Personal Identity and the Influence of Outlaw Folklore

Folklore being a relatively new science there is still debate going on about what Folklore actually is. Most of what one reads is relative to who the “folk” are, where the “lore” comes from and how it is inspired. This thesis looks at folkore from a viewpoint which observes folklore from the other direction. Not how do the folk create the lore, rather how does the lore create the folk? Folklore is well shown to be a product, or at least an abstract of one’s personal identity, but, is it not also a tool used by the individual in the creation of an identity that the individual wishes to relate to others, “outsiders.” I grew up in a family situation which had its roots in two almost diametrically opposed ideologies, having in common only the prospective “good” either if these identities could be seen to promote. A religious family married into an outlaw family. The family folklore painted a magnificently broad stroke on what could be considered good, or heroic, but the outlaw folklore ended up carrying the day. Based on input from three generations of this tribe, I examine how their stories are formed, interpreted, and used to magnify the three differing individualities involved. There is a strong similarity between the folkloric evolution of outlaws into heroes, and the adoption of seeds from these heroic outlaw tales in the creation of personal identities

The Removal of Hot Melt Adhesives from Recycled Paper Stock by the Froth Flotation Method

The object of this report is to explore the area of flotation as a means of removing hot adhesive from recycled paper stock. The major area of research resolved around choosing a surfactant capable of good performance in enhancing the flotation of adhesive and minimizing fiber loss. This surfactant was chosen by using a combination of zeta - potential studies and a flotation study in which 3 surfactants were screened. The highest performance was given by Rohm and Haas Triton N-100 followed respectively by X-114 and X-165. Even though all the surfactants had approximately the same high level of adhesive removal, the performance difference was manifest in the area of fiber loss. It was then concluded that a nonionic surfactant with a larger hydrophobic chain will have a smaller rate of fiber loss as the level of surfactant addition increases and the oxyethylene group is varied in size

Effect of Spirotetramat Concentration on Anagyrus pseudococci Mortality

Control of vine mealybug in vineyard systems is of critical importance due to economic injury potential including an ability to vector virus. Traditional management of this pest has relied heavily upon the use of systemic and contact insecticides. The systemic insecticide MoventoÒ, registered for vine mealybug and active ingredient spirotetramat, has been shown to be compatible with biological control. However potential side effects of chemical controls on beneficial insect populations is known to affect non target arthropods. This study examined the effect of the systemic insecticide spirotetramat on populations of adult parasitic wasps, Anagyrus psuedococci, at two concentrations with wasps introduced onto treated leaves four hours and five days after application. Results of this study confirmed published reports spirotetramat did not cause a significant difference in wasp mortality concentration treatments or introduction interval treatments, and the interaction between concentration and interval was not found to be statistically significant. Lack of chemical ingestion combined with evolutionary characteristics of parasitic wasps may provide explanation to why a lipid synthesis inhibiting insecticides bear no adverse effect and warrants further investigation

Author index for volume 46

Background: Patient satisfaction is an important, but controversial part of health service evaluation. This study dealt with how acknowledgement of illness and treatment needs effected the distribution of positive, neutral and negative evaluations in a group of first time admitted patients to a psychiatric hospital. Method: The participants filled out a standardized user satisfaction form before discharge. The number of positive, neutral and negative evaluations for each participant was calculated and used as dependent variables in analyses (Classification Tree) where acknowledgement of illness (The Patients' Experience of Hospitalisation Questionnaire) and treatment needs (HoNOS) were used as explanatory variables in addition to a number of potential confounders. Results: Different constellations of variables explained the three dependent variables. The number of positive scores was a function of age and worry (PEH); neutral scores were explained by HoNOS rated social needs and GAF (functional scale), both at admission. Outcome (GAF functional scale) and age explained the number of negative scores. Conclusion: (1) Moderately high negative correlations between positive and neutral scores, and between positive and negative scores, together with a positive correlation between the number of negative and neutral ratings was interpreted to mean that neutral scores sometimes function as undercommunicated negative evaluations. These could better be studied by qualitative methods. (2) The worry subscale (PEH) was important in identifying the majority of patients with the highest numbers of positive scores (patients older than 27.5 yrs with high worry score at admission.). The most dissatisfied group was characterised by denial of both mental problems and need for treatment. (3) Patients with high scores on the HoNOS Social subscale had the highest number of neutral scores. To the extent that neutral evaluations have negative connotations, treatment should focus more effectively on the patients' social needs. (4) The smallest number of negative scores was found among older patients with high functional improvement (GAF F). (5) Increasing age consistently predicted higher satisfaction. A better understanding of why younger patients are more dissatisfied is needed

Multispectral pattern recognition reveals a diversity of clinical signs in intermediate age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE. To develop a proof-of-concept, computational method for the quantification and classification of fundus images in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS. Multispectral, unsupervised pattern recognition was applied to 184 fundus images from 10 normal and 36 intermediate AMD eyes. The imaging results of preprocessed, grayscale images from three modalities (infrared, green, and fundus autofluorescence scanning laser ophthalmoscopy) were automatically classified into various clusters sharing a common spectral signature, using a k-means clustering algorithm. Class separability was calculated by using transformed divergence (DT). The classification results for large drusen, pigmentary abnormalities, and areas unaffected by AMD were compared against three expert observers for concordance, and to calculate sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS. Multispectral, unsupervised pattern recognition successfully identified a finite number of AMD-specific, statistically separable signatures in eyes with intermediate AMD. By using a correct classification criterion of >83% for identical clusters and a total of 1693 expert annotations, the sensitivity and specificity of multispectral pattern recognition for the detection of AMD lesions was 74% and 98%, respectively. Large drusen and pigmentary abnormalities were correctly classified in 75% and 68% of instances, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. We describe herein a novel approach for the classification of multispectral images in intermediate AMD. Automated classification of intermediate AMD, using multispectral pattern recognition, has moderate sensitivity and high specificity, when compared against clinical experts. The methods described may have a future role in AMD screening or monitoring

Soil Carbon Accumulation and CO 2

Experimental plots were established on severely eroded land surfaces in Iceland in 1999 to study the rates and limits of soil carbon sequestration during restoration and succession. The carbon content in the upper 10 cm of soils increased substantially during the initial eight years in all plots for which the treatments included both fertilizer and seeding with grasses, concomitant with the increase in vegetative cover. In the following five years, however, the soil carbon accumulation rates declined to negligible for most treatments and the carbon content in soils mainly remained relatively constant. We suggest that burial of vegetated surfaces by aeolian drift and nutrient limitation inhibited productivity and carbon sequestration in most plots. Only plots seeded with lupine demonstrated continued long-term soil carbon accumulation and soil CO2 flux rates significantly higher than background levels. This demonstrates that lupine was the sole treatment that resulted in vegetation capable of sustained growth independent of nutrient availability and resistant to disruption by aeolian processes

Forecasting temporal dynamics of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Northeast Brazil.

IntroductionCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne disease of increasing importance in northeastern Brazil. It is known that sandflies, which spread the causative parasites, have weather-dependent population dynamics. Routinely-gathered weather data may be useful for anticipating disease risk and planning interventions.Methodology/principal findingsWe fit time series models using meteorological covariates to predict CL cases in a rural region of Bahía, Brazil from 1994 to 2004. We used the models to forecast CL cases for the period 2005 to 2008. Models accounting for meteorological predictors reduced mean squared error in one, two, and three month-ahead forecasts by up to 16% relative to forecasts from a null model accounting only for temporal autocorrelation.SignificanceThese outcomes suggest CL risk in northeastern Brazil might be partially dependent on weather. Responses to forecasted CL epidemics may include bolstering clinical capacity and disease surveillance in at-risk areas. Ecological mechanisms by which weather influences CL risk merit future research attention as public health intervention targets

Suicidality related to first-time admissions to psychiatric hospital

The epidemiology of suicidality shows considerable variation across sites. However, one of the strongest predictors of suicide is a suicidal attempt. Knowledge of the epidemiology of suicidal ideas and attempts in the general population as well as in the health care system is of importance for designing preventive strategies. In this study, we will explore the role of the psychiatric hospital in suicide prevention by investigating treated incidence of suicidal ideation and attempt, and further, discern whether sociodemographic, clinical and service utilization factors differ between these two groups at admission. The study was a prospective cohort study on treated incidence in a 1-year period and 12-month follow-up. The two psychiatric hospitals in northern Norway, serving a population of about 500,000 people, participated in the study. A total of 676 first-time admissions were retrospectively checked for suicidality at the time of admission. A study sample of 168 patients was found eligible for logistic regression analysis to elucidate the risk profiles of suicidal ideators versus suicidal attempters. GAF, HoNOS and SCL-90-R were used to assess symptomatology at baseline. 52.2% of all patients admitted had suicidal ideas at admission and 19.7% had attempted suicide. In the study sample, there were no differences in risk profile between the two groups with regard to sociodemographic and clinical factors. Males who had made a suicide attempt were less likely to have been in contact with an out-patient clinic before the attempt. The rating scales not measuring suicidality directly showed no differences in symptomatology. The findings provide evidence for the importance of the psychiatric hospital in suicide prevention. About half of the admissions were related to suicidality and the similar risk profiles found in suicidal ideators and suicidal attempters indicate that it is the ideators who mostly need treatment that get admitted to the hospital, and should be evaluated and treated with equal concern as those who have attempted suicide