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Terms modified by Restrictive Selected AbstractsTopiramate Treatment of Chronic Migraine: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Quality of Life and Other Efficacy MeasuresHEADACHE, Issue 8 2009Stephen Silberstein MD Objective., To define yet more clearly the utility of topiramate in the treatment of chronic migraine, we evaluated prespecified secondary endpoints from a recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. Background., We previously reported that topiramate 100 mg per day produced a statistically significant reduction in mean monthly migraine/migrainous and migraine headache days compared with placebo treatment and that it was safe and generally well tolerated. Methods., Variables analyzed included between-treatment group differences in percent responders, change in the mean monthly rate of total headache days and headache-free days, change in average and worst daily headache severity, change in the mean monthly use of acute headache medications, and absolute change and percent change in a headache index. Additional analyses included evaluation of changes in: the associated symptoms of photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea; Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire scores; Migraine Disability Assessment Scale scores; and Physician's and Subjects Global Impression of Change. Results., The intent-to-treat population consisted of 306 patients (topiramate, n = 153; placebo, n = 153). Categorical responder rates of reductions in mean monthly migraine/migrainous days for topiramate- vs placebo-treated subjects were as follows: for ,25% reduction: 68.6% vs 51.6% (P = .005); ,50%: 37.3% vs 28.8% (P = .093); and ,75%: 15.0% vs 9.2% (P = .061). The decrease in mean monthly total headache days and headache-free days for topiramate vs placebo treatment was 5.8 vs 4.7 days (P = .067). Compared with placebo, topiramate treatment resulted in statistically significant mean improvements in the Role Restrictive (P = .028) and Emotional Function (P = .036) domains of the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, in the worst daily severity of migraine (P = .016), severity of photophobia (P = .032), frequency of vomiting (P = .018), photophobia (P = .038), phonophobia (P = .010), unilateral pain (P = .015), pulsatile pain (P = .023), and pain worsened because of physical activity (P = .047). In addition, there were trends observed (favoring topiramate) in average daily severity of migraine (P = .077), acute headache medication use (P = .127), severity of nausea (P = .098), frequency of nausea (P = .166), the Role Preventive domain of the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (P = .061), and severity of phonophobia (P = .062). Conclusions., In addition to significantly reducing mean monthly migraine/migrainous and migraine headache days, treatment of chronic migraine with topiramate was effective with regard to several traditionally important and clinically relevant secondary outcomes in migraine prevention trials. Treatment with topiramate was well tolerated and not associated with serious adverse events. [source] Multiple states based temporal consistency for dynamic verification of fixed-time constraints in Grid workflow systemsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 7 2007Jinjun Chen Abstract To verify fixed-time constraints in Grid workflow systems, consistency and inconsistency conditions have been defined in conventional verification work. However, with a view of the run-time uncertainty of activity completion duration, we argue that, although the conventional consistency condition is feasible, the conventional inconsistency condition is too restrictive and covers several different states. These states, which are handled conventionally by the same exception handling, should be handled differently for the purpose of cost saving. Therefore, in this paper, we divide conventional inconsistency into weak consistency, weak inconsistency and strong inconsistency and treat conventional consistency as strong consistency. Correspondingly, we develop some algorithms on how to verify them. Based on this, for weak consistency we present a method on how to adjust it to strong consistency by using mean activity time redundancy and temporal dependency between fixed-time constraints. For weak inconsistency, we analyse briefly why it can be handled by simpler and more cost-saving exception handling while for strong inconsistency, the conventional exception handling remains deployed. The final quantitative evaluation demonstrates that our research can achieve better cost-effectiveness than the conventional work. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Compassion and Repression: The Moral Economy of Immigration Policies in FranceCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Didier Fassin Immigration policies in Europe in the last three decades have become increasingly restrictive. During the 1990s, political asylum lost much of its legitimacy, as new criteria based on humanitarian claims became more common in appeals for immigration. Asylum seekers were increasingly identified as illegal immigrants and therefore candidates for expulsion, unless humanitarian reasons could be found to requalify them as victims deserving sympathy. This substitution of a right to asylum by an obligation in terms of charity leads to a reconsideration of Giorgio Agamben's separation of the humanitarian and the political, suggesting instead a humanitarianization of policies. Sangatte Center, often referred to as a transit camp, became a symbol of this ambiguous European treatment of the "misery of the world" and serves here as an analytical thread revealing the tensions between repression and compassion as well as the moral economy of contemporary biopolitics. [source] Strongly Consistent Self-Confirming EquilibriumECONOMETRICA, Issue 2 2010Yuichiro Kamada Fudenberg and Levine (1993a) introduced the notion of self-confirming equilibrium, which is generally less restrictive than Nash equilibrium. Fudenberg and Levine also defined a concept of consistency, and claimed in their Theorem 4 that with consistency and other conditions on beliefs, a self-confirming equilibrium has a Nash equilibrium outcome. We provide a counterexample that disproves Theorem 4 and prove an alternative by replacing consistency with a more restrictive concept, which we call strong consistency. In games with observed deviators, self-confirming equilibria are strongly consistent self-confirming equilibria. Hence, our alternative theorem ensures that despite the counterexample, the corollary of Theorem 4 is still valid. [source] The assessment of the impacts of the security management in a competitive environmentEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 5 2009Ettore Bompard Abstract Security management is of the utmost importance in power system and many efforts have been made on this issue since a reliable supply of electricity is crucial to the modern societies. The traditional approach adopted in Europe is based on the "n,,,1" steady-state security that is efficient, although restrictive, and can continue to play an important role also in the new competitive context. In this paper, three alternative market-based models for security consideration are introduced, according to preventive and corrective control approaches. The models are presented and analyzed in terms of their economic impacts on the market throughout a set of useful indexes that allows for a ranking of the advantages got from the re-enforcement of the lines. Moreover, the positive impacts of the phase-shifter (PS) installation for the security and congestion management are quantified and indexes are derived to assess their optimal location. The different models and the exploitation of the proposed indexes are illustrated with reference to a 34-bus test system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evolving modular networks with genetic algorithms: application to nonlinear time seriesEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2004A.S. Cofińo Abstract: A key problem of modular neural networks is finding the optimal aggregation of the different subtasks (or modules) of the problem at hand. Functional networks provide a partial solution to this problem, since the inter-module topology is obtained from domain knowledge (functional relationships and symmetries). However, the learning process may be too restrictive in some situations, since the resulting modules (functional units) are assumed to be linear combinations of selected families of functions. In this paper, we present a non-parametric learning approach for functional networks using feedforward neural networks for approximating the functional modules of the resulting architecture; we also introduce a genetic algorithm for finding the optimal intra-module topology (the appropriate balance of neurons for the different modules according to the complexity of their respective tasks). Some benchmark examples from nonlinear time-series prediction are used to illustrate the performance of the algorithm for finding optimal modular network architectures for specific problems. [source] Void growth and damage models for predicting ductile fracture in weldsFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 2 2000Wilsius This study reports on a numerical and experimental investigation of ductile tearing using a local approach to fracture. Two models have been analysed: (i) the Rice,Tracey (RT) void growth model; and (ii) the Rousselier continuum damage theory. The effects of the model parameters, including the mesh size, on the crack growth behaviour have been analysed, and a significant influence on both the J -values and the slopes dJ/da has been noted. The crack propagation in an overmatched welded joint has also been investigated. For the RT model, crack propagation has been simulated using the release node technique. Because this method requires one to previously assign the crack propagation path, using such a model is somewhat restrictive. This problem vanishes when dealing with Rousselier's model (and more generally with coupled models) because the elements which are damaged automatically give the crack path. [source] A study on genomic distribution and sequence features of human long inverted repeats reveals species-specific intronic inverted repeatsFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 7 2009Yong Wang The inverted repeats present in a genome play dual roles. They can induce genomic instability and, on the other hand, regulate gene expression. In the present study, we report the distribution and sequence features of recombinogenic long inverted repeats (LIRs) that are capable of forming stable stem-loops or palindromes within the human genome. A total of 2551 LIRs were identified, and 37% of them were located in long introns (largely > 10 kb) of genes. Their distribution appears to be random in introns and is not restrictive, even for regions near intron,exon boundaries. Almost half of them comprise TG/CA-rich repeats, inversely arranged Alu repeats and MADE1 mariners. The remaining LIRs are mostly unique in their sequence features. Comparative studies of human, chimpanzee, rhesus monkey and mouse orthologous genes reveal that human genes have more recombinogenic LIRs than other orthologs, and over 80% are human-specific. The human genes associated with the human-specific LIRs are involved in the pathways of cell communication, development and the nervous system, as based on significantly over-represented Gene Ontology terms. The functional pathways related to the development and functions of the nervous system are not enriched in chimpanzee and mouse orthologs. The findings of the present study provide insight into the role of intronic LIRs in gene regulation and primate speciation. [source] Synthetic Strategies for Controlling the Morphology of Proton Conducting Polymer Membranes,,FUEL CELLS, Issue 2 2005Y. Yang Abstract The nanostructure and morphology of proton conducting polymers is of considerable interest in the search for next generation materials and optimization of existing ones. Synthetic methodologies for tailoring molecular structures that promote nanoscopic phase separation of ionic and non-ionic domains, and the effect of phase separation on parameters such as proton conductivity, are considered. Rather than distinguish proton conducting polymers according to chemical class, they are categorized under sub-headings of random, block, and graft copolymers. The synthetic methodology available to access archetypal polymer structures is dependent on the nature of the monomers and restrictive compared to conventional non-ionic polymer systems. Irrespective of the methodology, ionic aggregation and phase separation are consistently found to play an important role in the proton conductivity of low ion exchange capacity,(IEC) membranes, but less of a role in high IEC membranes. Significant research is required to further develop relationships between polymer architecture, morphology, and electrolytic properties. [source] An Anisotropic Model for Spatial ProcessesGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2008Minfeng Deng One of the key assumptions in spatial econometric modeling is that the spatial process is isotropic, which means that direction is irrelevant in the specification of the spatial structure. On the one hand, this assumption largely reduces the complexity of the spatial models and facilitates estimation and interpretation; on the other hand, it appears rather restrictive and hard to justify in many empirical applications. In this article a very general anisotropic spatial model, which allows for a high level of flexibility in the spatial structure, is proposed. This new model can be estimated using maximum likelihood and its asymptotic properties are derived at length. When the model is applied to the well-known 1970 Boston housing prices data, it significantly outperforms the isotropic spatial lag model. It also provides interesting additional insights into the price determination process in the properties market. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation study is used to confirm the optimal properties of the model. [source] Transnational lives, transnational marriages: a review of the evidence from migrant communities in EuropeGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2007ELISABETH BECK-GERNSHEIM Abstract Whom do migrants marry? This question has become a popular topic of research, and existing studies identify a common trend: most of the non-European, non-Christian migrants in Europe marry someone from their country of origin. The motivations for such practices are to be found in the characteristics of transnational spaces and in the social structures that emerge in such spaces. Based on a review of research from several European countries, three such constellations are discussed: first, the obligations to kin, especially when migration regulations become more restrictive, and marriage becomes the last route by which to migrate to Europe. Second, new forms of global inequality, between the metropolitan centre and countries of the global periphery, give migrants in Europe improved status and standing in their society of origin and therefore excellent opportunities on the marriage market there. Third, gender relations have started to shift in both host society and migrant families. Men and women alike are trying to rebalance power relations within marriage and to shift them in their favour. In this process marriage to a partner from the country of family origin may promise strategic benefits. The article ends with suggestions for future research. [source] Alternative approaches to obtain optimal bid values in contingent valuation studies and to model protest zeros.HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2001Estimating the determinants of individuals' willingness to pay for home care services in day case surgery Abstract The use of day case surgery has increased rapidly as an alternative to inpatient surgery. Little is known, however, about the value of day case surgery to patients. The aim of this paper was to develop a contingent valuation survey to investigate how individuals value the costs of shifting from inpatient to day case surgery based on home care services. Using the willingness to pay (WTP) approach, two kinds of sequential experiments are compared: the maximum likelihood recursion (MLR) method and the C-optimal sequential procedure. The goal of sequential experimentation is to find bid values that provide the maximum possible information about the parameters of the WTP distribution, especially when the sample size is small. The C-optimal sequential procedure is shown to be an improvement, in terms of the statistical precision in small samples, over the MLR method. In addition, the paper presents a double hurdle (DH) approach for modelling the determinants of individuals' WTP. Using data from a contingent valuation survey conducted in 1996 on patients selected from the Day Case Surgery Unit in a hospital in the region of Catalonia, we argue that participation in the market offered and the level of consumption, that is, people's WTP, should be treated as individual choices. The results show that income and sex are related to WTP. Also, in this study, a clear presence of starting-point bias, introduced by the bid offered, was found. It is concluded that the WTP technique is potentially useful in evaluating health care programmes, although it is important to note that the criteria used to find an optimal design (in our model to minimize the asymptotic variance of the estimator used) may be restrictive from an economic point of view. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Involving users in low back pain researchHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 4 2003Bie Nio Ong BA BEd MA PhD Abstract Objective, To involve users in the design of a research project that aims at describing a 12-month course of low back pain in an adult population sample (epidemiological strand), and to determine how patient and professional perceptions of low back pain and its treatment relate to the use of health-care and to subsequent outcome (qualitative strand). Design, Three focus groups were organized in the preparatory phase of the project with general practitioners, other health professionals and low back pain sufferers. Issues pertaining to the experience of living with, or treating low back pain were explored and users were asked to identify relevant research questions for consideration within the study. Findings, The focus groups revealed tensions between involving users as co-researchers for design issues and their role as sufferers and health professionals who want to share their narrative accounts of low back pain. The group discussions produced a wealth of material for analysis, but no explicitly stated research topics. Three key themes and the process of user involvement in the focus groups are discussed. Conclusions, The focus group format could be restrictive in that it allows for detailed exchange between participants, but is insufficiently geared towards the production of a research agenda. We draw conclusions as to possible approaches for user involvement in health services research design. [source] First-Person Shooters and the Third-Person EffectHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008Erica Scharrer A sample of 118 U.S. 6th and 7th graders was used to examine early adolescents' views of whether video games negatively influence themselves, others of the same age, and younger others. Six specific games ranging in rating from E for Everyone to M for Mature were listed for the early adolescents to respond to, with questions asked about both potential influence and whether young people should be allowed to play the games. Results support a third-person perception that grew as the rating of the game became more restrictive and as the "other" group in question became younger. The presence of rules set by parents about video game use was a positive predictor of perceptions of influence on self and others. Résumé Les jeux de tir ŕ la premičre personne et l,effet de troisičme personne Grâce ŕ un échantillon de 118 élčves américains de 6e et 7e années (11-13 ans), cet article explore les opinions des jeunes adolescents quant ŕ l'influence négative des jeux vidéo sur eux-męmes, sur d,autres personnes du męme âge et sur des enfants plus jeunes. Les jeunes adolescents devaient réagir ŕ six jeux spécifiques, classés de E (Everyone, pour tous) ŕ M (Mature, adulte), répondant ŕ des questions portant sur leur influence possible et sur le droit que devraient ou non avoir les jeunes de jouer ŕ ces jeux. Les résultats soutiennent une perception de la troisičme personne qui augmentait plus le classement du jeu devenait contraignant et plus le groupe « autre » en question rajeunissait. La présence de rčgles établies par les parents ŕ propos de l'usage des jeux vidéo était une variable explicative positive des perceptions de l'influence sur soi et les autres. Abstract Ego-Shooter und der Third-Person-Effekt Mit einer Stichprobe von 118 US-amerikanischen 6. und 7. Klässlern wurde die Einschätzung Jugendlicher dazu untersucht, dass Videospiele sie selbst, Gleichaltrige oder Jüngere negativ beeinflussen können. Bezug nehmend auf eine Liste mit sechs spezifischen Spielen (bewertet als J für Jedermann bis E für Erwachsene) sollten die Jugendlichen Fragen zum möglichen Einfluss und die Frage, ob jungen Leuten erlaubt werden sollte, diese Spiele zu spielen, beantworten. Die Befunde stützen die Annahmen einer Third-Person-Wahrnehmung, welche zunahm, wenn die Bewertung des Spiels restriktiver und die Gruppe der anderen jünger wurde. Das Vorhandensein von elterlichen Regeln zu Videospielen war ein positiver Prädiktor für die Wahrnehmung des Einflusses auf einen selbst und auf andere. Resumen La Persona que Dispara Primero y el Efecto de la Tercera Persona Una muestra de 118 estudiantes Norteamericanos de sexto y séptimo grado fue usada para examinar la visión que los adolescentes jóvenes tienen sobre los video-juegos y si los video-juegos influyen negativamente sobre ellos mismos, sobre otros de su misma edad, y sobre otros nińos más jóvenes. Seis juegos específicos variando en su clasificación de E, para Todos, a M, para Maduros, fueron enlistados para que los adolescentes jóvenes respondieran a las preguntas sobre la influencia potencial y si debería permitírsele a la gente joven jugar estos juegos. Los resultados apoyaron la percepción de la tercera persona, la cual creció a medida que la clasificación del juego se convirtió en más restrictiva y que el grupo en cuestión fuera más joven. La presencia de reglas puestas por los padres sobre el uso de video-juegos fue un vaticinador positivo de las percepciones de influencia sobre uno mismo y sobre otros. ZhaiYao Yo yak [source] Old-time militancy and the economic realities: towards a reassessment of the dockers' experienceINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009Dan Coffey ABSTRACT This article makes the case for a fundamental reassessment of an important stage in the history of industrial relations in the UK port transport sector vis-ŕ-vis the regulation of employment and the controversial demise of the National Dock Labour Scheme. It argues that the popular view that state regulation combined with trade union organisation and restrictive working practices in the 1970s and 1980s to undermine the competitiveness of the port transport sector lacks convincing empirical foundations. It notes some implications for wider debates around Britain's variety of capitalism. [source] Assessing the reliability of biodiversity databases: identifying evenly inventoried island parasitoid faunas (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) worldwideINSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY, Issue 2 2010ANA M. C. SANTOS Abstract., 1.,Taxonomic and geographic biases are common in biodiversity inventories, especially in hyperdiverse taxa, such as the Ichneumonoidea. Despite these problems, biodiversity databases could be a valuable source of information if their reliability is carefully assessed. 2.,One major problem of using these data for large-scale analyses is the unevenness of data quality from different areas, which makes them difficult to compare. One way of surpassing such problem would be to identify sets of areas that are evenly inventoried. 3.,Here, we propose a scoring protocol for the identification of sets of evenly inventoried areas from taxonomic databases, based on three criteria: (i) completeness at high taxonomic levels, (ii) congruence with well-established ecological relationships (such as species,area relationship), and (iii) publication effort received. We apply this protocol to the selection of a set of evenly inventoried islands worldwide for two Ichneumonoidea families (Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) from the data gathered in Taxapad database. 4.,From the 118 islands included in Taxapad, 53 and 70 can be considered sufficiently inventoried for Braconidae and Ichneumonidae, respectively. The publication effort criterion was more restrictive than the other two criteria. The Indomalayan, Nearctic and Palearctic regions had more than half of their islands identified as evenly inventoried, for both families. 5.,We discuss the generality of the biases and incompleteness of most biodiversity data, and also how the basic principles of the protocol proposed here can be applied to taxonomic databases devoted to other taxa. Also, the islands identified here can serve as the basis for large-scale analyses of the poorly known biogeography of the Ichneumonoidea. [source] Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Risk Appetite Index: Theoretical Differences, Empirical Similarities and Implementation Problems,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 2 2009Marcello Pericoli We perform a thorough analysis of the Risk Appetite Index (RAI), a measure of changes in risk aversion proposed by Kumar and Persaud (2002). Building on Misina's study (2003), we first argue that the theoretical assumptions granting that the RAI correctly distinguishes between changes in risk and changes in risk aversion are very restrictive. Then, by comparing the RAI with a measure of risk aversion obtained from the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), we find that the estimates are surprisingly similar. We prove that if the variance of returns is sufficiently smaller than the variance of asset riskiness, then RAI and CAPM provide essentially the same information about risk aversion. We also show, however, that RAI and CAPM suffer from exactly the same implementation problems , the main one being the difficulty in measuring ex-ante returns. At high and medium frequencies, the standard method of measuring ex-ante with ex-post returns may generate negative risk aversion and other inconsistencies. Hence, future research is needed to address this problem. [source] Kinematic models for non-coaxial granular materials.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 7 2005Part I: theory Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a physically based plasticity model for non-coaxial granular materials. The model, which we shall call the double slip and rotation rate model (DSR2 model), is a pair of kinematic equations governing the velocity field. The model is based on a discrete micro-analysis of the kinematics of particles in contact, and is formulated by introducing a quantity called the averaged micro-pure rotation rate (APR) into the unified plasticity model which was proposed by one of the authors. Our macro,micro mechanical analysis shows that the APR is a non-linear function of, among other quantities, the macro-rotation rate of the major principal axis of stress taken in the opposite sense. The requirement of energy dissipation used in the double-sliding free-rotating model appears to be unduly restrictive as a constitutive assumption in continuum models. In the DSR2 model the APR tensor and the spin tensor are directly linked with non-coaxiality of the stress and deformation rate tensors. We also propose a simplified plasticity model based on the DSR2 model for a class of dilatant materials, and analyse its material stability. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Kinematic models for non-coaxial granular materials.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 7 2005Part II: evaluation Abstract In this paper we present results of numerical simulations for the evaluation of kinematic models for non-coaxial granular materials by the distinct element method (DEM). Strain-rate controlled monotonic and cyclic un-drained simple shear tests were specifically designed and evaluation criteria established for this purpose. The models examined are the double-shearing model, the double-sliding free-rotating model, and the double slip and rotation rate model (DSR2 model) proposed by the authors (see the accompanying paper). It is shown that the assumption used in the double-shearing model appears to not be in agreement with the DEM data. It is also shown that in the double-sliding free-rotating model the energy dissipation requirements appear to be unduly restrictive as a constitutive assumption. The DSR2 model, which is a hybrid of discrete micro-mechanics and continuum modelling, gives better agreement with the results of our DEM simulations, than either the double-shearing model or the double-sliding free-rotating model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spectral analysis of flux vector splitting finite volume methodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 2 2001Tapan K. Sengupta Abstract New results are presented here for finite volume (FV) methods that use flux vector splitting (FVS) along with higher-order reconstruction schemes. Apart from spectral accuracy of the resultant methods, the numerical stability is investigated which restricts the allowable time step or the Courant,Friedrich,Lewy (CFL) number. Also the dispersion relation preservation (DRP) property of various spatial and temporal discretization schemes is investigated. The DRP property simultaneously fixes space and time steps. This aspect of numerical schemes is important for simulation of high-Reynolds number flows, compressible flows with shock(s) and computational aero-acoustics. It is shown here that for direct numerical simulation applications, the DRP property is more restrictive than stability criteria. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modelling Audit Risk Assessments: Exploration of an Alternative to the Use of Knowledge-based SystemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 1 2003Paul Lloyd This paper compares decision-modelling approaches. The decision modelled is the assessment of inherent and control risk in the purchases, accounts payable and inventory cycle. It is modelled using two different approaches. Firstly, knowledge-based models are constructed using established development shells. Secondly, a model is constructed using a conventional procedural programming language. Both modelling approaches are tested against the output of human practitioners and compared to each other to determine if the more restrictive, assumption-laden approach offered by the procedural model is adequate to deal with the decision problem under examination, or if the greater flexibility offered by the knowledge-based approach is required. This comparison yields positive results. The procedural model is able to reproduce satisfactorily the output of the human decision makers and the knowledge-based models for the chosen decision problem. This result emphasises the importance of devoting time to the selection of the most appropriate modelling approach for a given decision problem. [source] Analytical approach to the optimal adaptation rate of reconfigurable radio networksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 7 2008R. Fraile Abstract Flexible radio resource management schemes are nowadays used within a wide range of systems. However, the optimal selection for their adaptation rate is still an open research issue. This paper presents an analytical approach to such problem, which consists in a combined analysis of the dynamics of the session-arrival process and the estimation of the mean traffic load from network measurements. From this study, it is concluded that both aspects pose an upper limit on the optimal system adaptation rate, being the most restrictive the one depending on the mean traffic load estimation. A specific procedure for deriving such limit on adaptation rate is provided. It is shown that the derived value directly depends on the mean service duration. The application of the whole analysis is illustrated with an example based on a set of measurements from a live network. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ,1-Antitrypsin deficiency presenting with panniculitis and incidental discovery of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2007Gretchen Korver MD A 60-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with large, painful, indurated plaques on the right thigh, left abdomen, left chest, and right chest, which began without any preceding trauma on the right thigh 3 weeks prior to presentation in the ED. He was initially treated with cefazolin 1 g three times daily as home infusions. When the lesions continued to progress, he was admitted to the hospital and placed on amoxicillin/clavulanate and vancomycin. He had a single episode of fever of 102°F, but his white blood cell count and differential remained normal. An initial biopsy showed a dermal inflammatory infiltrate composed primarily of neutrophils and eosinophils with rare flame figures in the dermis. There was minimal fat seen in this biopsy. A differential diagnosis of Wells or Sweet's syndrome was entertained, and he was placed on 60 mg/day prednisone with no resolution of his symptoms. The patient's past medical history included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, peripheral neuropathy, and hiatal hernia. His family history was significant for emphysema in both parents and coronary artery disease in his father. Both of his parents smoked cigarettes. His grandfather, who was a coal miner, also had emphysema. Whilst on antibiotics and prednisone, the plaques on the patient's right thigh, right abdomen, and left chest expanded and ulcerated, draining an oily liquid (Figs 1 and 2). An incisional biopsy was obtained from his thigh. Histopathology showed a septal and lobular panniculitis with fat necrosis, neutrophils, and histiocytes (Fig. 3). Special stains for organisms were negative. Tissue sent for bacterial and fungal culture had no growth. Amylase and lipase levels were normal. Rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody (ANA), antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), cryoglobulins, and antiphospholipid antibodies were all normal. The ,1-antitrypsin level was low at 25 mg/dL (ref. 75,135). The ,1-antitrypsin phenotype was PiZZ. Figure 1. Indurated plaques on right chest and thigh and left chest Figure 2. Ulcerated plaques on left chest Figure 3. Septal and lobular panniculitis with fat necrosis. Hematoxylin and eosin ×10 The patient had a normal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase level and was placed on dapsone 200 mg/day. The inflammation resolved and, over the course of several months, the involved areas healed with scarring. The patient denied any pulmonary complaints but, during his hospitalization, was found incidentally to have an oxygen saturation of 88% on room air. He was sent for evaluation by a pulmonologist, and pulmonary function tests revealed a mixed restrictive and obstructive pattern with a forced expiratory volume in 1 to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio of 63% of predicted. He had never smoked. He was placed on supplemental oxygen but, as his pulmonary disease has been stable, he has not been treated with intravenous antitrypsin inhibitor. [source] Five cases of male eating disorders in Central ChinaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 1 2005Jun Tong MD Abstract Objective Despite the recent surge of eating disorders among women in large Asian cities, male eating disorder cases remain rare. The current article described 5 male eating disorder cases that presented within a period of 2 years in Wuhan, a city in central China. Methods The authors described 4 cases of anorexia nervosa (2 restrictive, 2 bulimic) and 1 case of normal weight bulimia nervosa. Results Fear of fat was reported for all 5 cases, and none of the cases reported homosexuality. Discussion Sociocultural changes and westernization most probably accounted for the increasing incidence of eating disorders among male and female youngsters in China today. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Managing independent prescribing: the influence of primary care trusts on community nurse prescribingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 3 2004Mr. Jason Hall Clinical teaching fellow Background Community nurses have been prescribing in the United Kingdom from the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary (NPF) since 1994. Most prescribing for the items included in the NPF is still carried out by general practitioners, although the proportion attributed to nurses is increasing. Objective To describe the methods that primary care trusts (PCTs) have used to influence the prescribing practices of community nurses and to explore the views of nurse prescribers regarding these methods. Method Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 22 community nurse prescribers and five PCT prescribing leads. The transcripts were analysed using the framework method. Key findings PCTs used formularies and guidelines, education and training, individual prescriber feedback and directives to varying degrees to influence nurse prescribing. Some nurse prescribers considered formularies and guidelines to be restrictive. There were few instances of feedback or training being given to prescribers following their initial training as a prescriber, despite a majority wishing to receive both of these. Directives were used to restrict prescribing in a limited number of specific areas. Conclusion Influencing nurse prescribing did not appear to be a priority for PCTs despite this being part of the National Health Service's clinical governance agenda. PCTs will need to engage with nurse prescribers to determine ways to influence prescribing that are in the best interests of patients, nurses, doctors and the Trust. [source] LMI optimization approach to robust H, observer design and static output feedback stabilization for discrete-time nonlinear uncertain systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 3 2009Masoud Abbaszadeh Abstract A new approach for the design of robust H, observers for a class of Lipschitz nonlinear systems with time-varying uncertainties is proposed based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The admissible Lipschitz constant of the system and the disturbance attenuation level are maximized simultaneously through convex multiobjective optimization. The resulting H, observer guarantees asymptotic stability of the estimation error dynamics and is robust against nonlinear additive uncertainty and time-varying parametric uncertainties. Explicit norm-wise and element-wise bounds on the tolerable nonlinear uncertainty are derived. Also, a new method for the robust output feedback stabilization with H, performance for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems is proposed. Our solution is based on a noniterative LMI optimization and is less restrictive than the existing solutions. The bounds on the nonlinear uncertainty and multiobjective optimization obtained for the observer are also applicable to the proposed static output feedback stabilizing controller. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Best Practice in Temporary Labour Migration for Development: A Perspective from Asia and the PacificINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2009Graeme Hugo The dominant mode of international migration in Asia and the Pacific is temporary contract migration of low-skilled workers. The potential for such migration to deliver significant development dividends to origin communities is substantial because of its large scale and the fact that most migrant workers return to their home community. However, there are a number of barriers that are intervening to dampen these potential positive effects, such as high transaction costs, high costs of sending remittances, and the fact that some areas of origin lack the infrastructure and potential for productive investment. Moreover, destination countries have been very welcoming of high skill temporary migrants but highly restrictive in their attitudes toward their low skill counterparts. This paper discusses the lessons of best practice in temporary labour migration programmes in the region, which can help to overcome these obstacles reducing the positive development impacts of migration. It assesses, in turn, best practice separately for each stage of the labour migration process -- recruitment and selection, and pre-departure preparation -- at the destination and on return. In conclusion, a number of the barriers which impinge on Asian Pacific countries' ability to introduce and sustain best practice are discussed. These include the need for capacity building, lack of cooperation between origin and destination countries, lack of data, poor governance of labour migration a failure among governments to recognise the significance of migration and the need for more "development friendly" migration policies in destinations. [source] Conceptualizing Religion and Spirituality: Points of Commonality, Points of DepartureJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2000Peter C. Hill Psychologists' emerging interest in spirituality and religion as well as the relevance of each phenomenon to issues of psychological importance requires an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of each construct. On the basis of both historical considerations and a limited but growing empirical literature, we caution against viewing spirituality and religiousness as incompatible and suggest that the common tendency to polarize the terms simply as individual vs. institutional or ,good, vs. ,bad, is not fruitful for future research. Also cautioning against the use of restrictive, narrow definitions or overly broad definitions that can rob either construct of its distinctive characteristics, we propose a set of criteria that recognizes the constructs' conceptual similarities and dissimilarities. Rather than trying to force new and likely unsuccessful definitions, we offer these criteria as benchmarks for judging the value of existing definitions. [source] Use of Compliance Rewards in Agri-environmental SchemesJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2009Yuki Yano Q12; Q20; Q28; Q57 Abstract Ensuring that farmers comply with the terms of agri-environmental schemes is an important issue. This paper explores the use of a ,compliance,reward' approach under heterogeneous net compliance costs with respect to cost-share working lands programmes such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in the United States. Specifically, we examine the use of a reward under asymmetric information and output price uncertainty. We examine two possible sources of financing under the assumption of budget neutrality: (i) funds obtained by reducing monitoring effort; and (ii) money saved by reducing the number of farmers enrolled. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each source of funding and analyse these numerically for both risk-neutral and risk-averse farmers. We also examine the trade-off between increased expenditure on monitoring effort and compliance rewards when additional budgetary resources are available. We show that under certain conditions a compliance reward can increase compliance rates. For risk-averse farmers, however, conditions that ensure a positive outcome become more restrictive. [source] Why Do Some Owners Allow Their Dogs to Foul the Pavement?JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2000The Social Psychology of a Minor Rule Infraction This study combines observational, attitudinal, and self-report measures, and compares a group of irresponsible dog owners who allow their dogs to foul with a control group of responsible owners who clean up after their dogs. The owners are compared on a variety of attitudinal and personal orientation measures. We observed 101 instances of dog fouling in both park and pavement, and 87 respondents subsequently returned questionnaires. The majority (59%) of people observed cleaned up after their dogs. The irresponsible owners were significantly more tolerant of fouling (dog feces were seen as natural waste and biodegradable) and were more likely to agree that the laws were illegitimate and restrictive. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||