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Many oppose the use of profile evidence against defendants at trial, even when the statistical correlations are reliable and the jury is free from prejudice. The literature has struggled to justify this opposition. We argue that admitting profile evidence is objectionable because it violates what we call "equal protection"—that is, a right of innocent defendants not to be exposed to higher ex ante risks of mistaken conviction compared to other innocent defendants facing similar charges. We also show why admitting other forms of evidence, such as eyewitness, trace, and motive evidence, does not violate equal protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of recruitment efforts can have a major impact on sales force effectiveness. Students have long been considered a good source of potential sales recruits, but research has found students have generally negative perceptions of selling as a career. One reason for such perceptions may be negative stereotypes of salespeople held by students. However information on the content of UK sales stereotypes remains anecdotal at best. This study empirically examines UK business students' stereotypes of salespeople using a two-stage approach. Findings suggest that these stereotypes are generally negative. However, we create profiles of salespeople using our findings, and consequently uncover some positive aspects to the stereotype. The study provides instruction on how to use stereotypes in subsequent work, as well as how to utilise the profiles in recruitment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explanatory patterns regarding situational differences in reading comprehension performance may be best captured by multidimensional reader profiles. Data from 56 third- and fifth-grade students were collected to investigate the applicability, scope, and convergent validity of a reader profiling scheme based on Alexander's (2005) reader profile framework and then compared with results from a hierarchical cluster analysis and a Bayesian cluster analysis. The reader profiling methodology used identified examples of all six of Alexander's reader profiles at each grade level, along with an additional hypothesized profile, the interest-reliant reader. The reader profiles related as expected to reading outcomes on a researcher-designed comprehension measure and a standardized comprehension assessment, with a few exceptions, and explained variance in those outcome measures better than the use of cluster analysis, except for the third-grade standardized scores. Finally, interesting differences emerged in the proportions of elementary students assigned to each profile across the grade levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to determine the characteristics possibly went unnoticed over general average scores in reading skills subtest of students in countries attending the Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA in 2009, and to reveal their strengths and weaknesses within the framework of item categories in question. The sample of this research constitutes of students in 15-years-old group participating in the PISA 2009 application. In the study, performances of countries participating in the PISA 2009 application within the framework of item format, text format and cognitive process level of the text in reading skills subtest have been analyzed using the profile analysis technique and intercountry comparisons are made. Obtained remarkable findings are discussed in accordance with the related literature. Within the scope of the research, it has been concluded that evaluating countries participating in the PISA application as per their average scores results in ruling out important country-specific information at item categories level, and that it is possible to employ profile analysis, as a new approach, with a view to reveal such information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the development and current practice of physical anthropology as relating to the treatment of archaeological skeletal remains in Europe. The evolution of physical anthropology as a discipline is covered in detail from the 18th century onwards, and current trends in education and research are also discussed. Additional topics include a synthesis of the legislative framework for studying human skeletal remains in over 40 European countries while also addressing challenges, future trends and emerging ethical questions. This overview is the product of an extensive review of the literature partnered with information received via questionnaires completed by colleagues working in nearly 50 European countries. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social interactions shape the patterns of spreading processes in a population. Techniques such as diaries or proximity sensors allow to collect data about encounters and to build networks of contacts between individuals. The contact networks obtained from these different techniques are however quantitatively different. Here, we first show how these discrepancies affect the prediction of the epidemic risk when these data are fed to numerical models of epidemic spread: low participation rate, under-reporting of contacts and overestimation of contact durations in contact diaries with respect to sensor data determine indeed important differences in the outcomes of the corresponding simulations with for instance an enhanced sensitivity to initial conditions. Most importantly, we investigate if and how information gathered from contact diaries can be used in such simulations in order to yield an accurate description of the epidemic risk, assuming that data from sensors represent the ground truth. The contact networks built from contact sensors and diaries present indeed several structural similarities: this suggests the possibility to construct, using only the contact diary network information, a surrogate contact network such that simulations using this surrogate network give the same estimation of the epidemic risk as simulations using the contact sensor network. We present and compare several methods to build such surrogate data, and show that it is indeed possible to obtain a good agreement between the outcomes of simulations using surrogate and sensor data, as long as the contact diary information is complemented by publicly available data describing the heterogeneity of the durations of human contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Educational Research Association presidents’ presidential addresses have only intermittently considered relevance as a criterion of quality for education research. A few, though, argued that education research could only distinguish itself from research in the disciplines through attention to improving educational outcomes. David Krathwohl (1969) called for a coherent community encompassing practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. Philip Jackson (1990) urged that local research knowledge, rather than research-based dictates, be communicated. Alan Schoenfeld (1999) challenged education researchers simultaneously to build knowledge and offer solutions to practical problems. He anticipated current research-practice partnerships and shifts toward practice-embedded research supports. But only if the larger education research enterprise supports these efforts will the shift be radical and robust enough to persist and survive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good assessment plan combines many direct and indirect measures to validate the collected data. One often controversial assessment measure comes in the form of retention exams. Although assessment retention exams may come with faults, others advocate for their inclusion in program assessment. Objective-based tests may offer insight to instructors about course objectives that students comprehend well and other concepts that need more attention. This research shows that using retention exams as an assessment measure can generate useful and meaningful data for both the students and the program. Students can learn strengths and weaknesses based on scores. Faculty and programs can learn where gaps may exist within the program. But, whenever a program decides to use retention exams as an assessment tool, faculty members need to be included in the process. Discussions about content need to occur constantly. Exams need to consistently reflect current standards and student learning objectives. And faculty need to stay involved in the process to know exactly where any inconsistencies may lie within their courses, and how they contribute to the students' overall experience within the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the impact of two vocabulary teaching techniques, contextualization and visual aids on field dependence/independence learners' vocabulary retention among third grade students of public secondary school in Iran. 120 EFL learners studying at two secondary schools in Savojbolagh were randomly selected and were assigned to two almost homogeneous groups, based on their scores on a Nelson proficiency test. The learners were checked for their vocabulary knowledge prior to the start of the treatment. Next, the standard Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) developed by Witkin et al (1971) was administered to classify each participant's level of field independency. The two groups were exposed to identical vocabulary text during classes held twice a week in the four-month treatment period. The context group received vocabulary instruction through contextualization method while the other experimental group which was called visual aids group was taught through visual aids techniques of vocabulary teaching. Two weeks after the end of the treatment a delayed posttest was administered to show the differences in vocabulary retention in the two groups. The collected data was analyzed through T-Test and ANCOVA using SPSS software. The results led to the rejection of all the four null hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research work was conducted on 120 field veterinarians of Andhra Pradesh to study their profile characteristics with the help of pre-tested and pre-structured interview schedule. Majority of the respondents were men belonging to young age group, with medium level of social participation, work experience, innovativeness, management orientation and mass media exposure. It was also observed that majority of them were from rural background and had their schooling in public schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts of differentiation and profiling are cornerstones in discussions about the organisation of contemporary higher education systems, following the trends of massification and global competition. This contribution provides a system-level description and comparison of the German and Dutch higher education systems regarding these topics, and points to possible interactions and development concepts connecting differentiation, strategic profiling of universities and excellence. Though both higher education systems started from very different positions and with differing policies towards differentiation, the global trends and national aspirations for the systems, as well as individual universities in Germany and the Netherlands, are comparable. A look into the resulting ranking positions of German and Dutch universities generally shows a more successful development for the Dutch higher education institutions in the last few years – which could possibly indicate a crucial time lag in the effects of differentiation policies in higher education as the German excellence and differentiation efforts fundamentally took hold more than 10 years after the Dutch initiatives in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Mundo Agrario is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the use of graphical representation in the preschool to grade three texts. It discusses concepts which are required to understand the graphics in text including action, representation and relevance, cites a study conducted with 60 children to understand these concepts. It mentions that the study demonstrated variation within grade levels in children's understanding of the concepts and illustrated the understanding of graphical representation by different age groups.

Research on profile education* in general shows that currently there is no system in place that can deal adequately with the needs of students or of the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de l'Éducation is the property of Canadian Society for the Study of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study examined intake data from 384 participants with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and a comparison group of 100 participants with dyslexia on nine standardized measures of decoding and comprehension. Although diagnostic groups were based on parental reports and could not be verified independently, we were able to observe significant distinctions between subject groups. Overall findings confirm previous results of a disassociation between decoding and comprehension in ASD. Using a larger sample than previous studies and a greater variety of measures, a pattern of relatively intact decoding skills paired with low comprehension was found in autism, PDD-NOS, and Asperger’s. In contrast, the dyslexic group showed the opposite pattern of stronger comprehension and weaker decoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the adversarial knowledge discovery which develops models of systems based on its data in an inducive way. It states that in adversarial settings, the uncovering of knowledge must be dynamic and adjusting to the changes in properties and adversaries. It includes an overview of the various characteristics of adversarial data such as its awareness of the chances of detection.

We investigated the validity of theory driven profile interpretation of the MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) Dutch Short Form (DSFM; Eurelings-Bontekoe, Onnink, Williams, & Snellen, 2008) as a measure of personality organization (PO) in a naturalistic follow-up study among 576 psychiatric outpatients receiving brief cognitive behavioral group therapy. Results showed that this assessment method was useful in predicting dropout as well as treatment response. Patients with a latent psychotic PO profile and a manifest low-level borderline organization profile were 3 times more likely to drop out than patients with other PO profiles. Patients with a latent psychotic PO profile who continued treatment had deteriorated at 4-month follow-up. Patients with a manifest low-level borderline PO profile who remained in treatment, however, showed considerable therapeutic progress. We conclude that theory driven profile interpretation of the DSFM as an assessment of PO may be useful in predicting dropout and treatment response to cognitive behavioral treatment of Axis I disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aims to set up a method to analyse the variable office work profiles of jobs such as bankers, managers, specialists, researchers, etc. A worker''s profile has to be assessed from the perspective of balanced sustainability including environmental, economic and social aspects. This paper starts with a presentation of a visionary methodology by which the environmental performance of present work profiles (taken from research reports and policy strategies by Finnish ministries) is assessed. Due to this all the work profiles presented in this paper are preliminary and only serve the purpose of illustrating the methodology. In a second step an extensive survey will be carried out in larger companies to create more detailed and empirical work profiles. At the same time, further effort has to be put into analysing alternative future work profiles and possibly to include economic and social aspects. In order to determine the environmental impact of office work, two normally independent methods are combined in this paper. A futures table is used to describe a number of alternative work profiles. This table matrix serves also as the basis to establish future scenarios of probable and possible working weeks. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is the tool used for figuring out the energy and material performance according to the modelled work profiles. When used together, the two methods comprise – as we call it with respect to future-oriented work scenarios – a Visionary Life Cycle Analysis (VLCA) of Office Work. The immediate results of this methodology demonstrate which working profiles are ecologically more sustainable than others. Weaknesses in behaviour patterns are detected and space for improvement is localised. In short: this methodology enables a company or single worker to analyse present work profiles and patterns and to create new visionary and sustainable work patterns. The final goal could be to provide a tool to document anybody''s work profile and to show how – by changing certain habits – the individual''s (environmental) performance could be improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article explores how the persuasive purpose of film trailers is attained through specific visual features. The multimodal analysis of 12 comedy film trailers also reveals how these visual features enter into multilayered relationships with verbal and aural ones when creating evaluative meanings. The author proposes an interdisciplinary model of analysis in which several means of interpretation are combined. Based on Labov's understanding of narrative evaluation, this article attempts to show through Kress and Van Leeuwen's multimodal framework how Labov's model of narrative analysis can be extended to a wider analytical context, namely to multimodal promotional texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of the professional profile of the people in charge of the hospital patients libraries in Spain through the specialized bibliography. Some characteristics have been identified pointing how is their profile actually, and how it should be. They are usually volunteers with no specific training, but when the aim is to offer a service of good quality and to achieve the recognition by the civil service, the hospital and also the users, a professional with specific training is required. In the beginning, the ones in charge had to have a profile according to a public Iibrary librarian: regarding the collection management and the dealing with the user. Nowadays their tasks are closer to the medical libraries' librarians, especially after the Patient's Right to Information Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about the characteristics of students in several Information and Records Management (IRM) Departments of universities in Turkey. The differences between student groups and departments are explored to promote better understanding of students' needs. A questionnaire was given for all-level students enrolled to IRM departments in Ankara University, Baskent University, Hacettepe University, Istanbul University and Marmara University. A short description of each university's IRM Department is provided. It was found that almost two-thirds of questionnaire respondents were female, almost three-fifths of the respondents live with their families, and that approximately 40% had IRM listed as one of their first three preferences in university admittance tests.

Dynamic time warping is one of the important distance measures in similarity search of time series," however, the exact calculation of dynamic time warping has become a bottleneck. We propose an approach, named early abandon dynamic time warping, to accelerate the calculation. The method checks if values of the neighbouring cells in the cumulative distance matrix exceed the tolerance, and if so, it will terminate the calculation the related cell. We demonstrate the idea of early abandon on dynamic time warping by theoretical analysis, and show the utilities of early abandon dynamic time warping by thorough empirical experiments performed both on synthetic datasets and real datasets. The results show, early abandon dynamic time warping outperforms the dynamic time warping calculation in the light of processing time, and is much better when the tolerance is below the real dynamic time warping distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software developments increasingly facilitate inclusion of incomplete data, but relatively little research has examined the effects of incomplete data on statistical power. Seven steps needed to conduct power analyses with incomplete data for a variety of commonly tested hypotheses are illustrated, focusing on significance tests of individual parameters. The example extends a growth curve model simulation presented by Curran and Muthén (1999) to the incomplete data situation. How to estimate statistical power for a range of sample sizes from a single model, as well as how to calculate the sample size required to obtain a desired value of statistical power, is demonstrated. Effects of data being missing completely at random (MCAR) or missing at random (MAR) across a range from 0% (complete data) to 95% missing data are considered. SAS and LISREL syntax are provided in this paper with syntax for other software available from the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple self-proclaimed experts claim that they know the probabilities of future events. A tester does not know the odds of future events and she also does not know whether, among the multiple experts, there are some who do know the relevant probabilities. So the tester requires each expert to announce, before any data are observed, the probabilities of all future events. A test either rejects or does not reject each expert based on the observed data and the profile of the probabilities announced by the experts. We assume that the test controls for the type I error of rejecting the true probabilities. However, consider the case in which all experts are uninformed (i.e., they do not know anything about true probabilities). We show that they can still independently produce false forecasts that are likely to both pass the test, no matter how the data evolve in the future. Hence, the data may not suffice to effectively discredit uninformed, but strategic, experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 20th century, ecumenical encounter has been dominated by the hermeneutics of consensus. However, after the turn of the millennium a change seems to have taken place in that the churches seem to prefer to stress their own unmistakable profile. What then does consensus mean after the hermeneutics of consensus (I)? In order to answer this question, the present essay analyses in detail the Charta Oecumenica (2001), which is one of the most characteristic examples of the above-mentioned change (II), and comes up with five different meanings of the term consensus (III). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable work has been done on student evaluation of teaching/teachers, but reservations remain about its use for summative purposes. Student ratings are not universally accepted as being reliable, nor can they provide really meaningful information. Qualitative comments can provide a better understanding but they tend not to be user-friendly from lack of structure and connectedness. This study attempts to devise a method for ‘quantifying’ students’ comments to increase their usefulness in complementing/confirming ratings. The quantified results enable the profile construction of what students regard as an effective/ineffective teacher, and enable identification of strengths and weaknesses. Our findings counter some commonly held assumptions, including those which held that high ratings are dependent on small class size and ‘dumbing down’ of courses and the consequent expectation of high grades. The findings also indicate that students value teaching quality more than teacher characteristics, suggesting their ability to make valid judgments about teaching effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective personalization of information access involves two important challenges: accurately identifying the user context and organizing the information in such a way that matches the particular context. We present an approach to building models of user context as ontological profiles by assigning implicitly derived interest scores to existing concepts in a domain ontology. A spreading activation algorithm is used to maintain the interest scores based on the user's ongoing behavior. Our experimental results show the rate of increase in interest scores stabilizes over incremental updates. Initially, the interest scores for the concepts in the profile will continue to change. However, once enough information has been processed for profiling, the amount of change in interest scores should decreases and it can use as long term interest. Our experiments also show that re-ranking the search results based on the interest scores and the semantic evidence in an ontological user profile is effective in presenting the most relevant results to the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Investigación is the property of Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article describes a method of using both picture frame (PF) and bias extension (BE) tests together to characterize accurately the trellis shearing resistance of engineering fabrics under low in-plane tension conditions. Automated image analysis software has been developed to reduce the amount of laborious manual analysis required to interpret BE data accurately. Normalization methods for both PF and BE tests on rate-independent compressible fabrics are presented. Normalization of PF test results is relatively straightforward while normalization of BE test results for direct comparison with PF data is more complicated. The normalization method uses a number of simple assumptions to account for the non-uniform shear strain field induced across BE samples during testing. Normalized results from BE tests on samples of different aspect ratios are compared and provide validation of the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents insights on how geographic features reflect the hazards and vulnerability of small island communities. It explores how geographic profile, particularly scale, affects the four aspects namely, perception and communication, impact, technology and socio-environmental justice. It points out that human and physical geography must be understood in order to implement ideas in a proper multi-scale context and forge sustainable collaborations. It presents the author's analysis on the Federated States of Micronesia which illustrates the broad impact of geography in terms of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Furthermore, it discusses local policy, emerging opportunities and limitation, as well as government action to address the threats and hazards of this area.

Community notification laws have been passed by the federal government and legislature of every state. At the very least, these laws require local law enforcement officials to publicize the personal and residential information of known sex offenders. Although researchers and other social commentators have begun to assess the effects of community notification on targeted sex offenders and on criminal justice practices and practitioners, the potential consequences of the policy for different types of communities have received only scant attention. Using sex offender registry and US Census data for two states (Nebraska and Oklahoma), we examine the relationship between community characteristics and the residential patterns of sex offenders. Findings from mapping and regression analyses suggest a greater concentration of sex offenders in disadvantaged communities than in more affluent communities. To the extent that community notification allows residents of more affluent communities to mobilize resources in order to remove identified sex offenders, it may increase the geographical clustering of these offenders in areas already facing a greater risk and having fewer resources to manage the problem. Implications of findings in terms of “concentrated disadvantage” are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a profile on Peter Bohm (1935-2005) and information about his field experiments in the methodological arsenal of economists. Known as the the father of field experiments, the article includes information about his personal background, education, and his general research interests.

The article presents on the profile of the contributors in the journal "Feminist Economics." These include Sandy Baum, a professor of Economics at Skidmore College, whose work concentrates on gender inequality, Lonnie Golden, a professor of Economics, Labor Studies at Penn State University, Abington College, whose research focuses about work which includes working hours and work scheduling, and Debbie Budlender, specialist researcher, who is working on social policy research.

Recent bargaining experiments demonstrate an effect of anonymity and incomplete information on behavior. This has rekindled the question whether "fair" behavior is inspired by regard for others or driven by external forces. To test this, we compare a dictator game treatment that provides receivers with information about the source of offers with one that does not, controlling for anonymity in a double-blind setting. Combined with extant results, our findings suggest that about half of dictator giving observed in experiments is internally motivated, and the other half is driven by external factors, such as experimenter observability or regard by receivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using industry level data for Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to five Asian countries, we investigate how the sensitivity of FDI to the exchange rate changes across different industry types and exchange rate indices. Key results are as follows: (i) aggregated FDI data reported at the national level are insufficient for analysis, and industry-level data are required; (ii) pooling industries by export orientation reveals heterogeneity in the response of different types of FDI to the exchange rates; and (iii) alternative exchange rate measures, particularly the competitor-weighted exchange rate, perform better for export-oriented FDI. We use our results to address key conflicts in the literature on exchange rates and FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We check the feasibility of the Thin-Sandwich formulation of the constraints for the construction of hyperboloidal initial data, and present a first numerical check (boundary treatment) of the method with Schwarzschild data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS) is a procedure for extracting latent core profiles in a multitest data set. The PAMS procedure offers several advantages compared with other profile analysis procedures. Most notably, PAMS estimates individual profile weights that reflect the degree to which an individual's observed profile approximates the shape and scatter of latent core profiles. The PAMS procedure was applied to index scores of nonreplicated participants from the standardization sample (N = 1,033) for the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (D. Tulsky, J. Zhu, & M. F. Ledbetter, 2002). PAMS extracted discrepant visual memory and auditory memory versus working memory core profiles for the complete 16- to 89-year-old sample and discrepant working memory and auditory memory versus working memory core profiles for the 75- to 89-year-old cohort. Implications for use of PAMS in future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper confines itself to the description of the profile of a general dentist while outlining where the boundary between specialist and generalist may lie. The profile must reflect the need to recognize that oral health is part of general health. The epidemiological trends and disease variation of a country should inform the profile of the dentist. A particular tension between the provision of oral healthcare in publicly funded and private services may result in dentists practicing dentistry in different ways. However, the curriculum should equip the practitioner for either scenario. A dentist should work to standards appropriate to the needs of the individual and the population within the country’s legal and ethical framework. He/she should have communication skills appropriate to ascertain the patient’s beliefs and values. A dentist should work within the principles of equity and diversity and have the knowledge and clinical competence for independent general practice, including knowledge of health promotion and prevention. He/she should participate in life-long learning, which should result in a reflective practitioner whose clinical skills reflect the current evidence base, scientific breakthroughs and needs of their patients. Within the 4–5 years of a dental degree it is not possible for a student to achieve proficiency in all areas of dentistry. He/she needs to have the ability to know their own limitations and to access appropriate specialist advice for their patients while taking responsibility for the oral healthcare they provide. The dentist has the role of leader of the oral health team and, in this capacity; he/she is responsible for diagnosis, treatment planning and the quality control of the oral treatment. The dental student on graduation must therefore understand the principles and techniques which enable the dentist to act in this role. He/she should have the abilities to communicate, delegate and collaborate both within the dental team and with other health professionals, to the benefit of the patient. The profile of a dentist should encompass the points raised but will also be based upon competency lists which are published by a variety of countries and organizations. It is important that these lists are dynamic so that they are able to change in light of new evidence and technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the life of Alfred Dupont Chandler Jr., business historian and strategist. The author reports that in 1970's, Harvard professor Chandler renewed business history into a career choice for historians, an important branch of history, and a source for effective strategic management. Chandler was born in 1918, became a professor of History at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1952, and taught in the History Department of Johns Hopkins University between 1963 and 1970. A list of books published by Chandler is presented.

Traditional collaborative filtering generates recommendations for the active user based solely on ratings of items by other users. However, most businesses today have item ontologies that provide a useful source of content descriptors that can be used to enhance the quality of recommendations generated. In this article, we present a novel approach to integrating user rating vectors with an item ontology to generate recommendations. The approach is novel in measuring similarity between users in that it first derives factors, referred to as impacts, driving the observed user behavior and then uses these factors within the similarity computation. In doing so, a more comprehensive user model is learned that is sensitive to the context of the user visit. An evaluation of our recommendation algorithm was carried out using data from an online retailer of movies with over 94,000 movies, 44,000 actors, and 10,000 directors within the item knowledge base. The evaluation showed a statistically significant improvement in the prediction accuracy over traditional collaborative filtering. Additionally, the algorithm was shown to generate recommendations for visitors that belong to sparse sections of the user space, areas where traditional collaborative filtering would generally fail to generate accurate recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper-air radioactivity soundings have been regularly conducted in Hong Kong since 1994. A total of 38 soundings, measuring the vertical profile of radioactivity in the atmosphere over Hong Kong using on-board Geiger-Müeller tubes, were made during the period 1994–2003 in different seasons and weather conditions. This paper presents the data obtained in Hong Kong and compares the composite vertical profile with observations in other parts of the world. The average Pfotzer maximum over Hong Kong was found to be at an altitude of around 16. 1km, lower than those observed at higher latitudes. The variations of the Pfotzer maximum with geomagnetic rigidity and solar activity are discussed. Seasonal and local weather effects on radioactivity in the lower atmosphere were also studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]