Telecommunications system design for the Mariner Mars 1971 spacecraft

The configuration of the Mariner Mars 1971 spacecraft telecommunications system is detailed, with particular attention to modifications performed to accommodate the orbital mission. The analysis and planning for launching are also discussed

An agent-based DDM for high level architecture

The Data Distribution Management (DDM) service is one of the six services provided in the Runtime Infrastructure (RTI) of High Level Architecture (HLA). Its purpose is to perform data filtering and reduce irrelevant data communicated between federates. The two DDM schemes proposed for RTI, region based and grid based DDM, are oriented to send as little irrelevant data to subscribers as possible, but only manage to filter part of this information and some irrelevant data is still being communicated. Previously (G. Tan et al., 2000), we employed intelligent agents to perform data filtering in HLA, implemented an agent based DDM in RTI (ARTI) and compared it with the other two filtering mechanisms. The paper reports on additional experiments, results and analysis using two scenarios: the AWACS sensing aircraft simulation and the air traffic control simulation scenario. Experimental results show that compared with other mechanisms, the agent based approach communicates only relevant data and minimizes network communication, and is also comparable in terms of time efficiency. Some guidelines on when the agent based scheme can be used are also give

PREFERENTIAL TRADING ARRANGEMENTS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

The first half of this decade has witnessed an explosion in the creation and rejuvenation of preferential trading arrangements. Indeed, since 1990, 33 regional agreements have been notified to the GATT. An understanding of the basic structure of these agreements within the Western Hemisphere is critical to the ex ante assessment of the potential impacts of a Western Hemisphere Free Trade Agreement (WHFTA) on individual countries and groups, as well as specific sectors such as agriculture and food processing.International Relations/Trade,

POLICY HARMONIZATION, CONVERGENCE, AND COMPATIBILITY ISSUES IN NORTH AMERICAN HORTICULTURE

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Finite Size Effects in the Anisotropic \lambda/4!(\phi^4_1 + \phi^4_2)_d Model

We consider the $\frac{\lambda}{4!}(\phi^{4}_{1}+\phi^{4}_{2})$ model on a d-dimensional Euclidean space, where all but one of the coordinates are unbounded. Translation invariance along the bounded coordinate, z, which lies in the interval [0,L], is broken because of the boundary conditions (BC's) chosen for the hyperplanes z=0 and z=L. Two different possibilities for these BC's boundary conditions are considered: DD and NN, where D denotes Dirichlet and N Newmann, respectively. The renormalization procedure up to one-loop order is applied, obtaining two main results. The first is the fact that the renormalization program requires the introduction of counterterms which are surface interactions. The second one is that the tadpole graphs for DD and NN have the same z dependent part in modulus but with opposite signs. We investigate the relevance of this fact to the elimination of surface divergences.Comment: 33 pages, 2 eps figure

Beyond Critical Period Learning: Striatal FoxP2 Affects the Active Maintenance of Learned Vocalizations in Adulthood.

In humans, mutations in the transcription factor forkhead box P2 (FOXP2) result in language disorders associated with altered striatal structure. Like speech, birdsong is learned through social interactions during maturational critical periods, and it relies on auditory feedback during initial learning and on-going maintenance. Hearing loss causes learned vocalizations to deteriorate in adult humans and songbirds. In the adult songbird brain, most FoxP2-enriched regions (e.g., cortex, thalamus) show a static expression level, but in the striatal song control nucleus, area X, FoxP2 is regulated by singing and social context: when juveniles and adults sing alone, its levels drop, and songs are more variable. When males sing to females, FoxP2 levels remain high, and songs are relatively stable: this "on-line" regulation implicates FoxP2 in ongoing vocal processes, but its role in the auditory-based maintenance of learned vocalization has not been examined. To test this, we overexpressed FoxP2 in both hearing and deafened adult zebra finches and assessed effects on song sung alone versus songs directed to females. In intact birds singing alone, no changes were detected between songs of males expressing FoxP2 or a GFP construct in area X, consistent with the marked stability of mature song in this species. In contrast, songs of males overexpressing FoxP2 became more variable and were less preferable to females, unlike responses to songs of GFP-expressing control males. In deafened birds, song deteriorated more rapidly following FoxP2 overexpression relative to GFP controls. Together, these experiments suggest that behavior-driven FoxP2 expression and auditory feedback interact to precisely maintain learned vocalizations