Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S O Murray

Publications and source records attributed to S O Murray.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

The neural network classification of false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) vocalizations.

This study reports the use of unsupervised, self-organizing neural network to categorize the repertoire of false killer whale vocalizations. Self-organizing networks are capable of detecting patterns in their input and partitioning those patterns into categories without requiring that the number or types of categories be predefined. The inputs for the neural networks were two-dimensional characterization of false killer whale vocalization, where each vocalization was characterized by a sequence of short-time measurements of duty cycle and peak frequency. The first neural network used competitive learning, where units in a competitive layer distributed themselves to recognize frequently presented input vectors. This network resulted in classes representing typical patterns in the vocalizations. The second network was a Kohonen feature map which organized the outputs topologically, providing a graphical organization of pattern relationships. The networks performed well as measured by (1) the average correlation between the input vectors and the weight vectors for each category, and (2) the ability of the networks to classify novel vocalizations. The techniques used in this study could easily be applied to other species and facilitate the development of objective, comprehensive repertoire models.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Characterizing the graded structure of false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) vocalizations.

The vocalizations from two, captive false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) were analyzed. The structure of the vocalizations was best modeled as lying along a continuum with trains of discrete, exponentially damped sinusoidal pulses at one end and continuous sinusoidal signals at the other end. Pulse trains were graded as a function of the interval between pulses where the minimum interval between pulses could be zero milliseconds. The transition from a pulse train with no inter-pulse interval to a whistle could be modeled by gradations in the degree of damping. There were many examples of vocalizations that were gradually modulated from pulse trains to whistles. There were also vocalizations that showed rapid shifts in signal type--for example, switching immediately from a whistle to a pulse train. These data have implications when considering both the possible function(s) of the vocalizations and the potential sound production mechanism(s). A short-time duty cycle measure was developed to characterize the graded structure of the vocalizations. A random sample of 500 vocalizations was characterized by combining the duty cycle measure with peak frequency measurements. The analysis method proved to be an effective metric for describing the graded structure of false killer whale vocalizations.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Southwest Asian and north African terms for homosexual roles.

Contrary to recent ethnocentric and contemporocentric claims that social categories for homosexual roles did not exist until late 19th-century northern European and North American medical discourse invented some, terms from a range of Islamic societies across a millennium are reviewed. Both age-stratified and gender-stratified sets of terms for male homosexual roles are discussed along with the problem of interpreting absence of evidence of lexemes for egalitarian homosexuality prior to the recent borrowing of "gay."

Africa, Northern↗
PubMed1993

Cuban AIDS policy.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

The rights of research assistants and the rhetoric of political suppression: Morton Grodzins and the University of California Japanese-American Evacuation and Resettlement Study.

This case study of an inter-university controversy over the publication of research from an interdisciplinary social science project on the forced migration and long-term internment of West Coast Japanese-Americans during World War II shows some of the difficulties of maintaining ownership of research materials. In this particular instance the junior employee was able to override his seniors' demand for control of the dissemination of research results by playing on the concerns about even appearing to suppress work for political reasons. The paper discusses conflicting norms of science and rhetorics of justification ranging from proprietary self-interest through "good science" to "the national interest" and onto "the needs of a free society."

Asian↗
PubMed1991

"Homosexual occupations" in Mesoamerica?

Data gathered among self-identified homosexual men in Guatemala City and Mexico City call into question the intrinsic connection between homosexuality and occupational choice posited by Whitam and Mathy (1986). Concentrations of homosexual men in some occupations can be explained as effects of discrimination and of the normal transmission through personal networks of information about job opportunities, and does not require recourse to any innate drive for homosexual men to be actors, hairdressers or interior decorators.

Guatemala↗
PubMed1988

The reception of anthropological work in sociology journals, 1922-1951.

The gradual disenchantment of American sociologists with the validity of ethnographic reports is examined by tracing the reception of anthropological work from 1922-1951 in three leading sociological journals: The American Journal of Sociology, The American Sociological Review, and Social Forces. Although prominent American sociologists initially welcomed Boasian syntheses of Native American and of exotic foreign cultures in the 1920s and 1930s, by the 1940s they began to wonder if the earlier assertions of cultural anthropologists about these exotic cultures were as shakily based as were their later assertions about cultural patterns in the United States.

Anthropology, Cultural↗
PubMed1981

The social worker's role in genetic counseling.

Genetic counseling is one major aspect of medical practice. It is a recent addition to the medical field that focuses on the etiology of genetic abnormalities.In the past the emphasis of genetic counseling was on determining the etiological diagnosis and on informing the patient of genetic facts and possible medical options. Areas such as the psychological adjustment and resource location for family support virtually were ignored by the majority of genetic counselors.For genetic counseling to be effective, the focus of counseling should be on psychological and social adjustment, with an emphasis on therapy, counseling, education, and liaison services for the patient and family. Social work can provide this expertise.

Congenital Abnormalities↗