Data communications and monitor for the Penn State University profiler network

The profiler network installed by the Department of Meteorology at Penn State University utilizes a microcomputer for network monitoring and control. The network consists of two VHF and one UHF wind profiling Doppler radars. Additional measurement systems added to the network include temperature and humidity profiling radiometers, sodar for boundary layer wind profiling and selected surface based baseline systems. Remote diagnostic capabilities were also implemented in the Penn State network. It is possible to remotely analyze many specific malfunctions of the transmitter or signal processor

Relationship between antihypertensive medications and cognitive impairment: Part II. Review of Physiology and animal studies

Purpose of Review There is an established association between hypertension and increased risk of poor cognitive performance and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease; however, associations between antihypertensive medications (AHM) and dementia risk are less clear. An increased interest in AHM has resulted in expanding publications; however, none of the recent reviews provide comprehensive review. Our extensive review includes 24 mechanistic animal and human studies published over the last 5 years assessing relationship between AHM and cognitive function. Recent Findings All classes of AHM showed similar result patterns in animal studies. The mechanism by which AHM exert their effect was extensively studied by evaluating well-established pathways of AD disease process, including amyloid beta (Aβ), vascular, oxidative stress and inflammation pathways, but only few studies evaluated the blood pressure lowering effect on the AD disease process. Summary Methodological limitations of the studies prevent comprehensive conclusions prior to further work evaluating AHM in animals and larger human observational studies, and selecting those with promising results for future RCTs

Quasi-2D dynamic jamming in cornstarch suspensions: visualization and force measurements

We report experiments investigating jamming fronts in a floating layer of cornstarch suspension. The suspension has a packing fraction close to jamming, which dynamically turns into a solid when impacted at a high speed. We show that the front propagates in both axial and transverse direction from the point of impact, with a constant ratio between the two directions of propagation of approximately 2. Inside the jammed solid, we observe an additional compression, which results from the increasing stress as the solid grows. During the initial growth of the jammed solid, we measure a force response that can be completely accounted for by added mass. Only once the jamming front reaches a boundary, the added mass cannot account for the measured force anymore. We do not, however, immediately see a strong force response as we would expect when compressing a jammed packing. Instead, we observe a delay in the force response on the pusher, which corresponds to the time it takes for the system to develop a close to uniform velocity gradient that spans the complete system.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Relationship between antihypertensive medications and cognitive impairment: Part I. review of human studies and clinical trials

Purpose of review: There is an established association between hypertension and increased risk of poor cognitive performance and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease; however, associations between antihypertensive medications (AHMs) and dementia risk are less consistent. An increased interest in AHM has resulted in expanding publications; however, none of the recent reviews are comprehensive. Our extensive review includes 15 observational and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published over the last 5 years, assessing the relationship between AHM and cognitive impairment. Recent findings: All classes of AHM showed similar result patterns in human studies with the majority of study results reporting point estimates below one and only a small number of studies (N = 15) reporting statistically significant results in favor of a specific class. Summary: Only a small number of studies reported statistically significant results in favor of a specific class of AHM. Methodological limitations of the studies prevent definitive conclusions. Further work is now needed to evaluate the class of AHM and cognitive outcomes in future RCTs, with a particular focus on the drugs with the promising results in both animals and human observational studies

High-speed ultrasound imaging in dense suspensions reveals impact-activated solidification due to dynamic shear jamming

A remarkable property of dense suspensions is that they can transform from liquid-like at rest to solid-like under sudden impact. Previous work showed that this impact-induced solidification involves rapidly moving jamming fronts; however, details of this process have remained unresolved. Here we use high-speed ultrasound imaging to probe non-invasively how the interior of a dense suspension responds to impact. Measuring the speed of sound we demonstrate that the solidification proceeds without a detectable increase in packing fraction, and imaging the evolving flow field we find that the shear intensity is maximized right at the jamming front. Taken together, this provides direct experimental evidence for jamming by shear, rather than densification, as driving the transformation to solid-like behavior. Based on these findings we propose a new model to explain the anisotropy in the propagation speed of the fronts and delineate the onset conditions for dynamic shear jamming in suspensions.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler : towards a protocol for accumulating evidence regarding the active content of health behaviour change interventions

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here: 10.1080/17437199.2013.848409Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effects of Nitrogen, Lime, and Boron on Candle Rape Grown in the Trapper Creek and Pt. MacKenzie Areas of Southcentral Alaska

When growers in the Susitna Valley and later in the Pt. MacKenzie area of southcentral Alaska inquired as to the feasibility of growing rapeseed, we decided to determine the crops suitability and performance by conducting a field experiment. Bolton (1980) had attempted to predict the feasibility of producing rapeseed in Alaska's interior, but no research had been done in southcentral Alaska. We conducted one study from 1979 through 1981 on Rabideux silt loam (pH 5.1) near Trapper Creek and another from 1982 through 1984 on Kashwitna silt loam (pH 5.4) on the University of Alaska' s research tract in the Pt. MacKenzie area. The first area had been cleared prior to 197 8. This area was rototilled and roots removed in September 1978. The second area was on a tract cleared during the winter of 1981. After clearing, rotary plowing was done twice on the area. During the summer of 1981, roots were removed , and a field cultivator was used twice to loosen and bring roots to the surface

Development of low-temperature transistor modules to improve the MSFC mid-infrared array

This report describes the low-temperature transistor modules designed for use with the MSFC mid-infrared array. The modules were developed in the Space Science Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center with Center Director's Discretionary Funds. The transistors (JFETs), which operate at a temperature of 77 K, are epoxied to a copper surface attached to a Teflon substrate. The module substrate insulates the JFETs from the 1.5K detector work surfaces and provides a convenient mounting structure for additional components such as solder pins. These modules have maintained their structural integrity during repeated temperature cycling, and they have to be convenient during maintenance and servicing of the infrared array

Effects of Potassium, Sulfur, Nitrogen Rate, And Nitrogen Source on Bromegrass Forage Yield and Composition

Production of adequate , high-quality forage is essential for Alaska's livestock industry. Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is the dominant and most dependable perennial forage crop in the Matanuska Valley and other areas of Alaska. Four areas of Knik silt loam on the University of Alaska's Matanuska Research Farm near Palmer were seeded to bromegrass and were used over a period of 18 years to determine the need of high-yielding bromegrass for applications of potassium (K) and sulfur (S). A bromegrass field on the Woods estate two miles south of Palmer was selected in 1976 for a study comparing three rates of two nitrogen (N) sources with and without S. The soil type was Bodenburg silt loam