Sclera solar diameter observations

Focus is given to possible variations in solar luminosity and accurate methods of monitoring it. Aside from direct bolometry, one methodology for this type of research makes use of measurements of the solar diameter and limb darkening function as indirect indicators of the solar luminosity. This approach was reviewed

An Optical Implementation of Adaptive Resonance Utilizing Phase Conjugation

A novel adaptive resonance theory (ART) device has been conceived that is fully optical in the input-output processing path. This device is based on holographic information processing in a phase-conjugating crystal. This sets up an associative pattern retrieval in a resonating loop utilizing angle-multiplexed reference beams for pattern classification. A reset mechanism is used to reject any given beam, allowing an ART search strategy. The design is similar to that of an existing nonlearning optical associative memory, but is does allow learning and makes use of information the other device discards. This new device is expected to offer higher information storage density that alternative ART implementation

An Optical Adaptive Resonance Neural Network Utilizing Phase Conjugation

An adaptive resonance (ART) device has been conceived that is fully optical in the input-output processing path. It is based on holographic information processing in a phase-conjugating crystal. This sets up an associative pattern retrieval in a resonating loop utilizing angle-multiplexed reference beams for pattern classification. A reset mechanism is used to reject any given beam, allowing an ART search strategy. The design is similar to an existing nonlearning optical associative memory, but it does allow learning and makes use of information the other device discards. This device is expected to offer higher information storage density than alternative ART implementations

Quantification of HTLV-I proviral load in experimentally infected rabbits

BACKGROUND: Levels of proviral load in HTLV-1 infected patients correlate with clinical outcome and are reasonably prognostic. Adaptation of proviral load measurement techniques is examined here for use in an experimental rabbit model of HTLV-1 infection. Initial efforts sought to correlate proviral load with route and dose of inoculation and with clinical outcome in this model. These methods contribute to our continuing goal of using the model to test treatments that alleviate virus infection. RESULTS: A real-time PCR assay was used to measure proviral load in blood and tissue samples from a series of rabbits infected using HTLV-1 inocula prepared as either cell-free virus particles, infected cells or blood, or by naked DNA injection. Proviral loads from asymptomatically infected rabbits showed levels corresponding to those reported for human patients with clinically silent HTLV-1 infections. Proviral load was comparably increased in 50% of experimentally infected rabbits that developed either spontaneous benign or malignant tumors while infected. Similarly elevated provirus was found in organs of rabbits with experimentally induced acute leukemia/lymphoma-like disease. Levels of provirus in organs taken at necropsy varied widely suggesting that reservoirs of infections exist in non-lymphoid organs not traditionally thought to be targets for HTLV-1. CONCLUSION: Proviral load measurement is a valuable enhancement to the rabbit model for HTLV-1 infection providing a metric to monitor clinical status of the infected animals as well as a means for the testing of treatment to combat infection. In some cases proviral load in blood did not reflect organ proviral levels, revealing a limitation of this method for monitoring health status of HTLV-1 infected individuals

An Optoelectronic Implementation of the Adaptive Resonance Neural Network

A solution to the problem of implementation of the adaptive resonance theory (ART) of neural networks that uses an optical correlator which allows the large body of correlator research to be leveraged in the implementation of ART is presented. The implementation takes advantage of the fact that one ART-based architecture, known as ART1, can be broken into several parts, some of which are better to implement in parallel. The control structure of ART, often regarded as its most complex part, is actually not very time consuming and can be done in electronics. The bottom-up and top-down gated pathways, however, are very time consuming to simulate and are difficult to implement directly in electronics due to the high number of interconnections. In addition to the design, the authors present experiments with a laboratory prototype to illustrate its feasibility and to discuss implementation details that arise in practice. This device can potentially outperform alternative implementations of ART1 by as much as two to three orders of magnitude in problems requiring especially large input field

Research Priorities for Managing Invasive Wild Pigs in North America

With recent increases in distribution and numbers of feral pigs (Sus scrofa; invasive wild pigs) in North America, there has been a concurrent increase in the ecological and economic effects they have had on native and anthropogenic ecosystems. Despite the amplified interest in invasive wild pig research, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding their basic biology and ecology, the scope of the damage they cause, and the efficacy of many control strategies. Such information is important to support the successful management of invasive wild pigs throughout North America and other areas. In 2016, members of the National Wild Pig Task Force met and developed a set of research priorities to aid in effective management of invasive wild pigs. These research priorities identify 4 topical areas where increased effort and science is most needed to manage invasive wild pigs: biology and ecology, economic and ecological damages, control strategies, and education and human dimensions, with particular emphasis on areas where specific data gaps remain within each topical area. Resolution of such knowledge deficits would advance the understanding of invasive wild pig ecology, enabling more efficient and effective management of this species