Ambiguous State Research Articles

Optimization of Support Locations of Beam and Plate Structures Under Self-Weight by Using a Sprung Structure Model

To find support locations minimizing uneven deformation is an important design issue in a large plate under self-weight. During the imprinting process of LCD panels, for instance, a large variation in the deflection of an LCD panel due to its self-weight deteriorates the quality of nanoscale imprinted lines. Motivated by this need, this research aims to develop an efficient gradient-based optimization method of finding optimal support locations of beam or plate structures under self-weight. To use a gradient-based algorithm, the support locating problem is formulated with continuous design variables. In this work, a beam or plate structure is assumed to be supported by a set of distributed springs, which are attached to all nodes of the discretized model of a given structure. The spring stiffness is made to vary continuously as a function of the design variable in which unsupported and supported states of a structure are represented with springs having limit stiffness values. Because elastically supported structures exhibit considerably different structural behaviors from structures without elastic supports, it is difficult to select an objective function fulfilling the design goal and ensuring convergence to distinct supported-unsupported states without ambiguous intermediate states. To address this issue, an extensive study is conducted and an appropriate objective function is then suggested. An optimization formulation using the objective function is presented and several numerical problems are considered to check the validity and usefulness of the developed formulation.

Active Diagnosis of Hybrid Systems Guided by Diagnosability Properties

On-line diagnosis must accommodate the existing sensoring capabilities of a system, which often results in limited diagnosability. However, in the context of hybrid systems, although faults may not be always discriminable, there are generally operating modes of the system in which they are. Active diagnosis relies on applying specific inputs to the system so as to exhibit additional symptoms that help refining the diagnosis. The idea of this paper is to use hybrid systems diagnosability analysis to drive the system towards modes with increased diagnosability with respect to safety considerations. The active diagnosis problem is formulated as a conditional planning problem. From an ambiguous state returned by the diagnoser, the plan defines how to find a controllable paths leading to a non ambiguous state. The decision about the active diagnosis actions is guided by the observable response of the system.

Classifying ambiguous cognitive states to by binarization images using EEG analysis

Classifying ambiguous cognitive states to by binarization images using EEG analysis

Bivalent domains enforce transcriptional memory of DNA methylated genes in cancer cells

Silencing of multiple cancer-related genes is associated with de novo methylation of linked CpG islands. Additionally, bivalent histone modification profiles characterized by the juxtaposition of active and inactive histone marks have been observed in genes that become hypermethylated in cancer. It is unknown how these ambiguous epigenetic states are maintained and how they interrelate with adjacent genomic regions with different epigenetic landscapes. Here, we present the analysis of a set of neighboring genes, including many frequently silenced in colon cancer cells, in a chromosomal region at 5q35.2 spanning 1.25 Mb. Promoter DNA methylation occurs only at genes maintained at a low transcriptional state and is characterized by the presence of bivalent histone marks, namely trimethylation of lysines 4 and 27 in histone 3. Chemically induced hyperacetylation and DNA demethylation lead to up-regulation of silenced genes in this locus yet do not resolve bivalent domains into a domain-wide active chromatin conformation. In contrast, active genes in the region become down-regulated after drug treatment, accompanied by a partial loss of chromatin domain boundaries and spreading of the inactive histone mark trimethylated lysine 27 in histone 3. Our results demonstrate that bivalent domains mark the promoters of genes that will become DNA methylated in adult tumor cells to enforce transcriptional silence. These bivalent domains not only remain upon drug induced gene reactivation, but also spread over adjacent CpG islands. These results may have important implications in understanding and managing epigenetic therapies of cancer.

Regulatory Agency Consideration of Pharmacogenomics

This article discusses the current ambiguous state of federal regulatory agency control over pharmacogenomic testing, a subset of genetic testing that combines information about genetic variability with pharmacology in order to improve drug recommendations. An analysis of the common three terms used to evaluate regulation of pharmacogenomic testing: research validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility, followed by a case study involving U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of laboratory developed tests, illustrates the present gap in pharmacogenomic oversight. The existing agency overlap in regulating pharmacogenomic testing leads to unclear or even contradictory authoritative advice.

The Rosetta Stone of the Human Mind: Three Languages to Integrate Neurobiology and Psychology

Back to table of contents Previous article BOOK-REVIEWFull AccessThe Rosetta Stone of the Human Mind: Three Languages to Integrate Neurobiology and PsychologyJacob Kean Ph.D.Jacob Kean Ph.D.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Jul 2008https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.2008.20.3.381AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Dr. Sanguineti writes in his introduction to The Rosetta Stone of the Human Mind: Three Languages to Integrate Neurobiology and Psychology that, “…this book has to be taken for what it really is: an admittedly naive exercise in the integration of the different approaches used to probe the mystery of the mind” (p. xxiii). Put less humbly, the book is a cogent set of working papers that synthesize physics and mathematics, neurobiology and psychology as each relates to understanding the concepts such as consciousness, the unconscious, knowledge representation, and emotion. The book includes thirteen chapters organized into three sections. The first section, “Learning the Languages,” reviews the attempts over the course of humanity to understand the mind and the human subject. It includes a brief primer on three current perspectives on these issues: the works of Alwyn Scott (nonlinear dynamics), Antonio Damasio (neurology), and Gerald Edelman (neurobiology). These three perspectives on the mind are continuing threads through the second section, “Seeking the Understanding,” and the third section, “Applying the Knowledge,” which considers clinical practice and different aspects of culture. Take as an example Chapter 5, “Consciousness,” which compares and contrasts the perspectives of the three “languages” around this phenomenon. Dr. Sanguineti bootstraps from the different perspectives to issues that arise from the synthesis, such as: “…most of the ‘real’ evidence in support of core consciousness and primary consciousness [from Damasio] stems from neuropathology” (p. 52), and “…whether consciousness is an either-or phenomenon that is implied in Edelman and Tononi’s model, a condition that leaves no space for such ambiguous states as dreams” (p. 55). By leveraging the different perspectives, Dr. Sanguineti invites science to approach greater clarity on these complex issues.Among the most powerful demonstrations of this position is a retelling of the myth of Psyche as an illustration, “…which represents the creative expression of inner mental states in ways that are otherwise equaled by modern, rationalistic thinking” (p. 27). Against this backdrop, Dr. Sanguineti demonstrates the inadequacy of objective science in capturing inherently subjective concepts such as ego, self, and consciousness. This call for a redirection of the science to subjective mental phenomena is a provocative suggestion. However, the gold in the book is the honest attempt, evidenced in part by the significant number of footnotes, to synthesize complex and seemingly disparate ideas.Although the writing is clear and definitions are frequent, the inherent complexity of material such as consciousness, the self and ego, and nonlinear dynamics assume a base of knowledge in at least one of the scientific “languages” Dr. Sanguineti discusses. Those with requisite knowledge will find the text as a good starting point to explore issues; others will find it as a way to acquaint themselves with related material in another discipline. The incredible breadth of material covered in the book is akin to a lively graduate seminar and, as such, may be of interest to scholars and clinicians alike. The clinical application of the book is indirect: Dr. Sanguineti’s illustration of the dual value of psychopharmacology (objective) and psychotherapy (subjective) is likely not lost on any good clinician. Nonetheless, Dr. Sanguineti’s adroit synthesis forces reflection on science and therapy of the human psyche in a way that is widely accessible and, for that reason, fills a void that exists in many current discussions of these issues. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 20Issue 3 Summer, 2008Pages 381-381 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 July 2008 Published in print 1 July 2008

Worker voice in the context of the re-regulation of employment: employer tactics and statutory union recognition in the UK

Since the introduction of the statutory recognition procedure the vast majority of new agreements have been voluntary in nature, yet increasingly employers are using this ambiguous state regulation as a means of avoiding recognition.The legislation allows for the game of voluntarism to be enshrined within the micro level politics and social relationships of work and employment: it crystallizes the culture and history of voluntarism in the regulation itself. It is, in effect, ironic in how it balances change with tradition. It makes the new regulation pliable and difficult to see as a step to a state-led approach.There is a resistant trend to unions generally even if recognition cases may vary in terms of employer orientations.This article focuses on such issues by addressing a broader understanding of regulation through an ethnographic case study analysis.

Automated Charge State Determination of Complex Isotope-Resolved Mass Spectra by Peak-Target Fourier Transform

This study describes a new algorithm for charge state determination of complex isotope-resolved mass spectra. This algorithm is based on peak-target Fourier transform (PTFT) of isotope packets. It is modified from the widely used Fourier transform method because Fourier transform may give ambiguous charge state assignment for low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) or overlapping isotopic clusters. The PTFT algorithm applies a novel "folding" strategy to enhance peaks that are symmetrically spaced about the targeted peak before applying the FT. The "folding" strategy multiplies each point to the high-m/z side of the targeted peak by its counterpart on the low-m/z side. A Fourier transform of this "folded" spectrum is thus simplified, emphasizing the charge state of the "chosen" ion, whereas ions of other charge states contribute less to the transformed data. An intensity-dependent technique is also proposed for charge state determination from frequency signals. The performance of PTFT is demonstrated using experimental electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectra. The results show that PTFT is robust for charge state determination of low S/N and overlapping isotopic clusters, and also useful for manual verification of potential hidden isotopic clusters that may be missed by the current analysis algorithms, i.e., AID-MS or THRASH.

ABA Task Force Urges the SEC to Promulgate “Broker Dealer Lite”

For some time now, in fact years, the SEC Staff has given hints in public that it intends to propose a regulation requiring placement agent/finders, currently unregistered with the SEC and not members of the NASD, both to register and join the NASD. At periodic public events, including seminars and symposia attended by interested SEC staffers, the panelists have outlined what the proposed regulation, known in the trade as “broker/dealer lite,” will look like. The most recent significant event was the publication of an ABA Task Force Report in May 2005, recommending registration, and including commentary, both pro and con, on the Task Force Report9s conclusions, and on the current, ambiguous state of play in the absence of SEC clarification. The following article outlines summarily the principal issues involved, forecasts as the author has for quite a number of years now, that eventually broker/dealer lite will be published and adopted, and discusses the issues posed by operations in the current “Gray Area.” <b>TOPICS:</b>Private equity, exchanges/markets/clearinghouses

Ab initio molecular dynamics study of manganese porphine hydration and interaction with nitric oxide

The authors use ab initio molecular dynamics and the density functional theory+U (DFT+U) method to compute the hydration environment of the manganese ion in manganese (II) and manganese (III) porphines (MnP) dispersed in liquid water. These are intended as simple models for more complex water soluble porphyrins, which have important physiological and electrochemical applications. The manganese ion in Mn(II)P exhibits significant out-of-porphine plane displacement and binds strongly to a single H2O molecule in liquid water. The Mn in Mn(III)P is on average coplanar with the porphine plane and forms a stable complex with two H2O molecules. The residence times of these water molecules exceed 15 ps. The DFT+U method correctly predicts that water displaces NO from Mn(III)P-NO, but yields an ambiguous spin state for the MnP(II)-NO complex.

Re-assentamento, saúde e insegurança em Itaparica: um modelo de vulnerabilidade em projetos de desenvolvimento

Da perspectiva de um Estado ambíguo, gerador de insegurança, elaborou-se, a partir de exemplos concretos do caso do re-assentamento rural de Itaparica, um quadro que pudesse facilitar a compreensão de processos de adoecimento, sofrimento e administração de saúde, como fases de grandes projetos de desenvolvimento. Nesses processos, o Estado é o mais presente de todos os atores, e a partir das intensificações e retrações da sua presença, uma série de fatores de geração de insegurança se torna muito mais transparente. No caso em pauta, no sub-médio Rio São Francisco, entre Bahia e Pernambuco, o ofício agrícola dos reassentados foi o eixo organizador. Caracterizaram-se quadros de geração de insegurança estrutural, relacionada à omissão do Estado perante os pobres; insegurança administrada, relacionada à intervenção e super-inclusão no projeto de desenvolvimento; e insegurança coletiva local, relacionada à formação cotidiana local das relações de poder. Foi possível acompanhar as quatro fases: preparação e divulgação, implantação, desenvolvimento, e emancipação com dados etnográficos sobre as relações entre os agricultores reassentados, o Pólo Sindical, a executora governamental (CHESF) e outros agentes, dos anos 1970 até hoje. As modificações na vulnerabilidade da população se associam às transformações nas articulações entre os diferentes quadros de inseguranças gerados pelo processo. Argumentou-se, com base nas vulnerabilidades mencionadas e no realinhamento das relações de poder, que a terceira fase, de desenvolvimento, de fato caracterizava-se como de retração, e que a presença do Estado marcava profundas e indeléveis transformações, que impossibilitavam pensar em as fases subseqüentes de emancipação.

Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy as a Late Complication of Healed Viral (Coxsackie B virus) Myocarditis: Historical Analysis, Review of the Lliterature, and a Postulated Unifying Hypothesis

A historically based literature review of the relationship between acute viral myocarditis and the subsequent development of a dilated cardiomyopathic state is presented. A strong emphasis on a state of definitional ambiguity in the literature as regards the timing of the myopathic state following a viral infection is noted, i.e. does the myopathic state develop acutely and concomitantly with viral myocarditis due to overwhelming viral mediated myocardial cell necrosis, subacutely due to negative remodeling following severe but not overwhelming viral mediated myocardial cell necrosis, subacutely due to a sustained immune mediated myocarditis or in a delayed time frame following complete recovery from the initial infection (i.e. a return of normal histology and the absence of any cellular infiltrate and the presence of normal cardiac function). Evidence for the first two mechanisms is supported by the literature; evidence for the immune mediated chronic myocarditis remains controversial while hard evidence for the development of an idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) as a late downstream complication following complete recovery from a bout of myocarditis is nonexistent. Recent basic virologic studies of myocarditis and the potential effects of retained noninfectious viral genomic material within the myocardium are reviewed. These studies allow for the proposal of a hypothetical mechanism whereby IDCM develops as a downstream complication of acute viral myocarditis.

Determination of Peptide and Protein Ion Charge States by Fourier Transformation of Isotope-Resolved Mass Spectra

We report an automated method for determining charge states from high-resolution mass spectra. Fourier transforms of isotope packets from high-resolution mass spectra are compared to Fourier transforms of modeled isotopic peak packets for a range of charge states. The charge state for the experimental ion packet is determined by the model isotope packet that yields the best match in the comparison of the Fourier transforms. This strategy is demonstrated for determining peptide ion charge states from "zoom scan" data from a linear quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, enabling the subsequent automated identification of singly- through quadruply-charged peptide ions, while reducing the numbers of conflicting identifications from ambiguous charge state assignments. We also apply this technique to determine the charges of intact protein ions from LC-FTICR data, demonstrating that it is more sensitive under these experimental conditions than two existing algorithms. The strategy outlined in this paper should be generally applicable to mass spectra obtained from any instrument capable of isotopic resolution.

Soccer culture in Israel: a state of anomie

This article provides a conceptual analysis of contemporary soccer culture in Israel. The analysis focuses on the cultural consequences of recent shifts toward market-oriented and televised soccer. It is suggested that these developments encouraged members of the middle class to become involved with the culture of soccer, which had until now been solely perceived as a working class sport. Consequently current soccer culture includes a mixture of working and middle class norms and values that constitutes an 'anomistic' state of ambiguity. This contention is illustrated by making reference to recent incidents involving soccer practitioners.

Quantitative microanatomy of jaw muscle attachment in extant diapsids

Muscular reconstructions in vertebrate paleontology have often relied heavily on the presence of "muscle scars" and similar osteological correlates of muscle attachment, a practice complicated by the fact that approximately half of tendinous muscle attachments to bone in extant vertebrates do not leave readily interpretable scars. Microanatomical and histological correlates of tendinous muscle attachment are much less ambiguous. This study examines the microanatomical correlates of muscle attachment for the mandibular adductors in six species of diapsids. Most prominent tendinous or aponeurotic muscle attachments display a high density of extrinsic fibers (similar to Sharpey's fibers). There is also some indication that the density of extrinsic fibers at an attachment may be directly related to the amount of stress exerted on that attachment. The presence of comparable densities of extrinsic fibers in fossil tissue constitutes strong and readily interpretable positive evidence for the presence of adjacent fibrous connective tissue in life. Microanatomy and histology provide reliable data about muscle attachments that cannot be gleaned from gross observation alone. These additional data, when coupled with existing muscular reconstruction techniques, may be essential to the resolution of ambiguous character states, and will provide more severe tests for long-standing hypotheses of musculature in extinct diapsids. Increasing the accuracy and precision of muscular reconstructions lends greater strength to any phylogenetic, paleobiological, or paleoecological inferences that draw upon these reconstructions as important lines of evidence.

Damage identification for structural health monitoring using fuzzy pattern recognition

Uncertainty abounds with in situ structural performance assessment and damage detection in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Most research in SHM focuses on statistical analysis, data acquisition, feature extraction and data reduction. We introduce a method to improve pattern recognition and damage detection by supplementing Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring (ISHM) with fuzzy sets. Intuitively we know that damage does not occur as a Boolean relation (one of two values, true or false) but progressively. Bayesian updating is used to demarcate levels of damage into fuzzy sets accommodating the uncertainty associated with the ambiguous damage states. The new techniques are examined to provide damage identification using data simulated from finite element analysis of a prestressed concrete bridge without a priori known levels of damage.

An essential approach to the architecture of diatomic molecules: 2. How are size, vibrational period of time, and mass interrelated?

In our previous article, we arrived at an essential relationship for T, the classical vibrational period of a given diatomic molecule, at the total electronic energy E; i.e., $$T = [4\pi ^2 /(\sqrt {n_1 n_2 } h)]\sqrt {g\mathcal{M}_0 m_e } R_0^2 $$ , where ℳ0 is the reduced mass of the nuclei; m e is the mass of the electron; R is the internuclear distance; g is a dimensionless and relativistically invariant coefficient, roughly around unity; and n 1 and n 2 are the principal quantum numbers of electrons making up the bond(s) of the diatomic molecule, which, because of quantum defects, are not integer numbers. The above relationship holds generally. It essentially yields T ∼ R 2, for the classical vibrational period versus the square of the internuclear distance in different electronic states of a given molecule, which happens to be an approximate relationship known since 1925 but not understood until now. For similarly configured electronic states, we determine n 1 n 2 to be R/R 0, where R is the internuclear distance in the given electronic state and R 0 is the internuclear distance in the ground state. Furthermore, from the analysis of H2 spectroscopic data, we found out that the ambiguous states of this molecule are configured like alkali hydrides and Li2. This suggests that, quantum mechanically, on the basis of an equivalent H2 excited state, we can describe well, for example, the ground state of Li2. On the basis of this interesting finding, herein we propose to associate the quantum numbers n 1 and n 2 with the bond electrons of the ground state of any diatomic molecule belonging to a given chemical family in reference to the ground state of a diatomic molecule still belonging to this family but bearing, say, the lowest classical vibrational period, since g, depending only on the electronic configuration, will stay nearly constant throughout. This allows us to draw up a complete systematization of diatomic molecules given that g (appearing to be dependent purely on the electronic structure of the molecule) stays constant for chemically alike molecules and n 1 n 2 can be identified to be R 0/R 00 for diatomic molecules whose bonds are electronically configured in the same way, R 00 then being the internuclear distance of the ground state of the molecule chosen as the reference molecule within the chemical family under consideration. Our approach discloses the simple architecture of diatomic molecules, otherwise hidden behind a much too cumbersome quantum-mechanical description. This architecture, telling how the vibrational period of time, size, and mass are determined, is Lorentz-invariant and can be considered as the mechanism of the behavior of the quantities in question in interrelation with each other when the molecule is brought into uniform translational motion or transplanted into a gravitational field or, in fact, any field with which it can interact.

Between colliding worlds: the ambiguous existence of government agencies for aboriginal and women's policy

Jonathan Malloy's Between Colliding Worlds examines the relationship between governments and external activists through a comparative study of policy units dedicated to aboriginal and women's issues in Australia and Canada. Malloy identifies these units - or 'special policy agencies' - as sitting on the boundary between the world of permanent public servants and that of collective social movements working for broad social and political change. These agencies at once represent the interests of social movements to government while simultaneously managing relations with social movements on behalf of government, and - thus - operate in a state of permanent ambiguity. Malloy contends that rather than criticizing these agencies for their inherently contradictory nature, we must reconsider them as effectively dealing with the delicate issue of bridging social movements with state politics. In other words, the very existence of these special policy agencies provides a forum for social movements and the state to work out their differences. Relying heavily on interviews with public servants and external activists, Malloy argues convincingly that special policy agencies, despite - or because of - their ambiguous relationship to different communities, make critical contributions to governance.

Desempenho de algoritmos de aprendizagem por reforço sob condições de ambiguidade sensorial em robótica móvel

Analisamos a variação de desempenho de algoritmos de aprendizagem por reforço em situações de ambigüidade de estados comumente produzidas pela baixa capacidade sensorial de robôs móveis. Esta variação é produzida pela violação da condição de Markov, importante para garantir a convergência destes algoritmos. As conseqüências práticas desta violação em sistemas reais não estão avaliadas de maneira definitiva na literatura. São estudados neste artigo os algoritmos Q-learning, Sarsa e Q(lambda), em experimentos realizados em um robô móvel Magellan Pro™. De modo a definir um verificador de desempenho para os algoritmos testados, foi implementado um método para criar mapas cognitivos de resolução variável. Os resultados mostram um desempenho satisfatório dos algoritmos, com uma degradação suave em função da ambigüidade sensorial. O algoritmo Q-learning teve o melhor desempenho, seguido do algoritmo Sarsa. O algoritmo Q(lambda) teve seu desempenho limitado pelos parâmetros experimentais. O método de criação de mapas se mostrou bastante eficiente, permitindo uma análise adequada dos algoritmos.

Identity Ambiguity and Change in the Wake of a Corporate Spin-off

We report on the findings of an inductive, interpretive case study of organizational identity change in the spin-off of a Fortune 100 company's top-performing organizational unit into an independent organization. We examined the processes by which the labels and meanings associated with the organization's identity underwent changes during and after the spin-off, as well as how the organization responded to these changes. The emergent model of identity change revolved around a collective state of identity ambiguity, the details of which provide insight into processes whereby organizational identity change can occur. Additionally, our findings revealed previously unreported aspects of organizational change, including organization members' collective experience of “change overload” and the presence of temporal identity discrepancies in the emergence of the identity ambiguity.