Professional non-neutrality: criticising the third party in psychotherapy

Using audio-recorded data from cognitive-constructivist psychotherapy, the article shows a particular institutional context in which successful professional action does not adhere to the pattern of affective neutrality which Parsons saw as an inherent component of medicine and psychotherapy. In our data, the professional’s non-neutrality functions as a tool for achieving institutional goals. The analysis focuses on the psychotherapist’s actions that convey a critical stance towards a third party with whom the patient has experienced problems. The data analysis revealed two practices of this kind of critique: (1) the therapist can confirm the critique that the patient has expressed or (2) return to the critique from which the patient has focused away. These actions are shown to build grounds for the therapist’s further actions that challenge the patient’s dysfunctional beliefs. The article suggests that in the case of psychotherapy, actions that as such might be seen as apparent lapses from the neutral professional role can in their specific context perform the task of the institution at hand.

The Reproducing Kernel DMS-FEM: 3D Shape Functions and Applications to Linear Solid Mechanics

We propose a family of 3D versions of a smooth finite element method (Sunilkumar and Roy 2010), wherein the globally smooth shape functions are derivable through the condition of polynomial reproduction with the tetrahedral B-splines (DMS-splines) or tensor-product forms of triangular B-splines and ID NURBS bases acting as the kernel functions. While the domain decomposition is accomplished through tetrahedral or triangular prism elements, an additional requirement here is an appropriate generation of knotclouds around the element vertices or corners. The possibility of sensitive dependence of numerical solutions to the placements of knotclouds is largely arrested by enforcing the condition of polynomial reproduction whilst deriving the shape functions. Nevertheless, given the higher complexity in forming the knotclouds for tetrahedral elements especially when higher demand is placed on the order of continuity of the shape functions across inter-element boundaries, we presently emphasize an exploration of the triangular prism based formulation in the context of several benchmark problems of interest in linear solid mechanics. In the absence of a more rigorous study on the convergence analyses, the numerical exercise, reported herein, helps establish the method as one of remarkable accuracy and robust performance against numerical ill-conditioning (such as locking of different kinds) vis-a-vis the conventional FEM.

Thermodynamics and phase equilibria in the system Ga---In using multi-parameter functions

A four and a five-parameter functions are used to analyse and interpret the high and low temperature thermodynamic data and phase equilibria in the Ga-In system.

Functions Of Cytochrome-C In Regulation Of Electron-Transfer And Protein Folding

Cytochrome c, a "mobile electron carrier" of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, also occurs in detectable amounts in the cytosol, and can receive electrons from cytochromes present in endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membranes as well as from superoxide and ascorbate. The pigment was found to dissociate from mitochondrial membranes in liver and kidney when rats were subjected to heat exposure and starvation, respectively. Treating cytochrome c with hydroxylamine gives a partially deaminated product with altered redox properties; decreased stimulation of respiration by deficient mitochondria, increased reduction by superoxide, and complete loss of reducibility by plasma membranes. Mitochondria isolated from brown adipose tissue of cold-exposed rats are found to be sub-saturated with cytochrome c. The ability of cytochrome c to reactivate reduced ribonuclease is now reinterpreted as a molecular chaperone role for the hemoprotein.

Affine Hall-Littlewood Functions for A(1)((1)) And Some Constant Term Identities of Cherednik-Macdonald-Mehta Type

We study t-analogs of string functions for integrable highest weight representations of the affine Kac-Moody algebra A(1)((1)). We obtain closed form formulas for certain t-string functions of levels 2 and 4. As corollaries, we obtain explicit identities for the corresponding affine Hall-Littlewood functions, as well as higher level generalizations of Cherednik's Macdonald and Macdonald-Mehta constant term identities.

Bayesian Decentralized Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks

This paper considers the problem of spectrum sensing, i.e., the detection of whether or not a primary user is transmitting data by a cognitive radio. The Bayesian framework is adopted, with the performance measure being the probability of detection error. A decentralized setup, where N sensors use M observations each to arrive at individual decisions that are combined at a fusion center to form the overall decision is considered. The unknown fading channel between the primary sensor and the cognitive radios makes the individual decision rule computationally complex, hence, a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT)-based approach is adopted. Analysis of the probabilities of false alarm and miss detection of the proposed method reveals that the error exponent with respect to M is zero. Also, the fusion of N individual decisions offers a diversity advantage, similar to diversity reception in communication systems, and a tight bound on the error exponent is presented. Through an analysis in the low power regime, the number of observations needed as a function of received power, to achieve a given probability of error is determined. Monte-Carlo simulations confirm the accuracy of the analysis.

Waveform synthesis using Walsh functions International Journal of Electronics

A software and a microprocessor based hardware for waveform synthesis using Walsh functions are described. The software is based on Walsh function generation using Hadamard matrices and on the truncated Walsh series expansion for the waveform to be synthesized. The hardware employs six microprocessor controlled programmable Walsh function generators (PWFGs) for generating the first six non-vanishing terms of the truncated Walsh series. Improved approximation to a given waveform may be achieved by employing additional PWFGs.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Orientational Relaxation in Dipolar Lattice: Lack of Diffusive Decay for Second and Higher Rank Correlation Functions

Extensive molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to calculate the orientational correlation functions Cl(t), G(t) = [4n/(21 + l)]Ci=-l (Y*lm(sZ(0)) Ylm(Q(t))) (where Y,,(Q) are the spherical harmonics) of point dipoles in a cubic lattice. The decay of Cl(t) is found to be strikingly different from higher l-correlation functions-the latter do not exhibit diffusive dynamics even in the long time. Both the cumulant expansion expression of Lynden-Bell and the conventional memory function equation provide very good description of the Cl(t) in the short time but fail to reproduce the observed slow, long time decay of c1 (t) .

One protein�many functions

The concept of one enzyme-one activity had influenced biochemistry for over half a century. Over 1000 enzymes are now described. Many of them are highly 'specific'. Some of them are crystallized and their three-dimensional structures determined. They range from 12 to 1000 kDa in molecular weight and possess 124 to several hundreds of amino acids. They occur as single polypeptides or multiple-subunit proteins. The active sites are assembled on these by appropriate tertiary folding of the polypeptide chain, or by interaction of the constituent subunits. The substrate is held by the side-chains of a few amino acids at the active site on the surface, occupying a tiny fraction of the total area. What is the bulk of the protein behind the active site doing? Do all proteins have only one function each? Why not a protein have more than one active site on its large surface? Will we discover more than one activity for some proteins? These newer possibilities are emerging and are finding experimental support. Some proteins purified to homogeneity using assay methods for different activities are now recognized to have the same molecular weight and a high degree of homology of amino acid sequence. Obviously they are identical. They represent the phenomenon of one protein-many functions.

CM defect and Hilbert functions of monomial curves

In this article we consider a semigroup ring R = KGamma] of a numerical semigroup Gamma and study the Cohen- Macaulayness of the associated graded ring G(Gamma) := gr(m), (R) := circle plus(n is an element of N) m(n)/m(n+1) and the behaviour of the Hilbert function H-R of R. We define a certain (finite) subset B(Gamma) subset of F and prove that G(Gamma) is Cohen-Macaulay if and only if B(Gamma) = empty set. Therefore the subset B(Gamma) is called the Cohen-Macaulay defect of G(Gamma). Further, we prove that if the degree sequence of elements of the standard basis of is non-decreasing, then B(F) = empty set and hence G(Gamma) is Cohen-Macaulay. We consider a class of numerical semigroups Gamma = Sigma(3)(i=0) Nm(i) generated by 4 elements m(0), m(1), m(2), m(3) such that m(1) + m(2) = mo m3-so called ``balanced semigroups''. We study the structure of the Cohen-Macaulay defect B(Gamma) of Gamma and particularly we give an estimate on the cardinality |B(Gamma, r)| for every r is an element of N. We use these estimates to prove that the Hilbert function of R is non-decreasing. Further, we prove that every balanced ``unitary'' semigroup Gamma is ``2-good'' and is not ``1-good'', in particular, in this case, c(r) is not Cohen-Macaulay. We consider a certain special subclass of balanced semigroups Gamma. For this subclass we try to determine the Cohen-Macaulay defect B(Gamma) using the explicit description of the standard basis of Gamma; in particular, we prove that these balanced semigroups are 2-good and determine when exactly G(Gamma) is Cohen-Macaulay. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spectral Sensing of Adaptive Frequency Hopping Signal for Cognitive Radio

The issue of dynamic spectrum scene analysis in any cognitive radio network becomes extremely complex when low probability of intercept, spread spectrum systems are present in environment. The detection and estimation become more complex if frequency hopping spread spectrum is adaptive in nature. In this paper, we propose two phase approach for detection and estimation of frequency hoping signals. Polyphase filter bank has been proposed as the architecture of choice for detection phase to efficiently detect the presence of frequency hopping signal. Based on the modeling of frequency hopping signal it can be shown that parametric methods of line spectral analysis are well suited for estimation of frequency hopping signals if the issues of order estimation and time localization are resolved. An algorithm using line spectra parameter estimation and wavelet based transient detection has been proposed which resolves above issues in computationally efficient manner suitable for implementation in cognitive radio. The simulations show promising results proving that adaptive frequency hopping signals can be detected and demodulated in a non cooperative context, even at a very low signal to noise ratio in real time.

Derivation and consistency of the partial functions of the ternary system involving interaction coefficients

The logarithm of activity coefficients of the components of the ternary system is derived based on the Maclaurin infinite series, which is expressed in terms of the integral property of the system and subjected to appropriate boundary conditions. The derivation of the functions involves extensive summation of various infinite series pertaining to the first-order interaction coefficients that have been shown completely to remove any truncational error. Since the conventional equations involving interaction coefficients are internally inconsistent, a consistent form of the partial functions is developed in the article using the technique just described. The thermodynamic consistency of the functions based on the Maxwell and the Gibbs-Duhem relations has been established. The derived values of the logarithmic activity coefficients of the components have been found to be in agreement with the thermodynamic data of the Fe-Cr-Ni system at 1873 K and have been found to be independent of the compositional paths.

Spatially dependent zero-frequency response functions and correlation functions in the Kondo model

We present the details of a formalism for calculating spatially varying zero-frequency response functions and equal-time correlation functions in models of magnetic and mixed-valence impurities of metals. The method is based on a combination of perturbative, thermodynamic scaling theory [H. R. Krishna-murthy and C. Jayaprakash, Phys. Rev. B 30, 2806 (1984)] and a nonperturbative technique such as the Wilson renormalization group. We illustrate the formalism for the spin-1/2 Kondo problem and present results for the conduction-spin-density�impurity-spin correlation function and conduction-electron charge density near the impurity. We also discuss qualitative features that emerge from our calculations and discuss how they can be carried over to the case of realistic models for transition-metal impurities.

Transmembrane domains participate in functions of integral membrane proteins

Integral membrane proteins have one or more transmembrane a-helical domains and carry out a variety of functions such as enzyme catalysis, transport across membranes, transducing signals as receptors of hormones and growth factors, and energy transfer in ATP synthesis. These transmembrane domains are not mere structural units anchoring the protein to the lipid bilayer but seem to-contribute in the overall activity. Recent findings in support of this are described using some typical examples-LDL receptor, growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, HMG-CoA reductase, F-0-ATPase and adrenergic receptors. The trends in research indicate that these transmembrane domains participate in a variety of ways such as a linker, a transducer or an exchanger in the overall functions of these proteins in transfer of materials, energy and signals.