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Strong Argument (strong + argument)
Selected AbstractsAnalysis of landslide frequencies and characteristics in a natural system, coastal British ColumbiaEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 11 2004R. H. Guthrie Abstract Two hundred and one debris slides and debris ,ows were analyzed in a 286 km2 study area on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The study area remains essentially untouched by humans and therefore affords a natural setting in which to examine slope processes. Landslides were identi,ed and characterized on aerial photographs from 1:15 000 to 1:31 680, and were then mapped and transferred to a GIS for analysis. Based on detailed landslide surveys, we propose a new method to accurately determine volume of landslides of this type by measured total area. Results indicate average denudation rates of 56 m3 y,1 km,2, and higher natural rates of failure than analogous regions in coastal British Columbia. In contrast, the landslide rates are substantially less than those from forested watersheds. Landslide distribution is spatially clustered in air photograph epochs, and we propose intense storm cells within regional events as the causal mechanism. Further, failures occurred preferentially over the West Coast Crystalline Complex (by 1·4 times), a metamorphic assemblage of gabbros, schists and amphibolites, but 1·5 times less often over the Island Plutonic Suite, a granitic intrusive formation. The former result represents a new ,nding, while the latter corroborates ,ndings of previous authors. We examined magnitude,frequency relationships of the data set and present for the ,rst time a strong argument that the rollover effect is not merely an artefact, but is instead a consequence of the physical characteristics of the landslides themselves. We subsequently analyzed magnitude,frequency relationships from two other complete data sets from coastal British Columbia and produced a family of curves corroborating this result. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lifelong Learning in the European Union: whither the Lisbon Strategy?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2005HYWEL CERI JONES This article traces the Lisbon strategy back to the White Paper issued by President Jacques Delors in 1993 on Growth, Competitiveness, and Jobs as the launching point for the structural reform agenda needed to turn around the massive unemployment crisis and proposing a combination of policies for the structural reform of the labour market and stability-oriented macroeconomic policies designed to stimulate economic growth. The centrality of education and training in the Lisbon strategy is seen as key to the lifelong chances of every citizen linked to the need for Europe to compete on the basis of a knowledge-based economy if it is to maintain its high social standards. Describing the first years of the Lisbon strategy as ,a stuttering start', the mid-term stock-taking which offered European leaders the opportunity to fine-tune or radically modify the strategy is analysed. The article highlights the paradox that, although human capital is claimed to be Europe's most precious resource, there is inadequate focus on the weakest aspects of current systems. It also focuses on policy and financial levers which need to be mobilised within Member States as well as the implications for national budgets. It suggests the prioritisation of a small number of areas on which to concentrate efforts and echoes the Council calling for a ,quantum leap' in the ambition of the EU to ensure that the necessary follow-up is given to meet the challenges. Finally, a strong argument is put forward to take steps to move towards a unified set of proposals for lifelong learning. [source] Lecturer practitioners in UK nursing and midwifery: what is the evidence?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2004A systematic review of the research literature Background., Lecturer practitioner roles have been widely established in the UK, and are seen as having the ability to overcome the theory,practice gap in nursing, as well as offering other benefits including functioning as a link between education and practice. Aims and objectives., This article systematically reviews the research literature on UK lecturer practitioner roles in nursing and midwifery, in order to construct a picture of the themes that emerge from their national implementation. Conclusions., Only eight published research studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified in journals, and five more included from the ,grey literature', totalling 13 suitable research reports. Of these 13 papers, six involved nurses and midwives. Key themes from the literature are outlined and discussed. There is an overwhelming preference for qualitative methodologies, although there is a strong argument for quantitative work in mixed-methods studies. Relevance to clinical practice. Lecturer practitioner roles can make an important contribution to nursing and midwifery education, but this is problematic. It is essential that managers clarify the purpose, responsibilities, support and review of lecturer practitioner roles if they are to be successful. [source] Genetic signatures in an invasive parasite of Anguilla anguilla correlate with differential stock managementJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010S. Wielgoss In this article, it is shown that available genetic tools for the omnipresent parasite Anguillicoloides crassus in European eels Anguilla anguilla are sensitive to different immigration rates into local A. anguilla stocks for two separated river systems. Relying on four highly polymorphic microsatellite markers, it was inferred that under natural recruitment, nematode samples meet Hardy,Weinberg expectations for a single panmictic population, while genetic signals show signs for a strong Wahlund effect most likely due to very recent population mixing under frequent restocking of young A. anguilla. This was indicated by a low but significant FST value among within-host populations (infrapopulations) along with high inbreeding indices FIS consistent over all loci. The latter signal is shown to stem from high levels of admixture and the presence of first-generation migrants, and alternative explanations such as marker- and sex-specific biases in the nematode populations could be dismissed. Moreover, the slightly increased degree of relatedness within infrapopulations in the stocked river system cannot explain the excessive inbreeding values found and are most likely a direct consequence of recent influx of already infected fish harbouring parasites with different genetic signatures. Applying a simulation approach using known variables from the nematode's invasion history, only the artificial introduction of a Wahlund effect leads to a close match between simulated and real data, which is a strong argument for using the parasite as a biological tag for detecting and characterizing fish translocation. [source] The Denial of Slavery in Management StudiesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 8 2003Bill Cooke abstract American slavery has been wrongfully excluded from histories of management. By 1860, when the historical orthodoxy has modern management emerging on the railroads, 38,000 managers were managing the 4 million slaves working in the US economy. Given slaves' worth, slaveholders could literally claim ,our people are our greatest asset.' Yet a review of histories of management shows ante-bellum slavery excluded from managerial modernity as pre-capitalist, unsophisticated in practice, and without non-owner managers identified as such. These grounds for exclusion are challenged. First, it is shown slavery is included within capitalism by many historians, who also see plantations as a site of the emergence of industrial discipline. Second, ante-bellum slavery is demonstrated to have been managed according to classical management and Taylorian principles. Third, those doing the managing are shown to have been employed at the time as ,managers'. In the idea of the manager, and of scientific and classical management slavery has therefore left an ongoing imprint in management practice and thought. A strong argument is made for not just for postcolonialist accounts of management, but for management histories in which anti-African-American racism is a continuing strand. The fundamental significance of the article however is its identification of slavery as of intrinsic, but hitherto denied, relevance to management studies. [source] Chewing side preference as a type of hemispheric lateralityJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 5 2004J. Nissan summary, Chewing side preference is a factor that could effect prosthodontic treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chewing side was another type of hemispheric lateralization comparable with footedness, handedness, eyedness and earedness. Chewing side preference was tested in 189 subjects of whom 84 were partially edentulous, 98 had a full compliment of dental units (81 included implant-supported restoration restoring the missing teeth and 17 with fully intact dentitions), and seven were fully edentulous, restored with complete dentures. Laterality tests were carried out for the first cycle of mastication, handedness, footedness, earedness and eyedness and patient questionnaire. Most patients preferred chewing on the right side (78,3%) and were right sided. Chewing side preference correlated with other tested hemispherical lateralities. Missing teeth, occlusion type, lateral guidance, gender, implant-supported restorations and complete dentures do not affect the side preference for chewing. This presents a strong argument that chewing side preference is centrally controlled and provides food for thought regarding its significance in prosthodontics. [source] Safe restraint of the child passengerJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 12 2006Leanne Cameron Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the need for, and use of, booster seats in the 4,12 years age group and to identify risk factors for booster seat-non-use. Method: A cross-sectional sample of 1101 children aged 4,12 years travelling in 663 privately owned vehicles was taken from the Auckland region. Auckland is New Zealand's largest population centre, with a population of over 1.5 million. Information was gathered using a short questionnaire followed by direct inspection to identify those children using booster seats. The SafetyBeltSafe USA ,5-step rule' was used to look at those children not using a booster seat to determine whether one was still required. Results: While booster seat use has improved significantly in younger children since a similar study in 1992, only 40% of sampled children requiring a booster seat were using one. Booster seat use by children requiring them declined sharply as age increased. While 93% of 5- to 8-year-olds required a booster, only 30% were using one. The requirement for booster seats fell dramatically to 34% of 9- to 12-year-olds, but only 3% were using one. Conclusion: The high rate of need for booster seats and the lack of use of booster seats in children aged 5,8 years is a strong argument for legislation and education programmes targeting this age group. While the proportion of 9- to 12-year-olds needing a booster drops sharply, there would likely be benefits from educating parents on the ,5-step rule' or similar method to help identify the 30% of these older children that would continue to benefit from a booster seat. Rear seating should be promoted alongside booster seat use in the age group 4,12 years. [source] First-Order Schemes in the Numerical Quantization MethodMATHEMATICAL FINANCE, Issue 1 2003V. Bally The numerical quantization method is a grid method that relies on the approximation of the solution to a nonlinear problem by piecewise constant functions. Its purpose is to compute a large number of conditional expectations along the path of the associated diffusion process. We give here an improvement of this method by describing a first-order scheme based on piecewise linear approximations. Main ingredients are correction terms in the transition probability weights. We emphasize the fact that in the case of optimal quantization, many of these correcting terms vanish. We think that this is a strong argument to use it. The problem of pricing and hedging American options is investigated and a priori estimates of the errors are proposed. [source] Interaction between smoking and the stromelysin-1 (MMP3) gene 5A/6A promoter polymorphism and risk of coronary heart disease in healthy menANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 5-6 2002S. E. HUMPHRIES Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), but this risk may be modified by an individual's genotype. A common functional 5A/6A polymorphism in the promoter of the stromelysin-1 (matrix metalloproteinase 3, MMP3) gene has been identified. The 6A allele has been consistently associated with faster progression of angiographically determined CHD, while the 5A allele has recently been associated with risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with unstable angina. To date there has been no prospective study of the relationship of this genotype to CHD risk in smokers and non-smokers. DNA was available from 2743 middle-aged men, free of CHD at baseline, recruited through nine general practices in the UK for prospective surveillance. To date there have been almost 24000 person-years of follow-up with 125 CHD events (fatal and non-fatal MI, sudden coronary death, need for coronary artery surgery or new major ECG Q-wave abnormality). Men with events were each matched for age, practice and cholesterol level with three healthy men. Smoking habit was determined by questionnaire. 5A/6A genotype was determined using a heteroduplex generator method. Associations between genotype and disease outcome, according to smoking status, were assessed using conditional logistic regression. Overall, current smoking was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.99 (95% CI 1.30,3.06) as compared with never-smokers and ex-smokers combined (p<0.002). In non-smoking men, and after adjustment for conventional risk factors, compared with the 5A5A group, the RR was 1.37 (0.64,2.94) in those with the genotype 5A6A and 3.02 (1.38,6.61) in those with the genotype 6A6A. Smoking increased risk 1.4 fold in the 5A6A group to 1.91 (1.84,4.36), by 1.3 fold in the 6A6A group to 4.01 (1.57,10.24), but by 3.81 fold (1.54,9.40) in the 5A5A group (smoking,genotype interaction p = 0.01). The data indicate a key role for stromelysin in the atherosclerotic process. Men with the stromelysin genotype 5A5A represent 29% of the general population, and their high risk, if smokers, provides a further strong argument for smoking avoidance. [source] Healthy Country, Healthy People: Policy Implications of Links between Indigenous Human Health and Environmental Condition in Tropical AustraliaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2009Stephen T. Garnett Investment in programs that help Indigenous people undertake work maintaining the environmental health of their country has benefits for the environment as well as the physical, mental and cultural health of the Indigenous people involved. For health these findings have direct implications for some national health policies, service provision to homelands, health promotion and Indigenous health research. There are also direct implications for environmental investment in northern Australia and the design and regulation of markets in resource entitlements. Indirectly the findings should be important for economic, employment and education policies as well as those promoting social harmony. Given the range of benefits there is a strong argument for cross-agency investment in working on country by Indigenous people. [source] Reversibility of acute intermediate phase bilirubin encephalopathyACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2009Thor Willy Ruud Hansen Abstract Aim:, To show the potential for reversing acute intermediate to advanced phase bilirubin encephalopathy. Methods:, Case studies. Results:, Six extremely jaundiced infants had symptoms of intermediate to advanced phase acute bilirubin encephalopathy. The infants were treated aggressively. Two patients had brain magnetic resonance imaging showing increased signals in the globus pallidus. On follow-up, all infants are neurologically normal. Conclusions:, Intermediate-to-advanced stage acute bilirubin encephalopathy may occasionally be reversible. These cases provide a strong argument in favour of rapid and aggressive intervention in infants presenting with extreme jaundice and neurological symptoms. [source] Is one assessment enough?CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 5 2004Patterns of helping alliance development, outcome Early therapeutic alliance is usually measured by the rating of a single session (between the third and the fifth sessions). However, there is a strong argument in favor of viewing early alliance as a developing process. This study examined the relationship between patient's rating of the helping alliance (HAq) at each session and therapy outcome. This comparison was repeated using patterns of alliance over the course of treatment. Patterns of therapeutic alliance development were detected by clustering ratings of a sample of N = 70 outpatients across four sessions of very brief psychotherapeutic intervention. Cluster analysis revealed two main patterns (shapes) of alliance development: (i) stable alliance, and (ii) linear growth pattern. These patterns are more predictive of symptom improvement and social adjustment than single ratings, whereas single ratings measuring the strength of alliance are more correlated with patient's satisfaction.,Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Agricultural Productivity Growth and Poverty AlleviationDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 4 2001Xavier Irz How important is agricultural growth to poverty reduction? This article first sets out the theoretical reasons for expecting agricultural growth to reduce poverty. Several plausible and strong arguments apply - including the creation of jobs on the land, linkages from farming to the rest of the rural economy, and a decline in the real cost of food for the whole economy - but the degree of impact is in all cases qualified by particular circumstances. Hence, the article deploys a cross-country estimation of the links between agricultural yield per unit area and measures of poverty. This produces strong confirmation of the hypothesised linkages. It is unlikely that there are many other development interventions capable of reducing the numbers in poverty so effectively. [source] ADAPTIONISM,30 YEARS AFTER GOULD AND LEWONTINEVOLUTION, Issue 10 2009Rasmus Nielsen Gould and Lewontin's 30-year-old critique of adaptionism fundamentally changed the discourse of evolutionary biology. However, with the influx of new ideas and scientific traditions from genomics into evolutionary biology, the old adaptionist controversies are being recycled in a new context. The insight gained by evolutionary biologists, that functional differences cannot be equated to adaptive changes, has at times not been appreciated by the genomics community. In this comment, I argue that even in the presence of both functional data and evidence for selection from DNA sequence data, it is still difficult to construct strong arguments in favor of adaptation. However, despite the difficulties in establishing scientific arguments in favor of specific historic evolutionary events, there is still much to learn about evolution from genomic data. [source] Rumor Has It: The Moderating Effect of Identification on Rumor Impact and the Effectiveness of Rumor Refutation,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 9 2008Sabine A. Einwiller Two studies were undertaken to examine the moderating effect of identification with a rumor target on rumor impact and refutation effectiveness. We show that identification and its opposite, disidentification, bias the way individuals react to a rumor. That is, as identification with the rumor target increased from disidentification to neutral to identification, belief in an aversive rumor declined. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a refutation was moderated by an individual's level of identification. People with a neutral identification level processed a refutation heuristically and were persuaded by it, whether it contained strong or weak arguments. Disidentifiers, who engaged in systematic processing, believed the rumor less only when the refutation contained strong arguments. Identifiers, processing heuristically, remained unbelieving in the rumor. [source] Early struggles with single-fiber electromyography,MUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue S11 2002Jan E. Ekstedt MD Abstract The development of single-fiber electromyography is described. This method, introduced in 1963, was met with doubts, and there were strong arguments that subunits, 10,30 synchronized muscle fibers, were in fact being recorded. The dispute ended in 1971, and single-fiber electromyography is now generally accepted. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve Supplement 11: S5,S14, 2002 [source] Vital Aspects of Fallopian Tube Physiology in PigsREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2002RHF Hunter Contents This essay reviews four topical aspects of Fallopian tube physiology that bear on either successful fertilization or early development of the zygote. An initial focus is on glycoprotein secretions of the duct that accumulate as a viscous mucus in the caudal isthmus. Because this is the site of the pre-ovulatory sperm reservoir, an involvement of the secretions is considered in: preventing uterine and ampullary tubal fluids from entering the functional sperm reservoir; removing residual male secretions from the sperm surface; deflecting spermatozoa towards endosalpingeal organelles and reducing flagellar beat before ovulation. The subtle prompting of flagellar movement with impending ovulation is examined in terms of potential reactivation mechanisms, with overall control attributed to increasing secretion of progesterone. The site of full capacitation and the acrosome reaction in a fertilizing spermatozoon is then debated, with strong arguments pointing to completion of these processes in the specific fluids at the ampullary-isthmic junction. Finally, the synthetic activity of cumulus cells released at ovulation as a paracrine tissue in the Fallopian tube is highlighted with reference to steroid hormones, peptides and cytokines. Not only does the suspension of granulosa-derived cells influence the process of fertilization, but also it may amplify oocyte or embryonic signals to the endosalpinx and ipsilateral ovary. [source] 3134: Identification of potential human corneal endothelial stem-like cell nichesACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010G THURET Purpose to study the localization of potential stem-(like) cells in human adult corneal endothelium Methods Fresh (6-12h post mortem) and organ cultured (OC) corneas were studied after flat mount. The whole endothelium and posterior limbus (PL) was observed after triple staining with Trypan blue, Alizarin red and Hoechst 33342, in order to determine cells shape, localization and viability. The level of endothelial cell (EC) differenciation was determined after immunostaining (fluorescence) for ZO-1, Na+/K+ ATPase and COX IV; the cell proliferation status was assessed using Ki67; four markers for stem cells were used: Oct-4, BCRP, Nestin and Telomerase; ability for cell migration was evaluated from Myosin IIA expression Results In several corneas, the nuclei of peripheral EC were centripetally aligned suggesting continuous slow central migration. Numerous small cells with a reduced expression of differenciation markers were accumulated near peripheral Hassall Henle bodies. In these potential niches, cells were distributed in 3-5 layers. A high expression of Myosin II was found in peripheral cells. Ki67+ cells were found in PL and peripheral EC only after OC. None of the 4 stem cell markers was found in EC, and their expression in PL was poorly reliable because of high background noise. Numerous trypan blue positive cells were located at the PL and in the extreme periphery of endothelium Conclusion several strong arguments suggest the location of corneal endothelial stem-like cell niches in endothelial periphery or in the PL, and the capacity of EC to migrate from these niches toward the centre. Trypan blue staining pattern suggests that they could rapidly die in ex vivo corneas, and be therefore hard to indentify [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||