Knowledge of autism spectrum disorders among connecticut school speech-language pathologists. - Cascella, Paul W; Colella, Catherine S (Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 2004)
This study utilized a rating scale and random sampling of Connecticut school speech—language pathologists about their preprofessional education and current knoWledge of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The participants had a minimal amount of preprofessional academic or clinical preparation in ASD, and no differences Were found in hoW speech—language pathologists Were trained over the past 30 years. School speech—language pathologists reported relatively stronger knoWledge of the general behavioral and communication characteristics associated With ASD and less knoWledge of educational assessment and intervention formats. Given the prevalence of schoolchildren With ASD, speech—language pathology graduate programs need to enhance their preprofessional curricula to provide school-based speech—language pathologists With specific training to meet the communication needs presented by children With ASD. © 2004, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.cmd

Adaptive behavior in autism and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified: Microanalysis of scores on the vineland adaptive behavior scales - Paul, R.; Miles, S.; Cicchetti, D.; Sparrow, S.; Klin, A.; Volkmar, F.; Coflin, M.; Booker, S. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2004)
The purpose of this study is to provide a microanalysis of differences in adaptive functioning seen between well-matched groups of school-aged children with autism and those diagnosed as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, all of whom functioned in the mild to moderate range of intellectual impairment. Findings indicate that the major area of difference between children with autism and those with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, was expressive communication; specifically, the use of elaborations in syntax and morphology and in pragmatic use of language to convey and to seek information in discourse. Linear discriminant function analysis revealed that scores on just three of these expressive communication item sets correctly identified subjects in the two diagnostic categories with 80% overall accuracy. Implications of these findings for both diagnosis and intervention with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders will be discussed.
Keywords: Activities of Daily Living; Adaptation, Psychological; Adaptive behavior; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Child; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Child, Preschool; Communication; Discriminant Analysis; Expressive language; Female; Humans; Personality Tests; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Social Behavior; Socialization; adaptive behavior; article; autism; brain function; child; clinical article; comparative study; controlled study; dept.cmd; developmental disorder; diagnostic accuracy; diagnostic approach route; female; functional anatomy; human; intellectual impairment; interpersonal communication; language; linear system; male; microanalysis; peer-reviewed; priority journal; rating scale; scoring system; socialization; treatment indication

Promoting social communication in high functioning individuals with autistic spectrum disorders - Paul, Rhea (Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2003)
This article reviews a range of social communication interventions that have been developed for students with autism at the preschool, school age, and adolescent level. Adult-mediated and peer-mediated methods that use highly structured, child-centered, and hybrid methods are examined. Programs that provide information on generalization and maintenance are identified. A set of recommendations for programs that would seem to be most appropriate for students with Asperger syndrome is presented.
Keywords: *Asperger Syndrome/th [Therapy]; *Autistic Disorder/th [Therapy]; *Intelligence; *Social Behavior; Adolescent; Asperger Syndrome/di [Diagnosis]; Asperger Syndrome/px [Psychology]; Asperger syndrome; Autistic Disorder/di [Diagnosis]; Autistic Disorder/px [Psychology]; Behavior Therapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Peer Group; Play and Playthings; Social Adjustment; adolescent; adult; autism; child; child psychiatry; dept.cmd; human; interpersonal communication; peer-reviewed; priority journal; review; school; social adaptation; social interaction; training; verbal communication

Management of children with APDs - Jirsa, Robert E (The Hearing journal, 2003)
The management of children with auditory processing disorders requires a multifaceted approach involving audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and educators. We are still at the genesis of our understanding of APDs.
Keywords: accuracy; association; audiology; auditory discrimination; auditory nervous system; auditory stimulation; auditory system examination; auditory system function; child; child behavior; child care; computer program; dept.cmd; frequency modulation; health care planning; hearing disorder; human; interpersonal communication; medical specialist; note; school; sensory system electrophysiology; signal noise ratio; signal processing; task performance; technology; writing

Recovery of communication skills following intracerebral hemorrhage: A case study - Purdy, MH (Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 2001)
Numerous variables contribute to the ultimate recovery of communication skills following neurological damage. This report provides a review of the literature pertaining to prognostic indicators and chronicles the recovery of communication skills in a 48-year-old man who sustained a left intracerebral hemorrhage over a 29-month period.
Keywords: adult; article; brain hemorrhage; case report; communication disorder; dept.cmd; human; male; priority journal; prognosis; skill; speech rehabilitation; treatment outcome; ⛔ No DOI found

Psycholinguistic models of speech development and their application to clinical practice - Baker, Elise; Croot, Karen; Mcleod, Sharynne; Paul, Rhea (Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 2001)
This article presents an introduction to psycholinguistic models of speech development. Two specific types of models are addressed: box-and-arrow models and connectionist or neural network models. We review some historical and some current models and discuss recent applications of such models to the management of speech impairment in children. We suggest that there are two ways in which a psycholinguistic approach can influence clinical practice: by directly supplementing a speech-language pathologist's repertoire of assessment and treatment approaches and by offering a new way to conceptualize speech impairment in children.
Keywords: Assessment; Brain; Child Language; Child, Preschool; Connectionist models; Humans; Impairment; Language Disorders; Neural Networks (Computer); Psycholinguistic models; Psycholinguistics; Speech; Speech development; Verbal Learning; article; artificial neural network; brain; dept.cmd; human; language development; language disability; learning; linguistics; pathophysiology; preschool child; speech

TBI knowledge and pragmatic assessment among Connecticut school speech-language pathologists - McGrane, S.A.; Cascella, P.W. (Brain Injury, 2000)
School-based speech-language pathologists from Connecticut responded to a random survey which had a twofold purpose, (1) to replicate a previous conclusion that clinicians' specific experience with traumatic brain injury (TBI) influences their knowledge of this subject, and (2) to explore the topic of pragmatic assessment and whether it is also influenced by specific TBI experience. Results indicate that Connecticut school clinicians favourably regard both their own knowledge of TBI and the contemporary issue of pragmatic assessment. Connecticut clinicians also report a relatively low degree of prior TBI training and clinical experience. Clinicians' degree of TBI training and clinical experience did not appear directly related to their reported competence in TBI knowledge and pragmatic assessment.
Keywords: *Brain Injuries/di [Diagnosis]; *Professional Competence; *Self-Assessment; *Speech-Language Pathology/ed [Education]; Adult; Connecticut; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Schools; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workforce; article; brain injury; competence; dept.cmd; education; experience; functional assessment; human; linguistics; normal human

Bis(benzylsulfanyl)maleonitrile - Backiel, Stanley; Bajrami, Besnik; Hunter, Allen D.; Zeller, Matthias; Lesley, M. J. Gerald (Acta Crystallographica Section E: Crystallographic Communications, 2005)
The title compound, C18H14N2S2, crystallizes as a pseudomerohedral twin, with four independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The compound shows a combination of π-interactions and close-packing, with the planar maleonitrile and phenyl groups extending into pockets of neighbouring molecules. © 2005 International Union of Crystallography Printed in Great Britain - all rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.che

1,1′-Dibromoferrocene - Hnetinka, Chrissy A.; Hunter, Allen D.; Zeller, Matthias; Lesley, M. J. Gerald (Acta Crystallographica Section E-structure Reports Online, 2004)
The structural properties of 1,1′-dibromoferrocene, [Fe(C 5H4Br)2, were investigated using single-crystal x-ray diffraction. It was found to crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric space group P21. Despite of the steric demand of the two bromine substituents, the two cyclopentaldienyl (Cp) rings were found to exhibit an eclipsed conformation in the solid state. The conformational arrangement found in compound seems not to be the result of general electronic preference within this class of compounds, but has to be attributed to crystal packing effects in the solid state.
Keywords: Bromine compounds; Conformations; Crystal packing; Crystal structure; Crystallization; Derivatives; Ligands; Molecular structure; Organometallics; Pseudo-torsion angle; Single crystals; Solid state structures; Synthesis (chemical); X ray diffraction; dept.che

p‐Anisolecarbonitrile - Lesley, M. J. Gerald; Pineau, Mark R.; Hunter, Allen D.; Zeller, Matthias (Acta Crystallographica Section E: Crystallographic Communications, 2004)
The structure of p-anisolecarbonitrile, C8H7NO, was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 100 K. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with two crystallographically independent molecules in the asymmetric © 2004 International Union of Crystallography Printed in Great Britain - all rights reserved.
Keywords: Aromatic rings; Asymmetric units; Bond length; Chemical bonds; Complexation; Crystal atomic structure; Crystal symmetry; Crystallography; Derivatives; Nitrogen compounds; Parallel stacks; Synthesis (chemical); X ray diffraction; dept.che

A gene coding for a novel protein specific to the olfactory rosettes of atlantic salmon - Pang, J.; Lloyd, J.M.; Rhoads, D.E.; Hartman, K.A. (Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 2002)
We have isolated a 1.6 kb clone from a cDNA library made from the olfactory rosettes of th Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The clone contains a 1200 bp, open reading frame (name OSC) which codes for a protein with 400 amino-acid residues (Oscp). The mRNA corresponding to OSC is strongly expressed in the olfactory rosettes and weakly expressed in gills but is expressed in only these two tissues. This suggests that Oscp may have a specific and important role in olfaction. The sequence of Oscp suggests that it is not globular. Predictions show only a small fraction of alpha-helix. Oscp is hydrophilic but with the number of positively charged residues equal to the number of negatively charged residues. No closely similar protein can be found on the basis of homology searches or hydrophobicity comparisons. However, a 44 residue segment (G300 through K343) is significantly homologous to a segment of alpha-lactalbumin (G51 through K94). The similarities include the 19 residues of the "alpha-lactalbumin-lysozyme C signature," the ten residues of the Ca2+ binding elbow and the four cysteine residues which provide two key disulfide links in alphalactalbumin and lysozyme C. Two more Cys residues are also very similarly placed. We conclude that the gene OSC codes for a unique protein which most likely contains a specific site for binding Ca2+ and plays a unique role in the signal pathway of olfaction in salmon.
Keywords: *Calcium-Binding Proteins/ge [Genetics]; *Genes; *Olfactory Pathways/ph [Physiology]; Amino Acid Sequence; Animalia; Animals; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Calcium; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calcium-Binding Proteins/ch [Chemistry]; Calcium-Binding Proteins/me [Metabolism]; Calcium/me [Metabolism]; Cloning, Molecular; Genes; Liver; Liver/me [Metabolism]; Molecular Sequence Data; Myocardium; Myocardium/me [Metabolism]; Northern blotting; Olfactory Pathways; Open Reading Frames; Organ Specificity; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Messenger/ge [Genetics]; Salmo; Salmo salar; Transcription, Genetic; animal tissue; article; dept.che; gene expression; gene isolation; nonhuman; olfactory system; open reading frame; priority journal; protein expression; salmon; smelling

Biological identifications of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) using DNA barcodes - Ball, Shelley L; Hebert, Paul D N; Burian, Steven K; Webb, J M (Journal of The North American Benthological Society, 2005)
We tested the efficacy of DNA barcodes in identifying mayfly species primarily from the northeastern United States and central Canada. We sequenced a 630-base-pair segment of the mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI), from 1 individual of each of 80 species to create a reference sequence profile. We used these reference sequences to identify 70 additional specimens representing 32 of the species that were in the profile. DNA barcodes correctly identified 69 of the 70 test specimens. The sole exception was an individual identified morphologically as Maccaffertium modestum that showed deep genetic divergence from other M. modestum specimens. Mean sequence divergence within species was 1%, whereas mean divergence among congeneric species was an order of magnitude greater (18%). We conclude that DNA barcoding can provide a powerful tool for mayfly species identification. © 2005 by The North American Benthological Society.
Keywords: Aquatic invertebrates; COI; Canada; DNA; Ephemeroptera; Invertebrata; Maccaffertium; Mayfly; North America; Species identification; United States; Western Hemisphere; World; aquatic organism; dept.bio; identification method; mayfly; mtDNA

Caching behavior by wintering northern saw-whet owls, aegolius acadicus - Devine, Arnold; Smith, Dwight G (Canadian Field-Naturalist, 2005)
We observed 16 instances of caching behavior by Northern Saw-whet Owls in southern Connecticut between 30 October and 29 March over a 23-year period 1982 to 2004. Caches consisted of a single prey item in 13 instances and two prey items in three instances. Prey was cached either directly beneath the owl or from 5-28 cm distant, always on the same branch on which the owl was roosting. Observations of cached prey marked in the morning suggested that it was consumed after 14:30 in the afternoon of the same day. Such a delay indicated a true cache rather than delayed feeding.
Keywords: Aegolius acadicus; Caching behavior; Connecticut; North America; Northern Saw-Whet Owl; Strigiformes; United States; caching; dept.bio; marking method; prey capture; raptor; roosting

Summer diet of the peregrine falcon in faunistically rich and poor zones of Arizona analyzed with capture-recapture modeling - Ellis, David H; Ellis, Catherine H; Sabo, Beth Ann; Rea, Amadeo M; Dawson, James W; Fackler, James K; Larue, Charles T; Grubb, Teryl G; Schmitt, John; Smith, Dwight G; Kery, Marc (The Condor, 2004)
We collected prey remains from 25 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) territories across Arizona from 1977 to 1988 yielding 58 eyrie-years of data. Along with 793 individual birds (107 species and six additional genera), we found seven mammals and nine insects. In addition, two nestling peregrines were consumed. We found a larger dependence upon White-throated Swifts (Aeronautes saxatalis) and birds on migration in northern Arizona, while in southeastern and central Arizona average prey mass was greater and columbiforms formed the largest dietary component. In northern, central, and southeastern Arizona, 74, 66, and 56 avian prey taxa, respectively, were recorded. We used capture-recapture modeling to estimate totals of 111 ± 9.5, 113 ± 10.5, and 86 ± 7.9 (SE) avian taxa taken in these same three areas. These values are counterintuitive inasmuch as the southeast has the richest avifauna. For the entire study area, 156 ± 9.3 avian taxa were estimated to be taken by peregrines.
Keywords: Aeronautes; Aeronautes saxatalis; Aeronautes saxatatilis; Arizona; Aves; Columbiformes; Diet; Falco; Falco peregrinus; Galliformes; Hexapoda; Insecta; Mammalia; Peregrine Falcon; Peregrinus; Prey; Vertebrata; dept.bio

Taxonomy of Eurylophella coxalis (McDunnough) with notes on larval habitat and behavior (Ephemeroptera:Ephemerellidae) - Burian, Steven K (Journal of The North American Benthological Society, 2002)
Larval stages have been associated for all of the known species of Eurylophella in eastern North America except for E. coxalis. The larva of E. coxalis is described herein from a reared series of specimens. Adults are redescribed and eggs are described for the 1st time, as are notes on larval habitat and behavior. Association of E. coxalis completes our knowledge of the life stages of a presumed different species, Dentatella bartoni, which was previously known only from the larval stage. This larva is now determined to be the larval stage of E. coxalis. Further, characters used to diagnose Dentatella danutae have shown that this taxon is not different from what has been called D. bartoni. Thus, Dentatella bartoni (Allen) and D. danutae McCafferty are now placed as subjective junior synonyms of E. coxalis. A conservative criterion requiring that apomorphic characters be discernable in both larval and adult life stages is proposed for recognizing mayfly genera when knowledge of life stages and/or the phylogenetic nature of diagnostic characters is incomplete. Field and laboratory observations of live E. coxalis larvae show this species to be associated with cold, swift, alkaline streams containing coarse inorganic substrates with well-developed periphyton.
Keywords: Apus apus; D. bartoni; D. danutae; Dentatella; Dentatella bartoni; Dentatella danutae; E. coxalis; Ecology; Ephemerellidae; Ephemeroptera; Eurylophella; Eurylophella coxalis; Taxonomy; behavior; dept.bio; habitat; larva; taxonomy

Developmental expression of a voltage-dependent potassium channel (Kv3.1) in auditory neurons without cochlear input. - Feng, Jane; Morest, D Kent (Journal of Neuroscience Research, 2001)
Kv3.1, a voltage-dependent potassium channel, has two forms, -a and -b, which differ in expression during development and at the onset of function in the auditory system. To determine whether cochlear nerve input could affect the expression of these two forms, cultures of the developing cochlear nucleus were explanted in the absence of the cochlear nerve at the beginning of cell migration (Hamburger-Hamilton stage 28-30), while neuroblasts continued to migrate onto the culture substrate. After 8, 15, and 22 days in vitro (three survival groups), cultures were immunostained with antibodies recognizing either both forms of Kv3.1 or only the -b form. Only young and newly migrated nerve cells were sampled. In the three survival groups, all nerve cells expressed Kv3.1, among which only 50% or less expressed the -b form. Some of the more differentiated multipolar cells expressed the -b form, but most were labeled with the antibody that recognizes both forms. Thus, in the absence of peripheral input, both forms of Kv3.1 appear at stages very early in development, although not all cells necessarily coexpress both forms. These results agree with other observations in the chick embryo in situ. They are consistent with previous work implicating Kv3.1 in cell migration during early development.
Keywords: *Cell Differentiation/ph [Physiology]; *Cell Movement/ph [Physiology]; *Cochlear Nerve/em [Embryology]; *Cochlear Nucleus/em [Embryology]; *Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/ph [Physiology]; *Neurons/me [Metabolism]; *Neuropeptides/me [Metabolism]; *Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; *Potassium Channels/me [Metabolism]; Age Factors; Animals; Cell Compartmentation; Cell Compartmentation/ph [Physiology]; Cell Differentiation; Cell Movement; Cell Size; Cell Size/ph [Physiology]; Cells, Cultured; Cells, Cultured/cy [Cytology]; Cells, Cultured/me [Metabolism]; Chick Embryo; Chicken embryo; Cochlear Nerve; Cochlear Nerve/me [Metabolism]; Cochlear Nucleus; Cochlear Nucleus/cy [Cytology]; Cochlear Nucleus/me [Metabolism]; Cochlear nucleus; Denervation; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Immunohistochemistry; Neurons; Neurons/cy [Cytology]; Neuropeptides; Nucleus magnocellularis; Potassium Channels; Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; Protein Isoforms; Protein Isoforms/me [Metabolism]; Sensory Deprivation; Sensory Deprivation/ph [Physiology]; Shaw Potassium Channels; Tissue culture; amino terminal sequence; animal cell; article; auditory nervous system; cell differentiation; cell migration; cell survival; chicken; cochlear nucleus; dept.bio; immunohistochemistry; magnocellular nucleus; nonhuman; potassium channel; priority journal; protein expression; tissue culture

Cutmarked bones from Pliocene archaeological sites at Gona, Afar, Ethiopia: implications for the function of the world's oldest stone tools - Dominguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Pickering, Travis Rayne; Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael J (Journal of Human Evolution, 2005)
Newly recorded archaeological sites at Gona (Afar, Ethiopia) preserve both stone tools and faunal remains. These sites have also yielded the largest sample of cutmarked bones known from the time interval 2.58-2.1 million years ago (Ma). Most of the cutmarks on the Gona fauna possess obvious macroscopic (e.g., deep V-shaped cross-sections) and microscopic (e.g., internal microstriations, Herzian cones, shoulder effects) features that allow us to identify them confidently as instances of stone tool-imparted damage caused by hominid butchery. In addition, preliminary observations of the anatomical placement of cutmarks on several of the recovered bone specimens suggest that Gona hominids may have eviscerated carcasses and defleshed the fully muscled upper and intermediate limb bones of ungulates-activities that further suggest that Late Pliocene hominids may have gained early access to large mammal carcasses. These observations support the hypothesis that the earliest stone artifacts functioned primarily as butchery tools and also imply that hunting and/or aggressive scavenging of large ungulate carcasses may have been part of the behavioral repertoire of hominids by c. 2.5 Ma, although a larger sample of cutmarked bone specimens is necessary to support the latter inference. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Africa; Carcass; Cutmarks; Defleshing/filleting; East Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Ethiopia; Evisceration; Gona; Hominidae; Hominids; Mammalia; Pliocene; Stone tools; Sub-Saharan Africa; Ungulata; World; archaeological evidence; dept.ant; hominid; peer-reviewed; tool use

Raw material selectivity of the earliest stone toolmakers at Gona, Afar, Ethiopia - Stout, Dietrich; Quade, Jay; Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael J.; Levin, Naomi E. (Journal of Human Evolution, 2005)
Published evidence of Oldowan stone exploitation generally supports the conclusion that patterns of raw material use mere determined by local availability. This is contradicted by the results of systematic studies of raw material availability and use among the earliest known archaeological sites from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Artifact assemblages from six Pliocene archaeological sites were compared with six random cobble samples taken from associated conglomerates that record pene-contemporaneous raw material availability. Artifacts and cobbles were evaluated according to four variables intended to capture major elements of material quality: rock type, phenocryst percentage, average phenocryst size, and groundmass texture. Analyses of these variables provide evidence of hominid selectivity for raw material quality. These results demonstrate that raw material selectivity was a potential component of Oldowan technological organization from its earliest appearance and document a level of technological sophistication that is not always attributed to Pliocene hominids. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Africa; Cognition; East Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Ethiopia; Gona; Hominidae; Lithic technology; Oldowan; Pene; Pliocene; Raw materials; Sub-Saharan Africa; World; dept.ant; human activity; lithic fragment; peer-reviewed

Early Pliocene hominids from Gona, Ethiopia. - Semaw, Sileshi; Simpson, Scott; Quade, Jay; Renne, Paul; Butler, Robert; McIntosh, William; Levin, Naomi; Dominguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Rogers, Michael (Nature, 2005)
Comparative biomolecular studies suggest that the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, lived during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene 1,2. Fossil evidence of Late Miocene-Early Pliocene hominid evolution is rare and limited to a few sites in Ethiopia 3-5, Kenya 6 and Chad 7. Here we report new Early Pliocene hominid discoveries and their palaeoenvironmental context from the fossiliferous deposits of As Duma, Gona Western Margin (GWM), Afar, Ethiopia. The hominid dental anatomy (occlusal enamel thickness, absolute and relative size of the first and second lower molar crowns, and premolar crown and radicular anatomy) indicates attribution to Ardipithecus ramidus. The combined radioisotopic and palaeomagnetic data suggest an age of between 4.51 and 4.32 million years for the hominid finds at As Duma. Diverse sources of data (sedimentology, faunal composition, ecomorphological variables and stable carbon isotopic evidence from the palaeosols and fossil tooth enamel) indicate that the Early Pliocene As Duma sediments sample a moderate rainfall woodland and woodland/grassland., (C) 2005 Nature Publishing Group
Keywords: Africa; Animals; Ardipithecus ramidus; Biodiversity; Carbon; Chad; Dental Enamel; East Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Endomorphological variables; Environment; Ethiopia; Faunal composition; Fossils; Geographical regions; Gona; Gona Wester Margin (GWM), Afar, Ethiopia; History, Ancient; Hominidae; Jaw; Kenya; Landforms; Miocene; Pan (ape); Pan troglodytes; Pliocene; Pliocene hominids; Poaceae; Radicular anatomy; Radioisotopes; Rain; Sedimentology; Sub-Saharan Africa; Time Factors; Tooth; Trees; Upper Miocene; World; Zanclea; Zanclean; article; carbon; chimpanzee; dept.ant; enamel; evolution; fauna; forest; fossil; grassland; hominid; molar tooth; paleoenvironment; premolar tooth; priority journal; rain; sedimentology

Disparate markets: Language, nation, and education in North India - Ladousa, Chaise (American Ethnologist, 2005)
In this article, I explore the ideological underpinnings of the Indian government's language policies in the school setting, and I investigate why they fail to be compelling to residents of Banaras, a city in North India. The multiple language markets that exist in India are incommensurate and subvert the government's language policies in multiple ways. By exploring the uneven quality of these markets, this article illustrates the especially complicated dilemmas in which postcolonial nation-states are implicated.
Keywords: dept.ant

In the mouth but not on the map: visions of language and their enactment in the Hindi Belt - Ladousa, Chaise (Journal of Pragmatics, 2004)
While scholars working in colonial and post-colonial North India have devoted a great deal of attention to language variation, they have largely ignored the discursive use of names for language varieties. In this article, I investigate the ways that speakers enter into dialogic relationships with distinct voices, in the rubric of Bakhtin, depending upon which names for language varieties they mention. I reflect upon conversations between residents of Banaras, a city of approximately two million in North India, in which names for language varieties cluster into three sets. Each set of language names invokes particular language ideologies constructed in India's colonial and post-colonial past. The first two sets-one comprised by “Hindi” and “English” and the other comprised by names for more local varieties-intersect official notions about the proper fit between language and its context of use. The third set does not. In order to account for the third set, in which speakers forego official, authoritative descriptions of languages, I note that interactional phenomena, in addition to ideological dimensions of language, are crucial in understanding the ways that people differently reflect on language varieties in practice. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Hindi; Identity; Ideology; Interaction; Metalanguage; North India; Politics; Semiotic erasure; dept.ant

Isotopic evidence for plio-pleistocene environmental change at gona, ethiopia - Levin, Naomi E; Quade, Jay; Simpson, Scott W; Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael J (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2004)
A 4.5 Ma record of fluvial and lacustrine deposits is well exposed at Gona, in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia. We use isotopic values of pedogenic carbonate and fossil teeth to reconstruct Plio-Pleistocene environmental change at Gona. An increase in δ13C values of pedogenic carbonates since 4.5 Ma points to a shift from woodlands to grassy woodlands in the early Pliocene, -10.4 to -3.9‰ (VPDB), to more open but still mixed environments in the late Pleistocene, -3.0 to -1.4‰ (VPDB). This pattern is also seen in isotopic records elsewhere in East Africa. However, at 1.5 Ma the higher proportion of C4 grasses at Gona is largely a result of a local facies shift to more water-limited environments. The wide range of δ13C values of pedogenic carbonate within single stratigraphic levels indicates a mosaic of vegetation for all time intervals at Gona that depends on depositional environment. Elements of this mosaic are reflected in δ13C values of both modern plants and soil organic matter and Plio-Pleistocene soil carbonate, indicating higher amounts of C4 grasses with greater distance from a river channel in both the modern and ancient Awash River systems. δ18O values of pedogenic carbonates increase up-section from -11.9‰ in the early Pliocene to -6.4‰ (VPDB) in the late Pleistocene. The wide range of δ18O values in paleovertisol carbonates from all stratigraphic levels probably reflects short-term climate changes and periods of strong evaporation throughout the record. Based on the comparison between δ18O values of Plio-Pleistocene pedogenic carbonates and modern waters, we estimate that there has been a 6.5‰ increase in mean annual δ18O values of meteoric water since 4.5 Ma. δ18O values of pedogenic carbonate from other East African records indicate a similar shift. Increasing aridity and fluctuations in the timing and source of rainfall are likely responsible for the changes in δ18O values of East African pedogenic carbonates through the Plio-Pleistocene. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Africa; East Africa; Ethiopia; Gona; Isotopes; Paleoclimate; Paleosols; Pleistocene; Plio-Pleistocene; Pliocene; Sub-Saharan Africa; carbonate sediment; dept.ant; isotopic analysis; paleoenvironment; peer-reviewed; sediment chemistry

Paleoenvironments of the earliest stone toolmakers, Gona, Ethiopia - Quade, Jay; Levin, Naomi E; Semaw, Sileshi; Stout, Dietrich; Renne, Paul R; Rogers, Michael J; Simpson, Scott W (Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2004)
Fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the Hadar and Busidima Formations along the northern Awash River (Ethiopia) archive almost three million years (3.4 to <0.6 Ma) of human evolution, including the earliest documented record of stone toolmaking at 2.5-2.6 Ma. This paper brings together sedimentologic and isotopic evidence for the paleoenvironmental context of early hominids from both formations, but with particular emphasis on the setting for the early toolmakers. The pre-2.92 Ma record (Hadar Formation) is characterized by low-gradient fluvial, paludal, and lacustrine deposition in an undissected topography most analogous to reaches of the modern middle Awash River near Gewane. The Gona area experienced repeated deep dissection and aggradation by the Awash River, starting between 2.92 and ca. 2.7 Ma and continuing through the top of the record at <0.6 Ma (Busidima Formation). Each aggradational succession is 10-20 m in thickness and fines upward from well-rounded conglomerates at the base to capping paleosols at the top. During this period the ancestral Awash represented by these fining upward sequences was dominantly meandering and flowed northeast, as it does today. Smaller channels tributary to the axial Awash system are also extensively exposed in the Busidima Formation. Compared to the axial-system conglomerates, the tributary channels transported finer, less mature volcanic clasts mixed with abundant carbonate nodules reworked from adjacent badlands. Stone artifacts (Oldowan; 2.6-2.0 Ma) at the oldest archaeological sites are only associated with the axial Awash system, in the bedded silts or capping paleosols of the fining upward sequences. The implements were made from rounded cobbles from the channels, but manufacture and use of the tools was always away from the channel bars, on the nearby sandy banks and silt-dominated floodplains. Archaeological sites higher in the record (Acheulian; <1.7 Ma) occur in similar axial river contexts, as well as along tributary channels further removed from artifact raw material sources. Mature paleosols in the Hadar and Busidima Formations are mostly pale to darkbrown Vertisols typified by abundant clay slickensides, pseudo-anticlinal and vertical fracturing, and carbonate nodules. Such calcic Vertisols are common in the region today, demonstrating that the paleoclimate over the past 3.4 m.y. has been semi-arid and strongly seasonal. Carbon isotopic results from pedogenic carbonates in the Vertisols allow reconstruction of the proportion of C3 plants (trees and shrubs) to C4 plants (grasses) through time. The δ 13C results from the Hadar Formation prior to 2.9 Ma range from -9.3‰ to -4.1‰, indicating a dominantly forested environment but with locally substantial (average 34%) grasses on the Awash floodplain. The δ13C values from soil carbonate in the lower Busidima Formation (2.7-1.6 Ma) increase (-6.5‰ to -2.7‰) in floodplain paleosols, indicating ∼ 50% average grass cover. Vertisols of the upper Busidima Formation (< 1.6 Ma) formed on gently sloping alluvial fans adjacent to the Awash floodplain and display even more positive δ13C values, up to -1.8‰, showing that grassland dominated the margins of the active Awash floodplain. © 2004 Geological Society of America.
Keywords: Africa; Awash; Axial flow; Carbon isotopes; Cenozoic; Deposition; Early hominids; East Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Ethiopia; First stone tools; Gona; Human evolution; Oldowan; Paleoenvironment; Paleoenvironments; Rivers; Sediments; Sub-Saharan Africa; Tools; World; dept.ant; fluviolacustrine deposit; hominid; human activity; lithic fragment; paleoenvironment; tool use

2.6-Million-year-old stone tools and associated bones from OGS-6 and OGS-7, Gona, Afar, Ethiopia - Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael J; Quade, Jay; Renne, Paul R; Butler, Robert F; Dominguezrodrigo, Manuel; Stout, Dietrich; Hart, William S; Pickering, Travis Rayne; Simpson, Scott W (Journal of Human Evolution, 2003)
Keywords: Afar; Animalia; Bone fragments; Cutmarks; Earliest stone tools; Ethiopia; Gona; Hominidae; Mammalia; Ounda Gona; Pliocene; archaeological evidence; artifact; bone; dept.ant; peer-reviewed; tool use

Negotiating the news Indonesian press culture and power during the political crises of 1997–8 - Manzella, Joseph C (Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 2000)
Before 1998, journalists in Indonesia walked a tightrope stretched between a western ideological system that valued a free press and a system of rigid government controls. To maintain their balance, reporters and editors used strategies that were uniquely Indonesian to maintain a journalistic frame that was essentially western. This article examines those strategies in the context of the values and beliefs of print newspeople in the capital of Jakarta, focusing on news coverage of the political crises of 1997 and 1998 that culminated in the resignation of President Suharto and that unleashed a relatively free press. It contends that the contradictions and resultant conflicts between the government and newspeople in Jakarta represented a contest between western and Indonesian notions of the purposes and duties of the press. Copyright © 2000 SAGE Publications.
Keywords: Ideology of journalism; Indonesia; Occupational identity; Political change; Press; dept.ant

The new and improved clint eastwood: change and persistence in promise keepers self-help literature - Bloch, Jon P (Sociology of Religion, 2000)
Like other expressions of Christian conservatism, the Promise Keepers (PK) often enact complex and strained relationships between social change and social persistence. These strains are evident in the official PK literature, which employs techniques not unlike those used by mainstream pop psychology. These include the use of “scientific”-like classifications of information, authors presented as “experts” on the topic at hand, and the use of exercises to be enacted individually or in small PK discussion groups. Collectively, these strategies suggest that conservative Christians deal with many of the same complex role demands as non-conservatives. In Particular, the PK stance on gender roles, though Promoted as unambiguously “traditional” in favoring male leadership and female submission, in actuality often reflects acknowledgment and perhaps acceptance of some of the more egalitarian changes in gender role norms. Sociological implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Keywords: dept.ant; dept.soc

Identifying the involvement of multiple carnivore taxa with archaeological bone assemblages - Selvaggio, Marie M; Wilder, Joseph (Journal of Archaeological Science, 2001)
Information on the number of carnivore taxa that were involved with archaeological bone assemblages is pertinent to questions of site formation, hominid and carnivore competition for carcasses and the sequence of hominid and carnivore activity at sites. A majority of early archaeological bone assemblages bear evidence that both hominids and carnivores removed flesh and/or marrow from the bones. Whether flesh specialists (felids) or bone-crunchers (hyaenas), or both, fed upon the carcasses is crucial for deciphering the timing of hominid involvement with the assemblages. Here we present an initial attempt to differentiate the tooth mark signature inflicted on bones by a single carnivore species versus multiple carnivore taxa. Quantitative data on carnivore tooth pits, those resembling a tooth crown or a cusp, are presented for two characteristics: the area of the marks in millimetres, and the shape as determined by the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the mark. Tooth pits from bones modified by extant East African carnivores and latex impressions of tooth pits from extinct carnivore species are compared to those in the FLK Zinjanthropus bone assemblage. Data on tooth mark shape indicate greater variability in the Zinj sample than is exhibited by any individual extant or extinct carnivore species in the comparative sample. Data on tooth mark area demonstrate that bone density is related to the size of marks. Taken together, these data support the inference that felids defleshed bones in the Zinj assemblage and that hyaenas had final access to any grease or tissues that remained. © 2001 Academic Press.
Keywords: Carnivore tooth marks; Methodology; Site formation; Taphonomy; carnivore; dept.ant; dept.soc; feeding; taphonomy; tooth

The nigerian financial superstructure, financial intermediation, and environmental factors: issues, empirical evidence, and managerial implications - Ezirim, Chinedu B; Muoghalu, Michael I; Emenyonu, Emmanuel (Journal of African Business, 2004)
The paper empirically investigates the extent to which environmental factors affect the intermediation performance of the financial superstructure in Nigeria. A number of intermediation-environmental models were constructed and estimated against annual Nigerian data from 1970 to 2000. Among the various environments of financial intermediation, the socio-political environment, the regulatory environment, and the eco-financial environment exert very great influences on the operations of the financial superstructure. This is based on the evidence from the results, which revealed the socio-political index, regulatory index, and foreign exchange market variables as the most critical predictors of the financial intermediation-output-related index. Other factors such as inflation, taxation, financial market imperfection, and the growth rate of the economy appear not to exert statistically significant effects on the intermediation operations of the financial superstructure. Generally, the utility of the specified models was satisfied as indicated by the results of the global statistics. © 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rigths reserved.
Keywords: Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Environmental factors; Financial institutions; Financial intermediation; Financial markets; Financial superstructure; Financial system; Nigeria; Sub-Saharan Africa; West Africa; World; dept.acc; growth rate; management practice; market conditions; performance assessment

Investing in R&D: How to manage your risk - Curtis, Carey C (Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance, 2001)
Keywords: dept.acc

The entry of international CPA firms into emerging markets: motivational factors and growth strategies - Kirsch, Robert J; Laird, Kenneth R; Evans, Thomas G (The International Journal of Accounting, 2000)
This article examines the entry of professional service firms, specifically the Big Six international accounting firms, into emerging foreign markets and explores how they develop and expand their business once established in those markets. The study is based on survey data (supplied by the Big Six) regarding their penetration of the People's Republic of China, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Central Europe. A conceptual model is employed to illustrate the interrelationship between a firm's specific characteristics, the foreign environment, and foreign subsidiary intrafirm structure. Growth potential, client needs, favorable political/legal climate, and cultural considerations emerged as important factors in determining market entry and growth strategies for professional services firms. The research findings broaden our understanding of factors that influence professional services firms' development of pricing and marketing mix strategies. While all firms surveyed offered a full range of services, their marketing mix strategy differed from domestic approaches because of various local constraints on pricing and promotion. Copyright © 2000 University of Illinois.
Keywords: Commonwealth of independent States; Eastern European and Baltic States; International market entry and expansion; International marketing of accounting services; Marketing mix strategies of professional services firms; People's Republic of China; dept.acc; dept.mkt

A marketing resource-based model of international market entry and expansion for professional services firms - Laird, Kenneth R; Kirsch, Robert J; Evans, Thomas G (Services Marketing Quarterly, 2003)
This paper examines the entry of the Big Six international accounting firms, into emerging foreign markets and explores marketing resource considerations once established in those markets. The study is based on survey data (supplied by the Big Six) regarding their penetration of the People's Republic of China, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Central Europe. The paper presents a marketing resource-based model based upon relevant research. The model focuses on firm specific resource capabilities interacting with the foreign business environment and the foreign intrafirm structure as a determinant of foreign market entry choice and eventual market expansion. The research findings broaden our understanding of factors that influence professional services firms' development of marketing resource strategies when expanding globally. While all firms surveyed offered a full range of services, their marketing resource strategy differed from domestic approaches because of various local constraints on marketing mix elements. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: Commonwealth of Independent States; Eastern European and Baltic states; International market entry and expansion; International marketing of accounting services; Marketing mix strategies of professional services firms; People's Republic of China; dept.acc; dept.mkt

Visual influences on perception of speech and nonspeech vocal-tract events. - Brancazio, Lawrence; Best, Catherine T; Fowler, Carol A (Language and speech, 2006)
We report four experiments designed to determine whether visual information affects judgments of acoustically-specified nonspeech events as well as speech events (the "McGurk effect"). Previous findings have shown only weak McGurk effects for nonspeech stimuli, whereas strong effects are found for consonants. We used click sounds that serve as consonants in some African languages, but that are perceived as nonspeech by American English listeners. We found a significant McGurk effect for clicks presented in isolation that was much smaller than that found for stop-consonant-vowel syllables. In subsequent experiments, we found strong McGurk effects, comparable to those found for English syllables, for click-vowel syllables, and weak effects, comparable to those found for isolated clicks, for excised release bursts of stop consonants presented in isolation. We interpret these findings as evidence that the potential contributions of speech-specific processes on the McGurk effect are limited, and discuss the results in relation to current explanations for the McGurk effect.
Keywords: *Illusions; *Speech Perception/ph [Physiology]; *Visual Perception/ph [Physiology]; Acoustic Stimulation; Attention; Audiovisual speech perception; Clicks; Humans; McGurk effect; Nonspeech; Perceptual Masking; Psychoacoustics; Speech Acoustics; dept.psy

Michelangelo's Captive - Sonnenschein, Dana (The Ekphrastic Review, 2020)
Michangelo’s Captive  ​ I wished to photograph a beautiful man sculpted by Michelangelo, afraid I would forget him if I did not, for he had no story, no name.  But I turned away.  I had the...
Keywords: dept.eng; ⛔ No DOI found

South African territorial segregation: new data on African farm purchases, 1913-1936 - Feinberg, Harvey M; Horn, Andre C (The Journal of African History, 2009)
By using new sources and a complementary historical and geo-analytical approach, this article Illustrates that the Natives Land Act (no. 27 of 1913) failed to stop Africans from buying land. New evidence demonstrates that African land ownership outside the reserves in the Transvaal actually increased after 1913. This evidence leads to a deeper questioning of the extent to which the South African government was able to impose rural territorial segregation by 1936 and reveals the limits of white power in the early Union period.
Keywords: Archives; Land; Law; Race; South Africa; apartheid; dept.his; historical geography; land tenure; landownership; legislation; racial segregation

Semblance of Sovereignty: Cartographic Possession in Map Cartouches and Atlas Frontispieces of Early Modern Europe - Petto, Christine M. (Symbolic Landscapes, 2009)
Maps always present an interpretation of reality and always carry distortions, some of which are consciously or unconsciously ideological. The geographicity of mapping, which involves an intertwining of both science and art, is a vehicle for spatialized/spatializing interpretations of an actual spatiality, and as such is a catalyst for enacting further spatial productions on the basis of the capacity of maps to project themselves “into the landscape.” The scientific pretensions of mapping serve to veil the character of their projective enactment. Maps always entail virtual embodiment, that is, maps realize one possibility out of many, even in the most mathematically “accurate” of spatial relations. Thus, if the imaginative involves both embodied schema and virtual embodiments, we cannot dismiss the role of the geography of imagination in a dialectical relation with the geography of perception, of the actual. The symbolic function of cartouches and frontispieces provides an imagineering context of constructing reality on the basis of the symbolization.
Keywords: Facsimile Edition; Manuscript Library; Online Collection; United Province; Virtual Embodiment; dept.his

Guarding the switch: cultivating nationalism during the pullman strike - Rondinone, Troy (The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 2009)
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was a cataclysmic event for the nation. During its violent course, the print media provided an interpretive frame that portrayed the strike in large measure as an immigrant-inspired attack on American laws and democratic customs. Often characterizing the strikers as “foreigners” in the thrall of anarchist ideologies and a tyrannous labor chieftain, journalists painted a stark picture indeed. Employing framing theory, Gramsci's notion of hegemony, and recent insights on the ethnic quality of nationalism, this essay argues that newspapers and other major print periodicals significantly contributed to the formation of nationalist attitudes at a time when many Americans were deeply worried over the direction in which the country was headed. © 2009, Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.his

A literacy tutoring experience for prospective special educators and struggling second graders. - Spear-Swerling, Louise (Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2009)
This study examined the learning of teacher candidates taking a language arts course in a special-educator preparation program and that of the second graders they tutored in a supervised field component of the course. Teacher candidates' knowledge of literacy instruction was assessed using five knowledge tasks; children were assessed on several measures of basic reading and spelling skills as well as on their knowledge of phonics concepts such as syllable types. Teacher candidates generally had inaccurate perceptions of their knowledge at pretest, but their knowledge improved significantly on all tasks after course instruction. Tutored children improved significantly from pre- to posttest on all assessments. The study suggests that carefully designed literacy coursework with field experiences can benefit both prospective special educators and struggling readers.
Keywords: *Education, Professional/st [Standards]; *Education, Special/st [Standards]; *Educational Status; *Professional Competence/st [Standards]; *Reading; *Remedial Teaching/st [Standards]; Adolescent; Adult; Child; Culture; Curriculum; Curriculum/st [Standards]; Education, Professional; Education, Special; Educational Status; Female; Humans; Linguistics; Linguistics/ed [Education]; Male; Middle Aged; Phonetics; Professional Competence; Questionnaires; Reading; Remedial Teaching; Self Concept; Special education; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teacher education; Teacher knowledge; Teacher perceptions; Young Adult; adolescent; adult; article; child; cultural anthropology; curriculum; dept.sed; education; educational status; female; human; linguistics; male; middle aged; phonetics; professional competence; questionnaire; reading; self concept; standard; teaching; vocational education

Comparing teachers' literacy-related knowledge to their state's standards for reading - McCombes-Tolis, Jule; Feinn, Richard (Reading Psychology, 2008)
This study compared elementary and special education teachers' knowledge of when K-3 students develop key reading competencies, their knowledge of who is responsible for teaching K-3 students key reading competencies, and teachers' perceptions of their own instructionally relevant competencies to those standards articulated within their state's blueprint for reading achievement. Results reveal a disconnect between teacher-held beliefs and state-articulated grade-level student literacy competencies. Results also suggest that teacher preparation programs are not preparing candidates to achieve mastery of essential teacher competencies articulated within their state's reading blueprint. Strengthening the accountability of teacher preparation practices to states' reading blueprint standards is recommended. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: dept.sed

School-wide intervention in the childhood bullying triangle - Mcnamee, Abigail; Mercurio, Mia (Childhood education, 2008)
Keywords: dept.sed

Effective Social Interaction Strategies for Inclusive Settings. - Terpstra, Judith; Tamura, Ronald (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2008)
Many strategies and interventions exist in the education of young children with disabilities. One area of intervention is that of social interaction, including social skills instruction, peer interaction strategies, and play skills. Interaction and social skill strategies for use with children with and without disabilities for the purpose of increasing social interactions between children with and without disabilities in educational settings is an area many educators of early childhood special education strive to find in an effective and easy to implement format. Several strategies from research are presented in this article. Only strategies that were demonstrated to be successful through reported research are discussed. Strategies are identified according to their ease of implementation and effectiveness., (C)2008 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Keywords: Peer interaction; Play skills; Play strategies; Social interaction; Social skills; Social strategies; dept.sed

Children's reading comprehension and oral reading fluency in easy text - Spear-Swerling, Louise (Reading and Writing, 2006)
This study explored third-graders' oral reading fluency (ORF) in easy text in relation to their third- and fourth-grade reading comprehension. It also examined the children's performance on two different measures of text exposure, a self-report questionnaire and a title-recognition test. Although third-graders' ORF related significantly to their reading comprehension, oral language comprehension accounted for most of the variance in reading comprehension, whereas single word reading speed accounted for most of the variance in ORE Third-grade reading comprehension and ORF each predicted unique variance in children's scores on a fourth-grade state-mandated reading comprehension assessment. Scores on the self-report questionnaire correlated significantly with third-grade ORF and fourth-grade reading; the self-report accounted for reliable variance in ORF even with all of the other reading ability variables entered first. Results are consistent with the viewpoint that text exposure affects reading fluency. They also demonstrate that ORF is a valuable predictor of middle-elementary children's reading comprehension, even when the ORF measure employs very easy text in which children achieve near-perfect word accuracy.
Keywords: Comprehension; Fluency; Reading; Text exposure; dept.sed; peer-reviewed

A whisper toward peace: A theoretical analysis of the council for a parliament of the world religions - Bloch, Jon P (Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2008)
The Council for a Parliament of the World Religions has been meeting since 1993 to foster a global religious ethic toward world peace, based on the premise that major world religions share this ethic in common. Roland Robertson's multidimensional model of globalization is utilized to analyze the Parliament's foundational Declaration, and explore why the Parliament's message is not receiving wider attention. Excerpts from anti-Parliament sources are included. Based on this analysis, the Parliament appears to have a limited conception of globalization, and so offers but a partial knowledge claim on how religion can resolve global problems. Seen in this light, it is not surprising that some oppose the Parliament's agenda, feel alienated by it, or-given its limitations-are not aware of it.
Keywords: dept.soc

Book Review: The path of the devil: early modern witch hunts. by gary jensen. her hidden children: the rise of wicca and paganism in america. by chas s. clifton. new age and neopagan religions in america. by sarah m. pike. witchcraft and magic: contemporary north america. edited by helen a. berger. voices from the pagan census: a national survey of witches and neo-pagans in the united states. by helen a. berger, evan a. leach, and leigh s. shaffer. researching paganisms (the pagan studies series). edited by jenny balin, douglass ezzy, and graham harvey - Bloch, Jon P. (Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2008)
Keywords: book.review; dept.soc

Cyber wars: Catholics for a free choice and the online abortion debate - Bloch, Jon P. (Review of Religious Research, 2007)
Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) performs considerable advocacy online, through its website as well as through press releases and interviews that appear at other sites. Opponents to CFFC also frequently post online. This article analyzes this online debate to explore how it is conceptually framed. CFFC presents a discourse that is promoted as finding ideological consistency between Catholic values and being prochoice, and which addresses a greater social good beyond the Church per se. In making these self-referential claims, CFFC could be viewed as a “community of discourse” (Wuthnow 1989) that reckons with “problems of articulation” by dealing with both specific and broader tensions. Online opponents to CFFC likewise could be viewed as communities of discourse that promote themselves as having the true Catholic values that serve the greater good. On balance, CFFC online would seem to reflect the larger quandaries of abortion discourse, whereby the Internet can offer a representative depiction of democratic free speech articulated on this controversial issue. Yet at the same time, there is little evidence to date that this online debate is changing anyone's mind or building a new consensus, despite some efforts on the part of CFFC to do so.
Keywords: dept.soc; ⛔ No DOI found

A new perspective: the common factors model as a foundation for social work practice education - Cameron, Mark; Keenan, Elizabeth King (Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 2009)
Foundation social work practice education is critical to the preparation of BSW practitioners for professional practice and the establishment of a theoretical and skill base upon which graduate students may build competencies in the advanced curriculum. Issues in the foundation practice curriculum may hinder this development. The common factors model holds promise as an organizing framework for foundation social work practice education. This model may help to resolve some key issues in social work and social work education, and may provide a useful, coherent, and empirical base for the foundation practice curriculum. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: Common factors; Direct practice; Foundation curriculum; Practice education; dept.swk; peer-reviewed

Teaching organization theory and practice: an experiential and reflective approach - Cameron, Mark; Turkiewicz, Rita M; Holdaway, Britt A; Bill, Jacqueline S; Goodman, Jessica; Bonner, Aisha; Daly, Stacey; Cohen, Michael D; Lorenz, Cassandra; Wilson, Paul R; Rusk, James (Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 2009)
The organization is often the overlooked level in social work's ecological perspective. However, organizational realities exert a profound influence on human development and well-being as well as the nature and quality of social work practice. This article describes a model of teaching organization theory and practice which requires master's social work students to assess their school of social work as well as their field placement agencies. Teaching organization theory and practice experientially may help students understand how organizations influence practice and empower them to see organization practice as a legitimate and important aspect of their work.
Keywords: Field education; Macro; Organization; Practice; Teaching; dept.swk; peer-reviewed

Third Space Activities and Change Processes: An Exploration of Ideas from Social and Psychodynamic Theories. - Keenan, Elizabeth; Miehls, Dennis (Clinical Social Work Journal, 2008)
Discussions pertaining to culture, power and/or identity frequently create tensions that are enacted by dyads and groups within schools, workplaces and communities. Although tensions can easily escalate into conflict or violence, we have observed that these tensions can serve as prompts that promote a change process. When individual perspectives are challenged, some participants are able to dissemble their views and consider other perspectives from which new understandings and views emerge. At times, when groups seem to be on the threshold of overt conflict, some participants engage in processes that examine the tension, explore new possibilities, and alter the view of one's subjectivity. We suggest that these activities occur as momentary states in psychological spaces conceptualized as third spaces (Bhabha, The location of culture. London: Routledge, 1994). In this paper, we use concepts from psychodynamic and social theories to describe the conditions that coalesce to form states of mind (nepantla) (Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera: The new mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 1999; Interviews Entrevistas. New York: Routledge, 2000) and the ability to engage in new relational possibilities (third space activities) with dyads and groups, outside of psychotherapy. The conditions include: critical consciousness, regulation, recognition, and responsibility. We then describe how such momentary experiences can subsequently result in an examination of one's subjectivity, particularly as it pertains to issues regarding culture, power, and identity. Throughout the paper we provide four examples from various settings to illustrate these concepts and processes. Given the increasing racial/ethnic diversity of clients and clinical social workers in North America, this concept of third spaces holds particular relevance for contemporary clinical social work practice., (C)2008 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Keywords: Change processes; Psychodynamic theory; Social theory; Third space activities; dept.swk

Posttraumatic play: Towards acceptance and resolution - Dripchak, Valerie L. (Clinical Social Work Journal, 2007)
Many children who experience trauma demonstrate it through posttraumatic play (PTP). This type of play is seen by professionals as a repetitive reenactment of the traumatic event within the child's play. Reliving the event in this way may serve to retraumatize the child and lead to other psychiatric or behavioral problems. This article examines the issues surrounding childhood trauma and PTP. It uses a case study to illustrate the phases of a play therapy approach that incorporates Ericksonian principles, in order for the child to achieve resolution and acceptance. The countertransference issues that a clinician may encounter also are discussed.
Keywords: Play therapy; Posttraumatic play; Retraumatize; Trauma in children; dept.swk

Lesbian mothers with planned families: A comparative study of internalized homophobia and social support - DeMino, Kathleen A.; Appleby, George; Fisk, Deborah (American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2007)
This study compared the perception of social support and the degree of internalized homophobia for two demographically similar groups: lesbians with planned families and lesbians who did not have children. Results found that lesbians with planned families perceived significantly less social support from friends overall, from gay men and lesbian friends specifically, and more support from their families-of-origin than lesbians who did not have children. Lesbians with planned families also reported significantly higher internalized homophobia specific to disclosure of sexual identification. The authors suggest that selective disclosure may be an adaptive response rather than a true measure of internalized homophobia.
Keywords: Adult; Attitude; Child; Family Planning Services; Female; Homosexuality, Female; Humans; Internalized homophobia; Lesbian mothers; Maternal Behavior; Mothers; Percerption of social support; Planned families; Questionnaires; Self Concept; Social Support; adult; article; controlled study; demography; dept.swk; family; female; gender identity; homophobia; human; lesbian; male homosexual; social support

Diagnosing conduct problems of children and adolescents in residential treatment - Cameron, Mark; Guterman, Neil B (Child Care Quarterly, 2007)
This naturalistic study of diagnostic practice in residential treatment agencies for children investigated the use of the DSM-IVconduct disorder diagnosis and its association with residents' externalizing behaviors. The conduct disorder (CD) diagnosis was a poor predictor of participants' externalizing behaviors during their first few months in residence. Additionally, the assignment of the diagnosis was associated with the gender and race of study participants. Decisions of admissions personnel and practitioners in residential treatment facilities regarding their externalizing clients may not be well-served by use of DSM diagnoses. Assessments of caregivers may prove a useful adjunct to DSM diagnoses. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Conduct disorder; DSM-IV validity; Diagnosis; Residential treatment; dept.swk

Assertive outreach: An effective strategy for engaging homeless persons with substance use disorders into treatment - Fisk, Deborah; Rakfeldt, Jaak; McCormack, Erin (American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2006)
The purpose of this study was to examine substance abuse treatment referrals that were made by outreach workers in a homeless outreach project. Ten outreach workers completed questionnaires on each of their clients who they had referred to a substance abuse treatment program over the previous year. Additional data was collected on the client's motivation level at the point the referral was made, which agencies the client was referred to, and if the client was rejected from any of the treatment programs. Bivariate correlation analyses were used to examine relationships between the variables. Of 73 project clients who were referred to substance abuse treatment in a one-year period of time, 41% successfully entered treatment. As might be expected, there was a statistically significant relationship between clients' motivation level and completed referral, and between referrals made and program acceptance. This study provides evidence that assertive outreach is effective in engaging and linking homeless persons with substance use disorders to substance abuse treatment services.
Keywords: Adolescent; Adult; Assertive outreach; Community-Institutional Relations; Female; Homeless Persons; Homeless populations; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Substance abuse; Substance-Related Disorders; Treatment Outcome; adult; article; assertiveness; correlation analysis; dept.swk; drug dependence treatment; female; homelessness; human; major clinical study; male; mental health service; motivation; patient referral; social work; social worker; statistical significance; substance abuse

Stress coping mechanisms in elderly adults: an initial study of recreational and other coping behaviors in nursing home patients - Hunter, I Roy; Gillen, Mark C (Adultspan Journal, 2009)
Residents (N = 32) of 3 skilled nursing homes participated in a study designed to document the nature of the stressors they experienced and the coping mechanisms they used. Medical issues were the most common stressors. The most common coping responses were prayer, reading, watching television, listening to music, and talking to friends and family. © 2009 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.rec

Reading rescue: An effective tutoring intervention model for language minority students who are struggling readers in first grade - Ehri, Linnea C.; Dreyer, Lois G.; Flugman, Bert; Gross, Alan (American Educational Research Journal, 2007)
The Reading Rescue tutoring intervention model was investigated with 64 low-socioeconomic status, language-minority first graders with reading difficulties. School staff provided tutoring in phonological awareness, systematic phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. Tutored students made significantly greater gains reading words and comprehending text than controls, who received a small-group intervention (d = 0.70) or neither intervention (d = 0.74). The majority of tutored students reached average reading levels whereas the majority of controls did not. Paraprofessionals tutored students as effectively as reading specialists except in skills benefiting nonword decoding. Paraprofessionals required more sessions to achieve equivalent gains. Contrary to conventional wisdom, results suggest that students make greater gains when they read text at an independent level than at an instructional level.
Keywords: Beginning reading instruction; Language-minority students; Paraprofessionals; Reading acquisition; Struggling readers; Tutoring; dept.rdg

Development of writing knowledge in grades 2–8: A comparison of typically developing writers and their struggling peers - Lin, Shin ju Cindy; Monroe, Brandon W.; Troia, Gary A. (Reading & Writing Quarterly, 2007)
This study examined student perspectives about writing by interviewing both typically developing and struggling writers in Grades 2 through 8. The findings revealed a progressive developmental pattern of writing knowledge in which novice writers place more emphasis on the physical product and local meaning, while more experienced writers focus on global aspects, such as meaning and communication with an audience. In comparison, struggling writers focus on product over process even at the secondary level. Educational implications are discussed and include careful attention to the developmental level of the students during writing instruction.
Keywords: dept.rdg

Teaching writing strategies to middle school students with disabilities - Monroe, Brandon W.; Troia, Gary A. (Journal of Educational Research, 2006)
Following less than 8 hr of instruction in the use of strategies to facilitate planning, self-regulation, and revising while writing opinion essays, a group of 3 middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) made substantial gains in each of 5 quality traits on which their papers were scored. On average, posttest scores of students with LD were better by 1 point on a 6-point scale than were those scores obtained by a group of LD students who served as controls. Participants' scores approached the level of writing performance exhibited by a group of peers without disabilities. The authors also observed treatment effects for number of functional essay elements; students who received strategy instruction gained an average of 1.3 functional elements from pretest to posttest. However, generalization to narrative writing was not obtained.
Keywords: Effects on writing quality; Middle school students with learning disabilities; Strategies for supporting the writing process; dept.rdg

Impact of communication training on physician expression of empathy in patient encounters - Bonvicini, Kathleen A.; Perlin, Michael J.; Bylund, Carma L.; Carroll, Gregory; Rouse, Ruby A.; Goldstein, Michael G. (Patient Education and Counseling, 2009)
Objective: To examine whether an educational intervention that focused on physician communication training influenced physician ernpathic expression during patient interactions. Methods: This study used a quantitative research method to investigate the influence of communication training on physician-expressed empathy using two measures (global and hierarchical) of physician empathic behavior. Results: The differences in global empathy scores in the physician training group from baseline to follow-up improved by 37%, and hierarchical scores of physician empathic expression improved by up to 51% from baseline scores for the same group. Conclusions: The results strongly supported the hypotheses that training made a significant difference in physician empathic expression during patient interactions demonstrated by both outside observer measures of global ratings and hierarchical ratings of physician empathic behavior. Practice implications: These findings have significant implications for program design and development in medical education and professional training with the potential to improve patient outcomes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adult; Communication; Education, Medical, Continuing; Educational intervention; Empathy; Female; Humans; Male; Measurement; Medical education; Middle Aged; Patient-Centered Care; Physician training; Physician-Patient Relations; Physician-patient relations; Quantitative; Research; United States; dept.pch

Pharmacist conscience clauses and access to oral contraceptives - Flynn, D. P. (Journal of Medical Ethics, 2008)
The introduction of conscience clauses after the 1973 US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade allowed physicians and nurses to opt out of medical procedures, particularly abortions, to which they were morally opposed. In recent years pharmacists have requested the same consideration with regard to dispensing some medicines. This paper examines the pharmacists' role and their professional and moral obligations to patients in the light of recent refusals by pharmacists to dispense oral contraceptives. A review of John Rawls's concepts of the “original position” and the “veil of ignorance”, along with consideration of the concept of compartmentalisation, are used to assess pharmacists' requests and the moral and legal rights of patients to have their prescriptive needs met.
Keywords: *Continuity of Patient Care/st [Standards]; *Contraceptives, Oral/sd [Supply & Distribution]; *Moral Obligations; *Pharmaceutical Services/es [Ethics]; *Pharmacists/es [Ethics]; *Refusal to Treat/es [Ethics]; Continuity of Patient Care; Continuity of Patient Care/es [Ethics]; Contraceptives, Oral; Female; Humans; Moral Obligations; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmaceutical Services/lj [Legislation & Jurisprudence]; Pharmacists; Refusal to Treat; Refusal to Treat/lj [Legislation & Jurisprudence]; Religion; dept.pch; ethics; female; human; legal aspect; morality; oral contraceptive agent; patient abandonment; patient care; pharmacist; pharmacy; religion; review; standard

Our men are grinding out: a qualitative examination of sex ratio imbalances, relationship power, and low-income African American women's health. - Bontempi, Jean M Breny; Eng, Eugenia; Quinn, Sandra Crouse (Women & Health, 2008)
In the United States, the number of HIV/AIDS cases among women of color is increasing, with African American women now comprising 60% of all female AIDS cases. Scholars have attributed this imbalance to social factors. The aim of this study was to explore the impact that relationship power has on heterosexual women's ability to practice safer sex. Five focus groups were conducted with 24 African American women, aged 18-57 years, residing in public housing in rural North Carolina over a six-month period in 2000. Findings suggest that women maintain their independence, despite inequities in relationship power and remain strong to make a better life for their families. Recommendations are made to promote and build upon this social identity that women have in order to help them practice healthier behaviors.
Keywords: *African Americans/px [Psychology]; *Cultural Characteristics; *Poverty/eh [Ethnology]; *Power, Psychological; *Sexual Behavior/eh [Ethnology]; *Women's Health/eh [Ethnology]; Adult; African American; African American women; African Americans; Anecdotes as Topic; Cultural Characteristics; Female; Focus Groups; HIV Infections; HIV Infections/eh [Ethnology]; HIV prevention; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; Humans; Middle Aged; North Carolina; Poverty; Power (Psychology); Qualitative research; Questionnaires; Safe Sex; Safe Sex/eh [Ethnology]; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Partners; Sexual Partners/px [Psychology]; Sexual health promotion; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; Women's Health; adult; article; attitude to health; behavior; cultural factor; dept.pch; ethnology; female; human; information processing; literature; middle aged; poverty; psychological aspect; questionnaire; safe sex; sexual behavior; sexuality; women's health

Strategies for living long and healthy lives: Perspectives of older African/Caribbean-American women - Unson, Christine G.; Trella, Patricia M.; Chowdhury, Sutopa; Davis, Elizabeth M. (Journal of Applied Communication Research, 2008)
The influence of health and socioeconomic status on perceptions of aging and adaptation strategies of older African/Caribbean-American women was examined. Responses of 38 women (average age = 77.3 years) to: “What do you like and dislike about growing old?” and To what would you attribute your long life? were analyzed. Respondents were classified as: financially independent/healthy, financially dependent/healthy, financially independent/not healthy and financially dependent/not healthy. Narratives revealed declining health and restricted financial resources limited perceptions of opportunities for well-being. Despite differences in health and financial status, groups had some common strategies: avoiding risk behaviors, holding moral beliefs, optimism, altruism and spirituality. It was concluded that health and socioeconomic status had some influence on perceptions of aging and adaptation strategies.
Keywords: African-American; Aging perspectives; Caribbean-American; Older adult; dept.pch

Words that predict outstanding performance - Abe, Jo Ann A. (Journal of Research in Personality, 2009)
This study applied word count strategies developed by expressive writing researchers to examine whether the words students use to describe and reflect on their field practicum experiences would predict practicum supervisors' ratings of their performance. The weekly journals of 66 students who completed a practicum at a mental health or school setting were analyzed using a computerized text-analysis program. As expected, positive emotion words and "insight" words were positively correlated with almost all dimensions of evaluation, with the exception of organizational ability, and "we" words were associated with dimensions that focused on interpersonal relations. These findings further support the view that positive emotion words and "insight" words are powerful markers of cognitive broadening and behavioral flexibility and that "we" words index feelings of affiliation and belonging. As one might expect, there was an increase in "we" words and a decrease in "anxiety" words over the course of the internship. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Experiential learning; Positive emotions; Reflection; Text-analysis; dept.psy; peer-reviewed

Delay-amount tradeoffs in choices by pigeons and rats: hyperbolic versus exponential discounting. - Mazur, James E; Biondi, Dawn R (Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2009)
An adjusting-delay procedure was used to study the choices of pigeons and rats when both delay and amount of reinforcement were varied. In different conditions, the choice alternatives included one versus two reinforcers, one versus three reinforcers, and three versus two reinforcers. The delay to one alternative (the standard alternative) was kept constant in a condition, and the delay to the other (the adjusting alternative) was increased or decreased many times a session so as to estimate an indifference point--a delay at which the two alternatives were chosen about equally often. Indifference functions were constructed by plotting the adjusting delay as a function of the standard delay for each pair of reinforcer amounts. The experiments were designed to test the prediction of a hyperbolic decay equation that the slopes of the indifference functions should increase as the ratio of the two reinforcer amounts increased. Consistent with the hyperbolic equation, the slopes of the indifference functions depended on the ratios of the two reinforcer amounts for both pigeons and rats. These results were not compatible with an exponential decay equation, which predicts slopes of 1 regardless of the reinforcer amounts. Combined with other data, these findings provide further evidence that delay discounting is well described by a hyperbolic equation for both species, but not by an exponential equation. Quantitative differences in the y-intercepts of the indifference functions from the two species suggested that the rate at which reinforcer strength decreases with increasing delay may be four or five times slower for rats than for pigeons.
Keywords: *Choice Behavior; *Reinforcement Schedule; Animals; Choice Behavior; Columbidae; Conditioning, Operant; Long Evans rat; Male; Models, Psychological; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Reinforcement Schedule; Reward; animal; article; decision making; dept.psy; instrumental conditioning; male; peer-reviewed; pigeons and doves; psychological model; rat; reinforcement; reward

Re-examining the long-term effects of experiencing parental death in childhood on adult psychopathology. - Jacobs, John R; Bovasso, Gregory B (Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2009)
This study examined whether the experience of the death of a parent in childhood increases risk for adult psychopathology. Participants consisted of 3481 men and women gathered through the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study in 1981 and followed through 1994-1995. The Diagnostic Interview Survey was administered by trained interviewers and was used to assess DSM-III disorders including major depression, panic, and anxiety disorders. Maternal death was not a predictor of adult psychopathology. The death of the father during childhood more than doubled the risk for major depressive disorder in adulthood. This study did not find any significant interactions between gender of the deceased parent and gender of the participant nor did the current age of the participant or their age at the time of the death of a parent affect risk for adult psychopathology. The long-term effect on adult depression of the experience of the death of the father in childhood is attributed to likely financial stresses, which may have continued for years and possibly into early adulthood, complicating the family's adaptation to the initial loss.
Keywords: *Bereavement; *Death; *Mental Disorders/et [Etiology]; *Mental Disorders/px [Psychology]; *Parents; *Psychology, Child; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety Disorders/di [Diagnosis]; Anxiety Disorders/et [Etiology]; Anxiety Disorders/px [Psychology]; Bereavement; Child Psychology; Death; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major; Depressive Disorder, Major/di [Diagnosis]; Depressive Disorder, Major/ep [Epidemiology]; Depressive Disorder, Major/et [Etiology]; Depressive Disorder, Major/px [Psychology]; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Economics; Fathers; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Mental Disorders; Middle Aged; Mothers; Panic; Parental death; Parents; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Stress, Psychological; Stress, Psychological/et [Etiology]; Time Factors; adaptive behavior; adult; adulthood; anxiety disorder; article; bereavement; child psychology; childhood; death; depression; dept.psy; diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; economics; family stress; father; female; gender; human; incidence; interview; major depression; male; maternal mortality; mental disease; mental stress; middle aged; mother; normal human; panic; parent; parental deprivation; personal experience; prevalence; psychological aspect; risk factor; time; time of death

Training in assessment criteria indicative of deception to improve credibility judgments - Colwell, Kevin; Hiscock-Anisman, Cheryl; Memon, Amina; Colwell, Lori H.; Taylor, Laura; Woods, Debra (Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 2009)
The recent attention given to false confessions and convictions underscores the need for a valid and applicable system of credibility assessment. The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of assessment criteria indicative of deception (ACID) training in increasing rater's ability to discriminate between honest and deceptive transcripts. ACID generates credibility assessment through analysis of behaviors related to memory and impression-management as they occur during the course of an investigative interview. Raters were taught that honest responses are longer, more vivid, and more spontaneous than deceptive responses. Conversely, deceptive responses are shorter, less vivid, more rigid, more carefully phrased, and less likely to change during the course of an investigative interview. Trained raters were able to correctly identify 77% of transcripts as honest or deceptive, whereas untrained raters correctly identified 57%. Future research should focus on using the ACID technique in more realistic situations and should involve training of professional investigators.
Keywords: Credibility; Detecting deception; Investigative interviewing; accuracy; analytic method; article; assessment criteria indicative of deception; behavioral research; controlled study; criminal justice; decision making; dept.psy; honesty; human; interview; self evaluation; training

Does choice of college textbook make a difference in students' comprehension? - Durwin, Cheryl Cisero; Sherman, William M (College Teaching, 2008)
The authors investigate whether the choice of college textbook affects students' comprehension of the material. Forty-eight students from educational psychology courses were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) unfamiliar passages drawn from the textbook used in the course, or (2) comparable passages selected from a competitor textbook. Students read three passages and completed comprehension tests and an opinion survey. No significant differences were found. Implications for textbook selection practices are presented in the discussion section. © 2008, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: comprehension; dept.psy; student preferences; textbook selection

Effects of reinforcer delay and variability in a successive-encounters procedure. - Mazur, James E (Learning & behavior, 2008)
Pigeons responded in a successive-encounters procedure that consisted of a search period, a choice period, and a handling period. The search period was either a fixed-interval or a mixed-interval schedule presented on the center key of a three-key chamber. Upon completion of the search period, the center key was turned off and the two side keys were lit. A pigeon could either accept a delay followed by food (by pecking the right key) or reject this option and return to the search period (by pecking the left key). During the choice period, a red right key represented the long alternative (a long handling delay followed by food), and a green right key represented the short alternative (a short handling delay followed by food). The experiment consisted of a series of comparisons for which optimal diet theory predicted no changes in preference for the long alternative (because the overall rates of reinforcement were unchanged), whereas the hyperbolic-decay model predicted changes in preference (because the delays to the next possible reinforcer were varied). In all comparisons, the results supported the predictions of the hyperbolic-decay model, which states that the value of a reinforcer is inversely related to the delay between a choice response and reinforcer delivery.
Keywords: *Choice Behavior; *Reinforcement, Psychology; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Choice Behavior; Columbidae; Male; Reinforcement (Psychology); Time Factors; animal; animal behavior; animal experiment; article; conditioning; controlled study; decision making; dept.psy; food; male; nonhuman; pigeon; pigeons and doves; psychological theory; reinforcement; time

Rats’ choices between one and two delayed reinforcers - Mazur, James E (Learning & Behavior, 2007)
Rats chose between alternatives that differed in the number of reinforcers and in the delay to each reinforcer. A left leverpress led to two reinforcers, each delivered after a fixed delay. A right leverpress led to one reinforcer after an adjusting delay. The adjusting delay was increased or decreased many times in a session, depending on the rat's choices, in order to estimate an indifference point-a delay at which the two alternatives were chosen about equally often. Both the number of reinforcers and their individual delays affected the indifference points. The overall pattern of results was well described by the hyperbolic-decay model, which states that each additional reinforcer delivered by an alternative increases preference for that alternative but that a reinforcer's effect is inversely related to its delay. Two other possible delay-discounting equations, an exponential equation and a reciprocal equation, did not produce satisfactory predictions for these data. Adding an additional free parameter to the hyperbolic equation as an exponent for delay did not appreciably improve the predictions, suggesting that raising delay to some power other than 1.0 was unnecessary. The results were qualitatively similar to those from a previous experiment with pigeons (Mazur, 1986), but quantitative differences suggested that the rates of delay discounting were several times slower for rats than for pigeons.
Keywords: *Choice Behavior; *Conditioning, Operant; *Motivation; *Reinforcement Schedule; *Time Perception; Animals; Male; Models, Theoretical; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; animal behavior; animal experiment; article; conditioning; dept.psy; hyperbolic decay model; mathematical model; nonhuman; pigeon; predictive validity; rat; reinforcement

Species differences between rats and pigeons in choices with probabilistic and delayed reinforcers - Mazur, James E. (Behavioural Processes, 2007)
An adjusting-delay procedure was used to study rats' choices with probabilistic and delayed reinforcers, and to compare them with previous results from pigeons. A left lever press led to a 5-s delay signaled by a light and a tone, followed by a food pellet on 50% of the trials. A right lever press led to an adjusting delay signaled by a light followed by a food pellet on 100% of the trials. In some conditions, the light and tone for the probabilistic reinforcer were present only on trials that delivered food. In other conditions, the light and tone were present on all trials that the left lever was chosen. Similar studies with pigeons [Mazur, J.E., 1989. Theories of probabilistic reinforcement. J. Exp. Anal. Behav. 51, 87-99; Mazur, J.E., 1991. Conditioned reinforcement and choice with delayed and uncertain primary reinforcers. J. Exp. Anal. Behav. 63, 139-150] found that choice of the probabilistic reinforcer increased dramatically when the delay-interval stimuli were omitted on no-food trials, but this study found no such effect with the rats. In other conditions, the probability of food was varied, and comparisons to previous studies with pigeons indicated that rats showed greater sensitivity to decreasing reinforcer probabilities. The results support the hypothesis that rats' choices in these situations depend on the total time between a choice response and a reinforcer, whereas pigeons' choices are strongly influenced by the presence of delay-interval stimuli. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: *Association Learning/ph [Physiology]; *Choice Behavior/ph [Physiology]; *Probability Learning; *Reinforcement, Psychology; *Time Perception/ph [Physiology]; Animals; Columba; Columbidae; Delay-interval stimuli; Delayed reinforcers; Probabilistic reinforcers; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rattus; Species Specificity; Time Factors; animal experiment; article; behavioral response; controlled study; decision making; dept.psy; food; food intake; gamebird; nonhuman; probability; rat; reinforcement; rodent; species difference; stimulus

Choice in a successive-encounters procedure and hyperbolic decay of reinforcement. - Mazur, James E (Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 2007)
Pigeons responded in a successive-encounters procedure that consisted of a search state, a choice state, and a handling state. The search state was either a fixed-interval or mixed-interval schedule presented on the center key of a three-key chamber. Upon completion of the search state, the choice state was presented, in which the center key was off and the two side keys were lit. A pigeon could either accept a delay followed by food (by pecking the right key) or reject this option and return to the search state (by pecking the left key). During the choice state, a red right key represented the long alternative (a long handling delay followed by food), and a green right key represented the short alternative (a short handling delay followed by food). In some conditions, both the short and long alternatives were fixed-time schedules, and in other conditions both were mixed-time schedules. Contrary to the predictions of both optimal foraging theory and delay-reduction theory, the percentage of trials on which pigeons accepted the long alternative depended on whether the search and handling schedules were fixed or mixed. They were more likely to accept the long alternative when the search states were fixed-interval rather than mixed-interval schedules, and more likely to reject the long alternative when the handling states were fixed-time rather than mixed-time schedules. This pattern of results was in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the hyperbolic-decay model, which states that the value of a reinforcer is inversely related to the delay between a choice response and reinforcer delivery.
Keywords: *Choice Behavior; *Reinforcement, Psychology; Animals; Choice; Choice Behavior; Columbidae; Delay-reduction theory; Hyperbolic-decay model; Key peck; Male; Optimal foraging theory; Pigeons; Reinforcement (Psychology); Successive-encounters procedure; animal; article; decision making; dept.psy; male; peer-reviewed; pigeons and doves; reinforcement

Mathematical models and the experimental analysis of behaviour - Mazur, James E (Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2006)
The rise of mathematical models in the experimental analysis of behavior has increased over the years, and they offer several advantages. Mathematical models require theorists to be precise and unambiguous, often allowing comparisons of competing theories that sound similar when stated in words. Sometimes different mathematical models may make equally accurate predictions for a large body of data. In Such cases, it is important to find and investigate situations for which the competing models make different predictions because, unless two models are actually mathematically equivalent, they are based on different assumptions about the psychological processes that underlie ail observed behavior. Mathematical models developed in basic behavioral research have been used to predict and control behavior in applied settings, and they have guided research in other areas of psychology. A good mathematical model call provide a common framework for understanding what might otherwise appear to be diverse and unrelated behavioral phenomena. Because psychologists vary in their quantitative skills and in their tolerance for mathematical equations, it is important for those who develop mathematical models of behavior to find ways (such as verbal analogies, pictorial representations, or concrete examples) to communicate the key premises of their models to nonspecialists.
Keywords: *Models, Theoretical; *Social Behavior; Behavior; Equations; Humans; Mathematical models; Models, Theoretical; Reinforcement; Reinforcement (Psychology); Reinforcement, Psychology; Social Behavior; article; dept.psy; human; peer-reviewed; reinforcement; social behavior; theoretical model

Directed forgetting of a single item - Gottlob, Lawrence R; Golding, Jonathan M; Hauselt, William J (Journal of General Psychology, 2006)
In two experiments, we investigated directed forgetting of a single item. We presented participants with two phone numbers to remember and instructed half of the participants to forget the first phone number. The first number was either learned on a single trial (Experiment 1) or on three trials (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, there was evidence of directed forgetting as a result of differential encoding; the forget instruction affected recall and recognition for both phone numbers. In Experiment 2, the evidence favored differential rehearsal because the forget instruction affected recall but not recognition. These results indicate that instructions to forget can affect memory of single items.
Keywords: Cues; Directed forgetting; Forgetting; Humans; Intentional forgetting; Memory; Mental Recall; Recall; Recognition (Psychology); Retention (Psychology); article; association; dept.psy; human; long term memory; recall; recognition

Readiness to change: A longitudinal study of changes in adult identity - Anthis, Kristine; Lavoie, Joseph C (Journal of Research in Personality, 2006)
It has been suggested in the identity literature that a readiness to change may play a role in identity development beyond adolescence, but an empirical investigation of this relationship had yet to be conducted until now. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to establish a longitudinal relationship between readiness to change and adult identity development. Participants completed measures of readiness to change and identity at both the beginning and the end of the study. The results revealed a relationship between readiness to change and changes in identity exploration over the study interval, and between readiness to change and changes in identity commitment. The findings are discussed in terms of the currently available literature on identity development in adulthood. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adults; Development; Identity; Stages of change; dept.psy; peer-reviewed

Does reflective journal writing improve course performance - Cisero, Cheryl A (College Teaching, 2006)
Abstract. This study investigated whether a reflective journal writing assignment would improve students' course performance. A total of 166 students from undergraduate sections of a course taught by the same instructor over three semesters completed the assignment as part of their requirements. Students (N = 317) from five previous semesters of the same course taught by the same instructor, who were not required to complete the assignment, served as a comparison group. Intervention and comparison groups were comparable on a variety of variables including all assignments, excepting the journal assignment. The findings are interpreted within the context of factors such as students' study habits and motivation. © 2006, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: course performance; dept.psy; journal writing; motivation

Choice between single and multiple reinforcers in concurrent-chains schedules. - Mazur, James E (Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 2006)
Pigeons responded on concurrent-chains schedules with equal variable-interval schedules as initial links. One terminal link delivered a single reinforcer after a fixed delay, and the other terminal link delivered either three or five reinforcers, each preceded by a fixed delay. Some conditions included a postreinforcer delay after the single reinforcer to equate the total durations of the two terminal links, but other conditions did not include such a postreinforcer delay. With short initial links, preference for the single-reinforcer alternative decreased when a postreinforcer delay was present, but with long initial links, the postreinforcer delays had no significant effect on preference. In conditions with a postreinforcer delay, preference for the single-reinforcer alternative frequently switched from above 50% to below 50% as the initial links were lengthened. This pattern of results was consistent with delay-reduction theory (Squires & Fantino, 1971), but not with the contextual-choice model (Grace, 1994) or the hyperbolic value-added model (Mazur, 2001) as they have usually been applied. However, the hyperbolic value-added model could account for the results if its calculations were expanded to include reinforcers delivered in later terminal links. The implications of these findings for models of concurrent-chains performance are discussed.
Keywords: *Appetitive Behavior; *Choice Behavior; *Motivation; *Reinforcement Schedule; Animals; Appetitive Behavior; Association Learning; Choice Behavior; Columbidae; Concurrent chains; Contextual-choice model; Delay-reduction theory; Discrimination Learning; Hyperbolic value-added model; Key peck; Motivation; Multiple reinforcers; Pigeons; Psychomotor Performance; Reinforcement Schedule; animal; appetite; article; decision making; dept.psy; discrimination learning; learning; motivation; peer-reviewed; pigeons and doves; psychomotor performance; reinforcement

Party change and the shifting dynamics in presidential nominations: the lessons of 2008 - Paulson, Arthur (Polity, 2009)
Presidential nominations in recent years have been settled with increasing speed, most of the time in the early stages of the primaries and caucuses, and certainly before the national convention, which has become more of a rally. Even when the battle for the Democratic Presidential nomination continued to the end of the primary season in 2008, it was settled before the convention. Analysts have emphasized the importance of the “invisible primary” and the front-loaded delegate selection schedule in explaining the early resolution of Presidential nomination contests. However, not enough attention has been paid to a much more fundamental change in our political parties and party system: The old umbrella parties have been replaced by ideological polarization between the parties and ideological homogenization within the parties. Our new party system dates back about forty years, and features increased ideological unity and decreased factionalism, making it easier to settle nominations. Even today's front-loaded nominating calendar would not have prevented some of the hotly contested conventions of the old umbrella parties. Polity (2009) 41, 312-330. doi:10.1057/pol.2009.4; published online 11 May 2009
Keywords: Elections; Nominations; Parties; Primaries; dept.psc

Late 19th century administrative reform in America: re-articulating Hamiltonian thought - O'Hara, Jonathan (International Review of Administrative Sciences, 2009)
In this article, the intellectual thought of a group of key late 19th century national administrative reformers is isolated and analyzed. These reformers were interested in reforming the civil, military and business administrative functions of the executive branch to provide for greater elite administrative supervision over and intervention in the national society and economy. The reformers often articulated their reform purposes, motives and goals in the Hamiltonian language of administrative authority and popular deference to executive administrative counsels. An important key to understanding this article is recognizing that while environmental social and economic conditions had changed significantly for the Gilded Age reformers since the American constitutional founding, many elements of the Hamiltonian tradition still resonated with the reformers a full century later. In this way, the historically transmitted ideology and rhetoric of Hamiltonian thought can be seen as having an independent, causative impact on the administrative reformers' purposes, motives and goals related to executive administrative reform.
Keywords: American founding; American progressivism; Developmental democracy; Gilded Age; Mugwumps; North America; United States; administrative reform; administrative system; bureaucracy; democracy; dept.psc; legal system; nineteenth century; planning process; political ideology

The post Cold war reestablishment of effective state authority in Latin America: can 'colombianization' tame Mexico's security crisis? - Olney, Patricia (Social Science Research Network, 2009)
This paper explores the Post Cold War origins of the organized criminal violence that once gripped Colombia and now grips Mexico and particularly the highly controversial counterinsurgency strategy used in Colombia that forms the basis for the current strategy in Mexico. It argues that ideology is a reason why the military aspect of these problems was neglected for so long and the reason its detractors see it as a strategy that reduces national sovereignty and endangers democracy when statistics on control of territory, reduction of violence and democratic progress demonstrate the opposite to be true. The paper uses the term “colombianization” to emphasize Colombia’s dramatic shift from almost ungovernable to one of the most stable countries in the region. Colombianization is defined not as a counterdrug strategy as are both the Colombian and Mexican U.S. assistance strategies but as an integrated, law-based, counterinsurgency strategy implemented from the bottom up that facilitates the establishment of elite consensus and puts the country on a path toward rule of law. Ironically, it was democratic and free market reforms that strengthened the forces of instability in both Colombia and Mexico and the militarization of security that appears to facilitate democratic stability. This study uses local level assessments of Plan Colombia and local interviews conducted in Chihuahua and Michoacán to evaluate the prospects of colombianization in urban and rural Mexico. Colombia's experience suggests that colombianization can stabilize the country and help reactivate the economy but democratic progress is painfully slow and the strategy has little impact on the drug industry and the corruption associated with it.
Keywords: Patricia Olney; SSRN; The Post Cold War Reestablishment of Effective State Authority in Latin America: Can 'Colombianization' Tame Mexico's Security Crisis?; dept.psc; ⛔ No DOI found

Trade and the Environment - Buterbaugh, Kevin (Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict (Second Edition), 2008)
This article examines the debate over the compatibility of trade and the environment. First, it discusses the range of arguments in the debate from trade being inherently beneficial to inherently harmful to the environment. Second, the entry examines the place of the environment within the GATT/WTO and various controversies surrounding the GATT/WTO and environmental protection. Finally, the article examines the role of multilateral environmental agreements in protecting the environment and their possible consequences for the international trading system.
Keywords: Eco-labeling; Environmental Kuznets curve; Environmental dumping; Environmental externality; Free-rider problem; GATT/WTO; Harmonization of standards; Multilateral environmental agreements; Precautionary principle; Race to the bottom; Sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; Technical barriers to trade agreement; Trade-environment debate; Trade–environment debate; dept.psc

Aristocratic and confederate republicanism in Hamiltonian thought and practice - O'Hara, Jonathan (Publius-the Journal of Federalism, 2008)
This article identifies and explores the presence of republican thought in the intellectual and policy writings of Alexander Hamilton, particularly as it applied to his theoretical understanding of the American executive branch. The article moves chronothematically, highlighting, through the Revolutionary, Constitutional, and Governmental periods of American political development, Hamilton's unique sense of republicanism with respect to international and domestic politics, as well as American political economy. The article not only attempts to demonstrate Hamilton's intellectual adherence to the republican tradition, but also his commitment to rhetorically applying the ideology to the realization of practical executive policy goals.
Keywords: dept.psc

Ccd speckle observations of binary stars with the wiyn telescope. vi. measures during 2007-2008 - Horch, Elliott P.; Falta, David; Anderson, Lisa M.; DeSousa, Michael D.; Miniter, Craig M.; Ahmed, Tasmia; van Altena, William F. (The Astronomical Journal, 2009)
Results of 974 speckle observations of 546 binary stars are presented. Observations were obtained at the WIYN 3.5 m Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory during the time interval from 2007 January to 2008 June. In all cases, the relative separation and position angle of the components are measured, and the magnitude difference is determined in 809 cases. The precision of the results as judged from repeat observations and objects with very well-determined orbits is similar to previous papers in this series, namely ∼ 3 mas in separation and <1° in position angle in most cases. Similarly, the photometric precision remains consistent with previous WIYN speckle data, on average ∼ 0.1 mag per observation. Six systems of special interest are discussed. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Binaries: visual; Techniques: high angular resolution; Techniques: interferometric; Techniques:Photometric; dept.phy; peer-reviewed

Low loss EELS study of the ultrathin SrTiO3 film grown on the si single crystal - Su, Dong; Couillard, Martin; Sawicki, M; Broadbridge, Christine; Zhu, Y. (Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2009)
Keywords: dept.phy

Comparing the force and motion conceptual evaluation and the force concept inventory - Thornton, Ronald K.; Kuhl, Dennis; Cummings, Karen; Marx, Jeffrey (Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research, 2009)
In this paper we compare and contrast student's pretest/post-test performance on the Halloun-Hestenes force concept inventory (FCI) to the Thornton-Sokoloff force and motion conceptual evaluation (FMCE). Both tests are multiple-choice assessment instruments whose results are used to characterize how well a first term, introductory physics course promotes conceptual understanding. However, the two exams have slightly different content domains, as well as different representational formats; hence, one exam or the other might better fit the interests of a given instructor or researcher. To begin the comparison, we outline how to determine a single-number score for the FMCE and present ranges of normalized gains on this exam. We then compare scores on the FCI and the FMCE for approximately 2000 students enrolled in the Studio Physics course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute over a period of eight years (1998-2006) that encompassed significant evolution of the course and many different instructors. We found that the mean score on the FCI is significantly higher than the mean score on the FMCE, however there is a very strong relationship between scores on the two exams. The slope of a best fit line drawn through FCI versus FMCE data is approximately 0.54, and the correlation coefficient is approximately r=0.78, for preinstructional and postinstructional testings combined. In spite of this strong relationship, the assessments measure different normalized gains under identical circumstances. Additionally, students who scored well on one exam did not necessarily score well on the other. We use this discrepancy to uncover some subtle, but important, differences between the exams. We also present ranges of normalized gains for the FMCE in a variety of instructional settings.
Keywords: dept.phy

Observations of binary stars with the differential speckle survey instrument. i. instrument description and first results - Horch, Elliott P.; Veillette, Daniel R.; Gallé, Roberto Baena; Shah, Sagar C.; O'Rielly, Grant; van Altena, William F. (The Astronomical Journal, 2009)
First results of a new speckle imaging system, the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument, are reported. The instrument is designed to take speckle data in two filters simultaneously with two independent CCD imagers. This feature results in three advantages over other speckle cameras: (1) twice as many frames can be obtained in the same observation time which can increase the signal-to-noise ratio for astrometric measurements, (2) component colors can be derived from a single observation, and (3) the two colors give substantial leverage over atmospheric dispersion, allowing for subdiffraction-limited separations to be measured reliably. Fifty-four observations are reported from the first use of the instrument at the Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO 3.5 m Telescope9The WIYN Observatory is a joint facility of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. in 2008 September, including seven components resolved for the first time. These observations are used to judge the basic capabilities of the instrument. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Keywords: astrometry; binaries: close; binaries: visual; dept.phy; instrumentation: high angular resolution; instrumentation: interferometers; peer-reviewed; techniques: high angular resolution; techniques: interferometric; techniques: photometric

Research grade instrumentation for nanotechnology and MSE education - Broadbridge, Christine; Garofano, Jacquelynn; Altman, Eric I; Khalil, Yehia F; Henrich, Victor E; Segal, Y; Padmore, Myrtlerose; Michael, Philip; Walker, Fred (2009)
The Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). CRISP is a partnership between Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and Brookhaven National Laboratory. A main focus of CRISP research is complex oxide interfaces that are prepared using epitaxial techniques, including molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Complex oxides exhibit a wealth of electronic, magnetic and chemical behaviors, and the surfaces and interfaces of complex oxides can have properties that differ substantially from those of the corresponding bulk materials. CRISP employs this research program in a concerted way to educate students at all levels. CRISP has constructed a robust MBE apparatus specifically designed for safe and productive use by undergraduates. Students can grow their own samples and then characterize them with facilities at both Yale and SCSU, providing a complete research and educational experience. This paper will focus on the implementation of the CRISP Teaching MBE facility and its use in the study of the synthesis and properties of the crystalline oxide-silicon interface. C 2010 Materials Research Society.
Keywords: Brookhaven national laboratory; Bulk materials; Chemical behavior; Complex oxides; Crystal growth; Crystalline materials; Crystalline oxides; Educational experiences; Epitaxial techniques; Interface structures; Materials research; Materials research societies; Materials science; Molecular beam epitaxy; Molecular beams; National Science Foundations; Research; Research programs; Science and engineering; Silicon interface; Students; Surfaces and interfaces; Yale University; dept.phy

Authentic science research and the utilization of nanoscience in the non-traditional classroom setting - Day, Deborah A; Yu, Zizi; Wang, Zelun; Dalecki, Jennifer; Jadbabaie, Arian; Feng, Emily Z; Mattessich, Thomas J; Caragianis-Broadbridge, Christine; Reed, Mark A; Munden, Ryan (2009)
Applications of nanoscience in the non-traditional classroom have successfully exposed students to various methods of research with applications to micro- and nano-electronics. Activities obtained from the NanoSense website associated with current global energy and water concerns are solid examples 1. In this regard, all 36 students in the 2008-2009 Science Research Program (SRP) prepared and delivered individual and group lesson plans in addition to their authentic, year-long research projects. Two out of 36 students selected nanoscience based projects in preparation for science fair competition in 2009. Additionally, preliminary research was conducted while participating in the Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP) Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program in summer 2008 which supported the idea of developing a photolithography kit. This kit is intended to introduce high school students to the fundamentals of photolithography. In this paper, the design, implementation and feasibility of this kit in the high school classroom is described as well as details involving individual and group nanoscience based projects. Supporting educational models include self-regulated learning (SRL) concepts: situated cognition; social constructivism; Renzulli's (1977) enrichment triad and Types I - III inquiry enrichment activities 2,3. © 2009 Materials Research Society.
Keywords: Classroom settings; Education computing; Educational models; Global energy; High school; High school students; Interface structures; Lesson plans; Micro- and nano-electronics; Nanoscience; Non-traditional; Photolithography; Research; Research experience; School buildings; Science fairs; Science research; Self-regulated learning; Situated cognition; Social constructivism; Students; Teaching; dept.phy

A Study of Peer Instruction Methods with High School Physics Students - Cummings, Karen; Roberts, Stephen G. (AIP, 2008)
This paper reports on the results of an experiment to test the use of a Peer Instruction (PI) pedagogical model in a small class, high school environment. The study reports findings based on a population of 213 high school students attending algebra based physics courses, both Honors and A level, taught by 5 different instructors. The results show a correlation between use of Peer Instruction and improved student conceptual understanding, as demonstrated by gains on a pre-/post- assessment instrument (FCI). However, there also appears to be a number of other factors that strongly influence the resulting gains. In addition to instructor differences, the data seem to indicate that students who are more "physics-inclined" and can answer questions correctly prior to instruction and prior to any Peer Instruction discussion subsequently achieve higher gains as measured by the FCI. While this is to be expected, the use of normalized gains is intended to mitigate this result, but it appears to be prevalent nonetheless. This raises questions as to what degree the FCI gains can be attributed to the use of Peer Instruction, to teacher differences, to student ability level or to simply increased familiarity with the question types presented on the FCI.
Keywords: Audio and visual aids; Conceptual learning; Curricula and evaluation; High school; Peer-instruction; Physics; Research in physics education; Teacher training; Teaching methods and strategies; Variations; dept.phy

Charge-coupled device speckle observations of binary stars with the WIYN telescope. v. measures during 2001-2006 - Horch, Elliott P.; van Altena, William F.; Cyr, William M.; Kinsman-Smith, Lori; Srivastava, Amit; Zhou, Jing (The Astronomical Journal, 2008)
A total of 1067 speckle observations of 345 binary stars are presented. Of these, 161 are double stars first resolved by Hipparcos, 17 are resolved for the first time in the observations presented here, and 21 are stars previously discovered by our program and reported in earlier papers in the series. In 947 cases, a magnitude difference is reported along with the relative astrometry. When comparing to systems with very well-known orbits, we find that the root mean square (rms) deviation in separation residuals is 2.81 0.28 mas, and the rms deviation in position angle residuals is 0.88 0.07°. The magnitude difference measures show no significant deviation from Hipparcos photometry, and have average standard deviation of approximately 0.10 mag as judged from repeat observations. Five important systems discovered by Hipparcos are discussed. © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..
Keywords: Astrometry; Binaries: visual; Techniques: interferometric; Techniques: photometric; dept.phy; peer-reviewed

Sign change of the extended s -wave pairing vertex in the dynamic Hubbard model: A quantum Monte Carlo study - Bouadim, K.; Enjalran, Matthew; Hébert, F.; Batrouni, G. George; Scalettar, Richard T. (Physical Review B, 2008)
The "dynamic" Hubbard Hamiltonian describes interacting fermions on a lattice whose on-site repulsion is modulated by a coupling to a fluctuating bosonic field. We investigate one such model, introduced by Hirsch, using the determinant quantum Monte Carlo method. Our key result is that the extended s -wave pairing vertex, repulsive in the usual static Hubbard model, becomes attractive as the coupling to the fluctuating Bose field increases. The sign problem prevents us from exploring a low enough temperature to see if a superconducting transition occurs. We also observe a stabilization of antiferromagnetic correlations and the Mott gap near half-filling, and a near linear behavior of the energy as a function of particle density which indicates a tendency toward phase separation. © 2008 The American Physical Society.
Keywords: dept.phy

Ill-behaved convergence of a model of the Gd3Ga5O12 garnet antiferromagnet with truncated magnetic dipole?dipole interactions - Yavors'kii, T.; Gingras, Michel J. P.; Enjalran, Matthew (Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2007)
Previous studies have found that calculations which consider long-range magnetic dipolar interactions truncated at a finite cut-off distance R c predict spurious (unphysical) long-range ordered phases for Ising and Heisenberg systems on the pyrochlore lattice. In this paper we show that, similar to these two cases, calculations that use truncated dipolar interactions to model the Gd3Ga5O12 garnet antiferromagnet also predict unphysical phases with incommensurate ordering wavevector q ord that is very sensitive to the dipolar cut-off distance R c. © IOP Publishing Ltd.
Keywords: Antiferromagnetic materials; Crystal lattices; Finite cut off distance; Gadolinium compounds; Garnets; Heisenberg systems; Magnetic dipolar interactions; Magnetic moments; Numerical methods; Wavevector; dept.phy

A partnership inspiring interest in MSE careers: the center for research on interface structures and phenomena (CRISP) - Caragianis-Broadbridge, Christine; Edgecumbe, Heather; Osenko, Greg; Lehman, Ann; Alter, Lisa; Tully, John C (2007)
The intent of the CRISP education and outreach effort is to use materials science as a vehicle for enhancing the scientific literacy and knowledge of kindergarten through postgraduate level students. A challenging part of our mission has been inspiring students to take the next step and consider further study (or a career) in the field of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). The CRISP educational programs were developed through a partnership between Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University and the urban school district of New Haven, CT. An overview of the methods and results of both formal and informal educational program components is included for years one and two of the CRISP MRSEC. This paper will focus on two CRISP programs: 1) MRSEC Initiative for Multidisciplinary Education & Research (MIMER) and 2) "Exploring Materials Science" mobile kits. The evaluation data indicates that the approach used in developing these educational programs is important. Specifically, the impact of these programs is influenced by the students' ability to relate the acquired knowledge to real life applications and technologies. In particular, emphasizing career opportunities rather than just presenting content-based programs is a key element to increasing interest towards further study in Materials Science and Engineering. © 2008 Materials Research Society.
Keywords: Career opportunities; Connecticut; Content-based; Educational program; Engineering education; Interface structures; Key elements; Materials; Materials science and engineering; Multidisciplinary education; Post-graduate levels; Professional aspects; Real-life applications; Scientific literacy; Students; Teaching; Urban schools; Yale University; dept.phy

The effectiveness of incorporating conceptual writing assignments into physics instruction - Cummings, Karen; Murphy, Michael (2006 PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE, 2007)
This preliminary study examines the impact of conceptual writing assignments on student understanding of two physics concepts. Writing assignments covered the concepts of Newton's Third Law and the impulse-momentum relationship and were given to students in both high school and college level introductory physics classes. The students in these classes along with students in classes taught in an identical fashion by the same instructors without the addition of writing assignments were tested on their conceptual understanding of the two content areas. The results of this initial study indicate that the efficacy of this approach varied with topic. This study further indicates that students' benefit from the writing assignments was independent of their writing ability. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.
Keywords: College; Conceptual learning; High school; Writing; dept.phy

Publishing and refereeing papers in physics education research - Hsu, Leon; Beichner, Robert J; Cummings, Karen; Kolodner, Janet L; Mccullough, Laura (2007)
At the 2007 Physics Education Research Conference, a workshop on publishing and refereeing was held with a panel of editors from four different publishing venues: the physics education research section of the American Journal of Physics, the Journal of the Learning Sciences, Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, and the Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings. These editors answered questions from participants regarding publishing in their respective venues, as well as writing referee reports that would be useful to both journal editors and authors. This paper summarizes the discussion. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.
Keywords: Conference proceedings; Journals; Publishing; Referee reports; dept.phy

What factors really influence shifts in students’ attitudes and expectations in an introductory physics course? - Marx, Jeffrey; Cummings, Karen (AIP, 2007)
To gauge the impact of instruction on students' general expectations about physics and their attitudes about problem solving, we administered two different, but related, survey instruments to students in the first semester of introductory, calculus-based physics at McDaniel College. The surveys we used were the Maryland Physics Expectation Survey (MPEX) and the Attitudes about Problem Solving Survey (APSS). We found that the McDaniel College students' overall responses were more "expert-like" post-instruction: on the MPEX, the students' Overall agree/disagree score started at 59/18 and ended at 63/17, and on the APSS, the students' agreement-score went from 63 to 79. (All scores are out of 100%.) All of the students to whom we administered the MPEX and a significant sub-group to whom we administered the APSS realized these improvements without experiencing any explicit instructional intervention in this course aimed toward improving attitudes and expectations. These results contrast much of the previously reported findings in this area. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.
Keywords: dept.phy

Dynamic Hubbard model: a Monte Carlo study - Hébert, F.; Bouadim, K; Enjalran, M; Scalettar, R. T. (EFFECTIVE MODELS FOR LOW-DIMENSIONAL STRONGLY CORRELATED SYSTEMS, 2006)
Dynamic Hubbard models describe relaxation of atomic orbitals when electrons are added to already occupied orbitals, a phenomenon that is not present in the conventional Hubbard model and that may play a role in superconductivity. We use the determinant algorithm to study the properties of a particular dynamic Hubbard model on a two-dimensional square lattice. We report preliminary results for a set of correlation functions, and our data are compared to results from the standard Hubbard model. We find that a dynamic interaction enhances the pair-field susceptibility, signaling the possible on-set of a superconducting phase. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.
Keywords: Hubbard model; Quantum Monte Carlo; Superconductivity; dept.phy

Comparison of common segmentation techniques applied to transmission electron microscopy images - Sadowski, Thomas; Broadbridge, Christine; Daponte, John S (Materials Research Society, 2006)
Nanoparticles are of interest in many applications since their decreased size may give them properties that are very different from bulk material. Often nanoparticle properties such as size (diameter) and size distribution are evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These parameters, size and size distribution, can be more easily obtained from digitized TEM images by mapping particle signal to black and background pixel to white in a process known as thresholding then performing an algorithm known as a particle analysis. The goal of this study was to compare the ability of several popular thresholding algorithms to segment TEM images. Performance of the thresholding algorithms was evaluated through qualitative and quantitative measures. Results show that the choice of a thresholding algorithm will strongly affect the results obtained from particle analysis. © 2007 Materials Research Society.
Keywords: Algorithms; Bulk material; Image segmentation; Nanoparticles; Parameter estimation; Particle analysis; Size distribution; Thresholding algorithms; Transmission electron microscopy; dept.phy

Milestones in the History of Information and Computer Ethics - Bynum, Terrell Ward (The Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics, 2009)
This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Norbert Wiener's Foundation of Information Ethics Computer Ethics Developments after Wiener and before Maner Walter Maner's Computer Ethics Initiative Deborah Johnson's Influential Textbook and the Start of the “Uniqueness Debate” James Moor's Classic Paper and His Influential Computer Ethics Theory The Professional-Ethics Approach of Donald Gotterbarn Computing and Human Values Luciano Floridi's Information Ethics Theory Concluding Remarks: The Exponential Growth of Computer Ethics References and Selected Resources
Keywords: Computer ethics developments - after Wiener and before Maner; Donald Gotterbarn professional-ethics approach; Information and computer ethics - milestones in history; computer ethics developments - after Wiener and before Maner; dept.phi; information and computer ethics - milestones in history

Federative Global Democracy - Cavallero, Eric (Metaphilosophy, 2009)
Abstract: In this essay a set of principles is defended that yields a determinate allocation of sovereign competences across a global system of territorially nested jurisdictions. All local sovereign competences are constrained by a universal, justiciable human rights regime that also incorporates a conception of cross-border distributive justice and regulates the competence to control immigration for a given territory. Subject to human rights constraints, sovereign competences are allocated according to a conception of global democracy. The proposed allocation scheme can accommodate substantial local autonomy while at the same time ensuring that everyone has a voice in the political decisions that affect his or her interests. The relevant class of affected interests is fully specified. Relevant affects are of two kinds: those that impose norms of governance on individuals, and those that impose external costs on them. The favored sense of “an external cost” is developed and defended.
Keywords: Affected interests; All-affected principle; Borders; Confederalism; Democracy; Democratic deficit; Equal protection; External costs; Externalities; Federalism; Global governance; Global justice; Globalization; Human rights; Immigration; International law; affected interests; all-affected principle; borders; confederalism; democracy; democratic deficit; dept.phi; equal protection; external costs; externalities; federalism; global governance; global justice; globalization; human rights; immigration; international law; nationalism; sovereignty; territoriality

How to make sense of the claim “True knowledge is what constitutes action”: A new interpretation of wang yangming’s doctrine of unity of knowledge and action - Yang, Xiaomei (Dao-a Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 2009)
No one denies the importance of applying knowledge to actions. But claiming identity (unity) of knowledge and action is quite another thing. There seem to be two problems with the claim: (1) the identity claim implies that the sole cause for one to fail to act on what one judges to be right is ignorance, but it is obviously false that the sole cause of failure in moral actions is ignorance. (2) The identity statement implies non-separation of knowledge and action. But knowledge does not necessarily lead to action. However, the identity of knowledge and action is what a famous Ming Confucian scholar, Wang Yang-ming, proposed and the concept became the central doctrine of his teaching. Though there are several major interpretations of Wang's doctrine in contemporary literature, it is not clear to me how they deal with the above mentioned difficulties. In this article, I will discuss these interpretations of the doctrine and propose a new interpretation. My purpose is to give an interpretation of Wang's doctrine that has the capacity of dealing with these challenges to the doctrine and also captures the essence of his teaching. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Keywords: Action; Chinese philosophy; Moral knowledge (liang zhi); Neo-confucianism; dept.phi; peer-reviewed

ICT and the tension between old and new: the human factor - Gorniak-Kocikowska, Krystyna (Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2008)
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of tensions between old and new in the emerging global society driven by information and communication technology (ICT); and to argue that creation of a theory of this society would contribute in the easing of these tensions. Design/methodology/approach The methods used in this paper are mostly analytical, descriptive, and qualitative. An analysis of the creation and development of ICT from a mathematical discipline of computer science to a universal tool and a driving force of the emerging global society, a development which is paralleled by the commercialization of ICT, is followed by two case studies illustrating the tensions between old and new and the role ICT plays in them. One case is centered on the challenges of traditional models of education by new, ICT-friendly approaches, like the Multiple Intelligences Theory; the other addresses tensions between old and new that in many societies presently take the form of tensions between local/national and global. Findings A claim is formed that the existing tensions between old and new are closely linked to the tensions between the two most common forms of society, inclusive (egalitarian) and exclusive (elitist). Originality/value The paper will help understand some of the reactions to the process of globalization. It can serve as a tool for assessment and prediction regarding this process. Lastly, the paper contains a justification of merit in the creation of a “grass root” theory of an ICT-driven global society built on a universally accepted ethical foundation. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Keywords: Communication technologies; Education; Ethics; Globalization; Information society; Language; dept.phi; peer-reviewed

Casuistry and computer ethics - Coleman, Kari Gwen (Metaphilosophy, 2007)
At the heart of the uniqueness debate is the possibility that the computer revolution may demand more in the way of ethical analysis than our traditional (that is, modern) ethical edification has prepared us for. In short, it may present new and unique problems and therefore demand new and unique solutions. In this article I argue that the solution is in fact an old and not-sounique one: casuistry. Appealing to Jonsen and Toulmin's analysis of casuistry (1988), I argue that a casuistic methodology is a more accurate description of the moral reasoning used by contemporary computer ethicists than are other accounts. In addition, I argue that the strengths that enabled casuistry to deal successfully with radical social, economic, and religious changes in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries render casuistry well suited to the task of dealing with radically new situations like those found in twentieth- and twenty-first-century computer technology. Before concluding, I briefly explore Pascal's fatal critique of casuistry and its relevance for contemporary computer ethics. © 2007 Metaphilosophy LLC and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Keywords: Casuistry; Computer ethics; Information ethics; Methodology; Moral reasoning; Uniqueness debate; dept.phi

From computer ethics to the ethics of global ICT society - Gorniak-Kocikowska, Krystyna (Library Hi Tech, 2007)
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the place of computer/ICT ethics in the global ICT society driven by knowledge economy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper focuses on three main issues: the evolution of the name of the leading technology of our times and, accordingly, the evolution of the name of the society in which this technology plays the leading role; some ethical dilemmas that the global ICT society will need to solve; global ICT ethics and the knowledge economy. Findings - The paper suggests that global ICT ethics should be an ethics focusing on the dynamics of the relationship between the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick worldwide - and it should explore the ethical problems from the point of view of both parties involved. That way, Global ICT Ethics can have a truly communicative character, and it can become an ethics that will be both a co-creator and also a result of a democratic processes. Originality/value - This paper should interest anyone concerned with ICT and globalization.
Keywords: Communication technologies; Ethics; Globalization; dept.phi; peer-reviewed

Flourishing ethics - Bynum, Terrell Ward (Ethics and Information Technology, 2006)
This essay describes a new ethical theory that has begun to coalesce from the works of several scholars in the international computer ethics community. I call the new theory Flourishing Ethics because of its Aristotelian roots, though it also includes ideas suggestive of Taoism and Buddhism. In spite of its roots in ancient ethical theories, Flourishing Ethics is informed and grounded by recent scientific insights into the nature of living things, human nature and the fundamental nature of the universe-ideas from today's information theory, astrophysics and genetics. Flourishing Ethics can be divided conveniently into two parts. The first part, which I call Human-Centered FE, is focused exclusively upon human beings - their actions, values and characters. The second part, which I call General FE, applies to every physical entity in the universe, including humans. Rather than replacing traditional great ethical theories, Flourishing Ethics is likely to deepen and broaden our understanding of them. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006.
Keywords: Aristotelian ethics; Astrophysics; Computer ethics; Cybernetics; Cyborg ethics; Entropy; Good and evil; Information ethics; Infosphere; Just consequentialism; Philosophical aspects; Robot ethics; dept.phi

Introduction: genocide's aftermath - Card, Claudia; Marsoobian, Armen T (Metaphilosophy, 2006)
Keywords: dept.phi

Dynamic traditions: why globalization does not mean homogenization - Volkman, Richard (Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2006)
In light of the relation between culture and markets, an analysis of cultural evolution reveals that globalization will not lead to the homogenization of world cultures. © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Keywords: Culture; Globalization; Market; Tradition; dept.phi; peer-reviewed

Adolescent attitudes, beliefs, and concerns regarding breastfeeding. - Nelson, Antonia M (MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursing, 2009)
Purpose: To investigate the attitudes, beliefs, and concerns of pregnant and postpartum adolescents regarding breastfeeding. Study Design and Methods: Audiotaped focus groups of low-income, largely minority pregnant and postpartum adolescents were conducted and transcripts analyzed using content analysis techniques. Findings: Major themes identified were in the area of beliefs, such as They say it's healthy, or It hurts; attitudes, such as breastfeeding is the mother's choice and The baby comes first; and concerns such as privacy, and Breastfeeding leads to dependency. Clinical Implications: Adolescents can be encouraged to breastfeed, but require appropriate education beyond what they have heard from others. Myths such as pain during breastfeeding need to be addressed. Since teens want to learn but not be told what to do, active learning strategies such as guided Internet searches could be helpful to guide them into discovery of the benefits of breastfeeding. Since all the teens in this study felt that the baby comes first, emphasizing the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby should predominate educational efforts. Concerns related to physical exposure while breastfeeding can be addressed antenatally through discussing creative strategies to maintain modesty. This study suggests that, in the postpartum hospital setting, adopting a sensitive, initially hands-off' approach to supporting breastfeeding might be more well-accepted than tactile assistance, and that following the initial establishment of a milk supply, various levels of breastfeeding exclusivity should be considered as potentially acceptable infant feeding patterns.
Keywords: *Breast Feeding/px [Psychology]; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; *Mothers/ed [Education]; *Mothers/px [Psychology]; *Psychology, Adolescent; Adolescent; Adolescent Psychology; Breast Feeding; Breastfeeding; Female; Focus Groups; Focus groups; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion; Humans; Mothers; Postpartum Period; Postpartum Period/px [Psychology]; Pregnancy; Qualitative research; Young Adult; adolescent; adult; article; attitude to health; breast feeding; child psychology; dept.nur; education; female; health promotion; human; information processing; mother; pregnancy; psychological aspect; puerperium

Antibiotic-taking experiences of undergraduate college students. - Aronson, Barbara S (Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2006)
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the medication-taking experiences of undergraduate college students prescribed short-term antibiotic therapies and to describe factors influencing their adherence. Data sources: Thirty-four undergraduate students prescribed antibiotics for treatment of an acute infectious illness at a large university health center were recruited to participate in this study. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted after students finished their course of treatment. Qualitative descriptive content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts typed from the audio-taped phone interviews. Conclusions: The main theme that emerged from the data was antibiotic-taking self-management. Most participants were able to adapt medication regimens into their daily routines, and used events in their day and specific reminder strategies to help them to remember to take their medications. This occurred despite an ever-changing class and work schedule and being prescribed complex, lengthy antibiotic regimens. Most dosing errors occurred during times when schedules changed or students were off campus during weekends or college breaks. A small number of students discontinued therapy early because of side effects or forgetfulness. Implications for practice: By understanding factors that influence antibiotic adherence from a college student perspective, healthcare providers can suggest strategies to promote adherence that are tailored to the specific needs of this unique population. © 2006 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Keywords: *Anti-Bacterial Agents/tu [Therapeutic Use]; *Patient Compliance; *Self Care; *Students; Adolescent; Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibiotic adherence; College students; Female; Humans; Male; Medication self-management; Patient Compliance; Self Care; Students; United States; adolescent; adult; antiinfective agent; article; dept.nur; female; human; male; patient compliance; self care; student

Realistic reconfiguration of crystalline (and telecube) robots - Aloupis, Greg; Collette, Sebastien; Damian, Mirela; Demaine, Erik D; Elkhechen, Dania; Flatland, Robin; Langerman, Stefan; Orourke, Joseph; Pinciu, Val; Ramaswami, Suneeta; Sacristan, Vera; Wuhrer, Stefanie (2009)
In this paper we propose novel algorithms for reconfiguring modular robots that are composed of n atoms. Each atom has the shape of a unit cube and can expand/contract each face by half a unit, as well as attach to or detach from faces of neighboring atoms. For universal reconfiguration, atoms must be arranged in 2×2×2 modules. We respect certain physical constraints: each atom reaches at most unit velocity and (via expansion) can displace at most one other atom. We require that one of the atoms can store a map of the target configuration. Our algorithms involve a total of O(n 2) such atom operations, which are performed in O(n) parallel steps. This improves on previous reconfiguration algorithms, which either use O(n 2) parallel steps [8,10,4] or do not respect the constraints mentioned above [1]. In fact, in the setting considered, our algorithms are optimal, in the sense that certain reconfigurations require Ω(n) parallel steps. A further advantage of our algorithms is that reconfiguration can take place within the union of the source and target configurations. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.
Keywords: Algorithms; Atoms; Novel algorithm; Physical constraints; Reconfiguration algorithm; Robotics; Robots; Target configurations; dept.mat

The signature of the chern coefficients of local rings - Ghezzi, Laura; Hong, Jooyoun; Vasconcelos, Wolmer V (Mathematical Research Letters, 2009)
This paper considers the following conjecture: If R is an unmixed, equidimensionallocal ring that is a homomorphic image of a Cohen-Macaulay local ring, then for any ideal J generated by a system of parameters, the Chern coefficient e1(J) < 0 is equivalent to R being non Cohen-Macaulay. The conjecture is established if R is a homomorphic image of a Gorenstein ring, and for all universally catenary integral domains containing fields. Criteria for the detection of Cohen-Macaulayness in equi-generated graded modules are derived. © International Press 2009.
Keywords: dept.mat; ⚠️ Invalid DOI

Leveraging summative assessment for formative purposes. - Vaden-Goad, Robert E (College Teaching, 2009)
The problem of motivation has received a great deal of attention, and many successful approaches have been developed. However, in areas such as introductory college mathematics, students often question their own potential for success. At the first sign of trouble, their fears are confirmed and many of them drop out, formally or informally. If a method could be found to improve persistence, motivational techniques would have an opportunity to succeed. In this article, the author describes a simple method to improve persistence using assessments that are normally already in place. Data are presented indicating that the method improves persistence and achievement. © 2009, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: classroom assessment; dept.mat; mathematics

On the homology of two-dimensional elimination - Hong, Jooyoun; Simis, Aron; Vasconcelos, Wolmer V (Journal of Symbolic Computation, 2008)
We study birational maps with empty base locus defined by almost complete intersection ideals. Birationality is shown to be expressed by the equality of two Chern numbers. We provide a relatively effective method for their calculation in terms of certain Hilbert coefficients. In dimension 2 the structure of the irreducible ideals-always complete intersections by a classical theorem of Serre-leads by a natural approach to the calculation of Sylvester determinants. We introduce a computer-assisted method (with a minimal intervention by the computer) which succeeds, in degree ≤5, in producing the full sets of equations of the ideals. In the process, it answers affirmatively some questions raised by Cox [Cox, D.A., 2006. Four conjectures: Two for the moving curve ideal and two for the Bezoutian. In: Proceedings of Commutative Algebra and its Interactions with Algebraic Geometry, CIRM, Luminy, France, May 2006 (available in CD media)]. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Almost complete intersection; Birational map; Elimination; Rees algebra; Special fiber; Sylvester determinant; dept.mat

On the fewest nets problem for convex polyhedra - Pinciu, Val (2007)
Given a convex polyhedron with n vertices and F faces, what is the fewest number of pieces, each of which unfolds to a simple polygon, into which it may be cut by slices along edges? Shephard's conjecture says that this number is always 1, but it's still open. The fewest nets problem asks to provide upper bounds for the number of pieces in terms of n and/or F. We improve the previous best known bound of F/2 by proving that every convex polyhedron can be unfolded into no more than 3F/8 non-overlapping nets. If the polyhedron is triangulated, the upper bound we obtain is 4F/11.
Keywords: Computational geometry; Convex polyhedrons; Simple polygon; Upper Bound; dept.mat; ⛔ No DOI found

A latent class analysis of brand prestige - Prince, Melvin; Davies, Mark (Model Assisted Statistics and Applications, 2009)
Core constructs are necessary as a basis for scale development in brand prestige research. This study examines the theoretical rationale for two such concepts - brand excellence and status conferral - and uses latent class scaling in an empirical test as to whether they are both important independent dimensions of prestige brands. Based on the analysis, these concepts are shown to be consistently present for two brands in two diverse product categories. The research calls into question earlier work on the measurement of brand prestige that was premised on a one-dimensional concept of prestige. Further studies are needed to explore the dimensionality and substantive structure of the brand prestige concept, to confirm or disconfirm findings from this research. © 2009 IOS Press. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Brand excellence; Latent class scaling; Prestige brand; Status conferral; dept.mkt

Qualitative analysis and the construction of causal models - Prince, Melvin; Manolis, Chris; Tratner, Susan (Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2009)
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodology by which qualitative analyses serve as rich source materials for discovery of theoretically cogent interrelations between latent variables. Design/methodology/approach: In an illustrative case, qualitative data are collected from US franchisee managers from a single branded franchise of automotive repair outlets. Qualitative analysis of franchisee experiences and attitudes is critical for construction of a causal model used to predict conflict intensity between franchisee managers and franchisors. Findings: The model is based on franchisees' normative expectations for resource allocation within the franchise; and their perceptions of franchisor normative violations, which are determinative of grievances, distrust, and hostility. This theoretical orientation serves to generate a system of interrelated empirically testable propositions. Research limitations/implications: In principle, the primary limitation of using qualitative analysis for the construction of causal models is the fruitfulness of the theoretical orientation shared by the qualitative analyst and the causal modeler. Practical implications: The methodological approach advanced in this paper advances qualitative research and causal modeling beyond the individual contributions. Qualitative analysis infuses variables and process imagery into causal modeling. In turn, causal modeling elaborates the qualitative analysis and makes explicit logical connections between variables. Originality/value: This paper advances a methodology by which qualitative analysis and causal model construction may be usefully integrated. Theory-based qualitative analysis may be formalized to map latent concepts and their interrelations. Further, operational measures of these concepts may be adduced from the analysis of textual data. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Keywords: Modelling; Qualitative methods; dept.mkt

A study of hofstede's culture value survey in a post-soviet country - Kustin, Richard Alan (Journal of Transnational Management, 2006)
This research examines the four culture dimensions developed by Hofstede's 1980 and 1983 studies exploring the potential of management-employee conflict. In the present study, employee responses to Hofstede's national culture survey were performed in Belarus, formerly of the Soviet Union, in order to establish a culture score for each of Hofstede's four culture dimensions in a centrally planned economy. The results of the research run counter to some of the stereotypic cultural characteristic expectations, and support others of the cultural values attributable to the Republic of Belarus, an autocratic political and economic state in Eastern Europe. Copyright © by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Belarus; Cross culture; Cultural survey; Culture dimensions; Eastern Europe; Eurasia; Europe; Hofstede; International management; culture; dept.mkt; geographical research; survey

The lobster tale: an exercise in critical thinking. - Stepanovich, Paul L (Journal of Management Education, 2009)
Professors in management and business are encouraged to incorporate critical thinking as an objective in their courses. "The Lobster Tale" provides an opportunity to engage students in various levels of critical thinking, ranging from a relatively superficial reading to an examination of the deeper, often hidden issues. Using the foundations of critical theory and systems theory, the story draws on economics, social theory, philosophy, and other disciplines to present a simplified version of the complexities found in our global environment. It can be used to supplement a variety of courses in the business curriculum and to encourage students to challenge not only assumptions but also conventional wisdom and, perhaps, knowledge itself. © 2009 The Author(s).
Keywords: Affirmative action; Critical theory; Critical thinking; Systems theory; Tragedy of the commons; dept.mgt

Ethnicity, mental health care disparities and culturally competent care at the connecticut mental health center - Nazroo, James; Blue, Howard C; Anez, Luis M; Paris, Manuel; Hawkins, Dietra; Page, Robert A (40 Years of Academic Public Psychiatry, 2007)
Keywords: Community-based prevention efforts; Deinstitutionalization impact; Housing and employment discrimination; Psychotic disorders and unrelenting affective disorders; Third psychiatric revolution; dept.mgt

Role modeling as a pedagogical strategy in entrepreneurship education for women and girls: An interactive model of transformational learning - Oppedisano, Jeannette; Laird, Kenneth R (New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, 2006)
This article presents a pedagogical model that utilizes students as primary researchers in the identification, interviewing, and then reporting on women entrepreneurs as a major component of a multidisciplinary entrepreneurship course. The purpose of the course is to attract students who may not be familiar with the entrepreneurship concept itself, the role of women in such economic ventures, or the possibilities for people like themselves in such a career avenue. Students are exposed to the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs throughout U.S. history in the broad categories of agriculture and mining; construction; communication; manufacturing; service (both for profit and not-for-profit); transportation; and wholesale and retail trade. This content experience is then enhanced by the studentsʼ own direct interaction with and interviewing of women entrepreneurs. The implementation, potential outcomes, and possible adaptations of the course are described, and this transformational learning process model is illustrated. © Published by DigitalCommons©SHU, 2006.
Keywords: dept.mgt

Exploring virtual librarianship: second life library 2.0 - Hedreen, Rebecca; Johnson, Jennifer L; Lundy, Mack A; Burnette, Peg; Perryman, Carol; van den Brekel, Guus; Jacobson, Jj; Gullett, Matt; Czarnecki, Kelly (Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 2008)
In April 2006, Alliance Library System and Online Programming for All Libraries partnered to start the Second Life Library 2.0 in the online world Second Life and in August 2006 purchased an island on the Teen grid of Teen Second Life. Second Life is a virtual world, a descendant of multiplayer online games. Educational institutions have recently been drawn into Second Life's robust economy and vibrant cultural life. The Second Life Library 2.0 works with librarians from around the world and with other educational partners such as TechSoup, WorldBridges, and the New Media Consortium. Second Life Library 2.0 provides traditional library services such as ready reference, book discussions, and search assistance, but, at heart, it explores what it means to be a virtual library in a virtual world.
Keywords: Library 2.0; Online Collaboration; Online Education; Second Life; Virtual Librarians; Virtual Libraries; Virtual Worlds; dept.lib

The impact of digital resource and service use on urban residents in new england public Libraries—A survey report - Liu, Yan Quan; Wnuk, Agnes (Public Library Quarterly, 2009)
Today, access to digital information is essential to patrons using public libraries, whether they have contact with computers at home, work or school or whether the public library is their only contact. In order to evaluate and ultimately enhance public library digital resources and services, it is critical for administrators, librarians and digital information architects to recognize the impact their current digital offerings have on users. This study utilizes a survey to gauge the perceptions of patrons who use digital resources and services in six urban New England public libraries as part of ongoing research into digital information access in public libraries in the United States from the perspective of users.
Keywords: Digital divide; Digital libraries; Digital resources; Digital resources services; New England public libraries; Public libraries; Urban libraries; dept.ils; peer-reviewed

Exploiting the social style of patrons to improve their satisfaction with the reference interview - Sisselman, Peggy (Library Review, 2009)
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discover whether the social styles of patrons affects their perception (and librarians' perception) of the quality of the reference interview. Also, whether learning to assess social styles of patrons improves perception of the quality of the reference interview. Design/methodology/approach: The researcher observed 24 reference interviews, assessed the social style of each patron using a checklist of behavioral characteristics; both patrons and librarians confidentially filled out a survey to assess the outcome of the reference interview. Findings: It appears that the social style of patrons has some effect on how both librarians and patrons perceive the outcome of the reference interview. There also appears to be a correlation between the librarians' awareness of the social styles of people and the outcome of the reference interview. Practical implications: Literature has not provided any data on how social style theory on the four social styles (analytical, expressive, driver, amiable) could be used to improve the reference interview. Originality/value: Social style theory has been explored in academic settings and in the areas of marketing and sales, but not yet in public libraries. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Keywords: Customer satisfaction; Individual perception; Interpersonal communications; Reference services; Social dynamics; dept.ils

Enhancing digital information access in public libraries - Ayers, Kathleen; Liu, Yan Quan (2007)
Purpose To explore the impact of public digital library resources on urban residents, to elucidate the current usage patterns of public digital library resources/services and levels of satisfaction with the resources/content in urban digital libraries and make recommendations as to steps that would improve service to this population. Design/Methodology/Approach We conducted an anonymous user-completed survey study of 6 urban libraries to collect demographic and information regarding satisfaction with Digital Library (DL) resource and patterns of use. Findings Our respondents represented a cross section of races, genders, ages, and educational backgrounds. Our results in this much-needed area of study demonstrate that libraries should plan to provide more access, less filtering, regular upgrades, and more training to use the resources. Practical Limitations/Implications Larger studies should be used to follow up this report, in order to be able to obtain a generalized understanding of overall patterns of urban residents using DLs in public settings. Recruitment techniques did not adequately sample potential (but not current) DL users. Originality/Value This study contributes to a scant empirical data set addressing the impact that access to public digital information and services have on urban residents. We offer new data and recommendations that will guide public library administrators in enhancing the impact, efficiency and value of public DL resources/services to improve the digital learning environment for life-long educaiton at all levels in a broad community of urban users.
Keywords: dept.ils; ⛔ No DOI found

Developing an integrated public library service in Dongguan, one of China's fastest growing cities - Liu, Yan Quan; Li, Donglai (New Library World, 2007)
Purpose - The purpose of this case study is to explore the construction pattern and issues involved in the development of an urban library service system in China. Design/methodology/approach - This study was conducted through an analytical evaluation of the development of an integrated public service system and its distribution of information among libraries and information centers in an urban community. Findings - Constructing an integrated public service system is an important trend in urban libraries in the new millennium. Drawing from the Dongguan library's integrated public service system that aims to master better various resources from whole service area, this text summarizes technology innovation and the significant results of the Dongguan library system redevelopment, providing an absorbing insight into developments in the Chinese public library service. Originality/value - While the ultimate goal of integration is to provide better services to meet the information-seeking needs of urban residents, it is necessary to meet these needs through a technological breakthrough in the administration of clustered libraries, to instill a central branch system, and to work out the advantages of group service.
Keywords: China; Digital libraries; Library management Public sector organizations; Public libraries; dept.ils

Digital information access in urban/suburban communities: A survey report of public digital library use by the residents in Connecticut - Liu, Yan Quan; Martin, Craig; Roehl, Eileen; Yi, Zhixian; Ward, Sheila (OCLC Systems and Services, 2006)
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of public digital services on urban/suburban residents, to uncover the current usage of public digital services and levels of satisfaction with the digital resources/content in urban digital libraries (networked computers with specific information infrastructure designed free for public use). Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach is used as a main stream in the research framework as the method of inquiry. Qualitative one-to-one interviews include surveying users who use public library websites, observing the users, consulting librarians about the users, and interviewing the users. Findings - Provides demographic patterns of the patron's interaction with the digital services public libraries provide, and the satisfaction and compliances the residents have regarding information access through the digital technology in urban/suburban Connecticut. Practical implications - Because of the small number of participants, this study has limitations in being generalized to an understanding of overall patterns of urban residents using digital resources in public settings in the USA or elsewhere, however, it could be a good pilot study for a nation-wide survey with the methods tested. Originality/value - This study helps fulfill the scant empirical attention given to the impact access to public digital information or use of digital library services on the urban/suburban residents, offers new data that help public library administrators enhance the impact, efficiency and value of the public digital library services to improve the digital learning environments for life-long education at all levels in a broad community of urban-suburban users. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Keywords: Design/methodology/approach; Digital learning environment; Digital libraries; Digital technologies; Information retrieval; Information services; Information studies; Life-long educations; Public libraries; Public library; Qualitative approach; Specific information; Surveys; dept.ils

Sensitivity to sensoriprocessing, self-discrepancy, and emotional reactivity of collegiate athletes. - Kemler, David S (Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2006)
This study investigated how differences between athletes who scored low and high on sensoriprocessing sensitivity apply self-discrepancies and emotional reactions to competitive sporting events. Two hypotheses were proposed: The High Sensitivity group (n = 33) would score higher for anxiety, guilt, and shame, and lower on pride and report more stress attributed to self-discrepancies than the Low Sensitivity group (n = 32) following competitive sports events. Collegiate varsity athletes were administered the High Sensitivity Scale prior to competition and completed the Selves Questionnaire and the Goal Congruent and Incongruent Emotion Scale immediately after competition. Scores for the High Sensitivity Scale were used to separate athletes into high and low sensitivity groups. A multivariate analysis of variance and subsequent univariate analyses indicated that the High Sensitivity group reported higher scores on anxiety, shame, and stress than the Low Sensitivity group. This was interpreted as reflecting differences between both ideal and ought self-discrepancies.
Keywords: *Affect; *Cognition/ph [Physiology]; *Self Concept; *Sensation/ph [Physiology]; *Sports/px [Psychology]; *Universities; Adult; Affect; Awareness; Cognition; Female; Humans; Male; Psychological Theory; Questionnaires; Self Concept; Sensation; Sports; Surveys and Questionnaires; Universities; adult; affect; article; awareness; cognition; dept.hms; female; human; male; physiology; psychological aspect; psychological theory; questionnaire; self concept; sensation; sport; university

Elder self-neglect and abuse and mortality risk in a community-dwelling population - Dong, XinQi; Simon, Melissa; de Leon, Carlos Mendes; Fulmer, Terry; Beck, Todd; Hebert, Liesi; Dyer, Carmel; Paveza, Gregory; Evans, Denis (JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association, 2009)
Context Both elder self-neglect and abuse have become increasingly prominent public health issues. The association of either elder self-neglect or abuse with mortality remains unclear. Objective To examine the relationship of elder self-neglect or abuse reported to social services agencies with all-cause mortality among a community-dwelling elderly population. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective, population-based cohort study (conducted from 1993 to 2005) of residents living in a geographically defined community of 3 adjacent neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois, who were participating in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP; a longitudinal, population-based, epidemiological study of residents aged ¿= 65 years). A subset of these participants had suspected elder self-neglect or abuse reported to social services agencies. Main Outcome Measures Mortality ascertained during follow-up and by use of the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess independent associations of self-neglect or elder abuse reporting with the risk of all-cause mortality using time-varying covariate analyses. Results Of 9318 CHAP participants, 1544 participants were reported for elder self-neglect and 113 participants were reported for elder abuse from 1993 to 2005. All CHAP participants were followed up for a median of 6.9 years (interquartile range, 7.4 years), during which 4306 deaths occurred. In multivariable analyses, reported elder self-neglect was associated with a significantly increased risk of 1-year mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 5.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.20-6.51). Mortality risk was lower but still elevated after 1 year ( HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.67-2.14). Reported elder abuse also was associated with significantly increased risk of overall mortality (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.07-1.84). Confirmed elder self-neglect or abuse also was associated with mortality. Increased mortality risks associated with either elder self-neglect or abuse were not restricted to those with the lowest levels of cognitive or physical function. Conclusion Both elder self-neglect and abuse reported to social services agencies were associated with increased risk of mortality. JAMA. 2009; 302(5):517-526 www.jama.com
Keywords: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cause of Death; Chicago; Cognition; Elder Abuse; Female; Humans; Male; Mandatory Reporting; Parkinson disease; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Risk; United States; Urban Population; abuse; aged; aging; article; cardiovascular disease; cause of death; cognition; cohort analysis; crime; daily life activity; demography; dept.hhs; diabetes mellitus; educational status; ethnic and racial groups; female; follow up; hazard ratio; hip fracture; human; hypertension; informed consent; longitudinal study; major clinical study; male; mandatory reporting; mortality; neoplasm; outcome assessment; physical activity; population based case control study; priority journal; proportional hazards model; prospective study; public health; research subject; risk; self neglect; social work; socioeconomics; statistics; stroke; urban population

Elder self-neglect: A discussion of a social typology - Paveza, Gregory; Weerd, Carla Vande; Laumann, Edward (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2008)
This article presents a theoretical framework for the study of social and behavioral factors associated with elder self-neglect. The model presented reflects the authors' beliefs that a risk-vulnerability model offers a useful framework from which to study all forms of elder mistreatment, as well as elder self-neglect. This model has particular utility, because it can begin to define the elements of risk and vulnerability that may be addressed using preventative measures as opposed to solely addressing intervention, which is often the case when addressing elder mistreatment and self-neglect. The authors then address a method for using the Consortium for Research in Elder Self-neglect of Texas data as currently constructed and adding to that database to effectively study risks and vulnerabilities in the elder self-neglect population. These additional data would greatly expand the scope of the study. The discussant adds his perspective to the ideas proposed by the authors.
Keywords: Aged; Alzheimer disease; Elder Abuse; Elderly; Geriatric Assessment; Humans; Risk Adjustment; Self-neglect; Social Behavior; Social networks; caregiver burden; cognitive defect; conceptual framework; conference paper; daily life activity; data base; depression; dept.hhs; family violence; functional disease; gerontological research; home environment; human; mental disease; peer-reviewed; preventive health service; self neglect; social aspect; social psychology; social support; substance abuse

Emerging market hedge funds: Do they perform like regular hedge funds? - Abugri, Benjamin A; Dutta, Sandip (Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 2009)
In this study, we investigate whether the performance of emerging market hedge funds (EMHFs) follow a pattern similar to that reported for advanced market hedge funds. In contrast to the pre-2007 period, our results for the post-2006 period show that EMHFs exhibit performance patterns similar to those reported for hedge funds that focus on the developed markets. Unlike in the pre-2007 period, EMHFs in general do not exhibit significant exposure to specific asset classes in the post-2006 period. On a risk-adjusted basis, we find that EMHFs do not consistently outperform the benchmarks. The reported performance patterns may provide useful insights to both academics and portfolio managers.
Keywords: Emerging market hedge funds; Hegde funds; Modified Sharpe Ratio; Portfolio performance measures; Risk-adjusted returns; dept.fin

A land use model of the effects of eco-labeling in coffee markets - Heidkamp, Patrick; Hanink, Dean M.; Cromley, Robert G. (Annals of Regional Science, 2008)
International non-profit organizations have started to implement eco-labeling for credence attributes programs aimed to inform consumers about environmentally sound or “sustainable” production standards for various products. Using coffee labeled as “shade grown” or “bird friendly” as an example, this paper describes the impact such labeling programs may have on local land use patterns in coffee producing regions. Shade grown coffee farms should provide a variety of external benefits, including the preservation of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, the prevention of soil erosion and aquifer recharge. Those externalities, however, are not expected to have observable land use impacts unless they are capitalized in the coffee market. The prospect of market capitalization of externalities suggests the extension of the conventional von Thunen model to the calculation of social location rent. Using the maximization of social location rent as a criterion allows the externality effect to play a direct role in market-based land use allocation of land between eco-labeled shade grown coffee production and other activities.
Keywords: Aves; agricultural market; coffee; crop production; dept.egm; ecolabeling; land use; modeling

Offshore threats: Liquefied natural gas, terrorism, and environmental debate in Connecticut - Harrison, Blake (Annals of The Association of American Geographers, 2008)
Broadwater Energy is one of a number of recent proposals to construct a liquefied natural gas facility along the East Coast of the United States. The proposal calls for the construction of an import and regasification terminal in Long Island Sound, roughly halfway between the states of New York and Connecticut. First made public in 2004 by its sponsors, TransCanada and Shell, the Broadwater proposal has inspired opposition from a range of interest groups. An examination of the Broadwater debate with a focus on arguments made by Connecticut residents in the months leading up to the release in late 2006 of the proposal's Draft Environmental Impact Statement reveals explicit and implicit points of overlap between concerns about the facility's environmental impacts and concerns about its status as a potential terrorist target. Discussions about terrorism deployed in the Broadwater debate have initiated and informed a politics of scale through which themes common to environmental debates have been transformed. This transformation, in turn, highlights the discursive and material influence of terrorism in contemporary U.S. society. Concerns about terrorist attacks have been deployed by activists to enhance the strength of an otherwise environmental debate and, in the process, those concerns have developed the potential to shape land use policy in Long Island Sound. Key Words: environmentalism, liquefied natural gas, Long Island Sound, scale, terrorism.
Keywords: Connecticut; Environmentalism; Liquefied natural gas; Long Island Sound; North America; Scale; Terrorism; United States; container terminal; dept.egm; environmental impact; environmental policy; environmentalism; land use planning; liquefied natural gas; offshore engineering; terrorism

Five new species of jaltomata (solanaceae) from cajamarca, peru - Mione, Thomas; Leiva, G Segundo; Yacher, Leon (Novon, 2007)
Five new suffrutescent to shrubby Jaltomata Schlechtendal species (Solanaceae) of the department of Cajamarca, Peru, are described and illustrated, Jaltomata contumacensis S. Leiva & Mione has a light green, urceolate-tubular corolla and grows in the province of Contumazá between 2530 and 3000 m; J. lanata S. Leiva & Mione has a whitish purple to pale purple, short-tubular corolla and grows in the province of San Pablo between 1850 and 2400 m; J. leivae Mione has a red-violet, urceolate corolla containing red nectar and grows in the province of Contumazá between 2560 and 2650 m; J. oppositifolia S. Leiva & Mione bas a white, broadly infundibular to rotate corolla and grows in province Chota between 2250 and 3090 m; and J. yacheri Mione & S. Leiva has a blue-purple, urceolate corolla and grows in province Hualgayoc at 3460 m. The fruits of two of these species are eaten by people.
Keywords: Edible fruit; Jaltomata; Magnoliophyta; Red nectar; Solanaceae; dept.egm

Shopping to save: green consumerism and the struggle for northern Maine - Harrison, Blake (Cultural Geographies, 2006)
Between 2001 and 2003, Roxanne Quimby - then the sole owner of a natural personal-care products company named Burt's Bees - invested millions of dollars of her company's profits in tens of thousands of acres of forestland in northern Maine. Her intention was to donate that land to the United States government on behalf of a controversial national park proposed for the region - the Maine Woods National Park. Quimby's actions set off sharp debates between policy makers, environmentalists and residents of northern Maine. As this article suggests, those debates were informed in part by their association with green consumerism. When consumers purchase `environmentally friendly' products like those made by Burt's Bees, they typically envision their actions as having positive consequences for places associated directly with the production and consumption of that product. In this case, however, profits from a green consumer product were reinvested outside its immediate commodity chain, thereby implicating green-consumer decisions in a politics of identity and landscape control beyond that product's lifecycle. This paper explores that process, suggesting that even the most well-intended consumer choices can carry social and environmental consequences into new and perhaps unexpected terrain. When we shop to save, we can never be quite certain of what it is that we are saving.
Keywords: Apoidea; Maine; North America; United States; consumption behavior; dept.egm; profitability

The letter and the law, or how caroline norton (Re)Wrote female subjectivity - Fluhr, Nicole (Tulsa studies in women's literature, 2009)
Keywords: dept.eng; ⛔ No DOI found

Emotional Expression in Malory's Elaine of Ascolat - Holbrook, Sue Ellen (Parergon, 2007)
Shrieks and complaints, accompanied by body language, contribute markedly to Malory's representation of Elaine of Ascolat's emotionality. Elaine's two shrieks echo Lancelot's and indicate change from sorrow for a wounded beloved to heartbreak when he rejects her. When Elaine is compared with speakers in love lyrics, allegories, and romances, the thoughts in her unarticulated complaints after the pained second shriek may be understood and related to her defence of complaint and perseverance in love despite rejection. Similarly, Elaine's complaint letter, including its overlooked moan to ladies, reflects a state of tranquility and brings about a just resolution.
Keywords: dept.eng

Incorporating reflection into business communication service-learning courses: - Mceachern, Robert W (Business Communication Quarterly, 2006)
Keywords: dept.eng

Imaging girls: visual methodologies and messages for girls' education - Magno, Cathryn; Kirk, Jackie (Compare, 2008)
This article describes the use of visual methodologies to examine images of girls used by development agencies to portray and promote their work in girls' education, and provides a detailed discussion of three report cover images. It details the processes of methodology and tool development for the visual analysis and presents initial 'readings' of the selected images. This initial study highlights the relevance of image analysis to the field of gender, education and development and of critical reflection on the different messages and meanings inherent in images of girls and girls' education which relate to complex questions of power and privilege, position and post-coloniality. The authors recommend that within development agencies education and communication specialists work together to develop more sophisticated processes for image selection, review and feedback, and that researchers in the field further engage with visual methodologies to inform current theories of girlhood, education, schooling and empowerment.
Keywords: Education; Girls; Images; Methodology; Representation; dept.edl

Teaching in transition: Examining school-based gender inequities in central/southeastern Europe and the former Soviet Union - Magno, Cathryn; Silova, Iveta (International Journal of Educational Development, 2007)
In the last decade, gender equity has become one of the most prominent issues in education reform efforts worldwide. Yet, questions of gender equity have received very little attention in the education reform efforts in the post-socialist countries during the transition period. Focusing on the political, economic, and social changes of the 1990s, this article examines school-based gender equity as it is treated in textbooks, curriculum, teacher attitudes, school environment, leadership and tracking. The article presents gender-sensitive strategies for reform and explores how existing `genderneutral' education practices detrimentally affect gender equity in schools, providing country-specific examples. The article concludes with recommendations for teaching in transition, given the education sphere's strong potential to redress gender inequities. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Education reform; Eurasia; Europe; Gender equity; Post-socialist transition curriculm; curriculum; dept.edl; education reform; equity; gender disparity; gender relations; gender role; peer-reviewed; post-communism; social change; teaching; transitional economy

Testing Trade-Off and Pecking Order Models Under Different Institutional Environments - Farhat, Joseph B.; Cotei, Carmen; Abugri, Benjamin A. (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2009)
In this paper, we examine the differences in information asymmetry and financing patterns and a generalized version of the trade-off theory across countries with different institutional environments. We find that firms in Civil law countries have higher information asymmetry, rely more on internally generated funds, and use more short-term debt to finance their financing deficit, relative to those in Common law countries. In both Civil law and Common law countries, factors suggested by the trade-off theory explain the financing deficit coefficient in the generalized version of the trade-off model. Overall, the generalized version of the trade-off theory provides a better explanation for the changes in capital structure relative to the pecking order theory, even in countries with higher information asymmetry.
Keywords: International capital structure; dept.eco; dept.fin; pecking order theory; trade-off theory

The effects of noise and manipulation on the accuracy of collective decision rules - Bodo, Peter (2009)
How do noise and manipulation affect the accuracy of collective decision rules? This paper presents simulation results that measure the accuracy of ten well known collective decision rules under noise and manipulation. When noise is low these rules can be divided into accurate ("good") and inaccurate ("bad") groups. The bad rules' accuracy improves, sometimes significantly, when noise increases while the good rules' performance steadily worsens with noise. Also, when noise increases the accuracy of the good rules deteriorates at different rates. Manipulation delays the effects of noise: Accuracy improvement and deterioration due to noise emerge only at higher noise levels with manipulation than without it. In some cases at high noise levels there is only a negligible difference between the accuracy of good and bad collective decision rules. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Keywords: Accuracy Improvement; Acoustic noise; Collective decision; Collective decision rules; Decision theory; Fluorine containing polymers; Game theory; High noise levels; Higher noise levels; Manipulability; Manipulability of collective decisions; Noise sensitivity; Piezoelectric actuators; Simulation result; dept.eco

Economic liberalization and conditional volatility of exchange rate in sub-saharan africa: asymmetric GARCH analysis - Nandwa, Boaz; Andoh, Samuel K. (African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement, 2008)
For small open economies, an understanding of movements in the exchange rate is imperative in analyzing trade and capital flows. In addition, reliable forecasting of exchange rate volatility is important in risk-taking assessment and investment decision-making, both of which are critical to long-term growth. Using an asymmetric GARCH-type approach, this paper examines the implications of economic liberalization on the stochastic behavior of the exchange rate series in a sample of sub-Sahara African (SSA) countries over the 1970-2004 period. The results indicate that exchange rate volatility is variable, and is less volatile under fixed exchange rate regime (pre-economic liberalization) and higher under flexible regime (post-economic liberalization), that is, it is asymmetric. For most of the countries, the EGARCH and TGARCH models are robust to parameter stability and gives better forecasting performance compared to the standard GARCH model.
Keywords: Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; capital flow; decision making; dept.eco; exchange rate; forecasting method; investment; modeling; parameterization; stochasticity; trade flow; trade liberalization

Empirical relationship between macroeconomic volatility and stock returns: Evidence from Latin American markets - Abugri, Benjamin A (International Review of Financial Analysis, 2008)
Emerging market stock returns have been characterized as having higher volatility than returns in the more developed markets. But previous studies give little attention to the fundamentals driving the reported levels of volatility. This paper investigates whether dynamics in key macroeconomic indicators like exchange rates, interest rates, industrial production and money supply in four Latin American countries significantly explain market returns. The MSCI world index and the U.S. 3-month T-bill yield are also included to proxy the effects of global variables. Using a six-variable vector autoregressive (VAR) model, the study finds that the global factors are consistently significant in explaining returns in all the markets. The country variables are found to impact the markets at varying significance and magnitudes. These findings may have important implications for decision-making by investors and national policymakers. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Emerging markets; Latin America; Macroeconomic volatility; Stock returns; Vector autoregressive model; dept.eco; dept.fin

Predicting us 2001 recession, composite leading economic indicators, structural change and monetary policy - Mostaghimi, Mehdi (The Singapore Economic Review, 2006)
In an attempt to predict a peak in the US economy using a classical statistical decision methodology and a Bayesian methodology and using the 1996 revised composite leading economic indicators (CLI), it is learned that the Bayesian models have generally outperformed the classical statistical ones and, among the Bayesian models, the two using two and three consecutive CLI growth rates are superior in reliability and in accuracy. These two models, however, failed to correctly predict the 2001 recession. In investigating the reasons behind their failures, we learned that: (1) if the concurrent data for the economic structure of 1983-1999 are used for the prediction, they have also been able to predict the 2001 recession correctly, but their overall reliability is not as strong as before; (2) given the overwhelming weight of the monetary policy tools in the CLI-1996 design and the combination of the economic and political events in the year 2000, the less than expected effectiveness of the monetary policy since 2001 has contributed to this failure; and (3) a possible structural change in the US economy since 2000 has also contributed to this prediction failure. © World Scientific Publishing Company.
Keywords: Bayesian analysis; Bayesian probability forecasting; Classical statistical decision theory; Composite leading indicators; Information theory; Monetary policy; North America; Predicting recessions; Structural change; US economy; United States; dept.eco; economic analysis; economic conditions; economic structure; monetary policy; prediction; probability; structural change

Physical volcanology and geological relationships of the jurassic ferrar large igneous province, antarctica - Elliot, David H; Fleming, Thomas H (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2008)
The Ferrar Large Igneous Province forms a linear belt for 3500 km along the Transantarctic Mountains, and as a geochemical province extends into southeastern Australasia. The principal components of the Ferrar are: intrusive - Ferrar Dolerite sills and dikes, and Dufek intrusion; pyroclastic - the Prebble, Mawson and Exposure Hill Formations; effusive - the Kirkpatrick Basalt. In terms of the three dimensional architecture of the Ferrar, a range of "facies" can be recognized in each of the principal components. The Ferrar province was initiated with a major episode of phreatomagmatism leading to formation of tephra cones and associated deposits, and near-surface vent structures. Activity switched to predominantly quiet effusion of alternating thick flood basalt flows and thin pahoehoe lobes and flows. Intrusive bodies were emplaced early, given the occurrence of dolerite clasts in tuff-breccias, but most sills were probably intruded after accumulation of extrusive rocks. Pre-existing rift structures played a major role in controlling the transport and distribution of the Ferrar magmas and the apparent centers of extrusive activity. The associated paleohydrology controlled the eruption styles. © 2008.
Keywords: Antarctica; Basalt; East Antarctica; Ferrar; Ferrar Glacier; Flood basalt flows; Geochemistry; Geochronology; Jurassic; Magmas; Structural geology; Volcanic rocks; Volcanoes; Volcanology; dept.esc; flood basalt; large igneous province; magma; phreatomagmatism; pyroclastic deposit; tephra; volcanology

Lesbian mothers' bids for normalcy in their children's schools - Bower, Laura A; Klecka, Cari L (The Educational Forum, 2009)
Albeit growing in number, lesbian mothers and their children remain a statistical minority in schools. Lesbian mothers in this study described their families as “normal” or “just like any other family.” From the perspective of queer theory, normal is a socially constructed and insidious concept. This study analyzes both the strategies participants used to be recognized as normal in their children’s schools and the reasons such recognition was perceived to be important by participants. © 2009 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords: dept.cur

(Re)Considering normal: queering social norms for parents and teachers. - Bower, Laura A; Klecka, Cari L (Teaching Education, 2009)
Recent debates regarding same-sex marriage and gay and lesbian adoption highlight the role of schools as sociopolitical institutions. Accordingly, teachers operating within social norms have considerable influence through their interactions with students and their families. Previous research points to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) parents' frustrations with their children's schools, particularly as teachers resist representing LGBT families within curricula and fail to intervene when homophobic comments are made. Yet teachers' capacity to embrace diverse family structures while adhering to cultural expectations for teachers remains unexplored. This study, rooted in queer theory, explores the social norms teachers name for parenting in school settings and the way teachers position LGBT parents within these norms. Findings point to social norms for teachers and parents which indicate that teachers operate within heteronormative frameworks. They consider heterosexuality to be normal, while positioning LGBT identities as deviant. This is troubling given documented connections between teacher attitudes and parental involvement and between parental involvement and student achievement. Unchecked, heteronormative practices may result in inequitable school experiences for LGBT parents and their children. Teacher education must minimize heteronormativity through equipping teachers to attend to their own notions and assumptions regarding the intersection of parenting and sexual orientation. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.
Keywords: Teacher socialization; Teacher thinking and knowledge; dept.cur

The Ecology of Education: Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development and Sustainability - Wensing, E J; Torre, Carlos Antonio (Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 2009)
The Ecology of Education: Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development and SustainabilityResearch in knowledge systems for sustainable development (KSSD) seeks to determine how science and technology can be put into effective action at a local level. Teachers in education for sustainability attempt to achieve the same goal. KSSD research has indicated that success is context driven, that panaceas are inappropriate and that knowledge systems at best provide solutions in evolution. In this paper, we describe a teaching framework that we are developing to support KSSD researchers and teachers in education for sustainability based in ecology of education. While a need for ecology in education may be apparent, there is concurrently an equally important need for ecology of education. We argue that one cannot teach ecology in education adequately without an appropriate ecology of education. This paper first explains why teachers need to know this and then describes how teachers of education for sustainability can implement and assess this approach in the classroom.
Keywords: dept.cur

An exploration of themes that influence the counselor education doctoral student experience. - Protivnak, Jake J; Foss, Louisa L (Counselor Education and Supervision, 2009)
The purpose of the present study was to explore the themes that counselor education doctoral students perceive as influencing their experience. The results of an exploratory qualitative study in which counselor education doctoral students provided their perceptions of what helped or hindered their progress are presented. Themes identified as both positively and negatively influencing their experiences were departmental culture, mentoring, academics, support systems, and personal issues. Recommendations are provided for counselor educators to consider in their work with doctoral students. © 2009 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.csp

Social competence, social support, and academic achievement in minority, Low-Income, urban elementary school children - Elias, Maurice J; Haynes, Norris M (School Psychology Quarterly, 2008)
Despite living in disadvantaged urban communities experiencing social and economic hardships, many children emerge with positive outcomes. Social-emotional competence and social support were hypothesized to have strong influences on academic trajectories during the critical period of academic skill acquisition. Participants were 282 third-grade students from six elementary schools in a Northwestern urban community. Beyond the importance of prior levels of academic competence, considerable variance in end-of-year academic outcomes was predicted by initial levels of academic social-emotional competence and improvements in social-emotional competence and perceived teacher support over the course of the year. Noteworthy is that findings were strongest for African-American students, but methodological caveats regarding research with underachieving minority youth were discussed. The findings suggest that school psychologists and others designing interventions to improve achievement of disadvantaged students should address social-emotional competencies and classroom climate, especially teacher support of students.
Keywords: academic underachievement; dept.csp; prevention; resilience; social-emotional competence; urban minority youth

Hierarchical clustering of distributed object-oriented software systems: a generic solution for software-hardware mismatch problem - El-Raouf, Amal Abd (WSEAS Transactions on Computers archive, 2009)
During the software lifecycle, the software structure is subject to many changes in order to fulfill the customer's requirements. In Distributed Object Oriented systems, software engineers face many challenges to solve the software-hardware mismatch problem in which the software structure does not match the customer's underlying hardware. A major design problem of Object Oriented software systems is the efficient distribution of software classes among the different nodes in the system while maintaining two features: low-coupling and high software quality. In this paper, we present a new methodology for efficiently restructuring Distributed Object Oriented software systems to improve the overall system performance and to solve the softwarehardware mismatch problem. Our method has two main phases. In the first phase, we use the hierarchical clustering method to restructure the target software application. As a result, all the possible clustering solutions that could be applied to the target software application are generated. In the second phase, we decide on the best-fit clustering solution according to the customer hardware organization.
Keywords: Clustering solutions; Computer software selection and evaluation; Customer satisfaction; Design problems; Distributed object-oriented systems; Distributed objects; Distributed systems; Generic solutions; Hier-archical clustering; Hierarchical clustering; Hierarchical clustering methods; Hierarchical systems; Low coupling; Mismatch problems; Object oriented programming; Object oriented software; Object-oriented software systems; Performance analysis; Sales; Second phase; Software Quality; Software applications; Software engineers; Software life cycles; Software restructuring; Software structures; dept.csc; ⛔ No DOI found

Visualizing multidimensional climate model data - DaPonte, John S.; Munhutu, Paidemwoyo (Visual Information Processing XVIII, 2009)
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using simulated data from the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO) global climate mathematical model to serve as boundary values for a regional model RM3 which has been used by NASA to make predictions about climate dynamics in West Africa. In the past, historical data has been used successfully as boundary data but this approach limits outcomes to time periods in the past. The advantage of using the UKMO data is its potential to provide input boundary data for future time periods resulting in future regional predictions. This study has provided NASA scientists with graphical and statistical summaries including visual animations that provide qualitative and quantitative information necessary for evaluating whether the UKMO data can be used as a driving force for the RM3 model. One definite conclusion of this investigation is that both spatial and temporal interpolation of UKMO results will be necessary in order to make its results compatible with the RM3 model.
Keywords: Boundary data; Boundary values; Climate dynamics; Climate model; Data processing; Driving forces; Forecasting; Global climate model; Global climates; Historical data; Mathematical models; NASA; Quantitative information; Regional model; Regional model and visual animations; Simulated data; Spatial and temporal interpolation; Statistical summary; Time periods; United kingdom; Visual communication; West Africa; dept.csc

Restructuring distributed object-oriented software using hierarchical clustering - El-Raouf, Amal Abd (2009)
The software restructuring techniques present solutions for the software-hardware mismatch problem in which the software structure does not match the available hardware platform. In Distributed Object Oriented (DOO) systems, software engineers face many challenges to solve the software-hardware mismatch problem. One important aspect of DOO software systems is the efficient distribution of software classes among the different nodes while maintaining low-coupling and high software quality. In this paper, we present a new methodology for efficiently restructuring the DOO software systems to improve the performance and to solve the software-hardware mismatch problem. In our method, we use the hierarchical clustering technique to opt the classes to be grouped together and according to the customer hardware organization, we pick the level of the hierarchy that have the appropriate number of clusters to be allocated to the set of available nodes in the customer distributed system.
Keywords: Computer hardware; Computer software selection and evaluation; Distributed objects; Distributed systems; Hardware; Hardware platform; Hier-archical clustering; Hierarchical clustering; Hierarchical systems; Low coupling; Mismatch problems; Number of clusters; Object oriented programming; Object oriented software; Performance analysis; Re-structuring techniques; Software Quality; Software engineers; Software restructuring; Software structures; Software systems; dept.csc; ⛔ No DOI found

Computer assisted analysis of microscopy images - Sawicki, M; Munhutu, P; Daponte, John S; Caragianisbroadbridge, Christine; Lehman, Ann; Sadowski, Thomas; Garcia, E; Heyden, C; Mirabelle, L; Benjamin, P (2009)
The use of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to characterize the microstructure of a material continues to grow in importance as technological advancements become increasingly more dependent on nanotechnology 1. Since nanoparticle properties such as size (diameter) and size distribution are often important in determining potential applications, a particle analysis is often performed on TEM images. Traditionally done manually, this has the potential to be labor intensive, time consuming, and subjective 2. To resolve these issues, automated particle analysis routines are becoming more widely accepted within the community 3. When using such programs, it is important to compare their performance, in terms of functionality and cost. The primary goal of this study was to apply one such software package, ImageJ to grayscale TEM images of nanoparticles with known size. A secondary goal was to compare this popular open-source general purpose image processing program to two commercial software packages. After a brief investigation of performance and price, ImageJ was identified as the software best suited for the particle analysis conducted in the study. While many ImageJ functions were used, the ability to break agglomerations that occur in specimen preparation into separate particles using a watershed algorithm was particularly helpful 4. © 2009 SPIE-IS&T.
Keywords: Agglomeration; Commercial softwares; Computer aided analysis; Computer-assisted analysis; Data visualization; Electron microscopes; General purpose; Gray-scale; Image processing; Imaging systems; Labor intensives; Microscopy; Microscopy images; Nanoparticles; Open sources; Particle analysis; Particle size analysis; Potential applications; Semiconductor quantum wires; Software packages; Specimen preparation; TEM images; Technological advancements; Tem; Thresholding; Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM); Transmission electron microscopy; Visualization; Water-shed algorithms; dept.csc; dept.phy

Data analyis system design for lidar experimentation - Sharma, Nimmi C P; Parikh, Jo Ann (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2008)
A web-based lidar experimentation and data analysis system (LEDAS) was developed, with support from a National Science Foundation award, to support resource sharing of lidar equipment, datasets and data analysis routines and collaboration between members of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) Lidar Collaboratory. The system allows users at different geographical locations to conduct remote sensing research and education over the Web through remote access and control of a single shared lidar system and web-based data analysis. Users need not have any specialized instrumentation or software at their institutions, thereby making real remote sensing research available to students and faculty from institutions which may not have the internal budgets for such facilities. An original structure providing basic functionality was developed and implemented. This paper describes the second generation data analysis system which provides significant new enhancements and capabilities. © 2008 IEEE.
Keywords: Access control; Budget control; Collaboratories; Data analysis; Data analysis system; Data reduction; Education; Geographical locations; Geology; Information analysis; National Science Foundations; Optical radar; Original structures; Remote control; Remote sensing; Resource sharing; Second generation; University system; Websites; dept.csc; lidar

Characterization of nanoparticles by computer imaging particle analysis - DaPonte, J.; Sadowski, T.; Broadbridge, C. C.; Munhutu, P.; Lehman, A.; Krishnamoorthy, D.; Garcia, E. C.; Sawicki, M. S.; Heyden, C.; Mirabelle, L.; Benjamin, P. (Nanomaterials Synthesis, Interfacing, and Integrating in Devices, Circuits, and Systems II, 2007)
Nanoparticles, particles with a diameter of 1-100 nanometers (nm), are of interest in many applications including device fabrication, quantum computing, and sensing because their decreased size may give rise to certain properties that are very different from those exhibited by bulk materials. Further advancement of nanotechnology cannot be realized without an increased understanding of nanoparticle properties such as size (diameter) and size distribution. Frequently, these parameters are evaluated using numerous imaging modalities including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the past, these parameters have been obtained from digitized images by manually measuring and counting many of these nanoparticles, a task that is highly subjective and labor intensive. Recently, computer imaging particle analysis routines that count and measure objects in a binary image1 have emerged as an objective and rapid alternative to manual techniques. In this paper a procedure is described that can be used to preprocess a set of gray scale images so that they are correctly thresholded into binary images prior to a particle analysis ultimately resulting in a more accurate assessment of the size and frequency (size distribution) of nanoparticles. Particle analysis was performed on two types of calibration samples imaged using AFM and TEM. Additionally, results of particle analysis can be used for identifying and removing small noise particles from the image. This filtering technique is based on identifying the location of small particles in the binary image, assessing their size, and removing them without affecting the size of other larger particles.
Keywords: Atomic force microscopy; Bulk materials; Computer imaging; Device fabrication; Imaging techniques; Nanoparticles; Particle analysis; Quantum computers; Size distribution; Thresholding; Transmission electron microscopy; dept.csc; dept.phy

Application of particle analysis to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) - Daponte, John S; Sadowski, Thomas; Broadbridge, Christine; Day, D; Lehman, A; Krishna, D; Marinella, L; Munhutu, P; Sawicki, M (2007)
Nanoparticles, particles with a diameter of 1-100 nanometers (nm), are of interest in many applications including device fabrication, quantum computing, and sensing because their size may give them properties that are very different from bulk materials. Further advancement of nanotechnology cannot be obtained without an increased understanding of nanoparticle properties such as size (diameter) and size distribution frequently evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the past, these parameters have been obtained from digitized TEM images by manually measuring and counting many of these nanoparticles, a task that is highly subjective and labor intensive. More recently, computer imaging particle analysis has emerged as an objective alternative by counting and measuring objects in a binary image. This paper will describe the procedures used to preprocess a set of gray scale TEM images so that they could be correctly thresholded into binary images. This allows for a more accurate assessment of the size and frequency (size distribution) of nanoparticles. Several preprocessing methods including pseudo flat field correction and rolling ball background correction were investigated with the rolling ball algorithm yielding the best results. Examples of particle analysis will be presented for different types of materials and different magnifications. In addition, a method based on the results of particle analysis for identifying and removing small noise particles will be discussed. This filtering technique is based on identifying the location of small particles in the binary image and removing them without affecting the size of other larger particles.
Keywords: Computer imaging; Flat field correction; Flat field correction and rolling ball background correction; Imaging particle analysis; Imaging systems; Magnification; Microfabrication; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Quantum computers; Rolling ball background correction; Size distribution; Transmission electron microscopy; dept.csc; dept.phy

Comparison of thresholding techniques on nanoparticle images - Daponte, John S; Sadowski, Thomas; Broadbridge, Christine; Day, D; Lehman, A; Krishna, D; Marinella, L; Munhutu, P; Sawicki, M (2007)
Thresholding is an image processing procedure used to convert an image consisting of gray level pixels into a black and white binary image. One application of thresholding is particle analysis. Once foreground objects are separated from the background, a quantitative analysis that characterizes the number, size and shape of particles is obtained which can then be used to evaluate a series of nanoparticle samples. Numerous thresholding techniques exist differing primarily in how they deal with variations in noise, illumination and contrast. In this paper, several popular thresholding algorithms are qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. Initially, six thresholding algorithms were investigated: Otsu, Riddler-Calvard, Kittler, Entropy, Tsai and Maximum Likelihood. The Riddler-Calvard algorithm was not included in the quantitative analysis because it did not produce acceptable qualitative results for the images in the series. Two quantitative measures were used to evaluate these algorithms. One is based on comparing object area the other on diameter before and after thresholding. For AFM images the Kittler algorithm yielded the best results followed by the Entropy and Maximum Likelihood techniques. The Tsai algorithm yielded the top results for TEM images followed by the Entropy and Kittler methods.
Keywords: Algorithms; Atomic force microscopy; Binary images; Maximum likelihood; Nanoparticle; Nanoparticle samples; Nanoparticles; Pixels; Riddler-Calvard algorithm; Thresholding; Transmission electron microscopy; Tsai algorithm; dept.csc; dept.phy

Using Google hacking to enhance defense strategies - Lancor, Lisa; Workman, Robert (2007)
This paper provides a description of how the topic of Google hacking was incorporated into a graduate course on web security which was offered in the Fall of 2005. It begins by providing an overview of Google hacking and describes what it is, how it is used, and most importantly how to defend against it. The paper then describes a series of exercises that students must complete providing them with hands-on Google hacking strategies, techniques and countermeasures. Copyright 2007 ACM.
Keywords: Computer crime; Education; Google hacking; Hacking; Information assurance; Information security; Security of data; Strategic planning; Students; Teaching; Web security; Websites; dept.csc

Performability models for multi-server systems with high-variance repair durations - Schwefel, H P; Antonios, I (2007)
We consider cluster systems with multiple nodes where each server is prone to run tasks at a degraded level of service due to some software or hardware fault. The cluster serves tasks generated by remote clients, which are potentially queued at a dispatcher. We present an analytic queueing model of such systems, represented as an M/MMPP/1 queue, and derive and analyze exact numerical solutions for the mean and tail-probabilities of the queue-length distribution. The analysis shows that the distribution of the repair time is critical for these performability metrics. Additionally, in the case of high-variance repair times, the model reveals so-called blow-up points, at which the performance characteristics change dramatically. Since this blowup behavior is sensitive to a change in model parameters, it is critical for system designers to be aware of the conditions under which it occurs. Finally, we present simulation results that demonstrate the robustness of this qualitative blow-up behavior towards several model variations. © 2007 IEEE.
Keywords: Cluster analysis; Computer software; Mathematical models; Multi-server systems; Performability models; Queueing networks; Remote clients; Repair durations; Robustness (control systems); Servers; Systems analysis; dept.csc

Performance-based modeling and restructuring of object oriented software for pipeline architecture - Abdel-Raouf, Amal; Ammar, Reda A; Fergany, Tahany A (Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2006)
Pipelining is the suitable architecture to adopt applications that are naturally divided into stages. Recently, applications tend to be Object Oriented (OO). Within the context of OO, there are a lot of interactions among different objects that result in many communication activities. Besides the feed-forward communication activities, many bypassing activities are generated in the pipeline structure. In this paper, we present a performance model that analyzes and evaluates the execution and communication times of OO software that runs on pipeline architecture. The model realizes both the feed-forward and the bypassing communication. We utilize the model to restructure the target software to achieve better performance. The restructuring algorithm has two phases; the first phase is concerned with maximizing the throughput. The second phase aims to minimize the latency and fully exploit the system resources. © 2006 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Communication activities; Distributed systems; Feed-forward communication; Object oriented programming; Object oriented software; Performance modeling and analysis; Performance-based models; Pipeline architecture; Pipelines; Restructuring algorithms; dept.csc; distributed systems; object-oriented software; pipeline architecture; software restructuring

COinS for the link trail - Chudnov, Daniel (Library Journal, 2006)
Keywords: dept.csc; ⛔ No DOI found

Quantitative confirmation of visual improvements to micro-CT bone density images - Daponte, John S; Clark, Michael R; Nelson, Paul; Sadowski, Thomas; Wood, Elizabeth (2006)
The primary goal of this research was to investigate the ability of quantitative variables to confirm qualitative improvements of the deconvolution algorithm as a preprocessing step in evaluating micro CT bone density images. The analysis of these types of images is important because they are necessary to evaluate various countermeasures used to reduce or potentially reverse bone loss experienced by some astronauts when exposed to extended weightlessness during space travel. Nine low resolution (17.5 microns) CT bone density image sequences, ranging from between 85 to 88 images per sequence, were processed with three preprocessing treatment groups consisting of no preprocessing, preprocessing with a deconvolution algorithm and preprocessing with a Gaussian filter. The quantitative parameters investigated consisted of Bone Volume to Total Volume Ratio, the Structured Model Index, Fractal Dimension, Bone Area Ratio, Bone Thickness Ratio, Euler's Number and the Measure of Enhancement. Trends found in these quantitative variables appear to corroborate the visual improvements observed in the past and suggest which quantitative parameters may be capable of distinguishing between groups that experience bone loss and others that do not.
Keywords: Algorithms; Bone Thickness Ratio; Computerized tomography; Digital filters; Euler's Number; Gaussian filters; Image enhancement; Image sequences; Medical imaging; Optical resolving power; dept.csc; dept.phy

Animating climate model data - Daponte, John S; Sadowski, Thomas; Thomas, Paul (2006)
This paper describes a collaborative project conducted by the Computer Science Department at Southern Connecticut State University and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS). Animations of output from a climate simulation math model used at GISS to predict rainfall and circulation have been produced for West Africa from June to September 2002. These early results have assisted scientists at GISS in evaluating the accuracy of the RM3 climate model when compared to similar results obtained from satellite imagery. The results presented below will be refined to better meet the needs of GISS scientists and will be expanded to cover other geographic regions for a variety of time frames.
Keywords: Animation; Climate model data; Computer simulation; Data reduction; Geographical regions; Imaging systems; Mathematical models; Satellite imagery; Satellites; Simulation math model; dept.csc; dept.phy

Fundamental frequency and gender identification in standard esophageal and tracheoesophageal speakers. - Bellandese, Mary H (Journal of Communication Disorders, 2009)
UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between fundamental frequency (Fo) and gender identification in standard esophageal (ES) or tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers. Twenty-three male and 20 female ES and TE speakers participated in this study. Recordings of these speakers reading the Rainbow Passage were played to 48 listeners who indicated perceived gender in a forced choice format. Fo was determined using PC-AUDED [Boston University (1991). Using PC-AUDED, Audio-editor and analyses program for the study of periodic segments. Boston: Boston University]. Seventy-nine percent of the speakers were identified correctly for gender. No significant difference was found between the number of male and female or TE and ES speakers identified correctly. A significant correlation was found between Fo and correct gender identification for the female speakers only. Results suggest that Fo plays a part in gender identification for female SE and TE speakers, however, other factors may also be important cues for gender identification in these speakers., LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to: (1) describe the relationship between Fo and gender identification for male and female standard esophageal (SE) and tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers (2) discuss other variables that may influence gender identification in SE and TE speakers.
Keywords: *Sex Characteristics; *Speech Acoustics; *Speech Perception; *Speech, Esophageal/px [Psychology]; *Trachea; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Sex Characteristics; Sound Spectrography; Speech Acoustics; Speech Perception; Speech, Esophageal; Task Performance and Analysis; Trachea; Young Adult; dept.cmd

Conversational Behaviors in Youth with High-functioning ASD and Asperger Syndrome. - Paul, Rhea; Orlovski, Stephanie; Marcinko, Hillary; Volkmar, Fred (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2009)
Twenty-nine youth with autism spectrum disorders and 26 with typical development between 12 and 18 years of age were engaged in structured interviews (ADOS). The interviews were videotaped and rated for atypical conversational behaviors by trained raters, using the Pragmatic Rating Scale (Landa et al. Psychol Med 22:245-254, 1992). The ASD group was divided into AS and HFA/PDD-NOS subgroups. Significant differences were found among groups on approximately one-third of the PRS items. These items involved primarily the management of topics and information, reciprocity, intonation, and gaze management. The only differences to reach significance between the AS and HFA/PDD-NOS group were a greater tendency for overly formal speech on the part of the AS group, and more difficulty with gaze management on the part of the group with HFA/PDD-NOS. The implications of these findings for understanding and treating conversational deficits in ASD are discussed., (C) Plenum Publishing Corporation 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Keywords: *Asperger Syndrome/di [Diagnosis]; *Autistic Disorder/di [Diagnosis]; *Interpersonal Relations; *Verbal Behavior; Adolescent; Asperger Syndrome; Asperger Syndrome/px [Psychology]; Asperger syndrome; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Autistic Disorder/px [Psychology]; Child; Conversation; Female; Humans; Intelligence; Interpersonal Relations; Keywords; Language Development Disorders; Language Development Disorders/di [Diagnosis]; Language Development Disorders/px [Psychology]; Male; Pragmatics; Pragmatics Conversation; Speech Acoustics; Speech Intelligibility; Verbal Behavior; Vocabulary; article; autism; behavior; clinical article; controlled study; conversation; dept.cmd; human; juvenile; peer-reviewed; priority journal; rating scale; structured interview; videotape

Language outcomes of toddlers with autism spectrum disorders: A two year follow-up - Paul, Rhea; Chawarska, Katarzyna; Cicchetti, Domenic; Volkmar, Fred (Autism Research, 2008)
Thirty-seven children 15-25 months of age received clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and were re-evaluated two years later. All subjects were judged to have retained a diagnosis of ASD at the follow-up evaluation. Communication scores for the group as a whole during the first visit were significantly lower than nonverbal IQ. However, by the second visit, verbal and nonverbal scores were no longer significantly different. The group was divided into two subgroups, based on expressive language (EL) outcome at the second visit. The two groups were similar in the second year of life in terms of expressive communication skills and autistic symptoms, except for a trend toward more stereotypic and repetitive behavior in the worse outcome group. By the second visit, however, the groups differed significantly on all standard measures of expression and reception, as well as on autistic symptomotology and nonverbal IQ. When assessed during their second year, children who ended up in the better outcome group showed higher average nonverbal cognitive level, receptive language (RL) scores, number of sounds and words produced, use of symbolic play schemes, and response to joint attention bids. Regression analysis revealed that the variables for which significant differences between the two outcome groups in their second year of life were found provided significant prediction of EL outcome at age four. Stepwise regression identified RL and presence of stereotypic and repetitive at the first visit as significantly associated with EL outcome. Implications of these findings for early identification and intervention are discussed.
Keywords: Autism; Autistic Disorder; Child, Preschool; Communication; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Language; Language Disorders; Language Tests; Language Therapy; Observer Variation; Questionnaires; Severity of Illness Index; Toddlers; article; autism; dept.cmd; follow up; hospitalization; human; infant; interpersonal communication; language disability; language test; observer variation; preschool child; questionnaire; speech therapy

Production of syllable stress in speakers with autism spectrum disorders - Paul, Rhea; Bianchi, Nancy; Augustyn, Amy; Klin, Ami; Volkmar, Fred R. (Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2008)
This paper reports a study of the ability to reproduce stress in a nonsense syllable imitation task by adolescent speakers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as compared to typically developing (TD) age-mates. Results are reported for both raters' judgments of the subjects' stress production, as well as acoustic measures of pitch range and duration during stressed and unstressed syllable production. Results reveal small but significant differences between speakers with ASD and typical speakers in both perceptual ratings of stress and instrumental measures of duration of syllables. The implications of these findings for understanding prosodic deficits in ASD are discussed. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved.
Keywords: Autism; Prosody; Syllable stress; acoustics; adolescent; adult; article; autism; clinical article; controlled study; dept.cmd; feedback system; female; human; intelligence quotient; male; mental task; motor coordination; pitch; priority journal; school child; speech articulation; speech perception; task performance

Auditory processing disorder - Paul, Rhea (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2008)
Keywords: *Auditory Perceptual Disorders/co [Complications]; *Auditory Perceptual Disorders/di [Diagnosis]; *Autistic Disorder/co [Complications]; *Autistic Disorder/di [Diagnosis]; Auditory Perceptual Disorders; Autistic Disorder; Child; Cognition Disorders; Cognition Disorders/co [Complications]; Humans; Male; Speech Perception; audiologist; auditory processing disorder; autism; brain; central nervous system; dept.cmd; ear; editorial; hearing disorder; hearing test; peer-reviewed; priority journal; signal transduction; social interaction; sound transmission; speech

Performance of bilingual speakers on the English and Spanish versions of the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT). - Weiss, Deborah; Dempsey, James J (Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 2008)
This study compared the performance of bilingual participants on the English and Spanish versions of the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT). The participants were divided into an early bilingual (EB) group and a late bilingual (LB) group based on age of second-language acquisition. All participants acquired Spanish as their first language (L1) and English as a second language (L2). Care was taken to ensure that all participants demonstrated at least a "good competence level" for self-rated speaking, understanding, reading, and writing skills in both English and Spanish. Results revealed superior performance on the Spanish HINT versus the English HINT in both quiet and in noise for both groups of participants. Significant differences in performance were noted for the EB versus the LB participants. A number of possible explanations for superior performance in L1 are provided, and implications for educating students in their L2 are discussed.
Keywords: *Language Tests; *Multilingualism; *Speech Perception/ph [Physiology]; *Verbal Learning/ph [Physiology]; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Bilingual; Child; English as a second language; Female; Hearing; Hearing in Noise Test; Humans; Language Tests; Linguistic competence; Male; Multilingualism; Noise; Regression Analysis; Speech Perception; Speech recognition in noise; Speech recognition in quiet; Students; United States; Verbal Learning; adolescent; adult; article; auditory threshold; bilingualism; controlled study; dept.cmd; education; female; human; language ability; learning environment; linguistics; male; normal human; peer-reviewed; priority journal; school child; self report; signal noise ratio; speech and language assessment; speech intelligibility; speech perception

Eliciting a distal gesture via dynamic assessment among students with moderate to severe intellectual disability - McLaughlin, Katherine; Cascella, Paul W. (Communication Disorders Quarterly, 2008)
This study attempted to elicit distal gestures within dynamic assessment structured sampling events from six children with moderate to severe intellectual disability (ages 8-13). Using four communication temptations and a least-to-most prompting hierarchy across three sessions, three participants who had both pre-symbolic and preintentional communication demonstrated an initial distal gesture, often in response to a choice making temptation. Clinical implications are discussed with regard to the utility of dynamic assessment structured sampling activities. © 2008, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dept.cmd

“Listen my children and you shall hear”: Auditory preferences in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders - Paul, Rhea; Chawarska, Katarzyna; Fowler, Carol; Cicchetti, Domenic; Volkmar, Fred (Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 2007)
Purpose: This study tests the hypothesis that toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) will show differences from contrast groups in preferences for attending to speech. Method: This study examined auditory preferences in toddlers with ASD and matched groups of (a) typical age-mates, (b) age-mates with nonautistic developmental disabilities, and (c) younger children matched for language age. The experimental procedure measured time spent oriented to auditory stimuli that were created to exemplify language patterns that had been studied in typically developing infants. Results: Findings suggest that toddlers with ASD show a reduced preference for child-directed speech, compared with typical age-mates, but few differences from children with nonautistic developmental disorders. Correlational analysis revealed that time spent listening to child-directed speech by children with ASD was related to their concurrent receptive language ability as well as to receptive language abilities 1 year later. This relationship did not hold for the other groups. Conclusion: The present study supports the hypothesis that children with ASD perform differently from typical peers in auditory preference paradigms and that performance in these tasks is related to concurrent and later language development.
Keywords: *Attention; *Autistic Disorder/px [Psychology]; *Child Behavior; *Choice Behavior; *Infant Behavior; *Speech Perception; Attention; Auditory comprehension; Autism spectrum disorders; Autistic Disorder; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Choice Behavior; Comprehension; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant Behavior; Language Development; Language comprehension; Male; Speech Perception; article; auditory stimulation; auditory system; autism; controlled study; correlation analysis; dept.cmd; developmental disorder; female; human; language; language ability; language development; major clinical study; male; peer group; preschool child; speech; time; toddler

Increasing stroke patients' success in self-medication programs using an interdisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation approach. - Purdy, Mary (Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, 2007)
Rehabilitation programs strive to help patients become more independent in all aspects of daily living. Therefore, management of a patient's healthcare requirements should be an integral part of the rehabilitation program, including management of medications. Some rehabilitation programs implement self-medication programs (SMP); however, patients with cognitive deficits are often excluded. This study explored whether patients with cognitive deficits due to stroke could successfully complete an SMP using an interdisciplinary cognitive rehabilitation approach. Twenty-seven stroke patients and 36 debilitated patients with cognitive deficits participated in an SMP. A nurse and a pharmacist educated patients on their medications, and a speech-language pathologist provided cognitive rehabilitation to the stroke patients, which incorporated information from the SMP. Eighty-one percent of the stroke patients successfully completed the SMP, compared to 36% of the debilitated patients. Thus, an interdisciplinary approach to medication management for cognitively impaired stroke patients holds promise.
Keywords: *Cognition Disorders/rh [Rehabilitation]; *Patient Care Team/og [Organization & Administration]; *Patient Education as Topic/og [Organization & Administration]; *Self Administration; *Stroke/co [Complications]; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Case-Control Studies; Cerebrovascular Accident; Cognition Disorders; Cognition Disorders/et [Etiology]; Cognition Disorders/px [Psychology]; Curriculum; Humans; Length of Stay; Length of Stay/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data]; MLCS; MLOWN; Middle Aged; Needs Assessment; Nursing Assessment; Nursing Evaluation Research; Patient Care Team; Patient Education; Pharmacy Service, Hospital; Pharmacy Service, Hospital/og [Organization & Administration]; Problem Solving; Program Evaluation; Rehabilitation Nursing; Rehabilitation Nursing/og [Organization & Administration]; Self Administration; Self Administration/mt [Methods]; Self Administration/px [Psychology]; Severity of Illness Index; Speech-Language Pathology; Speech-Language Pathology/og [Organization & Administration]; Treatment Outcome; aged; analysis of variance; article; case control study; cerebrovascular accident; cognitive defect; curriculum; dept.cmd; drug self administration; evaluation; health care quality; hospital pharmacy; hospitalization; human; length of stay; methodology; middle aged; needs assessment; nursing assessment; nursing evaluation research; organization and management; patient care; patient education; problem solving; psychological aspect; rehabilitation nursing; speech disorder; statistics; treatment outcome

Ratings of communication competence by siblings of persons with Down syndrome - Smith, Sarah E.; Cascella, Paul W. (Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2007)
This study surveyed 25 siblings of persons with Down Syndrome to gain an ecological perspective about important communication competence indicators. Siblings favorably described persons with Down Syndrome as “effective” and “good” communicators who “communicate to potential. “ Siblings regarded social communication skills as especially important, i.e., being able to communicate without fear, being able to express wants, needs, opinions, and feelings, being able to ask questions, and alerting partners to communication breakdowns. Siblings also regarded language comprehension as an important skill. Favorable descriptive labels were often applied to adult-aged persons with mild ID and normal hearing. Clinical implications are discussed focused on functional communication planning and implementation that takes into account the perspectives of family members, teachers, and rehabilitation personnel.
Keywords: dept.cmd; ⛔ No DOI found

Autism spectrum disorder in the second year: stability and change in syndrome expression - Chawarska, Katarzyna; Klin, Ami; Paul, Rhea; Volkmar, Fred (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2007)
Objectives: Increasing numbers of young children referred for a differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) necessitates better understanding of the early syndrome expression and the utility of the existing state-of-the art diagnostic methods in this population. Method: Out of 31 infants under the age of 2 years referred for a differential diagnosis, 19 were diagnosed with autism, and 9 with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD- NOS) when reassessed at 3 years. We examined 1) the symptoms of ASD in the second year and changes in the syndrome expression by the age of three; 2) relationship between expert-assigned clinical diagnosis and diagnostic classification based on Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) in the second year; 3) the relationship between direct observation and parental report of ASD symptoms. Results: Symptoms of autism and PDD- NOS in the second year were pronounced and stability of the clinical diagnosis was high. The agreement between clinician-assigned autism but not PDD- NOS diagnosis and the ADOS-G was high. However, sensitivity of the ADI-R diagnostic classification of autism was poor. Comparison of concurrent parental report and direct observation revealed discrepancies in severity ratings of key dyadic social behaviors. Changes in communication reflected acquisition of language accompanied by the emergence of unusual language characteristics. Symptoms of social dysfunction were relatively stable over time, and so was the severity of stereotyped behaviors. Conclusions: The study provides support for stability of clinical diagnosis and syndrome expression in the second year and highlights advantages and limitations of the ADI-R and ADOS-G for diagnosing and documenting symptoms of ASD in infants.
Keywords: ADI-R; ADOS-G; ASD; Assessment; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Child, Preschool; Communication; Diagnosis, Differential; Disease Progression; Early Diagnosis; Earlydiagnosis; Female; Humans; Infant; Infants; Interpersonal Relations; Language Development Disorders; Longitudinal studies; Male; PDD-NOS; Questionnaires; Social Behavior; Stereotyped Behavior; Toddlers; article; assessment; autism; communication disorder; controlled study; dept.cmd; differential diagnosis; disease severity; early diagnosis; female; follow up; human; infants; language disability; longitudinal studies; longitudinal study; male; observational study; patient referral; pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified; play; preschool child; psychologic assessment; psychological rating scale; sensitivity analysis; social behavior; social disability; social interaction; stereotypy; symptomatology; toddlers

Parental recognition of developmental problems in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders - Chawarska, Katarzyna; Paul, Rhea; Klin, Ami; Hannigen, Sarah; Dichtel, Laura E.; Volkmar, Fred (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2007)
Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) begin to manifest during the first 2 years; there is limited evidence regarding type and timing of symptom onset. We examined factors related to parental age of recognition (AOR) of early abnormalities and the association between AOR and diagnosis and levels of functioning at 2 and 4 years in 75 toddlers with ASD. Results suggest significant differences between autism and PDD-NOS in the AOR and type of first concerns. Early social and motor delays as well as maternal age was associated with AOR. Later AOR was associated with poorer social-communicative and nonverbal cognitive functioning at 2 and 4. The findings are discussed in a context of identifying distinct developmental trajectories within the autism spectrum.
Keywords: Age Factors; Age of recognition; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Child, Preschool; Cognition Disorders; Developmental Disabilities; Early Diagnosis; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infants; Male; Mass Screening; PDD-NOS; Parents; Recognition (Psychology); Regression; Severity of Illness Index; Social Behavior; article; autism; clinical feature; dept.cmd; developmental disorder; early diagnosis; functional assessment; human; major clinical study; maternal age; motor performance; nonverbal communication; parental attitude; peer-reviewed; preschool child; priority journal; social interaction

Focused stimulation for a child with autism spectrum disorder: A treatment study - Grela, Bernard G.; McLaughlin, Kathryn S. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2006)
This study explored the use of focused stimulation as an intervention technique for a three-year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His parents were trained to use focused stimulation to facilitate comprehension of what is x doing question forms. Responses to question probes were collected at both pre- and post-treatment intervals. At the beginning of the study, the child did not respond correctly to any of the target questions. Following intervention, the child made significant gains towards the target goal, but little change towards a control goal used for comparison. These findings provide preliminary support for the usefulness of focused stimulation as an intervention strategy for at least some children with ASD.
Keywords: Attention; Autism spectrum disorder; Autistic Disorder; Child, Preschool; Comprehension; Early Intervention (Education); Focused stimulation; Follow-Up Studies; Generalization (Psychology); Humans; Imagination; Imitative Behavior; Language Development Disorders; Language Therapy; Male; Natural language procedures; Parent intervention; Play and Playthings; Speech Perception; article; autism; brain function; case report; child parent relation; cognitive therapy; comprehension; dept.cmd; focused stimulation; human; information processing; language; language development; male; peer-reviewed; preschool child; priority journal; questionnaire; statistical significance

Prediction of strategy usage by adults with aphasia - Purdy, Mary; Koch, Amy (Aphasiology, 2006)
Background: Management of aphasia often focuses on training augmentative communication strategies such as communication books, computerised systems, gestures, writing, or drawing. Although many individuals are able to acquire a targeted skill in a structured format, many do not successfully use the trained skill in more functional situations. Training alternative communication strategies can be a time-consuming project; thus, it would be beneficial if speech-language pathologists could predict, a priori, how a patient may respond to this type of treatment approach. It has been hypothesised that use of augmentative communication strategies requires executive functioning, specifically cognitive flexibility, which may be impaired following brain damage. Therefore, assessment of cognitive flexibility may help clinicians determine which persons with aphasia would most likely benefit from training of augmentative communication strategies. Aims: The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of cognitive flexibility and to determine whether this measure predicted strategy usage during a functional communication task. Methods and Procedures: A novel scoring system for the Communicative Abilities in Daily Living (CADL) was developed to capture the degree of participants' cognitive flexibility. This score was correlated with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), to determine the validity of the scoring system. The CADL cognitive flexibility score was then correlated with performance on a referential communication task. A multiple regression analysis was conducted with severity of aphasia as an additional predictor variable. Outcomes and Results: There was a significant correlation between the cognitive flexibility score from the CADL and the WCST, confirming the validity of the scoring system as a measure of cognitive flexibility. Results of the regression analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between the cognitive flexibility score and strategy usage on a functional communication task. This relationship remained significant when the overall severity of aphasia was added to the regression analysis, suggesting that cognitive flexibility is a stronger predictor of strategy usage than severity of aphasia. These results may provide clinicians insight into which individuals would benefit most from the training of compensatory strategies, leading to the development of more appropriate goals and treatment methods.
Keywords: adult; aged; aphasia; apraxia; article; clinical article; cognition; comorbidity; computer assisted tomography; control strategy; coping behavior; dept.cmd; disease association; disease severity; drawing; facilitated communication; fluency disorder; gesture; human; peer-reviewed; prediction; verbal communication; writing

Standardised speech-language tests and students with intellectual disability: a review of normative data. - Cascella, Paul W (Journal of intellectual & developmental disability, 2006)
Background: Before a school speech-language pathologist (SLP) utilises a standardised speech-language test with a student with intellectual disability (ID), the clinician should carefully consider the purpose of the test and whether the test includes students with ID in the normative group. Method: This project reviewed 49 tests published between 1994 and 2004 and their applicability to students with ID. Results: Students with mild ID were included in the norm group for 23 of the tests, but no tests included students with more significant ID. Separate norms for students with mild ID were included in 15 tests, but none met Salvia & Ysseldyke's (1995) suggested requirement that at least 100 students be included to represent a specific subgroup. A majority of the tests assessed receptive and expressive vocabulary, syntax, and grammar but no recent test measured a student's pragmatic communication. Conclusions: Clinicians are encouraged to supplement standardised tests with non-standardised procedures to document students' pragmatic, social, and functional communication abilities. © 2006 Australasian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability Inc.
Keywords: *Intellectual Disability; *Language Disorders/di [Diagnosis]; *Language Disorders/ep [Epidemiology]; *Language Tests; *Speech Disorders/di [Diagnosis]; *Speech Disorders/ep [Epidemiology]; Humans; Intellectual disability; Language Disorders; Language Tests; Language test; Mental Retardation; Reference Values; Severity of Illness Index; Speech Disorders; Speech test; Student; adolescent; article; child; dept.cmd; diagnostic value; grammar; human; interpersonal communication; linguistics; major clinical study; mental deficiency; social adaptation; social aspect; social status; speech analysis; speech language pathologist; student; systematic review

An electrophysiologic approach to APD - Jirsa, Robert E; Musiek, Frank E (The Hearing journal, 2006)
Keywords: audiology; auditory cortex; auditory discrimination; auditory processing disorder; auditory stimulation; auditory threshold; dept.cmd; electrophysiology; evaluation; hearing acuity; human; hypoacusis; language; neurophysiology; short survey; speech perception; temporal lobe; voice onset time

syn-2,4-Bis(4-methoxybenzylidene)-trans-1,3-dithexyl-2,4-diaza-1,3-diboracyclobutane - Lesley, M. J. G.; Pineau, M. R.; Nelson, D. M.; Crundwell, Guy (Acta Crystallographica Section E-structure Reports Online, 2007)
In the crystal structure of the title compound, C28H44B2N2O2, the square-planar B2N2 ring is slightly puckered. One of the thexyl groups exhibits disorder over two positions. The site occupancies for the disordered thexyl groups refined to 0.611 (4) and 0.389 (4). © 2007 International Union of Crystallography.
Keywords: dept.che

Use of subtidal habitat by the asian shore crab hemigrapsus sanguineus in long island sound - Gilman, Michael; Grace, Sean (Northeastern Naturalist, 2009)
Hemigrapsus sanguineus Asian Shore Crab is an introduced but now common crab found intertidally along the Connecticut coastline. Little is known of its subtidal occurrence. This species was found to be seasonally abundant subtidally, at depths varying from 1.33.9 m, during a 2-year study conducted within a commercial marina in Clinton Harbor, CT. Hemigrapsus sanguineus was trapped at three subtidal locations, with highest concentrations observed during the winter. A total of 2020 crabs were caught: 1255 males, 741 females, and 24 crabs that were 9 mm or smaller and sexually indistinguishable. Large males with carapace widths between 4548 mm were captured at all three locations. These sizes are among the largest reported for this species. This work documents year-round use of subtidal habitat by Asian Shore Crab in Long Island Sound.
Keywords: Decapoda (Crustacea); Hemigrapsus sanguineus; dept.bio; peer-reviewed

Fragmentation of colonial ascidians: Differences in reattachment capability among species - Bullard, Stephan; Sedlack, Betsy; Reinhardt, James F; Litty, Carolyn; Gareau, Keith; Whitlatch, Robert B (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2007)
Keywords: Ascidiacea; Ascidians; Asexual; Didemnum sp.; Didemnum sp. A; Dispersal; Fragments; Invasive; Reproduction; asexual reproduction; biological invasion; dept.bio; dispersal; invasive species; settling behavior; substrate; vertebrate

Life history of the northern mayfly Baetis bundyae in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, with updates to the list of mayflies of Nunavut - Giberson, Donna J; Burian, Steven K; Shouldice, Michael (Canadian Entomologist, 2007)
Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) were collected from 35 sites (streams and tundra ponds) across southern Nunavut in 2002-2005. Nine mayfly species were previously reported for Nunavut: Acentrella feropagus Alba-Tercedor and McCafferty, Acerpenna pygmaea (Hagen), Baetis bundyae Lehmkuhl, B. flavistriga McDunnough, B. foemina McDunnough, Diphetor hageni (Eaton) (Baetidae), Ephemerella aurivillii (Bengtsson) (Ephemerellidae), Leptophlebia nebulosa (Walker) (Leptophlebiidae), and Metretopus borealis (Eaton) (Metrotopidae). We add 7 species to this list, bringing the total to 16: Ameletus inopinatus Eaton (Ameletidae), Acentrella lapponica Bengtsson, Baetis hudsonicus Ide, B. tricaudatus Dodds, Heptagenia solitaria McDunnough (Heptageniidae), Rhithrogena jejuna Eaton (Heptageniidae), and Parameletus chelifer Bengtsson (Siphlonuridae). Based on numbers collected, the dominant mayfly family was Baetidae. Baetis bundyae was the most common mayfly collected, particularly in coastal areas, where larvae were found in permanent and temporary streams and in small or shallow tundra ponds. Larvae hatched 2-3 weeks after ice-out and developed rapidly in 2.5-4 weeks, emerging as adults by early August. All populations containing larvae that were large enough to sex showed female-biased sex ratios, suggesting parthenogenesis. A combination of freeze-tolerant eggs, good dispersal ability, and probable parthenogenesis is probably responsible for the success of Baetidae across the Arctic. © 2007 Entomological Society of Canada.
Keywords: Acentrella feropagus; Acentrella lapponica; Acerpenna pygmaea; Ameletidae; Ameletus inopinatus; Baetidae; Baetis bundyae; Baetis hudsonicus; Canada; Diphetor hageni; Ephemerella aurivillii; Ephemerellidae; Ephemeroptera; Heptagenia solitaria; Heptageniidae; Leptophlebia nebulosa; Leptophlebiidae; Metretopus borealis; North America; Nunavut; Parameletus chelifer; Rhithrogena jejuna; Siphlonuridae; dept.bio; life history; mayfly; parthenogenesis

The size of the nucleus increases as yeast cells grow - Jorgensen, Paul; Edgington, Nicholas P; Schneider, Brandt L; Rupes, Ivan; Tyers, Mike; Futcher, Bruce (Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2007)
It is not known how the volume of the cell nucleus is set, nor how the ratio of nuclear volume to cell volume (N/C) is determined. Here, we have measured the size of the nucleus in growing cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of mutant yeast strains spanning a range of cell sizes revealed that the ratio of average nuclear volume to average cell volume was quite consistent, with nuclear volume being ∼7% that of cell volume. At the single cell level, nuclear and cell size were strongly correlated in growing wild-type cells, as determined by three different microscopic approaches. Even in G1-phase, nuclear volume grew, although it did not grow quite as fast as overall cell volume. DNA content did not appear to have any immediate, direct influence on nuclear size, in that nuclear size did not increase sharply during S-phase. The maintenance of nuclear size did not require continuous growth or ribosome biogenesis, as starvation and rapamycin treatment had little immediate impact on nuclear size. Blocking the nuclear export of new ribosomal subunits, among other proteins and RNAs, with leptomycin B also had no obvious effect on nuclear size. Nuclear expansion must now be factored into conceptual and mathematical models of budding yeast growth and division. These results raise questions as to the unknown force(s) that expand the nucleus as yeast cells grow. © 2007 by The American Society for Cell Biology.
Keywords: Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; Cell Nucleolus; Cell Nucleus; Cell Size; DNA content; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Karyopherins; Microscopy, Electron; Mutation; Nuclear Localization Signals; Organelle Size; RNA transport; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Ribosomes; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomycetales; article; cell cycle G1 phase; cell division; cell nucleus; cell volume; dept.bio; fungal cell; fungal strain; fungus growth; leptomycin B; mathematical model; mutant; nonhuman; priority journal; protein transport; ribosome subunit; wild type

The mayflies (ephemeroptera) of new hampshire: seasonality and diversity of the stream fauna - Chandler, Donald S; Whitmore, Greg D; Burian, Steven K; Burger, John F (Transactions of The American Entomological Society, 2006)
Season-long sampling in streams and rivers produced 112 species of mayflies, which with other records totals 121 species for New Hampshire; 88 of these are new state records. Appearance of blackwing/mature larvae were used to develop statements on seasonality of species. Distinct differences were found between the faunas of southern and north-central New Hampshire, with an important factor being water temperatures through the season. A biogeographic analysis coupled with known habitat preferences reinforced the hypothesis that water temperature was a critical factor in determining species distributions in the state.
Keywords: Ephemeroptera; dept.bio

Development of synapses and expression of a voltage-gated potassium channel in chick embryonic auditory nuclei. - Feng, Jane J; Morest, D Kent (Hearing research, 2006)
The potassium channel protein, Kv3.1, is abundantly expressed in the chick auditory pathway. Its b-isoform is found in nucleus magnocellularis, which receives the cochlear input, both before and after the establishment of synaptic connections. It is also present in cell cultures in the absence of any peripheral input. However, the expression of this isoform in the embryo has been shown to increase with development. Here, we address the question of the correlation between maturation of synapses in the auditory pathway and the pattern of expression of the b-isoform in a series of embryos prepared for immunohistochemistry at Hamburger-Hamilton stages equivalent to E10, E12, E14, and E17. We show here that this subunit translocates from the perinuclear cytoplasm to the cell membrane domain in nucleus magnocellularis at the time that cochlear nerve endings emerge as endbulbs of Held (E17). In nucleus laminaris, by this time, while abundant Kv3.1b occurs in the perinuclear cytoplasm, a translocation to the cell membrane domain has not yet occurred, and the mature peri-synaptic localization is delayed to a later stage. This difference suggests a hierarchy in the developmental expression of Kv3.1. An unexpected finding is the expression of the a-isoform of Kv3.1 in astrocytes, especially those which surround the developing nuclei and their connecting fibers. We also report here for the first time the presence of Kv3.1b in the initial segments of axons at the times when they begin to form. Our observations suggest that the Kv3.1 channel protein is regulated through mechanisms linked to the development of synaptic activity.
Keywords: *Cochlear Nucleus/me [Metabolism]; *Olivary Nucleus/ph [Physiology]; *Shaw Potassium Channels/ph [Physiology]; *Synapses/ph [Physiology]; Animals; Astrocyte; Astrocytes; Astrocytes/me [Metabolism]; Astrocytes/ph [Physiology]; Axon initial segment; Chick Embryo; Cochlear Nerve; Cochlear Nerve/em [Embryology]; Cochlear Nerve/me [Metabolism]; Cochlear Nucleus; Cochlear Nucleus/em [Embryology]; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Immunohistochemistry; Kv3.1; Neurons; Neurons/me [Metabolism]; Nucleus laminaris; Nucleus magnocellularis; Olivary Nucleus; Olivary Nucleus/em [Embryology]; Shaw Potassium Channels; Shaw Potassium Channels/me [Metabolism]; Synapses; Translocation; animal tissue; article; astrocyte; auditory nervous system; cell membrane; cellular distribution; chick embryo; chronology; cochlear nerve; controlled study; correlation analysis; cytoplasm; dept.bio; developmental stage; embryo; embryo development; immunohistochemistry; intracellular transport; isoprotein; magnocellular nucleus; maturation; nerve ending; nerve fiber; nervous system development; nonhuman; priority journal; protein content; protein determination; protein domain; protein localization; protein subunit; protein transport; regulatory mechanism; synapse; synaptogenesis; thalamus intralaminar nucleus; voltage gated potassium channel

Ceste figure contient tout le royaulme de France. Cartography and national identity in France at the end of the Hundred Years War - Serchuk, Camille (Journal of Medieval History, 2007)
This paper examines a little known map of France made around the middle of the fifteenth century, for a genealogical manuscript of the text known as A tous nobles, conserved today as Bibliothèque nationale de France [BnF] MS fr. 4991. It argues that the map's prominence in the manuscript articulates a notion of French identity based on a bond to the territory of France rather than on fealty to its king. Using other images from the manuscript, it considers the importance of geography to the emergence of French national sentiment at the time of the Hundred Years War. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: A tous nobles; Bibliotheque nationale de France MS fr. 4991; Débat des hérauts d'armes de France et d'Angleterre; Evesham Map; Geography; Grandes Chroniques de France; Marcomir; Medieval cartography; National identity; Norman Conquest; Polemical literature; Remanieurs; dept.art

The discursive construction of the german welfare state: interests and institutionality - McGill, Kenneth (Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 2009)
This article consists of an initial theoretical attempt to describe “interests” as widespread social phenomena which emerge specifically from discursive interaction. I focus on the way in which the indexical signaling of discourse participation roles and public/private standings provide key conditions of possibility for the emergence of interests in interactional real time. The case at hand involves the German welfare state, a social institution which is constituted both on the local level of my fieldsite (a working-class suburb of the former East Berlin) and on the national level (through the popular media and through the circulation of laws, policy documents and the like). [Germany, welfare state, interests, indexical orders, institutionality].
Keywords: Germany; Indexical orders; Institutionality; Interests; Welfare state; dept.ant

The causes of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia: A reappraisal of the iron-deficiency-anemia hypothesis - Walker, Phillip L.; Bathurst, Rhonda R.; Richman, Rebecca; Gjerdrum, Thor; Andrushko, Valerie A. (American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2009)
Porosities in the outer table of the cranial vault (porotic hyperostosis) and orbital roof (cribra orbitalia) are among the most frequent pathological lesions seen in ancient human skeletal collections. Since the 1950s, chronic iron-deficiency anemia has been widely accepted as the probable cause of both conditions. Based on this proposed etiology, bioarchaeologists use the prevalence of these conditions to infer living conditions conducive to dietary iron deficiency, iron malabsorption, and iron loss from both diarrheal disease and intestinal parasites in earlier human populations. This iron-deficiency-anemia hypothesis is inconsistent with recent hematological research that shows iron deficiency per se cannot sustain the massive red blood cell production that causes the marrow expansion responsible for these lesions. Several lines of evidence suggest that the accelerated loss and compensatory overproduction of red blood cells seen in hemolytic and megaloblastic anemias is the most likely proximate cause of porotic hyperostosis. Although cranial vault and orbital roof porosities are sometimes conflated under the term porotic hyperostosis, paleopathological and clinical evidence suggests they often have different etiologies. Reconsidering the etiology of these skeletal conditions has important implications for current interpretations of malnutrition and infectious disease in earlier human populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 139:109-125, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Keywords: Age Factors; Anemia; Archaeology; Cribra orbitalia; Fossils; History, Medieval; Humans; Hyperostosis; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Orbit; Paleopathology; Porosity; Porotic hyperostosis; Skull; age distribution; cribra orbitalia; dept.ant; diarrhea; erythropoiesis; fossil human; gastrointestinal infection; hemolytic anemia; human; hyperostosis; intestine parasite; iron deficiency anemia; iron intake; malnutrition; megaloblastic anemia; paleopathology; peer-reviewed; porotic hyperostosis; review

From nothing to something: the appearance and context of the earliest archaeological record - Rogers, Michael J.; Semaw, Sileshi (Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions: Methods, Theories, and Interpretations, 2009)
Before 2.6 million years ago (Ma), no archaeological record has been securely documented, and therefore there is no evidence of hominin tool use. Then, at 2.6–2.58 Ma, there is widespread evidence for tool manufacture and use at several archaeological sites, with undisputed stone tools and fossil fauna at Gona, Ethiopia. Additionally, the evidence from the earliest archaeological sites at Gona shows that the earliest stone tool makers were skilled flintknappers and were able to select high quality stone raw materials. The possible reasons behind this seeming abrupt transition from the absence of stone tools to the presence thereof include sampling biases, paleogeographic influences, gaps in the geological record, paleoenvironmental change, and changes in the record of hominin evolution.Based on our observations at Gona, the earliest use of flaked stone tools is likely to be slightly older than 2.6 Ma. These stone tools represent a significant change in behavior that set the stage for subsequent hominin evolution. The paleogeographic and paleoenvironmental evidence points to the earliest use of stone tools in certain settings: usually (but not always) close to raw material sources, and ecotones between riparian woodlands and open grasslands. The earliest stone tool makers were proficient, selective, and flexible in their reduction strategies. The variability we see in Pliocene artifact assemblages has much to do with different raw material sources.
Keywords: Early Stone Age; Gona; Oldowan; Paleoenvironments; Pliocene; Stone tools; dept.ant

The Oldowan-Acheulian Transition: Is there a “Developed Oldowan” Artifact Tradition? - Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael; Stout, Dietrich (Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions: Methods, Theories, and Interpretations, 2009)
The phrase “Developed Oldowan” (DO) was originally coined by M. Leakey to describe a technologically “advanced Oldowan” artifact tradition, that preceded the Acheulian Industry. M. Leakey further identified three stages of the DO which she labeled as the DOA, DOB and DOC. The DO (sensu lato) has been generally recognized as transitional to the Acheulian, but the status of the DOB and the DOC remains unclear. In addition to a lack of clarity in terms of classification, the DO also suffers from a lack of secure radiometric dates, even at Olduvai where it was first identified. Despite such shortcomings, archaeologists still assign assemblages into the DO, as supposedly “intermediate” or transitional between the Oldowan and the Acheulian. However, a closer look at the DO assemblages from Olduvai Gorge and other sites in Africa and the Middle East shows that the artifacts assigned into this tradition are not technologically drastically different from the preceding Oldowan. Probably the flaking characteristics of the raw material types (e.g., quartzite and limestone, and to a lesser extent basalt) and the original shape of the cobbles used by hominins may have played a major role in the final shape of the “distinctive” artifact types (such as spheroids/subspheroids) used for assigning assemblages into the DO. Further, both the DOB and the Acheulian appeared ˜1.7 million years ago (Ma) in the archaeological record, making it unlikely that the DO is a transitional artifact tradition that preceded the Acheulian. Our preliminary evaluation of the archaeological record at Gona, Ethiopia and elsewhere suggests a fairly abrupt appearance of the Acheulian after a temporally rapid transition from the Oldowan.
Keywords: Developed Oldowan; Early Acheulian; Oldowan; Oldowan-Acheulian transition; dept.ant

Pliocene animal trackways at laetoli: research and conservation potential - Musiba, Charles M.; Mabula, Audax; Selvaggio, Marie M.; Magori, Cassian C. (Ichnos-an International Journal for Plant and Animal Traces, 2008)
Laetoli, a paleoanthropological site in Northern Tanzania, is perhaps best known for its famous fossil hominid footprints that were discovered by Mary Leakey and her co-workers in 1978. The site not only preserves the hominid footprints but also trackways, which provide a snapshot of Pliocene faunal communities from East Africa and their inferred environments. Unlike the hominid footprints at site G, which have received tremendous attention, the animal trackways, especially at Localities 7, 8 and 10 have been neglected and are fast disappearing. In this paper, we discuss animal tracks at a newly discovered exposure and provide preliminary data on the tracks at this exposure and other sites. We also discuss the importance of the animal trackways as ecological indicators, which we have investigated as part of ongoing research and conservation efforts initiated by the Tanzania Field School in Paleoanthropology and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Tanzania Semester Abroad programs.
Keywords: Africa; Animal trackway conservation; Animal trackways; Animalia; East Africa; Hominidae; Laetoli; Paleoecology; Pliocene; Sub-Saharan Africa; Tanzania; anthropology; conference proceeding; dept.ant; footprint; hominid; paleoecology; trackway

Landscape-scale variation in hominin tool use: Evidence from the Developed Oldowan - Braun, David R.; Rogers, Michael J.; Harris, John W. K.; Walker, Steven J. (Journal of Human Evolution, 2008)
The relationship between artifact manufacture, use, and discard in the Developed Oldowan is complex. Here we use digital-image-analysis techniques to investigate the intensity of reduction in single-platform cores of the Developed Oldowan of the Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation. Data suggest that this method provides a more accurate measure of reduction intensity than previous applications of a unifacial-scraper model. Assemblages of single-platform cores excavated from extensive lateral exposures of the Okote Member provide insights into the relationship between raw-material availability and discard patterns. Variation in reduction intensity suggests that tools are not always discarded in patterns that would be predicted by the availability of raw material. Further, it appears that hominin transport decisions involved an assessment of the potential use-life of certain forms. Many aspects of Developed Oldowan technology conform to previously developed models of curated technologies. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Keywords: Curation; Hominin behavior; Landscape archaeology; Oldowan; Pleistocene; Stone Age; Stone tools; dept.ant; hominid; image analysis; peer-reviewed; tool use

Prehistoric trepanation in the Cuzco region of Peru: A view into an ancient Andean practice - Andrushko, Valerie A.; Verano, John W. (American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2008)
In this study, patterns of prehistoric trepanation in the southern highlands of Peru were examined through an analysis of 11 Cuzco-region burial sites. Trepanations were found in 66 individuals, with several individuals exhibiting more than one trepanation, for a total of 109 perforations observed. The predominant methods used were circular cutting and scraping-methods that proved highly successful with an overall 83% survival rate and little ensuing infection. Survival rates showed a significant increase over time, apparently reflecting improvements in trepanation technique through experimentation and practical experience. Practitioners avoided certain areas of the cranium and employed methods that reduced the likelihood of damage to the cerebral meninges and venous sinuses. In many cases, trepanation as a medical treatment appears to have been prompted by cranial trauma, a finding that corroborates other studies pointing to cranial trauma as a primary motivation for the surgical procedure.
Keywords: *Skull/su [Surgery]; *Trephining/hi [History]; Cranial trauma; Culture; Cuzco; History, Ancient; Humans; Inca; Paleopathology; Peru; Skull; Skull Fractures; Skull Fractures/hi [History]; Skull Fractures/su [Surgery]; Skull/pa [Pathology]; Treatment Outcome; Trepanation; Trephining; Trephining/is [Instrumentation]; Trephining/mt [Methods]; Wounds and Injuries; Wounds and Injuries/hi [History]; Wounds and Injuries/su [Surgery]; adult; aged; article; controlled study; dept.ant; experimentation; female; head injury; human; human tissue; male; meninx; peer-reviewed; prehistoric period; school child; sinus venosus; skull; surgical technique; survival rate; trepanation

New evidence for hominin carcass processing strategies at 1.5 Ma, Koobi Fora, Kenya - Pobiner, Briana L.; Rogers, Michael J.; Monahan, Christopher M.; Harris, John W. K. (Journal of Human Evolution, 2008)
Reconstruction of early Pleistocene hominin carcass acquisition and processing behaviors are necessarily based at least in part on butchered fossil bones. This paper provides zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses and behavioral interpretations of three similar to 1.5 million-year-old archaeofaunas from areas 1A and 103 in the Okote Member of the Koobi Fora Formation, northern Kenya: FwJj14A, FwJj14B, and GaJi14. These sites are all located in similar paleoenvironmental contexts, near shallow water with swampy, seasonally flooded areas, and some evidence for more wooded or gallery forest settings. Both individual specimen- and assemblage-level analyses of butchery-marked bones indicate that the hominins appear to have practiced similar butchery strategies at all of these sites, with butchery (defleshing, disarticulation, and marrow extraction) of both high- and low-ranked skeletal elements with no apparent preference for prey size, skeletal region, limb class, or limb portion. Only four tooth-marked specimens, including one likely crocodile-tooth-marked bone, are preserved in all three archaeofaunas. A paucity of limb epiphyses suggests that bone-crunching hyenids may have deleted these portions subsequent to hominin butchery. Strangely, there are no stone tools preserved with the 292 cut-marked and 27 percussion-marked faunal specimens (out of a total of 6,039 specimens), suggesting that raw material availability may have conditioned hominin lithic discard patterns at these locales. These assemblages increase our knowledge of the dietary behavior and ecology of Homo erectus, and provide support for variability in early Pleistocene hominin carcass foraging patterns. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Africa; Alligator; Bone modification; Butchery; Carnivory; Cut mark; Early Stone Age; East Africa; Homo erectus; Kenya; Koobi Fora; Oldowan; Percussion mark; Pleistocene; Rift Valley; Sub-Saharan Africa; Turkana; bone; carnivory; dept.ant; hominid; paleoecology; peer-reviewed; taphonomy

Cranioplasty in ancient Peru: a critical review of the evidence, and a unique case from the Cuzco area - Verano, John W; Andrushko, V A (International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2008)
Cranioplasty is a well-known procedure in modern neurosurgery. Although some authors have claimed it was also performed by prehistoric trepanners in various parts of the world, there is little hard evidence to support this. Here we review various claims of cranioplasty in Peru, where trepanation was widely practised in Prehispanic times. We find little support for assertions that cranioplasty was common. One recently discovered burial from the Cuzco region, however, provides the first documented case of the reinsertion of a bone plug into a trepanation opening. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords: Cranioplasty; Peru; Trepanation; dept.ant; peer-reviewed

Intermediation behavior of the financial superstructure in response to environmental stimuli: theory, issues and further empirical evidence from nigeria - Ezirim, Chinedu B; Muoghalu, Michael I; Emenyonu, Emmanuel (Journal of African Business, 2007)
This paper is an empirical extension aimed at investigating the relationships between the indicators of the financial superstructure and its intermediation environments; and especially how the former responds to the effects of the latter. Intermediation-environmental models patterned after multivariate regression, causality, and partial adjustment models of both linear and log-linear formulations were estimated and analyzed. The results reveal that three environments: socio-political, regulatory, and international finance-exerted significant effects on the intermediation function of the superstructure. Previous intermediation successes ginger up current performance. In the long run, the effects of the environmental factors on the intermediation function of the superstructure, in whatever direction, more than quadruples. In any given year, the Nigerian financial superstructure attains only about 21.9% of desired (optimal) FIR. Given this, it would take about 4-1/2 years for it to adjust its intermediation operations (FIR), in light of the effects of environmental factors, to optimal levels in order to significantly impact the economy as desired. Some consistent behavioral traits were identified from the results to include: the precepts of potential maximization, profit maximization, accommodation principles, survival and cost-minimization principles, and the neutrality axiom. © 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Africa; Eco-financial environments; Environmental Stimuli; Financial Superstructure; Intermediation Behavior; International financial environments; Nigeria; Regulatory environments; Socio-political environments; Sub-Saharan Africa; West Africa; Zingiber officinale; behavioral response; dept.acc; economic structure; empirical analysis; finance; modeling; regression analysis; socioeconomic impact; theoretical study

Quantifying variation in landscape-scale behaviors: The oldowan from Koobi Fora - Braun, D.R.; Rogers, M.J.; Harris, J.W.; Walker, S.J. (New Perspectives on Old Stones: Analyt. Approaches to Paleolithic Technol., 2010)
Studies of stone artifact morphology are beginning to rapidly increase in complexity. While these techniques provide new insights into artifact variation, it is also necessary to insure that these methods provide data that is behaviorally relevant. Here, we provide a new technique that includes three dimensional attributes to calculate platform areas to enhance the prediction of flake area from platform attributes. This data allows the calculation of more precise measures of reduction in large unifacial flake cores in Developed Oldowan assemblages (i.e., Karari Scrapers). Here, we look at measures of curation within these tool types across a landscape scale study. We apply demographic analyses of the degree to which an assemblage can be considered to be curated (i.e., the potential use life of a tool minus the actual use life of a tool). Results suggest that even though there is significant variation within a given paleogeographic setting, a higher frequency of pieces are used to their full potential in areas where raw material is predicted to have been scarce. These data suggest that hominins fulfill some aspects of a neutral model of artifact transport, yet likely make directed movements to transport tools to specific places on the ancient landscape. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.
Keywords: dept.ant; ⛔ No DOI found

Feeding relationships: foodways and social networks in a women’s prison - Smoyer, Amy B. (Affilia, 2014)
Research has demonstrated the importance of supportive relationships and social networks to prisoners’ psychosocial outcomes, especially for women. Understandin...
Keywords: dept.swk; peer-reviewed

Dealing food: Female drug users’ narratives about food in a prison place and implications for their health - Smoyer, Amy B.; Blankenship, Kim M. (International Journal of Drug Policy, 2014)
Keywords: dept.swk

Setting the stage: creating study sites that promote the safety and dignity of research participants - Smoyer, Amy B.; Rosenberg, Alana; Blankenship, Kim M. (Social Work Research, 2014)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Code of Federal Regulations regarding Protection of Human Subjects (45 C.F.R. part 46) provides guidance
Keywords: dept.swk

Being on the mat: a process evaluation of trauma-informed yoga for women with substance use disorders - Smoyer, Amy (The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 2016)
Yoga practice is associated with positive health outcomes, including benefits related to managing substance use disorders and trauma symptomology. However, low-income vulnerable communities have limited access to yoga. This process evaluation of a trauma-informed yoga program for women with substance use disorders demonstrates the feasibility and utility of using noncertified yoga instructors to offer a basic yoga in community-based agencies. Participants describe outcomes related to relaxation, mindfulness, and movement that are well-aligned with their recovery needs. Study findings suggest the utilization of instructors with minimal training has the potential to expand research about and access to yoga among marginalized communities. © 2016, Western Michigan University. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Evaluation; Qualitative; Substance use; Women; Yoga; dept.swk; ⛔ No DOI found

Hominin exploitation of animal resources at the Gona Plio-Pleistocene archeological sites (Afar, Ethiopia) - Cáceres, Isabel; Rogers, Michael J.; Semaw, Sileshi; Leiss, Amanda C. (CENIEH, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, 2017)
Keywords: dept.ant; ⛔ No DOI found