Synthesis of LiNiO2 cathode by the combustion method

To determine optimum conditions for the synthesis of LiNiO₂ by the combustion method, syntheses were carried out in air and under oxygen at various calcination temperatures and for different times. The electrochemical properties of the prepared samples were then investigated. The optimum conditions are preheating at 400 °C for 30 min in air in the mole ratio of urea to nitrate 3.6 and calcination at 750 °C for 36 h under O₂. The LiNiO₂ synthesized under these conditions had a first discharge capacity of 189 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C-rate and relatively good cycling performance. This sample has a larger value of I ₀₀₃/I ₁₀₄ (smaller cation mixing) and a smaller R-factor (larger hexagonal ordering). Cycling performance was investigated in various voltage ranges. The first discharge capacity increased as the upper limit of the voltage range rose. The first discharge capacity was small but cycling performance was good when the sample was cycled in the voltage range with the lowest upper limit.     

THE INFLUENCE OF AGING BEEF IN VACUUM

U.S. Choice grade beef loins and ribs were aged to determine the effect of vacuum packaging for 7 and 15 days at 32° and 40° F on sensory characteristics, microbial counts and weight loss. Vacuum packaging had no significant influence on tenderness, flavor and juiciness but produced a highly significant reduction in weight loss during aging. Surface bacterial counts were significantly less on the vacuum packaged portions than the portions not packaged.     

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE

This paper examines the epistemological impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and rejects some current trends of thought according to which AI should, and will in the future, merge into Cognitive Science (CS). It assesses the role of logic in AI and shows that many arguments directed against "classical" AI are based on a mistaken view of the actual contribution of logic to the field. After a brief discussion of connectionnism, it concludes that both AI and CS have a promising future, that the bridges between them should be reinforced, but that they are likely to remain distinct endeavors.     

Incremental planning using conceptual graphs

Abstract

When performing a planning or design task in many domains it is often difficult to specify in advance what the precise goals are. It is therefore useful to have a system in which the planning process is performed interactively, with the solution approaching the users' intent incrementally through iterations of the planning process. A planning system intended to function in this way must be able to take goal specifications interactively rather than all at once at the beginning of the planning process. The planning process then becomes one of satisfying new goals as they are given by the user, modifying as little as possible the results of previous planning work. Incremental planning is an approach to interactive planning problems that allows a system to create a plan incrementally, modifying a previous plan to satisfy new or more precise goal specifications. In this paper we present an incremental planning system called the general constraint system (GCS) that is based on the conceptual programming environment (CP) developed at New Mexico State University and we show an example of the use of the system for a simple civil engineering design problem     

Computer control of non-linear systems with varying performance criteria†

A non-linear system, or process whose parameters are adjustable, is considered.

The system is supposed to work under varying performance specifications. Stability is to be maintained at all times, of course. An algorithm combining Popov's stability criterion and a non-linear programming technique is proposed. Using this algorithm the system's parameters may be adjusted using a time-sharing console connected to a central computer and to the control system.

Examples of non-linear third- and fourth-order systems are solved in detail.

It is clear that the algorithm may be easily extended to higher-order systems.     

The Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses of Resident-Managed Public Housing Sites in the United States

ABSTRACT: The federal government has initiated an effort to encourage public housing residents to manage and own their developments. Notwithstanding the public attention resident management has received, there has been little research dealing with this subject. Reviewed in this article are the experiences of 11 developments that have resident management or whose residents would like to have it. Four major findings are discussed: (1) good housing authority and tenant relations do not necessarily produce effective resident management corporations (RMCs); (2) a few strong resident leaders do not produce effective RMCs; (3) sites with good ties to outside institutions are likely to fare better; and (4) sites with good community organizations tend to have more effective RMCs.     

Survival and Growth of Salmonella hadar on Minimally Processed Cabbage as Influenced by Storage Abuse Conditions

Shredded, washed and centrifuged cabbage was packaged in monooriented polypropylene (OPP) bags, inoculated with Salmonella hadar and stored 10 days at 4°C, 12°C and 20°C. Microbiological, appearance, odor and headspace gas analysis were evaluated throughout storage. S. hadar and mesophilic aerobic and psychrotrophic microorganism growth was affected by storage time and temperature. S. hadar counts were lower (p<0.05) at 4°C than at 12°C and 20°C. The score ratings for general appearance, wilting, browning and off-odor showed that all samples were commercially acceptable. Results indicated that S. hadar could survive and proliferate on minimally processed cabbage, thereby posing a potential hazard to consumers.     

CONTEXTUALIZING THE ARTISTIC DIVIDEND

Artists have been a central theme in recent debates about the causes of urban development. This article shifts attention to the question of context: in what sorts of places are artist concentrations most likely to stimulate the local economy? To tackle this question, we employ a Canadian national database of local amenities. This database includes roughly 1.8 million total amenities in 1,800 distinct categories, across every Canadian locality. By coding these amenity categories on 16 qualitative dimensions (like self‐expression, glamour, or neighborliness), we measure the specific cultural “scene” for each Canadian neighborhood. Our main findings are threefold. First, in general there is a strong correlation between artist populations and rising local wages. Second, this correlation is strengthened in more self‐expressive, glamorous, and charismatic scenes. Third, in contrast to artists, “creative professionals” are linked with lower local wage growth generally and in such scenes. Finally, synthesizing these results, we conclude with a comment about what it might mean for “bourgeois” and “bohemian” lifestyle preferences to become more tightly integrated in contemporary postindustrial contexts, offering evidence based on the location of artists, graphic designers, and advertising firms that processes of functional differentiation and interchange may provide a more compelling explanation than processes of fusion and conflict.     

Network Access Pricing and Deregulation

The paper addresses the question of pricing access to the networkfacilities of an incumbent firm after deregulation. Networkaccess pricing continues to be regulated in such industriesas telecommunications, railroads, eletric power and naturalgas. We emphasize that access prices should be set such thatthey satisfy an individual rationality condition for the incumbentfirm so that access is granted voluntarily. We examine the effectsof the voluntary access condition incentives for entry and showthat properly chosen access prices incentives for efficiententry using several alternative competition models: Bertrand–Nash,Cournot–Nash and competition Chamberlin with differentiatedproducts.