bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ties That Bind
Authors: Pyrooz David C. , Decker Scott H. , Webb Vincent J.
Published: September 2010

The present study conceptualizes gang membership in a life-course framework. The authors focus specifically on an understudied aspect of gang membership—desistance. This study’s goal is to further develop our understanding of the process of desisting from gangs. This is done by examining the social and emotional ties that former gang members maintain with their previous gang network. Using a detention sample of juvenile arrestees, the authors first compare differences between 156 current and 83 former gang members at a bivariate level. This is followed by a multivariate analysis of former gang members that (a) examines factors that predict increases of ties to the former gang network and (b) illustrates the importance of gang ties by exploring their effects on victimization. The findings shed light on the correlates and consequences of persisting gang ties. In particular, it is found that ties have direct positive effects on recent victimizations. More important, it is found that longer lengths of desistance matter to the extent that ties are diminished; that is, length of desistance operates indirectly through gang ties to reduce victimization. The study concludes with a discussion of the conceptual and policy implications surrounding gang desistance and how lingering ties to the former gang network are crucial to understanding the desistance process.
Parole? Nope, Not for Me: Voluntarily Maxing Out of Prison
Authors: Ostermann Michael
Published: September 2010

This study addresses the phenomenon of inmates voluntarily forgoing parole supervision and opting to remain in prison until the maximum expiration of their sentence. The research was conducted to inform public policy makers about the potential repercussions of this decision-making process and to help guide future policy and legislative proposals that would target this group of inmates. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to explore characteristics of this population with regard to postrelease recidivism and prerelease indicators of recidivism. A 2005 group of voluntary max outs are contrasted with those who are forced to max out due to continual parole denial as well as those who are released to parole supervision. All offenders were released in the state of New Jersey. Although several between-group differences were apparent between both max out groups and the parole group at a bivariate level, differences between the two max out groups were far less pronounced. Multivariate Cox regression models indicated that, after controlling for pertinent predictor variables, the likelihood of experiencing a new arrest and/or incarceration after release did not significantly differ according to group membership. Findings suggest that parole boards that make decisions in discretionary release systems should more closely analyze the release opportunities that already present themselves to their agencies but are not capitalized on. Because those who are forced to max through continual denial of parole demonstrated such similar prerelease characteristics to the voluntary max out group, it is unlikely that many who would have otherwise voluntarily maxed their sentence would be paroled if the ability to make this decision were taken away.
Period Effects in the Impact of Vietnam-Era Military Service on Crime Over the Life Course
Authors: Bouffard Leana Allen
Published: September 2010

Many life course studies are based on a few cohorts of individuals born in the early part of the 20th century. Despite the significance of military service in the life course, few studies have addressed the consequences of military service on offending trajectories. This study explores the relationship between military service and patterns of offending in three cohorts of men. Analyses examine both the impact of military service as well as the potential period effects of service during different periods of the Vietnam War. Results suggest that between-individual differences in military service significantly affect criminal behavior. However, the specific direction of the effect depends on when during the Vietnam era these men entered the military. Implications of these results are discussed.
A Life-Course Analysis of Offense Specialization Across Age: Introducing a New Method for Studying Individual Specialization Over the Life Course
Authors: Nieuwbeerta Paul , Blokland Arjan A.J. , Piquero Alex R. , Sweeten Gary
Published: September 2010

Much of the knowledge base on offense specialization indicates that, although there is some (short-term) specialization, it exists amidst much versatility in offending. Yet this general conclusion is drawn on studies using very different conceptualizations of specialization and emerges with data primarily through the first two to three decades of life. Using data on a sample of Dutch offenders through age 72 years, this article introduces and applies a new method for studying individual offender specialization over the life course. The results indicate that although, in general, individual offending patterns over the life course are diverse, there is also evidence of an age—diversity curve. Linking offense frequency trajectories to the estimated diversity index, the authors also examine distinct specialization patterns across unique trajectory groups. Implications for theory and research are outlined.
Evaluative Appraisals of Environmental Mystery and Surprise
Authors: Nasar Jack L. , Cubukcu Ebru
Published: September 2010

This study used a desktop virtual environment (VE) of 15 large-scale residential streets to test the effects of environmental mystery and surprise on response. In theory, mystery and surprise should increase interest and visual appeal. For each VE, participants walked through an approach street and turned right onto a post-turn street. We designed the streets to have low mystery (straight) or higher mystery (curved); and we designed the street-pairs to have low surprise (no difference between them), medium surprise (moderate difference between them), or higher surprise (higher difference between them). A total of 37 students from the United States and 40 students from Turkey rated each of the 15 walks for mystery and surprise. Each group’s ratings on each scale had high interobserver reliability. The students judged the level of mystery and surprise as intended: They rated the curved streets as higher in mystery than the straight ones, and when the difference between approach and post-turn streets increased, the judged surprise increased. For the evaluations, different respondents (34 from Turkey and 29 from the United States) walked through each of the 15 VEs assigned in random order. They rated each approach street and each post-turn street independently for interest and visual appeal. Because interest and visual appeal had high correlations, we combined them into a composite preference scale. For each country, preference increased with increases in mystery and surprise. To get at the dynamic experience, future research could employ continuous and nonreactive measures of response as people move through environments.
Reducing Energy Consumption and Creating a Conservation Culture in Organizations: A Case Study of One Public School District
Authors: Schelly Chelsea , Cross Jennifer E. , Franzen William S. , Hall Pete , Reeve Stu
Published: September 2010

How can existing schools significantly reduce their energy use? With energy costs rising and school budgets shrinking, energy use is a substantial cost that can be reduced through conservation efforts. Using a case study methodology, the authors compare two public high schools from the same school district, one that has achieved moderate energy savings and another that has reduced its electricity use by 50% over several years. Examining the individual and organizational components of both schools’ efforts, the authors find that the greater success at one school is the result of integrated efforts at all levels within the organization, from district administrators to individual students. Success is based on structural changes, individual behavioral change, and, most important, the weaving of both into a cohesive organizational culture emphasizing conservation. This study demonstrates the potential of behavioral change and organizational culture to foster environmental education, conservation, and fiscal savings for other public schools.
Towards an integrated approach to sexual health services: The contribution of NICE guidance on one-to-one interventions to prevent STIs and under 18 conceptions
Authors: Killoran Amanda , McCormick Geraldine
Published: September 2010

Objective: To describe the development of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) evidence-based guidance on one-to-one interventions for prevention of STIs and under 18 conceptions, as a focus for an integrated approach to sexual health services.

Method: Documentation of the process for developing NICE guidance that is ‘evidence based’ and ‘independent’. Stages were: scoping the focus of the guidance; critical appraisal and synthesis of different types of evidence; economic modelling; preparation of draft recommendations; field testing their relevance and feasibility for implementation in the English context.

Results: The best available evidence demonstrates that one-to-one structured discussions with practitioners offer an effective means to support vulnerable young people and those at risk of STI infection to change their sexual behaviour and reduce their level of risk. Economic modelling demonstrated that many forms of one-to-one interventions can be cost-effective, including those involving sessions of structures discussion or counselling. Recommendations integrate the identification of high-risk groups and the need to offer information and advice on prevention of STIs including HIV and under 18 conceptions into the mainstream of heath and other services.

Conclusion: Although one-to-one interventions are a comparatively narrow component of a strategic programme for the prevention of STIs and under 18 conceptions, this focus is central to addressing these challenges. This supports a much more integrated approach to service provision, within the context of modernization of sexual health services.
Creativity in Ergonomic Design: A Supplemental Value-Adding Source for Product and Service Development
Authors: Zeng Liang , Proctor Robert W. , Salvendy Gavriel
Published: September 2010

Objective: This article investigates the role of creativity in ergonomic design and the generic process of developing creative products and services.

Background: Creativity is gaining increased emphasis in both academia and industry. More than 50 years of research in creativity indicates that creativity is key to product and service innovation. Nevertheless, there is scarcely any comprehensive review dedicated to appraising the complex construct of creativity, the underlying cognitive process, and the role of creativity in product and service development.

Method: We review relevant literature regarding creativity, creative cognition, and the engineering design process to appraise the role of creativity in ergonomic design and to construct a conceptual model of creative product and service development.

Results: A framework of ergodesign creativity is advanced that highlights the central role of creativity in synergistically addressing the four dimensions of ergonomic design: functionality, safety, usability, and affectivity. A conceptual model of creative design process is then constructed that is goal oriented and is initiated by active problem finding and problem formulating. This process is carried out in a recursive and dynamic way, facilitated by creative thinking strategies.

Conclusion: It is proposed that ergodesign creativity can add supplemental value to products and services, which subsequently affects consumer behavior and helps organizations gain competitive advantage.

Application: The proposed conceptual framework of ergodesign creativity and creative design process can serve as the ground for future theory development. Propositions advanced in this study should facilitate designers generating products and services that are creative and commercially competitive.
Bimodal Stimulus Presentation and Expanded Auditory Bandwidth Improve Older Adults’ Speech Perception
Authors: Brault Lynn M. , Gilbert Jaimie L. , Lansing Charissa R. , McCarley Jason S. , Kramer Arthur F.
Published: September 2010

Objective: A pair of experiments investigated the hypothesis that bimodal (auditory-visual) speech presentation and expanded auditory bandwidth would improve speech intelligibility and increase working memory performance for older adults by reducing the cognitive effort needed for speech perception.

Background: Although telephone communication is important for helping older adults maintain social engagement, age-related sensory and working memory limits may make telephone conversations difficult.

Method: Older adults with either age-normal hearing or mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss performed a running memory task. Participants heard word strings of unpredictable length and at the end of each string were required to repeat back the final three words. Words were presented monaurally in telephone bandwidth (300 Hz to 3300 Hz) or expanded bandwidth (50 Hz to 7500 Hz), in quiet (65 dBZ SPL), or in white noise (65 dBZ SPL with noise at 60 dBZ SPL), with or without a visual display of the talker.

Results: In quiet listening conditions, bimodal presentation increased the number of words correctly reported per trial but only for listeners with hearing loss and with high lipreading proficiency. Stimulus bandwidth did not affect performance. In noise, bimodal presentation and expanded bandwidth improved performance for all participant groups but did so by improving speech intelligibility, not by improving working memory.

Conclusion: Expanded bandwidth and bimodal presentation can improve speech perceptibility in difficult listening conditions but may not always improve working memory performance.

Application: Results can inform the design of telephone features to improve ease of communication for older adults.
Gender differences in stressors and reactions to stressors among Jordanian university students
Authors: Hamaideh Shaher H.
Published: September 2010

Background: Stress among university students has been a topic of interest for researchers and teachers for many years because it affects not only their academic performance but also their physiological and psychological health. Male and female students perceive and react to stressors differently due to their differences in appraising stressful situations.

Aims: The aims of this study were to examine differences in the perception of stressors and reactions to stressors between male and female Jordanian university students, and to identify the best predictors of stressors among them.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The Student-Life Stress Inventory was used to measure stressors and reactions to stressors of 465 male and 485 female Jordanian university students recruited through stratified random sampling.

Results: There were statistical differences between male and female students regarding their perception and reactions to stressors. Female students reported a higher perception of stressors in frustrations, conflict, pressures and changes, as well as emotional reactions to stressors. Male students reported higher behavioural and cognitive reactions to stressors than female students. Participation in stress workshops, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among male students, while mother’s educational level, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among female students.

Conclusions: This study showed that gender differences in perception of stressors and reactions to stressors are similar to previous studies conducted all over the world. Interventions can be developed to help students better cope with stress. Conducting specific stress-training programmes for male and female students will help in reducing stress levels.
The role of self-esteem for outcome in first-episode psychosis
Authors: Vracotas Nadia , Iyer Srividya N. , Joober Ridha , Malla Ashok
Published: September 2010

Background: Self-esteem may be associated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders. However, the relationship between self-esteem and outcome in psychosis has not been adequately examined, especially early in the course of the illness.

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the impact of self-esteem in individuals who presented for treatment of a first episode of psychosis on outcome early in the course of the illness.

Methods: The Self-Esteem Rating Scale (SERS) was administered to 121 individuals with first-episode psychosis following entry into a specialized programme. Symptoms and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) were assessed at six months after beginning treatment. A correlational analysis was followed by a linear regression controlling for potential confounds.

Results: Self-esteem assessed early in the course of treatment was positively correlated with GAF at six months ( r = 0.281, p < 0.01). A linear regression analysis conducted with GAF and depression at baseline in addition to gender, pre-morbid adjustment, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), and self-esteem as predictors and GAF at six months as the outcome variable revealed only self-esteem to be a significant predictor of GAF at six months (β = 0.290, p < 0.01). However, no association was found between self-esteem and remission at six months (β = 0.003, p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Self-esteem is associated with global functional outcome at six months but not with remission of symptoms. Efforts should be made to provide interventions that may improve low self-esteem in the attempt to influence functional outcome.
Mothers in Trouble: Coping With Actual or Pending Separation From Children due to Incarceration
Authors: Celinska Katarzyna , Siegel Jane A.
Published: September 2010

Although female offenders are the fastest growing population in prison today, relatively few studies focus on their unique experiences as mothers. In this study, the authors utilize 74 semistructured interviews with mothers before trial and during incarceration to document coping strategies employed to deal with potential or actual separation from their children. From the study data, seven strategies emerge: being a good mother, mothering from prison, role redefinition, disassociation from prisoner identity, self-transformation, planning and preparation, and self-blame. The findings show that mothers used multiple strategies and tended to employ emotion-focused and adaptive coping techniques. The policy implications are discussed.
Unemployment During a Recession and Later Earnings
Authors: Kauppinen Timo M. , Kortteinen Matti , Vaattovaara Mari
Published: September 2010

Experience of unemployment is known to predict poorer future success in the labour market. It is less well known how much this depends on the characteristics of the local social environment. This paper builds on the supposition that the unemployment rate in the neighbourhood modifies the social processes linking personal unemployment to later labour market outcomes. Data from the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland during and after a deep recession in the 1990s are used to analyse the effect of personal unemployment on later earnings by neighbourhood unemployment rate. Results indicate that the neighbourhood unemployment rate modifies the effect of personal unemployment: a higher neighbourhood unemployment rate predicts lower later earnings, especially for males. A similar effect is not found in the case of employed residents.
“Girls Are Worse”
Authors: Waldron Linda M.
Published: September 2010

This article uses a race-class-gender intersectional approach to analyze qualitative interviews with girls at two public high schools to better understand a common perception that “girls are worse” when it comes to school fights. Several different understandings of why girls fight emerged from the data. On one hand, girls’ perception of face-to-face verbal fights seemed to uphold a normative hegemonic feminine ideology. Girls fought because they were overly emotional and dramatic, or they fought over boys, adhering to a heterosexual script that is consistent with normative femininity. Yet on the other hand, sometimes girls who engaged in fights were also seen as transgressing this hegemonic ideology. They fought because they were “tomboys” or “gay girls,” this latter perception reinforcing a type of homophobic name-calling that was pervasive at the school. Finally, girls who were involved in strictly face-to-face physical fights were often constructed as “ghetto girls,” which highlighted racist stereotypes about violence in these schools. In contrast, girls themselves who had admitted to being in a face-to-face fight seemed to offer an alternative understanding of fighting. They explained fighting as a site of situated agency, where fighting was justifiable in certain contexts, especially when used as an avenue for self-defense or to gain power and respect among their cohorts.
General Strain Theory, Peer Rejection, and Delinquency/Crime
Authors: Higgins George E. , Piquero Nicole L. , Piquero Alex R.
Published: September 2010

The development of general strain theory (GST) has led to a renewed focus on the influence of negative life experiences on antisocial behavior. Although a number of studies have generated an impressive array of support for the theory, several avenues remain open for research. In this article, we examine how a specific noxious stimuli, peer rejection, relates to delinquency/crime, and the degree of shared relation among peer rejection and delinquency/crime. Using data from a national sample of 413 children and adolescents, analyses indicated two highly stable trajectories of peer rejection and three trajectories of delinquency/crime, that peer rejection and delinquency/crime were not strongly related in general, but a joint analysis of their relationship revealed that high peer rejection was related to high delinquency/crime among males but not among females. Implications and directions for future research are highlighted.
Beyond Blumer and Symbolic Interactionism: The Qualitative-Quantitative Issue in Social Theory and Methodology
Authors: Hanzel Igor
Published: September 2010

The article analysis the views approaching quantitative and qualitative methods in social sciences as separable or irreconcilable. First, we characterize these views and show how they deal with this divide and how they view the aspects of the latter. Next, we identify the works of Herbert Blumer as the basis of that divide and subject them to an analysis. Finally, by means of categories like quantity, quality, and measure, we show that the qualitative-quantitative divide is based on a wrong approach to these categories and the quantitative and qualitative methods.
“Counting As” a Bridge Principle
Authors: Butchard William , D’Amico Robert
Published: September 2010

John Searle’s argument that social-scientific laws are impossible depends on a special open-ended feature of social kinds. We demonstrate that under a noncontentious understanding of bridging principles the so-called “counts-as” relation, found in the expression “X counts as Y in (context) C,” provides a bridging principle for social kinds. If we are correct, not only are social-scientific laws possible, but the “counts as” relation might provide a more perspicuous formulation for candidate bridge principles.
Information Seeking Related to Clinical Trial Enrollment
Authors: Yang Z. Janet , McComas Katherine A. , Gay Geri , Leonard John P. , Dannenberg Andrew J. , Dillon Hildy
Published: September 2010

To understand what motivates people to attend to information about clinical trial enrollment, this study applies the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) to explore potential differences in multichannel information seeking between (a) the general population and (b) cancer patients and their caregivers. The unique context of clinical trial enrollment grants this research an opportunity to study the RISP model in relation to a risk issue with varying relevance to the two samples as well as to investigate the role of emotion on information seeking. Key results suggested that risk perception and negative emotions had opposite effects on information seeking across the two samples; however, optimistic feelings had the most consistent, positive effects on seeking from all three types of information sources: interpersonal, traditional media, and online. These findings suggest important theoretical and practical implications in relation to promoting information seeking related to clinical trial enrollment among the general population as well as among specific patient groups.
Effect of Sodium Sulfate on the Viscosity, Tack, and Adhesion Properties of SMR 10-based Pressure-sensitive Adhesive
Authors: Khan Imran , Poh B.T. , Badriah C.M.
Published: September 2010

The effect of sodium sulfate as filler on viscosity, tack, and adhesion properties of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR 10)-based pressure-sensitive adhesive were studied. Coumarone-indene resin and toluene were used as the tackifier and solvent respectively throughout the experiment. The results show that viscosity of adhesive increases with addition of sodium sulfate. For rolling ball tack test, the distance traveled by rolling ball decreases with increasing sodium sulfate concentration indicating the increase of tack value with sodium sulfate. The distance traveled by the rolling ball decreases with coating thickness of adhesive. For cross-hatch adhesion test, result shows that maximum adhesion occurs between 30 and 40 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr) of sodium sulfate content, an observation which is attributed to the maximum of wettability of adhesive. The 60 μm of adhesive coating thickness shows good performance of adhesion property of SMR 10-based pressure-sensitive adhesive.
Compatibilization of Fluororubber/ Silicone Rubber Blends by the Incorporation of 2,2,2-Trifluoroethyl Methacrylate Grafted Silicone Rubber
Authors: Jianhua Guo  , Xingrong Zeng  , Hongqiang Li  , Quankun Luo
Published: September 2010

The blends of fluororubber (FKM) and silicone rubber (MVQ) were prepared by the incorporation of fumed silica at different contents using 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate grafted silicone rubber (MVQ-g-TFEMA) as a compatibilizer. The effect of the compatibilizer content on the curing characteristics, crosslink density, mechanical properties, heat aging properties, oil resistance, and low temperature properties were investigated. The effect of fumed silica content on the mechanical properties of FKM/MVQ blends in the presence of MVQ-g-TFEMA was also studied. The dynamic mechanical analysis indicates that MVQ-g-TFEMA acts as a compatibilizer in the FKM/MVQ blends. The mechanical properties and oil resistance of FKM/MVQ blends increase with the increasing of MVQ-g-TFEMA content up to 6 phr and the heat aging properties increase with the addition of the compatibilizer. Rubber—filler interactions in the blends increase with the increasing of the compatibilizer content. Rubber—filler interaction studies show that the presence of MVQ-g-TFEMA enhances the interfacial interaction of fumed silica and rubber matrix. The tear strength and hardness increase by the incorporation of fumed silica, and the tensile strength and elongation at break increase with the addition of the fumed silica up to 30 phr in the presence of 6 phr MVQ-g-TFEMA.
Advancing the Math Skills of Middle School Students in Technology Education Classrooms
Authors: Bottge Brian A. , Grant Timothy S. , Stephens Ana C. , Rueda Enrique
Published: September 2010

While curriculum specialists and committees often decide how mathematics is taught, it is ultimately principals who influence the extent to which these initiatives are carried out. The overall goal of this article is to provide school leaders with classroom-based research that describes one way of improving the math skills of middle school students. The study employed a randomized pretest-posttest comparison group design to examine the effects of two versions of Enhanced Anchored Instruction (EAI) and a Business as Usual (BAU) condition on the math skills of middle school students in technology education classrooms. Results showed that both EAI conditions were effective at improving the math skills of students over those of students in the BAU classes. The findings suggest that technology education teachers can make important contributions in helping students develop their computation and problem-solving skills.
Quantitative Analysis of Verbal Expressions in Comments From Evaluation Committee Reviewers in AIST Between Fiscal Years 2001 and 2008
Authors: Yamamoto Tetsuya
Published: September 2010

This article discusses the quantitative analysis of verbal expressions of comments from the evaluation committee reviewers for 8 years (FY2001—FY2008) at the Japanese Public Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). First, the terms often appearing in the comment sheets were observed. Moreover, gradually increasing terms every year and suddenly emerging terms after the beginning of the second research phase are examined. Finally, the terms related closely to the output evaluation are considered. By properly setting the evaluation items, the comments along a specific direction can be obtained from the reviewers. Moreover, the permeation of an idea or concept can also be found by measuring the time variance of the frequency of specific terms in the comment sheet.
Early Modern Europe: Beyond the Strictures of Modernization and National Historiography
Authors: Duindam Jeroen
Published: September 2010

This paper examines the particulars of ‘early modern’ as well as ‘European’ political history in terms of chronological and spatial divides. Most political historians of early modern Europe and its component states are far removed from classic teleological approaches based on national state formation and modernization. On the whole, however, a pragmatic national orientation of research based on the proximity of sources and the language capabilities of researchers remains strong, even if it is combined with transnational conceptual gestures. Moreover, the demands of specialized historical research lead to concentration on relatively brief periods: only rarely do we find research reaching from the sixteenth into the eighteenth century. In consequence, while well-worn conventional divides in time as well as in space have few staunch advocates, they tenaciously remain in place. The political history of European states, full of untested reputations, needs a comparative perspective. This will work only if it is based on symmetrical comparison and analysis of primary sources: comparison founded on secondary literature threatens to reinforce national clichés. European history, finally, finds its place only in contrast with other variants of global history. A global comparative perspective presents daunting challenges for researchers, but it is an inevitable and necessary component of the reassessment of European history, modernization, and period labels.
OXO: Or, the Challenges of Transnational History
Authors: Rüger Jan
Published: September 2010

This article discusses the benefits and challenges of transnational approaches for modern European history. It reconstructs the origins of a particular Anglo-German entanglement: the meat essence OXO, originally a German invention made in South America by a London-based company. And it links this example to the questions prompted by the rise of transnational history. Surveying the recent literature, the article argues that the parallel histories of nation states and the transnational interest in the space between and beyond them need not be mutually exclusive. The microhistory of OXO thus illustrates the weaknesses as much as the strengths of ‘transnationalism’.
Time, Manner, Place: Writing Modern European History in Global, Transnational and International Contexts
Authors: Clavin Patricia
Published: September 2010

The article examines the origins and relationships between global, transnational history and international history, and the potential of these fields of enquiry to reshape European history. Divided into three parts, and drawing on a range of global and European examples, the article examines some of the ways in which transnational history holds the potential to blur established chronological boundaries and offer new approaches to the mapping of time. Global and transnational history has also helped to identify new processes and relationships in modern history, posing, in particular, new questions of comparative history and of Europe’s relations with the world. The article concludes by identifying new sites of historical enquiry in European history and proposing additional ones.
Use of extracorporeal life support to support patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to H1N1/2009 influenza and other respiratory infections
Authors: Wong Ivan , Vuylsteke Alain
Published: September 2010

A large proportion of critically ill H1N1/2009 patients with respiratory failure subsequently developed ARDS and, to date, about 400 patients receiving extracorporeal life support (ECLS) have been accounted for globally, with a reported survival rate from 63% to 79%. The survival rates of patients with ARDS due to non-H1N1/2009 infections are similar. There is no definite evidence to suggest that patient outcomes are changed by ECLS, but its use is associated with serious short-term complications.

ECLS relies on an extracorporeal circuit, with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and pumpless interventional lung assist (ILA) being the two major types employed in ARDS. Both have the potential to correct respiratory failure and related haemodynamic instability. There are only a very limited number of clinical trials to test either and, although ECLS has been used in treating H1N1/2009 patients with ARDS with some success, it should only be offered in the context of clinical trials and in experienced centres.
Instability of the ecstasy market and a new kid on the block: mephedrone
Authors: Brunt Tibor M , Poortman Anneke , Niesink Raymond JM , van den Brink Wim
Published: September 2010

Recently, several reports have indicated instability of the ecstasy market in the Netherlands and other EU countries. In the current study, we demonstrate this instability in the Netherlands, showing a decrease of ecstasy tablets containing 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) by more than 50% in 2009. In addition, we describe a partial replacement of MDMA in tablets sold as ecstasy by a previously unseen substance, mephedrone (or 4-methylmethcathinone). Mephedrone was quantified and ecstasy tablets contained between 96 and 155 mg of this new compound. So far, no studies about mephedrone’s effects have been published. For this study, we gathered information on the acute subjective effects of mephedrone from 70 regular ecstasy users. Overall, the majority of users considered the effects enjoyable. Mephedrone seemed to evoke effects similar to other amphetamine type psychostimulants, including MDMA. In contrast to MDMA, however, mephedrone induced strong feelings of craving in most users. If the unstable ecstasy market situation persists, the potential of mephedrone to substitute for MDMA might be substantial. Mephedrone, sold as ecstasy, is therefore likely to be a valid cause for health concern.
Social Change and Gendered Gift-Giving Rituals: A Historical Analysis of Valentine’s Day in Japan
Authors: Minowa Yuko , Khomenko Olga , Belk Russell W.
Published: September 2010

Valentine’s Day is a culturally hybridized and popularly celebrated consumption ritual in Japan. We examine its historical transformation based on a visual and textual analysis of advertisements in print media over fifty years. Changes in the meanings, functions, and structure of gift-giving rituals correspond to changes in the national economy, social values, consumer ideology, and gender roles and power relationships in Japanese society. There are five major findings: one, the importance of food—chocolate—in the creolization process of the consumer ritual; two, the persistent gender asymmetric nature of the Valentines consumer holiday; three, the ritual’s structural aspects and changes over the time; four, the importance of confession in the ritual process; and five, the transformation of its role from a simple instrument of love and a way to elevate a relationship to a rite to reconfirm gender identity. This study supplements the very limited literature on Japanese gift-giving rituals.
Motherhood, Marketization, and Consumer Vulnerability
Authors:   The VOICE Group
Published: September 2010

This article explores consumer vulnerability and the role of public policy by focusing on new mothers. Developing the consumer vulnerability model of Baker, Gentry, and Rittenburg, the authors consider how medical contexts, political and legal factors, economic resources, societal prescriptions, media representations, and the presence or absence of appropriate policy all contribute to the social construction of motherhood ideologies. These ideologies are adopted and amplified in the marketplace and used to encourage consumption as a means of coping with this particular role transition during a time of physical and psychological changes in mothers-to-be. This article illustrates that the extended market logic dominating contemporary mothering environments both contributes to and has the potential to exacerbate new mothers’ vulnerability, raising important challenges for public policy, both in the immediate and in the longer term. The authors assess public policy implications and conclude that the market does not always provide the best answers to uncertainties people may experience and that macromarketers and public policy makers have a particular responsibility to identify alternative solutions.
Families Navigating the Landscape of Consumption in the Swedish Welfare Society
Authors: Ekström Karin M. , Hjort Torbjörn
Published: September 2010

Swedish welfare policy has in several ways promoted the individual rather than the family as a unit. This is not a phenomenon happening only in Sweden, but one occurring in many other Western countries where individualization is strongly emphasized. Sweden is, however, interesting as an example of a country with deep collective roots regarding issues of welfare. The welfare state has been, and to a major part still is, the main provider of social services, a fact that has affected the Swedish family in certain ways. During the last decades, the Swedish welfare society has changed toward marketization implying that individuals and families have to take on more responsibility regarding their welfare. The aim of this article is to discuss the transformation of Swedish families as consumers reflecting upon the effects of the Swedish welfare society.
The Integrative Justice Model for Marketing to the Poor: An Extension of S-D Logic to Distributive Justice and Macromarketing
Authors: Laczniak Gene R. , Santos Nicholas J. C.
Published: September 2010

As multinational corporations (MNCs) increasingly turn their attention to the fast growing markets of China, India, Brazil, and other developing areas, the question of fair treatment of consumers and other residents of those areas is more intensively debated than ever before. In essence, issues of ""distributive justice’’ come to the fore, that is, are the benefits and burdens of rapid economic development being fairly allocated among the parties and stakeholders to the expanded economic transactions? In response to this question, the authors have postulated a detailed normative model for ethically marketing to impoverished consumer segments; they label their model, the Integrative Justice Model (IJM) for impoverished markets. In this article, the authors show how the IJM, an independently derived model of normative marketing, conforms in its key operational elements to the foundational premises (FPs) of the positive S-D logic and extends the S-D logic perspective to societal and ethical concerns. Furthermore, the authors connect the S-D logic philosophy to macromarketing frameworks such as distributive justice, sustainability, and labor.
Localization and Functional Characterization of Pulmonary Bovine Odorant-Binding Protein
Authors: Mitchell G. B. , Clark M. E. , Lu R. , Caswell J. L.
Published: September 2010

Bovine odorant-binding protein (OBP) may function in olfaction and defense against oxidative injury, but its role in inflammation and defense against bacterial infection has not been investigated. Expression of OBP was discovered in the bovine lung and found to undergo changes in abundance during glucocorticoid administration and stress. OBP was localized to nasal, tracheal, and bronchial mucosal glands with immunohistochemistry, with faint expression in airway surface epithelium and none in bronchioles or alveoli. Two isoforms of OBP were identified, appearing to be differentially regulated during lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary inflammation, but differences between these isoforms were not revealed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. Functional studies showed no effect of OBP on in vitro growth of Escherichia coli or Mannheimia haemolytica under iron-replete or iron-depleted conditions, nor did OBP opsonize bacteria for an enhanced neutrophil oxidative burst. However, OBP did reduce the ability of supernatants from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages to induce neutrophil chemotaxis. These findings indicate that OBP may inhibit neutrophil recruitment by inflammatory mediators, and they suggest an ability to bind macrophage-derived inflammatory mediators within the airways.
Eight Cases of Feline Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Texas
Authors: Trainor K. E. , Porter B. F. , Logan K. S. , Hoffman R. J. , Snowden K. F.
Published: September 2010

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by intracellular Leishmania protozoa that are transmitted by sandflies. The disease occurs in 3 forms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. Cutaneous leishmaniasis has been reported in cats in Europe and South America and in 1 cat from Texas. Leishmania mexicana is endemic in Texas and has been reported to cause cutaneous lesions in humans. This article describes the pathology of 8 biopsy cases of feline cutaneous leishmaniasis presented to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory over a 3.5-year period. The median age of the cats was 3 years; each was presented with nodular, ulcerative lesions on the pinnae and less commonly on the muzzle and periorbital skin. Histologically, the lesions were nodular to diffuse histiocytic dermatitis with numerous amastigotes (2–4 μm) within macrophages and occasionally within the interstitium. Organisms were often contained within round, clear, intracellular vacuoles. In areas of necrosis, organisms were also free within the interstitium. The overlying epidermis was hyperkeratotic, hyperplastic, and often ulcerated. The organisms were not argyrophilic (Gomori methenamine silver), reacted poorly with periodic acid–Schiff reagent, and were inconsistently basophilic with Giemsa. Although not readily visible histologically, kinetoplasts were evident in amastigotes in cytologic preparations. The lesions were similar to those described for cutaneous L. mexicana infection in humans. In 5 of the 8 cats, Leishmania mexicana DNA was amplified from paraffin-embedded tissue by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced.
Diversity in the U.S. Federal Government: Antecedents and Correlates of Diversity in Federal Agencies
Authors: Choi Sungjoo
Published: September 2010

Although there are numerous studies on the consequences of demographic diversity, relatively little research has been conducted on what determines the variation of demographic diversity. This study examines what factors are related to variations in two dimensions of diversity—race/ethnicity and gender—using data from the 291 federal agencies. The diversity models were tested using the ordinary least squares multiple regression method and the clustered robust standard errors method. The results show that the type of policy responsibility of the agency and task professionalization are important predictors of workforce diversity. The regulatory and distributive agencies have significantly lower levels of race/ethnic diversity. The redistributive agencies, however, tend to be more diversified in terms of race/ethnicity. Interestingly, gender diversity is positively associated not only with professionalized occupations but also with nonprofessionalized white-collar occupations, suggesting that gender is well balanced across the white-collar occupations in federal workforces.
Emerging Adults in Sweden: Identity Formation in the Light of Love, Work, and Family
Authors: Frisén Ann , Wängqvist Maria
Published: September 2010

In this study, the identity formation of emerging adults in Sweden was investigated in order to discover how identity issues concerning love, work and family are handled. The study group comprised 136 24- to 26-year-olds. The results revealed differences between men and women with regard to their position in the identity formation process. While women were more likely to have made identity-defining decisions after a process of active exploration (identity achievement), men were less likely to explore identity issues and lacked identity-defining commitments (identity diffusion). The position in the identity formation process was related to romantic relationships and occupational contexts. The results are discussed in relation to the sociocultural context of emerging adults in Sweden.
I Felt Like My Heart Was Staying Behind: Psychological Implications of Family Separations & Reunifications for Immigrant Youth
Authors: Suárez-Orozco Carola , Hee Jin Bang  , Ha Yeon Kim
Published: September 2010

Though many transnational families undergo profound transformations that are often complicated by extended periods of separation between loved ones, it is challenging to establish a sense of prevalence of family separations as well as their effects on youth. Utilizing the Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation data with 282 newcomer adolescents from China, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico, the authors report that nearly three quarters of the participants had been separated from one or both parents for extended periods. Results of general linear model (GLM) analyses indicate that children who were separated from their parents were more likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression in the initial years after migrating than children who had not been separated; follow-up analyses 5 years later show that symptoms had abated. Qualitative data from youth and parents shed light on the experience of separations and reunifications.
Tryin’ to Make It During the Transition From High School: The Role of Family Obligation Attitudes and Economic Context for Latino-Emerging Adults
Authors: Sánchez Bernadette , Esparza Patricia , Colón Yarí , Davis Katrina E.
Published: September 2010

The aim of the current study was to examine the role of familial and economic context in the decisions and behaviors of low-income, urban Latinos during the transition from high school. Thirty-two Latino emerging adults who graduated from a public high school participated in one-on-one in-depth interviews about their transition. Participants discussed family obligation attitudes as a central theme in the decisions they made about life after high school and in the multiple responsibilities they assumed during this period. Furthermore, financial circumstances played a role in whether they worked and/or attended college and in their multiple responsibilities. Participants discussed familial and financial responsibilities on top of school and/or work responsibilities. Another theme discussed by participants was the transition as a stressful period. Implications and future directions in research on emerging adulthood are discussed.