bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adhesive Interactions Regulate Transcriptional Diversity in Malignant B Cells
Authors: Nadav-Dagan Liat , Shay Tal , Dezorella Nili , Naparstek Elizabeth , Domany Eytan , Katz Ben-Zion , Geiger Benjamin
Published: April 2010

The genetic profiling of B-cell malignancies is rapidly expanding, providing important information on the tumorigenic potential, response to treatment, and clinical outcome of these diseases. However, the relative contributions of inherent gene expression versus microenvironmental effects are poorly understood. The regulation of gene expression programs by means of adhesive interactions was studied here in ARH-77 human malignant B-cell variants, derived from the same cell line by selective adhesion to a fibronectin matrix. The populations included cells that adhere to fibronectin and are highly tumorigenic (designated “type A” cells) and cells that fail to adhere to fibronectin and fail to develop tumors in vivo (“type F” cells). To identify genes directly affected by cell adhesion to fibronectin, type A cells deprived of an adhesive substrate (designated “AF cells”) were also examined. Bioinformatic analyses revealed a remarkable correlation between cell adhesion and both B-cell differentiation state and the expression of multiple myeloma (MM)–associated genes. The highly adherent type A cells expressed higher levels of NFκB-regulated genes, many of them associated with MM. Moreover, we found that the transcription of several MM-related proto-oncogenes is stimulated by adhesion to fibronectin. In contrast, type F cells, which display poor adhesive and tumorigenic properties, expressed genes associated with higher levels of B-cell differentiation. Our findings indicate that B-cell differentiation, as manifested by gene expression profiles, is attenuated by cell adhesion to fibronectin, leading to upregulation of specific genes known to be associated with the pathogenesis of MM. Mol Cancer Res; 8(4); 482–93. ©2010 AACR.
Effects of Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Based Saliva Substitutes with Varying Degrees of Saturation with Respect to Calcium Phosphates on Artificial Enamel Lesions
Authors: Meyer-Lueckel H. , Cölfen H. , Verch A. , Tschoppe P.
Published: April 2010

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of experimental saliva substitutes based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) differing in degrees of saturation with respect to calcium phosphates on the mineral loss of enamel in vitro. Demineralized bovine specimens (subsurface lesions) were exposed to one of six experimental CMC-based solutions with theoretical degrees of saturation with respect to octacalcium phosphate (SOCP) of S0, S0.5, S1, S2, S4, and S8 for 10 weeks. A previously studied saliva substitute (Glandosane) and two aqueous solutions (C0 and C1) served as controls. Mineral losses and lesion depths before and after storage were evaluated from microradiographs. Free and bound calcium as well as phosphate and fluoride concentrations were determined. According to these measurements, SOCP of S2, S4, and S8 was 0.3, 1.1, and 3.4, respectively. Storage in Glandosane and both negative controls resulted in significant demineralization (p < 0.05). Only S2 significantly remineralized the specimens (p < 0.05). All other solutions showed neutral effects. No significant differences in mineralization between S0 and C0 as well as between S1 and C1 could be observed (p > 0.05). It can be concluded that a CMC-based solution actually unsaturated with respect to octacalcium phosphate (S2) shows most pronounced remineralization capability under the conditions chosen. This might be explained by a more favorable balance between calcium bound to CMC in an adsorbed layer at the enamel-liquid interface and heterogeneous nucleation of calcium phosphates within a solution compared to solutions either supersaturated or having lower levels of saturation.
Disparate Companions: Tissue Engineering Meets Cancer Research
Authors: Tilkorn Daniel J. , Lokmic Zerina , Chaffer Christine L. , Mitchell Geraldine M. , Morrison Wayne A. , Thompson Erik W.
Published: April 2010

Recreating an environment that supports and promotes fundamental homeostatic mechanisms is a significant challenge in tissue engineering. Optimizing cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and angiogenesis, and providing suitable stromal support and signalling cues are keys to successfully generating clinically useful tissues. Interestingly, those components are often subverted in the cancer setting, where aberrant angiogenesis, cellular proliferation, cell signalling and resistance to apoptosis drive malignant growth. In contrast to tissue engineering, identifying and inhibiting those pathways is a major challenge in cancer research. The recent discovery of adult tissue-specific stem cells has had a major impact on both tissue engineering and cancer research. The unique properties of these cells and their role in tissue and organ repair and regeneration hold great potential for engineering tissue-specific constructs. The emerging body of evidence implicating stem cells and progenitor cells as the source of oncogenic transformation prompts caution when using these cells for tissue-engineering purposes. While tissue engineering and cancer research may be considered as opposed fields of research with regard to their proclaimed goals, the compelling overlap in fundamental pathways underlying these processes suggests that cross-disciplinary research will benefit both fields. In this review article, tissue engineering and cancer research are brought together and explored with regard to discoveries that may be of mutual benefit.
Southern Shaanxi Offcials in Early Nineteeth-Century China
Authors: McMahon Daniel
Published: April 2010

This essay examines an influential group of lower and middle level Qing administrators who served in southern Shaanxi in the early nineteenth century. These officials distinguished themselves pacifying the 1796-1804 White Lotus revolt, were promoted during the 1799-1805 Jiaqing reforms, and then were retained up to two decades in southern Shaanxi on the basis of their local expertise and effective administration. Accounts of rebel pacification, water management, and temple construction show that this cadre of field officials possessed considerable bureaucratic backing, regional prestige, and exibility in local action. These assets strengthened their ability to mobilize, supervise, restrain, and instruct increasingly self-managed local communities and aided the post-war restoration of southern Shaanxi. Their long tenure and regional authority likewise foreshadowed the rise of provincial "strongmen" in mid-nineteenth century China. Cet article est consacré à un groupe influent d'administrateurs Qing de rang inférieur ou moyen en poste dans le sud du Shaanxi au début du xixe siècle. Ces fonctionnaires s'étaient distingués pendant la pacification de la révolte du Lotus Blanc (1796-1804) et avaient bénéficié de promotions au moment des réformes de Jiaqing (1799-1805); ils furent maintenus en fonctions dans la même région, jusqu'à deux décennies durant, sur la base de leur expertise locale et de l'effcacité de leur administration. Comme on verra à partir d'épisodes concernant la répression des mouvements de rébellion, la gestion de l'irrigation et la construction de temples, ce cadre d'administrateurs locaux pouvait se prévaloir de considérables appuis bureaucratiques, d'un indéniable prestige régional et d'une grande souplesse d'initiative. Ils n'en étaient que mieux placés pour mobiliser, superviser et éduquer des communautés locales de plus en plus autonomes dans leur gestion et pour contribuer à la reconstruction du Sud-Shaanxi après la guerre. La durée de leurs périodes de service et leur autorité régionale pré gurent l'émergence des "hommes forts" provinciaux au milieu du xixe siècle.
The infinitivus pro imperativo in Ancient Greek. The Imperatival Infinitive as an Expression of Proper Procedural Action
Authors: Allan Rutger J.
Published: April 2010

In this paper, it is argued that the use of the imperatival infinitive (or, infinitivus pro imperativo) can be explained by means of the notion of procedure. The imperatival infinitive refers to the appropriate action that is to be carried out as part of a practical or conventional social procedure (script, frame) which is evoked in the discourse or by the extra-linguistic situation of the interlocutors. Unlike the imperative proper, the imperatival infinitive does not involve a direct appeal of the speaker to the hearer. As its directive force depends on the appropriateness of the action within a particular procedure, the imperatival infinitive can be seen as a more indirect type of directive expression.The functional differences between the imperative and the imperatival infinitive can be clarified by reference to the notions of finiteness and grounding. As imperatival infinitives are not finite, they do not invoke the ground (i.e. the speech event, its participants, and its immediate circumstances), but merely designate a type of action which is not epistemically located with respect to time or reality. Unlike the imperative, therefore, the directive force of the imperatival infinitive is not anchored in the ground, but, instead, it is pragmatically implicated by the procedure at hand.
The ‘Rainbow’: The First National Marine Protected Area Proposed Under the High Seas
Authors: Ribeiro Marta Chantal
Published: April 2010

The discovery of the ‘Rainbow’, a hydrothermal vent field located in the Portuguese continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, has prompted new thinking in our understanding of the law of the sea. In 2006, in the context of the OSPAR Convention, Portugal proposed the nomination of the first national marine protected area under the high seas. The subsequent acceptance of the proposal by the OSPAR Convention members makes Portugal a pioneer in the protection of marine biodiversity at an international level: first, because of the unique location of the marine protected area; second, because the nomination was accepted at a stage when the process of delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf had not been concluded. The new juridical perspectives stimulated by these facts are addressed in this article.
Art and Posttraumatic Stress: A Review of the Empirical Literature on the Therapeutic Implications of Artwork for War Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Nanda Upali , Barbato Gaydos H. Lea , Hathorn Kathy , Watkins Nicholas
Published: April 2010

Little is known about the restorative impact of visual art on war veterans diagnosable with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A literature review was conducted to identify existing theories and guidelines that address the use of visual art in general acute-care health care settings. Then, case studies of visual imagery’s impact on war veterans’ trauma-related symptoms were examined. The case studies included the use of visual imagery during art therapy sessions and therapeutic visits to war memorials. Finally, the authors suggest hypotheses that may guide future research on evidence-based guidelines for visual art for war veterans with PTSD.
Improving the Classroom Language Proficiency of Non-native Teachers of English: What and How?
Authors: Nakata Yoshiyuki
Published: April 2010

The present paper attempts to examine the possibilities of the Classroom Language Assessment Benchmark (CLAB) as a professional development tool for EFL teachers in Japan. Two questionnaire surveys were carried out several months after the last day of the graduate course (both in 2006 and 2007) where CLAB was used as a self- and peer-assessment tool of teachers’ classroom English in their trial lesson.The questionnaire results show that the Classroom English Observation Program (CEOP) using CLAB and the Classroom Language Assessment Sheet (CLAS) is a useful approach for raising trainees’ awareness of their classroom English and helping them to strive for improved classroom language proficiency, suggesting that CLAB should be used not as a tool for their qualification assessment but as a tool for their professional development. The paper concludes that an improved, simplified benchmark and assessment sheet should be developed so that when used together they would serve as an important means for language teachers’ professional development.
Chinese and Japanese Students’ Conceptions of the ‘Ideal English Lesson’
Authors: Littlewood William
Published: April 2010

In developing strategies for increasing learner involvement, a key factor is the extent to which these strategies are compatible with learners’ own expectations and preferences. In order to explore this factor, tertiary students in four Asian countries were asked (in an online survey designed on the basis of exploratory interviews) to give their conceptions of their ideal English lesson. Factor analysis revealed three main types of lesson that different groups of students preferred: the communication-oriented lesson, the form-oriented lesson and the control-oriented lesson. Students expressed preference for communication-oriented lessons in all countries except Japan and there were differences between countries in the degree and details of students’ preferences. Overall, however, students expressed positive attitudes to a varied range of teaching strategies, giving encouragement to teachers who wish to renew their pedagogy in order to suit new individual and social needs.
Crimes of the Past: Defensive Temporal Distancing in the Face of Past In-Group Wrongdoing
Authors: Peetz Johanna , Gunn Gregory R. , Wilson Anne E.
Published: April 2010

Relegating past in-group transgressions to ancient history might deflect threat to collective identity. Germans (but not Canadians) judged the Holocaust to be more subjectively remote in time when they read only about German-perpetrated atrocities than when this threat was mitigated. Greater subjective distance predicted lower collective guilt, which, in turn, predicted less willingness to make amends (Study 1). Distancing under threat was more pronounced among defensive Germans who felt unjustly blamed by other nations (Study 2). In Study 3, the authors examined the causal role of subjective time. Nondefensive Germans induced to view the Holocaust as closer reported more collective guilt and willingness to compensate. In contrast, defensive Germans reported less collective guilt after the closeness induction. Taken together, the studies demonstrate that how past wrongs are psychologically situated in time can play a powerful role in people’s present-day reactions to them.
Self-Esteem Accessibility as Attitude Strength: On the Durability and Impactfulness of Accessible Self-Esteem
Authors: DeMarree Kenneth G. , Petty Richard E. , Strunk Daniel R.
Published: April 2010

The present research examines the accessibility of one’s self-esteem as a predictor of the “strength” (durability and impactfulness) of that self-esteem. Based on attitude accessibility research, the authors predicted that accessibility of self-esteem (i.e., a self-attitude) would be positively related to self-esteem’s ability to resist change and guide information processing. In Study 1, accessibility of self-esteem was positively related to resistance to change in a paradigm where participants listed either positive or negative self-attributes. Self-esteem was also associated with biases in judgments of ambiguous personality feedback (Study 2) and in explanatory style and future event predictions (Study 3), but did so to a greater extent as self-esteem accessibility increased. In addition, these patterns were obtained after controlling for other variables, including general reaction time, evaluative extremity, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem certainty. Results are discussed in relation to past literature, self-strength, and applied implications.
Compassionate Liberals and Polite Conservatives: Associations of Agreeableness With Political Ideology and Moral Values
Authors: Hirsh Jacob B. , DeYoung Colin G. , Xiaowen Xu  , Peterson Jordan B.
Published: April 2010

Political conservatism has been characterized by resistance to change and acceptance of inequality, with liberalism characterized by the polar opposite of these values. Political attitudes are heritable and may be influenced by basic personality traits. In previous research, conservatism (vs. liberalism) has been associated positively with Conscientiousness and negatively with Openness-Intellect, consistent with the association of conservatism with resistance to change. Less clear, however, are the personality traits relating to egalitarianism. In two studies, using a personality model that divides each of the Big Five into two aspects, the present research found that one aspect of Agreeableness (Compassion) was associated with liberalism and egalitarianism, whereas the other (Politeness) was associated with conservatism and traditionalism. In addition, conservatism and moral traditionalism were positively associated with the Orderliness aspect of Conscientiousness and negatively with Openness-Intellect. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of personality’s relation to political attitudes and values.
Shyness and Marriage: Does Shyness Shape Even Established Relationships?
Authors: Baker Levi , McNulty James K.
Published: April 2010

Do shy people struggle to maintain their relationships just as they struggle to develop them? The current research addressed this question through one cross-sectional and one longitudinal study in which recently married couples reported their levels of shyness, relationship self-efficacy, marital problem severity, and marital satisfaction. Multilevel modeling revealed that (a) shyness was negatively associated with concurrent marital satisfaction in Study 1 and with declines in marital satisfaction in Study 2, (b) the association between shyness and satisfaction was mediated by low levels of relationship self-efficacy in Study 1 and Study 2, and (c) the association between relationship self-efficacy and concurrent marital satisfaction was mediated by concurrent marital problems in Study 1, and the association between relationship self-efficacy and declines in marital satisfaction was mediated by worsening marital problems in Study 2. These findings join a growing body of research demonstrating the cognitive mechanisms through which personality shapes relationships.
Using Implementation Intentions to Overcome the Effects of Social Anxiety on Attention and Appraisals of Performance
Authors: Webb Thomas L. , Ononaiye Margarita S. P. , Sheeran Paschal , Reidy John G. , Lavda Anastasia
Published: April 2010

The present research examines whether forming implementation intentions can help people with social anxiety to control their attention and make more realistic appraisals of their performance. In Experiment 1, socially anxious participants (relative to less anxious participants) exhibited an attentional bias toward social threat words in a Visual Dot Probe task. However, socially anxious participants who formed implementation intentions designed to control attention did not exhibit this bias. Using a spatial cuing task, Experiment 2 showed that forming implementation intentions also promoted rapid disengagement from threatening stimuli. Experiment 3 ruled out the possibility that implementation intentions were effective merely because they provided additional goal-relevant information. In Experiment 4, participants gave a speech and subsequently rated their performance. Forming implementation intentions prevented the underestimation of performance that characterizes socially anxious individuals. Together, the findings suggest that forming implementation intentions may provide an effective means of handling self-regulatory problems in social anxiety.
ω‐3 Fatty Acids Infusions as Adjuvant Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Bahadori Babak , Uitz Elisabeth , Thonhofer Rene , Trummer Markus , Pestemer‐Lach Iris , McCarty Mark , Krejs Guenter J.
Published: April 2010

Background:

The present study investigated the efficacy and safety of parenteral ω‐3 fatty acids (ω‐3 FA) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods:

We performed a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study in 23 patients with moderate to severe RA. Patients received either 0.2 g of fish oil emulsion/kg (active) or 0.9% saline (placebo) infusion intravenously for 14 consecutive days, followed by 20 weeks of 0.05 g of fish oil/kg (active) or paraffin wax (placebo) ingested orally as capsules. A decrease in swollen and tender joint counts was the primary efficacy measure.

Results:

At baseline, both swollen and tender joint counts were not significantly different between patients in the treatment and placebo groups. Twenty patients completed the infusion portion of the study, and 13 completed the oral portion. Swollen joint count was significantly lower in the ω‐3 FA group compared with the placebo group after 1 week of infusion (P = .002) as well as after 2 weeks of infusion (P = .046). Tender joint count also tended to be lower in the ω‐3 FA group, although this did not reach statistical significance. Both swollen and tender joint counts were significantly lower in the ω‐3 FA group compared with the placebo group during and at the end of oral treatment.

Conclusion:

Our pilot study indicates that parenteral ω‐3 FAs are well tolerated and improve clinical symptoms of RA. Subsequent oral administration of ω‐3 FAs may prolong the beneficial effects of the infusion therapy. These results warrant validation in larger multicenter studies.
Nutrition Markers in Patients After Heart Surgery
Authors: Racca Vittorio , Castiglioni Paolo , Ripamonti Vittorino , Bertoli Simona , Calvo Maria Gaetana , Ferratini Maurizio
Published: April 2010

Background:

Nutrition support is an important aspect of multidisciplinary approaches in cardiology rehabilitation. However, little is known about the impact of a patient's nutrition status on recovery after elective heart surgery. The authors assessed changes in nutrition markers in patients undergoing postsurgical rehabilitation, and tested their correlation with systemic inflammatory responses and clinical outcomes to determine the adequacy of the prescribed dietary regimen.

Methods:

Plasma concentrations of nutrition biomarkers were measured in 50 nondiabetic patients upon admission to a cardiology rehabilitation unit after coronary artery bypass grafting or mitral and/or aortic valve replacement (D0), and again 16 days later (D16).

Results:

On D16, low plasma albumin increased, anemia improved, and high levels of inflammation markers declined. Vitamins remained stable within normal values, with the exception of vitamin B12, which decreased significantly from 516 ± 341 to 445 ± 212 ng/mL (P = .007). Blood glucose was >110 mg/dL in 51% of the patients at baseline; this proportion did not decline after rehabilitation. Overweight patients (body mass index >25 kg/m2) were prevalent (58%). They showed a slightly but not significantly greater inflammatory response and had a higher incidence of infective complications than the normal‐weight group, but similar levels of nutrition markers.

Conclusions:

The standard dietary regimen followed during cardiological rehabilitation after major cardiovascular surgery aids recovery from surgical insult, but fails to normalize high glucose levels. Vitamin B12 supplementation should be encouraged because of its substantial reduction during the rehabilitation period.
Adolescent dating aggression in Canada and Italy: A cross-national comparison
Authors: Connolly Jennifer , Nocentini Annalaura , Menesini Ersilia , Pepler Debra , Craig Wendy , Williams Tricia S.
Published: April 2010

This study compared rates of dating aggression among 16-year-old adolescents in Canada and Italy, as well as differential associations with dyadic risk factors. 664 Canadians (297 boys, 367 girls) and 578 Italians (315 boys, 263 girls) indicated the frequency of physical aggression towards a romantic partner. They also rated the level of conflict and power imbalance in their romantic relationship. The results revealed comparable rates of physical dating aggression in the two countries for both boys and girls. Dyadic risk factors were also significant, with levels of conflict associated with dating aggression in both countries, and power imbalance uniquely linked in Italy. Overall, the results point to dating aggression as a global problem among youth.
Romantic relationships in intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic adolescent couples in Germany: The role of attachment to parents, self-esteem, and conflict resolution skills
Authors: Bucx Freek , Seiffge-Krenke Inge
Published: April 2010

We investigated romantic relationships in a sample of 380 adolescents who formed 190 heterosexual couples (mean age: females 17 years; males 18 years): 173 intra-ethnic (German) couples and 17 inter-ethnic couples. Factor analyses revealed two types of love experiences: (a) experiences of attraction and a passionate focus on the partner (passionate love) and (b) experiences of affiliation (companionate love). No differences were found between intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic couples in romantic experiences, self-esteem, and conflict resolution skills. Adolescents in intra-ethnic couples had more close relations with parents than adolescents in inter-ethnic couples. Actor—Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) showed that companionate love was indirectly predicted by the quality of attachment towards parents; this relationship was mediated by self-esteem and conflict resolution skills. Whereas the quality of girlfriends’ attachment to the father (not to the mother) predicted conflict resolution skills in romantic relationships, boyfriends’ conflict resolution skills were predicted by the quality of attachment to the mother (not to the father). Furthermore, cross-partner effects were observed: girlfriends’ experiences of companionate love were not only predicted by attachment to their own mother, but also by the relation between their boyfriend and his mother.
Postschool Outcome Data Collection Programs: Examples from Two States
Authors: Rabren Karen , Johnson Cinda
Published: April 2010

There is a growing emphasis on academic performance and educational outcomes for students with disabilities. This focus is demonstrated, in part, by the federal requirement to collect post-school outcome data from these former students (i.e., Indicator 14). The purpose of this paper is to introduce two states' approaches to collecting post-school outcome data and offer recommendations and suggestions for implementing such data systems. The background and history of how these states developed systems to collect, analyze, and report post-school outcomes and how their data collection instruments were developed are described. Similarities, differences, and limitations of these systems are presented and recommendations for future research are provided.
The Strange Silence
Authors: Bergholz Max
Published: April 2010

Newly available documentation from the State Archive of Bosnia-Herzegovina indicates that the majority of sites where Muslim civilians were killed during the Second World War remained unmarked as late as the mid-1980s. The existing scholarship, most of which argues that Yugoslavia’s communist regime sought to “de-ethnicize” the remembrance of all of the interethnic violence of the war, has failed to notice and explain this apparent bias against Muslim civilian war victims. This article seeks to answer the question of why so many sites in Bosnia-Herzegovina where Muslim civilians were killed remained unmarked after the war. It does so through the reconstruction and analysis of the wartime and postwar history of Kulen Vakuf, a small town located in northwestern Bosnia. The analysis of the dynamics of mass killing in the region reveals that the communist-led Partisan movement absorbed large numbers of Serbian insurgents who had murdered Muslims earlier in the war. The transformation of the perpetrators of the massacres into Partisans created a postwar context in which the authorities, to avoid implicating insurgents-turned-Partisans as war criminals, and the Muslim survivors, out of fear of retribution and a desire to move on, agreed to stay silent about the killings. The end result was the absence of monuments for the victims.
Managing Expressive and Instrumental Accountabilities in Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations: A Qualitative Investigation
Authors: Lu Knutsen Wenjue , Brower Ralph S.
Published: April 2010

Various scholars have identified multiple sources of accountability in nonprofit and voluntary organizations (NPVOs) and have offered several typologies categorizing various streams of accountability. Only a few have attempted to offer strategies, however, to implement these differential forms of accountability. The study identifies multiple sources of NPVO accountabilities by engaging distinctions between these organizations’ instrumental and expressive activities. From a qualitative study in 16 Chinese Canadian NPVOs, three forms of expressive accountability and two forms of instrumental accountability are distinguished. The study further develops a two-dimensional accountability matrix for categorizing organizations into four types according to their levels of commitment to expressive and instrumental accountabilities. Lastly, by associating organizational and managerial factors with the task of balancing the two accountabilities, the authors draw conclusions and offer implications for managerial practice.
Attitudes Toward Nongovernmental Organizations in Central America
Authors: Vázquez José Juan
Published: April 2010

This article analyses, from a sample of 860 undergraduates in Nicaragua and El Salvador, how willing they would be to donate money to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) if they lived in an industrialized country as well as their perceptions of the work undertaken by these organizations, the trust they generate, their perception of the effect their work has and how sustainable they think the projects they undertake are, and how they perceive wrongdoing by their members. Are also analyzed how differences in sociodemographic variables, the university at which they study, their political ideology, economic situation, or links to an NGO affect these perceptions. The results show a high degree of willingness to donate money to NGOs if they lived in an industrialized country. With increased willingness being shown by women, the more politicized, those that consider themselves to be poor, and those that work or collaborate with NGOs. Moreover, different degrees of agreement with aspects related to NGOs were found according to the economic situation, the university at which they studied, and the gender of those interviewed.
Complexity and Instability: The Response of Nongovernmental Organizations to the Recovery of Hurricane Katrina Survivors in a Host Community
Authors: Gajewski Stephanie , Bell Holly , Lein Laura , Angel Ronald J.
Published: April 2010

This case study of a single host city documents the complexity of the local response to displaced survivors of Hurricane Katrina by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs). Although additional disaster-related funding provided needed case management and financial services, it also added complexity to the service delivery system. Furthermore, changes in the federal disaster and income maintenance programs to address the crisis created an unstable service environment that was challenging for both survivors and service providers to navigate. NGOs and FBOs proved to be highly motivated, flexible, and creative. However, the response overall was marked by limited resources, equity, accountability, and coordination, illustrating some of the weaknesses of devolution and the increasing reliance on NGOs to provide basic services.
Synthesis and Characterization of 3,3′-bis (3-maleimidophenyl) Phenyl Phosphine Oxide (BMI)/1, 3-Cyanatobenzene Epoxy Inter-crosslinked Matrices for Engineering Applications
Authors: Ramesh Sivalingam , Alagar Muthukaruppan , Sivasamy Arumugam
Published: April 2010

Cyanate ester (CE) -3,3′-bis (3-maleimidophenyl) phenyl phosphine oxide (BMI)-modified epoxy matrices were made by using epoxy resin (DGEBA) and 1,3-dicyantobenzene and diaminodiphenyl methane as a curing agent. The properties of BMI-CE epoxy matrices were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, water absorption behavior and heat deflection temperature. The matrices were also characterized for their mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength and unnotched Izod impact strength by ASTM methods. The mechanical and tensile properties were improved by increasing the percentage of the CE in the epoxy resin. DSC thermograms of 1,3-dicyantobenzene as well as BMI-modified epoxy resin showed an unimodal reaction exothermicity.
Comparison of Health-Related Quality of Life Between American and Taiwanese Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Huang Tsuey-Yuan , Moser Debra K. , Hwang Shiow-Li , Lennie Terry A. , Chung Misook , Heo Seongkum
Published: April 2010

Few investigators have compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in heart failure (HF) patients from different countries. The purposes of this study were to compare HRQOL between American ( n = 87) and Taiwanese ( n = 88) HF patients and to determine factors associated with HRQOL in both groups. In this cross-sectional survey, HRQOL was measured using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. American patients rated their HRQOL worse than Taiwanese patients did. Sociodemographics, disease severity, and symptom severity were associated with HRQOL, accounting for 42.4% of the variance in HRQOL in Americans and 57.3% in Taiwanese. Symptom severity was the most important predictor of HRQOL in both groups. Interventions targeting symptom severity could improve HF patients’ HRQOL.
How Boys Become Dogs: Stigmatization and Marginalization of Uninitiated Xhosa Males in East London, South Africa
Authors: Mavundla Thandisizwe R. , Netswera Fulufhelo G. , Toth Ferenc , Bottoman Brian , Tenge Stembele
Published: April 2010

Male circumcision is practiced in South Africa among the Xhosa people as a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. The manhood status achieved after the ritual accords men power and authority in the community over women and uncircumcised men. Therefore, uninitiated men experience great pressures to get circumcised. We describe the experience of newly initiated Xhosa men in East London, South Africa. Interpretive phenomenology was used as the inquiry of choice. Data were collected through focus group discussions in which 14 men participated. The theme of marginalization of uninitiated Xhosa males emerged with two categories: (a) rejection, and (b) lack of respect. The participants revealed that uninitiated men are rejected by the community, their own families, friends, and women. We frame the discussion around the concept of stigma. Acknowledging that uninitiated males are stigmatized can help mitigate stigma, and in turn, the incidence of medical complications from botched circumcisions.
Another Nightmare After SARS: Knowledge Perceptions of and Overcoming Strategies for H1N1 Influenza Among Chronic Renal Disease Patients in Hong Kong
Authors: Siu Judy Yuen-man
Published: April 2010

In this article I demonstrate the knowledge perceptions of and the preventive health behaviors toward the influenza A H1N1 pandemic, or “human swine flu,” among the chronic renal disease patients in Hong Kong. Based on ethnographic data from participant observation in a chronic renal disease patient self-help alliance and semistructured interviews with its 30 members, I demonstrate that the participants’ knowledge perceptions of and the adoption of the preventive health behaviors against H1N1 were greatly influenced by their past experiences of being stigmatized in the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. In addition, the past experiences in the SARS outbreak not only led the participants to remember their stigmatization experiences in this H1N1 pandemic, but also aroused the memory of the general Hong Kong population that chronic renal disease patients were “dangerous” and “polluted,” which could further contribute to their stigmatization in this H1N1 pandemic.
Sex and (Evacuation from) the City: The Moral and Legal Regulation of Sex Workers in Vancouver’s West End, 1975—1985
Authors: Ross Becki L.
Published: April 2010

For more than a century, prostitution in Vancouver, British Columbia has been at the centre of legal and political debate, policing, media coverage, and policy-making. From 1975 to 1985, a heterogeneous, pimp-free community of sex workers lived and worked on and around Davie Street in the city’s emerging ‘gay’ West End. Their presence sparked a vigorous backlash, including vigilante action, from multiple stake-holders intent on transforming the port town into a ‘world class city’ and venerable host of the World’s Fair, ‘Expo 1986’. In this article, drawing from interviews and archival material, I examine the abolitionist strategies adopted by Vancouver’s residents’ groups, business owners, politicians, and police to criminalize street solicitation and evacuate prostitutes who, in small numbers, ‘whorganized’ to fight back. The collective disavowal of sex workers as citizens was premised on the ‘cleansing’ of the zone under siege, which became whitened and made safe for bourgeois (queer) capitalism, with lethal consequences for outdoor sex workers in the city.
Sex Trafficking as the ‘New Slave Trade’?
Authors: Schaeffer-Grabiel Felicity
Published: April 2010

This article analyzes the United Nation’s media branding of sex trafficking as the ‘New Slave Trade’. The association of forced sex with migrant women as slavery galvanizes a broad contingency against trafficking and broadens the power of the state to intervene in sexual activity under the jurisdiction of national security. Under the guise of national security, the media campaigns’ focus on slavery moralizes stronger border protection and the surveillance of migrants in order to prevent criminal networks and regimes of slavery from penetrating the pure boundaries of the USA nation-state.
The ‘black section’ of the neighborhood
Authors: Deener Andrew
Published: April 2010

■ The public identity of a neighborhood does not always reflect its demographic composition. Some groups sustain their collective visibility as they experience demographic decline. Oakwood, a neighborhood in Los Angeles where African Americans once made up the largest segment of the population, is still known as the ‘black section of Venice’ despite the fact that Latinos have outnumbered African Americans since 1980 and whites have outnumbered them since 1990. Historical and ethnographic research illuminates the divergent processes through which African Americans and Latinos became associated with Oakwood, established qualitatively distinct ties to the area, and maintained differing degrees of influence over its local culture. African Americans’ social institutions, political organizations, visible patterns of public interaction, and periodic celebrations and commemorations enabled them to sustain their claim to the neighborhood, while Latino immigrants’ marginal citizenship status, avoidance of public spaces, and affiliation with other places prevented them from attaining collective visibility.
Time for new urban ethnographies
Authors: Katz Jack
Published: April 2010

■ Advances in urban sociology now depend on developing the temporal dimensions of ethnographic data. For public place behavior, the need is to follow people before, through, and after the sites where fly-on-the-wall researchers traditionally have observed them. To understand how people economically exploit a city’s public life, researchers must follow market responses that discount and redistribute initial advantages. For explaining the formation of neighborhoods, a multiphase social theory is required. Drawing examples from Los Angeles, nine historical processes are shown to have shaped a substantively wide range of cases, including officially preserved, Orthodox Jewish, affluent totemic, low-income ethnic immigrant, and homeless service areas. A historical approach shows that the social character stamped onto a neighborhood early in its history is often effaced or reversed by later processes, identifies new formative processes, and locates the major turning point in a different period, the 1960s, than do theories stressing globalization and deindustrialization.
The mosque and black Islam
Authors: Lee Victoria J.
Published: April 2010

■ This ethnographic study of a predominantly African American, Sunni Muslim mosque and the surrounding African American Muslim community explores the role that Islam plays in an inner-city neighborhood in the northeastern US. It seeks to understand the culture of the African American mosque, to shed light on why great numbers of African Americans are turning to Islam, and to determine what effects Islam has on contemporary black communities. This article draws on six months of fieldwork centered on the mosque, immersion in the mosque’s community, conversations with the mosque’s male and female leadership, and African American members’ accounts of how they were drawn to Islam. The larger study seeks to identify ongoing social, political, and economic problems faced by the black community in the inner city and to illuminate how religion in general and Islam in particular succeed or fail in creating community solidarity, stimulating community mobilization, and serving as a driving force for social change.
Discriminant partial least squares analysis on compositional data
Authors: Gallo Michele
Published: April 2010

Compositional data are commonly present in many disciplines. Nevertheless, it is often improperly incorporated into statistical modelling and a misleading interpretation of the results is given. This paper explains how partial least squares for discrimination is an adequate technique for compositional data when a dimensional reduction of original variables is needed and difining the variables that more influence the discrimination between the observations is the goal.
Transformation in Progress
Authors: Pack Margaret
Published: April 2010

Psychotherapists’ effectiveness in working with survivors of sexual abuse is dependent on the quality of personal and professional support they access and use. This article drawing from a larger study focuses on the experience of the significant others of sexual abuse therapists. The literature on vicarious traumatisation has suggested that the support of significant others, or conversely the lack of it, is a key variable in how effectively counsellors approach and deal with the rigours of trauma related helping. Using in-depth interviews and a qualitative research methodology, twelve counsellor-participants six of whom were social workers, were interviewed for the wider study to elicit their views of the vicarious traumatisation framework and the impact of the work on intimacy and relationships. The significant others reported that their relationships with the counsellor-participants were transformed over time as different personal priorities and values to their own, were identified.
Thermal Analysis Techniques as a Primary Sign for Fire Retardancy of New Textile Back-coating Formulations
Authors: Hassan M.A. , Hammoda H.A. , Salah A.M. , Attia N.F.
Published: April 2010

New back-coating formulations containing new flame-retardant systems were prepared and applied on cotton textile samples. The flammability properties of cotton samples were improved sharply by applying the new back-coating formulations. The mechanical properties of cotton samples was totally destroyed when using the flame retardant A6 (chloro dimalonylurea phosphine oxide). By using the new back coatings B11 ((A6) chloro dimalonylurea phosphine oxide 30% with sodium carbonate 20%) and B12 ((A 6) chloro dimalonylurea phosphine oxide 20% with sodium carbonate 30%) the mechanical properties and also the flammability properties of cotton samples have been improved. The thermal analysis techniques give a fast and good indication about the expected flammability properties of back-coated cotton samples.
Using jackknife to assess the quality of gene order phylogenies
Authors: Shi Jian , Zhang Yiwei , Luo Haiwei , Tang Jijun
Published: April 2010

Background

In recent years, gene order data has attracted increasing attention from both biologists and computer scientists as a new type of data for phylogenetic analysis. If gene orders are viewed as one character with a large number of states, traditional bootstrap procedures cannot be applied. Researchers began to use a jackknife resampling method to assess the quality of gene order phylogenies.

Results

In this paper, we design and conduct a set of experiments to validate the performance of this jackknife procedure and provide discussions on how to conduct it properly. Our results show that jackknife is very useful to determine the confidence level of a phylogeny obtained from gene orders and a jackknife rate of 40% should be used. However, although a branch with support value of 85% can be trusted, low support branches require careful investigation before being discarded.

Conclusions

Our experiments show that jackknife is indeed necessary and useful for gene order data, yet some caution should be taken when the results are interpreted.
The Alveolate Perkinsus marinus: Biological Insights from EST Gene Discovery
Authors: Joseph Sandeep J , Fernández-Robledo José A , Gardner Malcolm J , El-Sayed Najib M , Kuo Chih-Horng , Schott Eric J , Wang Haiming , Kissinger Jessica C , Vasta Gerardo R
Published: April 2010

Background

Perkinsus marinus, a protozoan parasite of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, has devastated natural and farmed oyster populations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. It is classified as a member of the Perkinsozoa, a recently established phylum considered close to the ancestor of ciliates, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexans, and a key taxon for understanding unique adaptations (e.g. parasitism) within the Alveolata. Despite intense parasite pressure, no disease-resistant oysters have been identified and no effective therapies have been developed to date.

Results

To gain insight into the biological basis of the parasite's virulence and pathogenesis mechanisms, and to identify genes encoding potential targets for intervention, we generated >31,000 5' expressed sequence tags (ESTs) derived from four trophozoite libraries generated from two P. marinus strains. Trimming and clustering of the sequence tags yielded 7,863 unique sequences, some of which carry a spliced leader. Similarity searches revealed that 55% of these had hits in protein sequence databases, of which 1,729 had their best hit with proteins from the chromalveolates (E-value ≤ 1e-5). Some sequences are similar to those proven to be targets for effective intervention in other protozoan parasites, and include not only proteases, antioxidant enzymes, and heat shock proteins, but also those associated with relict plastids, such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase and methyl erythrithol phosphate pathway components, and those involved in glycan assembly, protein folding/secretion, and parasite-host interactions.

Conclusions

Our transcriptome analysis of P. marinus, the first for any member of the Perkinsozoa, contributes new insight into its biology and taxonomic position. It provides a very informative, albeit preliminary, glimpse into the expression of genes encoding functionally relevant proteins as potential targets for chemotherapy, and evidence for the presence of a relict plastid. Further, although P. marinus sequences display significant similarity to those from both apicomplexans and dinoflagellates, the presence of trans-spliced transcripts confirms the previously established affinities with the latter. The EST analysis reported herein, together with the recently completed sequence of the P. marinus genome and the development of transfection methodology, should result in improved intervention strategies against dermo disease.