bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Hypothesis Regarding the Benefit of Carotid Endarterectomy Under Locoregional Anesthesia in Prevention of Stroke May be Unanswered
Authors: Moulakakis Konstantinos G. , Avgerinos Efthimios D. , Liapis Christos D.
Published: April 2010

A recent trial attempted to investigate the role of locoregional anesthesia (LA) in carotid endarterectomy (CEA) compared with general anesthesia. The hypothesis regarding the advantage of LA is based on the intraprocedural neurologic evaluation and the early identification of neurologic deficit. The trial has not demonstrated the superiority of the rocoregional anesthesia versus general anesthesia and revealed equal results concerning the prevention of stroke. We analyze the reasons which explain why the hypothesis regarding the advantage of LA in CEA, in comparison to general anesthesia cannot be answered.
The Role of Immune Complexes in Atherogenesis
Authors: Dayangku Fatiha Pengiran Burut  , Karim Yousuf , Ferns Gordon A. A.
Published: April 2010

Atherosclerosis is now recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease and is characterized by features of inflammation at all stages of its development. It also appears to display elements of autoimmunity, and several autoantibodies including those directed against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and heat shock proteins (Hsps) have been identified in atherosclerosis. Immune complexes (ICs) may form between these antigens and autoantibodies and via Fc receptor signaling and complement activation may modulate the inflammation in atherosclerosis. Antibody isotype may direct the role that ICs play in atherogenesis, immunoglobulin G (IgG) being potentially pro-atherogenic and immunoglobulin M (IgM) playing a protective role. Therapeutic options targeting complement activation and those which are potentially Fc-receptor mediated have been investigated in animal models, though targeting Fc receptor signaling is an area that needs further investigation.
Ankle-Brachial Index Should Be Measured in Both the Posterior and the Anterior Tibial Arteries in Studies of Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: Johansson Karin , Behre Carl Johan , Bergström Göran , Schmidt Caroline
Published: April 2010

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is an objective and standard diagnostic method to diagnose PAD (an ABI ≤ 0.9 is considered pathological). The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend using both the posterior and anterior tibial arteries when assessing ABI. We investigated whether there was a difference in the diagnosis of PAD if the ABI was measured in the posterior or the anterior tibial arteries. The results showed that among participants with ABI ≤0.9, between 30% and 40% would not get a PAD diagnosis if the ABI was measured in only 1 of the arteries. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of measuring the ABI in both the posterior tibial and the anterior tibial arteries when diagnosing PAD.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients With Intermittent Claudication and its Correlation With the Segment of Arterial Obstruction
Authors: Zerati Antonio Eduardo , Wolosker Nelson , Ayzin Rosoky Ruben Miguel , Fernandes Saes Glauco , Ragazzo Luciana , Puech-Leão Pedro
Published: April 2010

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Intermittent claudication reflects the presence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of the MetS in claudicants and its correlation with age, gender, localization of arterial obstruction, and symptomatic coronary disease. Patients (n = 170) with intermittent claudication were studied. The mean age was 65 years (33-89). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 98 patients (57.6%). The mean age of patients with MetS was 63.5 years compared with 67.0 years for patients without MetS ( P = .027). Considering patients aged ≥65 years, MetS was present in 46 (48.9%) individuals and in 52 (68.4%) patients younger than 65 years ( P = .011). Metabolic syndrome must be actively searched for in claudicant patients.
Prejudice in Schools: Promotion of an Inclusive Culture and Climate
Authors: Dessel Adrienne
Published: April 2010

Public schools represent the pluralism of American society. Unfortunately, many children experience their public school environment as unwelcoming or even violent. Prejudicial attitudes contribute to problematic intergroup relations in public school settings. Furthermore, teachers are often unprepared to work with the diversity of class, linguistic groups, sexual orientation, and other sociocultural backgrounds that make up the student body in their classrooms. This article discusses theories of prejudice and how they inform an understanding of bullying, conflict, and violence in schools. Evidence-based prejudice reduction approaches are presented that teachers and school administrators can use to improve school culture and climate.
SHED Differentiate into Functional Odontoblasts and Endothelium
Authors: Sakai V.T. , Zhang Z. , Dong Z. , Neiva K.G. , Machado M.A.A.M. , Shi S. , Santos C.F. , Nör J.E.
Published: April 2010

Studies on mechanisms underlying the differentiation of dental pulp stem cells are critical for the understanding of the biology of odontogenesis and for dental tissue engineering. Here, we tested the hypothesis that stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) differentiate into functional odontoblasts and endothelial cells. SHED were seeded in tooth slice/scaffolds and implanted subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice. SHED differentiated into functional odontoblasts that generated tubular dentin, as determined by tetracycline staining and confocal microscopy. These cells also differentiated into vascular endothelial cells, as determined by beta-galactosidase staining of LacZ-tagged SHED. In vitro, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced SHED to express VEGFR2, CD31, and VE-Cadherin (markers of endothelium) and to organize into capillary-like sprouts. VEGF induced ERK and AKT phosphorylation (indicative of differentiation), while inhibiting phosphorylation of STAT3 (indicative of ‘stemness’). Collectively, this work demonstrates that SHED can differentiate into angiogenic endothelial cells and odontoblasts capable of generating tubular dentin.
Epithelial Cells and Innate Antifungal Defense
Authors: Weindl G. , Wagener J. , Schaller M.
Published: April 2010

The human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans is the predominant cause of both superficial and invasive forms of candidiasis. Clinical observations indicate that mucocutaneous Candida infections are commonly associated with defective cell-mediated immune responses. The importance of the innate immune system as a first-line defense against pathogenic challenge has long been recognized. Over the last decade, many key molecules mediating innate host defense have been identified. Central to these developments is the discovery of pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors and C-type lectin-receptors that induce innate immune responses and also modulate cellular and humoral adaptive immunity during Candida infections. Although a large amount of information is now available in systemic infections, little is known about localized infections. We address the most relevant pattern recognition receptors and their signaling mechanisms in oral epithelial cells, to gain a better understanding of their contributions to antifungal innate immunity.
Marmor’s Social Conventions: The Limits of Practical Reason
Authors: Del Mar Maksymilian
Published: April 2010

This essay argues that the practical reason approach to the study of social conventions (and social normativity more generally) fails to adequately account for the fluency of social action in environments that we experience as familiar. The practical reason approach, articulated most recently in Andrei Marmor’s Social Conventions: From Language to Law (2009) does help us, though not wholly adequately, to understand how we tend to react to, and experience, unfamiliar situations or unfamiliar behaviors, that is, those situations in which a certain practice becomes problematic or is problematized, or where we are obliged to, or moved to, justify or deliberate. The reason why the practical reason approach is not wholly adequate when it comes to understanding unfamiliar situations or unfamiliar behaviors is that it tends to subsume the unfamiliar under the familiar, that is, it tends to negatively evaluate anything that is deemed to be not in accordance with the rules and reasons already familiar to the observer. This excludes the possibility of the observer having to transform himself or herself, and thus change what is familiar to him or her.
Chinese Masculinities Revisited: Male Images in Contemporary Television Drama Serials
Authors: Geng Song
Published: April 2010

This article investigates the discourse of masculinity in contemporary Chinese popular culture by critical readings of TV drama serials ( dianshi lianxuju), a crucial and underresearched site for the study of ideology, shown on prime-time national channels in recent years (2003—2007). In particular, it examines the male images in three sweepingly popular TV programs— The Big Dye House ( Da ranfang), Halfway Couples ( Banlu fuqi), and Unsheathing the Sword ( Liangjian)—as “cultural types.” It looks at the social, economic, and cultural factors that have affected men and representations of men in today’s China against the backdrop of the dynamic interplay between nationalism, globalization, and consumerism. Building on the burgeoning research on Chinese masculinity in the past decade, it argues that forms of masculinity are becoming increasingly hybrid in a globalizing China and that the male images in these dramas are a product of social changes tied in with new formations of power.
Developmental continuity and stability of emotional availability in the family: Two ages and two genders in child-mother dyads from two regions in three countries
Authors: Bornstein Marc H. , Suwalsky Joan T.D. , Putnick Diane L. , Gini Motti , Venuti Paola , de Falco Simona , Heslington Marianne , Zingman de Galperín Celia
Published: April 2010

This study employs an intra-national and cross-national, prospective, and longitudinal design to examine age, gender, region, and country variation in group mean-level continuity and individual-differences stability of emotional availability in child—mother dyads. Altogether, 220 Argentine, Italian, and US American metropolitan and rural residence mothers and their daughters and sons were observed at home when children were five and 20 months of age. Similar patterns of continuity and discontinuity of emotional availability from five to 20 months were observed across regions and countries, but not between genders. Stability of emotional availability from five to 20 months was moderate and similar across genders, regions, and countries. Universal and gender-specific developmental processes in child—mother emotional availability as revealed in intra-national and cross-national study are discussed.
Are children’s views of the ‘‘enemy’’ shaped by a highly-publicized negative event?
Authors: Oppenheimer Louis
Published: April 2010

In the beginning of the first decade of this century, some highly-publicized extremistic acts of terror occurred. A hostage tragedy in a school in Beslan (North Ossetia) was followed in the Netherlands by the brutal murder of the controversial Dutch filmmaker and newspaper columnist Theo van Gogh, bomb attacks in Bali and Madrid and other acts of terrorism between 2002 and 2005. The aim of the present study was to examine whether these events have resulted in the emergence of a collective enemy in the Netherlands, and whether this is reflected by the enemy images and understanding of enemy with Dutch children and adolescents aged 7—13. For this purpose, information about children and adolescents’ enemy images and understanding of enemy prior to (i.e., 2000 and 2002) and following these events was compared. In the pre- and post-studies, the participants were presented with a free-association and drawing task, as well as a short questionnaire. The findings revealed considerable shifts in the way children thought about and drew enemies. Whereas prior to these events an enemy with Dutch children and adolescents was an abstract, undefined entity, it now obtained more definition and a concrete reality, albeit without any specification of the identity of the enemy nor as being part of a collective enemy.
Athletic Voices and Academic Victories: African American Male Student-Athlete Experiences in the Pac-Ten
Authors: Martin Brandon E. , Harrison C. Keith , Stone Jeffrey , Lawrence Suzanne Malia
Published: April 2010

The purpose of this study was to explore participants’ academic experiences and confidence about their academic achievement. Participants ( N = 27) consisted of high-achieving African American male student—athletes from four academically rigorous American universities in the Pac-Ten conference. Most of the participants competed in revenue-generating sports and were interviewed to obtain a deeper understanding of their successful academic experiences. Utilizing a phenomenological approach four major themes emerged: “I Had to Prove I’m Worthy,” “I’m a Perceived Threat to Society,” “It’s About Time Management,” and “It’s About Pride and Hard Work.” Stereotype threat and stereotype reactance are investigated in relation to findings. Recommendations for scholars and practitioners that work with student-athletes are also articulated.
Judgments of oral proficiency by non-native and native English speaking teacher raters: Competing or complementary constructs?
Authors: Ying Zhang  , Elder Catherine
Published: April 2010

This paper reports the findings of an empirical study on ESL/EFL teachers’ evaluation and interpretation of oral English proficiency as elicited by the national College English Test-Spoken English Test (CET-SET) of China. Informed by debates on the issue of native speaker (NS) norms which have become the focus of attention in recent years, this study addresses the question of whether judgments of language proficiency by non-native English speaking (NNES) teachers, who are currently used to assess performance on the CET-SET, correspond to those of native English speaking (NES) teachers or whether the two groups draw on different constructs of oral proficiency. Data for the study were derived from two sources: unguided holistic ratings given by a group of 19 NES and 20 NNES teachers to CET-SET speech samples from 30 test-takers, and written comments to justify the ratings assigned. Results yielded by both quantitative (MFRM) and qualitative analyses of teacher data, revealed no significant difference in raters’ holistic judgments of the speech samples and a broad level of agreement between groups on the construct components of oral English proficiency. However, the analysis of raters’ comments revealed both quantitative and qualitative differences in the way NES and NNES teachers weighed various features of the oral proficiency construct in justifying the decisions made. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the study’s findings for debates about the native speaker norm as the target for language learners and test-takers.
Prisoner Reentry in a Small Metropolitan Community: Obstacles and Policy Recommendations
Authors: Garland Brett , Wodahl Eric J. , Mayfield Julie
Published: April 2010

The number of people reentering society after imprisonment has increased dramatically in recent decades in direct correlation with the growing prison population. As a result, empirical studies of prisoner reentry have also increased, but these studies typically focus on large urban areas and use quantitative methodologies. The current study expands the existing literature by examining qualitatively the reentry experiences of 43 male offenders living in a small metropolitan community. Participants were interviewed at the 3-month mark of their release from prison. They were asked about the strains and obstacles they encountered at three distinct time periods since their release: the first days of release, the 1-month mark, and the 3-month mark. These former prison inmates were also asked to identify any program or service that had helped or could help their reintegration into society. The results suggest that core obstacles and strains in reentry, such as issues with money, employment, and reconnecting with family, are consistent across geographical location. The study also produced some unique findings, such as psychosocial challenges being cited most frequently as obstacles or strains, the role of employment beyond its financial importance, and the negative aspects of religious components in reentry programs. Several policy recommendations relevant to the findings are discussed.
An Exploratory Analysis of Federal Litigation in the United States Challenging Asset Forfeiture
Authors: Gabbidon Shaun L. , Higgins George E. , Martin Favian , Nelson Matthew , Brown Jimmy
Published: April 2010

This article examines the results of research that analyzed asset forfeiture litigation from the U.S. Court of Appeals. More specifically, the research focused on the characteristics and outcomes of 193 cases in which plaintiffs were seeking the return of assets. The research also examined the predictors of success for plaintiffs in these cases. Among the findings, we found that most assets were seized through criminal proceedings and involved cash forfeitures. When forfeiture proceedings began, however, 94% were carried out using the civil process. Plaintiffs lost most of the cases, but several variables significantly increased or decreased the likelihood of winning. When the plaintiff was a corporation, and when the case originated through the criminal asset forfeiture proceeding, the likelihood of the plaintiff prevailing increased. However, gender (specifically, being male), third-party involvement, and cash forfeitures reduced the likelihood of the plaintiff ’s winning. This article discusses the implications of these findings and suggests future directions for asset forfeiture research.
When Leaders Fail: A Typology of Failures and Framing Strategies
Authors: Liu Helena
Published: April 2010

In an era characterized by the widespread availability and accessibility of information and growing concerns over ethical and “authentic” leadership, business leaders are increasingly required to answer to public concerns about their past and present failures. Failure in the existing scholarly literature is largely confined to quantifiable measures of poor performance of a leader’s direct actions.This article offers a more elaborate typology of leaders’ failures and the framing strategies regularly employed by leaders, based on a discourse analysis of media texts. The author presents a framework through which the ways in which leaders actively construct and negotiate images of leadership style, effectiveness, and authenticity can be systematically explored.
The Social Construction of Leadership: A Sailing Guide
Authors: Fairhurst Gail T. , Grant David
Published: April 2010

A growing body of literature now exists concerning the social construction of leadership. This literature draws on a variety of definitions of social constructionism, multiple constructs, and an array of perspectives, approaches, and methods. To identify and understand the differences among them, this article provides a sailing guide, comprising four key dimensions, to the social construction of leadership. It applies the guide to the social constructionist leadership literature, including the articles in this special issue. It then discusses how the guide can act as a reflexive tool when various choice points are revealed and a means by which to chart future paths for social constructionist leadership research.
Dispersed Leadership: Exploring the Impact of Antecedent Forms of Power Using a Communicative Framework
Authors: Gordon Raymond D.
Published: April 2010

This article presents an account of a police organization’s attempt to implement what senior officers described as a dispersed leadership initiative. A communicative framework is used to show how a particular historically constituted discourse is embedded in the communicative actions of those officers who participated in the study. Analysis of the effects of this discourse reveals how the organization’s dispersion of leadership, although on the surface representing a new and successful endeavor, is rendered problematic by what the article terms antecedent forms of power.
Coups, Elections and the Predatory State
Authors: Bohlken Anjali Thomas
Published: April 2010

Even in the absence of elections, incumbents face threats to their survival which could induce them to reduce self-interested rent-seeking behavior. I compare the differences in incentives for incumbents to reduce rent extraction when they face a threat of being overthrown as opposed to when they face competitive elections. The key difference between the situations is that while voters do not gain office as a result of removing the incumbent, groups which overthrow the government assume power as a result of their actions. The results show that the threat of a coup sometimes leads incumbents to extract less than they do under elections. When the value of holding office in the future is sufficiently high, however, the threat of a coup cannot discipline the incumbent at all. I also find that incumbents facing both electoral and coup threats are either as likely, or under certain conditions, less likely to be overthrown than incumbents facing just a coup threat. The results are consistent with existing empirical evidence on the influence of regimes on economic performance and on the occurrence of coups.
The Implications of High Court Docket Control for Resource Allocation and Legal Efficiency
Authors: Clark Tom S. , Strauss Aaron B.
Published: April 2010

A key source of institutional variation across judicial systems is the degree of control that the highest court has over its docket. Despite this variation, the consequences of various institutional designs in judicial hierarchies remain relatively unexplored by the theoretical literature. In this article, we develop a formal model of high court resource allocation. We analyze the model under two institutional designs: (1) the Court must allocate at least some minimum effort to all cases; (2) the Court has complete discretion over which cases to hear. We analyze the model to identify the optimal allocation of resources across cases as the institutional design varies. We then consider the conditions under which the various institutional rules increase or decrease the legal efficiency, or performance, of the judicial system. Our analysis reveals the complex relationship among the institutional rules governing high court dockets, the design of the judicial hierarchy, and the performance of the legal system. We find that the effect of institutional design on legal efficiency is conditioned by the performance of the lower courts and the incentives for judicial ‘shirking’ at the High Court. While requiring some per-case effort by the High Court may marginally increase aggregate efficiency, such a requirement causes the High Court to divert resources away from the most difficult cases toward relatively easier cases. The consequence is that more difficult cases are less likely to be decided correctly, while relatively easier cases are more likely to be decided correctly. The model substantively informs policy debates among judicial reformers and scholars concerned with institutional design as well as disciplinary debates about case selection and judicial decision making.
Political Accountability Under Alternative Institutional Regimes
Authors: Stephenson Matthew C. , Nzelibe Jide O.
Published: April 2010

We analyze the interaction between electoral accountability and separation-of-powers by comparing three regimes: ‘Unilateral Authority’ (the President has exclusive decision-making power); ‘Mandatory Checks’ (the President cannot change policy without congressional assent); and ‘Opt-in Checks’ (the President may seek congressional authorization or act unilaterally). We find: (1) voters use asymmetric electoral rewards and punishments to offset the risk of politician bias, but voters rely less on this blunt instrument if there are internal checks; (2) adding a veto player need not alter the ex ante likelihood of policy change; and (3) voter welfare is highest under Opt-In Checks and lowest under Unilateral Authority.
Panchayat Irrigation Management
Authors: Choudhury Nirmalya , Banerjee Parthosarathy , Roy Dayabati
Published: April 2010

This article studies the role played by the constitutionally empowered Panchayati Raj Institutions over a large irrigation system in West Bengal. The article tries to capture the linkages and the dynamics governing interaction between the Gram Panchayats and the Water User Associations. The inferences are drawn from observed phenomenon pertaining to the role and relationship between the two sets of institutions over the Command Area Development Authority Programme (CADAP). While the advent of the canal water has created an agrarian dynamism over the canal command particularly among the marginal and landless farmers through boro-paddy cultivation, the process of institutionalizing farmers’ participation left much to be desired. While the representatives of the Water User Associations often faltered to draw collective action from the farmers, the political actors proved to be much stronger. However even these actors were not proactive and responded only to crisis situations. Thus the system continues to operate at the sub-optimal level and seems to have achieved a low level of equilibrium.
Tanks, Multiple Uses and Their Political Ecologies in West Bengal
Authors: Tiwary Rakesh
Published: April 2010

Natural or man made tanks/village water bodies, which form a critical part of rural landscape in India, have been used traditionally as multiple use systems. Tank complexes, along with their water resources, are used for their land and biomass resources. Land-poor communities particularly depend on tanks/water bodies for livelihood and supplemental income generating activities. However, rights of access to these resources, tenure security and participation in decision making are often politically defined.

The article uses the political ecology approach to study diverse uses as well user groups of tanks. This study, based on a survey carried out in five districts of West Bengal, reveals the nature of multiple uses, access patterns of user groups, institutions involved in tank management and their socio-political dynamics. The study establishes, first, strong presence of multiple uses and second, that beneficiary groups and their access patterns are defined according to political allegiance. Tank related benefits are part of larger patron–client relationships between beneficiary groups and Panchayat–Party combined. Based on their political capital, Schedule Castes and tribal group form the dominant beneficiary group but they have to reciprocate in various forms. Large farmers form the excluded group and their traditional land based irrigation rights on tank waters have been challenged and detached. Strong evidences of overlapping benefits, informalism and political alliance based inclusions/exclusions reveal the complex patterns of resource access. Thus study helps to understand inadequacies of ‘scientific’ tank management models which emphasize the dominant and prevalent single use (i.e., irrigation) perspectives and present a very ‘apolitical’ picture of natural resource utilization.
Rural Marketing
Authors: Modi Pratik
Published: April 2010

Definition and domain related issues of ‘rural marketing’ need further clarification and revision. Often, rural marketing is equated with marketing by multinationals in rural India. The extant literature on rural marketing has uncritically used the same theories, models, concepts and frameworks as have been used in the mainstream marketing discipline. So far, rural marketing has not produced its own unique theories, concepts, frameworks and distinct vocabulary. As a result, rural marketing cannot claim the status of a separate subdiscipline within the broader marketing discipline. This article provides a critique of the extant work in rural marketing and its dependence on the mainstream business marketing. It is argued that rural marketing must find its own distinct perspective before theory construction can begin in the field. After reviewing the literature on marketing and economic development, it is proposed that development of rural people should be the perspective of rural marketing. In this article, an outcome based definition and domain of rural marketing is proposed and a few potential areas for theory construction work to begin in the subject are suggested.
Attitudes Toward Homosexuals Among Youth in Multiethnic Brussels
Authors: Teney Céline , Subramanian S.V.
Published: April 2010

This study examined attitudes toward lesbians and gay men (referred to in the literature as sexual prejudice ) in a sample of pupils from 70 secondary schools in Brussels. We used items measuring traditional and modern sexual prejudice and support for gay civil rights. We performed a multilevel linear multivariate response analysis to assess both the impact of individual characteristics and school influence on pupils’ attitudes. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, second-generation migrants had more prejudice toward homosexuals than pupils from the ethnic majority group. Identification with the receiving society and perception of group-level institutional discrimination, however, mediated the association between ethnic origin and homonegativity. In contrast to traditional sexual prejudice and gay civil rights issues, modern sexual prejudice items were less affected by individual sociodemographic variables. Modern sexual prejudice also remained rather stable across schools; however, schools did appear to affect civil rights issues and traditional sexual prejudice. This contribution sheds light on the relationship between ethnic origin and sexual prejudice and on the variation of several sexual prejudice dimensions across social groups and schools.
Influence of Perceived Teacher Acceptance, Self-Concept, and School Attitude on the Academic Achievement of School-Age Children in Turkey
Authors: Erkman Fatoş , Caner Ayşe , Hande Sart Z. , Börkan Bengü , Şahan Kenan
Published: April 2010

This study investigated the influence of perceived teacher acceptance, children’s self-concept, and children’s attitude toward school on children’s academic achievement. The sample included 223 fifth-grade students in Istanbul, Turkey. The Teacher Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire, Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, and School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised were utilized in data collection. Achievement was assessed by grade point average (GPA). Results showed that the perception of teacher acceptance was significantly correlated with both boys’ and girls’ positive school attitude and higher self-concept. Perceived teacher acceptance was also significantly correlated with the academic achievement of boys but not girls. Regression analysis revealed that perceived teacher acceptance and academic self-perception (one component of school attitude) were significant and independent predictors of boys’ academic achievement, but only academic self-perception significantly predicted girls’ academic achievement. The study supported the conclusion that boys’ (but not necessarily girls’) positive perceptions of teachers were an important factor in academic achievement. However, both boys and girls who perceived their teachers to be accepting tended to have a positive school attitude and a positive self-concept.
Relationships Between Perceived Teachers’ and Parental Behavior and Adolescent Outcomes in Estonia
Authors: Tulviste Tiia , Rohner Ronald P.
Published: April 2010

This study addresses relationships between perceived maternal, paternal, and teacher acceptance and behavioral control, and adolescents’ psychological adjustment, school conduct, and academic achievement in Estonia. A total of 224 sixth graders respond to 3 self-report measures. Adolescents’ school conduct and grade point average (GPA) are reported by teachers. Study findings show that girls’ psychological adjustment was predicted by their perceptions of both maternal and paternal acceptance, whereas boys’ psychological adjustment was predicted only by their perceptions of maternal acceptance. Perceived paternal control emerge as the only significant predictor of boys’ school conduct problems, whereas girls’ school conduct is predicted only by perceived teacher acceptance. Academic achievement of the adolescents is not significantly related to either perceived parental or teachers’ behavior.
The Isoenergetic Brain: The Idea and Some Implications
Authors: Korf Jakob
Published: April 2010

The brain is often considered an ensemble of clusters of independently interacting neurons. Here the brain is proposed as an isoenergetic structure having little energy barriers that limit the distribution of neuronal information, thereby facilitating unitary brain functioning. Isoenergicity is achieved and maintained by energy metabolism and must be seen as an evolutionary conserved property. Isoenergicity enables efficient coordination of neural activities, thus facilitating, among others, fast access to memory. One implication is the virtual complete dissociation of energy metabolism from higher brain functioning. Another implication is a supervening private space-time configuration that is continuously (re)constructed during life.
The Pain Imaging Revolution: Advancing Pain Into the 21st Century
Authors: Borsook David , Sava Simona , Becerra Lino
Published: April 2010

The great advances in brain imaging techniques over the last few decades have determined a shift in our understanding of chronic pain conditions and opened the door for new opportunities to develop better diagnoses and perhaps better drug treatments. Neuroimaging has helped shape the concept of chronic pain from a disease affecting mainly the somatosensory system, to a condition in which emotional, cognitive, and modulatory areas of the brain are affected, in addition to degenerative processes. All these contribute to the development and maintenance of pain symptoms and comorbid features, including alterations in anxiety, depression, and cognitive processes. In this article the authors review the current understanding of the brain changes in chronic pain and the developments made possible by the use of various brain imaging techniques. They also discuss the possible applications of brain imaging to developing a “pain phenotype” that could aid in diagnostic and treatment choices of chronic pain conditions.
Wave Propagation in a Homogeneous Transversely Isotropic Thermoelastic Solid Cylinder of Polygonal Cross-sections
Authors: Ponnusamy P. , Rajagopal M.
Published: April 2010

The problem of wave propagation in an infinite, homogeneous, transversely isotropic polygonal cross-sectional cylinder is studied using Fourier expansion collocation method, within the framework of linearized, three dimensional theory of thermoelasticity. Three displacement potential functions are introduced, to uncouple the equations of motion and the heat conduction. The frequency equations are obtained for longitudinal and flexural (symmetric and antisymmetric) modes of vibration and are studied numerically for triangular, square, pentagonal and hexagonal cross-sectional Zinc cylinders. To study the convergence, the non-dimensional wave numbers are obtained by Fourier Expansion Collocation Method and Finite Element Method and they are compared. The computed non-dimensional wave numbers are presented in the form of dispersion curves.
Early Child Neglect: Does It Predict Obesity or Underweight in Later Childhood?
Authors: Bennett David S. , Wolan Sullivan Margaret , Thompson Shanel M. , Lewis Michael
Published: April 2010

Child neglect has been hypothesized to be a risk factor for both obesity and underweight in early childhood, although little research has examined the relation between neglect and body mass index (BMI). The current study examined the relation between neglect and BMI among 185 children (91 with a Child Protective Services [CPS] history of neglect) who were initially seen at ages 4—6 years and who were followed through ages 7—9 years. Neglected and comparison children were found to have similar BMIs, although both groups had BMIs that were significantly greater than Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) norms for age, gender, and ethnicity. Neglect chronicity did predict lower BMIs but only at ages 8 and 9 years. The current findings suggest that greater examination of moderators is needed to identify the specific contexts in which neglect is related to children’s weight.
Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children’s Knowledge of the Juvenile Dependency Court System
Authors: Cooper Alexia , Wallin Allison R. , Quas Jodi A. , Lyon Thomas D.
Published: April 2010

The current study examined age differences in maltreated and nonmaltreated children’s knowledge of juvenile dependency court vocabulary and proceedings. One hundred and sixty-seven children aged 4—14 years were questioned about their understanding of legal vocabulary and about the content of a story depicting a child involved in dependency court. Age-related increases emerged across all measures of children’s legal understanding. Direct experience with the dependency system was also related to the accuracy of children’s legal knowledge. Children with greater experience in the dependency system were more knowledgeable than children with no such experience, although even the oldest maltreated children with considerable dependency system experience evidenced some deficits in legal knowledge. Overall, findings suggest children and adolescents involved in dependency proceedings need help understanding some aspects of the dependency process, and this need exists regardless of whether children have been involved in cases ongoing for some time.
Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Training Method to Assist Professionals in Reporting Suspected Child Maltreatment
Authors: Alvarez Krisann M. , Donohue Brad , Carpenter Alisha , Romero Valerie , Allen Daniel N. , Cross Chad
Published: April 2010

The understudied process of reporting suspected child maltreatment to authorities is often difficult for both mental health professionals and family members who are intimately involved. Therefore, the current study was conducted to develop a training curriculum to assist professionals in reporting suspected child maltreatment. Fifty-five professional and student mental health practitioners were randomly assigned to workshop conditions that were relevant to either (a) reporting suspected child maltreatment or (b) learning to be sensitive to ethnicity. Results indicated participants in the reporting suspected child maltreatment condition demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge of child maltreatment reporting laws, accuracy in recognizing child maltreatment, and clinical expertise in reporting. Implications to clinical practice are discussed in light of the results.
Silence as Resistance to Analysis: Or, on Not Opening One’s Mouth Properly
Authors: MacLure Maggie , Holmes Rachel , Jones Liz , MacRae Christina
Published: April 2010

The article engages with the problematic nature of silence and its tendency to trouble qualitative inquiry. Silence is frequently read as resistance—as an impediment to analysis or the emergence of an authentic voice. Rather than seeking methodological remedies for such impediments, the article dwells on, and in, the recalcitrance of silence. The authors read silence, via Derrida and Freud, as the trace of something Other at the heart of utterance—something intractable, unspeakable, unreasonable, unanalyzable. Silence confounds interpretation and manifests, intolerably, the illusory status of speech as full “presence” or living voice. Yet it also incites the search for meaning and is therefore productive. How might Method work with the alterity of silence, rather than seeking to cure or compensate for its necessary insufficiencies? The article is organized around three examples or parables of silence. Humor gets tangled up in the text further on.
Performing Taste at Wine Festivals: A Somatic Layered Account of Material Culture
Authors: Vannini Phillip , Ahluwalia-Lopez Guppy , Waskul Dennis , Gottschalk Simon
Published: April 2010

Sensuous scholarship refers to research about the human senses, through the senses, and for the senses. Sensuous scholarship asks us to recognize the meaningfulness of our somatic experience of the world, to understand the skilful activities through which we actively make and remake the world through our senses, and to develop evocative strategies of representation— to write sensuously. In this article, the authors reflect on one particular genre of sensuous scholarship, which they refer to as the somatic layered account. The authors draw upon participant observation data collected at wine festivals at seven sites scattered across western British Columbia and Southern California. The authors examine how people express taste sensations and preferences to others, as well as what role wine’s material properties play in these social dramas. In formulating and developing the concepts of somatic accounts, taste vocabularies, and somatic joint acts, the authors contribute to a growing understanding of the social aspects of the senses and of sensations, as well as how people perceive the material world—and the sense of taste in particular—in active and reflexive ways.
Steroids, cancer and vertebral fractures: a dreaded combination
Authors: Uña Cidón Esther
Published: April 2010

Hyporexia/anorexia is a relevant clinical problem affecting the quality of life of many cancer patients. Corticosteroids are the first drugs evaluated in placebo-controlled trials for the palliation of cancer anorexia resulting in a temporary improvement in appetite. However, this measure should be balanced with its secondary events. A frequent side effect mainly after long-term treatment with steroids is the loss of bone mass, which causes osteoporosis and vertebral fractures. But this secondary event might also appear after short courses of steroids. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is an effective treatment of painful osteoporotic compression fractures, minimally invasive and with very low morbidity, which is very useful to improve quality of life in these patients. We present here a case of a 71-year-old woman, with history of osteoporosis, who developed a painful vertebral fracture after a short course of steroids to alleviate anorexia secondary to cancer treatment.
Race-Sensitive Choices by Police Officers in Traffic Stop Encounters
Authors: Barnum Christopher , Perfetti Robert L.
Published: April 2010

This study introduces a statistical estimator that can be used to examine disproportionate traffic stop behavior of police officers. This estimator can be employed in concert with internal benchmark data and a tree diagram algorithm to identify and classify disproportionate behavior. These methodologies are multilevel and can be used (a) at the macrolevel to examine disproportionality of a police department as an organization and (b) at the microlevel to draw inferences about reasons for individual officers’ disproportionate behavior. These statistical routines were tested using data from a medium sized midwestern community. Results suggest that the models are effective in detecting disproportionality in both a police organization and an individual officers’ traffic stop activity. Moreover, the methods may serve as an initial step in pointing toward the sources of the officers’ behavior.
Police Organizational Structures During the 1990s: An Application of Contingency Theory
Authors: Jihong Zhao  , Ling Ren  , Lovrich Nicholas
Published: April 2010

Organizational structures within police agencies have been of center-stage interest to the advocates of reform and professionalization since the inception of modern American policing in the early 20th century. The purpose of this article is to test the utility of contingency theory in its application to police organizational structures during the 1990s. Three waves of data from 280 municipal city governments and their respective police departments were collected in 1993, 1996, and 2000. Use of the random-effects panel data method of statistical analysis enables the authors to assess the relationship between structural changes in police organizations and three hypothesized factors, namely, environmental complexity, organizational size, and adoption of new technology. This article’s principal findings suggest that they have remained stable. Moreover, only a few independent variables are consistently correlated with the adoption of structural arrangements in American municipal police departments during the 1990s.
At the Wall: Graffiti Writers, Urban Territoriality, and the Public Domain
Authors: Mubi Brighenti Andrea
Published: April 2010

The article is based on an ethnographic observation of a crew of graffiti writers in the northeast of Italy. Extending some considerations emerging from the case study, the article advances a reflection on the territorial dimension of graffiti writing in urban environments and the relationship between walls, social relationships and the public domain. This task entails understanding walls as artefacts that are subject to both strategic and tactical uses, as well as the relationship between walls and the public domain as a territorial configuration. In particular, graffiti writing is observed as an interstitial practice that creates its own specific way of using walls: it is a “longitudinal” rather than a “perpendicular” style, which transform the wall into a fragment of a “prolongable” series, a part of a continuing conversation.
Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment (PCIA) in Community Development: A Case Study from Mozambique
Authors: Bornstein Lisa
Published: April 2010

Peace and conflict impact assessment (PCIA) is a tool that potentially can improve the quality of development work in conflict zones. PCIA’s conceptual strengths and weaknesses are much debated but few studies to date have examined its use in practice. For this article, PCIA was used to structure research on conflict and peace dynamics in post-war Mozambique. The findings address both local peace-building outcomes and the usefulness of PCIA. PCIA functioned well as a tool for situational analysis, richly documenting sources of conflicts, competing claims over resources and rights, and problematic policies on the part of development organisations, government and private actors. Difficulties associated with the gathering of information stemmed from systemic power differentials between ‘researchers’ and ‘respondents’, and intensive demands on time and resources. The article concludes that PCIA, if used flexibly and in dialogue with local people, could prove a valuable complement to existing assessment tools in conflict areas.
Evaluating Diplomacy: A Mission Impossible?
Authors: Kleistra Yvonne , Van Willigen Niels
Published: April 2010

This article presents a model to evaluate national diplomatic interventions in multilateral decision-making arenas. The performance-driven evaluation model that is commonly used in new public management settings does not do justice to the trade of diplomacy as a distinctive profession. This article argues that when evaluating diplomatic interventions in multilateral settings the process-driven nature of decision-making must be taken into account. This is undertaken, first, by using the barrier model as a heuristic tool to reconstruct diplomatic interventions in an international decision-making process. Second, a set of evaluation criteria is developed which both meets the evaluation standards of new public management and which does justice to the complex environment in which diplomats operate. The article ends with an illustration of how the model has been applied in the specific case of Dutch diplomatic interventions regarding the negotiations on explosive remnants of war in the Convention for Certain Conventional Weapons.