bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Perpetrator Motivation in Two Crime Scenarios
Authors: Sizemore O. J.
Published: July 2012

Undergraduate volunteers ( n = 134) were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 design that manipulated type of crime (rape vs. robbery) and perpetrator motivation (anger vs. desire). After reading one of the crime scenarios, participants responded to a series of attitude items regarding responsibility for the crime, assigned blame to agents mentioned in the scenario, and assigned a prison sentence to the perpetrator. A two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction of motivation and crime ( p = .026), with the victim rated least responsible in the anger-motivated rape scenario. Likewise, the assignment of blame produced a significant interaction of motivation and crime ( p = .034); the victim was blamed the least in the anger-motivated rape scenario. Although the perpetrator was viewed as more responsible for the crime of rape than robbery ( p = .022) and received a significantly longer sentence for rape ( p < .001), perpetrator motivation did not affect perceptions of the perpetrator’s responsibility for either crime. These results stand in contrast to those of Mitchell, Angelone, Kohlberger, and Hirschman (2009) and suggest their findings may have been the result of homophobic statements by the perpetrator rather than anger per se.
Teacher Preparation in Moderate and Severe Disabilities
Authors: Whetstone Patti , Abell Michael , Collins Belva C. , Kleinert Harold L.
Published: July 2012

Teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities must possess the skills and knowledge to address a unique set of needs and challenges. These may include, but are not limited to, management of challenging behaviors, performance of health-related procedures, use of assistive technology, and instruction using evidence-based strategies. This article describes the process undertaken by a higher education consortium of faculty with expertise in low incidence disabilities from across institutions of higher education in Kentucky to address the challenge of supporting 1st year teachers (i.e., interns) when assigned mentors and administrators who do not have expertise in this area. This consortium addressed this challenge by creating two documents: (a) an alignment of state standards to professional standards and (b) an addendum to the state internship materials. The intent of this article is to share the development process with others who may wish to design similar documents to address state and national standards for teacher interns.
Safe Schools, Staff Development, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Authors: Gonsoulin Simon , Zablocki Mark , Leone Peter E.
Published: July 2012

Zero-tolerance policies have created schools that are often intolerant and destructive to children and communities. High rates of suspension and expulsion of students are associated with negative outcomes and school dropout. New approaches to staff development that create positive school communities are essential in stemming the “school-to-prison pipeline.” Changing school culture to a system that supports youth development and minimizes the use of punitive, ineffective responses to behavior problems is a challenge. Staff development that involves the school and larger community in a three-tiered staff development system, however, can play an essential role in the transformation of the school. The authors review best practices in staff development in the context of changing school management and discipline practices, and recommend alternatives to ways in which schools respond to chronic and serious violations of the school behavioral code.
Loneliness as Experienced by Women Living With Chronic Illness in Rural Areas
Authors: Marcille Lisa Ann , Cudney Shirley , Weinert Clarann
Published: July 2012

Purpose: The purposes were to identify loneliness in rural women with chronic conditions and to identify the major themes represented in their descriptions of their feelings of loneliness. Design: This study was a secondary analysis of data collected during a 22-week computer-based support and health online intervention in which rural women participated in virtual forums that allowed them to share life experiences. Method: Quantitative data were gathered from participants’ self-reported loneliness via the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Qualitative data analysis consisted of seeking loneliness themes imbedded in the participants’ online exchanges. Findings: High scores on the loneliness scale indicated a high degree of expressed loneliness, with possible scores of 20 to 80. The range of scores for all participants ( n = 57) was 21 to 68; for those in the upper quartile ( n = 12), the range was 52 to 68. Loneliness themes identified were longing for loved ones, changing relationships, listening in the background, and impact of rural factors. Conclusions: Because loneliness has been described as a painful experience and can have long-reaching effects on an individual’s health, it is a factor to be considered in planning nursing care for individuals who may be at risk because of physical and/or emotional isolation.
Christianity and the Responsibility to Protect
Authors: Glanville Luke
Published: July 2012

The ‘responsibility to protect’ (RtoP) concept has rapidly taken a prominent place in international debates about how to ensure the protection of civilians from mass atrocities in places such as Libya, the Congo, and Darfur. This article argues that RtoP has deep roots both in Scripture and also in Christian political thought of the last two millennia. In particular, it observes that, whereas twentieth-century arguments for ‘humanitarian intervention’ framed the protection of strangers and foreigners as a discretionary right, RtoP echoes Ambrose of Milan and others in framing such protection as a duty. It further suggests that the emphasis of RtoP on the responsibility to work with states and to help build their capacity to protect their civilians, rather than waiting until military intervention is necessary, holds the promise of advancing the Christian principle of assisting the vulnerable while, at least in some instances, avoiding thorny and divisive debates about the justice of war.
Dynamic characterization of the rectangular piston seal in a disk-caliper braking system using analytical and experimental methods
Authors: Liette Jared , Dreyer Jason , Singh Rajendra
Published: July 2012

A new simplified, yet representative experiment of a floating dual-piston disk-caliper braking system is designed to isolate the rectangular seal and the piston–bore chamber from the complexities of a braking system. The physical sources of the stiffness and damping mechanisms associated with the seal during an applied pressure event are identified and quantified under harmonic excitation. A tractable analytical model of the experiment that incorporates the identified dynamic seal properties is proposed. This linear time-invariant model describes the governing equations of both the hydraulic brake system components and the mechanical caliper components and provides some insights into a seemingly nonlinear system. For a range of pressure amplitudes and brake configurations, excellent agreement between predictions and measurements is obtained for the peak-to-peak values of the piston–bore chamber pressure, the force transmitted by the pistons, and the caliper displacement. The proposed model and experiment could be utilized in brake control, vibration, and pedal feel studies.
Working Memory Capacity, Attentional Focus, and Problem Solving
Authors: Wiley Jennifer , Jarosz Andrew F.
Published: July 2012

Attentional focus is important for many cognitive processes, including problem solving. In this article, we discuss working memory capacity (WMC), a construct related to the ability to focus attention, and its differential effects on analytic and creative problem solving. One of the main ways in which WMC benefits analytic problem solving seems to be that it helps problem solvers to control their attention, resist distraction, and narrow their search through a problem space. Conversely, several lines of recent evidence have shown that too much focus can actually harm performance on creative problem-solving tasks.
Melodic similarity among folk songs: An annotation study on similarity-based categorization in music
Authors: Volk Anja , van Kranenburg Peter
Published: July 2012

In this article we determine the role of different musical features for the human categorization of folk songs into tune families in a large collection of Dutch folk songs. Through an annotation study we investigate the relation between musical features, perceived similarity and human categorization in music. We introduce a newly developed annotation method which is used to create an annotation data set for 360 folk song melodies in 26 tune families. This dataset delivers valuable information on the contribution of musical features to the process of categorization which is based on assessing the similarity between melodies. The analysis of the annotation data set reveals that the importance of single musical features for assessing similarity varies both between and within tune families. In general, the recurrence of short characteristic motifs is most relevant for the perception of similarity between songs belonging to the same tune family. Global melodic features often used for the description of melodies (such as melodic contour) play a less important role. The annotation data set is a valuable resource for further research on melodic similarity and can be used as enriched “ground truth” to test various kinds of retrieval algorithms in Music Information Retrieval. Our annotation study exemplifies that assessing similarity is crucial for human categorization processes, which has been questioned within Cognitive Science in the context of rule-based approaches to categorization.
Evaluation of Atropine 1% Ophthalmic Solution Administered Sublingually for the Management of Terminal Respiratory Secretions
Authors: Protus Bridget McCrate , Grauer Phyllis A. , Kimbrel Jason M.
Published: July 2012

Terminal respiratory secretions (TRS) or “death rattle” is a common symptom in the dying patient. Current practice for the prevention and treatment of TRS involves the use of oral, sublingual, transdermal, or parenteral anticholinergic medications. A retrospective chart review of patients admitted to a hospice inpatient unit for terminal care and treated with sublingual atropine 1% ophthalmic drops for TRS was conducted. A total of 19 of 22 patients treated with atropine had documented reduction or resolution of TRS. This study suggests that atropine 1% ophthalmic drops administered sublingually are a reasonable option for the management of TRS. Problematic cardiac or central nervous system symptoms were not found in the present study. Results should aid hospice programs who are seeking guidance on the management of TRS with atropine 1% ophthalmic drops.
Can Gradual Dose Titration of Ketamine for Management of Neuropathic Pain Prevent Psychotomimetic Effects in Patients With Advanced Cancer?
Authors: Okamoto Yoshiaki , Tsuneto Satoru , Tanimukai Hitoshi , Matsuda Yoichi , Ohno Yumiko , Tsugane Mamiko , Uejima Etsuko
Published: July 2012

Background:

Ketamine is often used to manage neuropathic pain in patients with cancer. However, it occasionally causes psychotomimetic effects such as vivid dreams, nightmares, illusions, hallucinations, and altered body image. Objective: To examine whether gradual dose titration of ketamine for management of neuropathic pain prevents psychotomimetic effects in patients with advanced cancer.

Methods:

This was a retrospective chart review. We administered ketamine when neuropathic pain in patients with advanced cancer became refractory to opioids and oral adjuvant analgesics. The starting dose of ketamine was 10 mg/d by continuous intravenous infusion. The dose was gradually increased by 10 mg/d every 4 to 6 hours to 50 mg/d or until the pain was relieved. It was subsequently increased by 25 mg/d every 12 to 24 hours until the pain was relieved.

Results:

For this study, we enrolled 46 patients with advanced cancer. The mean age was 52.2 ± 16.9 years. The mean dose at onset of action and maximum dose of ketamine were 56 ± 58 and 272 ± 214 mg/d, respectively. The mean pain intensity (numerical rating scale) decreased significantly from 7.3 ± 2.0 to 3.5 ± 2.2 after the administration of ketamine ( P < .01). The effectiveness was 69.5%. No psychotomimetic effect of less than 300 mg/d was observed during the introduction phase even though psychotropic drugs were not prescribed. Mild sedation was observed in 3 patients (7%) as the only adverse effect during the introduction phase.

Conclusion:

Gradual dose titration of ketamine for management of neuropathic pain can prevent psychotomimetic effects in patients with advanced cancer.
Cross-National and Cross-Ethnic Differences in Attitudes
Authors: Kankaraš Miloš , Moors Guy
Published: July 2012

Minorities’ attitudes can be compared to attitudes of fellow citizen within the host country as well as to attitudes of the motherland. Given the heterogeneity of Luxembourg’s minority groups, this country is a relevant example case in which the comparison needs to involve answering a two-folded question. First, the authors analyze the level of measurement equivalence, that is, the extent to which different groups can be compared. Second, the authors examine whether ethnic-cultural groups within Luxembourg resemble citizens from their native country more than their country of residence. Using European Values Study (EVS) data from 2008 the authors demonstrate different types of outcomes. Results indicate that cultural background is more important than national context in the case of culturally more distant minorities to Luxembourg’s resident population and that national setting is the prevailing factor when minorities are from neighboring countries. The effect of a common national setting is also important with regards to the issue of measurement equivalence, where it contributes to greater comparability of intranational, cross-ethnic comparisons.
Thrombosis in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms With JAK2V617F Mutation
Authors: Sun Tiantian , Zhang Lei
Published: July 2012

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders and are characterized by advanced proliferation and survival advantage. These abnormalities are considered to derive from the point mutation in exon 14 of the Janus kinase 2 genes (JAK2 V617F). The thrombosis rate and the high prevalence of JAK2V617F in patients with MPN suggest that there is an association between the 2 in MPN. Apart from the mutation, other variables are documented to cause endothelial dysfunction and involve in thrombotic tendency. Endothelial progenitor cells differentiated from hematopoietic stem cell in patients with JAK2V617F MPN play an indispensable role in initiating and modulating neoangiogenesis. Although a risk-oriented therapeutic approach has been applied to MPN treatments, the further study on pathogenesis of MPN may provide more novel preventions and therapies for MPN.
Murine Monoclonal Antibody to Platelet Factor 4/Heparin Complexes as a Potential Reference Standard for Platelet Activation Assays in Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Asada Reiko , Wanaka Keiko , Walenga Jeanine , Prechel Margaret , Miyashita Kumiko , Escalante Vicki , Kaneko Chieko , Hoshino Nobuhiro , Oosawa Mitsuru , Matsuo Miyako
Published: July 2012

Quality control of the platelet activation assays to diagnose heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), 14C-serotonin release assay (SRA) and platelet aggregation test (PAT) has yet to be established due to lack of reference standards and the difficulty of obtaining significant amounts of HIT antibodies from patients with HIT. We prepared a murine monoclonal antibody to human platelet factor 4 (hPF4)/heparin complexes (HIT-MoAb) and investigated the platelet activating action of HIT-MoAb by using SRA and PAT. The HIT-MoAb activated human platelets at low heparin concentration and the platelet activations were inhibited at high heparin concentration in both SRA and PAT. The HIT-MoAb produced a concentration-dependent effect. Moreover, the platelet activation at low heparin concentration was inhibited by anti-FcγRIIa antibody. These results indicated that HIT-MoAb has characteristics similar to human HIT antibodies regarding heparin-dependent platelet activation. Therefore, it is suggested that HIT-MoAb has the potential to be a positive control or reference standard in platelet activation assays.
“Don’t Be a Whore, That’s Not Ladylike”
Authors: Berbary Lisbeth A.
Published: July 2012

While multiple and competing understandings of sororities exist in popular culture, academic research on sororities tends to homogenize the experience of sorority women, simplifying their existence to a quantitative understanding of specific behaviors such as those associated with binge drinking, eating disorders, and heterosexuality. Specifically, it ignores processes of discursive discipline that converge to disseminate social expectations, maintain dominant discourse, conceal processes of social control, and limit possibilities for gendered subjectivity. Therefore, in order to provide a more complex understanding of sorority women’s gendered subjectivity and to produce research cognizant of cultural discourse, this study explored sorority women’s experiences through an ethnographic lens informed by poststructural theory. Represented by creative analytic practice as an ethnographic screenplay, this research provides contextualized insight into societal relationships of power and gender as they produce and reproduce specific historical and cultural regimes. In particular, I contextualize the experiences of sorority women, explore the dissemination and discipline of femininity within the sorority, and show how such discipline relates to Foucauldian theorizations.
A Qualitative Analysis of the School Experiences of Students With Asperger Syndrome
Authors: Sciutto Mark , Richwine Sally , Mentrikoski Janelle , Niedzwiecki Kathryn
Published: July 2012

In this study, adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) and caregivers of children with AS provided firsthand accounts of school-related challenges and influential instructional practices. A total of 94 participants (59 parents, 27 adults with AS, and 8 unspecified) completed an online survey containing open-ended questions about their (or their children’s) school-related experiences. Participants identified specific areas of need (e.g., bullying, misunderstood intentions) related to understanding children with AS. In addition, participants described teacher qualities and instructional practices (e.g., strategies for communicating that the child is an asset, methods of structuring the environment for success) that had a positive impact on their (or their children’s) school experiences. Implications for teacher training and school-based interventions are highlighted.
Con
Authors: Sullivan Breandan Lawrence
Published: July 2012

Ultra-fast-track anesthesia for cardiac surgery introduces risks to the patient that may be mitigated by transferring the patient to the intensive care unit with a secure airway. These risks include poorly controlled pain leading to catecholamine surges that result in arrhythmias, strain on fresh suture lines, and potentially myocardial ischemia. On the converse side, the patients frequently require titration of potent narcotic pain medicine that can lead to hypoxemia and hypercarbia in the immediate postoperative stage causing myocardial dysfunction. Finally, the economic benefit of ultra-fast-track anesthesia is questionable and until there is a complete cost analysis that includes operating room time, cost of ultra-fast-track medications, and compares the cost of reintubation and delayed surgical operation, it is difficult to weigh in on the cost benefit advocated in the literature.
Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research
Authors: Gioia Dennis A. , Corley Kevin G. , Hamilton Aimee L.
Published: July 2012

For all its richness and potential for discovery, qualitative research has been critiqued as too often lacking in scholarly rigor. The authors summarize a systematic approach to new concept development and grounded theory articulation that is designed to bring “qualitative rigor” to the conduct and presentation of inductive research.
The Undoing and Doing of Sexual Identity among Heterosexual Men with HIV in Australia
Authors: Persson Asha
Published: July 2012

This article explores the tendency among heterosexual men with HIV in Australia to declare their sexual identity in a way that is otherwise atypical among heterosexuals. This apparent need to articulate heterosexuality tends to create a sense of discomfort within the local HIV sector, partly because it seems curiously anomalous, and partly because, on the face of it, it lends itself to a perception of homophobia. The author seeks to examine this phenomenon more closely in order to identify and unpack the meanings surrounding it. In doing so, the author draws on qualitative interviews with heterosexual men with HIV and on her long-term collaboration with an HIV health promotion service for heterosexuals living with HIV. The author argues that, to understand these men’s compulsion to name their sexual identity, we need to understand the intersections between the cultural force of heteronormativity and the profoundly homosexual history of the HIV epidemic in Australia, which brings into sharp focus the “undoing” and “doing” of heterosexual masculinity.
The inclusion of quantitative techniques and diversity in the mainstream of feminist research
Authors: Spierings Niels
Published: July 2012

Much is written about quantitative techniques and feminist and gender studies. Despite convincing arguments in favour of utilizing these methods, they are still largely absent in the heartland of gender studies. In this article, this is related to the observation that methods are tied to epistemological positions and consequently quantitative studies are a priori associated with overgeneralization. A new perspective – the diversity continuum – is presented in order to contextualize research and make it possible to judge it relatively. This shows that quantitative research can increase the understanding of differences and similarities. Subsequently, it is discussed how quantitative research can be utilized to understand differences between people using existing basic techniques. In line with the conceptualization of diversity, this includes techniques to study intersectionality and how developments have different effects on men and women. The continuum and techniques are illustrated by an example of political interest (in the Dominican Republic).
Social democracy’s mobilization of new constituencies
Authors: Arndt Christoph
Published: July 2012

Social democratic parties have changed their electoral appeals substantially to cater to new voter segments. This article examines social democracy’s fortunes in attracting new voters among the salaried middle class across different electoral systems. Previous research ignored the importance of electoral systems and was inconclusive as to whether social democratic parties succeeded in mobilizing new constituencies. I argue that electoral systems play a crucial role since proportional systems enhance the electoral competiveness of left-libertarian parties, social democracy’s most serious challengers among the salaried middle class. In contrast, majoritarian systems allow social democratic parties to gain a foothold among these voters as left-libertarians remain marginalized. Using ISSP data for 11 Western democracies, the findings demonstrate that social democratic parties were outperformed by their left-libertarian challengers among the salaried middle class under highly proportional systems, but not under majoritarian systems.
Mediterranean diet and familial dysmetabolism as factors influencing the development of acne
Authors: Skroza Nevena , Tolino Ersilia , Semyonov Leda , Proietti Ilaria , Bernardini Nicoletta , Nicolucci Francesca , La Viola Giorgio , Del Prete Giuseppe , Saulle Rosella , Potenza Concetta , La Torre Giuseppe
Published: July 2012

Aim: To investigate the effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and familial dysmetabolisms on acne development. Methods: A community-based case–control study was carried out in Italy enrolling cases as acneic outpatients of a dermatological ambulatory service and controls as clinically healthy acne-free subjects. Food consumption were evaluated with a validated food-frequency questionnaire, exploring the consumption of pasta, meat, cheese, fish, fruit, vegetables, and olive oil. Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was assessed by a 10-point Mediterranean diet scale that incorporated the main characteristics of this diet. A logistic regression analysis estimated the variables who predicted the odds of being case, using those variables that at the univariate analysis yielded a p-value <0.25. Results are presented as odds ratio (OR) or adjusted OR (AOR). Results: The study included 93 cases (36.6% males, median age 17 years) and 200 controls (32% males, median age 16 years). The Mediterranean diet score ≥6 revealed a protective effect towards acne (crude OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.08–0.64). Logistic regression analysis showed that familial hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, and hypertension are strong risk factors for acne (AOR 8.79, 95% CI 1.67–46.22; 3.32, 95% CI 1.27–8.63; and 2.73, 95% CI 1.07–6.96, respectively), while the Mediterranean diet represents a protective factor (score ≥6, AOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11–0.89). Conclusions: The odds for familial dysmetabolisms was higher in cases than in controls, confirming their role in determining or maintaining acne. Moreover, this is the first study demonstrating a protective role of the Mediterranean diet in the pathogenesis of acne.
Making Ways of Seeing: A Conversation with Mike Dibb and Richard Hollis
Authors: Kristensen Juliette
Published: July 2012

In 1971, Stephen Hearst, head of the BBC Music and Arts department, commissioned John Berger to make a television series on topics of his choosing. With Mike Dibb, then a young producer/director in the department, Berger made the four-part television series Ways of Seeing. Following its success, BBC Publications commissioned Berger and Dibb to turn the television programme into a book, a project for which Richard Hollis, a graphic designer Berger had previously worked with on the magazine New Society and his novel G., was brought in. Together with script consultant Chris Fox and artist Sven Blomberg, this group produced the book Ways of Seeing, jointly published by the BBC and Penguin Books in 1972. In this conversation with Juliette Kristensen, Mike Dibb and Richard Hollis discuss the history of the making of the television series and the book, Ways of Seeing.
Extraanatomic Reconstruction for Isolated Thoracic Aorta Coarctation in an Adult Patient
Authors: Lee Seung Hyun , Kim Jae Bum , Park Nam Hee , Keum Dong Yoon , Choi Sea Young
Published: July 2012

A 42-year-old male patient with no medical history except hypertension presented with intermittent chest pain radiating to the left shoulder. From coronary computed tomography, a coarctation of proximal descending thoracic aorta was found demonstrating near aortic occlusion. From various available surgical options for this condition, we chose extraanatomic bypass from the left subclavian artery to the descending aorta.
Epidemiology, Responses, and Way Forward
Authors: Sereno Leandro , Mesquita Fabio , Kato Masaya , Jacka David , Nguyen Thi Thuy Van , Nguyen Thien Nga
Published: July 2012

Viral hepatitis is a disease of great concern to public health that is now met by a favorable momentum to combat the global epidemic. This article is intended to highlight the importance of viral hepatitis in the Vietnam population as well in the group of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We reviewed available data on epidemiology and response on hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV coinfection in Vietnam. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence in the general population ranged from 5.7% to 24.7%. The anti-HCV prevalence ranged from 0.38% to 4.3% in the general population, while among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) it ranged from 31% to 97.2%. The HBV prevalence among PLWHA is similar to the general population, while HCV/HIV coinfection is concentrated in some groups. Anti-HCV prevalence among HIV-infected PWIDs can be as high as 98.5%. Developing policies for diagnosis and treatment of chronic HBV and HCV infections are critical priorities in order to prevent clinical progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Don’t look up, don’t look down: Liberal criminology’s fear of the supreme and the subterranean
Authors: Hall Steve
Published: July 2012

Criminology is ideally placed to examine the late-capitalist subjectivities now appearing before us in stark relief as the current economic crises deepen. However, to do so it must come of age as a producer discipline, exporting and exchanging its empirical findings and theoretical formulations with its former parent disciplines on equal terms. Only then can it equip itself to analyse the reality of a present and a future characterised by inevitable socioeconomic turmoil, and thus make a full and active contribution to intellectual and political life. To do this effectively criminology must first throw off the repressive control of post-war catastrophism, which, ironically, fixed criminology’s gaze on systems of social control and neglected that which elicits the perceived need for control.
Pantomime justice: A cultural criminological analysis of ‘life stage dissolution’
Authors: Hayward Keith
Published: July 2012

Adopting the perspective of cultural criminology, this paper asserts that the century-old opposition between the adolescent/youth stage and adulthood is now being challenged by a late-modern capitalist culture functioning artificially to extend the former. Using examples from across the cultural script, the paper introduces the concept of ‘life stage dissolution’ (and its attendant bi-directional processes of ‘adultification’ and ‘infantilisation’) to suggest it is becoming more difficult for young people to differentiate and disassociate themselves from the generation immediately ahead of them, and indeed vice versa. The result is a sort of generational mulch where shared and interchangeable cultural experiences are now the norm. The second half of the paper provides some preliminary and deliberately provocative remarks about the implications of life stage dissolution for criminology and criminal justice. This will include an analysis of emerging processes that I have termed ‘pantomime justice’, a useful way of understanding how crime stories today often seem to unfold as a conjoined adult-child experience in contemporary society.
Alterations in periarticular bone and cross talk between subchondral bone and articular cartilage in osteoarthritis
Authors: Goldring Steven R.
Published: July 2012

The articular cartilage and the subchondral bone form a biocomposite that is uniquely adapted to the transfer of loads across the diarthrodial joint. During the evolution of the osteoarthritic process biomechanical and biological processes result in alterations in the composition, structure and functional properties of these tissues. Given the intimate contact between the cartilage and bone, alterations of either tissue will modulate the properties and function of the other joint component. The changes in periarticular bone tend to occur very early in the development of OA. Although chondrocytes also have the capacity to modulate their functional state in response to loading, the capacity of these cells to repair and modify their surrounding extracellular matrix is relatively limited in comparison to the adjacent subchondral bone. This differential adaptive capacity likely underlies the more rapid appearance of detectable skeletal changes in OA in comparison to the articular cartilage. The OA changes in periarticular bone include increases in subchondral cortical bone thickness, gradual decreases in subchondral trabeular bone mass, formation of marginal joint osteophytes, development of bone cysts and advancement of the zone of calcified cartilage between the articular cartilage and subchondral bone. The expansion of the zone of calcified cartilage contributes to overall thinning of the articular cartilage. The mechanisms involved in this process include the release of soluble mediators from chondrocytes in the deep zones of the articular cartilage and/or the influences of microcracks that have initiated focal remodeling in the calcified cartilage and subchondral bone in an attempt to repair the microdamage. There is the need for further studies to define the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the interaction between subchondral bone and articular cartilage and for applying this information to the development of therapeutic interventions to improve the outcomes in patients with OA.
Assessment of synovitis to predict bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Bugatti Serena , Manzo Antonio , Caporali Roberto , Montecucco Carlomaurizio
Published: July 2012

Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered as the prototype of destructive arthritis, the course of the disease varies considerably, with some patients experiencing more rapid progression of joint damage and disability than others. Given the increasing availability of treatment targets and options, timely recognition of individual’s outcomes could allow therapeutic allocation according to personalized benefit–risk profiles. Research efforts are thus increasingly focused at discovering predictive markers that could identify patients with aggressive, rapidly progressive disease and poor prognosis. As joint destruction in RA is the result of the cumulative burden of inflammation, variables reflecting the severity of synovitis and its persistence over time might refine our ability to build early prognostic algorithms. The goal of this article is to review the clinical implications of the assessment of synovitis in relation to radiographic outcomes. Traditional and novel assessment tools will be discussed, including clinical measures, imaging techniques and tissue biomarkers. Achievements in the field of synovial tissue analysis and peripheral blood biomarkers of synovitis represent only the first steps of ongoing progress, which still need to be integrated into the phenotypic heterogeneity of RA.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Authors: McDonald Denise , Farrell Tina
Published: July 2012

Focus Group interviews with 31 disadvantaged students in an Early College High School (ECHS) program present insights to students’ experience in the hybrid school, specifically regarding their perceptions of college readiness. Student “voice” in research can yield significant information when examining aspects of school design that potentially support postsecondary preparation. Three constructs of college readiness were investigated: academic preparedness, social preparedness, and personal preparedness. Themes and subthemes that emerged in data analysis include the following: Readiness with subthemes of Academic Assessment, Autonomy, Discipline, Responsibility, and Management of Time; Learning Community with subthemes of Social Acclimation, Corporate Accountability, and Caring Relationships; Identity with subthemes of Anonymity, Transitional Tensions and Triumphs, Scholarly “Self,” and Mirrored Maturity; and Productivity with subthemes of Future Focus and Delayed Gratification. Findings indicate that the ECHS experience supported students’ acclimation to college-level work and significantly affected their collegiate identity.
Metal–metal bonding process using copper oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Maeda T , Kobayashi Y , Yasuda Y , Morita T
Published: July 2012

This work performs metal–metal bonding using CuO nanoparticles prepared with salt base reaction in aqueous solution. A colloid solution of CuO nanoparticles was prepared by mixing Cu(NO3)2 aqueous solution and NaOH aqueous solution. Submicrometre sized leaf-like aggregates composed of CuO nanoparticles were produced at a Na/Cu ratio of 1·7 and at 20°C, though Cu2(OH)3NO3 was also obtained. An aging process, which is a process composed of preparation of the particles at 20°C and then aging them at 80°C, provided transformation from Cu2(OH)3NO3 to CuO with no damage of the leaf structure. The shear strength, which was required for separating discs bonded using the particles as a filler at 400°C in H2 gas, was 32·5 MPa at the maximum for the particles prepared at the Na/Cu ratio of 1·7 with the aging process. These results indicated that the formation of leaf-like aggregates of CuO particles with high purity led to efficient metal–metal bonding.
Elastic moduli and band gap of PbTe under pressure: ab initio study
Authors: Yang Y L
Published: July 2012

In this work first principles calculations are performed to study the elastic moduli and energy band gap of PbTe under equilibrium and strained condition. Hydrostatic pressures are applied to bulk PbTe in rocksalt structure, and the results show that as the pressure increases, the bulk modulus, shear modulus and the C11 component demonstrate a decreasing trend, whereas the C12 component shows an improving trend. Energy band gap presents an unusual improving degrading trend with respect to pressure, with a band gap closure and reopening being observed. The predicted elastic moduli and band gaps can change over a wide range, which suggests that strain and pressure can be used as an efficient way to modulate the elastic and electronic properties. Furthermore, these findings are helpful in predicting the structural stability and band gap associated performance in PbTe based thermoelectric materials under pressure.
Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma: trade-offs between short- and long-term mortality risks
Authors: Yeh Jennifer M. , Diller Lisa
Published: July 2012

As pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survival rates approach > 95%, treatment decisions are increasingly based on minimizing late effects. Using a model-based approach, we explored whether the addition of radiotherapy contributes to improved overall long-term survival. We developed a state-transition model to simulate the lifetime HL clinical course, and we compared 2 treatment strategies: chemotherapy alone (CT) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Data on HL relapse, late recurrence, and excess second cancer and cardiac late-effects mortality were estimated from the published literature and databases. Outcomes included conditional life expectancy, cause-specific mortality, and proportion alive at age 50. For a hypothetical cohort of HL patients (diagnosis age 15), conditional life expectancy was 57.2 years with CT compared with 56.4 years with CRT. Estimated lifetime HL mortality risk was 3.6% with CT versus 2.2% with CRT. In contrast, combined risk of excess late-effects mortality was lower for CT (1.8% vs 7.4% with CRT). Among those alive at age 50, only 9.2% of those initially treated with CT were at risk for radiation-related late effects (100% for CRT). Initial treatment with CT may be associated with longer average per-person life expectancy. These results support the need for careful consideration of the risk-benefit profile of radiation as frontline therapy in pediatric patients.
The Triform algorithm: improved sensitivity and specificity in ChIP-Seq peak finding
Authors: Kornacker Karl , Rye Morten Beck , Håndstad Tony , Drabløs Finn
Published: July 2012

Background

Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) is the most frequently used method to identify the binding sites of transcription factors. Active binding sites can be seen as peaks in enrichment profiles when the sequencing reads are mapped to a reference genome. However, the profiles are normally noisy, making it challenging to identify all significantly enriched regions in a reliable way and with an acceptable false discovery rate.

Results

We present the Triform algorithm, an improved approach to automatic peak finding in ChIP-Seq enrichment profiles for transcription factors. The method uses model-free statistics to identify peak-like distributions of sequencing reads, taking advantage of improved peak definition in combination with known characteristics of ChIP-Seq data.

Conclusions

Triform outperforms several existing methods in the identification of representative peak profiles in curated benchmark data sets. We also show that Triform in many cases is able to identify peaks that are more consistent with biological function, compared with other methods. Finally, we show that Triform can be used to generate novel information on transcription factor binding in repeat regions, which represents a particular challenge in many ChIP-Seq experiments. The Triform algorithm has been implemented in R, and is available via http://tare.medisin.ntnu.no/triform.
Hax-1 is rapidly degraded by the proteasome dependent on its PEST sequence
Authors: Li Bin , Hu Qingsong , Xu Ranjie , Ren Haigang , Fei Erkang , Chen Dong , Wang Guanghui
Published: July 2012

Background

HS-1-associated protein X-1 (Hax-1), is a multifunctional protein that has sequence homology to Bcl-2 family members.HAX-1knockout animals reveal that it plays an essential protective role in the central nervous system against various stresses. Homozygous mutations in theHAX-1gene are associated with autosomal recessive forms of severe congenital neutropenia along with neurological symptoms. The protein level of Hax-1 has been shown to be regulated by cellular protease cleavage or by transcriptional suppression upon stimulation.

Results

Here, we report a novel post-translational mechanism for regulation of Hax-1 levels in mammalian cells. We identified that PEST sequence, a sequence rich in proline, glutamic acid, serine and threonine, is responsible for its poly-ubiquitination and rapid degradation. Hax-1 is conjugated by K48-linked ubiquitin chains and undergoes a fast turnover by the proteasome system. A deletion mutant of Hax-1 that lacks the PEST sequence is more resistant to the proteasomal degradation and exerts more protective effects against apoptotic stimuli than wild type Hax-1.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that Hax-1 is a short-lived protein and that its PEST sequence dependent fast degradation by the proteasome may contribute to the rapid cellular responses upon different stimulations.
Genome-wide analysis of zygotic linkage disequilibrium and its components in crossbred cattle
Authors: Jiang Qi , Wang Zhiquan , Moore Stephen S , Yang Rong-Cai
Published: July 2012

Background

Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between genes at linked or independent loci can occur at gametic and zygotic levels known asgametic LD and zygotic LD, respectively. Gametic LD is well known for its roles in fine-scale mapping of quantitative trait loci, genomic selection and evolutionary inference. The less-well studied is the zygotic LD and its components that can be also estimated directly from the unphased SNPs.

Results

This study was set up to investigate the genome-wide extent and patterns of zygotic LD and its components in a crossbred cattle population using the genomic data from the Illumina BovineSNP50 beadchip. The animal population arose from repeated crossbreeding of multiple breeds and selection for growth and cow reproduction. The study showed that similar genomic structures in gametic and zygotic LD were observed, with zygotic LD decaying faster than gametic LD over marker distance. The trigenic and quadrigenic disequilibria were generally two- to three-fold smaller than the usual digenic disequilibria (gametic or composite LD). There was less power of testing for these high-order genic disequilibria than for the digenic disequilibria. The power estimates decreased with the marker distance between markers though the decay trend is more obvious for the digenic disequilibria than for high-order disequilibria.

Conclusions

This study is the first major genome-wide survey of all non-allelic associations between pairs of SNPs in a cattle population. Such analysis allows us to assess the relative importance of gametic LD vs. all other non-allelic genic LDs regardless of whether or not the population is in HWE. The observed predominance of digenic LD (gametic or composite LD) coupled with insignificant high-order trigenic and quadrigenic disequilibria supports the current intensive focus on the use of high-density SNP markers for genome-wide association studies and genomic selection activities in the cattle population.
DNA repair and crossing over favor similar chromosome regions as discovered in radiation hybrid of Triticum
Authors: Kumar Ajay , Bassi Filippo M , Paux Etienne , Al-Azzam Omar , de Jimenez Monika Michalak , Denton Anne M , Gu Yong Q , Huttner Eric , Kilian Andrzej , Kumar Sachin , Goyal Aakash , Iqbal Muhammad J , Tiwari Vijay K , Dogramaci Munevver , Balyan Harindra S , Dhaliwal Harcharan S , Gupta Pushpendra K , Randhawa Gursharn S , Feuillet Catherine , Pawlowski Wojciech P , Kianian Shahryar F
Published: July 2012

Background

The uneven distribution of recombination across the length of chromosomes results in inaccurate estimates of genetic to physical distances. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3B, it has been estimated that 90% of the cross over events occur in distal sub-telomeric regions representing 40% of the chromosome. Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping which does not rely on recombination is a strategy to map genomes and has been widely employed in animal species and more recently in some plants. RH maps have been proposed to provide i) higher and ii) more uniform resolution than genetic maps, and iii) to be independent of the distribution patterns observed for meiotic recombination. An in vivo RH panel was generated for mapping chromosome 3B of wheat in an attempt to provide a complete scaffold for this ~1 Gb segment of the genome and compare the resolution to previous genetic maps.

Results

A high density RH map with 541 marker loci anchored to chromosome 3B spanning a total distance of 1871.9 cR was generated. Detailed comparisons with a genetic map of similar quality confirmed that i) the overall resolution of the RH map was 10.5 fold higher and ii) six fold more uniform. A significant interaction (r = 0.879 at p = 0.01) was observed between the DNA repair mechanism and the distribution of crossing-over events. This observation could be explained by accepting the possibility that the DNA repair mechanism in somatic cells is affected by the chromatin state in a way similar to the effect that chromatin state has on recombination frequencies in gametic cells.

Conclusions

The RH data presented here support for the first time in vivo the hypothesis of non-casual interaction between recombination hot-spots and DNA repair. Further, two major hypotheses are presented on how chromatin compactness could affect the DNA repair mechanism. Since the initial RH application 37 years ago, we were able to show for the first time that the iii) third hypothesis of RH mapping might not be entirely correct.