Can Memoirs Be Used For Spiritual Development in a Book Group?

Biographies have historically been used by Christians for instruction and encouragement. The current trend in biographical writing is the memoir. Can spiritual memoirs be used as an effective tool for learning more about Scripture, doctrine or the Christian life? Approximately twenty spiritual memoirs were read and evaluated to determine if there was a central theme or series of themes that provided a story-based context for exploring greater biblical truths. This article reviews the genre of spiritual memoirs, discusses their strengths and weaknesses, and suggests a method for preparing them for a book group format

Modeling of evolving textures using granulometries

This chapter describes a statistical approach to classification of dynamic texture images, called parallel evolution functions (PEFs). Traditional classification methods predict texture class membership using comparisons with a finite set of predefined texture classes and identify the closest class. However, where texture images arise from a dynamic texture evolving over time, estimation of a time state in a continuous evolutionary process is required instead. The PEF approach does this using regression modeling techniques to predict time state. It is a flexible approach which may be based on any suitable image features. Many textures are well suited to a morphological analysis and the PEF approach uses image texture features derived from a granulometric analysis of the image. The method is illustrated using both simulated images of Boolean processes and real images of corrosion. The PEF approach has particular advantages for training sets containing limited numbers of observations, which is the case in many real world industrial inspection scenarios and for which other methods can fail or perform badly. [41] G.W. Horgan, Mathematical morphology for analysing soil structure from images, European Journal of Soil Science, vol. 49, pp. 161–173, 1998. [42] G.W. Horgan, C.A. Reid and C.A. Glasbey, Biological image processing and enhancement, Image Processing and Analysis, A Practical Approach, R. Baldock and J. Graham, eds., Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 37–67, 2000. [43] B.B. Hubbard, The World According to Wavelets: The Story of a Mathematical Technique in the Making, A.K. Peters Ltd., Wellesley, MA, 1995. [44] H. Iversen and T. Lonnestad. An evaluation of stochastic models for analysis and synthesis of gray-scale texture, Pattern Recognition Letters, vol. 15, pp. 575–585, 1994. [45] A.K. Jain and F. Farrokhnia, Unsupervised texture segmentation using Gabor filters, Pattern Recognition, vol. 24(12), pp. 1167–1186, 1991. [46] T. Jossang and F. Feder, The fractal characterization of rough surfaces, Physica Scripta, vol. T44, pp. 9–14, 1992. [47] A.K. Katsaggelos and T. Chun-Jen, Iterative image restoration, Handbook of Image and Video Processing, A. Bovik, ed., Academic Press, London, pp. 208–209, 2000. [48] M. K¨oppen, C.H. Nowack and G. R¨osel, Pareto-morphology for color image processing, Proceedings of SCIA99, 11th Scandinavian Conference on Image Analysis 1, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, pp. 195–202, 1999. [49] S. Krishnamachari and R. Chellappa, Multiresolution Gauss-Markov random field models for texture segmentation, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 6(2), pp. 251–267, 1997. [50] T. Kurita and N. Otsu, Texture classification by higher order local autocorrelation features, Proceedings of ACCV93, Asian Conference on Computer Vision, Osaka, pp. 175–178, 1993. [51] S.T. Kyvelidis, L. Lykouropoulos and N. Kouloumbi, Digital system for detecting, classifying, and fast retrieving corrosion generated defects, Journal of Coatings Technology, vol. 73(915), pp. 67–73, 2001. [52] Y. Liu, T. Zhao and J. Zhang, Learning multispectral texture features for cervical cancer detection, Proceedings of 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: Macro to Nano, pp. 169–172, 2002. [53] G. McGunnigle and M.J. Chantler, Modeling deposition of surface texture, Electronics Letters, vol. 37(12), pp. 749–750, 2001. [54] J. McKenzie, S. Marshall, A.J. Gray and E.R. Dougherty, Morphological texture analysis using the texture evolution function, International Journal of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence, vol. 17(2), pp. 167–185, 2003. [55] J. McKenzie, Classification of dynamically evolving textures using evolution functions, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Strathclyde, UK, 2004. [56] S.G. Mallat, Multiresolution approximations and wavelet orthonormal bases of L2(R), Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, vol. 315, pp. 69–87, 1989. [57] S.G. Mallat, A theory for multiresolution signal decomposition: the wavelet representation, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 11, pp. 674–693, 1989. [58] B.S. Manjunath and W.Y. Ma, Texture features for browsing and retrieval of image data, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 18, pp. 837–842, 1996. [59] B.S. Manjunath, G.M. Haley and W.Y. Ma, Multiband techniques for texture classification and segmentation, Handbook of Image and Video Processing, A. Bovik, ed., Academic Press, London, pp. 367–381, 2000. [60] G. Matheron, Random Sets and Integral Geometry, Wiley Series in Probability and Mathematical Statistics, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1975

The earthquake of 17 November, 1960, in the Mt. Glorious region, Southeast Queensland

A study has been made of macroseismic and instrumental data for the earthquake of 17 November, 1960, located in the Mt. Glorious region of southeast Queensland. Seven hundred questionnaires received from a felt area of about 100,000 square kilometres have provided data for the preparation of an isoseismal map and an estimate of the position of the epicentral region. This has been compared with a redefined epicentre based on the very inadequate instrumental observations of the earthquake. For MJ\ll intensities within the range II to IV, there are no obvious correlations of observed intensity patterns with either regional geological trends or detailed near surface geology

Childhood nephrotic syndrome: Children's and parents' illness perceptions and psychological sequelae

Childhood nephrotic syndrome is a chronic illness with an unpredictable course requiring long-term medication and treatments. In its mildest form children require steroids over long periods and regular hospital check-ups. In some cases children will experience relapses which require hospitalisation, while others will be unresponsive to steroids and will undergo aggressive chemotherapy treatments. In its most severe form children will have their kidneys removed and will receive dialysis. In the majority of cases children will experience obvious physical changes, such as swelling of the body and may be restricted in their activities. Investigations into the psychological impact of this illness for children and their families are not reported m the literature, although hospital staff working with these children have described anxiety and depression amongst children and their families. The aim of the current study was to explore the psychological sequelae of this disorder in both affected children and their parents. In addition, the potential explanatory value of identifying illness perceptions [Weinman, 1997 #464] as predictors of psychological outcome was examined. Fifty-seven families with children between the ages of 7 and 18 years, from a total population of one hundred and twenty-one attending a national centre for nephrotic syndrome, participated in the study. One parent and the affected child from each family completed the questionnaires. Open-ended questions derived from pilot interviews were included to obtain information about families' experiences of nephrotic syndrome. Standardised parent measures included the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire - carer's version, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Impact of Events Scale - Revised. Standardised child measures included the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (adapted for children), the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, the Birleson Depression Scale and the Children's Impact of Events Scale. Open-ended questions revealed a number of factors that appear to affect most of this population, with changes in the child's physical appearance, missing school and being unable to participate fully in activities being reported frequently. Subsequent difficulties such as the affected child being teased, bullied and excluded from social groups were also described by a substantial number of parents. Descriptive and statistical analyses identified elevated levels of anxiety and trauma symptomatology amongst parents, and increased levels of anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms amongst children. Parent and child ratings of psychological symptoms were moderately correlated. In addition, significant numbers of parents reported difficulties with their child's behaviour and these reports were significantly correlated with children's reports of psychological symptoms and parental levels of psychological symptoms. Parent and child ratings of perceived illness identity and consequences were highly correlated, while parents and children showed low levels of agreement as to the duration of the illness and controllability or likely cure of the illness. Multiple regression analyses indicated that children's illness perceptions were predictive of child psychological outcome and similarly, parents' illness perceptions were predictive of parent psychological outcome. This study indicates that children suffering from nephrotic syndrome and their parents are at increased risk of developing psychological difficulties. The Illness Perceptions model was found to be a useful construct with good explanatory power

Conceptualizing and advancing a growing quality of care concern: nursing home resident choice in daily life

Nursing home resident choice in daily life is recognized as vital to resident quality of life and quality of care. Advocacy and policy activities to promote resident choice abound, yet little research exists to guide nursing home staff in how to enable resident choice on a moment to moment basis. Our three studies developed conceptual and practical tools to elucidate the factors, challenges, and behaviors involved in enabling resident choice. We first crafted a conceptual model, the “REAlizing Resident CHoice (REACH)” model, as described in the first paper. The REACH model identifies the factors influencing staff efforts to enable resident choice and the broader contextual dimensions within which the resident-staff member relationship exists. The REACH model was developed through a literature review of 1,969 abstracts and expert opinion. The second study assessed 1) tensions nursing home staff members encounter when trying to enable resident choice and 2) resolutions employed in the face of these tensions. We conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 26 staff participants in two Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Community Living Centers (i.e., nursing homes). Participants highlighted intra-personal, inter-personal, and organizational tensions that affected their resident choice enabling efforts. Resolutions to these tensions focused on preventive practices, education, reinforcement, deliberation, collaboration, and leadership. A formative assessment tool, the “Supporting Choice Observational Tool (SCOT),” was developed in the third study. The SCOT provides nursing home staff with detailed, non-graded feedback on how to offer and enable resident choice in-the-moment. We created the SCOT using the following methodologies, in order: ethnographic observation, tool piloting, expert panel consultation, and a representational algorithm. SCOT results can inform discussion amongst co-workers and supervisors on how to advance their resident choice enabling efforts. These three studies address an important research gap. They provide scientifically grounded concepts and tools to assist nursing home staff, researchers, and policy makers in advocating for and instituting resident choice. The REACH model can be used to frame future research, and future studies can be undertaken to validate the SCOT. Findings from the second study could improve quality improvement initiatives targeting tensions and resolutions in enabling resident choice.2018-02-17T00:00:00

Diffuse axonal injury effect on myelinating cells and axons

There is no supporting evidence whether myelin degeneration in diffuse axonal injury (DAI) of the white matter is due to death of myelinating oligodendrocytes or secondary axotomy. Cortical neurons are not able to remain healthy in culture to have their axons myelinated. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons have been shown to be myelinated by cortical oligodendrocytes in culture. An in vitro stretch injury model was used to analyze the DRG axon pathology during and after injury. DRG myelinating Schwann cells are analyzed to demonstrate what is expected from injury to oligodendrocytes. DRG axons demonstrated a high tolerance to stretch injury compared to cortical axons, at strains up to 90% without disconnection. Axons showed delayed recovery of the developed distortions from injury to their preinjured orientation. Injured DRG axons developed swellings similar to those found along stretch injured cortical axons and in humans with DAI. The intracellular calcium level showed extracellular entry of calcium during injury and high sustained levels following a severe injury. Undifferentiated Schwann cells showed greater calcium influx from severe injury and the possible release of an extracellular signaling molecule increasing the calcium concentration in uninjured cells. Stretch injured differentiated Schwann cells demonstrated an increase in intracellular calcium at the time of injury and a gradual increase in non-injured cells after injury, possibly induced by extracellular signaling molecules and calcium ions traversing to non- injured cells through gap junctions

Annotated Bibliography: The Reference Desk: Grand Idea or Gone Down the River?

This bibliography is from a panel presentation at the 2017 ACL Conference. The goal of this panel was to explore different rationales or sets of values that illustrated the continuation of the reference desk and reference service as essential to the success of the academic community. We discovered that “what to do with reference” is far from a settled question. We discovered passionate arguments, diverse models, and an array of data. In this current stage of figuring out the value of academic libraries to the campus as a whole and to students in particular, it seemed that there was limited hard data connecting Reference services to how they met students’ needs. How do we make ourselves valuable, important, essential, and useful? Maybe we need to change our model? If so, how do we examine ourselves and our environment appropriately to make this happen? What factors should we examine? Which ones must we keep? What things can we discard or change? When students come to seek assistance, they generally need the short, instant, and personal help, without having to attend a whole training session or class. Individual and personalized guidance for their immediate need is the most important factor for them. How do libraries provide that