Multifactorial assessment of bulimia nervosa.

Investigated a multifactorial approach to the assessment of bulimia nervosa by means of hierarchical factor analysis. 245 bulimia nervosa patients and 68 patients with either anorexia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified were administered a self-report battery that was organized into 21 dimensions relevant to eating disorder patients. When dimensions from this battery were subjected to hierarchical factor analysis, support for bulimia nervosa as a unique diagnostic category was obtained. However, the emergence of 3 secondary factors and 6 primary factors suggests that bulimia nervosa can also be described more complexly. The emergence of a multifactorial model of bulimia nervosa that incorporates several existing unidimensional models suggests the potential for both divergent and complicated clinical presentation in bulimia nervosa patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with preharvest leaf lettuce upon exposure to contaminated irrigation water.

Recent foodborne outbreaks have linked infection by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) serotype O157:H7 to the consumption of contaminated lettuce. Contamination via food handler error and on-the-farm contamination are thought to be responsible for several outbreaks. Though recent studies have examined the application of EHEC to store-bought lettuce, little is known about the attachment of EHEC to growing plants. We investigated the association of lettuce seedlings with EHEC O157:H7 strains implicated in lettuce or fruit outbreaks using hydroponic and soil model systems. EHEC strains that express the green fluorescent protein were observed by stereomicroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to determine adherence patterns on growing lettuce seedlings. Bacteria adhered preferentially to plant roots in both model systems and to seed coats in the hydroponic system. Two of five nonpathogenic E. coli strains showed decreased adherence to seedling roots in the hydroponic system. EHEC was associated with plants in as few as 3 days in soil, and contamination levels were dose-dependent. EHEC levels associated with young plants inoculated with a low dose suggested that the bacteria had multiplied. These data suggest that preharvest crop contamination via contaminated irrigation water can occur through plant roots.     

A genetic algorithm for the optimisation of assembly sequences

This paper describes a Genetic Algorithm (GA) designed to optimise the Assembly Sequence Planning Problem (ASPP), an extremely diverse, large scale and highly constrained combinatorial problem. The modelling of the ASPP problem, which has to be able to encode any industrial-size product with realistic constraints, and the GA have been designed to accommodate any type of assembly plan and component. A number of specific modelling issues necessary for understanding the manner in which the algorithm works and how it relates to real-life problems, are succinctly presented, as they have to be taken into account/adapted/solved prior to Solving and Optimising (S/O) the problem. The GA has a classical structure but modified genetic operators, to avoid the combinatorial explosion. It works only with feasible assembly sequences and has the ability to search the entire solution space of full-scale, unabridged problems of industrial size. A case study illustrates the application of the proposed GA for a 25-components product.     

A GRL-compliant iStar extension for collaborative cyber-physical systems

Requirements Engineering - Collaborative cyber-physical systems are capable of forming networks at runtime to achieve goals that are unachievable for individual systems. They do so by connecting to...     

Homodyne detection and positive operator-valued measures

We describe the homodyne detector in terms of positive operator-valued measures (POV-measures) and show that in the limit the homodyne detector reproduces the detector of quadrature phase amplitude of a signal field.Work supported in part by The State Committee for Scientific Research, under the project no. 2 0227 91 01.     

Stretching and deformation vibrations of CH2, C(CH3) and O(CH3) groups of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Infrared and Raman spectra of atactic PMMA and infrared spectra of stereoregular PMMA and of its four deuterated derivatives

, were measured. They were used to assign the bands of stretching and deformation vibrations of CH₂, CCH₃ and OCH₃ groups in the infrared and Raman spectra and to discuss the effect of stereoregularity on these bands in the infrared spectra.     

‘<Emphasis Type="Italic">if p then q</Emphasis>’ . . . and all that: Logical Elements in Reasoning and Discourse

In this paper we explore differences in use of the so-called ‘logical’ elements of language such as quantifiers and conditionals, and use this to explain differences in performance in reasoning tasks across subject groups with different educational backgrounds. It is argued that quantified sentences are difficult natural bases for reasoning, and hence more prone to elicit variation in reasoning behaviour, because they are chiefly used with a pre-determined domain in everyday speech. By contrast, it is argued that conditional sentences form natural premises because of the function they serve in everyday speech. Implications of this for the role of logic in modelling human reasoning behaviour are briefly considered.     

The smart car seat: personalized monitoring of vital signs in automotive applications

Embedded wireless sensors are important components of mobile distributed computing networks, and one of the target applications areas is health care. The preservation of mobility for senior citizens is one of the key issues in maintaining an independent lifestyle. Thus health technologies inside a car can contribute both to safety issues (supervision of driver fitness) as well as healthcare issues by monitoring vitals signs imperceptibly. In this paper, three embedded measurement techniques for non-contact monitoring of vital signals have been investigated. Specifically, capacitive electrocardiogram (cECG) monitoring, mechanical movement analysis (ballistocardiogram, BCG) using piezo-foils and inductive impedance monitoring were examined regarding their potential for integration into car seats. All three sensing techniques omit the need for electroconductive contact to the human body, but require defined mechanical boundary conditions (stable distances or, in the case of BCG, frictional connection). The physical principles of operation, the specific boundary conditions regarding automotive integration and the results during wireless operation in a running car are presented. All three sensors were equipped with local intelligence by incorporating a microcontroller. To eliminate the need for additional cabling, a wireless Bluetooth communication module was added and used to transmit data to a measurement PC. Finally, preliminary results obtained during test drives on German city roads and highways are discussed.     

Organizational Norm Congruency and Interpersonal Familiarity in E‐Mail: Examining Messages From Two Different Status Perspectives

Relying on SIDE theory, this 2 × 2 experimental design tested the effects of adherence to organizational norms and interpersonal familiarity in e‐mail messages from both superior and subordinate perspectives. Results reveal that using norm‐congruent e‐mail messages account for over 50% of the variance in both superior and subordinate attitudes toward the message and between 30% and 56% of the variance in perceptions of source credibility. Data from the superiors indicate that norm congruent e‐mail messages account for 14.4% of the variance in message compliance. Results from subordinates reveal an interaction effect that is consistent with SIDE‐based predictions. Subordinates believe superiors are most likely to comply with e‐mail requests from unfamiliar subordinates that are crafted in a manner congruent with organizational norms.     

A Pattern-Matching Compiler

Implementation of a rule-based transformation engine consists of several tasks with various abstraction levels. We present a new tool called mtom for the efficient implementation of rule-based transformations. This engine should help to bridge the gap between rewriting implementations and practical applications. It aims at implementing well-identified parts of complex applications where the use of rewriting is natural or crucial. These parts are specified using rewrite rules and integrated with the rest of the application, which is kept in a classical imperative language such as C, C++ or Java. Our tool, which can be viewed as a Yacc-like pre-processor, does not depend on a given term representation, rather it accepts implementation of terms (or term like data-types) of yet existing applications and it permits to define and execute rewrite rules upon those types. From our experiences, this system is well-suited for industrial use as well as for implementations of rule-based languages. The paper introduces several features supported by mtom.