bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating With Sense
Authors: Chen Huey-Tsyh , Rossi Peter H.
Published: March 2007

Arguing for more serious theorizing in connection with evaluation, this article shows that although the randomized controlled experiment conceptualized as a "black box" approach has dominated the discussions of impact assessment since the classic statements of Campbell and Stanley (1966), the use of theoretical models in connection with impact assessment can both heighten the power of experimental designs and compensatefor some of the major deficiencies of quasi-experimental designs. The article also emphasizes the importance of theoretical models of implementation processes, arguing that this process often constitutes the major obstacle to the full realization of effective programs.
Decision Support Systems
Authors: O'Sullivan Elizabethann
Published: March 2007

Decision Support Systems (DSS) are automated information systems designed to aid administrative decision making. This article reviews the literature on the design, implementation, and evaluation of DSS. Based on the review, the article suggests that evaluators act as liaisons between designers and managers, identify and collect data for DSS, and evaluate DSS. The DSS literature supports the value of collaboration between evaluators and users, and it suggests how to improve their relationships. The emphasis of DSS designers on decision-making styles may provide a new dimensionfor research on evaluation.
Toward a Reliable Measure of Attitudes On Safety-Belt and Child Safety-Seat Use
Authors: Race Kathryn E.H.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the reliability ofan attitude scale on safety-belt and child safety- seat use. The scale, which consists of 17 behavior-oriented statements, was administered to 169 employees of a petroleum and chemical company. Based on analysis the reliability was high (r = 94) and all item correlations (p < .01) and statement-scale coefficients (p < .001) were statistically significant. An analysis of the structure of this scale suggests three underlying factors. Scores on the original scale and proposed subscales were also positively related to self-reported safety-belt use.
Economic Evaluation of a Federal Natural Resources Program
Authors: Ellefson Paul V. , Risbrudt Christopher D.
Published: March 2007

A major federal natural resources program, the Forestry Incentives Program, was evaluated. The program 's internal rate of return ranged from 8.3% to 10. 9%, depending on which costs are included. The retention of forest practices established 8 years prior was excellent. Evaluation challenges include dispersion of program benefits throughout the rural United States, evaluating benefits accruing many years in the juture (75- 100 years), and multiple-agency involvement in program administration.
Children'S Attitudes Toward Languages and Perceptions of Performers’ Social Status in the Context of Songs
Authors: Abril Carlos R.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of 5th grade Spanish-English bilingual children toward songs performed in Spanish and English. After listening to each song, children answered a series of questions measuring their attitude towards the language, familiarity with the language, and judgment of the performer's social status. Children were found to have a significantly more favorable attitude toward English than Spanish in the context of song. They also rated English-singing performers to be of a higher social status. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between their attitude towards the Spanish language and the social status rating.
The universal language of all times?
Authors: Mukuna Kazadi Wa
Published: March 2007

The definitions of music published in the last decades, particularly the one formulated by Alan Merriam (1964) in conjunction with the field of ethnomusicology, have broadened the scope of music by identifying it as a product of human behaviour in a cultural context. The definition of music has not only raised the level of awareness of the nature of cultural diversity of our societies, but nurtured trends in ‘multicultural’ perspectives in music education. With these trends, musical materials from diverse cultures are being introduced to curricula, especially in Europe and the USA. In spite of this well-intentioned effort, difficulties continue to be encountered at the implementation level, where teaching and evaluation methods designed for Western musical material are being applied without discrimination across cultural boundaries. When ill-applied in cultural areas where the concept of ‘music’ is not similar to that of the Western world, this rather colonial-type practice produces devastating results. Here it is argued that in its present design music education is, for the most part, insensitive to cultural diversity. Like music, it is a culturally defined mode of discourse. Its application outside the context of origin requires utmost fidelity in order to preserve its authenticity.
Swanwick puts music education back in its western prison – a reply
Authors: Walker Robert
Published: March 2007

Swanwick (1996) failed to provide a credible challenge to Walker's (1996) suggested ‘New praxis freed from Colonialism’ and instead offered yet more cultural colonialism with his concept of music as ‘discourse’. This term has a long and deep western lineage and therefore is inadequate as a descriptive modus operandi for music education in all cultures. Its efficacy relies on unsupported assumptions about a universality in human mind processes irrespective of culture. While waving the musical flag of cultural pluralism, Swanwick simultaneously suggests a universal cognitive functioning for all humans. He cannot have it both ways: pluralism and universalism are incommensurate. Unless Swanwick abandons his commitment to universal cognitive functioning he has little to say to the world's music educators outside the western traditions. Pluralism means cognitive differences, which in turn suggest many different and diverse ways of expression in what the West calls music than the term ‘discourse’ can possibly accommodate.
The Abolition of the Probation Service?
Authors: Davison Cliff
Published: March 2007

To be or not to be? That is a question which has frequently been asked about the Probation Service. The article which follows is a fantasy. Read it with a sense of humour and make up your own mind about any seeds of truth which it may contain.
The Context of the British Parole System
Authors: Barnard Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

While reviewing the history, procedures and effects of the British parole system, in its political and penal policy contexts, the author examines the doctrine of correctionalism and the conflicting prin ciples of the 'justice model'. She discusses the effects of the under mining of correctionalism, points to developments in other countries, and suggests that 'the present compromise of policies gives little satisfaction, and the time appears ripe to reconsider the questions of justice and the limits of penal policy.
Publishing problems in Kenya
Authors: Gundu George S.
Published: March 2007

Reviews the historical background and present state of publishing in Kenya, including the role of both indigenous and foreign firms.

The main problems include: a high rate of illiteracy; lack of the reading habit; lack of local writers; language problems; lack of finance; high production costs ; marketing and distribution problems; lack of expertise, and inadequate publicity. These can affect both indigenous and other publishers, who should cooperate more. Despite the problems, Kenyan publishing has a future.
Information technology in Thai academic libraries: report on a survey
Authors: Vespry H.A. , Kitiyadisai Krisana
Published: March 2007

Rapid developments are taking place in the libraries of Thailand as the government becomes aware of the role of information in the development of the country. New equipment for computerization is becoming commonplace and IT has now become a topic of discussion in the newspapers. In this atmosphere it seemed worthwhile to capture the status of IT in the main institutions in Bangkok so that growth may be measured in the future. This survey is a quick snapshot of the present situation which will change very rapidly in the forthcoming months. Thirteen libraries in eight institutions in Bangkok were surveyed by questionnaire and personal visits.
Evidence for the involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in the mediation of exploratory locomotor activity in the rat
Authors: Johansson Christina , Ahlenius Sven
Published: March 2007

The 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di- n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), 0.1 mg/kg-1 subcutaneously, produced a suppression of horizontal ('locomotion') and vertical ('rearing') activity, in an open field arena. This effect was partially antagonized by treatment with (-)pindolol, 2 mg/kg-1 subcutaneously. (-)Pindolol by itself produced a small, but statistically significant suppression of locomotor activity. There were no effects on rearing activity by (—)pindolol. In comparison with saline-treated controls, 8-OH-DPAT increased peripheral, relative to total, horizontal activity in the open field arena. (-)Pindolol adminis tration restored this pattern of activity to normal levels in 8-OH-DPAT-treated animals, without altering the relation peripheral to total activity by itself.
Behavioural and biochemical effects of muscimol in ethanolamine O-sulphate-treated rats
Authors: Westerling P. , Lindgren S. , Meyerson B.J.
Published: March 2007

A behavioural model, accompanied by biochemical analysis, was used to study the effects of the GABA-A receptor agonist muscimol on untreated and ethanolamine O- sulphate (EOS)-treated male rats. The most pronounced effect of muscimol was a lengthening of the duration of investigating behaviour. Pretreatment with EOS for 29 days potentiated this effect. Muscimol decreased the accumulation of GABA in the substantia nigra after 8 days but not after 30 days of EOS treatment, indicating that receptor adaptation might have occurred. We conclude that muscimol influences investigating behaviour and that chronic elevated brain GABA levels potentiate this effect.
Time-course of the hypomotility effects of the adenosine analogues, cyclohexyladenosine and N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine, in a holeboard test
Authors: Durcan Michael J. , Morgan Philip F.
Published: March 2007

The time-course of the hypomotility effects of the adenosine analogues 5'-N- ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) and N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) was investigated in a holeboard test. Behaviourally equipotent doses of both compounds given to independent groups of animals showed significant depression of both exploratory head-dipping and locomotor activity at the 9, 18 and 36 min time points after drug administration. No significant differences from control group values were detected at 72 or 144 min post-administration. Additionally, the effects of both analogues administered immediately before a holeboard test were examined by investigating four 2 min time bins over the 8 min test session. Significant drug x time bin interactions were detected: NECA and CHA both showed faster reductions in locomotor activity, and NECA more reduction in head-dipping, over the test as compared to control. However, no differences between NECA and CHA on test habituation were detected. The results of these experiments support the view that pharmacodynamic rather than phar macokinetic factors may be responsible for the different behavioural potencies of NECA and CHA.
Time-course of effects of oral cinnarizine and hyoscine on task performance
Authors: Golding J.F. , Strong R. , Pethybridge R.J.
Published: March 2007

Investigations into antimotion sickness drugs fall into two main categories: efficacy ('benefits') and side-effects ('costs'). This study was of the second type. Oral cinnarizine (30 mg: normal dose; and 75 mg: 2.5 x normal dose) and placebo, were investigated using a battery of automated mental, motor, physiological and other tests in twelve young healthy male volunteers. The higher cinnarizine dose level was chosen to exaggerate effects and make it easier to track them. Oral hyoscine (1.2 mg: 2 x normal dose) was employed as a positive internal control. Side-effects were almost exclusively due to hyoscine whereas cinnarizine was almost free of significant effects even at the higher dose of 75 mg. Hyoscine impaired performance 1-3 hours postdrug, whereas the effects of cinnarizine occurred approximately 5-7 hours postdrug. This paralleled the slower time-course for the protective action of cinnarizine against motion sickness noted in earlier studies. These results, taken in conjunction with previous trials, suggest that oral cinnarizine would seem less likely than hyoscine to produce unwanted decrements in performance.
Dose-response analysis of the effects of buspirone on rearing in rats
Authors: Panickar Kiran S. , McNaughton Neil
Published: March 2007

The effects of buspirone were tested on rearing in an open field. Six different doses of buspirone (10, 3.3, 1.1, 0.3, 0.1 and 0.04 mg/kg) and a single dose of chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg) were administered i.p. to separate groups of rats. Buspirone produced a dose-dependent decrease in rearing in the range 0.04-10 mg/kg, whereas only the higher doses (10 and 3.3 mg/kg) decreased ambulation significantly. Chlordiazepoxide reduced rearing to an extent equivalent to 1 mg/kg of buspirone. Together with data in the literature, the results suggest that 5-HT1A agonists affect rearing at lower doses than ambulation; that the effects of buspirone in the open field are similar to classical anxiolytics; and that changes in rearing may be more closely related to anxiolytic than muscle relaxant, anti-convulsant and other GABA-mediated effects of the classical anxiolytics.
The effects of pre-treatment with enalapril maleate on scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits in healthy volunteers
Authors: Lines C.R. , Preston G.C. , Dawson C.E. , Brazell C. , Traub M.
Published: March 2007

Two studies were undertaken to investigate the effects of acute (Study 1) or repeated (Study 2) administration of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril on the cognitive deficits produced by scopolamine administration in volunteers. Enalapril at doses between 2.5 and 10.0 mg p.o. produced virtually complete blockade of plasma ACE activity. However, it did not influence the effects of scopolamine on a variety of cognitive tasks, including tests of memory, attention and sedation.
Recent advances in the physiology and pharmacology of pain: plasticity and its implications for clinical analgesia
Authors: Dickenson Anthony H.
Published: March 2007

There have been considerable advances in our understanding of the transmission and modulation of nociceptive messages at both the central and peripheral endings of sensory afferent fibres. This review concentrates on the evidence for plasticity in these systems and emphasizes the recent spinal electrophysiological studies on the interplay between excitatory amino acids, opioids, noradrenaline and non-opioid peptides in these events.
Evidence for dopamine D-1 receptor-mediated facilitatory and inhibitory effects on feeding behaviour in rats
Authors: Cooper Steven J. , Francis John , Al-Naser Hessah , Barber David
Published: March 2007

Early studies on dopamine agonists and feeding behaviour showed that apomorphine, administered either centrally or systemically, reduced food intake. While this anorectic effect was later analysed in some detail, it was also recognized that, under some circumstances, apomorphine could increase food consumption. Once the distinction between dopamine D-1 and D-2 receptors had been drawn, and receptor-specific agonists and antagonists had become available, the way was clear to investigate the potential roles of D-1 and D-2 receptor subtypes in relation to ingestional behaviour. This paper reviews evidence which indicates, first of all, that D-1 receptor agonists reduce food intake relatively specifically and that the effect cannot be attributed to the induction of intrusive mouth movements or to general behavioural changes (e.g. increased arousal or sedation). We show that dopamine D-1 agonists reduce sucrose sham-feeding in the gastric-fistulated rat. Secondly, however, we provide initial evidence that D-1 agonist activity can have a facilitatory effect on feeding behaviour. More specifically, the D-1 agonist, SKF 38393, increased the response to a highly palatable food in a food-preference test. This result is compared with published reports that injections of either D-amphetamine or morphine into the nucleus accumbens increases feeding behaviour. We speculate that D-1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens may be involved in the mediation of preference for more palatable foods.
The cholecystokinin hypothesis of panic and anxiety disorders: a review
Authors: Bradwejn Jacques , Koszycki Diana , du Tertre Anne Cöuetoux , Bourin Michel , Palmour Roberta , Ervin Frank
Published: March 2007

It has been suggested that cholecystokinin, a neurotransmitter found in high density in mammalian brain, might be implicated in the neurobiology of panic and anxiety disorders. Cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide induces panic attacks analogous to spontaneous panic attacks in patients suffering from panic disorder and to a much lesser degree in healthy volunteers, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity to cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide in panic disorder. In animal models of anxiety, pre-treatment with cholecystokinin antagonists significantly decreases the anxiogenic effects of cholecystokinin agonists. This paper reviews clinical and basic studies supporting an involvement for cholecystokinin in panic and anxiety disorders.
Altered consciousness: pharmacology and phenomenology BAP Summer Meeting, York, July 1991
Authors: Munglani Rajesh , Jones J.G.
Published: March 2007

In this article parallels are drawn between sleep and anaesthesia. Both can be described as 'behavioural states' in which stimulation and inhibition of certain neuronal groups will give rise to specific psychological states. The neuronal mechanisms leading to these states are reviewed and compared. Sensory information flow through the thalamus is reduced in sleep and anaesthesia, the thalamic gating being controlled by other areas of the brain including the sensory cortex. Thus a feedback loop may exist with the brain determining its own level of arousal. Anaesthesia increases gating at the thalamus and thus specifically reduces arousal. Consciousness is a specific attribute of the brain and is not required for the processing of sensory stimuli and learning, both of which have been shown to occur during sleep and anaesthesia. The implications of these findings for monitoring awareness during anaesthesia are discussed.
Chemical dissociation of human awareness: focus on non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists
Authors: Domino Edward F.
Published: March 2007

Since the mid-1950s the pharmaceutical industry has developed a number of chemicals, including phencyclidine, ketamine and related arylcyclohexylamines (PCE and TCP), dizocilpine (MK-801), N-allylnormetazocine [ NANM, (±)SKF-10,047], etoxadrol, dioxadrol and its enantiomers dexoxadrol and levoxadrol, which produce a constellation of unusual behavioral effects in animals and man. The compounds best studied in humans are phencyclidine and ketamine. They produce a remarkable dose-dependent dissociation of awareness. All of these substances are now known to be non-competitive antagonists of NMDA receptors of glutamic acid. They act in the NMDA receptor ion channel. One can conclude, on the basis of the effects observed with these agents, that glutamic acid and related excitatory amino acids are extremely important in the maintenance of human awareness.
The effects of serotonergic drugs on short-term spatial memory in rats
Authors: Jansen J.H.M. , Andrews J.S.
Published: March 2007

The effects of modulating the serotonergic system on short-term spatial memory were investigated using delayed matching to position and delayed non-matching to position procedures. Rats were trained on one of the two tasks until stability and then administered the drugs 30 min before a session. Fluoxetine (0.625-10 mg/kg), a serotonin uptake inhibitor, fenfluramine (0.313-5 mg/kg), a serotonin release enhancer, and ipsapirone (2.5-10 mg/kg), a serotonin 1A partial agonist, were all injected subcutaneously in saline solution. Apart from fenfluramine, none of the compounds affected accuracy in either procedure, but some effects on other non- mnemonic measures were seen. At 5 mg/kg, fenfluramine significantly affected latency to respond, total responses on the levers and nosepokes in the foodtray as well as accuracy, indicating a non-specific disruption of behaviour rather than a selective effect on memory processes. These data suggest that cognitive effects of serotonergic drugs are difficult to identify in normal animals, irrespective of the mechanism of action of the drug. These data conflict with recent reports indicating memory-enhancing effects of serotonin uptake inhibitors.
Continuous exposure to FG 7142: behavioural sensitisation is not accompanied by changes in benzodiazepine/GABA receptor coupling
Authors: Brett R.R. , Jedrusik P. , Laverty W. , Pratt J.A.
Published: March 2007

Chronic intermittent high-dose treatment with N-methyl-β-carboline-3-carboxamide (FG 7142) leads to kindling accompanied by reduction in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor function, whereas chronic continuous administration may result in behavioural effects in the opposite direction from those of acute FG 7142. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of continuous administration of low doses of FG 7142 on the response to an acute challenge dose of FG 7142 in an ethologically based model of anxiety. Rats treated continuously for 14 days with FG 7142 delivered by osmotic minipump at a rate of 1.2-1.5 mg/kg/day showed sensitisation to the anxiogenic effects of a challenge dose of FG 7142 (6 mg/kg), as measured in the elevated plus-maze. This was not accompanied by any change in benzodiazepine/GABA receptor coupling, as assessed by the 'GABA shift'. These results indicate that continuous low-dose treatment with FG 7142 can elicit sensitisation to the behavioural effects of FG 7142, but that this is unlikely to be mediated by changes in benzodiazepine/GABA receptor coupling.
Comparison of benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor agonists in two rodent activity tests
Authors: Bayley P.J. , Bentley G.D. , Jackson A. , Williamson D. , Dawson G.R.
Published: March 2007

The effects of four BZ receptor ligands in an operant test were compared with a rotarod test. In the operant test, rats were trained to pull a chain on a schedule that regulates the probability of delivery of food pellets to maintain a steady chain-pulling rate across a 1 h test session. For the rotarod test, mice were trained to remain on a rotarod for 2 min. Diazepam (0.1-3.0 mg/kg, i.p.), FG 8205 (0.1-3.0 mg/kg, i.p.), quazepam (3.0-60.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and zolpidem (0.3-10.0 mg/kg, i.p.) each produced dose-related impairments of performance in both the chain- pulling test and the mouse rotarod test. Furthermore, the impairment in performance induced by FG 8205 (10.0 mg/kg, p.o.) was dose-dependently reversed by the BZ receptor antagonist, flumazenil (1.0-10.0 mg/kg, i.p.), indicating that the chain-pulling deficit was mediated via BZ receptor activation. Diazepam, FG 8205 and quazepam all had comparable potencies in both the rotarod assay and the chain-pulling test. However, zolpidem suppressed the chain-pulling rates at a dose 30-fold lower than that required to induce a significant deficit in the rotarod performance. As zolpidem is a preferentially sedative compound, this pattern of results is consistent with the hypothesis that the chain-pulling test is sensitive to sedation induced by BZ receptor agonists.
Stimulation and blockade of α1 adrenoceptors affect behavioural activity, but not spatial working memory assessed by delayed non-matching to position task in rats
Authors: Puumala Tarja , Sirviö Jouni
Published: March 2007

The present study investigated the role of α1 adrenergic receptors in the modulation of working memory and behavioural activity by assessing the effects of α1 adrenergic receptor stimulation or blockade on the performance of rats in a delayed non-matching to position task. St-587 (a putative agonist of α 1 adrenoceptors) at a dose of 100 μg/kg slightly increased choice accuracy (per cent correct responses) of rats, but the effect was delay-independent which is interpreted as an improvement in choice accuracy and non-mnemonic (non-working memory) in character. Neither St-587 (300 or 1000 μg/kg) nor prazosin (a prototype antagonist of α1 adrenoceptors) (100 or 300 μg/kg) significantly affected the choice accuracy of rats in this task. Prazosin 300 μg/kg lengthened the latency for correct responses in the working memory task but did not affect food collection latencies. This combination of effects may reflect decreased motor output. St-587 300 and 1000 μg/ kg, but not prazosin, increased food collection latencies in the working memory task. Thus, the present results suggest that α 1 adrenergic receptors do not play any important role in spatial working memory as assessed using the delayed non-matching to position task, but that modulation of α1 adrenoceptors may affect motor activity and motivation in rats.
Antipsychotic drug affinities at α2-adrenoceptor subtypes in post-mortem human brain
Authors: Blake Tracey-Jane , Tillery Claire E. , Reynolds Gavin P.
Published: March 2007

Although there is substantial interest in the possible role of α2-adrenoceptors in the antipsychotic efficacy of clozapine, there has so far been no systematic investigation of antipsychotic drug affinities for α2-adrenoceptor subtypes in the human brain. We have assessed the ability of three classical and four 'atypical' antipsychotic drugs to displace binding of [3H]RX821002 to α2-adrenoceptors in human post-mortem brain tissue. All seven drugs displaced radioligand from an apparent single site in the frontal cortex, consistent with the sole presence of the α2A-subtype in this region. In the caudate nucleus, all drugs except risperidone differentiated two sites, of which one was equivalent to the cortical α2A-subtype and the second, accounting for approximately two-thirds of specific radioligand binding, showed higher affinity for the antipsychotics. This second site, on the basis of prazosin's relatively high affinity, is consistent with an α 2B-adrenoceptor identity. The new antipsychotic quetiapine showed the greatest selectivity for this receptor site; both quetiapine and clozapine had affinities for the α2B site which were greater than their affinities for human D2 dopamine receptors. The possible role of this site in the mechanisms underlying aspects of antipsychotic drug atypicality is discussed.
High-dose vitamin E plus vitamin B6 treatment of risperidone-related neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Authors: Dursun S.M. , Oluboka O.J. , Devarajan S. , Kutcher S.P.
Published: March 2007

We present a case of a 74-year-old patient with schizoaffective disorder, who developed risperidone-related neurleptic malignant syndrome. This patient responded satisfactorily to the supportive management and vit E plus vit B6.
Nicotine-induced grooming: a possible dopaminergic and/or cholinergic mechanism
Authors: Zarrindast M.R. , Sedaghati F. , Borzouyeh F.
Published: March 2007

The ability of nicotine, to induce grooming in rats was studied. Grooming was induced by i.p. injection of different doses (0.0675-0.5 mg/kg) of nicotine to rats. The effect was dose-dependent. However, the response was decreased with increasing doses of the drug from 0.25-0.5 mg/kg. Administration of the dopamine (DA) D 1/D2 receptor agonist apomorphine (0.025-5 mg/kg, i.p.) also caused grooming in a dose-dependent manner. High doses of apomorphine (0.1-0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) also induced a lower degree of response. Combination of a low dose of nicotine (0.0675 mg/kg) with different doses of apomorphine did not show any interaction. However, there was an interaction between a high dose of nicotine and apomorphine. Thus, combination of a higher dose of nicotine (0.125 mg/kg) with apomorphine, reduced apomorphine-induced grooming.

The muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine (5 and 10 mg/kg), peripheral nicotinic receptor antagonist hexamethonium (5 and 10 mg/kg), central nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (1 and 3 mg/kg) and D1 DA receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.05 and 0.1 mg/kg) all decreased the response to nicotine. Atropine, mecamylamine and SCH23390 by themselves reduced spontaneous grooming. It is concluded that nicotine elicits grooming indirectly through a possible D1 dopaminergic mechanism. However, muscarinic and nicotinic cholinergic mechanism(s) may be involved.
Decision Tables and logic in Decision Analysis
Authors: Glasziou Paul , Hilden Jörgen
Published: March 2007

Unmanageably bushy decision trees result when a decision analysis involves several in vestigations. They can be simplified for riskless tests by deriving the maximum expected utility decision table for the problem as an intermediate step. This table can be logically summarized as Boolean expressions involving the tests. A minimum-cost testing sequence may then be found by manipulation of the Boolean formulas. The relationship between the resulting decision criteria and the receiver operating characteristic is shown.
Choice and Explanation in Medical Management
Authors: Rennels Glenn D. , Shortliffe Edward H. , Miller Perry L.
Published: March 2007

This paper explores a model of choice and explanation in medical management and makes clear its advantages and limitations. The model is based on multiattribute decision making (MADM) and consists of four distinct strategies for choice and explanation, plus combinations of these four. Each strategy is a restricted form of the general MADM approach, and each makes restrictive assumptions about the nature of the domain. The advantage of tailoring a restricted form of a general technique to a particular domain is that such efforts may better capture the character of the domain and allow choice and explanation to be more naturally modelled. The uses of the strategies for both choice and explanation are illustrated with analyses of several existing medical management artificial intelligence (Al) systems, and also with examples from the management of primary breast cancer. Using the model it is possible to identify common underlying features of these Al systems, since each employs portions of this model in different ways. Thus the model enables better understanding and characterization of the seemingly ad hoc decision making of previous systems. Key words: artificial intelligence; expert systems; explanation; medical management. (Med Decis Making 7:22-31, 1987)
Warfarin for Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Tsevat Joel , Eckman Mark H. , Mcnutt Robert A. , Pauker Stephen G.
Published: March 2007

Although current recommendations for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy include long- term anticoagulation to diminish the likelihood of systemic embolization, there have been no clinical trials examining the effectiveness of anticoagulation in preventing systemic emboli zation in these patients. Furthermore, those recommendations do not address the issue of the quality of life associated with long-term warfarin therapy. Using decision analysis, the authors examined the benefits and risks of long-term anticoagulation for patients 35 to 75 years of age who have dilated cardiomyopathy. The results show that anticoagulant therapy increases quality-adjusted life expectancy by 76 to 128 days, depending on the patient's age. Sensitivity analysis, however, demonstrates that the outcome is dependent on the disutility associated with long-term warfarin therapy. Interestingly, anticoagulation exerts most of its benefit by preventing pulmonary embolization, not systemic embolization. The authors conclude that the current recommendation to anticoagulate these patients, although probably correct for many patients, should take into consideration the change in lifestyle imposed by long-term anticoagulant therapy. For some patients, the benefit may not outweigh the sac rifice.
Analyzing a Portion of the ROC Curve
Authors: McClish Donna Katzman
Published: March 2007

The area under the ROC curve is a common index summarizing the information contained in the curve. When comparing two ROC curves, though, problems arise when interest does not lie in the entire range of false-positive rates (and hence the entire area). Numerical integration is suggested for evaluating the area under a portion of the ROC curve. Variance estimates are derived. The method is applicable for either continuous or rating scale binormal data, from independent or dependent samples. An example is presented which looks at rating scale data of computed tomographic scans of the head with and without concomitant use of clinical history. The areas under the two ROC curves over an a priori range of false- positive rates are examined, as well as the areas under the two curves at a specific point.
Do objectiue Estimates of chances for Survival Influence Decisions to Withhold or Withdraw Treatment?
Authors: Knaus William A. , Rauss Alain , Alperovitch Annick , Le Gall Jean-Roger , Loirat Philippe , Patois Elizabeth , Marcus Stephen E.
Published: March 2007

The authors studied the impact on clinical decision making of providing feedback of objective prognostic information describing the probability of survival for ICU patients with multiple organ system failure (OSF). The prognostic estimates, derived from a control period (1), were to be provided on a daily basis to physicians providing treatment in 25 French ICUs during a subsequent experimental period (2). The types of, frequencies of, and reasons for decisions to limit or stop treatment in the two periods were compared. In the experimental period 2, 17 ICUs participated in the feedback study. Within these 17 units, there was a small but significant (p <0.05) increase in decisions to stop active treatment and provide comfort care that was limited to patients with three or more OSFs. There was no change in decision making in the eight units that did not participate in the feedback study. Although these results suggest a direct causal relationship between the provision of objective prog nostic data and changes in physician decision making, the small increase in comfort care decisions (n = 14) between period 1 and period 2 and the fact that only 17 of the 25 original units participated in the feedback study make it difficult to eliminate other influences. There was no indication in this study, however, that explicit provision of prognostic data led to a sense of therapeutic futility. Key words: prediction; feedback; outcome; prognosis; organ system failure; treatment decisions. (Med Decis Making 1990;10:163-171)
Physicians' Use of Medical Knowledge Resources
Authors: Curley Shawn P. , Connelly Donald P. , Rich Eugene C.
Published: March 2007

The recurring decision of selecting among potential knowledge resources was modeled as a cost-benefit tradeoff, with associated observable features. Internal medicine and com munity family practice physicians (n = 228) completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to elicit reported use and cost-benefit features of nine knowledge resources. The subjects reported most frequent use of clinical colleagues, intermediate use of textbooks and journals, and least use of indexing systems. Resources' benefit-related qualities (ex tensiveness and credibility) were not related to reported use. In contrast, the model's access cost variables (availability, searchability, understandability, and clinical applicability) were significantly related to use. Results were generally favorable to the model's framework of knowledge resource selection. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that physicians' use of clinical knowledge resources could be described by the physician's level of training, availability, applicability, and the resource medium (colleague, index, or text/journal).
Developing and Testing a Multimedia Presentation of a Health-state Description
Authors: Goldstein Mary Kane , Clarke Ann E. , Michelson David , Garber Alan M. , Bergen Merlynn R. , Lenert Leslie A.
Published: March 2007

Quality-adjustment weights for health states are an essential component of cost-utility anal ysis (CUA). Quality-adjustment weights are obtained by presenting large numbers of subjects with multiattribute descriptions of health states for rating. Comprehending multiattribute health states is a difficult task for most respondents. The authors hypothesized that multimedia (MM) presentation using computers might facilitate this task better than would a paper-based text (Text). To test this hypothesis, they developed closely matched MM and Text descriptions of health states in the first-person narrative style, and developed a method of testing the presentation of a health state. Subjects were randomized to exposure to either MM or Text and subject recall of the health state and recognition of features of the health state were tested. How well defined the preferences of the subjects were after each presentation method was assessed by having the subjects mark on a double-anchored visual-analog scale the "best" and "worst" they believed the quality of life in the health state might be. MM subjects had better recall (11.85 vs 9.44 of a total of 24 meaning units, p = 0.098) and better recognition (4.71 vs 4.22, p = 0.08). The average interval between the "best" and "worst" ratings was shorter for the MM subjects (2.19 cm vs 3.26 cm, p = 0.12). The results suggest that: 1) MM presentation results in better recall and recognition, indicating better transfer of information; 2) MM presentation appears to result in better definition of preferences (a smaller preference interval), suggesting better integration of information into subject preference; and 3) recall and recognition testing of a health-state description can identify material in the description that has an unintended impact on the respondents. Key words: cost-utility analysis; communication medium; quality-adjustment weights; multimedia; health-state de scription. (Med Decis Making 1994;14:336-344)
Three-Dimensional Camera Space Manipulation
Authors: Skaar S.B. , Brockman W.H. , Jang W.S.
Published: March 2007

This article extends to three-dimensional tasks the method of camera space manipulation. A minimum of two cameras is required to place points on end effectors (or objects in their grasp) of n-degree-of-freedom manipulators relative to other bodies. This is accomplished using a sequential estimation scheme that permits placement of these points in each of the two-dimensional image planes of monitoring cameras. A precise and robust manipulation strategy that is compatible with "real time" results. Simulations are used that show the method to be insensitive to two particular kinds of model error- unmodeled elastic deflection and unmodeled camera distortion. The method is tested experimentally with a three- dimensional point placement task. It is then generalized to rigid body placement tasks and illustrated with experiments involving the positioning of one rigid body on a second. An appendix details the unfolding of one such experimental maneuver at several junctures in the visual data-collecting process.
Manipulators Constrained by Stiff Contact: Dynamics, Control, and Experiments
Authors: Faessler Hanspeter
Published: March 2007

The problem of concurrent motion and force control for ma nipulator tasks with continuous contact between end effector and environment is addressed in this article. In contrast to previous work, no compliance is assumed between end effec tor and contacted object, but instead the contact is modeled to be stiff. A convenient formulation of dynamic equations for constrained manipulators is presented that allows for a very simple inclusion of kinematic constraints resulting from stiff contact. The formulation is also applicable in situations where the compliance frame and/or the contacted object are moving. Based on the resulting dynamic equations, two separate compensators for the nonlinear and time-variant manipulator dynamics in the motion- and force-controlled subspaces are derived. Suitable discrete-time controllers for motion control and for force control are presented. The re sulting control scheme was implemented on an experimental high-speed manipulator, and results are given and discussed.
The Shumon Aratame Cho: Japan's Population Registers
Authors: Cornell L.L. , Hayami Akira
Published: March 2007

Local population registers were compiled in Japan from about 1670 on and continued for the next two centuries. Established as part of an effort to exterminate Christianity, these "registers ofreligious investigation" (shumon aratarne cho) list the name, age, and relationship to head of household for individuals in villages and towns throughout Japan. This article describes their origin, the type and quality of information they contain, their uses for demographic and social structural analysis, and their availability to scholars.
Why so Few?: Women Household Heads in Osaka Chônin Families
Authors: Hauser William B.
Published: March 2007

Women house heads were uncommon among Osaka chônin (urban ite) households. Despite the assumed importance of assuring family continuity, there were legal and customary barriers to women succeeding to family headships. Fifteen hundred seven records of household succession for Osaka in the period 1707-1872 include only twenty-two cases of female predecessors and thirty-seven cases of female successors. Given the number of households which disappear after failing to find a suitable successor, why were women generally excluded? Why were women less frequent than minor males as intermediary successors? Why were employees and distant male relatives more attractive than women as successors? Female househeads are less frequent after 1730 than before. The change resulted from fears of excessive business competition from branch households. This served to restrict the candidates for succession and increased the failure rate of Osaka merchant houses.
Regulating the American Family
Authors: Mintz Steven
Published: March 2007

The article offers an interpretive synthesis of recent scholarship on family law and government regulation of the family. It traces changes in family law from the colonial era to the present and concludes with an analysis of family law as a discourse involving four broad themes: the law's social functions; the social values upheld by law; the relative responsibility of private individuals and the larger society for enforcing values; and the ways in which the law intervenes in family affairs.
Problems and Promises: Colonial American Child Rearing and Modernization Theory
Authors: Hessinger Rodney
Published: March 2007

This article critically reviews some of the most important literature of the last twenty-five years on the topic of colonial American child rearing and considers the implications of this workfor modernization theory. This literature has pointed out serious diffculties with modernization theory, most important, it has demon strated a diversity of colonial experience that undermines the ideal-type frame work of this theory. Yet some insight might be salvaged from the thought of modernization theorists and the classical sociologists upon whose ideas they drew. While the colonial social landscape varied highly, there were also important similarities that characterized American transitions from region to region. This article concentrates on one central tendency within American society, the growing prerogatives given to the individual over the collective. As this trend gained expression within the practice of child rearing, children's sense of self was increasingly severed from the community at large.
The Family Politics of the Marquis De Bombelles
Authors: Merrick Jeffrey
Published: March 2007

The voluminous journal of Marc-Marie de Bombelles (1744-1822) provides abundant documentation of the cultivation of affective relations within the family as well as the connections between private and public affairs in the last years of the Ancien Regime. The marquis represented himself as a devoted son, brother, husband, and father who sought and found happiness en famille. He renounced certain attitudes and conduct traditionally associated with the aristocracy and regretted the fact that the king and queen did not set a good example for their subjects. He described Louis XVI as a good father who could not rule his feelings, his wife, or his realm; and Marie-Antoinette as a bad mother who neglected her children and abused her prerogatives. Bombelles expected the royal family, like his own family, to embody values that historians have commonly identified with the bourgeoisie.
Determining the Boundaries of Virtue: the Discourse of Recogimiento Among Women in Seventeenth-Century Lima
Authors: van Deusen Nancy E.
Published: March 2007

This article explores the meanings of the concept of recogimiento, a virtue related to honor and physical enclosure as it was expressed in the marital litigation testimonies of women of all racial and class backgrounds in Lima between 1650 and 1700. Elite, humble, and nonwhite women alike claimed honor as part of their identity in ways that were distinct from concepts of male honor and definitions of sexual purity. Married women attempted to define the boundaries of virtue along broader lines that included contributions to the household economy. In addition, women's self-definition of recogimiento included connotations of a sense of virtue and proper behavior in both private or household settings and in the public sphere where they worked.
Migration Experience and Family Patterns in the "Promised Land"
Authors: Tolnay Stewart E.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between migration experience and family patterns among resi dents of the North and West is examined for three time periods-1940, 1970, and 1990. In general, an inverse association is observed between duration of residence in the North or West and family stability among African Americans. Although selective return migration to the South contributes to this association, it can account for only a minor part of the variation in family patterns by migration history. It is concluded that there is no evidence to support previous assumptions that southern migrants carried a dysfunctional family culture with them to the North and West, and thereby destabilized the nonsouthern African American family. Rather, changes indigenous to the North and West were responsible, for example, structural changes in the economy or the emergence of an inner-city "oppositional culture" that does not emphasize traditional family patterns or transitions.
Revolutionizing Childhood: Schools, Roads, and the Revolutionary Generation Gap in Tepoztlán, Mexico, 1928 to 1944
Authors: Waters Wendy
Published: March 2007

Road building and national education were prominent programs of the Mexican Revolution. This article shows how, in one village, the arrival of a paved road and an increase in school attendance changed the lives of children. Exposed to alter natives ideas and influences, many grew up to embrace the consumer and cash economy and to feel a part of a stronger Mexican nation-state. By examining the Mexican Revolution's social achievements of literacy, health, and an expanded internal economy as the result of choices made by youth as they grew up under new circumstances, this article offers a unique perspective on the process of historical change.