Terms Related (term + relate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


CHARTING THE "TRANSITIONAL PERIOD": THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN TIME IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

HISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2006
GÖRAN BLIX
ABSTRACT This paper seeks to chart a concept of historical experience that French Romantic writers first developed to describe their own relationship to historical time: the notion of the "transitional period." At first, the term related strictly to the evolving periodic conception of history, one that required breaks, spaces, or zones of indeterminacy to bracket off periods imagined as organic wholes. These transitions, necessary devices in the new grammar of history, also began to attract interest on their own, conceived either as chaotic but creative times of transformation, or, more often, as slack periods of decadence that possessed no proper style but exhibited hybrid traits. Their real interest, however, lies in their reflexive application to the nineteenth century itself, by writers and historians such as Alfred de Musset, Chateaubriand, Michelet, and Renan, who in their effort to define their own period envisioned the "transitional period" as a passage between more coherent and stable historical formations. This prospective self-definition of the "age of history" from a future standpoint is very revealing; it shows not just the tension between its organic way of apprehending the past and its own self-perception, but it also opens a window on a new and paradoxical experience of time, one in which change is ceaseless and an end in itself. The paper also presents a critique of the way the term "modernity" has functioned, from Baudelaire's initial use to the present, to occlude the experience of transition that the Romantics highlighted. By imposing on the nineteenth-century sense of the transitory a heroic period designation, the term "modernity" denies precisely the reality it describes, and sublimates a widespread temporal malaise into its contrary. The paper concludes that the peculiarly "modern" mania for naming one's period is a function of transitional time, and that the concept coined by the Romantics still governs our contemporary experience. [source]


Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: concepts and definitions

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 2 2000
David M. Richardson
Abstract., Much confusion exists in the English-language literature on plant invasions concerning the terms ,naturalized' and ,invasive' and their associated concepts. Several authors have used these terms in proposing schemes for conceptualizing the sequence of events from introduction to invasion, but often imprecisely, erroneously or in contradictory ways. This greatly complicates the formulation of robust generalizations in invasion ecology. Based on an extensive and critical survey of the literature we defined a minimum set of key terms related to a graphic scheme which conceptualizes the naturalization/invasion process. Introduction means that the plant (or its propagule) has been transported by humans across a major geographical barrier. Naturalization starts when abiotic and biotic barriers to survival are surmounted and when various barriers to regular reproduction are overcome. Invasion further requires that introduced plants produce reproductive offspring in areas distant from sites of introduction (approximate scales: > 100 m over < 50 years for taxa spreading by seeds and other propagules; > 6 m/3 years for taxa spreading by roots, rhizomes, stolons or creeping stems). Taxa that can cope with the abiotic environment and biota in the general area may invade disturbed, seminatural communities. Invasion of successionally mature, undisturbed communities usually requires that the alien taxon overcomes a different category of barriers. We propose that the term ,invasive' should be used without any inference to environmental or economic impact. Terms like ,pests' and ,weeds' are suitable labels for the 50,80% of invaders that have harmful effects. About 10% of invasive plants that change the character, condition, form, or nature of ecosystems over substantial areas may be termed ,transformers'. [source]


APPLICATION OF TWO CONSUMER PROFILING TECHNIQUES TO COSMETIC EMULSIONS

JOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 5 2010
MARÍA EMMA PARENTE
ABSTRACT The sensory characteristics of cosmetic products are commonly used for attracting consumers' attention in advertising campaigns and packaging. Thus, in order to appropriately satisfy consumers' sensory expectations, it is important to gather information about their perception of the sensory characteristics. In this context, the aim of the present work was to apply two consumer methodologies (intensity scales and a check-all-that-apply [CATA] question) to gather information about the sensory profile of cosmetic emulsions. Six cosmetic emulsions with different formulation, widely differing in their sensory characteristics, were evaluated by two groups of 50 female consumers. One group used intensity scales to evaluate eight attributes of the emulsions and the other completed a CATA question comprising 20 terms related to sensory characteristics of the emulsions, cosmetic applications and effects on the skin. Both intensity scales and CATA question were able to detect differences in consumers' perception of the sensory characteristics of the evaluated emulsions. These differences could be explained considering the samples' formulation, which suggests their validity and indicates that they could consist on interesting alternatives to traditional sensory profiles obtained with trained assessors' panels. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The application of intensity scales or a CATA question consisted of an interesting approach to gather information about consumers' perception of cosmetic products. Despite both methodologies provided similar results, the application of CATA questions could be regarded as more natural for consumers and easier to use. Besides, CATA questions could enable the identification of consumers' perception of the sensory characteristics of cosmetic products, but also their effects on the skin and the cosmetic applications for which they are considered appropriate. An interesting application of this methodology could be the development of a line of cosmetic products with different applications or the selection of sensory and efficacy claims during the design of marketing strategies or labels of cosmetic products. [source]


Automated indexing of the hazardous substances data bank

PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2003
Carlo Nuss
The Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), a factual data file produced and maintained by the Specialized Information Services (SIS) Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), contains over 4600 records on potentially hazardous chemicals. To improve information retrieval from HSDB, SIS has undertaken the development of an automated indexing protocol in collaboration with NLM's Indexing Initiative group. The Indexing Initiative investigates methods whereby automated indexing may partially or completely substitute for human indexing. Three main methodologies are applied: the MetaMap Indexing method, which maps text to concepts in the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus; the Trigram Phrase Matching method, which uses character trigrams to match text to Metathesaurus concepts; and a variant of the PubMed Related Citations method to find MeSH terms related to input text. The UMLS concepts generated by the first two methods are mapped to MeSH main headings through the Restrict-to-MeSH algorithm. The resulting MeSH terms are then clustered into a ranked list of recommended indexing terms. The purpose of the poster is to present our experience in applying these automated indexing methodologies to a large data file with highly structured records, a variety of text and data formats, and complex technical and biomedical terminology. [source]


Mammography screening in African American women

CANCER, Issue S1 2003
Evaluating the research
Abstract BACKGROUND Notwithstanding some controversy regarding the benefits of screening mammography, it is generally assumed that the effects are the same for women of all race/ethnic groups. Yet evidence for its efficacy from clinical trial studies comes primarily from the study of white women. It is likely that mammography is equally efficacious in white and African American women when applied under relatively optimal clinical trial conditions, but in actual practice African Americans may not be receiving equal benefit, as reflected in their later stage at diagnosis and greater mortality. METHODS Initial searches of Medline using search terms related to screening mammography, race, and other selected topics were supplemented with national data that are routinely published for cancer surveillance. Factors that potentially compromise the benefits of mammography as it is delivered in the current health care system to African American women were examined. RESULTS While there have been significant improvements in mammography screening utilization, observational data suggest that African American women may still not be receiving the full benefit. Potential explanatory factors include low use of repeat screening, inadequate followup for abnormal exams, higher prevalence of obesity and, possibly, breast density, and other biologic factors that contribute to younger age at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Further study of biologic factors that may contribute to limited mammography efficacy and poorer breast cancer outcomes in African American women is needed. In addition, strategies to increase repeat mammography screening and to ensure that women obtain needed followup of abnormal mammograms may increase early detection and improve survival among African Americans. Notwithstanding earlier age at diagnosis for African American women, mammography screening before age 40 years is not recommended, but screening of women aged 40,49 years is particularly critical. Cancer 2003;97(1 Suppl):258,72. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11022 An erratum to this article is published in Cancer (2003) 97(8) 2047. [source]