cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring implementation fidelity in a community-based parenting intervention.

Background Establishing the feasibility and validity of implementation fidelity monitoring strategies is an important methodological step in implementing evidence-based interventions on a large scale. Objectives The objective of the study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Fidelity Checklist, a measure designed to assess group leader adherence and competence delivering a parent training intervention (the Chicago Parent Program) in child care centers serving low-income families. Method The sample included 9 parent groups (12 group sessions each), 12 group leaders, and 103 parents. Independent raters reviewed 106 audiotaped parent group sessions and coded group leaders' fidelity on the Adherence and Competence Scales of the Fidelity Checklist. Group leaders completed self-report adherence checklists and a measure of parent engagement in the intervention. Parents completed measures of consumer satisfaction and child behavior. Results High interrater agreement (Adherence Scale = 94%, Competence Scale = 85%) and adequate intraclass correlation coefficients (Adherence Scale = .69, Competence Scale = .91) were achieved for the Fidelity Checklist. Group leader adherence changed over time, but competence remained stable. Agreement between group leader self-report and independent ratings on the Adherence Scale was 85%; disagreements were more frequently due to positive bias in group leader self-report. Positive correlations were found between group leader adherence and parent attendance and engagement in the intervention and between group leader competence and parent satisfaction. Although child behavior problems improved, improvements were not related to fidelity. Discussion The results suggest that the Fidelity Checklist is a feasible, reliable, and valid measure of group leader implementation fidelity in a group-based parenting intervention. Future research will be focused on testing the Fidelity Checklist with diverse and larger samples and generalizing to other group-based interventions using a similar intervention model.
Ribosomal movement impeded at a pseudoknot required for frameshifting.

Abstract Translational frameshifting sometimes occurs when ribosomes encounter a "shift" site preceding a region of unusual secondary structure, which in at least three cases is known to be a pseudoknot. We provide evidence that ribosomes have a decreased rate of movement through a pseudoknot required for frameshifting. These paused ribosomes are directly situated over the shift sequence. Ribosomal pausing appears to be necessary but not sufficient for frameshifting.
Public versus private ownership : the current state of the debate

At the heart of the debate about public versus private ownership lie three questions: 1) Does competition matter more than ownership? 2) Are state enterprises more subject to welfare-reducing interventions by government than private firms are? 3) Do state enterprises suffer more from governance problems than private firms do? Even if the answers to these questions favor private ownership, the question must still be asked: Do distortions in the process of privatization mean that privatized firms perform worse than state enterprises? The author's review found greater ambiguity about the merits of privatization and private ownership in the theoretical literature than in the empirical literature. In most cases, empirical research strongly favors private ownership in competitive markets over a state-owned counterfactual (although construction of the counterfactual is itself a problem). Theory's ambiguity about ownership in monopoly markets seems better justified. Since the choice confronting governments is between state ownership and privatization rather than between privatization and optimality, theory has left a gap that empirical work has tried to fill. Further research is needed.
Ultrafine nanofibers fabricated from an arylene–ethynylene macrocyclic molecule using surface assisted self-assembly

Large area uniform nanofibers have been fabricated from a hexameric arylene–ethynylene macrocycle (1) through in situ self-assembly on a glass substrate during solvent evaporation. The fibril morphology is controlled by the solvophilic core of 1, in conjunction with the interfacial interactions between the side chains of 1 and the substrate.
Nitrous oxide reductase and the 120,000 MW copper protein of N2-producting denitrifying bacteria are different entities

Summary Zumft and Matsubara ((1982) FEBS Lett. 148 , 107–112) isolated a 120,000 MW copper protein from certain denitrifying bacteria which were capable of producing N2. The presence of this protein correlated with a nutritional requirement of copper for growth on and reduction of N2O by the bacteria. The copper protein was alleged by these workers to be nitrous oxide reductase. However, it is shown that the copper protein and nitrous oxide reductase have different molecular weights and exhibit different behavior upon anion exchange chromatography. The copper protein is therefore not nitrous oxide reductase.
Continued studies on determination of selected metals in oysters from Southwest Louisiana by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

Abstract This work provides results of a continued study of selected metal concentrations from oysters from Southwest Louisiana. Results were compared to previous studies in 2007 and 2009 and found to be comparable for three metals (Cd, Cr, and Pb) lower for two metals (Cu and Zn) and slightly higher for one metal (Fe). Continued improvement (lower concentrations) was found in this study compared to 2007 for Pd and Cd indicating that potential high concentrations from 2005 Hurricane Rita were significantly reduced.
Adaptability of endothelial orientation to blood flow dynamics--a morphologic analysis.

Vascular endothelium has a certain specificity in its anatomical orientation. The long axis of the endothelial cell and the shingle effect of cell process overlapping is always orientated parallel to the direction of blood flow. To determine whether this specific anatomical orientation would be maintained when the direction of blood flow was altered, twenty ilio-femoral vein segments and twenty vascular patches of carotid artery and jugular vein were studied. Valvulotomised ilio-femoral vein segments ( n = 20) were interposed into adjacent arteries in a non-reversed fashion (the direction of blood flow is reversed to the cell process overlapping). One centimetre-square carotid artery and jugular vein patches ( n = 20) were rotated 90 degrees (endothelial cell orientation is perpendicular to the direction of blood flow). Reversal of endothelial cell overlapping to complement the complete reversal of the direction of blood flow exists in the vein graft through re-endothelialisation and endothelial reorientation. The process of endothelial reversal occurred in stages (endothelial cell process retraction, interdigitation, complete reversal) and was completed within 8–16 days. In the vascular patch, endothelial re-orientation occurred in 8 days through cell re-orientation and replacement. Mitosis was not encountered in either study. This report highlights certain functions and the adaptive capability of endothelial cells to complement the direction of blood flow.
Decay of quantum states in some exactly soluble models

Abstract To illustrate the decay of quantum states, we compute exactly the elements of the evolution operator, exp(-itH), and solve the energy-eigenvalue problem for some simple model hamiltonian systems with discrete spectra. Then, the behavior of these solutions in limits for which continuum parts appear in the energy spectra is studied. We find that in such limits the similarity transformation diagonalizing the hamiltonian becomes ill-defined, the evolution operator becomes non-unitary and the complicated quasi-periodic time-evolution characteristic of discrete-spectrum systems is displaced to the infinite future; the remaining decays of states for the limiting systems are sometimes, but not always, complete.
Schematic modeling for meaningful learning of physics

Schematic modeling is presented as an epistemologic framework for physics instruction. According to schematic modeling, models comprise the content core of scientific knowledge, and modeling is a major process for constructing and employing this knowledge. A model is defined by its composition and structure and is situated in a theory by its domain and organization. Modeling involves model selection, construction, validation, analysis, and deployment. Two groups of Lebanese high school and college students participated in problem-solving tutorials that followed a schematic modeling approach. Both groups improved significantly in problem-solving performance, and course achievement of students in the college group was significantly better than that of their control peers. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Initiation of maternal effects in Lymantria dispar: Genetic and ecological components of egg provisioning

Resources supplied by mothers to offspring through the egg are known to significantly influence offspring life history traits in the gypsy moth, Lynzuntriu dispur. The purpose of this research was to determine the relative contribution of genetics (based on familial contribution) and the nutritional environment of the parents to the mean and variance of resources supplied to the eggs. Vitellogin, the dominant egg storage protein in the gypsy moth. was selected as the focus of the study. The amount of vitellogin in individual eggs from 48 mothers reared on one of four host species, quaking aspen, chestnut oak. red oak, or pitch pine was quantified with an immunoassay. Results of a nested analysis of variance show that both genetics and parental nutritional experience make significant contributions to egg vitellogin levels. When parents were reared on quaking aspen, vitellogin levels were highest and the expression of familial variation was greatest. This study shows that polyphagy can amplify phenotypic variance in reproductive traits through the interaction between genotype and nutritional environment. To the extent that egg resources influence offspring vigor, the fitness of offspring can include a time-lagged component which arises from the interaction between the parental genotype and the parental environment. The time-lagged expression of such a maternal trait is capable of influencing the rate and direction of character evolution and the stability of local population dynamics.
Composition of the phospholipids and their fatty acids in the ROC-1 oligodendroglial cell line.

ROC-1 cells are a hybrid of C−6 rat glioma and rat oligodendroglia cells. Biochemically these cells resemble the oligodendroglia parent, but their lipid composition is unknown. The phospholipid composition in mole % was: cardiolipin, 1.0; phosphatidylglycerol, 1.2; ethanolamine glycerophospholipids, 27.6; phosphatidylinositol, 5.8; lysophosphatidylethanolamine, 0.8; phosphatidylserine, 5.6; choline glycerophospholipids, 43.7; sphingomyelin, 13.7; phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate, 0.8; and lysophosphatidylcholine, 0.6. The choline and ethanolamine plasmalogens made up 7.2 and 18.4% of the total phospholipids, respectively. The phospholipid composition reflects that of both parental cells. The cells had moderate to high levels of 20∶3n−9 indicating n−6 series fatty acid deficiency. The phosphatidylinositol had very high 20∶3n−9 levels with a 20∶3n−9/20∶4n−6 ratio of 2.1 compared to 0.44 and 0.58 for ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EtnGpl) and choline glycerophospholipids (ChoGpl) respectively. The saturated/polyenoic fatty acid ratios were 0.40 for EtnGpl, 3.38 for ChoGpl and 1.48 for phosphatidylinositol.
Alfuzosin attenuates erectile dysfunction in rats with partial bladder outlet obstruction.

OBJECTIVE To determine how partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) in a rat model affects erectile function, and whether an uroselective α1-adrenoceptor antagonist, alfuzosin (Sanofi-Aventis, Paris, France) attenuates any erectile dysfunction (ED). MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (120) were randomized into four groups: 1, sham-operated; 2, alfuzosin-treated; 3, PBOO; and 4, alfuzosin-treated with PBOO. Groups 3 and 4 were subjected to PBOO for 6 weeks by ligation of the urethra, while groups 2 and 4 rats received daily oral alfuzosin (10 mg/day) for 6 weeks. In vivo erectile responses were monitored by evaluating ratios of intracavernosal pressure (ICP)/mean arterial pressure, and total ICP (area under the curve). Organ-bath studies were performed on corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM) strips. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression was determined immunohistochemically (IHC) for neuronal (n)NOS and by Western blot analysis for endothelial (e) and inducible (i) NOS protein. RESULTS Rats with PBOO showed lower erectile responses than controls. Maximum electrical field stimulation-mediated and endothelium-dependent acetylcholine-induced relaxations and contractile responses to phenylephrine were significantly reduced in CCSM strips from the PBOO group. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside completely relaxed CCSM from rats in all groups. IHC analyses showed decreased expression of nNOS in PBOO groups compared with controls; by contrast, protein expression of eNOS and iNOS was increased. Alfuzosin-treatment partially attenuated functional and molecular changes in penises of PBOO rats. CONCLUSION Rats with PBOO show ED, most likely due to altered NOS expression and NO bioavailability. The α-adrenoreceptor antagonist alfuzosin reversed this ED by altering sympathetic tone, increasing NO-induced relaxation and augmenting blood flow in the penis. This study suggests a rationale for further clinical trials using combinations of α-adrenoceptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in patients with ED and lower urinary tract symptoms.
Comments on the Emission Feature at 11.7 cm−1

WE would like to comment on the article of Beery et al.1 attributing an emission feature observed at 11.7 cm−1 in the atmosphere to nitrous oxide.
Joint moderating effects of job experience and task component complexity: Relations among goal setting, task strategies, and performance.

Summary Research in goal setting has demonstrated moderating roles of job experience and task complexity in the relation of goals to performance. Goal setting appears to have its strongest effect on an individual's performance and task strategy quality for jobs having low task complexity. A field study (n = 347) was conducted to assess the moderating role of job experience and task component complexity, or the number of distinct and independent actions an individual must process, using respondents from several organizations across a variety of job levels. The results of moderated regression analyses demonstrate support for the hypothesis that task component complexity would moderate the effect of goal setting on performance. In addition, experience moderated the relation of goal setting to task strategy quality and performance for jobs having a great deal of task component complexity. The results are discussed as further evidence of the lagged beneficial effect of goals on task performance for a job high in task component complexity.
Affective Load and Engagement in Second Life: Experiencing Urgent, Persistent, and Long-Term Information Needs

New users of virtual environments face a steep learning curve, requiring persistence and determination to overcome challenges experienced while acclimatizing to the demands of avatar-mediated behavior. Concurrent structured self-reports can be used to monitor the personal affective and cognitive struggles involved in virtual world adaptation to specific affordances while performing particular tasks and activities with avatars. Examination of user discourse in self-reports reveal that participants focus on micro-management concerns about how to proceed in an activity, replete with intense emotions and uncertainty over how to operate affordances. Concurrent structured self-reports engage users in meta-affective and meta-cognitive reflection and facilitate coping with confusion and negative emotions. As Second Life is a complex virtual world with hundreds of affordances, people experience a continuous stream of information needs. Urgent, persistent, and long-term information needs are associated with differing qualities and intensities of affective load, such as impatience, irritation, anxiety, and frustration. When a particular information need is met, affective engagement results in intensity proportional to the affective load. Constructing user discourse during virtual activities serves as a coping mechanism that facilitates adaptation by raising meta-cognitive and meta-affective awareness.
Identification of immunodominant HLA-B7-restricted CD8 + cytotoxic T cell epitopes derived from mammaglobin-A expressed on human breast cancers

Mammaglobin-A (MGBA), a 10-kD protein, is over expressed in 80% of primary and metastatic human breast cancers. Breast cancer patients demonstrate high frequencies of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific to MGBA. Defining CD8+ CTL responses to HLA class I-restricted MGBA-derived epitopes assumes significance in the context of our ongoing efforts to clinically translate vaccine strategies targeting MGBA for prevention and/or treatment of human breast cancers. In this study, we define the CD8+ CTL response to MGBA-derived candidate epitopes presented in the context of HLA-B7, which has a frequency of 17.7% in Caucasian and 15.5% in African American populations. We identified seven MGBA-derived candidate epitopes with high predicted binding scores for HLA-B7 using a computer algorithm. Membrane stabilization studies with TAP-deficient T2 cells transfected with HLA-B7 indicated that MGBA B7.3 (VSKTEYKEL), B7.6 (KLLMVLMLA), B7.7 (NPQVSKTEY), and B7.1 (YAGSGCPLL) have the highest HLA-B7 binding affinities. Further, two CD8+ CTL cell lines generated in vitro against T2.B7 cells individually loaded with MGBA-derived candidate epitopes showed significant cytotoxic activity against MGBA B7.1, B7.3, B7.6, and B7.7. In addition, the same CD8+ CTL lines lysed the HLA-B7+/MGBA+ human breast cancer cell line DU-4475 but had no significant cytotoxicity against HLA-B7− or MGBA− breast cancer cell lines. Cold-target inhibition studies strongly suggest that MGBA B7.3 is an immunodominant epitope. In summary, our results define HLA-B7-restriced, MGBA-derived, CD8+ CTL epitopes with all of the necessary features for developing novel vaccine strategies against HLA-B7 expressing breast cancer patients.
Functional coordination of three mitotic motors in Drosophila embryos

It is well established that multiple microtubule-based motors contribute to the formation and function of the mitotic spindle, but how the activities of these motors interrelate remains unclear. Here we visualize spindle formation in living Drosophila embryos to show that spindle pole movements are directed by a temporally coordinated balance of forces generated by three mitotic motors, cytoplasmic dynein, KLP61F, and Ncd. Specifically, our findings suggest that dynein acts to move the poles apart throughout mitosis and that this activity is augmented by KLP61F after the fenestration of the nuclear envelope, a process analogous to nuclear envelope breakdown, which occurs at the onset of prometaphase. Conversely, we find that Ncd generates forces that pull the poles together between interphase and metaphase, antagonizing the activity of both dynein and KLP61F and serving as a brake for spindle assembly. During anaphase, however, Ncd appears to have no effect on spindle pole movements, suggesting that its activity is down-regulated at this time, allowing dynein and KLP61F to drive spindle elongation during anaphase B.
Differentiation of adrenal cortex-like tissue at the hilum of the gonads in response to adrenalectomy.

Following bilateral adrenalectomy, the adrenal cortex-like cells which appear in the ovaries of the 13-lined ground squirrel are in close relationship to the epithelial remnants of the rete ovarii and the medullary cords. Identical cells form in the bilaterally adrenalectomized male around the efferent ductules of the testes. Histochemical tests on these periductular cells gave positive results with polarized light, Sudan Black stain, ultraviolet light, and the Schultz test — all comparable to normal adrenal cortex cells. Electron microscopic studies of the periductular cells showed them to have ultrastructural characteristics of a steroid secreting cell. Male and female animals adrenalectomized a year before and maintained on tap water died within four days when the gonads and adnexa were removed. Male animals adrenalectomized a year before and maintained on tap water survived actively for two weeks when the testicles were removed, provided that the efferent ductules and surrounding adrenal cortex-like cells were left in place. These animals died within four days after the adnexa were removed. The periductular cells were incubated with radioactively tagged progesterone which showed that these cells secrete corticosterone, the normal primary corticosteroid of this animal, and desoxycorticosterone which functions as a combination glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid.
Fetal MR diagnosis of vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation.

Fetal MR was done on a 26-week-old fetus for further evaluation of an abnormal prenatal ultrasound. MR shows a vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM) with large flow voids in a dilated vein of Galen (Fig. 1) and straight sinus (Fig. 2). VGAM is a choroid plexus arteriovenous malformation with persistence of the embryonal median prosencephalic vein, which develops between the 6th and 11th weeks of gestation [1]. MR better shows associated
High temperature reformation of aluminum and chlorine compounds behind the Mach disk of a solid-fuel rocket exhaust

Chemical reactions expected to occur among the constituents of solid-fuel rocket engine effluents in the hot region behind a Mach disk are analyzed theoretically. With the use of a rocket plume model that assumes the flow to be separated in the base region, and a chemical reaction scheme that includes evaporation of alumina and the associated reactions of 17 gas species, the reformation of the effluent is calculated. It is shown that AlClO and AlOH are produced in exchange for a corresponding reduction in the amounts of HCl and Al2O3. For the case of the space shuttle booster engines, up to 2% of the original mass of the rocket fuel can possibly be converted to these two new species and deposited in the atmosphere between the altitudes of 10 and 40 km. No adverse effects on the atmospheric environment are anticipated with the addition of these two new species.
Ultra-Slow Light in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Shocking Matter and Transforming Light

Ultra-slow and spatially compressed light pulses in Bose-Einstein condensates allow for halting light and imprinting optical information in atomic holograms that can be processed and read out. Generated
Multimedia technology infrastructure for emerging peer-to-peer applications and services

In this paper, we present the architecture and a resource management and adaptation framework that goes beyond existing peer-to-peer and content delivery infrastructures to accommodate and accelerate multimedia peer applications and services. We will propose key technology components that allow the seamless adaptation of resources to enhance quality of service and the building of better tools and applications that utilize the underlying power of the peer-computing network, and show a prototype system that integrates the various components, as well as some sample applications that can be built on the proposed infrastructure.
Isotherm shape for penetrant sorption in glassy polymers

The objective of this article is to illustrate that the model proposed by Vrentas and Vrentas predicts that the shape of the sorption isotherm for a glassy polymer-penetrant system depends on whether the penetrant is a good or poor solvent for the particular polymer. It is also shown that the proposed model provides a reasonably good description of sorption isotherms for the water-glassy PMMA system
An adaptive, wideband SiGe image reject mixer for a self-healing receiver

A wideband (6–20 GHz) SiGe adaptive image reject mixer with an IF bandwidth of more than 1.8 GHz is presented. The mixer can be “self-healed” to deliver consistent performance across band by nullifying the effects of process variations, environmental changes or aging and can be adapted to different specifications. A conversion gain greater than 15 dB, an image rejection ratio (IRR) exceeding 35 dB and an output 1-dB compression point greater than 10 dBm were obtained in measurement. An automated self-healing procedure is shown to be effective for improving the measured performance of the mixer. The mixer was fabricated in a 150 GHz peak f T 200 nm SiGe BiCMOS process and consumes 215 mA of current operating off a 4 V rail.
Full-text federated search in peer-to-peer networks

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks integrate autonomous computing resources without requiring a central coordinating authority, which makes them a potentially robust and scalable model for providing federated search capability to large-scale networks of text digital libraries. However, P2P networks have so far mostly used simple search techniques based on document names or controlled-vocabulary terms, and provided very limited support for full-text search of document contents.
The flow of solute and solvent across a two-membrane system

Abstract Equations are derived, utilizing the methods of irreversible thermodynamics, for the steady state flow of solvent and a single, neutral solute across a simple, non-homogeneous membrane system. The model system analyzed is (solution, homogeneous membrane 1, solution, homogeneous membrane 2, solution), where the two homogeneous membranes have different parameters. An active transport mechanism for solute is also included as a part of membrane 1. A variety of qualitative properties of the system are derived for two special cases. In case I (pure active transport) the concentrations in the outer solutions are the same and the solute pump is functioning. In case II (pure osmotic flow) the concentrations in the outer solutions are different and the solute pump is inactive. For case I, one of the results is that there will be solution flow across the system, which may be hypertonic, isotonic, or hypotonic. It is also possible to have solvent flow with no net solute flow. For case II, a result is that the solvent flow is not linearly related to the concentration difference between the outer solutions. Furthermore, the system will exhibit rectification of solute and solvent flow. Possible applications of this model to biological systems are discussed.
Airway Management and Assessment of Dyspnea in Emergency Department Patients with Acute Heart Failure

Shortness of breath is the commonest symptom in patients with acute heart failure. Ensuring adequate oxygenation and ventilation as well as symptomatic relief are key goals of early emergency department management. In this focused review, we describe how to assess dyspnea in clinical practice and how to treat acute heart failure patients to relieve dyspnea, with initial discussion on airway and breathing management for patients who present in extremis.
FURTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OFETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO SHOCK

The effects of subjects’ sets on autonomic functioning had previously been dem-onstrated when the sets were induced by explicit experimental procedure. It washypothesized that implicit (non-verbalized) sets should likewise have physiologicalcorrelates. The hypothesis was tested by exposing subjects of four different ethnicgroups, whose attitudes toward pain and pain expression are different, to an experi-mental procedure involving electric shock. Differences were found in resting meanheart rate and palmar skin resistance and face temperature levels, in palmar skinpotential responses to repetitive shocks, and in correlations between thresholdsand heart rate, skin resistance and skin potential levels. These results closelyparallel the attitudinal differences, and together with previously reported findingsof differences in upper thresholds and adaptation of the diphasic skin potential, strongly confirm the hypothesis that subjects’ implicit sets infiuence their patternsof autonomic responses.
Depth of penetration of binaphthyl derivatives into the micellar core of sodium undecenoyl leucyl-leucinate surfactants

Abstract Two different diastereomeric forms of sodium N-undecanoyl leucyl-leucinate (SULL) (both l,l and l,d ) are used to examine the role of depth of penetration of chiral analytes into the micellar core of polymeric and monomeric surfactants on enantioselectivity. In this study, chiral separation of three binaphthyl derivatives, i.e. (±)-1,1′-bi-naphthyl-2,2′-diamine (BNA), (±)-1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BOH), and (±)-1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-dihydrogen phosphate (BNP), are studied. Chromatographic results suggest that BNP interacts approximately the same with both the C- and N-terminal amino acid of poly SULL, while the preferential site of interaction of this analyte with the monomeric form of SULL (mono SULL) is at the C-terminal amino acid. This indicates that BNP enantiomers penetrate deeper into the micellar core of the poly SULL than that of the mono SULL. Varying the temperature resulted in a change in the depth of penetration of BNP into the micellar core of the poly SULL. However, the enantiomers of BNA and BOH always interact preferentially with the N-terminal amino acid of SULL surfactants (both polymer and monomer), independent of the temperatures studied.
Effects of foundress number on brood raids and queen survival in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta

In several ant species, colonies are founded by small groups of queens (pleometrosis), which coexist until the first workers eclose, after which all but one queen is killed. It has been hypothesized that, by producing a larger cohort of workers, cooperating queens may increase colony success during brood raids, a form of competition in which brood and workers from losing nests are absorbed into winning colonies. To test whether this benefit is sufficient to favor pleometrosis, newly mated queens of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta were assembled in groups of one, two, three, or four, reared in the laboratory until the first workers eclosed, then planted in the field in replicated assemblages. The proportion of colonies engaging in brood raids increased with average foundress number per nest and with colony density but was unaffected by variance in foundress number among interacting colonies. Within mixed assemblages of single-queen and multiple-queen colonies, queen number had no effect on the likelihood of engaging in raids or the probability of nest survival through the brood raiding period. However, following nearly 30% of raids, queens moved to new nests and displaced the resident queens. When queen relocation and subsequent mortality were accounted for, it was found that the survival of queens from four-queen groups was substantially higher than that of solitary queens. By contrast, the survival of queens from two-queen colonies was no greater than that of solitary queens. These results show that the competitive advantages of multiple-queen colonies are sufficient to counterbalance the increased mortality of queens within groups only when the number of foundresses is greater than two and when colonies are founded at high density. When colonies lose brood raids, the workers appear to abandon their mothers to join surviving colonies. However, in laboratory experiments, queens attempting to enter foreign nests were significantly more likely to displace the resident queen if their own daughters were present within the invaded nest. Thus, workers may be able to bias the probability that their mother rejoins them and displaces competing queens.
The GreenDroid Mobile Application Processor: An Architecture for Silicon's Dark Future

This article discusses about Greendroid mobile Application Processor. Dark silicon has emerged as the fundamental limiter in modern processor design. The Greendroid mobile application processor demonstrates an approach that uses dark silicon to execute general-purpose smart phone applications with less energy than today's most energy efficient designs.
An electron microscope study of cytoplasmic organelle transformations in developing mouse oocytes.

The development of the mouse oocyte during the primordial, primary and secondary follicular growth stages was studied by means of the electron microscope. During the early stages of oocyte maturation, mitochondrial multiplication takes place along with an apparent temporary transition from round to oval shape. The internal structure of many of the mitochondria is altered by separation of membranes of a crista to form a vacuole. This enlarges to pear-shaped configurations and gradually it forms so large a structure as to result in compression of adjacent cristae, thereby altering the entire appearance of the organelle. Dense round bodies encapsulated by a single membrane are found in the cytoplasm of oocytes of primary follicles near the periphery. The Golgi complex appears in primary follicle oocytes as an aggregation of vesicles. Gradually the number of lamellae in the complexes increase and these organelles become more peripherally located. The “Balbiani yolk nuclei“ apparently is represented by a conglomeration of Golgi complexes and are present only in primordial and young primary follicle oocytes. The endoplasmic reticulum appears in the early stages only as rough-surfaced vesicles. At later stages individual cisternae become prominent. Apparently, a modified form of E. R. appears during maturation of the secondary follicle oocyte. Multivesicular complexes, each consisting of two components, small vesicles and larger vesicles enclosing microvesicles (multivesicular bodies), were commonly found during all stages of oocyte growth. The secondary follicle oocytes frequently contain multilamellar bodies. These are commonly found in juxtaposition to the multivesicular complexes and also near the egg periphery and occasionally near the nuclear envelope.
Local dexterity analysis for open kinematic chains

Two methods for determining the dexterity of manipulator arms are presented. A numerical method is illustrated for determining all possible orientations of the end-effector of an open kinematic chain based upon a row-rank deficiency of the sub-Jacobian of the kinematic constraint equations. This numerical method has been adapted from a theory for determining the accessible output set for planar and spatial manipulators. Boundaries of regions representing orientation solutions are mapped using continuation algorithms. One-dimensional curves in three-dimensional space are traced. Orientations of the manipulator end-effector at a point are studied (local dexterity). Only local dexterity solutions can be found. A second analytical method is also presented which determines the global dexterity of the system. This method relies upon determining all singularities of the system and identifying singular surfaces and singular curves. Regions of singular surfaces that are boundaries are identified and intersected with a service sphere. This method, however, although analytical and accurate, has many limitations. The two methods are compared via implementation into a six degree of freedom manipulator.
Prediction of Aquatic Toxicity: Use of Optimization of Correlation Weights of Local Graph Invariants

Quantitative structure−activity relationships (QSARs) were developed for three sets of toxicity data. Chemicals in each set represented a number of narcoses and electrophilic mechanisms of toxic action. A series of quantitative structure-toxicity models correlating toxic potency with a number of optimization of correlation weights of local graph invariants were developed. In the case of the toxicity of a heterogeneous set of benzene derivatives to Tetrahymena pyriformis, the QSARs were based on the Descriptor of Correlation Weights (DCW) using atoms and extended connectivity (EC) graph invariants. The model [log (IGC50-1) = 0.0813 DCW(ak,3ECk) + 2.636; n = 157, r2 = 0.883, s = 0.27, F = 1170, Pr > F = 0.0001] based on third-order EC of 89 descriptors was observed to be best for the benzene data. However, fits for these data of > 0.800 were achieved ECs with as few as 23 variables. The relationship between the toxicity predicted by this model and experimental toxicity values for the test set [obs. log(IGC5...
Engineering Informatics: State of the Art and Future Trends

Engineering informatics is an emerging engi- neering discipline integrating information technology or in- formatics with a variety of engineering disciplines. It is an interdisciplinary scientific subject focusing on applying ad - vanced information and communications technology (ICT) to a variety of engineering disciplines. Rapid advances in industrial information integration methods have spurred the growth of new techniques that can be used for probing indus- trial information integration including engineering informat- ics. These techniques include business process management (BPM), enterprise architecture (EA), enterprise application integration (EAI), service-oriented architecture (SOA), and others. Practical applications may require a combination of these techniques that have originated from different disci- plines. These techniques have the potential to contribute to engineering informatics. For integrating complex engineer- ing systems, both formal methods and systems methods are crucial. In this paper, we briefly review the state of the art of engineering informatics as it interfacing with industrial information integration.
Current trends in geomathematics

Abstract Geoscience has extended its role and improved its applications by the development of geophysics since the nineteen-thirties, geochemistry since the nineteen-fifties and now, in the late nineteen-sixties, a new synergism leads to geomathematics; again the greatest pressure for change arises from areas of application of geoscience and, as the problems to which geoscience is applied increase in complexity, the analytical tools become more sophisticated, a development which is accelerated by growth in the use of computers in geological problem-solving. In the next decade the problems with greatest public impact appear to be the ones which will receive greatest emphasis and support. This will require that the geosciences comprehend exceedingly complex probabilistic systems and these, in turn, demand the use of operations research, cybernetics and systems analysis. Such a development may well lead to a change in the paradigms underlying geoscience; they will certainly include more realistic models of “real-world” systems and the tool of simulation with cybernetic models may well become the basis for rejuvenation of experimentation in the geosciences.
Understanding Cultural Acceptability for Urban Food Policy

The notion of cultural acceptability is often called forth as a necessary component of food security, yet there is a lack of guidance in literature and policy as to how to operationalize this conce...
A Large-Scale Seasonal Modeling Study of the California Current System

A high-resolution, multi-level, primitive equation ocean model has been used to investigate the combined role of seasonal wind forcing, seasonal thermohaline gradients, and coastline irregularities on the formation of currents, meanders, eddies, and filaments in the entire California Current System (CCS) region, from Baja to the Washington-Canada border. Additional objectives are to further characterize the meandering jet south of Cape Blanco and the seasonal variability off Baja. Model results show the following: All of the major currents of the CCS (i.e., the California Current, the California Undercurrent, the Davidson Current, the Southern California Countercurrent, and the Southern California Eddy) as well as filaments, meanders and eddies are generated. The results are consistent with the generation of eddies from instabilities of the southward current and northward undercurrent via barotropic and baroclinic instability processes. The meandering southward jet, which divides coastally-influenced water from water of offshore origin, is a continuous feature in the CCS, and covers an alongshore distance of over 2000 km from south of Cape Blanco to Baja. Off Baja, the southward jet strengthens (weakens) during spring and summer (fall and winter). The area off southern Baja is a highly dynamic environment for meanders, filaments, and eddies, while the region off Point Eugenia, which represents the largest coastline perturbation along the Baja peninsula, is shown to be a persistent cyclonic eddy generation region.
Using consumption rate to assess potential predators for biological control of white perch

Key-words: biological control, predation, consumption rate, white perch, Morone americana Control of undesirable fishes is important in aquatic systems, and using predation as a tool for biological control is an attractive option to fishery biologists. However, determining the appropriate predators for biological control is critical for success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of consumption rate as an index to determine the most effective predators for biological control of an invasive fish. Consumption rate values were calculated for nine potential predators that prey on white perch Morone americana in Branched Oak and Pawnee reservoirs, Nebraska. The consumption rate index provided a unique and insightful means of determining the potential effectiveness of each predator species in controlling white perch. Cumulative frequency distributions facilitated interpretation by providing a graphical presentation of consumption rates by all individuals within each predator species. Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, walleye Sander vitreus and sauger S. canadensis were the most efficient white perch predators in both reservoirs; however, previous attempts to increase biomass of these predators have failed suggesting that successful biological control is unlikely using existing predator species in these Nebraska reservoirs.
Resolution of complex ends by non-homologous end joining - better to be lucky than good?

The non-homologous end joining pathway is essential for efficient repair of chromosome double strand breaks. This pathway consequently plays a key role in cellular resistance to break-inducing exogenous agents, as well as in the developmentally-programmed recombinations that are required for adaptive immunity. Chromosome breaks often have complex or “dirty” end structures that can interfere with the critical ligation step in this pathway; we review here how non-homologous end joining resolves such breaks.
Defining a field, describing a world: Jane and Peter Schneider and the study of modern Italy

Abstract Jane and Peter Schneider's career-long study of Sicily has created a lasting contribution to the understanding of both Sicilian and Italian social life. Their research into Sicily's historic economic under-development and its highly particular and interesting demographic transition, along with their chronicles of the rise of the Mafia and an opposing antimafia movement, provide a model for intelligent social science method as well as a humane and democratically committed scholarship.
Asymptotic behaviour of solutions of periodic competition diffusion system

On considere le systeme d'equations de reaction-diffusion u t =k 1 Δu+[a-bu-cv];v t =k 2 Δv+v[d-eu-fv], ou k 1 , k 2 , a,b,..., f sont des fonctions suffisamment lisses definies sur un cylindre Ω×(−∞,∞), ou Ω est un domaine borne lisse de R n
A Web Service-Enabled Distributed Workflow System for Scientific Data Processing

This paper presents the design and implementation of a distributed data-driven workflow system on top of the TeraGrid infrastructure. The workflow system is based on a data management architecture that provides easy access to scientific data collections via the TeraGrid network. The workflow system allows researchers to construct scientific workflows for data discovery, access, transformation, and analysis. The system leverages JOpera, an open-source workflow engine and visual composer, as well as a set of Web service-based data and computation modules. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we create an end-to-end climate simulation data analysis workflow that connects the data management architecture to TeraGrid computation resources. We also develop a workflow monitoring service to keep track of distributed workflow execution
Does Lootable Wealth Breed Disorder?: A Political Economy of Extraction Framework

This article proposes a political economy of extraction framework that explains political order and state collapse as alternative outcomes in the face of lootable wealth. Different types of institutions of extraction can be built on lootable resources—with divergent effects on political stability. If rulers are able to forge institutions of extraction that give them control of revenues generated by lootable resources, then these resources can contribute to political order by providing the income with which to govern. Conversely, the breakdown or absence of such institutions increases the risk of civil war by making it easier for rebels to organize. The framework is used to explain two puzzling cases that experienced sharply contrasting political trajectories in the face of lootable resources: Sierra Leone and Burma. A focus on institutions of extraction provides a stronger understanding of the wide range of political outcomes—from chaos, to dictatorship, to democracy—in resource-rich countries.
Data layout optimization for GPGPU architectures

GPUs are being widely used in accelerating general-purpose applications, leading to the emergence of GPGPU architectures. New programming models, e.g., Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), have been proposed to facilitate programming general-purpose computations in GPGPUs. However, writing high-performance CUDA codes manually is still tedious and difficult. In particular, the organization of the data in the memory space can greatly affect the performance due to the unique features of a custom GPGPU memory hierarchy. In this work, we propose an automatic data layout transformation framework to solve the key issues associated with a GPGPU memory hierarchy (i.e., channel skewing, data coalescing, and bank conflicts). Our approach employs a widely applicable strategy based on a novel concept called data localization. Specifically, we try to optimize the layout of the arrays accessed in affine loop nests, for both the device memory and shared memory, at both coarse grain and fine grain parallelization levels. We performed an experimental evaluation of our data layout optimization strategy using 15 benchmarks on an NVIDIA CUDA GPU device. The results show that the proposed data transformation approach brings around 4.3X speedup on average.
Cross Sectional AFM of Oxidized Porous Silicon

Morphological studies of bulk porous-silicon (PS) are presented. Using the atomic force microscope, cleaved cross-sections of electrochemically processed porous-silicon were investigated. The porous-silicon/silicon interface was examined. Using a room temperature UV O3 generator, the porous silicon-samples were oxidized. Oxidation in air was also observed. The morphology of the oxidized porous-silicon is process dependent. AFM contrast was enhanced by selective wet chemical etching. Unusually fast oxide etching in BOE was observed. A possible oxide/PS model is proposed.