bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response to Professor Nimi Wariboko
Authors: Cox Harvey
Published: November 2011

Abstract

Professor Wariboko has rightly responded to Fire from Heaven in the context of the entire span of my writing from The Secular City to The Future of Faith and has pointed out some persistent themes. The thesis of The Secular City was that God remains present and active in a secularizing world, albeit not always under “religious” auspices. A new generation of thinkers, including Charles Taylor, has now picked up this theme. Fire from Heaven described the “surfacing” of this primal piety in the global Pentecostal wave, and The Future of Faith suggests what the next stage may be. The Pentecostal movement and the resurgence of Islam have made it clear that the “secular” is now only one possible worldview among others. Also, there are a number of different forms of secularism. The emerging global cosmopolis will be multicultural, a world city “where strangers meet.” Using the metaphor of jazz, faith now follows no “score” but improvises within a chord structure, with players responding to each other. The question of whether the Pentecostal movement can “play” in such a setting is still an open one.
Effect of different diets in the biochemical composition, lipid peroxidation and reproductive traits of Hyalella pleoacuta and Hyalella curvispina
Authors: Dutra Bibiana K. , Santos Renata B. , Bueno Alessandra A.P. , Oliveira Guendalina T.
Published: November 2011

We compared the effect of different diets biochemical composition, levels of lipid peroxidation, survival rate, and reproductive aspects of Hyalella pleoacuta and H. curvispina. These crustaceans live in limnetic environments of the plateau and coastal plain, respectively, in southern Brazil. In the laboratory, the animals were kept in aquariums under controlled conditions and fed ad libitum, for 30 days with different diets. Macrophyte only (MO) mimicked a caloric restriction in both species and sexes, because they showed depletion of glycogen and proteins, this fact was reinforced by the decrease in the levels of lipoperoxidation. These responses were probably a result of the low caloric input. In the animals that received macrophyte plus commercial food (MCF) these responses were reversed when the energy reserves were maintained and the levels of lipoperoxidation were higher than those of animal that received MO. Animals fed on MCF showed more activity, higher numbers of couples, ovigerous females and eggs for females, however, the rate of survival was similar in both diets. The caloric requirements of both species were probable supplied with MCF, which provided more carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, and this diet provided valuable information concerning adequate maintenance of the animals for toxicology experiments, and principally increases the knowledge about the physiology of this genus.
Does acute swimming exercise alter the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m methylenediphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) in Wistar rats?
Authors: Souza Deise E. , Pereira Marcia O. , Brito Lavínia C. , Souza Raphael S.S. , Almeida Marcela C. , Fonseca Adenilson S. , Santos-Filho Sebastiao D. , Vaisberg Mauro , Bernardo-Filho Mario
Published: November 2011

Experimental models have aided to understand the mechanism and the exercise effects on biological systems. To evaluate the effects of acute swimming exercise on the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m methylenediphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) used for bone scintigraphy, the rats were divided into control, sedentary, and exercised groups. Sedentary and exercised groups were adapted to water for 2 weeks (5 min/day, 5 days/week). After that, the exercised groups (EG) were submitted to acute swimming exercise for 5, 10 or 20 min (loads of 5% of body weight), and then all animals were anaesthetized, 99mTc-MDP was administered and after 180 min the animals were sacrificed. Blood and organs were removed, the radioactivity was determined in a well counter and the percentage per gram of tissue of injected dose (%ID/g) was calculated. The findings showed a significant decrease of %ID/g in the hearts of the sedentary group, EG-5min, EG-10min and EG-20min when compared to the control group, in the bones of EG-20min when compared to the control group, and in the lungs of EG-5min and EG-10min when compared to the control group. These findings could be associated with specific modifications of the metabolism in certain organs, which are highly relevant when evaluations of the bone using 99mTc-MDP are being carried out.
Nymphs in foraging populations of Coptotermes gestroi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Authors: Albino Erica , Costa-Leonardo Ana Maria
Published: November 2011

Food searching activity by subterranean termites involves workers, soldiers and nymphs. The present study was carried out for elucidating aspects of nymph foraging behavior in Brazil where the species Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann, 1896) is exotic. Monitoring was conducted through making regular collections from seven different colonies for a period of 22 months, which exhibited the production of forager nymphs all year round. A biometric study was conducted to determine the instars of the forager nymphs collected. The identification of male and female nymphs was also conducted for establishing the sex proportion, which was slightly male-biased. From the 533 forager nymphs collected, 34 were from the 3rd instar, 280 from the 4th instar and 219 from 5th instar. The results suggest that 3rd instar nymphs were not too active in the foraging activities because they were collected only in one colony and in an insignificant quantity.
Natural soiling has a small effect on structurally-based plumage coloration
Authors: Surmacki Adrian
Published: November 2011

Plumage coloration is an important trait used by birds in mate choice decisions and is often an indicator of social status. The two main types of color-producing mechanisms in feathers are pigment deposition (pigmentary coloration) or the coherent scattering of light reflected from keratin microstructure (structural coloration). External factors acting on the feather surface are also hypothesized to affect structural coloration. Because preening is an energy and time demanding behavior, color variation caused by soiling deposition is generally assumed to strengthen the condition signaling function of plumage coloration. To date, studies using artificial soiling have confirmed those hypotheses. However, information about how natural soiling affects plumage color are still scarce. In this paper, I investigated the effect of natural soiling on structurally-based feather color of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. As a method, I applied mechanical cleaning that functionally mimicked natural preening. Removal of soiling caused a decrease of ultraviolet (UV) chroma in males and decrease in brightness in females. According to visual contrast modeling, only changes in brightness should be perceived by birds. Further, more efficient chemical cleaning resulted in a significant increase in brightness in both sexes, presumably due to preen wax removal. These results suggest that the impact of natural feather soiling is not likely to modify structural coloration signaling. One possible explanation is that, under natural conditions, the amount of soil accumulating on feathers is too small to affect coloration.
Microsatellites reveal weak genetic differentiation between Rutilus frisii kutum (Kamenskii, 1901) populations south of the Caspian Sea
Authors: Rezaei Mohammad , Shabani Ali , Shabanpour Bahare , Kashiri Hadis
Published: November 2011

Rutilus frisii kutum (Kamenskii, 1901) is one of the most important bony fish inhabiting the Caspian Sea. The Iranian Fisheries Organization produced up to 200 million fry to restock the Caspian Sea population annually. Loss of genetic stocks and gradual depletion of the gene pool are parameters of great concern for the future of the species. In the present study, we used ten microsatellite markers to estimate the level of genetic diversity and compare the degree of genetic differentiation among kutum populations collected from Gharesou, Tajan and Goharbaran rivers in the south of Caspian Sea. The average number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 12.33, while the average observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.22 to 1.00 and from 0.69 to 0.88, respectively. Through AMOVA, a low level of variation between regions as well as a large percentage of total variation within population was observed. Current knowledge about artificial breeding suggests that offspring transfer between rivers has probably reduced the natural divergence naturally exists between these pools. These results could be useful for the genetic management of kutum populations.
Population characteristics of the adder (Vipera berus berus) in the Northern Romanian Carpathians with emphasis on colour polymorphism: is melanism always adaptive in vipers?
Authors: Strugariu Alexandru , Zamfirescu Ştefan R.
Published: November 2011

The adaptive significance of melanism and the hypotheses regarding the maintenance of colour polymorphism in snake populations have been the subject of numerous studies and great controversies over the years. The present paper aims to present the first data on population characteristics of the adder (Vipera berus berus – one of the taxa most frequently used as model organism in studies on colour polymorphism) from the Carpathian Mountains, with emphasis on the frequency of melanistic individuals and comparison of body size between the two morphs. A short review of the frequency of melanistic individuals in populations described by previous studies is also presented. Given the fact that melanistic individuals were infrequent in this population, that no significant differences were detected with regards to the body size of the two morphs, and the supporting literature, we conclude that maintenance of colour polymorphism in this population might result from non-adaptive processes, having no or very little adaptive value.
Population ecology of Tupinambis merianae (Squamata, Teiidae): home-range, activity and space use
Authors: Winck Gisele R. , Blanco Carolina C. , Cechin Sonia Z.
Published: November 2011

The activity and space parameters (home range and use of space) for a population of Tupinambis merianae was recorded through 640 h of observation during nine months, and by monitoring 56 marked individuals. There was a significant difference in activity in the periods stipulated in this study throughout the months. Active lizards were not registered before 7:30 a.m., nor after 6:00 p.m. The greatest level of activity by the individuals occurred during November and December. Fluctuations in the population size and in the activity of the different age classes were recorded throughout the studied months. We recorded the minimum home-range of three males and two females, which varied from 0.05 to 26.44 ha. We also observed agonistic interactions. The utilization area of the animals did not vary during the studied months, but it was possible to observe gregarious behavior in spatial use. The highest daily activity occurred at the hours of higher temperatures. The positive correlation between seasonal activity and the maximum temperature (air and substrate) showed a unimodal distribution and was identical to the records from a tropical area (southeastern Brazil). It is possible that temperature is not the only environmental variable/factor that influences the seasonal activity cycle of the species. Although teiids are not considered territorial, some of our results could suggest territoriality in the studied population.
Visibly Unlike: Religious Dress between Affiliation and Difference
Authors: Grigo Jacqueline
Published: November 2011

Abstract

This article focuses on the relevance and consequences of visibility of religious identity respectively difference by means of religiously connoted clothing. Based on six case studies it emphasizes the perspective of wearers of religious vestment in the area of Zürich (Switzerland). The project takes account of the fact, that the aspect of visual, respectively embodied (religious) difference is not only of relevance to Muslim headscarf wearers (though, due to eager public discussion, it became here the most obvious, and the main subject of scientific interest), but also for wearers of religious clothing belonging to other religious communities. Regarding the case studies the present article will mainly focus on three aspects of religious clothing: firstly, it will address one important motive (among others) for wearing religious dress. Secondly, the individual perceptions of visual difference based on the specific way of sartorial self-presentation will be thematised — especially regarding their involvement with their social environment. Finally, various individual strategies for coping with tensions based on the experience of visual difference will be demonstrated.
The Real Direction of Dancy’s Moral Particularism
Authors: Wall Edmund
Published: November 2011

Jonathan Dancy, who defends a version of moral particularism, is committed to the view that any feature or reason for action might, in logical terms, have a positive moral valence in one context, a negative moral valence in a different context, and no moral valence at all in yet another context. In my paper, I attempt to demonstrate that, despite the denial by Dancy that proposed grounding properties with invariant moral valences may play a foundational role in morality, his own approach toward moral reasoning unknowingly assumes such foundational grounding properties. I argue that Dancy’s moral particularism is unknowingly directed toward moral absolutism, and, in making that argument, uncover reasons, admittedly inconclusive, to favor an absolutist ethic.
Is Forgiveness the Deliberate Refusal to Punish?
Authors: Warmke Brandon
Published: November 2011

In his paper, “The Paradox of Forgiveness” (this Journal 6 (2009), p. 365-393), Leo Zaibert defends the novel and interesting claim that to forgive is deliberately to refuse to punish. I argue that this is mistaken.
Taxonomy and DNA sequence databases: A perfect match?
Authors: Wilson John James
Published: November 2011

Despite the declining number of traditional taxonomists, our knowledge of Earth's biodiversity continues to grow in the form of DNA sequence data. Freely available through online databases, analyses of sequence datasets are increasingly used as an alternative for the traditional taxonomic process. Species identifications have become “DNA barcoding,” new species discoveries are characterised by genetic divergences, and traditional classification has been supplanted by molecular phylogenetics. These developments are illustrated through a case study investigating the identities of Taygetis butterflies of Costa Rica. Here I review prospects and problems with the molecularization of taxonomy and the key role of publicly available nucleotide sequence databases in efforts to catalogue diversity of life.
Attribution of the Extreme U.S. East Coast Snowstorm Activity of 2010
Authors: Chang Yehui , Schubert Siegfried , Suarez Max
Published: November 2011

This study examines the cause of the extreme snowstorm activity along the U.S. East Coast during the winter of 2009/10 with a focus on the role of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. The study employs the Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) run at high resolution and forced with specified observed or idealized SST. Comparisons are made with the winter of 1999/2000, a period that is characterized by SST anomalies that are largely of opposite sign.

When forced with observed SSTs, the AGCM response consists of a band of enhanced storminess extending from the central subtropical North Pacific, across the southern United States, across the North Atlantic, and across southern Eurasia, with reduced storminess to the north of these regions. Positive precipitation and cold temperature anomalies occur over the eastern United States, reflecting a propensity for enhanced snowstorm activity. Additional idealized SST experiments show that the anomalies over the United States are, to a large extent, driven by the ENSO-related Pacific SST. The North Atlantic SSTs contribute to the cooler temperatures along the East Coast of the United States, while the Indian Ocean SSTs act primarily to warm the central part of the country.

It is further shown that the observed upper-tropospheric height anomalies have a large noise (unforced) component over the Northern Hemisphere, represented over the North Atlantic by a North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like structure. The signal-to-noise ratios of the temperature and precipitation fields nevertheless indicate a potential for predicting the unusual storm activity along the U.S. East Coast several months in advance.
A Dual-Wavelength Polarimetric Analysis of the 16 May 2010 Oklahoma City Extreme Hailstorm
Authors: Picca J. , Ryzhkov A.
Published: November 2011

A comparative analysis of a supercell hailstorm using simultaneous observations with S-band and C-band polarimetric radars supported by abundant ground-truth reports is presented in this study. The storm occurred on 16 May 2010 and produced a swath of extremely damaging hail across a large portion of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, metro area. Hail sizes over 10 cm in diameter and hail drifts upward of 1.5 m in height were reported. Both S-band (KOUN) and C-band [University of Oklahoma Polarimetric Radar for Innovations in Meteorology and Engineering (OU-PRIME)] polarimetric radars in Norman, Oklahoma, sampled the storm at ranges less than 60 km, so that high-resolution dual-wavelength polarimetric data were obtained. At C band, this analysis mostly presents raw Z and ZDR (due to problems with differential phase resulting from an incorrect censoring threshold in the examined case) while taking into account the possibility of attenuation in the interpretation of these data. Among the issues investigated in the study are the relation of hail size measured at the surface to the polarimetric signatures at both wavelengths, the difference between polarimetric signatures at the two wavelengths of hail aloft and near the surface (where melting hail is mixed with rain), and the three-body scatter spike (TBSS) signature associated with large hail.
An Application of the Immersed Boundary Method for Recovering the Three-Dimensional Wind Fields over Complex Terrain Using Multiple-Doppler Radar Data
Authors: Liou Yu-Chieng , Chang Shao-Fan , Sun Juanzhen
Published: November 2011

This study develops an extension of a variational-based multiple-Doppler radar synthesis method to construct the three-dimensional wind field over complex topography. The immersed boundary method (IBM) is implemented to take into account the influence imposed by a nonflat surface. The IBM has the merit of providing realistic topographic forcing without the need to change the Cartesian grid configuration into a terrain-following coordinate system. Both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions for the wind fields can be incorporated. The wind fields above the terrain are obtained by variationally adjusting the solutions to satisfy a series of weak constraints, which include the multiple-radar radial velocity observations, anelastic continuity equation, vertical vorticity equation, background wind, and spatial smoothness terms. Experiments using model-simulated data reveal that the flow structures over complex orography can be successfully retrieved using radial velocity measurements from multiple Doppler radars. The primary advantages of the original synthesis method are still maintained, that is, the winds along and near the radar baseline are well retrieved, and the resulting three-dimensional flow fields can be used directly for vorticity budget diagnosis. If compared with the traditional wind synthesis algorithm, this method is able to merge data from different sources, and utilize data from any number of radars. This provides more flexibility in designing various scanning strategies, so that the atmosphere may be probed more efficiently using a multiple-radar network. This method is also tested using the radar data collected during the Southwest Monsoon Experiment (SoWMEX), which was conducted in Taiwan from May to June 2008 with reasonable results being obtained.
Amplification of the Impact of Assimilating ATOVS Radiances on Simulated Surface Air Temperatures over Canterbury by the Southern Alps, New Zealand
Authors: Yang Yang , Uddstrom M. , Revell M. , Andrews P. , Turner R.
Published: November 2011

The New Zealand Limited Area Model is used to investigate the impact of assimilating NOAA-15 and -16 Advanced Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) radiances on surface air temperature over Canterbury, New Zealand, for two föehn cases in January 2004. For both cases, the simulated westerly-northwesterly wind crossing the Southern Alps and descending in the lee (i.e., a föehn) was stronger with ATOVS data (pass 2) than without ATOVS data (pass 1). Also, for one case, the timing of the passage of a cold front over Canterbury was more accurately forecast in pass 2. The associated differences in the potential height ΔH and winds ΔV over South Island between pass 1 and pass 2 for both cases developed from small differences in the initial conditions. It is suggested the dynamical forcing of the Southern Alps contributes to the amplification of ΔH and ΔV. The enhanced ΔV led to stronger adiabatic descent in the lee (or a stronger föehn) with stronger adiabatic warming and surface diabatic heating in pass 2. Additionally, the later passage of the cold front in pass 2 during one case allowed a longer period of heating of the surface air ahead of the cold front. As a result, large well-organized differences in surface air temperature between pass 1 and pass 2 (ΔT of 4–10 K) occurred over Canterbury. Thus, the Southern Alps acted to amplify the impact of assimilating ATOVS radiances on simulated surface air temperature over Canterbury under föehn conditions. Verification with surface observations at five climate stations over Canterbury showed a positive impact of ATOVS radiance assimilation for the two cases.
The Influence of Airborne Doppler Radar Data Quality on Numerical Simulations of a Tropical Cyclone
Authors: Zhang Lei , Pu Zhaoxia , Lee Wen-Chau , Zhao Qingyun
Published: November 2011

The impact of airborne Doppler radar data assimilation on improving numerical simulations of tropical cyclones (TCs) has been well recognized. However, the influence of radar data quality on the numerical simulation of tropical cyclones has not been given much attention. It is commonly assumed that higher quality radar data would be more beneficial to numerical simulations of TCs. This study examines the impact of the radar data quality control on assimilation of the airborne Doppler radar reflectivity and radial velocity observations in a numerical simulation of Typhoon Jangmi (2008). It is found that the quality of radar data has a strong influence on the numerical simulation of Typhoon Jangmi in terms of its track, intensity, and precipitation structures. Specifically, results suggest that a trade-off between the data quality and data coverage is necessary for different purposes in practical applications, as the higher quality data contribute to intensity forecast improvements, whereas data of lower quality but having better coverage are more beneficial to accurate track forecasting.
Fair Work Australia: An Accessible, Independent Umpire for Employment Matters
Authors: Acton Jennifer
Published: November 2011

Fair Work Australia is a new industrial relations tribunal that comes with more than 100 years of history that has shaped its functions and substantive work. This article briefly plots the development of Fair Work Australia’s jurisdiction in respect of awards, bargaining and agreement making, the ‘alternative’ dispute resolution of rights-based disputes, termination of employment, industrial organizations, and appeals. It then analyses statistical data to reveal the changes that have occurred in the day-to-day work of Australia’s national industrial institution over time. The independence and accessibility of the tribunal are also considered. The article concludes that Fair Work Australia is well placed to deal with a more extensive jurisdiction in employment matters.
State, Ideology and the Emergence of ‘Good Faith’ Collective Bargaining Regulation in Australia
Authors: Caspersz Donella , Gillan Michael , White Daniel
Published: November 2011

The aim of this article is to discuss the emergence and practice of a ‘good faith’ collective bargaining regime in Australia. The core argument of the article is that while Fair Work Australia – the industrial regulatory agency created by a Labor government under this regime – is attempting to fulfil the role of an ‘umpire’ in reaching decisions on good faith bargaining, the requirement to promote both market and social objectives highlights tensions that are characteristic of ‘third way’ governmentality. Reviewing decisions by Fair Work Australia on good faith bargaining illustrates this argument.
Gender Equity: The Commission’s Legacy and the Challenge for Fair Work Australia
Authors: Smith Meg
Published: November 2011

Two labour-market variables, wages and hours, are used to review the gender relations record of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and its predecessors. This review informs an assessment of what features of Commission practice and capacity should and can be replicated by Fair Work Australia. Arbitration has been most decisive for women in paid work when it has enjoyed national and industry distribution. Advances in equal pay and leave linked to reproduction are two relevant examples, although these advances have been confronted more recently by frailties in federal gender pay equity regulation and policy shifts to enterprise and individual bargaining. The findings suggest an agenda for Fair Work Australia, notwithstanding the possibilities and limitations posed by the Fair Work Act 2009 and the tendency for changes to the gender contract to be highly contested.
The Quest for Fairness in Australian Minimum Wages
Authors: Healy Joshua
Published: November 2011

The attainment of ‘fairness’ is widely regarded as a worthy goal of setting minimum wages, but opinions differ sharply over how to achieve it. This article examines how interpretations of fairness shaped the minimum wage decisions of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission between 1997 and 2005. It explores the Commission's approaches to three aspects of fairness in minimum wages: first, eligibility for increases; second, the form of increase; and third, the rate of increase over time. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission consistently gave minimum wage increases that were expressed in dollar values and applied to all federal awards. Its decisions delivered real wage increases for the lowest paid, but led to falls in real and relative wages for the majority of award-reliant workers. Fair Work Australia, the authority now responsible for setting minimum wages in the national system, appears apprehensive about parts of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission's legacy and has foreshadowed a different approach, particularly with respect to the form of adjustment.
Continuity and Change in the Australian Minimum Wage Setting System: The Legacy of the Commission
Authors: Waring Peter , Burgess John
Published: November 2011

Australia has a long history of institutional minimum wage determination. We examine the features and the changes in the minimum wages system. We identify its enduring characteristics, its place the Australian system in an international context and see where Fair Work Australia is located in relation to previous arrangements. We ask why a minimum wage system is still required and we examine the legacy of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and its predecessors in minimum wage determination.
Alternative Dispute Resolution and Individual Workplace Rights: The Evolving Role of Fair Work Australia
Authors: MacDermott Therese , Riley Joellen
Published: November 2011

This article examines the dispute resolution practices of Fair Work Australia that are evolving to deal with individual workplace rights, as its traditional role shifts away from conciliating and arbitrating collective industrial disputes. The workplace rights enshrined in the ‘general protections’ provisions in Part 3-1 of the Fair Work Act 2009 protect employees and prospective employees from any ‘adverse action’ taken against them because they are exercising a workplace right, or because they fall within one of the protected categories, such as the right to be free from discrimination. A broad range of alternative dispute resolution processes is now available to Fair Work Australia in dealing with such disputes. Alternative dispute resolution processes are seen as a way of avoiding costly and time-consuming litigation, and in some circumstances can improve access to justice for individuals. This article explores whether Fair Work Australia is likely to adopt different dispute resolution approaches from its traditional conciliation practices when managing ‘general protections’ applications, and whether the framework for dealing with these disputes will facilitate fair recognition and enforcement of workplace rights.
Move Over Daniel
Authors: Dubnick Melvin J.
Published: November 2011

Professor Flinders makes a strong case that our obsession with accountability has turned “problematic” and even “pathological”. While agreeing with the gist of the argument, I contend that the essence of the problem is more ontological than political. What we require is a radical “reframing” that highlights the pervasive role accountability relationships play in governance— that is, an approach that would shift attention to the alteration of ongoing governance arrangements and relationships that occurs with each reformist effort to “enhance” or “improve” accountability. Governance takes place within accountability spaces, and we need to give priority to research that maps that space as a first step toward understanding the nature and potential of accountable governance.
An Examination of Special Education Due Process Hearings
Authors: Mueller Tracy Gershwin , Carranza Francisco
Published: November 2011

Due process is a key dispute resolution feature approved by Congress in accordance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, whose goal is to facilitate resolution and minimize conflict. Nonetheless, despite 35 years of use, due process has become a difficult emotional and financial problem. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate due process and develop less adversarial resolution practices. The goal of the study herein is to place in perspective a descriptive analysis of 575 due process hearings that occurred in 41 states in 2005 to 2006 by analyzing the petitioner, disability, dispute, and outcome including hearings of specific learning disabilities (26%), autism (20%), and health impairments (15%). The most common sources of dispute were placement (25%) and Individualized Education Program and program appropriateness (24%). Parents initiated 85% of the hearings, but school districts prevailed in 59%. Interestingly, the majority of states lacked easy retrieval and consistency with reporting their own published hearings.
Assessing ADHD in Latino Families
Authors: Gerdes Alyson C. , Lawton Kathryn E. , Haack Lauren M. , Hurtado Gabriela Dieguez
Published: November 2011

Objective: In an effort to combat the mental health disparities that exist among Latinos, the current study aimed to add to our knowledge related to culturally appropriate assessments for Latino children presenting with ADHD. Method: As part of a larger study, a community sample of 68 Spanish-speaking, Latino parents completed the Spanish translation of the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (DBD-S), a commonly used, parent-report measure of ADHD. Results: Results suggest that although both the Inattentive and Hyperactive/Impulsive subscales of the DBD-S are psychometrically sound, the Hyperactive/Impulsive subscale may not be culturally appropriate with some Latino families, particularly those who are less acculturated. This was further supported by preliminary evidence suggesting that this subscale also was not diagnostically useful with the current, community sample. Conclusion: The potential problems associated with the overemphasis on symptomatology when working with Latino families, the importance of examining functional impairment as part of a culturally appropriate assessment, and the need to replicate the current findings with a clinical sample are discussed.
Fidelity and Effectiveness of PRT Implemented by Caregivers Without College Degrees
Authors: Randolph Jena K. , Stichter Janine P. , Schmidt Carla T. , O’Connor Karen V.
Published: November 2011

Pivotal Response Training (PRT) combines research on task interspersal, direct reinforcement, and role of choice in a treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Parents of children with ASD have been trained to implement PRT to improve language and social interaction. Variables other than child characteristics, such as parental income and education level, may influence training and child outcomes. The authors investigated one of those variables, parental education level, by examining the fidelity and effectiveness of PRT implementation among three caregivers without college degrees. A concurrent multiple baseline design across all phases was used. Two of the three caregiver–child dyads benefited from the intervention. Caregivers’ level of education may not be as critical as other variables, such as consistency of training sessions and other family dynamics, for successful implementation of PRT.
Teaching Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders to Expressively Discriminate Between “What’s That?” and “Where Is It?”
Authors: Ostryn Cheryl , Wolfe Pamela S.
Published: November 2011

Discrimination of question-asking is a critical conversational skill with considerable practical importance. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) must be taught this skill to become competent communicators and function in everyday communicative situations. In previous question-asking literature, researchers have focused on teaching wh-questions in isolation. This study is an extension of previous research and conducted to investigate the ability of three preschool children with ASD to learn and discriminate when to use the two wh-questions, “What’s that?” and “Where is it?” Results are interpreted to conclude that all three children learned to ask and discriminate between the questions within 6 to 16 instructional sessions, and learned novel vocabulary after asking “What’s that?” This study supports using a prompting procedure for teaching these two wh-questions, and the importance of identifying individualized establishing operations to increase attending behavior, as well as conducting detailed prerequisite skill assessments to maximize learning of wh-questions.
Effects of a Story Map on Accelerated Reader Postreading Test Scores in Students With High-Functioning Autism
Authors: Stringfield Suzanne Griggs , Luscre Deanna , Gast David L.
Published: November 2011

In this study, three elementary-aged boys with high-functioning autism (HFA) were taught to use a graphic organizer called a Story Map as a postreading tool during language arts instruction. Students learned to accurately complete the Story Map. The effect of the intervention on story recall was assessed within the context of a multiple-baseline design across participants as measured by performance on modified Accelerated Reader quizzes. Positive effects were achieved quickly and maintained throughout the study. During choice and maintenance conditions, two participants rarely chose to use the graphic organizer, a visual prompt that may have been self-faded during intervention. Results show that a Story Map may be a useful graphic organizer for elementary schoolteachers who have children with HFA in their classrooms.
Governance and Educational Expectations in the U.S. States
Authors: Manna Paul , Harwood Timothy
Published: November 2011

This article analyzes the relationship between U.S. state governance and policies designed to enhance educational expectations. It examines three policy areas: state participation in voluntary National Assessment of Educational Progress testing, state testing requirements for new teachers, and state high school graduation requirements in math and science. In general, it identifies associations between state institutional and political characteristics and the state policies under study. In particular, state policies that impose higher demands on local school districts are more likely to be present in states with more centralized control of their K–12 systems. Furthermore, state partisanship appears to suggest that Republicans favor policies that push power to lower levels of the U.S. intergovernmental system.
Multiparameter joint tomography for TTI model building
Authors: Zhou Chaoguang , Jiao Junru , Lin Sonny , Sherwood John , Brandsberg-Dahl Sverre
Published: November 2011

Model building for tilted transversely isotropic media has commonly been performed by a single parameter tomography that updates the velocity in the symmetry direction, while the orientation of the symmetry axis and Thomsen parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are typically estimated from the migration stack and well data. Unfortunately, well data are often not available. In addition, when they are available, their lateral sampling is typically very sparse and their vertical sampling usually spans only a limited range of depths. In order to obtain spatially varying anisotropic models, with or without well data, we developed a multiparameter joint tomographic approach that simultaneously inverts for the velocity in the symmetry axis direction, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We derived a set of reflection tomography equations for slowness in the symmetry axis direction and Thomsen parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. In order to address the nonuniqueness of the tomography, we developed a regularization strategy that uses an independent regularization operator and regularization factor for each individual anisotropy parameter. Synthetic tests found that ambiguity exists between the anisotropy parameters and that velocity has a better resolution than [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. They also confirmed that joint tomography provides a better data fit than single parameter tomography. The field example was used to test a way to incorporate the sonic data in the model building process and limit the tomographic updates on certain anisotropy parameters by adjusting the regularization.
Multiarrival Kirchhoff beam migration
Authors: Liu Jonathan , Palacharla Gopal
Published: November 2011

Kirchhoff-type prestack depth migration is the method most popular for outputting offset gathers for velocity-model updating because of its flexibility and efficiency. However, conventional implementations of Kirchhoff migration use only single arrivals. This limits its ability to image complex structures such as subsalt areas. We use the beam methodology to develop a multiarrival Kirchhoff beam migration. The theory and algorithm of our beam migration are analogs to Gaussian beam migration, but we focus on attaining kinematic accuracy and implementation efficiency. The input wavefield of every common offset panel is decomposed into local plane waves at beam centers on the acquisition surface by local slant stacking. Each plane wave contributes a potential single-arrival in Kirchhoff migration. In this way, our method is able to handle multiarrivals caused by model complexity and, therefore, to overcome the limitation of conventional single-arrival Kirchhoff migration. The choice of the width of the beam is critical to the implementation of beam migration. We provide a formula for optimal beam width that achieves both accuracy and efficiency when the velocity model is reasonably smooth. The resulting structural imaging in subsalt and other structurally complex areas is of better quality than that from single-arrival Kirchhoff migration.
Enhanced prestack depth imaging of wide-azimuth data from the Gulf of Mexico: A case history
Authors: Ma Xuening , Wang Bin , Reta-Tang Cristina , Whiteside Wilfred , Li Zhiming
Published: November 2011

We present a case study of enhanced imaging of wide-azimuth data from the Gulf of Mexico utilizing recent technologies; and we discuss the resulting improvements in image quality, especially in subsalt areas, relative to previous results. The input seismic data sets are taken from many large-scale wide-azimuth surveys and conventional narrow-azimuth surveys located in the Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley areas. In the course of developing the enhanced wide azimuth processing flow, the following three key steps are found to have the most impact on improving subsalt imaging: (1) 3D true azimuth surface-related multiple elimination (SRME) to remove multiple energy, in particular, complex multiples beneath salt; (2) reverse-time migration (RTM) based delayed imaging time (DIT) scans to update the complex subsalt velocity model; and (3) tilted transverse isotropic (TTI) RTM to improve image quality. Our research focuses on the depth imaging aspects of the project, with particular emphasis on the application of the DIT scanning technique. The DIT-scan technique further improves the accuracy of the subsalt velocity model after conventional ray-based subsalt tomography has been performed. We also demonstrate the uplift obtained by acquiring a wide-azimuth data set relative to a standard narrow-azimuth data set, and how orthogonal wide-azimuth is able to enhance the subsalt illumination.
Refractive Index Changes in Polymers Bearing Pendant Active Ester Groups by Thermal Rearrangement Reaction
Authors: Miyasaka Makoto , Higurashi Ayano , Kameyama Atsushi
Published: November 2011

Linear and branched polymers bearing S-(2-benzoxazolyl) thioester groups were selectively synthesized by free radical and photoinitiated radical polymerization, respectively, of S-(2-benzoxazolyl)-4-vinylthiobenzoate. Upon heating, the pendant S-(2-benzoxazolyl) thioester groups were converted to 3-acylbenzoxazoline-2-thione groups, accompanied with a change of refractive index (Δn) of about +0.01 in both cases. The structural conversion was confirmed by UV–vis and IR spectroscopy, as well as comparison with authentic polymers bearing 3-acylbenzoxazoline-2-thione groups (similarly synthesized from 3-(4-vinylbenzoyl)benzoxazoline-2-thione). Application of such thermally induced rearrangement reactions may provide a new approach for obtaining materials whose refractive index can be changed by heat (e.g., generated by a laser beam).
Reflectance Spectroscopy of Beidellites and Their Importance for Mars
Authors: Bishop Janice L. , Gates Will P. , Makarewicz Heather D. , McKeown Nancy K. , Hiroi Takahiro
Published: November 2011

Beidellites may exist on Mars and represent intermediate alteration products; their presence would indicate different alteration environments than previously identified because montmorillonite is a low-grade alteration mineral whereas beidellite is a higher-temperature alteration mineral, and often represents a step toward illite formation. The reflectance spectra of beidellites are under study to support their orbital detection on Mars, where spectral signatures of other Al-rich phyllosilicates have been observed. Reflectance spectra of ten Al-rich smectites are presented here which include pure beidellites and Al smectites having compositions between those of beidellite and montmorillonite, and emphasis is placed here on the OH combination bands near 4545 cm−1 (2.2 μm) as these vibrational features are commonly used in the identification of phyllosilicates on Mars. Shifts were observed in the Al2OH band centers, which occur near 4590 cm−1 (2.18 μm) in reflectance spectra of beidellite and near 4525 cm−1 (2.21 μm) in reflectance spectra of montmorillonite. These are compared with the Al2OH bending vibrations observed near 941–948 cm−1 (10.5–10.6 μm) for beidellite and near 918–926 cm−1 (10.8–10.9 μm) for montmorillonite. Although the octahedral site cation composition provides the greatest influence on the vibrational energies of the M2OH groups, the tetrahedral site cation composition also influences these vibrations. Shifts were observed in the Si-O-Al bending vibrations from 552 and 480 cm−1 (18.1 and 20.8 μm) in beidellite spectra to 544 and 475 cm−1 (18.4 and 21.0 μm) in montmorillonite spectra. Gaussian modeling of the 4545 cm−1 (2.2 μm) bands led to the discrimination of four overlapping bands in each of the ten Al smectite spectra examined in this study. Shifts in the band center and area of the primary spectral band are coordinated with substitution of Al for Si in the tetrahedral sheet. This is consistent with beidellites having a greater tetrahedral layer charge than montmorillonites. The observed spectral differences were sufficiently large that these Al-rich smectites can be differentiated in orbital data of Mars. A pure beidellite-type spectrum is observed in an isolated Al phyllosilicate-bearing outcrop in Libya Montes, a region where Fe-rich smectite is common but Al-rich smectite is rare. Beidellite-type reflectance spectra were also observed in one area of the Nili Fossae region. In contrast, a variety of Al phyllosilicates were found in the ancient rocks at Mawrth Vallis, including some smaller clay-bearing regions exhibiting spectral signatures more consistent with beidellite-like than montmorillonite-like chemistry.
Interpretation of Reflectance Spectra of Clay Mineral-Silica Mixtures: Implications for Martian Clay Mineralogy at Mawrth Vallis
Authors: McKeown Nancy K. , Bishop Janice L. , Cuadros Javier , Hillier Stephen , Amador Elena , Makarewicz Heather D. , Parente Mario , Silver Eli A.
Published: November 2011

The Al-clay-rich rock units at Mawrth Vallis, Mars, have been identified as mixtures of multiple components based on their spectral reflectance properties and the known spectral character of pure clay minerals. In particular, the spectral characteristics associated with the ~2.2 μm feature in Martian reflectance spectra indicate that mixtures of AlOH- and SiOH-bearing minerals are present. The present study investigated the spectral reflectance properties of the following binary mixtures to aid in the interpretation of remotely acquired reflectance spectra of rocks at Mawrth Vallis: kaolinite-opal-A, kaolinite-montmorillonite, montmorillonite-obsidian, montmorillonite-hydrated silica (opal), and glass-illite-smectite (where glass was hydrothermally altered to mixed-layer illite-smectite). The best spectral matches with Martian data from the present study’s laboratory experiments are mixtures of montmorillonite and obsidian having ~50% montmorillonite or mixtures of kaolinite and montmorillonite with ~30% kaolinite. For both of these mixtures the maximum inflection point on the long wavelength side of the 2.21 μm absorption feature is shifted to longer wavelengths, and in the case of the kaolinite-montmorillonite mixtures the 2.17 μm absorption found in kaolinite is of similar relative magnitude to that feature as observed in CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) data. The reflectance spectra of clay mixed with opal and of hydrothermally altered glass-illite-smectite did not represent the Martian spectra observed in this region as well. A spectral comparison of linear vs. intimate mixtures of kaolinite and montmorillonite indicated that for these sieved samples, the intimate mixtures are very similar to the linear mixtures with the exception of the altered glass-illite-smectite samples. However, the 2.17 μm kaolinite absorption is stronger in the intimate mixtures than in the equivalent linear mixture. Modified Gaussian Modeling of absorption features observed in reflectance spectra of the kaolinite-montmorillonite mixtures indicated a strong correlation between percent kaolinite in the mixture and the ratio of the area of the 2.16 μm band found in kaolinite to the area of the 2.20 μm band found in montmorillonite.