Pertinent Concepts Research Articles

A Geostatistical Framework for Area-to-Point Spatial Interpolation

The spatial prediction of point values from areal data of the same attribute is addressed within the general geostatistical framework of change of support; the term support refers to the domain informed by each datum or unknown value. It is demonstrated that the proposed geostatistical framework can explicitly and consistently account for the support differences between the available areal data and the sought-after point predictions. In particular, it is proved that appropriate modeling of all area-to-area and area-to-point covariances required by the geostatistical framework yields coherent (mass-preserving or pycnophylactic) predictions. In other words, the areal average (or areal total) of point predictions within any arbitrary area informed by an areal-average (or areal-total) datum is equal to that particular datum. In addition, the proposed geostatistical framework offers the unique advantage of providing a measure of the reliability (standard error) of each point prediction. It is also demonstrated that several existing approaches for area-to-point interpolation can be viewed within this geostatistical framework. More precisely, it is shown that (i) the choropleth map case corresponds to the geostatistical solution under the assumption of spatial independence at the point support level; (ii) several forms of kernel smoothing can be regarded as alternative (albeit sometimes incoherent) implementations of the geostatistical approach; and (iii) Tobler’s smooth pycnophylactic interpolation, on a quasi-infinite domain without non-negativity constraints, corresponds to the geostatistical solution when the semivariogram model adopted at the point support level is identified to the free-space Green’s functions (linear in 1-D or logarithmic in 2-D) of Poisson’s partial differential equation. In lieu of a formal case study, several 1-D examples are given to illustrate pertinent concepts.

Bodies and blood: critiquing social construction in Maya archaeology

As a 21st century expression of idealism, social constructionism tends to repudiate the physical reality of the body and the biological duality of sexual differentiation. It has the earmarks of a totalizing discourse that permits only limited perspectives on human existence. The relevance and utility of constructionism for studying the past comes under review here. A pertinent concept, that of the individual, is discussed in light of assertions that agency models stumble upon universal assumptions of individuation and intentionality. The proposal by Gillespie (2001) that agency approaches in archaeology can only be improved by referencing Marcel Mauss’ concept of “person” as a relational entity that bridges social collectivities and personal motivation founders on the teleological, staged character of Mauss’ concept as well as factual errors in interpreting the difficult epigraphic evidence from the Classic Maya. The constructionists’ principle of sexual ambiguity ( Joyce, 2000a) meets resistance from the available data on the Classic Maya, as does their depersonalization of royal tombs in favor of collective concerns of a vaguely defined royal house ( Gillespie, 2001). Finally, the use of Lévi-Strauss’ model of “house societies” ( soci é t é s à maisons)—a schema that privileges co-residence and the physicality of the house over bloodlines—enjoys little substantive support from royal Maya contexts.

Pediatric supratentorial high-grade gliomas

The purpose of this review is to highlight some of the pertinent concepts and controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric supratentorial high-grade gliomas. Unlike the adult counterparts, pediatric high-grade gliomas are likely derived from distinct cytogenetic and molecular alterations. Surgery has been shown to play a role in extending patient survival. Some success is associated with the provision of chemotherapy. Radiotherapy remains an important adjunct in children older than age 3 years. The challenges involved in improving the poor prognosis of children in whom these very aggressive tumors have been diagnosed will be discussed, as well as some of the novel approaches being investigated to improve patient survival and quality of life.

Internet Health Resources: from Quality to Trust

Quality of online health resources remains a much debated topic, despite considerable international efforts. The lack of a systematic and comprehensive conceptual analysis is hindering further progress. Therefore we aim at clarifying the origins, nature and interrelations of pertinent concepts. Further, we claim that quality is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for Internet health resources to produce an effect offline. As users' trust is also required, we examine the relation of quality aspects to trust building online. We reviewed and analyzed the key documentation and deliverables of quality initiatives, as well as relevant scientific publications. Using the insights of philosophy, we identified the elementary dimensions which underlie the key concepts and theories presented so far in the context of online health information quality. We examined the interrelations of various perspectives and explored how trust as a phenomenon relates to these dimensions of quality. Various aspects associated with the quality of online health resources originate from four conceptual dimensions: epistemic, ethical, economic and technological. We propose a conceptual framework that incorporates all these perspectives. We argue that total quality exists only if all four dimensions have been addressed adequately and that high total quality is conducive to warranted trust. Quality and trust are intertwined, but distinct concepts, and their relation is not always straightforward. Ideally, trust should track quality. Apprehending the composition of these concepts will help to understand and guide the behavior of both users and providers of online information, as well as to foster warranted trust in online resources. The framework we propose provides a conceptual starting point for further deliberations and empirical work.

Students take the professor home.

The nursing process is used to provide a rationale for substituting formal lectures on maternal-child nursing theory with audiotapes included in instructional packages provided to students prior to scheduled classroom time. Five objectives for this teaching strategy are presented and evaluated. Although test scores were not used for evaluation, students were found to listen to the tapes and benefit from the experience. Faculty used classroom time to reinforce content with active learning methods. The audiotaped lectures and handouts were a form of distributed learning, which provided more time for faculty-student interaction and reinforcement of pertinent concepts.

Outcomes of neurocritical care

Outcomes research is a new and developing field that attempts to better measure the results of medical care. Neurocritical care is a relatively new field of medicine focusing on the care of critically ill patients with primary or secondary neurologic problems. Much needs to be done to examine the outcomes of neurocritical care, and the following is a review of the pertinent concepts of both outcomes and neurocritical care research.

Essentials of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia.

Essentials of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia.

Understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis.

The aim of this study was to review the pathogenic mechanisms of autoimmune hepatitis, identify gaps in knowledge, and focus future investigative efforts. The study was based on a review of all relevant articles on the mechanisms of autoimmunity in autoimmune liver disease from 1980 to 2000, extraction of pertinent concepts from the medical literature; and integration of evolving paradigms of pathogenesis with personal experiences and investigations. Autoimmune hepatitis is a consequence of autoantigen exposure, genetic predisposition, and defective immunoregulatory mechanisms. Autoantigen is optimally presented by class II molecules of the major histocompatibility complex that have lysine residues at position DRbeta71 of the antigen-binding groove. Cytokines and non-disease-specific autoimmune promoters modulate immune reactivity. Cell-mediated and antibody-dependent mechanisms contribute to hepatocyte injury. Multiple disturbances in the homeostatic mechanisms that preserve self-tolerance are likely in autoimmune hepatitis. Future investigations must focus on individual determinants of autoantigen presentation, immunocyte activation, and liver cell destruction. Findings can then be integrated into a comprehensive knowledge base that may be applicable to other autoimmune diseases.

A Framework for Student Projects in Computer Networks

This paper describes the delivery of a computer networks course with accompanying materials and software. The course is offered at the fourth-year undergraduate level, and has few formal pre-requisites, other than general programming skills. There is a substantial architectural and coding component to any practical course on networks, and it is important to challenge the experienced and knowledgeable students without making the material too difficult for the inexperienced students who have minimal experience in programming practical applications. Some students have an industrial background and are expecting to build practical working applications. At the other extreme are students with no exposure to operating system principles, and therefore lacking pertinent knowledge, such as concurrency concepts. Our programming framework provides an event-polling approach to avoid the complexity of more general concurrency techniques. Protocol layers are implemented with data types and use a finite state machine model to control their behaviors. The resulting course offers code structure and support to students with minimal background, without sacrificing pertinent concepts, and provides the ability to construct elaborate network applications using the coding structures introduced in the course.

Les industries à microlithes entre Loire et Vilaine : bilan et nouvelles perspectives de recherche

After 30 years of research about Mesolithic between Loire and Vilaine, conclusions can be done, especially for technological and typological characteristics. Oldest phases of Mesolithic are most represented than récents. Old conception on late Mesolithic during Neolithic or cultural exception are not pertinent concepts to describe the Mesolithic of this non-isolated country. The analysis of lithic industry of la Petite-Île shows the technical diversity in western France, even on little flint pebbles.

A Developmental Perspective on Community Service in Adolescence

AbstractA substantial number of U.S. adolescents currently participate in community service and there is increased national interest in service programs. This article assesses the assumption of developmental benefits to service participants by critically reviewing 44 empirical studies. It offers a theoretical framework for understanding the findings by connecting them to identity development and delineating three pertinent concepts: agency, social relatedness, and moral‐political awareness. These concepts are applied to studies that investigate: (1) the characteristics and motivations of participants, (2) the effects of service, and (3) the process of service. The findings support the conclusion that service activities which provide opportunities for intense experiences and social interactions are often associated with prasocial development. The findings also point to the need for more studies focused on particular service programs and on relationships between service providers and those served.

Energy distribution for waves in transcritical flows over a bump

Undisturbed water in a two-dimensional long channel obtains mechanical energy from a moving bump on the bottom of the channel. When the bump moves to the left at a speed near the critical shallow water wave velocity (gH) 1 2 , the free surface of the water consists of a soliton zone upstream, and a uniform depression zone and a wake zone downstream. Lee, Yates and Wu [J. Fluid Mech. 199, 569–593 (1989)] computed the drag on the bump and the total energy of the water waves. In this paper, we answer the question how the total energy is distributed among the zones of the upstream solitons, the downstream depression and the downstream wakes. From the energy distribution formulas derived in Section 3, we conclude that: (i) The energy of the downstream wake is a decreasing function of the Froude number F and contains almost all the energy when F is small but still in the transcritical range; (ii) the soliton energy is an increasing function of F and contains most energy of the system when F is large but still in the transcritical range; (iii) the depression energy does not vary significantly with F; (iv) the soliton energy is smaller (greater) than the depression energy when the Froude number is small (large respectively); and (v) the wake energy is greater (smaller) than the depression energy when the Froude number is small (large respectively). Hence our results analytically show that the drag on a vessel moving at a transcritical speed is mainly due to the waves ahead of the vessel when its cruising speed is large and the waves behind the vessel when its speed is low. These conclusions agree with the pertinent concepts of moving vessel designs.

Responsibility in intensive care: a critical analysis.

Nursing has undergone numerous aspects of change within the last 10 years, resulting in a blurring of roles and thus responsibilities. Responsibility in nursing is an enormous, vitally important and pertinent concept. In this paper the term 'responsibility' will be described, discussed and critiqued within the context of the management of care, research and education for nurses working in an intensive care environment.

Generating, integrating, and activating thesauri for concept-based document retrieval

A blackboard-based document management system that uses a neural network spreading-activation algorithm which lets users traverse multiple thesauri is discussed. Guided by heuristics, the algorithm activates related terms in the thesauri and converges of the most pertinent concepts. The system provides two control modes: a browsing module and an activation module that determine the sequence of operations. With the browsing module, users have full control over which knowledge sources to browse and what terms to select. The system's query formation; the retrieving, ranking and selection of documents; and thesaurus activation are described. >

In Palamedes’ Shadow: Explorations in Play, Game, & Narrative Theory by R. Rawdon Wilson

R. Rawdon Wilson, In Palamedes’ Shadow: Explorations in Play, Game, & Narrative Theory (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1990). xi, 317. $39.95 (U.S.) Rawdon Wilson’s title refers to a panel on an Attic black figure vase that depicts Palamedes standing over and observing Achilles and Ajax absorbed in a board game. Palamedes invented such games as a distraction for the Troy-bound heroes becalmed at Aulis. Wilson’s book, an exploration of “some phases of the analogy between games and literary texts, and . . . between play and both textual production and reception” (8), deals with a similar distraction/fascination, where the stake is meaning. A Renais­ sance scholar, Hispanicist, and student of postmodernist fiction, Wilson draws on narrative examples from The Faerie Queene and Don Quijote to Thomas Pynchon and Magic Realism. Sophisticated theoretical critique is accompanied by illuminating practical criticism. Wilson also engages in the poststructuralist/postmodernist device of incorporating outright fiction and ostensible anecdote in his discourse, and in the propaedeutic technique of leading the reader through mazes of false reasoning to arrive by negations at correct analyses. He anatomizes pertinent concepts of game and play meticulously. To generalize, games are closed rule-governed procedures, de­ terministic in nature, while play is open and stochastic. He concludes that literary texts are more play-like than game-like, for conventions, the rules of the literary game, exist as much to be violated as observed. Specific works may be modelled on games (chess and Through the Looking Glass) or incor­ porate games (ombre in The Rape of the Lock), and Wilson looks closely at the godgame, as Fowles terms it in The Magus, in which a victim is subject to the deceits of a master illusionist. The godgame is not an end in itself, however, but constitutes for the victim and/or reader a cognitive initiation. Altogether, the textual game is not a zero-sum affair but generates its own payoff in access to new meaning. Wilson canvasses several contemporary theoretical approaches to the ques­ tion of game and play in literature, principally those of Derrida and Bakhtin. Indeed, the chief contribution of In Palamedes’ Shadow to the development of theory is an effort to reconcile the central categories of these major fig­ ures. Derrida’s jeu libre, Wilson reminds us, is a fundamental condition of language that affects all writing inescapably, rendering it radically unsta­ ble, subject to a perpetual semantic Brownian motion that mocks authorial intention and critical interpretation. In contrast, while Bakhtin’s “carnival might well describe Derrida’s own wordplay . . . in dialogic terms, indicating how meaning can be created out of the agon between distinct monologic and incomplete utterances, carnival opposes free play” (66). It posits a possible 243 wholeness where Derridean play is committed to incompleteness. Neverthe­ less, Bakhtinian carnival fascinates Wilson as partaking of the character of both play and game, random movement and deliberate moves. The point of textual “gamefulness” is to excite and liberate the reader’s imagination. Wilson contemplates how little is required on the part of the text to stimu­ late the reader into extrapolating complex fictional worlds, in other words, to enter into a ludic mode that escapes the monologism of the familiar. Prob­ lems arising with the concept of intertextuality bring the Bakhtin/Derrida debate to a head. In the system of Derridean play, intertextual allusion escapes authorial intentionality, whereas with Bakhtin, it is a matter of au­ thorial decision. This is the crux: “The [intertextual] system plays through texts, and though it may be discerned . . . it cannot be controlled. The constitutive intentionality that Bakhtinian translinguistics ascribes to tex­ tual interplay must be an illusion.” But this is unacceptable in the face of the power of the Bakhtinian argument; thus “The ineluctable problem for the articulation of a theory of play in literature is whether one may have both Bakhtin and Derrida, free play and dialogism, within a single inclusive model” (211). Wilson is a good reader of Bakhtin, but he has not followed through sufficiently on the implications of Bakhtin’s admittedly problematic state­ ments regarding the dialogic principle. Briefly, putting the case in terms that borrow from science, dialogy and monology are in an asymmetric rela...

Ethics at the Bedside

In the past few years, numerous academic medical centers have established in-house ethics consultation services for assistance in life-and-death decision making and the resolution of moral conflicts. Until now, however, little knowledge gained from such experience has been shared with the general medical and lay public. In Ethics at the Bedside , Charles M. Culver, MD, PhD, McInerny Professor of Medical Ethics and professor of psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, brings together some of the nation's most experienced, knowledgeable, and widely recognized consultants to share with the reader a difficult or complex case. Each contributor presents a story rich in intellectual excitement and clinical drama. Written as narratives rather than academic essays, the stories lead the reader through the process of identifying the morally relevant facts and applying the pertinent moral concepts amidst the exigencies and uncertainties of clinical medicine. The result is 12 outstanding essays that the medical professional and intelligent

Stochastic particle motion in laminar flows

The practical actions referred to as stirring, mixing, blending, and so on rely on our ability to produce stochastic trajectories of particles within given flow fields. There are time-honored ways of achieving stochastic particle motion within a fluid, in particular, by exploiting molecular diffusion and through advection by a turbulent flow. There are, however, also other methods, particularly useful for laminar flows, that rely on the notion of chaos in a low-dimensional dynamical system for their explanation and elucidation. Indeed, the theory of dynamical systems is one of the few places where the term ‘‘mixing’’ has a precise technical meaning. The paper reviews several of these concepts, many of them taken from ergodic theory, and attempts to explain their application to the fluid mechanical problems. All these developments rely on a correspondence between the ‘‘phase space’’ of the general dynamical system, and the real-space motion of the fluid in the stirring/mixing problem. Other aspects of theoretical physics that appear useful are the kinetic theory of Brownian motion and equilibrium statistical mechanics. Again, pertinent concepts, definitions, and results are stated. The theoretical ideas presented offer some measure of general understanding for simple problems of stirring and mixing.

Electricity, Safety, and the Patient

This is a truly remarkable book. Not only does it make for enjoyable and informative reading, it makes otherwise tedious topics entertaining. vigorous writing is complemented by thorough research on the part of the authors, amply reflected in the citation of references. first of 11 chapters, Electricity, the Basics, concisely and completely reviews the pertinent concepts for medical readers. Fundamentals of Electrical Safety considers microshock and macroshock hazards and how to avoid them, particularly in the hospital setting. chapter Electronic Instrumentation details the history of monitors and other electrical equipment in the hospital. Cardiac Excitability provides a thorough treatment of this topic, and the chapters on pacemakers and electrosurgery are useful references. real gem in this book is the incisive critique of the highly convoluted development of electrical safety standards. The History and Epidemiology of Electrical Injuries in Hospitals offers a rational perspective on the real

Stress, shear deformation and micromorphological clay orientation: A synthesis of various concepts

Microscopic oriented clay bodies known as plasma separations to soil micromorphologists show various degrees of symmetry and regularity in their patterns. They could be regarded as sensitive and reliable indicators of stress-strain regime of a soil. Empirical and experimental evidence signifies the importance of stress, specifically that generated by in situ swelling, in the genesis of plasmic fabrics. Hitherto, most work in this field is confined to geometric characterization, with limited attempts to dynamic interpretations of their origin. This paper enlists appropriate concepts in soil mechanics, structural geology and agricultural engineering to interpret the possible stress-strain components that rearrange fabric units into plasma separations. Some pertinent concepts, including physico-chemical behaviour of the clay-water system, shrink-swell phenomenon, stress-strain, deformation and failure of soil, are employed to explain the origin of plasmic fabrics by mechanical principles. A conceptual model is suggested to synthesize the conditions, changes and consequences related to the formation of plasmic fabrics. Strongly developed plasma separations in natural soils are attributed to the establishment of an anisotropic state of stress generated by in situ swelling, in conjunction with the passive pressure of lateral confinement and vertical overburden. The difference between the maximum and minimum principal stresses produces a deviatoric stress that can, at certain stages of a shrink-swell cycle, exceed the shear strength of the soil. The extra stress is relieved plastically by shear deformation which is manifested as the alignment of platy particles in domain configuration by rotation and translation along the shear planes. Soil mainly fails in compressive (plastic) mode along a large number of small shear planes which form the plasma separations. The formation of different types of sepic plasmic fabrics is discussed in relation to the stress-strain regimes of soils.

Expanding theoretical conceptualizations of self-help groups

Self-help groups, a prevalent and significant source of social support, manifest the public- participation premise of primary health care. Yet, self-help studies have typically lacked theoretical grounding. Psychoneuroimmunological and social-learning theories could contribute to the theoretical understanding of self-help groups. As self-help groups can mitigate the impact of natural social-network losses, they could help prevent health disorders via an immunocompetence-maintenance function. Health professionals could consider this possibility in assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation. Furthermore, health professionals could take steps to enhance self-efficacy and collective efficacy, derivative concepts of social-learning theory germane to self-help groups. Therefore, pertinent concepts and creative linkages are proposed in a preliminary attempt to initiate a self-help group theoretical framework for health professionals.