bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polar Mesoscale Cyclones in the Northeast Atlantic: Comparing Climatologies from ERA-40 and Satellite Imagery
Authors: Condron Alan , Bigg Grant R. , Renfrew Ian A.
Published: May 2006

Polar mesoscale cyclones over the subarctic are thought to be an important component of the coupled atmosphere–ocean climate system. However, the relatively small scale of these features presents some concern as to their representation in the meteorological reanalysis datasets that are commonly used to drive ocean models. Here polar mesocyclones are detected in the 40-Year European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis dataset (ERA-40) in mean sea level pressure and 500-hPa geopotential height, using an automated cyclone detection algorithm. The results are compared to polar mesocyclones detected in satellite imagery over the northeast Atlantic, for the period October 1993–September 1995. Similar trends in monthly cyclone numbers and a similar spatial distribution are found. However, there is a bias in the size of cyclones detected in the reanalysis. Up to 80% of cyclones larger than 500 km are detected in MSL pressure, but this hit rate decreases, approximately linearly, to ∼40% for 250-km-scale cyclones and to ∼20% for 100-km-scale cyclones. Consequently a substantial component of the associated air–sea fluxes may be missing from the reanalysis, presenting a serious shortcoming when using such reanalysis data for ocean modeling simulations. Eight maxima in cyclone density are apparent in the mean sea level pressure, clustered around synoptic observing stations in the northeast Atlantic. They are likely spurious, and a result of unidentified shortcomings in the ERA-40 data assimilation procedure.
Two-Way Air–Sea Coupling: A Study of the Adriatic
Authors: Pullen Julie , Doyle James D. , Signell Richard P.
Published: May 2006

High-resolution numerical simulations of the Adriatic Sea using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) and Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) were conducted to examine the impact of the coupling strategy (one versus two way) on the ocean and atmosphere model skill, and to elucidate dynamical aspects of the coupled response. Simulations for 23 September–23 October 2002 utilized 2- and 4-km resolution grids for the ocean and atmosphere, respectively. During a strong wind and sea surface cooling event, cold water fringed the west and north coasts in the two-way coupled simulation (where the atmosphere interacted with SST generated by the ocean model) and attenuated by approximately 20% of the cross-basin extension of bora-driven upward heat fluxes relative to the one-way coupled simulation (where the atmosphere model was not influenced by the ocean model). An assessment of model results using remotely sensed and in situ measurements of ocean temperature along with overwater and coastal wind observations showed enhanced skill in the two-way coupled model. In particular, the two-way coupled model produced spatially complex SSTs after the cooling event that compared more favorably (using mean bias and rms error) with satellite multichannel SST (MCSST) and had a stabilizing effect on the atmosphere. As a consequence, mean mixing was suppressed by over 20% in the atmospheric boundary layer and more realistic mean 10-m wind speeds were produced during the monthlong two-way coupled simulation.
A Case Study of Downstream Baroclinic Development over the North Pacific Ocean. Part I: Dynamical Impacts
Authors: Danielson Richard E. , Gyakum John R. , Straub David N.
Published: May 2006

The impact of eddy energy growth and radiation from a western North Pacific cyclone on the intensity of an eastern North Pacific cyclone a few days later is examined. Associated with the western cyclone is an upstream ridge and trough couplet, initially over Siberia on 8 March 1977. The amplitude of this couplet is perturbed in 5-day numerical simulations of the two marine cyclones. Balanced initial conditions are created by potential vorticity inversion. The magnitude of the upper-level couplet governs much of the subsequent growth of eddy energy in the western cyclone as well as the propagation of eddy energy between the two cyclones. This culminates in measurable changes in the maximum intensity of the eastern surface cyclone. The broader question of the sensitivity of this cyclone to upstream perturbations is also briefly addressed.
The African Renaissance Challenge and Sociological Reclamations in the South
Authors: Sitas Ari
Published: May 2006

This article critically evaluates whether sociologists in the ‘South’ are offered any creative breathing space by either the adoption of poststructuralist and postcolonial thought or the current indigenization drive of the African Renaissance initiative in South Africa. The article argues that neither does. It traces the impasse to which many of these currents lead, and the way they fail to overcome conventional sociology's derogation of intellectual work that does not take as its founding rules part of any canon. It then provides a suggestion for a way out, by moving away from a ‘culture of application’ and imitation and away from simplistic critiques or ‘deconstruction’ without substantive intellectual work to buttress such critical claims. Only then can an African Renaissance achieve its aims of creating a sociology that does not involve a dialectic of ‘self-abnegation’, one which says that what is ‘absent’ is what one's society does not possess of the ‘norm’; and that what has to be ‘negated’ is that which constitutes one's ‘alterity’ – be it indigenous norms, values or seemingly aberrant institutions.
Academic Expectations Stress Inventory
Authors: Ang Rebecca P. , Huan Vivien S.
Published: May 2006

This article describes the development and initial validation of obtained scores from the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI), which measures expectations as a source of academic stress in middle and high school Asian students. In the first study, exploratory factor analysis results from 721 adolescents suggested a nine-item scale with two factors—Expectations of Parents/Teachers (five items) and Expectations of Self (four items). The data also revealed initial evidence of the reliability of AESI’s scores. Initial estimates of convergent validity for AESI’s scores were also reported. In the second study, data from 387 adolescents were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis that provided support for the factor structure derived from the first study. In the third study, data from 144 adolescents yielded evidence of AESI scores’ test-retest reliability. Additional evidence of AESI’s internal consistency estimates as well as convergent and discriminant validity for AESI’s scores were also provided.
Use of Exploratory Factor Analysis in Published Research
Authors: Henson Robin K. , Roberts J. Kyle
Published: May 2006

Given the proliferation of factor analysis applications in the literature, the present article examines the use of factor analysis in current published research across four psychological journals. Notwithstanding ease of analysis due to computers, the appropriate use of factor analysis requires a series of thoughtful researcher judgments. These judgments directly affect results and interpretations. The authors examine across studies (a) the decisions made while conducting exploratory factor analyses ( N = 60) and (b) the information reported from the analyses. In doing so, they present a review of the current status of factor analytic practice, including comment on common errors in use and reporting. Recommendations are proffered for future practice as regards analytic decisions and reporting in empirical research.
Against Beck
Authors: Campbell Scott , Currie Greg
Published: May 2006

For more than 10 years, Ulrich Beck has dominated discussion of risk issues in the social sciences. We argue that Beck's criticisms of the theory and practise of risk analysis are groundless. His understanding of what risk is is badly flawed. His attempt to identify risk and risk perception fails. He misunderstands and distorts the use of probability in risk analysis. His comments about the insurance industry show that he does not understand some of the basics of that industry. And his assertions about the wrongness of allowing acceptable levels of exposure to toxic chemicals do not stand up to scrutiny.
Connecting Economic Models to the Real World
Authors: Alexandrova Anna
Published: May 2006

Can social phenomena be understood by analyzing their parts? Contemporary economic theory often assumes that they can. The methodology of constructing models which trace the behavior of perfectly rational agents in idealized environments rests on the premise that such models, while restricted, help us isolate tendencies, that is, the stable separate effects of economic causes that can be used to explain and predict economic phenomena. In this paper, I question both the claim that models in economics supply claims about tendencies and also the view that economics, when successful, necessarily follows this method. When economics licenses successful policy interventions, as it did in the case of the Federal Communications Commission spectrum auctions, its method is not to study tendencies but rather to study the phenomenon as a whole.
Social attachments as conditions for the condition of the good life? A critique of Will Kymlicka's moral monism
Authors: van Leeuwen Bart
Published: May 2006

The moral justification of Will Kymlicka's theory of minority rights is unconvincing. According to Kymlicka, cultural embeddedness is a necessary condition for personal autonomy (which is, in turn, the precondition for the good life) and for that reason liberals should be concerned about culture. I will criticize this instrumentalism of social attachments and the moral monism behind it. On the basis of a modification of Axel Honneth's theory of recognition, I will reject the false opposition between the instrumental value and the intrinsic value of culture. Honneth makes a distinction between three types of recognition: (1) love; (2) respect; and (3) social esteem. Recognition of cultural difference is situated in the third sphere. But the logic of a recognition of cultural difference also demands a non-evaluative recognition, a respect for difference. Difference-respect cannot be reduced to the recognition of personal autonomy or to the recognition of a culture ‘as such’. Difference-respect is concerned with a formalrecognition of difference, namely the recognition of a culture's intrinsic value for the other.By recognizing the moral importance both of personal autonomy and of social attachments, we do not have to surrender to the reductive bent in modern moral philosophy.1
Public sector information
Authors: Clark Mike
Published: May 2006

Calls for a balanced approach in the exploitation of public sector information (PSI) for the benefit of society as a whole, in which it is neither automatically given away nor charged for punitively when the taxpayer has paid for it already. Documents the legislative changes that have led up to the present PSI situation (considering data protection, freedom of information, and reuse and exploitation), and examines the various exemptions and exceptions that can apply. Describes the different Government business models for exploiting information, considering whether value added by the public sector should automatically move the information thus created into the public domain. Believes that the fundamental principle should be whether the user or the taxpayer pays, and suggests that the answer may be to decide who benefits. Considers a number of examples of government activity where open accessibility and charging remain important issues, commenting that controversy usually occurs where information is the subject of a government monopoly, with complaints most likely to originate from commercial interests. Concludes that the Advisory Panel for Public Sector Information is in a unique position to resolve such problems.
A Haptic Teleoperation Approach Based on Contact Force Control
Authors: Park Jaeheung , Khatib Oussama
Published: May 2006

This paper presents a new teleoperation approach using a virtual spring, and local contact force control on the slave robot. The operational space framework provides the control structure needed to achieve decoupled task dynamics. A virtual spring connects the master and slave systems and a closed-loop force controller compensates for the dynamics of the slave system, rendering transparent the effector of the slave robotic system. The active force control approach allows the desired motion and contact forces to be combined in a single force command. The required performance and robustness of force control are achieved by a full state reconstruction using a modified Kalman estimator, which addresses disturbances and modeling uncertainties. The performance of both telepresence and force control are further improved by on-line stiffness estimation of the object in contact with the effector. The redundancy of the mobile manipulation system is addressed through a decoupled decomposition of task and posture dynamics.
The Graph SLAM Algorithm with Applications to Large-Scale Mapping of Urban Structures
Authors: Thrun Sebastian , Montemerlo Michael
Published: May 2006

This article presents GraphSLAM, a unifying algorithm for the offline SLAM problem. GraphSLAM is closely related to a recent sequence of research papers on applying optimization techniques to SLAM problems. It transforms the SLAM posterior into a graphical network, representing the log-likelihood of the data. It then reduces this graph using variable elimination techniques, arriving at a lower-dimensional problems that is then solved using conventional optimization techniques. As a result, GraphSLAM can generate maps with 108 or more features. The paper discusses a greedy algorithm for data association, and presents results for SLAM in urban environments with occasional GPS measurements.
Modeling and Control of Untethered Biomicrorobots in a Fluidic Environment Using Electromagnetic Fields
Authors: Yesin K. Berk , Vollmers Karl , Nelson Bradley J.
Published: May 2006

This paper investigates fundamental design, modeling, and control issues related to untethered biomedical microrobots guided inside the human body through external magnetic fields. Proposed areas of application for these microrobots include sensing, diagnosis, and surgical procedures in intraocular, cardiovascular, and inner-ear environments. A prototype microrobot and steering system are introduced. Fluid drag experiments performed on the prototype robot show that the 950 × 400 μ m elliptical shape has a spherical equivalent diameter of 477 μ m. Drag forces combined with saturation magnetization (5 × 10 5 A/m) of the prototype indicate that the required magnetic field gradients for application inside the vitreous humor and blood vessels are on the order of 0.7T/m.
Ethics and Lactation Consultants: Developing Knowledge, Skills, and Tools
Authors: Noel-Weiss Joy , Walters Gregory J.
Published: May 2006

This article studies the role of ethics in the context of the work of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. It provides an overview of some of the main ethical approaches with the goal of contributing to the knowledge, skills, and tools required by lactation consultants. Five main sections structure the article: background, current literature, ethical theory and principles, implications for lactation consultants, and decision-making frameworks. Background about the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and the significance of applied ethics in their work are described. Current literature regarding ethics and lactation consultants is reviewed. Because a computer-based literature search yielded a lack of articles, ethics in nursing literature is also presented. Three main ethical theories and 5 key ethical principles are explored with a view to their implications for lactation consultants. Finally, decision-making frameworks are considered as systematic tools for making ethical decisions.
Games, Body and Culture
Authors: Keimbou David-Claude Kemo
Published: May 2006

Rather than studying behaviours or ideas, this article examines the knowledge and the power systems that framed body practices in Cameroon from 1920 to 1960. It is above all a history of the ‘mechanisms’, in Foucault’s sense of the term; namely, a focus on a) the singular process of objectivation and subjectivation immanent in athletic institutional arrangements; b) the different rational ways in which the knowledge of sport and physical education is changed into body culture; and c) the forms of power rationalization which enable disciplinarization mechanisms, and then body control through physical and sporting activities.
The accounting records of the Monastery of Silos throughout the eighteenth century: the accumulation and management of its patrimony in the light of its accounts books
Authors: Prieto Begoña , Maté Lorenzo , Tua Jorge
Published: May 2006

This article firstly presents the sophisticated bookkeeping system used by the Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Silos (Spain) during the eighteenth century, the procedures for which were set down in the Constitutions of 1701 of the Congregation of Saint Benedict of Valladolid. In the light of these regulations and the bookkeeping records that are still preserved to this day at the monastery, the activities that sustained the economic life of the monastery and led to the accumulation of its patrimony are examined. The study includes an itemized breakdown of the different types of income: capital rents, rents from land and livestock, ecclesiastical dues, and retributions for religious services. Similarly, the use made of the financial flows arising from the income is also analysed and a summary of the results is presented for the period under analysis (1694–1801), which sheds light on the role of the monastery as an administrator of its assets and its rights. Both sections lead to a set of conclusions reflecting on the contributions, attributes and functions of the accounting procedures in use at the time, as well as on the role of this institution as an economic and social agent with an interest in preserving the privileges and assets it had acquired while continuing to intervene in economic affairs.
Rational Choice Theory and Explanation
Authors: Lovett Frank
Published: May 2006

Much of the debate concerning rational choice theory (RCT) is fruitless because many people (both critics and defenders) fail to correctly understand the role it plays in developing explanations of social phenomena. For the most part, people view rational choice theory as a species of intentional explanation; on the best available understanding, however, it should be viewed as contributing to the construction of straightforward causal explanations. Debate concerning RCT can progress in a worthwhile manner only once this point is correctly understood. Once it is, many common critiques are easily answered, but at the same time, the ambitions of some rational choice theorists are deflated.
Trust in Intimate Relationships
Authors: van de Rijt Arnout , Buskens Vincent
Published: May 2006

Due to the rise of a market for casual relationships, investing in a serious relationship now requires more trust than it did four decades ago. We develop a theory of trust and embeddedness in intimate relationships. One implication of the theory is that given the increased importance of trust, the effects of embeddedness on marriage chances should have increased. Analyses were performed on data from the Chicago Health and Social Life Survey. Various measures of embeddedness were employed. The hypothesis on the increasing importance of embeddedness for marriage found empirical support in the effects of each of these measures.
An assessment of a mixed reality environment: Toward an ethnomethodological approach
Authors: Dugdale Julie , Pallamin Nico , Pavard Bernard
Published: May 2006

Training firefighters is a difficult process in which emotions and nonverbal behaviors play an important role. The authors have developed a mixed reality environment for training a small group of firefighters, which takes into account these aspects. The assessment of the environment was made up of three phases: assessing the virtual agents to gauge their expressiveness, assessing the contextual virtual environment to see if it provides the same decision-making support as that found in the real world, and verifying indexicality to support agent interaction.
A framework for artifact assessment and theory testing
Authors: Klabbers Jan H. G.
Published: May 2006

Those who are involved in research in gaming and simulation find themselves in a dual position. One reason for this duality relates to the fact that researchers in gaming and simulation represent two distinct branches of science: the design and analytical sciences. The basic idea of the design sciences is to build and assess artifacts. The scientific method of the analytical sciences aims at developing and testing theories. Both pay attention to different notions of causality and apply different criteria of success. This article presents a framework both for artifact assessment and theory testing, which helps to better understand the distinct scientific and professional issues involved and to offer directions for cross-fertilization.
Information perception and price dynamics in a continuous double auction
Authors: Rouchier Juliette , Robin Stéphane
Published: May 2006

The authors combine two methodologies—experimental economics and agent-based simulation—for the study of rational behavior of individuals in a market environment. The related market represents a competitive continuous double auction (CDA). Much of what is known about CDA is based on experimental research. The choice processes observed during behavior experiments are still not understood sufficiently. Therefore, in this article, the authors build an artificial society to analyze how perceptions of the market price affect individual strategies and collective behavior. More precisely, using an analytical science approach, they study learning (e.g., number of transactions memorized) and use of global versus local information. The result of their work mainly shows that the memory of past transactions is of little importance and that the revision of prices models the memory of agents adequately to demonstrate how rapidly price converges on an equilibrium state of the market.
Applying a phenomenological approach to games analysis: A case study
Authors: Mallon Bride , Webb Brian
Published: May 2006

One expressed need in computer games literature is for intrinsic evaluation methodologies and workable operational research procedures to evaluate subjective game-play experiences and judgments and other user “pay-offs.” A phenomenological methodology provides an appropriate “bottom-up,” subject-centered, inductive, and empirically driven research approach. However, a need exists for case examples and specific methods to follow on how to apply a phenomenological methodology to games research. The authors offer a case study of how they used it to develop and test evaluation criteria for games, illustrating their analysis with examples from two studies where 25 participants played, then analyzed, offline adventure and role-play computer games. The authors’ evaluation approach offers bridges between the design and analytical sciences. It contributes to the analytical sciences by attempting to identify theoretical principles for evaluating quality in narrative adventure and role-play games. It contributes to the design sciences by supplying findings expressed as design principles for games improvement.
Glutamate Receptors and Endoplasmic Reticulum Quality Control: Looking beneath the Surface
Authors: Fleck Mark W.
Published: May 2006

Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. The cellular regulation of glutamate receptor (GluR) ion channel function and expression is important for maintaining or adjusting target cell excitability to meet ever-changing demands, for example, in relation to developmental or use-dependent synaptic plasticity. Dysregulation of GluR function or expression may be a contributing factor in certain forms of epilepsy, stroke/ischemia, head trauma, cognitive impairments, and neurodegenerative disease. Recent years have seen substantial progress in understanding how GluRs operate in terms of their structural and functional properties, their synaptic targeting and membrane anchoring by PDZ-domain proteins, and their activity-dependent cycling at the plasma membrane. Yet precious little is known about the earliest events in GluR biogenesis or the mechanisms in place to ensure the GluRs that reach the cell surface are processed, folded, and oligomerized in an appropriate manner. Indeed, only a minor fraction of the GluR content of cells is expressed at any given time on the cell surface, whereas most of the remaining receptors exist in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The functional competence and significance of the ER fraction of receptors are presently unknown, but they are generally thought to represent immature, unassembled, or improperly assembled subunits. Some are ultimately destined for insertion in the plasma membrane. Others may be targeted for proteosomal degradation. Still others might provide a latent pool of fully functional receptors that can be recruited to enhance cell excitability in response to specific signals or under pathological conditions. This review will explore the structural and functional elements that regulate GluR assembly and export from the ER.
Cortical Networks Related to Human Use of Tools
Authors: Lewis James W.
Published: May 2006

Greater manual dexterity and greater conceptual knowledge of tool use represent two main features that distinguish humans from other primates. Studies of human brain lesions suggest that the left hemisphere (at least in right-handed people) includes a system for processing manual skills that is specialized for tool use that interacts with another system involved more with conceptualizing, planning, and accessing knowledge associated with tool use. Growing evidence from recent neuroimaging studies supports this organization, and studies have begun to highlight specific brain regions and pathways that may be necessary for tool use. This review compares and summarizes results from 64 paradigms published over the past decade that have examined cortical regions associated with tool use skills and tool knowledge. A meta-analysis revealed cortical networks in both hemispheres, though with a clear left hemisphere bias, which may be organized to optimally represent action knowledge. Portions of this network appear to represent part of a system that is tightly linked with language systems, which is discussed together with the effects that handedness may have on the cortical organization for tool use.
Estimation of Dynamic Fracture Parameters in a Transverse Cracked Composite Beam using a Simplified Diagnostic Wave Propagation Model
Authors: Kumar D. Sreekanth , Mahapatra D. Roy , Gopalakrishnan S.
Published: May 2006

A spectral finite element model (SFEM) for a laminated composite beam with a transverse crack is developed and employed in wave-based diagnostic simulations. Although many simplified models of damage in beams for dynamic analysis have been reported in the literature, their utility in the context of damage severity estimation and related structural health monitoring (SHM) applications is not well addressed. The performance of the present simplified model is compared with detailed 2D finite element model (FEM). To estimate the damage severity, two quantities, namely the strain energy release rate (SERR) and a damage force indicator (DFI) are considered. SERR is a localized damage parameter, which can be employed to predict the possibility of damage growth in real time. On the other hand, the DFI is a frequency domain estimate of the load transmission capacity of the damaged structure. To estimate the SERR using SFEM, the continuum dynamic J-integral is discretized in terms of the element nodal variables. One of the main objectives in this article is to study the correlation between the SERR and DFI. Numerical simulations show that the DFI can be estimated efficiently using the proposed SFEM, whereas the dynamic SERR can be estimated with moderate accuracy using SFEM. The numerical results also show that the DFI-SERR correlation curves for various damage configurations and loading can be used. The article is concluded by establishing a preliminary experimental demonstration of the on-line estimation of DFI using cantilever beam with slotted cracks, PZT actuators, and accelerometer array.
Technical Note: Gearbox Health Monitoring through Multiresolution Fourier Transform of Vibration and Current Signals
Authors: Kar Chinmaya , Mohanty A. R.
Published: May 2006

The multistage helical transmission gearbox in the present study is driven by an induction motor and is coupled to a DC generator, which is connected to an electrical resistance bank for loading purposes. One and two teeth are artificially removed in one gear of the gearbox to simulate actual fault condition. When the gearbox is operated under several loads, the vibration signals are acquired from the tail-end bearing of the gearbox, and simultaneously the current drawn by the induction motor is acquired and monitored. For signal analysis, discrete wavelet transform is applied to the current and vibration signal. Subsequently, short-time Fourier transform (STFT) was applied to the level that contains information of the gear mesh frequencies and their sidebands of rotating shaft frequencies. This is a corrected multiresolution Fourier transform (MFT), which helps in further characterization of the signals. It is inferred that MFT coefficients of vibration and current signals can predict a consistent trend in the energy level possessed by the gear mesh frequencies with an increase in the severity of defects, and hence can be a useful tool in gearbox health monitoring.
Jesus’ Death in John's Gospel: A Survey of Research from Bultmann to the Present with Special Reference to the Johannine Hyper-Texts
Authors: Dennis John
Published: May 2006

The influence of R. Bultmann's and E. Käsemann's interpretations of Jesus’ death in John's Gospel has been enormous. Their interpretations set the parameters of the debate right up to the present day. Bultmann and Käsemann insisted that Jesus’ death was not at the centre of Johannine soteriology and that it was not an atoning event. One of the results of this ‘Bultmann–Käsemann paradigm’ was that a number of crucial Johannine texts were overlooked or not taken seriously. One such set of Johannine texts that suffered in this regard was the so-called ‘ hypertexts’. The trend away from the Bultmann–Käsemann paradigm, in the direction of a tradition atonement interpretation of Jesus’ death, is shown to be gaining ground especially in Germany. When the Gospel text is taken seriously as a unity and when all the evidence concerning Jesus’ death in John is taken into account (especially the important hypertexts), a more traditional atonement interpretation seems to be the result.
The Genre of Acts: Moving Toward a Consensus?
Authors: Phillips Thomas E.
Published: May 2006

This article examines the four most widely discussed proposals for the genre of Acts in contemporary scholarship (biography as proposed by C. Talbert, novel as proposed by R. Pervo, epic as proposed by D. MacDonald, and history as reflected in the consensus of scholarship). Because the historical genre is currently the most widely accepted understanding, four historical subgenres are also considered (general history as proposed by D. Aune, political history as proposed by D. Balch, deuteronomistic history as proposed by T. Brodie, and apologetic history as proposed by G. Sterling). Currently the tendency of scholarship appears to be moving in the direction of understanding Acts as a mixture of genres, some of which are fictive.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Rape- and War-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With a Female, Bosnian Refugee
Authors: Schulz Priscilla M. , Marovic-Johnson Davorka , Huber L. Christian
Published: May 2006

Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among rape victims and war refugees is high. Cognitive-behavioral interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating PTSD in rape survivors. Effectiveness of such interventions when rape is perpetrated as part of war hostilities has not been examined. Rape and plunder of civilian populations characterized the 1991 to 1995 war in the former Yugoslavia. Rape camps terrorized civilians on all sides of that conflict. This case study illustrates a course of cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD with a female, Bosnian refugee and rape survivor. At post treatment, the client no longer met criteria for PTSD, and improvements were evident at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Approaches to treating PTSD in war refugees are discussed.
Cancer as Part of the Journey: The Role of Spirituality in the Decision to Decline Conventional Prostate Cancer Treatment and to Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Authors: White Margaret , Verhoef Marja
Published: May 2006

Background: The role of spirituality in patients' use of complementar y and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches to cancer management has hardly been explored. Objective: To explore the role of spirituality in cancer management by men with prostate cancer who have declined conventional treatment and are using CAM. Methods: This qualitative analysis is part of a longitudinal study to assess decision making by men with prostate cancer who decline conventional treatment and use CAM. In-depth interviews were conducted at study entry (n = 29). Themes were presented to participants in focus groups to further explore and validate the interview results. For a subset of participants (n = 10), spirituality emerged as an important theme; therefore, we conducted a secondary analysis of the interview data of these men to explore the role of spirituality in cancer management and decision making. Results: Spirituality appeared to influence all aspects of the cancer experience. Most participants intensified their use of spiritual practice after a diagnosis of prostate cancer. These practices included spiritual ceremonies, indigenous healing, prayer, meditation, and use of spiritual imagery. Themes related to the role of spirituality in cancer management include beliefs about Western medicine, the role of spiritual beliefs in treatment decision making, the use of spiritual imager y and metaphor in healing, and the impact of cancer on spirituality. The discussion of these themes draws on quotes and case examples, illustrating how spirituality influenced study participants' response to diagnosis, treatment decision making, and cancer care. Two case examples provide a more in-depth understanding of how some participants incorporated spiritual imagery and metaphor into treatment decision making and cancer care. Ways in which cancer influenced spirituality are also discussed. Having prostate cancer appeared to influence their spirituality by strengthening their links with a spiritual community, increasing feelings of gratitude toward life, and improving personal relationships. Relevance: These findings indicate that spiritual beliefs and practices may play an important role in the formation of treatment choices for some patients. Health care providers need to be aware of and address patient concerns about how conventional treatment may conflict with their spiritual beliefs and practices. Further research and medical education is needed on spirituality and prostate cancer.
The Female Presidents of the American Society of Criminology
Authors: Petersen Rebecca D.
Published: May 2006

The Division on Women and Crime of the American Society of Criminology recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and launched the new journal Feminist Criminology, which aims to place women at the center of research. Since the inception of the American Society of Criminology in 1941, there have been five female society presidents: Drs. Joan McCord, Joan Petersilia, Freda Adler, Margaret Zahn, and Julie Horney. This article profiles the lives and careers of each of these five women. In an era where more and more women are in leadership positions and enrolled in colleges and universities, the genuine impact of women still seems yet to have hit the mind-set of American society.
Incidence of Visualized Thyroid Abnormalities During Carotid Duplex Evaluations
Authors: Scissons Robert P. , Hoskins Megan , Gillis Joseph C.
Published: May 2006

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of thyroid abnormalities detected in patients referred for clinically indicated carotid duplex Doppler sonography examinations. Data from 327 consecutive initial carotid sonography examinations performed at two institutions were analyzed. Institution A was a vascular surgery office in the eastern United States; Institution B was a multispecialty clinic in the western United States. Visualized thyroid abnormalities in Institution A represented 51 of 192 patients (27%); females had the majority (65%), and 18% (9/51) described a prior history of thyroid disease. Thyroid anomalies in Institution B were 47 of 135 patients (35%), with near-equal gender distribution (49% female; 51% male), and 26% (12/47) had a prior history of thyroid disease. Most affected patients were not aware of their thyroid abnormalities. The reporting of incidental findings may seriously affect patient management and therefore should not be overlooked.
Understanding Sonographer Burnout
Authors: Walvoord Kelly H.
Published: May 2006

It is important to identify factors leading to burnout, recognize who is suffering, and apply prevention techniques to deter burnout and stress in the workplace. Factors contributing to burnout have been identified as staff shortages, compassion fatigue, work environment, and job satisfaction. Gender, age, lower academic status, qualifications, training, and number of years in the field are indicators of who is suffering. Patients are also among those identified to be suffering from the burnout of their health care providers. Prevention techniques such as addressing workplace issues, stress reduction programs, and debriefing sessions have been suggested or shown to counteract the effects of stress. It is important for organizations and individuals together to recognize and attempt to prevent burnout.
Applying dynamic Bayesian networks to perturbed gene expression data
Authors: Dojer Norbert , Gambin Anna , Mizera Andrzej , Wilczyński Bartek , Tiuryn Jerzy
Published: May 2006

Background

A central goal of molecular biology is to understand the regulatory mechanisms of gene transcription and protein synthesis. Because of their solid basis in statistics, allowing to deal with the stochastic aspects of gene expressions and noisy measurements in a natural way, Bayesian networks appear attractive in the field of inferring gene interactions structure from microarray experiments data. However, the basic formalism has some disadvantages, e.g. it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the origin and the target of an interaction. Two kinds of microarray experiments yield data particularly rich in information regarding the direction of interactions: time series and perturbation experiments. In order to correctly handle them, the basic formalism must be modified. For example, dynamic Bayesian networks (DBN) apply to time series microarray data. To our knowledge the DBN technique has not been applied in the context of perturbation experiments.

Results

We extend the framework of dynamic Bayesian networks in order to incorporate perturbations. Moreover, an exact algorithm for inferring an optimal network is proposed and a discretization method specialized for time series data from perturbation experiments is introduced. We apply our procedure to realistic simulations data. The results are compared with those obtained by standard DBN learning techniques. Moreover, the advantages of using exact learning algorithm instead of heuristic methods are analyzed.

Conclusion

We show that the quality of inferred networks dramatically improves when using data from perturbation experiments. We also conclude that the exact algorithm should be used when it is possible, i.e. when considered set of genes is small enough.
Synaptic depression and short-term habituation are located in the sensory part of the mammalian startle pathway
Authors: Simons-Weidenmaier Nadine S , Weber Maruschka , Plappert Claudia F , Pilz Peter KD , Schmid Susanne
Published: May 2006

Background

Short-term habituation of the startle response represents an elementary form of learning in mammals. The underlying mechanism is located within the primary startle pathway, presumably at sensory synapses on giant neurons in the caudal pontine reticular nucleus (PnC). Short trains of action potentials in sensory afferent fibers induce depression of synaptic responses in PnC giant neurons, a phenomenon that has been proposed to be the cellular correlate for short-term habituation. We address here the question whether both this synaptic depression and the short-term habituation of the startle response are localized at the presynaptic terminals of sensory afferents. If this is confirmed, it would imply that these processes take place prior to multimodal signal integration, rather than occurring at postsynaptic sites on PnC giant neurons that directly drive motor neurons.

Results

Patch-clamp recordingsin vitrowere combined with behavioral experiments; synaptic depression was specific for the input pathway stimulated and did not affect signals elicited by other sensory afferents. Concordant with this, short-term habituation of the acoustic startle response in behavioral experiments did not influence tactile startle response amplitudes and vice versa. Further electrophysiological analysis showed that the passive properties of the postsynaptic neuron were unchanged but revealed some alterations in short-term plasticity during depression. Moreover, depression was induced only by trains of presynaptic action potentials and not by single pulses. There was no evidence for transmitter receptor desensitization. In summary, the data indicates that the synaptic depression mechanism is located presynaptically.

Conclusion

Our electrophysiological and behavioral data strongly indicate that synaptic depression in the PnC as well as short-term habituation are located in the sensory part of the startle pathway, namely at the axon terminals of sensory afferents in the PnC. Our results further corroborate the link between synaptic depression and short-term habituation of the startle response.
Perceived quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder: related factors
Authors: Rodriguez-Salgado Beatriz , Dolengevich-Segal Helen , Arrojo-Romero Manuel , Castelli-Candia Paola , Navio-Acosta Mercedes , Perez-Rodriguez Maria M , Saiz-Ruiz Jeronimo , Baca-Garcia Enrique
Published: May 2006

Background

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects young adults and has great impact on the social, emotional and work spheres.

Methods

We measured perceived quality of life (QOL) in OCD patients, in order to analyse socio-demographic and clinical factors that may be associated with QOL perception. 64 OCD outpatients were assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for DSM-IV, the Yale-Brown Obsessions and Compulsions scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton's depression scale and the SF-36 self-administered global QOL perception scale.

Results

We found a correlation among Hamilton's scale scores and all SF-36 subscales. The severity of the obsessive-compulsive disorder was correlated with all SF-36 subscales and with the highest scores in Hamilton's scale. The obsessions subscale was correlated to all SF-36 subscales, while the compulsions subscale was correlated only to social functioning, emotional role, mental health and vitality. Compulsions were not related to general health perception. There were significant differences between OCD patients and the Spanish general population in all SF-36 subscales except those related to physical health and pain. Gender, age, age of onset of the disorder, years of evolution and marital status of the patients did not significantly affect quality of life perception. Being employed was related to better scores in the subscale of physical role. Patients with medical comorbidity scored lower in the subscales of general health, social functioning and mental health. Patients with comorbid psychiatric disorders had worse scores in the subscales of pain, general health, social functioning and mental health.

Conclusion

Quality of life perception was different in OCD patients and the general population. Quality of life perception was related to severity of the disorder, physical and psychiatric comorbidity and employment status.
A survey of the use of electronic scientific information resources among medical and dental students
Authors: Romanov Kalle , Aarnio Matti
Published: May 2006

Background

To evaluate medical and dental students' utilization of electronic information resources.

Methods

A web survey sent to 837 students (49.9% responded).

Results

Twenty-four per cent of medical students and ninteen per cent of dental students searched MEDLINE 2+ times/month for study purposes, and thiry-two per cent and twenty-four per cent respectively for research. Full-text articles were used 2+ times/month by thirty-three per cent of medical and ten per cent of dental students. Twelve per cent of respondents never utilized either MEDLINE or full-text articles. In multivariate models, the information-searching skills among students were significantly associated with use of MEDLINE and full-text articles.

Conclusion

Use of electronic resources differs among students. Forty percent were non-users of full-text articles. Information-searching skills are correlated with the use of electronic resources, but the level of basic PC skills plays not a major role in using these resources. The student data shows that adequate training in information-searching skills will increase the use of electronic information resources.