bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro percutaneous penetration of methyl-parathion from a commercial formulation through the human skin.
Authors: Sartorelli P , Aprea C , Bussani R , Novelli M T , Orsi D , Sciarra G
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVE: To compare in vitro percutaneous absorption of methyl-parathion dissolved in an acetone vehicle and in the form of a commercial formulation. METHODS: Penetration through the human skin was measured in Franz diffusion cells with full thickness skin from a human cadaver as the membrane. The two tailed non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the cumulative diffusion of methyl-parathion in the receptor fluid of the cells at various time intervals. RESULTS: In vitro skin penetration of methyl-parathion was significantly higher with the commercial formulation. The percentage of the applied dose absorbed after 24 hours was 5.20% v 1.35%. The mean lag time was < 8 hours. CONCLUSION: Assessments of uptake and internal dose after exposure to pesticides should be based on the commercial products rather than active ingredients, because of the crucial role of the vehicle, as shown in this study.
Mortality in a cohort of tannery workers.
Authors: Montanaro F , Ceppi M , Demers P A , Puntoni R , Bonassi S
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the mortality of a group of tannery workers. METHODS: The cohort consisted of 1244 workers (870 men and 374 women) employed at a chrome tannery between 1955 and 1988. A total of 36414 person-years of follow up was calculated (369 people had died). National and regional mortalities were used to estimate the expected numbers. RESULTS: All cause mortality was similar to that of the general population. The most remarkable excess was for bladder cancer (observed 10, standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 242, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 116 to 446). An excess of colorectal cancer (observed 17, SMR 180, 95% CI 105 to 288) was also found, based on an increased risk of both colon (SMR 166) and rectal cancer (SMR 206). No recognisable patterns emerged from the analyses by years since first employment, calendar year of hire, or lagging exposures. CONCLUSIONS: The increased mortality from bladder cancer is likely due to exposure to benzidine based leather dyes. If the apparent excess of colorectal cancer is real, its causes are as yet unknown.
Mortality from pancreatic and lymphopoietic cancer among workers in ethylene and propylene chlorohydrin production.
Authors: Olsen G W , Lacy S E , Bodner K M , Chau M , Arceneaux T G , Cartmill J B , Ramlow J M , Boswell J M
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVES: A previous study reported a fivefold increase in mortality from pancreatic cancer and a threefold increase in lymphopoietic and haematopoietic cancer among 278 men who were assigned to a now dismantled Union Carbide chlorohydrin unit in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. There were also significant trends with duration of employment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a comparable increased risk in mortality from pancreatic cancer and lymphopoietic and haematopoietic cancer occurred among male employees assigned to the Dow Chemical Company's ethylene and propylene chlorohydrin production processes. METHODS: The cohort consisted of 1361 male employees who worked at the company's Freeport, Texas, Plaquemine, Louisiana or Midland, Michigan plants. Subjects were considered to have had a minimum of 30 days of workplace experience in 1940-92, in the ethylene chlorohydrin and propylene chlorohydrin process areas. These process areas were located within the ethylene oxide and propylene oxide production plants. A total of 300 deaths was observed to 31 December 1992. RESULTS: The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for all malignant neoplasms was 94 (95% CI 74 to 118). There was one pancreatic cancer death compared with 4.0 expected (SMR 25, 95% CI 1 to 140). There were 10 lymphopoietic and haematopoietic cancer deaths compared with 7.7 expected (SMR 129, 95% CI 62 to 238). Additional analyses, which examined location, production process, duration of employment, and a 25 year induction latency period, were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide some assurance that the Dow Chemical cohort, to date, has not experienced increased risks of pancreatic cancer and lymphopoietic and haematopoietic cancer as previously reported in a different cohort of chlorohydrin workers. Possible reasons are discussed for the inconsistent findings between the two cohorts.
Allylmercapturic acid as urinary biomarker of human exposure to allyl chloride.
Authors: de Rooij B M , Boogaard P J , Commandeur J N , van Sittert N J , Vermeulen N P
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of urinary mercapturic acids as a biomarker of human exposure to allyl chloride (3-chloropropene) (AC). During three regular shut down periods in a production factory for AC, both types of variables were measured in 136 workers involved in maintenance operations. METHODS: Potential airborne exposure to AC was measured by personal air monitoring in the breathing zone. In total 205 workshifts were evaluated. During 99 workshifts no respiratory protection equipment was used. Mercapturic acid metabolites were measured in urinary extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: During 86 work shifts when no respiratory protection was used the air concentrations of AC were below the Dutch eight hour time weighted average (8 h-TWA) occupational exposure limit (OEL) of AC (3 mg/m3), whereas in 13 workshifts the potential exposure, as measured by personal air monitoring, exceeded the OEL (3.3 to 17 mg/m3). With the aid of GC-MS, 3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid (HPMA) was identified as a minor and allylmercapturic acid (ALMA) as a major metabolite of AC in urine samples from the maintenance workers exposed to AC. The concentrations of ALMA excreted were in a range from < 25 micrograms/l (detection limit) to 3550 micrograms/l. The increases in urinary ALMA concentrations during the workshifts correlated well with the 8h-TWA air concentrations of AC (r = 0.816, P = 0.0001, n = 39). Based on this correlation, for AC a biological exposure index (BEI) of 352 micrograms ALMA/g creatinine during an eight hour workshift is proposed. In some urine samples unexpectedly high concentrations of ALMA were found. Some of these could definitely be attributed to dermal exposure to AC. In other cases garlic consumption was identified as a confounding factor. CONCLUSION: The mercapturic acid ALMA was identified in urine of workers occupationally exposed to airborne AC and the increase in ALMA concentrations in urine during a workshift correlated well with the 8 h-TWA exposure to AC. Garlic consumption, but not smoking, is a potential confounding factor for this biomarker of human exposure to AC.
AN INTEGRATIVE DOMAIN-BASED APPROACH TO PREDICTING PROTEIN–PROTEIN INTERACTIONS
Authors: NGUYEN THANH-PHUONG , HO TU-BAO
Published: December 2008

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are intrinsic to almost all cellular processes. Different computational methods offer new chances to study PPIs. To predict PPIs, while the integrative methods use multiple data sources instead of a single source, the domain-based methods often use only protein domain features. Integration of both protein domain features and genomic/proteomic features from multiple databases can more effectively predict PPIs. Moreover, it allows discovering the reciprocal relationships between PPIs and biological features of their interacting partners. We developed a novel integrative domain-based method for predicting PPIs using inductive logic programming (ILP). Two principal domain features used were domain fusions and domain–domain interactions (DDIs). Various relevant features of proteins were exploited from five popular genomic and proteomic databases. By integrating these features, we constructed biologically significant ILP background knowledge of more than 278,000 ground facts. The experimental results through multiple 10-fold cross-validations demonstrated that our method predicts PPIs better than other computational methods in terms of typical performance measures. The proposed ILP framework can be applied to predict DDIs with high sensitivity and specificity. The induced ILP rules gave us many interesting, biologically reciprocal relationships among PPIs, protein domains, and PPI-related genomic/proteomic features. Supplementary material is available at .
STABILITY OF WATERFRONT RETAINING WALL SUBJECTED TO PSEUDO-DYNAMIC EARTHQUAKE FORCES AND TSUNAMI
Authors: AHMAD SYED MOHD. , CHOUDHURY DEEPANKAR
Published: December 2008

The paper pertains to a study in which the waterfront retaining wall has been analyzed for its stability when it is exposed to the forces jointly coming from an earthquake and tsunami. Closed form solutions following the simple limit equilibrium principles have been proposed. For the calculation of the seismic passive earth pressure and the wall inertia force, pseudo-dynamic approach has been considered, while the hydrodynamic and the tsunami wave pressures have been calculated using different approximating solutions available in literature. The results presented in the sliding and overturning modes of failure of the wall show that the stability of the wall gets seriously challenged when it gets jointly exposed to the effects of the tsunami and earthquake. About 92% decrease is observed in the value of the factor of safety in sliding mode of failure of the wall as the ratio of tsunami wave height to the upstream still water height increases from 0 to 1.5. Also, the critical mode of failure of the wall has been found to be that of the overturning. Effect of different parameters involved in the analysis has also been studied and it has been observed that quite a few of them like kh, kv, ϕ, δ, ru have a significant effect on the stability of the wall. Comparison with a previously existing methodology using pseudo-static approach suggests that the present pseudo-dynamic approach is more realistic and comparatively less conservative and hence can be used as a handy simple economic method for the design of the waterfront retaining walls exposed to the combined effects of earthquake and tsunami.
TSUNAMI CURRENT INUNDATION OF GROUND WITH COASTAL VEGETATION EFFECTS: AN INITIAL STEP TOWARDS A NATURAL SOLUTION FOR TSUNAMI AMELIORATION
Authors: NANDASENA N. A. K. , TANAKA NORIO , TANIMOTO KATSUTOSHI
Published: December 2008

A densely grown coastal vegetation belt of Pandanus odoratissimus for reducing the tsunami energy was quantitatively analyzed by an enhanced one-dimensional numerical model that included variations of topography and tsunami characteristics. The drag and inertia forces were assumed as the total resistance generated by the vegetation. It was found that a relatively small period tsunami wave was more destructive than a relatively large period tsunami wave of the same height, although densely grown vegetation effectively reduced the tsunami energy in the case of the small period tsunami wave. A very mild ground slope was also more vulnerable to thrashing by tsunami waves than a relatively steep ground slope. Moreover, densely growing coastal vegetation on very mild ground slope dissipated tsunami energy more efficiently than the same vegetation on relatively steep ground slope.
Linear-time disk-based implicit graph search
Authors: Korf Richard E.
Published: December 2008

Many search algorithms are limited by the amount of memory available. Magnetic disk storage is over two orders of magnitude cheaper than semiconductor memory, and individual disks can hold up to a terabyte. We augment memory with magnetic disks to perform brute-force and heuristic searches that are orders of magnitude larger than any previous such searches. The main difficulty is detecting duplicate nodes, which is normally done with a hash table. Due to long disk latencies, however, randomly accessed hash tables are infeasible on disk, and are replaced by a mechanism we call delayed duplicate detection. In contrast to previous work, we perform delayed duplicate detection without sorting, which runs in time linear in the number of nodes in practice. Using this technique, we performed the first complete breadth-first searches of the 2 x 7, 3 x 5, 4 x 4, and 2 x 8 sliding-tile Puzzles, verifying the radius of the 4 x 4 puzzle and determining the radius of the others. We also performed the first complete breadth-first searches of the four-peg Towers of Hanoi problem with up to 22 discs, discovering a surprising anomaly regarding the radii of these problems. In addition, we performed the first heuristic searches of the four-peg Towers of Hanoi problem with up to 31 discs, verifying a conjectured optimal solution length to these problems. We also performed partial breadth-first searches of Rubik's Cube to depth ten in the face-turn metric, and depth eleven in the quarter-turn metric, confirming previous results.
Thwarting E-mail Spam Laundering
Authors: Xie Mengjun , Yin Heng , Wang Haining
Published: December 2008

Laundering e-mail spam through open-proxies or compromised PCs is a widely-used trick to conceal real spam sources and reduce spamming cost in the underground e-mail spam industry. Spammers have plagued the Internet by exploiting a large number of spam proxies. The facility of breaking spam laundering and deterring spamming activities close to their sources, which would greatly benefit not only e-mail users but also victim ISPs, is in great demand but still missing. In this article, we reveal one salient characteristic of proxy-based spamming activities, namely packet symmetry, by analyzing protocol semantics and timing causality. Based on the packet symmetry exhibited in spam laundering, we propose a simple and effective technique, DBSpam, to online detect and break spam laundering activities inside a customer network. Monitoring the bidirectional traffic passing through a network gateway, DBSpam utilizes a simple statistical method, Sequential Probability Ratio Test, to detect the occurrence of spam laundering in a timely manner. To balance the goals of promptness and accuracy, we introduce a noise-reduction technique in DBSpam, after which the laundering path can be identified more accurately. Then DBSpam activates its spam suppressing mechanism to break the spam laundering. We implement a prototype of DBSpam based on
libpcap
, and validate its efficacy on spam detection and suppression through both theoretical analyses and trace-based experiments.
Tumor necrosis factor-α upregulates 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 expression by CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-β in HepG2 cells
Authors: Ignatova Irena D. , Kostadinova Radina M. , Goldring Christopher E. , Nawrocki Andrea R. , Frey Felix J. , Frey Brigitte M.
Published: December 2008

The enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) catalyzes the conversion of inactive to active glucocorticoids. 11β-HSD1 plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of obesity and controls glucocorticoid actions in inflammation. Several studies have demonstrated that TNF-α increases 11β-HSD1 mRNA and activity in various cell models. Here, we demonstrate that mRNA and activity of 11β-HSD1 is increased in liver tissue from transgenic mice overexpressing TNF-α, indicating that this effect also occurs in vivo. To dissect the molecular mechanism of this increase, we investigated basal and TNF-α-induced transcription of the 11β-HSD1 gene ( HSD11B1) in HepG2 cells. We found that TNF-α acts via p38 MAPK pathway. Transient transfections with variable lengths of human HSD11B1 promoter revealed highest activity with or without TNF-α in the proximal promoter region (−180 to +74). Cotransfection with human CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and C/EBPβ-LAP expression vectors activated the HSD11B1 promoter with the strongest effect within the same region. Gel shift and RNA interference assays revealed the involvement of mainly C/EBPα, but also C/EBPβ, in basal and only of C/EBPβ in the TNF-α-induced HSD11B1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed in vivo the increased abundance of C/EBPβ on the proximal HSD11B1 promoter upon TNF-α treatment. In conclusion, C/EBPα and C/EBPβ control basal transcription, and TNF-α upregulates 11β-HSD1, most likely by p38 MAPK-mediated increased binding of C/EBPβ to the human HSD11B1 promoter. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing involvement of p38 MAPK in the TNF-α-mediated 11β-HSD1 regulation, and that TNF-α stimulates enzyme activity in vivo.
Small G proteins as key regulators of pancreatic digestive enzyme secretion
Authors: Williams John A. , Chen Xuequn , Sabbatini Maria E.
Published: December 2008

Small GTP-binding (G) proteins act as molecular switches to regulate a number of cellular processes, including vesicular transport. Emerging evidence indicates that small G proteins regulate a number of steps in the secretion of pancreatic acinar cells. Diverse small G proteins have been localized at discrete compartments along the secretory pathway and particularly on the secretory granule. Rab3D, Rab27B, and Rap1 are present on the granule membrane and play a role in the steps leading up to exocytosis. Whether the function of these G proteins is simply to ensure appropriate targeting or if they are involved as regulatory molecules is discussed. Most evidence suggests that Rab3D and Rab27B play a role in tethering the secretory granule to its target membrane. Other Rabs have been identified on the secretory granule that are associated with different steps in the secretory pathway. The Rho family small G proteins RhoA and Rac1 also regulate secretion through remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Possible mechanisms for regulation of these G proteins and their effector molecules are considered.
Poor 1-Year Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Maksimowicz-McKinnon Kathleen , Selzer Faith , Manzi Susan , Kip Kevin E. , Mulukutla Suresh R. , Marroquin Oscar C. , Smitherman Thomas C. , Kuller Lewis H. , Williams David O. , Wasko Mary Chester M.
Published: December 2008

Background—

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have premature and accelerated atherosclerosis. Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is used frequently to treat coronary artery disease in SLE, little is known regarding PCI outcomes immediately after PCI and after discharge.

Methods and Results—

Baseline demographic, procedure-related, and adverse outcome data on consecutive patients undergoing PCI during 5 recruitment “waves” of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry across 23 clinical centers were collected. SLE patients (n=28) were compared with non-SLE patients (n=3385). SLE patients were younger and more often female in comparison with non-SLE patients undergoing PCI. SLE patients were less likely than non-SLE patients to have hyperlipidemia but had a similar prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and tobacco use. The prevalence of multivessel disease was similar between groups. Initial intervention success (by angiographic definition) was not significantly different between groups. At 1 year, SLE patients were more likely to experience a myocardial infarction (15.6% versus 4.8%,
P
=0.01) and more often required repeat PCI (31.3% versus 11.8%,
P
=0.009) than non-SLE patients, even after adjustment for important covariates.

Conclusions—

SLE patients had significantly worse cardiovascular outcomes at 1 year than non-SLE patients. Even considering the small number of SLE patients, these differences were striking. Further study is warranted to explore other factors potentially accounting for this disparity, including SLE disease activity and duration, presence of hypercoagulable state, and immunosuppressive therapy.
Progress and Current Status of Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement: Results of Three Device Generations of the CoreValve Revalving System
Authors: Grube Eberhard , Buellesfeld Lutz , Mueller Ralf , Sauren Barthel , Zickmann Bernfried , Nair Dinesh , Beucher Harald , Felderhoff Thomas , Iversen Stein , Gerckens Ulrich
Published: December 2008

Background—

Percutaneous aortic valve replacement is a new emerging technology for interventional treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis in surgical high-risk patients. This study was intended to provide a summary of the development and current safety and efficacy status of the self-expanding CoreValve Revalving prosthesis.

Method and Results—

Between 2005 and 2008, we have enrolled 136 consecutive patients with percutaneous aortic valve replacement using the CoreValve prosthesis. In this prospective nonrandomized, single-center trial, we analyzed procedural outcome, complications and clinical status up to 1 year. First, second, and third generation of the CoreValve prosthesis were implanted in 10, 24, and 102 consecutive high-risk patients (logistic EuroScore: 23.1�15.0%) with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. Mean transvalvular pressure gradient was 41.5�16.7 mm Hg. The procedural success rate increased from generation 1/2 to 3 from 70.0%/70.8% to 91.2% (
P
=0.003). The 30-day combined rate of death/stroke/myocardial infarction was 40.0%/20.8%/14.7% (
P
=0.11) for generation 1, 2, and 3, with no procedural death in generation 3. Pressure gradients improved significantly with a final mean gradient of 8.1�3.8 mm Hg. Overall functional status assessed by New York Heart Association class improved from 3.3�0.5 (pre) to 1.7�0.7 (post) (
P
<0.001) and remained stable in the follow-up.

Conclusion—

In experienced hands, percutaneous aortic valve replacement with the CoreValve system for selected patients with severe aortic valve stenosis has a high acute success rate associated with a low periprocedural mortality/stroke rate as well as remarkable clinical and hemodynamic improvements, which persist over time. Additional studies are now required to confirm these findings, particularly head-to-head comparisons with surgical valve replacement in different risk populations.
Notes on a Forgotten Manuscript of Hesiod's Theogony
Authors: Vioque Guillermo Galán
Published: December 2008

In this article the author studies a new witness (Vaticanus gr. 1825) of Hesiod's Theogony that has been overlooked by recent editors of Hesiod's poems. It is a reliable testimony that should be preferred over one of its apographa, Laurentianus Conv. Soppr. 15, frequently quoted in West's edition.
Josephus on Fate, Free Will, and Ancient Jewish Types of Compatibilism
Authors: Klawans Jonathan
Published: December 2008

Recent scholarship on fate and free will in ancient Judaism is characterized by a lack of precision with regard to the nature of these disputes. There is also some disagreement concerning the degree to which the disparate positions can be constructively compared with either Hellenistic philosophical approaches or later rabbinic theological ones. It is argued here that Josephus's brief typology of ancient Jewish disputes on this topic finds confirmation in other ancient Jewish literature, especially the Wisdom of Ben Sira, the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls, and later rabbinic literature. Yet it is imperative to nuance Josephus's typology so as to avoid imposing Hellenistic philosophical systems onto ancient Jewish theological ones. These observations hold true especially when it comes to understanding the balance between fate and free will — the “compatibilism” — that characterizes the Pharisaic approach. It is rarely noticed that Josephus's accounts attribute to this group two distinct ways of balancing fate and free will. On the one hand, each of these two approaches finds distinct analogues within rabbinic literature, a fact that further confirms both Josephus's reliability and the productivity of comparing his accounts with later rabbinic traditions. On the other hand, neither of the two types of compatibilism attributed by Josephus to the Pharisees can be identified with Stoic compatibilism. Nonetheless, the term “compatibilism” remains the most appropriate term for distinguishing the Pharisaic compromises from the more extreme (but by no means uncomplicated) positions that seem to have characterized the Sadducees and Essenes in Josephus's day.
Vows for the Masses: Eison and the Popular Expansion of Precept-Conferral Ceremonies in Premodern Japan
Authors: Meeks Lori
Published: December 2008

Over the course of his roughly fifty-year ministry, the Japanese vinaya (ritsu) revivalist priest Eison (also read “Eizon,” 1201–1290) is said to have bestowed the bodhisattva precepts upon some 97,710 people. Many of these conferrals were given en masse, with tens or hundreds (and, according to some records, even thousands) taking precepts (jukai; Chns. shoujie) from Eison together, in single ceremonies. This study places Eison's use of precept-conferral ceremonies in the broader historical context of East Asian, and especially Japanese, Buddhist practice. It then focuses on the particular methods used and innovations introduced by Eison and his vinaya-revival movement, paying close attention to the socio-political roles that precept-conferral ceremonies played in relationships between monks, monasteries, and lay devotees in medieval Japan.
The Role of Interfirm Networks in Technological Innovation and Education
Authors: Jingjing Huo
Published: December 2008

This article examines the sociopolitical conditions for preventing market failure in public goods investment. Based on International Social Survey Program data for 17 advanced industrialized countries, the author compares economies with strong and weak institutions of interfirm coordination in how they encourage investment in skills and technological innovation and highlight the inefficiency of alternative investment strategies that bypass cooperation. With weak coordination, firms underinvest in skills and the labor market relies on academic education as an alternative, resulting in underutilization of human capital. Innovation intensifies skill demands and can reduce overeducation. However, without cooperation, firms also underinvest in research and development, and the economy relies on innovation from outside the firm, which reduces its effectiveness in alleviating overeducation. In countries with weak interfirm coordination, the economy suffers simultaneously from deficient skills, underused academic qualifications, and technological innovations with limited human capital benefits for the labor force.
Requiem for Ecumenism? Some Personal Reflections
Authors: Ballard Paul
Published: December 2008

This paper is a personal response to ecumenical life in the UK today by one who has lived ecumenically for a lifetime. It indicates the dynamism of the post-war ecumenical activity and then contrasts it, with some reference to significant events, to contemporary trends such as `post-denominationalism' and `neo-denominationalism'. The challenge is to learn from the ecumenically pioneering efforts over the years and to discover afresh `the pain of our divisions' in seeking the `unity Christ wills'.
Mentoring and network ties
Authors: Feeney Mary K. , Bozeman Barry
Published: December 2008

Using questionnaire data obtained from a sample of state government managers, our study examines social capital foci (network ties) of mentoring relations. Others have shown that network ties are relevant to career development and advance. We begin with the assumption that enhanced network ties are generally beneficial. We investigate variation in mentorships, which enhance network ties within the focal organization and within organizations external to the focal organization. We examine a number of factors hypothesized as shaping the relationship between mentoring and the development of network ties, including attributes of the protégé and of the mentoring relationship. Our results show that the sex of the protégé and of the mentor does not affect the quantity of network ties conveyed. However, relationships in which protégé and mentor sex is matched provide more network ties. Counter to our expectations, there is no significant difference in the amount and focus of network ties accruing from formal, organizationally sanctioned mentoring and informal mentoring.
The effect of bias on the advancement of working mothers: Disentangling legitimate concerns from inaccurate stereotypes as predictors of advancement in academe
Authors: King Eden B.
Published: December 2008

Drawing from social role theory, it is theorized that stereotypes about working mothers will drive biased perceptions about their attitudes toward work and family that will partially account for the `maternal wall'. Survey responses from a sample of 166 junior faculty members with children and 93 of their senior colleagues suggested that parent gender influences superiors' ratings of junior faculty's work involvement, commitment, and flexibility. Moreover, after accounting for self-reports of these attitudes, senior colleagues' ratings partially explained the relationship between parent gender and advancement. Thus, this research provides evidence of maternal bias by demonstrating gender differences in perceptions of work—family attitudes that influence success.
Periodic Cellular Metal/Polyurethane Foam Hybrid Materials
Authors: Campbell J.E. , Forte F. , Hibbard G.D. , Naguib H.E.
Published: December 2008

A new type of hybrid material was designed and created by reinforcing periodic cellular metals (PCMs) with rigid polyurethane foams. Two different PCM geometries and two types of rigid polyurethane foam were used to create four different hybrid materials. These novel materials may find useful application as cores in sandwich structures. The two-phase foam/PCM hybrids offered comparable stiffness and up to 59% higher strength as well as up to 86% higher resilience than the PCMs alone. Furthermore, the two-phase foam hybrids were up to 46% stronger and up to 63% stiffer than the one-phase foam hybrids.
BEM Stress Analysis for Thin Multilayered Composites Subjected to Inertial Loads
Authors: Shiah Y.C. , Hwang Wen-Sheng , Shiah Guan-Chyun
Published: December 2008

For the stress analysis of ultra-thin structures, the modeling of conventional domain solution techniques will require a tremendous amount of domain elements, whose aspect ratios must have orders close to unity. Due to this reason, past research work by the finite element method seldom investigated ultra-thin layers of composites. This article proposes a boundary element approach that may yield accurate stress analysis by coarse mesh-modeling for ultra-thin layers of multilayered composites subjected to inertial loads. In this article, the nearly singular integrals in the boundary integral equations for displacements and strains are analytically integrated. The algorithm has been successfully implemented in an existing computer program based on quadratic elements.
Performance Evaluation of FRP Bridge Deck Under Shear Loads
Authors: Prachasaree Woraphot , Gangarao Hota V.S. , Shekar Vimala
Published: December 2008

Shear behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge deck components has been experimentally and theoretically studied under in-plane shear, out-of-plane shear, punching shear, shear of web—flange junction, and system racking shear. Experimental data revealed that the shear modulus of FRP bridge decks ranged from 2.66 to 4.14 GPa and the shear stress to failure ranged from 20.7 to 96.6 MPa. In-plane shear behavior is studied under V-notched and racking shear test (parallel and perpendicular to cell direction). Experimental results under in-plane shear loading are compared with the results from the classical finite element method. Out-of-plane shear strength and stiffness of an FRP composite deck are experimentally evaluated utilizing test data from the short beam shear test, and the beam bending test. Using experimental and numerical results, the reduction in bending rigidity due to shear deformation under several loading conditions is calculated. In addition, size limits (span to depth ratio) under transverse loading are established as: L/d>22 (for multi-cell specimen with and without joints). A theoretical model based on FRP deck types for predicting punching shear capacity is proposed and validated through experimental data. In addition, the failure modes of test specimens are identified and reported. To study the web—flange junction behavior, closed FRP sections were tested under shear-bending effect. It is clear that the web—flange junction shear strength is only one half of the shear strength obtained from flange specimens under V-notched beam testing. While testing, cracks and layer delaminations around web—flange junctions were initiated and extended along the thickness of the web portion with increasing applied loads, which eventually led to web shear-off failure. In addition, it is found that shear strengths of test specimens depend on modes of shear failures induced by different shear test methods. Higher shear strength is found on failure modes that have more influence of fiber shear.
Discovering the Consumer
Authors: Schwarzkopf Stefan
Published: December 2008

This article discusses the use of market and consumer research at Lever/Unilever and its advertising agency in Britain and the United States, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), in the interwar period. Research surveys conducted by JWT in the 1920s and 1930s helped Lever reposition its international soap brand Lux. The case demonstrates that Lever deployed qualitative market research techniques much earlier than usually acknowledged. Qualitative and quantitative consumer research methods allowed marketers at Lever and JWT to take account of autonomous consumer practices that limited the scope of management. The article also shows that marketing's cultural practices often predate its conceptualization and academic theorization.
Posterolateral Structures of the Knee in Posterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency
Authors: Kozanek Michal , Fu Eric C. , Van de Velde Samuel K. , Gill Thomas J. , Guoan Li
Published: December 2008

Background

In vitro data suggest that injury to the posterior cruciate ligament stresses the posterolateral structures of the knee, placing them at greater risk of secondary injury. However, it is not known how isolated posterior cruciate ligament deficiency affects these soft tissue stabilizers of the knee joint in vivo.

Hypothesis

Posterior cruciate ligament deficiency will alter the apparent length patterns of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and popliteus.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

The apparent length changes in the lateral collateral ligament and popliteus muscle-tendon unit during weightbearing knee flexion were studied in 14 patients with isolated, unilateral posterior cruciate ligament deficiency using magnetic resonance imaging, dual-orthogonal fluoroscopy, and 3-dimensional modeling. Data of the injured and uninjured contralateral sides were compared.

Results

Posterior cruciate ligament deficiency caused significant increases in the apparent length of both posterolateral structures (P <. 05). The differences between injured and uninjured contralateral side were greatest at 120° of knee flexion in the lateral collateral ligament (48.2 ± 6.1 mm and 51.6 ± 6.1 mm, respectively) and at 30° of knee flexion in the popliteus (101.2 ± 9.3 mm and 110.4 ± 10.2 mm, respectively).

Conclusion

Deficiency of the posterior cruciate ligament alters the length patterns of posterolateral structures in vivo and might place them at greater risk of secondary injury.

Clinical Relevance

Reestablishment of normal kinematics after posterior cruciate ligament injury is critical for restoring normal function of posterolateral structures of the knee.
Eccentric Loading versus Eccentric Loading plus Shock-Wave Treatment for Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy
Authors: Rompe Jan D. , Furia John , Maffulli Nicola
Published: December 2008

Background

Results of a previous randomized controlled trial have shown comparable effectiveness of a standardized eccentric loading training and of repetitive low-energy shock-wave treatment (SWT) in patients suffering from chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy. No randomized controlled trials have tested whether a combined approach might lead to even better results.

Purpose

To compare the effectiveness of 2 management strategies—group 1: eccentric loading and group 2: eccentric loading plus repetitive low-energy shock-wave therapy.

Study Design

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods

Sixty-eight patients with a chronic recalcitrant (>6 months) noninsertional Achilles tendinopathy were enrolled in a randomized controlled study. All patients had received unsuccessful management for >3 months, including at least (1) peritendinous local injections, (2) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and (3) physiotherapy. A computerized random-number generator was used to draw up an allocation schedule. Analysis was on an intention-to-treat basis.

Results

At 4 months from baseline, the VISA-A score increased in both groups, from 50 to 73 points in group 1 (eccentric loading) and from 51 to 87 points in group 2 (eccentric loading plus shock-wave treatment). Pain rating decreased in both groups, from 7 to 4 points in group 1 and from 7 to 2 points in group 2. Nineteen of 34 patients in group 1 (56%) and 28 of 34 patients in group 2 (82%) reported a Likert scale of 1 or 2 points (“completely recovered” or “much improved”). For all outcome measures, groups 1 and 2 differed significantly in favor of the combined approach at the 4-month follow-up. At 1 year from baseline, there was no difference any longer, with 15 failed patients of group 1 opting for having the combined therapy as cross-over and with 6 failed patients of group 2 having undergone surgery.

Conclusion

At 4-month follow-up, eccentric loading alone was less effective when compared with a combination of eccentric loading and repetitive low-energy shock-wave treatment.
The Supreme Court and the Continuing Deconstitutionalization of Public Personnel Management
Authors: Roberts Robert
Published: December 2008

In Engquist v. Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Supreme Court held that public employees may not use the so-called equal protection clause of class-of-one doctrine to challenge the constitutionality of arguably arbitrary adverse personnel actions. In the 2000 case of Village of Willowbrook v. Olech, the high court had authorized citizens to bring class-of-one equal protection lawsuits to challenge arguably arbitrary discretionary decisions by government officials. The decision provides further evidence of the ongoing effort by a majority of the Roberts Court to limit the constitutional rights of public employees. The article argues that the ongoing deconstitutionalization of public personnel management has significant implications for the management of public organizations. If the trend continues, public employees, much like their private sector counterparts, will become much more dependent on statutory protections and collective bargaining agreements to protect them from arbitrary personnel decisions.
Doing Good, Being Good, and the Social Construction of Compassion
Authors: Blackstone Amy
Published: December 2008

Activists and volunteers in the United States face the dilemma of having to negotiate the ideals of American individualism with their own acts of compassion. In this article, I consider how activists and volunteers socially construct compassion. Data from ethnographic research in the breast cancer and antirape movements are analyzed. The processes through which compassion is constructed are revealed in participants' actions and in their identities. It is through their actions (or “doing good”) and their perceptions and presentations of themselves (“being good”) that participants construct compassion as a gendered phenomenon. Together, the processes of doing good and being good raise questions about the extent to which participants' acts of compassion are or can be transformative in a way that promotes the social change which activists and volunteers seek.
The Politics of Off-the-Shelf School Finance Reform
Authors: Baker Bruce D. , Elmer Douglas R.
Published: December 2008

This article summarizes and evaluates two Off-the-Shelf school finance reforms that gained then waned in popularity over the past several years. The 65 percent solution claims that requiring all public school districts to allocate 65 cents of every education dollar “to the classroom” would drive substantial additional resources to children without increasing total spending, therefore improving the efficiency of public education systems. The 100 percent solution promotes a combination of decentralized school-based governance and budgeting, coupled with a district-to-school budget allocation strategy called Weighted Student Funding. We begin by evaluating the life cycles of these two reforms, concluding that the 65 percent solution has run its cycle, but that the 100 solution remains viable, mainly because it contains potentially more substantive reform elements. We point out that the research literature on productivity and efficiency of public schooling is far from decisive with respect to either shares of dollars allocated to the classroom or decentralized governance, despite bold claims of proponents of the solutions. Finally, we provide a series of empirical analysis and discussions of related research raising additional questions about the central claims of the reforms, including the claim that Weighted Student Funding is a panacea for funding inequities that persist across schools within large urban districts.
“More Justice”
Authors: Rogers John S. , Terriquez Veronica
Published: December 2008

This article explores the potential role of low-wage service sector unions in engaging in equity-minded school reform. The members of many such unions are parents of children attending poorly resourced public schools. In seeking to address the interests of their members, labor unions can draw upon resources, organizing strategies, and political relationships to contribute to grassroots campaigns for educational equity. Data gathered in Los Angeles from labor and civic leaders, as well as janitors belonging to the Service Employees International Union Local 1877, reveal possibilities for low-wage service sector unions to build alliances around educational reform issues and support their members' individual capacities to advocate for their own children in schools. At the same time, low-wage service sector unions face challenges to participating in school reform efforts, including prioritizing education issues among other competing interests and identifying common ground with teachers' unions.
The Politics of Advocacy in Education
Authors: Scott Janelle , Lubienski Christopher , DeBray-Pelot Elizabeth
Published: December 2008

This article provides an overview to this special issue on advocacy and education. It describes three key areas of advocacy in education, including 1) Congress, states, and the courts, 2) Think tanks and philanthropies, and 3) Sociopolitical movements. It also discusses the emerging politics of advocacy within these three areas and introduces the articles that explore these advocacy terrains.
The Politics of Venture Philanthropy in Charter School Policy and Advocacy
Authors: Scott Janelle
Published: December 2008

Philanthropists have long funded a wide range of educational research, practice, and policy initiatives, primarily through namesake foundations. Some observers have criticized these efforts as doing little to change the status quo in education and have called for more aggressive action on the part of this sector. Out of this critique has emerged a new philanthropic form, often termed venture philanthropy . Perhaps nowhere is venture philanthropy more prevalent than in the charter school and policy and advocacy terrain. Drawing from document analysis and a review of historical literature, this article provides a sociopolitical, descriptive discussion of this “new” form of philanthropy in supporting the charter school reform network. It also examines the funding strategies of venture philanthropies and the areas of policy intersection in program initiatives. The article concludes with a discussion of some political and philosophical tensions that venture philanthropy raises and also provides suggestions for further research.
Sharing the Good, Sharing the Bad
Authors: Magai Carol , Consedine Nathan S. , Fiori Katherine L. , King Arlene R.
Published: December 2008

Objective: The present study was designed to assess the impact of experimentally manipulating positive and negative self-disclosure on three domains of well-being among healthy middle-aged and older adults: emotional, psychological, and physical. Method: Using a modified self-disclosure paradigm for sad, mixed (sad and happy), and neutral content, the authors examine changes in depressive symptomatology, stress, sad and happy mood, and self-reported health across 4 weeks in a sample ( N = 200) of African American and European American men and women (age M = 54 years). Results: Consistent with research on younger groups, health symptomatology declined over time (irrespective of condition). However, although African Americans reported reductions in stress and depressive symptomatology in the sad condition, European Americans experienced similar reductions only in the neutral condition. Discussion: Results are discussed in terms of applications of the self-disclosure paradigm to developmentally and ethnically diverse groups.
I Quit, Therefore I Am?
Authors: Hustinx Lesley
Published: December 2008

This study considers the thesis that volunteering is gaining a fundamentally new quality as a result of broader social and cultural transformations. Whereas existing research has focused on the changing nature of volunteering, this study deals with the decision to quit volunteering and examines whether it may be considered part of the “politics of self-actualization,” that is, the more active and individualized monitoring of life. Former styles of volunteering and reasons for quitting were examined in a group of 99 ex-volunteers of the Red Cross in Flanders, Belgium, and volunteering habits were compared with a sample of 652 volunteers. Ex-volunteers did not systematically differ from the sample of volunteers with regard to their social background profile, volunteering behavior, and strength of organizational attachment. Furthermore, the decision to quit more likely reflected the routine nature of everyday practices than an autonomous and self-conscious life design.
Usus Gratiae: How Am I to Hear the Sermon on the Mount?
Authors: Parsons Susan Frank
Published: December 2008

What the moral theologian has to teach concerning the Sermon on the Mount depends fundamentally on how these words of the Lord are heard. With hearing comes understanding, and because this Sermon is considered in the tradition to be a kind of interpretative key to any understanding of the Christian life as such, the way one hears what is being said is critical to the formation and practices of faith in the believer. In an age determined by nihilism, this hearing has been overtaken by the need to reassert the moral god, in consequence of which faith is reduced to its service in propping up an otherwise endangered morality, however variously that may be described. This is illustrated with reference to John Paul II's encyclical letter, Veritatis Splendor. What is lost through such an account is the hearing of this Sermon as a word of grace, from out of whose movement the hearer is prepared for the reception of faith and is turned out toward the future with God. St Thomas Aquinas's teaching shows how each use of grace is an event of appropriation wherein the believer is conformed to Christ, so that in one's understanding and making one's own of what is being heard, God is claiming His own.
Rain on the Just and the Unjust: the Challenge of Indiscriminate Divine Love
Authors: Herdt Jennifer A.
Published: December 2008

Hearers of the Sermon on the Mount are called to become children of their heavenly father by loving as God loves. Surprisingly, though, God's love is depicted here as impersonal and indiscriminate, as similar to or even simply as a force of nature, even if a life-giving force: God `makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust' (Matthew 5:45). Anders Nygren used this verse as core support for his dubious characterization of agape as `indifferent to value'. How should we hear it today?