bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The functional logic of cortico–pulvinar connections
Authors: Shipp S. 
Published: October 2003

The pulvinar is an ‘associative’ thalamic nucleus, meaning that most of its input and output relationships are formed with the cerebral cortex. The function of this circuitry is little understood and its anatomy, though much investigated, is notably recondite. This is because pulvinar connection patterns disrespect the architectural subunits (anterior, medial, lateral and inferior pulvinar nuclei) that have been the traditional reference system. This article presents a simplified, global model of the organization of cortico–pulvinar connections so as to pursue their structure–function relationships.
Connections between the cortex and pulvinar are topographically organized, and as a result the pulvinar contains a ‘map’ of the cortical sheet. However, the topography is very blurred. Hence the pulvinar connection zones of nearby cortical areas overlap, allowing indirect transcortical communication via the pulvinar. A general observation is that indirect cortico–pulvino–cortical circuits tend to mimic direct cortico–cortical pathways: this is termed ‘the replication principle’. It is equally apt for certain pairs (or groups) of nearby cortical areas that happen not to connect with each other. The ‘replication’ of this non–connection is achieved by discontinuities and dislocations of the cortical topography within the pulvinar, such that the associated pair of connection zones do not overlap. Certain of these deformations can be used to divide the global cortical topography into specific sub–domains, which form the natural units of a connectional subdivision of the pulvinar. A substantial part of the pulvinar also expresses visual topography, reflecting visual maps in occipital cortex. There are just two well–ordered visual maps in the pulvinar, that both receive projections from area V1, and several other occipital areas; the resulting duplication of cortical topography means that each visual map also acts as a separate connection domain. In summary, the model identifies four topographically ordered connection domains, and reconciles the coexistence of visual and cortical maps in two of them. The replication principle operates at and below the level of domain structure.
It is argued that cortico–pulvinar circuitry replicates the pattern of cortical circuitry but not its function, playing a more regulatory role instead. Thalamic neurons differ from cortical neurons in their inherent rhythmicity, and the pattern of cortico–thalamic connections must govern the formation of specific resonant circuits. The broad implication is that the pulvinar acts to coordinate cortical information processing by facilitating and sustaining the formation of synchronized trans–areal assemblies; a more pointed suggestion is that, owing to the considerable blurring of cortical topography in the pulvinar, rival cortical assemblies may be in competition to recruit thalamic elements in order to outlast each other in activity.
Remember Bonaventure? (Onto)Theology and Ecstasy
Authors: Hughes Kevin L. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractTaking note of the tendency of some authors in contemporary philosophy and theology to assume that medieval Christian theology as such is ontotheology, the essay first reviews several current uses of ontotheology and its correlates. It then tests these uses against the theology of Bonaventure, who is often included but often unexamined in these current critiques of medieval ontotheology. It concludes that Bonaventure is not ontotheological, but perhaps surprisingly, he offers a critique of his fellow scholastics that has striking resonance with Heideggerian and other postmodern worries about the uses of ontology in particular and scholastic reasoning more generally.
Campaign Contributions with Swing Voters
Authors: Dix Manfred , Santore Rudy 
Published: October 2003

We analyze contributor behavior when there are two types of voters: positioned voters, who care about the ideological positions of candidates, and swing voters, who care about only the leadership abilities of candidates. Campaign expenditures, which are funded by contributions, are assumed to influence voters' perceptions of a candidate's ability. We find that the number of swing voters may have unexpected consequences on equilibrium campaign contributions. In particular, total contributions may increase as the number of swing voters decreases.Elections are won by doing two things: mobilizing your base and winning the independent swing voters.(Karl Rove, campaign strategist for George W. Bush)
Between Technology and Literacy
Authors: Stankiewicz Mary Ann 
Published: October 2003

AbstractArt education exists between technology and literacy, that is, between the methods social groups use to equip themselves with material objects, to shape and control their environment, and the mastery of specific technologies used to communicate ideas and values. Technology and literacy also function as metaphors, implied comparisons between the visual arts and realms of contemporary education generally seen as possessing higher status in Western cultures. My intent in this historical essay is to examine both terms in historical contexts grounded in North American art education in order to reveal elements of political and social control in these metaphors. While art‐making is a means to technical literacy, responding to visual images has been used as a means to maintain social groups and continue particular cultural traditions. Art education itself can be considered one of many technologies useful in managing a complex society, at the same time as it is perceived as a means of human liberation.
Infant Intersubjectivity: Research, Theory, and Clinical Applications
Authors: Trevarthen Colwyn , Aitken Kenneth J. 
Published: October 2003

We review research evidence on the emergence and development of active “ self‐and‐other ” awareness in infancy, and examine the importance of its motives and emotions to mental health practice with children. This relates to how communication begins and develops in infancy, how it influences the individual subject's movement, perception, and learning, and how the infant's biologically grounded self‐regulation of internal state and self‐conscious purposefulness is sustained through active engagement with sympathetic others. Mutual selfother‐ consciousness is found to play the lead role in developing a child's cooperative intelligence for cultural learning and language. A variety of preconceptions have animated rival research traditions investigating infant communication and cognition. We distinguish the concept of “ intersubjectivity ”, and outline the history of its use in developmental research.The transforming body and brain of ahumanindividual grows in active engagement with an environment of human factors‐organic at first, then psychological or inter‐mental. Adaptive, human‐responsive processes are generated first by interneuronal activity within the developing brain as formation of the human embryo is regulated in a support‐system of maternal tissues. Neural structures are further elaborated with the benefit of intra‐uterine stimuli in the foetus, then supported in the rapidly growing forebrain and cerebellum of the young child by experience of the intuitive responses of parents and other human companions. We focus particularly on intrinsic patterns and processes in pre‐natal and post‐natal brain maturation that anticipate psychosocial support in infancy. The operation of an intrinsic motive formation (IMF) that developed in the core of the brain before birth is evident in the tightly integrated intermodal sensory‐motor coordination of a newborn infant's orienting to stimuli and preferential learning of human signals, by the temporal coherence and intrinsic rhythms of infant behaviour, especially in communication, and neonates' extraordinary capacities for reactive and evocative imitation. The correct functioning of this integrated neural motivating system is found to be essential to the development of both the infant's purposeful consciousness and his or her ability to cooperate with other persons' actions and interests, and to learn from them.The relevance of infants' inherent intersubjectivity to major child mental health issues is highlighted by examining selected areas of clinical concern. We review recent findings on postnatal depression, prematurity, autism, ADHD, specific language impairments, and central auditory processing deficits, and comment on the effcacy of interventions that aim to support intrinsic motives for intersubjective communication when these are not developing normally.
Development and Current Functioning in Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome: A Comparative Study
Authors: Gilchrist Anne , Green Jonathan , Cox Antony , Burton Di , Rutter Michael , Couteur Ann Le 
Published: October 2003

Adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS: without delay in speech development, diagnosed according to ICD‐10 clinical criteria) were compared with a group with high‐functioning autism (HFA: all with delayed speech development), and a group with conduct disorder (CD). Family and genetic studies suggest that Asperger syndrome and autism form part of the same spectrum, whereas the social impairments in conduct disorder are assumed to have different origins. The aims were to explore the relationships between early speech development and other aspects of functioning in autistic disorders, and to compare autistic and nonautistic social impairments. Early and current behaviour and IQ profiles were investigated.The CD group were clearly different from both the AS and HFA groups. The AS group tended to have less severe early behavioural abnormalities than the HFA group, and were unlikely to have speech abnormalities, but other communicative, social, and restricted/ stereotyped behavioural difficulties were largely of a similar pattern to the abnormalities in the HFA group. Eighty per cent of the AS group met criteria for autism on the diagnostic algorithm associated with the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised. By adolescence, the AS group were reported to be as abnormal as the HFA group but in structured 1: 1 interaction their conversation was better. IQ profile in the AS group showed relative strength on verbal measures, unlike the HFA group, but relatively good performance on the Block Design subtest of the WISC/WAIS was a feature of both the AS and HFA groups. The results indicate closely similar behavioural manifestations may arise by adolescence despite differences in speech development. Follow‐up studies and further family investigations will be required to clarify the origins of these and other patterns of autistic development.
Using Claims Data to Examine Mortality Trends Following Hospitalization for Heart Attack in Medicare
Authors: Ash Arlene S. , Posner Michael A. , Speckman Jeanne , Franco Shakira , Yacht Andrew C. , Bramwell Lindsey 
Published: October 2003

Objective.To see if changes in the demographics and illness burden of Medicare patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from 1995 through 1999 can explain an observed rise (from 32 percent to 34 percent) in one‐year mortality over that period.Data Sources. Utilization data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) fee‐for‐service claims (MedPAR, Outpatient, and Carrier Standard Analytic Files); patient demographics and date of death from CMS Denominator and Vital Status files. For over 1.5 million AMI discharges in 1995–1999 we retain diagnoses from one year prior, and during, the case‐defining admission.Study Design. We fit logistic regression models to predict one‐year mortality for the 1995 cases and apply them to 1996–1999 files. The CORE model uses age, sex, and original reason for Medicare entitlement to predict mortality. Three other models use the CORE variables plus morbidity indicators from well‐known morbidity classification methods (Charlson, DCG, and AHRQ's CCS). Regressions were used as is—without pruning to eliminate clinical or statistical anomalies. Each model references the same diagnoses—those recorded during the pre‐ and index admission periods. We compare each model's ability to predict mortality and use each to calculate risk‐adjusted mortality in 1996–1999.Principal Findings. The comprehensive morbidity classifications (DCG and CCS) led to more accurate predictions than the Charlson, which dominated the CORE model (validated C‐statistics: 0.81, 0.82, 0.74, and 0.66, respectively). Using the CORE model for risk adjustment reduced, but did not eliminate, the mortality increase. In contrast, adjustment using any of the morbidity models produced essentially flat graphs.Conclusions. Prediction models based on claims‐derived demographics and morbidity profiles can be extremely accurate. While one‐year post‐AMI mortality in Medicare may not be worsening, outcomes appear not to have continued to improve as they had in the prior decade. Rich morbidity information is available in claims data, especially when longitudinally tracked across multiple settings of care, and is important in setting performance targets and evaluating trends.
Expanding Public Health Insurance to Parents: Effects on Children's Coverage under Medicaid
Authors: Dubay Lisa , Kenney Genevieve 
Published: October 2003

Objective. To assess whether expanding public health insurance coverage to parents leads to increases in Medicaid participation among children.Data Sources/Study Setting. Study uses data from the 1997 and 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Insurance coverage of children eligible for Medicaid under the poverty‐related expansions is analyzed.Study Design. We conduct two analyses. In the first, we examine the cross‐sectional difference regarding whether Medicaid participation is higher for children eligible for Medicaid under the poverty‐related expansions when states expand public health insurance programs to cover their parents. In the second, we use a difference in‐difference approach to assess whether the expansion of the Medicaid program to cover parents in Massachusetts led to an increase in Medicaid coverage among children between 1997 and 1999 relative to changes that occurred in the rest of the nation.Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The analysis relies on a detailed Medicaid and SCHIP eligibility simulation model that identifies children surveyed on the NSAF who are eligible for Medicaid under the poverty‐related expansions.Principal Findings. Children who reside in states that expanded public health insurance programs to parents participate in Medicaid at a rate that is 20 percentage points higher than of those who live in states with no expansions. The Massachusetts expansion in coverage to parents led to a 14 percentage point increase in Medicaid coverage among children due principally to reductions in uninsurance among already eligible children.Conclusions. Expanding public health insurance coverage to parents has benefits to children in the form of increased participation in Medicaid.
Working More Productively: Tools for Administrative Data
Authors: Roos Leslie L. , Soodeen Ruth‐Ann , Bond Ruth , Burchill Charles 
Published: October 2003

Objective. This paper describes a web‐based resource (http://www.umanitoba.ca/centres/mchp/concept/) that contains a series of tools for working with administrative data. This work in knowledge management represents an effort to document, find, and transfer concepts and techniques, both within the local research group and to a more broadly defined user community. Concepts and associated computer programs are made as “modular” as possible to facilitate easy transfer from one project to another.Study Setting/Data Sources. Tools to work with a registry, longitudinal administrative data, and special files (survey and clinical) from the Province of Manitoba, Canada in the 1990–2003 period.Data Collection. Literature review and analyses of web site utilization were used to generate the findings.Principal Findings. The Internet‐based Concept Dictionary and SAS macros developed in Manitoba are being used in a growing number of research centers. Nearly 32,000 hits from more than 10,200 hosts in a recent month demonstrate broad interest in the Concept Dictionary.Conclusions. The tools, taken together, make up a knowledge repository and research production system that aid local work and have great potential internationally. Modular software provides considerable efficiency. The merging of documentation and researcher‐to‐researcher dissemination keeps costs manageable.
IAS Versus U.S. GAAP: Information Asymmetry–Based Evidence from Germany's New Market
Authors: Leuz Christian 
Published: October 2003

abstractMotivated by the debate about globally uniform accounting standards, this study investigates whether firms using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) vis‐à‐vis international accounting standards (IAS) exhibit differences in several proxies for information asymmetry. It exploits a unique setting in which the two sets of standards are put on a level playing field. Firms trading in Germany's New Market must choose between IAS and U.S. GAAP for financial reporting, but face the same regulatory environment otherwise. Thus, institutional factors such as listing requirements, market microstructure, and standards enforcement are held constant. In this setting, differences in the bid‐ask spread and share turnover between IAS and U.S. GAAP firms are statistically insignificant and economically small. Subsequent analyses of analysts' forecast dispersion, initial public offering underpricing, and firms' standard choices corroborate these findings. Thus, at least for New Market firms, the choice between IAS and U.S. GAAP appears to be of little consequence for information asymmetry and market liquidity. These findings do not support widespread claims that U.S. GAAP produce financial statements of higher informational quality than IAS.
Measuring Development Performance in the Electronics Industry
Authors: Loch Christoph , Stein Lothar , Terwiesch Christian 
Published: October 2003

Within a year or so, the computer you purchased last month will probably be obsolete. For a manufacturer faced with such short product life‐cycles, the performance of the new product development (NPD) function can determine whether the firm itself is relegated to the scrap heap. With such a close link between NPD performance and a firm's overall success, we need to do more than simply ensure that individual projects are well managed; we need to assess NPD's overall contribution to the company's business performance.Christoph Loch, Lothar Stein, and Christian Terwiesch develop a two‐step model for measuring the performance of the NPD function. In this model, development output performance is the direct driver of business success. In other words, the output and the productivity of the NPD function directly affect a company's profitability and sales growth. Development output performance is driven by development process performance—that is, the operational management of development projects.Using data from the “Excellence in Electronics” project (a joint research effort of Stanford University, the University of Augsburg, and McKinsey & Co.), the two‐step model is applied to a sample of 95 business units operating in three international electronics industries: consumer/small products, computers/communications, and industrial measurement/large systems. This analysis has two main objectives: identifying the key measures of development output performance and their contribution to business success; and identifying the important measures of development process performance and their contributions to development output performance.Development productivity, measured by development expense intensity, is the clearest predictor of business success. In other words, you can't buy a competitive advantage by pouring more money into R&D. Success comes from more efficient NPD, not simply outspending the competition. In the computer industry, design‐to‐cost has a positive effect on profitability growth, and design quality has a positive influence on sales growth.The factors underlying development process performance are much more dependent on the nature of competition in each industry. For example, because competition in the large systems industry still focuses primarily on technical competence, design‐to‐cost efforts in this industry lag behind those of the computer industry. Important measures of development process performance for all industry segments examined in the study include supplier involvement in the design, early prototyping, a team‐based development organization, the use of team rewards, and value engineering.
Validation of Expert Systems for Innovation Management: Issues, Methodology, and Empirical Assessment
Authors: Ram Sundaresan , Ram Sudha 
Published: October 2003

Faced with the complexities of managing new product development, most of us would welcome the support of a computer‐based system that captures the knowledge and the reasoning capabilities of experts in our field. Considerable effort has been focused on the design and development of expert systems for applications such as new product management. However, design and development are only two steps on the path to successful implementation of a useful expert system. A rigorous validation process is essential for ensuring that the expert system performs as intended.Using the INNOVATOR expert system as an example, Sundaresan Ram and Sudha Ram propose and test a framework for validating expert systems designed for new product management. The proposed validation framework considers three aspects of the expert system: its knowledge acquisition methodology, its performance, and its utility.Validation of an expert system's knowledge acquisition methodology involves assessment of the knowledge sources used, the criteria for selecting human experts, and the methods used for knowledge acquisition. Using multiple sources improves the likelihood that the expert system will capture the necessary core knowledge. Similarly, selection of the experts who are to supply the knowledge used by the expert system should be based on reliable measures of new product expertise rather than ad hoc measures.The system's performance is evaluated through formal tests of the accuracy and the completeness of the knowledge base, the consistency and the accuracy of the decisions made by the system, and the reasoning process by which the system reaches its decisions. Such tests may involve direct examination of the system by experts, and Turing tests, which compare both the recommendations and the reasoning process of the system with those of selected experts. Both types of tests may involve experts from whom knowledge was acquired during the development of the system as well as experts who were not involved in the design and development of the system.Assessment of an expert system's utility focuses on user perceptions of system performance and utility as well as the design of the user interface. First, end‐users must evaluate the relevance of the chosen problem domain. In other words, the validation process must verify that the expert system addresses an important problem that requires decision support tools. Second, the expert system must provide a logical, systematic approach to solving the problem. Finally, the expert system must provide a consistent, intuitive user interface.