BdbServer++: A User Driven Data Location and Retrieval Tool

The adoption of Grid technology has the potential to greatly aid the BaBar experiment. BdbServer was originally designed to extract copies of data from the Objectivity/DB database at SLAC and IN2P3. With data now stored in multiple locations in a variety of data formats, we are enhancing this tool. This will enable users to extract selected deep copies of event collections and ship them to the requested site using the facilities offered by the existing Grid infrastructure. By building on the work done by various groups in BaBar, and the European DataGrid, we have successfully expanded the capabilities of the BdbServer software. This should provide a framework for future work in data distribution.Comment: Paper based on the poster from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 4 pages, LaTeX, 0 figures. PSN TUCP01

Passive fetal monitoring sensor

An ambulatory, passive sensor for use in a fetal monitoring system is discussed. The invention is comprised of a piezoelectric polymer film, combined with a metallic mounting plate fastened to a belt, and electrically connected to a signal processing unit by means of a shielded cable. The purpose of the sensor is to receive pressure pulses emitted by a fetus inside an expectant mother. Additionally, the monitor will filter out pressure pulses arising from other sources, such as the maternal heart

Comparative study of design: application to Engineering Design

A recent exploratory study examines design processes across domains and compares them. This is achieved through a series of interdisciplinary, participative workshops. A systematic framework is used to collect data from expert witnesses who are practising designers across domains from engineering through architecture to product design and fashion, including film production, pharmaceutical drugs, food, packaging, graphics and multimedia and software. Similarities and differences across domains are described which indicate the types of comparative analysis we have been able to do from our data. The paper goes further and speculates on possible lessons for selected areas of engineering design which can be drawn from comparison with processes in other domains. As such this comparative design study offers the potential for improving engineering design processes. More generally it is a first step in creating a discipline of comparative design which aims to provide a new rich picture of design processes

Differentiating Defects in Red Oak Lumber by Discriminant Analysis Using Color, Shape, and Density

Defect color, shape, and density measures aid in the differentiation of knots, bark pockets, stain/mineral streak, and clearwood in red oak, (Quercus rubra). Various color, shape, and density measures were extracted for defects present in color and X-ray images captured using a color line scan camera and an X-ray line scan detector. Analysis of variance was used to determine which color, shape, and density measures differed between defects. Discriminant classifiers were used to test which defect measures best discriminated between different defects in lumber.The ANOVA method of model measure selection was unable to provide a direct method of selecting the optimum combination of measures; however, it did provide insight as to which measure should be selected in cases of confusion between defects. No single sensor measure provided overall classification accuracy greater than 70%, indicating the need for multisensor and multimeasure information for defect classification. When used alone, color measures resulted in the highest overall defect classification accuracy (between 69 and 70%). Shape and density measures resulted in the lowest overall classification accuracy (between 32 and 53%); however, when used in combination with other measures, they contributed to a 5-10% increase in defect classification accuracy. It was determined that defect classification required multisensor information to obtain the highest accuracy. For classifying defects in red oak, sensor measures should include two color mean values and two standard deviation values, a shape measure, and a X-ray standard deviation value

Characteristics of lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) long-distance movements across their distribution

Citation: Earl, J. E., Fuhlendorf, S. D., Haukos, D., Tanner, A. M., Elmore, D., & Carleton, S. A. (2016). Characteristics of lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) long-distance movements across their distribution. Ecosphere, 7(8). doi:10.1002/(ISSN)2150-8925Long-distance movements are important adaptive behaviors that contribute to population, community, and ecosystem connectivity. However, researchers have a poor understanding of the characteristics of long-distance movements for most species. Here, we examined long-distance movements for the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a species of conservation concern. We addressed the following questions: (1) At what distances could populations be connected? (2) What are the characteristics and probability of dispersal movements? (3) Do lesser prairie-chickens display exploratory and round-trip movements? (4) Do the characteristics of long-distance movements vary by site? Movements were examined from populations using satellite GPS transmitters across the entire distribution of the species in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. Dispersal movements were recorded up to 71 km net displacement, much farther than hitherto recorded. These distances suggest that there may be greater potential connectivity among populations than previously thought. Dispersal movements were displayed primarily by females and had a northerly directional bias. Dispersal probabilities ranged from 0.08 to 0.43 movements per year for both sexes combined, although these movements averaged only 16 km net displacement. Lesser prairie-chickens displayed both exploratory foray loops and round-trip movements. Half of round-trip movements appeared seasonal, suggesting a partial migration in some populations. None of the long-distance movements varied by study site. Data presented here will be important in parameterizing models assessing population viability and informing conservation planning, although further work is needed to identify landscape features that may reduce connectivity among populations. © 2016 Earl et al

Global Stability of a Premixed Reaction Zone (Time-Dependent Liñan’s Problem)

Global stability properties of a premixed, three-dimensional reaction zone are considered. In the nonadiabatic case (i.e., when there is a heat exchange between the reaction zone and the burned gases) there is a unique, spatially one-dimensional steady state that is shown to be unstable (respectively, asymptotically stable) if the reaction zone is cooled (respectively, heated) by the burned mixture. In the adiabatic case, there is a unique (up to spatial translations) steady state that is shown to be stable. In addition, the large-time asymptotic behavior of the solution is analyzed to obtain sufficient conditions on the initial data for stabilization. Previous partial numerical results on linear stability of one-dimensional reaction zones are thereby confirmed and extended