Designing algorithms to aid discovery by chemical robots

Recently, automated robotic systems have become very efficient, thanks to improved coupling between sensor systems and algorithms, of which the latter have been gaining significance thanks to the increase in computing power over the past few decades. However, intelligent automated chemistry platforms for discovery orientated tasks need to be able to cope with the unknown, which is a profoundly hard problem. In this Outlook, we describe how recent advances in the design and application of algorithms, coupled with the increased amount of chemical data available, and automation and control systems may allow more productive chemical research and the development of chemical robots able to target discovery. This is shown through examples of workflow and data processing with automation and control, and through the use of both well-used and cutting-edge algorithms illustrated using recent studies in chemistry. Finally, several algorithms are presented in relation to chemical robots and chemical intelligence for knowledge discovery

Works from Untitled 1985-86 ; Bill Henson

Works from Untitled 1985-86 ; Bill Henson Catalogue of exhibition held at Plimsoll Gallery, Centre for the Arts 7- 28 April, 1993. Notes on Bill Henson by Terence Maloon

Identifying and transforming normalcy : challenges to compulsory able-bodied oppression in the deaf community [abstract]

This presentation was made during the session "Violence and Kinship."Abstract of a presentation given at the 2008 Body Project conference at the University of Missouri-Columbia.This paper integrates excerpts taken from a fieldwork-based, thesis-length project that examines the personal experience narratives of Deaf and Hearing mothers of Deaf children. Driven by the goal of joining folkloric interpretations of narrative with theoretical concepts that have emerged out of Disability Studies, this paper provides a point of intersection between the two disciplines that takes story structure, and the nature of memory, into account. Responding primarily to Alison Kafer's "compulsory ablebodiedness" and Tobin Sieber's notion of "disability as masquerade", this paper uses (rather than challenges) ethnographic practices to illustrate the transformative properties of narrative that can be seen and compared among specific Deaf and Hearing groups. Disability Studies has largely ignored folkloric approaches to personal experience narratives which have long been engaged understanding the nature of stories, memory, and the expression of social relationships within the matrix of the ordinary. This paper uses transcripts of interviews with mothers who define their own roles by contextualizing both deafness, and "normalcy", in order to cultivate structures of feeling; the presentation of the instability of the present combined with the stability of the past allows for roledefining to be transformative

Aquatic Insects as Inhalant Allergens : A Review of American Literature

Author Institution: University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermonthis article reviews American literature concerning the matter of certain aquatic insects as causes of allergic distress. The effects of bites and stings are not included. Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) were cited as a cause of hay fever as early as 1913. Inhalation of body fragments of mayflies is believed to be the causative agent. Similar medical histories are associated with the caddisflies (Trichoptera). The incidence of sensitivity to these insects is sufficiently large to consider this problem to be of general medical interest. Some evidence indicates that persons continually exposed to these insects could develop sensitivities to them. Allergists are now studying the biochemical and immunological aspects of insect allergy. A selected list of references is included with the articl

Exploring relationships between touch perception and surface physical properties

This paper reports a study of materials for confectionery packaging. The aim was to explore the touch perceptions of textures and identify their relationships with the surfaces' physical properties. Thirty-seven tactile textures were tested including 22 cardboards, nine flexible materials and six laminate boards. Semantic differential questionnaires were administered to assess responses to touching the textures against six word pairs: warm-cold, slippery-sticky, smooth,-rough, hard-soft, bumpy-flat, and wet-dry. Four physical measurements were conducted to characterize the surfaces' roughness, compliance, friction, and the rate of cooling of an artificial finger when touching the surface. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out to identify the relationships between the people's responses and the physical measurements. Results show that touch perception is often associated with more than one physical property, and the strength and form of the combined contribution can be represented by a regression model. © 2009 Chen, Shao, Barnes, Childs, & Henson

Environmental study of ERTS-1 imagery: Lake Champlain and Vermont

Environmental concerns of the State of Vermont currently being stressed include water quality in Lake Champlain and a state-wide land use and capability plan. Significant results obtained from ERTS-1 relate directly to the above concerns. Industrial water pollution and turbidity in Lake Champlain have been identified and mapped and the ERTS pollution data will be used in the developing court suit which Vermont has initiated against the polluters. ERTS imagery has also provided a foundation for updating and revising land use inventories. Major classes of land use have been identified and mapped, and substantial progress has been made toward the mapping of such land use divisions as crop and forest type, and wetlands

"SMEs, Information Risk Management, and ROI"

Recent research in the area of standards accreditation has shown that the rate of take up of the ISO27001 (Information Security Management) by organisations been disappointing in many Western countries, compared to the picture emerging in Asia, and the rollout of previous international standards that relate to information management, such as ISO9001. In this paper, a researcher and a practitioner from the UK investigate possible reasons for a lesser interest in pursuing certification for organisational Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) across Western countries. They also share their perceptions and concerns that current attitudes of UK of small businesses regarding complying with standards and legislation means that they may be taking unnecessary risks with their corporate and personal data under the possibly misguided notion that other priorities are more important during these current recessionary times. The authors use an economics-based approach in proposing a solution to the problem. On the one hand they review the research that has provided methods for putting a figure on the value of corporate and personal data in larger organisations, and applying the principles of managing information risk as appropriate to SMEs. On the other hand they look at economics-related issues such as market pressure, insurance, outsourcing, and the legal and regulatory matters regarding privacy of personal data. The result provides a case for showing SMEs that, apart from the moral matter of being “good for the business”, there are very sound economic reasons for an SME developing an ISMS and getting ISO27001 certified

Enso and PDO climate variability impacts on regional Missouri crop yields

An analysis of crop yields for the state of Missouri was completed to determine if an interannual or multidecadal variability existed as a result of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Corn and soybean yields were recorded in bushels per acre for each of the six climate regions of Missouri. An analysis using the Mokhov "method of cycles" demonstrated interannual, interdecadal, and multidecadal variations in crop yields. Cross-spectral analysis was then used to determine which region was impacted the greatest by ENSO and PDO influenced seasonal (April -- September) and monthly temperature and precipitation. Interannual (multidecadal) variations found in the spectral analysis represent a relationship to ENSO (PDO) phase, while interdecadal variations represent a possible interaction harmonic between ENSO and PDO. A cross-spectral analysis was also completed using annual Southern Oscillation Index data and annual mean values for the PDO index in order to verify that an interdecadal variation exists between ENSO and PDO. Average crop yields were then calculated for each combination of ENSO and PDO phase, displaying a pronounced increase in corn and soybean yields when ENSO is warm and PDO is positive. Climate regions 1, 2, 4, and 6 displayed statistically significant (90% confidence level) differences in yields between El Nino and La Nina years, representing 55-70% of Missouri soybean and corn productivity, respectively. Final results give the opportunity to produce seasonal predictions of corn and soybean yields, specific to each climate region in Missouri, based on ENSO and PDO phase

High School Visual Art Students\u27 Perceptions of Creativity

When high school art teachers do not understand how their students experience creativity, studio art programs are less effective in fostering student learning than they would otherwise be. Nevertheless, extant research does not reveal a consistent or comprehensive understanding of how adolescents experience creativity in art education. Drawing on Csikszentmihalyi\u27s theory of creativity and flow, this study explored students\u27 perceptions of creativity and its relationship to flow, or the state of consciousness associated with optimal pleasure. This phenomenological study investigated students\u27 perceptions of creativity and flow by interviewing nine high school advanced placement students in a public high school in southwest Florida. Data were drawn from three structured interviews with each subject and a field journal kept by the researcher. The Think Aloud technique used for the second interview provided rich descriptions while participants were in the midst of doing art. Field journal entries were organized according to Bailey\u27s guide to field note classification. Moustakas\u27s interpretation and modifications of the Van Kaam method of analysis provided a systematic approach to transcript reduction. The results of the investigation revealed four themes in the ways students perceive their own creativity, namely, influences, mindset, self-efficacy, and emotions. As they reflected on their perceptions of creativity and flow, students gained a greater awareness of their experience while creating art. Among the study\u27s implications for social change, as art educators elicit these understandings, they foster creativity and transform students\u27 lives in school and potentially, the wider society