cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 35 – The Evolution of Behavior: A Phylogenetic Approach

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on evolutionary behavior of different organisms and a comparative method for construction of phylogenic tree using evolutionary behavior relationship. In a sense, the new comparative methods center on building and interpreting "trees," or phylogenies, which represent the order of shared ancestry among organisms. In other words, phylogenies are like family trees, except that instead of showing the ancestry of individuals in a family, they are "evolutionary genealogies". Parsimony (simple explanations are better than complicated ones) is the most commonly used criterion in building phylogenetic trees. In practice, the parsimony criterion means trying to minimize the number of character state changes needed to explain the distribution of character states on the tree. The term “tree” describes the physical appearance of these proposed phylogenetic relationships, which are depicted as branching patterns of evolutionary events. In tree terminology, a clade comprises all tips on branches that come from the same node. Two other terms that are important in discussing trees are the root (base) of the tree and the internodes (branches between nodes).
Development and implementation of an interprofessional pharmacotherapy learning experience during an advanced pharmacy practice rotation in primary care.

Abstract Background There is increased focus and pressure to include interprofessional education during training of health professionals. This program describes an interprofessional education program between pharmacy, medical, and nurse practitioner students during a primary care clinical rotation elective. Interprofessional education activity The interprofessional education program (IPE) during a primary care rotation was developed to be included as a learning experience throughout the rotation period. The health professions included have a role in appropriate prescribing; therefore, the content emphasis is primary care disease states where pharmacotherapy is a treatment modality. Discussion Data assessing the program was collected using the Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS) from April 2014 to April 2016. A total of 56 IEPS pre- and post-surveys were collected for analysis. A significant difference in the IEPS scale was found in the subgroups of (1) professional competence and autonomy and (2) perceived need for professional competence (p
Comparative Studies of Platelet Survival by Different Methods in the Rabbit

Four methods for measuring the survival of homologous platelets in rabbits were studied: (1) transfusion of nonradioactive platelet concentrates to thrombocytopenic recipients, (2) transfusion of concentrates of platelets labeled in vitro with Cr51-sodium chromate, (3) transfusion of concentrates of platelets labeled in vivo with P32-orthophosphate and (4) transfusion of whole blood labeled in vivo with P32-orthophosphate. The survival time of platelets in normal rabbits was 3-4 days. From comparison of the 3 methods using platelet concentrates, the following conclusions were drawn. (1) All the platelets in a platelet concentrate were capable of recirculating after transfusion. (2) Labeling with P32 or Cr51 did not damage platelets. (3) About one-third of the Cr51 was immediately eluted from viable platelets after they were transfused. (4) Further exchange of the label in vivo did not occur to a significant degree with either Cr51 or P32. (5) Cr51 did not elute from platelets during storage of the platelets. (6) Studies of rabbit platelets had applicability in predicting the behavior of human platelets.
Origin and History

If I hadn’t gone into the field of ecology, I likely would have ended up a paleontologist or archaeologist. As a child, nothing thrilled me more than finding exquisite fossils or Indian artifacts and learning about the ancient history of the landscape around me. I was fortunate to spend my childhood on top of the absurdly fossiliferous Cincinnatian strata of southwestern Ohio. The bedrock is Paleozoic limestone and shale, mostly of Upper Ordovician age (about 450 million years old) and packed with incredible densities of brachiopods, bivalves, cephalopods, crinoids, bryozoans, corals, graptolites, and my favorites—trilobites (e.g., Flexicalymene meeki). Trapped in their death sediments, the animals often are so densely packed that they pile on top of one another, with hardly any bare sediment showing. I was more familiar with these extinct creatures than with living ones, with the notable exception of the local reptiles and amphibians. I spent hours examining broken slabs of bedrock along creeks and road cuts and imagining long-extinct animals crawling about on the ancient shallow sea floor. This personal contact with deep history made the area where I lived—and my place in the world—seem much more meaningful.
Structural Biology of Auxin Signal Transduction

The phytohormone auxin is a central regulator of plant growth and development and is required for response to multiple environmental and developmental cues. Primary auxin response is mediated by several protein families, including members of the TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1/AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX PROTEIN (TIR1/AFB) family of F-box proteins, the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) family of transcription factors, and the Auxin/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) family of repressor proteins. Structures of multiple domains of each of these protein families have revealed molecular insight into auxin signal transduction. Here, we provide an overview of the structural details of auxin signaling revealed by these studies and explore questions and models suggested by these structural data.
Tunnel’s End: A Light, or an Oncoming Train? US-Africa Foreign Policy Since 2000

This chapter examines US foreign policy during a time of its global preponderance of power; since 1990, and going into the 2000s, the United States has not had any viable competitor. For Africa, this could have produced two outcomes: the United States focusing on the next billion, or neglect since the United States did not need to constrain anyone (except China, which seems to have moved in with gusto). Since 2000, the United States has continued with its policy of benign neglect of Africa: Africa’s problems are a problem for the Europeans to solve, or to be ignored. Where there has been any action, the United States has problematized its relationship with Africa (looked at it through the prism of fixing a problem). Even when Obama was elected president, despite the hopes that he would have a different perspective and approach to Africa, this was not to be. His successor was no better: indeed, his earliest and only comments about Africa were to mispronounce Namibia and then suggest that it was a bunch of s**e countries. Enter the new century, same as the old century.
Efficacy of Metreleptin Treatment in Familial Partial Lipodystrophy Due to PPARG vs LMNA Pathogenic Variants.

Context Familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) is most commonly caused by pathogenic variants in LMNA and PPARG. Leptin replacement with metreleptin has largely been studied in the LMNA group. Objective To understand the efficacy of metreleptin in PPARG vs LMNA pathogenic variants and investigate predictors of metreleptin responsiveness. Design Subgroup analysis of a prospective open-label study of metreleptin in lipodystrophy. Setting National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Participants Patients with LMNA (n = 22) or PPARG pathogenic variants (n = 7), leptin Intervention Metreleptin (0.08 to 0.16 mg/kg) for 12 months. Outcome Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), lipids, and medication use at baseline and after 12 months. Results Baseline characteristics were comparable in patients with PPARG and LMNA: HbA1c, 9.2 ± 2.3 vs 7.8 ± 2.1%; median [25th, 75th percentile] triglycerides, 1377 [278, 5577] vs 332 [198, 562] mg/dL; leptin, 6.3 ± 3.8 vs 5.5 ± 2.5 ng/mL (P > 0.05). After 12 months of metreleptin, HbA1c declined to 7.7 ± 2.4 in PPARG and 7.3 ± 1.7% in LMNA; insulin requirement decreased from 3.8 [2.7, 4.3] to 2.1 [1.6, 3.0] U/kg/d in PPARG and from 1.7 [1.3, 4.4] to 1.2 [1.0, 2.3] U/kg/d in LMNA (P 8%. Conclusion Metreleptin resulted in similar metabolic improvements in patients with LMNA and PPARG pathogenic variants. Our findings support the efficacy of metreleptin in patients with the two most common genetic causes of FPLD.
The Chalice Sign : Characteristic Morphology of the Cervical Carotid Bifurcation in Patients with Loeys-Dietz Syndrome.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by arterial aneurysms and dissections. This study sought to assess and describe the arterial changes of the cervical arterial vasculature of such patients, with an emphasis on the carotid bifurcation. A retrospective review of patients with a known diagnosis of LDS was carried out. The maximum diameters of the external carotid artery (ECA) and internal carotid artery (ICA) origins, common carotid artery (CCA) terminus, maximum transverse and craniocaudal dimensions of the carotid bulb, and bifurcation angle were measured. The presence of a chalice sign was defined as a carotid bifurcation angle of ≥80°. A semi-quantified analysis of vertebral artery tortuosity was completed as well. All measurements were compared to a cohort of age-matched controls. A total of 21 patients with LDS were included. Compared to normal controls, the presence of a chalice sign had 61.9% sensitivity and 100.0% specificity for LDS if present bilaterally; the sensitivity and specificity of a unilateral chalice sign were 66.7% and 82.3%, respectively. Patients with LDS also had significantly higher rates of a bilateral chalice sign compared to patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) (61.9% versus 0%, P <0.0001) and patients with Marfan syndrome (61.9% versus 14.3%, P = 0.001). Patients with LDS have characteristic findings of the cervical arterial vasculature that enables them to be distinguished from normal controls as well as patients with connective tissue diseases, such as Marfan syndrome and vEDS; most notably including marked widening of the carotid bifurcation angle in what is proposed to be named the chalice sign.
Validity of the Wattbike 3-Minute Aerobic Test: Measurement and Estimation of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max.

Hanson, NJ, Scheadler, CM, Katsavelis, D, and Miller, MG. Validity of the Wattbike 3-minute aerobic test: measurement and estimation of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The Wattbike includes a 3-minute aerobic test (3mAT) along with an estimation of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. The estimation equation that is used is from a previous study using a different protocol and sedentary subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether (a) the 3mAT is able to elicit V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, and (b) whether this estimation is accurate. Thirteen cyclists (10 men; age: 29.2 ± 10.0 years, height 178.7 ± 8.3 cm, and mass 75.1 ± 12.5 kg) with a range of experience volunteered for this study. At the first visit, a self-paced V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (SPV) test was performed to obtain the "true" V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. At the second session, subjects completed the 3mAT. Primary dependent variables included maximal values of oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), carbon dioxide production (V[Combining Dot Above]CO2), heart rate (HR), ventilation (VE), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed no difference (p = 0.367) between V[Combining Dot Above]O2max values (3mAT estimation: 54.3 ± 9.3 ml·kg·min, 3mAT measured: 52.5 ± 8.7, SPV: 54.0 ± 9.7). Paired-samples t-tests showed that HR (p = 0.027) was higher in the SPV (184.7 ± 10.6 vs. 180.9 ± 6.3 b·min), whereas RER and V[Combining Dot Above]CO2 were both higher in the 3mAT (1.29 ± 0.10 vs. 1.19 ± 0.06 and 4.92 ± 1.01 vs. 4.62 ± 0.98, respectively; both p < 0.05). The intraclass correlation between the V[Combining Dot Above]O2max measured from the SPV and 3mAT was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99, p < 0.001), and between the 3mAT measured and estimated values was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.71-0.97 p < 0.001). If an athlete has access to a Wattbike, they can complete the 3mAT, receive their V[Combining Dot Above]O2max estimation, and be confident of its accuracy.
Exercise 4 – DNA Sequencing

Publisher Summary Chain termination with dideoxynucleoside triphosphates (ddNTPs) is used in automated sequencers and for sequencing at the bench. Dideoxy sequencing occurs in a set of four reactions, each of which contains the DNA template to be sequenced; an oligonucleotide primer complementary to DNA 3´ of the area to be sequenced; DNA polymerase; the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs), one of which is radioactively labeled to allow detection; and a small amount of one of the four ddNTPs. Either a single-stranded template is used or double-stranded DNA is denatured to allow the primer to anneal. During primer extension, a ddNTP may sometimes incorporate instead of the corresponding dNTP. Because the ddNTPs lack a 3´-OH, which is required to add the next nucleotide, the incorporation of a ddNTP terminates a growing chain at that position. The result is a mixture of DNA chains of different lengths, complementary to the template, each of which was terminated at the position of a specific nucleotide in the sequence. When the four reactions are loaded in four wells of a denaturing polyacrylamide gel and separated by electrophoresis, the dideoxy-terminated segments form a ladder of bands. The gel is exposed to X-ray film, and the sequence (complementary to the template) is read off the film. Automated sequencing reactions are labeled with fluorescent dyes, which are detected as they travel past a laser beam during electrophoresis. Four reactions must be run, with four different dye labels, one for each dNTP. The fluors are attached either to the primer or to the ddNTPs. This chapter also illustrates how to sequence the putative mutant virD2 gene created in site-directed mutagenesis experiments using α-35S-labelled dATP.
Utility of intraoperative cystoscopy in detecting ureteral injury during vaginal hysterectomy

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the utility of intraoperative cystoscopy in detecting and managing ureteral injury among women undergoing vaginal hysterectomy. METHODS We performed a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study of 593 patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy for benign indications, with or without additional pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, from January 2, 2004, through December 30, 2005. A logistic regression model determining the propensity to undergo intraoperative cystoscopy was constructed. Comparisons of ureteral injury and cost between patients with and without cystoscopy were adjusted for the cystoscopy propensity score. We further explored the feasibility of using perioperative change in creatinine level to detect ureteral injury. RESULTS In total, 230 (38.8%) of 593 patients underwent cystoscopy. Six patients (2.6%) in the cystoscopy group and 5 (1.4%) in the no-cystoscopy group had ureteral injuries (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-6.36). This association was further attenuated after adjusting for the propensity to undergo cystoscopy (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.19-9.09). Four injuries detected cystoscopically were managed intraoperatively. Adjusted mean-predicted costs for patients undergoing cystoscopy were $10,686 (95% CI, $7500-$13,872) versus $10,217 (95% CI, $6894-$13,540). In the no-cystoscopy group, patients with ureteral injury had a median increase in creatinine level of 0.2 mg/dL, whereas patients without injury had a median decrease of 0.1 mg/dL (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The level of selection for cystoscopy did not significantly increase the mean predicted costs for patients. Reliance on postoperative creatinine level to detect ureteral injury, while highly sensitive, is limited by a low positive predictive value and variable range.
Designing Digital Technologies and Safeguards for Improving Activities and Well-Being for Aging in Place

Older adults (65+) are becoming primary users of technologies, including IoTs, wearables and emerging smart systems, especially for aging in place and in daily living activities related to better health and wellness. Research demonstrates some critical features in home health care and wearable technology adoption by older adults such as wearability, device appearance, display and interaction, the modeling and technical aspects of data measurement and presentation, with more sophisticated, personalized interaction systems and data analysis expected over time. The design and development of home health care technologies are often led by the requirements of their social and caregiving environments rather than the needs and preferences of older adult users. The mismatch between functionalities, intrinsic motivations and expected benefits has a detrimental impact on user acceptance. User acceptance is critical for technology to be integrated within daily living especially in areas such as IoTs and wearables. Cybersecurity is an essential part of a safe, effective and reliable healthcare delivery system. Security and privacy challenges can be overcome by implementing best practices to safeguard systems and devices. There are significant privacy risks associated with wearables and home IoTs. The literature review has identified emerging issues that underscore the need to develop a set of guidelines for conducting HCI and human factors research based on an understanding of older adults’ perceptions and preferences about data privacy and security. Additionally, directions for current and future research are discussed in the paper, including late breaking research on virtual care and support vulnerable seniors during the COVID 19 pandemic.
A Family Systems Perspective on Father Absence, Presence, and Engagement

This chapter addresses father presence/absence and related impacts on child developmental outcomes. The research literature has historically narrowly defined fathers’ presence in their children’s lives based on marital/residential status. However, family structure among diverse communities varies. Empirical literature indicates that fathers contribute in consistent and meaningful ways to their children’s development across residential patterns. The discussion will be contextualized within a family systems framework and derive conceptual meaning based on boundary clarity/ambiguity in families. Special consideration will be given to psychological/sociological issues impacting family separation including mental health problems, substance use, trauma, and incarceration.
A Process-Based Framework for Studying World Regional Geography

World regional geography is one of the most popular and most heavily subscribed geography courses in the United States at both the undergraduate and K–12 levels (Rutherford 2001; Mueller 2003; Bedn...
Human Capital and per Capita Product: A Comparison of U.S. States

This article analyzes the extent to which human capital differences can explain the differences in gross state product (GSP) per capita levels between the richer and poorer states of the US. It uses 1990 Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis data on educational attainment, wage levels of different segments of the labor force, and GSP to compare New York - our representative rich state - with the poorest third of the states. The findings indicate that human capital differences explain at least 49% of the observed difference in GSP per capita between New York and each of the poor states.
Incentive Contracts for Environmental Services and Their Potential in REDD

Implementation arrangements for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation can be seen as contracts that could address some of the inherent problems with forest carbon credits that often lead to high transaction costs -- measuring, monitoring, and verification. Self-enforcing contracts, where it is in the best interest of the environmental service providers to comply with the contracts, may be one way to reduce these costs if providers have incentives to uphold their end of the contract. While the literature on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation is extensive, there is little information available to guide policy makers or investors on what form such contracts should take. After providing an overview of the current status of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and its role as a tool for reducing carbon emissions on an international scale, the paper describes key issues regarding implementation and reviews the literature on contracts from the related area of Payments for Ecosystem Services programs, which face similar challenges. The remainder of the paper reviews various contractual mechanisms from agricultural and forestry related projects that have been proposed or are being used in practice and discusses the various implications associated with their design and implementation.
The Effects of the New Donor Heart Allocation Policy on Temporary Device Utilization and Outcomes: A Single Center Experience

Purpose The new donor heart allocation policy in United States, which prioritizes the most urgent patients on the waitlist, may affect post-transplant care and outcomes. The objective of this study was to analyze post-transplant outcomes in the period immediately surrounding the implementation of the new allocation policy. Methods We assessed 116 patients undergoing heart transplantation in the six months before and after the change in donor allocation policy on October 18, 2018. Patients transplanted under status 1A before the policy change were compared to patients transplanted under status 1, 2 or 3 after the change. Perioperative mortality, complications, lengths of stay, 6-month and 1-year survival were retrospectively analyzed. Results The total number of heart transplants increased from n=46 prior to the policy change to n=70 after the change. The proportion of patients transplanted under urgent status, however, did not change (78.3% vs. 80%). An increase in ECMO and IABP utilization was noted after the policy change (0% to 10% and 11% to 17%, respectively). Despite the increase in device use, the 1-year survival rates were similar in patients transplanted immediately before and after allocation changes (100% vs 92.7%, p=0.094). No significant differences in ICU or overall hospital lengths of stay were observed. Conclusion Although the proportion of patients transplanted urgently did not change, the use of temporary devices increased after the change in allocation policy. Similar complication rates and survival were noted, suggesting that increased utilization of temporary devices was not associated with worse outcomes.
Onset of the wave turbulence description of the longtime behavior of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Consider the cubic nonlinear Schrodinger equation set on a d-dimensional torus, with data whose Fourier coefficients have phases which are uniformly distributed and independent. We show that, on average, the evolution of the moduli of the Fourier coefficients is governed by the so-called wave kinetic equation, predicted in wave turbulence theory, on a nontrivial timescale.
The impact of structure and flux of corporate boards on organizational performance: A perspective from the information technology industry

Abstract Corporate governance mechanisms in the Information Technology (IT) industry are viewed as pivotal for the success of IT organizations. While corporate governance, particularly in terms of board characteristics, has been extensively studied in other disciplines, it has not received as much attention in the Information Systems discipline. This study investigates the effects of board structure and its changes (i.e., board flux) on organizational performance. Results show that board size, gender diversity, and board age have curvilinear effects while board independence has a positive effect and board flux has a negative impact on performance. However, the negative relationship between board flux and performance was weaker for firms with a higher, as compared with those with fewer, number of independent directors. In addition to making a useful contribution to the sparse literature on the role of corporate governance in IT organizations, our study has strong implications for research and practice.
Online Appendix for: Is the Behavior of Sellers with Expected Gains and Losses Relevant to Cycles in House Prices?

This is the Online Appendix for: Is the Behavior of Sellers with Expected Gains and Losses Relevant to Cycles in House Prices? Appendix 1 provides support for using assessed value to mitigate unobserved quality. Appendix 2 describes the calculation of normalized assessed value (NAV) and summarizes results of leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation. Appendix 3 summarizes the analytical framework. Appendix 4 displays our sample construction process. Appendix 5 reports the first-stage hedonic regression results. Appendix 6 shows the comparison between repeat sales index (based on repeat sales pairs), loss index and gain index. Appendix 7 provides additional summary statistics that supplement Table 2. Appendix 8 summarizes double results using asking price. Appendix 9 summarizes results using an alternative house price cycle. Appendix 10 reports additional robustness tests. • A10.1 report robustness tests with various combinations of spatial and temporal fixed effects. • A10.2 report robustness tests by restricting to the repeat sale sample only. • A10.3 report results using asking price as the dependent variable. • A10.4 reports robustness tests by adding the loan-to-value ratio. Appendix 11 summarizes Clapp and Zhou (2019)’s method for correcting unobserved quality and report results using their method. Appendix 12 presents and discusses contrast-relative analyses holding loss/gain coefficients constant.
Time–temperature superposition for cavitation resistance of metals with nonequilibrium vacancy concentrations

Abstract Here, we provide a systematic molecular dynamics (MD) study of the pulse duration and temperature dependence of spall strength in Al and Mg with a nonequilibrium concentration of vacancies. A superconcentration of single vacancies are randomly introduced into an otherwise perfect lattice, and the systems are allowed to evolve for up to 500 nanoseconds as a proxy for the pulse duration of a shock compression wave. Since these systems are nonequilibrium in nature, a time-dependent and temperature-dependent evolution of the microstructure ensues, which leads to a time- and temperature-dependent softening of the spall strength. Here, we report a large parametric study consisting of 196 MD calculations to quantify this softening in Al and Mg. We invoke the notion of time–temperature superposition from the field of viscoelasticity, and show that the results of our 196 MD calculations remarkably collapse onto a single master curve when normalized by an appropriate relaxation timescale. Lastly, a favorable agreement between the MD calculations and experimental measurements of thermal softening of spall strength is reported.
Store Separation Trajectory Clusters from Machine Learning

Store separation of a generic, thin-finned, missile through a continuously oscillating shear layer into subsonic flow was conducted experimentally through 100 drop tests to identify potential group...
An ultra-low frequency spike timing dependent plasticity-based approach for treating alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disorder characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol consumption despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. AUD affects nearly one-third of adults at some point during their lives, with an associated cost of approximately $249 billion annually in the U.S. alone. The effects of alcohol consumption are expected to increase significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with alcohol sales increased by approximately 54%, potentially exacerbating health concerns and risk-taking behaviors. Unfortunately, existing pharmacological and behavioral therapies for AUD have historically been associated with poor success rates, with approximately 40% of individuals relapsing within three years of treatment. Pre-clinical studies have shown that chronic alcohol consumption leads to significant changes in synaptic function within the dorsal medial striatum (DMS), one of the brain regions associated with AUD and responsible for mediating goal-directed behavior. Specifically, chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with hyperactivity of dopamine receptor 1 (D1) medium spiny neurons (MSN) and hypoactivity of dopamine receptor 2 (D1) MSNs within the DMS. Optogenetic, chemogenetic, and transgenic approaches have demonstrated that reducing the D1/D2 MSN signaling imbalance decreases alcohol self-administration in rodent models of AUD. However, these approaches cannot be studied clinically at this time. Here, we present an electrical stimulation alternative that uses ultra-low (
Ciclo de melhoria de qualidade para aumentar a obtenção de consentimento informado em procedimentos de planeamento familiar

Objectives: To increase the rate of obtaining informed consent for family planning procedures (insertion of intrauterine devices and subcutaneous contraceptive implants) Study design: Uncontrolled pre- and post- intervention design Setting: S. Juliao Family Health Unit. Participants: Patients in the S. Juliao FHU who visited the Unit for insertion of an intrauterine device or subcutaneous contraceptive implant. Methods: The S. Juliao FHU team designed an informed consent form in August 2012 but usage rates were found to be low (62.5%). Focus groups were organized to propose quality improvement strategies to increase the rate of obtaining informed consent. Two post-intervention periods were defined: immediate (0 to 3 months) and late (4 to 6 months). The Fisher exact test was used to compare rates of informed consent obtained before and after the intervention. Results: Informed consent was obtained from 62,5% of patients in the pre-intervention period. Informed consent was obtained for 100% of family planning procedures during both the immediate and late post intervention periods (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Health professionals at S. Juliao FHU were able to implement quality improvement strategies and to increase rates of obtaining informed consent. The efficacy of the intervention was due to involvement of all staff members. This strategy was only applied in one Family Health Unit, which may limit the external validity of the results. However, simple strategies may be effective in significantly increasing rates of obtaining informed consent in family planning procedures.
VBF: vector-based forwarding protocol for underwater sensor networks

In this paper, we tackle one fundamental problem in Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs): robust, scalable and energy efficient routing. UWSNs are significantly different from terrestrial sensor networks in the following aspects: low bandwidth, high latency, node float mobility (resulting in high network dynamics), high error probability, and 3-dimensional space. These new features bring many challenges to the network protocol design of UWSNs. In this paper, we propose a novel routing protocol, called vector-based forwarding (VBF), to provide robust, scalable and energy efficient routing. VBF is essentially a position-based routing approach: nodes close to the “vector” from the source to the destination will forward the message. In this way, only a small fraction of the nodes are involved in routing. VBF also adopts a localized and distributed self-adaptation algorithm which allows nodes to weigh the benefit of forwarding packets and thus reduce energy consumption by discarding the low benefit packets. Through simulation experiments, we show the promising performance of VBF.
Data-driven metallurgical design for high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel

Metallurgical design of microalloyed steel used to be a challenge due to its multivariate nature. Over ten kinds of microalloying elements and multi-step processing routes have complex interactions and different contributions to the final mechanical properties. Data-driven model is able to throw a rapid insight into the composition-processing -property correlation of steel metallurgy in a systematical and efficient way. In this study, a data mining technology, Recursive Partitioning is applied to model the tensile properties of high strength low alloyed (HSLA) steel. The results show that recursive partitioning is able to reveal the complex nonlinear dependence of tensile properties of HSLA steel upon the composition and hot rolling processing parameters. With a relatively simple mathematical structure, Recursive Partitioning can achieve effective performance in predicting the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of steel. In addition, the tree-graph representation of the results provides a powerful multi-dimensional screening tool for searching interesting regions in the composition-processing space, which can be used as a guideline for metallurgical design and further experimental and computational investigation.
Processing of pro-Muclin and divergent trafficking of its products to zymogen granules and the apical plasma membrane of pancreatic acinar cells.

Summary Proteins are sorted and packaged into regulated secretory granules at the trans Golgi network but how such granules form is poorly understood. We are studying Muclin, the major sulfated protein of the mouse pancreatic acinar cell, and what its role may be in zymogen granule formation. Muclin behaves as a peripheral membrane protein localized to the lumen of the zymogen granule but the cDNA for this protein predicts it is a type I membrane protein with a short, 16-amino-acid, cytosolic tail (C-Tail). Using domain-specific antibodies, we demonstrate that Muclin is derived from a precursor, pro-Muclin, which is cleaved to produce Muclin and an ∼80-kDa membrane glycoprotein (p80). Incubation of pulse-labeled cells at ≤22 °C to block exit from the trans Golgi network also blocks cleavage of pro-Muclin but not sulfation, a trans Golgi network event, suggesting that cleavage occurs in a post-Golgi compartment. After cleavage the two products of pro-Muclin diverge with Muclin remaining in the regulated secretory pathway and p80 trafficking to the apical plasma membrane, presumably via the constitutive-like pathway. When transfected into exocrine AR42J cells, Muclin labeling is perinuclear and in large sub-plasma membrane puncta. Transiently transfected AR42J cells have greater immunolabeling for amylase than nontransfected cells, suggesting a role for Muclin in cargo accumulation in the regulated secretory pathway. A construct with the C-Tail deleted targets to small diffusely-distributed puncta and without the large sub-plasma membrane structures. Thus, the C-Tail is required for proper Muclin targeting. When transfected into neuroendocrine AtT-20 cells Muclin is not colocalized with ACTH in cell processes, and it appears to be constitutively trafficked to the plasma membrane, suggesting that Muclin has exocrine-specific information. We present a working model for pro-Muclin as a Golgi cargo receptor for exocrine secretory granule formation at the trans Golgi network.
A high performance get-put interface for ATM communications

This paper describes the implementation of a reliable Get-Put interface written for a distributed memory environment. The asynchronous semantics of the Put as well as the split transaction feature of the Get operations allow for a highly efficient style of programming. Porting this environment to a dedicated cluster of PowerPC machines connected with a 155 Mbps Optical ATM interface offers the following advantages: 1) the cost performance advantages of commodity network components, 2) the distance advantages of optical interconnects, 3) a high performance Get-Put interface that can hide latency with concurrent operations. The latency for a remote read operation is 99 microseconds when sufficient concurrency exists.
THE SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPLICATIONS OF THE US DRUG WAR

In this paper, the authors outline key facts pertaining to the US drug war, including its stated goals and objectives, and then offer an assessment of the empirical evidence related to its (in)effectiveness in achieving these goals. Data illustrate that drug use is not down, that availability of drugs is not down, that the price of drugs is not down, that access to drug treatment has not increased, and that deaths and illnesses associated with drugs use are not down. The authors also identify major costs associated with national drug control policy and weigh these against its benefits. This analysis permits a conclusion with regard to whether the drug war is a “good” or “bad” policy. Finally, the authors utilize major theories of justice to identify whether the drug war is consistent with social justice. The analysis shows that the drug war does not commonly accepted definitions of social justice.
PARTICLE RING FUSION

The “particle ring” or more precisely the “ion ring” approach to fusion is unconventional only in that at present few laboratories are involved in this endeavor, but the concept itself evolved from the ASTRON-1 which originated in the early fifties along with most of the other basic magnetic fusion reactor concepts. The ASTRON is the first concept to emphasize the advantages of a system with a region of closed field lines produced by internal currents surrounding by a region of open field lines. As compared to tokamaks, the main advantages amount to: (1) simple solenoidal magnet system, (2) high β plasma, (3) natural divertor action of open field lines, (4) no auxiliary heating, (5) pulsed and steady state reactor scenarios, and (6) small unit size in the range of 500 MW.
Upper extremity quad splint: indications and technique

Patients experiencing high-energy trauma evaluated at level I trauma centers often present with multiple injuries and varying levels of hemodynamic instability. The polytrauma patient requires immediate assessment and stabilization of their orthopedic injuries once the primary trauma survey is complete, and oftentimes, operative fixation of injuries is delayed while patients are resuscitated by general trauma services. The authors describe the application of the upper extremity "quad" splint which includes components of a sugar tong, intrinsic plus, thumb spica, and dorsal extension blocking splint and its indication for patients with multiple upper extremity fractures distal to the humerus. This splint is efficiently applied using minimal material while simultaneously allowing for the stabilizing aspects of 4 splints commonly applied in the emergency setting.
Ozone depletion calculations

Models of stratospheric chemistry have been primarily directed toward an understanding of the behavior of stratospheric ozone. Initially this interest reflected the diagnostic role of ozone in the understanding of atmospheric transport processes. More recently, interest in stratospheric ozone has arisen from concern that human activities might affect the amount of stratospheric ozone, thereby affecting the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth’s surface and perhaps also affecting the climate with various potentially severe consequences for human welfare. This concern has inspired a substantial effort to develop both diagnostic and prognostic models of stratospheric ozone.
Modeling the effects of two different land cover change data sets on the carbon stocks of plants and soils in concert with CO2 and climate change

[1] A geographically explicit terrestrial carbon cycle component of the Integrated Science Assessment Model (ISAM) is used to examine the response of plant and soil carbon stocks to historical changes in cropland land cover, atmospheric CO2, and climate. The ISAM model is forced with two different land cover change data sets for cropland: one spatially resolved set based on cropland statistics (Ramankutty and Foley, 1998, 1999) and another regionally specific set based on deforestation rates (Houghton and Hackler, 1999, 2001; Houghton, 1999, 2000, 2003). To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to incorporate Houghton's regionally specific land cover change data into a spatially resolved terrestrial model. Our model results indicate that globally aggregated land use emissions are not sensitive to the spatially explicit location of the natural vegetation converted for croplands within a region. The ISAM estimated land use emissions based on Houghton's data were substantially higher during the 1980s than those based on Ramankutty and Foley's data. Although our results are consistent with previous model results, they do not support the ideas that the differences between the two land use emissions for cropland changes can either be related to modeling framework or global land use practices. This study suggests that differences between the two sets of land use fluxes are primarily due to the differences in the rates of changes in land area amount for croplands. The ISAM model estimates a larger contribution to net CO2 uptake from CO2 fertilization (−2.0 GtC/yr), and a smaller contribution from biospheric CO2 release due to the climate effect (0.7 GtC/yr) during the 1980s. The negative CO2 fertilization feedback is most pronounced in the tropics and midlatitudes, whereas the positive temperature effect on CO2 uptake is most pronounced in the high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The ISAM estimated land use emissions due to land cover changes for croplands and pasturelands during the 1980s vary between 1.60 and 2.06 GtC/yr. Most importantly, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates based on the CO2 and O2 data indicate that terrestrial ecosystems become a sink for atmospheric CO2 in the 1980s (−0.2 ± 0.7 GtC/yr), whereas they remain a source in simulations based on the ISAM (0.63 ± 0.20 GtC/yr). Our results leave open the possibility that the discrepancy in the magnitudes of the modeled and data-based net terrestrial uptakes for the 1980s decade reflect weaknesses in the terrestrial biosphere model and/or uncertainties in the land cover, O2 data, or data-based estimates.
Positive Affect and Health Behaviors Across 5 Years in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: The Heart and Soul Study.

OBJECTIVES Positive psychological states are linked to superior health and longevity, possibly due to behavioral factors. We evaluated cross-sectional and 5-year associations between positive affect and health behaviors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS Outpatients with CHD reported positive affect, physical activity, sleep quality, medication adherence, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use at baseline (n = 1022) and 5 years later (n = 662). Covariates in regression analyses included demographics, cardiac disease severity, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS At baseline, higher positive affect (per 1 standard deviation) was associated with better health behaviors: physical activity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, 95% 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30-1.77, p < .001), sleep quality (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.04-1.48, p = .015), medication adherence (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.12-1.90, p = .005), and nonsmoking (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.06-1.57, p = .012), but was unrelated to alcohol use. Baseline positive affect did not predict health behaviors at follow-up, accounting for baseline behaviors. However, increases in positive affect across 5 years co-occurred with improvements in physical activity (B = 0.023, standard error [SE] = 0.008, p = .002), sleep quality (B = 0.011, SE = 0.005, p = .039), and medication adherence (B = 0.014, SE = 0.004, p < .001), but not smoking status (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.73-1.55, p = .74). CONCLUSIONS Positive affect was associated with health behaviors among patients with CHD. Efforts to sustain or enhance positive affect may be promising for promoting better health behaviors.
Heterogeneity of Players and Aggregate Effort in Contests

We explore the systematic effects of variation in players' heterogeneity on aggregate effort in contests. We show that if costs of effort are convex, a mean-preserving increase in the variation of players' abilities can lead to an increase or decrease in aggregate effort, both in contests of complete and incomplete information, depending on the curvature of the effort cost function. Specifically, if effort costs are not too steep, aggregate effort increases in ability variation, whereas if effort costs are sufficiently steep, aggregate effort decreases in ability variation.
MySRB and SRB - components of a Data Grid

Data Grids are becoming increasingly important in scientific communities for sharing large data collections and for archiving and disseminating them in a digital library framework. The Storage Resource Broker (SRB) provides transparent virtualized middleware for sharing data across distributed, heterogeneous data resources separated by different administrative and security domains. The MySRB is a Web-based interface to the SRB that provides a user-friendly interface to distributed collections brokered by the SRB. In this paper we briefly describe the use of the SRB infrastructure as tools in the data grid architecture for building distributed data collections, digital libraries, and persistent archives. We also provide details about the MySRB and its functionalities.
Crowding, reproduction, and maternal behavior in the golden hamster

Hamsters, housed in groups composed of one, two, four, or six females, with two males per group, were observed for a period of 60 days. The effect of such groupings on reproductive success was assessed by determining interference with pregnancy, lactation, maternal behavior, and litter survival. While there was little interference with the onset or course of pregnancy, a marked effect of group size on nursing behavior and litter survival occurred. These effects increased over the course of the experiment so that second litters were less likely to be nursed and to survive in the larger groups. The results appeared to be attributable to a breakdown in maternal behavior as well as to the killing of pups by nonlactating female hamsters. It is significant that the outcome of this experiment, reduced litter survival, parallels the effects that have been reported for other rodents, since different mechanisms are involved in the case of the hamster.
River stage response to alteration of Upper Mississippi River channels, floodplains, and watersheds

The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is a large and diverse river system that changes character along its 1,200 mile network of rivers and canals and 2.6 million acres of floodplain. It supports more than 30 million people in its watershed, a significant commercial waterway, more than a million acres of “floodplain” agriculture and about one-half million acres of river-floodplain managed for fish, wildlife, and recreation. Large-scale geomorphology and climate patterns largely determine the hydrologic characteristics of a nested hierarchy of UMRS river reaches. The human impacts above are also important drivers determining hydrologic characteristics within the hierarchy. Understanding the relationship among physical and chemical processes and ecological responses is critical to implement an adaptive management framework for UMRS ecosystem sustainability. Historic or contemporary data from 42 locations were used to examine changes in UMRS hydrology and to demonstrate the utility of a multiple reference condition analysis for river restoration. A multivariate mathematical framework was used to show how river stage hydrology can be characterized by the variability, predictability, seasonality, and rate of change. Large-scale “geomorphic reaches” have distinct hydrologic characteristics and response to development throughout the UMRS region, but within navigation pool hydrology is similar among all impounded reaches regardless of geomorphic reach. Reaches with hydrologic characteristics similar to historic reference conditions should be examined to determine whether those characteristics support desired management objectives. Water levels can be managed, within limits to support navigation and agriculture, to more closely resemble natural hydrology for the benefit of a variety of species, habitats, and ecological processes.