Land Grant Application- White, Joshua (Fairfield)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office on behalf of Joshua White for service in the Revolutionary War, by their widow Margaret.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1965/thumbnail.jp

Seed Predation on Slickspot Peppergrass by the Owyhee Harvester Ant

(1) Seed predation can significantly restrict the reproductive output and individual fitness of plants, particular those plants that are rare or endangered. In some cases the total seed loss can reach 100%. Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus, actively remove the fruits and seeds of slickspot peppergrass, Lepidium papilliferum, a rare mustard endemic to southwest Idaho. (2) Several experiments were conducted to quantify seed predation on L. papilliferum located within the foraging distance of P. salinus. Individuals exposed to harvester ants experienced a direct loss of fruits and seeds (\u3e 40%), whereas plants shielded from ants suffered almost no seed loss. Harvester ants were also effective scavengers of seeds on the ground (removing \u3e 90% of seeds from the ground). (3) All fruits and seeds collected by ants were returned to their nests and taken below ground. Of 100 successful foragers monitored all returned the fruit or seeds to the nest. A search of 30 middens revealed many empty L. papilliferum fruit husks but no intact seeds. Thus, it does not appear that the ants benefit L. papilliferum by dispersing their seeds. (4) Pogonomyrmex salinus is the main seed predator of L. papilliferum and in some cases can remove and destroy complete seed sets of individuals. Seed removal of this magnitude suggests that P. salinus may significantly limit recruitment of new individuals of L. papilliferum and lead to further decline of this rare plant species

Automated testsystem of COGNISION headset for cognitive diagnosis.

There are more than 15 million Americans suffering from a chronic cognitive disability in the Unites States. Researchers have been exploring many different quantitative measures, such as event related potentials (ERP), electro-encephalogram (EEG), Magnetic Encephalogram (MEG) and Brain volumetry to accurately and repeatedly diagnose patients suffering from debilitating cognitive disorders. More than a million cases have been diagnosed every year, with many of those patients being misdiagnosed as a result of inadequate diagnostic and quality control tools. As a result, the medical device industry has been actively developing alternative diagnostic techniques, which implement one or more quantitative measures to improve diagnosis. For example, Neuronetrix (Louisville, KY) developed COGNISION™ that utilizes both ERP and EEG data to diagnose the cognitive ability of patients. The system has shown to be a powerful tool; however, its commercial success would be limited without lack of a fast and effective method of testing and validating the product. Thus, the goal of this study is to develop, test and validate a new “Testset” system for accurately and repeatedly validating the COGNISION™ Headset. A Testset was constructed that is comprised of a software control component designed using the Labview G programming language, which runs on a computer terminal, a Data Acquisition (DAQ) card and switching board. The Testset is connected to a series of testing fixtures for interfacing with the various components of the Headset. The Testset evaluates the Headset at multiple stages of the manufacturing process as a whole system or by its individual components. At the first stage of production the Electrode Strings, amplifier board (Uberyoke), and Headset Control Unit (HCU) are tested and operated as individual printed circuit boards (PCBs). These components are again tested as mid-level assemblies and/or at the finished product stage as a complete autonomous system with the Testset monitoring the process. All tests are automated, requiring only a few parameters to be defined before a test is initiated by a single button press, and then selected test sequences are begun for that particular component or system and are completed in a few minutes. A total of 2 Testsets were constructed and used to validate 10 Headsets. An automated software system was designed to control the Testset. The Testset demonstrated the ability to validate and test 100% of the individual components and completed assembled Headsets. The Testsets were found to be within 5% of the manufacturing specifications. Subsequently, the Automated Testset developed in this study enabled the manufacturer to provide a comprehensive report on the calibration parameters of the Headset, which is retained on file for each unit sold. The automated testsystem’s statistical analysis shows that the two Testsets yielded reliable and consistent results with each other

Improving Text Classification with Semantic Information

The Air Force contracts a variety of positions, from Information Technology to maintenance services. There is currently no automated way to verify that quotes for services are reasonably priced. Small training data sets and word sense ambiguity are challenges that such a tool would encounter, and additional semantic information could help. This thesis hypothesizes that leveraging a semantic network could improve text-based classification. This thesis uses information from ConceptNet to augment a Naive Bayes Classifier. The leveraged semantic information would add relevant words from the category domain to the model that did not appear in the training data. The experiment compares variations of a Naive Bayes Classifier leveraging semantic information, including an Ensemble Model, against classifiers that do not. Results show a significant performance increase in a smaller data set but not a larger one. Out of all models tested, an Ensemble Based Classifier performs the best on both data sets. The results show that ConceptNet does not add enough new or relevant information to affect classifier performance on large data sets

The epistemology of enculturation

Is it irrational to believe something when that belief reflects the influence of one\u27s culture or community? Some have argued that it is, especially when it comes to beliefs about controversial matters like religion, morality, and politics. I begin by situating the problem of cultural influence within the broader discussion surrounding irrelevant influences on our beliefs. After clarifying the way in which our beliefs are influenced by our cultures, I argue that neither the fact nor the recognition that one\u27s belief has been influenced by one\u27s culture is sufficient to render that belief unjustified or irrational

Development and Validity Assessment of the Max Power Model for the Detection, Separation, and Quantification of Differences in Resistive and Propulsive Forces in Swimming

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2006Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold. First, a new method, the Max Power Model, for assessing resistive (Fres) and propulsive (Fprop) forces using tethered swimming was developed. The Max Power Model (MPM) is based on the maximum power that a swimmer can deliver to an external load while swimming (Pmax) and its relationship with the maximum velocity of the swimmer (vmax). The development of the MPM was accomplished in three ways: examination of the shape of the Pmax vs. vmax curve, development of a method of comparing Pmax vs. vmax curves, and finally testing the sensitivity of the method to large changes using the four competitive strokes and underwater dolphin kicking. Second, the validity of the MPM was assessed by comparison with the Velocity Perturbation Model (VPM) and response to independent changes in Fres and Fprop during swimming (as supplied by a pocketed dragsuit, a wetsuit, hand paddles, fist gloves). Results: The MPM was developed effectively. The Pmax vs. vmax curve was found to be best described as an exponential function. Comparisons of Pmax vs. vmax curves were therefore made after linearization using the natural log of Pmax. If the slopes were similar, the comparisons were accomplished using ANCOVA with vmax as the covariate, otherwise a t-test for differences in slope was used. The MPM was sensitive to large changes in the swimming condition as seen through significant differences (p < 60; 0.05) in an ANCOVA for competitive stroke and a significantly different slope of ln(Pmax) vs. vmax for underwater dolphin kick in comparison with the competitive strokes. Assessment of the validity of the MPM yielded mixed results. The MPM showed a strong relationship to the VPM. However, the VPM showed no significant differences between any of the equipment treatment conditions in either the calculated Fres or the drag coefficient indicating an inability to detect small changes in Fres and Fprop. The MPM showed more promise, responding as expected to a majority of the equipment conditions. Conclusion: While still in need of further exploration and validation, the MPM has promise as a simple method to detect, separate, and quantify differences in Fres and Fprop during swimming