bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subverting criteria: the role of precedent in decisions to finance surgery
Authors: Heritage John , Boyd Elizabeth , Kleinman Lawrence
Published: March 2003

This paper investigates prospective utilisation review for tympanostomy. In the studied procedure, a medical corporation reviews cases for third‐party payers (insurance companies), and used explicit criteria to determine whether a case is appropriate for surgery. Earlier findings that inappropriate decisions to approve surgery are strongly related to previous surgeries for the same condition are investigated to trace the emergence of this theme within the review process and its consolidation into a ‘precedent’ for further surgery, notwithstanding the explicit criteria which the reviewers are mandated to enforce. The significance of previous surgeries as a factor favouring further surgery emerges at all levels of the review process, indicating a medical culture that validates precedent in medical decision making despite the absence of evidence‐based findings that would support it.
Time to disclose, timing disclosure: GPs’ discourses on disclosing domestic abuse in primary care
Authors: McKie Linda , Fennell Barbara , Mildorf Jarmila
Published: March 2003

Research has demonstrated that women are more likely to disclose domestic violence to a GP during the consultation in primary health care than in Accident and Emergency. Little is known of the process of disclosure in the context of primary health care, especially from the perspective of the GP. In this article we present data from a pilot study with GPs working in a city locality about their experiences of disclosure and the actual processes through which they suspect and explore domestic abuse. We draw upon the work of, amongst others, Strong (1979) and his analysis of medical encounters to consider the consultation in which domestic abuse is disclosed in terms of a ceremonial order. The concepts of time (Adam 2000) and myths (Barthes 1972) provide crucial dimensions to our analysis. GPs employed various concepts of time as vehicles for explaining the reasons for, and circumstances surrounding, violence as well as presenting barriers to further involvement. GPs mythologised time by asserting they did not have enough time and yet revealing their ability to control and suspend time in the consultation if they consider it to be appropriate. In the process of mythologising time, the ceremonial order can become paramount. In conclusion, we contend that the sociology of health and illness might gain further conceptual and analytical understanding of the consultation by merging notions of ceremonial order with a fuller appreciation of sociological theory on time and myths, especially as this poses barriers to the disclosure of domestic abuse and other sensitive matters.
Menopause as a long‐term risk to health: implications of general practitioner accounts of prevention for women's choice and decision‐making
Authors: Murtagh Madeleine J. , Hepworth Julie
Published: March 2003

Over the past two decades medical researchers and modernist feminist researchers have contested the meaning of menopause. In this article we examine various meanings of menopause in major medical and feminist literature and the construction of menopause in a semi‐structured interview study of general practitioners in rural South Australia. Three discursive themes are identified in these interviews; (i) the hormonal menopause – symptoms, risk, prevention; (ii) the informed menopausal woman; and (iii) decision‐making and hormone replacement therapy. By using the discourse of prevention, general practitioners construct menopause in relation to women's health care choices, empowerment and autonomy. We argue that the ways in which these concepts are deployed by general practitioners in this study produces and constrains the options available to women. The implications of these general practitioner accounts are discussed in relation to the proposition that medical and feminist descriptions of menopause posit alternative but equally‐fixed truths about menopause and their relationship with the range of responses available to women at menopause. Social and cultural explanations of disease causality (c.f.Germov 1998, Hardey 1998) are absent from the new menopause despite their being an integral part of the framework of the women's health movement and health promotion drawn on by these general practitioners. Further, the shift of responsibility for health to the individual woman reinforces practice claims to empower women, but oversimplifies power relations and constructs menopause as a site of self‐surveillance. The use of concepts from the women's health movement and health promotion have nevertheless created change in both the positioning of women as having ‘choices’ and the positioning of some general practitioners in terms of greater information provision to women and an attention to the woman's autonomy. In conclusion, we propose that a new menopause has evolved from a discursive shift in medicine and that there exists within this new configuration, claiming the empowerment of women as an integral part of health care for menopause, the possibility for change in medical practice which will broaden, strengthen, and maintain this position.
Tail index estimation based on linear combinations of intermediate order statistics
Authors: Viharos L.
Published: March 2003

Based on linear combinations of intermediate order statistics, we introduce a new class of estimators for the exponent of a distribution function F with a regularly varying upper tail. We prove asymptotic normality and we make a comparison with existing proposals using the mean squared error as criterion.
Stochastic labelling of biological images
Authors: Ayala G. , Simó A.
Published: March 2003

Many hypotheses made by experimental researchers can be formulated as a stochastic labelling of a given image. Some stochastic labelling methods for random closed sets are proposed in this paper. Molchanov (I. Molchanov, 1984, Theor. Probability and Math. Statist.29, 113–119) provided the probabilistic background for this problem. However, there is a lack of specific labelling models. Ayala and Simó (G. Ayala and A. Simó, 1995, Advances in Applied Probability27, 293–305) proposed a method in which, given the whole set of connected components, every component is classified in a certain phase or category in a completely random way. Alternative methods are necessary in case the random labelling hypothesis is not reliable. A different kind of labelling method is proposed that considers the environment: the type of every connected component is a function of its location.

Two different biphase images are studied: a cross section of a nerve from a rat, and a cross section of an optic nerve from a lizard.
Reweighted loglikelihood method in robust estimation in a mixed unbalanced model
Authors: Krug B.
Published: March 2003

In the paper we introduce a method of computing M‐estimators in a mixed unbalanced model. The algorithm is based on weighted loglikelihood. It simultaneously finds the estimator of location and scale. Convergence of the algorithm to a solution of M‐equations is proved and a simulation study is given.
Jackknife estimators of a relative risk in 2×2 and 2×2×K contingency tables
Authors: Gather U. , Köhne S. , Pigeot I.
Published: March 2003

Several jackknife estimators of a relative risk in a single 2×2 contingency table and of a common relative risk in a 2×2×K contingency table are presented. The estimators are based on the maximum likelihood estimator in a single table and on an estimator proposed by Tarone (1981) for stratified samples, respectively. For the stratified case, a sampling scheme is assumed where the number of observations within each table tends to infinity but the number of tables remains fixed. The asymptotic properties of the above estimators are derived. Especially, we present two general results which under certain regularity conditions yield consistency and asymptotic normality of every jackknife estimator of a bunch of functions of binomial probabilities.
Time‐series–cross‐section Data
Authors: Beck Nathaniel
Published: March 2003

This article treats the analysis of ‘time‐series–cross‐section’ (TSCS) data. Such data consists of repeated observations on a series of fixed units. Examples of such data are annual observations on the political economy of OECD nations in the post‐war era. TSCS data is distinguished from ‘panel’ data, in that asymptotics are in the number of repeated observations, not the number of units.

The article begins by treating the complications of TSCS data in an ‘old‐fashioned’ manner, that is, as a nuisance which causes estimation difficulties. It claims that TSCS data should be analyzed via ordinary least squares with ‘panel correct standard errors’ rather than generalized least squares methods. Dynamics should be modeled via a lagged dependent variable or, if appropriate, a single equation error correction model.

The article then treats more modern issues, in particular, the modeling of spatial effects and heterogeneity. It also claims that heterogeneity should be assessed with ‘panel cross‐validation’ as well as more standard tests. The article concludes with a discussion of estimation in the presence of a binary dependent variable.
Obituary: Henri Theil, 1924–2000
Authors: Kloek Teun
Published: March 2003

This note contains a short biography of Professor Henri Theil and a brief sketch of his contributions to econometrics and related fields. Professor Theil is known as the author of the Principles of Econometrics, one of the most cited advanced textbooks of econometrics, and in particular made a large number of contributions including two and three stage least squares, the inequality coefficient, the Rotterdam model of consumer demand and the entropy based measure for income inequality.
The smoothing dichotomy in nonparametric regression under long‐memory errors
Authors: Csörgő Sándor
Published: March 2003

The phenomenon of smoothing dichotomy in random‐design nonparametric regression is exposed in nontechnical terms from two recent papers published jointly with Jan Mielniczuk. This concerns the asymptotic distribution of kernel estimators when the errors exhibit long‐range dependence, being instantaneous functions either of Gaussian sequences or of infinite‐order moving averages, depending on the amount of smoothing.
A minimum chi‐squared method for indirect parameter estimation from Poisson data
Authors: Mair B. A. , Rao Murali , Anderson J. M. M.
Published: March 2003

In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm for estimating non‐negative parameters from Poisson observations of a linear transformation of the parameters. The proposed objective function fits both a weighted least squares (WLS) and a minimum χ2 estimation framework, and results in a convex optimization problem. Unlike conventional WLS methods, the weights do not need to be estimated from the datas, but are incorporated in the objective function. The iterative algorithm is derived from an alternating projection procedure in which “distance” is determined by the chi‐squared test statistic, which is interpreted as a measure of the discrepancy between two distributions. This may be viewed as an alternative to the Kullback‐Leibler divergence which corresponds to the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. The algorithm is similar in form to, and shares many properties with, the expectation maximization algorithm for ML estimation. In particular, we show that every limit point of the algorithm is an estimator, and the sequence of projected (by the linear transformation into the data space) means converge. Despite the similarities, we show that the new estimators are quite distinct from ML estimators, and obtain conditions under which they are identical.
Mixture representations for discrete Linnik laws
Authors: Bouzar Nadjib
Published: March 2003

In this paper we give mixture representations for the discrete Mittag–Leffler and Linnik laws. Our results form the discrete analogues of the mixture representations for the generalized symmetric Linnik distribution obtained by PAKES (1998). As an application, we derive the infinite divisibility of mixtures of Mittag–Leffler distributions. Alternative mixture representations in terms of discrete stable distributions are also presented.
ML– and semiparametric estimation in logistic models with incomplete covariate data
Authors: Didelez Vanessa
Published: March 2003

ML–estimation of regression parameters with incomplete covariate information usually requires a distributional assumption regarding the concerned covariates that implies a source of misspecification. Semiparametric procedures avoid such assumptions at the expense of efficiency. In this paper a simulation study with small sample size is carried out to get an idea of the performance of the ML–estimator under misspecification and to compare it with the semiparametric procedures when the former is based on a correct assumption. The results show that there is only a little gain by correct parametric assumptions, which does not justify the possibly large bias when the assumptions are not met. Additionally, a simple modification of the complete case estimator appears to be nearly semiparametric efficient.
Interaction among proficient learners: are input, feedback and output needs addressed in a foreign language context?
Authors: Mayo Maria del Pilar García , Pica Teresa
Published: March 2003

As a consequence of methodological changes in the classroom environment, learners are increasingly becoming each other's principal interlocutors and resource for language learning. This study asked whether the interaction between proficient EFL learners could address their needs for L2 input and for feedback focused on form in ways that interaction with native speakers (NSs) has been shown to do. The interaction of seven dyads of proficient EFL learners was compared with that of seven dyads of learners and NSs on two communication tasks. Results of the comparison revealed few differences between the two groups with respect to their patterns of interaction as neither pairing displayed difficulty in comprehending the meaning of each other's messages and, therefore, did not interact through the negotiation of meaning. Other interactional patterns, such as scaffolding and repairs, were used by proficient EFL learners.
Antisymmetry and the leftness condition: Leftness as anti‐c‐command
Authors: Bianchi Valentina
Published: March 2003

This paper proposes a restatement of the Leftness Condition on quantifier binding in configurational terms in the framework of Kayne's (1994) Antisymmetry Theory. The Leftness Condition is reduced to an anti‐c‐command condition whereby a syntactic constituent that depends on a variable for its denotation cannot asymmetrically c‐command that variable. It is argued that this condition also constrains denotational equality between two R‐expressions that independently denote the same referent, thus subsuming Principle C. This proposal yields a unified account of strong, weak, weakest, and secondary crossover. I also take into account Culicover & Jackendoff's (1995) argument that binding is sensitive to Conceptual Structure superiority; I argue that in the framework of Representational Modularity (Jackendoff 1997) CS‐superiority, asymmetric c‐command, and PF precedence may correlate in virtue of correspondence rules. This suggests that the syntactic component may be thought of as mediating between the inherently linear nature of PF and the inherently recursive nature of Conceptual Structure.
Arbitrary Motions of a Viscous Incompressible Liquid in a Finite Region
Authors: Ranger K. B.
Published: March 2003

By using an entirely constructive analysis it is shown that there exist solutions of the viscous flow equations in which two of the Cartesian components of velocity are arbitrary and the third component can be constructed uniquely by the application of integrability conditions. The solutions are in general defined in a finite region of the fluid and can be matched onto a well‐defined deterministic solution of the Navier–Stokes equations such that all of the relevant physical quantities are continuous at the interface.
Analytic Continuation of Complex Gauge Fields
Authors: Harris Adam
Published: March 2003

The main result of this note treats the problem of unique extension of holomorphic gauge fields across closed subsets of complex Euclidean space, and is based on a corresponding extension theorem for holomorphic vector bundles due to N. P. Buchdahl and the author. Alternatively, let F be a unitary gauge field corresponding to a complex differential form of type (1, 1) (e.g., an anti self‐dual Yang–Mills field on a punctured ball in C2). As a corollary of the main theorem, it is seen that a unique extension of such F, which preserves the curvature type, is obtained if the contraction of F with a holomorphic vector field lies in the image of the ∂¯‐operator of the associated holomorphic vector bundle.
Periodic Optical Waveguides: Exact Floquet Theory and Spectral Properties
Authors: Besley J. A. , Akhmediev N. N. , Miller P. D.
Published: March 2003

We consider the steady propagation of a light beam in a planar waveguide whose width and depth are periodically modulated in the direction of propagation. Using methods of soliton theory, a class of periodic potentials is presented for which the complete set of Floquet solutions of the linear Schrödinger equation can be found exactly at a particular optical frequency. For potentials in this class, there are exactly two bound Floquet solutions at this frequency, and they are degenerate, having the same Floquet multiplier. We study analytically the behavior of the waveguide under small changes in the frequency and observe a breaking of the degeneracy in the Floquet multiplier at first order. We predict and observe numerically the disappearance of both bound states at second order. These results suggest applications to spectral filtering.
A New Approach to Free Surface Euler Flows with Capillarity
Authors: Crowdy Darren G.
Published: March 2003

This article attempts to elucidate the underlying mathematical connection between the well‐known exact solutions for the deep water capillary wave problem [G.D. Crapper, J. Fluid Mech., 2:532–540 (1957)] and the recent discovery of a very special polar decomposition of solutions for a steadily translating bubble with surface tension [S. Tanveer, Proc.Roy. Soc. A, 452:1397–1410 (1996)]. This is achieved by describing a new and unified mathematical approach to the two separate physical problems. Using the new approach, Crapper's capillary wave solutions are retrieved in a novel and simplified fashion, while additional analytical insight into the nature of solutions for a steadily‐translating bubble is obtained. The new approach is quite general and can also be used to obtain new exact results to other related free surface problems.
Evolution of Nonlinear Sloshing in a Tank Near Half the Fundamental Resonance
Authors: Amundsen David E. , Cox Edward A. , Mortell Michael P. , Reck Sandra
Published: March 2003

This article describes the evolution of shallow water waves in a tank that is closed at one end and is periodically forced at half the fundamental frequency at the other end. The nonlinear response occurs at the same order as the linear response and is governed by a forced Korteweg–de Vries (K dV) equation. Unlike the corresponding problem for a gas (or the hydraulic limit), there may be nonperiodic (beating) solutions and multiple steady solutions for the same frequency. The addition of a component at the fundamental frequency to the piston input can be used to cancel the nonlinear effects and leave only the linear response in the steady state.
Initial Teacher Training and Pupils with Special Educational Needs
Authors: Dew‐Hughes Denise , Brayton Howard
Published: March 2003

At a series of one‐day seminars for newly qualified teachers, Denise Dew‐Hughes and Howard Brayton collected information regarding the element of special educational needs the participants had experienced during their initial training. Much of what they unearthed was predictable but there were one or two surprises. The authors conclude that there should be a continuum of training that supports individuals well into their professional career.
Descriptors of Special Educational Needs: Arguments for a National Framework
Authors: Booker Roger
Published: March 2003

The disparity between local authorities and individual schools in the assessment of pupils with special needs is highlighted here by Roger Booker. He calls for an ‘anchor’ in the staged processes involving the use of agreed descriptors. The Greenwich framework is introduced and discussed as a possible basis for the drawing up of national criteria. In the absence of such criteria, many pupils are clearly disadvantaged.
How Learning Support is Perceived by Mainstream Colleagues
Authors: Bearn Alison , Smith Colin
Published: March 2003

Alison Bearn and Colin Smith look at the commitment of mainstream subject teachers to special needs pupils, a still relatively unexplored area. Through questionnaires and detailed interviews, they extract information that confirms that ‘territorial boundaries’ and other factors continue to inhibit support teaching. They conclude that teacher attitudes and possible antipathy remain stubborn stumbling blocks to the implementation of whole‐school policies.
Caught or Taught: Infection or Subjection? Struggling Readers in Secondary Schools Still Need That Little Bit Extra
Authors: Townsend John
Published: March 2003

John Townsend considers the current debate about the improvement of reading at Key Stages 3 and 4, for those students still struggling to read with confidence. Is there a danger of overplaying some teaching methodologies at the expense of enabling pupils to appreciate the ‘big picture’? He argues that, as reading is far more than the sum of its parts, we need to keep central to our reading policies those good, readable books and keen, dynamic teachers to maximise motivation.
Raising Achievement for All: North Lanarkshire’s Strategy for Breaking the Links Between Disadvantage and Underachievement
Authors: Boyd Brian , O’Neill Michael
Published: March 2003

In this issue we look at one local authority’s initiative for improving standards in schools. North Lanarkshire’s commitment is manifest and Brian Boyd and Michael O’Neill lay out the broad parameters of the strategy. Three elements are then dealt with in some detail, the Outward Bound project described enthusiastically by Robert Colquhoun, an early intervention programme detailed by Laura Ann Currie and her colleagues and a study support scheme outlined by Maureen Martin. Finally, Alison Cameron pulls together the various strands and asks, ‘Where do we go from here?’ North Lanarkshire is not alone in taking powerful steps to combat underachievement, and other authorities going through a similar process will take heart from this Scottish experience.
Definitions of Successful Education for the ‘Looked After’ Child: a Multi‐agency Perspective
Authors: Coulling Nicola
Published: March 2003

Nicola Coulling's study goes to the heart of the interagency relationship. Her purpose is to find out how those working across agency boundaries can be helped to develop a shared understanding of what counts as successful practice for each agency in relation to the education of ‘looked after’ children. Using Personal Construct Psychology as a tool to explore this, she finds that while there is consensus among the professional disciplines and children she interviewed, the resources and support required to ensure successful educational outcomes for ‘looked after’ children are inadequate.
Dear Diary ℓ the Thoughts of Katy – a 12‐year‐old Pupil Needing Learning Support
Authors: Sage Rosemary
Published: March 2003

This article is written by one of the runners up for the Stanley Segal Memorial Award. It is based on qualitative data from a school and community project (1998–9) aimed at developing communication wareness and skills in Leicester students, parents and teachers, for improved school performance. Courses are taught over 8–10 weeks using methods of teaching communication. Results have confirmed the importance of this input to student education. The present aim is to train parents to run groups in after‐school clubs under the supervision of teachers in schools. The project was a collaboration between the Special Needs Teaching Service, Schools and Community, Leicester University, AFASIC (The Association for Speech Impaired Children) and Human Communications International. The perspective presented is the students', reflecting their views of the system in which they find themselves (names have been changed).
Schools' Perceptions of Support Services for Special Educational Needs
Authors: Fletcher‐Campbell Felicity , Cullen Mairi Ann
Published: March 2003

The NFER recently undertook a research project examining the impact of delegation on LEA support services for special educational needs. This article reports data from one strand of the research – the way in which staff in schools responded to external support for pupils with special educational needs. Responses were varied and depended to a large extent on whether teachers saw clear benefits either to themselves or to the pupils about whom they were concerned (judged in terms of visible difference in performance within the classroom). Reference is made to the difference in ways in which support staff were managed in schools. Data suggested that collaborative work between mainstream staff and visiting support staff was not ensured in all circumstances; where it was weak, it was the pupil who was disadvantaged.
Constructive Instruction and Learning Difficulties
Authors: Watson Judith
Published: March 2003

In this article Judith Watson suggests that social constructivist approaches to learning hold special promise for the education of pupils with learning difficulties. Investigations of effective teaching and learning support the application of social constructivist theoretical frameworks. Following a description of the roots and principles of these, some practical examples conclude the discussion.
Inclusion and entitlement, equality of opportunity and quality of curriculum provision
Authors: Ollerton Mike
Published: March 2003

Mike Ollerton breathes new life into the question of equality of opportunity and quality of provision – both central to the work of special educational needs educators. The arguments set out here, and the practical examples given, will do much to stimulate discussion and remind us that there is an all‐important ethical dimension to be considered when making decisions about grouping students.
Working with street children: reintegration through education
Authors: Brink Barbara
Published: March 2003

This article and the next strongly emphasise the need to involve children and young people in the design of the environment in which they are educated. Here, Barbara Brink focuses on the needs of the most vulnerable children in the world and brings a valuable global perspective to our discussion. She concludes that the problem of street children and children in difficult circumstances, from which no country is spared, requires cooperative work between project planners, the community and the target population.
Living with contradictions
Authors: Quicke John
Published: March 2003

John Quicke trained as a teacher and then as an educational psychologist in the late 1960s. He worked as an educational psychologist in Slough and Durham before taking up a lecturing post in the Education Department of the University of Sheffield where he subsequently became a Professor of Education. In the year 2000 he returned to his former profession and is now working as an educational psychologist for Rotherham LEA. He has written several books and numerous articles in professional and scholarly journals. His recent book A Curriculum for Life, Open University Press, was shortlisted for the Standing Conference on Studies of Education annual prize.
Conductive Education and the National Curriculum: an integrated approach
Authors: Wilson Jill
Published: March 2003

This article is a single case study of a community special school that integrates the principles and practice of Conductive Education into its curriculum. The article covers this process over a period of ten years. For five of these Jill Wilson was head teacher of the school and she traces the developments at the school over this period, starting from the point when staff first went to the Peto Institute in Budapest for training. She goes on to examine the ways in which the school has placed Conductive Education at the centre of its philosophy. In addition it traces the development of the curriculum, which encompasses the National Curriculum, along with the school's developmental, experiential and personal social and health education curricula. The net result is a full and appropriate curriculum for the pupils at the school built on and around the philosophy and practice of Conductive Education.
Using Integrated Learning Systems to support students with learning difficulties in a comprehensive school
Authors: Williams Alison
Published: March 2003

The use of Integrated Learning Systems (ILS) was introduced at Danetre School with a small pilot study four years ago and has continued to evolve. Currently up to 200 students (mainly at KS3), some with special educational needs, extend their skills through its use in daily literacy or numeracy sessions. Improvement is not only evident in their learning but also in their attitude and increased self‐esteem. Some teachers, in a range of schools, are still unclear of what is involved in ILS and have difficulties in responding to its principles. In this article Alison Williams provides a clear view of ILS and suggests its value in supporting students with special educational needs in a comprehensive school.
Low attainers exhibiting higher‐order mathematical thinking
Authors: Watson Anne
Published: March 2003

Read alongside the next article by Geoff Tennant, Anne Watson's observation of low attainers ‘caught in the act’ of thinking in mathematically sophisticated ways is illuminating and has a number of important implications, not least for the training of support staff. ‘Is it possible’ she asks, ‘to structure work so that higher‐order thinking is encouraged and noticed even in simple mathematical situations?’
A critique of the NASEN policy document on Curriculum Access
Authors: Donnelly Verity
Published: March 2003

Verity Donnelly works for ACCAC (Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales) as Special Educational Needs Officer. However, this critique is written from her own perspective and does not represent the views of any organisation.
Monitoring provision for pupils with special educational needs in Norfolk LEA: evaluation of effectiveness
Authors: Kahn Alison
Published: March 2003

A key issue raised in the previous two articles is the need for schools to be accountable for their use of delegated SEN funds. In this article, Alison Kahn evaluates the effectiveness of the monitoring system adopted by Norfolk LEA. She concludes that the Norfolk experience shows the value of monitoring in context within a clear supportive framework.
An exploration of secondary school teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about adolescent children with chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Everett Tina , Fulton Colette
Published: March 2003

In this study of teachers’ beliefs about young people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Tina Everett and Colette Fulton find that although teachers are very much concerned to give the right sort of support to enable their students to continue their education, there is confusion about the nature, origin and cause of the illness. They recommend that schools are provided with sound scientific and practical information, and that better communication is established between health and education staff for the benefit of students with CFS and their families.
A consistent campaign
Authors: Vaughan Mark
Published: March 2003

In this series, individuals with long and varied experience of special educational needs are invited to reflect on their careers, how they got where they did and what they think lies ahead.
Children’s Rights and Child Impact Analysis: Making Children Visible in Government
Authors: Payne Lisa
Published: March 2003

The next two articles stress the importance of effective government structures to support children. Here, Lisa Payne considers some of the strategies used to make children ‘visible in government’. Her discussion of child impact analysis as an evaluative tool has as much relevance to policy makers at school level as it has for those at local and national government. The article ends with an analysis of the recently formed Connexions service.
A methodology for developing science teaching materials for pupils with learning difficulties
Authors: Bancroft Jill
Published: March 2003

The question of whether, and how, to adapt existing teaching materials or create new ones to meet the needs of their pupils has always exercised the minds of teachers. Jill Bancroft, from the Science Curriculum Centre in York, uses two case studies to illustrate the sensitivity and understanding required to undertake these tasks. The methodological framework outlined here is likely to provide a useful checklist for busy teachers.
Late Adjunction and Minimalist Phrase Structure
Authors: Stepanov Arthur
Published: March 2003

An algorithm of phrase structure building is proposed within the bare phrase structure framework. The algorithm is rooted in the idea that applications of Merge–the operation that combines syntactic objects–should not change the set of basic relations (in particular, c‐command) in the existing structure, what Chomsky (2000) terms “Least Tampering.” Under the proposed algorithm, this idea translates into a requirement that Merger must take place at the root of the tree/phrase marker when possible. As a result, the algorithm forces (base‐generated or moved) structural adjuncts to be Merged postcyclically. Three empirical consequences of the proposed algorithm are discussed: (1) constructions involving raising across the experiencer (e.g., John seems to Mary to be smart) are shown not to be problematic for the Minimal Link Condition (cf. Chomsky 1995b); (2) a novel account of Adjunct Island effects (Huang 1982) is proposed; and (3) a principled analysis of approximative inversion in Russian is offered.
Exploring a Queueing Problem Through Human Simulation
Authors: Barbella Peter , Siegel Murray
Published: March 2003

A classroom activity where the students actively simulate different queueing systems is described. Analysis of the waiting times gives insight into the structure of queueing systems and the issues to be considered in comparing them.
Generating Multivariate Normal Pseudo Random Data
Authors: Moore Terry
Published: March 2003

This article gives a matrix‐based method for generating multivariate Normal data.
Webs of Connection Using Technology in Theological Education
Authors: Litchfield Randy G.
Published: March 2003

The author uses a variety of Internet‐related technologies to support pedagogical approaches where students become conscious of their role in the production of knowledge in a public and critically collaborative environment. These approaches also seek to address theory/practice dichotomies by using the Internet to bridge academic and parish contexts. The article describes and assesses three courses utilizing web‐based technology. One course features student portfolios posted on a website with peer‐ and parish‐based reviewers. A second course features student creation of the course text with contributions from external professionals. A third course features a ministry resource website created by students.
Writing Cultures, Enculturating Writing at Two Theological Schools: Mapping Rhetorics of Correlation and Liberation
Authors: Yaghjian Lucretia B.
Published: March 2003

Taking the theory and practice of contrastive rhetoric as a point of departure, this article identifies two rhetorical models that inform the teaching and writing of theology at two theological schools where the author directs a joint writing program. The models of correlation and liberation are drawn from the official documents and typical theological/rhetorical practices of each school, exemplified by representative student and faculty writing. In conclusion, the common ground encouraging comparative and cooperative models of writing theological culture(s) is intimated by four concluding motives that warrant wider disciplinary discussion of the rhetorics we have and those we need as religious scholars and theological educators at the beginning of the third millennium.
Improving Graduate Theological Instruction: Using Classroom Assessment Techniques to Connect Teaching and Learning
Authors: Gaeddert Barry K.
Published: March 2003

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) offer immediate, relevant feedback to professors on the teaching process as well as feedback to students on the learning process. While Classroom Assessment Techniques have been introduced, studied and analyzed in undergraduate education, application to graduate theological education has not been advanced. The author describes a recent research project that discerned faculty attitudes toward the implementation of Classroom Assessment Techniques in a seminary setting in hopes that more effective faculty development programs can be designed by implementing CATs.
Rank and relationships in the evolution of spoken language
Authors: Locke John L.
Published: March 2003

If evolutionary benefits associated with language were predominantly referential, as many theorists assume, then there must have been a preparatory stage in which an ‘appetite’ for information, not evident in the other primates, developed. To date, no such stage has been demonstrated. The problem dissipates, however, if it is assumed that language emerged from a function more nearly shared with other primates. An obvious candidate is displaying. Here I argue that performative functions associated with oral sound‐making provided initial pressures for vocal communication by promoting rank and relationships. These benefits, I suggest, facilitated conflict avoidance and resolution, collaboration, and reciprocal sharing of needed resources. By valuing the performative applications of language, which continue in modern humans, one can more easily derive speech from the social‐vocal behaviours of non‐human primates, providing greater continuity in accounts of linguistic evolution
House and hierarchy: politics and domestic space in northern Ghana
Authors: Drucker‐Brown Susan
Published: March 2003

This article explores connections between the organization of domestic space and the contrasting political traditions of two closely related neighbouring peoples, the Tallensi and Mamprusi of northern Ghana. House design reflects major differences in the organization of labour and leisure, and separates residents by age and sex in very different ways. These variations on a common pattern reveal characteristic contrasts in political ethos.
Sorcery in the Era of ‘Henry IV’: Kinship, Mobility and Mortality in Buhera District, Zimbabwe
Authors: Andersson Jens A.
Published: March 2003

Recent studies of witchcraft and sorcery in Africa have described this domain as an all–powerful and inescapable discourse. This article, on a migrant labour society in Zimbabwe, discloses a situation in which this discourse and its interpretation are contested. It shows how existential insecurity, which gives rise to witchcraft accusations, relates to the high incidence of HIV/AIDS–related illnesses and death – euphemistically called Henry IV (HIV). Witchcraft accusations arise within kin–based networks that span rural and urban geographical areas, as it is these networks that people depend upon for their livelihoods. Thus, this article stresses the important link between witchcraft and kinship in a society that is not geographically bound, revealing how witchcraft discourse is assigned a place relative to other social phenomena.
Collective representations and social praxis: local politics in the Norwegian welfare state
Authors: Kronenfeld David B. , Vike Halvard
Published: March 2003

We consider an attempt – within an economy under pressure to stay competitive in an increasingly integrated global economic system – to reconcile the contradictory pressures of democratic values versus managerial efficiency, and of the desire for an effective social welfare safety net versus the need for budgetary responsibility. We focus on a local welfare committee’s experimental attempt to improve morale and productivity through a combination of added resources and greater autonomy. The better but more expensive service produced by the experiment triggered the paradoxical conclusion that what was needed was tighter administrative oversight. The experiment and its evaluation became a kind of self–fulfilling prophecy. We explore the conceptual, ideological, and economic factors that shape the government’s reaction, and then offer a theory of word meaning, usage, and power in public discourse that accounts for the discussion and the actions that flow from it.
Restructuring Region and State: the Case of North East England
Authors: Hudson Ray
Published: March 2003

The central thesis of this article is that the recent transformation of the economy of the North East of England must be understood as reciprocally related both to the changing position of the UK economy in the international division of labour in a globalising economy and to the restructuring of the UK state. Regional changes are both a product of and a condition for wider projects of restructuring the UK state and its relation to economy and society within and beyond the UK. Such changes are not unique to the North East within the UK; nor are they confined to the UK. The trajectory of change in North East England can be seen as exemplifying more general tendencies within contemporary capitalism.
The Banana Industries of Costa Rica and Dominica in a Time of Change
Authors: Wiley James
Published: March 2003

The July 1993 implementation of a new banana importation regime by the European Union (EU) raised the level of competition between banana exporters in Latin America and the Caribbean. This article profiles the banana industries of Costa Rica and Dominica as case studies representing these two groups of exporters. It considers the origins, scale, structure and trading patterns of the industry in each, utilising a variety of data from primary and secondary sources, commentary from interviews, and personal observations by the author from the field. Subsequently, it briefly reviews the changes in world trading regulations stipulated by the EU and those forthcoming from GATT and its new World Trade Organisation. In conclusion, the article suggests what kind of banana future lies ahead for each country.
Drug Use and Drug Trafficking in Europe
Authors: Boekhout van Solinge Tim
Published: March 2003

Illicit drugs form an important sector of the world economy. A recent report of the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) stated that many estimations have been made of the total revenue of the illicit drug industry, most ranging from $300 billion to $500 billion (INCB 1997). According to this UN report ‘a growing body of evidence’ suggests that the true figure lies around $400 billion. The report further states this turnover would be equivalent to approximately 8% of total international trade. In 1994 this figure would have been larger than the international trade in iron and steel, and motor vehicles, and about the same size as the total international trade in textiles. Of course, the important economic value of drugs can be largely attributed to the simple fact they are illegal.

This article aims to give an overview of some general trends in drug use and drug trafficking in Europe. This overview will not discuss all illicit drugs in detail, but will focus on two drugs, cannabis and heroin. The reasons for this are as follows. Speaking about the use of illicit substances, cannabis is by and large the one that is most used in Europe. Heroin, on the other hand, is used by very few people – in drug use surveys the prevalence of heroin is usually among the lowest – but it is the drug that is most associated with marginalisation and drug addiction. This also explains why the use of this drug is more visible than the use of other drugs. The second reason for concentrating on cannabis and heroin is that the trade in these drugs is most interesting from a geopolitical point of view.
The EU and Central Europe: The Remaking of Economic Relationships
Authors: Williams Allan M. , Balaz Vladimir , Zajaz Stefan
Published: March 2003

The reconstruction of economic relationships between Central Europe and the EU since 1989 has involved a major redrawing of the economic map of Europe. This paper investigates these relationships in the case of the V4 countries, disaggregating, wherever possible, the Czech and Slovak components of Czechoslovakia – prior to the ‘Velvet Divorce’. The analysis considers four main axes of change: stabilisation and privatisation, the reinternationalisation of international trade, foreign investment, and research and development. This leads to a consideration of how these changes are influencing the prospects and challenges of potential membership of the EU. Stress is placed throughout on how application of the ‘sharp shock’ model of economic transition is influencing the emergence of the new economic map of Europe. Comparisons with Southern Europe in the 1980s are particularly instructive in terms of understanding both the challenges of membership and of the changing approaches of the EU to enlargement.
Spatial Variations in the Consumption of Sweeteners
Authors: Grigg David
Published: March 2003

This paper considers the growth and international differences in the consumption of sweeteners that include honey, centrifugal refined sugar, non‐centrifugal sugar and alternative sweeteners developed in the last 30 years, such as high fructose corn syrup. The sources of sweeteners are noted, and a brief history of consumption is given. International differences in consumption per capita are considered in 1900, the 1930s and the 1990s. The relationship between income and consumption is discussed at household, regional and national levels, but it is observed that there is a very low income elasticity of demand for sweeteners in richer countries. Since the 1960s, consumption has fallen as concern for health has increased. Although there is a strong positive relationship between national income and sweetener consumption, there are other factors at work.
Organising Industrial Spaces: A Commentary on the IGU Commission
Authors: LeHeron Richard
Published: March 2003

This paper provides a context to the IGU Commission’s research agenda, outlines theoretical directions explored by many industrial geographers participating in the Commission’s activities and identifies emerging research foci for the Commission’s research programme.
Local Economic Development in an Era of Globalisation: The Case of South African Cities
Authors: Rogerson Christian
Published: March 2003

Since 1994 South Africa’s macroeconomic strategy has sought to accommodate the forces of globalisation and ensure the country’s re‐entry into the global economy after two decades (1970–90) of relative international economic isolation. One key component of restructuring for globalisation has been a shift in the burden of responsibility for economic development from national to local government level and of the promotion of local economic development (LED) planning across post‐apartheid South Africa. This paper focuses on the issue of LED planning in South Africa as a case study in the local consequences and reactions to globalisation of city regions in the global periphery. The planning of LED in South Africa incorporates international trends towards local promotion of economic growth but also includes a distinct and strong focus on poverty alleviation to deal with the apartheid legacy.