bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Qualitative Sociology and Social Class
Authors: Travers Max
Published: March 2010

This paper contrasts two approaches that qualitative researchers can adopt towards studying class and status divisions, drawing upon issues raised by Gordon Marshall (1988) in his paper about working class consciousness. It is suggested that researchers influenced by Marshall, and recent feminist ethnographers, whose central concept is class, ultimately adopt a competitive stance towards common-sense understanding and experience. Sociologists who seek to describe how members of society understand their own activities, such as the community studies tradition in anthropology, Pierre Bourdieu, and ethnomethodology, often conceptualise class in terms of status. These different ways of understanding qualitative data need to be understood in the context of foundational debates in nineteenth century sociology about action and structure, and indicate the continuing relevance of the Marx/Weber debate in discussions about social class.
Violating an Occupational Sex-Stereotype: Israeli Women Earning Engineering Degrees
Authors: Chanoch Jacobsen , Tamar Vanki
Published: March 2010

The percentage of women engineering graduates in Israel has increased fourfold during the last two decades, but only a small percentage of Israeli women opt for these fields. We account for the current trend by a general theory of patterned deviance, viewing the recent increase of women's studying for engineering degrees as a case of nonconformity with a traditional norm. A simulation model of that theory reproduced 85.8% of the variance in the data on women engineering graduates between 1966 and 1987, indicating that the theory applies also in this case. The simulations show that it is becoming increasingly legitimate for women to study engineering and informal social control keeping women from enrolling in engineering has almost disappeared, but the internalized sex-stereotype still deters many women from taking such courses.
‘Germanness in One Country: Austria, Joerg Haider and Nationalist Legacy’
Authors: Weber Wolfgang
Published: March 2010

This article looks at the possible links between auto/biography and right wing nationalism. It is based on extensive archival and oral history research carried out during the 1990s. The recent shift to the right of Austrian governmental politics is examined by looking at biographical aspects of a key player of that process, the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party Joerg Haider. His current political views should be read as being embedded within the wider historical and political biography of Austria as a nation state. A life story is constructed in exchange with ones own and other people's actions. This construct is constantly in flux. This is true for authors of academic research as much as for their objects of investigation. Consequently, the authors’ experiences as an Austrian national, both at home and abroad, form a part of this study. The paper concludes by debating how auto/biographical experiences from the past become a constituting element of a person's present and future.
Critical Education for Participatory Research
Authors: Martin M.
Published: March 2010

This article takes the form of a case study of a master's course for health and development professionals working in the field of primary health care. It argues the need for health professionals to critically examine research paradigms and the assumptions that inform them, considering their appropriateness to primary health care, a health strategy based on a recognition of the relationship between inequalities and health status. Conventional training of health professionals does not encourage health workers to reflect critically on their research practice. This can be facilitated through an educational strategy that emphasises issues of inequality as central to health and addresses issues of power and purpose in research activity.
Cash for Answers: The Association between School Performance and Local Government Finance
Authors: Mulberg Jon
Published: March 2010

One of the reasons that the publication and content of secondary school performance tables in England is such a controversial political issue is the introduction of quasi-market models in public services in the 1980's and 1990's. These models assume that the outcome of the educational process in schools can be separated from the inputs - the background of the pupils - and that schools are able to affect poor performance. Any research that shows that the examination results are associated with parental background attacks the concept of choice that is a major rationale for these models, and confronts the quasi-market approach, since it suggests that the outcomes are exogenous to the educational process. The paper suggests that the present approach to performance indicators is contradictory and confused. The paper offers a comprehensive examination of the association between socio-economic background and school examination results at the local authority level. It uses three measures of socio-economic status derived from local government finance, and shows a strong association between these and the five published indicators of educational performance, in an analysis covering the whole of England for the last three years. The evidence strongly suggests that that the tables reflect the background of pupils rather than the effects of educational professionals and local education authorities. It also offers critiques of the alternative indicators of improvement and ‘value-addition’, which are currently being developed. Since these performance tables are an element in the new performance-related pay of teachers, the study implies a critique of both UK educational policy and policy on pay. It also suggests the current trend to expand performance indicators to other public sectors is misdirected.
Snakes & Ladders: In Defence of Studies of Youth Transition
Authors: MacDonald Robert , Mason Paul , Shildrick Tracy , Webster Colin , Johnston Les , Ridley Louise
Published: March 2010

Although enjoying a period of renewed government policy interest and favourable research funding, youth studies has recently come under considerable intellectual attack, much of it from within. A common theme is that the major conceptual approach of most British youth research over the past twenty years - the sociological study of youth transitions - is not helpful in approaching ‘the youth question’. The paper locates these recent critiques in terms of the development of ‘two traditions’ of youth research in the UK; a development which has served to separate structural and cultural analyses and so to limit the theoretical potential of the field. A recent qualitative study of young people growing up in Teesside, Northeast England is then discussed. Close analysis of the biographies of two of its participants are used as the basis for a reconsideration of the nature of transitions amongst ‘socially excluded’ youth and a discussion of some of the limitations of recent critiques of youth studies. The paper argues that the sort of research, methods and analysis employed here provide one example of how interests in the cultural and structural aspects of youth might be integrated. It concludes by reasserting the theoretical value of a broad conceptualisation of transition in understanding the social, economic and cultural processes that define the youth phase.
Taking Account of The Macro in the Micro-Politics of Family Viewing - Generational Strategies
Authors: MacKeogh Carol
Published: March 2010

This article uses Bourdieu's concept of habitus, to explore how external discourses relating to young people and television, enter into the micro-politics of family viewing. It is based, primarily, on observation data collected by informants in the homes of young people. These data reveal the tactics and strategies that are used both by the young people and by their ‘parents’ to control the viewing process. It is possible to tentatively identify the projection of discourses of vulnerability onto young people who, in turn, attempt to position themselves as competent viewers evoking public discourses around youth and media savvy. Within the family setting these viewers develop a ‘sense for the game’ of viewing which informs the strategies they use to increase their control of the viewing experience.
The Social Worlds of Caravaning: Objects, Scripts and Practices
Authors: Southerton Dale , Shove Elizabeth , Warde Alan , Deem Rosemary
Published: March 2010

This paper is about the part which objects play in scripting the practices and strategies of their users. Goffman uses the concept of script to make sense of the conventional ordering of social interaction and the definition and maintenance of social worlds. As adopted by Latour (1992), Akrich (1992)and others, the term describes the ways in which devices and non-human actors configure their users. Drawing upon a study of caravaning and caravaners, we link these interpretations together through the mediating concept of practice. We argue that the practice of caravaning involves the resolution of common dilemmas, related to the material characteristics of the activity, and that the manner of their resolution, which involves the differential use of apparently similar objects and devices, underpins the social ordering of caravaning communities. In this case, as in others, non- human actors do not simply script, they also set the stage for social differentiation. Equally, caravans and caravan sites are much more than props strategically deployed in the course of social interaction. Like other objects, they are also implicated in the constitution and definition of the challenges around which social distinctions revolve.
Smoke and Mirrors: Modernist Illusions in the Quantitative versus Qualitative Research Debate
Authors: Schmuttermaier John R , Schmitt David
Published: March 2010

The debate about the selection and proper use of theory, and their impact on validity, is actually an example of sleight of hand. It is a paradigm conflict posing as a debate about substantive issues. Within the diversionary debate, qualitative (inductive) research has been critiqued and declared a-theoretical. This paper engages with this claim and the assertions about the superiority of quantitative (deductive) research and concludes that both positions are redundant. At the outset, all research is deductive and once the data commences to be interpreted and conclusions manufactured, it proceeds as a process driven by a deductive- inductive dialectic. This dialectical manufacturing process is universal and inescapable. At best, a systematic approach to data collection and interpretation only allows for the subsequent partial deconstruction of the research construct. That construct may be valid within the confines of its own manufacturing process, but this does not open the way for claims of the imprimatur of any broader validity.
Surveillance after September 11
Authors: Lyon David
Published: March 2010

The aftermath of terrorist attacks on September 11 2001 includes widespread tightening of surveillance. The responses are a prism that puts several things in perspective. One, it is premature to see decentralised and commercial surveillance simply supplanting nation-state power. Rather, the nation-state now draws upon an augmented surveillant assemblage for its own purposes. Two, reliance on high tech surveillance methods is undaunted by the low-tech attacks or the failure of high tech security systems already in place. While they may not work to curb terrorism they are likely to impede civil rights for citizens who will be even more profiled and screened. Three, the struggle to make mushrooming surveillance systems more democratically accountable and amenable to ethical scrutiny is being set back by panic regimes following September 11.
Attacking the Cultural Turn: Misrepresentations of the Service Encounter
Authors: Taylor Steve
Published: March 2010

Service work is often (mis)represented within western sociology through hyperbolic language, as its increasing incidence and changing character is seen as symptomatic of profound social change. This paper argues that many recent empirical investigations into, and the dominant representations of, the service encounter (employment involving employee-customer interaction which is represented as a particularly ‘new’ form of work) exaggerate its novelty as ‘cultural’ work. Through a critical analysis of some recent empirical accounts of the service encounter and drawing upon one example from the author's own ethnographic research into service encounters within north- eastern England, it is argued that the dominant representations over-emphasise the cultural, and underplay both the economic and gendered, dynamics of the employment experience. More specifically, we argue that it is the active combination of ‘the economic’ and ‘the cultural’ - the way in which gendered demands for employees to develop particular norms, values, personalities and identities are embedded within inequitable economic relationships - which can shape the employment experience of service employees. Dominant representations of the service encounter also reject the contemporary relevance of ‘traditional’ industrial sociological analyses of employment relations. However, given the weak empirical foundations of ‘the cultural turn’, we argue that this contention cannot be supported. In fact, it is suggested that many ‘traditional’ industrial sociological analyses precisely examine the interplay between economic, gendered and cultural relations and therefore continue to have relevance for understanding contemporary employment. Finally, our arguments are located within debates about the cultural turn within the wider sociological discipline.
Structures of Nationalism
Authors: Treanor P.
Published: March 2010

The article reviews briefly the theory of nationalism, and introduces (yet another) definition of nations and nationalism. Starting from this definition of nationalism as a world order with specific characteristics, oppositions such as core and periphery, globalism/nationalism, and realism/idealism are formally rejected. Nationalism is considered as a purely global structure. Within this, it is suggested, the number of states tends to fall to an equilibrium number which is itself falling, this number of states being the current best approximation to a single world state. Within nationalism variants are associated with different equilibrium numbers: these variants compete. Together, as the nationalist structure, they formally exclude other world orders. Such a structure appears to have the function of blocking change, and it is tentatively suggested that it derives directly from an innate human conservatism. The article attempts to show how characteristics of classic nationalism, and more recent identity politics, are part of nationalist structures. They involve either the exclusion of other forms of state, or of other orders of states, or the intensification of identity as it exists.
Who Suceeds and who Flounders? Young People in East Europe's New Market Economies
Authors: Roberts K , Osadchaya G I , Dsuzev H V , Gorodyanenko V G , Tholen J
Published: March 2010

The main question addressed in this paper is what happens when the usual sociological predictors (family background and educational attainment, for example) fail to predict labour market success and failure The paper presents evidence from surveys conducted in 1999 among 1300 25-26 year olds in Moscow, Vladikavkaz and Dneipropetrovsk which shows that this was indeed the situation in these places, and probably in most other parts of the former Soviet Union also. Our analysis also draws on evidence from focus groups conducted in Moscow and Dneipropetrovsk during 2002 with a total of 25 recent university graduates. All these young people were ‘succeeding’ according to the definition of success adopted in our analysis. It is argued that in the new market economies young people's prospects really have become unpredictable: that there are no efficacious but so far overlooked social or psychological variables. Young people's ways of coping with their chaotic conditions are identified: ‘keeping faith’ with customary reliabilities, off-setting risks, and endeavouring to de-couple their personal prospects from macro-realities. The paper concludes by evaluating competing explanations of the new unpredictability. It is argued that specifically post-Soviet economic trends and conditions in the 1990s are wholly responsible, and that, irrespective of whether the economies recover or remain depressed, the unpredictability of success will most likely be a short-term phenomenon.
The Consumption of Technology in Everyday Life: Car, Telephone, and Television in Sweden and America in Comparative-Historical Perspective
Authors: Schroeder Ralph
Published: March 2010

This essay examines the consumption of technology in everyday life by considering three major technologies - car, telephone, and television. The argument attempts to go beyond technological determinism, which is typically not grounded in the study of everyday life, as well as beyond social shaping/social constructivist views that are tied to particular times and places, and thus unable to recognize broader and more long-term patterns of change. To make this argument, Sweden and America, two countries for which detailed evidence is available for different periods of time, including several studies of ‘typical’ small towns, are compared in historical perspective. In addition to synthesizing this evidence, the essay draws on neo-functionalist and Weberian ideas about technology and culture to argue that there is an overall pattern whereby the consumption of technology in everyday life simultaneously homogenizes leisure and sociable activities and at the same time makes them more diverse.
A Look at Changing Parental Ideologies & Behaviors in Japan
Authors: Bassani Cherylynn
Published: March 2010

This paper discusses changes in Japanese parenting over the past two generations. Using an inductive approach to the understanding of Japanese families, 10 separate families were theoretically sampled in the Kansai area during the summer of 2000. Concepts surrounding changing parenting emerged from talks with parents. Four interrelated concepts are eminent in the interviews: the rise of individual ethics in parenting, changing parental roles, impacts of changes on children, and romanticized parenting. Key generational and gender differences are apparent across all four concepts. Concepts that emerged from these interviews reflect changes in society and the family that past research has addressed.
‘Saints and Sinners: The Role of Conservative Christian Pressure Groups in the Christian Gay Debate in the UK’
Authors: Hunt Stephen
Published: March 2010

This paper considers the conservative evangelical response to the Gay Christian Movement in the UK. Increasingly the conservative constituency has been forced to reply to the propaganda and highly vociferous Christian gay lobby that has appealed to both church and secular agencies with the language of ‘Rights’. This paper identifies and outlines the strategies undertaken by conservative Christianity anti-gay groups and speculates as to their level of current and future success.
Connecting Ethnicity, Agency and Ageing
Authors: Wray Sharon
Published: March 2010

The experience of growing older in Britain is ethnically and culturally differentiated. Yet, mainstream gerontological and sociological approaches to ageing have failed to examine, in any detail, the interconnections between agency, ageing and ethnic diversity. This means that theories of ageing often exclude experiences outside the ‘traditional’ domain. Here, traditional includes those theories of ageing that have relied on western (British/American) concepts to measure personal power and fulfillment in later life. Yet, the meanings attached to agency, empowerment, autonomy and independence vary in relation to the specificities of time, space and culture. Despite this, western culturally specific concepts tend to underpin the notion of ‘successful ageing’. This paper questions both the effect this has on how agency and empowerment are theorised and the extent to which some experiences are excluded by definition. It presents findings from an ESRC qualitative research project on womenís experiences of agency and dis/empowerment in later life across ethnic diversity. There were differences, for instance, in the timing of old age, what constituted control and agency and womenís relationship with their bodies, as they grew older. The paper considers the extent to which current gerontological and sociological theories and concepts of ageing adequately represent ethnic and cultural differences in what it means to grow older.
Globalisation and the Future of Ageing: Developing a Critical Gerontology
Authors: Phillipson Chris
Published: March 2010

Debates on globalisation have become an important area within the social sciences. The purpose of this chapter is to extend this discussion to the study of ageing and in particular the field of critical gerontology. Some of the concerns here include issues around inequality and social divisions running through the life course. These are being changed and influenced in new ways by the political and economic changes associated with globalisation. The argument of the paper is that globalisation brings forth a new set of actors and institutions influencing the social construction of public policy for old age. Some of the themes covered in this paper include the rise of transnational bodies such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, problems affecting people in the developing world, the acceleration of global migration in various forms, and changes in the nature of citizenship and citizen-rights. The chapter concludes by setting out the case for an ‘age- sensitive’ globalisation that can provide an effective challenge to new forms of inequality and exclusion.
On the Potentialities and Problems of a WWW Based Naturalistic Sociology
Authors: Slack R. S.
Published: March 2010

This paper argues that the World Wide Web provides a unique opportunity for sociological explication. It contends that sociological uses of the Internet for publication purposes have not as yet taken full advantage of the technology available, producing web facsimiles of printed pages. It highlights the potential for undertaking inquiries which employ the multimedia aspects of WWW technology and extends some of the insights from ethnomethodology and conversation analysis regarding retrievable data.
‘A UK Sociolinguistic Perspective: Gene, Jeffrey and Evangelical ‘Broad Inclusioní Intersubjectivity’
Authors: Heather Noel
Published: March 2010

Critical sociolinguistics (conceived as Critical Discourse Analysis: CDA), which has a focus on inclusive and exclusive language within social practice, can be used to shed light on underlying aspects of recent debates about the appointment of homosexual bishops in the UK and USA. One strand of the CDA approach is to examine the social cognitions implicit in the behaviours of communities. In the case of the religious communities involved here, a basic feature of their differences lies in their use of contrasting socio-theological, mentally-encoded schemata: the Evangelical, group-focused, strong commitment frame (SCF) contrasts sharply with the more liberally-inclined, more ‘individual-respecting’, social normalcy frame (SNF). One of the consequences of this is that Evangelicals appear to enjoy a particularly strong sense of ëmental bonding of outlookí, intersubjectivity, in which a high focus on group objectives and social outlooks is closely allied to their traditional beliefs. And although Evangelical, ‘group- thought’ intersubjectivity may aid mental resistance to change on some social issues (eg homosexual bishops), it may however also help maintain ‘broad inclusion’ in terms of social marginalisation of normally more common, but perhaps less ‘culturally visible’ kinds (eg the single and elderly).
‘Researching Identities with Multi-method Autobiographies’
Authors: Bagnoli Anna
Published: March 2010

In order to research the identities of young people in contemporary Europe I designed a participatory project which relied on the application of a multi-method autobiographical approach. The project fully involved the young participants as co-researchers, assigning them a guiding role, and allowing them to provide the identity narratives which were most significant to them, in their own terms. The multi-method autobiographical approach that I present here was designed so to study identities as dialogical constructions, on the basis of a holistic ‘self+other’ model, which assumes that the dimension of dialogue and the relationship with the other from us are fundamental in the process of identity definition. Main aim of the approach was encouraging reflexivity, and it offered a variety of media for the young participants to narrate their life-stories. Centring on the production of a one-week diary, it involved also two open- ended interviews, as well as the use of visual methods, the projective technique of the self-portrait, and the collection of participants’ own photographs. The young people responded enthusiastically to this methodology, which sometimes also empowered them over their lives. Its flexible and open structure effectively allowed them to guide the research in the directions they wanted, being sensitive to their own preferred ways of self-expression. The use of written and visual methods significantly widened the area of research, accessing data that might have been difficult to gather otherwise.
Informal Exchange Relations in Post-Soviet Russia: A Comparative Perspective
Authors: Lonkila M.
Published: March 2010

In this article I compare the informal exchange of favours, goods and information in St. Petersburg and Helsinki. The study is part of a larger international comparative research project coordinated by the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris. This text is based on data collected in the two cities during 1993 - 94: Forty secondary school teachers in St. Petersburg and thirty-eight in Helsinki kept a diary of their important social relations for two weeks. Each evening during this period they recorded their significant social encounters of the day in structured questionnaires; eg. whom they met and what they did or discussed together. After the two weeks, they added to the diaries persons whom they had not encountered during the study period but whom they nevertheless considered as significant for their social life. In addition, a complementary theme interview concentrating on their life course was carried out.

Clear differences were found between the informal exchange practices of Russian and Finnish respondents. Compared to their Finnish colleagues, Russian teachers exchanged more favours, goods and important information. Moreover, the content of the informal exchange in St. Petersburg was both of a different nature and more diverse than in Helsinki; cases abounded of Russian respondents having to use their relatives, friends, colleagues or acquaintances in order to obtain informally products or different kinds of services (eg. medical care). Similarly, half of the Russian respondents reported blat exchanges - a particular Soviet/post-Soviet phenomenon of arranging things through informal connections, and a practice not found in the Finnish data. The informal exchanges reported in the St. Petersburg data were more often carried out with colleagues or other work-mediated relations, thereby stressing the importance of the Russian workplace as a social milieu. In the Russian data the informal exchange relations also involved more examples of informal exchange mediated by a third person, whereas in Helsinki the relations were more of a dyadic nature.

The results support the view proposed by previous research according to which informal exchange and patterns of behavior inherited from the socialist era still continue to influence the transition society. The continuing lack of trust in official institutions and social services was compensated for by our Russian respondents with the use of their personal relations. The trust necessary for informal exchanges to take place was guaranteed either through the use of brokers or a common social context, particularly the workplace. The resulting forms of social life can be characterized as personalized (since abstract and therefore replacable relations were turned into personal and unique ones) and mediated (since the brokers were often used). Though changing in forms and functions, the networks of personal relations still continue to play a significant role in the life of post-Soviet citizens.
Denosumab‐mediated increase in hand bone mineral density associated with decreased progression of bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Deodhar A. , Dore R. K. , Mandel D. , Schechtman J. , Shergy W. , Trapp R. , Ory P. A. , Peterfy C. G. , Fuerst T. , Wang H. , Zhou L. , Tsuji W. , Newmark R.
Published: March 2010

Objective

Periarticular osteoporosis is one of the earliest radiographic signs of bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Denosumab, an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to RANKL, inhibits bone erosion and systemic bone loss in clinical studies of patients with RA. In this hand bone mineral density (BMD) substudy, we investigated the effects of denosumab on hand BMD and its correlation with hand erosion scores.

Methods

Patients receiving methotrexate for erosive RA were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous placebo, denosumab 60 mg, or denosumab 180 mg at 0 and 6 months. Measurements included BMD (by dual x‐ray absorptiometry [DXA]) of both hands (0, 1, 6, and 12 months), magnetic resonance images of the hands/wrists (0 and 6 months), and radiographs of the hands/wrists and feet (0, 6, and 12 months).

Results

There were 56 patients (13 placebo, 21 denosumab 60 mg, and 22 denosumab 180 mg). Mean changes in hand BMD at 6 and 12 months were: +0.8% and +1.0%, respectively, for denosumab 60 mg; +2.0% and +2.5%, respectively, for denosumab 180 mg; and −1.2% and −2.0%, respectively, for placebo. Erosion scores remained near baseline in the denosumab groups and increased from baseline in the placebo group. A negative correlation was observed between hand BMD and erosion scores.

Conclusion

In patients with RA, denosumab provided protection against erosion, and not only prevented bone loss but increased hand BMD as measured by DXA.
Inflammatory and degenerative sacroiliac joint disease in a primary back pain cohort
Authors: O'Shea F. D. , Boyle E. , Salonen D. C. , Ammendolia C. , Peterson C. , Hsu W. , Inman R. D.
Published: March 2010

Objective

The prevalence of sacroiliac (SI) joint abnormalities in a primary low back pain population remains unresolved. The aims of our study were to define the prevalence of SI joint disease in this cohort, and to identify clinical features that might accurately predict radiographic changes in the SI joint and spine.

Methods

Lumbar spine and anteroposterior pelvis radiographs taken over a 3‐year period for the evaluation of back pain at a major chiropractic college were scored for the presence of inflammatory or degenerative features. Data were subsequently extracted by means of a predetermined template from the clinical notes. The outcomes were correlated using Spearman's correlation coefficients.

Results

We identified 315 patients (173 men, 142 women), ages 18–60 years. Of these, 100 patients (31.7%) demonstrated SI joint abnormalities: 75 (23.8%) degenerative, 25 (7.9%) inflammatory. Sex was strongly associated with type of SI joint pathology; degenerative disease was predominantly found in women (68%), whereas inflammatory disease was predominantly found in men (63%). In women there was no correlation between degenerative SI joint abnormalities and degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Of the clinical descriptors evaluated, none were associated with the radiographic findings with the exception of buttock pain, which was associated with inflammatory sacroiliitis. Neither being overweight nor pregnancy history was associated with degenerative changes in the SI joint.

Conclusion

In a primary back pain cohort, degenerative SI joint disease may be an under‐recognized clinical entity. It is strongly influenced by sex but is unrelated to degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Currently proposed clinical discriminators performed poorly in correlating with radiographic changes in the SI joint.
Denosumab prevents metacarpal shaft cortical bone loss in patients with erosive rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Sharp John T. , Tsuji Wayne , Ory Peter , Harper‐Barek Cristina , Wang Huei , Newmark Richard
Published: March 2010

Objective

Osteoclast‐mediated bone loss in the hand predicts future bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclast activity depends on RANKL, which is inhibited by denosumab, an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody against RANKL. We measured metacarpal shaft cortical bone thickness using a novel computer‐based technique, digital x‐ray radiogrammetry (DXR), to evaluate the effects of denosumab on cortical bone in RA.

Methods

Patients (n = 227) with active, erosive RA were randomized to receive subcutaneous denosumab 60 mg or 180 mg or placebo every 6 months. All patients received stable doses of methotrexate and daily calcium and vitamin D. For this blinded post hoc analysis (n = 218), cortical bone loss was determined by DXR using computer‐assisted measurement of cortical thickness and shaft width at 21 midshaft levels of the second through fourth metacarpal bones of both hands.

Results

At 12 months, patients receiving denosumab had significantly less metacarpal bone loss versus placebo (denosumab 60 mg: −0.0034, denosumab 180 mg: 0.0001 gain, placebo: −0.0108; P ≤ 0.01 for both denosumab doses). Twelve‐month decreases from baseline greater than the smallest detectable change occurred in 2 patients in the denosumab 180 mg group, 9 patients in the denosumab 60 mg group, and 12 patients in the placebo group. Negative correlation was significant between static cortical thickness ratios and static erosion scores (6 and 12 months), and for placebo, between changes in erosion scores and changes in cortical thickness ratio.

Conclusion

Twice‐yearly injections of denosumab with ongoing methotrexate treatment significantly reduced cortical bone loss in RA patients for up to 12 months. These results add to the growing evidence supporting the clinical utility of DXR.
From Ag Nanoprisms to Triangular AuAg Nanoboxes
Authors: Aherne Damian , Gara Matthew , Kelly John M. , Gun'ko Yurii K.
Published: March 2010

In recent years, galvanic replacement reactions have been successfully employed to produce hollow bimetallic nanostructures of a range of shapes, yet to date there has been no example of the formation of hollow triangular AuAg nanostructures from a Ag nanoprism template. In this manuscript the first example of the synthesis of enclosed triangular AuAg nanostructures (triangular nanoboxes) via galvanic replacement reactions from Ag nanoprisms is reported. These triangular nanoboxes are studied by TEM and HAADF‐STEM imaging to elucidate their structure. These studies show that the nanostructures are hollow and do not consist of a Ag core surrounded by a Au shell. Discrete dipole approximation calculations for the extinction spectra are carried out and provide additional evidence that the nanostructures are hollow. These new triangular nanoboxes are very attractive candidates for encapsulation and transport of materials of interest such as drugs, radioisotopes, or magnetic materials.
Nanocomposite Microcontainers with High Ultrasound Sensitivity
Authors: Kolesnikova Tatiana A. , Gorin Dmitry A. , Fernandes Paulo , Kessel Stefanie , Khomutov Gennady B. , Fery Andreas , Shchukin Dmitry G. , Möhwald Helmuth
Published: March 2010

A water suspension of nanocomposite microcapsules with embedded ZnO nanoparticles in the capsule shell is reported. The microcapsule morphology is characterized by confocal microscopy, TEM, SEM, and AFM before and after ultrasound treatment. A remarkably high capsule sensitivity to ultrasound is evidenced, and it is observed to grow with increasing number of ZnO nanoparticle layers in the nanocomposite shell. This effect is correlated with the mechanical properties of microcapsules measured with AFM.
Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy Study of Thin Gate Dielectrics
Authors: Reiner James W. , Cui Sharon , Liu Zuoguang , Wang Miaomiao , Ahn Charles H. , Ma T. P.
Published: March 2010

A broad range of materials is currently being studied for possible use as the insulating layer in next generation metal‐oxide‐semiconductor transistors. Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) has become a powerful tool to characterize both the structural and electrical properties of the resulting device structures made from these materials. IETS can address issues related to reactions and intermixing at interfaces, as well as properties related to carrier mobility, such as phonon modes and charge traps, for structures that are difficult to characterize accurately by other techniques.
Ynamides: Versatile Tools in Organic Synthesis
Authors: Evano Gwilherm , Coste Alexis , Jouvin Kévin
Published: March 2010

Ynamides display an exceptionally fine balance between stability and reactivity. They also offer unique and multiple opportunities for the inclusion of nitrogen‐based functionalities into organic molecules, and are emerging as especially useful and versatile building blocks for organic synthesis. Recent breakthroughs in the preparation of these substrates have revitalized interest in nitrogen‐substituted alkynes, and the beginning of the 21st century has witnessed an ever‐increasing number of publications reporting the development of new reactions or synthetic sequences starting from ynamides. This Review highlights major developments in this area.
Mathematical model of gentamicin sulfate release from a bioactive textile material as a transdermal system underin vitroconditions
Authors: Simovic Ljiljana , Skundric Petar , Pajic‐Lijakovic Ivana , Ristic Katarina , Medovic Adela , Tasić Goran
Published: March 2010

A mathematical model was developed to estimate the release of gentamicin sulfate from a bioactive textile material as a transdermal system for wound dressing. The gentamicin sulfate released from the antibiotic/chitosan hydrogel complexes was measuredin vitroby the Franz diffusion cell technique. The diffusive transport of gentamicin sulfate through three connected compartments, that is, chitosan hydrogel, membrane, and solution, was considered by the formulation of a model based on Fick's second law. Initially, the total amount of gentamicin sulfate was placed within an already swollen chitosan hydrogel. The value of the diffusivity coefficient of the drug through the chitosan hydrogel was calculated for every initial amount of the active substance. For the initial concentration of gentamicin sulfate, which was lower than 2.81 × 104μg/mL, the diffusion coefficient was approximately constant. A higher amount of gentamicin sulfate in the hydrogel reduced its own transport as a consequence of an increase in the intensity of the interaction field between the molecules of gentamicin sulfate. The model provides the possibility of optimizing the process of drug release by ensuring a compromise between a higher value of the diffusivity coefficient and a desirable amount of gentamicin sulfate and a constant concentration within the solution over 48 h. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone ether ketone ketone) for proton exchange membranes
Authors: Zhou Weihua , Xiao Jichun , Chen Yiwang , Zeng Rong , Xiao Shuqin , He Xiaohui , Li Fan , Song Caisheng
Published: March 2010

A series of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone ether ketone ketone) (SPESEKK) with different degree of sulfonation (DS) are prepared by the postsulfonation of PESEKK using chlorosulfonic acid as sulfonating agent and concentrated sulfuric acid as solvent. The chemical structures of the polymers are analyzed by the proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The thermal properties of the SPESEKK show that they are greatly influenced by the DS value and sulfonation time. The water uptake, proton conductivity, and Ion exchange capacity values increase as the sulfonation time increasing. The methanol permeability of the SPESEKK in the range of 7.02 × 10−8 to 4.477 × 10−7 cm2 s−1, is one or two orders of magnitude lower than that of Nafion 115. The morphology of the SPESEKK membranes is investigated by scanning electron microscope. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Nematic–isotropic transition in polymer‐confined and polymer‐free liquid crystal mixtures
Authors: Kuschel F. , Hartmann L. , Bauer M.
Published: March 2010

Depending on the processing conditions in liquid crystal (LC) display manufacturing, LC/polymer composite films may exhibit unusual properties with respect to the compositional and phase behavior of the LC constituents. In particular, we have observed extraordinary large shifts of phase transition temperatures in LC/polymer composites, which can not be explained by preferential solvation or adsorption. Therefore, the influence of real manufacturing conditions such as thermal stress, storage in vacuum, and UV irradiation on the nematic–isotropic (n–i) transition temperatures of commercial nematic mixtures was investigated. Shifts of the clearing temperature of up to 88 K, presumably due to partial evaporation or UV degradation, were observed. Furthermore, we found that annealing may lead to the replacement of the nematic phase by the smectic A phase at room temperature in both LC/polymer composites and pure LC samples. Among the tested commercial LC blends, the mixtures E7, MLC‐6650, and L101 showed the smallest stress effects. Practical consequences of our results are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Sustained release properties of crosslinked and substituted starches
Authors: Onofre Fernanda O. , Wang Ya‐Jane
Published: March 2010

High amylose corn, waxy corn, and potato starches were crosslinked (XL) to an optimal degree and then substituted with carboxymethyl (CM) and aminoethyl (AE) groups, and their drug release properties, swelling power, and potential interactions with drugs were investigated. Propranolol hydrochloride, sodium diclofenac and acetaminophen were used as model drugs. High amylose starch required a higher XL degree to achieve good sustained release properties, whereas waxy corn required the least XL. Drug release was more governed by the matrix characteristics than by drug properties, and XL‐CM high amylose corn starch displayed a nearly constant drug release for all three drugs tested. Swelling power correlated well with sustained release properties with the better matrices swelling to greater extents. There was a potential interaction between XL‐AE‐starches and diclofenac as indicated by differential scanning calorimetry. Starches from different sources require different types and degrees of modifications to achieve satisfactory sustained release. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
The role of polymerizable organophilic clay during preparing polyethylene nanocomposite via filling polymerization
Authors: Ren Changyi , Du Xiaohua , Ma Li , Wang Yanhui , Tang Tao
Published: March 2010

Effect of polymerizable montmorillonites (P‐MMTs) on the morphology of polyethylene/montmorillonites (PE/MMTs) nanocomposites during filling polymerization was studied. The microstructure analysis showed that the P‐MMTs were more exfoliatable than nonpolymerizable MMTs in the preparation of PE/MMTs nanocomposites. By examining the influence of the polymerization condition on the microstructure of the resultant nanocomposites, it was confirmed that the shear force formed by the mechanical stirring was the driving force of the exfoliation dispersion of MMT sheets during the filling polymerization. Comparatively, the shear force on MMT sheets might be increased due to strong interaction between PE chains linked to the surface of P‐MMTs and the solvents molecules, which is the reason that polymerizable clay is more exfoliatable than nonpolymerizable clay. The copolymerization between polymerizable modifier and ethylene was confirmed by NMR measurements. Furthermore, the morphology of the resultant nanocomposites was influenced by the concentration of the dispersed P‐MMTs. The degree of exfoliation of the resultant nanocomposites at a relatively low concentration was higher than that at a high concentration. This is because of the multiscale organization of the organoclay dispersed in the organic medium. High exfoliation degree of MMTs and improved interaction between PE matrix and P‐MMTs in PE/P‐MMTs nanocomposites led to significant improvements in mechanical properties and barrier properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
The flocculating properties of chitosan‐graft‐polyacrylamide flocculants (I)—effect of the grafting ratio
Authors: Yuan Bo , Shang Yabo , Lu YaoBo , Qin Zuqun , Jiang Yuxiang , Chen Aimin , Qian Xiaozhi , Wang Guangzhi , Yang Hu , Cheng Rongshi
Published: March 2010

A series of chitosan‐graft‐polyacrylamide copolymers have been prepared as flocculants for waste water treatment. The results indicated that the grafting ratio was one of the key factors for the flocculating effects. The copolymers with various grafting ratios showed different flocculating properties. To observe every detail of this effect, the specific refractive index increment measurement (SRIIM) method was used to determine the grafting ratio at the beginning of this study. Interestingly, it was found that as the grafting ratio increased, the flocculating effect increased until it reached its maximum point. At that point, it decreased. This result was discussed in terms of the cooperative effects of the charge neutralization and bridging flocculating mechanisms. A structure model of chitosan‐g‐polyacrylamide copolymer flocculants has been proposed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Preparation of acetylated chitosan sponges (chitin sponges)
Authors: Ko Jung A , Kim Bum Keun , Park Hyun Jin
Published: March 2010

Acetylated chitosan sponges (chitin sponges) were prepared according to acetylation time (25, 50, 75, and 100 h). As the acetylation time increased, the degree of acetylation increased, and a 75‐h acetylation time produced the highest degree of acetylation (DA). The surface morphologies of samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Sponge samples were shown by a water uptake ability test to have higher water absorption abilities. An in vitro biodegradation test showed that sponges with a higher DA were more susceptible to lysozyme hydrolysis. Acetylated chitosan sponges were further shown by an in vitro fibroblast proliferation test to have a higher degree of cell viability on increasing the DA, with 75 h exhibiting the maximum effect. The results showed that the wound healing effect of chitosan sponges can be controlled by the DA. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Performance of graphite filled composite based on benzoxazine resin
Authors: Kimura Hajime , Ohtsuka Keiko , Matsumoto Akihiro
Published: March 2010

In this study, we aimed to prepare and characterize graphite filled composites based on benzoxazine resin for the bipolar plate in fuel cell. Three kinds of graphite (synthetic graphite, natural graphite, and expanded graphite) were used for the preparation of the graphite filled composites. The composites were prepared by means of the compression molding of mixtures of graphite and benzoxazine resin. The properties of the graphite filled composites based on benzoxazine resin were estimated by mechanical property, gas permeability, and electrical conductivity. As a result, it was found that graphite filled composites based on benzoxazine resin showed good gas impermeability, electrical conductivity and mechanical property compared with those of the graphite filled composites based on the conventional phenolic resin. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010