Means to achieve wide swath widths in synthetic aperture satellite borne radars

The radar range equation including processing gains for pulse compression and synthetic aperture generation was the starting point. System geometry considerations were introduced. For simplicity, flat earth geometry was used, although it was realized that this was not a good model for satellite-borne radars. Next, the constraints were introduced. These included those needed to avoid ambiguities in both range and azimuth, those needed to acheive the desired resolution, and those needed to achieve the desired swath width

Zombies in Searle's Chinese Room: Putting the Turing Test to Bed

Searle’s discussions over the years 1980-2004 of the implications of his “Chinese Room” Gedanken experiment are frustrating because they proceed from a correct assertion: (1) “Instantiating a computer program is never by itself a sufficient condition of intentionality;” and an incorrect assertion: (2) “The explanation of how the brain produces intentionality cannot be that it does it by instantiating a computer program.” In this article, I describe how to construct a Gedanken zombie Chinese Room program that will pass the Turing test and at the same time unambiguously demonstrates the correctness of (1). I then describe how to construct a Gedanken Chinese brain program that will pass the Turing test, has a mind, and understands Chinese, thus demonstrating that (2) is incorrect. Searle’s instantiation of this program can and does produce intentionality. Searle’s longstanding ignorance of Chinese is simply irrelevant and always has been. I propose a truce and a plan for further exploration

The effect of neighborhood disadvantage, social ties, and genetic variation on the antisocial behavior of African American women: A multilevel analysis

Social disorganization theory posits that individuals who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior than are those who live in advantaged neighborhoods and that neighborhood disadvantage asserts this effect through its disruptive impact on social ties. Past research on this framework has been limited in two respects. First, most studies have concentrated on adolescent males. In contrast, the present study focused on a sample of adult African American females. Second, past research has largely ignored individual-level factors that might explain why people who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods often do not engage in antisocial behavior. We investigated the extent to which genetic variation contributes to heterogeneity of response to neighborhood conditions. We found that the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on antisocial behavior was mediated by neighborhood social ties. Further, the analysis indicated that the effects of neighborhood disadvantage and social ties on antisocial behavior were moderated by genetic polymorphisms. Examination of these moderating effects provided support for the differential susceptibility model of Gene × Environment. The effect of Gene × Neighborhood Disadvantage on antisocial behavior was mediated by the effect of Gene × Neighborhood Social Ties, providing support for an expanded view of social disorganization theory

Anxiety Mediates Perceived Discrimination and Health in African-American Women

We examined the mediational role of symptoms of anxiety in accounting for the association of discrimination and chronic health conditions among African-American women. Methods: Participants were 646 African-American women who completed self-report measures of perceived racial discrimination, symptoms of anxiety, and diagnosed chronic health problems. Results: We examined the mediation hypothesis using a path analytic procedure. Mediational analyses indicated that, above and beyond symptoms of depression, age, and education status, anxiety symptoms were associated with both racial discrimination (β = .03, SE = .01, p \u3c .001) and chronic health problems (β = .33, SE = .09, p \u3c .001) and significantly mediated the discrimination-health association (β = -.01, SE = .01, p = .16). Conclusions: These findings highlight the potentially vital role of symptoms of anxiety in the process that occurs from an individual\u27s perception of discrimination to reported chronic health outcomes. Future research expanding our understanding of the interconnection of psychosocial stressors, discrimination, and their biological sequelae is needed

Methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene mediates the effect of adversity on negative schemas and depression

Building upon various lines of research, we posited that methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) would mediate the effect of adult adversity on increased commitment to negative schemas and in turn the development of depression. We tested our model using structural equation modeling and longitudinal data from a sample of 100 middle-aged, African American women. The results provided strong support for the model. Analysis of the 12 CpG sites available for the promoter region of the OXTR gene identified four factors. One of these factors was related to the study variables, whereas the others were not. This factor mediated the effect of adult adversity on schemas relating to pessimism and distrust, and these schemas, in turn, mediated the impact of OXTR methylation on depression. All indirect effects were statistically significant, and they remained significant after controlling for childhood trauma, age, romantic relationship status, individual differences in cell types, and average level of genome-wide methylation. These finding suggest that epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin system may be a mechanism whereby the negative cognitions central to depression become biologically embedded

Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Social Support: Moving toward Integration

Many events that cause distress in the lives of individuals who are part of a couple affect both individuals, because of their shared concerns, resources, goals, and social ties. Two approaches have been articulated for how couples respond when one or both members need assistance, encouragement, or comfort: the social support approach (e.g., Cutrona, 1996; Pasch & Bradbury, 1998; Sullivan & Davila, 2010) and the dyadic coping approach (e.g., Bodenmann, 1995;Coyne & Fiske, 1992; Delangis & O\u27Brien, 1990; Revenson, 1994). While these two approaches have considerable overlap, they originated in two different research traditions and evolved relatively independently. The social support approach emerged From research on the effects of stressful IiFe events on health and how these effects were moderated by social resources (e.g., Kaplan, Cassel, & Gore, 1977). Although early studies focused on all sources of support within individuals\u27 social network, over time, interest developedin the special importance of support from an intimate partner (e.g., Acitelli, 1996; Brown & Harris, 1978; Cutrona, 1996). The dyadic coping approach built on the literature that addressed how individuals cope with daily hassles and stressful life events (e.g., Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)and expanded the coping model to include both members of the couple. An entire chapter of the current volume is devoted to a description of new developments in social support research (Feeney & Collins, Chapter 21, this volume). The current chapter focuses primarily on new research in dyadic coping and ideas about how the social support and dyadic coping approaches to stress in couples can be usefully integrated

Studies Directed Toward the Achievement of Wide Swathwidths in Synthetic Aperture Radar

Studies to achieve wide swath widths in Synthetic Aperture Radar are described. The use of multiple beams in range and/or azimuth is considered. Radar system parameters for a number of cases are computed

African American Children’s Depressive Symptoms: The Prospective Effects of Neighborhood Disorder, Stressful Life Events, and Parenting

The prospective effects of observed neighborhood disorder, stressful life events, and parents’ engagement in inductive reasoning on adolescents’ depressive symptoms were examined using data collected from 777 African American families. Multilevel analyses revealed that stressful life events experienced at age 11 predicted depressive symptoms at age 13. Furthermore, a significant interaction between neighborhood disorder and parents’ engagement in inductive reasoning was found, indicating that parental use of inductive reasoning was a protective factor for depressive symptoms particularly for youths living in highly disordered neighborhoods. The importance of examining correlates of depressive symptoms from a contextual framework, focusing on individuals, families, and neighborhood contexts, is emphasized

A Longitudinal Study of Racial Discrimination and Risk for Death Ideation in African American Youth

Though multiple studies have found that African Americans commonly experience racial discrimination, available studies have yet to examine how perceived racism might be related to suicide vulnerability in African American youth. The purpose of this study was to examine a framework for how perceived racial discrimination contributes to symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as subsequent suicide ideation and morbid ideation. Data were obtained from 722 African American youth at mean age 10.56 years (SD=0.64); a second wave of data was obtained two years later. Results revealed both a direct effect and mediated effects of perceived racism on later suicide and morbid ideation. For boys and girls the effect of perceived racism was mediated by symptoms of depression. However, the association was mediated by anxiety for girls, but not for boys in the current sample. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT AGILE METHODOLOGIES AND FIT ASSESSMENT IN AN INDUSTRIAL CONTEXT

The paper collects together and describes the main and most known Agile methodologies. Those methodologies are then compared in order to assess their fit in the context of highly innovative non-software companies. In particular, the focus is on a full system supplier for food processing and packaging equipment, packaging material and services. The fit between the Agile methodologies and the company is performed considering the innovation and development processes in place into the Research and Development department of the company itself. By doing so the paper aims at contributing to the theme of Agile application in non-software industries. Moreover, it will support in the choice of which method or framework suits better having clear the needs and characteristics of that specific context. Finally, the paper provides also a suggestion about how to approach this kind of choices