bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dual Inhibition of the PI3K/mTOR Pathway Increases Tumor Radiosensitivity by Normalizing Tumor Vasculature
Authors: Fokas Emmanouil , Im Jae Hong , Hill Sally , Yameen Sabira , Stratford Michael , Beech John , Hackl Wolfgang , Maira Sauveur-Michel , Bernhard Eric J. , McKenna W. Gillies , Muschel Ruth J.
Published: November 2011

The aberrant vascular architecture of solid tumors results in hypoxia that limits the efficacy of radiotherapy. Vascular normalization using antiangiogenic agents has been proposed as a means to improve radiation therapy by enhancing tumor oxygenation, but only short-lived effects for this strategy have been reported so far. Here, we show that NVP-BEZ235, a dual inhibitor of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and mTOR, can improve tumor oxygenation and vascular structure over a prolonged period that achieves the aim of effective vascular normalization. Because PI3K inhibition can radiosensitize tumor cells themselves, our experimental design explicitly distinguished effects on the blood vasculature versus tumor cells. Drug administration coincident with radiation enhanced the delay in tumor growth without changing tumor oxygenation, establishing that radiosensitization is a component of the response. However, the enhanced growth delay was substantially greater after induction of vascular normalization, meaning that this treatment enhanced the tumoral radioresponse. Importantly, changes in vascular morphology persisted throughout the entire course of the experiment. Our findings indicated that targeting the PI3K/mTOR pathway can modulate the tumor microenvironment to induce a prolonged normalization of blood vessels. The substantial therapeutic gain observed after combination of NVP-BEZ235 with irradiation has conceptual implications for cancer therapy and could be of broad translational importance. Cancer Res; 72(1); 239–48. ©2011 AACR.
Validation of a Phage Display and Computational Algorithm by Mapping a Conformational Epitope of Bla g 2
Authors: Tiwari Ruby , Negi Surendra S. , Braun Benjamin , Braun Werner , Pomés Anna , Chapman Martin D. , Goldblum Randall M. , Midoro-Horiuti Terumi
Published: November 2011

Background: Bla g 2, one of the major cockroach allergens, induces a strong IgE response against conformational epitopes, and on reexposure, sensitized individuals often display symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma. The aim of the current study was to perform a test of the efficacy of a modified phage display screening, characterization of selected phages and an automated algorithm, EpiSearch, in locating an important conformational epitope. Methods: The monoclonal antibody 7C11, which partially inhibits the binding of patient IgE antibodies to Bla g 2, was used to screen a random peptide phage library. After 3 rounds of panning, 32 phage clones were isolated and the amino acid sequences of their peptides were determined. The relative affinity and specificity of the binding of these peptides to 7C11 were tested in ELISAs. The amino acid composition of these peptides was then matched with clusters of residues on the surface of the 3-dimensional (3D) structure of Bla g 2, using our EpiSearch algorithm. Results: The amino acid sequences of the peptides on selected phages differed at only one position, occupied by 1 of 2 negatively charged residues. The two 12-mer sequences bound to 7C11 with similar avidity and specificity. There was good concordance between the residues in the 3D clusters identified from our phage display/computational method with the co-crystal structural analysis. Conclusion: Conformational epitopes may be mapped through screening of clones from random peptide phage display libraries and EpiSearch.
Surgeon-Patient Information Disclosure Practices in Southwestern Nigeria
Authors: Ogundiran T.O. , Adebamowo C.A.
Published: November 2011

Objective: This study examined the practice of information disclosure to patients by surgeons in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A 55-item self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was sent to 150 surgeons in southwestern Nigeria in 2004–2005. The data obtained from the completed questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 150 surgeons, 102 completed the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 68.0%. Of these 102, 85 (85.3%) were men, 44 (43.1%) were consultants and 55 (54.0%) were senior and junior surgical trainees. Most were from surgical subspecialties and obstetrics and gynecology. A documented policy statement about information disclosure was not available in most hospitals. A third, i.e. 35 (34.3%), of the surgeons did not routinely engage patients in discussions about disease diagnosis, management and prognosis. Most, i.e. 73 (71.6%), would rather disclose worsening disease progression to the patient’s spouse. Others would disclose such information to the patient’s children, family members or clergy. This was presumably to shield the patient from psychological distress. Only 22 (21.6%) of them routinely disclose operative findings to patients or their families. Thirty (29.4%) of them had been involved in disclosing medical errors to their patients in the past while 63 (61.8%) respondents did not know if surgical errors with potentially negative consequences should be disclosed. Conclusion: Most of the surgeons in southwestern Nigeria did not routinely provide detailed information to patients about their illness and possible outcome of illness even in the presence of worsening disease progression and prognosis. When surgical errors with potential negative consequences occurred, the majority did not know if such errors should be disclosed.
Fractional Transepidermal Delivery: A Histological Analysis
Authors: Beltraminelli Helmut , Dietrich Nathalie , Hunziker Thomas
Published: November 2011

Background: In autologous cell therapy, e.g. in melanocyte transplantation for vitiligo, a minimally invasive mode of transepidermal delivery of the isolated cells is of crucial importance to reduce potential side effects such as infections and scarring as well as to minimize the duration of sick leave. Objectives:To compare the characteristics of the microscopic treatment zones induced by ablative fractional CO2 laser and by microneedle treatment in ex vivo human breast skin. Results: Ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment resulted in superficial, mainly epidermal defects reaching at most the upper papillary dermis (0.1–0.3 mm), covered by a thin eschar and coated by a small zone of collagen denaturation. Tissue injury characteristics depended on spot size as well as the energy delivered. Microneedle treatment led to thin vertical skin fissures, reaching the middermis (up to 0.5 mm) and injuring dermal blood vessels, but without surrounding tissue necrosis. Conclusions: Both technologies are able to create small epidermal defects which allow to deliver isolated cells such as melanocytes to an epidermodermal site, with microneedle treatment having the advantage of lacking devitalized tissue and eventually enabling vascular access for the transplanted cells.
Clinical Significance of Fibroblast-Specific Protein-1 Expression on Podocytes in Patients with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
Authors: Samejima Ken-ichi , Nakatani Kimihiko , Suzuki Daisuke , Asai Osamu , Sakan Hirokazu , Yoshimoto Shuhei , Yamaguchi Yukinari , Matsui Masaru , Akai Yasuhiro , Toyoda Masao , Iwano Masayuki , Saito Yoshihiko
Published: November 2011

Backgrounds/Aims: We previously reported that fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1) is a marker of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The EMT-like changes observed in podocytes are reportedly associated with podocyte detachment which may cause focal glomerulosclerosis. Methods: In cross-sectional studies, we analyzed podocyte expression of FSP1 immunohistochemically using renal biopsy specimens from 31 patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and 39 patients with minimal change disease (MCD). We also semiquantitatively analyzed glomerular expression of FSP1 mRNA using laser capture microdissection and real-time PCR. Results: We found that FSP1 was localized to podocytes in both FSGS and MCD patients; however, the number of FSP1+ podocytes per glomerular profile was significantly higher in patients with FSGS than in those with MCD, and there was a corresponding difference in the levels of FSP1 mRNA. FSP1+ podocyte counts per glomerular profile in FSGS patients correlated significantly with the prevalence of glomerulosclerosis and the extent of interstitial type-I collagen-positive areas. Conclusion: Taken together, these data suggest that podocyte expression of FSP1 could shed light on the potential linkage between EMT-like changes, detachment of podocytes from the glomerular basal membrane and the pathophysiology underlying FSGS.
Pressure Ulcers: Description of a New Model and Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Repair
Authors: de la Garza-Rodea Anabel S. , Knaän-Shanzer Shoshan , van Bekkum Dirk W.
Published: November 2011

Background: Pressure ulcers (PUs) still represent a heavy burden on many patients and nursing institutions. Our understanding of the pathophysiology and development of new treatments are hampered by the scarcity of suitable animal models. Objective: Evaluation of the translational value of an easily accessible mouse model. Methods: PUs were induced by application of magnetic devices on the dorsal skin of mice, which causes localized ischemia. The extent of the lesions and healing rate were quantified. Variations in ischemic exposure time were compared in hairless and normal mice. A detailed histological analysis of regeneration is presented. The influence of streptozotocin-induced diabetes, skin X-irradiation and treatment of the ulcers with human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was investigated using immunodeficient NOD/SCID mice. Results: Ulcers induced by this form of ischemia have many features in common with decubitus ulcers in humans. No difference between hairy and hairless mice was observed in the rate of healing of the PUs. Unexpectedly, healing was not delayed in diabetic mice, but skin X-irradiation prior to ischemia resulted in a doubling of the time to complete closure of the PUs, and delayed repair of the dermis and panniculus carnosus muscle. Intradermal transplantation of human MSCs did not accelerate healing. The grafted MSCs were short-lived and only marginally participated in regeneration by differentiating into tissue-specific cells. Conclusion: The results emphasize the difference in the characteristics of PUs as compared to surgical wounds. This experimental model is recommended for preclinical research on decubitus ulcers because of its mechanistic similarity with clinical PUs and its simplicity.
Enhancing tensile and compressive strengths of magnesium using nanosize (Al2O3 + Cu) hybrid reinforcements
Authors: Tun KS , Tungala Vedavyas , Nguyen QB , Chan J , Kwok R , Kuma JVM , Gupta M
Published: November 2011

This study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium (Mg) containing alumina (Al2O3) and copper (Cu) nanoparticles as hybrid reinforcements. For composite preparation, the amount of Cu was varied from 0.1 to 0.9 volume percent, whereas the amount of Al2O3 was fixed at 1 volume percent. Mg and its composites were synthesized using powder metallurgy route incorporating energy-efficient microwave sintering followed by hot extrusion. Hybrid reinforcements in Mg matrix led to a grain size reduction, and the grain size decreased with increasing presence of secondary phases (reinforcements and intermetallics). Overall distribution of secondary phases within the matrix was observed to be uniform despite the formation of clusters. A significant improvement in microhardness was exhibited by all composite formulations when compared to pure Mg. The results also showed that yield and ultimate strengths were enhanced in all composite formulations under both tensile and compressive loading while tensile and compressive failure strains were compromised.
Determination of carbon nanofiber morphology in vinyl ester nanocomposites
Authors: Yu Jaesang , Lacy Thomas E , Toghiani Hossein , Pittman Charles U , Schneider Judy
Published: November 2011

Key aspects of nanofiber morphology in vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF)/vinyl ester nanocomposites were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Three-parameter Weibull probability density functions were generated to describe the statistical variation in nanofiber outer diameters, wall thicknesses, relative wall thicknesses, visible aspect ratios, and visible waviness ratios. Based upon a linear regression of experimental data, the relative nanofiber wall thicknesses were reasonably constant over a range of nanofiber radii. Such information could be used to establish more realistic nanofiber moduli and strengths obtained from nanofiber tensile tests, as well as to develop physically motivated computational models for predicting nanocomposite behavior. While the nanofiber aspect ratios and fiber waviness measurements were restricted to the visible portions of nanofibers lying in the plane of the TEM images, such data can be used to predict bounds on the effective nanocomposite elastic properties. This study represents one of the first attempts to experimentally characterize the distribution of VGCNF features in real thermoset nanocomposites.
Degradation effects in polyester and vinyl ester resins induced by accelerated aging in seawater
Authors: Visco AM , Brancato V , Campo N
Published: November 2011

This research is a study on the degradation effects caused by seawater absorption of isophthalic polyester and vinyl ester resin employed in boat manufacture. Physical and mechanical tests of the resins were performed before and after the degradation. The results highlighted that the polyester resin is more degraded than the vinyl one, due to a different network organization of the two materials. The polyester has a biphasic structure with a low compactness, so water diffusion into the bulk is highly favored. The degradation occurs mainly by the leaching of small molecules extracted from the resin bulk by the water. Damages (cracks, holes, blisters) are evident and the resin loses its mechanical performance. The vinyl network is monophasic and compact, so avoids the entry of water; its degradation occurs differently, by a hydrolytic surface erosion of resin layers. In this way, it retains its bulk better compared to the polyester one.
Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, and Safety of AM211: A Novel and Potent Antagonist of the Prostaglandin D2 Receptor Type 2
Authors: Bain G. , King C. D. , Brittain J. , Hartung J. P. , DeArmond I. , Stearns B. , Truong Y. P. , Hutchinson J. H. , Evans J. F. , Holme K.
Published: November 2011

The prostaglandin D2 receptor type 2 (DP2) and its ligand, PGD2, have been implicated in the development of asthma and other inflammatory diseases. The authors evaluated the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and safety of [2′‐(3‐benzyl‐1‐ethyl‐ureidomethyl)‐6‐methoxy‐4′‐ trifluoromethyl‐biphenyl‐3‐yl]‐acetic acid sodium salt (AM211), a novel and potent DP2 antagonist, in healthy participants. Single and multiple doses of AM211 demonstrated dose‐dependent inhibition of eosinophil shape change in blood with near‐complete inhibition observed at trough after dosing 200 mg once daily for 7 days. Maximum plasma concentrations and exposures of AM211 increased in a greater‐than‐dose‐proportional manner after single and multiple dosing. After multiple dosing, the exposures on day 7 were higher than on day 1 with accumulation ratio values ranging from 1.4 to 1.5. Mean terminal half‐life values ranged from 14 to 25 hours across the dose range of 100 to 600 mg. AM211 was well tolerated at all doses in both the single‐ and multiple‐dose cohorts. These data support additional clinical studies to evaluate AM211 in asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
The Costs of Racism for Marriage
Authors: Trail Thomas E. , Goff Phillip Atiba , Bradbury Thomas N. , Karney Benjamin R.
Published: November 2011

The experience of racial or ethnic discrimination is a salient and severe stressor that has been linked to numerous disparities in important outcomes. Yet, the link between perceived discrimination and marital outcomes has been overlooked by research on relationship stressors. The current study examined this link and tested whether ethnic identity buffered the relation between discrimination and ratings of marital quality and verbal aggression. A sample of 330 Latino newlyweds completed measures of perceived discrimination, ethnic identity, spouse’s verbal aggression, and marital quality. Each spouse’s interviewer also independently rated marital quality. Dyadic analyses revealed that husbands’ experience of discrimination negatively predicted wives’ marital quality, but only for husbands with weak ethnic identity. Wives whose husbands had strong ethnic identity were buffered from this effect. Identity also buffered the relation between husbands’ discrimination and verbal aggression toward their wives, and this effect mediated the association between discrimination, identity, and marital quality.
Differential Effects of Intergroup Contact for Authoritarians and Social Dominators
Authors: Asbrock Frank , Christ Oliver , Duckitt John , Sibley Chris G.
Published: November 2011

Intergroup contact is among the most effective ways to improve intergroup attitudes. Research examining whether the effects of contact are contingent on individual differences is limited, however. The authors test a dual process model perspective of individual differences in contact and prejudice. Their model predicts that intergroup contact should be particularly effective for people high in right-wing authoritarianism, but not those high in social dominance orientation, because these ideological attitudes are driven by different underlying motivational goals. The authors confirm these hypotheses in longitudinal ( N = 805) and cross-sectional ( N = 1,343) national probability samples. They also isolate perceived social threat, but not competitive threat, as a mediator for the interaction of right-wing authoritarianism and contact on prejudice. The authors elaborate on the individual difference mechanisms that facilitate and inhibit the effects of intergroup contact on prejudice and discuss how these relations may depend on contextual factors and the varying functions of prejudice.
Can Intergroup Behaviors Be Emitted Out of Self-Determined Reasons? Testing the Role of Group Norms and Behavioral Congruence in the Internalization of Discrimination and Parity Behaviors
Authors: Amiot Catherine E. , Sansfaçon Sophie , Louis Winnifred R. , Yelle Martin
Published: November 2011

Bringing self-determination theory to understand why intergroup behaviors are emitted, two studies were conducted to investigate how group norms and individuals’ congruence with these norms predicted self-determination to pursue two types of intergroup behaviors (parity and discrimination). Experiment 1 ( N = 97) manipulated ingroup norms in favor of parity versus of discrimination and assessed the behavior participants displayed (congruent or incongruent with the norm) and their motivations for emitting this behavior. The manipulated norms significantly influenced group members’ behaviors. When the ingroup norm was parity, participants whose behavior was congruent with this norm reported more self-determination to emit this behavior. When the ingroup norm was prodiscrimination, participants whose behavior was congruent with this norm were less self-determined. Experiment 2 ( N = 139) replicated and extended these findings in a more conflictual intergroup setting. Results are discussed in light of motivational and intergroup theories.
Is social capital a mediator between self-control and psychological and social functioning across 34 years?
Authors: Pulkkinen Lea , Lyyra Anna-Liisa , Kokko Katja
Published: November 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of social capital assessed in early adulthood in linking self-control in childhood with psychological and social functioning in middle age. Data collected at ages 8, 27, and 42 years were based on the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (159 females, 177 males). Self-control was assessed at age 8 using teacher ratings and peer nominations. Social capital at age 27 was operationalized in terms of the breadth of the individuals’ social network and the depth of their close relationships. Psychological functioning at age 42 was indicated by, for instance, psychological well-being, and social functioning was indicated by, for instance, aggression. Results showed for females, but not for males, that social capital partially mediated the link between self-control and psychological well-being, as well as the link between self-control and aggression. In females, higher self-control explained better psychological well-being and lower aggression both directly and indirectly via the breadth of the individual’s social network. In males, both childhood self-control and behavioral activity contributed to the breadth of their social network, which, in turn, contributed to the depth of their close relationships. Deeper relationships explained better psychological well-being and, marginally, lower aggression; male lower aggression was directly accounted for by childhood self-control.
Do we know what we test and do we test what we want to know?
Authors: Klugkist Irene , van Wesel Floryt , Bullens Jessie
Published: November 2011

Null hypothesis testing (NHT) is the most commonly used tool in empirical psychological research even though it has several known limitations. It is argued that since the hypotheses evaluated with NHT do not reflect the research-question or theory of the researchers, conclusions from NHT must be formulated with great modesty, that is, they cannot be stated in a confirmative way. Since confirmation or theory evaluation is, however, what researchers often aim for, we present an alternative approach that is based on the specification of explicit, informative statistical hypotheses. The statistical approach for the evaluation of these hypotheses is a Bayesian model-selection procedure. A non-technical explanation of the Bayesian approach is provided and it will be shown that results obtained with this method give more direct answers to the questions asked and are easier to interpret. An additional advantage of the offered possibility to formulate and evaluate informative hypotheses is that it stimulates researchers to more carefully think through and specify their expectations.
Immunotoxicity of Perfluorinated Compounds: Recent Developments
Authors: DeWitt Jamie C. , Peden-Adams Margie M. , Keller Jennifer M. , Germolec Dori R.
Published: November 2011

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are environmentally widespread, persistent, and bioaccumulative chemicals with multiple toxicities reported in experimental models and wildlife, including immunomodulation. The two most commonly detected compounds, which also generally occur in the highest concentrations in environmentally exposed organisms, are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOA and PFOS have been reported to alter inflammatory responses, production of cytokines, and adaptive and innate immune responses in rodent models, avian models, reptilian models, and mammalian and nonmammalian wildlife. Mounting evidence suggests that immune effects in laboratory animal models occur at serum concentrations below, within the reported range, or just above those reported for highly exposed humans and wildlife. Thus, the risk of immune effects for humans and wildlife exposed to PFCs cannot be discounted, especially when bioaccumulation and exposure to multiple PFCs are considered. This review contains brief descriptions of current and recently published work exploring immunomodulation by PFOA, PFOS, and other PFCs in rodent models, alternative laboratory models, and wildlife.
Crosstalk between Complement and Toll-Like Receptors
Authors: Song Wen-Chao
Published: November 2011

The complement system and toll-like receptors (TLRs) are two components of innate immunity that are critical for first-line host defense. Many pathogen-associated molecular patterns activate both complement and TLRs, and recent studies in animal models have revealed a marked synergistic interaction between the two systems. In mice deficient in a membrane complement regulator, prototypical TLR ligands such as LPS, zymosan, and polyI:C caused increased systemic complement activation, which in turn led to a profound elevation of proinflammatory cytokine biosynthesis. This phenotype required interaction between complement and TLRs because complement activation alone by cobra venom factor without TLR engagement did not lead to appreciable cytokine production. The regulatory effect of complement on TLR signaling was mediated by the anaphylatoxins C5a and C3a through a receptor-dependent mechanism and involved increased mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor κB activation. The crosstalk between complement and TLRs may also impact adaptive immunity, for example, the differentiation of T helper 17 (Th-17) cells. Given that excessive activation of either TLR or complement has been associated with inflammatory tissue injury as occurs in sepsis and autoimmune diseases, the new insight on complement and TLR crosstalk may have therapeutic implications.
Inside the Prison Black Box
Authors: DeLisi Matt , Trulson Chad R. , Marquart James W. , Drury Alan J. , Kosloski Anna E.
Published: November 2011

The importation model is a venerable theoretical explanation for inmate misconduct but it has not been extended in nearly 50 years. The current study advances a life course importation model of inmate behavior where life events in childhood cascade to predict antisocial behavior during adolescence and misconduct occurring during periods of confinement. Based on data from 2,520 institutionalized male delinquents, ordinary least squares, logistic, and negative binomial regression models indicated that family background variables were largely predictive of multiple facets of delinquent careers. Negative binomial regression models of institutional misconduct indicated that proximal delinquent career variables were more consistently associated with misconduct than distal family background factors. Because institutional behavior can be understood as the importing of family deprivation experiences and chronic delinquency, the life course importation model is a useful conceptual framework to study crime over the life course, even including periods of confinement.
Shifting Perspectives
Authors: Ross Elizabeth C. , Polaschek Devon L. L. , Wilson Marc
Published: November 2011

The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is the most widely used measure of the therapeutic alliance. However, previous studies of the factor structure of the WAI have obtained disparate results. This study examined ratings from three rater perspectives (therapists, clients, and observers) in a rehabilitation program for high-risk violent prisoners with high PCL-psychopathy scores. The authors used confirmatory factor analysis with a short version of the WAI and examined one-, two-, and three-factor models. It was hypothesized that the context and client characteristics could alter the factor structure of the ratings. However, no differences were found in factor structure by perspective; the results from all rater perspectives suggested that a two-factor structure was the best fit for the data. Thus, we concluded that therapists, observers, and prisoners all saw the goals and task aspects of the therapeutic alliance as distinct from the bond component.
Examining the Relationship Between Religiosity and Self-Control as Predictors of Prison Deviance
Authors: Kerley Kent R. , Copes Heith , Tewksbury Richard , Dabney Dean A.
Published: November 2011

The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and testing over the past 40 years. Some investigators have argued that observed relationships between religion and crime may be spurious because of self-control, arousal, or social control factors. The present study offers the first investigation of religiosity, self-control, and deviant behavior in the prison context. We use survey data from a sample of 208 recently paroled male inmates to test the impact of religiosity and self-control on prison deviance. The results indicate that two of the three measures of religiosity may be spurious predictors of prison deviance after accounting for self-control. Participation in religious services is the only measure of religiosity to significantly reduce the incidence of prison deviance when controlling for demographic factors, criminal history, and self-control. We conclude with implications for future studies of religiosity, self-control, and deviance in the prison context.
Moral Development and Recidivism
Authors: Van Vugt Eveline , Gibbs John , Stams Geert Jan , Bijleveld Catrien , Hendriks Jan , van der Laan Peter
Published: November 2011

A meta-analysis of 19 studies ( N = 15,992 offenders) showed a significant inverse relation between more mature moral development and recidivism. Moderator analyses revealed a larger effect size for moral cognition ( r = .20) than for moral emotion ( r = .11). Effect sizes for production measures ( r = .57) were much larger than for recognition measures ( r = .16) and unstructured (clinical) judgment ( r = .10). Larger effect sizes were found for female delinquents ( r = .32) than for male delinquents ( r = .21). Only small differences in effect sizes were found between juvenile delinquents ( r = .10) and adult delinquents ( r = .16). Finally, self-report measures of recidivism revealed much larger effect sizes ( r = .32) than official reports of recidivism ( r = .09). The discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical meaning of the magnitude of the effect size for the relation between moral development and recidivism.
Not in My Watershed! Will Increased Federal Supervision Really Bring Better Coordination Between Land Use and Water Planning?
Authors: Dyckman Caitlin S. , Paulsen Kurt
Published: November 2011

This article challenges the assertion that increased federal leverage would successfully coalesce land and water planning throughout the country. Federalism will have the opposite effect, exacerbating tensions between competing management authorities and increasing the number of disparate policies to which local governments must adhere, as examples illustrate. Alternatively, we argue for enforcement of existing tools and creation of an institutional framework loosely modeled on federal–state–local partnership in transportation metropolitan planning organizations. While land use and water planning merit closer coordination, a more flexible institutional arrangement is preferable to expanded federal authority under the Clean Water Act.
Employability Skills Valued by Employers as Important for Entry-Level Employees With and Without Disabilities
Authors: Ju Song , Zhang Dalun , Pacha Jacqueline
Published: November 2011

Individuals with disabilities face persistent challenges in gaining meaningful employment. One of the barriers to successful employment is a lack of employability skills. The purpose of this study was to identify employability skills that employers value as being important and to examine whether employers have different expectations for individuals with and without disabilities. One hundred sixty-eight employers from different industries participated in this survey study. Employers considered certain skills as essential for all entry-level employees; however, there were noticeable differences between employers’ expectations for employees with and without disabilities. Different expectations were also found between male and female respondents and between employers from service/business areas and those from science/technology areas. Implications of study findings are discussed.
First-Line Supervision and Strategic Decision Making Under Compstat and Community Policing
Authors: Willis James J.
Published: November 2011

Compstat and community policing are powerful movements in U.S. police reform. Although different in important respects, both are heralded for being strategic, or strengthening a police organization’s capacity to detect changes in crime and disorder and respond effectively. Using data from six focus groups, this study examines how first-line supervisors reported making decisions and offering guidance on crime and disorder problems. Its major finding is that co-implementation of these reforms had affected supervision unevenly. A challenge to policymakers and researchers is to reconsider how patrol supervision in co-implementing departments might be restructured to strengthen the strategic dimensions of both reforms.
Dry tribology and nanomechanics of gaseous flame soot in comparison with carbon black and diesel soot
Authors: Bhowmick H , Majumdar S K , Biswas S K
Published: November 2011

Ethylene gas is burnt and the carbon soot particles are thermophoretically collected using a home-built equipment where the fuel air injection and intervention into the 7.5-cm long flame are controlled using three small pneumatic cylinders and computer-driven controllers. The physical and mechanical properties and tribological performance of the collected soot are compared with those of carbon black and diesel soot. The crystalline structures of the nanometric particles generated in the flame, as revealed by high-resolution transmission electron studies, are shown to vary from the flame root to the exhaust. As the particle journeys upwards the flame, through a purely amorphous coagulated phase at the burner nozzle, it leads to a well-defined crystalline phase shell in the mid-flame zone and to a disordered phase consisting of randomly distributed short-range crystalline order at the exhaust. In the mid-flame region, a large shell of radial–columnar order surrounds a dense amorphous core. The hardness and wear resistance as well as friction coefficient of the soot extracted from this zone are low. The mechanical properties characteristics of this zone may be attributed to microcrystalline slip. Moving towards the exhaust, the slip is inhibited and there is an increase in hardness and friction compared to those in the mid-flame zone. This study of the comparison of flame soot to carbon black and diesel soot is further extended to suggest a rationale based on additional physico-chemical study using micro-Raman spectroscopy.
‘It is a colour thing and a status thing, rather than a gender thing’: Negotiating difference in talk about feminism
Authors: Scharff Christina
Published: November 2011

Young women's rejection of feminism is well-recognized if seemingly paradoxical. Based on 40 qualitative interviews with a diverse group of German and British research participants, this article adopts a performative approach to enhance our understanding of young women's relationship with feminism. First, the article argues that rejections of feminism as anti-man, lesbian or unfeminine should be read as performances of femininity. Second, the article regards performances of femininity as racialized and classed. It traces how race and class are assumed in talk about feminism and examines how young women's positionings intersect with feminist dis-identification. The construction of feminists as unfeminine, for example, posed particular challenges to women who were positioned at a distance from notions of ‘respectable femininity’ because of their class background. While the relationship between young women's positionings and stances towards feminism is not predetermined, the article investigates how gender identity, sexuality, race and class matter in engagements with feminism.
Spinning the pole: A discursive analysis of the websites of recreational pole dancing studios
Authors: Donaghue Ngaire , Kurz Tim , Whitehead Kally
Published: November 2011

Pole dancing is an activity that came to prominence in strip clubs. Despite its widespread reinvention as a fitness activity for women, pole dancing is still strongly associated with, and indeed trades on, its exotic, erotic and sexual connotations. In this article, we examine how the pole dancing industry portrays itself to potential participants via a discursive analysis of the websites of 15 major pole dancing studios in Australia. In particular, we examine some of the ways in which pole dancing trades on its erotic associations and capitalizes on the emerging postfeminist sensibility in western countries and its advocacy of empowerment through sexual agency, while at the same time promoting an alternative, ironic construction in which pole dancing is simply something a bit different – a novel way to get an upper body workout while having ‘a bit of a laugh’. We argue that the tensions between authenticity and parody uncovered by our analyses reflect a tension that infuses ‘raunch culture’ more widely, and discuss the insecurity and contingency of the ‘empowerment’ offered in these practices.
Revised calendar date for the Taupo eruption derived by 14C wiggle-matching using a New Zealand kauri 14C calibration data set
Authors: Hogg Alan , Lowe David J. , Palmer Jonathan , Boswijk Gretel , Ramsey Christopher Bronk
Published: November 2011

Taupo volcano in central North Island, New Zealand, is the most frequently active and productive rhyolite volcano on Earth. Its latest explosive activity about 1800 years ago generated the spectacular Taupo eruption, the most violent eruption known in the world in the last 5000 years. We present here a new accurate and precise eruption date of ad 232 ± 5 (1718 ± 5 cal. BP) for the Taupo event. This date was derived by wiggle-matching 25 high-precision 14C dates from decadal samples of Phyllocladus trichomanoides from the Pureora buried forest near Lake Taupo against the high-precision, first-millennium ad subfossil Agathis australis (kauri) calibration data set constructed by the Waikato Radiocarbon Laboratory. It shows that postulated dates for the eruption estimated previously from Greenland ice-core records (ad 181 ± 2) and putative historical records of unusual atmospheric phenomena in ancient Rome and China ( c. ad 186) are both untenable. However, although their conclusion of a zero north–south 14C offset is erroneous, and their data exhibit a laboratory bias of about 38 years (too young), Sparks et al. (Sparks RJ, Melhuish WH, McKee JWA, Ogden J, Palmer JG and Molloy BPJ (1995) 14C calibration in the Southern Hemisphere and the date of the last Taupo eruption: Evidence from tree-ring sequences. Radiocarbon 37: 155–163) correctly utilized the Northern Hemisphere calibration curve of Stuiver and Becker (Stuiver M and Becker B (1993) High-precision decadal calibration of the radiocarbon timescale, AD 1950–6000 BC. Radiocarbon 35: 35–65) to obtain an accurate wiggle-match date for the eruption identical to ours but less precise (ad 232 ± 15). Our results demonstrate that high-agreement levels, indicated by either agreement indices or χ2 data, obtained from a 14C wiggle-match do not necessarily mean that age models are accurate. We also show that laboratory bias, if suspected, can be mitigated by applying the reservoir offset function with an appropriate error value (e.g. 0 ± 40 years). Ages for eruptives such as Taupo tephra that are based upon individual 14C dates should be considered as approximate only, and confined ideally to short-lived material (e.g. seeds, leaves, small branches or the outer rings of larger trees).
Design for Engaging Experience and Social Interaction
Authors: Harteveld Casper , Thij Eleonore ten , Copier Marinka
Published: November 2011

One of the goals of game designers is to design for an engaging experience and for social interaction. The question is how. We know that games can be engaging and allow for social interaction, but how do we achieve this or even improve on it? This article provides an overview of several scientific approaches that deal with this question. It highlights the idea that the articles in this symposium each have a specific contribution route for answering this question: By means of theory building, user experience, and design research, they aim to increase our understanding of this design question. This guest editorial also highlights the specific aims of each article and the insights we can retrieve from them. Although much more research is needed, taking our cue from these articles, we are able to provide some answers as to how and when engagement and social interaction are established, and to what extent.
A simple metric for turn-taking in emergent communication
Authors: Raffensperger Peter A , Webb Russell Y , Bones Philip J , McInnes Allan I
Published: November 2011

To facilitate further research in emergent turn-taking, we propose a metric for evaluating the extent to which agents take turns using a shared resource. Our measure reports a turn-taking value for a particular time and a particular timescale, or “resolution,” in a way that matches intuition. We describe how to evaluate the results of simulations where turn-taking may or may not be present and analyze the apparent turn-taking that could be observed between random independent agents. We illustrate the use of our turn-taking metric by reinterpreting previous work on turn-taking in emergent communication and by analyzing a recorded human conversation.
Eccrine Porocarcinoma With Carcinomatous Lymphangitis in a Patient With History of Arsenic Exposure
Authors: Ramirez Yuly , Fellegara Giovanni , Bugiani Marianna
Published: November 2011

Eccrine porocarcinoma is a potentially fatal form of sweat gland carcinoma, due to its propensity to metastasize through lymph vessels. The authors report the case of a 69-year-old female who presented with swelling of the right leg and an ulcerated lesion of the right great toe. The initial histologic diagnosis was invasive squamous cell carcinoma. On follow-up, the patient developed lymphangitic tumor spread in the right leg, associated with right inguinal lymphadenopathy and lesions in vulva and flank. Reevaluation of the toe lesion led to a revised diagnosis of eccrine porocarcinoma. The patient also had 2 basal cell carcinomas of the multicentric/superficial type in the skin overlying the left breast. Past history included chronic ingestion of liquore arsenic (Fowler’s solution) in early adulthood as treatment for dermatitis herpetiformis.
Home Health Care
Authors: Murphy Jo Anne
Published: November 2011

While many undergraduate nursing curricula put a premium on educating students to think and behave critically, fewer programs recognize the value of home health care in developing these skills. Student-nurses who are consistently challenged to think critically develop behaviors that positively affect patient health outcomes. Home health care is an ideal clinical setting to develop the type of thinking necessary to meet some of the nation’s greatest health challenges, including an aging population and patients discharged from acute care quicker and sicker. Integration of the home health care clinical experience is adaptable to all types of nursing programs and results in students demonstrating new ways of thinking and in their personal and professional growth.
The use of multiple sclerosis condition-specific measures to inform health policy decision-making: mapping from the MSWS-12 to the EQ-5D
Authors: Hawton A , Green C , Telford CJ , Wright DE , Zajicek JP
Published: November 2011

Background: Walking impairment has a major influence on the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) assesses the impact of MS on walking ability from the patient’s perspective, but in its current form, is not amenable for use in many policy decision-making settings.

Objectives: Statistical ‘mapping’ methods were used to convert MSWS-12 scores to EQ-5D health state values.

Methods: The relationship between the measures was estimated using cohort data from people with MS in South West England. Regression analyses were conducted, estimation errors assessed, and predictive performance of the best models tested using longitudinal data.

Results: Model performance was in line with that of other mapping studies, with the best-performing models being an ordinary least squares (OLS) model using MSWS-12 item scores, and an OLS model using the total MSWS-12 score and its squared term.

Conclusions: A process has been described whereby data from a patient-reported outcome measure (MSWS-12) can be converted to (EQ-5D) health state values. These values may be used to consider the health-related quality of life of people with MS, to estimate quality adjusted life-years for use in effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analyses, and to inform health policy decisions.
Exercise and social support are associated with psychological distress outcomes in a population of community-dwelling older adults
Authors: McHugh Joanna E , Lawlor Brian A
Published: November 2011

Exercise reduces the likelihood of psychological distress, but this may be due to incidental socializing. We gathered information on exercise, social support and three aspects of psychological distress from 583 community-dwelling older adults. Exercise and social support from friends were both associated with lower scores of depression, anxiety and perceived stress. For infrequent exercisers, having a low level of social support indicated higher levels of depression, whereas for frequent exercisers, having a low level of social support did not affect depression levels. Both exercise and social support have roles in regulating psychological well-being in older populations and exercisers are less susceptible to effects of low social support on depression.
Negativity in political news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings
Authors: Lengauer Günther , Esser Frank , Berganza Rosa
Published: November 2011

The concept of negativity in political news has not reached the status of a homogenous, overarching theoretical concept. This article proposes conceptual understandings, categorizations and practical operationalizations of negativity in the news that reflect the consensus of existing work paying special attention to recent European research. This work aims to systematize existing concepts and categories in order to increase comparability and cumulativity of empirical evidence. To structure and standardize dimensions of negativity in the news we differentiate firstly between negativity and confrontation, secondly between frame-related negativity and individual actor-related negativity, and thirdly between non-directional and directional dimensions of negativity. This article provides a common set of indicators and matrice-based classifications of negativity (and its antithesis) in the news to measure and categorize its intensity and multi-dimensionality.
A typology of prison officer approaches to care
Authors: Tait Sarah
Published: November 2011

This article presents a typology of prison officer approaches to caring for prisoners, based on qualitative fieldwork in one men’s and one women’s prison. Five distinct approaches were identified: true carer, limited carer, old school, conflicted and ‘ damaged’. Officers with each caring style shared a particular view of prisoners as a group, and varied in their adherence to traditional prison officer cultural norms. Length of experience and gender were related to caring approach, as were work environment and experience of trauma. I argue that all prison officers contended with care in their work, and I consider the personal and institutional factors that shaped the quality of care for prisoners.
Soft power in prison: Implications for staff–prisoner relationships, liberty and legitimacy
Authors: Crewe Ben
Published: November 2011

As penal power has been transformed in recent years, so too have relationships between prisoners and staff. This article discusses how these relationships are forged by the terms of ‘neo-paternalism’, focusing in particular on what is labelled ‘soft power’. It describes some of the impediments that hinder the development of closer relationships between prisoners and uniformed staff. It explores the implications of soft power for the prison’s interior legitimacy, and discusses soft power in relation to the culture of uniformed staff.