Severe food deprivation: Some thoughts regarding its exclusive use.

Despite the current interest in biological constraints on learning and the accompanying attacks on a generalist approach to the study of learning and motivation, little attention has been given to the possibility that severe food deprivation might have specific unconditioned effects on S's behavior. Some evidence from the literature is presented in support of this contention, and hypotheses regarding the effects of severe food deprivation are presented. The free behavior situation is suggested as an alternative to the traditional experimental design as a method for the investigation of this question. The results of initial studies using this design are not entirely compatible with many generally accepted concepts of learning and motivation. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diode-pumped, room-temperature Tm:LuAG laser

A diode-pumped, room-temperature Tm:LuAG laser demonstrated a total optical-to-optical efficiency of 0.073 and an optical-to-optical differential efficiency as high as 0.236. Laser performance and operating wavelength were investigated as a function of the Tm concentration. The highest laser output energy was achieved with a Tm concentration of 0.04 and at a wavelength of 2.0238 μm.     

Programmable optical logic systems using free-space optical interconnections

A free-space optical logic technique is presented that utilizes a two-dimensional array of diffractive optical elements. Each optical element focuses light to multiple, separate positions in the output focal plane. The focal spots from different optical elements are allowed to overlap spatially, resulting in interference. By changing the phase shift between the optical elements, one can create different optical logic operations in the focal plane. The technique is demonstrated by the use of two input beams incident onto a multiplexed optical element written onto a programmable spatial light modulator. The optical element simultaneously creates both AND and XOR logic functions in the output plane.     

Dose rates from the induced activity in the ETF neutral beam injector

The dose equivalent rates outside the Engineering Test Facility neutral beam injector shield from the induced radioactivity have been calculated for the reactor operating at 1140 MW for 1, 30, and 365 days. The dose rates at one day after shutdown are large even after one day of operation. Depending on the location and operating time, cooling times from 30 days to 5 years are required before the dose rates are sufficiently low to allow routine maintenance work in the vicinity of the NBI shield.     

Limitations and potential improvement of the aircraft pavement strength rating system to protect airport asphalt surfaces

A pavement strength rating system is internationally adopted in order to protect aircraft pavements from inadvertent overload. The system has two elements. The primary element is designed to protect the pavement against subgrade rutting and the second is intended to protect asphalt pavement surfaces. The surface-protection element is arbitrary and empirical, placing category-based limits on aircraft tyre pressures. In 2008, increases in the tyre pressure limits were proposed by aircraft manufacturers and these were approved in 2013. The research reported in this paper assesses the impact of tyre pressure and individual wheel load increases on calculated flexible pavement stress indicators, as well as identifying an improved surface layer protection element. Stresses were calculated near the surface, at the surface layer interface and at the subgrade. Tyre pressure and wheel load combinations included current (18 t and 1.35 MPa), imminent (33 t and 1.75 MPa) and future (40 t and 2.15 MPa) aircraft. Surface layer stress increased significantly (20–30%) with increases in both tyre pressure and wheel load. The subgrade stress increased near-equally (97%) with wheel load but was insensitive (<1%) to tyre pressure changes. The ability of the current aircraft pavement strength rating system to protect pavements from the increasing demands of aircraft was demonstrated to be limited to the subgrade. It is recommended that the tyre pressure rating be amended to reflect the combined impact of both tyre pressure rating and individual wheel load. It is also recommended that ongoing efforts to incorporate additional asphalt surface failure modes into routine pavement design be given high priority. The importance of these issues is reinforced by the limited availability of remedies to counter any negative impacts of increased surface layer stresses, especially in hot climates.     

Evaluation of a polyolefin coated urea (Meister) as a fertilizer for irrigated cotton

The effectiveness of two polyolefin coated products, ‘Meister 70’ and ‘Meister 270’, as slow-release sources of nitrogen (N) for irrigated cotton, and uncoated calcium carbide as a source of acetylene to inhibit nitrification of urea-N and reduce losses by denitrification were studied. The crop was grown on a grey clay in the Namoi Valley of north western New South Wales. The fertilisers were applied at 50 and 150 kg N/ha, combined factorialy with two application times, either pre- or post-sowing. Meister 270 did not release N fast enough to supply the plant’s requirements, and is not recommended as a source of N for cotton. Meister 70 was worthy of further study as a pre-sowing source of N because it maintained a higher concentration of ammonium in the soil for longer than urea, resulted in lower soil nitrate concentrations at all times, and increased the apparent recovery efficiency of fertilizer N. The uncoated calcium carbide was not as effective as the wax-coated material tested in previous studies.