Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Various Domains (various + domain)
Selected AbstractsThe heterogeneity of causes and courses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009H-C. Steinhausen Objective:, Attention-deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a frequent mental disorder with onset in childhood and persistence into adulthood in a sizeable number of people. Despite a rather simple clinical definition, ADHD has many facets because of frequent co-morbid disorders and varying impact on psychosocial functioning. Thus, there is considerable heterogeneity in various domains. Method:, A review of recent research findings in: i) selected domains of aetiology reflecting the role of genes, brain structures and functioning and the interplay of causal factors and ii) clinical heterogeneity in terms of co-morbidities, gender effects, courses and outcomes. Results:, Molecular genetic studies have identified a number of candidate genes which have a small effect on behavioural variation in ADHD. In the most recent Genome Scan Meta Analysis of seven ADHD linkage studies, genome-wide significant linkage was identified on chromosome 16. The volume of both the total brain and various regions including the prefrontal cortex, the caudate nucleus and the vermis of the cerebellum is smaller in ADHD. Functional MRI has documented a specific deficit of frontostriatal networks in ADHD. Integrative aetiological models have to take the interaction of gene and environment on various dysfunctions into account. Clinical heterogeneity results from frequent associations with various co-morbidities, the impact of the disorder on psychosocial functioning, and gender effects. Partly, these effects are evident also in the course and outcome of ADHD. Conclusion:, ADHD is a chronic mental disorder with a complex aetiology. So far, various neurobiological factors have been identified that need to be studied further to better understand their interaction with environmental factors. The clinical presentation and the long-term course of ADHD are manifold. [source] REVIEW: Consilient research approaches in studying gene × environment interactions in alcohol researchADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Kenneth J. Sher ABSTRACT This review article discusses the importance of identifying gene-environment interactions for understanding the etiology and course of alcohol use disorders and related conditions. A number of critical challenges are discussed, including the fact that there is no organizing typology for classifying different types of environmental exposures, many key human environmental risk factors for alcohol dependence have no clear equivalents in other species, much of the genetic variance of alcohol dependence in human is not ,alcohol specific', and the potential range of gene-environment interactions that could be considered is so vast that maintaining statistical control of Type 1 errors is a daunting task. Despite these and other challenges, there appears to be a number of promising approaches that could be taken in order to achieve consilience and ecologically valid translation between human alcohol dependence and animal models. Foremost among these is to distinguish environmental exposures that are thought to have enduring effects on alcohol use motivation (and self-regulation) from situational environmental exposures that facilitate the expression of such motivations but do not, by themselves, have enduring effects. In order to enhance consilience, various domains of human approach motivation should be considered so that relevant environmental exposures can be sampled, as well as the appropriate species to study them in (i.e. where such motivations are ecologically relevant). Foremost among these are social environments, which are central to the initiation and escalation of human alcohol consumption. The value of twin studies, human laboratory studies and pharmacogenetic studies is also highlighted. [source] Sequential decision-theoretic models and expert systemsEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2002Silvano Mussi Sequential decision models are an important component of expert systems since, in general, the cost of acquiring information is significant and there is a trade-off between the cost and the value of information. Many expert systems in various domains (business, engineering, medicine etc.), needing costly inputs that are not known until the system operates, have to face this problem. In the last decade the field of sequential decision models based on decision theory (sequential decision-theoretic models) have become more and more important due to both the continuous progress made by research in Bayesian networks and the availability of modern powerful tools for building Bayesian networks and for probability propagation. This paper provides readers (especially knowledge engineers and expert system designers) with a unified and integrated presentation of the disparate literature in the field of sequential decision-making based on decision theory, in order to improve comprehensibility and accessibility. Besides the presentation of the general theory, a view of sequential diagnosis as an instance of the general concept of sequential decision-theoretic models is also shown. [source] The C-terminal region of the proprotein convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) exerts a bimodal regulation of the enzyme activity in vitroFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 13 2007Nadia Rabah The proprotein convertase PC1/3 preferentially cleaves its substrates in the dense core secretory granules of endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. Similar to most proteinases synthesized first as zymogens, PC1/3 is synthesized as a larger precursor that undergoes proteolytic processing of its signal peptide and propeptide. The N-terminally located propeptide has been shown to be essential for folding and self-inhibition. Furthermore, PC1/3 also possesses a C-terminal region (CT-peptide) which, for maximal enzymatic activity, must also be cleaved. To date, its role has been documented through transfection studies in terms of sorting and targeting of PC1/3 and chimeric proteins into secretory granules. In this study, we examined the properties of a 135-residue purified bacterially produced CT-peptide on the in vitro enzymatic activity of PC1/3. Depending on the amount of CT-peptide used, it is shown that the CT-peptide increases PC1/3 activity at low concentrations (nm) and decreases it at high concentrations (µm), a feature typical of an activator. Furthermore, we show that, contrary to the propeptide, the CT-peptide is not further cleaved by PC1/3 although it is sensitive to human furin activity. Based on these results, it is proposed that PC1/3, through its various domains, is capable of controlling its enzymatic activity in all regions of the cell that it encounters. This mode of self-control is unique among members of all proteinases families. [source] A domain decomposition method for modelling Stokes flow in porous materialsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 11 2002Guangli Liu Abstract An algorithm is presented for solving the Stokes equation in large disordered two-dimensional porous domains. In this work, it is applied to random packings of discs, but the geometry can be essentially arbitrary. The approach includes the subdivision of the domain and a subsequent application of boundary integral equations to the subdomains. This gives a block diagonal matrix with sparse off-block components that arise from shared variables on internal subdomain boundaries. The global problem is solved using a biconjugate gradient routine with preconditioning. Results show that the effectiveness of the preconditioner is strongly affected by the subdomain structure, from which a methodology is proposed for the domain decomposition step. A minimum is observed in the solution time versus subdomain size, which is governed by the time required for preconditioning, the time for vector multiplications in the biconjugate gradient routine, the iterative convergence rate and issues related to memory allocation. The method is demonstrated on various domains including a random 1000-particle domain. The solution can be used for efficient recovery of point velocities, which is discussed in the context of stochastic modelling of solute transport. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On bipolarity in argumentation frameworksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 10 2008L. Amgoud In this article, we propose a survey of the use of bipolarity in argumentation frameworks. On the one hand, the notion of bipolarity relies on the presence of two kinds of entities that have a diametrically opposed nature and that represent repellent forces (a positive entity and a negative entity). The notion exists in various domains (for example with the representation of preferences in artificial intelligence, or in cognitive psychology). On the other hand, argumentation process is a promising approach for reasoning, based on the construction and the comparison of arguments. It follows five steps: building the arguments, defining the interactions between these arguments, valuating the arguments, selecting the most acceptable arguments and, finally, drawing a conclusion. Using the nomenclature proposed by Dubois and Prade, this article shows on various applications, and with some formal definitions, that bipolarity appears in argumentation (in some cases if not always) and can be used in each step of this process under different forms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Unified algorithm for undirected discovery of exception rulesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 7 2005Einoshin Suzuki This article presents an algorithm that seeks every possible exception rule that violates a commonsense rule and satisfies several assumptions of simplicity. Exception rules, which represent systematic deviation from commonsense rules, are often found interesting. Discovery of pairs that consist of a commonsense rule and an exception rule, resulting from undirected search for unexpected exception rules, was successful in various domains. In the past, however, an exception rule represented a change of conclusion caused by adding an extra condition to the premise of a commonsense rule. That approach formalized only one type of exception and failed to represent other types. To provide a systematic treatment of exceptions, we categorize exception rules into 11 categories, and we propose a unified algorithm for discovering all of them. Preliminary results on 15 real-world datasets provide an empirical proof of effectiveness of our algorithm in discovering interesting knowledge. The empirical results also match our theoretical analysis of exceptions, showing that the 11 types can be partitioned in three classes according to the frequency with which they occur in data. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 673,691, 2005. [source] Integrity Tests and the Five-Factor Model of Personality: A Review and Empirical Test of Two Alternative PositionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 2 2006Bernd Marcus The psychological meaning of integrity test scores has been explored predominantly in relation to the five-factor model of personality (FFM). Two alternative positions on this topic can be identified in the literature which state, respectively, that integrity tests measure (a) a higher-order factor of personality covering three FFM dimensions or (b) a linear composite of numerous facets from various domains within the FFM. An empirical test of these alternative positions, using structural equation modeling, revealed that the value of both views depended on the type of integrity test examined. With a personality-based integrity test, position (a) had to be refuted, whereas position (b) was strongly supported. There was also more supportive evidence for position (b) with an overt test, but the difference was far less pronounced than for the personality-based measure. Possible consequences for theories on the role of personality in personnel selection are discussed. [source] QUANTIFICATION OF FLUX DECLINE OF DEPECTINIZED MOSAMBI (CITRUS SINENSIS[L.] OSBECK) JUICE USING UNSTIRRED BATCH ULTRAFILTRATIONJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005P. RAI ABSTRACT Ultrafiltration of enzymatically treated mosambi (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck) juice was performed in a batch, unstirred membrane cell. Thin film composite polyamide membrane of molecular weight cut-off 50,000 was used. The flux-decline mechanism was identified by the growth of a gel-type layer over the membrane surface. The flux decline, the gel resistance, the gel-layer thickness and various domains of resistances were calculated at a constant pressure difference in the range of 276,552 kPa. The conventional gel-filtration theory was employed to analyze the flux-decline behavior. The calculated permeate flux and gel-layer resistances were consistent with the experimental results. The calculated gel-layer thickness varied from 4.12 to 74.1 µm for different operating condition (pressure) and time. The time at which the gel resistance becomes equal to the membrane-hydraulic resistance ranged from 13 to 31 s for the pressure range studied herein. Thus, the deposited layer resistance to permeate flow was substantial, throughout the whole operation, except in the first few seconds. [source] The American Master Bedroom: Its Changing Location and Significance to the FamilyJOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 1 2005John L. Vollmer M. S. ABSTRACT This article discusses the possible relationship between changes in the master bedroom and parenting values in middle class America. The authors review information from the US homebuilding industry, statistical data on housing trends, literature on the history of the bedroom from the Colonial period to the present, and literature on family sleep practices. The owner's bedroom, one domain among various domains in the home, is an individual-private domain that functions to ensure adult privacy and increase physical barriers between parents and children. The authors contend that changes in the location and function of the master bedroom in the American home over the past centuries reflect the upward social mobility afforded by rising incomes, expansive and undeveloped land, and shared concepts of prestige held by home builders and homeowners. These influences have helped develop a purely American sense of parenting among middle and upper-income families that reflects their individualism. Middle class parents have encouraged more physical distance between themselves and their offspring. Consistent with this trend, they have shown a preference for houses with large master suites that are sometimes located at a distance from other bedrooms in the house. Using a model by Chermayeff and Alexander (1965), the authors examine the relationship between parenting practices and private space, highlighting the implications of this trend for home planners and interior designers. [source] Perceived Relational Support in Adolescence: Dimensions, Configurations, and Adolescent AdjustmentJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 1 2001Ron H. J. Scholte The perceived relational support from four key providers (father, mother, special sibling, and best friend) on five provisions (quality of information, respect for autonomy, emotional support, convergence of goals, and acceptance) was examined for 2,262 adolescents (aged 12 , 18 years). In a variable-centered approach, factor analyses yielded five dimensions of support: three specific to providers (parent, friend, and sibling support) and two specific to provisions (convergence of goals and respect for autonomy). Only parental support was found to change (decrease) across age. In a person-centered approach, five types of adolescents with different configurations of perceived support were identified. The first three types differed in overall level of support (high, average, and low) for all of the five dimensions; the fourth type represented extremely low support from parents with above-average support from best friends; the fifth type consisted of adolescents with no best friend. These configurations were significantly related to different patterns of adolescent adjustment in various domains (psychological well-being, delinquency, substance use, and peer-group functioning). [source] Use of evaporative light scattering detector in the detection and quantification of enantiomeric mixtures by HPLCJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 10 2006Tong Zhang Abstract Routinely used in our laboratories at analytical scale, an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) has proved to be versatile in the detection of enantiomeric resolution using chiral stationary phases by HPLC. Though this kind of detector has been widely used in various domains, its application in enantiomeric resolution has not been discussed in the literature and is found to have very specific features especially in the quantitative perspective. In contrast with the UV detection, the peak area from ELSD for both enantiomers of a racemic mixture may not be the same. This complicates the assessment of the enantiomeric purity of unknown samples. This current work deals with some practical aspects in the detection of enantiomers and in accurate quantitative determination of enantiomeric purity by ELSD. Effects of analyte nature (more precisely molecular weight and volatility), peak shape and peak shape difference between enantiomers on the quantitative integration by ELSD are discussed in connection with the UV-detection results. The calibration for quantitative enantiomeric analysis and its effectiveness are demonstrated. [source] Organometallic Polymers of the Transition MetalsMACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 17 2002Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz Abstract This article provides a comprehensive review of the synthesis, properties and applications of organometallic polymers of the transition metals. The different classes of organometallic polymers are described according to their structural make-up, as well as by their methods of synthesis. A number of examples of each class are given to emphasize the richness and diversity in these areas of research. In addition to linear polymers, hyperbranched, crosslinked, star and dendritic polymers are also described. The properties that transition metal-containing organometallic polymers possess, as well as the applications that these materials have found in various domains are highlighted. [source] Privileging masculinity in the social construction of Basque identityNATIONS AND NATIONALISM, Issue 3 2001Begoña Echeverria Following a framework developed by Susan Gal and Judith Irvine (1995), this article illustrates how Basque-medium schools promulgate an androcentric vision of the Basque nation. First, male privilege is upheld in textbooks through the erasure of women's contributions to Basque language and culture, so that men appear as the quintessential Basque speakers and cultural agents. Secondly, language ideologies about Spanish and Basque recursively construct Basque ethnic identity is such a way that it centres on vernacular Basque, whose primary marker is a second person pronoun, ,hi', which indirectly indexes male speakers and masculinity. An iconic relationship is thereby created between authentic Basque identity, Basque culture, Basque linguistic forms and masculinity. However, I also show that women have challenged this male privilege in various domains, thereby opening up the possibility of a Basque nation that embraces its female as well as its male members. [source] Managing information sharing within an organizational setting: A social network perspectivePERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2009John-Paul Hatala Information sharing is critical to an organization's competitiveness and requires a free flow of information among members if the organization is to remain competitive. A review of the literature on organizational structure and information sharing was conducted to examine the research in this area. A case example illustrates how a social network approach was used to explore the process of measuring the social structure of an organization and the implementation of change interventions to increase connectivity and manage information sharing. The process of conducting social network analysis is described using the case example. Interventions for increasing information flow are discussed. The authors provide an information-sharing model that demonstrates the various domains of connectivity within an organization at any given state. The benefits of using social network analysis for information sharing and the implications for further research and practice are discussed. [source] CAR chasing: canine adenovirus vectors,all bite and no bark?THE JOURNAL OF GENE MEDICINE, Issue S1 2004Eric J. Kremer Abstract This review deals primarily with canine adenovirus serotype 2 (CAV-2) vectors and gives a simplified overview of how the various domains of virology, cellular and molecular biology, as well as immunology, come into play when trying to understand and ameliorate adenovirus (Ad)-mediated gene transfer. The generation of early region 1 (E1)-deleted (,E1) CAV-2 vectors, the lack of pre-existing humoral immunity, trafficking, the use of the coxsackie B adenovirus receptor (CAR), the surprising neuronal tropism, and the ability to migrate via axons to afferent regions of the central and peripheral nervous system, are described. Due to these intrinsic properties, CAV-2 vectors may be powerful tools for the study of the pathophysiology and potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like lysosomal storage disorders, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and others. Other potential uses include anti-tumoral and anti-viral vaccines, tracer of synaptic junctions, pain therapy, cancer therapy (e.g. K9 CRAds), and gene transfer to other somatic tissues. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Twenty Years of the Journal of Product Innovation Management: History, Participants, and Knowledge Stock and FlowsTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2007Wim Biemans The Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM) serves as a marketplace for science-based, innovative ideas that are produced and consumed by scholars and businesspeople. Now that JPIM has existed for 20 years, two intriguing questions emerge: (1) How has the journal evolved over time in terms of knowledge stock, that is, what are the characteristics of the growing stock of knowledge published by JPIM over the years; and (2) how has the journal evolved in knowledge flow, that is, how is JPIM influenced by other scientific publications and what is its impact on other journals? In terms of knowledge stock, over 35% of the articles published over the 20 years investigate processes and metrics for performance management. The next most frequently published area was strategy, planning, and decision making (20%), followed by customer and market research (17%). The dominant research method used was a cross-sectional large-sample survey, and the focus most usually is at the project level of the firm. The large majority of JPIM authors (60%) have a marketing background, with the remaining 40% representing numerous functional domains. Academics at all levels publish in JPIM, and though most authors hail from North America, the Dutch are a significant second group. JPIM was analyzed from a knowledge-flow perspective by looking at the scientific sources used by JPIM authors to develop their ideas and articles. To this end a bibliometric analysis was performed by analyzing all references in articles published in JPIM. During 1984,2003 JPIM published 488 articles, containing 10,314 references to journals and 6,533 references to other sources. Some 20% of these references (2,020) were self-references to JPIM articles. The remaining 8,294 journal references were to articles in 287 journals in the fields of management (25%), marketing (24%), and management of technology (14%). However, it should be pointed out that many domains were dominated by a limited number of journals. The second component of knowledge flow concerns the extent to which the ideas developed in JPIM are consumed by other authors. Again, bibliometric analysis was used to analyze data from the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) about citations to JPIM in other journals. For the period 1984,2005, the SSCI registered 7,773 citations to JPIM in 2,067 articles published in 278 journals (including the 2,020 self-citations in JPIM). The functional areas most frequently citing JPIM are management of technology (25%), marketing (15%), management (14%), and operations management and management science (9%). Again, several domains were found to be dominated by a limited number of journals. At the level of individual journals the analysis shows a growing impact of JPIM on management of technology journals. The knowledge-flow analysis demonstrates how JPIM functions as a bridge between the knowledge from various domains and the body of knowledge on management of technology. It suggests a growing specialization of the field of technology innovation management, with JPIM being firmly entrenched as the acknowledged leading journal. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||