Is there a role for continuation phase cognitive therapy for depressed outpatients?

Two pilot studies evaluated the rate of relapse or recurrence (i.e., major depressive disorder) after cognitive therapy (CT). Two sequential cohorts included outpatients who responded to acute phase CT (A-CT) and who agreed to monthly, treatment-free follow-up. In Study 1, the Kaplan-Meier technique estimated relapse and recurrence rates of 40% at 6 months, 45% at 8 months, 50% at 12 months, 67% at 18 months, and 74% at 24 months. In Study 2, responders to A-CT received 8 months (10 sessions) of continuation phase CT (C-CT). In Study 2, relapse or recurrence was 20% at 6 and 8 months, 27% at 12 months, and 36% at 18 and 24 months after A-CT. An exploratory log-rank test showed that relapse or recurrence-free survival was greater in Study 2 than in Study 1. If replicated, this result suggests that C-CT can reduce depressive relapse or recurrence. Alternative explanations are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GMM based language identification system using robust features

In this work, we have proposed new feature vectors for spoken language identification (LID) system. The Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and formant frequencies derived using short-time window speech signal. Formant frequencies are extracted from linear prediction (LP) analysis of speech signal. Using these two kind of features of speech signal, new feature vectors are derived using cluster based computation. A GMM based classifier has been designed using these new feature vectors. The language specific apriori knowledge is applied on the recognition output. The experiments are carried out on OGI database and LID recognition performance is improved.     

Water quality prediction capabilities of WASP model for a tropical lake system

Water quality modelling facilitates our better understanding of the processes taking place in a lake system, and conservation plans to address them. The water quality analysis simulation programme (WASP) was used in this study to predict daily variations in water quality parameters, namely dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate and chlorophyll‐a and biochemical oxygen demand concentrations in a tropical lake system. The lake was divided into eight segments with the respective morphological, environmental and flow details being model inputs. The monthly concentration of each water quality parameter also comprised model input. The model output was daily spatiotemporal variation in these parameters over a period of 476 days. This study also indicated that the occurrence of precipitation plays a major role in defining the water quality of a tropical lake. The heavy precipitation after a long gap, especially during the summer season, results in a large quantity of organic matter entering the lake through drains, thereby increasing the organic matter and phosphate in the water body, and subsequently resulting in high chlorophyll‐a concentrations in the lake. A reduced chlorophyll‐a concentration was observed during the heavy rains. The water quality fluctuations are more pronounced with precipitation, especially where polluted drains enter the lake. An improved water quality can be observed downstream, including increased dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations. Improved water quality was observed during the postmonsoon period, with increased salinity and dissolved oxygen concentrations, a finding that confirms generalized and specific conclusions can be achieved with the use of the WASP model.     

Removal of Cr(VI) using co-immobilized activated carbon and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis>: fixed-bed column study

Fixed-bed column studies were conducted to evaluate the potential of co-immobilized (activated carbon and Bacillus subtilis) (CI) beads for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The impact of various parameters such as initial Cr(VI) concentrations (100, 150, and 200 mg/L), flow rate (3, 9, and 15 mL/min), and bed depth (10, 15, and 20 cm) on Cr(VI) adsorption onto CI beads were investigated. The breakthrough time increased with a decrease in initial Cr(VI) concentration and flow rate, and an increase in bed height. The breakthrough data obtained for Cr(VI) removal was more adequately described by the Thomas model with high correlation coefficients (R ² = 0.982). The eluent, 0.1 M NaOH, provided high elution efficiencies (~90 %) in all the six cycles. Obtained results pointed out that CI beads could potentially be used for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.     

Bug localization using latent Dirichlet allocation

ContextSome recent static techniques for automatic bug localization have been built around modern information retrieval (IR) models such as latent semantic indexing (LSI). Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is a generative statistical model that has significant advantages, in modularity and extensibility, over both LSI and probabilistic LSI (pLSI). Moreover, LDA has been shown effective in topic model based information retrieval. In this paper, we present a static LDA-based technique for automatic bug localization and evaluate its effectiveness.ObjectiveWe evaluate the accuracy and scalability of the LDA-based technique and investigate whether it is suitable for use with open-source software systems of varying size, including those developed using agile methods.MethodWe present five case studies designed to determine the accuracy and scalability of the LDA-based technique, as well as its relationships to software system size and to source code stability. The studies examine over 300 bugs across more than 25 iterations of three software systems.ResultsThe results of the studies show that the LDA-based technique maintains sufficient accuracy across all bugs in a single iteration of a software system and is scalable to a large number of bugs across multiple revisions of two software systems. The results of the studies also indicate that the accuracy of the LDA-based technique is not affected by the size of the subject software system or by the stability of its source code base.ConclusionWe conclude that an effective static technique for automatic bug localization can be built around LDA. We also conclude that there is no significant relationship between the accuracy of the LDA-based technique and the size of the subject software system or the stability of its source code base. Thus, the LDA-based technique is widely applicable.     

Water quality assessment of a tropical coastal lake system using multivariate cluster,principal component and factor analysis

Statistical techniques represent a reliable tool for classifying, modelling and interpreting surface water quality monitoring data, particularly for lakes. The complexity associated with the analysis of a large number of measured variables, however, is a major problem in water quality assessments. Multivariate analysis, such as cluster analysis and factor analysis (FA), was utilized in this study for the analysis of water quality data (including water discharges and 28 water quality parameters) for Akkulam–Veli Lake, a tropical coastal lake system in Kerala, India. This lake is partially divided into two sub‐systems, namely Veli Lake and Akkulam Lake. Akkulam Lake exhibits freshwater characteristics, in contrast to Veli Lake, which exhibits saline water characteristics because of its close proximity to the sea. Thus, studying this lake provides insights into water quality variations in both a freshwater and saline water lake in a tropical region. Water quality patterns and variations in Akkulam–Vela Lake over three seasons, including pre‐monsoon (PRM), monsoon (MON) and post‐monsoon (POM), also were studied, utilizing multivariate techniques. The organic pollution factor played a significant role on lake water quality during PRM. The influence of organic pollution tends to decrease during MON and POM, a particular situation faced by urban lakes in tropical regions. Polluted stretches in a lake system during different seasons can easily be ascertained by hierarchical cluster analysis. Further, the factors affecting a lake system as a whole, as well as for a particular sampling site, can easily be identified by FA. Improved water quality can be observed during POM. Akkulam and Vela lakes exhibit a wide variation in water quality during all seasons, a finding that corroborates a water flow obstruction from Akkulam Lake to Veli Lake because of the bund existing between the two lakes. The location of the bund is identified as the major reason for different hydrochemical processes in A–V Lake.     

Influence of Temperature and Time of Post-weld Heat Treatment on Stress Relief in an 800-mm-Thick Steel Weldment

Ferritic steel weldments are invariably post-weld heat treated for relieving the residual stresses. However, the long duration of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) required for very thick weldments can adversely affect the mechanical properties and fracture toughness. Thus, there is a need to establish the relative importance of temperature and time of PWHT with respect to stress relief. Accordingly, in the present work, the phenomenon of stress relief (due to PWHT) in an 800-mm-thick steel weldment was investigated using finite element analysis and the results were validated against experimental measurements. An analytical study was also carried out to determine the relative influence of temperature and time of PWHT on stress relief. It was found that time of PWHT plays a more significant role in case of relatively lower PWHT temperatures. It was also found that, for a given value of Hollomon parameter, different combinations of PWHT temperature and time can be employed to achieve the same level of stress relief. A mathematical relationship has been established between Hollomon parameter and magnitude of residual stress after PWHT. It has been shown that residual stress is a monotonically decreasing function of the Hollomon parameter.     

Biosorption of chromium(VI) using Bacillus subtilis SS-1 isolated from soil samples of electroplating industry

Soils around the electroplating industry are often polluted with metals. The aim of the study was to assess Cr(VI) adsorption potential of chromium-resistant bacteria isolated from soil samples collected in and around electroplating industry, Coimbatore, India. A total of six morphologically different chromium-resistant bacteria were isolated from the soil samples and assayed for resistance to Cr(VI). Isolate designated SS-1 exhibited maximum resistance to Cr(VI) (600 mg/l) and subsequently identified as Bacillus subtilis based on the morphology, phenotypic characters, and partial 16S rDNA sequences. Batch experiments were carried out as a function of time, initial Cr(VI) concentration (100 mg/l), pH (2), and biosorbent dose (0.1 g/l). The maximum percentage of Cr(VI) removal was found to be 98.7 %. The experimental data showed a better fit with Langmuir model over Freundlich model throughout the range of initial concentrations. The kinetic models were examined with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies confirmed the involvement of carboxyl and amide groups in Cr(VI) adsorption. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed that nature of the bioadsorbent was altered after Cr(VI) adsorption. The results revealed that Cr(VI) was considerably adsorbed onto bacterial biomass, and it could be an economical method for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.     

Friction Buttering: A New Technique for Dissimilar Welding

This work offers a fresh perspective on buttering, a technique often considered for fusion welding of dissimilar metals. For the first time, buttering was attempted in solid state using friction deposition. Using this new “friction buttering” technique, fusion welding of two different dissimilar metal pairs (austenitic stainless steel/borated stainless steel and Al-Cu-Mg/Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) was successfully demonstrated. The results show that friction buttering can simplify a tough dissimilar welding problem into a routine fusion welding task.