Federating Process-Centered Environments: The Oz Experience

We describe two models for federating process-centered environments (PCEs): homogeneous federation among distinct instances of the same environment framework enacting the same or different process models, and heterogeneous federation among diverse process enactment systems. We identify the requirements and consider possible architectures for each model, although we concentrate primarily on the homogeneous case. The bulk of the paper presents our choice of architecture, and corresponding infrastructure, for homogeneous federation among MARVEL environment instances as realized in the OZ system. We briefly consider how a single MARVEL environment, or an OZ federation of MARVEL environments, might be integrated into a heterogeneous federation based on ProcessWall's facilities for interoperating PCEs.     

"Assessment of environment-therapy systems: The Group Atmosphere Scale": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by S. Silbergeld et al(Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 1975[Aug], Vol 43[4], 460-469). On page 467, the profiles for Figures 1 and 2 were inadvertently reversed. The profiles for Groups C2 and T1 should be placed in Figure 1; those for Groups T1 and TS, in Figure 2. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1975-28112-001). Describes the Group Atmosphere Scale (GAS) which was developed to measure systematically the psychosocial environment of therapy groups. 12 content subscales, each containing 10 true-false items, assess the consensual psychosocial environment. Several of these serve as indicators of group cohesion and conformity. GAS analyses were based upon data from 149 members of 17 therapy groups. The GAS differentiated among 3 modalities of therapy: academic counseling, long-term psychotherapy, and short-term intervention. Within each treatment modality, the GAS distinguished among different therapy groups. Since identical dimensions have been used to measure psychiatric ward and classroom atmospheres, the GAS makes feasible a comparison of psychosocial environment for diversified milieus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does activation really spread?

Examined 3 versions of the spreading activation model for retrieval of information from memory and derived predictions for activation spreading down a linear network structure as a function of time. To test these predictions, 2 experiments were performed with 60 undergraduates in which facilitation as a function of time was measured for target words in a linearly structured paragraph. A target word was primed either by a word near the target in the paragraph structure or by a word far from the target. Results show that, as predicted, facilitation begins at about the same time for the far and near conditions. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brainstorming procedure, group size, and sex as determinants of the problem-solving effectiveness of groups and individuals.

Used a 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 analysis of variance to assess (a) a modified brainstorming procedure in which a physical environmental influence was concordant with the task vs standard brainstorming, (b) sex of group (males vs females), (c) size of group (4 Ss vs 7 Ss), and (d) type of group (real vs nominal). The effect of the brainstorming treatments on males and females as individuals was also assessed. Ss were students in introductory psychology courses. The environmental concordance treatment reduced the effectiveness of the nominal groups but had no effect on real groups or individuals. Sex interacted with treatment, group size and type of group. 7-person, nominal groups outperformed 4-person, nominal groups, but there was no size effect for real groups. Nominal groups outperformed real groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Season of birth and schizophrenia: A response to the Lewis and Griffin critique.

A number of studies have suggested that schizophrenics are particularly likely to have been born in the winter months. M. S. Lewis and T. A. Griffin (1981) have argued that this "seasonality" effect may be an artifact resulting from (a) the use of inappropriate expected values in calculating chi-squares; (b) the age–incidence effect—the tendency of risk to increase with time in disorders whose incidence increases with age; and (c) the age–prevalence effect—the fact that people born early in a reporting period have been at risk for any disease longer than those born later in that period. The birth months of 3,556 schizophrenics at a Minnesota VA hospital were studied before and after instituting corrections in expected values for year-to-year across-month variations in birthrates and for the age-prevalence bias toward the January–March seasonality effect. Data on a subset of patients in whom the age–incidence effect should be minimal were reanalyzed. Even after these corrections, results support the contention that the winter birthrate for schizophrenics is excessive, at least in severe climates. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental contaminants and biomarker responses in fish from the Columbia River and its tributaries: spatial and temporal trends

Fish were collected from 16 sites on rivers in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) from September 1997 to April 1998 to document temporal and spatial trends in the concentrations of accumulative contaminants and to assess contaminant effects on the fish. Sites were located on the mainstem of the Columbia River and on the Snake, Willamette, Yakima, Salmon, and Flathead Rivers. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), black bass (Micropterus sp.), and largescale sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus) were the targeted species. Fish were field-examined for external and internal lesions, selected organs were weighed to compute somatic indices, and tissue and fluid samples were preserved for fish health and reproductive biomarker analyses. Composite samples of whole fish, grouped by species and gender, from each site were analyzed for organochlorine and elemental contaminants using instrumental methods and for 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin-like activity (TCDD-EQ) using the H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay. Overall, pesticide concentrations were greatest in fish from lower CRB sites and elemental concentrations were greatest in fish from upper CRB sites. These patterns reflected land uses. Lead (Pb) concentrations in fish from the Columbia River at Northport and Grand Coulee, Washington (WA) exceeded fish and wildlife toxicity thresholds (>0.4 microg/g). Selenium (Se) concentrations in fish from the Salmon River at Riggins, Idaho (ID), the Columbia River at Vernita Bridge, WA, and the Yakima River at Granger, WA exceeded toxicity thresholds for piscivorous wildlife (>0.6 microg/g). Mercury (Hg) concentrations in fish were elevated throughout the basin but were greatest (>0.4 microg/g) in predatory fish from the Salmon River at Riggins, ID, the Yakima River at Granger, WA, and the Columbia River at Warrendale, Oregon (OR). Residues of p,p'-DDE were greatest (>0.8 microg/g) in fish from agricultural areas of the Snake, Yakima, and Columbia River basins but were not detected in upper CRB fish. Other organochlorine pesticides did not exceed toxicity thresholds in fish or were detected infrequently. Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs; >0.11 microg/g) and TCDD-EQs (>5 pg/g) exceeded wildlife guidelines in fish from the middle and lower CRB, and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity was also elevated at many of the same sites. Temporal trend analysis indicated decreasing or stable concentrations of Pb, Se, Hg, p,p'-DDE, and PCBs at most sites where historical data were available. Altered biomarkers were noted in fish throughout the CRB. Fish from some stations had responded to chronic contaminant exposure as indicated by fish health and reproductive biomarker results. Although most fish from some sites had grossly visible external or internal lesions, histopathological analysis determined these to be inflammatory responses associated with helminth or myxosporidian parasites. Many largescale sucker from the Columbia River at Northport and Grand Coulee, WA had external lesions and enlarged spleens, which were likely associated with infections. Intersex male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were found in the Snake River at Lewiston, ID and the Columbia River at Warrendale, OR. Male bass, carp, and largescale sucker containing low concentrations of vitellogenin were common in the CRB, and comparatively high concentrations (>0.3 mg/mL) were measured in male fish from the Flathead River at Creston, Montana, the Snake River at Ice Harbor Dam, WA, and the Columbia River at Vernita Bridge, WA and Warrendale, OR. Results from our study and other investigations indicate that continued monitoring in the CRB is warranted to identify consistently degraded sites and those with emerging problems.     

Environmental contaminants and biomarker responses in fish from the Rio Grande and its U.S. tributaries: spatial and temporal trends

We collected, examined, and analyzed 368 fish of seven species from 10 sites on rivers of the Rio Grande Basin (RGB) during late 1997 and early 1998 to document temporal and geographic trends in the concentrations of accumulative contaminants and to assess contaminant effects on the fish. Sites were located on the mainstem of the Rio Grande and on the Arroyo Colorado and Pecos River in Texas (TX), New Mexico (NM), and Colorado. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were the targeted species. Fish were examined in the field for internal and external visible gross lesions, selected organs were weighed to compute ponderal and organosomatic indices, and samples of tissues and fluids were obtained and preserved for analysis of fish health and reproductive biomarkers. Whole fish from each station were composited by species and gender and analyzed for organochlorine chemical residues and elemental contaminants using instrumental methods, and for 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin-like activity (TCDD-EQ) using the H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay. Overall, fish from lower RGB stations contained greater concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues and appeared to be less healthy than those from sites in the central and upper parts of the basin, as indicated by a general gradient of residue concentrations and biomarker responses. A minimal number of altered biomarkers and few or no elevated contaminant concentrations were noted in fish from the upper RGB. The exception was elevated concentrations [up to 0.46 microg/g wet-weight (ww)] of total mercury (Hg) in predatory species from the Rio Grande at Elephant Butte Reservoir, NM, a condition documented in previous studies. Arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) concentrations were greatest in fish from sites in the central RGB; Se concentrations in fish from the Pecos River at Red Bluff Lake, TX and from the Rio Grande at Langtry, TX and Amistad International Reservoir, TX exceeded published fish and wildlife toxicity thresholds. In the lower RGB, residues of p,p'-DDT metabolites (相似文献   

Graphical enhancement to support PCA-based process monitoring and fault diagnosis

Principal component analysis (PCA) for process modeling and multivariate statistical techniques for monitoring, fault detection, and diagnosis are becoming more common in published research, but are still underutilized in practice. This paper summarizes an in-depth case study on a chemical process with 20 monitored process variables, one of which reflects product quality. The analysis is performed using the PLS - Toolbox 2.01 with MATLAB, augmented with software which automates the analysis and implements a statistical enhancement that uses confidence limits on the residuals of each variable for fault detection rather than just confidence limits on an overall residual. The newly developed graphical interface identifies and displays each variable's contribution to the faulty behavior of the process; and it aids greatly in analyzing results. The case study analyzed within shows that using the statistical enhancement can reduce the fault detection time, and the automated graphical interface implements the enhancement easily.