bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pascal's wager revisited
Authors: Jordan Jeff 
Published: July 2002

Pascal's wager attempts to provide a prudential reason in
support of
the rationality of believing that God exists. The wager employs the idea
that the
utility of theistic belief, if true, is infinite, and in this way, the
expected utility of
theism swamps that of any of its rivals.Not surprisingly the wager generates more than a good share of philosophical

criticism. In this essay I examine two recent objections levelled against
the wager
and I argue that each fails. Following this, I argue that a transfinite
version of the
wager – one using the idea of an infinite utility – is incompatible
with standard
axiomatic constructions of decision-theory and, as a consequence, the Pascalian

would be well-advised to give up the idea of an infinite utility and employ
only a
finite version of the wager. The consequences of limiting the wager to
finite utilities
are also explored.
Social Policy Digest NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN May to July 1999
Authors: BENNETT FRAN 
Published: July 2002

Contents1 Social security and income maintenance2 Health (formerly Health care)3 Education4 Housing and environment5 Personal social services6 Law and the treatment of the offender7 Unemployment and the labour market8 Race relations9 The voluntary sector10 Government (formerly Local government)11 Gender12 Demography
Dream production is not chaotic
Authors: Mancia Mauro 
Published: July 2002

The AIM model proposed by Hobson et al. is interesting: We know the neurophysiological aspects of the activation process (A) and the external input (I), but very little about the internal input and neurocognitive process (M). Internal input could be an expression of unconscious experiences memorised by the subject containing his emotional and cognitive history. Therefore internal input could not be chaotic but might have an emotional and affective sense bound to the unconscious. The fact that dreams are present in the absence of REM sleep means that they may originate from other structures besides the pons. These structures may represent the archives of dreamer's affective history.[Hobson et al.; Solms]
South Africa's morality tale for our time
Authors: GUELKE ADRIAN 
Published: July 2002

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report: Five Volumes, Basingstoke and Oxford, Macmillan, 1999On 29 October 1998 Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented the final report of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission to President Nelson Mandela. This massive
report has now been published by Macmillan in a handsome, extensively illustrated
five-volume set. The fine quality of the production would seem appropriate to what
has been hailed as a document of lasting importance for South Africa. Indeed, it is
evident that many foreign commentators see it as important not just for South
Africa but for the whole world. That has been reflected in the interest shown in the
TRC by commentators, such as Timothy Garton Ash and Michael Ignatieff, who
have not previously written about South Africa. The report was the culmination of
nearly three years of work by the TRC. President Mandela announced the names of
the 17 commissioners (designating Desmond Tutu as chairperson and Alex Boraine
as deputy chairperson) in November 1995. It began to function in December that
year, while the first public hearings were held on 15 April 1996. However, while the
report has been the most significant product of the TRC's endeavours, it is not the
end of its work. In particular, the Committee on Amnesty will continue to function
until it has reached decisions on all the outstanding applications for amnesty
received by the deadline of 30 September 1997. When it has completed this task a
further volume of the final report will be published.
Jim Crow laws of the 1890s and the origins of New Orleans jazz: correction of an error
Authors: Johnson Jerah 
Published: July 2002

A seriously misleading error has crept into almost all the literature on the origins of New Orleans jazz. The error mistakenly attributes to the Jim Crow laws of the 1890s a significant role in the formation of the city's jazz tradition.Jazz historians have done a reasonably good job of depicting the two black communities that existed in new Orleans from the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 until the twentieth century. One community comprised a French-speaking Catholic group who lived mostly in downtown New Orleans, i.e. the area of the city down-river from Canal Street. Before the Civil War this group, commonly called Creoles, or Black Creoles, but more accurately called Franco-Africans, comprised free people of colour as well as slaves, and after the war consisted of their descendants who perpetuated the group's language, religion and musical tradition, which combined French, African and Caribbean elements.Members of the other black community were English-speaking Protestants who lived mostly in uptown new Orleans. That group, before the Civil War, was made up largely of slaves brought to New Orleans by Americans who flooded into Louisiana after the 1803 Purchase, though it also included some free people of colour. After the war, the descendants of these immigrants continued their language, religion and musical tradition, which came mostly from the rural South. There Anglo-Africans were generally less prosperous and less educated than the downtown Franco-African or Creole community.
A linear differential formulation of friction forces for adaptive estimator

algorithms
Authors: Tsaprounis C. J. , Aspragathos N. A. 
Published: July 2002

In this paper a new approach for the formulation of the friction forces velocity function is introduced. The scope of this formulation is to facilitate the implementation of control laws for systems where friction forces appear. The friction

model includes the exponential decay part, the Coulomb and viscous friction. The introduced formulation is based on the observation that the friction coefficient function of velocity can be presented as the solution of a linear differential equation. Due to this linearity, the parameters of the derived differential equation can be estimated easily by an adaptive system. The estimation of these parameters is equivalent to the estimation of the friction coefficient in the full range of operational velocities. This knowledge gives to the designed control systems the potential to avoid successfully the stick-slip phenomenon.A control law for one D.O.F. system, where friction appears, is designed in order to prove the applicability of the proposed formulation of the friction model in control systems. A MRAC adaptive algorithm estimates the differential friction model parameters, using the measured friction force, while a sliding controller adjusts the motion of the mechanical system. The proposed friction model can be used in any control system where friction forces have to be compensated. The linear form of the model is suitable for common adaptive estimators. Therefore, the proposed structure is suitable for robotic applications, such as assembly, deburring, etc.
Modelling of a camera-3D range finder system
Authors: Barat Christian , Triboulet Jean , Chekhar Youcef , Colle Etienne 
Published: July 2002

A laser range finder mounted on a site and azimuth turret is used as a 3D range camera. It forms, associated with a video camera, an original stereovision system. The internal structure of both images are the same but the resolution of 3D image stays low. By ignoring the acquiring speed of measures, spatial resolution is limited by the accuracy of deviation device and the laser footprint. The fact that the impact of the beam is not a point introduces spatial integration.To correct the average at depth discontinuities due to the beam footprint, a neural-network-based solution is reported.The use of such a multisensor system requires its calibration. As camera calibration is a well-known problem, the paper focuses on models and calibration methods of the range finder. Experimental results illustrate the quality of the calibration step in terms of accuracy and stability.The footprint correction is evaluated for both 1D and 2D range finder scannings.
Conference Reports
Authors: Khalil Wisama 
Published: July 2002

FIFTH IFAC SYMPOSIUM ON ROBOTS CONTROL SYROCO '97 (3–5 SEPTEMBER 1997)SYROCO '97 was the fifth of the IFAC series of triennial Symposia on Robot Control. Previous events were held in Barcelona (Spain), 1985; Karlsruhe (Germany), 1988; Vienna (Austria), 1991 and Capri (Italy), 1994. SYROCO '97 was held from September 3
to 5, 1997 in the “Cité des Congrès” in Nantes, France. The Chairman of the International Programme Committee was Bernard ESPIAU from INRIA Rhône Alpes (FRANCE); the Chairman of the National Organizing committee was Wisama KHALIL from IRCyN (Ecole Centrale de Nantes-FRANCE).
Understanding the modelling endeavour
Authors: PLUNKETT KIM , ELMAN JEFFREY L. , BATES ELIZABETH 
Published: July 2002

We enjoyed reading Matthew Rispoli's review of Rethinking
innateness
(henceforth RI-Elman et al. 1996). First, we respond to what we
see as the
major issues that he raises. Finally, we respond to the commentaries
contributed by other authors in this issue.Rispoli has two major concerns. First, he fears that RI will do the
field a
great disservice, increasing polarization and sowing discontent. To some

extent this is an ‘eye of the beholder’ criticism that is difficult
to counter: if
Rispoli feels more polarized upon reading this book, who are we to argue?
Institutional Aspects of a Global Navigation Satellite System
Authors: Brocklebank D. , Spiller J. , Tapsell T. 
Published: July 2002

This, and the following three papers, where first presented at GNSS 99, the Second European
Symposium on Global Navigation Satellite Systems held in Genoa, Italy from 5th to 8th
October 1999.Galileo is being developed as the European contribution to the next generation of navigation
satellites to replace GNSS1. Sponsored by the European Union, Galileo will be a civil,
internationally controlled and operated system that will secure the long-term availability of
satellite-based navigation services for multi-modal purposes throughout the European region
and beyond. Galileo will be designed to support a wide variety of applications. These include
professional navigation, position reference, safety, emergency, tracking, sport/leisure and
governmental. Such services may be open to all, for safety-of-life applications, or for
commercial users. In the case of safety and commercial applications in particular, it is
imperative that the appropriate institutional control and regulatory framework is in place for
purposes of safety and economic regulation. To ensure that the various parties understand
their obligations and liabilities, clear legal instruments must be put in place to support the
organisational framework. It is planned to attract private investment to fund elements of
system development and operation through Private/Public Partnership arrangements. At
present there is no institutional, regulatory or legal framework that will enable the early
impetus to Galileo development to be maintained. This presents a challenge that Europe
must address without delay. It has been the subject of several European Commission studies
in the past twelve months. In a complementary activity under contract to the European
Space Agency (ESA), a European industry consortium comprising Alcatel, Alenia, DASA
and Matra Marconi Space was tasked to complete the preliminary design of the space and
ground segments by the Autumn of 1999. One task of this study, led by Matra Marconi
Space, relates to a study of the impact of institutional, regulatory and legal issues on the
organisation and development of Galileo. This paper describes the studies undertaken into
these issues within the overall Galileo development programme.
The natural history of tuberculosis: the implications of

age-dependent risks of disease and the role of reinfection
Authors: VYNNYCKY E. , FINE P. E. M. 
Published: July 2002

Many aspects of the natural history of tuberculosis are poorly

understood. Though it is

recognized that clinical tuberculosis may follow shortly after initial

infection (‘primary’

disease), or many years thereafter through either endogenous reactivation
or

after reinfection,

the relative importance of these mechanisms is often disputed. The issue

is complicated by the

fact that the risks of developing disease are age-dependent, and reflect

infection risks which may change over time.This paper estimates the age-dependent risks of developing tuberculosis

using an age-structured deterministic model of the dynamics of tuberculous

infection and disease in England

and Wales since 1900. The work extends the classical studies of Sutherland

and colleagues. The

best estimates of the risks of developing ‘primary’ disease

(within 5 years of initial infection)

were approximately 4%, 9% and 14% for individuals infected at ages

0–10, 15 years and over

20 years respectively, and a previous infection appeared to impart little

protection against (further) reinfection, but 16–41% protection against
disease

subsequent to reinfection for

adolescents and adults. We also provide evidence that reinfection made
an important

contribution to tuberculous morbidity in the past, as (i) exclusion

of exogenous disease from

the model considerably worsened the fit to observed notification

rates, and (ii) the dramatic

decline in the risk of tuberculous infection from 1950 in England and

Wales accelerated the

decline in morbidity among all individuals, even among the

older age groups with a high

prevalence of tuberculous infection. We conclude that the risk of infection

is the single most

important factor affecting the magnitude of the tuberculous morbidity in

a population, as it

determines both the age pattern of initial infection (and hence the risk

of developing disease) and the risk of reinfection.
Phylogenetic significance of the morphology of the cuticular scales of the lynx spiders (Araneae: Oxyopidae)
Authors: Townsend Victor R. , Felgenhauer Bruce E. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractIn spiders, cuticular scales are flattened, hollow setae that occur in a variety of shapes and colours. Using transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, we examine and provide descriptions of the external and internal anatomy of prosomal and opisthosomal scales of 70 species of lynx spiders (Araneae, Oxyopidae), representing the genera Hamataliwa, Hostus, Oxyopes, Peucetia, Schaenicoscelis, Tapinillus, and Tapponia. The cuticular scales of these taxa exhibit regional (with respect to location on the body), sexual, inter‐ and intrageneric variation in external and internal morphology. In the genera, Peucetia, Schaenicoscelis, and Tapinillus, cuticular scales are plumose and only occur on the prosoma. Species of the genera Hamataliwa and Tapponia, have lanceolate scales that occur on the prosoma, legs, and opisthosoma. Hostus has spatulate scales in these areas. In the genus Oxyopes, most species have lanceolate scales on the prosoma and spatulate scales on the legs and opisthosoma. Examinations of the genitalia of 82 species of lynx spiders, revealed a strong correlation between genitalic morphology and scale shape and distribution.
Ontogenetic changes in bone compactness in male and female Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus)
Authors: de Buffrénil Vivian , Francillon‐Vieillot Hélène 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThe compactness of bone tissue was measured in the shaft of the femur, tibia and fibula in 390 male and female Nile monitors Varanus niloticus from three distinct regions of Sahelian Africa. In males, bone compactness increases during ontogeny in the three bones. Conversely, in females, it tends to decrease in the femur and, to a lesser extent, the tibia, but not in the fibula. In addition to this long‐term trend, gravid females have lower femoral compactness than mature non‐gravid ones. Moreover, important differences are noticeable between local samples, indicating that the variation in bone compactness during ontogeny is a flexible or even a facultative process. Histological observations reveal the existence of an extensive remodelling by resorption and reconstruction on the walls of the marrow cavity in the femur and tibia, and the complete absence of Haversian substitution. It is concluded from these data that: (1) during ovogenesis, female Nile monitors recycle skeletal calcium through cortical resorption in certain bones, if the calcium supply from food is not enough; (2) this remodelling process is not balanced, which creates a long‐term tendency towards a deficit in reconstructive bone, and a consecutive decrease in the compactness of the skeletal elements involved. The comparative and functional aspects of these results are discussed.
Movements and location at sea of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens)
Authors: Campagna Claudio , Werner Rodolpho , Karesh William , Marín María Rosa , Koontz Fred , Cook Robert , Koontz Charles 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThis study examined the foraging locations of lactating female and pre‐breeding adult male South American sea lions Otaria flavescens in the Patagonian continental shelf, south‐west Atlantic ocean. Research on females included the diving pattern, and was conducted during the 1994–98 breeding seasons in five northern and central Patagonian rookeries. Twenty females were satellite‐tracked using the Argos system and yielded 1558 locations at sea. Satellite transmitters were also deployed on two adult males tracked for a total of 94 days (n= 364 locations) before the onset of the 1999 breeding season. Foraging trips for both sexes were confined to the temperate waters of the Patagonian continental shelf although males travelled greater distances than females, and arrived close (c. 80 km) to the edge of the shelf. Females from the same rookery dispersed widely and locations at sea often overlapped. Individual differences were apparent between coastal and pelagic animals. Trips lasted a mean of 3.4 days (sd= 1.3, n= 115 trips). Mean travel distance per trip was 206 km (sd= 117 km, maximum 864 km, n= 115 trips). Females reached further distances by travelling faster rather than by extending the duration of trips. Consistent with the shallow continental shelf, 65% of 75 087 dives recorded for nine animals were in the range of 2–30 m. Males alternated periods on the coast with trips to sea lasting a mean of 5.7 days (sd= 3.0, n= 8 trips). Mean travel distance exceeded 591 km (1 sd= 301 km, n= 8 trips). Results are consistent with sex differences reported from diet studies. Locations overlap with the summer operation of shelf fisheries targeting species that are also part of the sea lion diet.
Patterns of species richness and narrow endemism of terrestrial bird species in the Afrotropical region
Authors: de Klerk Helen M. , Crowe Tim M. , Fjeldså Jon , Burgess Neil D. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractGeographical patterns and peaks of species richness and narrow endemism (defined by range‐restrictedness and range‐size rarity) are described for terrestrial Afrotropical birds and subsets thereof based on residency, endemism, and taxonomy. Species richness for residents and Afrotropical endemics (species globally restricted to sub‐Saharan Africa) peaks along the mountains and adjacent lowlands of eastern and southern Africa. Isolated mountains in central and western Africa and the lowlands of the north‐eastern Congo Basin (Ituri) are highlighted to a lesser degree. Peaks of narrow endemism occur in these areas as well as in the Ethiopian Highlands (particularly for non‐passerines), Somalia (particularly for passerines), and the Angolan Escarpment. Within residents, patterns of species richness vary greatly between Afrotropical endemics (which concentrate in forests on mountains and adjacent lowlands, and the southern Brachystegia woodlands) and non‐endemic residents (which concentrate in Sudanian woodlands and the Ethiopian Highlands). Patterns of species richness of residents (species that breed in the Afrotropics) and non‐breeding migrants (non‐breeding visitors to the Afrotropics) also show notable differences. The latter concentrate in areas close to the Palaearctic, which forms their distributional range centres. Patterns of species richness and narrow endemism for Afrotropical endemics show broad‐scale coincidence within mountains or mountain–lowland complexes, particularly the Cameroon–Bamenda Highland system, East African rift system and Eastern Arc mountains. However, fine‐scale coincidence of peaks of species richness and narrow endemism within these complexes is low. Narrow endemism peaks occur in areas of topographical complexity, which may have conferred localized climatic stability over short‐, medium‐, and long‐term climatic cycles (sensu Fjeldså, 1994; Fjeldsået al., 1997), allowing these areas to act as ‘species pumps’. Species accumulate in areas of high productivity. Lack of fine‐scale coincidence of narrow endemism and species richness peaks have implications for conservation prioritization exercises.
Measuring poststroke spasticity
Authors: Gregson J. M. , Sharma A. K. 
Published: July 2002

What is spasticity?Spasticity is a well-recognized and potentially important clinical syndrome comprising inappropriate and involuntary high muscle tone. It has been variably defined, with debate still ongoing. Currently, the most widely accepted definition is that of Lance, stating that spasticity is ‘a motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes (muscle tone) with exaggerated tendon jerks, resulting from hyper-excitability of the stretch reflex.’ Unfortunately, even this description does not fully encompass the multifactorial nature of spasticity, since resistance to movement, even in the normal state, is subject to varied contributors. These include patient volition, inertia, visco-elastic muscle forces and range of joint movement, as well as true muscle activation secondary to reflex action. In the real clinical world, it is often not possible to distinguish which of these features is/are dominant. Furthermore, spastic muscle undergoes physiopathological, rheologic change with stiffness, atrophy, fibrosis and finally contracture.
Territorial Identity in Europe: the Political Processes of the Construction of Identities in Corsica, the Basque Country, Italy, Macedonia and the Swiss Jura
Authors: Voutat Bernard 
Published: July 2002

Jean-Louis Briquet, La tradition en mouvement. Clientélisme et politique en Corse (Paris: Belin, 1997), 303 pp. ISBN 2–701–12079–9.Barbara Loyer, Géopolitique du Pays basque. Nations et nationalismes en Espagne (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1997), 416 pp. ISBN 2–738–45089–X.Carl Levy, ed., Italian Regionalism. History, Identity and Politics (Oxford/Washington, DC: Berg, 1996), 197 pp. ISBN 1–859–73156–2.Peter Mackridge and Eleni Yannakis, eds., Ourselves and Others. The Development of a Greek Macedonian Cultural Identity since 1912 (Oxford/New York: Berg, 1997), 259 pp. ISBN 1–859–73138–4.Claude Hauser, Aux origines intellectuelles de la Question jurassienne. Culture et politique entre la France et la Suisse romande (1910–1950) (Courrendelin: Editions communication jurassienne et européenne (CJE), 1997), 528 pp. ISBN 2–940–11204–5.Any examination of political movements that claim a basis in territorial and cultural
identity tends to come up against a major obstacle, the problem of tracing the
reasons for their emergence. There are two competing approaches: the ’culturalist‘,
which considers cultural differences among communities as being themselves the
chief cause of conflict; and the ’instrumentalist‘, which holds that those differences
are exploited and manipulated by individuals or groups seeking to acquire or
maintain a position of power.