Comparing demand functions when different price manipulations are used: Does unit price help?

Six hens pecked a key (Experiment 1) or pushed a door (Experiment 2) to obtain food reinforcement. In both experiments and as an analogue of price changes, the response requirements were varied in two ways: by increasing the number of responses required and by increasing the required force of each response. The two price manipulations (response number and response force) had different effects on behavior and produced different-shaped demand functions when the rates of consumption were plotted logarithmically against the price analogues. Irrespective of response topography, when the number of required responses was varied, the data paths appeared linear, with slopes close to -1.0. When the required force of each keypeck and doorpush was varied, the data paths were clearly curved, with increasingly steep downward slopes as the force increased. Using the concept of unit price did not fully remove the different effects of the two price manipulations. Those differences are best attributed to the differing times needed in order to complete each response unit under those price manipulations

Reinforcer magnitude and demand under fixed-ratio schedules with domestic hens

This study compared three methods of normalizing demand functions to allow comparison of demand for different commodities and examined how varying reinforcer magnitudes affected these analyses. Hens responded under fixed-ratio schedules in 40-min sessions with response requirement doubling each session and with 2-s, 8-s, and 12-s access to wheat. Over the smaller fixed ratios overall response rates generally increased and were higher the shorter the magazine duration. The logarithms of the number of reinforcers obtained (consumption) and the fixed ratio (price) were well fitted by curvilinear demand functions (Hursh et al., 1988. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 50, 419–440) that were inelastic (b negative) over small fixed-ratios. The fixed ratio with maximal response rate (Pmax) increased, and the rate of change of elasticity (a) and initial consumption (L) decreased with increased magazine duration. Normalizing consumption using measures of preference for various magazine durations (3-s vs. 3-s, 2-s vs. 8-s, and 2-s vs. 12-s), obtained using concurrent schedules, gave useful results as it removed the differences in L. Normalizing consumption and price (Hursh and Winger, 1995. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 64, 373–384) unified the data functions as intended by that analysis. The exponential function (Hursh and Silberberg, 2008. Psychological Review, 115, 186–198) gave an essential value that increased (i.e., α decreased significantly) as magazine duration decreased. This was not as predicted, since α should be constant over variations in magazine duration, but is similar to previous findings using a similar procedure with different food qualities (hens) and food quantities (rats)

The letters of John Ruskin to Lord and Lady Mount-Temple

(print) xiii, 399 p. ; 24 cmIntroduction 5 -- Part I : [1856]-February 10, 1866 15 -- Part II : [February 1866]-June 25, 1867 55 -- Part III : 1868 121 -- Part IV : January 17, 1869-[July 27, 1871] 185 -- Part V : July 27, 1871-May 30, [1888] 301 -- Appendix : Publishing History of the Letters 387 -- Index 59

Inferring genome-scale rearrangement phylogeny and ancestral gene order: a Drosophila case study

A simple, fast, and biologically-inspired computational approach to infer genome-scale rearrangement phylogeny and ancestral gene order has been developed and applied to eight Drosophila genomes, providing insights into evolutionary chromosomal dynamics

Perturbed Spherically Symmetric Dust Solution of the Field Equations in Observational Coordinates with Cosmological Data Functions

Using the framework for solving the spherically symmetric field equations in observational coordinates given in Araujo and Stoeger (1999), their formulation and solution in the perturbed FLRW sperically symmetric case with observational data representing galaxy redshifts, number counts and observer area distances, both as functions of redshift on our past light cone, are presented. The importance of the central conditions, those which must hold on our world line C, is emphasized. In detailing the solution for these perturbations, we discuss the gauge problem and its resolution in this context, as well as how errors and gaps in the data are propagated together with the genuine perturbations. This will provide guidance for solving, and interpreting the solutions of the more complicated general perturbation problem with observational data on our past light cone.Comment: Latex 23 pages, no figures, submitted to Astrophysical Journa

Recent Advances in High Density Area Array Interconnect Bonding for 3D Integration

The demand for more complex and multifunctional micro systems with enhanced performance characteristics for military applications is driving the electronics industry toward the use of best-of-breed materials and device technologies. Threedimensional (3-D) integration provides a way to build complex microsystems through bonding and interconnection of individually optimized device layers without compromising system performance and fabrication yield. Bonding of device layers can be achieved through polymer bonding or metal-metal interconnect bonding with a number of metalmetal systems. RTI has been investigating and characterizing Cu-Cu and CulSn-Cu processes for high density area array imaging applications, demonstrating high yield bonding between sub-I5 11m pads on large area array configurations. This paper will review recent advances in the development of high yield, large area array metal-metal interconnects which enable 3-D integration of heterogeneous materials (e.g. HgCdTe with silicon) and heterogeneous fabrication processes (e.g. infrared emitters or microbolometers with ICs) for imaging and scene projector applications