bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression and other psychiatric disorders
Authors: McNAMARA B. , RAY J. L. , ARTHURS O. J. , BONIFACE S.
Published: July 2002

Introduction. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proposed as a possible alternative to electroconvulsive therapy for the treatment of selected patients with depression, bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of rTMS in mood disorders and schizophrenia.

Methods. Studies were identified using MEDLINE (1966 to January 2000), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1980 to January 2000), Biological Abstracts and Index to Scientific and Technical Proceedings. A number of biomedical and TMS related websites were also searched. We estimated the number needed to treat to show beneficial effect of rTMS when compared with the placebo controlled group.

Results. Seven controlled trials of rTMS depression were identified. Five of these were suitable for meta-analysis and show a beneficial effect of rTMS compared to placebo, with a number needed to treat of 2·3 with a 95% confidence interval 1·6 to 4·0, total; 81 patients. A single trial of rTMS has also been performed in mania, which shows a beneficial effect of right hemisphere stimulation when compared with left hemisphere stimulation. A controlled trial in schizophrenia failed to show any benefit of rTMS.

Discussion. rTMS has demonstrable beneficial effects in depression. The extent and the duration of the anti-depressant effect of rTMS has yet to be defined. There now needs to be randomized controlled trials to compare rTMS directly with standardized electroconvulsive therapy in order to take this subject forward. With regard to the treatment of other mood disorders and schizophrenia, we are at an early stage in the assessment of further studies that are needed to examine any potential role for rTMS.
The differential impact of age on the phenomenology of melancholia
Authors: PARKER G. , ROY K. , HADZI-PAVLOVIC D. , WILHELM K. , MITCHELL P.
Published: July 2002

Background. We pursue an observation that age may influence the clinical features of melancholia and, in particular, psychomotor disturbance.

Methods. Two large clinical databases were amalgamated allowing the clinical features of 124 depressed subjects meeting DSM-III-R and clinical criteria for melancholia to be contrasted with 218 subjects diagnosed as having a non-melancholic depression by both criteria sets. Psychomotor disturbance was assessed by the CORE measure and by seven classical endogeneity symptoms of melancholia which, when summed, created a ENDOG score.

Results. There was no impact of age on ENDOG scores in either the melancholics or non-melancholics. In the melancholics, increasing age was associated with increasing CORE scores and with agitation scale scores in particular. In a set of discriminant function analyses seeking to identify the comparative utility of a set of predictors of melancholic (versus non-melancholic) groups, age was significant, and while CORE and ENDOG scores were individual predictors, their combined entry established that the CORE score alone made the ENDOG score redundant, and that the addition of age then made little impact.

Conclusions. Melancholia appears to have a later age of onset than non-melancholic depression, while its phenotypic expression appears to change with age, with psychomotor disturbance being more distinct in older subjects. Such an effect may have a number of clinical implications, including possible differential effects of varying antidepressant treatments.
Unemployment and serious suicide attempts
Authors: BEAUTRAIS A. L. , JOYCE P. R. , MULDER R. T.
Published: July 2002

Background. This study used a case–control design

to examine the association between

unemployment and risk of medically serious suicide attempt.

Method. A sample of 302 individuals who made serious suicide

attempts was contrasted with 1028

randomly selected community control subjects.

Results. Individuals who made serious suicide attempts

reported higher rates of current

unemployment (OR=4·2) than control subjects. This association

was similar for males and

females. However, even before adjustment for confounding factors it

was evident that exposure to

unemployment made only a small contribution to suicide attempt risk.

The population attributable

risk for exposure to unemployment was 7·3%. After adjustment

for antecedent childhood, family

and educational factors the association between unemployment and

risk of serious suicide attempt

was reduced but remained significant (OR=2·1), suggesting that

common antecedent factors made

a large contribution to risks of both unemployment and serious

suicide attempt. When both

antecedent family and childhood factors, and psychiatric morbidity

were taken into account,

unemployment was not significantly related to risks of serious

suicide attempt.

Conclusion. The results of this study provide support for

the contention that much of the association

between unemployment and suicidal behaviour is non-causal, and

reflects common or correlated

factors that contribute to risks of both unemployment and suicidal

behaviour. Any remaining

association between unemployment and suicide attempt risk appears to

arise from the correlation

that exists between unemployment and psychiatric disorder.
HIV-risk behaviour and knowledge about
HIV/AIDS among patients with schizophrenia
Authors: GRASSI L. , PAVANATI M. , CARDELLI R. , FERRI S. , PERON L.
Published: July 2002

Background. Recent literature has demonstrated that psychiatric
patients, particularly those with a
diagnosis of schizophrenia, may be at high risk for HIV infection. In fact,
HIV-risk behaviour, such
as intravenous drug with sharing needles, promiscuity associated with unprotected
sex and high-risk
sexual activity after using drugs has been reported by a substantial proportion
of mentally ill
patients.

Methods. In order to examine this problem in Italy, HIV-risk
taking behaviour and knowledge
about HIV/AIDS was investigated among 91 schizophrenic patients by
using two self-report
questionnaires (HIV-Risk Behaviour Questionnaire; AIDS-Risk Behaviour Knowledge
Test).

Results. One-third of the patients reported having been tested
for HIV infection and one tested
seropositive (prevalence 3·4%). A high proportion of patients reported
HIV-risk behaviour, such
as injected drugs use (22·4%) and engaging in high risk sexual activity
(e.g. multiple partners, 58%;
prostitutes, 45%; occasional partners, 37%). Condoms were ‘never
used’ by 41% of the patients
and ‘almost never used’ by another 25%. In spite of these behaviours,
65% reported no concern
of HIV infection. Knowledge about AIDS was lower among psychiatric patients
than a healthy
control group. Patients with long-lasting illness and numerous psychiatric
admissions were less
acknowledgeable about HIV infection. Certain misconceptions on HIV transmission
were related
to HIV risk behaviour.

Conclusions. These results indicate the urgent need for HIV
educational programmes within mental
health community-care settings.
Duration between onset and time of obtaining initial
treatment among people with anxiety and mood
disorders: an international survey of members of
mental health patient advocate groups
Authors: CHRISTIANA J. M. , GILMAN S. E. , GUARDINO M. , MICKELSON K. , MORSELLI P. L. , OLFSON M. , KESSLER R. C.
Published: July 2002

Background. Self-report data obtained from members of advocate groups for patients with anxiety
or mood disorders in 11 countries were used to study time to initial professional help-seeking after
incident episodes.

Method. Data were taken from 3516 self-administered questionnaires completed by members of
GAMIAN, an international consortium of mental health patient advocate groups. Reports about
age at onset and age at first seeking treatment were obtained retrospectively.

Results. Approximately 40% of respondents reported that they sought treatment in the same year
as the first onset of their disorder. The median delay in help-seeking was 8 years for the remainder
of respondents. Synthetic cohort analysis suggests that delays have decreased in recent cohorts.
However, time to initial help-seeking in all cohorts and all countries was found to be inversely
related to age at onset.

Conclusions. Although caution is needed in generalizing the results beyond members of patient
advocate groups, the key patterns found here were also found in previous analyses of general
population surveys carried out in the US and Canada. The critical and consistent finding in all these
studies is that presumably curable adolescents with early-onset disorders are, in effect, ignored by
the treatment system in these countries. Aggressive outreach and intervention among early-onset
cases might prove to be a cost-effective approach both to prevent the onset of secondary disorders
and to improve success in treating primary disorders.
Response to Helm, Quinn, and Westphal
Authors: WOLTERSTORFF NICHOLAS
Published: July 2002

Before beginning my response, let me express the honour I feel in having
these three friends and distinguished philosophical colleagues comment so
thoughtfully on my ideas in Divine Discourse. I warmly thank them for their
‘labours’.

I propose mirroring the general structure of the book itself in my response. First,
I'll consider what Helm says about my delineation of the topic, second, what
Quinn says about my discussion of God speaking; third, what Westphal says about
my discussion of interpreting for God's speech; and last, what Quinn says about
my discussion of the epistemology of believing that God speaks.
Swinburne and Plantinga on internal rationality
Authors: SWINBURNE RICHARD
Published: July 2002

Plantinga defines S's belief as ‘privately rational if and only if it is probable
on S's evidence’, and ‘publicly rational if and only if it is probable with respect to
public evidence’, and he claims that ‘it is an immediate consequence of these
definitions that all my basic beliefs are privately rational’. I made it explicitly clear
in my review that on my account of a person's evidence (quoted and used by
Plantinga) as ‘the content of his basic beliefs (weighted by his degree of confidence
in them)’, that is not the case. I emphasize ‘weighted by his degree of confidence
in them’. I wrote explicitly: ‘for more or less any belief, however convinced you
are of it initially, other evidence of which you are equally convinced could rend it
overall improbable’. Put technically, in probabilistic terms, basic beliefs come to
us with different degrees of prior probability varying with our degree of confidence
in them, but a belief with a high prior probability can in the light of other beliefs
of our current set have a lower posterior probability. If you continue to hold on to
a basic belief when its probability on the total evidence is below half, that belief is
not privately rational.
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT February to April 1998
Authors: BENNETT FRAN
Published: July 2002

Contents

1 Social security and income maintenance

2 Health care

3 Education

4 Housing and environment

5 Personal social services

6 Law and the treatment of the offender

7 Unemployment and the labour market

8 Race relations

9 The voluntary sector

10 Local government

11 Gender

12 Demography
Alastair Pennycook, English and the discourses
of colonialism. London & New York: Routledge,
1998. Pp. xii, 239. Pb £14.99.
Authors: Scollon Ron
Published: July 2002

This is a very contemporary book. By anchoring his
discussion on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Hong
Kong at the widely watched pivotal point of transition
from British to Chinese sovereignty, Pennycook is able
to range backward to ELT in India, and to construct a narrative
of the adherence between the discourse of colonialism and
the discourse(s) of ELT. Worldwide, ELT is a major industry.
It collects practitioners who range in background from
specialists in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics,
with Ph.D.s and research grants, to those who have few
or no credentials beyond having been born into an English-speaking
community and enjoying world travel. This book should find
a significant and large audience among these teachers;
but somehow one wonders if it will.
Effects of static forehead and forearm muscle tension on total respiratory resistance in healthy and asthmatic participants
Authors: Ritz Thomas , Dahme Bernhard , Wagner Claus
Published: July 2002

The impact of static muscle tension on total respiratory resistance (TRR) was examined. Participants (24 healthy, 24 asthmatic) performed biofeedback‐assisted sequences of tensing (15 s) and relaxing (20 s) forehead and forearm muscles. Muscle tension levels were 40% or 80% of the maximum individual force. Oscillatory TRR, electromyograms, ventilation, heart period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were recorded. Baseline TRR did not change over the session as a whole. Decreases in TRR during forehead tension in both groups were accompanied by increases in end‐expiratory volume, which could have mediated TRR changes. During forearm tension, decreases in TRR with minimal ventilation changes were only observed in healthy participants, whereas asthmatic patients revealed marked increases in respiratory volume and flow. These results indicate that static muscle activity and TRR are negatively related. Ventilatory changes can exaggerate or diminish evidence for this relationship.
Evolution, learning, games, and simple heuristics
Authors: Hammerstein Peter
Published: July 2002

Humans are incapable of acting as utility maximisers. In contrast, the evolutionary process had considerable time and computational power to select optimal heuristics from a set of alternatives. To view evolution as the optimising agent has revolutionised game theory. Gigerenzer and his co-workers can help us understand the circumstances under which evolution and learning achieve optimisation and Nash equilibria.
Pavlovian conditioning as a product of selection
Authors: Rowland William J.
Published: July 2002

Biologists recognize Pavlovian conditioning as a mechanism by which individuals can adaptively modify their social and nonsocial behavior quickly to relevant features of the natural environment. This commentary supports Domjan et al.'s point that psychologists could gain important insights by broadening the range of species and behaviors they study and by continuing to adopt a functional perspective to investigate Pavlovian conditioning and other forms of learning.
Mating strategies as game theory: Changing rules?
Authors: Mealey Linda
Published: July 2002

Human behavior can be analyzed using game theory models. Complex games may involve different rules for different players and may allow players to change identity (and therefore, rules) according to complex contingencies. From this perspective, mating behaviors can be viewed as strategic “plays” in a complex “mating game,” with players varying tactics in response to changes in the game's payoff matrix.
There is no four-object limit on attention
Authors: Davis Greg
Published: July 2002

The complex relationship between attention and STM forms a core issue in the study of human cognition, and Cowan's target article attempts, quite successfully, to elucidate an important part of this relationship. However, while I agree that aspects of STM performance may reflect the action mechanisms that we normally consider to subserve “attention” I shall argue here that attention is not subject to a fixed four-object capacity limit as Cowan suggests. Rather, performance in attention tasks as well as STM may be best accounted for in terms of decay and interference.
Why the Piagetian A-not-B phenomenon is no error: A comparative perspective
Authors: Hailman Jack P.
Published: July 2002

A-not-B behavior in various mammals and birds suggests it has been selected for during evolution. One scenario is that displacement to B of one food item from a trove at A should not distract the forager. Piagetian stage V experiments may not test for object permanence, but rather for the more abstract notion that physical objects can be unique.
Mirror writing: Adults making A-non-B errors?
Authors: Latash Mark L.
Published: July 2002

Errors and episodes of “freezing” seen during mirror writing by adults can be incorporated into the model suggested in Thelen et al.'s target article This requires assigning an important role to internal inverse models stored in memory. The strongly anti-dualism position of Thelen et al.'s leaves little room for the Bernsteinian notion of activity.
Pain, pleasure, and the mind
Authors: Binik Yitzchak M.
Published: July 2002

The target articles by blumberg et al. and
berkley reflect some of the recent major theoretical
and clinical advances in two areas of pain research. These two
articles also represent two very different approaches to which type
of variables are considered relevant to the study of pain. These
different approaches are contrasted in the context of the different
emphases in pain and pleasure research.
LTP is neither a memory trace nor an ultimate mechanism for its formation: The beginning of the end of the synaptic theory of neural memory
Authors: Latash Lev P.
Published: July 2002

The problem of neural memory storage is discussed, based on
the results of studies of memory impairment after hippocampal lesions,
motor learning, and electrophysiological research on “spinal
memory.” I support Shors & Matzel's major statements.
The absence of reliable evidence on the LTP memory storage function
and other data cast doubt on the synaptic theory of memory.
Data coding takes place within a context
Authors: Memmi Daniel
Published: July 2002

Recoding the data for relational learning is both easier and
more difficult than it might appear. Human beings routinely find the
appropriate representation for a given problem because coding always
takes place within the framework of a domain, theory, or background
knowledge. How this can be achieved is still highly speculative, but
should probably be investigated with hybrid models.
No brain, no pain
Authors: Wiesenfeld-Hallin Zsuzsanna
Published: July 2002

The theme of my target article was dysfunction of inhibition
in the spinal cord as an important factor in the development of
chronic pain states. Some commentaries focused on the role of more
central mechanisms and the limited usefulness of animal models for
understanding mechanisms of human pain. More specific comments
concerned the roles of GABA and cholecystokinin in pain control.
A neurocognitive mechanism for folk biology?
Authors: Job Remo , Surian Luca
Published: July 2002

Atran's putative module for folk biology is evaluated
with respect to evidence from patients showing category-specific
impairments for living kinds. Existing neuropsychological evidence
provides no support for the primacy of categorization at the generic
species level. We outline reasons for this and emphasize that such
claims should be tested using inductive reasoning tasks.
Effect sizes and meta-analysis indicate no sex dimorphism in the human or rodent corpus callosum
Authors: Wahlsten Douglas , Bishop Katherine M.
Published: July 2002

Sex dimorphism occurs when group means differ by four or
more standard deviations. However, the average size of the corpus
callosum is greater in males by about one standard deviation in
rats, 0.2 standard deviation in humans, and virtually zero in mice.
Furthermore, variations in corpus callosum size are related to brain
size and are not sex specific.
Ovarian influences on female development: Revolutionary or evolutionary?
Authors: Wallen Kim
Published: July 2002

The Fitch & Denenberg target article focuses almost
exclusively on short gestation mammals, which differ substantially
from long-gestation mammals in the timing and type of hormonal
contribution to their sexual differentiation. Conclusions regarding
the role of ovaries in female sexual differentiation may accordingly
apply to only a limited number of species. Specific criticisms of the
organizational effects of hormones stem from an incomplete reading
of the original literature. The mechanisms proposed in this target
article reflect an extension of the principle of hormonal
organization, not a revolutionary restructuring.
A retinotopic representation of filling in: Further supporting evidence
Authors: Murakami Ikuya
Published: July 2002

A few findings from our laboratory are provided as
evidence favoring “isomrphism” in filling-in. One is
the responsivity of macaque-cortical area V1 cells to a stimulus
designed for surface filling-in at the blind spot. Another is a
phenomenological observation of motion aftereffect confined
within a filled-in surface at the blind spot. Our recent study on the
monkey's perception of surface filling-in at a scotoma is also
mentioned.
Some statistical misconceptions in Chow's Statistical significance
Authors: Poitevineau Jacques , Lecoutre Bruno
Published: July 2002

Chow's book makes a provocative contribution to the
debate on the role of statistical significance, but it involves some
important misconceptions in the presentation of the Fisher and
Neyman/Pearson's theories. Moreover, the author's
caricature-like considerations about “Bayesianism”
are completely irrelevant for discarding the Bayesian statistical
theory. These facts call into question the objectivity of his
contribution.
Training quality and learning goals: Towards effective learning for all
Authors: Stevenson Rosemary J.
Published: July 2002

Howe, Davidson & Sloboda's focus on learning
has important implications because the amount and quality of
training are relevant to all learners, not just those acquiring
exceptional abilities. In this commentary, I discuss learning goals
as an indicator of learning quality, and suggest that all learners
can be guided towards more effective learning by shifting their
learning goals.
Significance testing in a Bayesian framework: Assessing direction of effects
Authors: Rouanet Henry
Published: July 2002

Chow' efforts toward a methodology of theory-corroboration
and the plea for significance testing are welcome, but there are many
risky claims. A major omission is a discussion of significance testing
in the Bayesian framework. We sketch here the Bayesian reinterpretation
of the significance level for assessing direction of effects.
Brain circuits ancient and modern
Authors: Walker Stephen F.
Published: July 2002

I support the application of the “evolution as
tinkering” idea to vocalization and emphasize that some
of the subcortical parts of the brain circuits used for speech organs
retain features common to nonprimate mammals, and in some cases
to lower vertebrates, pointing up the importance of cortical evolution
as suggested by MacNeilage.
Acoustic correlates and perceptual cues in speech
Authors: Sawusch James R.
Published: July 2002

Locus equations are supposed to capture a perceptual invariant
of place of articulation in consonants. Synthetic speech data show
that human classification deviates systematically from the predictions
of locus equations. The few studies that have contrasted predictions
from competing theories yield mixed results, indicating that no
current theory adequately characterizes the perceptual mapping from
sound to phonetic symbol.
When women win
Authors: Betzig Laura
Published: July 2002

In Homo sapiens and other species, promiscuity,
risk-taking, and aggression are less matters of sex (having XX vs. XY)
than gender (giving PI vs. resources and/or genes). Classic role
reversals include: sea-horses, polyandrous birds, and a few heiresses
in England and Rome. Unlike other females, but like many males, they
are assertive, they take chances, and they are not chaste.
Word versus task representation in neural networks
Authors: Elbert Thomas , Dobell Christian , Angrilli Alessandro , Stegagno Luciano , Rockstroh Brigitte
Published: July 2002

The Hebbian view of word representation is challenged by
findings of task (level of processing)-dependent, event-related
potential patterns that do not support the notion of a fixed set of
neurons representing a given word. With cross-language phonological
reliability encoding more asymmetrical left hemisphere activity is
evoked than with word comprehension. This suggests a dynamical
view of the brain as a self-organizing, connectivity-adjusting system.
Homogeneous neural networks cannot provide complex cognitive functions
Authors: Ivanitsky Alexey M. , Nikolaev Andrey R.
Published: July 2002

Within the Hebbian paradigm the mechanism for integrating
cell assemblies oscillating with different frequencies remains
unclear. We hypothesize that such an integration may occur in
cortical “interaction foci” that unite synchronously
oscillated assemblies through hard-wired connections, synthesizing the
information from various functional systems of the brain.
Contextual factors in the generation of express and regular saccades
Authors: Jüttner Martin
Published: July 2002

Experiments using a modified gap paradigm, where regular trials are intermingled with catch trials (trials without saccade target), demonstrate that the relative frequency of express versus regular saccades distinctly depends on catch trial frequency. More specifically, it has been shown that the probability of an express saccade depends stochastically on the type of the preceding trial, that is, on the sequence of stimuli. We discuss whether such contextual effects can be accommodated within the framework of Findlay & Walker's model.
How does low level vision interact with knowledge?
Authors: Pani John R.
Published: July 2002

Basic processes of perception should be cognitively
impenetrable so that they are not prey to momentary changes
of belief. That said, how does low level vision interact with
knowledge to allow recognition? Much more needs to be known
about the products of low level vision than that they represent
the geometric layout of the world.
The possibility of subisomorphic experiential differences
Authors: Viger Christopher D.
Published: July 2002

Palmer's main intuition pump, the “color machine,” greatly underestimates the complexity of a system isomorphic in color experience to humans. The neuroscientific picture of this complexity makes it clear that the brain actively produces our experiences by processes that science can investigate, thereby supporting functionalism and leaving no (color) room for a passive observer to witness subisomorphic experiential differences.
Inverse limit stability for semiflows
Authors: IKEDA HIROSHI
Published: July 2002

On semiflows on Banach manifolds, Quandt (1988 and 1989) stated that some special semiflows were inverse limit stable. However, the concepts and proofs used to show inverse limit stability of semiflows are rough and ambiguous. We consider semiflows on finite-dimensional compact manifolds or on finite-dimensional compact non-singular branched manifolds. In this paper we show that more special semiflows are inverse limit stable. That is, Anosov semiflows are inverse limit stable.
Minimizing topological entropy for continuous maps on graphs
Authors: ALSEDÀ LL. , MAÑOSAS F. , MUMBRÚ P.
Published: July 2002

We study the existence of models with minimal topological entropy among the class of all continuous maps from a given graph to itself with a fixed behavior on a given finite invariant set.
Calcul d'une fonction de Melnikov et de ses zeros pour une perturbation
algebrique du billard elliptique
Authors: LEVALLOIS PHILIPPE
Published: July 2002

Nous développons dans cet article des résultats de M. B. Tabanov et moi-même
annoncés dans
la note [6]. M. B. Tabanov a donné un exposé de ses méthodes dans
[7]. Notre approche,
différente, est le sujet principal de notre thèse [5], soutenue à
l'université de Paris VII
sous la direction de A. Chenciner.
Nous étudions la séparation des séparatrices d'un billard elliptique
pour une déformation algébrique et donc globale de l'ellipse. Nous mesurons cette
séparation par une fonction de
Melnikov (dont le calcul est peu fréquent dans le cadre des systèmes dynamiques
discrets),
et nous observons que cette fonction est en général
(lorsqu'elle admet une extension méromorphe) elliptique. Nous
donnons ensuite sa décomposition en éléments simples avec les fonctions
thêta. Nous obtenons
ainsi sur un exemple tous les zéros d'une fonction de Melnikov, et donc toutes les orbites
héterocliniques primaires.
New order for periodic orbits of interval maps
Authors: BLOKH ALEXANDER , MISIUREWICZ MICHAŁ
Published: July 2002

We propose a new classification of periodic orbits of interval maps via
over-rotation pairs. We prove a theorem for them similar to the
Sharkovskii theorem.
An integral formula for topological entropy of $C^{\infty}$ maps
Authors: KOZLOVSKI O. S.
Published: July 2002

In this paper we consider a smooth dynamical system $f$ and give estimates of the growth rates of vector fields and differential forms in the $L_p$ norm under the action of the dynamical system in terms of entropy, topological pressure and Lyapunov exponents. We prove a formula for the topological entropy $$h_{\rm top}=\lim_{n\to\infty} \frac 1n \log \int \Vert Df_x^n\,^{\wedge}\Vert \,dx,$$ where $Df_x^n\,^{\wedge}$ is a mapping between full exterior algebras of the tangent spaces. An analogous formula is given for the topological pressure.
Divergence in Growth in Post-Communist Countries
Authors: Katchanovski Ivan
Published: July 2002

The paper analyzes the divergence of economic growth in post-communist countries along geographical lines. It examines the role of culture, manifested in the form of civil society, social capital, trust, religious and business ethics, and historical experience, in the economic growth. Multivariate regression, a path (structural equation) model, and sensitivity analysis are used to determine direct and indirect effects of culture, policy, corruption, war, initial economic conditions, and ethnicity on the economic growth in 28 post-communist countries in 1990–1998. The statistical analyses show that a cultural index, which reflects civil society strength, the proportion of Catholics and Protestants in the population and historical experience, has the strongest effect on growth, economic reform, macroeconomic stabilization policy and corruption.
Poor health and retirement income: the Canadian case
Authors: McDONALD LYNN , DONAHUE PETER
Published: July 2002

Using the 1994 Canadian General Social Survey, this study examines the
economic effects of retiring because of poor health. When men and women
who have retired for reasons of poor health are compared to those who have
retired for other reasons, the health retirees are disadvantaged on measures of
their health, on human capital variables, in terms of their work history, and
ultimately, in their retirement income whether personal or household. The
men who retired because of ill health were less likely to receive income from
a private pension or from interest and dividends. Almost half of the men
reported that their financial situation was worse since their retirement. The
women retirees suffered from the same disadvantages as the men although
their incomes in retirement were much lower. In the multivariate analyses,
health had a significant and negative effect on men's household and personal
incomes but there was no effect on the incomes of women. For them, any effect
that poor health might have had on household income was offset by factors
associated with marriage, and the women's own socio-demographic characteristics.
The findings suggest reason for policy-makers to be cautious when
contemplating blanket reductions in disability/invalidity and pension rates.
Towards a new world order: a twentieth century story
Authors: PEMBERTON JO-ANNE
Published: July 2002

Andrew Williams, Failed Imagination? New World Orders of the Twentieth Century (Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1998)

International relations (IR) has had an opportunistic relationship with history. IR scholars have used the past, as Conal Condren has written of political theorists, as ‘a quarry ... [as a] ... source of useable facts; of entries to, and illustrations of, theoretical issues’. The result was an IR canon, of the ‘Plato to Nato’ variety, which was substantially anachronistic. Its dismantling over the last twenty years has much to do with efforts in the area of conceptual history. Despite this, and the keenness of post-positivist IR theorists to display an historical consciousness, IR and history maintain an uneasy association. Where the past is approached in contemporary IR writings, there is a tendency to build out of historical materials, or more worryingly commentaries on them, conceptual superstructures which are then accorded a determining force. Notions like the Enlightenment Project are the result of such acts of reification and are no less anachronistic than were the pantomime Machiavellis which used to pop up in IR text books. (It is doubtful that such a Project ever existed. Robert Wokler observes that the expression is of ‘more recent pedigree than “the Manhattan Project“‘.) What is purported to be historical explanation may seem more like a ghostly ballet in which structures, processes and agencies execute precisely choreographed routines.
Challenging triumphalism and convergence: the limits of global liberalization in Asia and Latin America
Authors: HIGGOTT RICHARD , PHILLIPS NICOLA
Published: July 2002

The economic crises in 1997–9 in Asia, Brazil and elsewhere represent collectively the first post-Cold War ‘crisis of globalization’, and a significant set-back for the process of international economic liberalization. Contrary to some arguments, the crises do not represent the final ideological triumph of liberalism in a post-Cold War era. Rather they must be seen as a further spur to rethinking significant aspects of the neoliberal project. A comparative analysis of Asia and Latin America in this context demonstrates that while trade liberalization and a broad neoliberal economic strategy are unlikely to be abandoned, there is strong evidence that the tide of capital account liberalization has turned, and that emerging ‘sites of resistance’ are becoming salient factors in the political equation in the relationships of both regions to the wider global economy. Asian and Latin American responses to the crisis of globalization refute notions of convergence, on which many recent conceptions of the global political economy have rested, and point to the emergence of a genuine contestation of policy ideas that will have significant implications for the future management of the global economic order.
Governance and democracy in European systems: on systems theory and European integration
Authors: ALBERT MATHIAS
Published: July 2002

The article proposes to conjoin the analysis of European integration and a modern systems theory of society. At first identifying some deficiencies in current debates on governance and democracy in Europe, it then introduces some tenets of modern systems theory relevant for the argument, focusing on the notions of ‘world society’;, ‘structural coupling’, and ‘social evolution’;. Using the debate on an emerging European constitution as an example, it then demonstrates how a systems-theoretical perspective can help to resituate the account of a European constitutionalism in the overall evolution of world society's legal and political systems. In an equal fashion, it proposes to sharpen the theoretical discussion on democracy in Europe by first outlining the function of legitimacy in a functionally differentiated political system. A concluding section comments on the ‘value added’ of a modern systems-theoretical perspective which is still uncommon in European Studies and IR.
‘Nothing You Can See That Isn't Shown’: the album covers of the Beatles
Authors: INGLIS IAN
Published: July 2002

From their release in the 1960s, the LPs of the Beatles have dominated the various selections and lists which routinely
purport to identify the most popular/most influential/best albums of the popular music era. Throughout each subsequent
decade, the verdicts expressed in audience polls, in critics' choices and in the comments of other musicians have
served to effectively maintain and enhance the group's reputation.

There is, however, an additional way - often alluded to, but rarely investigated - in which the albums of the Beatles
are celebrated. Almost without exception, the album covers themselves have been seen as groundbreaking in their
visual and aesthetic properties, have been congratulated for their innovative and imaginative designs, have been
credited with providing an early impetus for the expansion of the graphic design industry into the imagery of popular
music, and have been seen as largely responsible for allowing the connections between art and pop to be made explicit.
Does it really matter? Young people and popular music
Authors: WILLIAMS CHRISTINA
Published: July 2002

Despite the debates surrounding media audiences, it seems that little work within popular music studies has engaged directly with those who consume, listen to and use popular music as part of their everyday lives. The purpose of this paper is therefore to examine issues relating to popular music audiences through an analysis of my own research which has involved conducting unstructured group discussions with teenagers at a comprehensive school in East Sussex, South England, during the Summer term of 1999. These young people articulated the significance of popular music in their lives in terms of its usefulness within the context of their daily routines, rather than as a meaningful source for identity investment.
Congruence of circular
cylinders on three given points
Authors: Zsombor-Murray P. J. , Gervasi P.
Published: July 2002

A method to determine the two parameter set of circular cylinders, whose
surfaces contain three given points, is presented in the context of an efficient
algorithm, based on the set of two parameter projections of the points onto
planar sections, to compute radius and a point where the axes intersect the
plane of the given points. The geometry of the surface of points, whose position
vectors represent cylinder radius, r, and axial orientation, is
revealed and described in terms of symmetry and singularity inherent in the
triangle with vertices on the given points. This strongly suggests that, given
one constraint on the axial orientation of the cylinder, there are up to six
cylinders of identical radius on the three given points. A bivariate function,
in two of the three line direction Plücker coordinates, is derived to prove
this. By specifying r and an axis direction, say, perpendicular to a
given direction, one obtains a sixth order univariate polynomial in one of the
line coordinates which yields six axis directions. These ideas are needed in the
design of parallel manipulators
MARK III, A New Approach to High-Variant, Medium-Volume Flexible Automatic
Assembly Cells
Authors: Onori M. A. , Gröndahl P.
Published: July 2002

The MARK III FAA (Flexible Automatic Assembly) cell was designed to minimise the risk factors associated with FAA. This FAA cell is stepwise upgradeable and adopts the sub-batch principle and reversed material flow solutions. It allows for the assembly of products with an annual volume normally too low to justify automation. The MARK III
FAA cell was implemented with the FACE programming and control system, a PC-based, modular programming and control platform for FAA cells. It enables the management of unpredictable order schemes and leads to very low programming costs.
Motion control of non-fixed base robotic manipulators
Authors: Carter F.M. , Cherchas D.B.
Published: July 2002

Robotic manipulators mounted on spacecraft experience a number of kinematic, dynamic, and control problems because the motion of the spacecraft is affected by the robot motion. In this paper, the general three dimensional equations of motion are derived for an n link manipulator mounted on a non-fixed base object. Instead of performing a single inverse kinematic calculation at the beginning of a movement to determine the required joint setpoints, multiple inverse kinematic updates are done throughout a movement. The updating sequence is determined by an optimal inverse kinematic
updating algorithm. This motion control algorithm is based on experimental simulation results performed in Matlab and a set of performance indices that are used as guidelines. Simple PD joint controllers and a special joint trajectory generator are used for servoing
the manipulator joints for a planar robot application. The derived motion control techniques incorporate the base motion without base motion control.
Revealed preference, belief, and game theory
Authors: Hausman Daniel M.
Published: July 2002

The notion of ‘revealed preference’ is unclear and should be abandoned. Defenders of the theory of revealed preference have misinterpreted legitimate concerns about the testability of economics as the demand that economists eschew reference to (unobservable) subjective states. As attempts to apply revealed-preference theory to game theory illustrate with particular vividness, this demand is mistaken.
A CONSISTENT NONPARAMETRIC TEST OF PARAMETRIC REGRESSION
MODELS UNDER CONDITIONAL QUANTILE RESTRICTIONS
Authors: Zheng John Xu
Published: July 2002

This paper proposes a nonparametric, kernel-based
test of parametric quantile regression models. The test
statistic has a limiting standard normal distribution if
the parametric quantile model is correctly specified and
diverges to infinity for any misspecification of the parametric
model. Thus the test is consistent against any fixed alternative.
The test also has asymptotic power 1 against local alternatives
converging to the null at proper rates. A simulation study
is provided to evaluate the finite-sample performance of
the test.
DECIDING BETWEEN I(0) AND I(1) VIA
FLIL-BASED BOUNDS
Authors: Corradi Valentina
Published: July 2002

We construct properly scaled functions of
Rp-valued partial sums of
demeaned data and derive bounds via the functional law
of the iterated logarithm for strong mixing processes.
If we obtain a value below or equal to the bound we decide
in favor of I(0); otherwise we decide in favor
of I(1). This provides a consistent rule for
classifying time series as being I(1) or I(0).
The nice feature of the procedure lies in the almost sure
nature of the bound, guaranteeing a lim sup–type result.
We finally provide conditions for the strong consistency of
estimators of the variance in the dependent and heterogeneous
case.
Epiphyte diversity and biomass in the canopy of lowland and montane forests in Ecuador
Authors: Freiberg Martin , Freiberg Elke
Published: July 2002

Epiphyte diversity as well as distribution and composition of epiphytic biomass was investigated in two lowland and two montane rain forests in Ecuador. Species numbers of epiphytes per tree were slightly higher in the montane (22–41 in Los Cedros, 33–54 in Otonga) than in the lowland forests (9–43 in Yasuni, 19–32 in Tiputini), however differences were not significant. In contrast, some epiphyte families did show significant altitudinal differences. The total epiphytic biomass per branch surface decreased from the centre of the crown to the periphery, and was generally higher in the montane (6.0 kg m−2 on central branches in Los Cedros, 1.8 kg m−2 in Otonga) than in the lowland forests (1.3 kg m−2 in Yasuni and 1.8 kg m−2 in Tiputini). Especially, dry weight of bryophytes and dead organic matter was higher in the mountains. In contrast, the biomass of green parts of vascular epiphytes on central branches was about the same in all four forests (0.4–0.6 kg m−2). A comparison with literature data from other study sites of tropical moist forests supports the observation that biomass of vascular epiphytes does not significantly change with altitude. It is discussed, that the high bryophytic biomass in montane compared to lowland forests is a major reason for differences in humus biomass between these forest types.
Game theoretic and decision theoretic agents
Authors: PARSONS SIMON , WOOLDRIDGE MICHAEL
Published: July 2002

In the last few years, increasing numbers of members of the agent community have been adopting techniques from game theory and decision theory. Broadly speaking, decision theory (Raiffa, 1968) is a means of analysing which of a series of options should be taken when it is uncertain exactly what the result of taking the option will be. Decision theory concentrates on identifying the “best” decision option, where the notion of “best” is allowed to have a number of different meanings, of which the most common is that which maximises the expected utility of the decision maker. Game theory (Binmore, 1992) can be considered as a variant of decision theory in which the outcome of taking a particular decision is dependent upon the actions of another, frequently an opponent which is trying to maximise its own benefit at the cost of the decision maker. Alternatively, game theory can be considered a mechansim for analysing games between two players in which each gets to choose a move from some limited set of options and, depending on what both have chosen, each receives a payout. Since the payout one player receives depends upon the move made by the other then, to maximise its payout, each player needs to take into account the likely move taken by its opponent. From this perspective, decision theory can be considered to be the study of games played against nature, an opponent which does not look to gain the best payout, but rather acts randomly.
THRESHOLD POLICIES FOR A SINGLE-SERVER QUEUING NETWORK
Authors: Ansell P. S. , Glazebrook K. D. , Mitrani I.
Published: July 2002

We consider a single-server queuing system with two
job classes under service policies of threshold type.
The server switches from type 1 to type 2 when either the
former queue is empty or the latter reaches size T;
it switches from type 2 to type 1 when the former queue size
drops below T and the latter is not empty. The joint
queue-length distribution is determined for preemptive and
nonpreemptive implementations using both analytic techniques
and the power series algorithm.
FLUID QUEUES AND MOUNTAIN PROCESSES
Authors: Boxma O. J. , Perry D. , van der Duyn Schouten F. A.
Published: July 2002

This paper is devoted to the analysis of a fluid
queue with a buffer content that varies linearly during
periods that are governed by a three-state semi-Markov
process. Two cases are being distinguished: (i) two upward
slopes and one downward slope, and (ii) one upward slope
and two downward slopes. In both cases, at least one of
the period distributions is allowed to be completely general.
We obtain exact results for the buffer content distribution,
the busy period distribution, and the distribution of the
maximal buffer content during a busy period. The results
are obtained by establishing relations between the fluid
queues and ordinary queues with instantaneous input and
by using level crossing theory.