bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TH‐E‐BRB‐06: Clinical Implementation of Electron Monte Carlo for Breast Boost Radiation Therapy: A Retrospective Study to Improve Target Volume Dose Coverage
Authors: Sankreacha R , Cruje C , Crosier S , MacPherson M , Carlone M , Wang Y
Published: November 2011

Purpose: To retrospectively compare and improve target volume dose coverage for breast boosts using eMC. Methods: In this study, 101 retrospective breast patient cases were planned and treated for an electron boost (ranging from 6Gy/3F to 16Gy/8F). All patients were planned using Varian Eclipse (v8.9). Dose contributions from tangents were not taken into account. All plans were based on CT scan datasets. Breast boost CTVs were delineated with adequate expansion for PTV and insert size for treatment. All plans were delivered with treatment intent of 90% coverage to the CTV. Actual treatment prescriptions were based on CAX percentage depth dose with no dose distributions. Without changing any parameters (eMC algorithm, contours and treatment), dose distributions were generated. Actual delivered treatment monitor units were entered into the plans and analyzed for CTV dose coverage. For inadequate CTV coverage, plans were either normalized manually or via the TPS. Boost volume coverage was compared for delivered MU and EMC dose distribution MU. Dose coverage for V90 (volume receiving 90% of the prescribed dose) was set to 98%. Dose to 90% of the CTV (D90) and difference in monitor units for both plans were compared. Results: Majority (83%) of patients had been treated with 9 or 12MeV. Data consisted of a random sample of 51 right and 49 left boosts with a mean CTV=10.04cm2. The D90 increased from a mean of 89.7% to 92.5% (p=0.000) and similarly V90 increased from a mean of 85.8% to 96.6% (p=0.000). Monitor Units between both plans increased by 3% for adequate coverage of the CTV. Verification of insert output factors using eMC were within ±0.5% of measured. Conclusions: This retrospective study indicates improvement in target coverage requires a small and significant increase in MU for breast boost treatment without changing planning parameters or technique.
Anatomy and photochemical behaviour of Mediterranean Cistus incanus winter leaves under natural outdoor and warmer indoor conditions
Authors: De Micco Veronica , Arena Carmen , Vitale Luca , Aronne Giovanna , Virzo De Santo Amalia
Published: November 2011

Plants in Mediterranean environments can adopt photoprotective mechanisms to cope with winter temperatures, thus avoiding photoinhibition. An increase in global temperature is expected in the future as a consequence of climate change. The aims of this work were (i) to analyse anatomy and photochemical activity in winter leaves of Cistus incanus L., to identify characters having a potential role in photoprotection under natural winter conditions, and (ii) to evaluate the effect of higher temperature on such traits. Leaves from plants grown in a greenhouse (indoor) were compared with those from plants grown outdoors on the basis of anatomical and photochemical traits, including indexes evaluating the exposure of chloroplasts at the cell surface. Leaves developed outdoors were characterized by anatomical traits related to the optimization of light harvesting and to gas-exchange control. Such traits were accompanied by a higher pigment content and an increase in the thermal dissipation of excess absorbed light. Indoor leaves showed physiological and morphoanatomical adjustments addressed to invest more of absorbed light in photochemistry. Overall, our analysis showed that (i) photoprotection in C. incanus relies on adaptive traits at both the morphoanatomical and physiological level and (ii) C. incanus leaves seem to be able to acclimatize to warmer winters.
Accurate power series for eigenvalues of spheroidal angle functions and their convergence radii
Authors: Do-Nhat Tam
Published: November 2011

In this paper, the radius of convergence of the spheroidal power series associated with the eigenvalue is calculated without using the branch point approach. Studying the properties of the power series using the recursion relations among its coefficients in the new method offers some insights into the spheroidal power series and its associated eigenfunction. This study also used the least squares method to accurately compute the convergence radii to five or six significant digits. Within the circle of convergence in the complex plane of the parameter c = kF, where k is the wavenumber and F is the semifocal length of the spheroidal system, the extremely fast convergent spheroidal power series are computed with full precision. In addition, a formula for the magnitude of the upper bound of the error is obtained.
Flow of S-matrix poles for elementary quantum potentials1This research was supported in part by an NSERC Undergraduate Summer Research Award (SGN) and an NSERC Discovery Grant (MAW).
Authors: Belchev B. , Neale S.G. , Walton M.A.
Published: November 2011

The poles of the quantum scattering matrix (S-matrix) in the complex momentum plane have been studied extensively. Bound states give rise to S-matrix poles, and other poles correspond to non-normalizable antibound, resonance, and antiresonance states. They describe important physics but their locations can be difficult to determine. In pioneering work, Nussenzveig (Nucl. Phys. 11, 499 (1959)) performed the analysis for a square well (wall), and plotted the flow of the poles as the potential depth (height) varied. More than fifty years later, however, little has been done in the way of direct generalization of those results. We point out that today we can find such poles easily and efficiently using numerical techniques and widely available software. We study the poles of the scattering matrix for the simplest piecewise flat potentials, with one and two adjacent (nonzero) pieces. For the finite well (wall) the flow of the poles as a function of the depth (height) recovers the results of Nussenzveig. We then analyze the flow for a potential with two independent parts that can be attractive or repulsive, the two-piece potential. These examples provide some insight into the complicated behavior of the resonance, antiresonance, and antibound poles.
Exact spin coherent state path integral for a two-level atom in gravitational fields
Authors: Aouachria Mekki
Published: November 2011

The movement of a two-level atom interacting with an electromagnetic wave while subject to gravity is studied using path-integral formalism. The propagator is first written in a standard form, ∫[Formula: see text](path) exp(i/ℏ)S(path), by replacing the spin with a unit vector aligned along the polar and azimuthal directions to determine the propagator exactly. Thus, the exact wave functions of the system are deduced.
Operator regularization of Feynman diagrams at multiloop order
Authors: Shiekh A.Y.
Published: November 2011

It has been previously believed not possible to use operator regularization with Feynman diagrams, but such an option would greatly simplify matters, as operator regularization is otherwise limited to the more complicated Schwinger approach. Further, operator regularization, unlike zeta function regularization, is not limited to one-loop order, and preserves supersymmetry, unlike dimensional regularization. In this work, we investigate operator regularization at the more probing two-loop order, and find not only compatibility but that the simplification associated with Feynman diagrams is retained.
Photoionization of Xe+ ion confined in C60 fullerene
Authors: Chen Zhifan , Msezane Alfred Z.
Published: November 2011

Photoionization of a Xe+ ion confined inside C60 has been studied theoretically using our recently developed C60 model potential and the open-shell random phase approximation with exchange method. The calculation included all of the intershell couplings among the 4d–[Formula: see text]f, 5s–[Formula: see text]p, and 5p–[Formula: see text]s, [Formula: see text]d transitions. The results demonstrate significantly stronger correlation confinement resonances in the Xe+@C60 photoionization and strong intershell coupling between the 4d–[Formula: see text]f and the 5s–[Formula: see text]p transitions.
Understanding of mechanical waves among second-year physics majors
Authors: Kennedy Erin M. , de Bruyn John R.
Published: November 2011

We investigate the understanding of mechanical waves in a class of second-year physics majors at a Canadian university. We administered a previously-developed diagnostic test (Wittmann. Ph.D. thesis, University of Maryland. Unpublished. 1998.) pre- and post-instruction to second-year students, and pre-instruction to a group of first-year students. We find that common misconceptions identified in previous studies involving students in first-year physics courses persist among our second-year students, although the fraction of students holding these misconceptions decreases with instruction. We also find that application of wave concepts becomes more consistent, and that the correlation between the students’ own perception of their understanding and their diagnostic test scores increases significantly as their level of instruction advances. We describe two tutorial exercises developed to address areas in which conceptual understanding is weak.
Asymptotically anti-de Sitter magnetic branes in (n + 1)-dimensional dilaton gravity
Authors: Dehghani M.H. , Bazrafshan A.
Published: November 2011

We present a new class of asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) magnetic solutions in (n + 1)-dimensional dilaton gravity in the presence of an appropriate combination of three Liouville-type potentials. This class of solutions is asymptotically AdS in six and higher dimensions and yields a space–time with a longitudinal magnetic field generated by a static brane. These solutions have no curvature singularity and no horizons but have a conic geometry with a deficit angle. We find that the brane tension depends on the dilaton field and approaches a constant as the coupling constant of the dilaton field goes to infinity. We generalized this class of solutions to the case of spinning magnetic solutions and find that, when one or more rotation parameters are nonzero, the brane has a net electric charge that is proportional to the magnitude of the rotation parameters. Finally, we used the counterterm method inspired by AdS – conformal field theory correspondence and computed the conserved quantities of these space–times. We found that the conserved quantities do not depend on the dilaton field, which is evident from the fact that the dilaton field vanishes on the boundary at infinity.
The Impact of Obesity on the Rise in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Incidence: Estimates from a Disease Simulation Model
Authors: Kong Chung Yin , Nattinger Kevin J. , Hayeck Tristan J. , Omer Zehra B. , Wang Y. Claire , Spechler Stuart J. , McMahon Pamela M. , Gazelle G. Scott , Hur Chin
Published: November 2011

Background: The United States has experienced an alarming and unexplained increase in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) since the 1970s. A concurrent increase in obesity has led some to suggest a relationship between the two trends. We explore the extent of this relationship.

Methods: Using a previously validated disease simulation model of white males in the United States, we estimated EAC incidence 1973 to 2005 given constant obesity prevalence and low population progression rates consistent with the early 1970s. Introducing only the observed, rising obesity prevalence, we calculated the incremental incidence caused by obesity. We compared these with EAC incidence data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry to determine obesity's contribution to the rise therein. Incidences were converted to absolute numbers of cases using U.S. population data.

Results: Using constant obesity prevalence, we projected a total of 30,555 EAC cases cumulatively over 1973 to 2005 and 1,151 in 2005 alone. Incorporating the observed obesity trend resulted in 35,767 cumulative EACs and 1,608 in 2005. Estimates derived from SEER data showed 111,223 cumulative and 7,173 cases in 2005. We conclude that the rise in obesity accounted for 6.5% of the increase in EAC cases that occurred from 1973 to 2005 and 7.6% in the year 2005.

Conclusion: Using published OR for EAC among obese individuals, we found that only a small percentage of the rise in EAC incidence is attributable to secular trends in obesity.

Impact: Other factors, alone and in combination, should be explored as causes of the EAC epidemic. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(11); 2450–6. ©2011 AACR.
Case–Control Study of the Metabolic Syndrome and Metabolic Risk Factors for Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Friedenreich Christine M. , Biel Rita K. , Lau David C.W. , Csizmadi Ilona , Courneya Kerry S. , Magliocco Anthony M. , Yasui Yutaka , Cook Linda S.
Published: November 2011

Background: Metabolic syndrome may predict endometrial cancer risk better than diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, dysglycemia, or weight alone, but few studies have examined this issue.

Methods: We conducted a population-based case–control study in Alberta, Canada (2002–2006) that included 515 incident endometrial cancer cases and 962 frequency age-matched controls. Data were collected through in-person interviews, anthropometric measurements, and 8-hour fasting bloods drawn either pre- or postsurgery. Bloods were analyzed using quantitative colorimetric or absorbance-based assays (ELISA), specific to metabolic syndrome markers. Metabolic syndrome was defined using harmonized guidelines requiring presence of ≥3 of the following risk factors: waist circumference ≥88 cm, triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <50 mg/dL, treatment of previously diagnosed hypertension, and fasting blood glucose ≥100 mg/dL. OR and 95% CIs for endometrial cancer risk with presence of metabolic syndrome and individual metabolic syndrome components were estimated using logistic regression analysis.

Results: Metabolic syndrome was significantly more prevalent among cases (62%) than controls (38%). A statistically significant increased risk for endometrial cancer was observed for metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.17–2.00), as well as for some of the individual components of metabolic syndrome including waist circumference ≥88 cm (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.18–2.08), hypertension (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.18–2.09), and fasting blood glucose ≥100 mg/dL (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.03–1.67). Some evidence for effect modification by menopausal status and body mass index was also found.

Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome is clearly associated with increased endometrial cancer risk.

Impact: Targeting the entire metabolic syndrome may optimize endometrial cancer risk reduction. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(11); 2384–95. ©2011 AACR.
Ceruloplasmin and Iron Proteins in the Serum of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Torsdottir Gudlaug , Kristinsson Jakob , Snaedal Jón , Jóhannesson Torkell
Published: November 2011

Backgrounds/Aims: The oxidative activity of ceruloplasmin (CP) in serum has been found to be lowered in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated whether changes in CP were reflected by altered iron parameters in AD patients. Methods: Iron parameters, and CP concentration, activity and specific activity were determined in the serum of 41 AD patients and controls. Results: CP activity and specific activity were significantly lower in the AD patients. CP concentration and activity were negatively correlated with the ferritin concentration in both groups. CP concentration was positively correlated with age in the control group but not in the patients group. Conclusion: The lowered CP activity in the serum of AD patients was not reflected by the iron parameters. As CP concentration only rises with age in the controls, this may indicate failing adaption to age-related alterations in iron metabolism in AD patients.
When Rey-Osterrieth’s Complex Figure Becomes a Church: Prevalence and Correlates of Graphic Confabulations in Dementia
Authors: Pelati Oriana , Castiglioni Stefania , Isella Valeria , Zuffi Marta , de Rino Francesca , Mossali Ilaria , Franceschi Massimo
Published: November 2011

Verbal confabulation (VC) has been described in several pathological conditions characterized by amnesia and has been defined as ‘statements that involve distortion of memories’. Here we describe another kind of confabulation (graphic confabulation, GC), evident at the recall of the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF). In a retrospective study of 267 patients with mild-to-moderate dementia, 14 patients (4.9 %) recalled the abstract ROCF as drawings with recognizable semantic meaning. VC was evident at the story recall test in 19.8% of the study participants. VC and GC were homogeneously distributed among the different types of dementia. VC has been proposed to originate from complex interactions of amnesia, motivational deficit and dysfunction of monitoring systems. On the contrary, GC seems to be the result of a deficit in visual memory replaced by the semantic translation of isolated parts of the ROCF along with a source monitoring deficit.
Combining Brain Diagnosis and Therapy in a Single Strategy: The Safety, Reliability, and Cost Implications Using Same-Day versus Separate-Day Stereotactic Procedures
Authors: Park Kyung-Jae , Niranjan Ajay , Kondziolka Douglas , Kano Hideyuki , Castillo Paul , Matchett Jarred C. , Flickinger John C. , Lunsford L. Dade
Published: November 2011

Background: A therapeutic radiosurgery procedure usually follows a separate diagnostic stereotactic procedure after days or weeks. Objectives: To define the clinical reliability, safety, and cost implications of same-day diagnostic stereotactic biopsy and therapeutic radiosurgery. Methods: During an 8-year interval, 26 patients underwent stereotactic brain biopsy followed by immediate therapeutic stereotactic radiosurgery in a single-day combined procedure. The intraoperative diagnosis was determined using standard histopathological techniques. Diagnostic accuracy, hospital costs, and contribution margins associated with this treatment strategy were compared to those of 26 case-matched patients (controls) who underwent a stereotactic diagnostic procedure followed by a separate-day outpatient SRS procedure within 6 weeks during the same time interval. Results: The intraoperative diagnosis correlated with the final histopathological diagnosis in 96% of the patients. Biopsy-related morbidity did not occur in this series. The mean total costs of same-day patients was significantly lower than the costs of patients who had two-stage procedures (USD 9,077 ± 2,366 vs. 11,284 ± 3,025; p = 0.008). The net contribution to the hospital margin of USD 13,736 was not significantly different between the two management strategies. Conclusions: The advantages of the same-day approach included a single stereotactic head frame application, reduced total admission time, consecutive histopathological diagnosis and therapy in a single hospital admission, and reduced total hospital costs. For patients who are highly suspected to have a brain tumor for which SRS is likely to be an effective therapeutic strategy, same-day diagnostic stereotactic biopsy followed by therapeutic SRS proved to be a safe, reliable, and cost-effective management strategy.
Is Genetic Screening Necessary for Determining the Possibility of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients?
Authors: Onur Ece , Kurdal Adnan Taner , Tugrul Berrin , Iskesen Ihsan , Dundar Pınar , Taneli Fatma , Ulman Cevval , Var Ahmet
Published: November 2011

Objective: To determine the risk of an association with some genetic polymorphisms involved in venous thromboembolism (VTE) gene variations (FVL, FV H1299R, FII G20210A, MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, PAI-1 4G/5G, β-ﬁbrinogen -455 G → A, FXIII Val34Leu and GpIIIa HPA-1a) in cancer patients. Subjects and Methods: Among 78 cancer patients, 28 who had proven first episode of VTE were selected as the patient group, with 50 control samples selected from age-, sex- and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers (healthy group). The differences in frequency of genetic polymorphisms were found to be statistically insignificant between these two groups. Results: Logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, sex, smoking and hypertension showed no difference. The screened mutations of these genes were not significantly associated with VTE risk. Conclusion: There is no possible benefit from genetic screening tests regarding VTE in cancer patients.
A Virtual Reality Version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A Pilot Study
Authors: Wallergård Mattias , Jönsson Peter , Johansson Gerd , Karlson Björn
Published: November 2011

One of the most common methods of inducing stress in the laboratory in order to examine the stress response in healthy and clinical populations is the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Briefly, the participant is asked to deliver a speech and to perform an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee. The committee, consisting of three trained actors, does not respond emotionally during the test, which makes the situation very stressful for the participant. One disadvantage of the TSST is that it can be difficult to hold the experimental conditions constant. In particular, it may be difficult for actors to hold their acting constant across all sessions. Furthermore, there are several practical problems and costs associated with hiring professional actors. A computerized version of the TSST using virtual humans could be a way to avoid these problems provided that it is able to induce a stress response similar to the one of the original TSST. The purpose of the present pilot study was therefore to investigate the stress response to a virtual reality (VR) version of the TSST visualized using an immersive VR system (VR-TSST).

Seven healthy males with an average age of 24 years (range: 23–26 years) performed the VR-TSST. This included delivering a speech and performing an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee consisting of three virtual humans. The VR equipment was a CAVE equipped with stereoscopy and head tracking. ECG and respiration were recorded as well as the participant's behavior and comments. Afterward, a semi-structured interview was carried out.

In general, the subjective and physiological data from the experiment indicated that the VR version of the TSST induced a stress response in the seven participants. In particular, the peak increase in heart rate was close to rates observed in studies using the traditional TSST with real actors. These results suggest that virtual humans visualized with an immersive VR system can be used to induce stress under laboratory conditions.
The Birth of a Custom: Nomads, Sharīa Courts and Established Practices in the Tashkent Province, ca. 1868-1919
Authors: Sartori Paolo
Published: November 2011

In colonial Central Asia qādīs played a key role in establishing customary legal practices. In adjudicating claims of horse theft, qādīs operating in the Tashkent province under Russian rule had recourse to customary rules of evidence known in the local Kazakh communities. If a qādī ascertained that an animal was not stolen, but had been acquired from a third party by a bone fide purchaser, he routinely used a probative procedure unknown of in the Central Asian judicial manuals of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on an examination of sharī'a court registers from the Tashkent province, Bukharan shurūt works and unpublished archival material, I argue that the establishment of Russian rule in the region and the introduction of triennial elections for choosing judges made it necessary for each qādī to meet the demands of the community that had elected him, thereby encouraging him to confer shar'ī legitimacy on local legal practices.
Wahhābī Legal Theory as Reflected in Modern Official Saudi Fatwās: Ijtihād, Taqlīd, Sources, and Methodology
Authors: al-Atawneh Muhammad
Published: November 2011

The purpose of this essay is to open a window into Wahhābī legal theory as reflected in modern-day official Saudi fatwās. Discussion includes ijtihād, taqlīd, madhhab affiliation, sources and methodology. Emphasis is placed on continuity and change in light of the country's official school of law, the Hanbalī madhhab. I show that, in principle, modern-day Wahhābīs remain faithful to the tenets of Hanbalism by privileging adherence to the text and to transmitted tradition (naql) over reason ('aql). It is evident, however, that Wahhābīs now go beyond Hanbalism, drawing their legal inspiration not only from their Hanbalī intellectual forebears, but also from a wide array of non-Hanbalī traditions and scholars. Moreover, Wahhābī legal theory today breaks from classical Hanbalī legal epistemology as presented by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) and his disciples. This is manifested especially in: (1) limiting the practice of ijtihād to qualified scholars; (2) endorsing taqlīd for those unqualified to investigate the sacred texts; and (3) identifying public interest (maslaha) in accordance with the five objectives (maqāsid) of the Sharī'a.
Ionic Composition and Ion Provisioning in Marsupial Fluid of Terrestrial Isopods (Isopoda, Oniscidea)
Authors: Yoshizawa Anne , Wright Jonathan C.
Published: November 2011

The marsupium of the primarily terrestrial isopod sub-order Oniscidea is modified from the basal marine design and represents one of the key evolutionary innovations enabling the invasion of land habitats. In the Ligiidae, the marsupial chamber is provisioned with water from the external environment via a capillary channel formed from the apposed 6th and 7th pereiopods. The other oniscidean families possess a 'closed' marsupium, isolated from the pleural water-conducting system and provisioned with water and ions by sternal cotyledons. How these different modes of fluid provisioning influence the ionic composition of marsupial fluid and its osmotic and ionic relationship to the haemolymph remains essentially unstudied. We analysed the ionic composition (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl–, pH) of marsupial fluid and haemolymph in 4 species of Oniscidea: Ligia occidentalis (Ligiidae), Ligidium lapetum (Ligiidae), Alloniscus perconvexus (Alloniscidae), and Armadillidium vulgare (Armadillidiidae). In all four species, ion concentrations show a broad similarity between marsupial fluid and haemolymph, but with elevated potassium concentrations in the 'closed'-marsupium species. The sternal integument of Armadillidium vulgare is permeable to inulin and the volume of the combined marsupial fluid and haemolymph is not significantly enlarged compared to the haemolymph of non-gravid females. Accordingly, the 'closed' marsupium of A. vulgare can be viewed as a functional subdivision of the haemolymph space. In Ligidium lapetum, marsupial water is derived from external freshwater sources, but marsupial fluid [Na+] and [Cl–]are actually significantly higher than haemolymph values. This species thus possesses an effective means of ion provisioning, paralleling that seen in the 'closed' marsupial species.
Growth and Reproduction Data of Plesionika Narval (Decapoda, Caridea, Pandalidae) Off the Island of Ustica (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)
Authors: Arculeo M. , Brutto S. Lo
Published: November 2011

We here report some data on the biology and population structure of Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) captured along the coast of the island of Ustica in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Specimens were collected monthly from January to October 2000 using commercial traps at depths ranging from 15 to 100 metres. The carapace length (CL) of females ranged between 7.0 and 26.0 mm, and between 7.0 and 17.0 mm for males. Three modes were identified in the cumulative frequency distribution for females but only two for males. In females, the third modal value was observed only at the deeper sample sites. The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters and performance index ϕ were K = 0.65 y–1, CL∞ = 27.4 mm CL and ϕ = 2.62 for females, and K = 0.71 y–1, CL∞ = 17.8 mm CL and ϕ = 2.28 for males. Ovigerous females were found during the entire period of the investigation, indicating that this species spawns all year round. We compared our results with other data recorded in the literature.
Discrimination, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and Social Indicators
Authors: Swepston Lee
Published: November 2011

This article has two focuses. The first is on the subject of indicators, the collection of objective information to measure the socioeconomic and rights situation of indigenous peoples. The international community has spent a good deal of time and effort exploring whether it is possible to construct indicators of performance on human rights, and on whether the indicators commonly used for assessing well-being for populations in general are well adapted to the situation of indigenous peoples, and there is by now a consensus that generally-applicable indicators are not adequate to describe the situation of indigenous and tribal peoples. The problems with constructing such indicators, and the current state of discussion, are outlined. The other part of the article notes that indicators concerning indigenous peoples are available in a certain number of countries. Even though they are not consistent between countries, and in some cases have not been collected long enough to demonstrate progress or the lack thereof, in every country where they are available they show that indigenous peoples are at the bottom of virtually every social indicator – poverty, health, economic participation and other fields. This lack of protection is closely tied to discrimination.
Marginality, Disempowerment and Contested Discourses on Indigenousness in Africa
Authors: Ndahinda Felix Mukwiza
Published: November 2011

The present article discursively explores the contentiousness of indigenous identification and claims in Africa. In recent decades, a growing number of mainly hunter-gatherer and pastoralist communities have adopted a new form of identification as the indigenous peoples of Africa. Claimant communities have liaised with groups from other parts of the world – with an active support from indigenous rights advocates – in claiming special legal protection under the emerging (international) indigenous rights framework. Substantively, they seek redress for patterns of marginalization and dispossession. The present analysis discursively explores the sources and substance of indigenous identification and rights on the African continent. To avoid an oversimplification of complex socio-political and cultural realities, indigenous claims are examined against the backdrop of the multiple forms of expression of identity in the inherently plural African states. The analysis ultimately questions the suitability of the indigenous rights framework as the appropriate channel for efforts aimed at empowering claimant hunter-gatherer, pastoralist and other communities.
The Miscategorization of 'Forced Marriage' as a Crime against Humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone
Authors: Goodfellow Nicholas Azadi
Published: November 2011

This article considers the finding by the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone that forced marriage is a crime against humanity. While hailed as an evolution in the prosecution of gender-based crimes, the finding is legally and factually unsound. The Chamber's decision offends the principle of legality, specifically, non-retroactivity, the prohibition on analogy, and the requirement of specificity. In addition, the Chamber misconstrued the facts and law with regards to sexual slavery in distinguishing it from forced marriage. This article critically examines each element of the Chamber's decision that forced marriage satisfies the threshold requirements to qualify as a crime against humanity.
Defence Counsel Immunity at the Ad Hoc Tribunals
Authors: Zeegers Krit
Published: November 2011

The Statutes of the ad hoc Tribunals grant prosecutorial staff functional immunity, which aims to protect them against undue interference by states. Defence counsel, however, is not mentioned. As a result, it is unclear if counsel enjoy any such protection, and if so, what shape or form this may take. While the ad hoc Tribunals' Statutes are silent on this matter, the arrests of defence counsel in Croatia and Rwanda have forced the ICTY and ICTR to address this omission, which has generated a body of case law that will provide the starting point for this article. The different decisions can be classified into three distinct approaches, which will accordingly be scrutinized. This article will advocate a principled approach to defence counsel immunity, consisting of functional and personal immunity, as well as a principled approach to the waiver thereof. This will both ensure the necessary protection of an effective defence, while preventing these immunity arrangements to result in impunity.
Informal International Law-Making as a New Form of World Legislation?
Authors: Wessel Ramses A.
Published: November 2011

Law-making by formal, intergovernmental international organizations received abundant attention over the past years. The aim of the present contribution is to investigate whether the notion of 'word legislation' would also be appropriate in the case of 'informal international law-making'. It is argued that this could be the case when international public authority is exercised, in which case 'informal' rules have effects similar to domestic legislation.
Ciceronian Ius Gentium and World Legislation
Authors: Remer Gary
Published: November 2011

Only recently have world global institutions, like the United Nations Security Council, assumed the role of world legislator. The past few decades, however, have witnessed the appearance of grand normative theories of global law, the most significant recent example being John Rawls's The Law of Peoples (1999), in which Rawls applies many of the same (or similar) abstract, universalizable concepts that are found in his earlier works on political theory to global law and presents an "ideal theory" for a "Society of Peoples". Although I do not oppose full-blown theorizing about international lawmaking, I contend that a middle-range approach is a useful complement to a broad-range approach because of the incipient character of global law, and I further argue that Cicero's ius gentium, the law of nations, provides the basis for such a mid-range approach. Since ius gentium is connected to domestic law and values, it can accommodate the practical necessities of today's world legislation, i.e., necessities resulting from the absence of extensive, long-standing global legal norms and of international institutions to enforce world legislation. Ciceronian ius gentium, however, is not confined to domestic law. The link between Cicero's "law of nations" and his "natural law" points to the possibilities of a more progressive legal future, not yet realized.
Review of John R. Levison's, Filled with the Spirit Part III, Early Christian Literature Chapter 3, 'Filled with the Spirit and the Book of Acts'
Authors: Stronstad Roger
Published: November 2011

Filled with the Spirit by John R. Levison is a highly original study of this theme in Israelite, Jewish, and early Christian literature. The following response to Levison's book focuses on Part III, Early Christian Literature, section 3, 'Filled with the Spirit and the Book of Acts' (pp 317365). Levison organizes his discussion under the topics, 'The Salience of a Slave-Girl', 'The Allure of Ecstasy at Pentecost', 'Speaking in Tongues', and 'Spirit and the Inspired Interpretation of Scripture'. Levison's methodology is a combination of a history of religions approach, intertextuality, and contextual exposition. According to the reviewer's assessment, Levison's approach to the subject paganizes those experiences which Luke portrays to be uniquely Judeo-Christian, profanes what Luke portrays to be an awe-inspiring sacred marvel, and humanizes what Luke portrays to be the mysterious or luminous tangible experiences of the Spirit.
Satisfacción residencial en un contexto de exclusión urbana
Authors: Checa Juan-Carlos , Arjona ángeles
Published: November 2011

En este artículo se estudia la satisfacción residencial de los vecinos (inmigrantes y autóctonos) en El Puche, un barrio en proceso de exclusión situado en la periferia de la ciudad de Almería. Para ello, hemos administrado una encuesta donde se recogen variables de movilidad residencial, atributos objetivos y subjetivos del ambiente residencial y el perfil sociodemográfico del entrevistado. Los resultados del análisis factorial muestran que los tres componentes que definen el ambiente residencial—barrio, casa y vecinos—se configuran como índices de calidad residencial. En un segundo paso, con el análisis de regresión múltiple identificamos los predictores de la satisfacción residencial y su importancia. Más concretamente, en El Puche, ser una zona deteriorada, existir relaciones interétnicas conflictivas, ubicarse en un entorno aislado, baja calidad de la construcción, dotación de tiendas y delincuencia son las variables que más explican la insatisfacción residencial.
Self-protective behaviour against crime in urban settings: Diagnosis through surveys and Geographic Information Systems
Authors: Juan César San , Vozmediano Laura , Vergara Ana-Isabel
Published: November 2011

Fear of crime is an unavoidable indicator when assessing urban quality of life. In the literature, cognitive or emotional measures have been widely used to represent the fear of crime. Results from these perspectives have generated controversies that suggest the need to propose an alternative indirect measure for the fear of becoming a victim of crime: self-protective behaviour. Results from a survey on a representative sample of residents in Bilbao, Spain, are presented. The distribution of self-protective behaviours across areas of the city is explored using GIS tools to map these behaviours. Implications for urban quality of life are discussed and reflections are provided about the usefulness of reported behaviour as an indicator, as well as the suitability of interventions in relation to behaviours.
El contexto psicológico de la ciudad contemporánea
Authors: Fernández-Ramírez Baltasar
Published: November 2011

El autor presenta una visión panorámica de la evolución histórica y conceptual de algunos temas clave de los estudios urbanos: el tamaño de la ciudad, el espacio urbano, el concepto de urbanita y ciudadano, y el modelo de ciudad ideal. Las propuestas de los sociólogos del siglo XIX y de la Escuela de Chicago, han dejado paso a un urbanismo postmoderno, en el que destacamos las ideas de ciudad-global, deslocalización, suburbios residenciales fortificados y centros temáticos, actores políticos y territoriantes, ciudades jardín fortificadas y escenarios distópicos futuristas. El nuevo urbanismo (ejemplarizado en la Escuela de Los Ángeles) desafía a la psicología de la ciudad e impone la necesidad de renovar el lenguaje, las perspectivas, la epistemología y la práctica profesional. Ecología y construccionismo postmodernista son los dos marcos teóricos que se funden y entremezclan en las distintas aportaciones a este número especial sobre Ambiente urbano y comportamiento.
Assessing the Multi-Sensory Qualities of Urban Space: A methodological approach and notational system for recording and designing the multi-sensory experience of urban space
Authors: Lucas Raymond , Romice Ombretta
Published: November 2011

Urban spaces are an experience for all the senses, but all too often, academics and designers are interested in only the visual or aural aspects of place. What are the implications of a more holistic approach to the role of the senses in our experience of urban space? This paper investigates ways of assessing the multi-sensory quality of urban spaces. One important task is to find ways of recording sensory experience, as individualistic and variable as it can be. The paper describes a notational system depicting the relative importance, corroboration, and qualities, of six perceptual systems in the tradition of James J. Gibson's (1966) groundbreaking work. The notational system is demonstrated with a series of notations of spaces in Rome. Such a notational system can be used as an individualistic exercise akin to sketching, but has a number of wider uses as well, such as the diagnosis of sensory deficits across a site or route. This research draws on a wide literature, from the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty (1962) through Ingold's anthropology of the environment (2000, 2007a). The work of James J. Gibson on the contextual nature of perception (1966) is central to the research, enlarged by more literary approaches from Georges Perec (1974), Michel deCerteau, Gaston Bachelard and Henri Lefebvre's Rhythmanalysis. This research puts these more open, subjective theories of environmental perception into practice by embedding them in a set of inscriptive practices, allowing them to become part of the design process.
Transit Spaces: Landscapes of movement in the Barcelona Underground
Authors: Pellicer Isabel , Rojas Jesus , Vivas Pep
Published: November 2011

Transit spaces are vital in the interlinking of the urban and social network. Interconnection, movement and technology materialize in these spaces. These are the characteristics that define contemporary society. This paper examines how these urban spaces are constructed through the practices and customs that take place in them, revealing the discourses and relations that are established in cities today. We will use the Barcelona Underground as an illustrating case. The article begins by looking at transit spaces and then describes the proposal to investigate urban spaces using urban ethnography, defending the recuperation of data-gathering techniques which are sensitive to the main characteristic of modern society: movement. The specific case of the Barcelona Underground is discussed along with the discourses recorded there. Finally, the article will reflect on how constant movement has become a way of life which transforms habits and spaces.
Impacto de las condiciones físico-ambientales percibidas sobre la carga mental de trabajo: un estudio exploratorio en empleados de oficina
Authors: Rolo Gladys , Hernández-Fernaud Estefanía , Díaz-Cabrera Dolores
Published: November 2011

El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar la relación entre las condiciones físico-ambientales del puesto de trabajo y la carga mental de trabajo percibida. Una muestra de 238 trabajadores de oficina evaluó los niveles de carga mental de trabajo percibida y la adecuación de ciertas condiciones físico-ambientales del entorno laboral (temperatura, iluminación, ruido, distribución espacial y condiciones higiénicas) mediante la Escala Subjetiva de Evaluación de la Carga Mental de Trabajo. Mediante análisis de varianza multivariante se comprobó el efecto de las cinco condiciones físico-ambientales sobre cinco factores de carga mental. Los resultados mostraron que la percepción del ruido, la distribución espacial y las condiciones higiénicas se asocian con una mayor carga mental de trabajo subjetiva en tres dimensiones concretas de la carga mental: características de la tarea, organización temporal y ritmo de trabajo
¿Utilizan las personas legas las mismas categorías de transgresiones medioambientales que las administraciones públicas?
Authors: Martín Ana M. , Hess Stephany , Alonso Isabel , Frías-Armenta Martha
Published: November 2011

Las transgresiones medioambientales son quebrantamientos de las leyes de protección medioambiental (LPMA) que constituyen una forma peculiar de comportamiento ilegal desde un punto de vista jurídico y psicosocial. Las LPMA incluyen comportamientos muy variados, tan distintos entre sí como para requerir criterios de valoración diferentes. En este estudio se analizaron las respuestas de 196 estudiantes universitarios, residentes en un territorio de alta protección medioambiental, a un cuestionario compuesto por 20 transgresiones medioambientales habituales en su contexto inmediato, que debían valorar en 14 escalas. Los resultados mostraron que las dimensiones del espacio perceptivo de los participantes son consistentes con las obtenidas con otras muestras, episodios, escalas y procedimientos estadísticos. Estas dimensiones permitieron clasificar correctamente un 85% de las transgresiones en relación a tres categorías utilizadas habitualmente por la Administración pública, siendo la predicción más acertada para las transgresiones contra el medio natural que para la contaminación y las actividades constructivas.
La vida cotidiana de las personas mayores en entornos al aire libre
Authors: Alves Susana
Published: November 2011

El presente trabajo estudia las actividades al aire libre de las personas mayores, desde una perspectiva de investigación de la vida cotidiana. La vida cotidiana se refiere a las actividades cotidianas de los individuos. La vida cotidiana es también un modelo de conceptualización de las relaciones persona-ambiente y de propuestas de acciones prácticas destinadas a mejorar la calidad de vida. El presente artículo defiende la necesidad de otorgar a la ‘vida cotidiana’ un papel más destacado en la psicología ambiental, en el estudio de los factores sociales y ambientales que contribuyen a la salud y el bienestar de las personas mayores. Por lo tanto, la calidad de vida debe situarse en el dominio de la existencia y el entorno cotidiano de cada persona. Defino lo) cotidiano y lo sitúo en el contexto de la investigación sobre el envejecimiento. A continuación presento algunos instrumentos de investigación, derivados del proyecto Diseño Inclusivo para Salir al Aire Libre (Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors, I'DGO), y que son útiles para medir los patrones cotidianos de las actividades al aire libre. El trabajo termina con una argumentación a favor del uso de un modelo de la vida cotidiana que integre la investigación y la práctica en el estudio del envejecimiento
Exploring Surface Biophysical-Climate Sensitivity to Tropical Deforestation Rates Using a GCM: A Feasibility Study*
Authors: Gotangco Castillo C. Kendra , Gurney Kevin Robert
Published: November 2011

Deforestation perturbs both biophysical and carbon feedbacks on climate. However, biophysical feedbacks operate at temporally immediate and spatially focused scales and thus may be sensitive to the rate of deforestation rather than just to total forest-cover loss. Explored here is a method for simulating annual tropical deforestation in the fully coupled Community Climate System Model, version 3.0 (CCSM3) with the Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (DGVM) for testing biosphere climate sensitivity to “preservation pathways.” Two deforestation curves were simulated—a 10% deforestation curve with a 10% preservation target (DFC10-PT10) versus a 1% deforestation curve with a 10% preservation target (DFC1-PT10). During active deforestation, albedo, net radiation, latent heat flux, and climate variables were compared for time dependence and sensitivity to tropical tree cover across the tropical band and the Amazon basin, central African, and Southeast Asian regions. The results demonstrated the feasibility of modeling incremental deforestation and detecting both transient and long-term impacts, although a warm/dry bias in CCSM3–DGVM and the absence of carbon feedbacks preclude definitive conclusions on the magnitude of sensitivities. The deforestation rates produced characteristic trends in biophysical variables with DFC10-PT10 resulting in rapid increase/decrease during the initial 10–30 years before leveling off, whereas DFC1-PT10 exhibits gradual changes. The rate had little effect on biophysical and climate sensitivities when averaged over tropical land but produced significant differences at a regional level. Over the long term, the rates produced dissimilar vegetation distributions, despite having the same preservation target in both cases. Overall, these results indicate that the question of rates is one worth further analysis.