cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interfacial debonding and fiber pull-out stresses of fiber-reinforced composites Part V. With a viscous interface

Abstract A fiber-reinforced elastic composite with a viscous interface is considered. The time-dependent fiber pull-out behavior is analyzed for various boundary conditions at the loaded end and the embedded end of the fiber. Specifically, loading conditions of constant stress and constant displacement rate are considered. With these loading conditions, fiber pull-out is analyzed for several conditions at the embedded end of the fiber; the embedded end is free, fixed or spring like. The time dependence of the distributions of the stress and the displacement rate in the fiber are analyzed. The parameters, which control the time-dependent behavior and the steady state condition, are addressed.
Management Briefs: Short‐Term Effects of Wildfire on Fishes and Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in the Southwestern United States

Abstract A brief (3-year) study on three headwater streams in the Tonto National Forest, Arizona, documented the immediate effects of wildfire on fishes and their food supply. Hydrologic events following a 1990 wildfire in Arizona effectively extirpated two populations of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and one population of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Aquatic macroinvertebrate densities in affected streams (1) declined to near zero within a month after the fire, (2) recovered to only 25–30% of prefire diversity in two of the streams 1 year later, and (3) continued to fluctuate postfire. Salmonid stocks reintroduced into two of the affected streams a year after the fire declined 75% within a year. The quality and quantity of hydrologic events interact after fires in southwestern landscapes and climatic regimes to markedly affect populations of fish and macroinvertebrates. Managers and researchers in the Southwest must be on the alert for field situations that provide an opportunity to cooperative...
Mechanical Alloying And Milling

Mechanical alloying (MA) is a solid-state powder processng technique involving repeated welding, fracturing, and rewelding of powder particles in a high-energy ball mill. Originally developed to produce oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) nickel- and iron-base superalloys for applications in the aerospace industry, MA has now been shown to be capable of synthesizing a variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium alloy phases starting from blended elemental or prealloyed powders. The non-equilibrium phases synthesized include supersaturated solid solutions, metastable crystalline and quasicrystalline phases, nanostructures, and amorphous alloys. Recent advances in these areas and also on disordering of ordered intermetallics and mechanochemical synthesis of materials have been critically reviewed after discussing the process and process variables involved in MA. The often vexing problem of powder contamination has been analyzed and methods have been suggested to avoid/minimize it. The present understanding of the modeling of the MA process has also been discussed. The present and potential applications of MA are described. Wherever possible, comparisons have been made on the product phases obtained by MA with those of rapid solidification processing, another non-equilibrium processing technique.
Temperature dependence of the reaction between the hydroxyl radical and organic matter.

The temperature-dependent bimolecular rate constants for the reaction of the hydroxyl radical (HO•) with organic matter (OM) (k OM–HO•) have been measured for three natural organic matter (NOM) isolates and three bulk effluent organic matter (EfOM) samples using electron pulse radiolysis and thiocyanate competition kinetics. The range of values for the room temperature k OM–HO• was 1.21–9.37 × 108 MC −1 s−1, with NOM isolates generally reacting slower than EfOM samples. The NOM isolates had an average apparent activation energy of 19.8 kJ mol−1, while the EfOM samples had an average value slightly lower (14.3 kJ mol−1), although one NOM isolate (Elliot Soil Humic Acid, 29.9 kJ mol−1) was a factor of 2 times greater than other samples studied. These apparent activation energies are the first determined for OM and HO•, and the Arrhenius plots obtained for NOM isolates (lowest R 2 > 0.993) suggest that no significant structural changes are occurring over the temperature range 8–41°C. In contrast, the greater scatter (lowest R 2 > 0.903) observed for the EfOM samples suggests that some structural changes may be occurring. These results provide a deeper fundamental understanding of the reaction between OM and HO• and will be useful in quantifying HO• reactions in natural and engineered systems.
Detection of blue-whitish veil in melanoma using color descriptors

Recent studies have shown a dramatic increase in the incidence of malignant melanoma. Thus, it is essential to educate the public about risk factors and augment screening for melanoma to reduce fatalities. Common diagnostic criteria used by dermatologists specialized in dermoscopy are based on the detection of certain texture and color features of a lesion. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for detecting the socalled blue-whitish veil color feature. Our results show that when the blue-whitish veil is combined with the regression feature can provide sensitivity and specificity of 95.64% and 72.30%, respectively. Therefore detecting blue-whitish veil accurately is of paramount importance in systems for automated detection of melanoma.
Femoral glands of the lizard, Crotaphytus collaris

The anatomy of the femoral glands in an iguanid lizard, Crotaphytus collaris collaris (Say), is described. The 48 lizards (including three embryos) from which glands were examined were obtained throughout their season of activity at one locality in Kansas. In animals of both sexes the glands lie in a linear series on the ventral aspect of each thigh. They are composed of branching tubes and tubules of epidermal and dermal origin. The row of femoral pores is the only external manifestation of the glands. Post hatching, the glands of males increase in size and complexity; little onto-genetic change occurs in the glands of females. The relative length of the glands appears to vary seasonally in adult males suggesting variation in their activity. The greatest relative sizes occur in the breeding season. At times a stratum corneum, continuous with the stratum corneum of the skin, occurs in the duct of the gland internal to part of the secretion plug. Formation of the stratum corneum seems to be initiated in the autumn prior to hibernation, and the stratum corneum removes the outer part of the secretion plug in the next ecdysis; meanwhile, production of a new secretion plug is initiated. The anatomy of the femoral glands in Crotaphytus is similar to that of the described glands of other species of lizards.
Effects of Prenatal Care on Child Health at Age 5

The broad goal of contemporary prenatal care is to promote the health of the mother, child, and family through the pregnancy, delivery, and the child's development. Although the vast majority of mothers giving birth in developed countries receive prenatal care, past research has not found compelling evidence that early or adequate prenatal care has favorable effects on birth outcomes. It is possible that prenatal care confers health benefits to the child that do not become apparent until after the perinatal period. Using data from a national urban birth cohort study in the US, we estimate the effects of prenatal care on four markers of child health at age 5-maternal-reported health status, asthma diagnosis, overweight, and height. Prenatal care, defined a number of different ways, does not appear to have any effect on the outcomes examined. The findings are robust and suggest that routine health care encounters during the prenatal period could potentially be used more effectively to enhance children's health trajectories. However, future research is needed to explore the effects of prenatal care on additional child health and developmental outcomes as well as the effects of preconceptional and maternal lifetime healthcare on child health.
Enhanced quantum-well photoluminescence in InGaAs/InGaAsP heterostructures following excimer-laser-assisted surface processing

The influence of excimer-laser-assisted surface processing on quantum-well photoluminescence (QW PL) has been investigated in InGaAs/InGaAsP heterostructures capped with a thin layer of In0.53Ga0.47As. The PL mapping measurements carried out on samples before they were processed in a rapid thermal annealer indicated no significant differences in the QW PL signal intensity measured at the excimer-laser-processed sites and in their vicinity. However, a large difference in the QW PL signal, with its intensity significantly enhanced at the laser-processed sites, was observed after 10 s of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 750 °C. The largest contrast in the PL signal (an intensity difference up to about 100%) was obtained for a site processed with 50 pulses and a laser fluence of 123 mJ/cm2. The changes in the QW PL signal intensity have been found to coincide with the changes in the surface chemical composition that were detected with Auger electron spectroscopy. The main difference concerns the development of a GaOx layer on the laser-processed In0.53Ga0.47As surface.
Tabu search—Uncharted domains

The setting could have come from a Hollywood science fiction movie. A dozen figures, a handful in uniforms of the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) and a slightly larger contingent variously in business suits and in shirtsleeves, were gathered around a large mainframe computer whose blinking lights signaled a run in progress. The computer run — on an early70s behemoth that represented the state-of-the-art of the period—was seeking a response to a scenario of a first wave nuclear strike on the U.S.. Each of us present had a security clearance at the level of Secret or higher. Mine, a lowly Secret clearance, had come via an engagement with the Defense Communications Agency at the other-worldly SAC installation buried beneath Cheyenne Mountain. My involvement in the present project was the result of a labyrinthine trail that had wended its way through my earlier associations with research groups at Carnegie Mellon University and at the University of California, Berkeley to reach me at my present post at the University of Colorado. The computer scenario currently in progress was engaged in testing a new type of search procedure applied to the objective of discovering an appropriate counter to the hypothetical nuclear strike. The conditions surrounding this objective, which hinged on satisfactorily meeting a collection of prioritized sub-goals, were embodied in a complex combinatorial optimization model. For the search routine to be successful, an effective retaliatory response had to be identified in less than 5 minutes. Experience suggested such an undertaking might not be easy. Previous efforts, utilizing a diverse array of approaches implemented by the “shirtsleeves crowd” surrounding me — a computer science and OR group from a California Think Tank organization engaged by SAC for this project — had been unable to generate an effective response in under 47 minutes, and the resulting solution had been deemed marginal. A concerted initiative to remedy this outcome had, reasonably or unreasonably, wound up on my doorstep and confronted me with the challenge of designing an approach that might do better. The California Think Tank group did not conceal their doubts about the likelihood of my pulling this off, and had openly
Corticosteroids and central serous chorioretinopathy

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between corticosteroid use and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Design A prospective, case-controlled study. Participants and controls A consecutive series of patients with acute manifestations of CSC and a control group matched for age, race, and gender were recruited between January 2000 and July 2000. Methods A detailed clinical history was taken, and fundus examination with slit-lamp biomicroscopy was performed on all patients. Fluorescein angiography was obtained on the study patients. Results A total of 50 patients was recruited. Twenty-six patients (52%) had a history of exogenous steroid use, including oral, intravenous, intranasal, and intraarticular administration. Two additional patients had a history of endogenous hypercortisolism (Cushing's syndrome). In a matched control group, eight patients (18%) had a history of steroid use. The difference in corticosteroid exposure between study patients and controls was statistically significant ( P Main outcome measures History of corticosteroid use or Cushing's syndrome. Conclusions This study is consistent with previous reports associating steroid use with CSC. It identifies corticosteroids as a significant risk factor for the development of acute, exudative macular manifestation and implicates hypercortisolism as a factor in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Several forms of corticosteroid administration were observed to be a risk factor for CSC. Accordingly, susceptible patients in need of corticosteroids should be advised of the risk of developing acute manifestations of CSC.
What Can One Learn from a Strength-Duration Experiment?

Abstract A physical, physiological, or behavioral system, G , has a fundamentally continuous response to temporally varying stimuli, but this system is hidden behind a threshold. One can readily observe only whether or not, for a given input, the peak output exceeds this threshold. Given an input of a certain form, its intensity can be adjusted to the “critical intensity”, the smallest value that achieves threshold. If the system, G , is linear and time-invariant, it is characterized by its response to an impulse. This paper addresses the problem of inferring the impulse response from critical intensity data.
Architecture of a Fur Binding Site: a Comparative Analysis

Fur is an iron-binding transcriptional repressor that recognizes a 19-bp consensus site of the sequence 5′-GATAATGATAATCATTATC-3′. This site can be defined as three adjacent hexamers of the sequence 5′-GATAAT-3′, with the third being slightly imperfect (an F-F-F configuration), or as two hexamers in the forward orientation separated by one base pair from a third hexamer in the reverse orientation (an F-F-x-R configuration). Although Fur can bind synthetic DNA sequences containing the F-F-F arrangement, most natural binding sites are variations of the F-F-x-R arrangement. The studies presented here compared the ability of Fur to recognize synthetic DNA sequences containing two to four adjacent hexamers with binding to sequences containing variations of the F-F-x-R arrangement (including natural operator sequences from the entS and fepB promoter regions of Escherichia coli). Gel retardation assays showed that the F-F-x-R architecture was necessary for high-affinity Fur-DNA interactions and that contiguous hexamers were not recognized as effectively. In addition, the stoichiometry of Fur at each binding site was determined, showing that Fur interacted with its minimal 19-bp binding site as two overlapping dimers. These data confirm the proposed overlapping-dimer binding model, where the unit of interaction with a single Fur dimer is two inverted hexamers separated by a C:G base pair, with two overlapping units comprising the 19-bp consensus binding site required for the high-affinity interaction with two Fur dimers.
Flowers for Homestead: A Case Study in Archives and Collective Memory

How is a historical event remembered, and how can that memory influence and enrich the archival record? This paper addresses that question by analyzing the memory trajectory of one well-remembered event in American history, the Homestead Strike of 1892. Tracking the traces of the strike, from tragic event to collective memory, it examines how the collective memory of an event enhances our ability to document and understand it in its entirety, demonstrating that while records may influence the memory of events, memory may also influence the production of records.
Effects of dietary phosphorus and lipid levels on utilization and excretion of phosphorus and nitrogen by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). 1. Laboratory-scale study

In a 8-week production-scale experiment at a commercial trout farm, the effects of dietary lipid level and phosphorus level on phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) utilization of rainbow trout (initial mean weight 99 g) were assessed. A low-phosphorus, high-lipid experimental diet (457 g protein, 315 g lipid, 9.1 g P kg–1 dry diet) was compared with a commonly used commercial diet (484 g protein, 173 g lipid, 13.6 g P kg–1 dry diet). P and N budgets were constructed using data from the production-scale experiment and digestibility data for the two diets. In addition, orthophosphate and ammonia-N waste were measured in effluent over one 24-h period. Relative to the commercial diet, the experimental diet resulted in significantly increased feed efficiency ratio, N retention and P retention, and substantially reduced dissolved, solid and total P waste (g kg–1 dry feed). Although N retention resulting from the experimental diet was higher, this was attributable to higher N (protein) digestibility of the experimental diet. Solid N waste (g kg–1 dry feed) resulting from the experimental diet was substantially lower, but dissolved N waste (g kg–1 dry feed) was not significantly different relative to the commercial diet. Mean effluent orthophosphate production (mg day–1 kg–1 fish) of fish fed the experimental diet was substantially lower than that of fish fed the commercial diet (P < 0.05), but effluent ammonia-N production (mg day–1 kg–1 fish) was not significantly affected by dietary treatment.
Encoding, Memory, and Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia and Mania

Schizophrenic (n = 24) and manic (n = 20) inpatients were compared with a normal comparison sample (n = 10) on memory and encoding performance for both self- and other-generated speech. It was found that the level of encoding, as indexed by the level of organization present in the recalled speech, predicted memory performance for both schizophrenic and normal samples. Schizophrenics were less effective at encoding than normals, although the relationship between level of encoding and memory performance was similar for both samples. For the manic patients, however, clinically rated thought disorder predicted memory performance better than encoding performance. It appeared that thought disorder specifically disrupted recall performance, with less of an effect on encoding. These relationships, as well as the lack of a significant relationship between thought disorder and task performance in the schizophrenics, are discussed in terms of their implications for later research in the area of information processing in psychotic patients.
Cause and outcome of central venous catheter infections in paediatric haemodialysis patients

Background. Paediatric patients with end-stage renal disease often receive haemodialysis (HD) via a central venous catheter (CVC). The most common problem with CVC is infection. Methods. We assessed infection rates and subsequent outcome in paediatric chronic HD patients receiving dialysis via a CVC. Results. Over a 3-year period, there were 28 episodes of infection in 17 patients. The overall rate of infection was 13.7 infections/100 catheter months. Among all catheters, catheter survival was 4.5 ± 0.8 months and similar in infected versus uninfected catheters. Among the 28 infections, there were 43 organisms captured. The most common organisms were Gram-positive, comprising 79% of all species. Among Gram-positive organisms, all coagulase-negative and -positive organisms were sensitive to vancomycin while all enterococci were sensitive to vancomycin. The majority of Gram-negative organisms were sensitive to aminoglycosides or cephalosporins. Among infected catheters, the rate of thrombosis was 1 event/1.7 catheter months; in uninfected catheters, the overall prevalence and rate of thrombosis was similar (1 event/1.6 catheter months). Thirty-nine percent of infections resulted in catheter loss within the subsequent 2 months, the most common reason being catheter occlusion. Multiple organisms/episode were more common in patients who required catheter replacement (46%) than in those who had salvage of the catheter (25%). Conclusions. In summary, HD catheter infection rates are high, while thrombosis rates are similar in infected and uninfected catheters. Infection with Gram-positive organisms was most common. The vast majority of CVC infections are cleared by antibiotics, although catheter loss is not uncommon even after clearance of the organism.
Enhancing Silicon Debug via Periodic Monitoring

Scan-based debug methods give high observability of internal signals, however, they require halting the system to scan out responses from the circuit-under-debug (CUD). This is time consuming as many scan dumps may be required. In this paper, conventional scan chains that have non-destructive scan out capability are configured to operate as multiple MISRs during system operation. Information from the multiple MISRs is monitored periodically to identify erroneous behavior. A procedure for constructing the MISRs to maximize debug capability is described. A three step process is used to zero in on the first clock cycle in which an error is present with a small number of scan dumps. Moreover, a method for bypassing errors is described to permit debug in the presence of multiple bugs.
New Town in the City: Edward J. Logue and His Vision for Roosevelt Island, New York:

In 1968, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller succeeded in securing the establishment of the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC), with Edward J. Logue as its chief executive officer. Of th...
Huanglongbing, a systemic disease, restructures the bacterial community associated with citrus roots.

To examine the effect of pathogens on the diversity and structure of plant-associated bacterial communities, we carried out a molecular analysis using citrus and huanglongbing as a host-disease model. 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis of citrus roots revealed shifts in microbial diversity in response to pathogen infection. The clone library of the uninfected root samples has a majority of phylotypes showing similarity to well-known plant growth-promoting bacteria, including Caulobacter, Burkholderia, Lysobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus, and Paenibacillus. Infection by “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” restructured the native microbial community associated with citrus roots and led to the loss of detection of most phylotypes while promoting the growth of bacteria such as Methylobacterium and Sphingobacterium. In pairwise comparisons, the clone library from uninfected roots contained significantly higher 16S rRNA gene diversity, as reflected in the higher Chao 1 richness estimation (P ≤ 0.01) of 237.13 versus 42.14 for the uninfected and infected clone libraries, respectively. Similarly, the Shannon index of the uninfected clone library (4.46) was significantly higher than that of the infected clone library (2.61). Comparison of the uninfected clone library with the infected clone library using LIBSHUFF statistics showed a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05). Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the bacterial community changes not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. The relative proportions of different groups of bacteria changed significantly after infection with the pathogen. These data indicate that infection of citrus by “Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus” has a profound effect on the structure and composition of the bacterial community associated with citrus roots.
An Analysis of the Quantitative Relationship between Oral Temperature and Severity of Illness in Experimental Shigellosis

The relationship between oral temperature and other parameters of illness was examined in 139 adult volunteers infected experimentally with Shigella sonnei. In subjects developing clinical disease, peak temperature correlated positively with total number of signs and symptoms other than fever (rxy = .71, P < .001), stool volume (rxy = .41, P < .001) and number of stools produced during the illness (rxy = .46, P < .001). Peak temperature correlated negatively with incubation period (rxy = -.34, P = .007) but exhibited no apparent correlation with duration of illness. The average oral temperature during illness correlated positively with number of other signs and symptoms of infection but not with stool volume or stool number. These results suggest that in clinical investigations involving S. sonnei, and perhaps with other pathogenic microorganisms, oral temperature is a useful quantitative marker for estimating disease severity.
Central nervous system tumors in children

Objectives : To examine how pediatric and adult central nervous system (CNS) tumors differ and to discuss the unique aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and long-term effects of brain tumors in children. Data sources : Research, review articles, book chapters, and abstracts. Conclusions : A child's growing and developing body and brain place him or her at great risk for permanent damage as a result of traditional treatment methods. A family-centered nursing approach assists the child and family in coping with the impact of a brain tumor. Implications for nursing practice : Children have unique needs during and following treatment for CNS tumors. All oncology nurses need to be fully informed about and help monitor for intellectual, endocrinologic, and oncogenic late effects from the disease and treatment.
Effect of viscosity variation with temperature on the compounding behavior of immiscible blends

Morphology development in the compounding of immiscible blends depends on a number of material properties and process conditions. In this work, different model blend systems are considered to outline the effects of the relative transition temperatures and viscosities of the blend components. We focus on the evolution of blend morphology, specifically phase continuity. A framework based on these factors is presented for analyzing the compounding behavior of immiscible blend systems. With the minor component at 10 wt%, it was found that phase inversion during compounding occurred in blends with a viscosity ratio of less than 0.2, independent of the relative transition temperatures. It was shown that in these constant mixer temperature runs, the torque trace was not a completely reliable indicator of phase inversion. When a temperature ramping program was used, the lower melting point component formed the continuous phase initially, independent of the viscosity ratio. Quantitative measures of the amount of minor component which was continuous at different mixing times were made using selective extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus. Results from compounding runs of polycarbonate/ polyethylene, an amorphous copolyester/polyethylene and polybutylene/polycaprolactone blends are presented.
Innate immunity in inflammatory bowel disease

The human intestinal tract is home to an enormous bacterial flora. The host defense against microorganisms can be divided into innate and adaptive immunity. The former is the most immediate line of response to immunologic challenges presented by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The mucosal immune system has evolved to balance the need to respond to pathogens while co-existing with commensal bacteria and food antigens. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), this hyporesponsiveness or tolerance breaks down and inflammation supervenes driven by the intestinal microbial flora. Bacteria contain compounds and are recognized by a variety of receptors, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and NODs (a family of intracellular bacterial sensors) and are potent stimuli of innate immune responses. Several mutations in these receptors have been associated with development of IBD.
Assessment of genetic and environmental influences on differential ratings of within-family experiences and relationships in twins.

Background. Although there is evidence that genetic factors influence individual differences in environmental risk exposure, there are few findings on genetic effects on differential parenting. The present study sought to examine this issue. Methods. The sample comprised 1117 pairs of like-sex male and female twins, aged 8–16 years, and their parents, recruited from the school population of Virginia. Differential ratings of the within-family experiences were provided by the Twin Inventory of Relationships and Experiences (TIRE). Results. Dimensions describing the within-family environment based on differential ratings contrasting the twins with one another, were influenced, to an approximately equal extent, by both genetic and environmental factors. Conclusions. The findings suggest that genetic differences between like-sex siblings lead them to experience their family environment differently, but also that environmental influences significantly affect interactions within the family.
The use of documentation in a participatory system of evaluation

Pedagogical documentation is a practice currently used in Italian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to make visible children’s learning processes in ECEC, to promote parents’ participation and to support professionals’ reflexive competences. These functions of pedagogical documentation have been enhanced within a system of participatory evaluation of ECEC service quality, which has been implemented in several Italian sites. Specific procedures of documentation of children’s and parents’ experience in the ECEC setting were proposed. On the basis of the documentation, all stakeholders participated in the evaluation process and expressed and discussed the quality of ECEC provision from their different perspectives as professionals, parents or managers. They expressed their judgements considering whether children’s and parents’ experiences in the service were congruent with the educational goals and objectives pursued. The use of documentation guaranteed a common basis for anchoring discussio...
Extreme population fluctuation in the Northern Pygmy Mouse (Baiomys taylori) in southeastern Texas

Resumen The Northern Pygmy Mouse (Baiomys taylori) occurs throughout much of Mexico and into the southwestern United States, with its range currently expanding northward in the U.S. Despite documentation of species range expansion, there have been very few studies that have monitored population growth patterns in this species. During a 16-month mark-recapture study in coastal southeastern Texas, a striking fluctuation in densities of Pygmy Mouse populations was observed. The extreme population increase and decline was evaluated with respect to several biotic and abiotic variables postulated to affect rodent population levels. Highest population levels were preceded by high fruit and seed availability, and variation in 6-month cumulative precipitation totals explained 73.8% - 77.1% of the population variation in the study.
Species delimitation in native South American fire ants.

The taxonomy of fire ants has been plagued by difficulties in recognizing species on the basis of morphological characters. We surveyed allozyme markers and sequences of the mtDNA COI gene in several closely related nominal species from two areas of sympatry in the native ranges to learn whether the morphology-based delimitation of these species is supported by genetic data. We found that Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri , pest species whose distinctiveness has been debated, appear to be fully reproductively isolated at both study sites. This isolation contrasts with the extensive hybridization occurring between them in the USA, where both have been introduced. We also found strong genetic differentiation consistent with barriers to gene flow between Solenopsis quinquecuspis and the other two species. However, several lines of evidence suggest that nuclear and mitochondrial genes of S. invicta and S. richteri are introgressing into S. quinquecuspis . The latter apparently is a recently derived member of the clade that includes all three species, suggesting that there has been insufficient time for its full development of intrinsic isolating mechanisms. Finally, our discovery of genetically distinct populations within both S. invicta and S. richteri suggests the presence of previously unrecognized (cryptic) species. Their existence, together with the difficulties in developing diagnostic morphological characters for described species, imply that the group is actively radiating species and that morphological divergence generally does not keep pace with the development of reproductive isolation and neutral genetic divergence in this process.
Application of pseudo-distance to lossless coding of color-mapped images

Palette images are widely used in many applications, including WWW which occupies an important role in Cloud Computing. Recently, it has been shown that better compression can be obtained when a Huffman coder is used after a color-mapped image is transformed with a pseudo-distance metric. Unlike most of the color-mapped image compression techniques, which require two passes, the pseudo-distance compression technique requires one pass and runs in linear time. In this work, we show that further compression gains can be achieved for color-mapped images when a structured arithmetic coder is used along with the pseudo-distance metric.
Nonlinear detuning of four-wave interactions

The interaction of four waves propagating in a medium with third-order nonlinearities is considered. In general, nonlinear phase shifts detune the interaction before the transfer of energy from the pump to the daughter waves is complete. Fortunately, however, it is possible to compensate for this nonlinear detuning by imposing a linear wave-number mismatch on the interaction. Simple criteria are given that allow the weaker pump wave to be depleted completely and, hence, the energy transfer to be maximized. Some exact solutions of the four-wave equations are used to illustrate the underlying wave physics, and some useful approximate solutions are described. As an application of the general theory, near-collinear four-wave mixing in a Kerr medium is discussed briefly.
Generation system reliability evaluation using a cluster based load model

A load model based on the concept of clustering is presented. Hourly loads are grouped on the basis of their proximity, resulting in nonequispaced load levels. For an equivalent accuracy, this load model uses much fewer states than conventional load models which have equispaced discrete steps. The reduction in the number of load states leads to more efficient calculations and a decrease in the computation time. A generalized convolution procedure is presented, and the convolution of the generation capacity model and cluster load model is shown as a special case of the general convolution procedure. >
The Matrix: The Board’s Responsibility for Director Selection and Recruitment

How do you build the best board for your organization? What attributes and skills are required by law and what mix of experiences and talents will give you the best corporate governance? What are the commonly required director attributes that are a must for each board and how do you customize and fine-tune your search to achieve a high performance board? Optimal board composition, that is, the best mix of director skills and experience will depend on many company-specific variables. Some of the most important of these variables include: (1) company lifecycle stage, (2) extent to which international markets are mission critical to your future (detailed understanding of target culture, markets and business risk); (3) unique technology dependence; and (4) need for access to financial and capital markets. My goal in writing this paper is to provide: answers to these basic questions, a roadmap for the entrepreneur faced with recruiting a board for the first time, a matrix methodology that every nominating committee and board can employ to systematically define their needs and explore their options, and provoke radical thinking about how any company-specific system of corporate governance may be improved by questioning existing fundamental assumptions. This discussion of board composition is not set out in a vacuum; rather, it is based on a clear prejudice by the author that all current business operations should be a part of and based upon articulated enterprise strategy that is headed somewhere with purpose, and clearly communicated to all involved.
Tracing the Self-Regulatory Bases of Moral Emotions:

In this article we explore a self-regulatory perspective on the self-evaluative moral emotions, shame and guilt. Broadly conceived, self-regulation distinguishes between two types of motivation: approach/activation and avoidance/inhibition. We use this distinction to conceptually understand the socialization dimensions (parental restrictiveness versus nurturance), associated emotions (anxiety versus empathy), and forms of morality (proscriptive versus prescriptive) that serve as precursors to each self-evaluative moral emotion. We then examine the components of shame and guilt experiences in greater detail and conclude with more general implications of a self-regulatory perspective on moral emotions.
Sticking to Your Plan: Hyperbolic Discounting and Credit Card Debt Paydown

I use detailed data from an online financial management service to analyze the extent to which short-run impatience can explain why people hold expensive credit card balances. I first measure the sensitivity of consumption spending to paycheck receipt for each user and argue that it provides a proxy for short-run impatience. To distinguish between consumers who are aware (sophisticated) and unaware (naive) of their future impatience, I exploit the fact that the sensitivity to paycheck receipt should vary with available resources for sophisticated agents. I then relate the characteristics of each per- sonâ€™s consumption pattern to his planned and actual debt repayment behavior. Consistent with theory, planned paydown is significantly more predictive of actual paydown for sophisticated than for naive agents. In addition, higher measured impatience leads to lower debt paydown for sophisticated agents, whereas naive agents do not reduce their credit card balances substantially, irrespective of their level of impatience. These findings are inconsistent with several alternative explanations considered, such as credit constraints, and sup- port the view that short-run impatience and sophistication play a substantial role in explaining patterns of success and failure in debt paydown.
Novel Mechanisms of Regulation of miRNAs in CLL

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult human leukemia. Although, the molecular alterations leading to CLL onset and progression are still under investigation (specifically, the interplay and exact role of oncogenes and tumor suppressors in CLL pathogenesis). MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and are expressed in a tissue specific manner. Deregulation of microRNAs can alter expression levels of genes involved in the development and/or progression of tumors. In CLL, microRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Here, we review the most recent findings on the role of microRNAs in the onset/progression of CLL, and how this knowledge can be used to identify new biomarkers and targets to treat this leukemia.
Research for Digital Audio Watermarking Technique Based On m-Sequence

A watermarking algorithm for digital audio based on m spectrum is proposed. Using m sequence, the watermarking can be expanded. The digital audio signal is converted into segments and discrete wavelet transform is performed. Finally the modulated watermark signal is embedded in the second layer of wavelet coefficients of middle frequency range detail signal. The watermarking signal can be extracted by blind detection at the receiving end. The experimental results show that the watermark is imperceptible and the algorithm is robust to digital audio signal.
Source parameters of aftershocks of the 1991 Costa Rica and 1992 Cape Mendocino, California, earthquakes from inversion of local amplitude ratios and broadband waveforms

Abstract Source parameters of aftershocks of the 22 April 1991 ( M W = 7.7) Costa Rica and the 25 April 1992 ( M W = 7.1) Cape Mendocino, California, earthquakes are determined using a grid search inversion of P, SH , and SV amplitude ratios recorded by sparse local networks of three-component broadband and short-period stations. The inversion procedure consists of computing synthetic seismograms for three fundamental fault orientations for all source-receiver pairs over a range of source depths; calculating the complex envelopes of the observed and synthetic seismograms to determine peak amplitudes of P, SH , and SV waves; combining the fundamental fault amplitudes for all possible values of strike, dip, and rake, at 10° increments; and determining the best fault orientation and depth as the one that yields the smallest misfit between observed and synthetic P/SH, P/SV , and SV/SH amplitude ratios. The ambiguity in the sense of motion on the nodal planes, arising due to the use of amplitude ratios, is resolved by examining P -wave polarities. The sensitivity of source parameters to uncertainties in earthquake location and crustal structure is explored. For events with good station coverage, focal mechanism determinations are stable for a wide range of assumed values of crustal structure, earthquake location, and depth. Source parameters for many of the largest events ( M > 3.4) are also determined by inversion of broadband displacement waveforms using a similar grid-search technique. Comparable results were obtained using both broadband waveforms and amplitude ratios. Focal mechanism solutions for 20 aftershocks of the Costa Rica earthquake reveal a complicated faulting geometry, indicating active thrust, normal, and strike-slip faults in the back-arc of Costa Rica. The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake occurred at the intersection of the North American, Gorda, and Pacific plates. While the mainshock was associated with underthrusting of the Gorda plate beneath the North American plate, fault plane solutions for 70% of the 38 largest aftershocks indicate that these events result from either motion between the Gorda and Pacific plates or from internal deformation within the Gorda plate.
Fundamentals of Sentiment Analysis and Its Applications

The problem of identifying people’s opinions expressed in written language is a relatively new and very active field of research. Having access to huge amount of data due to the ubiquity of Internet, has enabled researchers in different fields—such as natural language processing, machine learning and data mining , text mining , management and marketing and even psychology—to conduct research in order to discover people’s opinions and sentiments from the publicly available data sources. Sentiment analysis and opinion mining are typically done at various level of abstraction: document, sentence and aspect. Recently researchers are also investigating concept-level sentiment analysis , which is a form of aspect-level sentiment analysis in which aspects can be multi terms. Also recently research has started addressing sentiment analysis and opinion mining by using, modifying and extending topic modeling techniques. Topic models are probabilistic techniques for discovering the main themes existing in a collection of unstructured documents. In this book chapter we aim at addressing recent approaches to sentiment analysis, and explain this in the context of wider use. We start the chapter with a brief contextual introduction to the problem of sentiment analysis and opinion mining and extend our introduction with some of its applications in different domains. The main challenges in sentiment analysis and opinion mining are discussed, and different existing approaches to address these challenges are explained. Recent directions with respect to applying sentiment analysis and opinion mining are discussed. We will review these studies towards the end of this chapter, and conclude the chapter with new opportunities for research.
Effects of an afterschool community center physical activity program on fitness and body composition in obese youth

ABSTRACTPhysical activity (PA) promotes health in obese youth and is an important adjunct to medical weight management. Access to structured fitness programmes for obese, low-income youth is limited and potential benefits of such programmes are poorly understood. We describe an urban afterschool fitness programme for obese youth and participants’ changes in fitness and body composition. A case series of 30 youth (age: 11.5 ± 2.5 years) with BMI ≥95th percentile and physician referral received a 24-wk programme scholarship. The programme, offered 4 times a week for 90-min.session, included aerobic, strength, and self-organised PA. Primary outcomes, measured at baseline (BL) time 1 (4–8 wk) and time 2 (12–16 wk) were BMI, per cent body fat (%BF), fat-free mass (FFM), heart rate during a treadmill test, and muscular strength (one repetition maximum (1RM)) and endurance (reps at 70% of 1RM) on the leg press (LP) and chest press (CP). Average participation was 1.5 ± 0.6 visits per week for 18.7 ± 6.5 weeks. Be...
Management and Controversies of High-Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Atypical Small Acinar Proliferation on Prostate Biopsy

High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) are concerning pathologic findings. HGPIN is the most likely lesion precursor of prostate cancer. ASAP is not a diagnosis, but a statement of concern by the pathologist implying concomitant prostate cancer not sampled on biopsy. The likelihood of prostate cancer on repeat biopsy is greater in cases of ASAP than in cases of HGPIN. Repeat extended biopsy is recommended for ASAP. Repeat extended biopsy for a diagnosis of HGPIN is recommended only if the initial biopsy was undersampled, or if the clinical situation based on examination and prostate-specific antigen results dictates doing so. Parameters used for risk stratification do not aid in the diagnosis of cancer after detection of HGPIN of ASAP.