cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical models improve the use of alligator abundance as an indicator

Abstract Indicator species are species which can be monitored as an index to measure the overall health of an ecosystem. Crocodylians have been shown to be good indicators of wetland condition as they respond to changes in hydrology, can be efficiently monitored, and are a key part of ecosystem trophic relationships. Eye shine surveys at night are a standard method used to sample alligators, but because some individuals that are present in a study area may go undetected and the proportion of individuals counted is not constant over time, appropriate modeling is required to convert counts to estimates of abundance. We analyzed 13 years of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) survey count data from South Florida using an N-mixture model. Alligator abundance estimates were assigned to quartiles that were then represented as color coded categories of red, yellow, or green to provide a straightforward rating of Everglades restoration based on familiar stoplight coloring. These results were then compared to a previously used method in which unadjusted counts of these same data were assigned to color coded quartile categories. Water depth played a major role in the detection probability of alligators and the stoplight colors between the two methods matched 76% of the time. This suggests that the original stoplight score method provided a good overall snapshot of the trends in alligator abundance in the Everglades; however, the hierarchical models estimate abundance and trends of alligator abundance by incorporating detection probability thus providing unbiased estimates of abundance.
Hematopoiesis under telomere attrition at the single-cell resolution

The molecular mechanisms that drive hematopoietic stem cell functional decline under conditions of telomere shortening are not completely understood. In light of recent advances in single-cell technologies, we sought to redefine the transcriptional and epigenetic landscape of mouse and human hematopoietic stem cells under telomere attrition, as induced by pathogenic germline variants in telomerase complex genes. Here, we show that telomere attrition maintains hematopoietic stem cells under persistent metabolic activation and differentiation towards the megakaryocytic lineage through the cell-intrinsic upregulation of the innate immune signaling response, which directly compromises hematopoietic stem cells' self-renewal capabilities and eventually leads to their exhaustion. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that targeting members of the Ifi20x/IFI16 family of cytosolic DNA sensors using the oligodeoxynucleotide A151, which comprises four repeats of the TTAGGG motif of the telomeric DNA, overcomes interferon signaling activation in telomere-dysfunctional hematopoietic stem cells and these cells' skewed differentiation towards the megakaryocytic lineage. This study challenges the historical hypothesis that telomere attrition limits the proliferative potential of hematopoietic stem cells by inducing apoptosis, autophagy, or senescence, and suggests that targeting IFI16 signaling axis might prevent hematopoietic stem cell functional decline in conditions affecting telomere maintenance.
Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations Viewpoint: Endovascular Therapy Perspective

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare lesions with aggressive natural histories that predispose the patients, who are generally young at the time of diagnosis, to a lifetime of hemorrhage risk. The recent publication of the ARUBA trial has further complicated the decision tree for management of unruptured AVMs. AVMs require the availability of a comprehensive neurovascular service with expertise in neurosurgery, interventional neuroradiology, and radiation therapy. The decision to treat an AVM should rest upon an understanding of the natural history of these lesions as well as morbidity and mortality associated with treatment. This chapter summarizes the indications and outcomes of endovascular treatment of AVMs.
Interrelation Of Highway And Reservoir Location

Highway adjustment and access should be closely coordinated with reservoir planning and development at all states to insure that the various highway requirements are adequately and economically met and are compatible with the overall project development. Policies and procedures with respect to Federal projects are well established. Various methods can be used to accomplish the required highway construction.
Who Invests in the Least Developed Countries? An Examination of U.S. Multinationals in Africa

Africa is a giant market with a population of Europe and Japan combined, and highly diversified with respect to culture, natural resources, economic development, and political regimes. Yet, the continent is largely ignored with respect to research on the multinational activities of U.S. firms. In this paper, we provide the first evidence regarding the operating characteristics of U.S. firms that operate in Africa. We find that firms with operations in Africa are larger, more diversified, and more profitable than a matched control sample of multinational firms. This paper also shows that technology firms, manufacturing firms, and mining firms dominate the rest of companies operating in Africa. Certain geographical regions in Africa also seem to attract more companies than others, with Southern Africa being the most preferred region, while Central Africa is the least preferred. Finally, when a multinational firm invests in a specific country in Africa, it tends to do so in several business sectors.
The Internet and Citizen Participation in Rulemaking

Each year, regulatory agencies promulgate thousands of important rules through a process largely insulated from ordinary citizens. Many observers believe the Internet could help revolutionize the rulemaking process, allowing citizens to play a central role in the development of new government regulations. This paper expresses a contrary view. In it, I argue that existing efforts to apply information technology to rulemaking will not noticeably affect citizen participation, as these current efforts do little more than digitize the existing process without addressing the underlying obstacles to greater citizen participation. Although more innovative technologies may eventually enable the ordinary citizen to play a greater role in rulemaking, such future applications will only raise the question of whether greater citizen involvement is necessarily a good thing. A substantial and systematic increase in citizen comments will not be a welcome development if it leads regulators to strive to satisfy those who file comments instead of selecting the policy option that best fulfills the statutory mandate or public interest. Overall, the novelty of applying information technology to the rulemaking process merits no special optimism, but rather such technology deserves careful assessment of both its positive and negative effects.Posted paper, uploaded January 2010, is the published version of the working paper originally posted July 2003, and formerly titled "The Internet and Public Participation in Rulemaking."
Impact of Beliefs About Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Detection on Conclusions About Trends in Tropical Cyclone Numbers

Whether the number of tropical cyclones (TCs) has increased in the last 150 years has become a matter of intense debate. We investigate the efiects of beliefs about TC detection capacities in the North Atlantic on trends in TC num- bers since the 1870s. While raw data show an increasing trend of TC counts, the capability to detect TCs and to determine intensities and changes in intensity has also increased dramatically over the same period. We present a model of TC activ- ity that allows investigating the relationship between what one believes about the increase in detection and what one believes about TC trends. Previous work has used assumptions on TC tracks, detection capacities or the relationship between TC activity and various climate parameters to provide estimates of year-by-year missed TCs. These estimates and the associated conclusions about trends cover a wide range of possibilities. We build on previous work to investigate the sensitivity of these conclusions to the assumed priors about detection. Our analysis shows that any inference on TC count trends is strongly sensitive to one's speciflcation of prior beliefs about TC detection. Overall, we regard the evidence on the trend in North Atlantic TC numbers to be ambiguous.
A Uniform Analysis of Trie Structures that Store Prefixing-Keys with Application to Doubly-Chained Prefixing-Tries

Tries are data structures for storing sets where each element is represented by a key that can be viewed as a string of characters over a finite alphabet. These structures have been extensively studied and analyzed under several probability models. All of these models, however, preclude the occurrence of sets in which the key of one element is a prefix of that of another — such a key is called a prefixing-key.
Industry margins and the business cycle: Some new microeconomic evidence

Abstract Analysis of margin flexibility is an important item on the research agendas in macroeconomics and industrial economics. Using a new panel data set for U.S. manufacturing industries, we offer new evidence on the cyclical sensitivity of price-cost margins and on the concentration-margins debate in industrial organization.
An inverse problem for an inhomogeneous conformal Killing field equation

Let g be a C 2,α Riemannian metric defined on a bounded domain Ω ⊂ R 2 with C 3,α boundary and let X be a C 2,α vector field on Ω satisfying X|∂ Ω = 0. We show that if I is a gradient field of a solution u to the equation Δ g u - (⊇ g σ, ⊇ g u) g = 0 on Ω, then both inner products (l; X) g and (l⊥, X) g are uniquely determined by the restriction of the tensor £ X (g) - (e σ ⊇ g . (e- σ X)) g to the gradient field l, where £ X (g) is the Lie derivative of the metric tensor g under the vector field X and a = logdet(g). This work solves a problem related to an inverse boundary value problem for nonlinear elliptic equations.
Health Insurance Benefit Mandates and Firm Size Distribution

By 2010, the average U.S. state had passed 37 health insurance benefit mandates (laws requiring health insurance plans to cover certain additional services). Previous work has shown that these mandates likely increase health insurance premiums, which in turn could make it more costly for firms to compensate employees. Using 1996–2010 data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and a novel instrumental variables strategy, we show that there is limited evidence that mandates reduce employment. However, we find that mandates lead to a distortion in firm size, benefiting larger firms that are able to self-insure and thus exempt themselves from these state-level health insurance regulations. This distortion in firm size away from small businesses may lead to substantial decreases in productivity and economic growth.
Role of Neuropeptide, Cytokine, and Growth Factor Signaling in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Objective. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) patients exhibit multiorgan pathology and inflammatory changes after limb trauma. The objective of this study was to identify how neuro-cutaneous signaling is facilitated after fracture and examine how this altered signaling contributes to the development of CRPS-like changes in the injured limb. Design and Methods. These studies used a rat tibia fracture model that reliably generates hindpaw warmth, edema, increased spontaneous protein extravasation, allodynia, unweighting, and periarticular bone loss, a symptom complex resembling the vascular, nociceptive, and bone sequelae observed in early CRPS. Substance P (SP)-evoked extravasation responses, EIA and PCR assays, and immunohistochemical techniques were used to evaluate post-fracture up-regulation of neuro-cutaneous inflammatory signaling. A SP NK1 receptor antagonist was used to inhibit CRPS-like changes in the fracture model. Results. In the rat fracture model the SP-evoked extravasation and edema responses were enhanced. SP NK1 receptor expression also increased in the microvascular endothelial cells in the fracture hindpaw skin, leading us to postulate that NK1 receptor up-regulation mediates the facilitated extravasation and edema responses observed after SP injection. The NK1 receptor antagonist LY303870 reversed hindpaw warmth, edema, increased vascular permeability, allodynia, and unweighting observed after tibia fracture in rats. There was also increased keratinocyte proliferation and NK1 receptor expression in the fracture hindpaw. Similar to the rat fracture model, we have observed increased epidermal thickness and keratinocyte NK1 expression in skin biopsies from CRPS patients. There was an up-regulation of inflammatory cytokine expression in the rat hindpaw skin and in keratinocytes at 4 weeks post-fracture. These inflammatory mediators appear to play a crucial role in the development of pain behavior after fracture, as we have repeatedly demonstrated that inhibition of cytokine, and NGF signaling prevents the allodynia and attenuates unweighting at 4 weeks post-fracture. LY303870 treatment also reversed post-fracture keratinocyte proliferation, suggesting that SP might be acting as an intermediate mediator in the inflammatory cascade by causing the up-regulation of inflammatory proteins that can directly sensitize nociceptors in the skin and joints. Conclusions. Collectively, these data suggest that neuro-cutaneous signaling is up-regulated and can mediate inflammatory changes observed in the hindpaw skin of the fracture rat model and in human CRPS skin. Future translational and clinical studies mapping these inflammatory changes may identify novel therapeutic targets for preventing post-traumatic pain from transitioning into chronic CRPS.
Relationship Between Pulsar and Nebula

The magnetic field and the relativistic electrons in the Crab Nebula cannot have originated at the time of the supernova explosion. The energy density in the magnetic field is so large that it must have been generated using the energy supply in the pulsar. The energies of the electrons are so high, and their lifetimes correspondingly are so short, that they must have been accelerated, again using the pulsar energy. The efficiency of these processes must be high, but there is an adequate energy supply.
Configurable computing: how to deliver the promise!

Summary form only given. Configurable computing ideas are being explored to design high performance systems for many applications. Devices which provide partial reconfigurability of combinational logic are now in the market. Future devices which provide dynamic reconfigurability of both combinational logic and interconnection network based on intermediate results promise enormous computational power. To realize the inherent potential of this technology we need algorithmic techniques and tools which exploit the hardware in a non trivial manner. Characteristics of future devices also need to be explored. Current approaches to design configurable solutions are largely based on logic synthesis in which an HDL description is statically compiled onto hardware. Using such an automated synthesis approach is not amenable to designing solutions which analyze the run time behavior of applications and exploit dynamic reconfiguration.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography differences associated with APOEε4 in young healthy adults

Functional neural alterations are present in middle-aged to late-aged healthy individuals carrying the epsilon4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOEepsilon4) gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Neural activity was measured in young adults with and without the epsilon4 allele (APOEepsilon4+ and APOEepsilon4-) by functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography while performing a visual working memory task on two separate days. Greater activity was observed in frontal areas and cingulate gyri in APOEepsilon4+ participants by both functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography with regional blood oxygenation level-dependent responses correlating with increased theta band power. The findings suggest that the presence of the APOEepsilon4 allele has physiological consequences before aging that may contribute to risk for Alzheimer's disease.
X-ray absorption microtomography (microCT) and small beam diffraction mapping of sea urchin teeth.

Abstract Two noninvasive X-ray techniques, laboratory X-ray absorption microtomography (microCT) and X-ray diffraction mapping, were used to study teeth of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus . MicroCT revealed low attenuation regions at near the tooth’s stone part and along the carinar process—central prism boundary; this latter observation appears to be novel. The expected variation of Mg fraction x in the mineral phase (calcite, Ca 1−x Mg x CO 3 ) cannot account for all of the linear attenuation coefficient decrease in the two zones: this suggested that soft tissue is localized there. Transmission diffraction mapping (synchrotron X-radiation, 80.8 keV, 0.1×0.1 mm 2 beam area, 0.1 mm translation grid, image plate area detector) simultaneously probed variations in 3-D and showed that the crystal elements of the “T”-shaped tooth were very highly aligned. Diffraction patterns from the keel (adaxial web) and from the abaxial flange (containing primary plates and the stone part) differed markedly. The flange contained two populations of identically oriented crystal elements with lattice parameters corresponding to x =0.13 and x =0.32. The keel produced one set of diffraction spots corresponding to the lower x . The compositions were more or less equivalent to those determined by others for camarodont teeth, and the high Mg phase is expected to be disks of secondary mineral epitaxially related to the underlying primary mineral element. Lattice parameter gradients were not noted in the keel or flange. Taken together, the microCT and diffraction results indicated that there was a band of relatively high protein content, of up to ∼0.25 volume fraction, in the central part of the flange and paralleling its adaxial and abaxial faces. X-ray microCT and microdiffraction data used in conjunction with protein distribution data will be crucial for understanding the properties of various biocomposites and their mechanical functions.
Physiological Comparisons of Pith Callus With Crown-Gall and Genetic Tumors of Nicotiana glauca, N. langsdorffii, and N. glauca-langsdorffii Grown in Vitro. I. Tumor Induction and Proliferation.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens B-6 and T-37 strains, inoculated into Nicotiana glauca, N. langsdorffii, and their interspecific hybrid, which forms genetic (spontaneous) tumors as well, initiate amorphous tumors from the B-6 strain and organoid tumors (aberrant roots, stems, and buds) from the T-37 strain. In the hybrid, the critical point was to induce crown gall tumors at the site of wounding and not spontaneous genetic tumors. To succeed, this inoculation had to be made at a very early (5-6 leaf stage of development). It is observed that genetic organoid tumors readily formed at the nodes following flowering or leaf abscission. Furthermore, it was noted that genetic tumor derivatives are obtainable from hybrid pith callus or hybrid seedlings cultured in vitro.A marked difference in stem elongation was observed in hybrid tobacco plants inoculated with different strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens or distilled water, and uninoculated controls. Inoculation of hybrid plants with the B-6-G2 avirulent strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens stimulated stem elongation over controls, the T-37 inoculated stems were slightly stunted, and the B-6 inoculated stems were quite stunted and succumbed at an early age.
The Political Sociology of Private Armies in Colombia and the United States

This paper provides a comparative sociological analysis of private armies in Colombia and the United States. Private armies in both nations have economic and political underpinnings. An ethic of economic inequality pervaded Colombian life and institutions since colonialism, creating a milieu for private armies to develop. The cocaine industry seized a historic moment in the weakness of the Colombian state, and private armies in their employ helped to manage the risks of cocaine production. Occasionally the armies were used for counterinsurgent purposes. Beyond this, a remarkable diversity of roles played by private armies was noted. In the United States, an ethic of equality provided the social milieu for legitimate private armies to appear. Militias enjoyed social status early on, but later were viewed as antidemocratic and authoritarian. Militia groups since 1865 focused attention upon internal threats first and later external ones. They did not get involved in an illegal business enterprise, and thus o...
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in the Critically I11

A review of severe upper respiratory tract infections that present in the critically ill (supraglottitis [epi glottitis], deep neck infections, and sinusitis) is pre sented with attention to pathogenesis, pathophysiology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment. Supra glottitis is increasingly diagnosed in adults and, as with children, early recognition is crucial to limit mortality. To aid in diagnosis and treatment, a management al gorithm is used. Deep cervical infections, usually exten sions of upper airway infections, can spread along fascial planes with fatal results. Knowledge of the interconnec tions between anatomical spaces is a prerequisite to diagnosis and treatment. Sinusitis will present in the critically ill as orbital or intracranial complications or as a nosocomial infection. Discussions of acute and chronic community-acquired sinusitis in general, noso comial sinusitis, and sphenoid sinusitis as a separate en tity highlight differences in clinical presentation and bacteriology t...
Small-angle X-ray diffraction of Kevlar using synchrotron radiation

Abstract A synchrotron source of X-rays has been used to obtain high-resoultion small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns from commercial poly( p -phenylene terephthalamide) (Kevlar) fibres. In Kevlar 49, detailed analysis of the equatorial streak, often called the ‘void scattering’, shows that it comes from the crystals in the fibre and not from any voids. The scattering objects producing the SAXS pattern have the same length, width and orientation distribution as the crystals. In Kevlar 149, there is less scatter overall, a bimodal distribution of sizes and orientation, and an off-axis streak at ±25° to the equator. Similar off-axis small-angle scattering has recently been seen in other rigid-rod polymer fibres, but the fibre structure producing it is not understood.
The cognitive and affective components of political attitudes: Measuring the determinants of candidate evaluations

Past research suggests that beliefs and emotions operate as partially distinct determinants of political attitudes. In addition, while positive and negative beliefs about a political object are bipolar in structure, positive and negative emotions have been demonstrated to be relatively independent. In this past research, beliefs and emotions have been assessed with different measures. Yet current models of survey responding suggest that responses to survey items are often influenced by the manner in which the researcher poses the questions. As such, it is not clear whether the uniqueness of these belief and emotion measures reflects a bona fide difference between two underlying constructs, or merely an artifactual difference induced by differing methods of measurement. In this study, beliefs and emotions are shown to operate as partially unique predictors of candidate evaluation even when employing corresponding methods of measurement. The independence of positive and negative emotion, however, only arises when employing a dichotomous measure. When employing ordinal measures, positive and negative emotions contain a substantial component of bipolarity. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
C/He abundances in WC stars

Recombination theory has been used to determine the C/He abundances in 17 southern WC stars from spectra in the H and K bands. An LTE treatment of C II provides C/He values in the 0.04-0.3 range, by number, and maximum allowance for possible non-LTE effects yields values in the 0.1-0.7 range, by number. C/He is shown to decrease from WC4 to WC7. The ionization balance is found to be lower than in previous reports. He(+)/He(2+) values are between 2.6 and 3.0 for WC5-8 stars, increasing to 7 for WC9 stars. Continuum slopes and corrections for the emission line contributions to the H and K magnitudes are evaluated.
The morphology and internal structure of poly(ethylene oxide) spherulites

The development of spherulites in thin films has been observed. At low supercoolings they develop scalloped edges, with each scallop sector having a branched structure reminiscent of a fern frond. At high supercoolings they develop smooth circular boundaries. An x-ray diffraction study has been made both of the fronded structures and of the more perfect spherulites formed at higher supercoolings. Only one of the latter types of spherulites was examined. Here it appears that the crystallites have a rotation axis perpendicular to the spherulite radius. This axis is the 4, 0, 1 direction in the crystal which has a monoclinic unit cell. The fronded spherulites, when examined along the radial frond spine, have the same rotation axis of the crystallites, both ±45° to the radius. This double orientation of rotation axis also occurs in material crystallized in a fine capillary, where the spherulite radial direction is presumably along the capillary axis. Low-angle x-ray diffraction shows spacings of about 200 A. (sometimes to sixth order) parallel to the spherulite radius for both fronded and perfect spherulites.
Effects of Degree of Surgical Correction for Flatfoot Deformity in Patient-Specific Computational Models

A cohort of adult acquired flatfoot deformity rigid-body models was developed to investigate the effects of isolated tendon transfer with successive levels of medializing calcaneal osteotomy (MCO). Following IRB approval, six diagnosed flatfoot sufferers were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their scans used to derive patient-specific models. Single-leg stance was modeled, constrained solely through physiologic joint contact, passive soft-tissue tension, extrinsic muscle force, body weight, and without assumptions of idealized mechanical joints. Surgical effect was quantified using simulated mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) X-rays, pedobarography, soft-tissue strains, and joint contact force. Radiographic changes varied across states with the largest average improvements for the tendon transfer (TT) + 10 mm MCO state evidenced through ML and AP talo-1st metatarsal angles. Interestingly, 12 of 14 measures showed increased deformity following TT-only, though all increases disappeared with inclusion of MCO. Plantar force distributions showed medial forefoot offloading concomitant with increases laterally such that the most corrected state had 9.0% greater lateral load. Predicted alterations in spring, deltoid, and plantar fascia soft-tissue strain agreed with prior cadaveric and computational works suggesting decreased strain medially with successive surgical repair. Finally, joint contact force demonstrated consistent medial offloading concomitant with variable increases laterally. Rigid-body modeling thus offers novel advantages for the investigation of foot/ankle biomechanics not easily measured in vivo.
Newtonian Dynamics of Systems of Extended Bodies

A consistent method for the description of the Newtonian dynamics of a bounded system composed of a number of perfect-fluid bodies of finite dimensions, with arbitrary internal structure and internal motions is presented. It is explored under what conditions the dynamical equations for such a system become formally the same as the corresponding ones valid for a system of point-masses. For this purpose a consistent and complete dynamical description of each one of the bodies of the system is simultaneously developed. The relative accuracy with which the dynamical equations describing bounded systems of point masses and bounded perfect-fluid bodies apply to systems of extended bodies, and the time-scale over which the application of these equations becomes doubtful are explicitly derived. Generally these two quantities depend on three ratios. From these ratios the first one depending on the internal structure and internal motions of each body represents its own contribution. The second, which is intimately related to the space density of the system, represents the contribution of the system as a whole. Finally, the third one being always a power of the ratio of the linear dimensions of the bodies over their mutual distances represents the interaction between each body and the system. In most of the cases of astrophysical interest the relative accuracies are small numbers, while the time scales are always much larger than the typical Keplerian orbital period of the corresponding system.
Lanthanide(III) complexes of six-nitrogen-donor macrocyclic ligands with peripheral functionalities

The complexes of lanthanide(III) ions with 18-member six-nitrogen-donor macrocyclic ligands possess a combination of properties-solubility in water and water-compatible organic solvents, inertness of the metal-macrocycle entity with respect to metal release or exchange, lability of the exocyclic anions—that makes them suitable for biomedical applications. Specifically, the complexes of Eu(III) can serve as luminescent markers in cell analysis and immunology, provided the macrocyclic ligands include functional groups suitable for coupling to bio-substrates. Complexes of mono-substituted and symmetrically di-substituted macrocycles were synthesized by the lanthanide-templated condensation of a carbon-substituted 1,2-diaminoethane with a non-substituted diimine-dicarbonyl precursor or 2,6-diacetylpyridine, respectively. The substituents included -CH3, -CH2-OH, -CH2-C6H5, -CH2-C6H4-OH and -CH2-C6H4-NH2. The di-substituted complexes exist as constitutional as well as steric isomers and their separation and structural identification were investigated. As a model for this class of luminescent bio-markers, a SCN-functionalized Eu-macrocycle obtained from the NH2-analogue by reaction with thiophosgene was coupled to avidin; the luminescence as well as the biotin-affinity of the resulting conjugate were evaluated.
Evaluation of a Life Prediction Model and Environmental Effects of Fatigue for Glass Fiber Composite Materials

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are being utilized in an increasing number of applications in structural industries. Establishing values for longterm fatigue response is essential for widespread use of FRP composites. The variety of available fibers, matrix materials, and manufacturing processes makes the fatigue response difficult to predict without extensive empirical testing. A proposed fatigue life prediction model uses the internal strain energy release rate as the metric for predicting fatigue life from a minimum of data points. The objective of this research was to apply the above model to fatigue data for various composite coupons and components in order to evaluate its applicability in predicting fatigue life. The model was found to be able to regularly fit and predict fatigue data within 5% log error at both coupon and component levels. The effects of environmental conditions, including 12 MPa pressurized absorption and fatiguing in salt water and elevated temperatures, were also explored for a glass/vinyl ester FRP. The results of this research can be used to aid in the design of numerous structural FRP applications, such as windmill blades, bridge decks, or deep sea piping. (A)
Fault tolerant multiple event detection in a wireless sensor network

With an increasing acceptance of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), the health of individual sensor is becoming critical in identifying important events in the region of interest. One of the key challenges in detecting event in a WSN is how to detect it accurately transmitting minimum information providing sufficient details about the event. At the same time, it is also important to devise a strategy to handle multiple events occurring simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a Polynomial-based scheme that addresses these problems of Event Region Detection (PERD) by having a aggregation tree of sensor nodes. We employ a data aggregation scheme, TREG (proposed in our earlier work) to perform function approximation of the event using a multivariate polynomial regression. Only coefficients of the polynomial (P) are passed instead of aggregated data. PERD includes two components: event recognition and event report with boundary detection. This can be performed for multiple simultaneously occurring events. We also identify faulty sensor(s) using the aggregation tree. Performing further mathematical operations on the calculated P can identify the maximum (max) and minimum (min) values of the sensed attribute and their locations. Therefore, if any sensor reports a data value outside the [min, max] range, it can be identified as a faulty sensor. Since PERD is implemented over a polynomial tree on a WSN in a distributed manner, it is easily scalable and computation overhead is marginal. Results reveal that event(s) can be detected by PERD with error in detection remaining almost constant achieving a percentage error within a threshold of 10% with increase in communication range. Results also show that a faulty sensor can be detected with an average accuracy of 94% and it increases with increase in node density.
Generalized deviation of posets and modular lattices

Abstract The existence and relationship of the Γ-deviation and dual Γ-deviation of a poset is investigated, where Γ is a nonempty set of linear order types. If Γ is a finite set of linear order types, then bounds are given for the Γ-deviation of a poset (when it exists). If Γ is an arbitrary set of indecomposable order types and L is a modular lattice, then the Γ-deviation behaves in a classical manner on subintervals of L. Examples are given to illustrate the results.
What is speciation and how should we study it

Abstract: To understand speciation, we first need to know what species are. Yet debates over species concepts have seemed endless, with little obvious relevance to the study of speciation. Recently, there has been progress in resolving these debates, favoring a lineage‐based, evolutionary species concept. This progress calls for reconsideration of the study of speciation. Traditional speciation research based on the biological species concept has led to great advances in understanding how nonallopatric speciation occurs and how species diverge and remain separate from each other. However, this research has neglected the question of how new species arise in the first place for the most common geographic mode (allopatric). A new and very different research program is needed to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that split an ancestral species into new allopatric lineages. This research program will connect speciation to many other fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, bio...
Distributed task allocation in dynamic environments

This work investigates the behavior of a distributed team of agents on a dynamic distributed task allocation problem. Previous work finds that a distributed decision making process can effectively assign tasks appropriately to team members even when agents have only local information. We study this problem in a distributed environment in which agents can move, thus causing local neighborhoods to change over time. Results indicate that a higher level of adaptation is clearly required in the dynamic environment. Despite the increased difficulty, the distributed team is able achieve comparable behavior in both static and dynamic environments.
113Cd-NMR spectrometry of Cd2+ binding sites on algae and higher plant tissues

Abstract The binding of Cd2+ to various biologically generated materials has been investigated using 113Cd-NMR. These biogenic materials included several strains of algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Bryopsis spp., Cladophora spp., and Entiomorpha spp.), the fragments of cultured Datura innoxia cells, organic peat, sphagnum peat, freeze dried roots and stems of cattail plants (Typha latifolia), freeze dried leaves, roots and stems of mature and young tumble weed (Salsola spp.), and pecan shells. A soluble component of each of these materials (with the exception of the C. pyrenoidosa, the sphagnum peat, and the immobilized D. innoxia materials) was observed to coordinate with the Cd2+ ions in solution. The metal bound to the solid biomaterials was determined to involve carboxylate functionalities associated with each biomass. Chemical moieties containing nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous were eliminated as significant sources of cadmium metal ion binding under the solution conditions investigated.
Efficacy of Intrapleural Tissue-type Plasminogen Activator in the Treatment of Loculated Parapneumonic Effusions

Purpose To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of intrapleural recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA) in the treatment of loculated parapneumonic effusions (PPEs). Materials and Methods A single-arm prospective study of 25 consecutive patients with loculated PPEs was analyzed. All patients received 6-mg doses of intrapleural r-tPA on a defined schedule via a thoracostomy tube. The volume of output from the tubes was recorded and analysis of the fluid composition performed. Follow-up was both clinical and radiographic, with all patients undergoing pre- and postprocedural computed tomography. Results Eighteen of the 25 patients (72%) required no additional intervention and had a complete clinical and radiographic response with the fibrinolytic therapy. Seven patients (28%) were treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, but no patient required thoracotomy for total decortication. There were no hemorrhagic complications. Conclusions Intrapleural r-tPA is effective in the treatment of loculated PPEs. It can be performed safely and in some patients may avoid the need for additional surgical intervention.
The changing face of educational evaluation

In 1965, educational evaluation was often viewed as merely a nuisance imposed on schools receiving federal funds for special projects. During the ensuing quarter century, it has permeated the field of education, becoming an instrument of public policy
Detecting low-rank clusters via random sampling

We present an algorithm for detecting a low-rank cluster of vectors from within a much larger group of vectors. This algorithm relies on a basic geometric property of high-dimensional space: Most of the volume of a typical eccentric ellipsoid is confined to relatively few orthants within the ambient space. This simple fact can be used to quickly detect a collection of vectors with low numerical rank from amongst a larger group of vectors with higher numerical rank.
Miocene sediment dispersal in the central Española basin, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Abstract The central Espanola basin in north-central New Mexico represents one of the best opportunities to examine deposits related to the development of the Rio Grande rift. The Miocene Tesuque Formation represents the bulk of the Espanola basin fill. It is composed of a 2000–2500 m thick sequence of alluvial-fluvial and, subordinately, lacustrine deposits with numerous interbedded ash-fall tuff layers. The overall detrital composition of the Tesuque Formation is very similar throughout the central Espanola basin. Provenance is primarily from basement uplifts composed of Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. Nevertheless, the combined use of paleocurrent analysis, and sandstone and conglomerate petrology allows a detailed reconstruction of the sediment paleodispersal system. Two sedimentary provinces are present within the Tesuque Formation: Province A, present in the eastern, central and southern portions of the study area, has a predominantly plutoniclastic and metamorphiclastic composition, and shows systematic paleocurrents toward the west. The sediments were derived from the Precambrian-cored Santa Fe block of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, located directly to the east of the study area. Province B, present only in the northwestern portion of the study area, is characterized by a minor but significant amount of volcaniclastic and sedimentaclastic detritus, and shows consistent SSW-directed paleocurrents. The source area was possibly located in the area of the Taos Plateau and Latir volcanic fields. An intermediate narrow and discontinuous belt (province A + B) represents a hybrid province, where directional and compositional parameters are gradational.
The stochastic model and deviations from randomness in eukaryotictRNAs: Comparison with the PAM approach

The stochastic model of molecular evolution was used to makea priori predictions for the total number of one-step nucleotide changes required to account for a given observed number of nucleotide substitutions between two homologous nucleic acids. The experimental deviations from randomness found for eukaryotic transfer RNAs and summarized by Dayhoff and McLaughlin (1972) are shown to affect only slightly the quantitative predictions of the model. This is true for both short and long periods of evolutionary divergence. The model can thus be used with some confidence for quantitatively correcting the branch lengths of phylogenetic trees derived from either nucleic acid sequence or hybridization data.
Fluid accumulation and the rapid spread of bacteria in the pathogenesis of external fixator pin track infection

An animal model was used to study the pathogenesis of pin track infection. The roles of fluid accumulation around the pin/bone interface and mechanical loosening of the pin were specifically studied. In addition, the spread of bacteria in relation to the clinical appearance of the pin track was assessed. This study demonstrated that fluid accumulation around the interface is an important factor in the spread of infection from the superficial wound track to the medulla of the bone. Spread occurs despite the absence of mechanical pin loosening, and can occur before any clinical features of infection are apparent.
Bach to Rock, A Musical Odyssey

Followers of the McLuhan style of thought concerning the influence of media often point out that the invention of high fidelity recording is to music what the printing press was to writing. Just as books from a printing press became both easily reproducible and inexpensive and thus created the conditions for a wider literate culture, so inexpensive and widely available recordings create the conditions for a wider musical culture.
735-kV Cascade Style Current Transformer

The design concepts for 735-kV current transformers are illustrated. The advantages of cascade construction are elaborated. Construction and test data covering the design and manufacture of a 4-stage cascade current transformer (CT) are included. Conclusions indicate that cascade construction is the best choice for certain applications.
cAMP Response Element Binding Protein Phosphorylation in Nucleus Accumbens Underlies Sustained Recovery of Sensorimotor Gating Following Repeated D2-Like Receptor Agonist Treatment in Rats

Background Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a cross-species measure of sensorimotor gating. PPI deficits are observed in humans and rats upon acute treatment with dopamine D 2 -like receptor agonists and in patients with schizophrenia. Repeated treatment with a D 2 -like agonist, however, reverses PPI deficits and increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This study examined the short- and long-term effects on PPI of treatment with quinpirole and ropinirole, dopamine D 2 /D 3 receptor agonists, and the molecular mechanism by which they occur. Methods PPI was assessed in adult male Sprague–Dawley rats following acute and chronic treatment with quinpirole or ropinirole and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after termination of repeated ropinirole treatment. Finally, the effect of dominant negative mutant cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) overexpression in the NAc on PPI following chronic quinpirole treatment was assessed. Results Acute quinpirole produced dose-dependent PPI deficits, whereas ropinirole caused consistent PPI reduction at all but the highest dose. Repeated ropinirole treatment significantly increased PPI compared with acute treatment, and increased CREB phosphorylation in NAc neurons. Subsequent ropinirole challenge had no effect as long as 28 days later, at which time NAc CREB phosphorylation had normalized. Overexpression of dominant negative mutant CREB prevented PPI recovery induced by chronic quinpirole treatment. Conclusions Chronic quinpirole or ropinirole treatment produces sustained PPI recovery; CREB activity in the NAc is required to induce PPI recovery but not to maintain it. The results suggest that transcriptional regulation by CREB mediates long-lasting changes occurring within NAc circuits to promote recovery of sensorimotor gating.
Comparative study of BCS-BEC crossover theories above T c : The nature of the pseudogap in ultracold atomic Fermi gases

This article presents a comparison of two finite-temperature BCS-Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover theories above the transition temperature: Nozieres-Schmitt-Rink (NSR) theory and finite-T extended BCS-Leggett theory. The comparison is cast in the form of numerical studies of the behavior of the fermionic spectral function both theoretically and as constrained by (primarily) radio frequency (rf) experiments. Both theories include pair fluctuations and exhibit pseudogap effects, although the nature of this pseudogap is very different. The pseudogap in finite-T extended BCS-Leggett theory is found to follow a BCS-like dispersion which, in turn, is associated with a broadened BCS-like self-energy, rather more similar to what is observed in high-temperature superconductors (albeit, for a d-wave case). The fermionic quasiparticle dispersion is different in NSR theory and the damping is considerably larger. We argue that the two theories are appropriate in different temperature regimes with the BCS-Leggett approach being more suitable nearer to condensation. There should, in effect, be little difference at higher T as the pseudogap becomes weaker and where the simplifying approximations used in the BCS-Leggett approach break down. On the basis of momentum-integrated rf studies of unpolarized gases, it would be difficult to distinguish which theory is the better one. A full comparisonmore » for polarized gases is not possible since it is claimed that there are inconsistencies in the NSR approach (not found in the BCS-Leggett scheme). Future experiments along the lines of momentum-resolved experiments look to be very promising in distinguishing the two theories.« less
Biological Action of Mycotoxins

Abstract Mycotoxins are ubiquitous, mold-produced toxins that contaminate a wide variety of foods and feeds. Ingestion of mycotoxins cause a range of toxic responses, from acute toxicity to long-term or chronic health disorders. Some mycotoxins have caused outbreaks of human toxicoses, and at least one mycotoxin, aflatoxin B 1 , is a presumed human hepatocarcinogen. As part of a comprehensive effort to curtail the adverse health effects posed by mycotoxins, substantial research has been conducted to determine the mechanism of action of mycotoxins in animals. This review presents some of the current knowledge on the biological action of four diverse classes of mycotoxins—aflatoxin B 1 , tricothecenes, zearalenone, and fumonisin B 1 —with particular emphasis on mechanisms of action.