Autonomic Self-Control of Clinical Relaxation as a Function of Imagery

The purpose of this dissertation was to test the significance of objective l y measured imagery ability on the learning of self-controlled relaxation of autonomic nervous system activity. Imagery is discussed in terms of its interaction with Autogenic vs. Jacobsonian methods of training clinical relaxation. Thirty-six female subjects from a college population, representing extreme highs and lows on spatial ability tests were given a series of three six-session sequences of Baseline, Treatment 1, and Treatment 2, which contained silent relaxation as a control, plus Jacobsonian and Autogenic relaxation. High and low spatial ability subjects were divided into split groups (A & B) which were given Jacobsonian and Autogenic relaxation treatment in different sequence orders. Skin temperature biofeedback was used to monitor the little fingers on both hands as a general indicator of autonomic clinical relaxation. Mean temperature; temperature change within sessions; and temperature change between sessions, were analyzed by different treatment periods and spatial ability groups. The data from these groups were analyzed using an ANOVA design. There were no significant differences in mean temperature data. A nearly significant two-way interaction was found between imagery ability and treatment order during Autogenic training. Also a significant interaction was found in skin temperature change between sessions for, Sensory vs. Intuitive personality types, and a nearly significant difference for Autogenic vs. Jacobsonian treatment. It was concluded that Jacobsonian training was generally more effective than Autogenic training for inducing vascular relaxation in both high and low imagery subjects. Also it was found that Sensory perceptual types are significantly more stable in terms of day to day skin temperature variation during relaxation training, than are Intuitive perceptual types

Temptation in Vote-Selling: Evidence from a Field Experiment in the Philippines

We test the predictions of a behavioral model of transactional electoral politics in the context of a randomized anti-vote-selling intervention in the Philippines. We model selling one's vote as a temptation good: it creates positive utility for the future self at the moment of voting, but not for past selves who anticipate the vote-sale. We also allow keeping or breaking promises regarding vote-selling to affect utility. Voters who are at least partially sophisticated about their vote-selling temptation can thus use promises not to vote-sell as a commitment device. An invitation to promise not to vote-sell is taken up by a majority of respondents, reduces vote-selling, and has a larger effect in electoral races with smaller vote-buying payments. The more effective promise treatment reduces vote-selling in the smallest-stakes election by 10.9 percentage points. Inviting voters to make another type of promise - to accept vote-buying payments, but to nonetheless vote your conscience - is significantly less effective. The results are consistent with voters being partially (but not fully) sophisticated about their vote-selling temptation

Garbage collection auto-tuning for Java MapReduce on Multi-Cores

MapReduce has been widely accepted as a simple programming pattern that can form the basis for efficient, large-scale, distributed data processing. The success of the MapReduce pattern has led to a variety of implementations for different computational scenarios. In this paper we present MRJ, a MapReduce Java framework for multi-core architectures. We evaluate its scalability on a four-core, hyperthreaded Intel Core i7 processor, using a set of standard MapReduce benchmarks. We investigate the significant impact that Java runtime garbage collection has on the performance and scalability of MRJ. We propose the use of memory management auto-tuning techniques based on machine learning. With our auto-tuning approach, we are able to achieve MRJ performance within 10% of optimal on 75% of our benchmark tests

Project Report No. 67, A Whole-Stand Growth and Yield Model for Unmanaged Loblolly and Slash Pine Plantations in East Texas

The amount of forestland in east Texas has been estimated at 11.8 million acres, with approximately 2.5 million acres classified as pine plantations. The majority of these plantations are owned by forest industry (71 percent), while non-industrial private forest landowners represent the next largest shareholder (23 percent). Pine plantations are typically managed to produce timber, so information is needed to make informed management decisions. Growth is one piece of information that managers often rely upon in their decision-making process. The purpose of this paper is to develop an updated whole-stand growth and yield model for unmanaged loblolly and slash pine plantations in east Texas that improves upon the whole-stand model of Coble (2009). Specifically, this updated model includes a new equation to predict average stand diameter as well as an improved survival function

A modified stand table projection model for unmanaged loblolly and slash pine plantations in east Texas

Four methodologies to project future trees per acre by diameter class were compared to develop a new modified stand table projection growth model for unmanaged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations in East Texas. The new models were fit to 92,882 observations from 153 permanent plots located in loblolly pine plantations and 33,792 observations from 71 permanent plots located in slash pine plantations throughout East Texas. The new models were validated with 12,750 observations from 22 permanent plots and 3,724 observations from 9 permanent plots located in loblolly and slash pine plantations, respectively. The validation data were used to select between the four methodologies. The results indicated which of the new models produced the best results, based on error indexes calculated for trees per acre and basal area per acre at the stand table and diameter class levels across a range of projection lengths. We recommend that this new model be used by forest managers for projecting stand tables in East Texas loblolly and slash pine plantations. An example is also provided to show users how to use the new modified stand table projection model

Human Female Genital Tract Infection by the Obligate Intracellular Bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis Elicits Robust Type 2 Immunity

While Chlamydia trachomatis infections are frequently asymptomatic, mechanisms that regulate host response to this intracellular Gram-negative bacterium remain undefined. This investigation thus used peripheral blood mononuclear cells and endometrial tissue from women with or without Chlamydia genital tract infection to better define this response. Initial genome-wide microarray analysis revealed highly elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinase 10 and other molecules characteristic of Type 2 immunity (e.g., fibrosis and wound repair) in Chlamydia-infected tissue. This result was corroborated in flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry studies that showed extant upper genital tract Chlamydia infection was associated with increased co-expression of CD200 receptor and CD206 (markers of alternative macrophage activation) by endometrial macrophages as well as increased expression of GATA-3 (the transcription factor regulating TH2 differentiation) by endometrial CD4+ T cells. Also among women with genital tract Chlamydia infection, peripheral CD3+ CD4+ and CD3+ CD4- cells that proliferated in response to ex vivo stimulation with inactivated chlamydial antigen secreted significantly more interleukin (IL)-4 than tumor necrosis factor, interferon-γ, or IL-17; findings that repeated in T cells isolated from these same women 1 and 4 months after infection had been eradicated. Our results thus newly reveal that genital infection by an obligate intracellular bacterium induces polarization towards Type 2 immunity, including Chlamydia-specific TH2 development. Based on these findings, we now speculate that Type 2 immunity was selected by evolution as the host response to C. trachomatis in the human female genital tract to control infection and minimize immunopathological damage to vital reproductive structures. © 2013 Vicetti Miguel et al

Optical polarisation of the Crab pulsar: precision measurements and comparison to the radio emission

The linear polarisation of the Crab pulsar and its close environment was derived from observations with the high-speed photo-polarimeter OPTIMA at the 2.56-m Nordic Optical Telescope in the optical spectral range (400 - 750 nm). Time resolution as short as 11 microseconds, which corresponds to a phase interval of 1/3000 of the pulsar rotation, and high statistics allow the derivation of polarisation details never achieved before. The degree of optical polarisation and the position angle correlate in surprising details with the light curves at optical wavelengths and at radio frequencies of 610 and 1400 MHz. Our observations show that there exists a subtle connection between presumed non-coherent (optical) and coherent (radio) emissions. This finding supports previously detected correlations between the optical intensity of the Crab and the occurrence of giant radio pulses. Interpretation of our observations require more elaborate theoretical models than those currently available in the literature.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, uses AMS.sty, mn2e.cls, mn2e.bst and natbib.sty, submitted to MNRA

Deepening democracy within Ireland's social partnership

Ireland's social partnership process, now under attack from a number of quarters, has repeatedly been charged with being 'undemocratic' in that it undermines the sovereign position of elected political representatives, with key policy formulation and decision-making taking place in fora outside the institutions of representative democracy. These critiques echo those against new forms of networked governance more globally. A key question therefore is how (and if) democracy may be deepened within social partnership or its potential successor(s). This article addresses this question by employing a post-liberal democratic framework to examine social partnership in practice, and by drawing lessons from another partnership process, Malawi's PRSP. Drawing from Malawi's experience, it is argued that democracy can be deepened within social partnership when governance deliberations and negotiations are conducted under conditions of vibrant public debate and genuine perspective-based representation, and when the communicative and discursive norms are widened to allow for such representation

Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Polarization Observations of Three Edge-on Massive YSOs

Massive young stellar objects (YSOs), like low-mass YSOs, appear to be surrounded by optically thick envelopes and/or disks and have regions, often bipolar, that are seen in polarized scattered light at near-infrared wavelengths. We are using the 0.2'' spatial resolution of NICMOS on Hubble Space Telescope to examine the structure of the disks and outflow regions of massive YSOs in star-forming regions within a few kpc of the Sun. Here we report on 2 micron polarimetry of NGC 6334 V and S255 IRS1. NGC 6334 V consists of a double-lobed bright reflection nebula seen against a dark region, probably an optically thick molecular cloud. Our polarization measurements show that the illuminating star lies ~ 2'' south of the line connecting the two lobes; we do not detect this star at 2 micron, but there are a small radio source and a mid-infrared source at this location. S255 IRS1 consists of two YSOs (NIRS1 and NIRS3) with overlapping scattered light lobes and luminosities corresponding to early B stars. Included in IRS1 is a cluster of stars from whose polarization we determine the local magnetic field direction. Neither YSO has its scattered light lobes aligned with this magnetic field. The line connecting the scattered light lobes of NIRS1 is twisted symmetrically around the star; the best explanation is that the star is part of a close binary and the outflow axis of NIRS1 is precessing as a result of non-coplanar disk and orbit. The star NIRS3 is also offset from the line connecting its two scattered light lobes. We suggest that all three YSOs show evidence of episodic ejection of material as they accrete from dense, optically thick envelopes.Comment: 39 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables To be published in The Astrophysical Journa