bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implausibility versus misinterpretation of the FLMP
Authors: Oden Gregg C.
Published: July 2002

The case for the independence of featural processing supports Merge and FLMP alike. The target article's criticisms of the latter model are founded on misunderstanding its application to natural language processing. In fact, the main difference in the functional properties of the models is the FLMP's ability to account for graded perceptual experience.
@T3:It is startling to be informed that beliefs you have held for a quarter of a century are indefensible and implausible. So it comes as a relief to discover that it was all just a big misunderstanding.
Pragmatically before ecologically valid tasks
Authors: Macchi Laura
Published: July 2002

Most tasks used to demonstrate the base rate fallacy are
ambiguous about the independence of the data. The removal of such
ambiguities from the texts (by means of a clear reference class for
the probabilities) is a necessary condition and has a considerable
effect on the use of the base rate in classical probabilistic tasks.
Some comments are offered on the frequentist phrasing of such and,
more generally, their ecological validity.
Partial belief as a solution to the logical problem of holding simultaneous, contrary beliefs in self-deception research
Authors: Gibbins Keith
Published: July 2002

A major worry in self-deception research has been the
implication that people can hold a belief that something is true
and false at the same time: a logical as well as a psychological
impossibility. However, if beliefs are held with imperfect confidence,
voluntary self-deception in the sense of seeking evidence to reject
an unpleasant belief becomes entirely plausible and demonstrably
real.
A creationist myth: Pragmatic combination not feature creation
Authors: Braisby Nick , Franks Bradley
Published: July 2002

Schyns et al. argue that flexibility in categorisation implies
“feature creation.” We argue that this notion is flawed,
that flexibility can be explained by combinations over fixed feature
sets, and that feature creation would in any case fail to explain
categorisation. We suggest that flexibility in categorisation is due
to pragmatic factors influencing feature combination, rendering
feature creation unnecessary.
Target tissue sensitivity, testosterone– social environment interactions, and lattice hierarchies
Authors: Chambers Kathleen C.
Published: July 2002

The following three points are made. One must consider not
only the levels of circulating hormone but the target tissue upon
which the hormone acts. Increased testosterone levels alone do not
account for differences in displayed intermale aggression, because
testosterone and social environment interact in complex ways to
influence behavior. A given behavior can be triggered by multiple
motivational systems.
The functional effects of modal versus amodal filling-in
Authors: Davis Greg , Driver Jon
Published: July 2002

Comparisons between modally and amodally completed
regions show that perceptual filling-in is not merely the ignoring
of absences. Illusory filled-in colour arises for modal completion,
but not for amodal completion in comparable displays. We find that
attention spreads automatically to modally but not amodally
completed regions from their inducers, revealing a functional
effect of filled-in colour.
What might dynamical intentionality be, if not computation?
Authors: Chrisley Ronald L.
Published: July 2002

(1) Van Gelder's concession that the dynamical hypothesis
is not in opposition to computation in general does not agree well
with his anticomputational stance. (2) There are problems with the
claim that dynamic systems allow for nonrepresentational aspects of
computation in a way in which digital computation cannot. (3) There
are two senses of the “cognition is computation” claim
and van Gelder argues against only one of them. (4) Dynamical systems
as characterized in the target article share problems of universal
realizability with formal notions of computation, but differ in that
there is no solution available for them. (5) The dynamical hypothesis
cannot tell us what cognition is, because instantiating a particular
dynamical system is neither necessary nor sufficient for being a
cognitive agent.
Early organizational influences and social factors: A need for further evaluation
Authors: Collaer Marcia L.
Published: July 2002

Mazur & Booth's target article presents strong
evidence that social factors influence testosterone; however, the
evidence for an effect of testosterone on dominance is considerably
weaker. Although social and biological factors may interact, as
suggested in the reciprocal model, findings in rhesus monkeys suggest
that social factors may predominate. Finally, research is needed to
evaluate whether androgens during early life influence later
dominance.
Is the syllable frame stored?
Authors: Levelt Willem J. M. , Schiller Niels O.
Published: July 2002

This commentary discusses whether abstract metrical frames
are stored. For stress-assigning languages (e.g., Dutch and English),
which have a dominant stress pattern, metrical frames are stored only
for words that deviate from the default stress pattern. The majority
of the words in these languages are produced without retrieving any
independent syllabic or metrical frame.
A framework for structural constraints on feature creation
Authors: Huettel Scott A. , Lockhead Gregory R.
Published: July 2002

We address two major limitations of Schyns et al. First, we
clarify their concept of “features” by postulating several
levels for processing. The composition of the feature set at each
level determines the set at the next higher level, following simple
structural guidelines. Second, we show that our proposed framework
reconciles feature-creation and fixed-feature approaches.
Relational complexity, the central executive, and prefrontal cortex
Authors: Waltz James A. , Knowlton Barbara J. , Holyoak Keith J.
Published: July 2002

Halford et al.'s analysis of relational complexity
provides a possible framework for characterizing the symbolic
functions of the prefrontal cortex. Studies of prefrontal patients
have revealed that their performance is selectively impaired on
tasks that require integration of two binary relations (i.e., tasks
that Halford et al.'s analysis would identify as
three-dimensional). Analyses of relational complexity show
promise of helping to understand the neural substrate of
thinking.
Representational theory emerges unscathed
Authors: Lomas Dennis
Published: July 2002

Representationalism emerges unscathed from Pessoa et
al.'s attack. They fail to undermine a key reason for its
influence: it has the theoretical resources to explain many
illusory visual experiences such as illusory contours and features.
Furthermore, in attempting to undermine representationalism, the
authors seem to erect an unduly inflated distinction between neural
accounts of perception and personal-level accounts of
perception.
Placebo-controlled manipulations of testosterone levels and dominance
Authors: O'Carroll Ronal E.
Published: July 2002

Mazur & Booth present an intriguing model of the
relationship between circulating testosterone levels and
dominance behaviour in man, but their review of studies on
testosterone–behaviour relationships in man is selective.
Much of the evidence they cite is correlational in nature.
Placebo-controlled manipulations of testosterone levels are
required to test their hypothesis that dominance levels are
testosterone-dependent in man. The changes in testosterone
level that follow behavioural experience may be a consequence
of stress. Testosterone levels in man are determined by a wide
variety of factors, and a multivariate approach is required.
Is vision continuous with cognition?: The case for cognitive impenetrability of visual perception
Authors: Pylyshyn Zenon
Published: July 2002

Although the study of visual perception has made more progress
in the past 40 years than any other area of cognitive science, there
remain major disagreements as to how closely vision is tied to
cognition. This target article sets out some of the arguments for both
sides (arguments from computer vision, neuroscience, psychophysics,
perceptual learning, and other areas of vision science) and
defends the position that an important part of visual perception,
corresponding to what some people have called early vision, is
prohibited from accessing relevant expectations, knowledge, and
utilities in determining the function it computes – in other
words, it is cognitively impenetrable. That part of vision is complex
and involves top-down interactions that are internal to the early
vision system. Its function is to provide a structured representation
of the 3-D surfaces of objects sufficient to serve as an index into
memory, with somewhat different outputs being made available to
other systems such as those dealing with motor control. The paper also
addresses certain conceptual and methodological issues raised by this
claim, such as whether signal detection theory and event-related
potentials can be used to assess cognitive penetration of
vision.

A distinction is made among several stages in visual processing,
including, in addition to the inflexible early-vision stage, a
pre-perceptual attention-allocation stage and a post-perceptual
evaluation, selection, and inference stage, which accesses long-term
memory. These two stages provide the primary ways in which cognition
can affect the outcome of visual perception. The paper discusses
arguments from computer vision and psychology showing that vision
is “intelligent” and involves elements of “problem
solving.” The cases of apparently intelligent interpretation
sometimes cited in support of this claim do not show cognitive
penetration; rather, they show that certain natural constraints on
interpretation, concerned primarily with optical and geometrical
properties of the world, have been compiled into the visual system.
The paper also examines a number of examples where instructions and
“hints” are alleged to affect what is seen. In each case
it is concluded that the evidence is more readily assimilated to the
view that when cognitive effects are found, they have a locus outside
early vision, in such processes as the allocation of focal attention
and the identification of the stimulus.
Homology, neurogenetic imprecision, and lesional complexity
Authors: Müller Ralph-Axel
Published: July 2002

The two commentaries appear supportive of the target article.
Ujhelyi's commentary can be complemented with recent
evidence supporting continuity of language and cognitive evolution in
hominids. Gow & Rodkin's caveats regarding
“pathonormal inference” and the single-case methodology
are discussed from a developmental neurobiological perspective. Early
structural brain lesion and developmental disorders can serve as
pathological models of normal neurofunctional variability resulting
from neurodevelopmental imprecision. A final point concerns the
advantages of integrating multiple structural and functional imaging
modalities in neuropsychological studies.
The logic of interests in neuroscience
Authors: Brothers Leslie
Published: July 2002

Logical problems inherent in claims that biological neuroscience
can ultimately explain mind are not anomalous: They result from
underlying social interests. Neuroscientists are currently making a
successful bid to fill a vacuum of authority created by the demise of
Freudian theory in popular culture. The conflations described in the
Gold & Stoljar target article are the result of alliances between
certain apologist-philosophers, neuroscientists, and institutions, for
the purpose of commanding authority and resources. Social analysis has
a role to play in addressing logical issues in the philosophy of
neuroscience.
What does my eye tell your mind?
Authors: Frumkina Rebecca M.
Published: July 2002

Palmer's suggestion that color might serve as an appropriate field in which to test the hypotheses on the relations among brain, mind, and behavior is misleading. Human color experience as related to mind must be considered as a cultural, as well as a natural phenomenon. It is important to avoid approaching facts of language as mere nomenclature; otherwise, concepts are reduced to percepts.
Thought as word dynamics
Authors: Jorion Paul J. M.
Published: July 2002

A Hebbian model for speech generation opens a number of
paths. A cross-linguistic scheme of functional relationships (inspired
by Aristotle) dispenses with distraction by the “parts of
speech” distinctions, while bridging the gap between
“content” and “structure” words. A
gradient model identifies emotional and rational dynamics and
shows speech generation as a process where a speaker's
dissatisfaction gets minimized.
Theories of male and female aggression
Authors: Lagerspetz Kirsti M. J.
Published: July 2002

Sociobiology has ignored the results of psychology, which is
the discipline between biology and society. Campbell's target
article fills some of the gaps beautifully, but the fact that
women's direct and physical aggression has increased during
the past 20 years, undermines Campbell's evolutionary
explanation of female aggression. The two classical types of
theoretical explanations of aggression are that (1) aggression
is a drive and (2) aggression is instrumental behavior. Expressive
aggression, assumed to be typical of women, is no more drive
aggression than is men's aggression.
Beyond intrinsicness and dazzling blacks
Authors: Myin Erik
Published: July 2002

The concept of intrinsic aspects of color experience is flawed and functionalism remains plausible. The idea of spectrum inversion cannot survive in the context of a realistic conception of color.
Factors associated with foreign language anxiety
Authors: ONWUEGBUZIE ANTHONY J. , BAILEY PHILLIP , DALEY CHRISTINE E.
Published: July 2002

Foreign language anxiety is a complex phenomenon that has been found to be a predictor of
foreign language achievement. This study of 210 university students examined factors that
predict1 foreign language anxiety. A setwise multiple regression analysis revealed
that seven variables (i.e., age, academic achievement, prior history of visiting foreign countries,
prior high school experience with foreign languages, expected overall average for current
language course, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth) contributed
significantly to the prediction of foreign language anxiety. An analysis of variance, which
included trend analysis, revealed that freshmen and sophomores reported the lowest levels of
foreign language anxiety, and that anxiety levels increased linearly as a function of year of study.
The educational implications of these findings for understanding foreign language anxiety and
for increasing foreign language learning are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.
Native language literacy and phonological memory as prerequisites for learning English as a
foreign language
Authors: DUFVA MIA , VOETEN MARINUS J. M.
Published: July 2002

The aim of this study was to examine, with a longitudinal study design, the effects of
phonological memory and native language (NL) literacy acquisition on learning English as a
foreign language (FL). The subjects were 160 Finnish school children, who were 7-year-old first
graders at the beginning of the study. Measures in the first grade were NL word recognition and
listening comprehension; in the second grade, word recognition, reading comprehension, and
phonological memory; and in the third grade, FL skills. The main result from the structural
equation modeling was that both NL literacy and phonological memory have positive effects on
FL learning. These skills explained 58% of the variance in English proficiency. Therefore,
proficiency in NL literacy skills is highly significant for FL learning, although the orthographic
regularity varied a lot (Finnish vs. English). On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that
one way to promote FL learning is by diagnosing NL literacy skills early on and by providing
training in NL literacy for at-risk children. In addition, the significant role of phonological
memory in FL learning suggests that training in the FL phonology may enhance competence in
the foreign language.
Symbolic dynamics for $\beta$-shifts and self-normal
numbers
Authors: SCHMELING JÖRG
Published: July 2002

More than 30 years ago R\'enyi [1] introduced the representations of
real numbers with an arbitrary base $\beta > 1$ as a generalization of the
$p$-adic representations. One of the most studied problems in this field is
the link between expansions to base $\beta$ and ergodic properties of the
corresponding $\beta$-shift.

In this paper we will follow the bibliography of Blanchard [2] and
give
an affirmative answer to a question on the size of the set of real numbers
$\beta$ having complicated symbolic dynamics of their $\beta$-shifts.
Maximal entropy of permutations of even order
Authors: KING DEBORAH M.
Published: July 2002

A finite invariant set of a continuous map of an interval induces a
permutation called its type. If this permutation is a cycle, it is called
its orbit type. It has been shown by Geller and Tolosa that
Misiurewicz–Nitecki orbit types of period $n$ congruent to $1$ (mod 4)
and
their
generalizations to orbit types of period $n$ congruent to $3$
(mod 4) have
maximal entropy among all orbit types of odd period $n$, and indeed
among
all permutations of period $n$. We further generalize this family to
permutations of even period $n$ and show that they again attain maximal
entropy
amongst $n$-permutations.
Hausdorff dimension for horseshoes in $\mathbb{R}^3$
Authors: SIMON KÁROLY , SOLOMYAK BORIS
Published: July 2002

Using pressure formulas we compute the Hausdorff dimension of the basic set of ‘almost every’ ${\cal C}^{1+\alpha}$ horseshoe map in $\mathbb{R}}^3$ of the form $F(x,y,z)= (\gamma(x,z), \tau(y,z), \psi(z))$, where $|\psi'|>1$ and $0< |\gamma'_x|, |\tau'_y| < \frac{1}{2}$ on the basic set. Similar results are obtained for attractors of nonlinear ‘baker's maps’ in $\mathbb{R}}^3$.
Business and Political Dimensions in Disaster Management
Authors: BIRKLAND THOMAS A. , NATH RADHIKA
Published: July 2002

A considerable and growing body of crisis management literature seeks to help business managers address disasters.
Notwithstanding, the business literature on crisis management fails fully to understand the policy and political aspects
of business disasters, and concentrates on prescriptive, managerial issues that show disregard and sometimes disdain
for plural democracy. We illustrate our argument with a review of the existing crisis management literature, and three
case studies: the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Jack in the Box E. Coli outbreak, and the crash of ValuJet flight 592. We
find that the primary gap in the crisis management literature is its failure to understand the motivations of countervailing
interest groups and the facts that mobilize them to take action. We argue that the lessons derived from these cases are
equally applicable to North American, European and Asian business crises.
Death, Narrative Integrity, and the Radical Challenge of
Self-Understanding: a Reading of Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilych
Authors: FREEMAN MARK
Published: July 2002

Much contemporary theory suggests that, unlike works of biography or
autobiography, human life itself is fundamentally comprised of disconnected
moments and is thus devoid of literary form. People may seek to bind these
moments together as narratives in the course of their efforts at
self-understanding; but these narratives, it is often held, are little more than
fictions or myths, impositions of form and order upon the flux of experience.
In Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilych, we find a powerful
refutation of this view. For
what we see in Tolstoy's story are the grave consequences of a life lived
moment to moment, without any sense of the whole. Only in the face of death
could Ivan Ilych gain the requisite distance to behold the true meaning of his
dismal life and only upon beholding this meaning could he see the contours of
the life well-lived, that is, the life possessed of narrative integrity.
By exploring the
relationship between death, narrative integrity, and the radical challenge of
self-understanding via the story of Ivan Ilych, the present essay seeks
ultimately to identify ways in which the study of ageing might contribute to
our identifying the good and virtuous life.
The well-being of British expatriate
retirees in southern Europe
Authors: WARNES ANTHONY M. , KING RUSSELL , WILLIAMS ALLAN M. , PATTERSON GUY
Published: July 2002

This article examines the personal outcomes of overseas residence in later life,
by analysing some findings from the first large-scale, comparative study of the
retirement of British citizens to southern Europe. Four study areas are
compared: Tuscany in Italy, Malta, the Costa del Sol of Spain, and the
Algarve region of Portugal. The analysis focuses on the expressed reasons for
moving to and residing in the areas, the reported advantages and
disadvantages, and the respondents' predictions of whether they would stay or
leave in response to adverse and beneficial events. Overall the subjects give
very positive reports, but there are considerable differences among the four
areas. The associations of individual variation in well-being with both a
person's ‘temporal commitment’ to the area and to facets of their social
integration are analysed. The onset of severe incapacity, sufficient to prevent
the continued running of a home, is the event most likely to cause people to
leave their adopted areas of residence.
You can choose your sociology but you can't choose your relations: Tilly, Mann and relational sociology
Authors: HOBDEN STEPHEN
Published: July 2002

I would like to thank Daniel Nexon for taking the time to read, reflect, and comment on the article ‘Theorising the International System: Perspectives from Historical Sociology’. His comments are astute, pertinent and challenging. I would also like to thank the editors of the Review of International Studies for offering me space to reply to Nexon's comments. Nexon clearly wishes that I had written a different article. However, although I think that the article he has in mind is one that should be written, I had different intentions in mind. Nexon is clearly doing a big service to International Relations scholars by introducing them to relational sociology, but this was not what I set out to do. I will start therefore with some comments on my intentions in writing the article. I will then offer some points of clarification. Finally I will address Nexon's major criticisms of the article: my failure to acknowledge relational sociology and my critique of the analysis of international systems in the works of Tilly and Mann. My overall argument will be that the dichotomy that Nexon offers between neofunctionalism and relational sociology is not as straightforward as he suggests. He acknowledges this in his final footnote, and it is a point also conceded by Emirbayer in the article that Nexon primarily draws upon. Furthermore, on this point, I think that we share more common ground than Nexon would wish to acknowledge. However our positions on structures are radically different. On this point our differences are, I believe, irreconcilable. What I will attempt to argue is that there are fundamental differences between material and ideational structures which makes it difficult to analyse them cumulatively.
Investigation of light absorption, energy transfer, and
plasma dynamic processes in laser-irradiated targets of
low average density
Authors: BUGROV A.E. , BURDONSKII I.N. , GAVRILOV V.V. , GOL'TSOV A.Yu. , GUS'KOV S.Yu. , KOVAL'SKII N.G. , KONDRASHOV V.N. , MEDOVSHCHIKOV S.F. , PERGAMENT M.I. , PETRYAKOV V.M. , ROSANOV V.B. , ZHUZHUKALO E.V.
Published: July 2002

The interaction of powerful laser and X-ray pulses
with planar low average density (0.5–10 mg/cm3)
porous agar-agar targets was experimentally studied. At
a laser power density of ∼5 × 1013
W/cm2 (λ = 1.054 μm) the laser light
absorption and following energy transfer processes, as well
as dynamics of produced plasma were investigated in detail
with a variety of optical and X-ray diagnostic methods. Volume
absorption is shown to occur in experiments with laser-irradiated
agar targets. An extended laser energy deposition region filled
with hot (0.8–1 keV) plasma is formed inside a porous
target. The laser light absorption efficiency is as high as ∼80%.
The emission of 2ω0 and 3ω0/2 harmonics
from laser-produced plasma is observed over the time of the laser pulse
even with agar targets of 0.5 mg/cm3 average density.
Characteristics of energy transfer in low-density porous media are
measured in experiments on illumination of agar targets by laser
pulses or X rays emitted by a thin Cu converter. The hydrodynamic
mechanism is responsible for the energy transfer in laser-illuminated
porous targets and the radiative energy transfer seems to be dominant
in the case of X-ray irradiation. The experimental data are in
reasonable agreement with predictions of a developed theoretical model
describing the hot plasma layer formation and the two-stage homogenization
process within the illuminated porous targets.
Hand controller for bilateral teleoperation of robots
Authors: Postigo José F. , Mut Vicente A. , Carelli Ricardo O. , Baigorria Luis A. , Kuchen Benjamin R.
Published: July 2002

Teleoperation, one of the oldest

areas of robotics, has experienced considerable growth in the last

two decades. Main causes for this trend are the need

for increased safety levels for human operators and lower production

costs. In this work, a three d.o.f. local manipulator (two

d.o.f. for force and one d.o.f. for torque) is developed.

This hand controller, intended for robot or mobile teleoperation systems,

has force reflection in two axes and torque reflection in

the third axis. using a robotic hand developed at INAUT

as a remote device, laboratory experiments on each axis (one

at a time) have shown good results. An impedance controller

at the remote system allows one to carry out interactive

tasks with the environment such as polishing, insertion and grinding,

where it is necessary to control and accommodate the interaction

forces and torques in order to avoid hazards for both

the manipulated objects and the remote robot.
Self-calibration of three-legged modular reconfigurable parallel robots based on leg-end distance errors
Authors: Yang Guilin , Chen I-Ming , Lee Wee Kiat , Yeo Song Huat
Published: July 2002

A class of three-legged modular reconfigurable parallel robots is
designed and constructed for precision assembly and light machining tasks
by using standard active and passive joint modules in conjunction
with custom designed links and mobile platforms. Since kinematic errors,
especially the assembly errors, are likely to be introduced, kinematic
calibration becomes particularly important to enhance the positioning accuracy of
a modular reconfigurable robot. Based on the local frame representation
of the Product-Of-Exponentials (Local POE) formula, a self-calibration method is
proposed for these three-legged modular reconfigurable parallel robots. In this
method, both revolute and prismatic joint axes can be uniformly
expressed in twist coordinates by their respective local (body) frames.
Since these local frames can be arbitrarily defined on their
corresponding links, we are able to calibrate them, and yet
retain the nominal local description of their respective joints, i.e.,
the nominal twist coordinates and nominal joint displacements, to reflect
the actual kinematics of the robot. The kinematic calibration thus
becomes a procedure of fine-tuning the locations and orientations of
the local frames. Using mathematical tools from differential geometry and
group theory, an explicit linear calibration model is formulated based
on the leg-end distance errors. An iterative least-square algorithm is
employed to identify the error parameters. A simulation example of
calibrating a three-legged (RRRS) modular parallel robot shows that the
robot kinematics can be fully calibrated within two to three
iterations.
A real-time trajectory modification algorithm
Authors: Rogozin Vadim , Edan Yael , Flash Tamar
Published: July 2002

This paper presents a real-time algorithm for modifying the trajectory of a manipulator approaching a moving target. The algorithm is based on the superposition scheme; a model developed based on human motion behavior. The algorithm generates a

smooth trajectory toward the new target by calculating the vectorial sum between the first trajectory (initial position and first target) and second trajectory (between first and second target location). The algorithm searches for the switch hme that will result in a minimum time trajectory. The idea of the algorithm is to define some domain where the optimal switching time can be found, reduce this domain as much as possible to decrease the number of the points that must be checked and try every remaining candidate in this domain to find

numerically the best (optimal) switch time. The algorithm was implemented on an Adept-one robotic system taking into account velocity constraints. The actual velocity profile was found to be less smooth than specified by the mathematical model. When the switch occurs

at the middle of the trajectory when the speed is close to its maximum, the change in the movement direction is performed more gently.
Intelligent seam tracking using ultrasonic sensors for
robotic welding
Authors: Mahajan Ajay , Figueroa Fernando
Published: July 2002

This paper presents a novel approach for seam tracking using
ultrasonics. An ultrasonic seam tracking system has been developed for robotic
welding which tracks a seam that curves freely on a two-dimensional surface. The
seam is detected by scanning the area ahead of the torch and monitoring the
amplitude of the waves received after reflection from the workpiece surface.
Scanning is accomplished by using two ultrasonic sensors (a transmitter and a
receiver) mounted on a stepper motor such that the transmitter angle is the same
as the receiver angle. The motor is mounted on the end-effector just ahead of
the welding torch and covers a ninety degree arc in front of the torch. If there
is no seam then the receiver receives most of the transmitted waves after
reflection, but if there is a seam then most of the transmitted waves are
dispersed in directions other than that of the receiver. The system has been
tested and is very robust in the harsh environments generated by the arc welding
process. The robustness of the system stems from using various schemes such as
time windowing, a waveguide, air and metal shields, and an intelligent sensor
manager. This ultrasonic system offers some distinct advantages over traditional
systems using vision and other sensing techniques. It can be used to weld very
shiny surfaces, and is a very economical method in terms of cost as well as
computational intensity. The system can be used to detect seams less than 0.5 mm
wide and 0.5 mm deep.
Introduction to the
special issue: parallel manipulators.
Authors: Pierrot François
Published: July 2002

It has been a pleasure for me to arrange this Special Issue of Robotica
on Parallel Robots which provides 9 papers from authors from Asia, Oceania,
North America and Europe; worldwide research on this topic is proof of the
growing interest of both the scientific and the industrial areas of parallel
mechanisms. I truly believe that the main reason for this enthusiasm is that
parallel mechanisms research extends from theoretical mathematics and kinematics
to applied robotics, and even beyond, creating new technological
challenges.
Conference Reports
Authors: Nahavandi Saeid
Published: July 2002

WORLD MANUFACTURING CONGRESS '97 18–21 NOVEMBER 1997, MASSEY UNIVERSITY, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

The World Manufacturing Congress '97 was organised jointly between Massey
University and International Computer Science Conventions (ICSC) of Canada. The event was held from 18–21 November at Albany Campus, Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. This inaugural WMC attracted the participation of over 30 nations and many aspects of manufacturing systems, manufacturing technology and manufacturing management were presented by high profile authors. WMC '97 was dedicated to Philip Crosby for his devotion to the field of quality and more specifically his ÒQuality is Free" impetus to the quality revolution in the late 70's.
Experimental comparison of decentralized controllers for industrial robots
Authors: Visioli Antonio , Legnani Giovanni
Published: July 2002

In this paper we present an experimental comparison between different decentralized controllers for industrial robot manipulators. In spite of the fact that robot manipulators are highly nonlinear and coupled multivariable systems, decentralized controllers have been widely adopted in industrial environments for trajectory tracking, because of their simplicity and their fault tolerance feature. Different kinds of controllers have been investigated: the typical PID-based controller, a nonlinear three-term controller devised by Tarokh, and a variable structure control law, a discontinuous integral control, both in the continuous and in
the discretised version. Allowances are made for the tuning of the parameters in order to obtain low tracking errors. Results show that better performances are obtained by controllers other than PID, especially by the discontinuous integral control, so that they appear to be particularly appropriate for the use in industrial robots.
Raising musical esteem in the primary classroom: an exploratory study of young children's listening skills
Authors: Kellett Mary
Published: July 2002

This study explores ways to develop focused musical listening skills with six- to eight-year-olds. Groups of children listened to short musical extracts and decided upon a best-fit match from a selection of patterns, colours and textures. At all times their ‘expert’ status was emphasised to keep self-esteem as high as possible and maximise response levels. In requiring children to make an ‘expert judgement’ it was hoped that concentrated listening could be better sustained and actively fostered. Results suggest that listening skills were developed, musical self-esteem enhanced and verbal responses scaffolded. The greatest measurable progress was made by the less able musicians and those with low self-esteem.
ASSESSING REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Orleans Miriam , Hemminki Elina
Published: July 2002

The cultural and emotional importance of having and raising healthy
children is undisputed. Cross-cultural solutions to problems resulting from
involuntary childlessness have included such strategies as adoption, finding
new partners, and dissolving marriages that do not produce offspring. While
both males and female infertility may result from heritable factors,
environmental exposures, and disease, it is usually the result of functional
incapacity in youth and in old age. The high value attached to reproduction is
not puzzling. Human reproduction is protected by strong basic instincts.
Childlessness is seldom met with stoicism by those who wish to have children.
The happiness that follows the successful birth of a wanted child must not be
discounted. Traditional definitions of “family” imply
“offspring” before the acknowledgment of other memberships.
CAN WE MEASURE THE SOCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH CARE?
Authors: Buck David , Eastwood Alison , Smith Peter C.
Published: July 2002

This paper examines the extent to which it is possible to measure the
social importance, or macro benefits, of health care. In contrast to the many
micro studies of the benefits of specific health care interventions,
methodology relating to such macro benefits is at a very rudimentary stage. A
theoretical model is presented that seeks to capture the social consequences
of a health care system. In light of this model, three existing empirical
approaches to answering the question are examined: the inventory approach, the
avoidable mortality approach, and the production function approach. All three
have severe limitations in terms of the underlying theoretical model, data
availability, and analytic tools employed. A more fruitful approach may be to
investigate the value of undertaking a direct survey of citizens'
attitudes toward their health care system.
CONTINUOUS COMPUTER SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF
SCREENING AND TREATING DIABETIC RETINOPATHY
Authors: Crijns Harry , Casparie A. F. , Hendrikse Fred
Published: July 2002

This paper analyzes the cost-effectiveness of screening and treating
diabetic retinopathy (DR) by simulating the disease progress continuously with
existing data. A new computer simulation based on Monte Carlo techniques and
logistic transformation follows cohorts from diabetes onset until death in
five care scenarios. For younger-onset patients, ophthalmic care reduces the
prevalence of blindness by 52% or greater while savings in disability
facilities and production losses surpass direct costs. For older-onset
patients, less favorable results appear. Financial benefits surpass costs for
juvenile-onset patients. For other patients, the net costs of ophthalmic care
seem lower than in other health care programs.
CONSISTENT SPECIFICATION TESTING WITH NUISANCE PARAMETERS
PRESENT ONLY UNDER THE ALTERNATIVE
Authors: Stinchcombe Maxwell B. , White Halbert
Published: July 2002

The nonparametric and the nuisance parameter approaches
to consistently testing statistical models are both attempts
to estimate topological measures of distance between a
parametric and a nonparametric fit, and neither dominates
in experiments. This topological unification allows us
to greatly extend the nuisance parameter approach. How
and why the nuisance parameter approach works and how it
can be extended bear closely on recent developments in
artificial neural networks. Statistical content is provided
by viewing specification tests with nuisance parameters
as tests of hypotheses about Banach-valued random elements
and applying the Banach central limit theorem and law of
iterated logarithm, leading to simple procedures that can
be used as a guide to when computationally more elaborate
procedures may be warranted.
Advances in information visualisation: recent outcomes
Authors: TARANTINO LAURA
Published: July 2002

To an ever-growing degree, information technology is being based on interactive visual media, and visualisation techniques are emerging as the primary support to decision-making tasks. In this paper I briefly survey the most recent results in the field of advanced visual interfaces, focusing on visualisation techniques along with their design and their applications.
Reliable and accountable system design
Authors: KRAUSE PAUL , HESKETH JANE , ROBERTSON DAVE
Published: July 2002

Few would disagree with the assertion that safe engineering starts from the early stages of system design and should be maintained throughout the lifecycle. Different engineering domains have developed, mostly informal, frameworks with which they hope
to promote this attitude. An interesting question for the KBS community is whether some of our methods for knowledge representation and reasoning can be used to assist in understanding, representing and interpreting such frameworks. This paper concentrates on what is (arguably) the area of greatest concern: relating system requirements to high level design. We highlight what appear to be the major difficulties which face us in this area, using examples from systems which have been built to tackle them.
ON SIMULATION OF STOCHASTICALLY ORDERED LIFE-LENGTH VARIABLES
Authors: Lindvall Torgny
Published: July 2002

Let F and G be life-length distributions
such that F [D over less-than or equals] G.
We solve the following problem: How should (X,Y)
be generated in order to maximize [hollow letter P](X = Y), under
the conditions X [D over equals] F, Y [D over
equals] G, and X ≤ Y? We also find a
necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of such a maximal
coupling with the property that X and Y are independent,
conditioned that X < Y. It is pointed out that
using familiar Poisson process thinning methods does not produce
(X,Y) which maximizes [hollow letter
P](X = Y).
BIAS OPTIMALITY IN A QUEUE WITH ADMISSION CONTROL
Authors: Lewis Mark E. , Ayhan Hayriye , Foley Robert D.
Published: July 2002

We consider a finite capacity queueing system in
which each arriving customer offers a reward. A gatekeeper
decides based on the reward offered and the space remaining
whether each arriving customer should be accepted or rejected.
The gatekeeper only receives the offered reward if the
customer is accepted. A traditional objective function
is to maximize the gain, that is, the long-run average
reward. It is quite possible, however, to have several
different gain optimal policies that behave quite differently.
Bias and Blackwell optimality are more refined objective
functions that can distinguish among multiple stationary,
deterministic gain optimal policies. This paper focuses
on describing the structure of stationary, deterministic,
optimal policies and extending this optimality to distinguish
between multiple gain optimal policies. We show that these
policies are of trunk reservation form and must occur consecutively.
We then prove that we can distinguish among these gain
optimal policies using the bias or transient reward and
extend to Blackwell optimality.
INTRODUCTION
Authors: Perdue Clive
Published: July 2002

This special issue presents results from comparative research into the principles constraining
learner varieties (interlanguages) in use. The contributors analyze the oral production of complex
verbal tasks (descriptions, instructions, narratives, retellings) in L2 Dutch, English, French,
German, and Italian, concentrating on the way information from different semantic domains is
organized across utterances (referential movement) and on a major aspect of the interaction
between utterance-level and discourse-level constraints, namely, scope phenomena. We hope the
results presented here will provide insights into the structural and communicative factors
pushing, or hampering, L2 acquisition and will further our understanding of how the organizing
principles interact at different levels of discourse production, be it in L1 or L2.
A STUDY OF THE ROLE OF AWARENESS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR
Authors: Leow Ronald P.
Published: July 2002

This study is a quantitative and qualitative investigation of the effects of awareness, or the
lack thereof, on 32 adult second or foreign language (L2) learners' subsequent intake and
written production of targeted Spanish morphological forms. Think-aloud protocol data, gathered
while learners completed a problem-solving task (a crossword puzzle) and postexposure
assessment tasks (a multiple-choice recognition task and a written production task), were used to
measure awareness or the lack thereof, and morphological learning was assessed by
learners' performances on the two postexposure tasks. From a theoretical perspective, no
dissociation between awareness and further processing of targeted forms was found in this study,
the results of which are compatible with the claim that awareness plays a crucial role in
subsequent processing of L2 data (e.g., Robinson, 1995; Schmidt, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995).
From a methodological perspective, the data collection procedure clearly underscores the need
for studies that investigate the roles of attention and awareness in second language acquisition
(SLA) to gather as much data as possible from different sources that reveal participants'
internal processes. By attempting to ascertain what learners really attend to or are aware of, or
both, while exposed to or interacting with L2 data, such information can also address the
methodological issue of how representative learners' performances in experimental groups
really are in studies conducted under an attentional framework in SLA.
INTONATION (2nd Ed.).Alan Cruttenden. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1997. Pp. xvi + 201. $59.95 cloth, $22.95 paper.
Authors: Major Roy C.
Published: July 2002

This updated version of Cruttenden's popular first edition (1986, reprinted in 1989,
1991, 1994, & 1995) focuses on British English but also discusses other varieties of
English, comparative intonation, universals, and L1 acquisition. Much of the work is unchanged
from the original, yet this edition includes a significant update to the literature.
CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK AND LEARNER UPTAKE
Authors: Lyster Roy , Ranta Leila
Published: July 2002

This article presents a study of corrective feedback and learner uptake (i.e., responses to
feedback) in four immersion classrooms at the primary level. Transcripts totaling 18.3 hours of
classroom interaction taken from 14 subject-matter lessons and 13 French language arts lessons
were analyzed using a model developed for the study and comprising the various moves in an
error treatment sequence. Results include the frequency and distribution of the six different
feedback types used by the four teachers, in addition to the frequency and distribution of different
types of learner uptake following each feedback type. The findings indicate an overwhelming
tendency for teachers to use recasts in spite of the latter's ineffectiveness at eliciting
student-generated repair. Four other feedback types—elicitation, metalinguistic feedback,
clarification requests, and repetition—lead to student-generated repair more successfully
and are thus able to initiate what the authors characterize as the negotiation of form.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDIA: ISSUES AND
INNOVATIONS.R. K. Agnihotri and A. L. Khanna (Eds.). New Delhi, India:
Sage, 1995. Pp.
338. $42.00 cloth.
Authors: Kumaravadivelu B.
Published: July 2002

This collected volume on English language teaching (ELT) in India contains 22 articles
written by Indian teachers and researchers. The book has been divided into six sections. The first
section—“Problematizing ELT in India”—offers a critical, historical
perspective along with innovative ideas for making English language learning and teaching
meaningful and purposive in modern India. The second section—“Nature of ELT
Materials”—demonstrates how the ELT materials used in Indian classrooms are
not embedded in local needs and indigenous contexts. The section emphasizes the importance of
developing instructional materials that not only make use of the rich linguistic and cultural
resources available in India but also promote effective communication skills among the learners.
The third section—“Learner Profiles”—provides interesting insights
into the needs, wants, and lacks of Indian learners of English. This section shows how the
instruments of needs analysis developed in monocultural and monolingual settings are
inadequate for assessing the needs and wants of learners in multilingual and multicultural India.
The fourth section—“Classroom Issues”—focuses on certain central
issues affecting teaching and learning in the classroom context, particularly the role of native
language knowledge and skills that Indian learners bring with them. The fifth
section—“Course Evaluation and Teacher Development”—suggests
ideas for making teacher education responsive to the changing roles and responsibilities of
language teachers. The sixth and final section—“Curriculum
Change”—deals with the principles and procedures for curricular changes that are
in tune with the evolving knowledge about learning and teaching and the increasing desire for
learner control of the process of materials development and evaluation.
VOCABULARY, SEMANTICS, AND LANGUAGE EDUCATION.Evelyn Hatch and Cheryl Brown. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Pp.
viii + 468. $47.95 cloth, $19.95 paper.
Authors: Gardner Dee
Published: July 2002

As part of the Cambridge Language Teaching Library series, this book provides a solid
introduction to vocabulary and semantics for teachers and teacher trainers involved in language
education. The authors maintain a multidisciplinary perspective on these topics by including both
L1 and L2 views and research from linguistics, psychology, anthropology, cognitive science, and
education.