bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retention of viability, cytotoxicity, and response to IL-2, IL-15, or IFN-α by human NK cells after CD107a degranulation
Authors: Tomescu Costin , Chehimi Jihed , Maino Vernon C , Montaner Luis J
Published: February 2009

NK cells represent a critical component of the host innate immune response to viral infection and tumor transformation. Nevertheless, the fate of recently degranulated NK cells subsequent to a primary target cell interaction remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the long-term viability and killing potential of human NK cells following target cell lysis using live-sorting of CD107a-degranulated NK cells. We observed that sorted CD107a+ NK cells exhibited continued lytic potential against a wide variety of target cells, including tumor and virally infected target cells. CD107a-positive- and CD107a-negative-sorted NK cells displayed similar long-term viability, killing potential, and response to inflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, IL-15, and IFN-α. Interestingly, we observed that the CD107a signature is remarkably stable over time and that recently degranulated NK cells exhibit an amplification of CD107 expression immediately following a target cell interaction. Together, our data expand previous data showing that NK cells retain the capacity to kill multiple target cells in succession and reveal that NK viability, cytotoxicity, and response to inflammatory cytokines are not altered following a primary target cell interaction. Overall, our data argue for the strength of the NK cell compartment in the continuous surveillance of tumor and virally infected cells in the body and highlight the use of using CD107a expression as a stable marker for NK cytotoxicity.
Methodology for tomographic imaging ahead of mining using the shearer as a seismic source
Authors: King Andrew , Luo Xun
Published: February 2009

Poor rock conditions in a coal longwall panel can result in roof collapse when a problematic zone is mined, significantly interrupting mine production. The ability to image rock conditions — stress and degree of fracturing — ahead of the face gives the miners the ability to respond proactively to such problems. This method uses the energy from mining machinery, in this case a coal shearer, to produce an image of the rock velocity ahead of the mining face without interrupting mining. Data from an experiment illustrates the concept. Geophones installed in gate-road roofs record the noise generated by the shearer after it has traversed the panel ahead of the mining face. A generalized crosscorrelation of the signals from pairs of sensors determines relative arrival times from the continuous seismic noise produced by the shearer. These relative times can then be inverted for a velocity structure. The crosscorrelations, performed in the frequency domain, are weighted by a confidence value derived from the spectral coherence between the traces. This produces stable crosscorrelation lags in the presence of noise. The errors in the time-domain data are propagated through to the relative traveltimes and then to the final tomographic velocity image, yielding an estimate of the uncertainty in velocity at each point. This velocity image can then be used to infer information about the stress and fracture state of the rock, providing advance warning of potentially hazardous zones.
Giving effective feedback to psychiatric trainees
Authors: Brown Nick , Cooke Louise
Published: February 2009

Feedback is an essential part of the learning process. Feedback can be positive or negative, constructive or destructive, minimal or in depth. It must always occur and should never be ignored. The role of effective feedback is critical in the modern postgraduate medical educational process in the UK, with its emphasis on competency-based curricula and workplace-based assessment. Feedback is not new in medical education and has been shown in research to be effective in bringing about change, particularly improvement in clinical performance. There are clear principles and features of good and bad feedback and these are highlighted, along with descriptions of models for use in daily practice.
Obstetric complications and mild to moderate intellectual disability
Authors: Sussmann Jessika E. , McIntosh Andrew M. , Lawrie Stephen M. , Johnstone Eve C.
Published: February 2009

Background

Mild to moderate intellectual disability affects 2.5% of the general population and is associated with an increased risk of several psychiatric disorders. Most cases are of unknown aetiology although genetic factors have an important role.

Aims

To investigate the role of obstetric and neonatal complications in the aetiology of mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Method

Obstetric and neonatal complications recorded at the time of pregnancy and delivery were compared between participants with mild to moderate intellectual disability, age-matched siblings and unrelated controls using logistic regression.

Results

Admission to a special care baby unit and not being breastfed on discharge were more common in people with mild to moderate intellectual disability. Not being breastfed on discharge was also more common in those with intellectual disability than unaffected siblings. Foetal distress was more common among controls than among those with mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Conclusions

Admission to a special care baby unit and not being breastfed on discharge may be related to the aetiology of intellectual disability, although the direction of this association is unclear.
Self-harm in UK armed forces personnel: descriptive and case–control study of general hospital presentations
Authors: Hawton Keith , Harriss Louise , Casey Deborah , Simkin Sue , Harrison Kate , Bray Isabelle , Blatchley Nick
Published: February 2009

Background

Little is known about self-harm in the armed forces.

Aims

To investigate the characteristics of armed forces personnel presenting to a general hospital following self-harm and compare these with matched controls who had self-harmed.

Method

Investigation of armed forces personnel presenting to hospital between 1989 and 2003 following self-harm and case–control comparison with people in the general population who had self-harmed.

Results

One hundred and sixty-six armed forces personnel presented with self-harm during the study period, of whom 72.3% (120) were male. Nearly two-thirds (62.7%) were aged under 25 years. Relationship problems (62.0%), employment problems (43.9%) and alcohol misuse (40.5%) were common. Fewer armed forces personnel than controls had evidence of current or past psychiatric disorders or treatment or a prior history of self-harm, and their suicidal intent was lower (males only). Of 64 people in the armed forces who presented during the first 9 years of the study period, 1 had died (from natural causes) by the end of 2000, compared with 9 (5.1%) of the controls, 6 by probable suicide.

Conclusions

Self-harm by armed forces personnel may often be a response to interpersonal and employment problems complicated by alcohol misuse, with relatively low suicide intent.
Prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: meta-analysis
Authors: Simon Viktória , Czobor Pál , Bálint Sára , Mészáros Ágnes , Bitter István
Published: February 2009

Background

In spite of the growing literature about adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relatively little is known about the prevalence and correlates of this disorder.

Aims

To estimate the prevalence of adult ADHD and to identify its demographic correlates using meta-regression analysis.

Method

We used the MEDLINE, PsycLit and EMBASE databases as well as hand-searching to find relevant publications.

Results

The pooled prevalence of adult ADHD was 2.5% (95% CI 2.1–3.1). Gender and mean age, interacting with each other, were significantly related to prevalence of ADHD. Metaregression analysis indicated that the proportion of participants with ADHD decreased with age when men and women were equally represented in the sample.

Conclusions

Prevalence of ADHD in adults declines with age in the general population. We think, however, that the unclear validity of DSM–IV diagnostic criteria for this condition can lead to reduced prevalence rates by underestimation of the prevalence of adult ADHD.
Direct Renin Inhibition Improves Systemic Insulin Resistance and Skeletal Muscle Glucose Transport in a Transgenic Rodent Model of Tissue Renin Overexpression
Authors: Lastra Guido , Habibi Javad , Whaley-Connell Adam T. , Manrique Camila , Hayden Melvin R. , Rehmer Jenna , Patel Kamlesh , Ferrario Carlos , Sowers James R.
Published: February 2009

Renin is the rate-limiting enzyme in renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation. We sought to determine the impact of renin inhibition on whole-body insulin sensitivity and skeletal muscle RAS, oxidative stress, insulin signaling, and glucose transport in the transgenic TG(mRen2)27 rat (Ren2), which manifests increased tissue RAS activity, elevated serum aldosterone, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Young (aged 6–9 wk) Ren2 and age-matched Sprague Dawley control rats were treated with aliskiren [50 mg/kg · d, ip] or placebo for 21 d and administered an ip glucose tolerance test. Insulin metabolic signaling and 2-deoxyglucose uptake in soleus muscle were examined in relation to tissue renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system [angiotensin (Ang) II, mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and Ang type I receptor (AT1R)] and measures of oxidative stress as well as structural changes evaluated by light and transmission electron microscopy. Ren2 rats demonstrated systemic insulin resistance with decreased skeletal muscle insulin metabolic signaling and glucose uptake. This was associated with increased Ang II, MR, AT1R, oxidative stress, and reduced tyrosine insulin receptor substrate-1 phosphorylation, protein kinase B/(Akt) phosphorylation and glucose transporter-4 immunostaining. The Ren2 also demonstrated perivascular fibrosis and mitochondrial remodeling. Renin inhibition improved systemic insulin sensitivity, insulin metabolic signaling, and glucose transport along with normalization of Ang II, AT1R, and MR levels, oxidative stress markers, fibrosis, and mitochondrial structural abnormalities. Our data suggest that renin inhibition improves systemic insulin sensitivity, skeletal muscle insulin metabolic signaling, and glucose transport in Ren2 rats. This is associated with reductions in skeletal muscle tissue Ang II, AT1R, and MR expression; oxidative stress; fibrosis; and mitochondrial abnormalities.
Theater/Performance Historiography: Politics, Ethics, and the Now
Authors: Kobialka Michal
Published: February 2009

The “after theory” syndrome silently renounced historiography as radical thought and substituted a closed, retrospective framework to conceptualize the ontology of theater/performance history. In its postmodern/post-utopian universe, historicizing largely contents itself with connecting facticity and rationality under the pressure of global capitalism and U.S. domination. Realpolitik has become a euphemism for Machtpolitik. In a world whose power politics is programmatically infused with a cynical rhetoric of compassion and inevitability, one is often stuck in the terrain of practical possibility where “realism” is the only mode of operation and action in history. Yet without a critique of the idea of the vitality of the state/profession and without actively seeking an ethical life on behalf of another praxis, history is constrained to participate in the violent narrative of progress to a higher state of evolution. The task of theater historiography is therefore to perturb the notion of the vitality of the state, the institution, and the professions by attending to and nurturing the now—an ethical life based on historiographical self-examination that will always be in reality but not of it.
Unspeakable Histories: Terror, Spectacle, and Genocidal Memory
Authors: Johnson Odai
Published: February 2009

One of the most violent and influential inaugural mappings of migrational theater in the Western world occurred in the second century BCE, a period of aggressive Roman expansion (into Greece, the Near East, North Africa, and Spain). In one traumatic century Rome circled the Mediterranean in a campaign we would call today genocide. Rough estimates of the death toll place the number at 2–3 million. Under conditions that stagger the imagination, the survivors were taken to Rome as slaves, and some carried scarred bodies and scarred memories into the ludic sphere of the Roman theater that celebrated Roman conquests. For four hundred years the acting profession was constituted almost exclusively with victims of foreign wars. The same holds for the writers of the “golden age” of Roman comedy. This essay considers the genocidal memory of one survivor, the playwright Terence, brought to Rome from Carthage as a slave shortly before that city's destruction. Using as a lens a small body of artifacts called curse tablets, I consider how victims of Rome buried their rage, swallowed their history, to erase their former lives. But the erasure was never complete, and the burying of curses invites the agile reader to return to the comic texts and unsilence them, to begin to listen to the rage and memory of the preconquered. Jacques Derrida asked if there was “a history of silence,” and exhuming curses and buried rage might begin to unsettle a history of laughter and violent displacement.
What History? Some Afterthoughts
Authors: Rokem Freddie
Published: February 2009

This short article, commenting on the other articles in this issue of MLQ, is an attempt to “read” academic discourses through the prism of a literary-dramatic work: Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Silent tidbitting in male fowl,Gallus gallus: a referential visual signal with multiple functions
Authors: Smith Carolynn L. , Evans Christopher S.
Published: February 2009

With the notable exception of bee dances, there are no established examples of multimodal referential signals. The food calls of male fowl, Gallus gallus, are functionally referential and the acoustic component of a multimodal display. However, the specificity of the receiver's response to the visual component (tidbitting) has never been tested. Here we provide the first detailed analysis of tidbitting, and test the hypothesis that these characteristic movements are functionally referential. We conducted a playback experiment with five high-definition video stimuli: Silent tidbit,Matched-frequency motion in the opposite direction, Silent crows, Inactive male and Empty cage. Females searched for food more during Silent tidbitting than under any other condition, suggesting that this visual display specifically predicts the presence of food and hence has similar functional properties to food calls. Silent tidbitting was also singularly effective at evoking approach and close inspection, which may enhance signal memorability. These social responses suggest that the visual component of the display has the unique function of triggering assessment of signaler identity and quality as a potential mate. The acoustic and visual components are hence redundant as a food signal, but synergistic when additional functions are considered. These findings emphasize the perceptual complexity of multimodal displays and provide the first demonstration of multimodal referential signaling in a vertebrate.
Diving into old age: muscular senescence in a large-bodied, long-lived mammal, the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)
Authors: Hindle Allyson G. , Horning Markus , Mellish Jo-Ann E. , Lawler John M.
Published: February 2009

Classic aging theory postulates the absence of pronounced organismal senescence in wild animals since mortality probably occurs first. Large-bodied, long-lived mammals are a recognized exception to this tenet, yet organismal senescence has not been investigated to date in such mammals in the wild. Furthermore, oxidative stress theory of aging supports the suggestion that exercise hypoxia, as regularly incurred during apneustic foraging in diving mammals might lead to cellular dysfunction and accelerated aging. To determine if an aspect of organismal senescence occurs in wild marine mammals,we examined the pattern of skeletal muscle aging (contractile and connective tissue components of longissimus dorsi and pectoralis muscles) in free-ranging adult Weddell seals (9–26 years). The average myocyte cross-sectional area was 22% greater with age in the longissiums dorsi, but no significant increase occurred in the pectoralis. Cross-sectional area was not related to body mass. Changes in myocyte number per area were consistent with the 35–40% age-increase in extracellular space in both muscle groups. Also consistent with extracellular space remodeling, total and relative collagen contents were significantly elevated in older seals (115% in longissimus dorsi; 65% in pectoralis). The ratio of muscle myocyte to collagen declined with age (50–63%) at both sites. Additionally, a shift towards a higher ratio of type I to type III collagen occurred with advancing age in both muscle groups (79% increase in pectoralis; 49% in longissimus dorsi). We reject the classic tenet and null-hypothesis that Weddell seals do not survive to an age where muscular senescence becomes detectable.
The effects of thermally induced gill remodeling on ionocyte distribution and branchial chloride fluxes in goldfish (Carassius auratus)
Authors: Mitrovic D. , Perry S. F.
Published: February 2009

Experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of temperature-induced changes in functional gill lamellar surface area on the distribution of ionocytes and branchial chloride fluxes in goldfish (Carassius auratus). In fish acclimated to warm water (25°C), the ionocytes were scattered along the lamellae and within the interlamellar regions of the filament. In cold water (7°C), the ionocytes were largely absent from the lamellae and filaments but instead were mostly confined to the outer regions of an interlamellar cell mass (ILCM) that formed within the interlamellar channels. Using a `time-differential double fluorescent staining' technique,it was determined that in fish transferred from 25° to 7°C, the ionocytes on the outer edge of (and within) the ILCM originated predominantly from the migration of pre-existing ionocytes and to a lesser extent from the differentiation of progenitor cells. Despite the greater functional lamellar surface area in the warm-water-acclimated fish, there was no associated statistically significant increase in passive branchial Cl–efflux. Because the paracellular efflux of polyethylene glycol was increased 2.5-fold at the warmer temperature, it would suggest that goldfish specifically regulate (minimize) Cl– loss that otherwise would accompany the increasing functional lamellar surface area. In contrast to predictions, the numbers and sizes of individual ionocytes was inversely related to functional lamellar surface area resulting in a markedly greater ionocyte surface area in fish acclimated to cold water (5219±438 compared with 2103±180 μm2 mm–1 of filament). Paradoxically, the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase(as measured at room temperature) also was lower in the cold-water fish(0.43±0.06 compared with 1.28±0.15 μmol mg–1protein h–1) despite the greater numbers of ionocytes. There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of Cl– uptake in the two groups of fish despite the differences in ionocyte abundance. It is possible that to maintain normal rates of Cl– uptake, a greater ionocyte surface area is required in the cold-water fish that possess an ILCM because of the unfavorable positioning of the ionocytes on and within the ILCM, a structure lacking any obvious blood supply.
Expression of a poriferan potassium channel: insights into the evolution of ion channels in metazoans
Authors: Tompkins-MacDonald Gabrielle J. , Gallin Warren J. , Sakarya Onur , Degnan Bernard , Leys Sally P. , Boland Linda M.
Published: February 2009

Ion channels establish and regulate membrane potentials in excitable and non-excitable cells. How functional diversification of ion channels contributed to the evolution of nervous systems may be understood by studying organisms at key positions in the evolution of animal multicellularity. We have carried out the first analysis of ion channels cloned from a marine sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica. Phylogenetic comparison of sequences encoding for poriferan inward-rectifier K+ (Kir) channels suggests that Kir channels from sponges, cnidarians and triploblastic metazoans each arose from a single channel and that duplications arose independently in the different groups. In Xenopus oocytes, AmqKirA and AmqKirB produced K+ currents with strong inward rectification,as seen in the mammalian Kir2 channels, which are found in excitable cells. The pore properties of AmqKir channels demonstrated strong K+selectivity and block by Cs+ and Ba2+. We present an original analysis of sponge ion channel physiology and an examination of the phylogenetic relationships of this channel with other cloned Kir channels.
Effects of cold and warm temperatures on springback of aluminium—magnesium alloy 5083-H111
Authors: Ozturk F , Toros S , Kilic S , Bas M H
Published: February 2009

Springback is one of the most common problems in sheet metal forming processes. It causes improper fit, which creates serious problems during assembly of the parts. Based on material strength, a considerable amount of elastic recovery during unloading can be observed. In this study, springback behaviour of a hardened 5083-H111 aluminium-magnesium (Al—Mg) alloy with a thickness of 3 mm using a 60°angle V-shape die bending process at various temperatures ranging from -50 to 300 °C was investigated. The effects of temperature on springback behaviour were identified. Results indicate that springback increased with decreasing temperature. The same amount of springback was measured at 0, 25, and 100 °C. It was observed that the amount of springback increased between 100 and 200 °C and then started to decrease beyond 200 °C. The lowest springback was obtained at 300 °C.
Speciation of Iron in Humic Substances by X-ray Absorption Fine Structure and Its Effect on the Complexation between Humic Substances and Trace Metal Ions
Authors: Yamamoto Yuhei , Takahashi Yoshio , Shimizu Hiroshi
Published: February 2009

The chemical state of Fe in standard humic substances (HS) was determined by X-ray absorption fine structure. Iron(III) complexed with HS, which can inhibit complexation of other metal cations with HS, is the dominant form of Fe in HS. The degree of inhibition of complexation by FeIII was evaluated using a model for complexation between various metal cations and HS. Our results suggest that contribution of Fe must be considered in the evaluation of complexation between metal cations and HS.
Template-free Approach to Core–Shell-structured Co3O4 Microspheres
Authors: Guan Xiangfeng , Li Guangshe , Zhou Lihua , Li Liping , Qiu Xiaoqing
Published: February 2009

Core–shell-structured Co3O4 microspheres were fabricated by a solvothermal process combined with subsequent calcination. These Co3O4 microspheres were unique as featured by their excellent catalytic activity toward thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate.
Direct Conversion of Ethane to Ethylene Oxide over Ni–Ag–O Catalyst
Authors: Wu Ying , Wu Binfu , He Yiming , Wu Tinghua
Published: February 2009

Ethylene oxide was directly synthesized by oxidation of ethane over Ni–Ag–O catalyst with ethane conversion of 10% and ethylene oxide yield of 1.2% at 310 °C. NiOx and Ag in the catalyst favor ethane activation and the formation of ethylene oxide, respectively.
Removal of Perchlorate Anion from an Aqueous Solution by Encapsulation in an Anion-templated Self-assembled Molecular Capsule
Authors: Hirakawa Takeshi , Yamaguchi Maiko , Ito Naoto , Miyazawa Makoto , Nishina Naoko , Kondo Mitsuru , Ikeya Ryuji , Yasue Sachiko , Maeda Kenji , Uchida Fumio
Published: February 2009

A new M2L4-type molecular capsule was prepared and characterized. It is shown that the anion-templated self-assembled construction is useful for selective removal of perchlorate anion from aqueous solution.
Crystal Structure and FET Characteristics of an n-Type Thiophene/Phenylene Co-oligomer of 1,4-Bis{5-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]thiophen-2-yl}benzene
Authors: Hotta Shu , Shimizu Yasuhiro , Yamao Takeshi , Goto Midori , Azumi Reiko
Published: February 2009

The crystal structure of a thiophene/phenylene co-oligomer of 1,4-bis{5-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]thiophen-2-yl}benzene (AC5-CF3) has been investigated. The crystals are monoclinic with space group P21⁄c. The crystals of AC5-CF3 function as an n-type semiconductor. This has been confirmed on a field-effect transistor device configuration.
Two-Dimensional Low-Reynolds Number Wind Tunnel Results for Airfoil NACA 0018
Authors: Timmer W.A.
Published: February 2009

The two-dimensional characteristics of airfoil NACA 0018 have been measured for Reynolds numbers between 0.15×106 and 1.0×106 to establish the lift, drag and moment curves that serve as input to performance calculations of vertical axis wind turbines. At the lower surface laminar separation occurs at low to medium angles of attack, which is of significant influence on the characteristics and the radiated noise. For the situation with a lower surface laminar separation bubble, span wise wake rake traverse measurements showed an irregular three-dimensional pattern. Noise reduction could be achieved with zigzag tape at the 70% to 80% lower surface chord station. Significant post-stall hysteresis loops occurred showing a high loss in lift.
Web Crippling of Cold-Formed Stainless Steel Tubular Sections
Authors: Zhou Feng , Young Ben
Published: February 2009

Experimental and theoretical investigations on cold-formed stainless steel tubular sections subjected to web crippling performed by the authors are summarized in this paper. The web crippling test results of cold-formed stainless steel tubular sections subjected to four loading conditions specified in the American and the Australian/New Zealand specifications are presented in this paper. Moreover, web crippling tests conducted under end and interior loading conditions to simulate a floor joist member seated on a solid foundation subjected to a concentrated load are also reported, and these loading conditions are not currently specified in the specifications. All of these test results are compared with the design strengths obtained using the American, the Australian/New Zealand and the European specifications for cold-formed stainless steel members as well as the North American specification for cold-formed carbon steel structural members. It is shown that the design strengths predicted by these specifications are either unconservative or very conservative for high strength stainless steel tubular sections. Hence, a unified web crippling equation with carefully calibrated coefficients for cold-formed stainless steel tubular sections is proposed. Furthermore, tests on combined bending and web crippling are also described in this paper. The test strengths are also compared with the design strengths obtained using the American and the Australian/New Zealand specifications. It is shown that the design strengths predicted by these specifications are generally conservative for tubular sections subjected to combined bending and web crippling. In addition, the yield line mechanism analysis is used to investigate the web crippling behaviour of cold-formed stainless steel tubular sections.
Brome mosaic virus capsid protein regulates accumulation of viral replication proteins by binding to the replicase assembly RNA element
Authors: Yi Guanghui , Letteney Ester , Kim Chul-Hyun , Kao C. Cheng
Published: February 2009

Viruses provide valuable insights into the regulation of molecular processes. Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is one of the simplest entities with four viral proteins and three genomic RNAs. Here we report that the BMV capsid protein (CP), which functions in RNA encapsidation and virus trafficking, also represses viral RNA replication in a concentration-dependent manner by inhibiting the accumulation of the RNA replication proteins. Expression of the replication protein 2a in trans can partially rescue BMV RNA accumulation. A mutation in the CP can decrease the repression of translation. Translation repression by the CP requires a hairpin RNA motif named the B Box that contains seven loop nucleotides (nt) within the 5′ untranslated regions (UTR) of BMV RNA1 and RNA2. Purified CP can bind directly to the B Box RNA with a Kd of 450 nM. The secondary structure of the B Box RNA was determined to contain a highly flexible 7-nt loop using NMR spectroscopy, native gel analysis, and thermal denaturation studies. The B Box is also recognized by the BMV 1a protein to assemble the BMV replicase, suggesting that the BMV CP can act to regulate several viral infection processes.
On Optimal Solutions for the Optimal Communication Spanning Tree Problem
Authors: Rothlauf Franz
Published: February 2009

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the properties of the optimal communication spanning tree (OCST) problem. The OCST problem seeks a spanning tree that connects all the nodes and satisfies their communication requirements at a minimum total cost. The paper compares the properties of random trees to the properties of the best solutions for the OCST problem that are found using an evolutionary algorithm. The results show, on average, that the optimal solution and the minimum spanning tree (MST) share a higher number of links than the optimal solution and a random tree. Furthermore, optimal solutions for OCST problems with randomly chosen distance weights share a higher number of links with an MST than OCST problems with Euclidean distance weights. This intuitive similarity between optimal solutions and MSTs suggests that some heuristic optimization methods for OCST problems might be improved by starting with an MST. Using an MST as a starting solution for a greedy search in the tested cases either improves median running time up to a factor of 10 while finding solutions of the same quality, or increases solution quality up to a factor of 100 while using the same number of search steps in comparison to starting the greedy search from a random tree. Starting a local search, a simulated annealing approach and a genetic algorithm from an MST increases solution quality up to a factor of three in comparison to starting from a random solution.
Solving Semi-Open Queuing Networks
Authors: Jia Jing , Heragu Sunderesh S.
Published: February 2009

A semi-open queuing network (SOQN) is a special type of a queuing network consisting of two parts: an inner network with a population constraint and an external queue to accommodate jobs whose entrance is delayed. We first study an SOQN with a single class of jobs in tandem configuration and then extend our study to multiclass configurations. Multiclass SOQNs fall into two categories: general pallet and dedicated pallet SOQNs. For the general pallet case, we aggregate all classes and solve the resulting single-class SOQN. For the dedicated pallet case, we construct a method based on an existing product-form approximation method for general, multiclass closed networks. Our approximation method combines the matrix-geometric method with the decomposition-aggregation approach. Numerical results show that our approximations have desirable accuracy and efficiency.
Concurrent and short‐term longitudinal associations between peer victimization and school and recess liking during middle childhood
Authors: Boulton Michael J. , Chau Cam , Whitehand Caroline , Amataya Kishori , Murray Lindsay
Published: February 2009

Background Prior studies outside of the UK have shown that peer victimization is negatively associated with school adjustment.

Aims To examine concurrent and short‐term longitudinal associations between peer victimization (physical, malicious teasing, deliberate social exclusion, and malicious gossiping) and two measures of school adjustment (school liking and recess liking), and test if these associations were moderated by year and sex.

Sample A UK sample of 429 pupils in Years 4, 5, and 6 (Grades 3, 4, and 5, respectively, in USA) participated in the Autumn/Winter (Time 1) and 189 of these provided follow‐up data during the Spring/Summer (Time 2) of the same school year.

Method Peer nominations of victimization, and self‐reports of school adjustment were collected in individual and small group interviews.

Results At time 2 (but not Time 1), victimization predicted concurrent school liking among year 6 pupils but not among year 4/5 pupils, and victimization predicted recess liking among all pupils. Victimization also predicted changes in School liking among boys (not girls) and among Year 6 (not Year 4/5) pupils, and victimization predicted changes in recess liking among all pupils.

Conclusions The associations between victimization and poor school adjustment found elsewhere were replicated with this British sample. The implications of these results for children's social adjustment at school were discussed.
Validation of the Narrative Emplotment Scale and its correlations with well‐being and psychological adjustment
Authors: Hill Eric D. , Terrell Heather K. , Hladkyj Steven , Nagoshi Craig T.
Published: February 2009

Two studies examined correlates of the Narrative Emplotment Scale (NES), which measures the extent to which individuals perceive chance events and unchosen experiences as meaningfully connected. In Study 1 (N=99), the NES demonstrated adequate test–retest stability and good internal reliability. The scale was positively related to paranormal beliefs, mystical experiences, and absorption. In Study 2 (N=342), personality measures indicative of external locus of control, intrinsic religiosity, well‐being, satisfaction with life, and a measure of frequency of coincidence experience were all positively correlated with narrative emplotment, providing further support for the construct validity of the scale. In terms of the question of whether meaning making is predictive of better or worse psychological adjustment, analyses indicated that the relationship between narrative emplotment and psychological adjustment was moderated by individual differences in coping strategies. Path analysis indicated that emplotment was a mediator of the pathway between religiosity and well‐being. Emplotment had a negative effect on well‐being through chance locus of control. These analyses suggest that this type of meaning‐making is an important variable for understanding religious/spiritual beliefs and their influence on psychological adjustment.
Subjective health in old age from a salutogenic perspective
Authors: Wiesmann Ulrich , Niehörster Gabriele , Hannich Hans‐Joachim
Published: February 2009

Objective We applied Antonovsky's salutogenic model to healthy ageing. Basically, salutogenic theory states that generalized resistance resources build‐up the sense of coherence which in turn determines an individual's health level. Specifically, we explored the status of the sense of coherence as a mediator variable.

Design and Method We conducted a cross‐sectional questionnaire study with 387 volunteering elders (73.4% women and 22.2% nursing home residents) at the mean age of 74 (SD=7.58) years. We assessed 19 bio‐psychosocial resources, the sense of coherence, and three subjective health measures – psychological health, symptom reporting, and physical health. As nursing home residents were generally inferior, our study controlled for dependent living.

Results Resources, sense of coherence, and subjective health were significantly inter‐related. A regression showed that optimism, self‐esteem, low depressive mood, self‐efficacy, and social support predicted the sense of coherence significantly. Predicting psychological health and symptom reporting, the sense of coherence remained significant when resources were added in the final step of the regression. This pattern was not found for physical health. Mediator analyses using Preacher and Hayes' paradigm showed that every eligible resource influenced both psychological health and symptom reporting, but not physical health, indirectly via the sense of coherence.

Conclusion The sense of coherence is largely shaped by individual difference variables. As a mediator variable, it strongly accounts for the relation between resources and psychogenic aspects of health, whereas its relative significance for physical health is not corroborated. Our findings emphasize the importance of resource‐oriented health care for elders.
Best to Agree to Disagree? Parental Discord, Children's Rights and the Question of Immunization
Authors: Schweppe Jennifer
Published: February 2009

In the context of proxy consent to treatment of children by their parents, this article analyses the effect of parental decisions on the specific issue of not to immunize, and the approach taken by courts where there is parental disagreement on the question of immunization. The article has three distinct sections. The first looks at compulsory immunization, the second examines the situation where parents agree to immunize (or not), and the third asks what the approach of the courts is where parents disagree on an immunization policy. It is argued that the approach taken by the Irish courts is one which overly emphasizes the parental decision. By contrast, courts in England and Wales defer to medical opinion. Comparison is made between the two jurisdictions to establish what each jurisdiction can learn from the other in terms of moving forward on the question of immunization. It is ultimately argued that where there is parental disagreement, a child-centric approach should be taken which takes due regard of the parental interest and medical opinions, but where, in the final analysis, a decision on immunization is made on the basis of a true examination of the best interests of the child.
Understanding Public Interest Litigation in Hong Kong
Authors: Yap Po Jen
Published: February 2009

The law on standing for public interest litigation in Hong Kong appears to be in disarray, as the courts have been vacillating between three different positions. In response to this unsatisfactory state of law, this paper argues that, in deciding whether a public-spirited claimant has locus standi to bring a judicial review claim against the government over the sufferance of a non-private injury, the following test should be employed by the courts. At the threshold stage when seeking leave, as well as proving that he or she has a reasonably arguable case, the applicant must show that he or she is the appropriate candidate to bring this judicial review action. Where the injury is a generalized grievance, this means that the claimant must raise a serious issue of public importance concerning a governmental breach of duty or illegality, and that he or she is a reasonable and effective party to bring this issue before the court. Where the injury is not a generalized grievance but the applicant is essentially asserting a third-party claim on behalf of another, the claimant must prove that he or she shares a close and common interest with the actual aggrieved in the subject matter of the litigation and he or she is a more effective litigant than the latter in bringing suit. These same principles in deciding the appropriateness of the claimant's candidature should also govern the rules of standing when the case goes to trial such that a claimant may still be denied standing at trial after the court has the opportunity to examine the full record at the hearing inter partes.
Taking Renting Seriously: Reflections on the Law Commission's Housing Reform Programme
Authors: Partington Martin
Published: February 2009

This paper offers a reflection on the work of the Law Commission for England and Wales, specifically on its major housing law reform programme. The paper provides a brief introduction to the Law Commission; gives some background to the decision to review housing law; considers in more detail the housing law reform programme; says something about the procedural and other innovations the housing reform team brought to the Commission's work; and, finally, offers some personal thoughts on what has been achieved and what should now be done with our work. The paper starts by setting the work in its social and policy context, outlining the contribution that the renting of residential accommodation currently makes to the delivery of housing policy.
The Influence of Ecology on Environmental Law: Challenges to the Concept of Traditional Law
Authors: Turgut Nükhet Yilmaz
Published: February 2009

Environmental law has emerged under the influence of ecology as a distinct branch of law. Indeed there is a co-evolution process between these two disciplines which rests on a common basis derived from the challenges what is described here as the ‘environmental problematic’ to the established relationships between human being and nature. This article evaluates the subject taking into consideration generally accepted facts and principles in ecology, whilst avoiding scientific details and discussions. Environmental law is also considered not in the sense of sector-based environmental legislation but in a general conceptual framework common for all countries and based on sociological as well as ethical aspects. In consequence the article underlines new themes which are not familiar in the traditional positive law concept. The influence of ecology on the aim, scope, approach, characteristics and concepts of environmental law, which are different from traditional concepts of law, are explained before reaching a conclusion. Although law and ecology are mainly reviewed the explanations also point out the significant role of other disciplines such as economics, politics and ethics.
Revising IPPC: Incremental Change Rather Than a Radical Overhaul of EU Industrial Emissions Policy
Authors: Farmer Andrew
Published: February 2009

The European Commission has published a proposal to revise the IPPC Directive (1996/61, codified as 2008/1). The proposal also incorporates six ‘sectoral’ industrial emissions Directives as annexes: large combustion plants (2001/80); waste incineration (2000/76); solvent emissions (1999/13); and titanium dioxide (78/176, 82/883 and 92/112). The proposal would only extend the scope of the Directive in a limited way (for example, to combustion installations between 20 and 50 MW, the preservation of wood and wood products and the production of wood panels), but it introduces more formal requirements for permitting, reference to BREFs, operator monitoring and inspection. The provisions for the sectoral Directives are largely unchanged with the major exception of large combustion plants and titanium dioxide plants, for which stricter minimum emission limits are proposed. This paper examines the proposal and considers the changes made, commenting on the reasons for them.
Statistical Evidence and Individual Litigants: A Reconsideration of Wasserman's Argument from Autonomy
Authors: Pundik Amit
Published: February 2009

The use of statistical evidence in court has attracted long-running controversy. Some uses of statistical evidence seem intuitively wrong, both in real cases (for example, Sally Clark) and in hypothetical examples (for example, the Gatecrasher Paradox). Yet, explaining why has proven to be difficult. One promising approach is that of Wasserman, who claims that using statistical evidence demeans the litigant's individuality and autonomy. This article presents Wasserman's argument, explores its merits, and defends it from some objections. However, the article also identifies six significant weaknesses, which have to be overcome before Wassermann's account can successfully identify the circumstances in which statistical evidence should be used or restricted.
A Comprehensive Assessment of Crime Investigation Policy in Japan, by Crime, Clearance and Criminal Rates
Authors: Yamamura T. , Kinoshita H. , Hishida S.
Published: February 2009

The present study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of crime investigation policy by crime, clearance and criminal rates, analysed using data published by the Japanese Government. The major findings of the study show that: (1) the crime rate declined steadily between 1945 and 1975, but then increased again from 1975 to 2003, accelerating from 1985, with a sharp rise from 1995, and then began to descend again from 2003; (2) considerably better clearance rates were achieved between 1945 and 1985, but rates subsequently dropped suddenly in 1985 and continue to be sluggish; (3) the criminal rate (the number of persons in custody per 100,000 inhabitants) has shown a decline during the decades since 1945. The study concludes that: (1) there is a misdirected target-setting policy for crime investigation which aggravates the crime rate; (2) an inefficient training programmes for replacement detectives to improve their performance induces a drop in the clearance rate; and (3) the objective of minimising citizens' fear of crime depends on efficient crime investigation by experienced, expert detectives based on best practice at the crime scene, resulting in the arrest of offenders. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to several policing practices in crime investigation.
Breaking the Silence: The Traumatic Circle of Policing
Authors: Rees Bronwen , Smith Jonathan
Published: February 2009

Operational police officers often work in traumatic situations. Whilst training and support is provided to officers in these areas in the UK, and some debriefing and counselling is provided, this is not fully effective in addressing the so-called ‘attitudinal’ problem of the police. We believe that one of the reasons for this is that police training does not adequately address the effects of working in traumatic conditions, and certainly does not take into account new work in the area of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which shows that trauma, and its vicarious effects, is not necessarily a mental disorder (though its symptoms may manifest as such) but is caused by physiological and emotional changes in the body. Further, studies on the social nature of trauma indicate that it is often the isolated conditions of trauma victims that can increase PTSD. Drawing on secondary data from one of the authors' work on spirituality in the police force, we explore the connections between the physiological and emotional aspects of trauma and the conditions in which police in the UK work. We suggest that police officers' reports of the work they do, and the way in which they learn to live with it, keeps them in an ongoing cycle of retraumatisation. We suggest that we need to take into account the physiological, social as well as psychological (or attitudinal) aspects of working in traumatic conditions if we are to provide adequate training support for police officers, so that they are not left isolated in this cycle. This has potentially far-reaching implications for the training of police officers.
Ethnicity and Trust: Perceptions of Police Bias
Authors: Sivasubramaniam Diane , Goodman-Delahunty Jane
Published: February 2009

This study explores trust in police among a university sample of ethnic minority youth in Sydney, Australia, specifically examining the degree to which police are perceived to be biased against respondents' own particular ethnic groups. Results from this university sample replicate those found in previous community studies. By considering more specific questions regarding perceptions of police bias, this study further reveals that young minority groups consider police to be biased against their own ethnic group significantly more than do Caucasian youth. However, both minority youth and the Caucasian majority believe that police target certain ethnic groups, and generally agree on the particular groups that they perceive are targeted by police. These findings imply that perceptions of police bias are not restricted to minorities.