Behavior as a function of the situation.

The power of several well-known and important situational factors to affect behavior is assessed in terms usually reserved for measuring the power of dispositions. The linear effects of incentive for counterattitudinal advocacy on attitude change, of degree of "hurry" and number of onlookers on bystander intervention, and of proximity of authority and "victim" on obedience average slightly less than .40. This magnitude is comparable to that of important dispositional effects. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of oxygen on biodegradation of benzoate and 3-chlorobenzoate in a denitrifying chemostat

A mixed microbial culture degraded a mixture of benzoate (863 mg/L), 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CB) (69.7 mg/L), and pyruvate (244 mg/L) under denitrifying conditions in a chemostat. Biodegradation under denitrifying conditions was stable, complete (effluent concentrations below detection limits), and proceeded without the production of toxic intermediates like chlorocatechols. The addition of oxygen at mass input rates of 6.2%, 15.5%, and 43.9% of the mass input rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (337 mg COD/h) did not induce the synthesis of aerobic biodegradation pathways and thus did not disrupt biodegradation. Rather, the oxygen was used as a terminal electron acceptor, displacing a stoichiometric amount of nitrate, leading to microaerobic conditions (dissolved oxygen concentration <0.050 mg/L) in which oxygen utilization and denitrification occurred simultaneously. The reduction of nitrate occurred fully to N₂ gas with no accumulation of nitrite, nitrous oxide, or nitric oxide, although the ability of the culture to transfer electrons to the nitrogen oxides decreased as the oxygen input was increased. The anoxic benzoate uptake capability was unaffected by the increase in oxygen addition, but the anoxic 3-CB uptake capability increased, as did the level of benzoyl-CoA reductase in the cells.     

Personal and task-related moderators of leader-member exchange among software developers.

Although earlier studies have shown significant positive relationships between leader-member exchange (LMX) and its outcomes, they have also noted that the effect sizes of these relationships have been modest and heterogeneous. Addressing numerous calls for future studies that examine potential moderators of the LMX-job performance and LMX-job satisfaction relationships and utilizing a multidomain perspective, this study tests the moderating roles of personal (i.e., locus of control) and task-related (i.e., task autonomy) factors on these relationships. The results of an empirical study with a sample of 287 software developers and 164 supervisors participating at a large international information technology exhibition indicated that the LMX-job performance relationship was stronger when employees' locus of control was internal as opposed to when it was external. In addition, it was stronger when task autonomy was high as opposed to when it was low. Moreover, the results suggested that the LMX-job satisfaction relationship was stronger when task autonomy was high as opposed to when it was low. Finally, contrary to theoretical expectations, employees' locus of control did not moderate the LMX-job satisfaction relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biosorption of Acid Red 274 (AR 274) on Enteromorpha prolifera in a batch system

The biosorption of Acid Red 274 (AR 274) dye on Enteromorpha prolifera, a green algae grown on Mersin costs of the Mediterranean, Turkey, was studied as a function of initial pH, temperature, initial dye and biosorbent concentration. The experiments were conducted in a batch manner. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used for modelling the biosorption equilibrium. At optimum temperature 30 degrees C and initial pH 2.0-3.0, the Langmuir isotherm fits best to the experimental equilibrium data with a maximum monolayer coverage of 244 mg/g. The equilibrium AR 274 concentration of the exit stream of a single batch was also obtained by using the experimental equilibrium curve and operating line graphically. The pseudosecond-order kinetic model and Weber-Morris model were applied to the experimental data and it was found that both the surface adsorption as well as intraparticle diffusion contribute to the actual adsorption process. The biosorption process follows a pseudosecond-order kinetics and activation energy was determined as -4.85 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic studies showed that the biosorption of AR 274 on E. prolifera is exothermic and spontaneous in nature.     

Robust springback optimization of a dual phase steel seven-flange die assembly

This paper investigates robust springback optimization of a DP600 dual phase steel seven-flange die assembly composed of different flange designs. The optimum values of the die radius and the punch radius are sought to minimize the mean and the standard deviation of springback using surrogate based optimization. Springback values at the training points of surrogate models are evaluated using the finite element analysis code LS-DYNA. In this work, four different surrogate modeling types are considered: polynomial response surfaces (PRS) approximations, stepwise regression (SWR), radial basis functions (RBF) and Kriging (KR). Two sets of surrogate models are constructed in this study. The first set is constructed to relate the springback to the design variables as well as the random variables. It is found for the first set of surrogate models that KR provides more accurate springback predictions than PRS, SWR and RBF. The mean and the standard deviation of springback are calculated using Monte Carlo simulations, where the first set of surrogate models is utilized. The second set of surrogate models is generated to relate the mean and the standard deviation of springback to the design variables. It is found for the second set of surrogate models that PRS provides more accurate springback predictions than SWR, RBF and KR. It is also found that introducing beads increases the mean performance and the robustness. The robust optimization is performed and significant springback reductions are obtained for all flanges ranging between 7% and 85% compared to the nominal design. It is also found that a design change that decreases the mean springback also reduces the springback variation. It is observed that the optimization results heavily dependent on the bounds of the die and punch radii. In addition, optimization with multiple surrogates is investigated. Finding multiple candidates of optimum with multiple surrogates and selecting the one with the best actual performance is found to be a better strategy than optimizing using the most accurate surrogate model.     

Anti-adhesive effects of Budesonide combined with spraygel in a cecal abrasion model: an experimental study

Many methods have been described for preventing or reducing postoperative adhesions. In this work, we evaluated the effectiveness of Budesonide in combination with SprayGel in a reducing postoperative adhesion in rats as the model. Cecal abrasion was achieved in 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats, by brushing and by applying 70% alcohol. The rats were separated into six groups and treated with six solutions (Group I – saline; II – Budesonide 50?μg; III – Budesonide 250?μg; IV – SprayGel; V and VI – SprayGel?+?Budesonide 50 and 250?μg). Serum Budesonide, glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and blood urea nitrogen levels were measured at postoperative day (POD) 2 and 14. The rats were killed on POD 14, and intra-abdominal adhesion formation was scored. Histopathological samples were obtained from the cecum and terminal ileum to evaluate microscopic adhesion formation. Our results showed that Group VI had both the minimum macroscopic adhesion score and the minimum microscopic score. All other groups had significantly lower microscopic adhesion scores than Group I. However, there was no statistical significance among any other groups. Serum AST levels of Group III were significantly higher than in Groups I, II, IV, and V (p?<?0.046). Serum AST levels of Group III on POD 14 were also significantly higher than that of all other groups (p?<?0.02). On POD 14, there was no Budesonide in the sera of Groups II and V. However, Groups III and VI had trace amounts of Budesonide (0.009 and 0.007?μg, respectively). In conclusion, we have showed that the effect of Budesonide is dosedependent. Both anti-adhesive and hepatotoxic side effects of Budesonide increased as the dose increased. Combining Budesonide with SprayGel synergistically increased the anti-adhesive benefits and prevented hepatotoxicity from the slower release of Budesonide.     

SPT based determination of undrained shear strength: Regression models and machine learning

The purpose of this study is the accurate prediction of undrained shear strength using Standard Penetration Test results and soil consistency indices, such as water content and Atterberg limits. With this study, along with the conventional methods of simple and multiple linear regression models, three machine learning algorithms, random forest, gradient boosting and stacked models, are developed for prediction of undrained shear strength. These models are employed on a relatively large data set from different projects around Turkey covering 230 observations. As an improvement over the available studies in literature, this study utilizes correct statistical analyses techniques on a relatively large database, such as using a train/test split on the data set to avoid overfitting of the developed models. Furthermore, the validity and consistency of the prediction results are ensured with the correct use of statistical measures like p-value and cross-validation which were missing in previous studies. To compare the performances of the models developed in this study with the prior ones existing in literature, all models were applied on the test data set and their performances are evaluated in terms of the resulting root mean squared error (RMSE) values and coefficient of determination (R²). Accordingly, the models developed in this study demonstrate superior prediction capabilities compared to all of the prior studies. Moreover, to facilitate the use of machine learning algorithms for prediction purposes, entire source code prepared for this study and the collected data set are provided as supplements of this study.     

Design of a real-time gesture recognition system: high performance through algorithms and software

The embedded systems group at Princeton University in New Jersey has developed, as an example of smart cameras, a gesture recognition system that can build a complete model of the torso and recognize gestures at 30 frames/s. Designing a real-time gesture recognition system is a complex task that involves many issues such as algorithm design, processing speed, system architecture, and video interface. In this article, the authors describe a method to manage the complexity by decomposing the entire process into different design and implementation phases.     

Space-borne radar interferometric mapping of precursory deformations of a dyke collapse,Dead Sea area,Jordan

Satellite radar interferometry provides a technique to monitor a zone involving active salt tectonic phenomena. We detected movements in the Dead Sea area between 1993 and 1999. These preceded the catastrophic collapse (22 March 2000) of a newly built 12 km dyke belonging to the industrial salt evaporation ponds of the Arab Potash Company. Eighteen other dykes are present and still operational in this area of complex seismotectonic and hydrogeological settings. We used differential Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry (DInSAR) to investigate precursory deformations. Analysis of data shows that the collapsed area and its surroundings were in active subsidence at least 7 years before the event (maximum 44 mm in slant range from 16 December 1995 to 11 October 1997). This case emphasizes DInSAR as a tool suitable to identify deformations in such sensitive areas. It should be used at the stage of pre-feasibility studies of major projects and later in their stability monitoring, when required conditions of application are met.