An Annotated Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of Texas, with Keys to Identification of Species

Forty-five families and 247 species of fishes are known to inhabit the freshwaters of Texas. We report on the distribution and status of these fishes and provide a key to their identification. Of the native fishes originally found in Texas, five taxa, Notropis orca (phantom shiner), Notropis simus simus (Rio Grande bluntnose shiner), Cyprinella lutrensis blairi (Maravillas red shiner), Gambusia amistadensis (Amistad gambusia) and Gambusia georgei (San Marcos gambusia) are apparently extinct, and three, Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis (Rio Grande cutthroat trout), Hybognathus amarus (Rio Grande silvery minnow) and Gambusia senilis (blotched gambusia) appear to be extirpated from the state. More than 20 percent of the remaining primary freshwater species appear to be in some need of protection.Integrative Biolog

The immediate effects of an acute bout of moderate physical activity on cognitive processing in children.

This study examined the effect of acute physical activity on cognitive tasks of 37, 7th and 8th grade females. Subjects' cognitive performance following acute physical activity was hypothesized to be significantly better on five tasks (choice reaction time, probed memory, dual task, vigilance, executive function) used in the study, with no significant difference in performance hypothesized for the sixth (simple reaction time). The study assessed cognitive tasks twice, following a 30 minute sedentary period and 30 minutes of physical activity. The within subject design compared the independent variable of physical activity level (activity or none) on the dependent variables simple reaction time, choice reaction time, dual task-tracking and simple reaction time, vigilance, probed memory, and executive function.Results indicated that for the simple reaction time task subjects demonstrated significantly faster (reaction and movement) times following acute physical activity. For choice reaction time the percent of correct responses was significantly higher following sedentary behavior, while for choice reaction and movement time, subjects were significantly faster following acute physical activity. Analysis of probed memory reported no significance between the scores following the two activity sessions. Analysis of dual task reported no significance for two subcomponents, however a significant difference was reported for the third subcomponent.Analysis of vigilance reported subjects demonstrated significantly improved performance on two subcomponents following physical activity. Analysis of the third subcomponent did not report significance. Performance on the executive function task was mixed with no significance reported for subjects between the following physical activity and following sedentary behavior scores, while significance was reported with regard to time to complete the task.Levels of significance were not reached for every task, however there was a trend consistent with expectations for those that did not reach significance (With the exception of choice reaction time percentage of correct responses.), following physical activity, performance was better

Rule-based integrated building management systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The introduction of building management systems in large buildings have improved the control of building services and provided energy savings. However, current building management systems are limited by the physical level of integration of the building's services and the lack of intelligence provided in the control algorithms. This thesis proposes a new approach to the design and operation of building management systems using rule-based artificial intelligence techniques. The main aim of is to manage the services in the building in a more co-ordinated and intelligent manner than is possible by conventional techniques. This approach also aims to reduce the operational cost of the building by automatically tuning the energy consumption in accordance with occupancy profile of the building. A rule-based design methodology is proposed for building management systems. The design adopts the integrated structure made possible by the introduction of a common communications network for building services. The 'intelligence' is coded in the form of rules in such a way that it is both independent of any specific building description and easy to facilitate subsequent modification and addition. This is achieved using an object-oriented approach and classifying the range of data available into defined classes. The rules are divided into two knowledge-bases which are concerned with the building's control and its facilities management respectively. A wide range of rule-based features are proposed to operate on this data structure and are classified in terms of the data classes on which they operate. The concepts presented in this thesis were evaluated using software simulations, mathematical analysis and some hardware implementation. The conclusions of this work are that a rule-based building management system could provide significant enhancements over existing systems in terms of energy savings and improvements for both the building's management staff and its occupants

Career Preparation for Handicapped Adolescents: A Matter of Appropriate Education

This research was published by the KU Center for Research on Learning, formerly known as the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities.A complete individualization concept is presented as the avenue to achieve "appropriate education" for handicapped adolescents. Exemplified within the context of the educational goal of career preparation, this concept involves the individualization of both content and instructional approach. The need for career preparation is supported by data which suggest that high school youth lack critical information in the areas of occupational development, daily living skills, and personal-social skills important to one's functioning in today's society

Analysis of Arkansas Fur Harvest Records - 1942-1984: II. Species Accounts

Fur harvest records were maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on the following 16 furbearers: badger, beaver, bobcat, eastern spotted skunk (civet), coyote, gray fox, long-tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, red fox, red wolf, river otter, and striped skunk. These harvest records were analyzed for each species in terms of mean pelt price and numbers of pelt sold by region (Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Delta) per year. Historical or biological influences important in interpreting species accounts are presented

Analysis of Arkansas Fur Harvest Records - 1942-1984: III. Harvest-Price Relationships

Correlation and linear regression analyses between mean annual pelt price and total harvest of 13 Arkansas furbearer species between 1965 and 1983 were performed for state and regions (Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Delta). Statewide, strong correlations (r \u3e 0.80) were identified for bobcat (Felis rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), mink (Mustela vison), nutria (Myocastor coypus), opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and raccoon (Procyonlotor). Moderate correlations (r = 0.55 - 0.79) were identified for eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), river otter (Lutra canadensis), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Nonsignificant correlations (r \u3c 0.468) were shown for beaver (Castor canadensis) and long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata). Regional differences were noted for each species

Contingency power for small turboshaft engines using water injection into turbine cooling air

Because of one engine inoperative requirements, together with hot-gas reingestion and hot day, high altitude takeoff situations, power augmentation for multiengine rotorcraft has always been of critical interest. However, power augmentation using overtemperature at the turbine inlet will shorten turbine life unless a method of limiting thermal and mechanical stresses is found. A possible solution involves allowing the turbine inlet temperature to rise to augment power while injecting water into the turbine cooling air to limit hot-section metal temperatures. An experimental water injection device was installed in an engine and successfully tested. Although concern for unprotected subcomponents in the engine hot section prevented demonstration of the technique's maximum potential, it was still possible to demonstrate increases in power while maintaining nearly constant turbine rotor blade temperature