bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myocardial Protection Against Pressure Overload in Mice Lacking Bach1, a Transcriptional Repressor of Heme Oxygenase-1
Authors: Mito Shinji , Ozono Ryoji , Oshima Tetsuya , Yano Yoko , Watari Yuichiro , Yamamoto Yoshiyuki , Brydun Andrei , Igarashi Kazuhiko , Yoshizumi Masao
Published: April 2008

Bach1 is a stress-responsive transcriptional factor that is thought to control the expression levels of cytoprotective factors, including heme-oxygenase (HO)-1. In the present study, we investigated the roles of Bach1 in the development of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and remodeling induced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in vivo using Bach1 gene-deficient (
Bach1
−/−
) mice. TAC for 3 weeks in wild-type control (
Bach1
+/+
) mice produced LV hypertrophy and remodeling manifested by increased heart weight, histological findings showing increased myocyte cross-sectional area (CSA) and interstitial fibrosis (picro Sirius red staining), reexpressions of ANP, BNP, and βMHC genes, and echocardiographic findings showing wall thickening, LV dilatation, and reduced LV contraction. Deletion of Bach1 caused significant reductions in heart weight (by 16%), CSA (by 36%), tissue collagen content (by 38%), and gene expression levels of ANP (by 75%), BNP (by 45%), and βMHC (by 74%). Echocardiography revealed reduced LV dimension and ameliorated LV contractile function. Deletion of Bach1 in the LV caused marked upregulation of HO-1 protein accompanied by elevated HO activity in both basal or TAC-stimulated conditions. Treatment of
Bach1
−/−
mice with tin-protoporphyrin, an inhibitor of HO, abolished the antihypertrophic and antiremodeling effects of Bach1 gene ablation. These results suggest that deletion of Bach1 caused upregulation of cytoprotective HO-1, thereby inhibiting TAC-induced LV hypertrophy and remodeling, at least in part, through activation of HO. Bach1 repressively controls myocardial HO-1 expression both in basal and stressed conditions, inhibition of Bach1 may be a novel therapeutic strategy to protect the myocardium from pressure overload.
Forearm Vascular Reactivity and Arterial Stiffness in Asymptomatic Adults From the Community
Authors: Malik A. Rauoof , Kondragunta Venkateswarlu , Kullo Iftikhar J.
Published: April 2008

Vascular reactivity may affect the stiffness characteristics of the arterial wall. We investigated the association between forearm microcirculatory and conduit artery function and measures of arterial stiffness in 527 asymptomatic non-Hispanic white adults without known cardiovascular disease. High-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery (ba) was performed to assess forearm microcirculatory function (ba blood flow velocity, local shear stress, and forearm vascular resistance at rest and during reactive hyperemia) and conduit artery function (ba flow-mediated dilatation [baFMD] and ba nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation [baNMD]). Arterial stiffness was assessed by cuff-derived brachial pulse pressure and aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) measured by applanation tonometry. In regression analyses that adjusted for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, height, cardiovascular risk factors, and hypertension medication and statin use, higher baseline ba systolic velocity and systolic shear stress were associated with greater pulse pressure (
P
=0.0002 and
P
=0.006, respectively) and higher aPWV (each
P
<0.0001). During hyperemia, lower ba mean velocity and lower mean shear stress were associated with higher pulse pressure (
P
=0.045 and
P
=0.036, respectively), whereas both systolic and mean velocity (
P
<0.0001 and
P
=0.002, respectively) and systolic and mean shear stress (
P
<0.0001 and
P
=0.003, respectively) were inversely associated with aPWV. baFMD was not associated with pulse pressure but was inversely associated with aPWV (
P
=0.011). baNMD was inversely associated with pulse pressure (
P
=0.0002) and aPWV (
P
=0.008). Our findings demonstrate that impaired forearm microvascular function (in the form of elevated resting blood flow velocity and impaired flow reserve) and impaired brachial artery reactivity are associated with increased arterial stiffness.
Collecting Duct Renin Is Upregulated in Both Kidneys of 2-Kidney, 1-Clip Goldblatt Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Prieto-Carrasquero Minolfa C. , Botros Fady T. , Pagan Javier , Kobori Hiroyuki , Seth Dale M. , Casarini Dulce E. , Navar L. Gabriel
Published: April 2008

Renin in collecting duct cells is upregulated in chronic angiotensin II–infused rats via angiotensin II type 1 receptors. To determine whether stimulation of collecting duct renin is a blood pressure–dependent effect; changes in collecting duct renin and associated parameters were assessed in both kidneys of 2-kidney, 1-clip Goldblatt hypertensive (2K1C) rats. Renal medullary tissues were used to avoid the contribution of renin from juxtaglomerular cells. Systolic blood pressure increased to 184±9 mm Hg in 2K1C rats (n=19) compared with sham rats (121±6 mm Hg; n=12). Although renin immunoreactivity markedly decreased in juxtaglomerular cells of nonclipped kidneys (NCK: 0.2±0.0 versus 1.0±0.0 relative ratio) and was augmented in clipped kidneys (CK: 1.7±1.0 versus 1.0±0.0 relative ratio), its immunoreactivity increased in cortical and medullary collecting ducts of both kidneys of 2K1C rats (CK: 2.8±1.0 cortex; 2.1±1.0 medulla; NCK: 4.6±2.0 cortex, 3.2±1.0 medulla versus 1.0±0.0 in sham kidneys). Renal medullary tissues of 2K1C rats showed greater levels of renin protein (CK: 1.4±0.2; NCK: 1.5±0.3), renin mRNA (CK: 5.8±2.0; NCK: 4.9±2.0), angiotensin I (CK: 120±18 pg/g; NCK: 129±13 pg/g versus sham: 67±6 pg/g), angiotensin II (CK: 150±32 pg/g; NCK: 123±21 pg/g versus sham: 91±12 pg/g;
P
<0.05), and renin activity (CK: 8.6 μg of angiotensin I per microgram of protein; NCK: 8.3 μg of angiotensin I per microgram of protein; sham: 3.4 μg of angiotensin I per microgram of protein) than sham rats. These data indicate that enhanced collecting duct renin in 2K1C rats occurs independently of blood pressure. Upregulation of distal tubular renin helps to explain how sustained intrarenal angiotensin II formation occurs even during juxtaglomerular renin suppression, thus allowing maintained effects on tubular sodium reabsorption that contribute to the hypertension.
No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier
Authors: Johnson Thomas H. , Mason M. Chris
Published: April 2008

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border area has become the most dangerous frontier on earth, and the most challenging for the United States' national security interests. Critically, the portion of the border region that is home to extremist groups such the Taliban and al-Qaida coincides almost exactly with the area overwhelmingly dominated by the Pashtun tribes. The implications of this salient fact—that most of Pakistan's and Afghanistan's violent religious extremism, and with it much of the United States' counterterrorism challenge, are contained within a single ethnolinguistic group—have unfortunately not been fully grasped by a governmental policy community that has long downplayed cultural dynamics. The threat to long-term U.S. security interests in this area is neither an economic problem, nor a religious problem, nor a generic “tribal” problem. It is a unique cultural problem. In both southern Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan, rather than seeking to “extend the reach of the central government,” which simply foments insurgency among a proto-insurgent people, the United States and the international community should be doing everything in their means to empower the tribal elders and restore balance to a tribal/cultural system that has been disintegrating since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
The Rise of Afghanistan's Insurgency: State Failure and Jihad
Authors: Jones Seth G.
Published: April 2008

In 2002 Afghanistan began to experience a violent insurgency as the Taliban and other groups conducted a sustained effort to overthrow the Afghan government. Why did an insurgency begin in Afghanistan? Answers to this question have important theoretical and policy implications. Conventional arguments, which focus on the role of grievance or greed, cannot explain the Afghan insurgency. Rather, a critical precondition was structural: the collapse of governance after the overthrow of the Taliban regime. The Afghan government was unable to provide basic services to the population; its security forces were too weak to establish law and order; and there were too few international forces to ªll the gap. In addition, the primary motivation of insurgent leaders was ideological. Leaders of the Taliban, al-Qaida, and other insurgent groups wanted to overthrow the Afghan government and replace it with one grounded in an extremist interpretation of Sunni Islam.
Correlations and Population Dynamics in Cortical Networks
Authors: Kriener Birgit , Tetzlaff Tom , Aertsen Ad , Diesmann Markus , Rotter Stefan
Published: April 2008

The function of cortical networks depends on the collective interplay between neurons and neuronal populations, which is reflected in the correlation of signals that can be recorded at different levels. To correctly interpret these observations it is important to understand the origin of neuronal correlations. Here we study how cells in large recurrent networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons interact and how the associated correlations affect stationary states of idle network activity. We demonstrate that the structure of the connectivity matrix of such networks induces considerable correlations between synaptic currents as well as between subthreshold membrane potentials, provided Dale's principle is respected. If, in contrast, synaptic weights are randomly distributed, input correlations can vanish, even for densely connected networks. Although correlations are strongly attenuated when proceeding from membrane potentials to action potentials (spikes), the resulting weak correlations in the spike output can cause substantial fluctuations in the population activity, even in highly diluted networks. We show that simple mean-field models that take the structure of the coupling matrix into account can adequately describe the power spectra of the population activity. The consequences of Dale's principle on correlations and rate fluctuations are discussed in the light of recent experimental findings.
A (Somewhat) New Solution to the Variable Binding Problem
Authors: Barrett Leon , Feldman Jerome , Mac Dermed Liam
Published: April 2008

To perform automatic, unconscious inference, the human brain must solve the binding problem by correctly grouping properties with objects. Temporal binding models like SHRUTI already suggest much of how this might be done in a connectionist and localist way by using temporal synchrony. We propose a set of alternatives to temporal synchrony mechanisms that instead use short signatures. This serves two functions: it allows us to explore an additional biologically plausible alternative, and it allows us to extend and improve the capabilities of these models. These extensions model the human ability to both perform unification and handle multiple instantiations of logical terms. To verify our model's feasibility, we simulate it with a computer system modeling simple, neuron-like computations.
On Exponential Convergence Conditions of an Extended Projection Neural Network
Authors: Xia Youshen , Ye Dongyi
Published: April 2008

Recently the extended projection neural network was proposed to solve constrained monotone variational inequality problems and a class of constrained nonmonotontic variational inequality problems. Its exponential convergence was developed under the positive definiteness condition of the Jacobian matrix of the nonlinear mapping. This note proposes new results on the exponential convergence of the output trajectory of the extended projection neural network under the weak conditions that the Jacobian matrix of the nonlinear mapping may be positive semidefinite or not. Therefore, new results further demonstrate that the extended projection neural network has a fast convergence rate when solving a class of constrained monotone variational inequality problems and nonmonotonic variational inequality problems. Illustrative examples show the significance of the obtained results.
Type I and Type II Neuron Models Are Selectively Driven by Differential Stimulus Features
Authors: Mato Germán , Samengo Inés
Published: April 2008

Neurons in the nervous system exhibit an outstanding variety of morphological and physiological properties. However, close to threshold, this remarkable richness may be grouped succinctly into two basic types of excitability, often referred to as type I and type II. The dynamical traits of these two neuron types have been extensively characterized. It would be interesting, however, to understand the information-processing consequences of their dynamical properties. To that end, here we determine the differences between the stimulus features inducing firing in type I and type II neurons. We work with both realistic conductance-based models and minimal normal forms. We conclude that type I neurons fire in response to scale-free depolarizing stimuli. Type II neurons, instead, are most efficiently driven by input stimuli containing both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing phases, with significant power in the frequency band corresponding to the intrinsic frequencies of the cell.
Incertidumbre de las tareas de grupo. Propuesta de un modelo y validación empírica
Authors: Navarro José , Díez Elieth , Gómez Félix , Meneses Rocío , de Quijano Santiago D.
Published: April 2008

Las tareas de grupo han sido una temática de amplio interés en décadas pasadas, proponiéndose diferentes modelos que han abordado sus posibles tipos así como sus dimensiones nucleares. En este artículo se propone un modelo de las tareas de grupo (el MITAG o modelo de incertidumbre de las tareas del grupo) que sintetiza e integra las principales dimensiones propuestas por modelos anteriores. Se presenta una escala que permite su evaluación así como una primera validación del modelo en una muestra de 164 personas pertenecientes a 34 grupos de 3 organizaciones. El análisis factorial revela una estructura de cuatro factores (con el 45% de la varianza explicada), con dos factores nucleares que explican el 36,9% de la varianza (claridad de objetivos y de procedimientos y requerimientos múltiples) y otros dos factores menores (elección entre múltiples formas/familiaridad y conflicto de demandas).
Prediciendo el estereotipo del endogrupo: factores estructurales y comparación intergrupal
Authors: Willis Guillermo B. , Rodríguez-Bailón Rosa
Published: April 2008

De acuerdo con el Modelo sobre la Predicción del Contenido de los Estereotipos de Fiske, Xu, Cuddy y Glick (1999), el estereotipo del endogrupo suele incluir rasgos que suponen una alta competencia y sociabilidad. No obstante, algunos resultados preliminares muestran que esto no siempre es así, ya que algunos grupos se perciben a sí mismos como altos en sociabilidad pero bajos en competencia. En el presente estudio se pretende indagar algunas de las razones que explican dicho efecto. Concretamente, se estudia la posibilidad de que el resultado se deba a las comparaciones que el endogrupo mantenga con otros exogrupos. Así, nuestras hipótesis plantean que el endogrupo será percibido como alto en sociabilidad pero con baja competencia cuando se producen comparaciones con otros grupos de mayor estatus.

Para probar esta hipótesis se realizó un estudio experimental (N = 607) en donde primero se hicieron salientes dos exogrupos de diferente estatus (alto-bajo). A continuación se pidió a los participantes que evaluaran al endogrupo en función de su competencia y sociabilidad. Los resultados muestran que el estereotipo relativo a la competencia y sociabilidad que se tiene del endogrupo tiende a estar determinado por el exogrupo de comparación.
Las aspiraciones materialistas y su relación con el bienestar psicológico y otros contructos psicosociales en dos muestras de adolescentes catalanes
Authors: Casas Ferrán , Figuer Cristina , González Mónica , Malo Sara
Published: April 2008

En la presente comunicación se analizan las relaciones entre las aspiraciones materialistas (grado en el cual a los adolescentes encuestados les gustaría ser apreciados por las otras personas a la edad de 21 años en una serie de valores), el bienestar psicológico (satisfacción con diferentes ámbitos de la vida y con la vida globalmente) y algunos constructos psicosociales (autoestima, apoyo social percibido por parte de la familia y los amigos y percepción de control), en dos muestras de adolescentes catalanes de entre 12 a 16 años.

Estas muestras fueron obtenidas en diferentes años: 2003 (N = 2715) y 2006 (N = 5051), a través de un cuestionario de características similares, administrado en diferentes centros educativos, siendo la segunda de las muestras representativa de la población catalana de estas edades.

Se describen los resultados obtenidos a partir de la aplicación de diferentes Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP) realizados con el listado de valores incluido en el cuestionario. Las relaciones entre la dimensión de valores materiales, que está formada en ambas muestras por el valor atribuido al dinero, el poder y la imagen, y el resto de constructos explorados serán también analizadas y discutidas en el presente trabajo.
Relaciones curvilíneas de la autoeficacia en la negociación
Authors: León-Pérez José Ma , Medina Francisco J. , Munduate Lourdes
Published: April 2008

Basándonos en la Teoría Social Cognitiva propuesta por Albert Bandura, se analizan los efectos de la autoeficacia sobre los resultados de la negociación, diferenciando entre los resultados sustantivos y los resultados relacionales. La literatura revisada considera que la autoeficacia es un predictor de la eficacia de la negociación. Sin embargo, los resultados de una negociación con potencial integrativo desarrollada por directivos en cursos de MBA muestra que, si bien la autoeficacia incide en las ganancias conjuntas de las partes, no tiene efectos significativos sobre los resultados sustantivos personales, y que existe una relación curvilínea (en forma de U invertida) entre la autoeficacia y los resultados relacionales. Se discuten las limitaciones e implicaciones de estos hallazgos en el contexto de la gestión del conflicto y la negociación.
Fragmentation of Freezing Drops in Shallow Maritime Frontal Clouds
Authors: Rangno Arthur L.
Published: April 2008

Images of frozen drops with pieces missing were collected on two days of airborne sampling in shallow supercooled stratiform frontal clouds in the coastal waters of Washington State. In those limited regions where ice appeared to be newly formed, ice fragments with rounded portions accounted for about 5% of the total ice particle concentrations. These results are in rough agreement with the body of literature on laboratory experiments concerning the freezing of drops in free fall that have suggested a modest, though not insignificant, role for the fragmentation of freezing drops on total ice particle concentrations when larger supercooled drops are present.
Analysis of Convectively Coupled Kelvin Waves in the Indian Ocean MJO
Authors: Roundy Paul E.
Published: April 2008

The active convective phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation (hereafter active MJO) comprises enhanced moist deep convection on its own temporal and spatial scales as well as increased variance in convection associated with higher-frequency modes. Synoptic-scale cloud superclusters apparently associated with convectively coupled Kelvin waves occur within the active convective envelopes of most MJO events. These convectively coupled Kelvin waves also occur during the suppressed convective phase of the MJO (hereafter suppressed MJO). This observational study presents an analysis of outgoing longwave radiation and reanalysis data to determine how these waves behave differently as they propagate through the active and suppressed MJO. Time indices of the MJO and Kelvin waves are derived for over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Dates of local extrema in these indices are used to composite data to discern how the waves and associated circulations behave on average; then, further composites are made based on subsets of this list of dates that are consistent with the two MJO phases. Results show that the MJO phase modulates the intensity of moist deep convection associated with the Kelvin waves, the evolution of the vertical structure of cloudiness linked to Kelvin waves, and patterns of upper-level outflow from convection coupled to Kelvin waves. Composites reveal that synoptic-scale circulations associated with the release of latent heat in convection coupled to Kelvin waves amplify and are left behind the waves in preferred geographical regions. The MJO modulates the amplitudes of these circulations and the locations where they get left behind the waves. Previous results have suggested a sharp distinction between the phase speeds of the MJO (4–8 m s−1) and of convectively coupled Kelvin waves (specifically 17 m s−1). In contrast, the present work suggests that convectively coupled Kelvin waves have a broad range of characteristic phase speeds, extending from 10 to 17 m s−1, depending on both the region of the world and the phase of the MJO through which they propagate.
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves Simulated on an Aquaplanet in a Global Nonhydrostatic Experiment
Authors: Nasuno Tomoe , Tomita Hirofumi , Iga Shinichi , Miura Hiroaki , Satoh Masaki
Published: April 2008

Large-scale tropical convective disturbances simulated in a 7-km-mesh aquaplanet experiment are investigated. A 40-day simulation was executed using the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM). Two scales of eastward-propagating disturbances were analyzed. One was tightly coupled to a convective system resembling super–cloud clusters (SCCs) with a zonal scale of several thousand kilometers (SCC mode), whereas the other was characterized by a planetary-scale dynamical structure (40 000-km mode). The typical phase velocity was 17 (23) m s−1 for the SCC (40 000 km) mode. The SCC mode resembled convectively coupled Kelvin waves in the real atmosphere around the equator, but was accompanied by a pair of off-equatorial gyres. The 40 000-km mode maintained a Kelvin wave–like zonal structure, even poleward of the equatorial Rossby deformation radius. The equatorial structures in both modes matched neutral eastward-propagating gravity waves in the lower troposphere and unstable (growing) waves in the upper troposphere. In both modes, the meridional mass divergence exceeded the zonal component, not only in the boundary layer, but also in the free atmosphere. The forcing terms indicated that the meridional flow was primarily driven by convection via deformation in pressure fields and vertical circulations. Moisture convergence was one order of magnitude greater than the moisture flux from the sea surface. In the boundary layer, frictional convergence in the (anomalous) low-level easterly phase accounted for the buildup of low-level moisture leading to the active convective phase. The moisture distribution in the free atmosphere suggested that the moisture–convection feedback operated efficiently, especially in the SCC mode.
Response of Simulated Squall Lines to Low-Level Cooling
Authors: Parker Matthew D.
Published: April 2008

Organized convection has long been recognized to have a nocturnal maximum over the central United States. The present study uses idealized numerical simulations to investigate the mechanisms for the maintenance, propagation, and evolution of nocturnal-like convective systems. As a litmus test for the basic governing dynamics, the experiments use horizontally homogeneous initial conditions (i.e., they include neither fronts nor low-level jet streams).

The simulated storms are allowed to mature as surface-based convective systems before the boundary layer is cooled. In this case it is then surprisingly difficult to cut the mature convective systems off from their source of near-surface inflow parcels. Even when 10 K of the low-level cooling has been applied, the preexisting system cold pool is sufficient to lift boundary layer parcels to their levels of free convection. The present results suggest that many of the nocturnal convective systems that were previously thought to be elevated may actually be surface based. With additional cooling, the simulated systems do, indeed, become elevated. First, the CAPE of the near-surface air goes to zero: second, as the cold pool’s temperature deficit vanishes, the lifting mechanism evolves toward a bore atop the nocturnal inversion. Provided that air above the inversion has CAPE, the system then survives and begins to move at the characteristic speed of the bore. Interestingly, as the preconvective environment is cooled and approaches the temperature of the convective outflow, but before the system becomes elevated, yet another distinct behavior emerges. The comparatively weaker cold pool entails slower system motion but also more intense lifting, apparently because it is more nearly balanced by the lower-tropospheric shear. This could explain the frequent observation of intensifying convective systems in the evening hours without the need for a nocturnal low-level jet. The governing dynamics of the simulated systems, as well as the behavior of low-level tracers and parcel trajectories, are addressed for a variety of environments and degrees of stabilization.
Emphasizing Principles for a Moral Foreign Policy
Authors: Baglione Lisa A.
Published: April 2008

In Security First, Amitai Etzioni insightfully diagnoses the problems with existing American foreign policy and prescribes creating security and valuing life as corrective guiding principles. Peacebuilding scholars would welcome Etzioni's focus, arguing that an efficacious state and a sense of nation help achieve his goals. In addition, developing respect for the dignity of all citizens in war-torn societies is an important ingredient to moving forward. Etzioni's stress on developing a “moral culture,” which emerges from the dominant indigenous religion, is more problematic, however. Frequently, major religions have threatened the security and life chances of religious and other minorities, as well as of women and girls. Since using religion as a cornerstone undermines the idea of Security First and the Primacy of Life, the U.S. would be better served and more ethical advocating the inclusion of liberal principles in states' founding documents, even if those promises cannot be immediately realized.
Renovating Realism
Authors: Quinn Adam , Cox Michael
Published: April 2008

Security First (Etzioni, 2007) is a weighty and worthy addition to the growing debate on how to redefine U.S. foreign policy post-Iraq. In seeking to reintroduce clarity and prioritization into U.S. strategic thinking while retaining a place for morality, Etzioni's ideas have much in common with America's 20th-century classical realist tradition. Although it does good service by restating some sound principles, the Security First model still faces some uncertainties regarding its coherence and workability. These center on its assertion that morality and interests are complementary, its apparent assumption of the legitimacy and feasibility of neoimperial oversight in the international system, and its implicit avoidance of the hardest choices thanks to fragile assumptions concerning the ultimate inevitability of democracy's triumph. Meanwhile, its prescription of a new strategic outlook for Americans seems likely to fall foul of the resistance of American political culture to change against which realists have been railing for generations.
Author's Response
Authors: Etzioni Amitai
Published: April 2008

The author responds to a selection of the major challenges and questions raised by his colleagues in this volume: How should the limitations presented by the international arena affect one's priorities in designing foreign policy? What role can be played by nonstate actors in building basic security? What is the role of ideology in explaining violent behavior, and what is the role of Islam in explaining terrorism? Under what circumstances would humanitarian intervention be warranted on a Security First foreign policy? Do the costs of deproliferation outweigh the benefits? Is it fair to ask other countries to deproliferate if we do not do the same? What can be learned from the applications of Security First to cases in Southeast Asia?
Security First
Authors: Kuok Lynn
Published: April 2008

Amitai Etzioni supports his case that U.S. foreign policy should be guided by security first, rather than democracy first, in part through domestic evidence of how the former has led to better outcomes and more fertile soil for democracy to take root. This article explores the validity of Etzioni's argument through examining varying domestic approaches and their outcomes in three Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The article then considers U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia and highlights what a consistent security-first approach would require, particularly with respect to the political crisis in Myanmar. The article concludes by assessing security first as a paradigm and its policy implication that the United States should seek to ally itself with illiberal moderates. It highlights areas in which further clarification would be beneficial and notes difficulties that could arise in an application of the principle.
Thinking Complexly About Men, Gender Role Conflict, and Counseling Psychology
Authors: Wester Stephen R.
Published: April 2008

The influential nature of this Major Contribution makes commenting a daunting task. However, after reviewing some of the likely consequences of this article, the author offers his sense of areas in which the research on male gender role conflict needs to grow.
Summarizing 25 Years of Research on Men's Gender Role Conflict Using the Gender Role Conflict Scale
Authors: O'Neil James M.
Published: April 2008

This article reviews 232 empirical studies that used the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS) over the past 25 years (1982-2007). The article introduces the gender role conflict (GRC) construct using past definitions and theoretical models. The research findings for diverse men are summarized and studies related to men's intrapersonal, interpersonal, and therapeutic lives are analyzed. The empirical support, criticism, and challenges to the gender role conflict research program are reviewed. A contextual research paradigm with seven domains is presented and 18 research questions and two research models are discussed to foster more moderation and mediation studies on men's GRC. A new diagnostic schema to assess men's GRC in therapy and during psychoeducational interventions is discussed. The research review concludes that GRC is significantly related to men's psychological and interpersonal problems and therefore an important construct for psychologists and other helping professionals.
Polystyrene Foams as Core Materials Used in Vacuum Insulation Panel
Authors: Wong Chang-Ming , Hung Ming-Lang
Published: April 2008

This work examines the foam density, average cell sizes, and cell structure of four polystyrene (PS) blended with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or low density polyethylene (LDPE) at various ratios. The PS/CaCO3 and PS/LDPE are foamed by carbon dioxide (CO2) under supercritical conditions. CaCO3 and LDPE can strongly influence the foam density, average cell sizes, and cell structure of PS foams. Based on the result of PS/CaCO3 foams and PS/LDPE foams, the thermal conductivity of large porous PS foams as core materials used in vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) is further studied. Large porous PS foams are produced by the mixture of CO2 and fluorocarbon or the mixture of CO2 and nitrogen (N2) as foaming agents. The content of open-cells in PS foams is affected by materials, foaming temperatures, and foaming agents. A higher content of open-cells in a porous PS foam can lead to a lower and more stable thermal conductivity of VIPs.
The Concept of `Paradox' in the Work of Max Weber
Authors: Symonds Michael , Pudsey Jason
Published: April 2008

This article argues that Max Weber's use of the concept of paradox has been relatively under-examined in the secondary literature. It argues that there is a highly distinctive form of paradox that Weber uses extensively throughout his writings. Weber deploys this term in two main senses: as a universal condition of human action; and as a specific way of understanding the logic of western modernity. The article suggests that this latter sense lies at the heart of Weber's understanding of agency in modernity.
Rural Be/longing and Rural Social Organizations: Conviviality and Community-Making in the English Countryside
Authors: Neal Sarah , Walters Sue
Published: April 2008

This article considers how structures of community feeling and ways of belonging are produced, maintained and recreated in local rural environments. It argues that rural social organizations, which operate through, and are embedded in, notions of conviviality and community, have taken up a particular role in this process. While using the concept of community with all the usual sociological caveats in place, the article seeks to emphasize a) the importance of the sociality of community and b) the need to understand the ways in which this sociality is continually shaped by the potent imaginary of what `community' and, more specifically, what `rural community' mean and represent. Drawing on a qualitative data set the article details the emotional connectivity participants made between the local and the social and the everyday routine practices involved in constructing a community sensibility. It concludes by examining how ambiguity and governance are part of these processes.
Seeking and Rejecting Certainty: Exposing the Sophisticated Lifeworlds of Parents of Disabled Babies
Authors: McLaughlin Janice , Goodley Dan
Published: April 2008

There are many debates in the social sciences about the certain and uncertain nature of subjectivity and knowledge. Often these debates create competing theoretical camps, each hell bent on refuting the other (materialist—idealists; modernist—postmodernists; structuralists—post-structuralists; medical—social). These critiques often fail to engage with the social and material lives of human actors, particularly when those actors occupy positions of relative marginalization. This article pitches these debates in emerging accounts of parents of disabled babies, which have developed from a three-year ESRC research study. 1 We highlight the ways in which parents adaptively and strategically use and refuse forms of certainty and uncertainty in order to configure ways of living with their children.We suggest that parents are nomadic but also settlers in the journeys with their children, and that modernist and postmodernist analyses both allow us to make sense of parents' situated agency within particular social, cultural and material locations.
Measuring the Bridging Nature of Voluntary Organizations: The Importance of Association Size
Authors: Coffé Hilde , Geys Benny
Published: April 2008

Recently, a distinction between bridging and bonding networks has been made in the social capital literature. Bridging groups are often expected to have greater effects on democratic norm development and to generate more positive externalities on society than bonding networks. To allow application of these theoretical constructs in practice, however, an adequate measurement of bridging versus bonding networks is crucial. One approach builds on connections between voluntary associations through individuals with multiple memberships. However, simply counting the number of members' additional memberships in other associations, as in previous work, is inappropriate. Indeed, we illustrate that this is biased towards finding that large associations are more bonding.We then propose a technique to alleviate this bias and illustrate that the proposed correction is crucial to avoid erroneous conclusions in tests of the hypothesis that membership in bridging or bonding associations is differently related to individuals' civic attitudes.
Active Electrolocation for Underwater Target Localization
Authors: Solberg James R. , Lynch Kevin M. , MacIver Malcolm A.
Published: April 2008

We explore the capabilities of a robotic sensing system designed to locate objects underwater through active movement of an electric field emitter and sensor apparatus. The system is inspired by the biological phenomenon of active electrolocation, a sensing strategy found in two groups of freshwater fishes known to emit weak electric fields for target localization and communication. An analytical model for the observation of simple targets is used to qualitatively predict some characteristics of the sensor including the detection distance as a function of sensor noise. We characterize the performance of the robot using different automatic electrolocation controllers, objects and water salinities. We demonstrate successful electrolocation both in the conditions in which it is naturally observed (i.e. in low conductivity water) as well as in conditions in which it is not observed (i.e. in water of ocean salinity). For the electrolocation experiments using an active controller based on a probabilistic sensor model, the median positional estimation error for spheres is 1 3% of sphere diameter. Spheres were detected at distances similar to the distance between the two field electrodes.
Hygro-elastic Internal Stresses in Porous Composite Materials: A Multi-scale Analysis
Authors: Youssef Z. , Jacquemin F. , Gloaguen D. , Guillén R.
Published: April 2008

A multi-scale approach is devoted to the analysis of hygro-elastic internal stresses in porous composite materials. Voids in composite materials are known to cause significant reduction of mechanical properties. Moreover, in a humid environment they also affect the moisture absorption and the induced internal stresses. In this work, a self-consistent approach is used to estimate internal stresses induced by moisture absorption in composite materials with porous matrices. This study shows that the interaction between voids and moisture has a severe impact on the transient hygro-elastic stresses at both microscopic (fiber and matrix) and macroscopic (ply) scales.
Surface Studies of Centrifugally Cast Aluminum-based Lead Bearing Composites
Authors: Mohan S. , Pathak J.P. , Chander N. , Sarkar S.
Published: April 2008

Low cost and abundant availability of aluminum—based composites make them potential candidates for bearing applications. The dispersion of lead is difficult in aluminum, so a centrifugal casting procedure has been adopted for uniform dispersion. Cylindrical castings show minor variation in composition from outer to inner as well as from top to bottom. Wear rate shows an increasing trend with sliding distance and load. But with sliding velocity wear rate initially decreases, attains a minimum, and then increases sharply with increase in sliding velocity. Under dry sliding conditions all alloys exhibit two regimes of wear, viz. mild wear at low loads and sliding velocities but severe wear at higher loads and sliding velocities. These two wear mechanisms are distinguished by a mixed mode of oxidative and metallic wear dominated by either.
Vibration Analysis of Inclusion Reinforced Composite Square Plates under Various Boundary Conditions
Authors: Ozmen Eruslu S. , Aydogdu Metin
Published: April 2008

The vibration behavior of E-glass epoxy cross-ply laminated plates containing unidirectionally aligned inclusions was studied under different boundary conditions by using first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The effective elastic modulus of composite was expressed by using the Mori—Tanaka mean field approach for unidirectionally aligned inclusions. The governing equations were obtained by means of the Hamilton's principle and solved by using the Navier-type solution and Ritz method. The continuity of transverse shear stress between layers of the symmetric cross-ply laminated plates was satisfied by the use of the shape function incorporated into the theory. The effects of the inclusion volume fraction, the inclusion aspect ratio, and the plate span to thickness ratio on the vibration behavior of the laminated plates were studied. It was found that the dimensionless frequency increases with increasing the aspect ratio of the reinforcements and approaches asymptotically to frequency of the continuous fibers.
The Effect of Partial Replacement of Paper Sludge by Commercial Fillers on Natural Rubber Composites
Authors: Ismail H. , Rusli A. , Azura A.R. , Ahmad Z.
Published: April 2008

The effects of partial or complete replacement of two commercial fillers, carbon black (CB) and silica on cure characteristics, tensile properties, fatigue life, morphological properties, and rubber—filler interaction of paper sludge (PS) filled natural rubber composites were elucidated. Compounding was carried out on a two-roll mill with total filler loading of 30 phr. Results indicate that maximum torque, tensile strength, elongation at break, tensile modulus, and fatigue life increased the cure time while the scorch time decrease with increasing carbon black loading ratio of PS/CB filled natural rubber composites. On the other hand, increased loading of silica in PS/silica weight ratio resulted in an increment in cure time, scorch time, maximum torque, elongation at break, and fatigue life but not significantly altering tensile strength and tensile modulus of the natural rubber composites. In addition, PS/silica filled natural rubber composites exhibit lower maximum torque, tensile properties, and fatigue life compared to the PS/CB filled natural rubber composites. Rubber—filler interaction and SEM micrograph studies proved that the higher interaction between carbon black and natural rubber occurred in PS/CB filled natural rubber composites rather than PS/silica filled natural rubber composites.
A Statewide Study of Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Health Care Transition
Authors: Repetto Jeanne B. , Gibson Robert W. , Lubbers Joyce , Gritz Sheila , Reiss John
Published: April 2008

In this article, the authors present the results of a survey of interagency transition council members that assessed familiarity with health care transition (HCT) and the inclusion of HCT-related goals in individualized educational plans (IEP). School personnel, agency representatives, and family members completed a total of 187 surveys. Respondents reported limited knowledge of HCT, and HCT-related issues were often not addressed through school-based transition activities. Respondents, however, reported a high level of interest in learning more about the issue of HCT. Implications of this research include the need to provide additional training to schools, agency representatives, and family members regarding the importance of expanding current educational transition practices to include HCT.
Elements of High School Service Learning Programs
Authors: Dymond Stacy K. , Renzaglia Adelle , Eul Jung Chun
Published: April 2008

Service learning is a form of pedagogy that enables students to address the school curriculum through service to the community. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to define the key elements of high school service learning programs and describe empirical investigations focused on the elements. Twelve elements emerged from 62 articles. The elements most frequently discussed were (a) student participation, (b) action, and (c) reflection. Least mentioned were (a) student assessment and program evaluation and (b) celebration. This study suggests the need for a consistent definition of service learning, investigation of methods for including students with disabilities and students at risk, validation of the elements with practitioners, and empirical research to examine the relationship between elements and student outcomes.
“Damn, Yo—Who's That Girl?”
Authors: Contreras Randol
Published: April 2008

Previous street crime research has shown that female robbers manipulate their sexuality to secure male victims. Also, the larger ethnographic drug market literature has shown how male criminals construct masculinity through the sexual and economic manipulation of women. However, both accounts miss how male criminals manipulate the masculinity of other men to victimize them. This article fills that gap, showing how male drug robbers play on the masculinity of male dealers to bait them into a robbery. Through The Girl, a female accomplice, male drug robbers lure male dealers, believing that men demonstrate masculinity through sexual relations with women. Apart from this, male drug robbers construct their own masculinity through The Girl, who is often manipulated and exploited through sexist stereotypes and practices. This research is based on ethnographic field data collected on a group of Dominican drug robbers in a South Bronx neighborhood.
Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour/Talc-filled Polylactic Acid Composites: Effect of Filler Content and Coupling Treatment
Authors: Lee Sun-Young , Kang In-Aeh , Doh Geum-Hyun , Yoon Ho-Gyu , Park Byung-Dae , Qinglin Wu
Published: April 2008

Wood flour (WF) and talc-filled polylactic acid (PLA) composites are prepared by melt compounding and injection molding. The effects of filler loading and silane treatment, the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites are studied. Loading of WF and WF/talc mixture into neat PLA results in a small decrease in the glass transition and crystalline temperatures of the composites. The use of WF, talc and silane in the composites causes successively larger decreased in the composite crystallinity. The addition of talc and silane to PLA/WF composites improved the tensile modulus. The tensile strength of the composites decreases slightly with the addition of talc, but it considerably improves with the use of 1 wt% silane. Morphological analysis shows improved interfacial bonding with silane treatment for the composites.
Polypropylene Nanocomposites: Effect of Organo-modified Layered Silicates on Mechanical, Thermal & Morphological Performance
Authors: Samal Sushanta K. , Nayak Sanjay K. , Mohanty Smita
Published: April 2008

The present article reports the mechanical, thermal and morphological characteristics of polypropylene — maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene —organically modified MMT (PP-PP-g-MAH-OMMT) nanocomposites. PP nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder followed by injection moulding. Sodium montmorillonite has been organically modified using quaternary ammonium intercalants. A comparative account with commercial quaternary ammonium modified clay; Cloisite 15A has also been presented. Mechanical tests showed considerable improvement in tensile, flexural and impact properties of PP matrix with the incorporation of organically modified nanoclays. Furthermore, the quaternary ammonium intercalants exhibited improved performance with an optimum improvement in compatibilized PP/Cloisite 15A nanocomposites. The morphology of the nanocomposites has been examined using wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Morphological findings revealed efficient dispersion of organically modified nanoclays within the PP matrix. PP-g-MAH compatibilized PP/Cloisite 15A nanocomposites displayed finely dispersed exfoliated nanomorphology as compared with other systems. The crystallization, melting behavior and thermal stability of the nanocomposites has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) which indicated an increase in crystallization temperature as well as thermal stability of PP matrix in Cloisite 15A nanocomposites. DMA curves also confirmed an increase in storage modulus of PP matrix in the nanocomposites, indicating an increase in the stiffness of the matrix polymer with the addition of organically modified nanoclays.