Research papers

Physical chemistry of surfaces

Arthur W. Adamson, Alice P. Gast

Capillarity. The Nature and Thermodynamics of Liquid Interfaces. Surface Films on Liquid Substrates. Electrical Aspects of Surface Chemistry. Long--Range Forces. Surfaces of Solids. Surfaces of Solids: Microscopy and Spectroscopy. The Formation of a New Phase--Nucleation and Crystal Growth. The Solid--Liquid Interface--Contact Angle. The Solid--Liquid Interface--Adsorption from Solution. Frication, Lubrication, and Adhesion. Wetting, Flotation, and Detergency. Emulsions, Foams, and Aerosols. Macromolecular Surface Films, Charged Films, and Langmuir--Blodgett Layers. The Solid--Gas Interface--General Considerations. Adsorption of Gases and Vapors on Solids. Chemisorption and Catalysis. Index.

LARGE AREA HYDROLOGIC MODELING AND ASSESSMENT PART I: MODEL DEVELOPMENT¹

J. G. Arnold, Raghavan Srinivasan, R. S. Muttiah, J. R. Williams

ABSTRACT: A conceptual, continuous time model called SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was developed to assist water resource managers in assessing the impact of management on water supplies and nonpoint source pollution in watersheds and large river basins. The model is currently being utilized in several large area projects by EPA, NOAA, NRCS and others to estimate the off‐site impacts of climate and management on water use, non‐point source loadings, and pesticide contamination. Model development, operation, limitations, and assumptions are discussed and components of the model are described. In Part II, a GIS input/output interface is presented along with model validation on three basins within the Upper Trinity basin in Texas.

Gradient-based learning applied to document recognition

Yann LeCun, Léon Bottou, Yoshua Bengio, Patrick Haffner

Multilayer neural networks trained with the back-propagation algorithm constitute the best example of a successful gradient based learning technique. Given an appropriate network architecture, gradient-based learning algorithms can be used to synthesize a complex decision surface that can classify high-dimensional patterns, such as handwritten characters, with minimal preprocessing. This paper reviews various methods applied to handwritten character recognition and compares them on a standard handwritten digit recognition task. Convolutional neural networks, which are specifically designed to deal with the variability of 2D shapes, are shown to outperform all other techniques. Real-life document recognition systems are composed of multiple modules including field extraction, segmentation recognition, and language modeling. A new learning paradigm, called graph transformer networks (GTN), allows such multimodule systems to be trained globally using gradient-based methods so as to minimize an overall performance measure. Two systems for online handwriting recognition are described. Experiments demonstrate the advantage of global training, and the flexibility of graph transformer networks. A graph transformer network for reading a bank cheque is also described. It uses convolutional neural network character recognizers combined with global training techniques to provide record accuracy on business and personal cheques. It is deployed commercially and reads several million cheques per day.

Model Selection and Inference

Kenneth P. Burnham, David R. Anderson

Profile hidden Markov models.

Sean R. Eddy

The recent literature on profile hidden Markov model (profile HMM) methods and software is reviewed. Profile HMMs turn a multiple sequence alignment into a position-specific scoring system suitable for searching databases for remotely homologous sequences. Profile HMM analyses complement standard pairwise comparison methods for large-scale sequence analysis. Several software implementations and two large libraries of profile HMMs of common protein domains are available. HMM methods performed comparably to threading methods in the CASP2 structure prediction exercise.

A model of saliency-based visual attention for rapid scene analysis

Laurent Itti, Christof Koch, Ernst Niebur

A visual attention system, inspired by the behavior and the neuronal architecture of the early primate visual system, is presented. Multiscale image features are combined into a single topographical saliency map. A dynamical neural network then selects attended locations in order of decreasing saliency. The system breaks down the complex problem of scene understanding by rapidly selecting, in a computationally efficient manner, conspicuous locations to be analyzed in detail.

The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling.

Wynne W. Chin

MODELTEST: testing the model of DNA substitution.

David Posada, Keith A. Crandall

SUMMARY: The program MODELTEST uses log likelihood scores to establish the model of DNA evolution that best fits the data. AVAILABILITY: The MODELTEST package, including the source code and some documentation is available at http://bioag.byu. edu/zoology/crandall_lab/modeltest.html.

Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses

Richard R. Hake

A survey of pre/post-test data using the Halloun–Hestenes Mechanics Diagnostic test or more recent Force Concept Inventory is reported for 62 introductory physics courses enrolling a total number of students N=6542. A consistent analysis over diverse student populations in high schools, colleges, and universities is obtained if a rough measure of the average effectiveness of a course in promoting conceptual understanding is taken to be the average normalized gain 〈g〉. The latter is defined as the ratio of the actual average gain (%〈post〉−%〈pre〉) to the maximum possible average gain (100−%〈pre〉). Fourteen “traditional” (T) courses (N=2084) which made little or no use of interactive-engagement (IE) methods achieved an average gain 〈g〉T-ave=0.23±0.04 (std dev). In sharp contrast, 48 courses (N=4458) which made substantial use of IE methods achieved an average gain 〈g〉IE-ave=0.48±0.14 (std dev), almost two standard deviations of 〈g〉IE-ave above that of the traditional courses. Results for 30 (N=3259) of the above 62 courses on the problem-solving Mechanics Baseline test of Hestenes–Wells imply that IE strategies enhance problem-solving ability. The conceptual and problem-solving test results strongly suggest that the classroom use of IE methods can increase mechanics-course effectiveness well beyond that obtained in traditional practice.

The Molecular Biology of Mastreviruses

Kenneth E. Palmer, Edward P. Rybicki

Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice

Paul T. Anastas, John C. Warner

1: Introduction. 2: What is Green Chemistry?. 3: Tools of Green Chemistry. 4: Principles of Green Chemistry. 5: Evaluating the Impacts of Chemistry. 6: Evaluating Feedstocks and Starting Materials. 7: Evaluating Reaction Types. 8: Evaluation of Methods to Design Safer Chemicals. 9: Illustrative Examples. 10: Future Trends in Green Chemistry

Qualitative research and case study applications in education

Sharan B. Merriam

THE DESIGN OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. 1. What is Qualitative Research? 2. Case Studies as Qualtitative Research. 3. Designing the Study and Selecting a Sample. COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA. 4. Conducting Effective Interviews. 5. Being a Careful Observer. 6. Mining Data from Documents. 7. Collecting Data in Case Studies. ANALYZING AND REPORTING QUALITATIVE DATA. 8. Analytic Techniques and Data Management. 9. Levels of Analysis. 10. Dealing with Validity, Reliability and Ethics. 11. Writing Reports and Case Studies.

Psychiatric disorders in Nigerian nursing home residents

Olusegun Baiyewu, Joseph D. Adeyemi, Adesola Ogunniyi

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in nursing homes, which has not been studied before in Nigeria, is the subject of this cross-sectional study. METHOD: Psychiatric disorders were assessed in 23 of the 29 residents of the two nursing homes in Lagos and diagnoses based on DSM-III-R criteria (APA, 1987) and AGECAT (Copeland et al., 1986) were made independently. RESULTS: The commonest diagnoses were dementia in 11 out of 23 residents and depression in four residents. Overall prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders was 74%. CONCLUSION: The present prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders is similar to those reported in similar institutions in the industrialized societies. This has implications for the care of the elderly in a non-industrialized society.

Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods

Robert Bogdan, Sari Knopp Biklen

1. Foundations of Qualitative Research in Education: An Introduction. Characteristics of Qualitative Research. Traditions of Qualitative Research. Theoretical Underpinnings. Ten Common Questions About Qualitative Research. Ethics. What Is to Come. 2. Research Design. Choosing a Study. Case Studies. Multi-Site Studies. Additional Issues Related to Design. Concluding Remarks. 3. Fieldwork. Gaining Access. First Days in the Field. The Participant/Observer Continuum. Doing Fieldwork in Another Culture. Researcher Characteristics and Special Problems with Rapport. Be Discreet. Research in Politically Charged and Conflict-Ridden Settings. Feelings. How Long Should an Observation Session Be? Interviewing. Visual Recording and Fieldwork. Triangulation. Leaving the Field. 4. Qualitative Data. Some Friendly Advice. Fieldnotes. The Process of Writing Fieldnotes. Transcripts from Taped Interviews. Documents. Photography. Official Statistics and Other Quantitative Data. Concluding Remarks. 5. Data Analysis. Analysis in the Field. Analysis After Data Collection. The Mechanics of Working with Data. Concluding Remarks. 6. Writing It Up. Writing Choices. More Writing Tips. Criteria for Evaluating Writing. Texts. A Final Point About Getting Started. 7. Applied Qualitative Research for Education. Evaluation and Policy Research. Action Research. Practitioner Uses of Qualitative Research. Appendix A. Examples of Observational Questions for Educational Settings. Appendix B. Examples of Fieldnotes. Glossary. References. Index.

Mutation of the mouse klotho gene leads to a syndrome resembling ageing.

M Kuro-o, Y Matsumura, H Aizawa, H Kawaguchi, T Suga, T Utsugi, Y Ohyama, M Kurabayashi, T Kaname, E Kume, H Iwasaki, A Iida…

A new gene, termed klotho, has been identified that is involved in the suppression of several ageing phenotypes. A defect in klotho gene expression in the mouse results in a syndrome that resembles human ageing, including a short lifespan, infertility, arteriosclerosis, skin atrophy, osteoporosis and emphysema. The gene encodes a membrane protein that shares sequence similarity with the beta-glucosidase enzymes. The klotho gene product may function as part of a signalling pathway that regulates ageing in vivo and morbidity in age-related diseases.

Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry II

Alan R. Katritzky, Charles W. Rees, Eric F. V. Scriven

CHEC III is organized in 15 Volumes and closely follows the organization used in the previous edition: Volumes 1 and 2: Cover respectively three- and four-membered heterocycles, together with all fused systems containing a three- or four-membered heterocyclic ring. Volume 3: Five-membered rings with one heteroatom together with their benzo- and other carbocyclic-fused derivatives. Volumes 4, 5 and 6: Cover five-membered rings with two heteroatoms, and three or more heteroatoms, respectively, each with their fused carbocyclic compounds. Volumes 7, 8 and 9: Dedicated to six-membered rings with one, two, and more than two heteroatoms, respectively, again with the corresponding fused carbocylic compounds. Volumes 10, 11 and 12: Cover systems containing at least two directly fused heterocyclic five- and/or six-membered rings: of these Volume 10 deals with bi-heterocyclic rings without a ring junction heteroatom, and Volume 11 deals with 5:5 and 5:6 fused rings systems with at least one ring junction nitrogen, while Volume 12 is devoted to all other systems of five and/or six-membered fused or spiro heterocyclic rings with ring junction heteroatoms. Volumes 13 and 14: Seven-membered and larger heterocyclic rings including all their fused derivatives (except those containing three- or four-membered heterocyclic rings which are included in Volume 1 and 2, respectively). Volume 15: Author, ring and subject indexes.

Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs

Stephen F. Altschul

The BLAST programs are widely used tools for searching protein and DNA databases for sequence similarities. For protein comparisons, a variety of definitional, algorithmic and statistical refinements described here permits the execution time of the BLAST programs to be decreased substantially while enhancing their sensitivity to weak similarities. A new criterion for triggering the extension of word hits, combined with a new heuristic for generating gapped alignments, yields a gapped BLAST program that runs at approximately three times the speed of the original. In addition, a method is introduced for automatically combining statistically significant alignments produced by BLAST into a position-specific score matrix, and searching the database using this matrix. The resulting Position-Specific Iterated BLAST (PSI-BLAST) program runs at approximately the same speed per iteration as gapped BLAST, but in many cases is much more sensitive to weak but biologically relevant sequence similarities. PSI-BLAST is used to uncover several new and interesting members of the BRCT superfamily.

The Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change

James O. Prochaska, Wayne F. Velicer

The transtheoretical model posits that health behavior change involves progress through six stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. Ten processes of change have been identified for producing progress along with decisional balance, self-efficacy, and temptations. Basic research has generated a rule of thumb for at-risk populations: 40% in precontemplation, 40% in contemplation, and 20% in preparation. Across 12 health behaviors, consistent patterns have been found between the pros and cons of changing and the stages of change. Applied research has demonstrated dramatic improvements in recruitment, retention, and progress using stage-matched interventions and proactive recruitment procedures. The most promising outcomes to data have been found with computer-based individualized and interactive interventions. The most promising enhancement to the computer-based programs are personalized counselors. One of the most striking results to date for stage-matched programs is the similarity between participants reactively recruited who reached us for help and those proactively recruited who we reached out to help. If results with stage-matched interventions continue to be replicated, health promotion programs will be able to produce unprecedented impacts on entire at-risk populations.

Dynamic capabilities and strategic management

David J. Teece, Gary P. Pisano, Amy Shuen

The dynamic capabilities framework analyzes the sources and methods of wealth creation and capture by private enterprise firms operating in environments of rapid technological change. The competitive advantage of firms is seen as resting on distinctive processes (ways of coordinating and combining), shaped by the firm’s (specific) asset positions (such as the firm’s portfolio of difficult-to-trade knowledge assets and complementary assets), and the evolution path(s) it has adopted or inherited. The importance of path dependencies is amplified where conditions of increasing returns exist. Whether and how a firm’s competitive advantage is eroded depends on the stability of market demand, and the ease of replicability (expanding internally) and imitatability (replication by competitors). If correct, the framework suggests that private wealth creation in regimes of rapid technological change depends in large measure on honing internal technological, organizational, and managerial processes inside the firm. In short, identifying new opportunities and organizing effectively and efficiently to embrace them are generally more fundamental to private wealth creation than is strategizing, if by strategizing one means engaging in business conduct that keeps competitors off balance, raises rival’s costs, and excludes new entrants. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Definition of Standard ML

Robin Milner, Robert Harper, David MacQueen, Mads Tofte

Standard ML is a general-purpose programming language designed for large projects. This book provides a formal definition of Standard ML for the benefit of all concerned with the language, including users and implementers. Because computer programs are increasingly required to withstand rigorous analysis, it is all the more important that the language in which they are written be defined with full rigor. One purpose of a language definition is to establish a theory of meanings upon which the understanding of particular programs may rest. To properly define a programming language, it is necessary to use some form of notation other than a programming language. Given a concern for rigor, mathematical notation is an obvious choice. The authors have defined their semantic objects in mathematical notation that is completely independent of Standard ML. In defining a language one must also define the rules of evaluation precisely—that is, define what meaning results from evaluating any phrase of the language. The definition thus constitutes a formal specification for an implementation. The authors have developed enough of their theory to give sense to their rules of evaluation. The Definition of Standard ML is the essential point of reference for Standard ML. Since its publication in 1990, the implementation technology of the language has advanced enormously and the number of users has grown. The revised edition includes a number of new features, omits little-used features, and corrects mistakes of definition.

The model checker SPIN

Gerard J. Holzmann

SPIN is an efficient verification system for models of distributed software systems. It has been used to detect design errors in applications ranging from high-level descriptions of distributed algorithms to detailed code for controlling telephone exchanges. The paper gives an overview of the design and structure of the verifier, reviews its theoretical foundation, and gives an overview of significant practical applications.

Comprehensive supramolecular chemistry

Volume 1 - Molecular Recognition: Receptors for Cationic Guests. Volume 2 - Molecular Recognition: Receptors for Molecular Guests. Volume 3 - Cyclodextrins. Volume 4 - Supramolecular Reactivity and Transport: Bioorganic Systems. Volume 5 - Supramolecular Reactivity and Transport: Bioinorganic Systems. Volume 6 - Solid-State Supramolecular Chemistry: Crystal Engineering. Volume 7 - Solid-State Supramolecular Chemistry: Two- and Three-Dimensional Inorganic Networks. Volume 8 - Physical Methods in Supramolecular Chemistry. Volume 9 - Templating Self-Assembly and Self-Organization. Voulme 10 - Supramolecular Technology. Volume 11 - Cumulative Index.

A General Model for the Origin of Allometric Scaling Laws in Biology

Geoffrey B. West, James H. Brown, Brian J. Enquist

Allometric scaling relations, including the 3/4 power law for metabolic rates, are characteristic of all organisms and are here derived from a general model that describes how essential materials are transported through space-filling fractal networks of branching tubes. The model assumes that the energy dissipated is minimized and that the terminal tubes do not vary with body size. It provides a complete analysis of scaling relations for mammalian circulatory systems that are in agreement with data. More generally, the model predicts structural and functional properties of vertebrate cardiovascular and respiratory systems, plant vascular systems, insect tracheal tubes, and other distribution networks.

Marine biology: Function, biodiversity, ecology

George M. Branch