Attentional capture by meaning: A multi-level modelling study

We present a computational study of attentional capture by meaning, based on Barnard et al's key-distractor attentional blink task. We highlight a sequence of models, from an abstract black-box to a structurally detailed white-box model. Each of these models reproduces the major findings from the key-distractor blink task. We argue that such multi-level modelling gives greater confidence in the theoretical position encapsulated by these models

"Finance and Development: Institutional and Policy Alternatives to Financial Liberalization"

There are many recent worldwide examples of severe financial crises that are linked to periods of financial liberalization. Given the ubiquity of these crises, there is the legitimate question of why governments still pursue financial liberalization policies. Answers to this question range from the recent institutionalization of norms of "acceptable" financial policies and perceived potential gains of attracting private capital inflows to the implied gains arising from the economic logic embedded in the theory underlying financial liberalization. This paper will focus on the latter arguing that financial transformation along the lines proposed by McKinnon-Shaw has engendered widespread banking crises precisely because of the weak foundations of the theory. The financial liberalization theory is critically evaluated on both theoretical and empirical grounds. An alternative theoretical approach is presented that focuses on ways to effect financial and banking transformation that is more consistent with economic development that draws on an institutional-centric perspective.

Finance and Development: Institutional and Policy Alternatives to Financial Liberalization Theory

Development; Finance; Financial Liberalization; Policy

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Neighbourhood: Studying the area bases of social exclusion

Are-based policies have become a significant part of the new Labour Government's approach to tackling social exclusion. This paper reviews the long-running debate about whether area-based policies can make a significant impact on poverty and social exclusion. There is a strong tradition of academic work that argues that this is a misguided strategy. The authors argue that recent work, both in the US and the UK, suggests that there may be causal factors at work which derive from area-based problems that suggest area-based solutions. However, too little is understood about what these factors are and how they might be addressed. Deeper local studies are required to tease out these effects. The paper then goes on to describe how the authors have gone about choosing twelve areas for particular study. In the course of doing so, much has been learned about the characteristics of the most deprived areas in the country and where they are.neighbourhoods, poverty, social exclusion

Portal Hypertension in Children: Three Case Reports and Review of Recent Progress in Treatment

The diagnosis and surgical management of extrahepatic portal hypertension in infants and children have improved dramatically in the last 50 years, as evidenced by the reported mortalities of 46% in 1928-1935 and only 12% in 1974. The diagnosis Is often evident from the first sudden gastrointestinal bleeding Incident and can be verified quickly with fiberoptic esophagoscopy and x-rays. The surgeon has a choice of multiple shunt procedures to control portal pressure

Conformational Analysis: A Forcefield for Ketones and Aldehydes

A force-field currently in use for application to alkanes and alkenes is extended, herein, so as to include a ketone/aldehyde capability. This is done by the inclusion of further constants to take into account terms due to 13 interactions involving the carbonyl group. The force-field is parameterized so as to reproduce as closely as possible the geometries of 27 carbonyl compounds possessing widely differing structural features and also the standard heats of formation of 39 ketones and 10 aldehydes, these being all the carbonyl compounds for which appropriate data are available to date. The actual precise degree of correspondence obtained between the calculated and experimental data is not so high as in the case of the parent hydrocarbon force-field but vies favourably in comparison with the other principal carbonyl force-field in existence. An analysis follows of the geometrical and thermochemical results of carbonyl compounds for which the appropriate experimental data are as yet unavailable, so precluding comparisons. Miscellaneous applications include analyses of the conformers of ring-ketones and their relative energies and a survey of the compounds of (3.3.1) bicyclic structural types. Calculations find the chair-boat conformer of 1-methyl-7-exo-t-butyl(3.3.1)-bicyclononane-2,9-dione to be more stable than the twin-chair form, in agreement with observation. Similarly, 9-thia(3.3.1)-bicyclononane-2,6-dione is calculated to be slightly skewed, to relieve unfavourable non-bonded interactions, as is found experimentally, and two other sulphur-containing systems, 3-Oxa-7,9-dithia- and 9-oxa-3,7-dithia(3.3.1)bicyclononane are conformationally analyzed. For these cases, a further extension of the force-field so as to incorporate sulphide and ether parameters is described

Increasing Community Participation with Self-Organizing Meeting Processes

Involving many people in community-based research provides many benefits, such as more labor power and increased buy-in. Traditional meeting formats, however, are not well suited to attracting broad engagement. One way to address this challenge is to instead employ self-organizing meeting processes, which are designed to invite active participation from attendees, and do not predefine the agenda. This article describes three such processes, 1) Open Space Technology, 2) World Café, and 3) Dynamic Facilitation, followed by my observations on their advantages and disadvantages when employed in community-based research efforts. Their use requires giving up a great amount of control when compared with traditional, topdown meeting approaches, and may result in actions beyond, or even excluding, research. The strong possibility of failing to address organizers’ own short-term goals, however, should be balanced with the higher likelihood of achieving the broader community’s long-term goals