True Integration Research Articles

Research integrity and publication ethics

The basic principle for professional conduct of science in all countries and all disciplines is honesty towards oneself and towards others. Therefore it is utmost important that the scientific community prevents scientific misconduct by fostering research integrity. This commentary reports on the experience of a German ‘Ombudsman’ and relates it to the international concepts of good scientific practice as well as the questions of publication ethics. Biomedical research seems to be most susceptible for scientific misconduct since internationally we see many of the cases in this field. Here possible explanations for the observed misconduct are discussed as well as ways to prevent it. The intention is to both alert scientists and ultimately to adjust the scientific system in a way which allows the next generation of scientists to develop their careers in true research integrity.

Il sistema scolastico brasiliano e l'integrazione degli alunni con disabilità : riflessioni a margine di un'esperienza

The Brazilian education system provides a specific form of organization for the inclusive education of students with disabilities. Law No. 9394 dated December 20, 1996, “Lei de diretrizes e bases da educacao nacional”, presents in Chapter V the “educacao especial as a form of organization offered to students portadores de Necessidades especiais”. Admission of students with disabilities in the Brazilian schools was characterized by several phases: the welfarist phase, the integration phase and the inclusion phase, which is the most recent one and now being debated. The presence of a special device fosters the differences, even when everybody enters the classbecause a separation perspective damps down all the procedural and design efforts towards a true integration, holding back collaboration and action sharing among teachers. We consider however effective an action that accompanies the gradual learning evolution mediating between the student with disabilities and peers, between him and the teachers, between him and the learning tools designed.

Integrative Understanding of Emergent Brain Properties, Quantum Brain Hypotheses, and Connectome Alterations in Dementia are Key Challenges to Conquer Alzheimer's Disease.

The biological substrate for cognition remains a challenge as much as defining this function of living beings. Here, we examine some of the difficulties to understand normal and disordered cognition in humans. We use aspects of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders to illustrate how the wealth of information at many conceptually separate, even intellectually decoupled, physical scales – in particular at the Molecular Neuroscience versus Systems Neuroscience/Neuropsychology levels – presents a challenge in terms of true interdisciplinary integration towards a coherent understanding. These unresolved dilemmas include critically the as yet untested quantum brain hypothesis, and the embryonic attempts to develop and define the so-called connectome in humans and in non-human models of disease. To mitigate these challenges, we propose a scheme incorporating the vast array of scales of the space and time (space–time) manifold from at least the subatomic through cognitive-behavioral dimensions of inquiry, to achieve a new understanding of both normal and disordered cognition, that is essential for a new era of progress in the Generative Sciences and its application to translational efforts for disease prevention and treatment.

Recommendations for Responding to Changes in Reimbursement Policy

With profound changes in reimbursement policy on the horizon, organizations are preparing a variety of responses to ensure long-term success. Most are anticipating decreases in reimbursement rates from most payers. Whether due to nonpayment for hospital-acquired complications and infections, reductions due to high readmission rates, or a move toward value-based purchasing and bundled payment models, the impact is predicted to be substantial. Because of these sweeping changes, organizations must quickly prepare a thoughtful, effective response to ensure their financial stability. At the heart of these global changes in reimbursement, including those in the healthcare reform legislation, is a drive toward integration, the formation of integrated delivery systems in response to changing financial incentives. However, the new integrated systems must be not just an assemblage of the required components, but a true functional integration in which patients experience a seamless continuum of care that is highly coordinated, efficient, effective, and accessible. In this article, we'll address changes in reimbursement and recommended responses from three perspectives. First, we offer a three-pronged approach for managing general decreases in reimbursement. Second, we highlight strategies for managing nonpayment for readmissions, focusing on the demonstration project in the state of Michigan, MI STAAR. And finally, we review managing patient care in an environment of bundled payment, including the interventions at the center of the PROMETHEUS demonstration project.

Grand challenges in dementia 2010

Grand challenges in dementia 2010

How to build a comprehensive business continuity programme for a healthcare organisation

Since 2005 there has been an ongoing examination of the impact of disasters on hospitals, with specific interest in those rendered inoperable or seriously crippled operationally and financially. Following several evaluations of these events and the publication of several reports detailing gaps in preparedness, more is known about the impact to hospitals directly affected by emergencies and catastrophic events. As a result, there have been continued updates to regulations and standards. However, a significant gap remains in the establishment of a model representing true integration of risk management practices within hospitals. This paper discusses one approach to addressing that gap through building a comprehensive business continuity programme for healthcare organisations. This programme is intended to result in a roadmap towards resilience in the face of the many risks faced by hospitals today.

“It Depends on How You Define Integrated”: Neighborhood Boundaries and Racial Integration in a Baltimore Neighborhood1

There are a significant number of racially integrated neighborhoods in the United States, many of which have been stable over time. However, very little is known about the characteristics of these neighborhoods and of the residents who live in them. With data taken from a larger study of an integrated neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, this article discusses homeowners’ perceptions of their community and racial integration. Fifty semi‐structured interviews were completed with 67 homeowners to investigate their perceptions and experiences of race, class, and change in their community. This study shows that statistical racial integration and perceptions of racial integration are two different factors. Residents define true racial integration as both residential and social. As a result, homeowners reported that their neighborhood is both segregated and integrated—a type of “qualified” integration. Perceptions of racial integration are also affected by inconsistently defined neighborhood boundaries and racial clustering, block by block.

A new methodology for the estimation of fiber populations in the white matter of the brain with the Funk–Radon transform

The Funk–Radon Transform (FRT) is a powerful tool for the estimation of fiber populations with High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI). It is used in Q-Ball imaging (QBI), and other HARDI techniques such as the recent Orientation Probability Density Transform (OPDT), to estimate fiber populations with very few restrictions on the diffusion model. The FRT consists in the integration of the attenuation signal, sampled by the MRI scanner on the unit sphere, along equators orthogonal to the directions of interest. It is easily proved that this calculation is equivalent to the integration of the diffusion propagator along such directions, although a characteristic blurring with a Bessel kernel is introduced. Under a different point of view, the FRT can be seen as an efficient way to compute the angular part of the integral of the attenuation signal in the plane orthogonal to each direction of the diffusion propagator. In this paper, Stoke's theorem is used to prove that the FRT can in fact be used to compute accurate estimates of the true integrals defining the functions of interest in HARDI, keeping the diffusion model as little restrictive as possible. Varying the assumptions on the attenuation signal, we derive new estimators of fiber orientations, generalizing both Q-Balls and the OPDT. Extensive experiments with both synthetic and real data have been intended to show that the new techniques improve existing ones in many situations.

“The Strength of Weak Ties” Revisited: Achieving True Integration of Disease Management and Lifestyle Management

“The Strength of Weak Ties” Revisited: Achieving True Integration of Disease Management and Lifestyle Management

Toward a New Paradigm in Sex Therapy

The field of sex therapy has suffered from fragmentation in many areas, from professional organizations to training programs to publications. Though many steps have been taken by other scholars to integrate the various theoretical approaches into a cohesive model of sex therapy, these attempts have instead resulted in technical eclecticism rather than true integration. In this article, we shift the current paradigm of sex therapy by providing an integrative approach based on Sternberg's triangle and the intersystem approach. In a departure from eclectic approaches, this framework synthesizes information from the fields of health care, couples therapy, psychology, sexuality, and communication to inform treatment of sexual problems. A case example is provided. Suggestions for future directions include bridging the gap between professional organizations, understanding sex within a larger context of health care, enhancing sex therapy training in training programs, bridging research and practice, and resisting the temptation to move toward theoretical purism.

GeneCBR: a translational tool for multiple-microarray analysis and integrative information retrieval for aiding diagnosis in cancer research.

BackgroundBioinformatics and medical informatics are two research fields that serve the needs of different but related communities. Both domains share the common goal of providing new algorithms, methods and technological solutions to biomedical research, and contributing to the treatment and cure of diseases. Although different microarray techniques have been successfully used to investigate useful information for cancer diagnosis at the gene expression level, the true integration of existing methods into day-to-day clinical practice is still a long way off. Within this context, case-based reasoning emerges as a suitable paradigm specially intended for the development of biomedical informatics applications and decision support systems, given the support and collaboration involved in such a translational development. With the goals of removing barriers against multi-disciplinary collaboration and facilitating the dissemination and transfer of knowledge to real practice, case-based reasoning systems have the potential to be applied to translational research mainly because their computational reasoning paradigm is similar to the way clinicians gather, analyze and process information in their own practice of clinical medicine.ResultsIn addressing the issue of bridging the existing gap between biomedical researchers and clinicians who work in the domain of cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, we have developed and made accessible a common interactive framework. Our geneCBR system implements a freely available software tool that allows the use of combined techniques that can be applied to gene selection, clustering, knowledge extraction and prediction for aiding diagnosis in cancer research. For biomedical researches, geneCBR expert mode offers a core workbench for designing and testing new techniques and experiments. For pathologists or oncologists, geneCBR diagnostic mode implements an effective and reliable system that can diagnose cancer subtypes based on the analysis of microarray data using a CBR architecture. For programmers, geneCBR programming mode includes an advanced edition module for run-time modification of previous coded techniques.ConclusiongeneCBR is a new translational tool that can effectively support the integrative work of programmers, biomedical researches and clinicians working together in a common framework. The code is freely available under the GPL license and can be obtained at .

Variability in Sensory Ecology: Expanding the Bridge Between Physiology and Evolutionary Biology

Sensory organs represent the interface between the central nervous system of organisms and the environment in which they live. To date, we still lack a true integration of ecological and evolutionary perspectives in our understanding of many sensory systems. We argue that scientists working in sensory ecology should expand the bridge between sensory and evolutionary biology, and, in working toward this goal, we advocate a combination of the experimental rigor of the sensory physiologist with population-based as well as evolutionary views.

Der integrative Prozess in der Psychotherapie: Methodenvielfalt - Synergismus, Integration

Combining different psychotherapeutic techniques becomes more and more popular. Ever so often there is no valid concept behind such combinations. There is a conviction underlying the paper that many psychotherapeutic concepts that pretend to be integrative are not and that a theory of a true integration has not been outlined yet. The paper starts by defining different types of combinations: the non-discriminative application of a variety of methods, eclecticism, modular techniques, synergism and integration. Integration is the final stage in an integrative process. This process depends on a variety of factors: a high motivation to cooperate, a curiosity as to the other's abilities, a thorough knowledge of the co-operant's concept, a respect for the other's 'otherness' and the willingness to give up omnipotent therapeutic approaches. ― Integrative processes have not an end in themselves; they will be successful in so far as they respond to clinical necessities or challenges. They need to be initiated by someone, and it is important whether the motivation is intrinsic or extrinsic. Finally, the integration of different approaches to psychotherapy calls for a metatheory that is able to encompass all. Empirical criteria to assess the integrative process properly are given. Integrative processes are illustrated by two examples, the combination of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy and by the synergistic psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder.

Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims (Islamophobia)

AbstractIn this article, after a brief introduction related to the present environment, Ambassador Orhun discusses human rights, mutual respect and dialogue, leading to an evaluation of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims. He finds that the environment in which Muslims live in Western countries has deteriorated considerably in the post September 11 period. He then provides an overview of his experience as OSCE's Personal Representative on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims. After sharing his views on ways to promote tolerance and combat discrimination against Muslims, Ambassador Orhun concludes with his recommendations. He stresses the need to take account of the intellectual front in the fight against intolerance and discrimination and dwells especially on true integration to enable Muslim migrants to feel at home in a cohesive society. He says that the real threat to tolerance and to multi-cultural societies emanates from the extremes of host and migrant groups and cautions vigilance to achieve peaceful co-existence.

2008 American Society of Naturalists Awards

Previous articleNext article Free2008 American Society of Naturalists Awards Sewall Wright AwardSpencer BarrettJanis AntonovicsJanis AntonovicsUniversity of Virginia Search for more articles by this author University of VirginiaPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreIn 2008, the American Society of Naturalists honored Spencer Barrett with the Sewall Wright Award, which recognizes an active midcareer or senior investigator who has made major contributions to the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. Spencer Barrett has contributed enormously to our understanding of the forces driving evolutionary transitions in plant mating systems. He has carried out extensive field studies on the evolution of selfing, dioecy, and mechanisms involved in pollen donation, receipt, and mating compatibility. This work has greatly broadened our understanding of floral evolution, the origins of dioecy, and the evolution of plant breeding systems. He has elegantly shown that floral characteristics can evolve through mechanisms that increase the efficiency of pollen transmission or receipt as well as through mechanisms that regulate different levels of outcrossing.In the true tradition of Sewall Wright, he has shown that knowledge of both genetics and population substructuring are absolute prerequisites for understanding the evolution of mating systems. His work on the evolution of floral polymorphism in water hyacinths is a tour de force showing how population differences are determined by the direct interplay of pollinator activity, the magnitude of genetic drift in founding populations, and the underlying genetics of the polymorphism. This work on the pathways of breakdown of tristyly to different distylous and monomorphic populations constitutes perhaps the most complete example of the real‐world operation of processes central to Sewall Wright’s shifting balance theory. He has also made important contributions to our understanding of species invasions, especially the idea that these invasions are likely to be accompanied by substantial genetic change. Indeed, this pioneering work was crucial in bringing the impact of plant invasions to the forefront of the consciousness of biologists and the general public.Spencer Barrett is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a recipient of a Merit Award from the Botanical Society of America. Recently, he received the Lawson Medal from the Canadian Botanical Association in recognition of his lifetime contributions to Canadian botany. He has also been a recipient of an outstanding teacher award at the University of Toronto and has mentored numerous graduate students and postdocs who are now leading researchers throughout the world. Throughout his research, he has combined a thorough mix of field observations, experiments, and theory, all of which have been strongly grounded in a broad knowledge of natural history. He incorporates rigor and imagination, combines theory with empiricism, and has a breadth that reflects a true integration of population genetics, ecology, systematics, and applied biology. For these many reasons, the American Society of Naturalists considers him to be an ideal recipient of the Sewall Wright Award. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 173, Number 1January 2009 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/593708 Views: 266Total views on this site © 2008 by The University of Chicago.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Adding complexity to emotion-cognition interactions: the stressed individual

Adding complexity to emotion-cognition interactions: the stressed individual

Motif discovery in promoters of genes co-localized and co-expressed during myeloid cells differentiation

Genes co-expressed may be under similar promoter-based and/or position-based regulation. Although data on expression, position and function of human genes are available, their true integration still represents a challenge for computational biology, hampering the identification of regulatory mechanisms. We carried out an integrative analysis of genomic position, functional annotation and promoters of genes expressed in myeloid cells. Promoter analysis was conducted by a novel multi-step method for discovering putative regulatory elements, i.e. over-represented motifs, in a selected set of promoters, as compared with a background model. The combination of transcriptional, structural and functional data allowed the identification of sets of promoters pertaining to groups of genes co-expressed and co-localized in regions of the human genome. The application of motif discovery to 26 groups of genes co-expressed in myeloid cells differentiation and co-localized in the genome showed that there are more over-represented motifs in promoters of co-expressed and co-localized genes than in promoters of simply co-expressed genes (CEG). Motifs, which are similar to the binding sequences of known transcription factors, non-uniformly distributed along promoter sequences and/or occurring in highly co-expressed subset of genes were identified. Co-expressed and co-localized gene sets were grouped in two co-expressed genomic meta-regions, putatively representing functional domains of a high-level expression regulation.

Industrial R&D in 2008—Revisiting the 1998 Predictions

OVERVIEW:In 1998, the Industrial Research Institute predicted that people in the laboratory of 2008 would be more risk-taking and business-oriented, with skills that are constantly being upgraded; that technical intelligence would be fully integrated throughout the firm; that technical work in the lab would be far more efficient and effective, utilizing a wide variety of outside resources; that flexible organizational structures and true enterprise integration would capitalize on a new era for growth and competitiveness; and that leadership and skillful management would be critical elements of these evolving processes. A recent survey of the IRI membership was undertaken to determine whether or not these changes actually happened and if so, to what degree. The results show progress but some of the actions proposed 10 years ago are just now being implemented.

Exploring the Fit between CSR and Innovation

An exploration of the fit or space between CSR and innovation is presented, based on the RESPONSE project, a 15-month study involving 60 SMEs throughout Europe. The main practical output of the project was the Social Innovation model, yet a conceptual understanding of CSR and innovation is best advanced through the three hypotheses that constitute the conclusions of the project: H1) The diffusion of CSR should be modelled on the diffusion of innovation; H2) CSR implementation and innovation can be configured to form a virtuous circle; and H3) There is a maturity path toward true integration of CSR and innovation. These three hypotheses inform, respectively, on the background, results and development of the project. H1 is framed within the context of the original European Commission call and proposal; H2 ties in with the Social Innovation model; and H3 is discussed in the light of a short case involving a high-performing SME. Since the hypotheses were the result of the project, we do not attempt to prove them here, but discuss their significance, with the idea that further research and community development will fully evaluate their accuracy.

A Relational Theory of Regional Economic Integration - Implications for Africa

The thesis of this paper is that regional economic integration is the product of structuring and managing vertical, horizontal and vertico-horizontal relations among states, laws, institutions and legal systems, and that true and effective integration results from properly structuring and managing these relations using relational instruments of law for economic integration. It argues that past African economic integration initiatives neglected relational instruments and the success or otherwise of the current wave of economic integration initiatives in Africa will depend, in part, on how relational issues are approached.