Development of computer software to analyze entire LANDSAT scenes and to summarize classification results of variable-size polygons

The Forest Pest Management Division (FPMD) of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry has the responsibility for conducting annual surveys of the State's forest lands to accurately detect, map, and appraise forest insect infestations. A standardized, timely, and cost-effective method of accurately surveying forests and their condition should enhance the probability of suppressing infestations. The repetitive and synoptic coverage provided by LANDSAT (formerly ERTS) makes such satellite-derived data potentially attractive as a survey medium for monitoring forest insect damage over large areas. Forest Pest Management Division personnel have expressed keen interest in LANDSAT data and have informally cooperated with NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) since 1976 in the development of techniques to facilitate their use. The results of this work indicate that it may be feasible to use LANDSAT digital data to conduct annual surveys of insect defoliation of hardwood forests

Sympathetic cooling in a mixture of diamagnetic and paramagnetic atoms

We have experimentally realized a hybrid trap for ultracold paramagnetic rubidium and diamagnetic ytterbium atoms by combining a bichromatic optical dipole trap for ytterbium with a Ioffe-Pritchard-type magnetic trap for rubidium. In this hybrid trap, sympathetic cooling of five different ytterbium isotopes through elastic collisions with rubidium was achieved. A strong dependence of the interspecies collisional cross section on the mass of the ytterbium isotope was observed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Spatial separation in a thermal mixture of ultracold 174^{174}Yb and 87^{87}Rb atoms

We report on the observation of unusually strong interactions in a thermal mixture of ultracold atoms which cause a significant modification of the spatial distribution. A mixture of $^{87}$Rb and $^{174}$Yb with a temperature of a few $\mu$K is prepared in a hybrid trap consisting of a bichromatic optical potential superimposed on a magnetic trap. For suitable trap parameters and temperatures, a spatial separation of the two species is observed. We infer that the separation is driven by a large interaction strength between $^{174}$Yb and $^{87}$Rb accompanied by a large three-body recombination rate. Based on this assumption we have developed a diffusion model which reproduces our observations

R Markdown: Integrating A Reproducible Analysis Tool into Introductory Statistics

Nolan and Temple Lang argue that “the ability to express statistical computations is an es- sential skill.” A key related capacity is the ability to conduct and present data analysis in a way that another person can understand and replicate. The copy-and-paste workflow that is an artifact of antiquated user-interface design makes reproducibility of statistical analysis more difficult, especially as data become increasingly complex and statistical methods become increasingly sophisticated. R Markdown is a new technology that makes creating fully-reproducible statistical analysis simple and painless. It provides a solution suitable not only for cutting edge research, but also for use in an introductory statistics course. We present experiential and statistical evidence that R Markdown can be used effectively in introductory statistics courses, and discuss its role in the rapidly-changing world of statistical computation

Effect of the unpolarized spin state in spin-correlation measurement of two protons produced in the 12C(d,2He) reaction

In this note we discuss the effect of the unpolarized state in the spin-correlation measurement of the $^1S_0$ two-proton state produced in 12C(d,2He) reaction at the KVI, Groningen. We show that in the presence of the unpolarized state the maximal violation of the CHSH-Bell inequality is lower than the classical limit if the purity of the state is less than $\sim \verb+70$. In particular, for the KVI experiment the violation of the CHSH-Bell inequality should be corrected by a factor $\sim\verb+10$ from the pure $^1S_0$ state.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in J. Phys.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate modulates antigen capture by murine langerhans cells via the S1P2 receptor subtype

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in the development of cutaneous contact hypersensitivity (CHS) and atopic dermatitis as they capture and process antigen and present it to T lymphocytes in the lymphoid organs. Recently, it has been indicated that a topical application of the sphingolipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) prevents the inflammatory response in CHS, but the molecular mechanism is not fully elucidated. Here we indicate that treatment of mice with S1P is connected with an impaired antigen uptake by Langerhans cells (LCs), the initial step of CHS. Most of the known actions of S1P are mediated by a family of five specific G protein-coupled receptors. Our results indicate that S1P inhibits macropinocytosis of the murine LC line XS52 via S1P2 receptor stimulation followed by a reduced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity. As down-regulation of S1P2 not only diminished S1P-mediated action but also enhanced the basal activity of LCs on antigen capture, an autocrine action of S1P has been assumed. Actually, S1P is continuously produced by LCs and secreted via the ATP binding cassette transporter ABCC1 to the extracellular environment. Consequently, inhibition of ABCC1, which decreased extracellular S1P levels, markedly increased the antigen uptake by LCs. Moreover, stimulation of sphingosine kinase activity, the crucial enzyme for S1P formation, is connected not only with enhanced S1P levels but also with diminished antigen capture. These results indicate that S1P is essential in LC homeostasis and influences skin immunity. This is of importance as previous reports suggested an alteration of S1P levels in atopic skin lesions

The analysis of European lacquer : optimization of thermochemolysis temperature of natural resins

In order to optimize chromatographic analysis of European lacquer, thermochemolysis temperature was evaluated for the analysis of natural resins. Five main ingredients of lacquer were studied: sandarac, mastic, colophony, Manila copal and Congo copal. For each, five temperature programs were tested: four fixed temperatures (350, 480, 550, 650 degrees C) and one ultrafast thermal desorption (UFD), in which the temperature rises from 350 to 660 degrees C in 1 min. In total, the integrated signals of 27 molecules, partially characterizing the five resins, were monitored to compare the different methods. A compromise between detection of compounds released at low temperatures and compounds formed at high temperatures was searched. 650 degrees C is too high for both groups, 350 degrees C is best for the first, and 550 degrees C for the second. Fixed temperatures of 480 degrees C or UFD proved to be a consensus in order to detect most marker molecules. UFD was slightly better for the molecules released at low temperatures, while 480 degrees C showed best compounds formed at high temperatures

Creating Optimal Conditions for Reproducible Data Analysis in R with ‘Fertile’

The advancement of scientific knowledge increasingly depends on ensuring that data-driven research is reproducible: that two people with the same data obtain the same results. However, while the necessity of reproducibility is clear, there are significant behavioral and technical challenges that impede its widespread implementation and no clear consensus on standards of what constitutes reproducibility in published research. We present fertile, an R package that focuses on a series of common mistakes programmers make while conducting data science projects in R, primarily through the RStudio integrated development environment. fertile operates in two modes: proactively, to prevent reproducibility mistakes from happening in the first place, and retroactively, analyzing code that is already written for potential problems. Furthermore, fertile is designed to educate users on why their mistakes are problematic and how to fix them

Social presence and dishonesty in retail

Self-service checkouts (SCOs) in retail can benefit consumers and retailers, providing control and autonomy to shoppers independent from staff, together with reduced queuing times. Recent research indicates that the absence of staff may provide the opportunity for consumers to behave dishonestly, consistent with a perceived lack of social presence. This study examined whether a social presence in the form of various instantiations of embodied, visual, humanlike SCO interface agents had an effect on opportunistic behaviour. Using a simulated SCO scenario, participants experienced various dilemmas in which they could financially benefit themselves undeservedly. We hypothesised that a humanlike social presence integrated within the checkout screen would receive more attention and result in fewer instances of dishonesty compared to a less humanlike agent. This was partially supported by the results. The findings contribute to the theoretical framework in social presence research. We concluded that companies adopting self-service technology may consider the implementation of social presence in technology applications to support ethical consumer behaviour, but that more research is required to explore the mixed findings in the current study.<br/