Basic Research Problems Research Articles

The serotonin system and alcoholism: basic research and clinical problems.

The serotonin system and alcoholism: basic research and clinical problems.

Basic Research and Practical Problems: The Promise of a "Functional" Personality and Social Psychology

In this article, based on the 1992 presidential address to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the author illustrates how research in personality and social psychology can address problems that confront society. To do so, he draws on a program of research on volunteerism. Every year; millions of people volunteer to devote much time and energy to helping others by volunteering, for example, to provide companionship to the elderly, tutoring to the illiterate, or health care to the sick. Guided by a functional approach to motivation, the author and his colleagues are engaged in a coordinated program of basic and applied investigations, conducted in the field and the laboratory, to examine personal and social motivations that give rise to the sustained, ongoing helping relationships of volunteerism. Then, applying lessons learned from building such bridges between basic research and practical problems, the author examines the practical and theoretical promises of a functionally orient approach to personality, motivation, and social behavior

Interfaces under an optical probe

Many problems in basic research are of considerable technological importance but require a large concentration of resources to find solutions. This article focuses on one such problem: to understand the factors which determine the epitaxial growth of interfaces between materials and to provide methods of monitoring and characterising an interface during epitaxial growth. Ideally, such monitoring needs to have minimum influence on the growth process and be external to the growth environment. The need to concentrate resources for research involving the epitaxial growth of semiconductor systems is recognised by industry and by agencies which fund basic research. As a result, this has led to the establishment of large research laboratories around the world. However, such centres are expensive and are supported, to some extent, at the expense of smaller research groups. We describe an alternative approach to the organisation of research on such problems based on coordinating the activity of several existing research groups with complementary capabilities.

Basic Research in Action

An increasingly important component of society's response to the AIDS epidemic is the involvement of volunteers in caring for persons with AIDS. To understand this social phenomenon, we employed basic psychological theories in coordinated longitudinal and cross-sectional research on three stages of the volunteer process: antecedents of the decision to be a volunteer, experiences of volunteers and those with whom they work, and consequences for volunteers and for society. In this article, we draw upon portions of data collected from currently active AIDS volunteers to illustrate the linkages between basic research and practical problems. We discuss the ways that basic theory can both guide research on societally important issues and be informed by such research conducted in applied contexts. Finally, we relate our approach to the Lewinian tradition of action research.

Review of Automated Reasoning: Thirty-Three Basic Research Problems

To read the book Automated Reasoning: Thirty-Three Basic Research problems (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1987, 300 pp., $11.00) by Larry Was it is not necessary to be an expert in mathematics or logic or computer science. However, even if you are such an expert, you will read it with interest, and likely, with enjoyment.

Up Close: Center for Micro-Engineered Ceramics at the University of New Mexico

The Center for Micro-Engineered Ceramics (CMEC) recently established at the University of New Mexico is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. It is supported by the National Science Foundation, Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico Research and Development Institute, and the ceramics industry.The CMEC is unique in that it combines the resources of two universities (University of New Mexico and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) and two national laboratories to attack ceramics-related basic research problems of industrial significance. An essential part of the effort is the strong interplay between the basic scientific disciplines, particularly physics and chemistry, along with engineering; the work is interdisciplinary with members from chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, and geology.The goals of the CMEC are to1. Aggressively attack ceramics-related basic research problems using university/national laboratory/industry collaborations;2. Transfer technology between the universities, national laboratories, and industry; and3. Train a new generation of ceramic scientists and engineers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.At present, the areas of major interest are novel powder synthesis and processing schemes for controlled morphology powder compacts, and coatings and porous films. In addition, both laboratories and universities have programs on ceramic superconductors.

An Information Processing Interpretation of Cross-National Consumer Characteristics

The identification of a valid interpretation of the similarities and differences in the behavior of consumers in different nations is impossible without a comprehensive theory of consumer behavior that explicitly takes into account differences in the characteristics of the consumer, the marketplace, the social environment, and the physical environment of these nations. Newell and Simon's version of information processing theory is advocated as the one theory that is capable of providing a solution to this basic problem of cross-national research.

Larry Wos. Automated reasoning: 33 basic research problems. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1988, xiii + 319 pp.

Larry Wos. Automated reasoning: 33 basic research problems. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1988, xiii + 319 pp.

Book review: Automated Reasoning: 33 Basic Research Problems by Larry Wos (Prentice Hall 1988)

This book covers a basic overview of the automatin of reasoning, test problems and as the title says 33 basic problems relating to research in automated reasoning. It gave clear examples of problems and obstacles. The intended audience of the book is the new researcher, someone looking for a direction as to how to proceed in the area of automation of reasoning.

Resolution Theorem Proving

The resolution theorem-proving method was developed by J. A. Robinson in about 1 963 (Robinson 1 965a) and is still one of the most important methods of automated deduction. Many good books present various parts of the material that we can only present briefly and informally here. Chang & Lee (1973) was the first textbook for resolution, paramodulation, and unification, and is still useful. Loveland ( 1978) and Bibe1 ( 1982) are more recent texts excep­ tionally strong in the areas of linear refinements of resolution and the connection method, respectively. Wos et al (1984) is written for a wider audience and reflects the practical experience with resolution theorem proving at Argonne National Laboratory; it is especially strong in the areas of deciding how to formalize problems and how to select strategies for their solution. A recent companion book (Wos 1988) presents a list of 33 basic research problems in resolution theorem proving. Siekmann & Wrightson (1983) contains many important early papers in resolution theorem proving. Kowalski ( 1979b) emphasizes the important connections between resolution theorem proving and logic programming. Manna & Waldinger (1985) and Gallier ( 1986) are new textbooks in symbolic logic, oriented toward computer sicence and automated deduction. McDermott's ( 1987) review article discusses resolution theorem proving in less detail but places it in the context of logic, problem solving, and deduction in general. A review like this must occasionally omit entire topics as well as details. The most important topic that we are unable to discuss is unification. Siekmann (1987) should be consulted for a comprehensive survey of results on unification algorithms that could be used in resolution theorem proving.

Editorial announcement A new column: Basic research problems

Editorial announcement A new column: Basic research problems

Case Study: Openness and Secrecy in Computer Research

The last 15 years have seen an explosive growth in university-based research activities in the fields of computer research and information theory. Technology has both driven and been driven by these activities. Development of the technology for very large-scale integration (VLSI), for example, has driven research on special purpose processors and highly parallel computers which has been translated into actual products that have expanded the technology base and have driven the research further. As a consequence of the push/pull of technology and basic research, many researchers in computer science, computer engineering, and information science find themselves working on basic research problems that may have short-term applications important to the commercial sector and/or important to the national defense. These researchers may face the problem of separating their research into two components: aspects dealing with basic research which should be fully available to their colleagues, and aspects with immediate applications which, for reasons of commercial importance or national defense, should not be made fully available. This problem of separation could lead to problems in the exchange of scientific information by the researchers. External controls on research, either from government or industrial sponsors, could also affect the exchange of scientific information. To study the scientific communication patterns influenced by a sponsor's actual or potential controls, I undertook a case study of three research groups in computer science. The groups were chosen to be illustrative of research in which secrecy could play a restrictive role in scientific communications. The three groups-in cryptology, systems software, and VLSI research-are located at three different U.S. universities, all of which are major research universities with strong research groups in computer science. I interviewed the principals of all three research groups to determine the existence of any controls and the effect of those controls on the conduct of scientific research. Questions were also posed to determine how development work was separated from basic research. Basic research in computer science may be subject to a number of controls, both governmental and industrial. In the United States, governmental controls consist of the Invention Secrecy Act' (which applies to the patenting of militarily useful products), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations2 (which apply to military products), the Export Administration Regulations' (which apply to products and technology that are both militarily useful and useful for the civilian purposes), and the President's 1982 Executive Order 123564 that defines classification for national security purposes. Some research contracts also contain pre-publication review conditions. Industrial controls consist of contractually agreedupon conditions, such as exclusive licenses or pre-publication review, and publication delays to ensure the patentability of products. The latter is also written into many university employment contracts. Conflicts of interest that also affect scientific John C. Cherniavsky is Professor of Computer Science, Computer Science Department, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057. This essay was produced with the support of funds from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities under NSF Grant RII83098 74.

Badania nad prewencją generalną: problemy metodologiczne

Badania nad prewencją generalną: problemy metodologiczne

The Role of X-ray Fluorescence in a Modern Geochemical Laboratory*

Modern geoehemical studies have evolved significantly over the last few decades. Exploration programs have become more ambitious and have expanded to cover entire nations, requiring many tens of thousands of analyses. With the increased demand for chemical analyses, many laboratories have opted for automated, rapid, high-technology instruments, rather than adding a larger number of skilled personnel. It is not clear whether the advance of automated instrumentation in the laboratory predated the demand for large numbers of analyses, but with the increased availability of computers, even basic research problems have come to employ larger numbers of samples. Because modern geochemical laboratories can seldom have all new analytical equipment, from the beginning it is clear that priorities must be assigned and choices made when selecting each new instrument.

Basic research problems in remote sensing

In this paper we describe the sources of geometric errors and methods to correct them with special reference to satellite-derived multi-spectral data. We then give an overview of an atmospheric model which can correct for atmospheric distortions. These are followed by discipline-oriented problems. We conclude by looking at some of the future remote sensing satellites which can cater to the problems referred to above.

Toxicity testing of oil spill dispersants in South Africa

Prior to 1981, manufacturers of oil spill dispersants wishing their products to carry the South African Bureau of Standards (S.A.B.S.) mark of approval or to conform to the applicable S.A.B.S. specification had to have the testing undertaken in the United Kingdom. A new test was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1975, and this and several other tests in use worldwide are reviewed. After consideration of the requirements of a dispersant toxicity test, the necessary modifications for the South African situation are detailed. Results show that the test is comparable with those in use overseas as regards licensing purposes, but there are still basic research problems on dispersant use to be overcome.

Research on natural-language processing

Research on natural-language processing at SRI spans a broad spectrum of activity. Two of our major current efforts are a pair of research projects under the sponsorship of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The TEAM project is intended to provide natural-language access to large databases via systems that are easily adaptable to a wide range of new application domains. The KLAUS project is a longer-range effort to address basic research problems in natural-language semantics, commonsense reasoning, and the pragmatics of natural-language communication. These two projects share a common core-language-processing system called DIALOGIC.

Particle Beam Fusion Acceleratr-I (PBFA-I)

The first Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator (PBFA-I) has recently completed its operational series of tests. It provided 30 TW into 36 power flow lines terminated in electron beam loads at the accelerator's center. The outputs were 2 MV at 15 MA for a 40 ns pulse which provided 1 MJ of output energy. During the accelerator develcpament, several ways of modifying and reconnecting this modular, few MV output pulsed power were discovered. The data from PBFA-I tests show the flexibility and reliability of pulsed power. This technology base could provide a 100 TW accelerator known as PBFA-II which will be the light ion beam test bed for breakeven experiments for the Department of Energy's Inertial Confinement Fusion Program. Pulsed power technology continues to be flexible and adaptable to a wide variety of basic research problems. It is a cost effective technology for producing large pulsed energy outputs.

Technology Transfer in Biokinematics of the Human Spine

The present paper examines the role of theoretical kinematics of rigid body motion in solving some of the basic research problems in the study of intervertebral motion in human spine. The paper presents an extensive literature search in the bio-kinematics of human spine and discusses the opportunities for technology transfer in theoretical kinematics to study the mechanics of human spine.

Large-scale structure of spiral galaxies: problems old and new

Introductory remarks for IAU Symposium No. 84 are made. These include a brief history of previous symposia dealing with galactic structure, basic research problems in this area, and parallels regarding our galaxy which can be drawn from extragalactic research.