Editorial

Abstract

Defining and measuring sustainability is a major challenge. This article argues these limitations need not stop us from trying to identify and value the possible impacts of what we are doing, or are thinking about doing, over time periods much longer than the lives of our investments, or even of the lives of those of us living today. Sustainability is a relative concept that must be applied in an environment undergoing multiple changes, changes that are occurring over different temporal and spatial scales. We depend on our water resource systems for our survival and welfare. Yet no one expects them to be restored to, or survive in, their most productive pristine states in the face of increasing development pressures for land in their watersheds and for water in their streams, rivers, lakes, and aquifers. A continuing task of water resource planners and managers is to identify the multiple impacts and tradeoffs resulting from what we who are living today may wish to do for ourselves and our immediate children and what we can only guess our yet-to-be-born descendants may wish us to do, or not do, for them in some distant future. This task must involve professionals from other disciplines in a context much broader than just water management. Once these impacts and tradeoffs are identified, it is then up to the political process to make choices when they are in conflict. All of us need to be a part of this decision-making process.     

Portable Device for Detection of Petit Mal Epilepsy

We have developed and tested a portable device that analyzes the electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine if petit mal epilepsy waveforms are present. Clinicians should rimd it useful in diagnosing seizure activity of their patients. The micropower, battery-operated, portable device indicates a seizure has occurred if three criteria are satisfied: 1) frequencies of 2.5-7 Hz, 2) large amplitude waves, and 3) minimum number of waves per second. Levels and counts are adjustable, thus insuring high reliability against noise artifacts and permitting each subject to be individually fitted. The device has shown promise in giving the patient a possible mechanism of seizure control or suppression.     

Critical currents of SNS junctions with Cu:Mn and Cu:Ni barriers

Critical supercurrent densities j _c have been measured for Pb-Cu₉₁Ni₉-Pb and Pb-Cu_99.8Mn_0.2-Pb junctions over the temperature range 1.3<T<4.2K. Diffraction patterns for the junctions indicate highly uniform current densities in the non-self-field-limited regime. The data for the Cu:Ni barriers provide some indication of a spin-flip depairing temperature% MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-qqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xHapdbiqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeqySdeMaey% ypa0JaeS4dHGMaai4laiaaikdacqaHapaCcaWGRbWaaSbaaSqaaiaa% dkeadaahaaadbeqaaiabes8a0naaBaaabaGaam4CaaqabaaaaaWcbe% aakiabgIKi7kaaiodacaqGGaacbaGaa83saaaa!4613!\[\alpha = \hbar /2\pi k_{B^{\tau _s } } \approx 3{\rm{ }}K\]and the data for Cu:Mn provide some indication of an 15 K; the measured supercurrent densities, however, are only approximately represented by the derived expression % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-qqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xHapdbiqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaacbaGaa8NAam% aaBaaaleaacaWFdbaabeaakiaacIcacaWFubGaaiykaiabg2da9iaa% -jeaieGacaGFLbGaa4hEaiaa+bhacaGF7bGaeyOeI0Iaeq4SdCMaai% ikaiaa-rfacqGHRaWkcqaHXoqycaGGPaGaai4laiaa-rfadaWgaaWc% baGaa83qaaqabaGcdaahaaWcbeqaaiaaigdacaGGVaGaaGOmaaaaki% aac2faaaa!4CEE!\[j_C (T) = Bexp\{ - \gamma (T + \alpha )/T_C ^{1/2} ]\]. The data for Cu:Mn fit the empirically determined % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-qqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xHapdbiqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaacbaGaa8NAam% aaBaaaleaacaWFJbaabeaakiaacIcacaWFubGaaiykaiabg2da9iaa% dQgacaGGOaGaaGimaiaacMcaieGacaGFLbGaa4hEaiaa+bhacaGGBb% GaeyOeI0IaeqOSdiMaaiikaiaa-rfacaGGVaGaa8hvamaaBaaaleaa% caWGJbaabeaakiaacMcadaahaaWcbeqaaiaaiodacaGGVaGaaGOmaa% aakiaac2faaaa!4CD0!\[j_c (T) = j(0)exp[ - \beta (T/T_c )^{3/2} ]\]much better; there is, however, no apparent theoretical basis for this expression. The measured junction resistances are 50% higher than the values implied by the measured resistivity of the barrier material for both the Cu:Ni and the Cu:Mn; this excess resistance is presumably contributed by the two S-N interfaces.Work supported by the Atomic Energy Commission and by NSF Grant DMR 74-23661.     

A general bayes rule and its application to nonlinear estimation

This paper consists of two main results, a general Bayes rule, and a general Bucy representation theorem. The general Bayes rule is a natural generalization of the elementary Bayes rule:

$\text{P(A}\text{B)}\text{P(A)}\text{=}\text{P(B}\text{A)}\text{P(B)}$

. The general Bucy representation theorem plays a central role in nonlinear estimation theory as does the Bucy theorem in nonlinear filtering. A simple and direct proof of the general Bucy representation theorem is obtained by the application of the general Bayes rule.     

Description of Structural Damage Caused by the Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon

On September 11, 2001, an airliner was intentionally crashed into the Pentagon. It struck at the first elevated slab on the west wall, and slid approximately 310?ft (94.5?m) diagonally into the building. The force of the collision demolished numerous columns and the fa?ade of the exterior wall, and induced damage to first-floor columns and the first elevated slab over an area approximately 90?ft (27.4?m) wide and 310?ft (94.5?m) long. None of the building collapsed immediately. The portion that remained standing, even after an intense fire, sustained substantial damage at the first-floor level.     

Sex, Age, and Training Modulate Spatial Memory in the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta).

The authors tested 90 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on a task of spatial memory, the spatial Delayed Recognition Span Test. The results showed that performance declined significantly with age, males had greater scores than females, and the rate of apparent decline with age was greater in males than in females. Both working and reference memory declined with age, but only working memory showed sex differences. The authors compared these data with that of 22 monkeys who were trained on a simpler version of the task before formal testing. Training had no effect on males but dramatically improved working memory in young females. The results confirm a male advantage in spatial working memory at a young age and confirm a greater decline with age in males than in females. It is important to note that prior training completely reverses the deficits of young females. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)