Radial localization of odors by human newborns.

To study sensitivity to radial location of an odor source, 20 human newborns, ranging from 16 to 130 hours of age, were presented with a small amount of ammonium hydroxide. The odor source was placed near the nose slightly to the left or right of midline, with its position randomized over repeated trails. Direction of headturn with respect to the odor location and diffuse motor activity were scored from the videotape recordings of the newborns' behavior. It was found that as a group, the newborns turned away from the odor source more frequently than they turned toward it. The tendency to turn away from the odor was stronger in infants who displayed less motor activity after the response. Newborns also exhibited a right bias in the direction of the head movements. It is concluded that a spatially appropriate avoidance response is present in the neonate and that the newborn is innately sensitive to the radial location of an odor.     

The relative efficacy of vestibular-proprioceptive stimulation and the upright position in enhancing visual pursuit in neonates.

48 healthy neonates born to multiparae were randomly assigned to view a moving stimulus either in the horizontal or the upright position, with or without added vestibular stimulation and with or without pacifier sucking. The infant was shown a moving black line inside a strictly controlled visual environment provided by an apparatus which permitted horizontal and upright positioning and displacement of the infant. Visual tracking was recorded by a concealed TV camera positioned at a constant distance and angle from the infants' eyes in both positions. Quality of tracking during each of 4 trials was scored on a 7-point scale. Results indicate that vestibularproprioceptive stimulation provided to the infant either horizontally or semivertically significantly enhanced his visual tracking, whereas the upright position did not. Pacifier sucking also improved his performace.     

An initial value method for solving Fredholm integral equation of the first kind

The difficulties in solving Fredholm integral equations of the first kind are well known. A classical method has been to convert the equation into a set of m linear algebraic equations in n unknowns (m?n). For computational convenience, it is customary to force m = n and solve the resulting ill-conditioned system using one technique or other. In the general case, a feasible solution, if it exists, can be found by determining the generalized inverse of the coefficient matrix. One method of finding the generalized inverse is to reformulate the problem and observe the steady state response of a system of ordinary differential equations with prescribed initial conditions. Results obtained from this reformulation are found to be comparable in quality to those obtained earlier by other methods. Analog and digital computer implementations are discussed.     

The mathematical education of engineers

Mathematics has always played an important role in the education of engineers and production managers. At the present time, the importance of mathematics has increased significantly and it is quite natural that in universities around the world engineering students are taking courses in mathematics which constitute, as a rule, a significant portion of their programme. At the same time, however, the mathematical education of the engineer is far from ideal and its improvement deserves the closest scrutiny. The present article deals with several general aspects of this problem.     

Fact and fantasy in chemical analysis

Chemical analysis is now so precise and sophisticated a science that it is difficult to appreciate that scarcely a century ago its deficiencies were a cause for public scandal. This article reviews some of the main causes for complaint and how they were remedied.