Similar Exercises Research Articles

Overview of research activities associated with the World Health Organization: results of a survey covering 2006/07

BackgroundThis paper presents the first comprehensive effort to provide an overview of the research associated with the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in 2006/07.MethodsInformation was obtained by questionnaire and interviews with senior staff operating at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Research type, purpose and resources (both financial and staff) were defined and compared for each of the 37 departments identified and a comparative analysis was made with the global burden of disease as expressed by Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY).ResultsResearch expenditure in 2006/07 was estimated at US$215 million. WHO is involved in more than 60 research networks/partnerships and often WHO itself is the network host.Using the DALY model, 84% of the funding WHO allocates to research goes to DALY Type I diseases (communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional diseases) which represents 40% of DALY. 4% is allocated to Daly Type II (non-communicable diseases) which contributes to 48% of DALY.45% of WHO permanent staff are involved with health research and the WHO's approach to research is predominantly focused on policy, advocacy, health systems and population based research. The Organization principally undertakes secondary research using published data and commissions others to conduct this work through contracts or research grants. This approach is broadly in line with the stated strategy of the Organization.ConclusionsThe difficulty in undertaking this survey highlights the complexity of obtaining an Organization-wide assessment of research activity in the absence of common standards for research classification, methods for priority setting and a mechanism across WHO, or within the governance of global health research more generally, for managing a research portfolio.This paper presents a strategic birds-eye view of the WHO research portfolio using methodologies that, with further development, may provide the strategic information required if there is to be balancing of research efforts between communicable disease, non-communicable disease and other pressing public health needs. As the rollout of the WHO strategy on research for health proceeds we would hope to see similar exercises undertaken at the WHO Regional Offices and in support of capacity building of national health research systems within Member States.

Diaspora, social entrepreneurs and community development

PurposeIn view of significance of social entrepreneurial activity for community development, the purpose of this paper is to attempt to identify attributes of social entrepreneurs and philanthropists among returning successful diaspora in North Indian villages. Philanthropists are defined by the fact that they only invest money, whereas the social entrepreneurs invest their activities as well. An attempt is also made to ascertain key determinants and processes influencing outcomes of social entrepreneurial activity with a view to facilitate it.Design/methodology/approachEmphasis is on qualitative analysis based on interviews of scientifically sampled respondents. However, the paper suggests that the rational choice approach is inappropriate to address the issue of community development. An approach based on a broader view of man in works of some classical economists like Adam Smith is more useful.FindingsThe results of empirical analysis suggest that there exist substantial factors, such as early socialization, experience in community work, education and health, that differentiate social entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Salience of relationship between formal and informal institutions, personal traits and social skills of social entrepreneurs in influencing outcomes of social entrepreneurial activity is indicated. By investing moral and material resources in communities, social entrepreneurs augment social capital and facilitate social action. In contrast, philanthropists may add to distortions in community functioning, especially if they opt to operate through largely dysfunctional formal local institutions due to structural impasse in rural areas.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper pertains to Indian Punjab, an area with a long history of emigration. However, researchers need to take into account distinct socio‐economic conditions in Punjab when designing studies for other areas.Practical implicationsPolicy measures addressing hurdles in the way of social entrepreneurial activity can speed up the modernization of traditional communities.Originality/valueThe paper adds to understanding of what motivates human behaviour in economic analysis of community development. Further, it makes an important distinction between the roles of the philanthropist and the social entrepreneur in community development. The paper would be useful to researchers desirous of doing similar exercises in other areas.

Contradictions in media sport culture: The reinscription of football supporter traditions through online media

The website MyFootballClub offers a novel experience for football fans. Through the design and operation of a website, it attempts to reinvigorate fan participation in a heavily mediated, multibillion-dollar global industry. Charging a membership fee of £35 (47), MFC purchased a controlling stake in a non-league English football club, with power over management decisions handed to online members. Attracting more than 30,000 members from over 70 nations, this exercise in online ‘football democracy’ is significant for more than its novelty value and the spawning of similar exercises in other countries. MFC offers an important case study in which ‘media space’ is privileged above all others, claiming to resurrect football-based organic community bonds that were supposedly disrupted by media, but doing so within media. MFC demonstrates how media sport synthesizes apparent contradictions, so that members can recreate football-as-folk-culture fantasies through the processes of mediation and commodification that are otherwise blamed for killing ‘the people’s game’.

Vibration Effects on Static Balance and Strength

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a vibration training protocol and a conventional strength training program consisting of similar exercises on knee extensors and flexors strength and postural sway in middle-aged women. 38 women were randomly assigned into a Vibration Group (n=12, static and dynamic exercises on a vibration plate, frequency: 15-25 Hz, amplitude: 2-12.8 cm), a Strength Group (n=16, same exercises without vibration) and a Control Group (n=10). Both experimental groups trained for 12 weeks (3 sessions/w). Static balance was assessed in 3 tasks of increasing difficulty: Normal Quiet Stance, Sharpened Tandem, and One-Legged Stance. Postural sway was evaluated using the Centre of Pressure variations in the Anterior/Posterior and Medio/Lateral direction. Eccentric and concentric strength of knee extensors and flexors was recorded using a Cybex dynamometer. After vibration training, postural sway significantly decreased in both directions for the vibration group in all tasks (p<0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed for the other groups. Isokinetic strength significantly (p<0.05) increased for both experimental groups at selected angular velocities. It was concluded that side-alternating vibration could have beneficial effects on static balance control for middle-aged women. Gains in isokinetic strength were quite similar for both experimental groups.

‘Stew Without Bread or Bread Without Stew’: Children’s Understandings of Poverty in Ethiopia

This paper explores children’s understandings of poverty, ill‐being and well‐being in Ethiopia using data collected through group exercises with children aged 5–6 and 11–13 participating in Young Lives, an international study of childhood poverty. In some respects the characteristics of poverty reported by children resemble those reported by adults participating in similar exercises. However, the children’s addition of appearance and clothing, and their explanations of the reasoning behind the importance of these indicators of well‐being reflect growing inequalities in Ethiopia, where experiences of relative poverty and social exclusion are increasingly common. This evidence argues for broadening the focus of child poverty reduction to include the psychosocial costs of lacking the culturally specific resources required for full participation in society. The paper also illustrates ways in which poverty can be explored by asking about ill‐being and that children as young as five years are able to address these themes through well‐designed research methods.

111th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Seattle, Washington, July 10–14, 2010

111th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Seattle, Washington, July 10–14, 2010

Re-branding without re-developing: constraints of Hong Kong's ‘Asia's World City’ brand (1997–2007)

Interest among academics towards Hong Kong's global status has gradually waned since 1997. However, identifying Hong Kong's position on the international platform is essential if the Special Administrative Region's competitiveness is to be distinguished from that of regional rivals. The positioning challenge not only results from the sovereignty retrocession, but also from the rapid pace of globalization and the intensified competition from major cities in the Greater China Region. Instead of focusing on the much-researched topic of the direct competition between Hong Kong and Shanghai or Singapore, an exploration of Hong Kong's hitherto little-researched re-branding experience not only throws light on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's policy orientation, but is also valuable in understanding how other cities in the region conducted similar exercises. This article reviews the overall evolution of the ‘Asia's World City’ (AWC) discourse as promoted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 1997 to 2007. It starts by reviewing the international identity of post-colonial Hong Kong as background to the discourse, in order to reconstruct various theoretical assumptions that led to the re-branding exercise. The second section examines the purpose and evolution of the AWC campaign, and identifies the problems within the discourse. The concluding section focuses on the unrealized theoretical assumptions and other administrative and ideological constraints that the HKSARG faced in the exercise as a means to explaining the overall limited achievements of the campaign and proposes possible ways to remedy the shortcomings.

Non-Voigt line-shape effects on retrievals of atmospheric ozone: Collisionally isolated lines

This paper addresses the question of errors in retrievals of vertical profiles of ozone from atmospheric spectra caused by assuming that the absorption lines have pure Voigt line shapes. The case of collisionally isolated transitions (no line mixing) is treated by considering only the effects of the speed dependence (SD) of the pressure broadening. The case of O 3 retrievals from a sequence of limb transmission spectra is first treated theoretically. The results show that the influence of SD is very small, leading to changes in the residuals and in the retrieved O 3 mixing ratios smaller than 1%. These findings are then confirmed by treating a series of spectra recorded by the ACE-FTS instrument. Similar exercises are also made for other observation techniques by treating simulated or measured limb and nadir emission spectra as well as ground-based solar and in-situ laser transmission data. All lead to the general conclusion that SD (and Dicke narrowing) can be neglected in retrievals of ozone amounts from recorded atmospheric spectra. Indeed, the biases caused in the ozone profiles by the use of pure Voigt line shapes still remain significantly smaller than the total error/uncertainty from other sources such as improper line intensities and widths, uncertainty in the instrument function, errors in the pressure and temperature profiles and so forth.

Evaluation of Medical Command and Control Using Performance Indicators in a Full-Scale, Major Aircraft Accident Exercise

Large, functional, disaster exercises are expensive to plan and execute, and often are difficult to evaluate objectively. Command and control in disaster medicine organizations can benefit from objective results from disaster exercises to identify areas that must be improved. The objective of this pilot study was to examine if it is possible to use performance indicators for documentation and evaluation of medical command and control in a full-scale major incident exercise at two levels: (1) local level (scene of the incident and hospital); and (2) strategic level of command and control. Staff procedure skills also were evaluated. Trained observers were placed in each of the three command and control locations. These observers recorded and scored the performance of command and control using templates of performance indicators. The observers scored the level of performance by awarding 2, 1, or 0 points according to the template and evaluated content and timing of decisions. Results from 11 performance indicators were recorded at each template and scores greater than 11 were considered as acceptable. Prehospital command and control had the lowest score. This also was expressed by problems at the scene of the incident. The scores in management and staff skills were at the strategic level 15 and 17, respectively; and at the hospital level, 17 and 21, respectively. It is possible to use performance indicators in a full-scale, major incident exercise for evaluation of medical command and control. The results could be used to compare similar exercises and evaluate real incidents in the future.

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology position stand: The use of instability to train the core in athletic and nonathletic conditioning

The use of instability devices and exercises to train the core musculature is an essential feature of many training centres and programs. It was the intent of this position stand to provide recommendations regarding the role of instability in resistance training programs designed to train the core musculature. The core is defined as the axial skeleton and all soft tissues with a proximal attachment originating on the axial skeleton, regardless of whether the soft tissue terminates on the axial or appendicular skeleton. Core stability can be achieved with a combination of muscle activation and intra-abdominal pressure. Abdominal bracing has been shown to be more effective than abdominal hollowing in optimizing spinal stability. When similar exercises are performed, core and limb muscle activation are reported to be higher under unstable conditions than under stable conditions. However, core muscle activation that is similar to or higher than that achieved in unstable conditions can also be achieved with ground-based free-weight exercises, such as Olympic lifts, squats, and dead lifts. Since the addition of unstable bases to resistance exercises can decrease force, power, velocity, and range of motion, they are not recommended as the primary training mode for athletic conditioning. However, the high muscle activation with the use of lower loads associated with instability resistance training suggests they can play an important role within a periodized training schedule, in rehabilitation programs, and for nonathletic individuals who prefer not to use ground-based free weights to achieve musculoskeletal health benefits.

Geography in interdisciplinarity: Towards a third conversation

The ‘era of interdisciplinarity’ heralds collaborative inquiry as effective for addressing complex issues at the nexus of disciplinary interests. Geographers have long argued that they are particularly well-suited to contribute to interdisciplinary endeavors because of the breadth and depth that the discipline enfolds. However, within the literature about geography and interdisciplinarity, we find only two rather limiting conversations. The first conversation is concerned with the role(s) and position of geography within academia and focuses on what geographers can do to distinguish themselves while also improving their interactions with scholars from other disciplines. The second conversation largely revolves around how best to conduct interdisciplinarity ‘in the lab and classroom’ and focuses on practical issues associated with making collaborative research operate smoothly for multiple, disciplinary participants. We propose opening up intellectual space for a third conversation about the benefits, challenges and contributions of individual disciplines in interdisciplinary environments. Using survey data, we analyze how geography was perceived by collaborators from various disciplines in an interdisciplinary Urban Ecology program at the University of Washington. We offer this pilot study as a heuristic for others wishing to perform similar small-scale reflexive exercises and advance this “third conversation”.

Electromyographic Analysis of the Gluteus Medius in Five Weight-Bearing Exercises

Weight-bearing exercises are frequently used to train and strengthen muscles of the hip. These exercises have been advocated in the rehabilitation of a variety of hip and knee dysfunctions. Limited evidence is available to describe the level of muscle activation occurring with specific weight-bearing exercises. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of activation of the gluteus medius muscle as measured by electromyographic (EMG) signal amplitude in 5 weight-bearing exercises. Twenty healthy subjects aged 21 to 30 years participated in the study. The EMG surface electrodes were positioned over the muscle belly of the gluteus medius. Subjects performed 5 exercises that consisted of bilateral stance, single limb stance, single limb stance on both a firm surface and an Airex cushion, and single limb squat on a firm surface and an Airex cushion. Statistical differences (rho < 0.05) in gluteus medius EMG values were found between single limb stance as compared with double limb stance, and single limb squat as compared with single limb stance. Single limb stance places more demands on the gluteus medius than double limb stance, whereas single limb squats are more demanding than single limb stance. Although exercises performed on an Airex cushion produced greater EMG values as compared with a firm surface, the difference was not statistically significant. The results, however, suggest that if the goal is to increase the challenge to the gluteus medius, dynamic, single limb exercises performed on unstable surfaces, such as a balance cushion, may place greater demands on the gluteus medius than similar exercises performed on stable surfaces.

Introduction to the special issue on new econometric models in marketing

Scientific developments in econometrics proceed along various lines. One such line concerns the developments in computing power. Newer and better computers have facilitated the creation not only of larger models but also of non-linear and non-parametric models. Parameter estimation in simultaneous equation models used to take weeks, whereas nowadays similar exercises require efforts that get measured in seconds. A second cause for progress in econometrics, which also concerns the current special issue, is data availability. Some five decades ago one would have access to annual time series data for some national economies, while nowadays we have access to almost every financial transaction and each movement (of whatever nature) in retail stores, to name just a few examples. The incremental value of better data and of faster computers is particularly noticeable in marketing research. In the last two decades we have witnessed a significant increase in new econometric models in this area, where these models allowed for a detailed focus on individual behaviour which in turn could be linked to economic theories on such behaviour. Although data are plentiful, there is still much unknown about human drivers for, say, consumer behaviour, and hence marketing models often address unobserved features. For example, attitudes, satisfaction levels, and consideration sets are notoriously difficult to observe, but models for, say, brand choice should somehow include these aspects. Recent developments in the academic marketing literature have shown progress in econometrics, both in terms of theory and in terms of application. For example, microeconometric models for panel data which incorporate unobserved heterogeneity across individuals now seem to find their way into other areas of economics. Hence, owing to increased data availability and to the specific nature of human behaviour when making a choice between brands or products, at the same time being influenced by the marketing mix, we notice progress in econometrics due to marketing applications. In this special issue of the Journal of Applied Econometrics, we collect papers that show to some extent what has been made possible due to application in marketing research. The papers give an impression of the type of data that are commonly analysed in marketing, the type of new econometric models that have been developed with the specific marketing application in mind, and the type of non-standard estimation routines that are commonly implemented. We hope that for most readers this material will give an impression about the current econometric state of marketing research and that it will be inspiring for their own research. The collection of papers in this issue firmly demonstrates what better data, better computers and an interesting application area can do for the econometrics discipline.

A Global Assessment of the Degree of Price Stickiness - Results from the NBB Business Survey

In this paper, we estimate the degree of price stickiness in Belgium using the NBB business survey. Compared to similar empirical exercises based on consumer or producer price data, the micro data set used allows us to cover most of the Belgian economy in one exercise and therefore provides a better estimate of the overall degree of price stickiness. Based on our estimates, 19.2% of prices are changed each month. In the manufacturing sector and the trade sectors, the frequency of price changes is close to 24.5%. In the construction sector the frequency of price changes is close to 20.5% and in the B2B service sectors it is almost 9%. Econometric analyses of the determinants of the sectoral frequency of price changes indicate, on the one hand, that the cost structure is the main explanatory variable of the sectoral discrepancies. On the other hand, we find that domestic competition does not seem to explain an excess or shortage of price changes at the sectoral level.

A Method for Monitoring Intensity During Aquatic Resistance Exercises

The aims of this study were (i) to check whether monitoring of both the rhythm of execution and the perceived effort is a valid tool for reproducing the same intensity of effort in different sets of the same aquatic resistance exercise (ARE) and (ii) to assess whether this method allows the ARE to be put at the same intensity level as its equivalent carried out on dry land. Four healthy trained young men performed horizontal shoulder abduction and adduction (HSAb/Ad) movements in water and on dry land. Muscle activation was recorded using surface electromyography of 1 stabilizer and several agonist muscles. Before the final tests, the ARE movement cadence was established individually following a rhythmic digitalized sequence of beats to define the alternate HSAb/Ad movements. This cadence allowed the subject to perform 15 repetitions at a perceived exertion of 9-10 using Hydro-Tone Bells. After that, each subject performed 2 nonconsecutive ARE sets. The dry land exercises (1 set of HSAb and 1 set of HSAd) were performed using a dual adjustable pulley cable motion machine, with the previous selection of weights that allowed the same movement cadence to be maintained and the completion of the same repetitions in each of the sets as with the ARE. The average normalized data were compared for the exercises in order to determine possible differences in muscle activity. The results show the validity of this method for reproducing the intensity of effort in different sets of the same ARE, but is not valid for matching the same intensity level as kinematically similar land-based exercises.

An overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols

We provide an overview of geoengineering by stratospheric sulphate aerosols. The state of understanding about this topic as of early 2008 is reviewed, summarizing the past 30 years of work in the area, highlighting some very recent studies using climate models, and discussing methods used to deliver sulphur species to the stratosphere. The studies reviewed here suggest that sulphate aerosols can counteract the globally averaged temperature increase associated with increasing greenhouse gases, and reduce changes to some other components of the Earth system. There are likely to be remaining regional climate changes after geoengineering, with some regions experiencing significant changes in temperature or precipitation. The aerosols also serve as surfaces for heterogeneous chemistry resulting in increased ozone depletion. The delivery of sulphur species to the stratosphere in a way that will produce particles of the right size is shown to be a complex and potentially very difficult task. Two simple delivery scenarios are explored, but similar exercises will be needed for other suggested delivery mechanisms. While the introduction of the geoengineering source of sulphate aerosol will perturb the sulphur cycle of the stratosphere signicantly, it is a small perturbation to the total (stratosphere and troposphere) sulphur cycle. The geoengineering source would thus be a small contributor to the total global source of 'acid rain' that could be compensated for through improved pollution control of anthropogenic tropospheric sources. Some areas of research remain unexplored. Although ozone may be depleted, with a consequent increase to solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) energy reaching the surface and a potential impact on health and biological populations, the aerosols will also scatter and attenuate this part of the energy spectrum, and this may compensate the UVB enhancement associated with ozone depletion. The aerosol will also change the ratio of diffuse to direct energy reaching the surface, and this may influence ecosystems. The impact of geoengineering on these components of the Earth system has not yet been studied. Representations for the formation, evolution and removal of aerosol and distribution of particle size are still very crude, and more work will be needed to gain confidence in our understanding of the deliberate production of this class of aerosols and their role in the climate system.

University and Discipline Cluster Ranking Systems and the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

This paper addresses one of the weaknesses of many rankings – the exclusion of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) from university and discipline cluster ranking systems and examines some ways in which this situation can be corrected. In particular, it traces the development of indicators such as ‘target expanded’ citation analysis and tiering or ranking of outlets, including books and conferences as well as journals. It draws on experience in Australia, especially with the attempt to construct consensually derived tiered outlets for numerous disciplines including those in HASS in the context of the introduction of a new Research Quality Framework along the lines of similar exercises in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

The LX—M relation of clusters of galaxies

Abstract We present a new measurement of the scaling relation between X-ray luminosity and total mass for 17 000 galaxy clusters in the maxBCG cluster sample. Stacking subsamples within fixed ranges of optical richness, N200, we measure the mean 0.1–2.4 keV X-ray luminosity, 〈LX〉 , from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. The mean mass, 〈M200〉, is measured from weak gravitational lensing of SDSS background galaxies. For 9 ⩽ N200 &amp;lt; 200, the data are well fitted by a power law, 〈LX〉/1042h−2 erg s−1=[12.6+1.4−1.3 (stat) ± 1.6 (sys)](〈M200〉/1014h−1 M⊙)1.65±0.13. The slope agrees to within 10 per cent with previous estimates based on X-ray selected catalogues, implying that the covariance in LX and N200 at a fixed halo mass is not large. The luminosity intercept is 30 per cent, or 2σ, lower than that determined from the X-ray flux-limited sample of Reiprich &amp; Böhringer, assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. This slight difference could arise from a combination of Malmquist bias and/or systematic error in hydrostatic mass estimates, both of which are expected. The intercept agrees with that derived by Stanek et al. using a model for the statistical correspondence between clusters and haloes in a WMAP3 cosmology with power spectrum normalization s8= 0.85. Similar exercises applied to future data sets will allow constraints on the covariance among optical and hot gas properties of clusters at a fixed mass.

An object-based method for mapping and change analysis in mangrove ecosystems

Object-based methods for image analysis have the advantage of incorporating spatial context and mutual relationships between objects. Few studies have explored the application of object-based approaches to mangrove mapping. This research applied an object-based method to SPOT XS data to map the land cover in the mangrove ecosystem of Low Casamance, Senegal. In parallel, the object-based method was tested to analyse the changes in the mangrove area between 1986 and 2006. The object-based method for mangrove mapping applied a multi-resolution segmentation and implemented class-specific rules that incorporate spectral properties and relationships between image objects at different hierarchical levels. The object-based approach for change analysis conducted the segmentation on the multi-date composite of the 1986 and 2006 images and applied a nearest neighbour classifier. The object-based method clearly discriminated the different land cover classes within the mangrove ecosystem. The overall accuracy of the land cover classification was 86%, the overall kappa value was 0.83 and the user’s accuracy of the ‘mangroves’ class was higher than 97%. The estimated area of mangroves was 76,550 hectares in 2006. This result is an important update reference for mangrove studies in Senegal and the proposed method may represent a valid instrument for similar exercises in other regions. The image-to-image, object-based approach to change analysis clearly captured the fragmented and scattered pattern of change that prevails in the study area. The user’s accuracy of the increase and decrease classes of transition produced results better than 85%. The overall accuracy, however, is lower due to the method’s difficulties in detecting the small areas of change. To have conclusive evidence for the suitability of this method for change analysis of mangrove forest, this object-based approach should be tested in mangrove ecosystems where changes have different spatial patterns and modifications are more evident. Between 1986 and 2006, a small increase in the mangrove area was observed in Low Casamance. This was probably due to improved rainfall conditions after the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s. The pattern of change detected with the object-based approach corresponds to natural transitions and suggests that anthropogenic influence was limited.

Rhetoric and Reality in Early Christianities. Edited by WILLI BRAUN.

This collection of nine essays originated from papers given at a conference in Canada in 2000. The theme is rhetoric; the aim is to explore beyond its formal and theoretical aspects. The term preferred by Braun is ‘rhetoricality’, which is defined by contrast with ‘a restricted canon of logographic techniques of argumentation’. ‘Early Christianities’ turns out to include material stretching into the sixth century. Even so, the chapter by Kitchen on sixth-century hagiography and the rhetoric of slavery/freedom is isolated like a germ in this collection, which does not otherwise range beyond the fourth century (except in the broadest terms in the cases of Braun and Kile). The opening chapter by the editor not only repays careful rereading (for its arguments about widening of the category of ‘rhetoric/rhetorical’); it demands it, given the opacity and density of its expression. It places the category of ‘logos’ as a central theme, giving due weight to the magical and reistic properties of ‘logos’. Christian identity and Christianization turn out to be complex and fluid topics. Probing the boundaries of rhetoricality is set out as the overarching task; though, like similar exercises with respect to poetry, it sometimes seems to attempt definition where description is all that is possible. Quotations from the Greek (and elsewhere from Latin) would have been better if adjusted so that the oblique cases of the original fitted their place in English sentences; likewise consistency in printing original or transliterated Greek would have been preferable.