bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discrete Time Rescaling Theorem: Determining Goodness of Fit for Discrete Time Statistical Models of Neural Spiking
Authors: Haslinger Robert , Pipa Gordon , Brown Emery
Published: July 2010

One approach for understanding the encoding of information by spike trains is to fit statistical models and then test their goodness of fit. The time-rescaling theorem provides a goodness-of-fit test consistent with the point process nature of spike trains. The interspike intervals (ISIs) are rescaled (as a function of the model's spike probability) to be independent and exponentially distributed if the model is accurate. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test between the rescaled ISIs and the exponential distribution is then used to check goodness of fit. This rescaling relies on assumptions of continuously defined time and instantaneous events. However, spikes have finite width, and statistical models of spike trains almost always discretize time into bins. Here we demonstrate that finite temporal resolution of discrete time models prevents their rescaled ISIs from being exponentially distributed. Poor goodness of fit may be erroneously indicated even if the model is exactly correct. We present two adaptations of the time-rescaling theorem to discrete time models. In the first we propose that instead of assuming the rescaled times to be exponential, the reference distribution be estimated through direct simulation by the fitted model. In the second, we prove a discrete time version of the time-rescaling theorem that analytically corrects for the effects of finite resolution. This allows us to define a rescaled time that is exponentially distributed, even at arbitrary temporal discretizations. We demonstrate the efficacy of both techniques by fitting generalized linear models to both simulated spike trains and spike trains recorded experimentally in monkey V1 cortex. Both techniques give nearly identical results, reducing the false-positive rate of the KS test and greatly increasing the reliability of model evaluation based on the time-rescaling theorem.
A New Bidimensional Neural Field Model with Heterogeneous Connection Topology
Authors: Jradeh Mouhamad
Published: July 2010

This letter develops a new mathematical cerebral activity model for the synaptic value of neural population.
Spiking Neural P Systems with Weights
Authors: Wang Jun , Hoogeboom Hendrik Jan , Pan Linqiang , Păun Gheorghe , Pérez-Jiménez Mario J.
Published: July 2010

A variant of spiking neural P systems with positive or negative weights on synapses is introduced, where the rules of a neuron fire when the potential of that neuron equals a given value. The involved values—weights, firing thresholds, potential consumed by each rule—can be real (computable) numbers, rational numbers, integers, and natural numbers. The power of the obtained systems is investigated. For instance, it is proved that integers (very restricted: 1, −1 for weights, 1 and 2 for firing thresholds, and as parameters in the rules) suffice for computing all Turing computable sets of numbers in both the generative and the accepting modes. When only natural numbers are used, a characterization of the family of semilinear sets of numbers is obtained. It is shown that spiking neural P systems with weights can efficiently solve computationally hard problems in a nondeterministic way. Some open problems and suggestions for further research are formulated.
Introduction: Mare Liberum Revisited (1609-2009)
Authors: Nijman Janne , van Nifterik Gustaaf
Published: July 2010

This introduction gives a rough sketch of the context of Mare liberum's publication and the main arguments Grotius made in this pamphlet. It touches briefly on some of the latest arguments on Mare liberum and provides a survey of the contributions to this Commemmorative Issue. Moreover, it sets the stage for the contributions which elaborate on the fate of Grotian concepts - not so much by historically tracing these ideas over the past 400 years, but by offering an analysis of how similar concepts are used in international law today.
Den Åländska Självstyrelsens Finansiering - Problem Och Möjligheter
Authors: Erland Olof
Published: July 2010

När Åland fick sin första självstyrelselag för drygt sextio År sedan var det frÅga om ett provisorium. Det fanns inte pÅ den tiden nÅgra väl fungerande självstyrelsesamfund som kunde tjäna som exempel. Självstyrelsesystemet har utvecklats över tiden och funnit en form som i mÅnga avseenden har gynnat samhällsutvecklingen. När självstyrelselagen nu hÅller pÅ att revideras har de finansiella aspekterna pÅ förhÅllandet mellan Åland och det övriga Finland fÅtt en framträdande plats i den politiska debatten. Avsikten här är att belysa utvecklingen av självstyrelsens finansiering och de principer som gäller i dag. Vidare diskuterar jag de problem som finns med nuvarande finansiella system och alternativa möjligheter. Fördelar och nackdelar med olika finansieringsmodeller behandlas pÅ ett principiellt plan och kan pÅ sÅ sätt vara av intresse ocksÅ för andra självstyrelsesamfund. Det bör dock betonas att de modeller för självstyrelse-finansiering som diskuteras här, för att ge vägledning för politiska beslut, bör ställas mot de restriktioner som ges av historiska, politiska och ekonomiska realiteter.
Political "Disappearances" - a Challenge for Humanitarian Law
Authors: Egeland Jan
Published: July 2010

In November 1981 the International Conference of the Red Cross, meeting in Manila, adopted a strong resolution against the practise of political "disappearances" (see Annex 1). This is the first humanitarian standard specifically adressing this relatively new pattern of human rights violations within the wider framework of the humanitarian law in armed conflict and internal strife. Contrary to our pessimism when we started to prepare for this initiative in the Norwegian Red Cross and at the Institut Henry Dunant in Geneva, the draft resolution was strengthened at the Conference and carried with an overwhelming majority (111 States parties in favour - only Argentina and Syria abstained). The humanitarian law has mistakenly been considered as a set of rules with little or no importance for circumstances below the threshold of international armed conflicts. In this article we will therefore argue that a human rights problem like political "disappearances" is not an exclusive concern of UN human rights treaties and non-governmental organisations like Amnesty International. On the contrary it represents a great challenge for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the humanitarian law in general.
Natural Rights and Roman Law in Hugo Grotius's Theses LVI, De iure praedae and Defensio capitis quinti maris liberi
Authors: Straumann Benjamin
Published: July 2010

Roman property law and Roman contract law as well as the property centered Roman ethics put forth by Cicero in several of his works were the traditions Grotius drew upon in developing his natural rights system. While both the medieval just war tradition and Grotius's immediate political context deserve scholarly attention and constitute important influences on Grotius's natural law tenets, it is a Roman tradition of subjective legal remedies and of just war which lays claim to a foundational role with regard to his conception of subjective natural rights. Grotius made use of Roman law and Roman ethics in order to submit a normative case for a rights-based just war in the East Indies. His conception of a law of nature was originally conceived to apply a theory of compensatory justice to the high seas of Southeast Asia, envisaged as a natural state lacking political authority. Eventually, however, this argument was to reveal its anti-absolutist implications, and contributed—by virtue of its applicability to individuals, private entities and commonwealths alike—to the emergence of a rights-based constitutionalism. This article discusses Grotius's early treatise De iure praedae commentarius (1604-1606) and its offshoot Mare liberum, which already contained an inchoate version of subjective natural rights, as well as the elaborate natural rights doctrine which can be found in Grotius's early Theses LVI and in the Defensio capitis quinti maris liberi, a defense of the fifth chapter of Mare liberum, written around 1615 and directed against the Scottish jurist William Welwod's attack on Mare liberum.
Grotius, Maritime Intra-Asian Trade and the Portuguese Estado da Índia: Problems, Perspectives and Insights from De iure praedae
Authors: Borschberg Peter
Published: July 2010

The present article explores the historical sections of Grotius's De iure praedae Commentarius (chapters 11 through 16) bearing the following fundamental but very important questions in mind: What did Grotius actually know about the Portuguese Estado da Índia at the time of drafting the treatise between 1604 and 1606/8? What did he know about the Luso-Asian trading regime or Asian trading practices at large? Using the published correspondence of Grotius, archival documentation, manuscript fragments as well as unpublished reading notes and drafts, a case will be made that he had in fact few sources at his fingertips. This insight serves fundamentally to refute older assumptions, expounded notably by Robert Fruin and C.H. Alexandrowicz, that the young Grotius conducted independent research in the VOC company archives, or had immersed himself with Asian maritime codes or commercial practices.
Beyond the Law. The Image of Piracy in the Legal Writings of Hugo Grotius
Authors: Kempe Michael
Published: July 2010

It is still underestimated to what extent in his main works Hugo Grotius not only sketched and developed a system of private, state and international law; but also outlined a general philosophy or theory of law. By asking questions concerning the law of property, the law of prize and booty, the law of peace and war or the legal status of sovereignty he did not only refer to the 'right side', i.e. to actions that can be labelled as rightful and legal. He also dealt with many aspects of what is not right and unlawful, not limiting himself to just give mere examples of crossing the border to the 'non right side'. It was a part of Grotius's methodological approach to systematically reflect on the law from the perspective of its violations. One example of such a violation is the act of piracy and the figure of the pirate. To outline this is the aim of the following article. By showing that the pirate and his 'legal twin', the privateer, were belong together as two sides of the same coin, they come to symbolise in an exemplary way the differentiation between 'right' and 'non right' as the unity of law in the legal philosophy of Grotius.
Law, War and Method in the Commentary on the Law of Prize by Hugo Grotius
Authors: Scattola Merio
Published: July 2010

The question whether both enemies in a war could claim the same right, was a fundamental topic in the early modern theory of war and Grotius treated it briefly in his On Law of Prize and Booty. The jurisprudence of the seventeenth century developed two explanations: the Scholastic tradition held that only one party could fight with right reason, whereas some authors of the humanistic tradition thought that in some cases it was impossible to solve this question. Grotius took elements from both traditions, applying them to two different levels of his argument. If we namely consider the rulers, we should accept the Scholastic conclusion that only one party can fight with right reason. But the subordinate soldiers do not always have an exhaustive knowledge of the situation and need first of all to acknowledge that their superiors command legitimately. Thus, each level uses a different logical relationship in the Aristotelian square because the enemies follow in the former case the pattern of contrary propositions, but in the latter they obey a pattern of subcontrary propositions.
'Sequuntur Dogmatica De Iure Praedae' Law and Theology in Grotius's use of Sources in De Iure Praedae
Authors: Todescan Franco
Published: July 2010

This contribution aims at reconstructing the system of legal sources as it can be recognised in all its clarity in the De iure praedae. After pointing out that Grotius applied in this work the mathematical method, it is observed that the law has a clear voluntaristic character: 'voluntas universorum ad universos directa lex dicitur'. Even the 'first notion', quoted in Regula I, that is the lex aeterna, has this specific character: 'Quod Deus se velle significarit, id ius est'. Interesting is also the way in which the issue of the ius naturae is developed. Actually, natural law is consistent with Regula I precisely because it is bound to God as a manifestation of his will: 'Dei voluntas non oraculis tantum et extraordinariis significationibus, sed vel maxime ex creantis intentione apparet'. Thus, the creation of the ius gentium primarium and ius gentium secundarium follows the same pattern: it is always a voluntas that splits into a cascade like a 'baroque fountain'. At the end of the same argument we find finally the ius civile: 'Quidquid respublica se velle significavit', as Regula V states. In conclusion, the system of legal sources in De iure praedae is based on premises that differ in many respects from the legal sources of De iure belli ac pacis.
Grotius and the Origin of the Ruler's Right to Punish
Authors: van Nifterik Gustaaf
Published: July 2010

An important aspect of any constitutional theory is the state's power to punish transgressions of the law, or the ius gladii. Although Grotius never formulated a complete, comprehensive constitutional theory, traces of such a theory can be found in many of his writings not explicitly devoted to constitutional law. Punishment even plays an important role in his books on war (and peace), since to punish transgressions of the law is ranked among the just causes of war.Given the fact that a state may punish transgressions of the law – transgressions by individuals within and even outside the state, but also transgressions of the law by other states – the question may arise concerning the origin of such a right to punish. It will be shown that Grotius did not give the same answer to this question in his various works. As the right to punish is concerned, we find a theory that seems to be akin to the one of John Locke in the De iure praedae (around 1605), one akin to the theories of the Spanish late-scholastics in De satisfactione and De imperio (around 1615), and a theory coming close to what Thomas Hobbes had said on the ruler's right to punish in the De iure belli ac pacis (around 1625).Of course, Grotius can only have been familiar with the theory of the Spanish late-scholastics, since those of Locke and Hobbes were still to be written by the time Grotius had passed away.
Problems of legal systematization from De iure praedae to De iure belli ac pacis. De iure praedae Chapter II and the Prolegomena of De iure belli ac pacis compared
Authors: Winkel Laurens
Published: July 2010

A comparison between the Prolegomena of Chapter II of De iure praedae and the Prolegomena of De iure belli ac pacis leads to the conclusion that the ideas of Grotius on legal systematization have changed considerably between 1604 and 1625. Whereas Grotius starts in IPC with general principles with a rather unclear distinction between leges and regulae, in IBP he gives first the philosophical and theological basis of international law, intertwined by a concise set of general legal rules (IBP, Prol., 8), mostly derived from Roman law after its reception in Western Europe. The general outlines of legal systematization in the early-modern period are expounded. In the attempts of legal systematization the concept of subjective rights is essential. These subjective rights are not, as is sometimes assumed, a medieval renewal of legal technique, but can be found essentially already in classical Roman law of the first centuries AD.The institutional system is not yet visible in De iure praedae, it might be different for De iure belli ac pacis. Significant here are possibly the expressions ius ad bellum and ius in bello.
Naturalis sermonis pulchritudo?
Authors: den Hengst Daan
Published: July 2010

The subject of this article is the way in which Grotius imitated his Roman model Tacitus in his own Annales. He does this by quotations and allusions, but also, more subtly, by adopting some of Tacitus stylistic peculiarities like brevitas, inconcinnitas and the insertion of sententiae. The imitation of Tacitus is most conspicuous in important sections of the Annales like the opening chapters and the introductions of the main characters. Tacitus is the prime model of Grotius, but not the only one, as is shown by borrowings from Sallust, Pliny the Younger and Vergil.
Application of a Signal Technique to the Source–Receptor Relationship in Three-Dimensional Tracer Simulations
Authors: Zhao Zhan , Chen Shu-Hua
Published: July 2010

Identifying pollutant sources that contribute to downstream locations is important for policy making and air-quality control. In this study, a computationally economic signal technique was implemented into a three-dimensional nonhydrostatic atmospheric model to help to identify source–receptor relationships. An idealized supercell case and a semireal air-pollution case in Turkey were used to investigate the potential of the technique. For each pollutant, signals with various frequencies were emitted from different source locations and added into that particular type of emitted pollutants. The time series of pollutant concentration collected at receptors were then projected onto frequency space using the Fourier transform and short-time Fourier transform methods to identify the source locations. During the model integration, a particular tracer was also emitted from each pollutant source location (i.e., a conventional method to study the source–receptor relationship) to validate and evaluate the signal technique. Results show that frequencies could be slightly shifted after signals were transported for some distance and that evident secondary frequencies (i.e., beat frequencies) could be generated as a result of nonlinear effects. Although these could potentially confuse the identification of signals released from source points, signals were still distinguishable in this study. Results from a sensitivity test of the diffusion effect on different frequencies suggest that the effect of diffusion on amplitude damping is stronger for higher frequencies than for lower frequencies.
The Relative Roles of Different Physical Processes in Unstable Midlatitude Ocean–Atmosphere Interactions
Authors: Fang Jia-Bei , Yang Xiu-Qun
Published: July 2010

Following Goodman and Marshall (hereinafter GM), an improved intermediate midlatitude coupled ocean–atmosphere model linearized around a basic state is developed. The model assumes a two-layer quasigeostrophic atmosphere overlying a quasigeostrophic upper ocean that consists of a constant-depth mixed layer, a thin entrainment layer, and a thermocline layer. The SST evolution is determined within the mixed layer by advection, entrainment, and air–sea flux. The atmospheric heating is specified at midlevel, which is parameterized in terms of both the SST and atmospheric temperature anomalies. With this coupled model, the dynamical features of unstable ocean–atmosphere interactions in the midlatitudes are investigated. The coupled model exhibits two types of coupled modes: the coupled oceanic Rossby wave mode and the SST-only mode. The SST-only mode decays over the entire range of wavelengths, whereas the coupled oceanic Rossby wave mode destabilizes over a certain range of wavelengths (∼10 500 km) when the atmospheric response to the heating is equivalent barotropic. The relative roles of different physical processes in destabilizing the coupled oceanic Rossby wave are examined. The main processes emphasized are the influence of entrainment and advection for determining SST evolution, and the atmospheric heating profile. Although either entrainment or advection can lead to unstable growth of the coupled oceanic Rossby wave with similar wavelength dependence for each case, the advection process is found to play the more important role, which differs from GM’s results in which the entrainment process is dominant. The structure of the unstable coupled mode is sensitive to the atmospheric heating profile. The inclusion of surface heating largely reduces the growth rate and stabilizes the coupled oceanic Rossby wave. In comparison with observations, it is demonstrated that the structure of the growing coupled mode derived from the authors’ model is closer to reality than that from the previous model.
State Retrenchment and the Exercise of Citizenship in Africa
Authors: MacLean Lauren M.
Published: July 2010

What explains the varied ways that Africans practice citizenship on an everyday basis? And how does the extent of state building (or neoliberal unbuilding) in a particular context affect the way individual Africans think about the rights, duties, and appropriate channels for exercising their citizenship? Over the past 20 years across most of sub-Saharan Africa, neoliberal economic reform has meant a major retrenchment of the state in the provision of health and education services. This article argues that Africans who have at least some experience with public schools and clinics are more likely to exercise their citizenship on a more frequent basis than those who have no experience of state social services at all. The article confirms the existence of policy feedbacks between the micro experience of state social policy and democratic consolidation in Africa.
Novel Creaming Agent for Preparation of Creamed Concentrated Natural Rubber Latex
Authors: Yumae N. , Kaesaman A. , Rungvichaniwat A. , Thepchalerm C. , Nakason C.
Published: July 2010

Creaming process with a novel creaming agent, hydroxyl ethyl cellulose, and ammonium laurate soap is performed. It has been found that the total solid content and dry rubber content of creamed latex are 64.33% and 63.31%, respectively. Latex properties of the creamed latex are examined and compared with that of centrifuged latex. It has been found that most properties are similar, except that extractable protein content, mechanical stability time, and viscosity of the creamed latex are higher than that of the centrifuged latex. Furthermore, the creamed latex exhibits larger particle size with broader particle size distribution than that of the centrifuged latex.
Joel and the Formation of the Book of the Twelve
Authors: Wöhrle Jakob
Published: July 2010

The book of Joel is of major importance for understanding the formation of the Book of the Twelve. After a quick survey of previous research and some methodological considerations, the article will show that the book of Joel was integrated into the Book of the Twelve already on a very early level. Together with the books of Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah this book once formed a small collection of four prophetic books. This collection can be dated in the Persian period and can be read as a literary reaction to the disastrous political and economic situation of that time. The article ends with a brief look at the further redactional development of the Book of the Twelve.
Bystander Theology and the Desire to End a Hermeneutic Hegemony
Authors: Kahan David
Published: July 2010

The parable of the crafty steward in Luke 16:1—8 may be central to Jesus’ negotiation of identity and mission, not an impossibility or an embarrassment as many exegetes believe. Received tradition has been unable to access the text adequately, falling short of offering faith communities a suitable hermeneutic that decodes the world of Jesus’ contemporaries. This essay approaches the text by introducing bystander theology, which turns to aesthetics, the fine arts, to develop exegetical and theological concepts that embody density, texture, and depth that elucidate how biblical persons can be understood today. The essay advocates that the body of Christ extends not only spatially but also through layers of time. By participating in a biblical encounter as a bystander and exploring biblical actors’ frames of reference, biblical worlds may more clearly come into focus.
Effect of a Coach’s Regulatory Focus and an Individual’s Implicit Person Theory on Individual Performance
Authors: Sue-Chan Christina , Wood Robert E. , Latham Gary P.
Published: July 2010

Consistent with the arguments of regulatory focus theory, an experiment revealed that a promotion coaching orientation relative to a prevention coaching orientation had a more positive effect on the performance of recipients following coaching. Moreover, in support of regulatory fit theory, a prevention coaching orientation had a more positive effect on the performance of recipients with implicit fixed beliefs about ability than for those with implicit incremental beliefs. The robustness of these results was supported through replication in a lagged, correlation field study of employees in the production facility of a global company. In addition, in the field study, there was a significant additive component in the effects for promotion-oriented coaching, due to better regulatory fit for employees with incremental beliefs.
Children of Somali refugees in Australian schools: Self-descriptions of school-related skills and needs
Authors: Dodds Agnes E. , Lawrence Jeanette A. , Karantzas Kellie , Brooker Abi , Ying Han Lin  , Champness Vivienne , Albert Nadia
Published: July 2010

We examined self-descriptions of children of Somali refugee families in Australian primary schools, focusing on how children’s school-related skills and needs relate to the interpretive frames of mainstream and ethnic cultures. Three groups of Grade 5 and 6 children (Somali, Disadvantaged, Advantaged) made choices among school-related skills, and rated feelings and needs for the transition to high school. Findings indicate a general goodness of fit between emphases of the mainstream culture and Somali children’s choices (sport, maths), while reflecting some values of their ethnic interpretive frames (rejecting art, music). Gender stereotypic differences did not interact with culture. Children’s computer-based choices provide a basis for bringing together studies of development and acculturation, and for differentiating between refugee status and socio-economic disadvantage.
Informal Negotiation of the Zimbabwe–Mozambique Border for Survival by Mutare’s Marginalized People
Authors: Duri Fidelis Peter Thomas
Published: July 2010

This study investigates, through electronic and print media sources, published books and articles, reports from international organizations, and oral interviews, the irregular ways through which many vulnerable people in Zimbabwe’s eastern border city of Mutare exploited opportunities in neighbouring Mozambique for survival. Most people had to resort to clandestine cross-border activities largely because they could not afford the financial obligations for travel documents, visa fees, border taxes, work permits, as well as import and trade licences. In addition, several of the commodities they imported or exported were either subject to duty, or altogether illegal either in Mozambique or Zimbabwe.
From ‘Sunshine City’ to a Landscape of Disaster
Authors: Musemwa Muchaparara
Published: July 2010

Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, has now joined the growing list of cities and ‘mega cities’ of the global South, which are now confronted by an ever-growing crisis precipitated by the deficient provision of basic services such as water and housing. Emblematic of these challenges are the cities of Lagos, Nairobi, Kumasi, Mumbai and Cairo. This article examines the mutation of Harare from what was once regarded as one of the most developed post-colonial cities in Africa dubbed the ‘sunshine city’ in local Zimbabwean parlance in the 1980s to a landscape of crisis and disease. The cholera outbreak in Harare towards the last quarter of 2008 extending into the first quarter of 2009 exposed the full magnitude of the city’s decrepit infrastructure. This pestilence laid bare the intricate political and municipal governance issues, the historical city–state tensions, and the impact of rapid urban population growth. Although the article focuses on the contemporary water crisis, it injects into the discourse a historical perspective in order to demonstrate that the recent set of factors which contributed to the occurrence of disease has profound structural origins dating back to the colonial days. The article, however, also emphasizes that postcolonial Harare’s dysfunctional water systems have been worsened by rapid urban population growth and repressive forms of political interventions in city governance.
Crime, Race, and the Transition to Marriage
Authors: King Ryan D. , South Scott J.
Published: July 2010

Although it has been suggested that engaging in criminal behavior diminishes young adults’ marriageability, few studies have examined the effect of criminal offending on marital timing. This analysis uses longitudinal data from 1,641 respondents to the National Youth Survey to examine this relationship. Discrete-time event-history models show that, among young men, criminal behavior is inversely associated with the risk of marriage, net of established determinants of marital timing. However, rather than reflecting criminal offenders’ reduced value as marriage partners, much of this association is because of offenders’ lesser desire to marry. No association between criminal behavior and marital timing is observed for young women, and racial differences in criminal offending cannot account for the pronounced racial difference in marital timing.
A systematic review of instruments related to family caregivers of palliative care patients
Authors: Hudson Peter L , Trauer Tom , Graham Suzanne , Grande Gunn , Ewing Gail , Payne Sheila , Stajduhar Kelli I , Thomas Kristina
Published: July 2010

Support for family caregivers is a core function of palliative care. However, there is a lack of consistency in the way needs are assessed, few longitudinal studies to examine the impact of caregiving, and a dearth of evidence-based interventions. In order to help redress this situation, identification of suitable instruments to examine the caregiving experience and the effectiveness of interventions is required. A systematic literature review was undertaken incorporating representatives of the European Association for Palliative Care’s International Palliative Care Family Caregiver Research Collaboration and Family Carer Taskforce. The aim of the review was to identify articles that described the use of instruments administered to family caregivers of palliative care patients (pre and post-bereavement). Fourteen of the 62 instruments targeted satisfaction with service delivery and less than half were developed specifically for the palliative care context. In approximately 25% of articles psychometric data were not reported. Where psychometric results were reported, validity data were reported in less than half (42%) of these cases. While a considerable variety of instruments have been administered to family caregivers, the validity of some of these requires further consideration. We recommend that others be judicious before developing new instruments for this population.
Pilgrimage as a Religious Process
Authors: Dutta Ranjeeta
Published: July 2010

This article attempts to explore the scope of pilgrimage as a normative concept as well as a religious practice for the Srivaisnava community from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century. The Srivaisnavas are a distinct Vaisnava community in South India confined primarily to Tamilnadu and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The community considers Visnu and his consort Laksmi as their supreme godhead and Ramanuja as their spiritual leader. The Srivaisnavas regard the Sanskrit Vedas and the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, which is a corpus of 4,000 hymns composed by the Alvars, the early Vaisnava saints, as their main scriptures. The present day Srivaisnavas are divided into sects. They are the Vatakalai and the Tenkalai. The Vatakalais represent the Sanskritic tradition. Kancipuram in Tamilnadu is their institutional centre and Vedanta Desika (AD 1268–1369) their spiritual preceptor. They give preference to the Sanskrit Vedas over the Dravida Vedas, the Tamil hymns of the Alvars. Therefore, they are considered brahmanical and conservative in their outlook. The Tenkalais on the other hand, represent the Tamil tradition. Srirangam in Tamilnadu is their centre and Manavala Mamuni (AD 1370–1442) their religious leader.
Preparation and mechanical characterization of jute reinforced polypropylene/natural rubber composite
Authors: Zaman Haydar U , Khan Ruhul A , Haque ME , Khan Mubarak A , Khan Avik , Huq Tanzina , Noor Nazia , Rahman Mushfequr , Mustafizur Rahman K. , Huq D. , Mohamad Asri Ahmad
Published: July 2010

Poly(propylene) (PP) matrix jute fiber reinforced composites were prepared by compression molding. Tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM), percentage elongation at break (Eb%), bending strength (BS), bending modulus (BM), impact strength (IS) and hardness of the prepared composites (50% fiber by weight) were found to be 45 MPa, 2305 MPa, 12%, 52 MPa, 4267 MPa, 18 kJ/m2 and 95 shore-A, respectively. Non-vulcanized natural rubber (NR) was blended (10—50% by weight) with PP using extruder, and films (PP + NR) were prepared by heat press for composite fabrication. Jute fiber reinforced blended PP + NR based composites (50% fiber by weight) were fabricated and characterized. It was found that TS, TM, BS, BM and hardness of the composites were decreased with the increase of NR in PP but IS and Eb% were improved significantly.
Electrical properties of conductive network in carbon fibers/polymer composites
Authors: Ayish IO , Zihlif AM
Published: July 2010

The electrical properties of PAN-based carbon fibers/polycarbonate composites were studied using the AC impedance technique. Impedance, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, relaxation time, and AC-conductivity showed frequency, temperature, and carbon fiber-concentrations dependence. It was found that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the prepared composites increase with the increase in the carbon fiber concentration and decreasing frequency.

The thermoelectrical behavior was studied as a function of temperature for the composite of 18 wt% fibers concentration. It was found that the dielectric constant and AC-conductivity increase with temperature, while the activation energy decreases. The observed AC electrical results are explained as a function of fiber concentration and temperature, based on the hopping of conducting impurities and complexes into localized energy states.
Representativeness in Online Surveys through Stratified Samples
Authors: Blasius Jörg , Brandt Maurice
Published: July 2010

Représentativité des enquêtes en ligne à échantillons stratifiés: Alors que les enquêtes à échantillons nationaux en face-à-face sont considérées comme représentatives de l’ensemble de la population, les échantillons en ligne sont considérés comme biaisés, notamment en termes d’âge, de sexe et d’éducation. Pour éviter ce biais, les données peuvent être pondérées de façon à se rapprocher d’un échantillon représentatif. Dans le cas d’enquêtes en ligne, les femmes âgées ayant un faible niveau d’éducation reçoivent un poids très élevé et les jeunes gens ayant une bonne éducation un poids très faible. Plutôt que de pondérer les données, nous tirons un échantillon stratifié à partir de plus de 20.000 participants à un panel en ligne. De ce fait, les femmes âgées de niveau d’éducation relativement faible ont une très forte probabilité d’entrer dans l’échantillon, les jeunes gens avec une bonne éducation, une très faible. Pour obtenir un échantillon stratifié selon le sexe × âge × éducation, sans erreur de prise en compte, l’échantillon est limité à un âge allant jusqu’à 49 ans. Pour comparer ces données et celles d’une enquête face-à-face représentative, nous avons utilisé un ensemble de questions tirées de l’Enquête sociale allemande 2002. Nous comparons les résultats des deux études sur la base de plus de 1.100 cas, dont chacun est équivalent en termes d’âge, sexe et éducation. On montre que des échantillons stratifiés en ligne ne sont pas représentatifs de l’ensemble de la population.
Torticollis as the Only Manifestation of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Har-Gil Miki , Evrani Merav , Watemberg Nathan
Published: July 2010

Torticollis can be either congenital or acquired. Acquired torticollis is often the manifestation of an underlying central nervous system disorder. Acute painless torticollis should always raise suspicion of a posterior fossa tumor. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system involving the subcortical white matter, and to a lesser extent, the gray matter. The illness typically has a monophasic course characterized by a variable combination of fever, headache, meningismus, seizures, spasticity, cranial nerve palsies, ataxia, and psychosis. The course, although often clinically severe, is generally benign with most children making a full recovery. A toddler presenting with subacute painless torticollis as the only manifestation of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is described. The authors believe the neck twist in this child represented a form of dystonia because of basal ganglia involvement. Torticollis has not been reported as a presenting or only sign of disseminated encephalomyelitis.
Polyvalent Knowledge and the Entrepreneurial University: A Third Academic Revolution?
Authors: Etzkowitz Henry , Viale Riccardo
Published: July 2010

Knowledge is increasingly ‘polyvalent’ as theoretical, practical and interdisciplinary implications form a common center of gravity. The changing nature of knowledge drives the institutional spheres of university and industry together in advanced industrial societies and developing countries, alike. Government policy lags and leads a shift from mono helix to triple helix knowledge production under different societal conditions. An entrepreneurial scientific role and an entrepreneurial university embedded in a triple helix of university-industry-government relations is the epicenter of innovation in a ‘third academic revolution’, the next ‘great transformation’.
Fire history and fire ecology of Northern Kruger (KNP) and Limpopo National Park (PNL), southern Africa
Authors: Ekblom Anneli , Gillson Lindsey
Published: July 2010

This paper explores the general correlations between fire and grass/tree relationships, as represented by fossil charcoal and pollen, from different vegetation types in the savanna ecosystems of the neighbouring Kruger (KNP) and Limpopo (PNL) national parks. Our analysis suggests that the basic presumption that fire is a main driver of vegetation dynamics in the savanna ecosystem by suppressing tree seedlings and encouraging grasses needs to be re-examined. An improved approach is to understand how fire may act both as a negative and positive feedback in different vegetational phases and both as a driver and responder in transitions between phases. The correlation between arboreal pollen (AP) percentages and charcoal influx suggests that in the grassland phase (< 5% AP), fire acts as a driver of woody recruitment and as a positive feedback, i.e. potentially driving the system to shift into a savanna phase. In the savanna phase (5—10% AP) fire limits woody recruitment and acts as a negative feedback in maintaining the savanna. Thus, in the savanna phase other factors than fire alone drive the transition from savanna to woodland-forest. In the riparian phase, where evidence of farming is present particularly from AD 1600 onwards, fire appears to facilitate tree recruitment where AP ranges between c. 10 and 20% AP. Though a decline in AP abundance can be seen contemporaneously with charcoal peaks, our analysis suggests that overall, human-induced fires do not seem to have a negative impact on woody cover. Our results have implications for fire management as riparian-dominated phases and savannas with a sufficient woody cover are less sensitive to changes in fire policies than open grasslands that may, with a change in fire frequency, change into another state.
Use and abandonment of a Neolithic field system at Belderrig, Co. Mayo, Ireland: Evidence for economic marginality
Authors: Verrill Lucy , Tipping Richard
Published: July 2010

This paper presents evidence for the nature of early and middle Neolithic farming activity, its impact upon the landscape and environment, and its vulnerability to climatic change, at a sub-peat field system at Belderg Beg, North Co. Mayo, Ireland. Pollen analyses of a 14C dated peat deposit close to the field system indicates that basin peat accumulated from c. 5590 to 5330 cal. BP, probably triggered by farming activities. The palynological evidence indicates that the field system was constructed for pastoral farming, surrounded by woodland. Sediment-stratigraphic analyses show that the soil in the field system was subject to significant erosion, which may have been a causal factor in the local cessation of agriculture in the late sixth millennium cal. BP. Peat humification analyses indicate that surface wetness was greatest at c. 4940 cal. BP, several centuries after abandonment of the field system, coincident in age with evidence for higher precipitation from other sites in North Mayo. Comparison with other records of early and mid-Neolithic agricultural activity and abandonment in the region suggests that the well-recognised mid-Neolithic agricultural decline occurred in the broad context of a shift to a more oceanic climate, but that local factors such as soil quality may have been more important in the exact timing of local agricultural abandonment.
Land-use changes in the Alps (Slovenia) in the fifteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries AD: A comparative study of the pollen record and historical data
Authors: Andrič Maja , Martinčič Andrej , Štular Benjamin , Petek Franci , Goslar Tomasz
Published: July 2010

This paper compares a high resolution, near-annual pollen record from the Šijec raised bog (1194 m a.s.l., Pokljuka, Slovenia) with historical land-use maps in order to understand how the Alpine environment has altered because of changeable economic trends in the fifteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries AD. In the fifteenth century AD the study site was surrounded by mixed forest ( Fagus, Abies, Picea, Quercus) and agricultural fields and pastures, but by the beginning of the nineteenth century AD the landscape had become more open, with very intensive agricultural land-use and grazing. The forest composition also changed: Fagus and Abies declined because of intensive grazing and ironworks (forest clearance and charcoal production). In the second half of the nineteenth and at the beginning of the twentieth century AD, forest recovered, but farming activities continued and, as a result of the forestry policy, Picea prevailed. After AD 1945 agricultural economy declined and mixed forests, which today cover more than 70% of land, are still expanding.
The complex nature of serum C3 and C4 as biomarkers of lupus renal flare
Authors: Birmingham DJ , Irshaid F. , Nagaraja HN , Zou X. , Tsao BP , Wu H. , Yu CY , Hebert LA , Rovin BH
Published: July 2010

To assess the relationship between serum C3 or C4 levels and lupus renal flare, C3 and C4 levels were measured bimonthly in 71 lupus nephritis patients for a mean of 35 months, during which time 70 renal flares were identified. Comparing baseline, pre-flare, and at-flare values indicated that neither C3 nor C4 levels decreased pre-flare, but both decreased on average significantly at flare. However, sensitivity/specificity for C3 (75%/71%) and C4 (48%/71%) were low. To account for other influencing factors, multiple regression was performed that included bimonthly values of C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and genotype data on C3 (S/F), CRP (1846G > A), and the complement regulator factor H (Y402H). This analysis revealed that reduced levels of C4, but not C3, were independently associated with the two-month pre-flare period. Conversely, reduced levels of C3, but not C4, were independently associated with the flare visit. Significant pro-flare interactions included low C3 levels with the factor H 402HH-encoding genotype, and low CRP levels with the C3 F allele. Together these data suggest that C4 activation is critical for initiating renal flare while C3 activation is involved in the actual tissue damage, and that these effects are influenced by genetic variability in complement activation and regulation.
B-cell receptor for antigen modulates B-cell responses to complex TLR9 agonists and antagonists: implications for systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Goeken JA , Layer T. , Fleenor S. , Laccheo M. , Lenert P.
Published: July 2010

The capacity to make secondary structures significantly affects the ability of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists and antagonists to either induce or block TLR9-dependent activation in B cells. However, it has a minor impact on TLR9-induced activation in interferon alpha (IFNα)-producing dendritic cells. Based on the ability of inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides to form predictable secondary structures, we have classified TLR9-antagonists into Class R (‘restricted’, palindromic) and Class B (‘broadly reactive’, linear) oligodeoxynucleotides. In non-autoreactive B cells, Class R oligodeoxynucleotides are at least 10-fold less potent TLR9-inhibitors. We wanted to determine whether engagement of the B-cell receptor for antigen could overcome this restriction. Here we show that in non-autoreactive mouse B cells, B-cell receptor for antigen engagement increased the potency of Class R oligodeoxynucleotides for TLR9 activation at least 10-fold, making it equal in potency to linear oligodeoxynucleotides. However, this enhanced potency was selective for TLR9-induced B-cell cycling and apoptosis protection while TLR9-induced IL-6, an event that strongly depends on signaling via late endosomes, still required 10 times more Class R oligodeoxynucleotides. Thus, pathway-specific effects of Class R oligodeoxynucleotides for TLR9/B-cell receptor for antigen co-stimulated B cells may have therapeutic advantages over non-selective targeting of B cells, a strategy that may be seen as a potential therapy for human systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus (2010) 19, 1290—1301.
Ethical practice in end-of-life care in Japan
Authors: Izumi Shigeko
Published: July 2010

Nurses are obliged to provide quality nursing care that meets the ethical standards of their profession. However, clear descriptions of ethical practice are largely missing in the literature. Qualitative research using a phenomenological approach was conducted to explicate ethical nursing practice in Japanese end-of-life care settings and to discover how ethical practices unfold in clinical situations. Two paradigm cases and contrasting narratives of memorable end-of-life care from 32 Japanese nurses were used to reveal four levels of ethical practice: ethical, distressed, uncertain, and unethical. Having the ability to actualize, justify, and recognize what is the good and/or right differentiated between these levels of ethical practice, empirical descriptions of which are given, followed by discussion of how nurses gain the skilled knowledge necessary for ethical practice.