Looking down on human intelligence.

Replies to comments by R. J. Sternberg (1997) and D. A. Washburn and D. M. Rumbaugh (1997) on the authors' (I. J. Deary and C. Stough, see record 83-29472) article regarding the use of inspection time as a measure of intelligence. The authors focus their responses on Sternberg's criticisms of their work, and reiterate their position that inspection time is unique with regard to its combination of level of correlation, simplicity, and theoretical tractability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Focusing attention on objects of interest using multiple matchedfilters

In order to be of use to scientists, large image databases need to be analyzed to create a catalog of the objects of interest. One approach is to apply a multiple tiered search algorithm that uses reduction techniques of increasing computational complexity to select the desired objects from the database. The first tier of this type of algorithm, often called a focus of attention (FOA) algorithm, selects candidate regions from the image data and passes them to the next tier of the algorithm. In this paper we present a new approach to FOA that employs multiple matched filters (MMF), one for each object prototype, to detect the regions of interest. The MMFs are formed using k-means clustering on a set of image patches identified by domain experts as positive examples of objects of interest. An innovation of the approach is to radically reduce the dimensionality of the feature space, used by the k-means algorithm, by taking block averages (spoiling) the sample image patches. The process of spoiling is analyzed and its applicability to other domains is discussed. The combination of the output of the MMFs is achieved through the projection of the detections back into an empty image and then thresholding. This research was motivated by the need to detect small volcanos in the Magellan probe data from Venus. An empirical evaluation of the approach illustrates that a combination of the MMF plus the average filter results in a higher likelihood of 100% detection of the objects of interest at a lower false positive rate than a single matched filter alone.     

A methodology for improving enterprise performance by analysing worker capabilities via simulation

In this paper we outline a methodology for improving the overall performance of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) by analysing worker capabilities through simulation and modelling. We firstly examine key performance indicators (KPIs) of the SME in its as-is state. The primary KPIs we examine are the resource constraint metrics (RCMs) and customer misery index (CMI). The RCMs help to identify the skill that is the biggest contributor to the overall system constrainedness. The CMI is a measure of customer demand satisfaction. By increasing the supply of the most heavily constrained skill we should increase the flow of work orders through the system, which will in turn result in a reduced CMI, or at least provide a potential for more work orders to flow through the system. We run a set of experiments on data from a real factory, which upgrades the skill sets of workers with the most heavily constrained skill, and then we look at the system improvement. The overall impact of this experimental methodology is that it can make recommendations to an organisation about which worker to upgrade with which skill, and how the training should be implemented, to yield the optimal improvement to the enterprise.     

Effect of saponins on the foam/flow properties of paste and physical characteristics of akara made from decorticated black‐eyed cowpeas

Akara, a deep‐fat‐fried cowpea paste product, is a popular snack food in West Africa. Foaming capacity of the cowpea paste is important for achieving a spongy light‐textured fried product. The effect of two saponins, Yucca and Quillaja, on the foaming capacity of cowpea paste was investigated. Results showed that an increase in the amount of saponin added (1, 2, 4%) resulted in a decrease in specific gravity and apparent viscosity of the cowpea paste. Addition of saponin also significantly reduced the firmness and increased the cohesiveness of the akara compared with the control. Akara made using the Quillaja saponin was less firm and more cohesive than akara made using the Yucca saponin. An increase in the amount of saponin added to the cowpea paste resulted in a darker (lower L*) and browner colour of akara. However, akara containing 1% Yucca saponin had similar colour attributes to the control but was less firm and more cohesive. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Occupational stress in Australian university staff: Results from a national survey.

This article presents results from a study of occupational stress in Australian university staff. The authors report data on psychological strain and job satisfaction from nearly 9,000 respondents at 17 universities. Academic staff were generally worse off than general staff, and staff in newer universities were worse off than those in older universities. At the aggregate level, self-report measures of psychological well-being were highly correlated with objective measures of university well-being (investment income, student-staff ratios, and recent cuts in staffing levels and in government operating grants). The authors conclude that the financial difficulties imposed on Australian universities in recent years are having serious consequences for the psychological well-being of their staff, particularly academic staff (faculty). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

采用固态软起动器降低供电设施容量

在上海宜山路泵站的设计和建设中，通过采用中压固态软起动器起动大功率水泵，从而减少了供电设施的容器，达到减少投资和减少运行电费的效果，本文对此进行了分析和总结，并比较了固态软起动器与水电阻两种方案。降低供电设施容量使之与用电设备容量接近，也是降低单位国内生产总值的能源消耗的一项重要措施。     

Influence of process control agent type on the mechanosynthesis of Fe3O4 particles

The influence of the nature of the process control agent (PCA) used in the mechanosynthesis of the magnetite nanoparticles has been studied. The two-step route used here for obtaining nanocrystalline/nanoparticles Fe₃O₄ consists of a heat treatment, to prepare well-crystallised magnetite, followed by the mechanosynthesis process. Dry milled magnetite samples have been obtained as a reference, using the same conditions (duration and energy), to determine the influence of the process control agents (PCA). Three different PCAs have been used: benzene, ethanol and oleic acid. The characterisation of the magnetite particles has been performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), magnetic measurements M(H), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) measurements and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRD and SEM analysis revealed a different processing mechanism for the two milling modes, wet and dry. In the case of dry milling, even for short milling times, iron contamination and formation of a wüstite – FeO phase is noticed. The use of the PCA during the milling process limits the above-mentioned contamination. Ethanol and benzene uses as PCA lead to synthesis of fine uniform sized particles. SEM images reveal the presence on nanoparticles. In the case of oleic acid, DSC, TG and magnetic measurements revealed the presence of a thin layer of oleic acid adsorbed on the particles. FTIR analysis highlighted the presence of both free and bonded oleic acid. The magnetisation of the samples was found to be linked to the powder contamination (FeO or oleic acid), structural defects or finite size effects.     

Effects of Electrolyzed Oxidizing Water on Inactivation of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus Spores in Suspension and on Carriers

Spores of some Bacillus species are responsible for food spoilage and foodborne disease. These spores are highly resistant to various interventions and cooking processes. In this study, the sporicidal efficacy of acidic electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water (AEW) and slightly acidic EO water (SAEW) with available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 mg/L and treatment time for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 min were tested on Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus spores in suspension and on carrier with or without organics. The reduction of spore significantly increased with increasing ACC and treatment time (P < 0.05). Nondetectable level of B. cereus spore in suspension occurred within 2 min after exposure to both EO waters containing 120 mg/L ACC, while only SAEW at 120 mg/L and 2 min treatment achieved >6 log reductions of B. subtilis spore. Both types of EO water with ACC of 60 mg/L and 6 min treatment achieved a reduction of B. subtilis and B. cereus spores to nondetectable level. EO water with ACC of 80 mg/L and treatment time of 3 min on carrier test without organics addition resulted in reductions of B. subtilis spore to nondetectable level. But, addition of 0.3% organics on carrier decreased the inactivation effect of EO water. This study indicated that EO water was highly effective in inactivation of B. subtilis and B. cereus spores in suspension or on carrier, and therefore, rendered it as a promising disinfectant to be applied in food industry.