Use of otolith chemistry to discriminate juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from different wild populations and hatcheries in Lake Huron

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Lake Huron consist of wild and hatchery-reared fish distributed among several populations. This study tested whether otolith chemistry can be used to identify the natal origin of Chinook salmon in this system. Concentrations of nine elements (Mg, K, Mn, Fe, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ba, and Pb) in the otoliths of Chinook salmon juveniles from 24 collection sites (17 streams and 7 hatcheries) around Lake Huron were analyzed using laser-ablation inductively-coupled mass spectrometry. Differences in otolith chemistry were found between rearing environments (wild and hatchery), among geological regions (Precambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous), and among collection sites. Discriminant function analysis showed high classification accuracies of juveniles to their rearing environment (wild versus hatchery, 82%), geological region (84%), and collection site (87%) of origin. With these values, there is excellent potential for otolith chemistry to be used to predict the natal origin of adults, and thus inform research and management of Chinook salmon in Lake Huron.     

Macroegonomics: work system analysis and design

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to briefly describe how macroergonomics was developed to fill a void in human factors and ergonomics. BACKGROUND: A study commissioned by the Human Factors Society in 1978 resulted in the formalization of a new subdiscipline of human factors, called organizational design and management, which eventually was coined macroergonomics. MethoD: Differentiators of macroergonomics are presented along with methods adapted from other domains as well as unique methods. RESULTS: Based on laboratory and field studies conducted at multiple universities, government facilities, and industries, work system factors can be manipulated in the laboratory and studied in the field successfully. Also, case studies in academia, industry, and government demonstrate 60% to 90% performance impact and positive qualitative changes such as culture change. CONCLUSION: Macroergonomics offers a perspective as well as methods and tools for more successful human factors and ergonomics design, development, intervention, and implementation. APPLICATION: Human factors engineers or psychologists and ergonomists can use the perspective of macroergonomics to achieve better results or can expand their involvement of macroergonomics through the use of methods and tools.     

Do organizational citizenship behaviors lead to information system success?: Testing the mediation effects of integration climate and project management

We adapted a model in organizational theory to determine whether organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) of system implementation teams influenced that organization's integration climate and improved their project management, resulting in successful system implementation. Surveys were elicited from 254 system users in various business organizations that had implemented large-scale IS in the previous year; the analysis of their responses provided support for our model, suggesting that the OCB of the implementation team created a higher level of integration climate and more effective project management, and that these in turn influenced information system success. Implications for researchers and managers are discussed and limitations are identified.     

Two computational regimes of a single-compartment neuron separated by a planar boundary in conductance space

Recent in vitro data show that neurons respond to input variance with varying sensitivities. Here we demonstrate that Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neurons can operate in two computational regimes: one that is more sensitive to input variance (differentiating) and one that is less sensitive (integrating). A boundary plane in the 3D conductance space separates these two regimes. For a reduced HH model, this plane can be derived analytically from the V nullcline, thus suggesting a means of relating biophysical parameters to neural computation by analyzing the neuron's dynamical system.     

Addressing agent loss in vehicle formations and sensor networks

In this paper, we address the problem of agent loss in vehicle formations and sensor networks via two separate approaches: (1) perform a ‘self‐repair’ operation in the event of agent loss to recover desirable information architecture properties or (2) introduce robustness into the information architecture a priori such that agent loss does not destroy desirable properties. We model the information architecture as a graph G(V, E), where V is a set of vertices representing the agents and E is a set of edges representing information flow amongst the agents. We focus on two properties of the graph called rigidity and global rigidity, which are required for formation shape maintenance and sensor network self‐localization, respectively. For the self‐repair approach, we show that while previous results permit local repair involving only neighbours of the lost agent, the repair cannot always be implemented using only local information. We present new results that can be applied to make the local repair using only local information. We describe implementation and illustrate with algorithms and examples. For the robustness approach, we investigate the structure of graphs with the property that rigidity or global rigidity is preserved after removing any single vertex (we call the property as 2‐vertex‐rigidity or 2‐vertex‐global‐rigidity, respectively). Information architectures with such properties would allow formation shape maintenance or self‐localization to be performed even in the event of agent failure. We review a characterization of a class of 2‐vertex‐rigidity and develop a separate class, making significant strides towards a complete characterization. We also present a characterization of a class of 2‐vertex‐global‐rigidity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A test for stability robustness of linear time‐varying systems utilizing the linear time‐invariant ν‐gap metric

A stability robustness test is developed for internally stable, nominal, linear time‐invariant (LTI) feedback systems subject to structured, linear time‐varying uncertainty. There exists (in the literature) a necessary and sufficient structured small gain condition that determines robust stability in such cases. In this paper, the structured small gain theorem is utilized to formulate a (sufficient) stability robustness condition in a scaled LTI ν‐gap metric framework. The scaled LTI ν‐gap metric stability condition is shown to be computable via linear matrix inequality techniques, similar to the structured small gain condition. Apart from a comparison with a generalized robust stability margin as the final part of the stability test, however, the solution algorithm implemented to test the scaled LTI ν‐gap metric stability robustness condition is shown to be independent of knowledge about the controller transfer function (as opposed to the LMI feasibility problem associated with the scaled small gain condition which is dependent on knowledge about the controller). Thus, given a nominal plant and a structured uncertainty set, the stability robustness condition presented in this paper provides a single constraint on a controller (in terms of a large enough generalized robust stability margin) that (sufficiently) guarantees to stabilize all plants in the uncertainty set. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Touch‐screen panel integrated into 12.1‐in. a‐Si:H TFT‐LCD

Abstract— A touch‐screen‐panel (TSP) embedded 12.1‐in. LCD employing a standard existing a‐Si:H TFT‐LCD process has been successfully developed. Compared with conventional external touch‐screen panels, which use additional components to detect touch events, the new internal TSP exhibits a clearer image and improved touch feeling, as well as increased sensing speed using discrete sensing lines to enable higher‐speed sensing functions including handwriting. The new internal digital switching TSP can be fabricated with low cost because it does not require any additional process steps compared to a standard a‐Si:H TFT‐LCD.     

An Investigation of Cheating in Online Games

Cheating is rampant in current gameplay on the Internet. However, it isn't as well understood as we might expect. The authors summarize the various known methods of cheating and define a taxonomy of online game cheating with respect to the underlying vulnerability, consequence, and cheating principal. This taxonomy provides a systematic introduction to the characteristics of cheats in online games and how they can arise. Although cheating in online games is largely due to various security failures, the four traditional aspects of security—confidentiality, integrity, availability, and authenticity—are insufficient to explain it. Instead, fairness becomes a vital additional aspect, and its enforcement provides a convincing perspective for understanding security techniques' role in developing and operating online games.