bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-resolution fMRI Reveals Match Enhancement and Attentional Modulation in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe
Authors: Dudukovic Nicole M. , Preston Alison R. , Archie Jermaine J. , Glover Gary H. , Wagner Anthony D.
Published: April 2010

A primary function of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is to signal prior encounter with behaviorally relevant stimuli. MTL match enhancement—increased activation when viewing previously encountered stimuli—has been observed for goal-relevant stimuli in nonhuman primates during delayed-match-to-sample tasks and in humans during more complex relational memory tasks. Match enhancement may alternatively reflect (a) an attentional response to familiar relative to novel stimuli or (b) the retrieval of contextual details surrounding the past encounter with familiar stimuli. To gain leverage on the functional significance of match enhancement in the hippocampus, high-resolution fMRI of human MTL was conducted while participants attended, ignored, or passively viewed face and scene stimuli in the context of a modified delayed-match-to-sample task. On each “attended” trial, two goal-relevant stimuli were encountered before a probe that either matched or mismatched one of the attended stimuli, enabling examination of the consequences of encountering one of the goal-relevant stimuli as a match probe on later memory for the other (nonprobed) goal-relevant stimulus. fMRI revealed that the hippocampus was insensitive to the attentional manipulation, whereas parahippocampal cortex was modulated by scene-directed attention, and perirhinal cortex showed more subtle and general effects of attention. By contrast, all hippocampal subfields demonstrated match enhancement to the probe, and a postscan test revealed more accurate recognition memory for the nonprobed goal-relevant stimulus on match relative to mismatch trials. These data suggest that match enhancement in human hippocampus reflects retrieval of other goal-relevant contextual details surrounding a stimulus's prior encounter.
A Role for the Striatum in Regret-related Choice Repetition
Authors: Nicolle Antoinette , Bach Dominik R. , Driver Jon , Dolan Raymond J.
Published: April 2010

“Regret aversion” is proposed to explain a tendency to avoid future choices that have induced past regret. However, regret might also motivate us to repeat previous regret-related choices to make up for their previous selection, a behavior resembling “chasing” in the context of gambling. In the current experiment, we acquired fMRI brain data while participants placed monetary bets on repeated gambles. Behaviorally, participants showed a tendency to repeat previously regret-related choices (operationalized as those leading to an outcome worse than what might have been), an effect restricted to early runs of the task. At gamble outcome, we show a reduction in ventral striatal activity for regret-related relative to relief-related outcomes. Critically, this modulation was only seen when subjects were responsible for the bet choice. Activity in dorsal striatum was associated with an influence of previous regret on participants' subsequent choices, which is evident in increased activity when regret-related choices were repeated, relative to avoided, on the next trial. Our findings indicate that regret can lead to choice repetition as if seeking to make up for our mistakes and in so doing may lead to subsequent chasing behavior.
Attention Extracts Signal in External Noise: A BOLD fMRI Study
Authors: Lu Zhong-Lin , Li Xiangrui , Tjan Bosco S. , Dosher Barbara A. , Chu Wilson
Published: April 2010

On the basis of results from behavioral studies that spatial attention improves the exclusion of external noise in the target region, we predicted that attending to a spatial region would reduce the impact of external noise on the BOLD response in corresponding cortical areas, seen as reduced BOLD responses in conditions with large amounts of external noise but relatively low signal, and increased dynamic range of the BOLD response to variations in signal contrast. We found that, in the presence of external noise, covert attention reduced the trial-by-trial BOLD response by 15.5–18.9% in low signal contrast conditions in V1. It also increased the BOLD dynamic range in V1, V2, V3, V3A/B, and V4 by a factor of at least three. Overall, covert attention reduced the impact of external noise by about 73–85% in these early visual areas. It also increased the contrast gain by a factor of 2.6–3.8.
Rebound Spiking as a Neural Mechanism for Surface Filling-in
Authors: Supèr Hans , Romeo August
Published: April 2010

Perceptual filling-in is the phenomenon where visual information is perceived although information is not physically present. For instance, the blind spot, which corresponds to the retinal location where there are no photoreceptor cells to capture the visual signals, is filled-in by the surrounding visual signals. The neural mechanism for such immediate filling-in of surfaces is unclear. By means of computational modeling, we show that surround inhibition produces rebound or after-discharge spiking in neurons that otherwise do not receive sensory information. The behavior of rebound spiking mimics the immediate surface filling-in illusion observed at the blind spot and also reproduces the filling-in of an empty object after a background flash, like in the color dove illusion. In conclusion, we propose rebound spiking as a possible neural mechanism for surface filling-in.
Habitual versus Goal-directed Action Control in Parkinson Disease
Authors: de Wit Sanne , Barker Roger A. , Dickinson Anthony D. , Cools Roshan
Published: April 2010

This study presents the first direct investigation of the hypothesis that dopamine depletion of the dorsal striatum in mild Parkinson disease leads to impaired stimulus–response habit formation, thereby rendering behavior slow and effortful. However, using an instrumental conflict task, we show that patients are able to rely on direct stimulus–response associations when a goal-directed strategy causes response conflict, suggesting that habit formation is not impaired. If anything our results suggest a disease severity–dependent deficit in goal-directed behavior. These results are discussed in the context of Parkinson disease and the neurobiology of habitual and goal-directed behavior.
Interaction of Tropical Deep Convection with the Large-Scale Circulation in the MJO
Authors: Tromeur Eric , Rossow William B.
Published: April 2010

To better understand the interaction between tropical deep convection and the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), tropical cloud regimes are defined by cluster analysis of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cloud-top pressure—optical thickness joint distributions from the D1 dataset covering 21.5 yr. An MJO index based solely on upper-level wind anomalies is used to study variations of the tropical cloud regimes. The MJO index shows that MJO events are present almost all the time; instead of the MJO event being associated with “on or off” deep convection, it is associated with weaker or stronger mesoscale organization of deep convection. Atmospheric winds and humidity from NCEP–NCAR reanalysis 1 are used to characterize the large-scale dynamics of the MJO; the results show that the large-scale motions initiate an MJO event by moistening the lower troposphere by horizontal advection. Increasingly strong convection transports moisture into the upper troposphere, suggesting a reinforcement of the convection itself. The change of convection organization shown by the cloud regimes indicates a strong interaction between the large-scale circulation and deep convection. The analysis is extended to the complete atmospheric diabatic heating by precipitation, radiation, and surface fluxes. The wave organizes stronger convective heating of the tropical atmosphere, which results in stronger winds, while there is only a passive response of the surface, directly linked to cloud radiative effects. Overall, the results suggest that an MJO event is an amplification of large-scale wave motions by stronger convective heating, which results from a dynamic reorganization of scattered deep convection into more intense mesoscale systems.
Three-Dimensional Imaging of the High Sea-State Wave Field Encompassing Ship Slamming Events
Authors: Brandt A. , Mann J. L. , Rennie S. E. , Herzog A. P. , Criss T. B.
Published: April 2010

Understanding and modeling ship wave slamming necessitates characterizing the surface wave field that results in slamming events. Shipboard measurements of the incoming wave field were made during sea trials of the twin-hull Sea Fighter (FSF-1), using a three-dimensional (3D), stereo-optic imaging system. The data obtained were processed using an image matching algorithm resulting in 3D video sequences of the incoming wave field at forward speeds of 16–40 kt in head seas at sea state 4. Six wave slamming events were captured, characterized, and compared to the average wave field properties. It was found that the salient properties of the individual waves that resulted in ship slamming occurred in groups of two or more, were approximately 30% larger than the significant wave heights during the ∼2-min period encompassing the slamming events, and had wave slopes at least 2 times that of the preceding wave slope. Additionally, wave slamming corresponded to large ship pitching motions resulting from the incident waveforms.
Social Justice and Counseling Psychology: Listening to the Voices of Doctoral Trainees
Authors: Singh Anneliese A. , Hofsess Christy D. , Boyer Elizabeth M. , Kwong Agnes , Lau Allison S. M. , McLain Melissa , Haggins Kristee L.
Published: April 2010

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand counseling psychology doctoral trainees’ perceptions of social justice training in their academic programs. Participants ( N = 66) completed an online social justice survey with open-ended questions. Researchers identified major themes of participants’ responses (e.g., promotion of social equality, infusion across training contexts, training opportunities outside of programs, importance of “walking the talk”). Implications, future directions, and limitations of the study are presented.
Side-stepping Geneva: Japanese Troops under British Control, 1945–7
Authors: Connor Stephen
Published: April 2010

The grave political, humanitarian and economic crises facing Britain in Southeast Asia in August 1945 were first reflected in a remarkable ad hoc policy towards surrendered Japanese. To the alarm of civilian officials in London, the Geneva Convention was effectively suspended. Subsequently, the British used Japanese troops against nationalists and detained other Japanese for use as coolies, in clear breach of the Potsdam Declaration. These extreme measures — and frequent pleas for cheap American repatriation shipping — underlined Britain's lack of capability and starkly limited options. Nevertheless, Britain's influential status as victor also allowed it to impose controls unilaterally on prisoners, leaving a legacy that continues to reverberate in contemporary warfare.
Punting on the Thames: Electoral Betting in Interwar Britain
Authors: Beers Laura D.
Published: April 2010

Punters have been betting on election outcomes for as long as there have been competitive elections. Electoral spread betting is, however, a relatively recent phenomenon. This article explores the development of this practice in early twentieth-century Britain, charting the markets in election ‘Majorities’ in the period between 1910 and 1931. Unlike modern Internet-based spread betting, which has proved remarkably accurate in predicting election outcomes, interwar Majorities market traders were repeatedly wide of the mark. This article makes use of social science theory and historical analysis to explain the predictive failure of these interwar markets. Political punters, it argues, were drawn from a narrow socio-economic and geographic spectrum, and consequently did not have access to the range of information necessary to make informed decisions about politics. Further, the uncertain political environment — characterized by the rise of Labour, the quadrupling of the electorate between 1918 and 1928, and the emergence of genuine three-party politics in the 1920s — created unprecedented difficulties for would-be political punters. In retrospect, Labour's displacement of the Liberals and the hegemony of the interwar Conservative Party may seem inevitable, but at the time the progress of party politics struck both participants and observers as much less certain.
Shimon Peres and the French-Israeli Alliance, 1954–9
Authors: Ziv Guy
Published: April 2010

The years 1954 to 1959 mark the pinnacle in Israeli-French strategic relations. During this period, France did what no other major power was willing to do: it sold massive quantities of high-quality arms to the fledgling Jewish state, thereby dramatically shifting the Middle Eastern balance of power in Israel's favor. This article attempts to demonstrate that the ‘French connection’ was far from an inevitable consequence of mutual interests; rather, it was largely the brainchild of Shimon Peres, the then director-general of Israel's Ministry of Defense. It is shown that the situational factors that were conducive to the ‘French connection’ — for example, the mutual desire to defeat Egypt's President Gamal Abdul Nasser — were hardly apparent at that time to many key decision-makers in both France and Israel. Peres was able to succeed where the Foreign Ministry had failed by identifying situational nuances and bureaucratic opportunities that led to Israel's arms deals with France. By engaging in an active, personal diplomacy of a most unorthodox sort, Peres overcame both structural barriers and competing political interests, paving the road to the Israeli-French alliance.
Austrofascism: Revisiting the ‘Authoritarian State’ 40 Years On
Authors: Thorpe Julie
Published: April 2010

This article argues that the history of the Austrian state from 1933 to 1938 needs to be placed outside the constraints of Austrian historiography and located within transnational histories of European fascism. It challenges the consensus view in Austrian historiography that the state was authoritarian, rather than fascist, and argues that the connection between Austrian pan-German identity and the state's fascistizing policies in the media, education and population politics can shed light on the trajectory of Austrofascism in the 1930s.
Strange Encounters: Social Democracy and Radical Nationalism in Weimar Germany
Authors: Vogt Stefan
Published: April 2010

This article analyzes a current within Weimar Social Democracy that aimed at the transformation of socialism into a nationalist socialism. This current originated in the Hofgeismarkreis of the Jungsozialisten in the postwar years, whose members joined forces during the 1920s with notable intellectuals who advocated ethical and religious concepts of socialism and founded the journal Neue Blätter für den Sozialismus in 1930. These socialists were active in the Social Democratic Party and in its affiliate organizations, but at the same time they shared significant elements of the nationalist ideology of the radical right. This shared ideology was responsible for the group generating political ideas which deviated considerably from the official line of the Social Democratic Party, developing a highly problematic attitude toward National Socialism and attempting to create alliances with certain parts of the radical right. The members of the circle were more sensitive to the crisis that undermined the ideas of enlightenment and liberalism than many other Social Democrats. Yet, in considering political irrationalism not as a danger but as an opportunity to revive socialism, these socialists themselves became a factor of this crisis. In such a way, the circle's nationalist socialism contributed to the decline of the Weimar Republic.
Teaching Mathematics and Science Standards to Students With Moderate and Severe Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Browder Diane M. , Trela Katherine , Courtade Ginevra R. , Jimenez Bree A. , Knight Victoria , Flowers Claudia
Published: April 2010

This study evaluated strategies to teach secondary math and science content to students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities in a quasiexperimental group design with special education teachers randomly assigned to either the math or the science treatment group. Teachers in the math group implemented four math units representing four of the five national math standards. The science teachers implemented four science units representing three of eight national science content standards. A fourth standard, science as inquiry, was embedded within each of the units. Results showed students made gains in respective content areas. Students who received instruction in math scored higher than students who received instruction in science on the posttest of math skills. Likewise, students who received instruction in science scored higher than students who received instruction in math on the posttest of science vocabulary skills. Limitations and suggestions for future research and practice are discussed.
Challenges to Conceptualizing and Actualizing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: How Viable Is the Theory in Classroom Practice?
Authors: Young Evelyn
Published: April 2010

Although culturally relevant pedagogy is widely espoused and applied in educational research and practice, it is often not commonly understood as a conceptual framework that advocates the elements of academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness. This study was a grassroots attempt to work collaboratively with a group of administrators and teachers at one urban school to define, implement, and assess culturally relevant pedagogy as a viable pedagogical tool. A qualitative approach that used the combined methods of action research and critical case study was employed for this study. Findings revealed deep structural issues related to teachers’ cultural bias, the nature of racism in school settings, and the lack of support to adequately implement theories into practice. The study also recommends further inquiry-based dialogue among scholars and practitioners to more consistently utilize the theory in academic research and in classroom instruction.
The study of joint input and state estimation with Kalman filtering
Authors: Pan Shuwen , Su Hongye , Wang Hong , Chu Jian
Published: April 2010

The problem of joint input and state estimation is investigated for discrete-time stochastic systems with direct feedthrough from unknown inputs to outputs in this paper. A Kalman filter with unknown inputs (KF-UI) approach is derived with the weighted least-squares estimation method. The least-squares estimators for states and unknown inputs are proven inherently optimal in the minimum-variance and unbiased sense. In addition, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the least-squares estimation of unknown inputs and states are provided and it has been shown that no prior information of unknown inputs is required for the proposed KF-UI approach. Simulation results for a linear system are included to demonstrate the effectiveness and optimality of the proposed KF-UI approach.
Identification of sandwich systems with a dead zone using combinational input signals
Authors: Xie Yangqiu , Tan Yanghong , Dong Ruili
Published: April 2010

In this paper, an identification scheme for sandwich systems with a dead zone is proposed. In this scheme, a so-called combinational input is proposed to transform the sandwich model with a dead zone into a model with separated parameters. Then, the recursive general identification algorithm can be applied to the parameter-estimation, since the transformed model has a form that is linearized in coefficients. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the identification of an X–Y moving positioning stage.
Truancy in late elementary and early secondary education: The influence of social bonds and self-control— the TRAILS study
Authors: Veenstra René , Lindenberg Siegwart , Tinga Frank , Ormel Johan
Published: April 2010

Some pupils already show unexcused, illegal, surreptitious absences in elementary education or the first years of secondary education. Are weak social bonds (see also Hirschi, 1969) and a lack of self-control (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990) indicative of truancy at an early age? Of the children in our sample, 5% were persistent truants in late elementary education and early secondary education. Using multivariate analyses the influence of various predictors on persistent truancy was examined. Lack of attachment to norm-relevant significant others (parents and teachers) and lack of prosocial orientation were indicative of truancy. Social bonds with classmates had no effect on truancy. Other risk factors for truancy were: being a boy, early pubertal development, family breakup, and low socio-economic status. The effect of self-control on truancy was partially mediated by social bonds. The impact of social bonds to norm-relevant significant others suggests that early truancy can partly be prevented by focusing on children’s relations with parents at home and with teachers at school. Prevention of truancy is desirable because the likelihood of involvement in other deviant behavior increases for truants.
ACT Against Violence Parents Raising Safe Kids Program: Effects on Maltreatment-Related Parenting Behaviors and Beliefs
Authors: Knox Michele S. , Burkhart Kimberly , Hunter Kimberly E.
Published: April 2010

The ACT Against Violence Parents Raising Safe Kids program (ACT-PRSK) is an interactive violence prevention program developed by the American Psychological Association for parents of young children. The program teaches and supports parents in the areas of child development, roots and consequences of violence, anger management for adults and children, social problem solving, positive discipline, and the impact of media violence on children. Ninety-two parents/caregivers of young children participated in a study of the effects of the program on parenting behaviors. The first 50 participants were assigned to the intervention group and completed the ACT-PRSK program, and the remaining 42 parents/caregivers served as comparisons. Results indicated reduced spanking and reduced rate of hitting children with objects for the ACT-PRSK participants. Furthermore, the ACT-PRSK group evidenced improved knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs regarding violence prevention and parenting. Results provide support for the efficacy of this brief intervention for preventing child maltreatment.
“Is Anybody Listening?” Questioning the Local Bond Between LPFM Programmers and Their Audience
Authors: Conti Cynthia
Published: April 2010

In an effort to promote localism in U.S. broadcasting, the Federal Communications Commission began licensing Low-Power FM (LPFM) radio in January 2000. FCC rules require that LPFM stations are noncommercial, locally owned and operated, and broadcast at power of 100 watts or less, with signals that travel three to five miles. This article focuses on LPFM programmers’ statements of uncertainty about audience constitution and presence. Given that the establishment of LPFM service rides on the argument that, due to consolidation, there is a need for local stations to produce locally originated programming, serving unique community interests, it is striking to hear programmers reveal they are unsure if any community members are tuning in. In addition to raising questions about prevailing expectations for a form of radio imagined to be the essence of American broadcasting, their comments support claims made by scholars of media policy about the need to reconceptualize localism dur ing a period of media convergence.
Generation of Interpersonal Stressful Events
Authors: Bakker Martin P. , Ormel Johan , Lindenberg Siegwart , Verhulst Frank C. , Oldehinkel Albertine J.
Published: April 2010

This study developed two specifications of the social skills deficit stress generation hypothesis: the “gender-incongruence” hypothesis to predict peer victimization and the “need for autonomy” hypothesis to predict conflict with authorities. These hypotheses were tested in a prospective large population cohort of 2,064 Dutch young adolescents. Social skills and pubertal timing were measured when the sample was about 11 years old, and stressful life events were measured 2.5 years later at follow-up. As predicted by the gender-incongruence hypothesis, poor assertion in boys and poor self-control in girls were associated with peer victimization. Consistent with the need for autonomy hypothesis, poor self-control was associated with conflict with authorities, in both boys and girls. Furthermore, early physical maturation exacerbated the effect of poor self-control on conflict with authorities for both genders. These specific associations provide more insights in the pathways that result in the experience of interpersonal stressors in young adolescents.
Geographies of food: ‘Afters’
Authors: Cook Ian , Hobson Kersty , Hallett Lucius , Guthman Julie , Murphy Andrew , Hulme Alison , Sheller Mimi , Crewe Louise , Nally David , Roe Emma , Mather Charles , Kingsbury Paul , Slocum Rachel , Imai Shoko , Duruz Jean , Philo Chris , Buller Henry , Goodman Mike , Hayes-Conroy Allison , Hayes-Conroy Jessica , Tucker Lisa , Blake Megan , Le Heron Richard , Putnam Heather , Maye Damian , Henderson Heike
Published: April 2010

This third and final ‘Geographies of food’ review is based on an online blog conversation provoked by the first and second reviews in the series (Cook et al., 2006; 2008a). Authors of the work featured in these reviews — plus others whose work was not but should have been featured — were invited to respond to them, to talk about their own and other people’s work, and to enter into conversations about — and in the process review — other/new work within and beyond what could be called ‘food geographies’. These conversations were coded, edited, arranged, discussed and rearranged to produce a fragmentary, multi-authored text aiming to convey the rich and multi-stranded content, breadth and character of ongoing food studies research within and beyond geography.
Water and Sanitation Utilities in the Global South: Re-centering the Debate on “Efficiency”
Authors: Spronk Susan
Published: April 2010

This paper assesses the ideological arguments that sustain the belief that the private sector is more efficient than the public, which persist despite ambiguous empirical evidence. It argues that the privatization agenda rests on normative assumptions about “economic efficiency” that fail to adequately address the social goals of water and sanitation provision. The debate on “efficiency” should therefore be re-centered to consider “social efficiency” and the negative effect that privatization has on citizenship rights.

JEL codes: A13, N70, Q25
Water Policy in South Africa: Trust and Knowledge as Obstacles to Reform
Authors: Goldin Jaqueline Ann
Published: April 2010

The historical patterns of access to water and other areas of public service delivery in South Africa have been markedly skewed. Despite the reversal of the regime and the fact that South Africa is a middle-income country, there are a significant number of people who are water-poor and poor in governance and institutional capacity to manage water. The recurring themes in integrated water resource management, reticulation pipes, weirs and pumps, stream flow regulations, and ecological requirements are dominant in water sector discourse and are alienating for those who do not master the language. There are constraints determined by racial, economic, or social structures that retain and reproduce dominant power relations. The paper considers the relationship between knowledge, agency, and shame and posits that unequal relations of power and knowledge restrict agency, jeopardize the building of trust, and may perpetuate feelings of shame. The role of the state in opening up water policy networks and redressing issues of knowledge, power, and agency is critical.

JEL codes: Q25, Q34, Q28, H75
Fixing and Nixing: The Politics of Water Privatization
Authors: Ahlers Rhodante
Published: April 2010

Social uprisings in response to privatization dynamics in the water sector have triggered widespread debate on the social and ecological impact of neoliberal water policies. Much of this debate remains in the urban and domestic water sector, thereby disregarding the struggles of marginalized urban and rural producers who use water for multiple purposes. Furthermore, while private providers are blamed for prioritizing profit over people, it is increasingly clear that while water may be a valuable commodity, the sector as a whole inhibits long-term profitability. Instead, using the concept of “accumulation by dispossession,” the current process of privatization is understood as a new round of enclosures of the commons, implemented by a neoliberal state to open up new territories to capitalist development and to capitalist forms of market behavior. The contraction of global markets and the reconfiguration of the public sector as notions of nation and citizenship take on new meanings allow for the commodification and privatization of public goods and assets. Using the case of a Mexican irrigation district the paper shows how notions of scarcity are mobilized during neoliberal reform to reconfigure social relations of agricultural production so as to free up land, water, and labor for the market. This has not only resulted in large-scale dispossession of land and water, but also in stripping a group of their collective rights, and thereby dismantling a collective identity forged on past struggles over land and water.

JEL Codes: Q15, Q25, Q28
Book Review Essay: Calling for an End to Second-Class Shitizenship
Authors: Cohen Art
Published: April 2010

Recent publication of two books and a technology compendium signal the urgency of devoting public attention to the lingering issue of inadequate sanitation for 40 percent of the world’s people living in many of the world’s cities and rural areas. The Last Taboo and The Big Necessity explore in detail the history, current predicaments, and future prospects for improving sanitation. The compendium describes a full range of technologies available to implement this improvement.

JEL codes: I18, Q56, Q57
Heavy metals stabilization in medical waste incinerator fly ash using alkaline assisted supercritical water technology
Authors: Jian Jin  , Xiaodong Li  , Yong Chi  , Jianhua Yan
Published: April 2010

This study investigated the process of aluminosilicate formation in medical waste incinerator fly ash containing large amounts of heavy metals and treated with alkaline compounds at 375°C and examined how this process affected the mobility and availability of the metals. As a consequence of the treatments, the amount of dissolved heavy metals, and thus their mobility, was greatly reduced, and the metal leaching concentration was below the legislative regulations for metal leachability. Moreover, this process did not produce a high concentration of heavy metals in the effluent. The addition of alkaline compounds such as sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate can prevent certain heavy metal ions dissolving in water. In comparison with the alkaline-free condition, the extracted concentrations of As, Mn, Pb, Sr and Zn were decreased by about 51.08, 97.22, 58.33, 96.77 and 86.89% by the addition of sodium hydroxide and 66.18, 86.11, 58.33, 83.87 and 81.91% by the addition of sodium carbonate. A mechanism for how the formation of aluminosilicate occurred in supercritical water and affected the mobility and availability of the heavy metals is discussed. The reported results could be useful as basic knowledge for planning new technologies for the hydrothermal stabilization of heavy metals in fly ash.
Evaluation of biological methods for a future methodological implementation of the Hazard criterion H14 ‘ecotoxic’ in the European waste list (2000/532/EC)
Authors: Moser Heidrun , Roembke Joerg , Donnevert Gerhild , Becker Roland
Published: April 2010

The ecotoxicological characterization of waste is part of its assessment as hazardous or non-hazardous according to the European Waste List. For this classification 15 hazard criteria are derived from the Council Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste. Some of the hazard criteria are based on the content of dangerous substances. The criterion H14 ‘ecotoxic’ lacks of an assessment and testing strategy and no specific threshold values have been defined so far. Based on the recommendations of CEN guideline 14735 (2005), an international round robin test (ring test) was organized by the German Federal Environment Agency in order to define suitable test methods for the biological assessment of waste and waste eluates. A basic test battery, consisting of three aquatic and three terrestrial tests, was compiled. In addition, data were submitted for ten additional tests (five aquatic (including a genotoxicity test) and five terrestrial ones). The tests were performed with three representative waste types: an ash from an incineration plant, a soil containing high concentrations of organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and a preserved wood waste. The results of this ring test confirm that a combination of a battery of biological tests and chemical residual analysis is needed for an ecotoxicological characterization of wastes. With small modifications the basic test battery is considered to be well suitable for the hazard and risk assessment of wastes and waste eluates. All results and documents are accessible via a web-based data bank application.
Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: Profiles of Juvenile Offenders
Authors: Mowder Melissa H. , Cummings Jack A. , McKinney Robert
Published: April 2010

An exploratory study of resiliency profiles of male and female juvenile offenders committed to a juvenile correctional facility was conducted. The goal of the present study was to examine juvenile offenders’ positive characteristics (e.g., adaptability, optimism, self-efficacy, tolerance of differences). To assess positive characteristics and vulnerabilities, 215 male and female juvenile offenders completed The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents . K-means cluster analysis identified four resiliency profiles among the sample of juvenile offenders. The clusters were analyzed using ANOVA to determine how they differed on the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents, as well as demographic factors (e.g., age, age when incarcerated, number of months incarcerated prior to survey completion, number of educational credits obtained) and behavioral indicators (number of major infractions and visits to segregation 30 days before survey completion). Differences in the four resiliency profiles are discussed in respect to these factors. Discussion of the four resiliency profiles illuminates the importance of identifying areas of strength to help mitigate against risk factors for juvenile offending and to prevent recidivism.
Window of Opportunity? Adolescence, Music, and Algebra
Authors: Helmrich Barbara H.
Published: April 2010

Research has suggested that musicians process music in the same cortical regions that adolescents process algebra. An early adolescence synaptogenesis might present a window of opportunity during middle school for music to create and strengthen enduring neural connections in those regions. Six school districts across Maryland provided scores from the 2006-2007 administrations of the Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis High School Assessment. Findings from a sample of 6,026 adolescents showed that students enrolled in formal instrumental or choral music instruction during middle school outperformed those who experienced neither of those modes of musical instruction. Significant mean differences in algebra achievement occurred between the instrumental and neither-instruction groups (13.34, p < .001) and between the choral and neither-instruction groups (3.82, p < .001). For African Americans, means significantly differed between the choral and neither-instruction groups (9.39, p < .001). The greatest mean difference between any two comparison groups occurred between the instrumental and neither-instruction groups of African Americans (18.87, p < .001).
Effects of cement flue dust from a cement factory on stress parameters and diversity of aquatic plants
Authors: Erdal Serkan , Demirtas Ayten
Published: April 2010

Cement kiln dusts, made of a complex mixture of elements, include high levels of heavy metals such as fluoride, magnesium, lead, cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper, beryllium and some toxic compounds. Because of the toxic element compositions and radioactive isotope properties of cement kiln dusts, not only terrestrial but also aquatic ecosystems are subjected to greater stress. In the present paper, we investigated the effects of pollution caused by Askale-Erzurum cement factory (CF) on the stress parameters and diversity of aquatic plants. For this purpose, aquatic plant species were collected from the outer zone of the CF. Only three (Lemna minor, Ceratophyllum submersum and Potamogeton natans) of these species were able to be determined in the CF zone. Antioxidant enzyme activities of the collected aquatic plants were measured and compared to their controls. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of P. natans in the CF zone was significantly high compared to their respective control, while it was low in L. minor and C. submersum compared to their controls. Similarly, peroxidase (POX) activity of P. natans was high, while those of L. minor and C. submersum were low compared to their respective controls. On the other side, while catalase (CAT) activities of L. minor and C. submersum were low, that of P. natans did not show an important change compared to their respective controls. Furthermore, we found that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of all the studied plants were also very high compared to their controls. According to these results, it is clear that pollution caused by the CF reduced diversity and number of aquatic plant species. Besides, the obtained data revealed that P. natans have a more resistant defense system than other species.
Effect of ApoE ε4 Allele on Visual Evoked Potentials and Resultant Flow Coupling in Patients With Alzheimer
Authors: Rosengarten Bernhard , Paulsen Sonke , Burr Ole , Kaps Manfred
Published: April 2010

The apolipoprotein E ε4 (ApoE ε4) allele is a strong susceptibility factor for Alzheimer disease, which promotes neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular dysfunction. To address this issue in more detail, we simultaneously obtained visual evoked potentials and resultant hemodynamic responses in newly diagnosed Alzheimer patients without signs of vascular lesions on a cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Patients were grouped according to ApoE genotype (n = 19 ApoE ε4 carrier and n = 12 noncarrier). ApoE ε4 carrier had significantly longer peak latencies and a trend to higher interpeak latencies of late potential components. Potential amplitudes and hemodynamic responses were similar in both groups. At the incidental stage of disease process, it appears that the ApoE ε4 allele mainly promotes neuronal dysfunction rather than aggravates neurovascular dysfunction. Studies with larger patient samples are warranted to corroborate the first findings.
Pittsburgh Compound B (11C-PIB) and Fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) PET in Patients With Alzheimer Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Healthy Controls
Authors: Devanand D.P. , Mikhno Arthur , Pelton Gregory H. , Cuasay Katrina , Pradhaban Gnanavalli , Dileep Kumar J.S. , Upton Neil , Lai Robert , Gunn Roger N. , Libri V. , Xinhua Liu  , van Heertum Ronald , Mann J. John , Parsey Ramin V.
Published: April 2010

Amyloid load in the brain using Pittsburgh compound B (11C-PIB) positron emission tomography (PET) and cerebral glucose metabolism using fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET were evaluated in patients with mild Alzheimer disease (AD, n = 18), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 24), and controls (CTR, n = 18). 11C-PIB binding potential (BPND) was higher in prefrontal cortex, cingulate, parietal cortex, and precuneus in AD compared to CTR or MCI and in prefrontal cortex for MCI compared to CTR. For 18F-FDG, regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRGlu) was decreased in precuneus and parietal cortex in AD compared to CTR and MCI, with no MCI—CTR differences. For the AD—CTR comparison, precuneus BPND area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was 0.938 and parietal cortex rCMRGlu AUC was 0.915; for the combination, AUC was 0.989. 11C-PIB PET BPND clearly distinguished diagnostic groups and combined with 18F-FDG PET rCMRGlu, this effect was stronger. These PET techniques provide complementary information in strongly distinguishing diagnostic groups in cross-sectional comparisons that need testing in longitudinal studies.
The Reliability and Practicality of the Arkansas Method Assay of Isoniazid Adherence
Authors: Schmitz Katharine E. , Hovell Melbourne F. , Wong Charlene A. , Kelley Norma J. , Nilsen Donata , Blumberg Elaine J. , Hill Linda L. , Sipan Carol L. , Kolody Bo , Chatfield Dale A.
Published: April 2010

The Arkansas method (AM) for isoniazid (INH) metabolite detection is a relatively inexpensive, simple, objective measure of adherence. The purpose of the study was to explore whether variations in urine sample handling and storage will produce accurate assay outcomes. Participants were a convenience sample of 28 adults and adolescents prescribed INH for latent tuberculosis infection. Participants provided one sample to test effects of the following: mixing processes; durations at room temperature, in a refrigerator, or frozen; and effects of freeze/thaw cycles on AM outcomes. No manipulations had a discernible impact on outcomes with concordant positive rates from 85% to 100%. Concordance rates of manipulated samples did not appear to differ from rates of norm samples. Results suggest that urine samples can withstand a variety of manipulations in both handling and storage without affecting the accuracy of AM assay results. These findings have important implications for providers of treatment and researchers and provide the impetus for both to examine the potential of using the AM of INH metabolite testing as a measure of medication adherence.
Functional Status After Childbirth and Related Concepts
Authors: Aktan Nadine M.
Published: April 2010

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between functional status after childbirth and related concepts. The sample consisted of 177 women. The Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) 85—Part 2, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Inventory of Functional Status After Childbirth (IFSAC) were used to measure variables. Data were collected during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 6 weeks postpartum. Overall, this group had relatively low levels of anxiety and high levels of social support and functional status after childbirth. The STAI demonstrated coefficient αs from .90 to .93, the PRQ 85-Part 2 .87 to .93, and the IFSAC .90. The relationship between state anxiety in the postpartum period and FSAC ( r = -.204, p = .008) was significant. Additional significant findings between social support, anxiety, and subscales of the IFSAC were found. Nurses must understand these relationships to develop and implement effective interventions. This study is clinically relevant to nurses involved in caring for pregnant and postpartum clients.
Collective Memory, International Law, and Restorative Social Processes After Conflagration: The Holocaust
Authors: Gallant Mary J. , Rhea Harry M.
Published: April 2010

Collective memory after war, atrocity, and genocide may continue to bind surviving generations in a vortex of violence because remembrance of the cruelty is so vivid. Yet, collective memory as it was conceptualized originally is associated with constructive social change as society adjusts to a variety of kinds of forces. The Holocaust (1933—1945) as a model of genocide represents both an immense human tragedy and what happens at a breakpoint in the values sustaining society and collective memory. Holocaust survivor generations in Israel and Germany or elsewhere, however, have not succumbed to a cycle of vengeance after genocide and atrocity. International law may have influenced this outcome. It has played a major role in addressing human rights abuse and good governance of peoples and trade since 1945. Looking at the lived experience of atrocity and the importance of social processes that restore lives and community in the aftermath of conflagration, this article explores the interplay between collective memory and international law associated with World War II and the Holocaust.
Early Administration of Small-Molecule Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors Before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Insights From Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Dong Lili , Zhang Feng , Shu Xianhong
Published: April 2010

Background: Current guidelines recommend abciximab (ReoPro) as an adjunctive pharmacologic agent to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, small-molecule glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors (smGPIs), such as tirofiban (aggrastat) and eptifibatide (integrilin), are more commonly used in clinical practice. Method and Result: We performed a meta-analysis to compare the safety and efficacy of early administration of smGPIs versus abciximab before PPCI. The literature was scanned by formal searches of electronic databases from January 1990 to April 2009. A total of 4 randomized trials meeting the prespecified criteria were analyzed, involving 2040 patients. Rates of initial Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study (TIMI) 3 flow before procedure as well as complete ST resolution after PPCI were not inferior in smGPIs group compared with abciximab group (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, P = .31; and OR 1.05, P = .66, respectively). There was no significant difference in the risk of 30-day (OR 0.83, P = .54) or 8-month mortality (OR 0.78, P = .43) between smGPI and abciximab group. With regard to the safety end points, neither the major nor the minor bleeding complications in smGPIs group differed significantly from those in abciximab group (OR 1.32, P = .43; and OR 0.82, P = .37, respectively). Conclusion: This meta-analysis shows that early administration of smGPIs is as effective as abciximab in the setting of PPCI for STEMI, without an increase in bleeding complications.
Cyclosporine Does Not Reduce Myocardial Infarct Size in a Porcine Ischemia-Reperfusion Model
Authors: Karlsson Lars O. , Zhou Alex-Xianghua , Larsson Erik , Åström-Olsson Karin , Månsson Chrichan , Akyürek Levent M. , Grip Lars
Published: April 2010

Cyclosporine A (CsA) has been shown to protect against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in small animal models. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of CsA on myocardial I/R injury in a porcine model. Pigs were randomized between CsA (10mg/kg; n = 12) or placebo (n = 15) and anesthetized with either isoflurane (phase I) or pentobarbital (phase II). By catheterization, the left descending coronary artery was occluded for 45 minutes, followed by reperfusion for 2 hours. Hearts were stained to quantify area at risk (AAR) and infarct size (IS). Myocardial biopsies were obtained for terminal dUTP nick end labeling and immunoblot analysis of proapoptotic proteins (apoptosis-inducing factor [AIF], BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19-kd interacting protein 3 [BNIP-3], and active caspase-3). Cyclosporine A did not reduce IS/AAR compared with placebo (49% vs 41%, respectively; P = .21). Pigs anesthetized with isoflurane had lower IS/AAR than pigs anesthetized with pentobarbital (39% vs 51%, respectively; P = .03). This reduction in IS/AAR seemed to be attenuated by CsA. Apoptosis-inducing factor protein expression was higher after CsA administration than after placebo (P = .02). Thus, CsA did not protect against I/R injury in this porcine model. The data suggest a possible deleterious interaction of CsA and isoflurane.