Directional Radio-Frequency Identification Tag Reader

A directional radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader has been designed to facilitate finding a specific object among many objects in a crowded room. The device could be an adjunct to an electronic inventory system that tracks RFID-tagged objects as they move through reader-equipped doorways. Whereas commercial RFID-tag readers do not measure directions to tagged objects, the device is equipped with a phased-array antenna and a received signal-strength indicator (RSSI) circuit for measuring direction. At the beginning of operation, it is set to address only the RFID tag of interest. It then continuously transmits a signal to interrogate that tag while varying the radiation pattern of the antenna. It identifies the direction to the tag as the radiation pattern direction of peak strength of the signal returned by the tag. An approximate distance to the tag is calculated from the peak signal strength. The direction and distance can be displayed on a screen. A prototype containing a Yagi antenna was found to be capable of detecting a 915.5-MHz tag at a distance of approximately equal to 15 ft (approximately equal to 4.6 m)

A Profile of Immigrants in Arkansas

Discusses key demographic trends, economic factors, and public policy issues associated with immigrants in Arkansas, which has the fourth-fastest-growing immigrant population in the nation

Discovery of a Bright Field Methane (T-type) Brown Dwarf by 2MASS

We report the discovery of a bright (J = 13.83$\pm$0.03) methane brown dwarf, or T dwarf, by the Two Micron All Sky Survey. This object, 2MASSI J0559191-140448, is the first brown dwarf identified by the newly commissioned CorMASS instrument mounted on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. Near-infrared spectra from 0.9 - 2.35 \micron show characteristic CH$_4$ bands at 1.1, 1.3, 1.6, and 2.2 \micron, which are significantly shallower than those seen in other T dwarfs discovered to date. Coupled with the detection of an FeH band at 0.9896 \micron and two sets of K I doublets at J-band, we propose that 2MASS J0559-14 is a warm T dwarf, close to the transition between L and T spectral classes. The brightness of this object makes it a good candidate for detailed investigation over a broad wavelength regime and at higher resolution.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted to AJ for publication August 200

Framework Programmable Platform for the Advanced Software Development Workstation: Preliminary system design document

The Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FPP) is a project aimed at combining effective tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process in an intelligent integrated software environment. Guided by the model, this system development framework will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to automate effectively the management of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated. The focus here is on the design of components that make up the FPP. These components serve as supporting systems for the Integration Mechanism and the Framework Processor and provide the 'glue' that ties the FPP together. Also discussed are the components that allow the platform to operate in a distributed, heterogeneous environment and to manage the development and evolution of software system artifacts

Replacement of dietary fish oil with increasing levels of linseed oil: Modification of flesh fatty acid compositions in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using a fish oil finishing diet

Five groups of Atlantic salmon smolts, of initial mean weight 127 ± 3g, were fed increasing levels of dietary linseed oil (LO) in a regression design. The control diet contained capelin oil (FO) only and the same oil was blended with LO to provide the experimental diets. After an initial growth period of 40 weeks all treatment groups were switched to a finishing diet containing only FO for a further 24 weeks. Growth, flesh total lipid content and astaxanthin content were not affected by dietary oil composition. The fatty acid compositions of flesh total lipids were linearly correlated with dietary fatty acid compositions (r2 = 0.88-1.00, P < 0.0001). Inclusion of the LO at 50% of added dietary lipid reduced flesh docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3; DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acids (20:5n-3; EPA) to 65 and 58%, respectively, of the concentrations in fish fed FO. When inclusion of dietary LO reached 100% the flesh DHA and EPA concentrations were reduced to 38 and 30%, respectively, of values in fish fed FO. Differences between diet fatty acid concentration and flesh fatty acid concentration showed that 16:0, 18:1n-9 and especially DHA were preferentially retained by salmon whereas 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3 and 22:1n-11 were selected against and presumably utilised for energy production. Feeding a finishing diet containing FO alone for 16 weeks restored flesh DHA and EPA concentrations in fish previously fed 50 and 100% LO to around 80% of their values in fish fed FO throughout. Flesh DHA and EPA concentrations in fish fed up to 50% LO were in excess of recommended intake values for these fatty acids. By utilising FO finishing diets for at least 16 weeks similar flesh DHA and EPA concentrations could be achieved in fish previously fed up to 100% LO for 40 weeks. This study suggests that LO can be used as a substitute for FO in salmon feeds during seawater growth and that any reductions in DHA and EPA can be overcome by feeding FO for a period before harvest