Semantic priming after severe closed head trauma: Automatic and attentional processes.

The 2-process theory of semantic priming (J. H. Neely, 1977; M. I. Posner and C. R. Snyder, 1975) was used to determine the maintenance of automatic processes after severe closed head injury (CHI) and to determine whether processes that demand attention suffer a deficit. Ss with severe CHI (N?=?18,?>?2 yrs postinjury) and 18 matched control Ss completed a lexical decision task in which a category prime was followed by a target. Automatic and attentional priming were determined by orthogonally varying prime–target relatedness, expectancy, and stimulus onset asynchrony. Although the CHI Ss had slower reaction times (RTs) overall, there were no significant group differences in the magnitude of either the automatic or attentional component of semantic priming. The present results indicate the integrity of semantic processes and normal semantic priming in long-term patients with severe CHI. The results are discussed in relation to an attentional resource hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring knowledge transfer between fields of science

In this paper we report on the results of an exploratory study of knowledge exchange between disciplines and subfields of science, based on bibliometric methods. The goal of this analysis is twofold. Firstly, we consider knowledge exchange between disciplines at a global level, by analysing cross-disciplinary citations in journal articles, based on the world publication output in 1999. Among others a central position of the Basic Life Sciences within the Life Sciences and of Physics within the Exact Sciences is shown. Limitations of analyses of interdisciplinary impact at the journal level are discussed. A second topic is a discussion of measures which may be used to quantify the rate of knowledge transfer between fields and the importance of work in a given field or for other disciplines. Two measures are applied, which appear to be proper indicators of impact of research on other fields. These indicators of interdisciplinary impact may be applied at other institutional levels as well. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A 3D contact smoothing method using Gregory patches

In this work, a method is developed for smoothing three‐dimensional contact surfaces. The method can be applied to both regular and irregular meshes. The algorithm employs Gregory patches to interpolate finite element nodes and provide tangent plane continuity between adjacent patches. The resulting surface interpolation is used to calculate gaps and contact forces, in a variationally consistent way, such that contact forces due to normal and frictional contact vary smoothly as slave nodes transition from one patch to the next. This eliminates the ‘chatter’ which typically occurs in a standard contact algorithm when a slave node is situated near a master facet edge. The elimination of this chatter provides a significant improvement in convergence behaviour, which is illustrated by a number of numerical examples. Furthermore, smoothed surfaces also provide a more accurate representation of the actual surface, such that resulting stresses and forces can be more accurately computed with coarse meshes in many problems. This fact is also demonstrated by the numerical examples. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coliphage prevalence in high school septic effluent and associated ground water

At the present time, somatic and male-specific coliphage and human enterovirus groups are being considered as indicators of possible pathogenic human enteric virus contamination from fecal contamination. A primary attribute for any indicator of fecal contamination is its prevalence at the source and in associated ground water. It must be consistently found in the source material at concentrations that are measurable with available techniques. Over a period of ten months, male-specific and somatic coliphage ranged from 7000 to 4,000,000 PFU/L in the effluent from a multi-user septic-tank. Unlike the values determined for septic-tank effluent, coliphage concentrations measured in ground water over this same period only varied by five-fold. Coliphage concentration in ground water under the down-gradient edge of the drainfield contained 1000 PFU/L. This concentration decreased at −1 log₁₀/5 m during 17.4 m of ground-water transport. From these data, coliphage concentrations in septic-tank effluent seem sufficient to allow their use as indicators of fecal contamination in ground water.     

DIDS: rapidly prototyping configuration design systems

The domain independent design system (DIDS) provides a set of tools for rapidly constructing new configuration design systems from a library of reusable software elements called mechanisms. A DIDS user begins by creating a model of the problem domain and the task to be automated. This includes describing a library of parts from which new artifacts could be configured, optimization and preference criteria, and functionality constraints. DIDS analyzes this input and automatically builds an operational prototype system by selecting and combining mechanisms. DIDS' ability to automate this process is derived from its model of configuration design, which enables reusable mechanisms to be identified and automatically selected based on a problem's characteristics. The use of DIDS is illustrated by showing how DIDS solved an elevator-configuration problem.     

Responses of practicing psychologists to a web site developed to promote empirically supported treatments.

Increased adoption of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) has been hindered in part by inadequate and inconvenient access to EST information and training. To improve diffusion of ESTs, the authors developed a Web application to provide practitioners with concise information by disorder on ESTs. The resulting site, therapyadvisor.com, was evaluated by 239 practicing psychologists to assess the usefulness of the site and explore possible interactions of EST attitudes on ratings of usefulness and impact. Two thirds of participants indicated using ESTs in practice, and limited time and resources were cited as primary barriers to EST adoption. The Web application was rated positively by most participants and was reported to increase awareness of and commitment to try ESTs among approximately 60% of participants. The results of this project support the feasibility of a Web application to increase diffusion and promote further adoption of ESTs. Technological and e-learning advances are promising directions for encouraging the adoption of ESTs specifically and evidence-based practice generally, particularly among busy practitioners who have inadequate time and resources for more traditional forms of dissemination and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vandermonde and resultant matrices: An abstract approach

We propose an abstract approach to the problems of common divisors and common multiples of rational matrix functions which (in the case of matrix polynomials) have been studied before using Vandermonde and resultant matrices.Supported in part by the Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the National Science Foundation.The work of this author was partially supported by an NSF grant and was carried out while visiting the University of California, San Diego.