bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhomogeneities in Heteroassociative Memories with Linear Learning Rules
Authors: Sterratt David C. , Willshaw David
Published: November 2007

We investigate how various inhomogeneities present in synapses and neurons affect the performance of feedforward associative memories with linear learning, a high-level network model of hippocampal circuitry and plasticity. The inhomogeneities incorporated into the model are differential input attenuation, stochastic synaptic transmission, and memories learned with varying intensity. For a class of local learning rules, we determine the memory capacity of the model by extending previous analysis. We find that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a measure of fidelity of recall, depends on the coefficients of variation (CVs) of the attenuation factors, the transmission variables, and the intensity of the memories, as well as the parameters of the learning rule, pattern sparsity and the number of memories stored. To predict the effects of attenuation due to extended dendritic trees, we use distributions of attenuations appropriate to unbranched and branched dendritic trees. Biological parameters for stochastic transmission are used to determine the CV of the transmission factors. The reduction in SNR due to differential attenuation is surprisingly low compared to the reduction due to stochastic transmission. Training a network by storing memories at different intensities is equivalent to using a learning rule incorporating weight decay. In this type of network, new memories can be stored continuously at the expense of older ones being forgotten (a palimpsest). We show that there is an optimal rate of weight decay that maximizes the capacity of the network, which is a factor of e lower than its nonpalimpsest equivalent.
Un Grand Dérangement: Dreaming an Indo-Persian Empire in South Asia, 1740-1800
Authors: Subrahmanyam Sanjay
Published: November 2007

The essay proposes a counterfactual historical exercise centered around the conquest of the Mughal empire in nothern India in 1739 by Nadir Shah Afshar, ruler of Iran. This episode, which was of enormous significance for contemporaries, has largely been neglected by more recent historians. After a survey of Nadir Shah's career and of the politico-economic conditions of the period, I propose a scenario here wherein the ruler of Iran does not return to his country (as he did), but instead participates in the articulation of a new political system, which would (in my view) have obviously been far more resistant to European ambitions than the Mughal empire turned out to be. A sketch of this counterfactual state system is provided, and the essay concludes by considering the implications of such a view for standard narratives of the 'Rise of the West' in the early modern period.
The Ethical Redemption of African Imaginaire1 : Kä Mana's Theology of Reconstruction
Authors: Dedji Valentin
Published: November 2007

The purpose of this article is to introduce the work of the Congolese philosopher and theologian Kä Mana2 to the Anglophone audience. After an explanation of his use of the concept of imaginaire, his approach to the redemption of Africans' imaginaire from its present 'brokenness' will be explored. KM's proposal for a 'theology of reconstruction' will form the third part of the article. The deduction will be that in KM's project the ultimate objective of the theology of reconstruction in Africa consists in training 'anti-crisis human beings' who are equipped with new models of rational, ethical and spiritual convictions. This implies first the re-evangelisation of the institutions and structures that determine the existence of African societies today, and second the re-orientation of the global imaginaire of African people according to the fundamental vision of humankind that the word of God proposes through the revelation of a 'new reality' embodied by Jesus Christ.
Missionaries, the Phenomenology of Religion and 'Re-Presenting' Nineteenth-Century African Religion: a Case Study of Peter McKenzie's Hail Orisha!
Authors: Cox James L.
Published: November 2007

This article examines the use of phenomenological typologies as a means for filtering out biases and distortions within nineteenth-century missionary records in order to elucidate the main features of indigenous religions at the time of first extensive contact with Christianity. To explore this, Peter McKenzie's book Hail Orisha! (1997) is used as a case study, first to analyse McKenzie's interpretation of phenomenology as a morphology of religion and then to evaluate his application of phenomenology to missionary records as reliable sources for a knowledge of Yoruba religion between 1840 and 1880. McKenzie's aim to allow the phenomena to speak for themselves is shown to have failed largely because his methodology is based on Christian theological assumptions disguised as academic neutrality. The article suggests that all similar projects likewise are prone to failure because the methods employed ignore historical and social contexts and minimise the role of the scholar in interpreting the data.
Attitudes Towards Human Rights Among South African Youth
Authors: Dreyer Jaco S. , Pieterse Hendrik J.C. , Van Der Ven Johannes A.
Published: November 2007

In this article we examine the attitudes towards human rights of a group of 538 Grade 11 students from Anglican and Catholic church-affiliated schools in the Johannesburg/Pretoria region. A distinction is made between civil, political and judicial ('first generation') human rights, socio-economic ('second generation') rights, and environmental ('third generation') rights. The frame of reference is Ricoeur's theory of human rights. This forms part of his institution theory, which in its turn is embedded in his moral theory of the good life. The students displayed positive attitudes towards socio-economic and environmental rights, ambivalent attitudes towards civil and political rights, and negative attitudes towards judicial rights. The question about where one should look for more positively, more ambivalently and more negatively oriented students, what their characteristics are, and whether religion plays any role in this regard will be explored in the next article.
'Stop Suffering': an Examination of the Concepts of Knowledge and Power With Special Reference To Sacred Practitioners in Harare
Authors: Chitando Ezra
Published: November 2007

This article examines the concepts of knowledge and power in relation to charismatic preachers, African Initiated Church prophets and traditional healers in Harare. It explores how these practitioners perceive knowledge and power by adopting a phenomenological approach. How patients and 'consumers' regard preachers, prophets and traditional healers as being in possession of knowledge and power is also a central concern of the discussion. It is shown that believers are convinced that these specially endowed people are capable of ameliorating human distress through their esoteric knowledge and power. Through an examination of the prevailing socio-economic environment it is illustrated how most Africans are convinced that human knowledge and power are severely limited. A plea is made for religion to be taken seriously by all policy makers who desire to witness the transformation of African communities.
Before the Eradication of God: the Yoruba Smallpox Deity Shonponna in t m aLuko's One Man, One Wife
Authors: Hale Frederick
Published: November 2007

The Yoruba deity Shonponna, feared as both the bearer of smallpox and the one to whom one could turn for protection therefrom, has been the subject of sporadic international, scholarly enquiry for more than a century. William Bascom, Anthony D. Buckley and others went well beyond late nineteenth-century British colonial observations in their attempts to understand the enduring appeal of this dreaded deity, the banning of whose worship in Nigeria did not prevent adherents from crossing into Benin to continue it. In his novel of 1959, One man, one wife, Yoruba novelist and public health authority Timothy Mofolorunso Aluko offered an internal perspective by illuminating further dimensions of the place of Shonponna in the rapidly changing religious matrix of western Nigeria. This account features a plot that unfolds in the 1920s and 1930s, when Anglican missionaries were adding an increasingly prominent and influe.tial factor to the scene, and therein exploring the confrontation of traditional religious beliefs and practices with Christianity, partly during a smallpox epidemic which intensifies the clash of these two systems.
Toward Understanding Mystical Consciousness: an Analysis of a Text From Simone Weil
Authors: Evans Jean , Kourie Celia E.T.
Published: November 2007

Textual analysis represents the most viable approach towards gaining a greater understanding of the nature and characteristics of mystical consciousness. An analysis of a text from Simone Weil, the French philosopher and champion of workers' rights, indicates that mystical consciousness is a received moment of heightened awareness. Mystical consciousness is both self-aware and aware of an other. It may be mediated through language such as poems or prayers. It is the nature of mystical consciousness to create an outward or transcendent movement, a transformative ego-shift. Finally, mystical consciousness displays the characteristics proper to ordinary consciousness, but is qualitatively different in terms of intensity, absorption and boundaries.
Research Note: Personality and Religion Among Secondary School Pupils in South Africa in the Early 1990S
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Kerr Shirley
Published: November 2007

The short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 453 white English-speaking secondary school pupils in South Africa during the early 1990s, together with the Francis scale of attitude toward Christianity. The findings are consistent with those from a series of studies employing the same measure of religiosity among school pupils and adults in the UK. According to these findings there is an inverse relationship between psychoticism and religiosity, while neither neuroticism nor extraversion is either positively or negatively related to religiosity. These findings are discussed in terms of Eysenck's theory relating personality to social attitudes and in light of discrepant findings proposed by other studies conducted among adult samples. Replication is now recommended within the new educational framework of South Africa.
Rethinking Power in Africa: Theological Perspectives
Authors: Bongmba Elias K.
Published: November 2007

In this article I reflect on theological, perspectives on power and argue that the telos of power is to work for greater freedom and the empowerment of the society. This is an appropriate subject to raise in the context of an exploration of the dialectics of agony, because religion plays a major role in all African societies. I contend that in creating or reconstructing a road map for dealing with the socio-economic and political crisis, we need to tackle the question of power before we question whetlter religious communities can become the sites where we can kindle a spark of hope, healing, and possibilities of restoration. I begin with a review of recent theological perspectives that have called for reconstruction, follow that with a brief reflection on Mbembe's suggestive discussion on the erotics of power, and argue that God's phallus should be seen as a redemptive symbol and a marker of freedom. I next discuss religious and theological, perspectives on power, reflecting on Yoruba conceptions of power and Paul Tillich's ontological anchoring of power. In the last part of the article I reflect on the implications of the ideas explored and offer preliminary proposals for a theological understanding of power in light of the contemporary crisis in Africa. In a brief conclusion I suggest that religious communities in Africa ought to rethink the lessons learned in fighting apartheid in South Africa and return to a more activist role in society.
Assimilation of Precipitation Information Using Column Model Physics as a Weak Constraint
Authors: Hou Arthur Y. , Zhang Sara Q.
Published: November 2007

Currently, operational weather forecasting systems use observations to optimize the initial state of a forecast without considering possible model deficiencies. For precipitation assimilation, this could be an issue since precipitation observations, unlike conventional data, do not directly provide information on the atmospheric state but are related to the state variables through parameterized moist physics with simplifying assumptions. Precipitation observation operators are comparatively less accurate than those for conventional data or observables in clear-sky regions, which can limit data usage not because of issues with observations, but with the model. The challenge lies in exploring new ways to make effective use of precipitation data in the presence of model errors.

This study continues the investigation of variational algorithms for precipitation assimilation using column model physics as a weak constraint. The strategy is to develop techniques to make online estimation and correction of model errors to improve the precipitation observation operator during the assimilation cycle. Earlier studies have shown that variational continuous assimilation (VCA) of tropical rainfall using moisture tendency correction can improve Goddard Earth Observing System 3 (GEOS-3) global analyses and forecasts. Here results are presented from a 4-yr GEOS-3 reanalysis assimilating Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) tropical rainfall using the VCA scheme. Comparisons with NCEP operational analysis and the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) show that the GEOS-3 reanalysis is significantly better at replicating the intensity and variability of tropical precipitation systems ranging from a few days to interannual time scales. As a further refinement of rainfall assimilation using the VCA scheme, a variational algorithm for assimilating TMI latent heating retrievals using semiempirical parameters in the model moist physics as control variables is described and initial test results are presented.
Millimeter-Wave Precipitation Retrievals and Observed-versus-Simulated Radiance Distributions: Sensitivity to Assumptions
Authors: Surussavadee Chinnawat , Staelin David H.
Published: November 2007

Brightness temperature histograms observed at 50–191 GHz by the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) on operational NOAA satellites are shown to be consistent with predictions made using a mesoscale NWP model [the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5)] and a radiative transfer model [TBSCAT/F(λ)] for a global set of 122 storms coincident with the AMSU observations. Observable discrepancies between the observed and modeled histograms occurred when 1) snow and graupel mixing ratios were increased more than 15% and 25%, respectively, or their altitudes increased more than ∼25 mb; 2) the density, F(λ), of equivalent Mie-scattering ice spheres increased more than 0.03 g cm−3; and 3) the two-stream ice scattering increased more than ∼1%. Using the same MM5/TBSCAT/F(λ) model, neural networks were developed to retrieve the following from AMSU and geostationary microwave satellites: hydrometeor water paths, 15-min average surface-precipitation rates, and cell-top altitudes, all with 15-km resolution. Simulated AMSU rms precipitation-rate retrieval accuracies ranged from 0.4 to 21 mm h−1 when grouped by octaves of MM5 precipitation rate between 0.1 and 64 mm h−1, and were ∼3.8 mm h−1 for the octave 4–8 mm h−1. AMSU and geostationary microwave (GEM) precipitation-rate retrieval accuracies for random 50–50 mixtures of profiles simulated with either the baseline or a modified-physics model were largely insensitive to changes in model physics that would be clearly evident in AMSU observations if real. This insensitivity of retrieval accuracies to model assumptions implies that MM5/TBSCAT/F(λ) simulations offer a useful test bed for evaluating alternative millimeter-wave satellite designs and methods for retrieval and assimilation, to the extent that surface effects are limited.
Satellite Data Assimilation in Numerical Weather Prediction Models. Part II: Uses of Rain-Affected Radiances from Microwave Observations for Hurricane Vortex Analysis
Authors: Weng Fuzhong , Zhu Tong , Yan Banghua
Published: November 2007

A hybrid variational scheme (HVAR) is developed to produce the vortex analysis associated with tropical storms. This scheme allows for direct assimilation of rain-affected radiances from satellite microwave instruments. In the HVAR, the atmospheric temperature and surface parameters in the storms are derived from a one-dimension variational data assimilation (1DVAR) scheme, which minimizes the cost function of both background information and satellite measurements. In the minimization process, a radiative transfer model including scattering and emission is used for radiance simulation (see Part I of this study). Through the use of 4DVAR, atmospheric temperatures from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and surface parameters from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) are assimilated into global forecast model outputs to produce an improved analysis. This new scheme is generally applicable for variable stages of storms. In the 2005 hurricane season, the HVAR was applied for two hurricane cases, resulting in improved analyses of three-dimensional structures of temperature and wind fields as compared with operational model analysis fields. It is found that HVAR reproduces detailed structures for the hurricane warm core at the upper troposphere. Both lower-level wind speed and upper-level divergence are enhanced with reasonable asymmetric structure.
Another Look at Stochastic Condensation for Subgrid Cloud Modeling: Adiabatic Evolution and Effects
Authors: Jeffery Christopher A. , Reisner Jon M. , Andrejczuk Miroslaw
Published: November 2007

The theory of stochastic condensation, which models the impact of an ensemble of unresolved supersaturation fluctuations S′ on the volume-averaged droplet-size distribution f (r), is revisited in the modern context of subgrid cloud parameterization. The exact transition probability density for droplet radius driven by independent, Gaussian S′ fluctuations that are periodically renewed is derived and shown to be continuous but not smooth. The Fokker–Planck model follows naturally as the smooth-in-time approximation to this discrete-in-time process. Evolution equations for the moments of f (r) that include a contribution from subgrid S′ fluctuations are presented; these new terms are easily implemented in moment-based cloud schemes that resolve supersaturation. New, self-consistent expressions for the evolution of f (r) and mean supersaturation S in a closed, adiabatic volume are derived without approximation; quite appropriately, these coupled equations exactly conserve total water mass. The behavior of this adiabatic system, which serves as a surrogate for a closed model grid column, is analyzed in detail. In particular, a new nondimensional number is derived that determines the relative impact of S′ fluctuations on droplet spectral evolution, and the contribution of fluctuations to S is shown to be negative definite and maximal near the accommodation length and has a direct correspondence to the analysis of Cooper. Observational support for the theory of stochastic condensation is found in cloud droplet spectra from cumulus cloud fields measured during the Rain in the Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) and Small Cumulus Microphysics Study (SCMS) campaigns. Increasing spectral broadening with increasing spatial scale is discovered and compares well with theoretical predictions. However, the observed spectra show evidence of non-Gaussian S′ fluctuations and inhomogeneous mixing, processes neglected in the current theory.
Interpretation of AIRS Data in Thin Cirrus Atmospheres Based on a Fast Radiative Transfer Model
Authors: Yue Qing , Liou K. N. , Ou S. C. , Kahn B. H. , Yang P. , Mace G. G.
Published: November 2007

A thin cirrus cloud thermal infrared radiative transfer model has been developed for application to cloudy satellite data assimilation. This radiation model was constructed by combining the Optical Path Transmittance (OPTRAN) model, developed for the speedy calculation of transmittances in clear atmospheres, and a thin cirrus cloud parameterization using a number of observed ice crystal size and shape distributions. Numerical simulations show that cirrus cloudy radiances in the 800–1130-cm−1 thermal infrared window are sufficiently sensitive to variations in cirrus optical depth and ice crystal size as well as in ice crystal shape if appropriate habit distribution models are selected a priori for analysis. The parameterization model has been applied to the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board the Aqua satellite to interpret clear and thin cirrus spectra observed in the thermal infrared window. Five clear and 29 thin cirrus cases at nighttime over and near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program (ARM) tropical western Pacific (TWP) Manus Island and Nauru Island sites have been chosen for this study. A χ2-minimization program was employed to infer the cirrus optical depth and ice crystal size and shape from the observed AIRS spectra. Independent validation shows that the AIRS-inferred cloud parameters are consistent with those determined from collocated ground-based millimeter-wave cloud radar measurements. The coupled thin cirrus radiative transfer parameterization and OPTRAN, if combined with a reliable thin cirrus detection scheme, can be effectively used to enhance the AIRS data volume for data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models.
Impact of the Vertical Variation of Cloud Droplet Size on the Estimation of Cloud Liquid Water Path and Rain Detection
Authors: Chen Ruiyue , Chang Fu-Lung , Li Zhanqing , Ferraro Ralph , Weng Fuzhong
Published: November 2007

Cloud droplet effective radius (DER) and liquid water path (LWP) are two key parameters for the quantitative assessment of cloud effects on the exchange of energy and water. Chang and Li presented an algorithm using multichannel measurements made at 3.7, 2.1, and 1.6 μm to retrieve a cloud DER vertical profile for improved cloud LWP estimation. This study applies the multichannel algorithm to the NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data on the Aqua satellite, which also carries the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) for measuring cloud LWP and precipitation. By analyzing one day of coincident MODIS and AMSR-E observations over the tropical oceans between 40°S and 40°N for overcast warm clouds (>273 K) having optical depths between 3.6 and 23, the effects of DER vertical variation on the MODIS-derived LWP are reported. It is shown that the LWP tends to be overestimated if the DER increases with height within the cloud and underestimated if the DER decreases with height within the cloud. Despite the uncertainties in both MODIS and AMSR-E retrievals, the result shows that accounting for the DER vertical variation reduces the mean biases and root-mean-square errors between the MODIS- and AMSR-E–derived LWPs. Besides, the manner in which the DER changes with height has the potential for differentiating precipitative and nonprecipitative warm clouds. For precipitating clouds, the DER at the cloud top is substantially smaller than the DER at the cloud base. For nonprecipitating clouds, however, the DER differences between the cloud top and the cloud base are much less.
An Approach for Convective Parameterization with Memory: Separating Microphysics and Transport in Grid-Scale Equations
Authors: Piriou Jean-Marcel , Redelsperger Jean-Luc , Geleyn Jean-François , Lafore Jean-Philippe , Guichard Françoise
Published: November 2007

An approach for convective parameterization is presented here, in which grid-scale budget equations of parameterization use separate microphysics and transport terms. This separation is used both as a way to introduce into the parameterization a more explicit causal link between all involved processes and as a vehicle for an easier representation of the memory of convective cells. The equations of parameterization become closer to those of convection-resolving models [cloud-system-resolving models (CSRMs) and large-eddy simulations (LESs)], facilitating parameterization development and validation processes versus a detailed budget of these high-resolution models.

The new Microphysics and Transport Convective Scheme (MTCS) equations are presented and discussed. A first version of a convective scheme based on these equations is tested within a single-column framework. The results obtained with the new scheme are close to those of traditional ones in very moist convective cases [like the Global Atmospheric Research Programme (GARP) Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) Phase III, 1974]. The simulation of more difficult drier situations [European Cloud Systems Study/Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud System Studies (EUROCS/GCSS)] is improved through more memory due to higher sensitivity of simulated convection to dry midtropospheric layers; a prognostic relation between cloudy entrainment and precipitation evaporation dramatically improves the prediction of the phase lag of the convective diurnal cycle over land with respect to surface heat forcing.

The present proposal contains both a relatively general equation set, which can deal continuously with dry, moist, and deep precipitating convection, and separate—and still crude—explicit moist microphysics. In the future, when increasing the complexity of microphysical computations, such an approach may help to unify dry, moist, and deep precipitating convection inside a single parameterization, as well as facilitate global climate model (GCM) and limited-area model (LAM) parameterizations in sharing the same formulation of explicit microphysics with CSRMs.
Annular Modes in a Multiple Migrating Zonal Jet Regime
Authors: Chan Cegeon J. , Plumb R. Alan , Cerovecki Ivana
Published: November 2007

The authors investigate the dynamics of zonal jets in a semihemisphere zonally reentrant ocean model. The forcings imposed in the model are an idealized atmospheric wind stress and relaxation to a latitudinal temperature profile held constant in time. While there are striking similarities to the observed atmospheric annular modes, where the leading mode of variability is associated with the primary zonal jet’s meridional undulation, secondary (weaker) jets emerge and systematically migrate equatorward.

The model output suggests the following mechanism for the equatorward migration: while the eddy momentum fluxes sustain the jets, the eddy heat fluxes have a poleward bias causing an anomalous residual circulation with poleward (equatorward) flow on the poleward (equatorward) flanks. By conservation of mass, there must be a rising residual flow at the jet. From the thermodynamics equation, the greatest cooling occurs at the jet core, thus creating a tendency to reduce the baroclinicity on the poleward flank, while enhancing it on the equatorward flank. Consequently, the baroclinic zone shifts, perpetuating the jet migration.
A Parameter Sweep Experiment on Quasiperiodic Variations of a Polar Vortex due to Wave–Wave Interaction in a Spherical Barotropic Model
Authors: Hio Yasuko , Yoden Shigeo
Published: November 2007

Weakly nonlinear aspects of a barotropically unstable polar vortex in a forced–dissipative system with a zonally asymmetric surface topography are investigated in order to obtain a deeper understanding of rather periodic variations of the winter circumpolar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere that are characterized by the wave–wave interaction between the stationary planetary wave of zonal wavenumber 1 (denoted as Wave 1) and the eastward traveling Wave 2 as studied by Hio and Yoden in 2004. The authors use a spherical barotropic model with a forcing of zonally symmetric jet, dissipation, and sinusoidal surface topography. A parameter sweep experiment is performed by changing the amplitude of the surface topography, which forces the stationary Wave 1, and the width of the prescribed zonally symmetric jet, which controls the barotropic instability, to generate the traveling Wave 2. Several types of solutions from a time-independent solution to a nonperiodic irregular solution are obtained for the combination of these external parameters, but the predominant solution obtained in a wide parameter space is periodic.

Details of the wave–wave interactions are described for the transition from a quasiperiodic vacillation to a periodic solution as the increase of the amplitude of topography. Phase relationships are locked at the transition, and variations of zonal-mean zonal flow and topographically forced Wave 1 synchronize with periodic progression of Wave 2 in the periodic solution. A diagnosis with a low-order “empirical mode expansion” of the vorticity equation gives a limited number of dominant nonlinear triad interactions among the zonal-mean, Wave-1, and Wave-2 components around the transition point.
Nature, Sociology, and Social Justice
Authors: Rudy Alan P. , Konefal Jason
Published: December 2007

Environmental sociology remains on the periphery of the discipline because its traditional moment focuses on the material rather than social world and its synthetic moment looks as much like geography, anthropology, science studies, and cultural studies as it does sociology. This article will review contemporary visions of the history of nature and the environmental movement and their consequences of environmental sociological pedagogy. In doing so, it will suggest using O'Connor's political ecological theory of environmental problems to teach the range of problems and approaches associated with the subdiscipline. Two strategies are stressed. The first combines social and environmental history in coursework, nonclass exercises, and writing. The second pursues undergraduate research into the social and ecological history of “natural” places, such as woods and parks, and “social” places, such as blocks of student rentals and campus buildings.
Social Justice and Pedagogy
Authors: Coates Rodney D.
Published: December 2007

Social justice, predicated on the expansion of human rights, is by definition a critical and intellectual enterprise. Social critique, made possible by social justice paradigms, provides the basis for social action and social change and leads ultimately to the enhancement of social democracies. Such critical intellectual enterprises require that people constantly reevaluate not only their social institutions but also the terms they use to describe their very existence. Such reevaluation is best accomplished within the crucible of the academy.
The transformational leader as pedagogue, physician, architect, commander, and saint: Five root metaphors in Jack Welch's letters to stockholders of General Electric
Authors: Amernic Joel , Craig Russell , Tourish Dennis
Published: November 2007

We analyse the corpus of CEO letters to stockholders that were signed by a widely revered business leader, Jack Welch, during his tenure as CEO of the General Electric Company [GE], 1981—2000. Our discussion is located within theory pertaining to transformational leadership. We examine Welch's language from the standpoint of how transformational leadership can be conceived as a rhetorical artefact of one-sided dialogue emanating from a powerful leader. We give particular attention to the saturation of Welch's discourse with metaphors, and argue that metaphors illuminate how transformational leadership and the accompanying construct of charisma manifest themselves in practice. Five root metaphors that heightened Welch's persuasive and rhetorical impact on his audience are identified and discussed: Welch as pedagogue , physician, architect, commander and saint . We advocate greater awareness of the rhetorical techniques employed by transformational leaders in attempts to broker compliance with their views.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Oral Heparin Solid Dosage Form in Healthy Human Subjects
Authors: Mousa Shaker A. , Zhang Fuming , Aljada Ahmad , Chaturvedi Seema , Takieddin Majde , Zhang Haifeng , Chi Lianli , Castelli M. Cristina , Friedman Kristen , Goldberg Michae M. , Linhardt Rober J.
Published: November 2007

The present investigation determined the molecular structure and the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of oral unfractionated heparin containing oral absorption enhancer sodium N‐[8‐(2‐hydroxybenzoyl) amino]caprylate, salcaprozate sodium (SNAC) and assessed the safety and tolerability of the orally dosed heparin solid dosage form versus other routes. Sixteen healthy men were included in this single‐dose, 3‐way crossover, randomized, open‐label study. Disaccharide compositional analysis was performed using capillary high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection. The pharmacodynamics of heparin were obtained from analysis of plasma anti–factor Xa, anti–factor IIa, activated partial thromboplastin time, and total tissue factor pathway inhibitor data. The molecular weight properties and the disaccharide composition of orally administered unfractionated heparin/SNAC and parenterally administered unfractionated heparin are identical and consistent with the starting pharmaceutical standard heparin. Furthermore, the anti–factor Xa/anti–factor IIa ratio achieved is of approximately 1:1. This is the first true pharmacokinetic study to measure the chemical compositions of heparin administered by different routes.
Effect of High‐Dose Metronidazole on Pharmacokinetics of Oral Budesonide and Vice Versa: A Double Drug Interaction Study
Authors: Dilger Karin , Fux Richard , Röck Daniel , Mörike Klaus , Gleiter Christop H.
Published: November 2007

Recent case reports suggest that addition of high‐dose metronidazole might be associated with elevated plasma concentrations of substrates of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A. Because patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease benefit by using high doses of metronidazole for prolonged periods, this study's primary aim was to evaluate the effect of high‐dose metronidazole on the pharmacokinetics of oral budesonide, a sensitive substrate of CYP3A commonly prescribed in acute inflammatory bowel disease. Twelve healthy adults received 1.5 g metronidazole per day over 1 week. The CYP3A‐dependent metabolic profile of an oral dose of budesonide (3 mg) and that of endogenous cortisol were compared intraindividually before and after administration of metronidazole. There was neither a significant effect of high‐dose metronidazole on the area under the plasma concentration‐time curve (AUC) of budesonide (90% confidence interval, 79%–115%) nor on the AUC ratios of 6β‐hydroxybudesonide/budesonide and 16α‐hydroxyprednisolone/budesonide. In parallel, metronidazole did not significantly alter formation of 6β‐hydroxycortisol. Vice versa, budesonide did not affect the AUC of metronidazole (90% confidence interval, 91%–100%). The authors conclude that in contrast to concomitant intake of other imidazoles such as ketoconazole, concomitant intake of metronidazole may not lead to serious safety concerns due to elevated systemic concentrations of the glucocorticoid budesonide.
Culture and the Democratization of Risk Management
Authors: Montpetit Éric , Rouillard Christian
Published: November 2007

This article considers culture in the explanation of the gap between North America and Europe in the area of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Thanks to a comparison of Canada and France, the article distinguishes between two cultures of GMO risk management: the culture of managerial rationality (Canada) and the culture of integration (France). The first culture provides proponents of scientific neutrality the tools to preserve itself from external criticisms. In contrast, the second culture creates a proper environment for its contestation from within. When the democratization of science became an issue in the 1990s, the culture of integration transformed itself significantly, allowing debates within risk management processes. This change contributed to the gap between Europe and North America over GMOs.
Surgical Decompression of the Quadrilateral Space in Overhead Athletes
Authors: McAdams Timothy R. , Dillingham Michael F.
Published: December 2007

Background

Quadrilateral space syndrome is an uncommon condition that can disable the overhead athlete. The authors describe 4 cases of quadrilateral space syndrome that may assist clinicians in recognition of this problem in patients with posterior shoulder pain.

Hypothesis

Quadrilateral space syndrome can present as posterior shoulder pain in the overhead athlete, and surgical decompression can relieve symptoms and allow full return to activity.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Between 2004 and 2006, the authors performed surgical decompression of the quadrilateral space in 4 overhead athletes (4 shoulders; mean age, 24 years). They evaluated the clinical presentations, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, and results of treatment. Mean follow-up was 24.5 months.

Results

All 4 patients underwent surgical decompression of the quadrilateral space. Fibrous bands entrapped the axillary nerve in 3 shoulders, and venous dilation was found in the fourth shoulder. All patients returned to full activity without pain or limitation of overhead function 12 weeks after surgery.

Conclusion

Quadrilateral space syndrome is an uncommon cause of posterior shoulder pain that is easily overlooked and can severely limit overhead function in the athlete. Surgical decompression can predictably relieve pain and improve function in patients who do not respond to nonoperative regimens.
Validation of the TOEFL as a Canadian University Admissions Requirement
Authors: Simner Marvin L. , Mitchell John B.
Published: December 2007

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is widely used to screen university applicants for whom English is not their native language. Although the cutoff scores vary, in Ontario those with scores much lower than 550 are rarely admitted to any university. Two exceptions are the University of Western Ontario and its affiliate, Brescia University College, where the TOEFL is required but no cutoff is used. Instead, students are admitted based on their overall prior academic performance along with their TOEFL scores. The outcome of a longitudinal investigation recently undertaken by the Registrar's Office at the University of Western Ontario to evaluate this procedure questions the appropriateness of relying largely on the TOEFL cutoffs in making admissions decisions.
Suffer the restless children: the evolution of ADHD and paediatric stimulant use, 1900—80
Authors: Mayes Rick , Rafalovich Adam
Published: November 2007

This article traces the historical evolution of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the controversial use of stimulants as a treatment for children diagnosed with the disorder in North America.While the children in question have exhibited similar behaviour over the last century, the diagnostic labels used to identify them have changed due largely to cultural, medical and scientific changes and discoveries. For decades, children's treatment with psychotropic drugs was sufficiently controversial that pharmaceutical companies would not finance research in the area. The only substantial source of research funding for paediatric psychopharmacology in the USA from the 1950s to the 1970s was the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In 1970, the first in a long-running series of controversies erupted over children's treatment with stimulants.
A Study of Engagement in Neighborhood-Based Child Welfare Services
Authors: Cooper Altman Julie
Published: December 2007

This article reports the results of a mixed-method study that examined processes and outcomes of parent-worker engagement in child welfare. Knowledge gained from a qualitative exploration of engagement at one neighborhood-based child welfare agency informed the gathering of quantitative data from 74 different parent-worker dyads in this sequential exploratory design. Seven themes instrumental to engagement emerged: (a) clear, collaborative goal setting; (b) hope-fulness; (c) parent acknowledgment of their situations; (d) motivation; (e) respect for cultural differences; (f) honest and straightforward communication; and (g) persistent and timely efforts by all. Quantitative analyses yielded little relationship between engagement and either visitation rate or case disposition by 9 months post placement. Although these data provide support for the clinical benefits of working to improve parent-worker engagement in child welfare services, they fail to provide evidence of a relationship between engagement and improved case outcomes.
Philosophy Rediscovered
Authors: Beatty Joy E. , Leigh Jennifer S. A. , Dean Kathy Lund
Published: December 2007

Teaching philosophy statements reflect our personal values, connect us to those with shared values in the larger teaching community, and inform our classroom practices. In this article, we explore the often-overlooked foundations of teaching philosophies, specifically philosophy and historical educational philosophies. We review three elements of pure philosophy and five seminal educational philosophies to help readers ground their personal philosophies in both a theoretical and historical context. We illustrate how core elements of one's teaching philosophy can influence course design and the classroom environment. We suggest that teachers can develop greater authenticity in the classroom by deepening their understanding of their own philosophical ideas and beliefs.
Scientific Achievement and Editorial Board Membership
Authors: Bedeian Arthur G. , Van Fleet David D. , Hyman Hugh H.
Published: December 2007

A cornerstone of the scientific ethos is that editorial board members should be selected based on their scholarly achievements, as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals and evidence that their work is of value to others in their disciplines. To discern if this reasoning is applied in practice, this study examined the scholarly records of the editorial boards of premier peer-reviewed journals sponsored by the leading professional associations in management and six related disciplines.
Assessing Customer Expectations of Information Provided On Restaurant Menus: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach
Authors: Mills Juline E. , Thomas Lionel
Published: December 2007

Improper presentation of information on restaurant menus can lead to customer dissatisfaction, a loss of profitability, and could influence the ultimate failure of a restaurant operation. Although restaurateurs and customers do agree that information on restaurant menus is important, debate exists on what specific information should be provided. Currently, supporters argue for the provision of nutritional information, while critics question the ability of customers to interpret nutritional information on restaurant menus correctly. This present study, therefore, analyzes responses from 276 restaurant customers to examine information expectations of restaurant menus. A model called Customer Information Expectation of Restaurant Menus (CIERM) was developed using the guidelines set forth in the Truth-in-Menu Law and tested using a confirmatory factor analysis approach. The study found that CIERM is influenced by the factors nutrition information, product information, and food preparation. The study concludes with results, discussion, and recommendations based on the findings.
Discrete Negative Emotions and Customer Dissatisfaction Responses in a Casual Restaurant Setting
Authors: Mattila Anna S. , Ro Heejung
Published: December 2007

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate customers' emotional responses following a service failure in a restaurant setting. Specifically, this study investigates how specific emotions (anger, disappointment or regret, worry) influence consumers' behavioral intentions. To gain a richer understanding of consumers' coping behaviors, the authors examine customers' locus of failure attributions. By using a 3 × 2 factorial between-subjects design, three attribution types (internal, external, and control condition) are matched with two service recovery outcomes (positive and negative). Findings suggest that customers with feelings of anger and disappointment or regret are likely to engage in various dissatisfaction responses (e.g., direct complaining, negative word-of-mouth, and switching), whereas worried customers are not. Attributing the failure to internal or external causes reduce switching and negative word-of-mouth intentions. Finally, the study results indicate that feelings of anger spill over to postrecovery satisfaction.
Tourists' Satisfaction Judgments: An Investigation of Emotion, Equity, and Attribution
Authors: Jui Chi Chang
Published: December 2007

This study investigates the relationships between aspects of consumption behavior— emotion, equity, and attribution—and the consequences of tourists' satisfaction. It also examines their different degrees of satisfaction in line with these three determinants. The component of equity, which is affected by cultural background, is found to have a greater effect on tourist satisfaction than people had thought, even though it was kept hidden by tourists when on the tour. This study proposes that the channel of communication could be used as a moderator to facilitate tourist satisfaction response. The results might help the travel industry refine its service quality and contribute to the literature of customer satisfaction attributes in the tourism industry.
The role of exercise training in peripheral arterial disease
Authors: Milani Richard V. , Lavie Carl J.
Published: November 2007

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is currently a major health problem affecting 8—12 million Americans, 15—40% of whom will have intermittent claudication that can lead to substantial impairment in their ability to carry out normal daily activities as well as perform the recommended cardiovascular exercise. Supervised exercise training is an effective tool in the treatment of claudication and is currently a recommended first-line therapy for patients with this condition. In addition to improving pain-free walking distance and quality of life, supervised exercise training can improve many cardiovascular risk factors, possibly reducing the risk for subsequent myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. This paper will review the benefits of supervised exercise training in patients with PAD.
Short telomeres are associated with genetic complexity, high-risk genomic aberrations, and short survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Roos Göran , Kröber Alexander , Grabowski Pawel , Kienle Dirk , Bühler Andreas , Döhner Hartmut , Rosenquist Richard , Stilgenbauer Stephan
Published: November 2007

Telomere length is associated with mutation status of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) gene and clinical course in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). In a B-CLL cohort of 152 patients, we analyzed telomere length, genomic aberrations, IGHV mutation status, CD38 and ZAP-70 expression to study the prognostic impact and associations among these factors. An inverse correlation existed between telomere length and IGHV homology (P < .001), CD38 (P < .001), and ZAP-70 expression (P = .01). Patients with telomere lengths below median (ie, “short telomeres”) and above median (ie, “long telomeres”) had similar incidences of genomic aberrations (74% vs 68%), 13q− (57% vs 49%), and +12q (5% vs 12%). In contrast, 13q− as a single aberration was more frequent in patients with long telomeres (51% vs 21%; P = .006), whereas 11q− (27% vs 9%; P = .014), 17p− (17% vs 0%; P < .001), and 2 or more genomic aberrations (39% vs 8%; P < .001) were more frequent in patients with short telomeres. Compared with patients with long telomeres, treatment-free survival (TFS) and overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter (P < .001 and P = .015, respectively) in the group with short telomeres, and telomere length was an independent prognostic indicator for TFS. These observations have biological and prognostic implications in B-CLL.