cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shearography: A novel and practical approach for nondestructive inspection

This paper presents an optical technique referred to as shearography for nondestructive inspection. Shearography is an interferometric method which allows full-field observation of surface displacement derivatives. It reveals flaws in materials by looking for flaw-induced strain anomalies. Both surface and interior flaws can be detected. Because of its numerous advantages, shearography is more practical than holography. The simplicity and the alleviation of vibration isolation requirement make shearography a practical approach for nondestructive testing in field/plant environments.
Pet Pals: a game for social mediation

Pet Pals is a game that facilitates social interaction in a real world group context. Early user research of pre-teens indicated that children establish a social hierarchy through sharing and trading. The needs revealed in the study led to a game design to mediate peer interaction through trade. A functional prototype was developed to test the game on two groups of users. Pet Pals is a game of trading that globally monitors who is participating in real-time by tracking the exchange of objects and dynamically altering each object's value to encourage those not participating to interact with each other, in part by making their objects more valuable to others. Through bouth and neagative reinforcement, the system promotes face-to-face communication.
Blood Fluke Exploitation of Non-Cognate CD4+ T Cell Help to Facilitate Parasite Development

Schistosoma blood flukes, which infect over 200 million people globally, co-opt CD4+ T cell-dependent mechanisms to facilitate parasite development and egg excretion. The latter requires Th2 responses, while the mechanism underpinning the former has remained obscure. Using mice that are either defective in T cell receptor (TCR) signaling or that lack TCRs that can respond to schistosomes, we show that naive CD4+ T cells facilitate schistosome development in the absence of T cell receptor signaling. Concurrently, the presence of naive CD4+ T cells correlates with both steady-state changes in the expression of genes that are critical for the development of monocytes and macrophages and with significant changes in the composition of peripheral mononuclear phagocyte populations. Finally, we show that direct stimulation of the mononuclear phagocyte system restores blood fluke development in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Thus we conclude that schistosomes co-opt innate immune signals to facilitate their development and that the role of CD4+ T cells in this process may be limited to the provision of non-cognate help for mononuclear phagocyte function. Our findings have significance for understanding interactions between schistosomiasis and other co-infections, such as bacterial infections and human immunodeficiency virus infection, which potently stimulate innate responses or interfere with T cell help, respectively. An understanding of immunological factors that either promote or inhibit schistosome development may be valuable in guiding the development of efficacious new therapies and vaccines for schistosomiasis.
Normal-to-curly flagellar transitions and their role in bacterial tumbling. Stabilization of an alternative quaternary structure by mechanical force

Tumbling, a characteristic feature of the motility and chemotactic response of peritrichously flagellated bacteria, has been examined by dark-field light microscopy and found to be intimately linked to major changes in the quaternary structure of the flagella. The normal structure of the flagella of Salmonella is a left-handed helix of wavelength 2·3 μm and diameter 0·4 μm. Under right-handed torsion generated when the rotary motor is operating in reverse (i.e. in a clockwise sense), the normal structure undergoes a discrete transition to an alternative structure, designated “curly”, which is a right-handed helix of wavelength 1·1 μm and diameter 0·3 μm. The transition proceeds rapidly from the cell body outward but is, at any instant, confined to a very short region of the flagellum. The heteromorphous structure of a flagellum in transition consists of two portions, normal and curly, with a change in axial direction of 64° occurring at the transition region. The chaotic motion of the cell body, in reaction to a number of flagella which are rotating and in transition, constitutes the tumble. The induction of polymorphic transitions by mechanical force is confirmed by studies with motor and flagellar mutants, and with cells converted to curly flagellar phenotype by p -fluorophenylalanine. The phenomenon of polymorphic transitions was examined most extensively in Salmonella , but is also noted in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli and may therefore be a general feature of bacterial flagellar structure. The right-handedness of the curly structures induced mechanically or by incorporation of p -fluorophenylalanine is also found for the curly structures caused by mutation or pH/ionic strength changes (Shimada et al. , 1975). The reasons for the specific interaction between mechanical and molecular forces are discussed.
Production of lexical stress in non-native speakers of American English: kinematic correlates of stress and transfer.

Purpose To assess the influence of second language (L2) proficiency on production characteristics of rhythmic sequences in the L1 (Bengali) and L2 (English), with emphasis on linguistic transfer. O...
Composition modulation away from the polar direction in Pb ( S c , N b ) O 3 alloys

A first-principles-derived approach is used to study properties of $\mathrm{Pb}(\mathrm{S}\mathrm{c},\mathrm{N}\mathrm{b}){\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ alloys that are compositionally modulated along the [001] pseudocubic direction. The direction of the local electrical polarizations is found to be spatially-dependent, and can be adjusted with the modulation parameters. Furthermore, modulated structures with large composition gradients adopt a monoclinic phase\char22{}in which the total electrical polarization lies between the [111] and [110] directions\char22{}for their ferroelectric ground state, and exhibit large electromechanical responses.
Aging in Drosophila.

Flies of the genus Drosophila, particularly D. melanogaster, have been mainstays of biological research on aging for more than 80 years. However, what was striking for most of those years was how little concrete progress was made on the problem of aging using the normally powerful Drosophila model system. To be sure, a great deal of longitudinal information was accumulated about Drosophila aging and various mutant or inbred stocks were characterized for longevity (Lints and Soliman, 1988). However, throughout the period from 1915 to 1980, there were none of the significant breakthroughs that characterized other research with Drosophila, from genetics to biochemistry to developmental biology to population genetics. In this respect, Drosophila aging research was like that with other organisms. Up until 1980, little demonstrable progress was made in aging research. The one powerful experimental system, in vitro cell culture, had revealed the finite replicative potential
Effects of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations on female fertility

Women with BRCA1/2 mutations have a significantly higher lifetime risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. We suggest that female mutation carriers may have improved fitness owing to enhanced fertility relative to non-carriers. Here we show that women who are carriers of BRCA1/2 mutations living in natural fertility conditions have excess fertility as well as excess post-reproductive mortality in relation to controls. Individuals who tested positive for BRCA1/2 mutations who linked into multi-generational pedigrees within the Utah Population Database were used to identify putative obligate carriers. We find that women born before 1930 who are mutation carriers have significantly more children than controls and have excess post-reproductive mortality risks. They also have shorter birth intervals and end child-bearing later than controls. For contemporary women tested directly for BRCA1/2 mutations, an era when modern contraceptives are available, differences in fertility and mortality persist but are attenuated. Our findings suggest the need to re-examine the wider role played by BRCA1/2 mutations. Elevated fertility of female mutation carriers indicates that they are more fecund despite their elevated post-reproductive mortality risks.
L'Abbe Henri Breuil: Archaeologist

In his otherwise excellent book, A History of Archaeological Thought, Trigger (1989: 156) makes only one passing reference in a half-sentence to the central figure in the development of Paleolithic prehistory in the first half of the 20th century -- and manages to get his name wrong, confusing Henri Breuil with his long-time, close colleague, Hugo Obenrnaie . Thirty years after his death, Breuil's role in the history of Old World prehistory required more serious consideration. He was a seminal figure not only in rock art studies, but also in the archaeology of at least France, Spain, England, Portugal, South Africa, and China. Before I had read Trigger's work or Sackett's (1991) critique of my supposed misinterpretation of Breuil's theoretical stance (e.g., Straus 1986, 1987), I had presented a review of Breuil's contributions in the 1991 Annual Snead-Wertheim Lecture in Anthropology and History at the University of New Mexico (Straus n.d.). The following is a brief summary of some of my conclusions.
Educational modules on RF MEMS and microsystems

We will present the development of a seminar course on radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) and RF Microsystems. The seminar course will be divided into six topics that span over a 12-week summer. Each module will represent a topic of this seminar course to include (I) understanding of RF microsystems, (2) RF micromachined passive devices, (3) RF microelectromechanical devices (EMS), (4) impact of RF micromachined devices and MEW on RF microsystems, (5) fundamentals of micromachming fahrication, and (6) integration and packaging of RF MEMS and microsystems. This seminar course will be published in six multi-media modules that are inpower point presentations with audio. These modules will be widely disseminated in the technical and educational communities as well as web sites. 'Ws course will be a tanght on site at the University of Califomia at Davis during summer quarters. The intent of this course is to provide students supplemental materials for traditional undergraduate electrical curriculums and to introduce students to RF MEMS and packaging of microsystems.
Respiratory Health of 985 Children Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster: Report on World Trade Center Health Registry Wave 2 Follow-up, 2007–2008

evaluated with univariate and multivariate methods. Results. Of the 985 children, 142 (14.4%) children reported respiratory symptoms in the prior 12 months; 105 (73.9%) children with respiratory symptoms had previously been diagnosed with asthma. Among children aged 5–10 years, respiratory symptoms were significantly elevated among African-Americans (adjusted odds ratio, (aOR) 3.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–11.5) and those with household income below $75,000 (aOR 1.9; CI 1.0–3.7), and was more than twice as great in children with dust cloud exposure(aOR2.2; CI 1.2–3.9). Among adolescents aged11–17years, respiratory symptomswere significantly associatedwith householdincome below $75,000 (aOR 2.4; CI 1.2–4.6), and with a borderline or abnormal SDQ score (aOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.4–5.2). Symptoms were reported more than twice as often by adolescents with vs. without dust cloud exposure (24.8% vs. 11.5%) but the adjusted odds ratio was not statistically significant (aOR 1.7; CI 0.9–3.2), Conclusions. Most Registry children exposed to the 9/11 disaster in New York City reported few respiratory problems. Respiratory symptoms were associated with 9/11 exposures in younger children and with behavioral difficulties in adolescents. Our findingssupport the need for continued surveillance of 9/11 affected children as they reach adolescence and young adulthood, and for awareness of both physical and behavioral difficulties by treating clinicians.
Analysis of metal-matrix composite structures—I. Micromechanics constitutive theory

Abstract The nonlinear behavior of continuous-fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composite structures is examined using a micromechanical constitutive theory. Effective lamina constitutive relations based on the Aboudi micromechanics theory are presented. The inelastic matrix behavior is modeled by the unified viscoplasticity theory of Bodner and Partom. Debonding between fiber and matrix phases is also considered. In Part II of this paper, the laminate constitutive relations are incorporated into a first-order shear deformation plate theory. The resulting boundary value problem is solved by the finite element method.
Finite-difference time-domain analysis of flip-chip interconnects with staggered bumps

This paper presents finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis of flip-chip interconnects. Transitions between coplanar waveguides on the chip and the mother board are investigated over a broad band of frequency by means of Fourier transform of the time-domain results. Objectives of the analysis include the evaluation of bump reflection and insertion loss as well as the reconfiguration of the transition to improve package performance. Novel designs have been developed and presented to reduce the effects of package discontinuities and asymmetry. Staggering the bumps has been found to reduce reflection and insertion loss over a broad band of frequency. A reduction In bump reflection of up to 8 dB per transition can be achieved by staggering the ground and signal connects. The degradation in package performance due to structure asymmetry is also studied. The present designs have also been found to reduce the effects of flip-chip asymmetry on insertion and reflection losses.
Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in the neonate.

Objective. Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in the neonate (SPIN) are relatively unusual events (1%–11% of neonatal sepsis) but are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Previous reports suggest that invasive SPIN is associated with prolonged rupture of membranes, maternal colonization/illness, prematurity, early-onset pneumonia presentation ( Methods. The US Pediatric Multicenter Pneumococcal Surveillance Group has been prospectively monitoring S pneumoniae infections since 1993 in 8 children’s hospitals. For this report, data were gathered retrospectively from the charts of neonates who were 30 days of age and younger and had SPIN from September 1993 to February 2001. All pneumococcal isolates were sent to a central laboratory for serogrouping/typing and susceptibility testing. Results. Twenty-nine cases of SPIN were identified from a total of 4428 episodes of S pneumoniae infection in children. Sixty-six percent were male, and 55% were white; the mean age was 18.1 day (±8.2). Ninety percent of infants were ≥38 weeks’ gestation. Two mothers had bacterial infections at delivery; 1 had S pneumoniae isolated from both blood and cervix, and 1 had clinical amnionitis. The primary diagnoses in the neonates were bacteremia (8), meningitis (8), bacteremic pneumonia (4), septic arthritis/osteomyelitis (1), and otitis media (8). Thirty percent of infants with invasive SPIN presented with leukopenia/neutropenia, but this did not predict poor outcome. The infecting pneumococcal serogroups were 19 (32%); 9 (18%); 3 and 18 (11% each); 1, 6, and 14 (7% each); and 5 and 12 (3.5% each). Twenty-six percent of invasive neonatal infections were caused by serogroups 1, 3, 5, and 12, which are not contained in the heptavalent pneumococcal vaccine. In contrast, 6% of invasive nonneonatal disease was caused by these same nonvaccine serogroups. Susceptibility testing demonstrated that 21.4% of isolates were penicillin nonsusceptible and 3.6% were ceftriaxone nonsusceptible. Three (14.3%) neonates with invasive SPIN died; all deaths occurred within 36 hours of presentation. Deaths did not appear to be related to pneumococcal serogroup or susceptibilities. Conclusions. Compared with previous studies of neonates with pneumococcal infection, this series showed that infants with SPIN were usually 2 to 3 weeks of age at presentation; likely to be full term; and ill with pneumonia, meningitis, and otitis media. This late-onset presentation was associated with an overall mortality rate of 10.3% (14.3% for invasive disease).
Ileitis Is Not Always Crohn’s Disease: Case Report

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is a rare disorder characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the bowel wall with various gastrointestinal manifestations. Clinical presentation may vary depending on sites and depth of involvement of the gastrointestinal tract. Imaging has very little role in supporting the diagnosis, and therefore a high degree of clinical suspicion is required. In this article, we describe a 51-year-old male who presented with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and constipation. CT scan of the abdomen showed ileitis and laproscopy revealed ileitis with stricture in the terminal ileum. The patient was treated with laproscopic right hemicolectomy with final diagnosis of EG . J Med Cases. 2014;5(8):463-465 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc1869w Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
Transforming the Drug Cost Paradigm from Payment for Medications to Payment for Value.

The shift in the drug development pipeline to specialty drug domination is transforming the pharmacy benefits industry. Today, 2% of Humana's members account for 20% of the drug costs—largely driven by the high cost of specialty pharmaceuticals. This disparity is expected to grow even larger, with 2% of members projected to account for 40% of drug costs by 2016 and for 50% of the drug cost by 2020. Industry forecasts show continuing increases in specialty drug spending; one report estimates annual increases of more than 20% through 2017.1 According to another estimate, US specialty drug spending will increase 361% from 2012 to 2020, from $87 billion to $402 billion.2 This uptick in specialty drug utilization and costs has led Humana and other payers to explore value-based contracting strategies tied to evidence-based outcomes measurements. Value-based payment, by definition, entails payers creating incentives and disincentives that reward their suppliers for delivering superior value. The current model of payment for drugs is essentially a transactional, fee-for-service payment model and is the antithesis of the direction in which payers will need to innovate to deliver sustained affordability of healthcare and prescription drug coverage. Drug manufacturers need to change their thinking from a fee-for-service model to a value-based payment model—the same type of payment reform that is creating a paradigm shift in the delivery and payment of physician services. This type of drug-payment model could fundamentally change how manufacturers set the market prices for new drugs and allow health plans to develop more sophisticated reimbursement models for high-cost specialty drugs. For example, novel payment models could be developed with specialty drug manufacturers whereby fair market value payment would be made up front, and the remaining value-based balance of the payment would be placed in reserve or in escrow until the mutually agreed on clinical end point is achieved. Once the clinical end point is achieved, thereby demonstrating the desired value, the manufacturer would receive the value-based portion of the payment.
Recency effects for meaning and form in word selection.

Three experiments examined the contribution of phonological availability in selecting words as predicted by interactive activation models of word production. Homophonous words such as week and weak permitted a word's phonological form to be activated on priming trials without selection of its meaning or lemma. Recent production of a homophone failed to significantly increase production of its twin as a sentence completion. However, speakers were significantly more likely to complete a sentence with a recently read or generated unambiguous word. This increase in response probability was unaffected by word frequency. The results constrain the degree to which experience and phonological availability may affect word selection in spoken language production.
Subject access to materials in online library catalogues: discovery of Moroccan publications

The online library catalogue is one way that academic libraries provide convenient and consistent access to materials for researchers. Through an author or title search, the library catalogue is easily able to direct researchers in North African studies to a known item that is part of the library collection. The library catalogue, however, does not work as well as a discovery tool, and it is difficult for researchers to know when they have carried out an exhaustive search if they do not already have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the topic, as when they venture out of their discipline. Subject headings created by the Library of Congress indicate a work's aboutness and can enhance findability in the online library environment. They are the (rough) basis for French-language subject headings in both Canada and France. Grammatical structures used in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) terms are not intuitive, and inconsistencies can render subject headings difficult to browse if one is unfamiliar with ...
Daptomycin nonsusceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus with reduced vancomycin susceptibility is independent of alterations in MprF

A previous study documented the presence of mutations in mprF that accompanied the loss of daptomycin susceptibility among Staphylococcus aureus isolates following exposure to the drug. An association between the development of glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus and daptomycin nonsusceptibility has also been recently described. We report that among three clinical S. aureus isolates which developed vancomycin heteroresistance, as well as daptomycin nonsusceptibility despite a lack of exposure to this drug, there were no mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions in MprF.
Image Segmentation Using Multiscale Gradient Toboggan

Toboggan is an important tool on image segmentation, and the performance of image segmentation based on toboggan mostly independent on the gradient image. A method of image segmentation was presented, which is toboggan segmentation. The gradient image is computed by using the multi-scale morphological gradient operation. The approach of region merging is used after toboggan segmentation. Region merging was carried out according to region area and region homogeneity. It was proved that the method was valid and more accurate than other common algorithms of image segmentation.
Lorentz invariants in relativistic fluid dynamics and thermodynamics in non-vacuo

The writer discusses the dilemma: which of the thermodynamic and fluid dynamic variables should be considered as Lorentz invariant in problems of the relativistic thermodynamics and fluid dynamic nature in a ‘non-vacuo’. He concludes that the best solution would be to perform a series of experimental tests in the space mission flights between the Earth and the Moon.
Co-Creating a More Cooperative Client-Therapist Relationship through a Debriefing Process.

Abstract Previous ethnographic studies have suggested that debriefing can have positive effects on the therapeutic process. This research project has attempted to augment the previous work in this area by comparing and contrasting clients' perceptions of their therapists' role as debriefer vis-a-vis a third-party debriefer. Results appear to indicate that 1) respondents did not discern an appreciable difference between their therapists' role as debriefer and that of a third-party debriefer, 2) debriefing enhances therapy by introducing more information into the therapeutic system, 3) debriefing facilitates collaboration and appears to be a user-friendly technique compatible with collaborative styles of therapy, and 4) debriefing may be better suited for client systems that appear to be more comfortable engaging others during conflict resolution than avoiding others during conflict resolution.
Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era

Prologue: from the halls of Montezuma. The United States of midcentury Mexico will poison us an empire for slavery slavery, rum and Romanism the crime against Kansas mudsills and greasy mechanics for A. Lincoln the revolution of 1860 the counterrevolution of 1861 facing both ways - the upper south's dilemma amateurs go to war farewell to the 90 Days' War blockade and beachead - the Salt-Water War, 1861-1862 the River War in 1862 the sinews of war Billy Yank's chickhominy blues we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued carry me back to Old Virginny John Bull's Virgina Reel three rivers in winter, 1862-1863 fire in the rear long remember - the summer of '63 Johnny Reb's Chattanooga Blues when this cruel war is over if it takes all summer after four years of failure we are going to be wiped off the Earth South Carolina must be destroyed we are all Americans. Epilogue: to the shoals of victory.
Translating Primate Locomotor Biomechanical Variables from the Laboratory to the Field

One of the critical goals of primate evolutionary morphology is to understand the functional anatomy of muscular and osteological features to infer behavior in the fossil record. One of the most productive approaches for testing functional hypotheses is the comparative experimental approach first advocated by Washburn in the early 1950s. Since that time, laboratory-based approaches have provided profound insights into the biomechanics of primate locomotion and helped anthropologists understand important aspects of limb design. However, a lack of connection to naturalistic data collected from the field has limited the full value of these data. This chapter proposes that there are a number of simple variables that can be collected both in the laboratory and the field that reflect important underlying aspects of locomotor biomechanics. These include gait choice, limb phase, and joint yield all of which appear to be associated with joint loading and center of mass movements. Using these measures, this chapter provides a model for the way in which laboratory-based and field-based data may be analyzed to provide a complete perspective on primate locomotion.
Analog-Digital Models of Stream-Aquifer Systemsa

The best features of analog and digital computers were combined to make a management model of a stream-aquifer system. The analog model provides a means for synthesizing, verifying, and summarizing aquifer properties; the digital model permits rapid calculation of the effects of water-management practices. Given specific management alternatives, a digital program can be written that will optimize operation plans of stream-aquifer systems. The techniques are demonstrated by application to a study of the Arkansas River valley in southeastern Colorado.
Nonlinear variability measures for respiratory rhythm generation

Variability in rhythmic physiological systems is of great interest, especially with regard to identifying deterministic variability. Algorithms have been proposed to quantify nonlinear variability, but the results can be difficult to interpret. Proper interpretation of traditional statistical methods depends on a knowledge of the underlying distribution (e.g. Gaussian). Measures of nonlinear variability must also be interpreted in the context of the particular characteristics of the system being analyzed [1]. Analysis methods are often first developed in the context of a particular application and then popularized as a general technique. For example, approximate entropy was developed to analyze the electrocardiogram [2,3] and is now used extensively in other areas. Though various algorithms may be well understood, parameter selection is typically based on tradition [1]. Additionally, proper interpretation requires the use of surrogate data analysis. However, surrogate data is often poorly understood by experimentalists with regard to the algorithms used and the data that is generated [4]. Information measures such as sample entropy and mutual information have recently been applied to the neural generation of respiratory rhythms [5]. Here we investigate two aspects of applying information measures to periodic patterns such as those found in respiration. First, the use of surrogate data analysis is critical for interpretation of results from information measures. Here we evaluate its application to the testing of hypotheses in respiratory control. Second, information measures do not necessarily distinguish between stochastic and deterministic sources of variability in a system. Here we use both experimental and simulated data to study the relative effects of stochastic and deterministic sources of variability on sample entropy and mutual information algorithms.
Freud's Theory of Moral Conscience

Freud is often assumed to have given an explanation of how human beings acquire a morality, especially as it is manifested in the phenomenon of moral conscience. Freud himself certainly lends credence to such an interpretation of his theory, as the following passage testifies.
Synthesis, X-ray crystallography, and photoluminescence studies of four coordinate gold(I) complexes with the weak Lewis base tri-2-furyl phosphine ligand

Abstract The synthesis and structural characterization, and luminescence properties of two new four-coordinate gold(I) complexes containing the monodentate tri-2-furly phosphine is described. The gold(I) center easily accommodates up to four of the phosphine ligands forming a nearly tetrahedral geometry. Formation of four-coordinate gold(I) species is favored mainly due to electronic factors since the cone angle of the ligand is larger than several other alkyl phosphines hitherto unknown to form four coordination. In the complexes the gold center has a nearly regular tetrahedral geometry with an average P–Au–P angle of 109.37°. The crystal structure of [Au(TFP)4]Cl·CH3CN, 3, reveals four phosphine ligands bound to the gold(I) atom as well as free Cl− and CH3CN within the crystal lattice providing a nearly regular tetrahedral geometry with an average P–Au–P angle of 109.4°. The photo-luminescent properties of the complexes are compared with that of the ligand and show ligand centered emission perturbed by the metal coordination. DFT theoretical calculations were also conducted and support the assignment of the spectroscopic data.
EFFECTS OF ADULT SEX RATIOS ON RECRUITMENT OF JUVENILE GRAY-TAILED VOLES, MICROTUS CANICAUDUS

Juvenile recruitment, growth, survival, and time to sexual maturation of rodents are all negatively affected by high densities of adults. But whether density of males, of females, or total density of adults has the greatest effect on juveniles is not known. We maintained populations of gray-tailed voles, Microtus canicaudus, in 0.2-ha enclosures with densities of 30 males, 10 females (male-biased); 20 males, 20 females (control); and 10 males, 30 females (female-biased) breeding adults. With juvenile recruitment, population densities increased to 180 voles/enclosure (700 voles/ha) in male-biased enclosures and 200 voles/ enclosure (1,000 voles/ha) in control and female-biased enclosures. Recruitment, growth, and survival of either sex juvenile were not affected negatively by adult males but recruitment and time to sexual maturation of young females were negatively affected by high densities of females. Reduced juvenile recruitment was likely due to neonatal death before emergence from nest. We conclude that females have a greater negative effect on juvenile recruitment and reproductive development than do males. This difference was slight, however, and under normal densities of wild populations probably has minimal impact on vole demography. words: gray-tailed voles, infanticide, recruitment, sex ratios, sexual maturation, territoriality
A checklist of the ants of China

China is one of the largest countries in the world and offers an incredible diversity of ecosystems and species. Howeverthe distribution of many insect species in China is still poorly known. Here, through a bibliographical review, we synthe-size a species list of native and exotic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for 23 provinces of the People’s Republic of Chinaand eight surrounding regions. To date, no fewer than 939 valid named species and subspecies within 103 genera are listedfrom China. However, comparisons with other regions suggest that this list is still incomplete at both provincial and na-tional scales based on the diversity of surrounding regions and the number of undescribed species reported in the literature.Although the species list generated here is not and cannot be exhaustive, we hope that it will facilitate future discovery, revision and conservation of Chinese ants.
Scour Around Bridge Piers at High Flow Velocities

The results of laboratory experiments on scour around circular piers in cohesionless bed material at high flow velocities are presented. A special technique is used to measure scour depths. The scour depth in the sediment transport regime first decreases and then increases with increasing velocity. A formula to predict scour depth for flows with Froude numbers is developed.
Rare Earth Elements and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Critical Ascension of REEs in Global Politics and U.S. National Security

This paper analyzes and evaluates the emerging issue of rare earth elements (REEs) as a critical component of U.S. foreign policy and a potential source for international conflict. REEs are essential in the production of many high-tech and valuable products, from computers and telecommunications to military equipment and hybrid cars. REEs are in relative short supply for most countries in the world, and China holds a virtual monopoly, producing 97% of REEs. The situation is becoming increasingly sensitive to the U.S. and world as China rises up and becomes more competitive and a potential hostile power in the future. The U.S. government and corporations are declaring very publicly that there must be a major policy effort to obtain and secure large quantities of REEs for the long term. This paper examines the latest efforts by the U.S. to identify, extract, and protect REEs. It reviews briefly the history and basic characteristics of REEs and then brings everything up to date. It highlights the new public relations attempts at informing/warning the public about REEs. And, it analyzes the current trends and future expectations regarding REEs. The paper concludes with a number of policy recommendations and suggestions for future research.
Detection of dispersed radio pulses: a machine learning approach to candidate identification and classification

Searching for extraterrestrial, transient signals in astronomical data sets is an active area of current research. However, machine learning techniques are lacking in the literature concerning single-pulse detection. This paper presents a new, two-stage approach for identifying and classifying dispersed pulse groups (DPGs) in single-pulse search output. The first stage identified DPGs and extracted features to characterize them using a new peak identification algorithm which tracks sloping tendencies around local maxima in plots of signal-to-noise ratio vs. dispersion measure. The second stage used supervised machine learning to classify DPGs. We created four benchmark data sets: one unbalanced and three balanced versions using three different imbalance treatments.We empirically evaluated 48 classifiers by training and testing binary and multiclass versions of six machine learning algorithms on each of the four benchmark versions. While each classifier had advantages and disadvantages, all classifiers with imbalance treatments had higher recall values than those with unbalanced data, regardless of the machine learning algorithm used. Based on the benchmarking results, we selected a subset of classifiers to classify the full, unlabelled data set of over 1.5 million DPGs identified in 42,405 observations made by the Green Bank Telescope. Overall, the classifiers using a multiclass ensemble tree learner in combination with two oversampling imbalance treatments were the most efficient; they identified additional known pulsars not in the benchmark data set and provided six potential discoveries, with significantly less false positives than the other classifiers.
HIV screening of patients presenting for routine medical care in a primary care setting.

Background: HIV screening is recommended for all patients between the ages of 13 and 64 years. Objective: To increase the rate of HIV screening in a primary care setting by routinely offering HIV screening to all patients. Methods: All patients seen over a 3-month period in the authors’ clinic were offered HIV screening by a medical assistant. Results: During the 3-month study period, 17% of patients offered HIV testing accepted screening, a large increase from the less than 1% rate of an earlier time period. Conclusion: HIV screening can be increased by routinely offering the test to all patients in the office. Use of trained health care professionals other than physicians may increase the number of patients screened.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors: An Examination of the Social Capital Mobilization Process for Community Resilience to Environmental Disasters

This article argues that planning for community resilience to environmental disasters needs to give greater consideration to the potentials for response and recovery contributions available through...
Reproductive endocrine influences upon olfactory perception : A current perspective.

An overview of relationships between psychophysical measures of olfactory function and reproductive neuroendocrine processes is presented. Human studies are emphasized, and the influences of gender, menstrual cycle phase, pregnancy, and injected gonadal hormones upon olfactory perception are discussed in detail.
Hydroxyalkyl-Containing Imidazolium Homopolymers: Correlation of Structure with Conductivity

Conventional free radical polymerization of (hydroxy)alkyl-containing vinylimidazolium ionic liquid monomers generated high molecular weight polymers. A study of these materials was undertaken to relate chemical composition to macromolecular properties. Varying the substituent chain length and functionality of these polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) significantly influenced numerous polymer properties. Incorporation of a hydroxyl group at the terminus of the alkyl substituent lowered the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PILs ∼50 °C and increased homopolymer thermal stability compared to the respective alkyl analogue. X-ray scattering demonstrated that (hydroxy)alkyl chain length influenced polymer backbone-to-backbone spacing. More importantly, X-ray scattering showed hydroxyl incorporation diminished the local compositional heterogeneity present in the alkyl-functionalized vinylimidazolium homopolymers. Solid-state NMR quantified ratios of locally ordered versus disordered components. Ionic conduc...
Automatic Mispronunciation Detection for Mandarin Chinese

The current automatic mispronunciation detection systems are mostly based on automatic speech recognition(ASR) framework with statistical model.This paper presents the methods to improve the performance of mispronunciation detection at syllable level for Mandarin Chinese from two aspects: introducing the speaker adaptive training(SAT) and the selective maximum likelihood linear regression(SMLLR) to get a better acoustic statistical model,and proposing speaker normalization backend because of the limited information and the different rating level for the different pronunciation level.Experiments on a database of 8000 syllables pronounced by 40 speakers with varied pronunciation proficiency indicate the promising effects of these strategies by improving the precision from 45.8% to 53.6% at 30% recall,and 64.6% to 79.9% at 10% recall.
Elastic Constants of Cadmium from 4.2°K to 300°K

The adiabatic elastic constants of cadmium single crystals have been measured by an ultrasonic pulse technique. The values extrapolated to 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K are: ${c}_{11}=13.08$, ${c}_{33}=5.737$, ${c}_{44}=2.449$, ${c}_{12}=4.048$, ${c}_{13}=4.145$ in units of ${10}^{11}$ dynes/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. A Debye characteristic temperature, ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{0}$, of 213\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K has been calculated from these 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K elastic constants. The temperature dependence of the linear compressibilities, ${K}_{\mathrm{II}}$ and ${K}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, has also been calculated.
Scannerless 4D imaging technology

This paper is concentrated on the principle method and new concept of the scannerless 4D imaging radar.The technique using a pulsed laser to illuminate the target and a commercial CCD camera plus an image intensifier can be used as a receiver.A sequence of 4D images is obtained at modulation gain of image intensifier.intensity of modulation along with time and to measure the average reflected intensity with an imaging receiver incurring modulated gain.The range-processing algorithm deduces range based on the observed relationship between intensity modulation.
The Capacity of Population is a Historical Category

Population capacity study is an important basic for demography study. Many scholars have already harvested the fruits, on the base of it, we deal with the population capacity itself and the developments of the human race ,raise that population capacity is a historical catgory.
The General Hospital Psychiatric Evaluation Unit: Useful Entity or Not?

The structure of university general hospital psychiatry is different from private hospital psychiatry. The Yale University department is similar to many and Figure 1 illustrates that the general hospital section interfaces with yet another social system. Historically the Yale general hospital inpatient psychiatric unit was begun in 1960. Ten to eleven years later it expanded from a 30 bed unit and split into its component functional parts. These, as illustrated in Figure 2 were an Intermediate Stay Unit, mean stay 60 days, a brief stay unit of about a month, and an evaluation/Diagnostic ICU type unit — a change and innovation.
Anwendungen Der Fuzzy Datenanlyse Zur Qualitätssicherung

Die Qualitatssicherung stellt eine wesentliche Aufgabe in Unternehmen des produzierenden Gewerbes dar. Ziel der entsprechenden Tatigkeiten ist es, eine gleichbleibend hohe Qualitat der hergestellten Produkte bei moglichst wirtschaftlicher Vorgehensweise sicherzustellen. Aus diesem Grund werden in zunehmendem Mase CAQ-Konzepte zur Automatisierung der Qualitatssicherung eingesetzt [2]. Insbesondere die Auswertung von Prufdaten kann durch entsprechende Methoden und Konzepte unterstutzt werden. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Ansatz zur akustischen Qualitatskontrolle vorgestellt, wobei die Prufung von Glas-, Porzellan- und Keramikprodukten im Vordergrund steht. Bei der akustischen Prufung von Keramikfliesen werden diese angeschlagen und das dabei entstandene Gerausch beurteilt. Damit lassen sich bestimmte Fehler aufdecken. Eine Automatisierung dieses Vorgangs scheiterte bislang oft daran, das die verschiedenen Fehlerklassen sich nicht eindeutig voneinander trennen lassen und daher oft falsche Zuordnungen vorgenommen wurden. Mit Methoden der Fuzzy Datenanalyse last sich eine dem Problem angemessenere Beurteilung von Fliesen vornehmen [1][3].
The dynamics of diversification: Market entry and exit by public and private firms

Research summary: We replicate one of the first studies on the dynamics of diversification, Chang (1996). Our sample of public and private firms from 1992 to 2001 yields findings similar to the earlier research. Firms tend to enter new markets that have human resource profiles that are similar to the firms' existing businesses, and exit markets that have dissimilar human resource profiles. This general finding is robust to alternative specifications and controls, including the timing of market entry and technological diversification. However, we also find that entry and exit by private firms is much more prevalent than that by public firms. Differences in how public and private firms diversify based on knowledge similarity invite further research in evolutionary economics. Managerial summary: Chang (1996) revealed that large, public manufacturing firms in the 1980s tended to enter new businesses that leveraged the firm's knowledge, some of which is embedded in routines among employees sharing similar occupations. The new businesses provide the basis for further expansion, while a firm divests businesses that do not stay profitable, or which no longer match the firm's new portfolio of businesses. Our data show that these patterns continued in the 1990s. Our sample also includes private firms, which conduct the majority of market entry and exit. Private firms enter new businesses with different proportions of scientific and marketing personnel than their existing operations. Thus, diversification still reflects knowledge resources for smaller, private firms, but differently than for the largest firms in the economy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Initial soil amendments still affect plant community composition after nine years in succession on a heavy metal contaminated mountainside

Many efforts to restore disturbed landscapes seek to meet ecological goals over timescales from decades to centuries. It is thus crucial to know how different actions available to restoration practitioners may affect ecosystems in the long term, yet few such data exist. Here, we test the effects of seed and compost applications on plant community composition 9 years after their application, by taking advantage of a well-controlled restoration experiment on a mountainside severely degraded by over 80 years of zinc smelting emissions. We asked whether plots have converged on similar plant communities regardless of initial seed and compost treatments, or if these initial treatments have given rise to lasting differences in whole plant communities or in the richness and abundance of native, exotic, and planted species. We found that compost types significantly affected plant communities 9 years later, but seed mix species composition did not. Observed differences in species richness and vegetative cover were negatively correlated, and both were related to the differences in plant communities associated with different compost types. These observed differences are due primarily to the number and abundance of species not in original seed mixes, of which notably many are native. Our results underscore the importance of soils in shaping the aboveground composition of ecosystems. Differences in soil characteristics can affect plant diversity and cover, which are both common restoration targets. Even in highly polluted and devegetated sites, compost and seed application can reinstate high vegetative cover and allow continued colonization of native species.