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Recent Claims (recent + claim)
Selected AbstractsOn Some Recent Claims for the Efficacy of Cognitive Therapy for People with Intellectual DisabilitiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2006Peter Sturmey Background, Many authors have expressed concern regarding the efficacy of psychotherapy, including psychotherapy for people with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods, Recently, many authors have made claims for the effectiveness of cognitive therapy for treating people with intellectual disabilities. During this debate, applied behaviour analysis has been misrepresented by incorrectly labelling behavioural as cognitive techniques, repeated misrepresentations of behaviourism and attributing the efficacy of treatment packages to cognitive components of undemonstrated efficacy when it is more parsimonious to attribute efficacy to behavioural elements of known efficacy. Conclusions, This article documents and corrects these errors. [source] Palaeopedological marker horizons in northern central Europe: characteristics of Lateglacial Usselo and Finow soilsBOREAS, Issue 3 2009KNUT KAISER Lateglacial buried soil horizons, which occur widely in sandy aeolian sequences of northern central Europe, were analysed in order to evaluate their regional pedostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental potential. Data on stratigraphy, sedimentology, pedology, geochronology and palaeobotany from 29 palaeosol-bearing profiles at terrestrial sites are presented. Greyish Ahb and Eb horizons occur, as well as brownish Bwb and BwAhb horizons. They are 5,30 cm thick, showing similar pedological properties except colour, and they frequently bear charcoal typically from pine. Soil classification results in Albic Arenosols (Dystric) and Brunic Arenosols (Dystric) representing palaeosols of the Usselo and Finow types, respectively. Radiocarbon dating of the palaeosols reveals a dominance of Allerød ages followed by Younger Dryas and Preboreal ages. Most luminescence ages on overlying aeolian sands date into the Allerød,Younger Dryas interval. Mapping of all Usselo and Finow soil occurrences (n=96) in northern central Europe known so far reveals a nearly closed Finow soil province between Usselo soil areas in NW Germany and central Poland, mainly situated in NE Germany. Most Usselo soils compiled contain charcoal, indicating widespread and repeated fires. Recent claims that the Usselo soil represents an event layer from rapid aeolian sedimentation caused by an extraterrestrial impact is rejected. Instead, both Usselo and Finow soils can be assumed to be pedostratigraphical marker horizons in northern central Europe and beyond. [source] Consistency of modelled and observed temperature trends in the tropical troposphereINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 13 2008B. D. Santer Abstract A recent report of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) identified a ,potentially serious inconsistency' between modelled and observed trends in tropical lapse rates (Karl et al., 2006). Early versions of satellite and radiosonde datasets suggested that the tropical surface had warmed more than the troposphere, while climate models consistently showed tropospheric amplification of surface warming in response to human-caused increases in well-mixed greenhouse gases (GHGs). We revisit such comparisons here using new observational estimates of surface and tropospheric temperature changes. We find that there is no longer a serious discrepancy between modelled and observed trends in tropical lapse rates. This emerging reconciliation of models and observations has two primary explanations. First, because of changes in the treatment of buoy and satellite information, new surface temperature datasets yield slightly reduced tropical warming relative to earlier versions. Second, recently developed satellite and radiosonde datasets show larger warming of the tropical lower troposphere. In the case of a new satellite dataset from Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), enhanced warming is due to an improved procedure of adjusting for inter-satellite biases. When the RSS-derived tropospheric temperature trend is compared with four different observed estimates of surface temperature change, the surface warming is invariably amplified in the tropical troposphere, consistent with model results. Even if we use data from a second satellite dataset with smaller tropospheric warming than in RSS, observed tropical lapse rate trends are not significantly different from those in all other model simulations. Our results contradict a recent claim that all simulated temperature trends in the tropical troposphere and in tropical lapse rates are inconsistent with observations. This claim was based on use of older radiosonde and satellite datasets, and on two methodological errors: the neglect of observational trend uncertainties introduced by interannual climate variability, and application of an inappropriate statistical ,consistency test'. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Spatial seed and pollen games: dispersal, sex allocation, and the evolution of dioecyJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 9 2010LUTZ FROMHAGE Abstract The evolutionary forces shaping within- and across-species variation in the investment in male and female sex function are still incompletely understood. Despite earlier suggestions that in plants the evolution or cosexuality vs. dioecy, as well as sex allocation among cosexuals, is affected by seed and pollen dispersal, no formal model has explicitly used dispersal distances to address this problem. Here, we present a game-theory model as well as a simulation study that fills in this gap. Our model predicts that dioecy should evolve if seeds and pollen disperse widely and that sex allocation among cosexuals should be biased towards whichever sex function produces more widely dispersing units. Dispersal limitations stabilize cosexuality by reinforcing competition between spatially clumped dispersal units from the same source, leading to saturating fitness returns that render sexual specialization unprofitable. However, limited pollen dispersal can also increase the risk of selfing, thus potentially selecting for dioecy as an outbreeding mechanism. Finally, we refute a recent claim that cosexuals should always invest equally in both sex functions. [source] GRS 1915+105: the distance, radiative processes and energy-dependent variabilityMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005Andrzej A. Zdziarski ABSTRACT We present an exhaustive analysis of five broad-band observations of GRS 1915+105 in two variability states, , and ,, observed simultaneously by the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) and High-Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE) detectors aboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) detector aboard the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory. We find all the spectra well fitted by Comptonization of disc blackbody photons, with very strong evidence for the presence of a non-thermal electron component in the Comptonizing plasma. Both the energy and the power spectra in the , state are typical of the very high/intermediate state of black hole binaries. The spectrum of the , state is characterized by a strong blackbody component Comptonized by thermal electrons and a weak non-thermal tail. We then calculate rms spectra (fractional variability as functions of energy) for the PCA data. We accurately model the rms spectra by coherent superposition of variability in the components implied by the spectral fits, namely a less variable blackbody and more variable Comptonization. The latter dominates at high energies, resulting in a flattening of the rms at high energies in most of the data. This is also the case for the spectra of the quasi-periodic oscillations present in the , state. Then, some of our data require a radial dependence of the rms of the disc blackbody. We also study the distance to the source, and find d, 11 kpc as the most likely value, contrary to a recent claim of a much lower value. [source] Factors affecting the survival of founding individuals in translocated New Zealand Saddlebacks Philesturnus carunculatusIBIS, Issue 4 2007SABRINA S. TAYLOR Successful founders of new populations may represent a non-random sample of potential founding individuals. Using a recent Saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus translocation as a natural experiment, we related morphology, parasite load and genetic variation of translocated individuals to subsequent survivorship to assess the traits of successful founders. We also included capture location and holding time in our models to account for variables particular to translocations. Generalized linear model results suggest that, in addition to capture location, poor body condition (males) and the presence of ectoparasites (females) significantly reduced survivorship. Despite recent claims in the literature, we found no evidence that genetic variation was associated with survivorship or parasite load. [source] It Ain't Broke: The Past, Present, and Future of Venture CapitalJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 2 2010Steven N. Kaplan This article presents a selective history of the U.S. venture capital (VC) industry, a discussion of the current state of the market, and some predictions about where the market is going. There is no doubt that the U.S. venture capital industry has been very successful. The VC model has provided an efficient solution to a difficult problem,that of enabling people with promising ideas but often limited track records to raise capital from outside investors. A large fraction of IPOs, including many of the most successful, have been funded by venture capitalists, and the U.S. VC model has been copied around the world. Armed with this historical perspective, the authors view with skepticism the recent claims that the VC model is broken. In the past, VC investments in companies have represented a remarkably constant 0.15% of the total value of the stock market; and commitments to VC funds, while more variable, have been consistently in the 0.10% to 0.20% range. Both of these percentages have continued to hold in recent years. And despite the relatively low number of IPOs, the returns to VC funds this decade have largely maintained their historical relationship to the overall stock market. To be sure, VC investment and returns continue to be subject to boom-and-bust cycles. But if the recent period has most of the features of a bust, the authors view today's historically low level of commitments to U.S. VC funds as a fairly reliable indicator of relatively high expected returns for the 2009 and (probably) 2010 vintage years. Perhaps the most promising future role for venture capital, as the authors suggest in closing, is to increase the productivity of the corporate research and development function through various kinds of partnerships and outsourcing arrangements. [source] Placebo psychotherapy: Synonym or oxymoron?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2005Irving Kirsch Contrary to some recent claims, the placebo effect is real and in some cases very substantial. Placebo effects can be produced or enhanced by classical conditioning, but consistent with virtually all contemporary conditioning theories, these effects are generally mediated by expectancy. Expectancy can also produce placebo effects that are inconsistent with conditioning history. Although expectancy also plays an important role in psychotherapy outcome, the logic of placebo-controlled trials does not map well onto psychotherapy research. The idea of evaluating the efficacy of psychotherapy by controlling for nonspecific or placebo factors is based on a flawed analogy and should be abandoned. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 61: 791,803, 2005. [source] Classical and Neoclassical Indeterminacy in One-shot Versus Ongoing EquilibriaMETROECONOMICA, Issue 3 2002Michael Mandler I analyze two connections between neoclassical and classical economics. First, I consider the indeterminacy that arises for both schools: in the neoclassical theories of overlapping generations and of factor pricing and in Sraffa's price theory. Neoclassical indeterminacy occurs only in environments where relative prices can change through time; otherwise, determinacy obtains. Although these results challenge the Sraffian position on indeterminacy, the classical principle that current economic activity is embedded in the past proves to be a powerful insight: it establishes the robustness of factor-price indeterminacy and casts doubt on the importance of overlapping-generations indeterminacy. Second, I argue that recent claims that capital-theoretic paradoxes arise in intertemporal general equilibrium modes, not just in aggregative theory, cannot be validated. [source] Black hole growth in hierarchical galaxy formationMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Rowena K. Malbon ABSTRACT We incorporate a model for black hole growth during galaxy mergers into the semi-analytical galaxy formation model based on ,CDM proposed by Baugh et al. Our black hole model has one free parameter, which we set by matching the observed zero-point of the local correlation between black hole mass and bulge luminosity. We present predictions for the evolution with redshift of the relationships between black hole mass and bulge properties. Our simulations reproduce the evolution of the optical luminosity function of quasars. We study the demographics of the black hole population and address the issue of how black holes acquire their mass. We find that the direct accretion of cold gas during starbursts is an important growth mechanism for lower mass black holes and at high redshift. On the other hand, the re-assembly of pre-existing black hole mass into larger units via merging dominates the growth of more massive black holes at low redshift. This prediction could be tested by future gravitational wave experiments. As redshift decreases, progressively less massive black holes have the highest fractional growth rates, in line with recent claims of ,downsizing' in quasar activity. [source] General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of monopole magnetospheres of black holesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2004S. S. Komissarov ABSTRACT In this paper, we report on the results of the first ever time-dependent general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the magnetically dominated monopole magnetospheres of black holes. It is found that the numerical solution evolves towards a stable steady-state solution which is very close to the corresponding force-free solution found by Blandford & Znajek. Contrary to the recent claims, the particle inertia does not become dynamically important near the event horizon and the force-free approximation provides a proper framework for magnetically dominated magnetospheres of black holes. For the first time, our numerical simulations show the development of an ultrarelativistic particle wind from a rotating black hole. However, the flow remains Poynting-dominated all the way up to the fast critical point. This suggests that the details of the so-called ,astrophysical load', where the electromagnetic energy is transferred to particles, may have no effect on the efficiency of the Blandford,Znajek mechanism. [source] Versions of an ,Intimate Relation'.ORBIS LITERARUM, Issue 4 2009Difficulty, Lightness in the Thirties Auden W. H. Auden's poetry of the thirties is often described in terms of its distinctive variety - from the difficult work of his earliest period to the preoccupation with clarity, and the growing centrality of light verse to his poetic identity later in the decade. Similarly the arc of this development can be explained according to the particular critical flashpoints of the literary milieu of the thirties, featuring Auden himself as a crucial actor. Rather than focusing predominantly on the figure of Auden to recount this development, however, this article places the reader's engagement with the variety of his work as paramount. I suggest that contextualising the reader's spoken interaction with the page , as a crucible in which the ,singular' force of Auden's work is fully revealed , can lead to fresh formulations of a well-established critical narrative, and can qualify recent claims for Auden's proto-postmodernism. [source] Colonial and post-colonial aspects of Australian identity1THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Bruce Tranter Abstract Since the 1988 Bicentennial and the 2001 centenary of federation celebrations colonial images have flourished in Australia, highlighting the roles of convicts and free settlers during early colonization. Old sites, such as Port Arthur have been re-invigorated, and in 2004 Tasmanians celebrated the bicentenary of ,white' settlement. However, social scientists have given little attention to the role of colonial and post-colonial figures and myths as aspects of Australian national identity. We seek to address this issue by examining how convicts, free settlers, bushrangers and ANZACs are associated with contemporary identity in Australia.2 We examine evidence from the 2003 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes and find that historical figures such as the ANZACs and post-World War II immigrants comprise important aspects of national identity. A substantial majority of Australians judged ANZACs to be important, countering recent claims of the ,demise of the digger'. Sporting heroes are also at the core of Australian identity. Colonial figures appear to be far less important, although views on national identity vary according to social location. In particular, left-wing, university educated, younger, postmaterialist Australians view convicts and bushrangers as relatively important, indicating the salience of the larrikin in Australian identity. [source] Archetypes as action patterns,THE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009George B. Hogenson Abstract:, The discovery of mirror neurons by researchers at the University of Parma promises to radically alter our understanding of fundamental cognitive and affective states. This paper explores the relationship of mirror neurons to Jung's theory of archetypes and proposes that archetypes may be viewed as elementary action patterns. The paper begins with a review of a proposed interpretation of the fainting spells of S. Freud in his relationship with Jung as an example of an action pattern that also defines an archetypal image. The challenge that mirror neurons present to traditional views in analytical psychology and psychoanalysis, however, is that they operate without recourse to a cognitive processing element. This is a position that is gaining increasing acceptance in other fields as well. The paper therefore reviews the most recent claims made by the Boston Process of Change Study Group as well as conclusions drawn from dynamic systems views of development and theoretical robotics to underline the conclusion that unconscious agency is not a requirement for coherent action. It concludes with the suggestion that this entire body of research may lead to the conclusion that the dynamic unconscious is an unnecessary hypothesis in psychoanalysis and analytical psychology. Translations of Abstract La découverte de neurones miroirs par des chercheurs de l'université de Parme promet une altération radicale de notre compréhension des états cognitifs et affectifs fondamentaux. Cet article analyse le rapport entre les neurones miroirs et la théorie des archétypes de Jung. Il pose l'éventualité que les archétypes puissent être envisagés comme des «patterns»élémentaires d'action. Il part d'une interprétation des évanouissements de Freud aux temps de sa relation avec Jung, comme exemple de «pattern» d'action définissant également une image archétypique. Le défi posé par les neurones miroirs aux conceptions traditionnelles de la psychologie analytique et de la psychanalyse, réside dans une modalité de fonctionnement qui exclut le recours aux processus cognitifs. Une telle conception est de plus en plus répandue et ce, dans des champs divers. L'article passe en revue les dernières avancées du Boston Process of Change Study Group, de même que les conclusions des théories dynamiques du développement et de la robotique théorique, pour appuyer l'idée que les agents inconscients ne sont pas la condition absolue d'une action cohérente. L'article s'achève en évoquant la probabilité que l'ensemble de ces recherches ne parviennent à la conclusion que l'inconscient dynamique constitue une hypothèse superflue en psychanalyse et en psychologie analytique. Die Entdeckung der Spiegelneuronen durch Forscher an der Universität von Parma verspricht eine radikale Änderung unseres Verständnisses von Kognitiven und affektiven Zuständen. Dieser Aufsatz untersucht die Beziehung zwischen Spiegelneuronen und Jungs Theorie der Archetypen und kommt zu dem Vorschlag, daß Archetypen als elementare Verhaltensmuster zu betrachten seien. Begonnen wird mit einer Rückschau auf eine angenommene Interpretation der Ohnmachtsanfälle S. Freuds im Kontakt mit Jung als eines Beispiels für ein Verhaltensmuster, das gleichzeitig ein archetypisches Bild definiert. Die Herausforderung aber, die Entdeckung der Spiegelneuronen für die traditionellen Sichtweisen der Analytischen Psychologie und Psychoanalyse darstellt besteht darin, daß sie ohne Rückgriff auf kognitive Prozeßelemente funktionieren. Dies ist eine Position, die auch auf anderen Gebieten zunehmend an Akzeptanz gewinnt. Der Aufsatz resümiert deswegen die neuesten diesbezüglichen Theorien, die von der Bostoner Forschungsgruppe ,Prozeß des Wandels' aufgestellt wurden sowie die Schlüsse, die aus der Untersuchung von dynamischen Systemen, aus Erkenntnissen der praktischen und theoretischen Roboterentwicklung gewonnen wurden um die Folgerung zu stützen, daß die Existenz einer Ebene des Unbewußten zur Ausführung kohärenter Aktionen nicht erforderlich ist. Der Text schließt mit der Annahme, daß der gesamte Fundus dieser Forschung zu der Folgerung führen könnte, daß das dynamische Unbewußte eine unnötige Hypothese der Psychoanalyse und der Analytischen Psychologie sei. La scoperta dei neuroni specchio fatta dai ricercatori dell'Università di Parma ci permette di cambiare radicalmente il nostro modo di intendere gli stati fondamentali cognitivi e affettivi. In questo lavoro viene presa in esame la relazione tra i neuroni specchio e la teoria degli archetipi e si propone di considerare gli archetipi come schemi di azione elementari. Si inizia riesaminando una interpretazione degli svenimenti di Freud nella sua relazione con Jung considerandola come un esempio di uno schema di azione che definisce anche un'immagine archetipica. La sfida che i neuroni specchio presentano al punto di vista tradizionale della psicologia analitica e della psicoanalisi è che essi operano senza ricorrere a un elemento procedurale cognitivo. Tale posizione viene sempre più accettata anche in altri campi. In questo scritto si analizzano poi sia le più recenti affermazioni fatte dal Boston Process of Change Study Group sia le conclusioni raggiunte dal punto di vista dei sistemi dinamici di sviluppo e dalla teoria robotica per giungere alla conclusione che l'agentività dell'inconscio non è un requisito necessario per un'azione coerente. Il lavoro si conclude con la considerazione che questo intero corpo di ricerca può condurre alla conclusione che un inconscio dinamico non rappresenta un'ipotesi necessaria né nella psicoanalisi né nella psicologia analitica. El descubrimiento de las neuronas de espejo por las investigadores en la Universidad de Parma prometen alterar radicalmente nuestra comprensión de estados cognoscitivos y afectivos fundamentales. Este trabajo explora la relación de las neuronas de espejo con la teoría del Jung de los arquetipos y propone que los arquetipos puedan ser vistos como pautas elementales de acción. Se inicia con una revisión de la interpretación propuesta a los desvanecimientos de S. Freud en su relación con Jung como ejemplo de una pauta de acción que define una imagen arquetípica. El desafío que las neuronas espejo presenta a los conceptos tradicionales en la psicología analítica y el psicoanálisis, sin embargo, es que ellos operan sin el recurso de un elemento de procesamiento cognoscitivo. Es esta una posición que ha ganado aceptación también en otros campos. El trabajo por lo tanto revisa las reflexiones más recientes del Grupo de Estudio del Proceso de Cambio de Boston así como las conclusiones descritas por las dinámicas de los sistemas del desarrollo y la robótica teórica para subrayar la conclusión de que el control inconsciente no es un requisito para la acción coherente. El papel concluye con la sugerencia según la cual estas investigaciones pueden llevar a la conclusión de que el inconsciente dinámico es una hipótesis innecesaria en el psicoanálisis y la psicología analítica. [source] Minimalism and the Value of TruthTHE PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 217 2004Michael P. Lynch Minimalists generally see themselves as engaged in a descriptive project. They maintain that they can explain everything we want to say about truth without appealing to anything other than the T-schema, i.e., the idea that the proposition that p is true i. p. I argue that despite recent claims to the contrary, minimalists cannot explain one important belief many people have about truth, namely, that truth is good. If that is so, then minimalism, and possibly deflationism as a whole, must be rejected or recast as a profoundly revisionary project. [source] Failing to ponder? delusion-prone individuals rush to conclusionsCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 2 2009Lars O. White Jumping to conclusions (JTC) has been proposed as an aetiological factor involved in the formation of delusions from the earliest stages. A number of researchers have thus shifted their focus to include the study of subclinical populations. Expanding on these studies, 17 delusion-prone and 22 control students completed four versions of the beads-in-a-jar paradigm (including multiple jar variants) to test recent claims regarding JTC's specificity to less ambiguous paradigms with a limited number of jars. Additional measures were administered to tease out a potential mechanism underlying JTC. The delusion-prone group showed a higher JTC bias which proved relatively robust across variants. Task performance was related to degree of self-reported rushing. It is concluded that delusion-prone individuals exhibit JTC, even when confronted with more ambiguous scenarios, potentially as a consequence of feeling rushed.,Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||