bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty in Bayes
Authors: Baron John A.
Published: March 2007

Most standard discussions of Bayes' formula treat sensitivity, specificity, and the prior prob ability as fixed parameters for probability revision, but in fact these usually have associated variability. This in turn generates predictable patterns of uncertainty in the posterior proba bilities. Although these have not been investigated in detail, they have important implications for the interpretation of posterior probabilities and the clinical use of Bayesian probability revision. For a test with a high likelihood ratio for a positive result, the positive predictive value (PPV) is strongly affected by uncertainties in the prior probability when the prior probability is small, but PPV is almost independent of such uncertainties at high values of the prior probability. The PPV is more affected by changes in specificity than by changes in sensitivity, and uncertainty in specificity has its maximal impact on the PPV at low prior probability values. These patterns are most pronounced for tests with high likelihood ratios of positive results. Similar results can be shown for the negative predictive value. These results imply that for suitability good tests, probability revision in certain definable ranges of prior probability may be so strongly affected by errors in the estimations of both the prior probability and the operating characteristics that the posterior probabilities may be unstable in practice. On the other hand, at other values of the prior probability, the posterior probabilities are almost constant, and formal probability revision will not have much impact. These patterns indicate limitations to the reliability and usefulness of calculated posterior probabilities, and have important implications for the clinical use of Bayes' formula. Key words: Bayes' formula; probability revision; posterior probabilities. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:46-51)
Utility Assessment in Cancer Patients
Authors: Stiggelbout A.M. , Kiebert G.M. , Kievit J. , Leer J.W.H. , Stoter G. , De Haes J.C.J.M.
Published: March 2007

The standard gamble (SG) and the time tradeoff (TTO), two frequently used methods of utility assessment, have often been found to lead to different utilities for the same health state. The authors investigated whether adjustment of TTO scores for the utility of life years (risk attitude) eliminated this difference. In addition, the association between risk attitude and sociodemographic and medical variables was studied. In 30 disease-free testicular cancer patients, SG and TTO were used to assess the utilities of four health profiles relevant to testicular cancer. Utility of life years was estimated from certainty equivalents (CEs). SG scores were significantly higher than unadjusted TTO scores for all profiles. As the majority of patients (85%) were risk-averse, CE-adjusted TTO scores were higher than unadjusted scores, and were not significantly different from those obtained from the SG for three of the four profiles. However, adjusted scores were still slightly but consistently lower than SG scores. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed. An association was found between risk aversion and medical treatment: patients who had received chemotherapy for their cancers were more risk-averse than were patients who had been in a surveillance protocol only. As risk aversion can have an impact on treatment decisions, it is important to assess the risk posture of the patient to whom the decision pertains. Key words: utility assessment; QALY; risk aversion; oncology; treatment preferences. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:82-90)
Development of a Central Matching System for the Allocation of Cadaveric Kidneys
Authors: Yufei Yuan  , Gafni Amiram , Russell J. David , Ludwin David
Published: March 2007

Objectives: 1) To develop a computer-based simulation to prospectively study the impacts of explicitly incorporating different equity criteria into the process of allocating kidneys to recipients, given the scarcity of this resource. 2) To assess the tradeoffs between systems that allocate kidneys based only on medical criteria, systems that allocate kidneys based only on equity criteria, and systems that consider both medical and equity criteria. Methods: A computer-based simulation was developed that describes the flows of patients and kidneys. This model provides information at various time points about the number of patients in the system who are awaiting transplants, the number of kidneys available for transplantation, the number of transplantations performed for each matching algorithm, and the number of kidneys discarded (when applicable), as well as the means and standard deviations of the HLA-match scores, number of days from registration to transplantation, and number of days (from registration) of those who are still waiting for transplants. Five different matching algorithms were compared, ranging from determination of the allocation by a single medical criterion (i.e., HLA match) to determination by a single equity criterion (i.e., relative position in the waiting queue). The remaining algorithms represent different strategies of weighting these two considerations. Estimates regarding the main parameters of the model were derived utilizing data collected through the Multiple Organ Retrieval and Exchange Pro gramme of Ontario, Canada. Results : The simulation was set to run for a period of ten years. A tradeoff between graft survival (or improved HLA matching) and equal treatment of patients regardless of their likelihood to benefit was found. It is clear that an algorithm that allocates kidneys based only on temporal location of patient on the waiting list is likely to be unac ceptable because of the very poor average HLA-match scores that it yields. Pool size was found to be a major determinant in the attainment of optimal matching from a medical perspective. Conclusions: 1) The final choice about any allocation algorithm to be used requires that a value judgment be made, i.e., how great a reduction in HLA-match score should be traded in order to improve equity score (or vice versa). 2) A computer-based simulation model is a feasible way to prospectively test the impact of any given allocation algorithm on any given system. Key words: simulation; kidney transplant; equity; efficiency. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:124-136)
Automated Monitoring of Outcomes
Authors: Alemi Farrokh , Stephens Richard , Parran Theodore , Llorens Shirley , Bhatt Pallav , Ghadiri Ali , Eisenstein Eric
Published: March 2007

This paper suggests a new approach for lowering follow-up costs, improving the delivery of health care, and monitoring treatment outcomes. An automated telephone follow-up system that calls, identifies, and interviews clients is an alternative method for monitoring patients that may be both reliable and cost-effective. To test the viability of such a system, the authors monitored a patient population that has historically been shown to be difficult to follow: recovering drug users and alcoholics. Forty-two subjects were asked to call the computer and complete interviews on a weekly basis for five months. Clients answered 25 recorded questions by pressing the keys on their telephone pads. The computer automatically analyzed the clients' answers and estimated a probability of relapse for each client. In addition, the computer automatically called subjects who failed to complete interviews at the scheduled times. The study showed that self-reported data collected by a computer are as reliable as data obtained through a written questionnaire and that clients are more willing to respond to computer interviews than to mailed written questionnaires. This study also provides pre liminary data on the predictive ability of a questionnaire for predicting relapse. Key words: computer interview; automated monitoring; drug abuse; evaluation of treatment outcomes; telecommunication; Bayesian prediction. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:180-187)
The Costs and Benefits of a Screening Program to Detect Dementia in Older Drivers
Authors: Retchin Sheldon M. , Hillner Bruce E.
Published: March 2007

A Markov model was used to assess the cost-benefit ratios of six strategies of screening older drivers for mental status, beginning at age 65. Probabilities of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), injuries, and fatalities were obtained from national data. Dementia prevalence, test characteristics, and costs were obtained from the literature. Costs included lost wages, car ownership, alternative transportation, and injuries. Using a relative risk of MVC for those with dementia of 5 and a 5% annual discounting rate, the average cost per driver ranged from $51,600 (no testing) to $58,400 (testing every five years). The benefit was < one day of life gained, and the benefits of screening cost approximately 2.8 million dollars per life- year gained. Increasing the relative risk from 5 to 20 substantially improved the cost-benefit of mental status screening. However, mental status screening of older drivers would also be cost-beneficial if physician referral costs were lowered to $60 per evaluation. The authors conclude that a dementia screening program for older drivers would be cost-beneficial if physician evaluations were limited or their cost lowered to ≤$60. Key words: elderly; de mentia; cognition; motor vehicle collisions; cost-effectiveness; prevention; cost-benefit analysis. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:315-324)
ROC Curves and the Areas under Them for Dichotomized Tests
Authors: Van Der Schouw Yvonne T. , Straatman Huub , Verbeek Andre L.M.
Published: March 2007

Many measures, including sensitivity and specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios, are available for the assessment of diagnostic tests. A drawback of the use of these measures is that continuous test results are often dichotomized, with consequent loss of information. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves do not depend on discrimination thresholds, and therefore the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is one of the preferred measures. Although quantitative test results are often presented dichotomized, it would be convenient still to be able to estimate the ROC curve and the AUC. The authors present equations for such estimates when only one pair of a true- and a false-positive rate is given, for inherently logistically and normally distributed data. Illustrative empirical data are provided for both distributions. In contradiction to earlier reports, the authors also show that differential disease verification may skew the ROC curve. The ROC curve is thus not invariant to selection bias. Key words: diagnosis; test assessment; ROC curves; verification bias; sensitivity; specificity; colorectal carcinoma; acute myocardial infarction. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:374-381)
The "Socratic Method" or of What Value Is the Question?
Authors: Belonax Joseph J.
Published: March 2007

As educators we are sure that students change as a result of the educational process. However, we are not always sure how students change and in what way we contribute to this change. This paper suggests (1) a conceptual framework that can be used to specify the nature and magnitude of change in the learning process, (2) how to operationalize our contrib ution in the learning process, and (3) how to implement the approach in the classroom. The paper concludes with a dis cussion of the benefits that accrue to both the instructor and the students.
The Weekly Written Critique: a Method To Promote Independent Thought in the Issues Course
Authors: Carusone Petir S.
Published: March 2007

B-School students tend toward complacency when the efficacy and social responsibility of marketing institutions are challenged. To stimulate nonthreatening dialogue and address other problems inherent in the issues course, a mechanism to extend discussion beyond the classroom was devised and it was called, "The Weekly Written Critique." This article reports on the benefits and limitations of the weekly written critique in relation to the instructor's pedagogical goals for the issues course.
LIFCYC: a Product Life Cycle Marketing Game
Authors: Arbeit Stanley , Glynn Joseph G.
Published: March 2007

This game provides a classroom setting for the strategic planning of the marketing mix over the life of a product's exis ence in the marketplace. The students are required to track a product through four phases of its product life cycle--INTRODUC TION, GROWTH, MATURITY, and DECLINE. For each period the student makes four decisions concerning price, and expenditures for pro motion, distribution, and product quality. The elasticities of these four decision variables change in each time period, as they might during a "typical" life cycle. The "best" decisions for each period can be approximated by adherence to life cycle theory concerning the dynamics of the marketing mix variables.
A Symmetry Theory of Planar Grasp
Authors: Blake Andrew
Published: March 2007

A theory for identification and classification of two-fingered grasps is described and demonstrated. It is shown that optimal finger positions are obtained from the pairwise intersections of three subsets in the configuration space for the gripper: the symmetry and antisymmetry sets, and the critical set of the grasp map. Furthermore the three sets themselves form boundaries in a natural partition of configuration space. The partition corresponds to a classification of possible grasps according to their stability properties. An implementation of the theory has been developed for an ADEPT robot with visual sensing.
Theorizing the City
Authors: Low Setha M.
Published: March 2007

■ The city as a site of everyday practice provides valuable insights into the linkages of the global capitalist economy with the texture and fabric of human experience. My comments focus on cities as centers of abuse, violence and enslavement as documented in the papers of Ida Susser and Peter Kwong. I place each author's critique within this urban order by using the images of the 'ethnic city', 'gendered city', and 'global city'. By focusing on spatial images of cities, I redirect our attention to the sites of social problems produced by expan sion of global capitalism, and to the location of possible resistance.
The Jacob and Joseph Stories as Analogies
Authors: Miscall Peter D.
Published: March 2007

Narrative analogy is a feature of Hebrew narrative "through which one part of the text provides oblique commentary on another." The Jacob and Joseph stories are read as analogous, most obviously because of their common plot structure: treachery between brothers, a twenty year separation, and a subsequent reunion. Fur ther bases for the relation are noted. I focus on two issues to illustrate the oblique commen tary provided by this form of analysis. First is the nature of divine intervention in human history; in different ways, both texts indicate that divine intervention is not a constant pro cess. Second are the reunions, both of which are marked by forgetting the past and turning towards the present and future; in neither re union is there a need for forgiveness or atone ment.
The Background of the Patriarchs: a Reply To William Dever and Malcolm Clark
Authors: Thompson Thomas L.
Published: March 2007

This paper is written in response to the recent articles of Malcolm Clark and William Dever in Westminster Press's new Israelite and Judaean History. Part I attempts to clarify my position giving an Iron Age post quem dating for the origin of the Genesis narratives. Part II discusses the sociologically descriptive term "dimorphic" as used by Dever in his article, and as it has been variously used in the writing of Mesopotamian history. Part III discusses the limitations of the use to which such parallels or analogues can be put in developing a history of Palestine. Part IV uses the EB IV/MB I period as an example of the effect of sociological and anthropological questions on the writing of a history of Palestine. Part V discusses the complexity of settlement patterns in Bronze Age Palestine, and the variety of political structures implied by these patterns, as well as the impact of such observations on the history of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Palestine.
Exploding the Limits: Form and Function in Psalm 22
Authors: Davis Ellen F.
Published: March 2007

The aim of this study is to show how the methods of form criticism and rhetorical criticism can be utilized for theological interpretation of a particular psalm (Psalm 22), and further, how attention to the function of poetic language complements and deepens insights to which formal analysis points. While both the 'complaint' and the 'vow of praise' sections far exceed the proportions usual in an individual lament, the essential integrity of the psalm's form is indicated by the fact that a single theme—the possibility of and conditions for rendering praise to God—is maintained throughout.

An exegetical section suggests that (1), in the present context, the so-called 'confession of trust' serves less as an affirmation of faith and more as an expression of how completely the old mythos of salvation has broken down; (2) the 'eschatolo gical character' of the vow of praise (often taken to be a sign of the psalm's lateness) evidences a shift occurring, not primarily in the cognitive domain, but within lan guage itself—this is an instance of the creative or 'resymbolizing' (P. Ricoeur) capacity of poetic language, which precedes exploration through discursive language.

A final section considers a further process of resymbolization, namely that involved in the evangelists' use of this psalm, and suggests how attention to the psalm's form and language lays down guidelines for a Christian understanding of faithful suffering.
Children's Librarianship in the ASEAN Region
Authors: Nijhar Molina S.
Published: March 2007

This Report is an attempt to describe the present situation in children's librarian ship in the ASEAN region in response to the request of the Children's Libraries Sec tion of IFLA. A draft questionnaire sent from the Standing Committee of the Chil dren's Libraries Section formed the basis for information and data-gathering. How ever, the Conference theme, Library service to children in multi-ethnic and multi lingual communities, was a welcome opportunity to open a window or two to the world community interested in children's work, because this region is a unique patchwork of cultures and languages that are diverse, yet unified. Statistical tables, the questionnaire, and other additional information are available from IFLA Head- quarters, the author, or from IFLA Clearinghouses.
From IFLA's President
Authors: Wedgeworth Robert
Published: March 2007

The news section of IFLA Journal contains information about IFLA and its activities, and other "international" news. National information is only disseminated if it has international relevance.

Attention is drawn to the fact that members are free to translate and/or duplicate any part of this news section, without copyright implications. IFLA, indeed, urges members to disseminate the IFLA news in their country and region. A statement of the source of information would be appreciated.
Property, Power and Family Networks: the Problem of Disputed Marriage in Early Modern England
Authors: Rushton Peter
Published: March 2007

Matrimonial disputes (spousals litigation) in the English church courts reveal more than any other source the difficulties in the formation of secure marriages. One crucial factor was the extent of forcible opposition to, or coercion into, relationships when they were still formed through a non-official marriage ceremony. Many wereforced into relationships they subsequently broke, or separated by sanctions of different kinds. Both forms of power and the fragility of marriage are thus exposed in these cases that arise from the failure of relationships—topics which have been much neglected in the current history of the family .
The Story of a 'Maverick': Bulgaria's Fertility Decline
Authors: Botev Nikolai
Published: March 2007

Analysis of the fertility decline in Bulgaria shows that the perception of Bulgaria as an 'anomaly' in terms of its demographic development is based on a conservative interpretation of the demographic transition theory. The features that distinguish Bulgaria from the western European countries (faster decline, persistence of early and universal marriages, etc.) are generally accounted for by the specific social, economic, cultural, and political conditions. These findings suggest that the speed of the fertility decline and the means through which it is achieved are affected by a complex interaction between cultural and economic factors that are often difficult to distinguish in terms of primacy.
Household Size, Household Structure, and Developmental Cycle of a Japanese Village: Eighteenth to Nineteenth Centuries
Authors: Kinoshita Futoshi
Published: March 2007

The number of households of a small village in northeastern Japan increased 1.5-fold in the 110 yearsfrom 1760 to 1870. The mean household size also rose from about five to six persons during the same period. These developments were closely related to the socio-economic conditions of the village. The changes, however, did not occur in a homogeneous fashion across different socio-economic classes. There were clear differences in these trends, particularly between landed peasant and landless peasant households. This article also examines the changes in household structure, using the Hammel and Laslett's typology, and confirms the basic developmental cycle. There existed some notable differences between different socio-economic classes in terms of the types of household transition and also of the likelihood of the transition.
Illegitimate Fertility Decline in England, 1851-1911
Authors: Schellekens Jona
Published: March 2007

This study attempts to determine the extent to which several hypotheses are able to account for the illegitimate fertility decline in England in the second half of the nineteenth century. The results of a pooled time-series analysis are consistent with the hypothesis that a rise in working-class prosperity accounts for much of the decline. Additional reasons for the decline, which cannot be ruled out with the data used in the analysis, include the diffusion of knowledge and the acceptability of contraceptive methods and a decline in agricultural employment.
From Floating Brothels To Suburban Semirespectability: Two Centuries of Nonmarital Pregnancy in Australia
Authors: Carmichael Gordon A.
Published: March 2007

The sexual revolution that through the 1950s and 1960s saw nonmarital fertility and marital childbearing following premarital conception rise rapidly in Australia, especially among women in their teens and early twenties, received considerable research attention. Now, in the mid-1990s, childbearing following nonmarital pregnancy has assumed a very different character. The pregnant teenaged bride is almost a thing of the past, and nonmarital births occur mainly at normative reproductive ages within consensual unions. Similar trends have occurred in other developed countries, but Australia boasts an unusual precedent for this new phase, in that during its early years of colonial settlement, convictism also gave rise to widespread childbearing within consensual unions. This precedent and the distinctive circumstances that produced it are explored in the context of tracing the full and varied history of fertility associated with nonmarital coitus in Australia.
Women, Adoption, and Family Life in Early Modern Paris
Authors: Gager Kristin E.
Published: March 2007

This article examines a series of notarized contracts that describe adoptions of daughters and sons as heirs undertaken by "independent" women in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Paris. Despite concrete legal barriers against adoption, a general cultural rejection of adoptive kinship, and the centrality of a patriarchal model of the family, widows, separated women, unmarried women, and even a deserted wife turned to "adoptive reproduction" to continue their family lines. The adoptive mothers were childless and had all gained a degree of independent control over their property, which, in turn, allowed them to name an heir of their choice. The evidence of adoption enriches our portrait of relations between mothers and children, women's legal status, and the diversity offamily life in early modem France.
Sailing a Fragile Bark: Rewriting the Family and the Individual in Nineteenth-Century France
Authors: Walton Whitney
Published: March 2007

Within the nineteenth-century French family, collective cohesion and individual fulfillment often came into conflict, particularly for women. This article analyzes autobiographies, essays, and fiction by three successful women writers—George Sand, Marie d'Agoult, and Hortense Allart—to reveal the different ways that they highlighted this tension and how they proposed to resolve it. With the aid offeminist literary theory, it is possible to read these authors' texts as serious critiques of laws, social practices, and cultural constructs that restricted women's develop ment and activities solely on the basis of their sex. The article argues that these authors rewrote the family to enable women to become as fully realized individuals as men, with the implication that such a transformation within the family would entail a transformation ofpublic life as well and legitimize women's participation in it.
Social Change, Women, and the Family in the Era of Industrialization: Recent Polish Research
Authors: Zarnowska Anna
Published: March 2007

Within a framework provided by recent Polish scholarship on modernizing social change, women, and the family, the author of this article attempts to answer three basic questions: (a) Are changes in the structure of the family, resulting in the relative decline of the multigenerational family in favor of nontraditional family norms, including the nuclear family, directly related to industrialization? (b) Does the model of the urban family of the industrial era actually differ in a structural sense from the preindustrial urban family? and (c) Do changes in the economic function of the family as a consequence of industrialization lead to corresponding changes in the structure of the family, particularly in terms of gender roles? In analyzing the Polish case, the author points to a number of paradoxical, yet parallel, developments that challenge many conventional assumptions about the impact of modernization on the preindustrial, patriarchal model of the family.
Educating "Our Girls" and "Welfare Mothers": Discussions of Education Policy for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents in Federal Hearings, 1975-1995
Authors: Mittelstadt Jennifer
Published: March 2007

This article explores federal education policy for pregnant and parenting teenag ers by examining discussions about education in federal hearings from 1975 to 1995. In this period, education policy for teen parents was captive to the two major policy contexts of teen pregnancy: the perceived public health crisis of an "epidemic" of teen pregnancy and the perceived welfare crisis of the 1980s. Images of solo teen mothers associated with these two policy contexts changed the way policymakers defined the educational needs of these young women: During the epidemic, they defined education as an entitlement, but during the perceived welfare crisis, they redefined it as a requirement. The article concludes that the details of education programs were overshadowed by the politics of the two policy crises, resulting in an unexamined increasing reliance on the General Educational Development (GED) test in federal programs.
Female Rituals and the Politics of the New York Marriage Market in the Late Nineteenth Century
Authors: Montgomery Maureen E.
Published: March 2007

This article reevaluates the role of society women in the late nineteenth century in the formalization of New York's high society and in shaping class identity. In doing so, it takes issue with studies that have regarded this period in New York's social history as aberrational and, instead, evaluates women's involvement in the marriage market as a determined attempt to modulate the merger of rival elites and bring stability to a metropolitan society disrupted by urbanization, industri alization, and demographic growth. It argues that female social leaders complied with, and reinforced, the dominant male class structure while at the same time expanding their participation in a public social life and enhancing their status within the family.
The Princess of Monaco's Hair: the Revolutionary Tribunal and the Pregnancy Plea
Authors: Brown Stephanie
Published: March 2007

During the Terror, French law forbade the execution of a woman condemned to death if she was pregnant. More than two dozen women who were condemned by the Revolutionary Tribunal, the highest political court, claimed pregnancy to delay their execution. This article examines the ways in which some of these pleas were made and the ways that the Tribunal responded to them. In so doing, it shows both that women manipulated the revolutionary reverence for motherhood in an attempt to save their lives and that the Revolutionary Tribunal treated these women as political actors.
The Puzzling Contradictions of Child Labor, Unemployment, and Education in Brazil
Authors: Kuznesof Elizabeth Anne
Published: March 2007

Hugh Cunningham recently argued that in nineteenth-century Europe, social con trol was the major concern of authorities promoting both child labor and public education. This article examines this thesis for nineteenth-century São Paulo, Bra zil, using Portuguese legislation concerning orphans, cases of tutorship, criminal records, records of child labor from industries, and annual reports of São Paulo primary teachers. The evidence shows that child labor was regarded as educa tional both in the moral sense and to acquire skills for children age seven and older and that employers also valued child labor. The efforts to develop public educa tion, on the other hand, were hampered by the resistance of parents to sending their children to school rather than sending them to work or using them for chores at home. While social control was definitely an underlying agenda of elites in their ideas for popular education (since it was seen to prevent crime), the contribution of child labor to household economy was much more important from the perspec tive of average Brazilian families.
The Dynamics of Fixed Capital Revaluation and Scrapping
Authors: Alberro José , Persky Joseph , Alberro José , Persky Joseph
Published: March 2007

This paper offers a theoretical approach to the study of intracapi talist class rivalry focusing on the dynamic properties of fixed capital revaluation when technological change is introduced. Historically capitalist accumulation has relied on multiperiod assets which increase the roundaboutness of produc tion. As the flexibility of the production system decreases, technical obsolescence is increasingly damaging, and may cause the realized rate of profit to fall. Those capitalists who use external funds to finance investment will find themselves with an increasingly expensive debt to be serviced out of shrinking profits.
Hommage aux sciences de l'homme
Authors: Lévi-Strauss Claude
Published: March 2007

La Médaille d'Or du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique — la plus haute distinction scientifique française — vient d'être attribuée à Claude Lévi-Strauss, professeur d'anthropologie sociale au Collège de France. Elle lui a été remise par le Ministre de l'Éducation Nationale le 11 janvier 1968. A cette occasion, le récipiendaire a prononcé une allocution qu'il a bien vouhr nous permettre de publier. Par les prises de positions qu'elle contient au sujet du rôle des institutions françaises de recherche et d'ensei gnement de la recherche, des limites de la méthode structuraliste, des rapports entre sciences de l'homme et sciences de la nature, ce texte représente, comme on le verra, bien plus qu'un discours de circonstance.
The semic matrices of meaning
Authors: Guiraud Pierre
Published: March 2007

The possibility of a quantitative approach to the problem of sense outlined in the following article, is one which has been suggested innu merable times in those sciences which are based on a model of the sign (e.g., linguistics and logic) . The controversy between partisans of the quanti tative or statistical method and those who accept the qualitative or semantic one remains unresolved.

If the 1930's, influenced by logic, favored the first method, recent years have evinced a preference for the second. Nevertheless, the problem remains. Generative grammar eliminates the question when it proposes calculations of syntactical transformations and mathematically organizes the generation of " signified " structures as if they were "signifying " structures without ever formulating the problem of sense.

Semiotics is an heir to this situation, again seriously raising the dilemma, to organize as signifiers, the signified in systems which it studies. The complementarity of the two approaches (quantitative, qualitative) is essential. One cannot overemphasize the fundamental importance of the first method, more concretely and more specifically in the realm of semiotics, that is, the importance of mathematical and logical proce dures for articulating the signifying of the corresponding signified material.

M. Guiraud's text, while strictly in the realm of linguistics, is of considerable interest to semiotics because of the methodological and theo retical problems which it raises : 1) The homology of the signifier/signified. 2) The acceptance of the notion of " sense " a) as a function of a statistical factor (word frequency), b) as semic content on the one hand, and sense, in its fullest meaning, on the other, and c) as an " orientation of the word toward words, as a relationship with the semic properties which it does not possess ". Semiotics, still in its formative stages, can render more flexible the qualitative models which it has hitherto used, by these and other propo sitions of quantitative linguistics. With this article, we initiate the regular publication of studies involving the application of quantitative models, thereby working towards the rigorous axiomatization of semiotic systems. ( Editor's note.)
Encountering the Alien in the Heidegger Affair: Some Reflections in Response To Barry Hindess
Authors: Ansell-Pearson Keith
Published: March 2007

There is a pressing need to think the Heidegger affair. There are several states of urgency, and thus the affair is not the exclusive province of the political or politics. There is an urgency of thought.1

A union of state and philosophy can make sense only if philosophy promises to be unconditionally useful to the state, that is to say, to set usefulness to the state higher than the truth. It would be splendid of course for the state if it also had truth in its pay and service; but the state itself well knows that it is part of the essence of truth that it never accepts pay or stands in anyone's service. 2
Travel Adaptations Among the Elderly1
Authors: McGhee Jerrie L.
Published: March 2007

Concern has been expressed about the impact of rising transportation costs on the rural elderly, though little is actually known about how the elderly have responded and whether there are difference,s among them in adaptive behavior. Using data col lected from 180 rural elderly vehicle owners, this study examined the adoption of travel-change strategies that could potentially reduce or minimize increases in gasoline expenditures. The analysis indicated that older persons making spatial changes of reducing travel activity and shopping closer to home were distinguished from others by a lower income and a greater decline in financial and health status. Adopters of nonspatial changes were distinguished from others by the possession of personal resources-greater physical mobility in the case of those combining more trip purposes and a higher income in the instance of those purchasing a more fuel- efficient vehicle. Implications of the findings for the provision of rural transportation services are discussed.
Multiple Aspects of Bias on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (Forms A & B) for White and for Mexican-American Children
Authors: Reynolds Cecil R. , Piersel Wayne C.
Published: March 2007

The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts has been severely criticized by some minority psychologists as being culturally biased. These criticisms have been based to date on subjective analysis and impressions of item content. To put these criticisms to empirical test, three statistical aspects of bias were examined for use of the Boehm (Forms A & B) with white and Mexican-American children: consistency of reliability across groups, cross-group factorial congruence, and equivalence of regression systems in the prediction of early school achievement. No empirical evidence of bias could be determined to support subjective criticisms of the Boehm when used with Mexican-American children.
Concurrent Validity of the PPVT-R for Anglo-American and Mexican-American Students
Authors: Argulewicz Ed N. , Bingenheimer Laurie Thai , Anderson Curtis C.
Published: March 2007

Concurrent validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was investigated with Anglo-American and Mexican-American students in first through fourth grade (Total N = 105). Only scores on Form L were significantly correlated with achievement for both ethnic groups. Correlations between PPVT-R Form M and achievement were significant for the total sample. Comparisons of the correlation coefficients between the two ethnic groups were not significant, indicating a consistent relation ship between PPVT-R scores and academic performance for Anglo-American and Mexican-American students in the grades from which the sample was drawn.
Item Bias in Individually Administered Ability Tests: Implications for Nondiscriminatory Assessment
Authors: Murray Anne M. , Mishra Shitala P.
Published: March 2007

The study reviewed recent research investigating test-item bias in frequently used individually administered ability tests. An examination of relevant literature suggested that only a limited number of studies in recent years have examined the item-bias issue involving the use of individually administered ability tests. Six methodologies for identifying biased items are presented: (1) measures of item difficulty, (2) analysis of variance procedures, (3) item response theory, (4) chi-square procedures, (5) log-linear models, and (6) judgmental analysis. Implications of the research for assessment practice are examined.
Factor-Analytic Replications of the Estes Attitude Scales
Authors: Richards Herbert C. , Clark Dewitt S.
Published: March 2007

The Elementary Form of the Estes Attitude Scales was administered to 317 children in grades 3-6 who were attending two rural schools in western Virginia and to 49 fourth graders in an urban Pennsylvania elementary school. The Secondary Form of the Estes was administered to 212 rural Virginia adolescents in grades 8-12. Three classical factor analyses were conducted, one for each sample. Results support the factor-analytic integrity of the Estes scales; the findings closely replicate the information reported in the testing manual.
The Congruence between Reason for Referral and Placement Outcome
Authors: Foster Glen G. , Ysseldyke James E. , Casey Ann , Thurlow Martha L.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between referral and special education outcome was investigated in a state where students are referred by category of handicapping condition. Of specific interest was the congruence between categories for which students were referred and eventual placements. Results indicated that 72% of the students referred were placed in some form of special education and that most were placed in the special education category for which they were referred. Variations in the congruence between referral and outcome as a function of the person submitting the referrals were relatively minor, except for parents, for whom 79% of the referred students were not placed in special education. Implications of the results for special education decision making are discussed.
Reliability of K-ABC Subtest Composites
Authors: Siegel Don J. , Piotrowski Richard J.
Published: March 2007

The reliability of subtest composites corresponding to abilities included in Kaufman and Kaufman's (1983) system for interpreting K-ABC profiles was examined. These alternative groupings of subtests demonstrated consistently high reliability. Increasing reliability was related to the number of subtests in a composite. Composites formed by Achievement Scale subtests attained higher reliabilities than those from Mental Processing subtests. The implications for the practitioner analyzing a K-ABC profile are discussed.
The Development and Psychometric Properties of a Rating Scale for Children's Social Skills
Authors: Waksman Steven A.
Published: March 2007

The development of the 21-item Waksman Social Skills Rating Scale (WSSRS) for screening children and adolescents for social skills treatment programs and for the evaluation of those programs is described. The WSSRS demonstrated strong internal consistency and factor structure, satisfactory test-retest reliability, and mixed interrater reliability. The WSSRS correlated significantly with The Portland Problem Behavior, Checklist-Revised and differentiated emotionally disturbed students from normal students. Normative data on a random sample of 331 normal kindergarten through high school students is provided.
The Psychological Assessment of Impulsivity: A Review
Authors: Oas Peter
Published: March 2007

A review of the clinical assessment of impulsivity with common psychological tests is presented. Although the term impulsivity is well known in the field of psychology and psychiatry, there are often misconceptions of the definition of the term and related psychometric aspects on both the empirical and clinical levels. Proposed is a definition that is in agreement with the different perspectives of the concept such that impulsivity is viewed as disordered behavior occurring with little or no premeditation or psychological capacity for delay. The assessment of impulsivity with the Bender Gestalt and Draw-A-Person tests, Wechsler scales, Rorschach, Self-Report, and Behavior Rating Scales cited in Psychological Abstracts and Dissertation Abstracts through 1984 is reviewed. It is concluded that the validity of these tests for assessing impulsivity has yet to be shown due to methodological and conceptual problems.
College Learning-Disabled, Normal, and Basic Writers: A Comparison of Frequency and Accuracy Of Cohesive Ties
Authors: Gregg Noel
Published: March 2007

Examining surface features of a student's writing as a manifestation of communication intention can lead to new insights about that student's writing. Cohesion implies that a written text is more than a mere collection of statements no matter how syntactically mature or grammatically correct such sentences appear. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of college age learning-disabled, normal, and basic writers in the use of specific types of textual cohesion on an expository mode of writing. Results for both frequency and accuracy of cohesive ties are reported, with a discussion of implications.
The Moderating Influence of Gender, Intelligence, and Specific Achievement Deficiencies on the Bannatyne WISC-R Recategorization
Authors: Fischer Wyman E. , Wenck L. Stanley , Schurr K. Terry , Ellen Arthur S.
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to examine the influence of a number of possible moderating variables on the Bannatyne pattern when applied to samples of learning-disabled and emotionally disturbed students. In addition, the study examined the relationship of the Acquired Knowledge scale with the remainder of the Bannatyne recategorization. The sample was comprised of 325 male and female subjects from a medium-sized Indiana community who had been placed in special education classes for either the learning-disabled or the emotionally disturbed. A three-factor MANOVA was employed to determine possible interactions among gender, type of special class placement, and type of achievement discrepancy with the Bannatyne pattern. The Bannatyne pattern was supported for both the learning-disabled and the emotionally disturbed samples. However, the magnitude of the differences between scales within the pattern were influenced by such moderating variables as gender, intelligence, and type of achievement discrepancy, with gender appearing to be the most influential.
Successive and Simultaneous Processing: A Note on Interpretation
Authors: Willis W. Grant
Published: March 2007

Interpretations of successive and simultaneous information processing styles are often obscured by confounding influences due to stimulus-response modality components of tasks. Associated implications are discussed in terms of clinical and research situations.
Factor Analysis of the WISC-R for White and Black Children Evaluated for Gifted Placement
Authors: Greenberg Roy D. , Stewart Krista J. , Hansche W. J.
Published: March 2007

Scores from the 10 regularly administered subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were factor analyzed for samples of white and black children evaluated for placement in a gifted and talented program. The two-factor solutions supported the validity of Wechsler's (1974) Verbal-Performance dichotomy in the interpretation of WISC-R performance. Compositional differences were found on the third factor when compared to the three-factor solutions reported for similar samples. The results suggest that the composition and meaning of the WISC-R third factor for different groups is a valid theoretical question for future research but that routine interpretation of a WISC-R third factor by practitioners may be inappropriate.
Student and Teacher Predictions of Kindergartner's Basic Concept Mastery: How Valid are they?
Authors: Bain Sherry K. , McCallum R. Steve
Published: March 2007

The relationships among kindergarten children's basic concept mastery, their self-predictions of concept mastery, and their teacher's predictions of concept mastery were investigated using items from the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) Form A, screening test. Results indicated the BBCS score mean was significantly lower than both the teacher's prediction mean (p < .001) and the self-prediction mean (p < .001); the teacher's prediction mean and self-prediction mean did not differ. While overpredicting scores, teachers showed moderate discriminative abilities in differentiating good from poor students; the teachers' prediction scores and the children's mastery scores correlated significantly (r = .41, p = .001). The kindergarten children failed to display this discriminative ability. Because teachers displayed the ability to rank performance of these kindergarten-aged children, we conclude they are able to provide useful information to school-based assessment teams when gross rankings are required. On the other hand, we support collection of objective assessment data to prevent problems associated with overprediction by teachers for this age group. Finally, the children's tendency to overpredict is consistent with previous findings that young children lack realistic self-knowledge.
Using the Minnesota Child Development Inventory as a Measure of Developmental Progress with Handicapped Children
Authors: deAyora Paul , White Karl R.
Published: March 2007

The reliability and concurrent validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) as a measure of developmental functioning with handicapped children was investigated with a sample of 72 moderately to severely handicapped children, aged 38 to 77 months. Although the MCDI is not as strong psychometrically as other standardized measures of developmental functioning typically used with this population, results were moderately encouraging, given the ease and economy with which MCDI can be administered. Suggestions for further research and validation are made.