bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Magnetic resonance elastography of the lung: Technical feasibility
Authors: Goss B.C. , McGee K.P. , Ehman E.C. , Manduca A. , Ehman R.L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMagnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a phase‐contrast technique that can spatially map shear stiffness within tissue‐like materials. To date, however, MRE of the lung has been too technically challenging—primarily because of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) limitations and phase instability. We describe an approach in which shear wave propagation is not encoded into the phase of the MR signal of a material, but rather from the signal arising from a polarized noble gas encapsulated within. To determine the feasibility of the approach, three experiments were performed. First, to establish whether shear wave propagation within lung parenchyma can be visualized with phase‐contrast MR techniques, MRE was performed on excised porcine lungs inflated with room air. Second, a phantom consisting of open‐cell foam filled with thermally polarized 3He gas was imaged with MRE to determine whether shear wave propagation can be encoded by the gas. Third, preliminary evidence of the feasibility of MRE in vivo was obtained by using a longitudinal driver on the chest of a normal volunteer to generate shear waves in the lung. The results suggest that MRE in combination with hyperpolarized noble gases is potentially useful for noninvasively assessing the regional elastic properties of lung parenchyma, and merits further investigation. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multicommodity network design with discrete node costs
Authors: Belotti P. , Malucelli F. , Brunetta L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough there is an extensive literature dealing with network design, little attention has been devoted to networks with complicated node costs. Although node costs, depending linearly on the total passing flow, can be easily embedded into the more usual framework of networks with link costs, when the node costs are, for instance, a stepwise function of the facilities installed into the nodes, this is no longer possible. This feature seems to be crucial in modern telecommunications networks, but has also applications in other fields, where a limited set of technologies is available with discrete values of capacities and costs. In our specific application, we propose a mathematical programming model that explicitly accounts for node costs that are stepwise with nonlinear increments. Two families of valid inequalities are then introduced, one of which is an extension of those presented in a previous work by Stoer and Dahl for multifacility network models. As the separation problem for these inequalities is difficult, we develop a heuristic separation procedure. We devise a branch‐and‐cut method and test it on a set of real‐world instances found in the network design literature. This new method proves to be efficient when compared to a commercial general purpose MIP algorithm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 49(1), 90–99 2007
Multiple human tracking on image sequence under hierarchical attention control
Authors: Satake Junji , Shakunaga Takeshi 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe authors aim to implement flexible human vision‐like processing on a computer by automatically switching the focus of attention to perform stable and efficient image sequence processing. To do so, they first introduce a hierarchical attention control model that divides high‐order processing into five layers in this paper according to the object or role of each layer. By using this model, the authors implement attention control that uses not only simple image information, but also high‐order information such as the various objects or relations between objects. Next, they take the problem of stably and efficiently tracking multiple people in a sequence of images to show the effectiveness of hierarchical attention control. In other words, by using this model, they determine the conditions of each person in an image based on the distance between the people or the way in which the people overlap and switch to suitable tracking processing or control the focus of attention. They use actual images to perform tracking experiments and verify the stability of tracking multiple people according to the proposed technique and the attention control processing contents of each layer during state transitions to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(13): 78–88, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10672
Parameter analysis of impedance pharyngography (IPG) for assessment of swallowing function
Authors: Kusuhara Toshimasa , Nakamura Takao , Shirakawa Yasuhiro , Mori Keiko , Naomoto Yoshio , Yamamoto Yoshitake 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWith steady aging of society, the number of patients with dysphagia due to esophageal cancer and to muscular and neural diseases is increasing. This tendency is a problem from the viewpoint of social welfare. We intended to develop a simple quantitative evaluation method for the swallowing function, and we propose impedance pharyngography (IPG), which can measure noninvasively the electrical impedance of the neck during swallowing. Although the swallowing function is reflected in the IPG, the effect of swallowing function degradation on the waveform varies depending on the cause of the problem, making it difficult to compare simply the IPGs of subjects with various states of the swallowing function. In this study, four parameters are defined, based on the normal IPGs of normal young subjects, in order to evaluate the waveform features representing the swallowing function, namely, the pharynx transit time, the rate of impedance change, the similarity, and the timing of the swallowing sound. Then, a method is proposed to evaluate the IPG quantitatively. IPGs of two groups, young and elderly, are analyzed in terms of these parameters, and it is shown that the degradation of the lifting speed and the lifting distance of the larynx, and also degradation of smooth activity of the organs related to swallowing, can be detected as differences in the parameters. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(13): 20–27, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20588
Planning for sustainable development: a paradigm shift towards a process‐based approach
Authors: Bagheri Ali , Hjorth Peder 
Published: October 2006

AbstractPrevailing approaches of planning and strategy making, which traditionally deal with the states of systems in terms of fixed goals, fail to acknowledge the process nature of sustainable development. Using a system dynamics approach and relying on the concept of viability loops, the paper aims to illustrate a practical implementation of sustainable development with an urban water system as an example. It argues that planning for sustainable development should be ‘process‐based’ – rather than ‘fixed‐goal’ – oriented. Unlike the traditional approaches of strategy making to set fixed goals related to either supply‐side and/or demand‐side management, it is argued that triggering a social learning process with full involvement of all stakeholders and planners in the process would be the most suitable strategy for sustainable development. To this end, backcasting is recommended as a suitable tool and the process of model building is regarded as a means of learning rather than forecasting. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Personal and community sustainability
Authors: Berkowitz Bill 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMany community members reduce their community involvements as they more through midlife. This may be true for community psychologists as well. Yet research evidence suggests that‐intellectually, at least‐we can function at or near peak levels through our 80s and 90s. How then might we best sustain ourselves and our work through our entire lives? Answers may lie in full exercise of all capacities, in strong support networks, and in actions that meet one's deeper needs, “the needs of the soul”. These same principles may sustain community life as well, for some key principles of personal and community sustainability may be similar. Applications of these ideas to communities and to community psychology are discussed.
The impact of the transition to high school on the self‐system and perceived social context of poor urban youth
Authors: Seidman Edward , Lawrence Aber J. , Allen LaRue , French Sabine Elizabeth 
Published: October 2006

AbstractExamined the effects of the normative school transition to senior high school (n=330) on the self‐system and perceived school and peer social contexts of poor, black (n=83), European American (n=115), Latino (n=105), and Asian American (n=27) youth in the public school systems of three Eastern urban cities. The only negative effect of the school transition on the self‐system was a decline in grade point average (GPA). Concurrently, the school transition was perceived to be associated with changes in the school and peer contexts. Across the transition, students reported increased disengagement from school (i.e., increased social support and extracurricular involvement) and increased engagement with peers (i.e., decreased daily hassles and increased involvement). These changes in the school and peer microsystems, like the changes in the self‐system, were also common across race/ethnicity and gender. In addition, transition‐associated school changes, and in particular changes in daily academic demands/hassles and involvement in school activities, were associated with changes in the academic dimensions of the self‐system (i.e., academic efficacy expectations and GPA). Results and implications for preventive intervention are discussed within a developmental mismatch framework.
Socioenvironmental experiences, self‐esteem, and emotional/behavioral problems in early adolescence
Authors: DuBois David L. , Felner Robert D. , Sherman Michelle D. , Bull Catherine A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTested the role of self‐esteem as a mediator of relationships between socioenvironmental experiences and emotional/behavioral problems using a sample of 215 young adolescents (Grades 7–9). Socioenvironmental experiences were assessed using self‐report questionnaire measures of social support and major and minor stressful events. Self‐esteem was assessed using a self‐report questionnaire, an interview, and a parent‐report questionnaire. Emotional/behavioral problems were assessed using self‐report, parent‐report and teacherreport questionnaires. Utilizing structural equation modeling, the data were used to test a model in which self‐esteem mediated the relationship between socioenvironmental experiences and emotional/behavioral problems. The hypothesized model provided a reasonably good fit to the data (normed fit index=.90). However, an alternative model which also allowed for direct effects of socioenvironmental experiences on emotional/behavioral problems produced a significant improvement in model fit. In this model, socio‐environmental experiences had significant effects on emotional problems via both direct effects and indirect effects that indicated a mediating role for self‐esteem. Only direct effects of socioenvironmental experiences were evident for behavioral problems.
Analysis of clustered data in community psychology: With an example from a worksite smoking cessation project
Authors: Hedeker Donald , McMahon Susan D. , Jason Leonard A. , Salina Doreen 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough it is common in community psychology research to have data at both the community, or cluster, and individual level, the analysis of such clustered data often presents difficulties for many researchers. Since the individuals within the cluster cannot be assumed to be independent, the use of many traditional statistical techniques that assumes independence of observations is problematic. Further, there is often interest in assessing the degree of dependence in the data resulting from the clustering of individuals within communities. In this paper, a random‐effects regression model is described for analysis of clustered data. Unlike ordinary regression analysis of clustered data, random‐effects regression models do not assume that each observation is independent, but do assume data within clusters are dependent to some degree. The degree of this dependency is estimated along with estimates of the usual model parameters, thus adjusting these effects for the dependency resulting from the clustering of the data. Models are described for both continuous and dichotomous outcome variables, and available statistical software for these models is discussed. An analysis of a data set where individuals are clustered within firms is used to illustrate fetatures of random‐effects regression analysis, relative to both individual‐level analysis which ignores the clustering of the data, and cluster‐level analysis which aggregates the individual data.
Toward community: A third position
Authors: Newbrough J. R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis essay addresses the insufficiency of modern science as the solution to the problems of human life. It is a critique of community theory and a constructivist proposal for a synthesis of the individuality and collectivity solutions to the Paradox of the One and the Many—designated as the Third Position. The Third Position is necessary for the postmodern period for there is a need to incorporate the goal of Equality (or Justice) into a paradigm based on Liberty and Fraternity. The Third Position is also called the Just Community. To achieve the development of the new position (paradigm), a location‐specific action research center is proposed based on the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (Kelly, 1970). Two examples of action research are described: aqualitativeproject to develop community within a parish that has served to advance the theory of the Just Community, and aquantitativeproject of community‐level change‐monitoring of social indicators and the use of dynamic modeling as a way to understand and simulate local community processes. The Society for Community Research and Action is urged to take specific actions to explore the development of a Woods Hole community research laboratory.
Development and validation of adolescent‐perceived microsystem scales: Social support, daily hassles, and involvement
Authors: Seidman Edward , Allen LaRue , Lawrence Aber J. , Mitchell Christina , Feinman Joanna , Yoshikawa Hirokazu , Comtois Katherine Anne , Golz Judith , Miller Robin L. , Ortiz-Torres Blanca , Roper Gillian Carty 
Published: October 2006

AbstractDeveloped and validated instruments for urban and culturally diverse adolescents to assess their self‐reported transactions with family, peer, school, and neighborhood microsystems for the constructs of social support, daily hassles, and involvement. The sample of 998 youth were from schools in three Eastern cities with high percentages of economically disadvantaged youth. Data were collected before and after the transition to junior high school or to senior high school. Blacks constituted 26%, whites 26%, and Latinos 37% of the sample. Factor analyses confirmed and enhanced the hypothesized four‐factor microsystem factor structure for support, hassles, and involvement; internal consistency and stability coefficients were consistent with these structures. In general, the microsystem factors were common across gender, ethnicity, and age. However, when group differences did occur on these demographic variables, they tended to validate the salience of microsystem specificity. In contrast to the total scores, the microsystem‐specific factors yielded more meaningful and differential information with regard to demographic differences and the mediating processes across a school transition.
In search of altruistic community: Patterns of social support mobilization following Hurricane Hugo
Authors: Kaniasty Krzysztof , Norris Fran H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwelve months after Hurricane Hugo, 1,000 disaster victims and nonvictims were asked about social support they exchanged following the hurricane. Victims of disaster received and provided very high levels of tangible, informationa, and emotional support. Disaster exposure (loss and harm) was a strong predictor of help received and a modest predictor of help provided. However, postdisaster help was not distributed equally and disaster exposure was more strongly related to social support in some groups than in others. Race, education, and age most consistently moderated the impact of disaster exposure on receipt of postdisaster support. Blacks and less educated victims received less help than similarly affected victims who were white or more educated. Relative disadvantage of being old in receiving support was not the case for those elderly disaster victims who experienced threats to their lives or health. Some subgroups of victims were relied upon disproportionately for providing assistance. Implications for social support research are addressed.
Estimating rates of chronic fatigue syndrome from a community‐based sample: A pilot study
Authors: Jason Leonard A. , Taylor Renee , Wagner Lynne , Holden Jay , Ferrari Joseph R. , Plioplys Audrius V. , Plioplys Sigita , Lipkin David , Papernik Morris 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMost of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) epidemiological studies have relied on physicians who refer patients having at least 6 months of chronic fatigue and other symptoms. However, there are a number of potential problems when using this method to derive prevalence statistics. For example, some individuals with CFS might not have the economic resources to access medical care. Other individuals with CFS might be reluctant to use medical personnel, particularly if they have encountered physicians skeptical of the authenticity of their illness. In addition, physicians that are skeptical of the existence of CFS might not identify cases. In the present pilot study, a random community sample (N=1,031) was interviewed by telephone in order to identify and comprehensively evaluate individuals with symptoms of CFS and those who self‐report having CFS. Different definitions of CFS were employed, and higher rates (0.2%) of CFS were found than in previous studies. Methodological benefits in using more rigorous epidemiological methods when estimating CFS prevalence rates are discussed.
Empowerment praxis in community coalitions
Authors: McMillan Brad , Florin Paul , Stevenson John , Kerman Ben , Mitchell Roger E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractCommunity coalitions address a wide variety of community problems, espousing a community development processes that promotes individual and collective self‐determination. They offer a promising venue for the study of empowerment of individuals and organizations. This study utilizes data from members of 35 community coalitions organized for the prevention of alcohol and other drug problems to address the following questions: What individual characteristics are related to the psychological empowerment of coalition members? What organizational characteristics are related to the collective empowering of members? What organization characteristics are related to a coalition being organizationally empowered to succeed in achieving its objectives? At the individual level, psychological empowerment was most strongly related to individuals' participation levels, sense of community, and perceptions of a positive organizational climate. At the group level, the strongest predictors of collective empowering (our operationalization of the empowering organization) were net benefits of participation, commitment, and positive organization climate. Psychological empowerment and positive organizational climate were the two predictors of organizational effectiveness (the empowered organization). Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.
“Taking another route”: Daily survival narratives from mothers who are homeless
Authors: Banyard Victoria L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractHomelessness among families has become a growing social problem for communities, yet little is known about the types of daily survival strategies such families employ. This paper presents results of a qualitative study of the coping narratives of 64 mothers living in temporary emergency shelters with their children. The women reported using a variety of coping responses to daily stressful events. These included the use of direct actions and more palliative strategies. Results suggest that stress and coping theory may be useful for understanding homelessness. Implications for program development and future research are discussed.
Macro‐ and microlevel factors related to sense of community: The case of temporary neighborhoods in Israel
Authors: Sagy Shifra , Stern Eliahu , Krakover Shaul 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study examines macro and micro factors influencing the development of sense of community (Davidson & Cotter, 1980) in two different populations (immigrants and veterans) in new temporary neighborhoods in Israel. At the macrolevel, the major factors examined were population size, population density, number of dwelling units in the site, urbanity of the area, ethnic heterogeneity, and peripheriality of the region. Three kinds of variables were examined on the microlevel: (a) personal attitudes: evaluation of the dwelling unit and satisfaction with public services; (b) social networks; and (c) sociodemographic characteristics. Data were collected from 242 immigrants from the former USSR and from 60 Israeli veterans, residing in 5 different sites. Two different patterns of predictors of sense of community emerged in the two different samples. In the veteran sample, only one macrolevel variable entered the stepwise analysis equation: the number of dwelling units in the site. In the immigrant sample, three significant microlevel factors entered the equation: evaluation of the dwelling unit, external network, and age. The data thus suggest that the major determinant factors underlying sense of community vary for different groups of people.
The ontogenesis of primary prevention: Lengthy strides and subbed toes
Authors: Cowen Emory L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractReviews evolution of the concept of primary prevention in the past 40 years and cites progress in overcoming significant early deterrents (e.g., loosely anchored, overinclusive definitions; weak supporting empirical base) to this development. Highlights the growing trend to define the concept specifically around the yoked notions of risk, and the goal of forestalling major psychological dysfunction. This de facto shift in definitional emphasis has obscured primary prevention's early vision of promoting health and wellness. Stresses need for a comprehensive, multilevel, proactive approach targeted systematically toward the enhancement of psychological wellness in all people, from the start.
Characteristics and consequences of help‐giving practices in contrasting human services programs
Authors: Trivette Carol M. , Dunst Carl J. , Hamby Deborah 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRelationships between human services program models and help‐giving practices, and between both program models and help‐giving practices and help‐seeker control appraisals were examined in a study of 107 low socioeconomic background families. Three kinds of human services agencies were included in the study, each of which differed in terms of their implicit and explicit assumptions about the families they served and the roles professionals and families played as part of helping relationships. Results support the hypotheses that (a) a program philosophy that was family centered would be associated with more empowering help‐giving practices compared to more professionally centered philosophies and (b) a family‐centered program philosophy and empowering help‐giving practices would be related to an enhanced sense of personal control over needed supports and resources from a target help‐giver.