bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perspectives on Counseling Psychology: Portugal at a Glance
Authors: Duarte M. Eduarda , Paixão M. Paula , Lima M. Rosário
Published: January 2007

Les auteurs décrivent le statut actuel et réfléchissent à l’avenir possible de la psychologie du counseling au Portugal, cela à partir de ses forces, de ses faiblesses, de ses opportunités et de ce qui la menace. Le counseling est de plus en plus une aide proactive au développement individuel, plutôt qu’une solution aux situations problématiques. Dans ces conditions, l’une des orientations possibles de la psychologie du counseling est le traitement de la diversité des approches théoriques et techniques pour mettre au point des méthodes d’intervention communes. Les défis que rencontreront prochainement les psychologues du counseling sont analysés à partir des demandes universitaires et autres, la qualité des services et la nécessité d’une réglementation officielle. On propose enfin des recommandations relatives à l’avenir de la psychologie du counseling.

Based on an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats the authors discuss the current status and possible future directions for counseling psychology in Portugal. Counseling is increasingly being viewed as a proactive support to individual development, rather than as a remedial solution to problem situations. In this environment, pursuing diversity in theoretical and techniques approaches to find common intervention methodologies is one possible direction for counseling psychology. The challenges encountered by counseling psychologists in the near future are analysed relative to academic and other demands, the quality of the services, and the need for statutory regulation. Recommendations pertaining to the construction of the future for counseling psychology are proposed.
Counseling Psychology in France: A Paradoxical Situation
Authors: Bernaud Jean‐Luc , Cohen‐Scali Valérie , Guichard Jean
Published: January 2007

Quelles sont les spécificités de la situation française concernant le counseling? Après avoir évoqué les termes utilisés en France, pour qualifier ces pratiques et leur origine, les auteurs exposent une situation qualifiée de paradoxale tant sur le plan des professionnels impliqués dans le counseling que de la recherche. En effet, alors que les besoins en accompagnement sont nombreux et croissants, les professionnels oeuvrant dans le champ du counseling présentent des pratiques très diversifiées et des profils hétérogènes et ne semblent pas pouvoir être rassemblés en un groupe professionnel unique. Par ailleurs, si les recherches françaises relevant du champ du counseling commencent à se développer (en particulier pour le counseling de carrière), elles tendent à s’appuyer sur des écoles de pensée séparées les unes des autres. C’est pourquoi on ne peut pas établir l’existence en France d’une psychologie du conseil en tant que telle. Une telle situation apparaît insatisfaisante (notamment en ce qui concerne la qualité de certaines pratiques et le développement d’une spécialisation professionnelle cohérente semble souhaitable). La conclusion présente quelques pistes pour y parvenir.

What are the specificities of the French situation regarding counseling? After explaining some of the expressions used in France to qualify counseling practices and their origins, the authors present a situation that they consider paradoxical, both in terms of the counselors themselves and the research carried out in this field. Indeed, while the need to “accompany” populations is vast and on the increase, French counselors develop very different practices, have very heterogeneous profiles, and do not seem to form a unified professional group. Although research in this field is increasing (more particularly for career counseling), it appears to be based on different and separate schools of thought. For these reasons, it is not possible to establish the existence of a “counseling psychology” in France. Such a situation could be considered to be far from satisfactory (notably regarding the quality of certain interventions, and also where the development of a coherent professional specialisation is concerned). Some means to achieve this goal are outlined in the conclusion.
Internationalisation of Counseling Psychology: Constructing Cross‐National Consensus and Collaboration
Authors: Savickas Mark L.
Published: January 2007

Les analyses SWOT présentées par les auteurs dans cette édition spéciale Perspectives internationales sur la psychologie du counseling proposent de nombreux éléments en faveur de l’élaboration d’un plan stratégique destinéà la division «Psychologie du Counseling» de l’Association Internationale de Psychologie Appliquée. Condenser les multiples possibilités en un nombre limité de thèmes fédérateurs relève d’une avancée réaliste et significative dans la conception d’un plan stratégique pour la division 16. Les rubriques de ce plan pourraient être les suivantes: a) définir la psychologie du counseling d’un point de vue international, b) cristalliser une identité professionnelle supranationale c) encourager l’avènement de modèles, méthodes et connaissances propres à un pays et d) stimuler la collaboration internationale.

The SWOT analyses presented by the authors in this special issue on International Perspectives on Counseling Psychology propose numerous possibilities for building a strategic plan for the new Counseling Psychology Division (16) in the International Association of Applied Psychology. Reducing multiple possibilities to a few common themes may suggest a realistic and meaningful way forward in formulating a strategic plan for Division 16. Elements of this plan might include (a) defining counseling psychology from an international perspective, (b) crystallising a cross‐national professional identity, (c) encouraging construction of indigenous models, methods, and materials, and (d) promoting international collaboration.
Challenges in the application of geometric constraint models
Authors: McClain Craig R. , White Ethan P. , Hurlbert Allen H.
Published: January 2007

Discerning the processes influencing geographical patterns of species richness remains one of the central goals of modern ecology. Traditional approaches to exploring these patterns have focused on environmental and ecological correlates of observed species richness. Recently, some have suggested these approaches suffer from the lack of an appropriate null model that accounts for species ranges being constrained to occur within a bounded domain. Proponents of these null geometric constraint models (GCMs), and the mid‐domain effect these models produce, argue their utility in identifying meaningful gradients in species richness. This idea has generated substantial debate. Here we discuss what we believe are the three major challenges in the application of GCMs. First, we argue that there are actually two equally valid null models for the random placement of species ranges within a domain, one of which actually predicts a uniform distribution of species richness. Second, we highlight the numerous decisions that must be made to implement a GCM that lead to marked differences in the predictions of the null model. Finally, we discuss challenges in evaluating the importance of GCMs once they have been implemented.
Correlates of range size and dispersal ability: a comparative analysis of sphingid moths from the Indo‐Australian tropics
Authors: Beck Jan , Kitching Ian J.
Published: January 2007

Aim  We tested various species‐level traits for their potential to explain species’ range sizes and dispersal abilities.

Location  Southeast Asia and Malay Archipelago.

Methods  We used published maps of geographical distribution estimates for sphingid moths to calculate range areas and classify species according to their dispersion across (present or historical) water straits in the Malay Archipelago. We tested forewing length (FWL), wing load (thorax width/FWL), presence or absence of a functional proboscis (i.e. adult feeding), larval diet breadth and larval diet composition for univariate correlations with range size and inter‐island dispersion. We used multivariate, phylogenetically controlled models to test for independent effects of parameters.

Results  Range size correlated strongly with larval diet breadth, a result that was also confirmed in the multivariate model. Adult feeding had a significant impact on range sizes only within the multivariate model, but not in the univariate correlation. Dispersal class also correlated with larval diet breadth, but was additionally influenced by forewing length, wing load and larval diet composition. A univariate effect of adult feeding became non‐significant in the multivariate, phylogenetically controlled model.

Main conclusions  Larval diet breadth is the best predictor of range size as well as inter‐island dispersion, confirming the importance of niche breadth on the geographic ranges of species. A number of other factors are shown to have additional impact on predictions of range size or inter‐island dispersal ability. Our analyses cannot determine the causal mechanisms of these correlations, but may stimulate further research on the adaptive significance of traits affecting range size and dispersal in this system.
Latitudinal diversity gradients for brachiopod genera during late Palaeozoic time: links between climate, biogeography and evolutionary rates
Authors: Powell Matthew G.
Published: January 2007

Aim  The latitudinal diversity gradient, in which taxonomic richness is greatest at low latitudes and declines towards the poles, is a pervasive feature of the biota through geological time. This study utilizes fossil data to examine how the latitudinal diversity gradient and associated spatial patterns covaried through the major climate shifts at the onset and end of the late Palaeozoic ice age.

Location  Data were acquired from fossil localities from around the world.

Methods  Latitudinal patterns of diversity, mean geographical range size and macroevolutionary rates were constructed from a literature‐derived data base of occurrences of fossil brachiopod genera in space and time. The literature search resulted in a total of 18,596 occurrences for 991 genera from 2320 localities.

Results  Climate changes associated with the onset of the late Palaeozoic ice age (c. 327 Ma) altered the biogeographical structure of the brachiopod fauna by the preferential elimination of narrowly distributed, largely tropical genera when glaciation began. Because the oceans were left populated primarily with widespread genera, the slope of the diversity gradient became gentle at this time, and the gradient of average latitudinal range size weakened. In addition, because narrowly distributed genera had intrinsically high rates of origination and extinction, the gradients of both of these macroevolutionary rates were also reduced. These patterns were reversed when the ice age climate abated in early Permian time (c. 290 Ma): narrowly distributed genera rediversified at low latitudes, restoring steep gradients of diversity, average latitudinal range size and macroevolutionary rates.

Main conclusions  During late Palaeozoic time, these latitudinal gradients for brachiopods may have been linked by the increased magnitude of seasonality during the late Palaeozoic ice age. Pronounced seasonality would have prevented the existence of genera with narrow latitudinal ranges. These results for the late Palaeozoic ice age suggest a climatic basis for the present‐day latitudinal diversity gradient.
Training psychiatric teams to do family systems acute psychiatry
Authors: Schweitzer Jochen , Ginap Claudia , Von Twardowski Joachim , Zwack Julika , Borst Ulrike , Nicolai Elisabeth
Published: January 2007

This article presents an account of a comprehensive eighteen‐day, multi‐team, multidisciplinary training approach to family systems inpatient acute psychiatry. It has been developed and tested as part of the SYMPA project (systems therapy in acute psychiatry), which aims to establish systemic case conceptualizations and interventions as routine practice in acute psychiatry. Content, didactic characteristics and specifications of this training are discussed. To illustrate the practical implementation of the training, specifically designed exercises are described and a clinical case is included. The article concludes by presenting first results of the research on implementation indicating that the training had a significant impact on the quantity and quality of conversations with patients.
Developing family‐inclusive mainstream mental health services
Authors: Stanbridge Roger , Burbach Frank
Published: January 2007

This paper argues that the current national policy context offers an opportunity to develop more family‐inclusive mainstream mental health services. It outlines a strategy to enhance working partnerships with carers and families and discusses its training implications. The first phase of a trust‐wide training programme in Somerset is described and the potential role for family therapists in promoting the wider application of systemic ideas is considered.
Family discussion group therapy for major depression: a brief systemic multi‐family group intervention for hospitalized patients and their family members
Authors: Lemmens Gilbert M.D. , Eisler Ivan , Migerode Lieven , Heireman Magda , Demyttenaere Koen
Published: January 2007

This paper describes a brief systemic multi‐family group intervention for hospitalized patients with major depression and their family members. The presented treatment integrates elements of systemic therapy, social constructionist and narrative concepts and the family systems‐illness model. It has further adapted a specific multi‐family group format combining marital group sessions and family group sessions. Similarities and differences with other family interventions for depression are discussed. The therapeutic foundations and goals, the organization, and the therapeutic process are explained. A number of clinical vignettes are presented to illustrate the treatment procedure. Although the first clinical impressions about the usefulness of the family discussion group intervention are promising, the efficacy of the treatment awaits the completion of a clinical trial that is currently underway.
Economic drought management index to evaluate water institutions’ performance under uncertainty*
Authors: Iglesias Eva , Garrido Alberto , Gómez‐Ramos Almudena
Published: January 2007

Reservoir management and intertemporal water allocation are critical issues in semiarid regions where agriculture has to confront highly variable rainfall patterns. In this paper, we derive and propose an economic drought management index (EDMI) to evaluate water institutions’ performance to cope with drought risk. The EDMI is based on the optimal conditions of a stochastic dynamic optimisation problem that characterises reservoir management. The index's main advantages are its ease of interpretation and breadth of scope, as it incorporates information on hydrological processes, structural constraints, water institutions’ rules, and the economic benefits of water use. An empirical application is developed to assess the institutional rules governing water allocation in two different supply systems in Andalusia (southern Spain).
Simulating economic values of a genetic improvement program for Australian farmed saltwater crocodiles*
Authors: Gray Emily M. , Ahmadi‐Esfahani Fredoun Z. , Isberg Sally R.
Published: January 2007

In genetic improvement programs, candidates for breeders are ranked by the profitability of their offspring, expressed as a weighted sum of the genetic gain from selection. In this paper, we estimate the economic values of a genetic improvement program for Australian farmed saltwater crocodiles. A bioeconomic profit function for a representative breeding pair is used to determine the optimal slaughter age following genetic improvement in each selection objective. The results indicate that estimated farm profitability increases by nearly $A111 for a 1‐week reduction in juvenile slaughter age, $A78 for a 1 per cent increase in the proportion of first‐grade skins produced, and $A33 for an increase in the number of viable hatchlings per clutch. The implications of the analysis for the Australian crocodile industry and the limitations of the research are explored.
Predicting performance in undergraduate agricultural economics*
Authors: Nolan Elizabeth , Ahmadi‐Esfahani Fredoun Z.
Published: January 2007

Entry to the Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (BAgrEc) program at the University of Sydney is consistently less competitive than that for the Bachelor of Economics (BEc) and Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) programs. Given that students in the BAgrEc program undertake units in common with students in the BEc and BComm programs, it is of interest to examine the importance of school performance and first year university in the determination of success at university. This paper takes information for nine cohorts of BAgrEc students and tests their performance in first‐year core subjects against the university entrance ranking, school English and mathematics marks, gender, and type of school. The paper then uses the same information to predict which student characteristics at entry level are likely to lead to students completing the degree program. The implications of the analysis are explored.
ETHICS AND DRUG RESISTANCE
Authors: SELGELID MICHAEL J.
Published: January 2007

This paper reviews the dynamics behind, and ethical issues associated with, the phenomenon of drug resistance. Drug resistance is an important ethical issue partly because of the severe consequences likely to result from the increase in drug resistant pathogens if more is not done to control them. Drug resistance is also an ethical issue because, rather than being a mere quirk of nature, the problem is largely a product of drug distribution. Drug resistance results from the over‐consumption of antibiotics by the wealthy; and it, ironically, results from the under‐consumption of antibiotics, usually by the poor or otherwise marginalized. In both kinds of cases the phenomenon of drug resistance illustrates why health (care) – at least in the context of infectious disease – should be treated as a (global) public good. The point is that drug resistance involves ‘externalities’ affecting third parties. When one patient develops a resistant strain of disease because of her over‐ or under‐consumption of medication, this more dangerous malady poses increased risk to others. The propriety of free‐market distribution of goods subject to externalities is famously dubious – given that the ‘efficiency’ rationale behind markets assumes an absence of externalities. Market failure in the context of drug resistance is partly revealed by the fact that no new classes of antibiotics have been developed since 1970. I conclude by arguing that the case of drug resistance reveals additional reasons – to those traditionally appealed to by bioethicists – for treating health care as something special when making policy decisions about its distribution.
Statistics in the Kitchen: Ordinary Least Squares and Turkey Cooking
Authors: Milburn Michael
Published: January 2007

Turkey cooking provides an opportunity to show off a real use of statistics.
Mobiles and Cancer: A Case of Phony Connections?
Authors: Nordmoe Eric D
Published: January 2007

Students learning statistics want to know how our methods are used in the real world. In response, this article offers a discussion of a relevant and timely medical study reported in recent headlines. Careful consideration of the study raises some ideas to get students engaged with statistics.
Contemporaneous aggregation of GARCH processes
Authors: Zaffaroni Paolo
Published: January 2007

Abstract.  In this article, the effect of contemporaneous aggregation of heterogeneous generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroskedastic (GARCH) processes, as the cross‐sectional size diverges to infinity is studied. We analyse both cases of cross‐sectionally dependent and independent individual processes. The limit aggregate does not belong to the class of GARCH processes. Dynamic conditional heteroskedasticity is only preserved when the individual processes are sufficiently cross‐correlated, although long memory for the limit aggregate volatility is not attainable. We also explore more general forms of cross‐sectional dependence and various types of aggregation schemes.
Efficient estimation and inference in cointegrating regressions with structural change
Authors: Kurozumi Eiji , Arai Yoichi
Published: January 2007

Abstract.  This paper investigates an efficient estimation method for a cointegrating regression model with structural change. Our proposal is that we first estimate the break point by minimizing the sum of squared residuals and then, by replacing the break fraction with the estimated one, we estimate the regression model by the canonical cointegrating regression (CCR) method proposed by Park [Econometrica (1992) Vol. 60, pp. 119–143]. We show that the estimator of the break fraction has the same convergence rate as obtained in Bai, Lumsdaine and Stock [Review of Economic Studies (1998) Vol. 65, pp. 395–432] and that the CCR estimator with the estimated break fraction has the same asymptotic property as the estimator with the known break point. However, we also show that our method breaks down when the magnitude of structural change is very small. Simulation experiments reveal how the finite sample distribution approaches the limiting distribution as the magnitude of the break and or the sample size increases.
Empirical likelihood confidence intervals for the mean of a long‐range dependent process
Authors: Nordman Daniel J. , Sibbertsen Philipp , Lahiri Soumendra N.
Published: January 2007

Abstract. This paper considers blockwise empirical likelihood for real‐valued linear time processes which may exhibit either short‐ or long‐range dependence. Empirical likelihood approaches intended for weakly dependent time series can fail in the presence of strong dependence. However, a modified blockwise method is proposed for confidence interval estimation of the process mean, which is valid for various dependence structures including long‐range dependence. The finite‐sample performance of the method is evaluated through a simulation study and compared with other confidence interval procedures involving subsampling or normal approximations.
The Periodogram of fractional processes1
Authors: Velasco Carlos
Published: January 2007

Abstract.  We analyse asymptotic properties of the discrete Fourier transform and the periodogram of time series obtained through (truncated) linear filtering of stationary processes. The class of filters contains the fractional differencing operator and its coefficients decay at an algebraic rate, implying long‐range‐dependent properties for the filtered processes when the degree of integration α is positive. These include fractional time series which are nonstationary for any value of the memory parameter (α ≠ 0) and possibly nonstationary trending (α ≥ 0.5). We consider both fractional differencing or integration of weakly dependent and long‐memory stationary time series. The results obtained for the moments of the Fourier transform and the periodogram at Fourier frequencies in a degenerating band around the origin are weaker compared with the stationary nontruncated case for α > 0, but sufficient for the analysis of parametric and semiparametric memory estimates. They are applied to the study of the properties of the log‐periodogram regression estimate of the memory parameter α for Gaussian processes, for which asymptotic normality could not be showed using previous results. However, only consistency can be showed for the trending cases, 0.5 ≤ α < 1. Several detrending and initialization mechanisms are studied and only local conditions on spectral densities of stationary input series and transfer functions of filters are assumed.
Reform and the Basque dukes of Gascony: a context for the origins of the Peace of God and the murder of Abbo of Fleury
Authors: Taylor Claire
Published: January 2007

The tenth‐century Basque rulers of the early medieval duchy of Gascony created novel temporal and ecclesiastical institutions through which to express their power, and negotiated, from a position of some prestige, relationships with both monastic reformers and the Poitevin dukes of neighbouring Aquitaine. There a member of the Gascon ducal family summoned what would come to be known as the first council of the ‘Peace of God’ movement, usually portrayed as an Aquitainian initiative. The impact of the Gascons’ record on their own obscure territories also provides a context for the murder of Abbo, abbot of Fleury.
Material memory: rebuilding the basilica of S. Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome
Authors: Goodson Caroline J.
Published: January 2007

Examining Pope Paschal I's early ninth‐century architectural project of S. Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome, brings to light the diversity of functions of tituli in early medieval Rome. Not only was the church a papal basilica and site of the stational liturgy of Rome, but it was also a shrine to the saint Cecilia, a popular Roman martyr. The architectural arrangement makes clear that the papal project incorporated both the papal cult and the popular cult of the saint by manipulating the archaeology of the site and translating corporeal relics to the urban church.
Foreign direct investment, regional market conditions and regional development
Authors: Wen Mei
Published: January 2007

This paper uses regional panel data to investigate the mechanism whereby foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed to China's regional development through quantifying regional marketization levels. It is found that FDI inflow generates a demonstration effect in identifying regional market conditions for investment in fixed assets and hence affects industrial location. In addition, its effects on regional export and regional income growth have varied across east, central and west China since the second half of the 1990s, depending on differences in FDI orientation between different regions. In east China, geographical advantage in exports attracts FDI inflow and FDI promotes exports. In addition, the rise of the FDI–GDP ratio increases east China's share in national industrial value added. These effects contribute positively to regional income growth in east China although there is a direct crowding‐out effect between FDI and domestic investment (as input) in growth. In contrast, the negative impact of FDI inflow on regional export orientation in central China weakens its contribution to regional income growth. Furthermore, the contribution of the improvement in the market mechanism to regional development is evidenced in attracting FDI, in promoting export and directly contributing to regional income growth.
Computer adoption and returns in transition
Authors: Kuku Yemisi , Orazem Peter F. , Singh Rajesh
Published: January 2007

Across nine transition economies, it is the young, educated, English‐speaking workers with the best access to local telecommunications infrastructures who work with computers. These workers earn about 25 percent more than do workers of comparable observable skills who do not use computers. Controlling for likely simultaneity between computer use at work and labour market earnings makes the apparent returns to computer use disappear. These results are corroborated using Russian longitudinal data on earnings and computer use on the job. High costs of computer use in transition economies suppress wages that firms can pay to their workers who use computers.
Origin and concentration
Authors: Hanousek Jan , Kočenda Evžen , Svejnar Jan
Published: January 2007

We analyse the effects of different types and concentration of ownership on performance using a large population of firms in the Czech Republic after mass privatization. Specifications based on first‐differences combined with instrumental variables show that the performance effects of different types and concentration of ownership are limited when compared to earlier studies. Often, concentrated ownership has a positive effect, a finding that supports the agency theory. The positive effect of foreign ownership is detected primarily for majority ownership and for ownership by foreign industrial firms. The state as a holder of the golden share has a positive effect on employment and sometimes, also on output and profitability. Overall, our results highlight the benefits of strategic restructuring accompanied by an inflow of new capital and managerial culture.
A macroeconomic model of Russian transition
Authors: Braguinsky Serguey , Myerson Roger
Published: January 2007

We present a model in which capital assets can only be owned by members of a relatively small politically connected elite (‘the oligarchs’), each member of which faces a given risk of being expropriated, and we investigate the implications of such an imperfection of property rights for the transition to a market economy. At the start of the transition, the oligarchs are long on local capital assets but short on safe deposits abroad. This causes a depression phase characterized by acute liquidity constraints and large capital outflows at the same time. As the oligarchs acquire enough safe deposits, the economy enters a recovery phase, still accompanied by capital outflows. The model can parsimoniously explain both the steep decline suffered by the Russian economy in the first stage of its transition to a market economy and the subsequent turnaround. The decline could be avoided by allowing foreigners to own some domestic capital assets, but home‐country oligarchs may not be able credibly to collectively commit to such a reform.
Temporal support in the identification of e‐learning efficacy: an example of object classification in the presence of ignorance
Authors: Jones Paul , Beynon Malcolm J.
Published: January 2007

Abstract:This study investigates the efficacy of an in‐place e‐learning facility, towards the performance of students on a university module, through the utilization of an information system based on CaRBS (Classification and Ranking Belief Simplex). It attempts to discern the final indifferent and good performance classifications of students based on their activity during the module (online page views). The ongoing assessment of the students every two weeks during the module is modelled with separate classification results reported as the number of two‐week periods builds up. Students who completed the course as well as those who withdrew are considered. The CaRBS system has its emphasis on the visual representation of results (using simplex plots), as well as its operations in the presence of ignorance (using the Dempster–Shafer theory of evidence). In the analysis of the module considered, the activity over certain weeks is consistently shown to be important to discern student performance. This study is of interest to practitioners and theorists, with the results shown offering a benchmark to the type of findings pertinent to expositing e‐learning efficacy.
MCORE: a context‐sensitive recommendation system for the mobile Web
Authors: Yeon Choi Joon , Seok Song Hee , Hie Kim Soung
Published: January 2007

Abstract:Recommendation systems for the mobile Web have focused on endorsing particular types of content to users. Today, mobile service providers have a more direct recommendation channel, namely the short messaging service. Therefore, mobile service providers should consider both the timing and context of recommendation messages (push messages) that are sent to users. Mobile service providers can learn context‐specific user preferences by analysing mobile Web use logs and user responses to push messages. In this paper, we present a context‐sensitive recommendation system that can be used to select the optimal context in which to send recommendation messages. We call this system the mobile context recommender system (MCORE). We compared user responses to push messages delivered in and out of suitable contexts as determined by MCORE. The precision of push messages delivered within a suitable context was higher than that of messages delivered outside of one.
On fault isolation by neural‐networks‐based parameter estimation techniques
Authors: Garcia Ramon Ferreiro
Published: January 2007

Abstract: The aim of the work is to exploit some aspects of functional approximation techniques in parameter estimation procedures applied on fault detection and isolation tasks using backpropagation neural networks as functional approximation devices. The major focus of this paper deals with the strategy used in the data selection task as applied to the determination of non‐conventional process parameters, such as performance or process‐efficiency indexes, which are difficult to acquire by direct measurement. The implementation and validation procedure on a real case study is carried out with the aid of the facilities supplied by commercial neural networks toolboxes, which manage databases, neural network structures and highly efficient training algorithms.
The ‘Terrible Wednesday’ of Pentecost: Confronting Urban and Princely Discourses in the Bruges Rebellion of 1436–1438
Authors: DUMOLYN JAN
Published: January 2007

On 22 May 1437 a violent disturbance of the social order occurred in Bruges. Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, only narrowly escaped with his life, while Jean de Villiers, lord of L’Isle‐Adam, was killed. Contradictory and competing accounts of these events have survived which illustrate princely and urban discourses on the Bruges rebellion of 1436–8. Careful analysis of these sources reveals that the social and political struggles between the centralizing dukes of Burgundy and their powerful and autonomous Flemish cities reflected a discursive struggle for the representation of political events.
Religion, Power and Parliament: Rothschild and Bradlaugh Revisited
Authors: GRUBE DENNIS
Published: January 2007

The British parliament in the nineteenth century reflected the increasingly democratic stability of the British state in a century that saw numerous convulsions on the European continent. It embodied the majesty of British law, the idea that all adult males who dwelt in Britain shared the universal rights of a true‐born Englishman, including the right to speak on the affairs of the nation. The repeated attempts of the Jewish Baron Lionel de Rothschild and the atheist Charles Bradlaugh to take their seats after having been lawfully elected to parliament showed, however, that barriers remained against those who were in some way considered ‘un‐British’. The debates that the perseverance of both men engendered inside the parliament reveal how strongly the conservative British establishment clung on to what it considered to be the Protestant national character. To make British laws, one had to be British in more than citizenship. In essence, it was a debate about British national identity in an increasingly ‘liberal’ world. The eventual inclusion of both Rothschild and Bradlaugh marked a further shift away from religious conformity as a measure of ‘Britishness’ as the century drew to a close.
Incorporating the views of service users in the development of an integrated psychiatric service for people with learning disabilities
Authors: Parkes Charles , Samuels Sarah , Hassiotis Angela , Lynggaard Henrik , Hall Ian
Published: January 2007

Accessible summary

• People with learning disabilities have told us what it was like to be looked after in general psychiatric wards and in our local psychiatric ward where four of the beds are for people with learning disabilities.

• People who used mainstream wards found it quite frightening to begin with and things were not always explained very well. People who used the local ward were less worried when admitted and settled in quicker.

• People who used general psychiatric wards did not always feel that their medication was explained to them properly. People who used the local ward still had some concerns about this but generally felt that medication was explained properly.

• Most people said that they got on well with the other people in both types of ward and they felt that social contact with others was one of the most positive things about their admission.

• People using both types of ward liked to have one nurse on the ward who they could go to if anything needed to be sorted out.

During the 1990s, a decision was made within the Learning Disabilities services of Camden & Islington to develop a local integrated service for people requiring an acute psychiatric admission. There had been little research at the time on the experiences of people with learning disabilities within the type of inner London acute mental health service within which beds were to be located. In order to inform the development of the new service, we undertook to interview a number of service users with learning disabilities who had experienced acute admissions to general psychiatric wards during the previous three years. The information that was provided was then incorporated into the service's development process. Subsequently, a further round of interviews took place with people who had used the new service to determine whether experiences had changed and to identify areas for further service development and improvement.
Signatures of Positive Selection in Genes Associated with Human Skin Pigmentation as Revealed from Analyses of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
Authors: Lao O. , de Gruijter J. M. , van Duijn K. , Navarro A. , Kayser M.
Published: January 2007

Phenotypic variation between human populations in skin pigmentation correlates with latitude at the continental level. A large number of hypotheses involving genetic adaptation have been proposed to explain human variation in skin colour, but only limited genetic evidence for positive selection has been presented. To shed light on the evolutionary genetic history of human variation in skin colour we inspected 118 genes associated with skin pigmentation in the Perlegen dataset, studying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and analyzed 55 genes in detail. We identified eight genes that are associated with the melanin pathway (SLC45A2, OCA2, TYRP1, DCT, KITLG, EGFR, DRD2 and PPARD) and presented significant differences in genetic variation between Europeans, Africans and Asians. In six of these genes we detected, by means of the EHH test, variability patterns that are compatible with the hypothesis of local positive selection in Europeans (OCA2, TYRP1 and KITLG) and in Asians (OCA2, DCT, KITLG, EGFR and DRD2), whereas signals were scarce in Africans (DCT, EGFR and DRD2). Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation between genotypic variation in four pigmentation candidate genes and phenotypic variation of skin colour in 51 worldwide human populations was revealed. Overall, our data also suggest that light skin colour is the derived state and is of independent origin in Europeans and Asians, whereas dark skin color seems of unique origin, reflecting the ancestral state in humans.
Structured Incorporation of Prior Information in Relationship Identification Problems
Authors: Sheehan N. A. , Egeland T.
Published: January 2007

The objective of this paper is to show how various sources of information can be modelled and integrated to address relationship identification problems. Applications come from areas as diverse as evolution and conservation research, genealogical research in human, plant and animal populations, and forensic problems including paternity cases, identification following disasters, family reunions and immigration issues. We propose assigning a prior probability distribution to the sample space of pedigrees, calculating the likelihood based on DNA data using available software and posterior probabilities using Bayes' Theorem. Our emphasis here is on the modelling of this prior information in a formal and consistent manner. We introduce the distinction between local and global prior information, whereby local information usually applies to particular components of the pedigree and global prior information refers to more general features. When it is difficult to decide on a prior distribution, robustness to various choices should be studied. When suitable prior information is not available, a flat prior can be used which will then correspond to a strict likelihood approach. In practice, prior information is often considered for these problems, but in a generally ad hoc manner. This paper offers a consistent alternative. We emphasise that many practical problems can be addressed using freely available software.
Microsatellite loci for the plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus, Fundulidae)
Authors: LI CHENHONG , BESSERT MICHAEL L. , MACRANDER JASON , ORTÍ GUILLERMO
Published: January 2007

The plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) is a killifish endemic to the Great Plains region. Recent field surveys indicate that populations may be declining in northerly portions of its range and perhaps throughout. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of 11 microsatellite loci developed for population genetic studies in the species. We also conducted cross‐species amplifications to test primer efficacy in five additional taxa, including four killifishes.
Mark–recapture cloning: a straightforward and cost‐effective cloning method for population genetics of single‐copy nuclear DNA sequences in diploids
Authors: BIERNE N. , TANGUY A. , FAURE M. , FAURE B. , DAVID E. , BOUTET I. , BOON E. , QUERE N. , PLOUVIEZ S. , KEMPPAINEN P. , JOLLIVET D. , MORAGA D. , BOUDRY P. , DAVID P.
Published: January 2007

We describe a simple protocol to reduce the number of cloning reactions of nuclear DNA sequences in population genetic studies of diploid organisms. Cloning is a necessary step to obtain correct haplotypes in such organisms, and, while traditional methods are efficient at cloning together many genes of a single individual, population geneticists rather need to clone the same locus in many individuals. Our method consists of marking individual sequences during the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 5′‐tailed primers with small polynucleotide tags. PCR products are mixed together before the cloning reaction and clones are sequenced with universal plasmid primers. The individual from which a sequence comes from is identified by the tag sequences upstream of each initial primer. We called our protocol mark–recapture (MR) cloning. We present results from 57 experiments of MR cloning conducted in four distinct laboratories using nuclear loci of various lengths in different invertebrate species. Rate of capture (proportion of individuals for which one or more sequences were retrieved) and multiple capture (proportion of individuals for which two or more sequences were retrieved) empirically obtained are described. We estimated that MR cloning allowed reducing costs by up to 70% when compared to conventional individual‐based cloning. However, we recommend to adjust the mark:recapture ratio in order to obtain multiple sequences from the same individual and circumvent inherent technical artefacts of PCR, cloning and sequencing. We argue that MR cloning is a valid and reliable high‐throughput method, providing the number of sequences exceeds the number of individuals initially amplified.
Identification and characterization of 14 polymorphic EST‐derived microsatellites in eelgrass (Zostera marina)
Authors: OETJEN KATHARINA , REUSCH THORSTEN B. H.
Published: January 2007

Zostera marina, the dominant seagrass on the Northern Hemisphere, forms the basis of important but threatened marine ecosystems. Here, we report 14 microsatellite DNA markers derived from an expressed sequence tag library corresponding to a wide range of genes. All loci were moderately to highly polymorphic, with allele numbers ranging from three to eight in a single Wadden Sea population of 48 individuals. Observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.082 to 0.837. Reaction conditions for five pooled polymerase chain reactions are given. The markers will advance the population genetics of seagrasses because they allow indirect tests of selection on closely linked genes.
Comparative mitochondrial and nuclear quantitative PCR of historical marine mammal tissue, bone, baleen, and tooth samples
Authors: MORIN P. A. , HEDRICK N. M. , ROBERTSON K. M. , LEDUC C. A.
Published: January 2007

The use of historical and ancient tissue samples for genetic analysis is increasing, with ever greater numbers of samples proving to contain sufficient mitochondrial and even nuclear DNA for multilocus analysis. DNA yield, however, remains highly variable and largely unpredictable based solely on sample morphology or age. Quantification of DNA from historical and degraded samples can greatly improve efficiency of screening DNA extracts prior to attempting sequencing or genotyping, but requires sequence‐specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) based assays to detect such minute quantities of degraded DNA. We present two qPCR assays for marine mammal DNA quantification, and results from analysis of DNA extracted from preserved soft tissues, bone, baleen, and tooth from several cetacean species. These two assays have been shown to amplify DNA from 26 marine mammal species representing 12 families of pinnipeds and cetaceans. Our results indicate that different tissues retain different ratios of mitochondrial to nuclear DNA, and may be more or less suitable for analysis of nuclear loci. Specifically, historical bone and tooth samples average 60‐fold higher ratio of mitochondrial DNA to nuclear DNA than preserved fresh soft tissue, and the ratio is almost 8000‐fold higher in baleen.
IS MACROEVOLUTION MORE THAN SUCCESSIVE ROUNDS OF MICROEVOLUTION?
Authors: GRANTHAM TODD
Published: January 2007

Abstract: Whether macrovolution is reducible to microevolution is one of the persistent debates in evolutionary biology. Although the concept of emergence is important to answering this question, it has not been extensively discussed within palaeobiology. A taxonomy of emergence concepts is presented to clarify the ways in which emergence relates to this debate. Weak emergence is a particularly helpful way to understand the hierarchical nature of biology: it captures the ways in which higher‐level traits depend on lower‐level processes, while recognizing that emergent traits can nonetheless provide the basis for autonomous higher‐level theories. A brief review of the biological literature suggests that geographical range size is weakly emergent. While some concepts of emergence do not block the attempt to reduce macroevolution (i.e. the attempt to explain all macroevolutionary phenomena in terms of microevolutionary processes), weak emergence does. Thus, if geographical range is weakly emergent, it provides a basis for arguing that macroevolutionary phenomena cannot be fully explained by microevolutionary processes.