Freeze-form extrusion fabrication of functionally graded materials

Presented in this paper is a novel additive manufacturing technology for making three-dimensional parts with functionally graded materials (FGMs), called Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF). The system development included a triple-extruder mechanism, extruder modeling and control, pastes extrusion planning for desired composition gradients, and software coding for motion and extrusion control. The effectiveness of the developed FEF system was demonstrated first by fabricating limestone (CaCO₃) parts with graded colors and then by fabricating ‘green’ parts with graded compositions between alumina (Al₂O₃) and zirconia (ZrO₂). The fabricated part went through post-processing, and the sintered part was analyzed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to determine its material compositions.     

The relationship of early alliance ruptures and their resolution to process and outcome in three time-limited psychotherapies for personality disorders.

This study examined the relationship of early alliance ruptures and their resolution to process and outcome in a sample of 128 patients randomly assigned to 1 of 3 time-limited psychotherapies for personality disorders: cognitive–behavioral therapy, brief relational therapy, or short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Rupture intensity and resolution were assessed by patient- and therapist-report after each of the first 6 sessions. Results indicated that lower rupture intensity and higher rupture resolution were associated with better ratings of the alliance and session quality. Lower rupture intensity also predicted good outcome on measures of interpersonal functioning, while higher rupture resolution predicted better retention. Patients reported fewer ruptures than did therapists. In addition, fewer ruptures were reported in cognitive–behavioral therapy than in the other treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probabilistic uncertainty analysis of an FRF of a structure using a Gaussian process emulator

This paper introduces methods for probabilistic uncertainty analysis of a frequency response function (FRF) of a structure obtained via a finite element (FE) model. The methods are applicable to computationally expensive FE models, making use of a Bayesian metamodel known as an emulator. The emulator produces fast predictions of the FE model output, but also accounts for the additional uncertainty induced by only having a limited number of model evaluations. Two approaches to the probabilistic uncertainty analysis of FRFs are developed. The first considers the uncertainty in the response at discrete frequencies, giving pointwise uncertainty intervals. The second considers the uncertainty in an entire FRF across a frequency range, giving an uncertainty envelope function. The methods are demonstrated and compared to alternative approaches in a practical case study.     

A multi-agent system for energy management of distributed power sources

The field of energy management is an area increasingly studied. However, most solutions are based on centralized systems and barely fulfil criterion like fault tolerance or adaptability. Also, these systems are often difficult to design because of the “top–down” approach used: the designer generally knows how each component has to respond separately, but a centralized management system focuses his attention solely on the overall reaction of the system. That is why a distributed management solution based on the paradigm of Multi-Agent Systems (MASs) is proposed in this paper. In addition to a more natural conception, based on a “bottom–up” approach, this solution ensures better system reliability. After reviewing the previous works, an application of MAS to power management in a hybrid power source is presented. Then, the system is tested using a simulation model. The results show that this approach is perfectly valid and can respond to most problems of centralized energy management systems (EMSs).     

Analysis of a complete DNA–protein affinity landscape

Properties of biological fitness landscapes are of interest to a wide sector of the life sciences, from ecology to genetics to synthetic biology. For biomolecular fitness landscapes, the information we currently possess comes primarily from two sources: sparse samples obtained from directed evolution experiments; and more fine-grained but less authentic information from ‘in silico’ models (such as NK-landscapes). Here we present the entire protein-binding profile of all variants of a nucleic acid oligomer 10 bases in length, which we have obtained experimentally by a series of highly parallel on-chip assays. The resulting complete landscape of sequence-binding pairs, comprising more than one million binding measurements in duplicate, has been analysed statistically using a number of metrics commonly applied to synthetic landscapes. These metrics show that the landscape is rugged, with many local optima, and that this arises from a combination of experimental variation and the natural structural properties of the oligonucleotides.     

Application of the Water Poverty Index at Different Scales: A Cautionary Tale

Abstract

The Water Poverty Index is an integrated tool developed on the basis of extensive consultation with a range of scientists, practitioners and policymakers. It is primarily designed for use at the community level to enable more holistic water-resource assessments on a site-specific basis. It can however be applied at different scales to suit different needs. One of the motivations to design such a tool was an attempt to move away from the conventional, purely deterministic, approaches to water assessment, relying primarily on models and large-scale data. In today's world such an approach is inappropriate, ill representing the complexities of modern water-allocation decisions where economic, political and social issues all have a powerful role to play. This paper highlights some applications of the Water Poverty Index at different spatial scales and discusses the implications of applying indicators at these different scales.     

Collaborative Information Seeking

An examination of the roles and dimensions of collaborative search reveals new opportunities for information-seeking support tools.     

Interview with Lewis Aron.

Presents an interview that was conducted by Jeremy Safran with Lewis Aron on the topic of psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)