Chunchucmil’s Urban Population

The previous chapter established that nearly all of what we mapped at Chunchucmil was occupied at the end of the Early Classic period. This allows us to combine mapping and excavation to discuss the structure of the city at this critical time. As we explain below, settlement in and around Chunchucmil was not homogeneous. We lump this settlement into five zones each with different characteristics: (1) site center, (2) residential core, (3) residential periphery, (4) settlement fingers, and (5) hinterland. This chapter presents the characteristics (size, settlement density, kinds of occupation) of these zones and then supplies a population estimate

The TAMORA algorithm: satellite rainfall estimates over West Africa using multi-spectral SEVIRI data

A multi-spectral rainfall estimation algorithm has been developed for the Sahel region of West Africa with the purpose of producing accumulated rainfall estimates for drought monitoring and food security. Radar data were used to calibrate multi-channel SEVIRI data from MSG, and a probability of rainfall at several different rain-rates was established for each combination of SEVIRI radiances. Radar calibrations from both Europe (the SatPrecip algorithm) and Niger (TAMORA algorithm) were used. 10 day estimates were accumulated from SatPrecip and TAMORA and compared with kriged gauge data and TAMSAT satellite rainfall estimates over West Africa. SatPrecip was found to produce large overestimates for the region, probably because of its non-local calibration. TAMORA was negatively biased for areas of West Africa with relatively high rainfall, but its skill was comparable to TAMSAT for the low-rainfall region climatologically similar to its calibration area around Niamey. These results confirm the high importance of local calibration for satellite-derived rainfall estimates. As TAMORA shows no improvement in skill over TAMSAT for dekadal estimates, the extra cloud-microphysical information provided by multi-spectral data may not be useful in determining rainfall accumulations at a ten day timescale. Work is ongoing to determine whether it shows improved accuracy at shorter timescales

A Memetic Analysis of a Phrase by Beethoven: Calvinian Perspectives on Similarity and Lexicon-Abstraction

This article discusses some general issues arising from the study of similarity in music, both human-conducted and computer-aided, and then progresses to a consideration of similarity relationships between patterns in a phrase by Beethoven, from the first movement of the Piano Sonata in A flat major op. 110 (1821), and various potential memetic precursors. This analysis is followed by a consideration of how the kinds of similarity identified in the Beethoven phrase might be understood in psychological/conceptual and then neurobiological terms, the latter by means of William Calvin’s Hexagonal Cloning Theory. This theory offers a mechanism for the operation of David Cope’s concept of the lexicon, conceived here as a museme allele-class. I conclude by attempting to correlate and map the various spaces within which memetic replication occurs

List Decoding of Matrix-Product Codes from nested codes: an application to Quasi-Cyclic codes

A list decoding algorithm for matrix-product codes is provided when $C_1,..., C_s$ are nested linear codes and $A$ is a non-singular by columns matrix. We estimate the probability of getting more than one codeword as output when the constituent codes are Reed-Solomon codes. We extend this list decoding algorithm for matrix-product codes with polynomial units, which are quasi-cyclic codes. Furthermore, it allows us to consider unique decoding for matrix-product codes with polynomial units

Research Progress Reports, 1962. Fruit and Vegetable Processing and Technology Division, Department of Horticulture.

Tomato variety evaluation for processing, 1962 / W. A. Gould, J. R. Geisman and Wade Schulte -- Evaluation of snap bean varieties for processing, 1962 / Wilbur A. Gould -- Handling and holding studies of mechanically harvested tomatoes. 1. Processed product quality / W. A. Gould, W. D. Bash, J. R. Geisman, D. E. Yingst, G. A. Marlowe and W. N. Brown -- Handling and holding studies of mechanically harvested tomatoes. 2. Spore counts / Winston D. Bash and W. A. Gould -- Handling and holding studies of mechanically harvested tomatoes. 3. pH / Winston D. Bash and W. A. Gould -- Handling and holding studies of mechanically harvested tomatoes. 4. Chlorine residuals / Donald E. Yingst and W. A. Gould -- Removal of insects and residues from sweet corn by washing techniques / J. R. Geisman and W. A. Gould -- Removal of pesticides and radioactive fallout from fruits and vegetables / J. R. Geisman, R. P. Blackmore, R. W. Hirzel and W. S. Stinson -- The effect of apple variety and browning prevention treatments during preparation on the quality of frozen apple pies / D. Robert Davis and James F. Gallander -- Effect of three tomato peeling methods on efficiency and product quality / Wade A. Schulte and W. A. Gould -- Effects of cooling rates on vacuum of canned pumpkin / Winston D. Bash -- New flavors for sauerkraut / J. R. Geisman and Robert Reyda -- Flavor of tomato juice / Wilbur A. Gould, Natholyn Dalton and John Hal Johnson -- Fruit juice blends offer a promising new field for apple cider / D. Robert Davi

On embodied memetic evolution and the emergence of behavioural traditions in Robots

This paper describes ideas and initial experiments in embodied imitation using e-puck robots, developed as part of a project whose aim is to demonstrate the emergence of artificial culture in collective robot systems. Imitated behaviours (memes) will undergo variation because of the noise and heterogeneities of the robots and their sensors. Robots can select which memes to enact, and-because we have a multi-robot collective-memes are able to undergo multiple cycles of imitation, with inherited characteristics. We thus have the three evolutionary operators: variation, selection and inheritance, and-as we describe in this paper-experimental trials show that we are able to demonstrate embodied movement-meme evolution. © 2011 Springer-Verlag

Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Background Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood. Methods Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life. Results Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0–10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances. Conclusions Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF

Measurement of Direct Photon Emission in K^+ -> pi^+ pi^0 gamma Decay

We have performed a measurement of the K^+ -> pi^+ pi^0 gamma decay and have observed 2 X 10^4 events. The best fit to the decay spectrum gives a branching ratio for direct photon emission of (4.7\pm0.8\pm0.3) X 10^{-6} in the pi^+ kinetic energy region of 55 to 90 MeV and requires no component due to interference with inner bremsstrahlung.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. To be submitted to PR