5′-fluorogenic exonuclease assays (TaqMan®). Fronto-limbic volumes were obtained from high resolution brain images using Freesurfer. Chi-square analyses, bivariate correlations, and mediational models examined relationships between genetic variants, mood diagnoses, cognitive measures, and brain volumes. Results Carriers of the minor BDNF and ANK3 alleles showed nonsignificant trends toward protective association in controls relative to mood disorder patients (P = 0.047). CACNA1C minor allele carriers had larger bilateral caudate, insula, globus pallidus, frontal pole, and nucleus accumbens volumes (smallest r = 0.13, P = 0.043), and increased IQ (r = 0.18, P < 0.001). CACNA1C associations with brain volumes and IQ were independent; larger fronto-limbic volumes did not mediate increased IQ. Other candidate variants were not significantly associated with diagnoses, cognition, or fronto-limbic volumes. Discussion and conclusions CACNA1C may be associated with biological systems altered in mood disorder. Increases in fronto-limbic volumes and cognitive ability associated with CACNA1C minor allele genotypes are congruent with findings in healthy samples and may be a marker for increased risk for neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Even larger multimodal studies are needed to quantify the magnitude and specificity of genetic-imaging-cognition-symptom relationships.
TEONANACATL: THE NARCOTIC MUSHROOM OF THE AZTECS2

[429] Because of the important roles which they played in ceremonial and in daily life, the narcotic plants of ancient Mexico are of especial interest to the anthropologist. Mexico possessed and still possesses many plant narcotics and intoxicants, of which a few are outstanding in their uses and are extremely interesting because of their great antiquity as well as because of the important bearing their use, distribution and history may have on questions of a theoretical nature. Of the most notable, are the toleselo or coral-berry (Sophora secundiflora (Ort.) Lag. ex DC.), ololiuhqui or piule (Rivea corymbosa (L.) Hall. f.), peyote (Lophophora williamsii (Lem.) Coult.), and teonanacatl (Paneolus campanulatus L. var. sphinctrinus (Fr.) Bresadola).
Sex, education, and unionism: demographic determinants of attitude toward japanese direct investment

This article reports the findings of a major survey of Ohio residents’ attitudes toward Japanese foreign direct investment in the United States. Attitudinal data were collected from 448 respondents with respect to their perceptions of Japanese investment in the United States and its effects. Crosstabulation of the data reveal the existence of significant attitudinal differences. Specifically, sex, educational level, and union membership are found to be significantly related to attitudes regarding Japanese foreign direct investment Women, individuals with lower levels of education, and union members hold more negative attitudes toward several aspects of Japanese foreign direct investment than the state's population as a whole.
Near-optimal sensor placements in Gaussian processes

When monitoring spatial phenomena, which are often modeled as Gaussian Processes (GPs), choosing sensor locations is a fundamental task. A common strategy is to place sensors at the points of highest entropy (variance) in the GP model. We propose a mutual information criteria, and show that it produces better placements. Furthermore, we prove that finding the configuration that maximizes mutual information is NP-complete. To address this issue, we describe a polynomial-time approximation that is within (1 -- 1/e) of the optimum by exploiting the submodularity of our criterion. This algorithm is extended to handle local structure in the GP, yielding significant speedups. We demonstrate the advantages of our approach on two real-world data sets.
Accelerated Antidepressant Response in Geriatric Inpatients.

Six elderly depressed inpatients were treated for 2 weeks with low doses of nortriptyline and fluoxeline in combination. All patients showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms with minimal side effects. Clinical improvement appeared unrelated to whether plasma levels of nortriptyline were therapeutic. The implications of this regimen for accelerated antidepressant response as well as the limitations of this report are discussed.
In vivo acute exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls: effects on free and total thyroxine in rats.

Hypothyroxinemia in rats has been well documented as a result of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Hypothetical mechanisms include induction of hepatic catabolic enzymes and cellular hormone transporters, and/or interference with plasma transport proteins. We hypothesized that if thyroxine displacement from transport proteins by PCBs occurs in vivo, it would result in increased free thyroxine (FT4). This study investigates the effects of a single oral dose of 2,2’,4,4’,5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153 at 60 mg/kg) or 3,3’,4,4’,5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 169 at 1 mg/kg) on rats at 28 or 76 days of age. Total thyroxine (TT4) and FT4 were measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 24, or 48 hours post-dosing. Microsomal ethoxy- and pentoxy-resorufin-O-deethylase (EROD and PROD) activity and uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase (UGT) activity were determined. No significant increase in TT4 or FT4 concentrations was seen at any time point. PCB 153 significantly decreased TT4 and FT4 in young and adult rat...
Topology Discovery and Service Classification for Distributed-Aware Clouds

Cloud data centers are difficult to manage because providers have no knowledge of what applications are being run by customers or how they interact. As a consequence, current clouds provide minimal automated management functionality, passing the problem on to users who have access to even fewer tools since they lack insight into the underlying infrastructure. Ideally, the cloud platform, not the customer, should be managing data center resources in order to both use them efficiently and provide strong application-level performance and reliability guarantees. To do this, we believe that clouds must become "distibuted-aware" so that they can deduce the overall structure and dependencies within a client's distributed applications and use that knowledge to better guide management services. Towards this end we are developing a light-weight topology detection system that maps distributed applications and a service classification algorithm that can determine not only overall application types, but individual VM roles as well.
Dynamic rupture on an interface between a compliant fault zone layer and a stiffer surrounding solid

[1] We use two-dimensional plane strain finite difference calculations to study dynamic rupture on a material discontinuity interface between a compliant elastic layer and a stiffer elastic medium. Previous works established that rupture along a material interface governed by Coulomb friction propagates as a unidirectional narrow pulse associated with self-sharpening and divergent behavior. These effects are generated by coupling between spatial variations of slip along a material interface and local changes of normal stress. The simulations here employ a regularized friction law with a fading memory dependence of frictional strength on normal stress rather than the instantaneous Coulomb-type response. We find that the self-sharpening and divergent behavior found earlier with Coulomb friction exists also with regularized friction for large enough propagation distance. The parameters of regularized friction have to be fine tuned to produce apparent stability for a given propagation distance. However, eventually, the pulse always either diverges or dies. For cases with a single material interface the pulse strength increases with increasing contrast of shear wave velocity up to a maximum at ∼30% contrast, beyond which the generalized Rayleigh wave does not exist. This is similar to earlier results with Coulomb friction. For models having layer width comparable to or somewhat larger than the imposed source size, there is strong dependence of the pulse strength and shape on the layer width and velocity. The pulse amplitude is modulated by regular oscillations with period proportional to the layer width and is amplified for a range of layer widths. The results suggest that rupture along an interface between a compliant layer and a stiffer surrounding medium, initiated by a failure of an asperity with size not larger than the layer width, can become a self-sustaining wrinkle-like pulse.
Unliganded progesterone receptors attenuate taxane-induced breast cancer cell death by modulating the spindle assembly checkpoint

Whether the presence of steroid receptors in luminal breast cancers renders them resistant to taxanes remains uncertain. Here we assess the role of progesterone receptors (PR) on taxane-induced cell death. We previously showed that estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast cancer cells that inducibly express PR-A or PR-B isoforms were protected from taxane-stimulated apoptosis when compared to the identical cells lacking PR. Surprisingly, PR-dependent protection occurred in the absence of progesterone, demonstrating that the unliganded receptors were biologically active. The present studies demonstrate that unliganded PR, focused on PR-A, protect breast cancer cells from taxane-stimulated apoptosis. The studies identify genes regulated by taxanes in isogenic ER-positive cells that either lack or express PR-A. We show that unliganded PR-A alters the gene expression pattern controlled by taxanes, especially multiple genes involved in the spindle assembly checkpoint, a group of proteins that insure proper attachment of microtubules to kinetochores during mitosis. Importantly, taxanes and unliganded PR regulate many of these genes in opposite directions. As a result, mitotic slippage is exacerbated by the presence of PR, leading to an increase in the number of multinucleated cells both in vitro and in xenograft tumors. We describe a simple new assay for assessing multinucleation in paraffin sections. We speculate that rather than inducing cell death, unliganded PR exploits multinucleation to promote cell survival from taxane therapy. This can be prevented with antiprogestin.
A Reflection Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope Technique for Subwavelength Resolution Imaging of Thin Organic Films

A dual mode near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) technique, in which light is both emitted from and collected by a subwavelength aperture, is described and demonstrated. This dual mode configuration is capable of high contrast (via the refractive index) as well as high-resolution optical microscopy in reflection. The contrast in these images is shown to depend strongly on the interference of the light incident to and reflected from the sample surface. We show that with the dual mode configuration the topography induced contrast can be quantitatively separated from the true optical contrast resulting in a mapping of the refractive index of the sample. This separation has proven difficult, if not impossible, for other reflection NSOM geometries. To demonstrate the utility of this technique for thin organic films we present dual mode images of a nine-layer organic/inorganic self-assembled multilayer film on a silicon substrate.
Inhibition by 2-deoxy-D-ribose of DNA synthesis and growth in Raji cells.

When Raji cells were cultured for 3 days in serum-free medium, addition of 2-deoxy-D-ribose at the start of culture inhibited incorporation of (/sup 3/H)thymidine and cell division. At deoxyribose concentrations between 1 and 5 mM, viability was 80% or greater after 3 days of culture even though 5 mM deoxyribose inhibited thymidine incorporation 95-99%. Inhibition by deoxyribose could be completely reversed if the culture medium was replaced with fresh medium up to 8 hr after the start of culture. The inhibition was specific for deoxyribose since other monosaccharides had no effect. Inhibition of DNA synthesis did not appear to be due to depletion of essential nutrients in the medium since the percentage inhibition of thymidine incorporation by cells cultured either in suboptimal serum-free media or in media supplemented with 0.025-5% human AB serum was similar. When DNA repair synthesis was measured as hydroxyurea-resistant thymidine incorporation, addition of deoxyribose to Raji cultures caused increased thymidine incorporation. These results, together with data from others,suggest that deoxyribose damages DNA.