bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor D Induces Cardiac Fibrosis and Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Heart-Specific Transgenic Mice
Authors: Pontén Annica , Bergsten Folestad Erika , Pietras Kristian , Eriksson Ulf
Published: October 2005

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-D is a member of the PDGF/vascular endothelial growth factor family that activates PDGF receptor β (PDGFR-β). We show that PDGF-D is highly expressed in the myocardium throughout development and adulthood, as well as by arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs). To obtain further knowledge regarding the in vivo response to PDGF-D, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing the active core domain of PDGF-D in the heart. Transgenic PDGF-D stimulates proliferation of cardiac interstitial fibroblasts and arterial vSMCs. This results in cardiac fibrosis followed by dilated cardiomyopathy and subsequent cardiac failure. Transgenic mice also display vascular remodeling, including dilation of vessels, increased density of SMC-coated vessels, and proliferation of vSMCs, leading to a thickening of tunica media. The thickening of arterial walls is a unique feature of PDGF-D, because this is not seen when PDGF-C is overexpressed in the heart. These results show that PDGF-D, via PDGFR-β signaling, is a potent modulator of both vascular and connective tissue growth and may provide both paracrine and autocrine stimulation of PDGFR-β. Our data raise the possibility that this growth factor may be involved in cardiac fibrosis and atherosclerosis.
Cardiac Myosin-Binding Protein-C Phosphorylation and Cardiac Function
Authors: Sadayappan Sakthivel , Gulick James , Osinska Hanna , Martin Lisa A. , Hahn Harvey S. , Dorn Gerald W. , Klevitsky Raisa , Seidman Christine E. , Seidman Jonathan G. , Robbins Jeffrey
Published: October 2005

The role of cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) phosphorylation in cardiac physiology or pathophysiology is unclear. To investigate the status of cMyBP-C phosphorylation in vivo, we determined its phosphorylation state in stressed and unstressed mouse hearts. cMyBP-C phosphorylation is significantly decreased during the development of heart failure or pathologic hypertrophy. We then generated transgenic (TG) mice in which the phosphorylation sites of cMyBP-C were changed to nonphosphorylatable alanines (MyBP-C
AllP−
). A TG line showing &40% replacement with MyBP-C
AllP−
showed no changes in morbidity or mortality but displayed depressed cardiac contractility, altered sarcomeric structure and upregulation of transcripts associated with a hypertrophic response. To explore the effect of complete replacement of endogenous cMyBP-C with MyBP-C
AllP−
, the mice were bred into the MyBP-C
(t/t)
background, in which less than 10% of normal levels of a truncated MyBP-C are present. Although MyBP-C
AllP−
was incorporated into the sarcomere and expressed at normal levels, the mutant protein could not rescue the MyBP-C
(t/t)
phenotype. The mice developed significant cardiac hypertrophy with myofibrillar disarray and fibrosis, similar to what was observed in the MyBP-C
(t/t)
animals. In contrast, when the MyBP-C
(t/t)
mice were bred to a TG line expressing normal MyBP-C (MyBP-C
WT
), the MyBP-C
(t/t)
phenotype was rescued. These data suggest that cMyBP-C phosphorylation is essential for normal cardiac function.
Synthetic Retinoid Am80 Suppresses Smooth Muscle Phenotypic Modulation and In-Stent Neointima Formation by Inhibiting KLF5
Authors: Fujiu Katsuhito , Manabe Ichiro , Ishihara Atsushi , Oishi Yumiko , Iwata Hiroshi , Nishimura Go , Shindo Takayuki , Maemura Koji , Kagechika Hiroyuki , Shudo Koichi , Nagai Ryozo
Published: October 2005

Modulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype plays a central role in neointima formation. We recently demonstrated that Am80, a synthetic retinoic acid receptor α-specific agonist, inhibits the activity of the transcription factor KLF5, which is essential for neointima formation after vascular injury. In the present study, we aimed to further analyze the mechanism by which Am80 inhibits KLF5 and the effects of inhibiting KLF5 on SMCs and vascular lesion formation, as well as to evaluate potential of Am80 for use in the prevention of in-stent neointima formation. We found that Am80 inhibited both the expression and transcriptional function of KLF5. Of particular interest was our finding that KLF5 forms a transcriptionally active complex with unliganded RAR/RXR heterodimer on the
PDGF-A
promoter; Am80 disrupts this complex, thereby inhibiting KLF5-dependent transcriptional activation. Knocking down KLF5 using small interfering RNA suppressed serum-induced downregulation of SMC differentiation marker gene expression in cultured SMCs, and haploinsufficiency of
KLF5
in mice attenuated phenotypic modulation of SMCs after vascular injury, indicating that KLF5 plays a key role in the control of SMC phenotype. Am80 augmented expression of the SMC differentiation marker genes in culture and within the vessel walls, and oral administration of Am80 significantly inhibited in-stent neointima formation in a rabbit stent-placement model. Taken together, these results demonstrate that KLF5 plays an important role in the control of SMC phenotype after vascular injury and suggest the feasibility of using Am80, delivered systemically and/or with a drug eluting stent, to prevent in-stent neointima formation.
Effects of D-4F on Vasodilation and Vessel Wall Thickness in Hypercholesterolemic LDL Receptor–Null and LDL Receptor/Apolipoprotein A-I Double-Knockout Mice on Western Diet
Authors: Ou Jingsong , Wang Jingli , Xu Hao , Ou Zhijun , Sorci-Thomas Mary G. , Jones Deron W. , Signorino Paul , Densmore John C. , Kaul Sushma , Oldham Keith T. , Pritchard Kirkwood A.
Published: October 2005

Previously we showed L-4F, a novel apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic, improved vasodilation in 2 dissimilar models of vascular disease: hypercholesterolemic LDL receptor–null (
Ldlr
−/−
) mice and transgenic sickle cell disease mice. Here we determine the mechanisms by which D-4F improves vasodilation and arterial wall thickness in hypercholesterolemic
Ldlr
−/−
mice and
Ldlr
−/−
/apoA-I null (
apoA-I
−/−
), double-knockout mice.
Ldlr
−/−
and
Ldlr
−/−
/
apoA-I
−/−
mice were fed Western diet (WD) with and without D-4F. Oral D-4F restored endothelium- and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-dependent vasodilation in direct relationship to duration of treatments and reduced wall thickness in as little as 2 weeks in vessels with preexisting disease in
Ldlr
−/−
mice. D-4F had no effect on total or HDL cholesterol concentrations but reduced proinflammatory HDL levels. D-4F had no effect on plasma myeloperoxidase concentrations but reduced myeloperoxidase association with apoA-I as well as 3-nitrotyrosine in apoA-I. D-4F increased endothelium- and eNOS-dependent vasodilation in
Ldlr
−/−
/
apoA-I
−/−
mice but did not reduce wall thickness as it had in
Ldlr
−/−
mice. Vascular endothelial cells were treated with 22(
R
)-hydroxycholesterol with and without L-4F. 22(
R
)-Hydroxycholesterol decreased NO (·NO) and increased superoxide anion (O
2
·−
) production and increased ATP-binding cassette transporter-1 and collagen expression. L-4F restored ·NO and O
2
·−
balance, had little effect on ATP-binding cassette transporter-1 expression, but reduced collagen expression. These data demonstrate that although D-4F restores vascular endothelial cell and eNOS function to increase vasodilation, HDL containing apoA-I, or at least some critical concentration of the antiatherogenic lipoprotein, is required for D-4F to decrease vessel wall thickness.
Revascularization End Points in Stroke Interventional Trials
Authors: Khatri Pooja , Neff Joddi , Broderick Joseph P. , Khoury Jane C. , Carrozzella Janice , Tomsick Thomas
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

The acute stroke literature lacks a standard convention regarding the critical end point of revascularization. Two distinct parameters may be clinically important: (1)
recanalization
of the primary arterial occlusive lesion (AOL) and (2) global
reperfusion
of the distal vascular bed. We sought to determine their relationship in the Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) Phase I trial of combined intravenous (IV) and intraarterial (IA) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

Methods—

Sixty-one angiograms were reanalyzed using recanalization and reperfusion scores. The AOL Score was defined as: 0=no recanalization of the primary occlusion, I=incomplete or partial recanalization of the primary occlusion with no distal flow, II=incomplete or partial recanalization of the primary occlusion with distal flow, or III=complete recanalization of the primary occlusion with distal flow. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Score was defined as: 0=no perfusion, 1=perfusion past the initial occlusion but no distal branch filling, 2=perfusion and incomplete or slow distal branch filling, or 3=full perfusion with filling of all distal branches. We compared the 2 scores with one another and with good clinical outcome (modified Rankin Score zero to 2).

Results—

AOL and TIMI scores showed modest agreement (kappa, 0.30; confidence interval, 0.16 to 0.44). Good clinical outcome was seen in 49% of patients with AOL II/III scores (
P
=0.055) and 54% with TIMI 2/3 scores (
P
=0.019). The 2 methods did not significantly differ in predicting outcome (
P
=0.13).

Conclusions—

AOL recanalization and TIMI reperfusion scores comparably predict clinical outcome in this treatment paradigm. Other modalities may show different relationships between these 2 revascularization end points. Future studies should distinguish between these parameters semantically and methodologically.
Applying a Phase II Futility Study Design to Therapeutic Stroke Trials
Authors: Palesch Yuko Y. , Tilley Barbara C. , Sackett David L. , Johnston Karen C. , Woolson Robert
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

Most large, randomized phase III efficacy trials of therapeutic agents in ischemic stroke have failed to find treatment benefit. We determined whether some phase III studies could have been avoided if preceded by smaller single-arm phase II studies to evaluate the futility of proceeding to phase III.

Methods—

To provide examples of the application of phase II methodology, we obtained primary outcome data for the active treatment group of 6 phase III ischemic stroke therapy trials. For each study, we estimated the sample size number required for a multistage single-arm study using parameters specified in the original study. We evaluated outcome data for the first number of subjects in the phase III study treatment arm ordered by enrollment dates. We compared the proportion of favorable outcomes to prespecified stopping criteria derived from a single-arm phase II futility design. If the observed proportion of favorable outcomes was less than the stopping criterion, we declared the treatment not sufficiently effective to warrant further evaluation in phase III.

Results—

We identified 3 trials as futile in phase II; none of 3 showed treatment efficacy in phase III. In the 3 remaining phase II trials in which we did not show futility, one showed efficacy in phase III.

Conclusion—

Single-arm phase II futility studies have been underused in stroke research, but provide a strategy for discarding treatments likely to be ineffective in phase III trials.
In-Hospital Medical Complications and Long-Term Mortality After Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Bae Hee-Joon , Yoon Doo-Sang , Lee Juneyoung , Kim Byung-Kun , Koo Ja-Seong , Kwon Ohyun , Park Jong-Moo
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

Inhospital medical complications account for a considerable portion of deaths during the early stage of stroke. However, relatively few studies have examined their long-term effects on mortality in stroke patients.

Methods—

We prospectively and consecutively collected data on 579 patients with acute ischemic stroke from November 1998 to February 2001. Mortality was confirmed using national death certificate data from 1999 to 2003.

Results—

During admission, one or more medical complications requiring intervention developed in 160 of these 579 patients (27.6%). For these 160 subjects, the 30-day, 90-day, 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year mortalities were 16.3, 29.4, 46.9, 55.6, 61.3, and 70.7%, whereas the mortality figures for those without such complications (n=419) were 1.4, 3.8, 8.8, 15.0, 19.1, and 22.4 (
P
<0.001 with log-rank test). To eliminate the short-term effects of these complications and thus reveal their long-term effects, we investigated differences in mortality versus the presence of inhospital complications at more than 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after stroke, respectively. Cox’s proportional hazard regression analysis was applied at these times after stroke and showed that all hazard ratios of medical complications in terms of mortality were statistically larger than one, regardless of adjusting for effects of potential predictors on mortality.

Conclusions—

Our study shows that stroke patient mortality is influenced by inhospital medical complications significantly up to the chronic stage. This finding suggests that the appropriate prevention and management of inhospital complications could improve short-term and long-term prognoses after stroke.
Intravenous Heparin Started Within the First 3 Hours After Onset of Symptoms as a Treatment for Acute Nonlacunar Hemispheric Cerebral Infarctions
Authors: Camerlingo Massimo , Salvi Pietro , Belloni Giorgio , Gamba Tiziano , Cesana Bruno Mario , Mamoli Angelo
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

Heparin is widely used for acute stroke to prevent thrombus propagation and/or multiple emboli generation, although there is, as yet, no demonstrated efficacy. However, all of the available clinical studies allowed long intervals from stroke to treatment. The purpose of this study was to try an intravenous regimen of unfractionated heparin the acute cerebral infarction starting treatment within the first 3 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Methods—

The study was an outcome evaluator-blind design trial. Patients had to display signs of a nonlacunar hemispheric infarction. Selected patients were randomly allocated to receive intravenous heparin sodium or saline. Heparin was infused at a rate to maintain activated partial thromboplastin time ratio 2.0 to 2.5 × control for 5 days. The primary end point was recovery of a modified Rankin score zero to 2 at 90 days of stroke at phone interview by a single physician blind to treatment. Safety end points were death, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhages, and major extracranial bleedings by 90 days of stroke.

Results—

A total of 418 stroke patients were included. In the heparin group, there were more self-independent patients (38.9% versus 28.6%;
P
=0.025). In addition, in the same group, there were fewer deaths (16.8% versus 21.9%;
P
=0.189), more symptomatic brain hemorrhages (6.2% versus 1.4%;
P
=0.008), and more major extracerebral bleedings (2.9% versus 1.4%;
P
=0.491).

Conclusions—

Intravenous heparin sodium could be of help in the earliest treatment of acute nonlacunar hemispheric cerebral infarction, even keeping into account an increased frequency of intracranial symptomatic brain hemorrhages.
Reversal of Dense Signs Predicts Recovery in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Mandava Pitchaiah , Kent Thomas A.
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

The presence of computed tomography dense signs in acute ischemic stroke indicates thrombosis. We sought to ascertain whether reversibility of these signs provides additional prognostic information.

Methods—

Baseline and follow-up imaging was obtained from 18 patients who had received intravenous abciximab and heparin as part of an ongoing safety study in acute ischemic stroke. Presence of signs and their reversal were assessed and correlated with mortality and 90-day outcome.

Results—

Fourteen of the 18 patients had dense dot signs in the middle cerebral or dense signals in the basilar artery on baseline computed tomography. The signs reversed in 7 (group 1) and persisted in 7 (group 2). Mean baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale did not differ. All 7 in group 1 were alive at 90 days, with 3 of 7 alive in group 2. Ninety-day modified Rankin Scale was lower in group 1 (1.9±1.57) compared with group 2 (4.6±1.9;
P
=0.01).

Conclusions—

The reversal of dense signs predicts a much better outcome than its persistence. These signs should receive additional attention for both their diagnostic and prognostic importance.
Heritability of Carotid Artery Distensibility in Hispanics
Authors: Juo Suh-Hang Hank , Rundek Tanja , Lin Hsiu-Fen , Cheng Rong , Lan Min-Yu , Huang Jinaping Sam , Boden-Albala Bernadette , Sacco Ralph L.
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

Reduced arterial distensibility has been introduced as a novel risk factor for atherosclerosis. The importance of the genetic contribution to variation in distensibility is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate heritability of carotid distensibility.

Methods—

The ongoing Northern Manhattan Family Study recruits high-risk Caribbean Hispanic families to study genetic effects on stroke/cardiovascular risk factors. The distensibility metrics (strain, stiffness, distensibility, and elastic modulus) were measured from the right common carotid artery, and the heritability for each was estimated. Variance component methods were used to estimate age- and sex-adjusted heritability. Correlations were calculated to evaluate the relationship between distensibility phenotypes and intimamedia thickness (IMT) at each carotid segment.

Results—

The current data included 88 probands and 605 relatives from 88 families. Age- and sex-adjusted heritability was 25% for strain, 17% for distensibility, 20% for stiffness, and 20% for elastic modulus. Without adjustment for covariates, strong correlations were found between distensibility metrics and IMT: the absolute values of correlation coefficients were between 0.2 and 0.5, and all
P
values were <0.001. However, the correlation coefficients were reduced substantially after adjusting for age and sex.

Conclusions—

These results suggested that genetic factors explained a moderate proportion of the variability of carotid distensibility. The correlations between distensibility and IMT were mainly attributable to age and sex effects. The regulation of carotid distensibility and IMT may reflect different underlying genetic and environmental mechanisms.
Reliability and Validity of the Upper-Extremity Motor Activity Log-14 for Measuring Real-World Arm Use
Authors: Uswatte Gitendra , Taub Edward , Morris David , Vignolo Mary , McCulloch Karen
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

In research on Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) therapy, a structured interview, the Motor Activity Log (MAL), is used to assess how stroke survivors use their more-impaired arm outside the laboratory. This article examines the psychometrics of the 14-item version of this instrument in 2 chronic stroke samples with mild-to-moderate upper-extremity hemiparesis.

Methods—

Participants (n=41) in the first study completed MALs before and after CI therapy or a placebo control procedure. In addition, caregivers independently completed a MAL on the participants. Participants (n=27) in the second study completed MALs and wore accelerometers that monitored their arm movements for 3 days outside the laboratory before and after an automated form of CI therapy.

Results—

Validity of the participant MAL Quality of Movement (QOM) scale was supported. Correlations between pretreatment-to-posttreatment change scores on the participant QOM scale and caregiver MAL QOM scale, caregiver MAL amount of use (AOU) scale, and accelerometer recordings were 0.70, 0.73, and 0.91 (
P
<0.01), respectively. Internal consistency (
α
>0.81), test-retest reliability (
r
>0.91), stability, and responsiveness (ratio >3) of the participant QOM scale were also supported. The participant AOU and caregiver QOM and AOU scales were internally consistent, stable, and sensitive, but were not reliable.

Conclusions—

The participant MAL QOM scale can be used exclusively to reliably and validly measure real-world, upper-extremity rehabilitation outcome and functional status in chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate hemiparesis.
Significance of Susceptibility Vessel Sign on T2*-Weighted Gradient Echo Imaging for Identification of Stroke Subtypes
Authors: Cho Kyung-Hee , Kim Jong S. , Kwon Sun U. , Cho A-Hyun , Kang Dong-Wha
Published: October 2005

Background and Purpose—

In contrast to platelet-rich white thrombi, red thrombi in the heart are rich in fibrin and trapped erythrocytes. The magnetic susceptibility effect of deoxygenated hemoglobin in red thrombi may result in hypointense signals on T2*-weighted gradient echo imaging (GRE). We tested the hypothesis that a GRE susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) is specific for cardioembolic stroke.

Methods—

This retrospective study examined data from acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging, GRE and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) within 24 hours of stroke onset and who had symptomatic occlusion of large intracranial arteries in the circle of Willis. Hypointense signals within vascular cisterns on GRE corresponding to symptomatic vascular occlusion were termed “GRE SVS.” Recanalization was assessed on follow-up MRA performed within 7 days of onset. The relationships between GRE SVS and stroke subtypes and subsequent recanalization were explored.

Results—

Of the 95 patients who met the inclusion criteria, GRE SVS was observed in 45 (47.4%). GRE SVS was more commonly associated with cardioembolic stroke patients (31 of 40, 77.5%) than with other stroke subtypes (14 of 55, 25.5%;
P
<0.001). In 66 patients who underwent follow-up MRA, GRE SVS was associated with subsequent recanalization (
P
<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that GRE SVS was an independent predictor of cardioembolic stroke and subsequent recanalization (odds ratio, 10.75 and 4.26; 95% CI, 3.68 to 31.47 and 1.12 to 16.30).

Conclusions—

GRE SVS may predict cardioembolic stroke and subsequent recanalization. Identifying clot composition may be important in choosing the optimal treatment based on clot characteristics.
Scripture, Scholarship, Empire: Putting the Discipline in its Place
Authors: Sugirtharajah R. S.
Published: October 2005

This paper maps the present status of biblical discipline. Among the issues it deals with are the fate of the English Bible as it struggles to regain credibility, the increased esoteric agenda of mainstream scholarship, the predicament of marginal interpreters, and the link between empire and production and marketization of the Bibles.
Numbers: Chapter 11
Authors: Gorringe Tim
Published: October 2005

Numbers is the book about being in the wilderness. As such it has much to say to us, in our own way, as Alasdair MacIntyre argued, a wilderness generation. We can read Numbers 11, for example, very much in terms of the spiritual problems of a culture of contentment.
Contextual Bible Study at Cornton Vale Women’s Prison, Stirling
Authors: Peden Alison
Published: October 2005

A women’s prison in Stirling provided an opportunity to offer Contextual Bible Study as an agent of change amongst the marginalised, using texts suggested by the feminist theology of embodiment. The women identified closely with the human emotions of the texts, and willingly located their own experiences within the Biblical narrative, while finding some ideas and stories unacceptable. Several problems are raised: how far we can identify with Biblical experience; who should choose the texts for such a group, and from what stance; and how to take proper pastoral responsibility for the consequences of this kind of Bible study.
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha as Background to the New Testament
Authors: Davila James R.
Published: October 2005

This article outlines a new approach to the study of the Old Testament pseudepigrapha which moves methodically from the known to the unknown and which gives us a somewhat reduced, but considerably better-founded corpus of Jewish pseudepigrapha which we may use, cautiously and with due care, for New Testament background.
Faith and Psychology: Integration and Application
Authors: Francis Leslie J.
Published: October 2005

This paper examines the relationship between faith and psychology, between theologians and psychologists, and argues that the emerging discipline of empirical theology provides a proper meeting ground for the two fields of intellectual enquiry.
Communication Studies in Europe
Authors: Vroons Erik
Published: October 2005

There is an abundance of literature published on the history of communication studies in Europe, in a number of countries and taking various approaches. However, more pan-European initiatives to take stock of earlier activities in the field are still seriously lacking, and even when recognized as such, almost without exception focus on the development of the field since the 1960s. In this article, Gazette’s 50th anniversary is embraced as an opportunity to investigate the still incomplete genealogy of the European institutionalization of research in the field of communication. In line with this journal’s raison d’etre, existing literature about the activities in the field during the 1950s is made available to a wider audience.
A Variational Model for Boundary Layer Effects in Cross-ply Laminates based on a C0-Continuous Layerwise Displacement Formulation
Authors: Mittelstedt Christian , Becker Wilfried
Published: October 2005

A variational approach to free-edge and free-corner effects in cross-ply laminates under thermal load is presented. Based on the discretization of the laminate into mathematical layers with respect to the thickness coordinate and the postulation of a C0-continuous layerwise displacement formulation with unknown in-plane functions and a linear interpolation through the layer thickness, the application of the principle of minimum potential yields a set of coupled ordinary differential equations, which govern the unknown in-plane functions. Due to some simplifying assumptions in the assumed displacement fields, the resultant Euler-Lagrange equations can be decomposed with respect to the two in-plane coordinates which eventually enables a closed-form solution. After fulfilling the given boundary conditions of traction-free laminate edges in an integral sense, the complete stress field in the cross-ply laminate is obtained in a closed-form manner. The approach allows for an easy application, requires very little computational effort, and is in excellent agreement with comparative finite element calculations.
New Considerations on the Stress Field in an Off-axis Tensile Test
Authors: Mujika F.
Published: October 2005

Two new analytical approaches are proposed for the off-axis tension test problem. Both of them are based on the Second Castigliano’s theorem. In the first one, a simple stress field that satisfies equilibrium conditions is used. In the second approach, integration constants of the stress field obtained by Pagano and Halpin are calculated directly, without the use of the displacement field. The first approach shows the points of maximum normal and shear stresses in a qualitative manner. The second approach, besides the fulfilment of equilibrium and compatibility conditions, minimizes the strain energy. Furthermore, both approaches give the same solution for bending moments and shear forces at specimen ends caused by coupling effects. After analyzing the stresses at critical points in the principal material directions, it is shown that the value of in-plane shear strength is usually underestimated. The effect of end constraints on the obtention of in-plane shear modulus is also analyzed.
Strength of Hygrothermally Conditioned Polymer Composites with Voids
Authors: Costa Michelle Leali , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira , De Almeida Sérgio Frascino M.
Published: October 2005

It is well known that voids and environmental conditions may affect the strength of composite laminates. Despite the fact that voids facilitate moisture absorption, the effect of voids on the composite laminates in the presence of moisture has not been addressed in the literature. Moreover, most of the attention has been focused on composites made of unidirectional carbon-epoxy prepreg tape. This article presents experimental results on the combined effect of voids and moisture in polymer composites. The experiments consider two types of reinforcement (eight harness satin fabric and unidirectional tape), two types of resin systems (epoxy and bismaleimide), and two types of loading (interlaminar shear and compression). The effect of these factors on the fracture parameters of laminates with and without environmental conditioning is discussed.
The Surface Modification of ZnOw and its Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Filled Polypropylene Composites
Authors: Zhou J. P. , Qiu K. Q. , Fu W. L.
Published: October 2005

Compared with the conventional particle-filled or fiber-filled polymer composites, the use of tetrapod-like zinc oxide whiskers (T-ZnOw) as inorganic functional fillers offers a possibility to manufacture polymer composites with isotropic property using simple processing techniques. In this article, T-ZnOw has first been modified with several coupling agents. Active index test and FTIR are performed to evaluate the effects of the surface treatment of the whiskers. Polypropylene composites filled with as-treated T-ZnOw are prepared by hot-press method and the mechanical properties of the composites are investigated. The experimental results show that different coupling agents have different effects on the surface modification of the whiskers. The data of the mechanical properties of the composites show that the tensile strength and impact strength increase with an increasing content of T-ZnOw in the range of 0-4 vol%. At a T-ZnOw loading of 4 vol%, they reach the highest value, 28.7 MPa and 23.3 kJ/m2, respectively. Furthermore, different coupling agents have different reinforcing effects on the as-prepared polypropylene composites.
The Truth About Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa
Authors: Gibson James L.
Published: October 2005

South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process is perhaps the best-known example of an institutionalized attempt to build a more democratic future by confronting human rights atrocities from the past. Yet the South African case is often quite misunderstood, with many misconceptions widely accepted and asserted. This article addresses five facts about the South African experience. Using data from a large national survey of ordinary people, it demonstrates both that the truth and reconciliation process is viewed as effective by most people and that in fact systematic evidence indicates that the process achieved several of its primary goals. From the South African case we learn that, despite their various shortcomings and compromises, truth processes can attain legitimacy among ordinary people in transitional systems and that they can contribute to societal reconciliation.
Constructing Rights? Human Rights Education and the State
Authors: Cardenas Sonia
Published: October 2005

What role have states played in promoting human rights education? While nongovernmental organizations have been at the forefront of human rights education, scholars have neglected the increased activism of states, especially national human rights commissions. This article addresses this gap by sketching the relationship between states and human rights education, examining cross-regional trends and presenting a case study of South Africa’s Human Rights Commission. The article concludes by considering the critical gap between state promotion and implementation of human rights education, as well as the limits of state involvement in constructing a culture of human rights.
How Does Democratic Regime Change Affect Mass Political Ideology? A Case Study of South Korea in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Shin Doh Chull , Jhee Byong-Kuen
Published: October 2005

This article explores the ideological dynamics of democratic regime change in South Korea from a comparative perspective. Analyzing national sample surveys conducted during the first decade of democratic rule, we find that the democratization of the country’s right-wing dictatorship has resulted in a movement of many South Koreans from the right to the left on the ideological spectrum. However, many of the South Koreans who have shifted their position on the spectrum have done so without changing their thinking about what “the left” and “the right” represent. This particular pattern of ideological dynamics that features change in identification, but continuity in content, confirms two distinct theories. As expected from the theory of democratic human development, democratization provided South Koreans with a wide array of legal rights allowing them to think freely. As expected from the theory of political socialization, however, the content of the thinking retains an old, authoritarian conception of rule. Unlike the democratization of political institutions, which can be achieved in a few years, the democratization of mass political thinking appears to be an intergenerational phenomenon that requires more than a decade for completion.
New Labour’s citizens: activated, empowered, responsibilized, abandoned?
Authors: Clarke John
Published: October 2005

New Labour has paid considerable attention to citizenship. In this paper I explore the different ways in which citizens have been addressed and affected by New Labour policies, concentrating on four processes: activation, empowerment, responsibilization and abandonment. I argue that these different processes are not just the effect of looking at New Labour from different perspectives. Rather they need to be seen as linked in a political and governmental project that seeks to construct the unity of the nation and manage its internal diversity.
Redistributing profit and loss: the new economics of the market and social welfare
Authors: Beresford Peter
Published: October 2005

A major feature of government public and social policy over the past 25 years has been a shift in emphasis from state to market. With little supporting evidence, the positives of the market have been contrasted with the negatives of state intervention. This article explores the background to this development and suggests that under ‘globalization’ the trend has been for the market increasingly to be freed to be profitable and for the state to bear consequent costs. It argues for the market to be subjected to systematic cost-benefit analysis to see whether a pattern of redistribution of profit (gains) to the market has been accompanied by losses (costs) being laid at the door of the state/public sector. It also considers the additional impact on this of the privatization of welfare. It ends by suggesting that an alternative, rights-based approach to welfare highlighted by new social movements of disabled people and welfare service users based on anti-discrimination, inclusion, participation and accountability may offer a more positive basis for future social policy.
‘It’s not about race. It’s about the community’: New Labour and ‘community cohesion’
Authors: Worley Claire
Published: October 2005

‘Community cohesion’ is widely regarded as the ‘new’ framework governing race relations policy in the UK. It emerged in government discourse following the civil disturbances that occurred in several northern UK towns in 2001, and has rapidly become absorbed within local government and related organizations to replace previous attempts of multiculturalism. This paper examines several key characteristics of this agenda. In particular, I explore ‘slippages’ in language within and around discourses of ‘community cohesion’. I demonstrate how ‘community’ is central to the community cohesion agenda, and suggest that whilst the concept of ‘community’ is highly ambiguous, it has continuing resonance in New Labour policymaking. The concept of ‘community’ has particular implications for processes of race and gender. Talking about ‘communities’ enables for language to become deracialized, whilst at the same time the language of community cohesion draws upon earlier discourses of assimilation through notions of ‘integration’. The community cohesion agenda is also gendered, and as suggested in this paper, has specific implications for women and the construction of ‘cultures’.
Rethinking ASBOs
Authors: Squires Peter , Stephen Dawn
Published: October 2005

Increasing criticism has accompanied the rising numbers of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) imposed. In this short paper we review some of our own recent research findings in conjunction with other recent commentaries to question whether the declared intentions behind the introduction of the ASBO are being achieved in practice. We argue that there are a number of fundamental problems with ASBO enforcement. We conclude by urging for the resurrection of a critical and reflective practice in community safety policy development and implementation and for a recognition that there are more just and effective alternatives to our current, seemingly ‘enforcement led’, interventions.
Social work’s ‘electronic turn’: notes on the deployment of information and communication technologies in social work with children and families
Authors: Garrett Paul Michael
Published: October 2005

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming central to the remaking of social work with children and families in England and Wales. Factors helping to steer this development include ‘joined up thinking’, the ‘e-government agenda’, and marketization. Examples of ‘e-practice’ discussed include: the envisaged databases for children, featured in the Children Act 2004; the utilization by local authorities of the ‘Risk of Offending Generic Solution’ (RYOGENS); the pending introduction of the Integrated Children’s System (ICS). The article seeks to promote debate and contributions from social work and social policy academics, users and providers of social services.
Equality, identity and the Disability Rights Movement: from policy to practice and from Kant to Nietzsche in more than one uneasy move
Authors: Smith Steven R.
Published: October 2005

Consistent with Social Work Codes of Ethics and mainstream social policy objectives, the Disability Rights Movement (DRM) promotes the universal values of equal rights and individual autonomy, drawing heavily from Kantian philosophy. However, an anti-universalized Nietzschean perspective is also promoted via the ‘social model’ of disability, challenging the political orthodoxy of rights-based social movements, and the aspirations of social workers to ‘empower’ disabled people. I argue that these Kantian and Nietzschean strands within the DRM, whilst incommensurable, permit a radical assertion of disability-identity. That is, without conceding to value-relativism and postmodern particularlism, and allowing a ‘celebration of difference’ through establishing reciprocal social relations.
Prioritizing punitive responses over public health: commentary on the Home Office consultation document Paying the Price
Authors: Cusick Linda , Berney Lee
Published: October 2005

Following its review of the Sexual Offences Act (2003), the Home Office undertook a review of legislation on sex work. Policy will be shaped by responses to the consultation document, Paying the Price: a Consultation Paper on Prostitution. How the consultation conceives problems of sex work is therefore crucially important. Sex work service providers and rights campaigners are concerned that the consultation turns attention away from health issues and focuses instead on legislation to penalize both sex workers and their clients. Further, Paying the Price seeks solutions for sex work at the individual rather than structural level. Sex workers might be recommended to ‘exiting programmes’ and individual pimps and traffickers prosecuted, but there is no attempt to prevent sex worker abuse through human rights and employment laws. This article identifies the problems associated with a perspective that prioritizes punitive responses over public health strategies on sex work.
It is only a tradition: making sense of Swedish Somalis’ narratives of female circumcision and avoiding submission to hegemonic political discourse
Authors: Johnsdotter Sara , Essén Birgitta
Published: October 2005

This paper discusses the perspective and conclusions of an article in Critical Social Policy: ‘“It’s only a tradition”: making sense of eradication interventions and the persistence of female “circumcision” within a Swedish context’ (Ahlberg et al., 2004). In their analysis of Swedish Somalis’ narratives of female circumcision, the authors interpret the unwillingness of the interviewees to admit a persistence of tradition in terms of ‘denial’ and ‘avoidance’. We argue that an inadequate starting point makes their analysis biased, resulting in a violation of the interviewees’ point of view. There is a lack of contextualization and triangulation. Instead of persistence of tradition, as emphasized by Ahlberg et al., we see reasons to focus on processes of abandonment of the practice. Their article raises issues of the researcher’s position in a politicized context and of the importance of an awareness of how our preconceptions, as researchers, are formed by hegemonic political discourse.
Compassionate love for close others and humanity
Authors: Sprecher Susan , Fehr Beverley
Published: October 2005

A compassionate love scale was developed that can be used, in alternative forms, to assess compassionate or altruistic love for different targets (e.g., close others and all of humankind). Using three samples (total N= 529), the Compassionate Love scale was developed and piloted. Three studies (total N = 700) were then conducted to provide validation of the scale and to examine correlates of compassionate love. In support of our predictions, compassionate love was found to be associated positively with prosocial behavior, as directed both to close others and to all of humanity. Those who were more religious or spiritual experienced more compassionate love than those who were less religious or spiritual. Evidence was found that compassionate love is distinct from empathy. In the final study, we introduced a relationship-specific version of the Compassionate Love scale, and found that compassionate love for a specific close other was associated with the provision of social support for that person.
How do people respond to others with high commitment or autonomy in their relationships?
Authors: Buunk Abraham P.
Published: October 2005

Two studies exposed undergraduate students to a scenario in which a hypothetical other talked about his or her current relationship which was characterized by either a high degree of commitment or a high degree of autonomy. Study 1 demonstrated that the commitment scenario was perceived as characterized by more commitment, and the autonomy scenario was characterized by more autonomy. In Study 2, a laboratory experiment, it was shown that, when they were high in the individual difference characteristic social comparison orientation: (i) men saw the autonomy scenario as more desirable and responded with less negative affect, and (ii) women saw the commitment scenario as more desirable and responded with less negative affect. Among men, the commitment scenario evoked more negative affect than the autonomy scenario, particularly when it was viewed as undesirable. All effects were upheld when controlling for attachment styles.
Dyadic interdependence on affect and quality-of-life trajectories among women with breast cancer and their partners
Authors: Segrin Chris , Badger Terry A. , Meek Paula , Lopez Ana Maria , Bonham Elizabeth , Sieger Amelia
Published: October 2005

This study explored interdependence on quality-of-life factors for women with breast cancer and their partners. Multiple theoretical perspectives predict that the emotional distress experienced by women with breast cancer would be shared by their partners. To test these predictions, 48 women with breast cancer and their partners (husbands, daughters, friends, or other relations) participated in a three-wave, 10- week, longitudinal study. Quality-of-life (QOL) indicators (depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, and stress) were measured in both women and their partners. Baseline data revealed significant partner effects from stress and negative affect in women with breast cancer to their partners’ depression. Analysis of QOL rates and directions of change over time revealed that the QOL was on a similar trajectory. As the emotional well-being of women with breast cancer improved or deteriorated, their partners’ well-being changed also.
Gender differences in social network development via mobile phone text messages: A longitudinal study
Authors: Igarashi Tasuku , Takai Jiro , Yoshida Toshikazu
Published: October 2005

We examined the development of face-to-face (FTF) social networks and mobile/cell phone text message (MPTM)-mediated social networks, and gender differences in the social network structure of 64 male and 68 female first-year undergraduate students. Social network analysis showed that MPTM social networks consisted of dyadic relationships, and its growth was slower than FTF social networks. The intimacy of friends who communicate via both FTF and MPTM was rated higher than those who communicate only via FTF. The structure of MPTM social networks coincided with known gender differences in network characteristics. Females tended to expand their MPTM social networks more than males. These findings suggest that patterns of interpersonal relationships for MPTM social networks corresponded to Matsuda’s (2000) selective interpersonal relationship theory.
On Ecological Conceptualizations of Perceptual Systems and Action Systems
Authors: Withagen Rob , Michaels Claire F.
Published: October 2005

This article examines Gibson’s concept of perceptual system and Reed’s concept of action system. After discussing several assumptions underlying these concepts, the ontological status of these systems is considered. It is argued that perceptual systems and action systems should be conceptualized neither as parts of an animal’s body nor as softly (temporarily) assembled devices; rather, they are best understood as animals’ abilities to achieve functional relationships, that is, as dispositional properties. This conceptualization entails that these systems are relatively permanent properties of the animal that are causally supported by, though not identical to, anatomical substrates. Further, it entails that it is the animal that perceives and acts, not its perceptual and action systems.
A Dialogical Approach to Experience-based Inquiry
Authors: Sullivan Paul , McCarthy John
Published: October 2005

The aim of this article is to describe a dialogical approach to inquiry that differs somewhat from those that are now influential in psychology, including Shotter’s, Wertsch’s, Hermans’s and Hicks’s. Although these authors have very usefully drawn attention to dialogical approaches to understanding experience, the academic style of their writing underplays their own responsivity as participants in these dialogues. Whereas some adopt an authoritative or Magistral genre in reporting dialogue with participants, others adopt an explicitly Socratic dialogue that nonetheless tends towards monologue. We suggest that these ambiguities and paradoxes can be traced to Dilthey and Gadamer and the debate associated with their work about the relative weight to be given to content and experience in interpreting dialogue. Furthermore, we use Bakhtin’s classification of genres of dialogue to argue for the benefits of a Menippean genre of dialogue, based on imagination and ethics, both as a corrective to the tendency to monologue in Socratic and Magistral dialogues and as a contribution to our understanding of the possibilities inherent in dialogical inquiry. In particular, Menippean dialogue points us in the direction of inquiry as a personal and creative act that places voices (including the authorial voice) in contact with each other with the capacity to enrich and change each other.