MR connectomics: Principles and challenges.

MR connectomics is an emerging framework in neuro-science that combines diffusion MRI and whole brain tractography methodologies with the analytical tools of network science. In the present work we review the current methods enabling structural connectivity mapping with MRI and show how such data can be used to infer new information of both brain structure and function. We also list the technical challenges that should be addressed in the future to achieve high-resolution maps of structural connectivity. From the resulting tremendous amount of data that is going to be accumulated soon, we discuss what new challenges must be tackled in terms of methods for advanced network analysis and visualization, as well data organization and distribution. This new framework is well suited to investigate key questions on brain complexity and we try to foresee what fields will most benefit from these approaches.

Suivi th��rapeutique des m��dicaments (I). Les principes [Principles of therapeutic drug monitoring]

Requesting a blood level measurement of a drug is part of the global approach known as "Therapeutic Drug Monitoring". Diverse situations require this monitoring approach, such as inadequate response to treatment or organ failure. Every drug however does not possess all the characteristics for a TDM program. The therapeutic range of a TDM drug has indeed to be narrow and its interindividual pharmacokinetic variability to be wide. As the development of new drugs is currently slowing down, the precise management of existing treatments certainly deserves progress, but needs however to be applied rationally, starting from a valid indication to blood sampling, and ending with a sound dosage adaptation decision.

Are the maximum hardness and minimum polarizability principles always obeyed in nontotally symmetric vibrations?

An overview is given on a study which showed that not only in chemical reactions but also in the favorable case of nontotally symmetric vibrations where the chemical and external potentials keep approximately constant, the generalized maximum hardness principle (GMHP) and generalized minimum polarizability principle (GMPP) may not be obeyed. A method that allows an accurate determination of the nontotally symmetric molecular distortions with more marked GMPP or anti-GMPP character through diagonalization of the polarizability Hessian matrix is introduced

Variational principles for nonlinear dynamical systems

A variational method for Hamiltonian systems is analyzed. Two different variationalcharacterization for the frequency of nonlinear oscillations is also suppliedfor non-Hamiltonian systems

Principles of British health visiting

In an international context, it is sometimes helpful to consider how concepts are understood in different countries, and to explore some different roles. Such knowledge rarely transfers directly from one country or place to another, but to hear about developments from elsewhere can spark ideas and thinking that may be helpful for local developments. This paper gives some brief background about how the health visiting profession developed in Great Britain, and then explains the values and principles that underpin its practice today. Some parallels are drawn with the health situation in modern Brazil.

Transitions in partnership and parental status, gender, and political and civic participation

Participation research has documented the effect of partner and parenthood status, thereby ignoring the dynamic aspect of status changes. Based on theoretical insights on changes in political resources and interest, this study looks at partnership and parenthood as dynamic characteristics. Using data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), it examines to what extent important life-cycle transitions in partnership and parental status influence various forms of political and civic participation and whether they affect men and women's participation differently. Our regression analyses reveal that particularly the entry into separation or divorce is a main key point driving change in political and civic participation. Its effect is also highly gendered. Following separation, women participate less in voting, whereas men's participation rates are not affected in a negative way. Separation even increases men's level of anticipated activism. Children entering or leaving the household do not seem to represent key points of change in political and civic participation of the couple. Yet, the transition to having school-aged children significantly increases some types of participation, at least for women.

La Relaci��n de equivalencia del civil partnership entre Inglaterra y Espa��a

En el presente trabajo se pretende averiguar la aplicabilidad de los supuestos de ��ar��evi�� desde el punto de vista traductol��gico. Por esta raz��n, se ha tomado como ejemplo pr��ctico la investigaci��n de la relaci��n de equivalencia funcional del civil partnership entre los sistemas jur��dicos de Inglaterra y de Espa��a. En primer lugar se ha estudiado la equivalencia funcional y su relaci��n con el derecho comparado, destacando los puntos en com��n con la traducci��n jur��dica. Luego, en materia de derecho, se han destacado las principales diferencias entre la common law y la civil law. El resultado, derivado de la aplicaci��n pr��ctica de la teor��a ��ar��evi��, demuestra que ��sta no es v��lida para un traductor no jurista, lo cual ha necesitado buscar una forma alternativa para conseguir el equivalente.

Improving Transition Outcomes-Value of IVRS Partnership, 2004

Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, a Division of the State of Iowa Department of Education, in partnership with six other state agencies, applied for and was awarded funding for ���Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Through the Use of intermediaries.��� This Innovative State Alignment Grant is funded by the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. For clarity and brevity, the Iowa team chose to use ���Improving Transition Outcomes��� as the project name, thus providing the acronym ITO. Grant funding began October 1, 2003 with the possibility of renewal for five years.

IOWA Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence, 2006

Task Force members formulated these principles and practices as a way to promote good management practices, ethical conduct, and public accountability. By compiling the information in this guide, we hope to provide a valuable tool for organizations and individuals as they go about the work of building better Iowa communities.

Essays on the principles and adoption of entreprise-wide architecture

Enterprise-wide architecture has become a necessity for organizations to (re)align information technology (IT) to changing business requirements. Since a city planning metaphor inspired enterprise-wide architecture, this dissertation's research axes can be outlined by similarities between cities and enterprises. Both are characterized as dynamic super-systems that need to address the evolving interest of various architecture stakeholders. Further, both should simultaneously adhere to a set of principles to guide the evolution of architecture towards the expected benefits. The extant literature on enterprise-wide architecture not only disregards architecture adoption's complexities but also remains vague about how principles guide architecture evolution. To bridge this gap, this dissertation contains three interrelated research streams examining the principles and adoption of enterprise-wide architecture. The first research stream investigates organizational intricacies inherent in architecture adoption. It characterizes architecture adoption as an ongoing organizational adaptation process. By analyzing organizational response behaviors in this adaptation process, it also identifies four archetypes that represent very diverse architecture approaches. The second research stream ontologically clarifies the nature of architecture principles along with outlining new avenues for theoretical contributions. This research stream also provides an empirically validated set of principles and proposes a research model illustrating how principles can be applied to generate expected architecture benefits. The third research stream examines architecture adoption in multinational corporations (MNCs). MNCs are Specified by unique organizational characteristics that constantly strive for balancing global integration and local responsiveness. This research stream characterizes MNCs' architecture adoption as a continuous endeavor. This endeavor tries to constantly synchron ize architecture with stakeholders' beliefs about how to balance global integration and local responsiveness. To conclude, this dissertation provides a thorough explanation of a long-term journey in Which organizations learn over time to adopt an effective architecture approach. It also clarifies the role of principles to purposefully guide the aforementioned learning process. - L'Architecture d'Entreprise (AE) est devenue une n��cessit�� pour permettre aux organisations de (r��)aligner les technologies de l'information (TI) avec les changements en termes de besoins m��tiers. En se basant sur la m��taphore de la planification urbaine dont l'AE s'est inspir��e, cette dissertation peut ��tre pr��sent��e comme une comparaison entre les villes et les entreprises; les deux sont des super-syst��mes dynamiques ayant besoin de r��pondre aux int��r��ts d'acteurs divers et vari��s en constants ��volution. De plus, les deux devraient souscrire simultan��ment �� un ensemble de principes afin de faire converger l'��volution de l'architecture vers les b��n��fices attendus. La litt��rature sur l'AE, non seulement ne prend pas en consid��ration les complexit��s de l'adoption d'architecture, mais aussi reste vague sur la mani��re dont les principes guident l'��volution de l'architecture. Pour pallier ce manque, cette dissertation est compos��e de trois volets de recherche ��troitement li��s examinant les principes et l'adoption de l'AE. Le premier volet examine la complexit�� organisationnelle inh��rente �� l'adoption de l'architecture. Il caract��rise l'adoption de l'architecture en tant que processus d'adaptation continu. En analysant le comportement organisationnel en r��ponse �� ce processus d'adaptation, ce volet distingue quatre arch��types repr��sentant la diversit�� des approches de l'architecture. Le deuxi��me volet de recherche clarifie de mani��re ontologique la nature des principes d'architecture et envisage les contributions th��oriques futures possibles. Cet axe de recherche fournit aussi un ensemble de principes, valid��s de mani��re empirique, et propose un mod��le de recherche illustrant la mani��re dont ces principes peuvent ��tre appliqu��s afin de g��n��rer les b��n��fices attendus de l'architecture. Le troisi��me volet examine l'adoption de l'architecture dans les entreprises multinationales. Ces derni��res poss��dent des caract��ristiques organisationnelles uniques et sont constamment �� la recherche d'un ��quilibre entre une int��gration globale et une flexibilit�� locale tout en prenant en compte les convictions des divers acteurs sur la mani��re d'atteindre cet ��quilibre. Pour conclure, cette dissertation fournit une explication sur le long voyage au cours duquel les entreprises apprennent �� adopter une approche d'architecture efficace. Elle clarifie aussi le r��le des principes dans l'accompagnement de ce processus d'apprentissage.

Organizing principles across the senses

ABSTRACT This thesis is composed of two main parts. The first addressed the question of whether the auditory and somatosensory systems, like their visual counterpart, comprise parallel functional pathways for processing identity and spatial attributes (so-called `what' and `where' pathways, respectively). The second part examined the independence of control processes mediating task switching across 'what' and `where' pathways in the auditory and visual modalities. Concerning the first part, electrical neuroimaging of event-related potentials identified the spatio-temporal mechanisms subserving auditory (see Appendix, Study n��1) and vibrotactile (see Appendix, Study n��2) processing during two types of blocks of trials. `What' blocks varied stimuli in their frequency independently of their location.. `Where' blocks varied the same stimuli in their location independently of their frequency. Concerning the second part (see Appendix, Study n��3), a psychophysical task-switching paradigm was used to investigate the hypothesis that the efficacy of control processes depends on the extent of overlap between the neural circuitry mediating the different tasks at hand, such that more effective task preparation (and by extension smaller switch costs) is achieved when the anatomical/functional overlap of this circuitry is small. Performance costs associated with switching tasks and/or switching sensory modalities were measured. Tasks required the analysis of either the identity or spatial location of environmental objects (`what' and `where' tasks, respectively) that were presented either visually or acoustically on any given trial. Pretrial cues informed participants of the upcoming task, but not of the sensory modality. - In the audio-visual domain, the results showed that switch costs between tasks were significantly smaller when the sensory modality of the task switched versus when it repeated. In addition, switch costs between the senses were correlated only when the sensory modality of the task repeated across trials and not when it switched. The collective evidence not only supports the independence of control processes mediating task switching and modality switching, but also the hypothesis that switch costs reflect competitive interterence between neural circuits that in turn can be diminished when these neural circuits are distinct. - In the auditory and somatosensory domains, the findings show that a segregation of location vs. recognition information is observed across sensory systems and that these happen around 100ms for both sensory modalities. - Also, our results show that functionally specialized pathways for audition and somatosensation involve largely overlapping brain regions, i.e. posterior superior and middle temporal cortices and inferior parietal areas. Both these properties (synchrony of differential processing and overlapping brain regions) probably optimize the relationships across sensory modalities. - Therefore, these results may be indicative of a computationally advantageous organization for processing spatial anal identity information.

Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension, 2006

The passage of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress has ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is ���to increase the employment, retention, earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.��� The key principles inculcated in the Act are: ��� streamlining services; ��� empowering individuals; ��� universal access; ��� increased accountability; ��� new roles for local boards; ��� state and local flexibility; ��� improved youth programs. The purpose of Title II, The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, is to create a partnership among the federal government, states, and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy services in order to: ��� assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency; ��� assist adults who are parents obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; ��� assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education. The major purposes of Iowa���s Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program Year 2006 are: ��� provide a comprehensive blue print for implementation of Title II of the Act; ��� serve as a basis for both immediate and long-range planning and continuous, systematic evaluation of program effectiveness; ��� provide basis for common understanding among Iowa���s literacy partners, other interested entities and the U.S. Department of Education. The plan extension is designed to update Iowa���s Adult Literacy State Plan for Program Year 2006 in line with the guidelines provided by the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE:DAEL).

TOPSpro Data Dictionary, July 1, 2005���June 30, 2006

The passage of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress has ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is ���to increase the employability, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.��� The key principles inculcated in the Act are: ��� Streamlining services; ��� Empowering individuals; ��� Universal access; ��� Increased accountability; ��� New roles for local boards; ��� State and local flexibility; ��� Improved youth programs. The purpose of Title II, The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is to create a partnership among the federal government, states, and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy services in order to: ��� Assist adults become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency; ��� Assist adults who are parents obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; ��� Assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education. Adult education is an important part of the workforce investment system. Title II restructures and improves programs previously authorized by the Adult Education Act. AEFLA focuses on strengthening program quality by requiring States to give priority in awarding funds to local programs that are based on a solid foundation of research, address the diverse needs of adult learners, and utilize other effective practices and strategies. To promote continuous program involvement and to ensure optimal return on the Federal investment, AEFLA also establishes a State performance accountability system. Under this system, the Secretary and each State must reach agreement on annual levels of performance for a number of ���core indicators��� specified in the law: ��� Demonstrated improvements in literacy skill levels in reading, writing, and speaking the English language, numeracy, problem solving, English language acquisition, and other literacy skills. ��� Placement in, retention in, or completion of postsecondary education, training, unsubsidized employment or career advancement. ��� Receipt of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent. Iowa���s community college based adult basic education program has implemented a series of proactive strategies in order to effectively and systematically meet the challenges posed by WIA. The Iowa TOPSpro Data Dictionary is a direct result of Iowa���s pro-active efforts in this educational arena.