An introduction to R programming

R language is the GNU arm of S language, which has taken the computational world by storm in the last decade. Starting as a compendium of statistical tools, this language has grown up into a canopy lording over a research analysis environment thereby subsuming many hitherto complicated manoeuvres onto the realms of syntactical simplicity. As this an exponentially expanding field of development with ever exploding information downpour, it would be a near impossible task to frame it onto a short simple foundational discourse. However in the subsequent sections we would try to view the potential and the extent of practicality we would unravel the hidden features of the software through a GUI envelop also apart from the regular console and syntax based one. To get its power more understandable we would visualize its forays into the field of analytics using medium scale examples from marine fisheries data

Response of selected plant and insect species to simulated solid rocket exhaust mixtures and to exhaust components from solid rocket fuels

The effects of solid rocket fuel (SRF) exhaust on selected plant and and insect species in the Merritt Island, Florida area was investigated in order to determine if the exhaust clouds generated by shuttle launches would adversely affect the native, plants of the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, the citrus production, or the beekeeping industry of the island. Conditions were simulated in greenhouse exposure chambers and field chambers constructed to model the ideal continuous stirred tank reactor. A plant exposure system was developed for dispensing and monitoring the two major chemicals in SRF exhaust, HCl and Al203, and for dispensing and monitoring SRF exhaust (controlled fuel burns). Plants native to Merritt Island, Florida were grown and used as test species. Dose-response relationships were determined for short term exposure of selected plant species to HCl, Al203, and mixtures of the two to SRF exhaust

Critical Radius of Insulation

The critical radius of insulation is a counterintuitive concept within the study of heat transfer. The theory states that adding insulation to a cylindrical or spherical object will increase the rate of heat loss rather than decrease it, if the radius (thickness) of the insulation is at its “critical” value. The Critical Radius of Insulation Senior Project is designed to demonstrate this phenomenon to Heat Transfer students via a portable apparatus. The concept will be demonstrated with a cylindrical object which is heated by way of a separate voltage source. Thermocouples will display the temperature of the cylinder while insulation is added along with ambient air temperature, showing a distinct decrease in temperature caused by the addition of insulation. The design team conducted preliminary experiments using 1Ω, 2Ω, and 10Ω power resistors in an attempt to demonstrate the critical radius theory and evaluate the viability of using power resistors as the heated cylinder. The experiments were unsuccessful in demonstrating the critical radius theory but showed that the prototype setup was a viable design that could demonstrate this theory if the insulation material, insulation thickness, and power resistor diameter were properly modified. Based on the preliminary testing and analysis, a conceptual prototype model was developed. After further testing, the team determined that power resistors would take too long to reach steady state temperatures for a short classroom demonstration and that the diameters of the resistors were too large to demonstrate this theory with the appropriate experimental margin. Other studies were conducted using different heated cylinders starting with Calrod® heating elements. Testing was conducted with these heaters and 3D printed PLA insulation with great success. The heat loss for this setup was greater with the insulation than without, so the team used this heater and insulation combination to create a functioning structural prototype. Once the structural prototype was constructed and thoroughly tested, the team was able to successfully create a portable demonstration apparatus that physically shows the critical radius of insulation theory at work. This document details the iterative design process used to achieve the final design, the final design description, the manufacturing process used to build the final design, the verification and testing process, and conclusions about the overall project and the teams experience. The team’s overall objectives for this project are to first understand the concept of the critical radius of insulation and the experimental variables and assumptions that are important to proving it. The next step is to design and build an apparatus that can be used as a classroom demonstration and test this apparatus to ensure it is safe, easy to use, and clearly demonstrates critical radius theory. A supplemental handout also needs to be created to simply describe the theory to Heat Transfer students that will be witnessing this demonstration

Rare Kaon Decays

The current status of rare kaon decay experiments is reviewed. New limits in the search for Lepton Flavor Violation are discussed, as are new measurements of the CKM matrix.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, presented at the 3rd International Conference on B Phyiscs and CP Violation, Taipei December 3-7, 199

Finite-size scaling in thin Fe/Ir(100) layers

The critical temperature of thin Fe layers on Ir(100) is measured through M\"o{\ss}bauer spectroscopy as a function of the layer thickness. From a phenomenological finite-size scaling analysis, we find an effective shift exponent lambda = 3.15 +/- 0.15, which is twice as large as the value expected from the conventional finite-size scaling prediction lambda=1/nu, where nu is the correlation length critical exponent. Taking corrections to finite-size scaling into account, we derive the effective shift exponent lambda=(1+2\Delta_1)/nu, where Delta_1 describes the leading corrections to scaling. For the 3D Heisenberg universality class, this leads to lambda = 3.0 +/- 0.1, in agreement with the experimental data. Earlier data by Ambrose and Chien on the effective shift exponent in CoO films are also explained.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, with 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

Characterization of anogenital distance and its relationship to fertility in lactating Holstein cows

peer-reviewedAnogenital distance (AGD) serves as a marker for prenatal androgenization, reproductive development, and fertility in humans and rodents. The primary objectives of this observational study in lactating dairy cows were to (1) characterize the distribution and variability of AGD, (2) determine the relationship among AGD and potential postnatal AGD determinants of age and height, and (3) evaluate the associations between AGD and pregnancy to first artificial insemination (P/AI) and cumulative pregnancy by 250 d in milk (DIM) within parity groups (first, second, and third+ parities). The secondary objective was to evaluate the association between AGD and testosterone concentrations. The AGD (mm), age (yr), and height at hip (cm) at the time of AGD determination, and aforesaid reproductive outcomes were determined in 921 Holstein cows (first, second, and third+ parity; n = 360, 256, and 305, respectively). Plasma concentrations of testosterone were determined in a subset of 93 cows. Overall, AGD had a normal distribution and high variability [mean (±standard deviation); 131.0 ± 12.2 mm], was weakly associated with cow age and height (coefficient of determination = 0.09 and 0.04, respectively), and had an inverse relationship with P/AI in first- and second-parity cows, but not in third+ parity cows. For every 1 mm increase in AGD, the odds of P/AI decreased by 3.4 and 2.4% for first- and second-parity cows, respectively. The optimal AGD threshold to predict probability of P/AI was 127.1 mm for both first- (sensitivity: 66.4; specificity: 56.6%) and second-parity cows (sensitivity: 46.0; specificity: 70.4%). Accordingly, first- and second-parity cows were categorized into either short or long AGD (≤ or >127.1 mm), and associations with reproductive outcomes were evaluated. First-parity cows with long AGD had lower P/AI (30.9 vs. 53.6%) and decreased likelihood (hazard ratio: 0.68) of pregnancy by 250 DIM than those with short AGD. Similarly, second-parity cows with long AGD had reduced P/AI (28.3 vs. 44.4%) and a tendency for decreased likelihood (hazard ratio: 0.76) of pregnancy by 250 DIM than in cows with short AGD. The association between AGD and testosterone was weak and nonsignificant. In summary, AGD in Holstein cows was normally distributed, highly variable, and weakly associated with age and height. Besides, AGD had an inverse relationship with P/AI and cumulative pregnancy by 250 DIM in first- and second-parity cows; however, such a relationship was not evident in older (third+ parity) cows.This project was financially supported in part by Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative (Research Opportunities and Innovation–Internal Initiatives Project # DA7642064). M. Gobikrushanth is a recipient of the Teagasc-University of Alberta Walsh Fellowship sponsored by Alberta Innovates Biosolutions

Tactile Gloves for Autonomous Grasping With the NASA/DARPA Robonaut

Tactile data from rugged gloves are providing the foundation for developing autonomous grasping skills for the NASA/DARPA Robonaut, a dexterous humanoid robot. These custom gloves compliment the human like dexterity available in the Robonaut hands. Multiple versions of the gloves are discussed, showing a progression in using advanced materials and construction techniques to enhance sensitivity and overall sensor coverage. The force data provided by the gloves can be used to improve dexterous, tool and power grasping primitives. Experiments with the latest gloves focus on the use of tools, specifically a power drill used to approximate an astronaut's torque tool

Introduction to R Programming In: ICAR Sponsored Winter School on Recent Advances in Fishery Biology Techniques for Biodiversity Evaluation and Conservation, 1-21 December 2018, Kochi.

R language is the GNU arm of S language, which has taken the computational world by storm in the last decade. Starting as a compendium of statistical tools, this language has grown up into a canopy lording over a research analysis environment thereby subsuming many hitherto complicated manoeuvres onto the realms of syntactical simplicity. As this an exponentially expanding field of development with ever exploding information downpour, it would be a near impossible task to frame it onto a short simple foundational discourse. However in the subsequent sections we would try to view the potential and the extent of practicality we would unravel the hidden features of the software through a GUI envelop also apart from the regular console and syntax based one. To get its power more understandable we would visualize its forays into the field of analytics using medium scale examples from marine fisheries data