A Bayesian model of source monitoring

The Source Monitoring Framework is a promising model of constructive memory, yet fails because it is connectionist and does not allow content tagging. The Dual-Process Signal Detection Model is an improvement because it reduces mnemic qualia to a single memory signal (or degree of belief), but still commits itself to non-discrete representation. By supposing that ‘tagging’ means the assignment of propositional attitudes to aggregates of anemic characteristics informed inductively, then a discrete model becomes plausible. A Bayesian model of source monitoring accounts for the continuous variation of inputs and assignment of prior probabilities to memory content. A modified version of the High-Threshold Dual-Process model is recommended to further source monitoring research.

Revising history for cost-informed process improvement

Organisations are constantly seeking new ways to improve operational efficiencies. This study investigates a novel way to identify potential efficiency gains in business operations by observing how they were carried out in the past and then exploring better ways of executing them by taking into account trade-offs between time, cost and resource utilisation. This paper demonstrates how these trade-offs can be incorporated in the assessment of alternative process execution scenarios by making use of a cost environment. A number of optimisation techniques are proposed to explore and assess alternative execution scenarios. The objective function is represented by a cost structure that captures different process dimensions. An experimental evaluation is conducted to analyse the performance and scalability of the optimisation techniques: integer linear programming (ILP), hill climbing, tabu search, and our earlier proposed hybrid genetic algorithm approach. The findings demonstrate that the hybrid genetic algorithm is scalable and performs better compared to other techniques. Moreover, we argue that the use of ILP is unrealistic in this setup and cannot handle complex cost functions such as the ones we propose. Finally, we show how cost-related insights can be gained from improved execution scenarios and how these can be utilised to put forward recommendations for reducing process-related cost and overhead within organisations.

To increase or decrease dosage of antimicrobials in septic patients during continuous renal replacement therapy: the eternal doubt

Critical illness, acute renal failure and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are associated with changes in pharmacokinetics. Initial antibiotic dose should be based on published volume of distribution and generally be at least the standard dose, as volume of distribution is usually unchanged or increased. Subsequent doses should be based on total clearance. Total clearance varies with the CRRT clearance which mainly depends on effluent flow rate, sieving coefficient/saturation coefficient. As antibiotic clearance by healthy kidneys is usually higher than clearance by CRRT, except for colistin, subsequent doses should generally be lower than given to patients without renal dysfunction. In the future therapeutic drug monitoring, together with sophisticated pharmacokinetic models taking into account the pharmacokinetic variability, may enable more appropriate individualized dosing.

FlexAnalytics: A flexible data analytics framework for big data applications with I/O performance improvement

Increasingly larger scale applications are generating an unprecedented amount of data. However, the increasing gap between computation and I/O capacity on High End Computing machines makes a severe bottleneck for data analysis. Instead of moving data from its source to the output storage, in-situ analytics processes output data while simulations are running. However, in-situ data analysis incurs much more computing resource contentions with simulations. Such contentions severely damage the performance of simulation on HPE. Since different data processing strategies have different impact on performance and cost, there is a consequent need for flexibility in the location of data analytics. In this paper, we explore and analyze several potential data-analytics placement strategies along the I/O path. To find out the best strategy to reduce data movement in given situation, we propose a flexible data analytics (FlexAnalytics) framework in this paper. Based on this framework, a FlexAnalytics prototype system is developed for analytics placement. FlexAnalytics system enhances the scalability and flexibility of current I/O stack on HEC platforms and is useful for data pre-processing, runtime data analysis and visualization, as well as for large-scale data transfer. Two use cases – scientific data compression and remote visualization – have been applied in the study to verify the performance of FlexAnalytics. Experimental results demonstrate that FlexAnalytics framework increases data transition bandwidth and improves the application end-to-end transfer performance.

A directed continuous time random walk model with jump length depending on waiting time

In continuum one-dimensional space, a coupled directed continuous time random walk model is proposed, where the random walker jumps toward one direction and the waiting time between jumps affects the subsequent jump. In the proposed model, the Laplace-Laplace transform of the probability density function P(x,t) of finding the walker at position at time is completely determined by the Laplace transform of the probability density function φ(t) of the waiting time. In terms of the probability density function of the waiting time in the Laplace domain, the limit distribution of the random process and the corresponding evolving equations are derived.

Predictors of clinical improvement in children with recurrent abdominal pain

Forty-three children with recurrent abdominal pain who had received treatment from a paediatric gastroenterology clinic were reassessed 6 and 12 months after initial presentation. Measures of children's pain included a pain diary (PD) which measured pain intensity, a parent observation record (POR) which assessed pain behaviour and a structured interview to assess the degree to which pain interferes with the child's activities. Pretreatment measures of the child's history of pain, coping strategies in dealing with pain, and their mother's caregiving strategies were examined as predictors of two indices of clinical improvement: the extent of change in pain on the child's pain diary from pre-test to 6 months follow-up, and the degree of interference to the child's activities. All children had shown significant improvement in the level of pain at follow up, with 74.4% being pain free at 12 month follow-up on the PD and 83.7% being pain free on the POR. The amount of change they showed varied, with some showing residual impairment even though they were significantly improved. Regression analyses showed that children with greatest reductions on the child's pain diary at the 6 month follow-up were those with a stress-related mode of onset, whose mothers used more adaptive caregiving strategies, and who received cognitive behavioural family intervention. There was also a non significant trend for younger children to fare better. These data suggest the importance of early diagnosis and routinely assessing parental caregiving behaviour and beliefs about the origins of pain in planning treatment for children with RAP.

A water model study of the flow asymmetry inside a continuous slab casting mold

The work studies the extent of asymmetric flow in water models of continuous casting molds of two different configurations. In the molds where fluid is discharged through multiple holes at the bottom, the flow pattern in the lower portion depends on the size of the lower two recirculating domains. If they reach the mold bottom, the flow pattern in the lower portion is symmetrical about the central plane; otherwise, it is asymmetrical. On the other hand, in the molds where the fluid is discharged through the entire mold cross section, the flow pattern is always asymmetrical if the aspect ratio is 1:6.25 or more. The fluid jet swirls while emerging through the nozzle. The interaction of the swirling Jets with the wide sidewalls of the mold gives rise to asymmetrical flow inside the mold. In the molds with lower aspect ratios, where the jets do not touch the wide side walls, the flow pattern is symmetrical about the central plane.

Development of molecular tools for the improvement of transgene expression in sugar cane

Biotechnology has the potential to improve sugar cane, one of the world's major crops for food and fuel. This research describes the detailed characterisation of introns and their potential for enhancing transgene expression in sugar cane via intron-mediated enhancement (IME). IME is a phenomenon whereby an intron enhances gene expression from a promoter. Current knowledge on the mechanism of IME or its potential for enhancing gene expression in sugar cane is limited. A better understanding of the factors responsible for IME will help develop new molecular tools that facilitate high levels of constitutive and tissue-specific gene expression in this crop.

“I have to rest all the time because you are not allowed to play”: Exploring children’s perceptions of autonomy during sleep-time in long day care services

Daytime sleep is a significant part of the daily routine for children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Australia and many other countries. The practice of sleep-time can account for a substantial portion of the day in ECEC and often involves a mandated sleep/rest period for all children, including older preschool-aged children. Yet, there is evidence that children have a reduced need for daytime sleep as they approach school entry age and that continuation of mandated sleep-time in ECEC for preschool-aged children may have a negative impact on their health, development, learning and well-being. Mandated sleep-time practices also go against current quality expectations for services to support children’s agency and autonomy in ECEC. This study documents children’s reports of their experiences of sleep-time in ECEC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 54 preschool-aged children (44–63 months) across four long day ECEC services that employed a range of sleep-time practices. Findings provide a snapshot of children’s views and experiences of sleep-time and perceptions of autonomy-supportive practices. These provide a unique platform to support critical reflection on sleep-time policies and practices, with a view to continuous quality improvement in ECEC. This study forms part of a programme of work from the Sleep in Early Childhood research group. Our work examines sleep practices in ECEC, the subsequent staff, parent and child experiences and impacts on family and child learning and development outcomes.

A simple method for estimating growth parameters from multiple length-frequency data in presence of continuous recruitment

The extended recruitment season for short-lived species such as prawns biases the estimation of growth parameters from length-frequency data when conventional methods are used. We propose a simple method for overcoming this bias given a time series of length-frequency data. The difficulties arising from extended recruitment are eliminated by predicting the growth of the succeeding samples and the length increments of the recruits in previous samples. This method requires that some maximum size at recruitment can be specified. The advantages of this multiple length-frequency method are: it is simple to use; it requires only three parameters; no specific distributions need to be assumed; and the actual seasonal recruitment pattern does not have to be specified. We illustrate the new method with length-frequency data on the tiger prawn Penaeus esculentus from the north-western Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia.

Domestication to crop improvement: Genetic resources for Sorghum and Saccharum (Andropogoneae).

Background: Both sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) are members of the Andropogoneae tribe in the Poaceae and are each other's closest relatives amongst cultivated plants. Both are relatively recent domesticates and comparatively little of the genetic potential of these taxa and their wild relatives has been captured by breeding programmes to date. This review assesses the genetic gains made by plant breeders since domestication and the progress in the characterization of genetic resources and their utilization in crop improvement for these two related species. Genetic Resources: The genome of sorghum has recently been sequenced providing a great boost to our knowledge of the evolution of grass genomes and the wealth of diversity within S. bicolor taxa. Molecular analysis of the Sorghum genus has identified close relatives of S. bicolor with novel traits, endosperm structure and composition that may be used to expand the cultivated gene pool. Mutant populations (including TILLING populations) provide a useful addition to genetic resources for this species. Sugarcane is a complex polyploid with a large and variable number of copies of each gene. The wild relatives of sugarcane represent a reservoir of genetic diversity for use in sugarcane improvement. Techniques for quantitative molecular analysis of gene or allele copy number in this genetically complex crop have been developed. SNP discovery and mapping in sugarcane has been advanced by the development of high-throughput techniques for ecoTILLING in sugarcane. Genetic linkage maps of the sugarcane genome are being improved for use in breeding selection. The improvement of both sorghum and sugarcane will be accelerated by the incorporation of more diverse germplasm into the domesticated gene pools using molecular tools and the improved knowledge of these genomes.

Implementation of an electronic nose for continuous odour monitoring in a poultry shed

Continuous odour monitoring technologies are necessary to understand the complex odour-generating mechanisms within poultry housing as well as to identify strategies to reduce the impact of odour emissions on local communities. To evaluate electronic nose (EN) technologies for continuously assessing odour concentration in poultry housing, a mobile laboratory containing an electronic nose and an associated sample delivery system was deployed to a commercial poultry farm and tested over a broiler production cycle. The results demonstrated that it was possible to develop a model to allow an electronic nose to provide a semi-continuous measurement of odour concentrations. The electronic nose was also able to demonstrate the influence of shed conditions on odour emissions.

Development of innovative robust stability enhancement algorithms for distribution systems containing distributed generators

This project was a step forward in improving the voltage profile of traditional low voltage distribution networks with high photovoltaic generation or high peak demand. As a practical and economical solution, the developed methods use a Dynamic Voltage Restorer or DVR, which is a series voltage compensator, for continuous and communication-less power quality enhancement. The placement of DVR in the network is optimised in order to minimise its power rating and cost. In addition, new approaches were developed for grid synchronisation and control of DVR which are integrated with the voltage quality improvement algorithm for stable operation.

High resolution genetic and physical mapping of the I-3 region of tomato chromosome 7 reveals almost continuous microsynteny with grape chromosome 12 but interspersed microsynteny with duplications on Arabidopsis chromosomes 1, 2 and 3

The tomato I-3 gene introgressed from the Lycopersicon pennellii accession LA716 confers resistance to race 3 of the fusarium wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. We have improved the high-resolution map of the I-3 region of tomato chromosome 7 with the development and mapping of 31 new PCR-based markers. Recombinants recovered from L. esculentum cv. M82 × IL7-2 F2 and (IL7-2 × IL7-4) × M82 TC1F2 mapping populations, together with recombinants recovered from a previous M82 × IL7-3 F2 mapping population, were used to position these markers. A significantly higher recombination frequency was observed in the (IL7-2 × IL7-4) × M82 TC1F2 mapping population based on a reconstituted L. pennellii chromosome 7 compared to the other two mapping populations based on smaller segments of L. pennellii chromosome 7. A BAC contig consisting of L. esculentum cv. Heinz 1706 BACs covering the I-3 region has also been established. The new high-resolution map places the I-3 gene within a 0.38 cM interval between the molecular markers RGA332 and bP23/gPT with an estimated physical size of 50-60 kb. The I-3 region was found to display almost continuous microsynteny with grape chromosome 12 but interspersed microsynteny with Arabidopsis thaliana chromosomes 1, 2 and 3. An S-receptor-like kinase gene family present in the I-3 region of tomato chromosome 7 was found to be present in the microsyntenous region of grape chromosome 12 but was absent altogether from the A. thaliana genome.

Spinaalistenoosipotilaiden psyykkinen hyvinvointi ennen leikkaushoitoa ja sen jälkeen

Surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a treatment option for those patients who remain severely symptomatic after a course of conservative treatment. Majority of the patients treated surgically enjoy good-to-excellent outcomes with respect to pain alleviation and functional recovery. However, between 20% and 40% of the patients who have surgery for LSS do not benefit from it. The knowledge of the psychological factors associated with recovery and treatment outcome is still scarce. The aim of this study was to assess LSS patients selected for surgical treatment. Specifically, the study assessed the prevalence of depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) before surgical treatment and three months after the treatment. Also preoperative life satisfaction (four-item Life Satisfaction scale) of the LSS patients was studied. Furthermore, the patients satisfaction with surgery outcome at the three months postoperative stage was studied. One-fifth (20%) of the LSS-patients were found to have depression preoperatively. The patients assessments of the pain intensity or location were not associated with depression. The factors that did associate with depression were subjective disability of everyday living and poor life satisfaction. In addition to this, low sense of coherence and poor life satisfaction were associated with depression in logistic regression models. Significant associations were seen between preoperative depression and postoperative high disability scores, high symptom severity scores and higher pain intensity ratings. The patients with continuous depression (60% of the patients who had preoperative depression) showed less improvement in symptom severity, disability, pain and walking capacity than the patients who did not experience depression at any stage. In those patients who recovered from depression (35% of the patients with preoperative depression), the postoperative improvement was rather similar to the improvement seen in the normal mood group. One-fourth (25%) of the preoperative patients with LSS were found to be dissatisfied with life. The dissatisfied patients were significantly younger and had more self-reported somatic comorbidity. The dissatisfied patients had also elevated subjective disability scores and more extensive pain locations. Also lower coping resources and higher BDI scores were associated with life dissatisfaction. Younger age and somatic comorbidity were associated with life dissatisfaction in regression models. Two-thirds (66%) of the patients were at least clearly satisfied with the surgery outcome at three months postoperative stage. In group comparisons, the lack of physical, functional and emotional well-being was associated with the patients dissatisfaction with the surgery outcome. Younger age, postoperative symptom severity, disability and depression were independently associated with dissatisfaction with the surgery outcome. The results show that depression and psychological well-being are important factors with respect to LSS patients functional ability and recovery both before and three months after surgical treatment. Therefore, the clinical practice recommendations should include an assessment of depression