bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional axial braided preforms: experimental determination of effects of structure-process parameters on unit cell
Authors: Bilisik Kadir
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to understand the effects of braid pattern and number of layers on 3D axial braided unit cell structures. Various unit cell based representative 3D axial braided preforms were developed. Data generated from these structures included unit cell dimensions, yarn angle and yarn length in the unit cell structures.It was shown that braid patterns affected the 3D axial braided unit cell structures. The 1 × 1 braid pattern made fully interconnected integral 3D axial braided unit cell structures, whereas the 2 × 1 braid pattern created disconnected braid layers which were connected to the structure edges. When the number of layers increased 3D axial braided unit cell thickness also increased. Braid pattern slightly affected the braided yarn angle. On the other hand, it was observed that the number of layers considerably affected the yarn length in the unit cell structure. Increasing the layer number from six to eight layers created a yarn path in the unit cell edge regions called the ‘multilayer yarn length’. This yarn path was not observed below eight layer 3D axial braided unit cell structures. In jamming conditions, minimum jamming decreased the width of the unit cell structure but maximum jamming increased its width. In addition, minimum jamming decreased the surface angle of the unit cell structure, conversely, however, the maximum jamming increased the surface angle. Also, it was realized that jamming conditions influenced the density of the unit cell but did not affect the yarn length in the unit cell structures.
Undermining Racism and a Whiteness Ideology
Authors: Theoharis George , Haddix Marcelle
Published: August 2011

This article reports on six White urban principals who came to administration with a commitment to create more equitable and excellent schools for students from marginalized communities. These leaders made strides in raising student achievement, creating a climate of belonging for students, staff, and families, and increasing access to learning opportunities for marginalized students. The analysis sought to address the following research question: “In what ways do White leaders who make significant progress in creating excellent and equitable schools include race and racial issues in their leadership?” Five aspects of these leaders’ work around undermining racism and a Whiteness ideology are highlighted.
Mechanical and electrical properties of alumina/natural rubber composites
Authors: Tangboriboon Nuchnapa , Chaisakrenon Sarunya , Banchong Ancharee , Kunanuruksapong Ruksapong , Sirivat Anuvat
Published: August 2011

The mechanical and electrical properties of natural rubber (STR 5L)/alumina (Al2O3) composites with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) functioning as the crosslinking agent and as the filler in the composites were investigated. SEM micrographs indicate that the alumina particles are moderately dispersed in the matrix and some thread-like structures form. Both dicumyl peroxide and the alumina particles act the bi-dispersed particles in the composites. The XRD patterns indicate that Al2O3 is of the β-phase polytype that possesses high ionic conductivity. The electrical conductivity of the composites with DCP loading increases by nearly two and three orders of magnitude, compared to those of the STR 5L/Al2O3 composite without DCP and the pristine natural rubber (STR 5L), respectively. The increase in the electrical conductivity originates from the strong C–C and the Al–O–C bonds, the ionic polarization of the alumina particles, and the induced dipole moments set up in the natural rubber matrix.
Public Support for Military Interventions across Levels of Political Information and Stages of Intervention: The Case of the Iraq War
Authors: Sirin Cigdem V.
Published: August 2011

This study examines the effect of political information levels and intervention stages on the formation and continuity of public support for military interventions by analyzing survey data pertaining to the 2003 military intervention in Iraq. The results show that before and immediately after the launch of the intervention, politically uninformed individuals expressed higher support for the war compared to politically informed ones. However, as the intervention proceeded and casualties were incurred, higher rates of decrease in support were observed among the politically uninformed. Politically informed individuals, on the other hand, demonstrated more stable levels of support throughout the course of the intervention.
The Direct and Interactive Effects of Middle and Upper Managerial Quality on Organizational Performance
Authors: Johansen Morgen S.
Published: August 2011

This article presents an empirical study of the effect of middle manager quality on organizational performance. Using 6 years of data from more than 1,000 Texas school districts, the author finds that quality middle managers positively impact performance. In exploring the relationship between quality middle and upper managers, she finds that their interaction leads to improved organizational performance. This article makes two contributions to the public management literature. First, it introduces a measure of middle manager quality that allows researchers to explore the ways middle managers affect organizational performance. Second, the findings reveal that public management research has underestimated the impact of management.
How to design a powerful family of particle swarm optimizers for inverse modelling
Authors: Fernández Martínez Juan Luis , García Gonzalo Esperanza , Fernández Muñiz Zulima , Mukerji Tapan
Published: August 2011

In this paper, we show how to design a powerful set of particle swarm optimizers to be applied in inverse modelling. The design is based on the interpretation of the swarm dynamics as a stochastic damped mass-spring system, the so-called particle swarm optimization (PSO) continuous model. Based on this idea we derived a family of PSO optimizers (GPSO, CC-PSO and CP-PSO) having different exploitation and exploration capabilities. Their convergence is related to the stability of their first (mean trajectories)- and second-order moments (variance and temporal covariance). Good parameter sets are located inside their first stability regions close to the upper border of their respective second stability regions where the attraction from the particles oscillation centre is very weak. In this region of weak attraction, both convergence to the global minimum and exploration of the search space are possible. Based on this idea, we have designed a particle–cloud algorithm where each particle in the swarm has different inertia (damping) and acceleration (rigidity) constants. We explored the performance of these algorithms for different PSO members using different benchmark functions, showing that the cloud algorithms have a very good balance between exploration and exploitation. Also, the cloud design helps to avoid two main drawbacks of the PSO algorithm: the tuning of the PSO parameters and the clamping of the particles velocities. We also present the lime and sand algorithm that changes the time step with iterations. This feature helps to avoid entrapment in local minima when the time step is increased, and enables exploration around the global best when the time step is decreased. All these designs are based on the theoretical analysis of the PSO dynamics. We explain how to use this knowledge to the solution and appraisal of inverse problems. Finally, we briefly introduce the combined use of PSO and model reduction techniques to allow posterior sampling in high dimensional spaces.
Early Care and Prekindergarten Care as Influences on School Readiness
Authors: Fram Maryah Stella , Kim Jinseok , Sinha Sunny
Published: August 2011

Child care is increasingly viewed as an opportunity to enhance children’s development and school readiness, with prekindergarten programs and early intervention programs targeting children at different moments of development. Results of existing research are mixed, and although many children experience different child care arrangements at different ages, little is known about the joint influence of early and later child care experiences. Using Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort data, the authors estimate a series of regression models, examining the unique and additive contributions of initial child care experiences and prekindergarten experiences on children’s school readiness. The authors find that early use of nonparental care is associated with negative sociobehavioral outcomes; prekindergarten center-based and Head Start care add to this negative association. Early participation in center-based care is associated with enhanced reading and math scores; those relationships are fully mediated by prekindergarten center-based care participation. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.
Rethinking Closeness and Distance in Intimate Relationships
Authors: Ben-Ari Adital
Published: August 2011

In this article, the author presents a theoretical scheme focusing on the relation between closeness and distance in intimate relationships. This challenges a commonly held notion, which maintains that the two constructs are opposite poles on a single continuum. The authors present an alternative conceptualization employing dialectical and reflective thinking, resulting in a multidimensional conceptual model. Accordingly, apparent opposites at preliminary dimensions of experience may be unified into a shared construction of dyadic closeness and distance, when reflected on through a higher systemic mode of thinking. This process leads to a second-order level of dyadic closeness, which is indicative of the quality of the intimate relationship. The relevance of the model to different cultural contexts, as well as its implications for theory, research, and practice, are elaborated and discussed.
Toxicologic Pathology in a Multicultural World—India
Authors: Schultze A. Eric , Reddy Vijayapal R. , Donnelly Kevin B. , Berridge Brian R.
Published: August 2011

The global practice of drug development is expanding into many different continents and countries. India, in particular, is rapidly emerging as an economic force in this arena by offering ever-expanding opportunities for pharmaceutical market expansion as well as productive drug development partnerships. The key to the country's current socioeconomic success appears to be education, particularly the development of higher and professional education. Also, recent modifications to India's patent laws offer greater protections and incentives for international investment. Increasing numbers of competent contract research organizations create attractive opportunities for large Western pharmaceutical companies with a desire to gain access to burgeoning markets as well as mitigate the rising cost of drug development with less costly services. Well-trained veterinary pathologists are available, appropriate facilities are being constructed, and laboratory capabilities are expanding. Developing a productive partnership with a credible laboratory service in India, as with any new provider, requires due diligence and knowledgeable scrutiny of key elements of the work stream, such as facilities, education and training of laboratory personnel, Good Laboratory Practices, animal care, timelines, and data management. Ultimately and with appropriate management, mutually beneficial drug development partnerships are available in India.
What Can Regenerative Medicine Offer for Infants with Laryngotracheal Agenesis?
Authors: Lange Peggy , Fishman Jonathan M. , Elliott Martin J. , De Coppi Paolo , Birchall Martin A.
Published: August 2011

Background

Laryngotracheal agenesis is a rare congenital disorder but has devastating consequences. Recent achievements in regenerative medicine have opened up new vistas in therapeutic strategies for these infants.

Objective

To provide a state‐of‐the‐art review concerning recent achievements in tissue engineering as applied to fetal airway reconstruction and to discuss the use of autologous human amniotic stem cells to prepare organs in advance for babies with laryngotracheal agenesis.

Data Sources and Review Methods

A structured search of the current literature (up to and including June 2011). The authors searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, BIOSIS Previews, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, ICTRP, and additional sources for published and unpublished trials.

Results

Over the past 15 years, progress has been made in advancing the boundaries of regenerative medicine from the laboratory to the clinical setting through translational research. Most experience has been gained with adult stem cells and synthetic materials or decellularized scaffolds. The optimal cell source for fetal tissue engineering remains to be determined, but a combination of decellularized scaffolds and amniotic fluid stem cells holds great promise for fetal tissue engineering.

Conclusions and Implications for Practice

Current treatment strategies for laryngotracheal agenesis are suboptimal, and fetal tissue engineering offers an alternative to conventional treatments. Use of human amniotic fluid stem cells for preparing autologous tissue‐engineered organ constructs prenatally is an attractive concept. Although this approach is still in its experimental stages, further preclinical and clinical studies are encouraged to define its exact role in the pediatric laryngological setting.
Personality self-perceptions of Turkish music pre-service teachers in relation to departmental satisfaction
Authors: Cevik Beste
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in the field of music education. The ‘Big Five’ model of personality served as the framework to help meet the purpose. Using a sample of 83 music pre-service teachers enrolled in a department of music education, we found that music pre-service teachers scored high in the Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion and Agreeableness dimensions but low in the Neuroticism dimension of personality. This finding suggests that the music pre-service teachers possess the personality type that the scientists suggest is ideal for teachers. Two dimensions of personality (Openness and Extroversion) were positively correlated with the music pre-service teachers’ satisfaction in studying in the department of music education.
From the kraal to the classroom: Shifting musical arts practices from the community to the school with special reference to learning tshigombela in Limpopo, South Africa
Authors: Emberly Andrea , Davidson Jane
Published: August 2011

In South Africa the arts and culture educational curriculum has undergone immense change and continues to impact and influence the role of musical arts practices in children’s lives throughout the country. In specific districts of the Limpopo province in particular, musical practices of the Venda culture are being integrated into the school classroom as a means to revitalize and regenerate musical forms that have been historically denigrated by missionaries and the apartheid government. The dance and performance genre known as tshigombela is one such example and, at present, it is a predominant musical practice that illustrates how a musical form can be preserved by shifting it from community settings and into government-sanctioned classrooms. This paper will explore this conscious shift of musical arts practices and the historical and current roles of tshigombela in communities and classrooms in Limpopo that are ensuring its legacy in the greater Venda musical culture.
Piano playing reduces stress more than other creative art activities
Authors: Toyoshima Kumiko , Fukui Hajime , Kuda Kiyoto
Published: August 2011

Few studies have been conducted on the physiological effects of creative art activities. In this study, the effects of creative art activities on human stress were investigated, and their effects were compared in 57 healthy college students (27 males and 30 females). Subjects were divided into four groups, each of which participated in 30-minute sessions of one of the following creative activities or a control activity: (1) playing the piano; (2) molding a piece of clay; (3) calligraphy (writing using a brush and ink); and (4) remaining silent (as a control activity). Cortisol levels and the State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I) were measured before and after each session. Post-session cortisol levels were markedly decreased for piano playing, clay molding and calligraphy, indicating a reduction in stress due to participation in creative activities; the effect of piano playing was significantly greater than clay molding and calligraphy. Post-session STAI scores decreased significantly in all groups other than the control group, indicating a reduction in anxiety induced by engaging in creative activities. The psychological and physiological stress-reducing effects of creative activity, particularly playing the piano, were demonstrated. In addition, the role of music education in school in mental health is discussed.
Zero balance ultrafiltration for the correction of acute acidosis after a period of prolonged deep hypothermic circulatory arrest
Authors: Mick S , Hilberath JN , Davidson MJ , FitzGerald D
Published: August 2011

A 36-year-old woman with normal renal function underwent a total arch replacement requiring 110 minutes of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Prior to rewarming, a pH of 7.063 with a base deficit of 10.8 was obtained. Zero-balance ultrafiltration (Z-BUF) was initiated during rewarming 7 minutes after resumption of cardiopulmonary bypass. After one hour (10L) of Z-BUF, all electrolyte and acid-base disturbances were fully corrected. Our case illustrates that Z-BUF offers a valuable option for the correction of severe electrolyte and acid-base disturbances in adults undergoing cardiac surgery. Its use should be considered in addition to the more standard pharmacologic approaches to such derangements as it offers rapid and predictable electrolyte and acid-base correction and potential anti-inflammatory benefits.
Coagulopathy associated with massive cell salvage transfusion following aortic surgery
Authors: Rollins KE , Trim NL , Luddington RJ , Colah S , Klein A , Besser MW , Nair SK
Published: August 2011

Cell saver blood is used within the peri-operative setting of cardiothoracic surgery to reduce the need for transfusion of allogenic blood products. Several meta-analyses have proven a significant decrease in allogenic transfusion with the use of cell salvage techniques. Washing of red cells by the cell saver and subsequent transfusion of suspended red cells can occasionally cause coagulopathy, particularly when using high concentration heparin saline to wash the spilled blood. We present the case of a 74-year-old female who underwent complicated aortic surgery and was transfused large volumes of cell-saved blood due to post-operative bleeding, which subsequently led to coagulopathy.
Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy for older people in care homes: A phase II randomized controlled trial of a brief palliative care psychotherapy
Authors: Hall Sue , Goddard Cassie , Opio Diana , Speck Peter , Higginson Irene J
Published: August 2011

Background:

A pilot study of Dignity Therapy conducted with hospice patients reported high levels of self-reported benefits of the psychotherapy.

Aim:

To assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy to reduce distress in older people in care homes.

Design:

A randomized controlled open-label trial (ISRCTN37589515). Setting and participants: 60 residents aged 65+ with no major cognitive impairment living in care homes in London, UK.

Intervention:

Dignity Therapy, a brief palliative care psychotherapy.

Outcomes:

Potential effectiveness (dignity-related distress, depression, hopefulness, quality of life at baseline and 1 and 8-week follow-up); acceptability (residents’ views on self-reported benefits of Dignity Therapy/the Dignity Therapy study); and feasibility (time taken to deliver the intervention).

Results:

We randomized 60/755 (8%) residents: 29 – control, 31 – intervention. We found no significant differences between groups on measures of potential effectiveness at any time. There was a reduction in dignity-related distress across both groups ( p = 0.026). The intervention group outperformed the control group on all the acceptability items at both follow-ups. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) ranged from small (0.25) to large (0.85). These were significant for feeling that Dignity Therapy/the Dignity Therapy study had made their life more meaningful at 2-week follow-up ( p = 0.04), and that it would help their families at both follow-ups ( p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Although it was feasible to deliver the intervention in this setting, it took longer to complete than anticipated.

Conclusions:

Although Dignity Therapy took longer to deliver than expected, this intervention may be a way of enhancing the end-of-life experiences of residents.
Birds and Bird Habitat
Authors: Sprague Terry , Harrington M. Elizabeth , Krogh Carmen M. E.
Published: August 2011

Bird kill rate and disruption of habitat has been reported when industrial wind turbines are introduced into migratory bird paths or other environments. While the literature could be more complete regarding the documentation of negative effects on birds and bird habitats during the planning, construction, and operation of wind power projects, there is sufficient evidence to raise concerns. Authoritative and mandatory vigilance monitoring and long-term surveillance over the life of the industrial wind facility are lacking. By the time the documentation of the rate of bird kills, including that of endangered species is available in an environs of an industrial wind turbine facility, the damage may be irreversible. This article briefly explores the negative environmental impacts of the siting of industrial wind turbines and associated infrastructure, including transformer stations and transmission lines, in proximity to migratory bird corridors, wetlands, and nesting grounds. Research is required prior to proceeding with further industrial wind development in these environs. The authors propose that there is sufficient scientific evidence to require invoking the precautionary principle and halting further development until these risks are resolved.
Occupational Health and Industrial Wind Turbines
Authors: Rand Robert W. , Ambrose Stephen E. , Krogh Carmen M. E.
Published: August 2011

Industrial wind turbines (IWTs) are being installed at a fast pace globally. Researchers, medical practitioners, and media have reported adverse health effects resulting from living in the environs of IWTs. While there have been some anecdotal reports from technicians and other workers who work in the environs of IWTs, little is known about the occupational health sector. The purpose of this case study is to raise awareness about the potential for adverse health effects occurring among workers. The authors propose that there is a need for research regarding occupational worker exposure relating to IWTs.
Efficacy of Phototherapy for Newborns with Hyperbilirubinemia
Authors: Newman Thomas B. , Vittinghoff Eric , McCulloch Charles E.
Published: August 2011

Background. Use of instrumental variables is gaining popularity as a method of controlling for confounding by indication in observational studies of treatments. Objectives. To illustrate how unmeasured instrument-level treatment substitution can distort effect size estimates using as an example an instrumental variable analysis of phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting. Northern California Kaiser Permanente Hospitals. Patients. The authors studied 20,731 newborns ≥2000 g and ≥35 weeks’ gestation born 1995–2004 with a “qualifying” total serum bilirubin (TSB) level within 3 mg/dL of the 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) phototherapy threshold who did not have a positive direct antiglobulin test. Measurements. The intervention was inpatient phototherapy within 8 hours of the qualifying TSB. The outcome was a TSB level exceeding the AAP exchange transfusion threshold <48 hours from the qualifying TSB. The instrumental variable was a measure of the frequency of phototherapy use at the newborn’s birth hospital. The unmeasured substituted treatment was supplementation with infant formula, assessed by chart review in a sample from the same cohort. Results. In total, 128 infants (0.62%) exceeded the exchange transfusion threshold. Logistic and propensity analyses yielded crude odds ratios of ~0.5 for phototherapy efficacy, decreasing to ~0.2 with control for confounding by indication. Instrumental variable analyses suggested much greater phototherapy efficacy (e.g., odds ratios of 0.02–0.05). However, chart reviews revealed greater use of infant formula (which also lowers bilirubin levels) in hospitals that used more phototherapy ( r = 0.56; P = 0.02), an association not present at the individual level ( r = 0.13). Conclusions. Instrumental variable analyses may provide biased estimates of treatment efficacy if there are cointerventions or confounders associated with treatment at the level of the instrument, although even when these associations may not exist in individuals.
Time- and temperature-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction: observation of phase transformation and strain evolution in novel low temperature transformation weld filler materials
Authors: Altenkirch J , Gibmeier J , Kostov V , Kromm A , Kannengiesser Th , Doyle S , Wanner A
Published: August 2011

Solid-state phase transformations and the evolution of thermal and elastic strains in novel low temperature transformation (LTT) weld filler materials in the near surface region are monitored in real time by means of an innovative experimental set-up at the PDIFF (powder diffraction) beamline at the synchrotron light source ANKA (Angströmquelle Karlsruhe) at the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology). The key components of the diffraction set-up are two fast microstrip line detectors, which enables the strain evolution to be followed as a function of time and temperature for a 0.5 s counting time. During controlled heating and cooling cycles, as well as during near welding cycles, the martensite–austenite–martensite phase transitions are analysed. The transformation kinetics are monitored during resistance heating of small chips of the pure LTT alloys and during gas tungsten arc welding of simplified LTT welds using a specially designed welding rig for in-situ studies on the diffraction instruments. Under the mechanically unconstrained condition allowing free thermal expansion and shrinkage, the LTT alloys are found to exhibit decreasing transformation temperatures Ac and MS and increasing phase fraction of retained austenite for increasing Ni content. The strain evolution during welding reveals increased compressive stresses upon welding, which is attributed to the martensite formation upon cooling, which counteracts the thermal contraction strains. Comparison of the transformation temperatures reveals higher values than in the pure LTT alloys, but no variation between the different alloys. On the one hand, this is attributed to preferred grain orientation affecting the diffraction measurements and the determination of the transformation temperatures. On the other hand, it is possible that with the different chemical compositions of the LTT alloys and the mechanical constraints during welding, the evolution of the residual strain and stress may vary and result in counteracting affects with respect to lowered martensite start temperatures.
Effect of spatial variation of stress-free lattice spacings on measured residual stresses
Authors: Law M , Luzin V
Published: August 2011

When neutron diffraction is used to measure residual stresses, estimates of the unstressed lattice spacing ( d0) are often required. These are generally measured on a sample that is considered representative of the component. In the case of welded samples, the possibility of variation in weld shape between the d0 sample and the area where stresses are determined must be taken into account. To assess this, d0 values are measured on an area considered representative of the sample, and then are re-measured on a sample cut from the actual strain measurement plane. The residual stresses are re-calculated with these new d0 values and the results compared to those based on the initial d0 measurement. Methods of estimating these errors are discussed. The errors in residual stress that arise from the spatial variation of d0 values are greater than the commonly reported peak fitting errors. These errors can be estimated and should be included in the reported residual stress measurements. Cutting a d0 sample from the measurement plane makes this a destructive technique.
Experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies on the response of square plates subjected to blast loading
Authors: Safari K H , Zamani J , Khalili S M R , Jalili S
Published: August 2011

This article presents the results of experimental and analytical studies on the response of steel and aluminium square plates with different thicknesses subjected to blast loading. Based on the blast wave details and the scaling law for explosions, a method of determining the blast load is proposed in which ballistic pendulums do not need to be utilized for obtaining the blast wave impulses. The loads applied to the plates are assumed to be the quasi-exponential pressure pulses, which are the same as the explosion overpressures. The theoretical solutions are presented using a rigid, perfectly plastic idealization and are exact within the context of dynamic plasticity. The dynamic energy imparted to structures can cause material failure. The presented investigation considers such a failure for fully clamped plates subjected to a blast loading idealized as an initial velocity distributed uniformly throughout the area. The predicted deflections and general failure modes of the plates are presented and compared with experimental results. Moreover, a numerical simulation is carried out by modelling an FSI (fluid–solid interaction) problem. Results are compared with each other and a better agreement between numerical results with experimental ones is observed.
Dynamic response of circular GLARE fiber—metal laminates subjected to low velocity impact
Authors: Tsamasphyros George J. , Bikakis George S.
Published: August 2011

This article deals with the dynamic response of thin circular clamped GLARE fiber—metal laminates subjected to low velocity impact by a lateral hemispherical impactor. Using a spring-mass model, the differential equations of motion corresponding to loading and unloading stages of impact are derived and solved numerically. Internal damage due to delamination is taken into account. Previously published analytical formulas1,2 concerning the indentation of circular GLARE plates are used during the loading stages of impact. In this study, an equation for the unloading path is derived and used during the unloading impact stage. The load—time, position—time, velocity—time, and kinetic energy—time history responses are calculated. In this regard, the position where delamination occurs, the maximum plate deformation and the position where the impact load becomes zero are predicted. Also, the maximum impact load and the total impact duration are determined. The derived differential equations of motion are applied for GLARE 4-3/2 and GLARE 5-2/1 circular plates subjected to low velocity impact. The predicted load—time history response is compared with published experimental data and a good agreement is found. No other solution of this problem is known to the authors.
Acute effects of fenthion on certain oxidative stress biomarkers in various tissues of frogs (Rana ridibunda)
Authors: Kanter Ahmet , Celik Ismail
Published: August 2011

This study was aimed mainly to assess the effects of fenthion on certain oxidative stress biomarkers in various tissues of frogs ( Rana ridibunda). Biomarkers selected for stress monitoring were malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant defense system (ADS) such as reduced glutathione (GSH) level, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione- S-transferase (GST), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the liver, kidney, heart, and brain of frogs exposed to 10 and 20 ppm dosages of fenthion for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. The results demonstrate an increase in MDA levels in selected tissues following exposure to both concentrations of fenthion. The ADS, GSH-Px, GST, SOD activities and GSH levels also fluctuated after 24, 48, 72, and 96 h in all the treatment groups compared with controls. From the evidence obtained here, it is concluded that the exposure of frogs to fenthion induced an increase in MDA combined with fluctuated ADS. This may reflect the potential role of these parameters as useful biomarkers for oxidative stress in amphibian species.
Protective effect of quercetin on liver damage induced by chronic toluene exposure in rats
Authors: Kanter Mehmet
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible protective effects of quercetin (QE) on liver injury caused by chronic toluene exposure in rats. The rats were randomly allotted into one of three experimental groups: control, toluene treated and toluene treated with QE; each group contained 10 animals. The control group received 1 ml physiologic serum, and toluene treatment was performed by inhalation of 3000 ppm toluene, for 8 h/day and 6 days/week for 12 weeks. The rats in the QE-treated groups were given QE (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) once a day for 12 weeks starting just after toluene exposure. Tissue samples were obtained for histopathological investigation. To date, no histopathological changes in the liver of rats after chronic toluene exposure by QE treatment have been reported. Light microscopic evaluation of liver tissue samples of toluene-exposed rats revealed enlarged sinusoids filled with blood. In addition, some of the hepatocytes showed loss of cytoplasm, and some had a hyperchromatic nucleus. QE treatment attenuated alterations in liver histology. The alpha smooth muscle actin, transforming growth factor beta-positive cells and the activity of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling in the toluene-treated group were observed to be reduced with QE treatment. The data indicate that QE attenuates toluene-induced liver injury, but further investigation is still absolutely necessary.
Development of 3D wet-spun polymeric scaffolds loaded with antimicrobial agents for bone engineering
Authors: Puppi Dario , Dinucci Dinuccio , Bartoli Cristina , Mota Carlos , Migone Chiara , Dini Francesca , Barsotti Giovanni , Carlucci Fabio , Chiellini Federica
Published: August 2011

Three-dimensional wet-spun microfibrous meshes of a star poly(∈-caprolactone) were developed as potential scaffolds endowed with antimicrobial activity. The in vitro release kinetics of the meshes, under physiological conditions, was initially fast and then a sustained release for more than one month was observed. Cell cultures of a murine pre-osteoblast cell line showed good cell viability and adhesion on the wet-spun star poly(∈-caprolactone) fiber scaffolds. These promising results indicate a potential application of the developed meshes as engineered bone scaffolds with antimicrobial activity.
Hepatorenal Syndrome in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Wadei Hani M. , Gonwa Thomas A.
Published: August 2011

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional form of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with advanced liver cirrhosis or fulminant hepatic failure. Various new concepts have emerged since the initial diagnostic criteria and definition of HRS was initially published. These include better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in HRS, identification of bacterial infection (especially spontaneous bacterial peritonitis) as the most important HRS-precipitating event, recognition that insufficient cardiac output plays a role in the occurrence of HRS, and evidence that renal failure reverses with pharmacotherapy. Patients with HRS are often critically ill and, by definition, have multiorgan failure. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on novel advances in HRS, with emphasis on the different aspects of management of these patients in the intensive care unit.
Help-Seeking in a National Sample of Victimized Latino Women
Authors: Sabina Chiara , Cuevas Carlos A. , Schally Jennifer L.
Published: August 2011

The current study aimed to examine formal and informal help-seeking responses to interpersonal victimization among a national sample of Latino women. In addition, an examination of help-seeking by victimization type was undertaken. Data came from the Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study that obtained help-seeking rates among a victimized subsample of Latino women ( n = 714; 35.7% of a national sample). Results show a majority (76.6%) of the victimized participants engaged in some form of help-seeking with informal resources (68.9%) more often used than formal (32.5%). Medical attention was the type of formal help-seeking sought most often among victimized women who were injured (34.7%), and parents were the most common source of informal help-seeking (26.6%). However, logistic regression analyses show that help-seeking responses were significantly affected by type of victimization. Latino women who experienced childhood victimization were significantly less likely to engage in formal and informal help-seeking. Latino women who experienced stalking were significantly less likely to engage in formal help-seeking. Victimization with a weapon was significantly related to increased odds of formal help-seeking. Thus, women respond to violence in a way that is shaped by the dynamics of the victimization experience. Practice implications include the need to increase knowledge and availability of formal help-seeking venues.
Prospective Associations Among Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms, Interpersonal Problems, and Aggressive Behaviors
Authors: Stepp Stephanie D. , Smith Tiffany D. , Morse Jennifer Q. , Hallquist Michael N. , Pilkonis Paul A.
Published: August 2011

This study examined the prospective relationships among borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms, interpersonal problems, and types of aggressive behaviors (i.e., experiencing psychological and physical victimization and perpetrating psychological and physical aggression) in a psychiatric sample ( N = 139) over the course of 2 years. We controlled for other PD symptoms and demographic variables. BPD symptoms at baseline were associated with interpersonal sensitivity, interpersonal ambivalence, interpersonal aggression, need for social approval, and lack of sociability 6 months later. In turn, interpersonal sensitivity predicted not experiencing physical aggression, interpersonal aggression predicted experiencing physical aggression and perpetrating both psychological and physical aggression, need for social approval predicted experiencing both psychological and physical aggression, and lack of sociability predicted perpetrating physical aggression 2 years later. Results demonstrated that interpersonal problems mediated the relationship between BPD and later violent behaviors. Our findings suggest the importance of distinguishing between these groups of aggressive behaviors in terms of etiological pathways, maintenance processes, and treatment interventions.
Racial Differences in the Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and Associated Factors
Authors: Cho Hyunkag
Published: August 2011

Intimate partner violence against women (IPV) affects all populations, but significant variations among these groups have been suggested. However, research results on racial differences in IPV are not only inconclusive, they are also limited–particularly with regard to racial minorities. As a result, it has been challenging for practitioners and service providers in many communities to serve an increasing number of racial minority clients. This study used the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) to examine differences in the prevalence of IPV, and associated factors, among major race groups in the U.S. Included variables were age, race, financial security, employment, education, social network, IPV perpetration and victimization, and severity of IPV. The results showed that Blacks were victimized the most, followed by Whites and Latinos, and Asians were victimized the least. Asians were the least likely to be victimized by IPV, even when controlling for sociodemographic variables. The odds of victimization for Blacks and Latinos were not significantly different from Whites. Financial security and age affected IPV victimization. Those who perceived themselves as financially secure were less likely to be victimized than those who did not. The older were less likely to be victimized than the younger. Employment, education, and social networks did not affect victimization. Race was not a significant predictor of perpetration, when controlling for other variables. Age was the only predictor of perpetration: the older were less likely to perpetrate IPV than the younger.
Beyond Static and Dynamic Risk Factors
Authors: Scoones Carwyn D. , Willis Gwenda M. , Grace Randolph C.
Published: August 2011

Both desistance research and strengths-based approaches to offender rehabilitation suggest that attempts to reduce sex offender recidivism should attend to an offender’s release environment. Recent research has demonstrated that better quality release planning is associated with reduced recidivism; however, whether release planning contributes significant incremental validity in predicting recidivism over and above static and dynamic risk factors is unclear. In the present study, release planning was retrospectively assessed for a sample of child molesters ( n = 196) who had been released into the community following completion of a prison-based treatment program and its relative contribution to recidivism risk prediction was investigated. The average follow-up period was 11.08 years, during which 13.3% of the sample were convicted of a new sexual offence. Hierarchical Cox regression analyses showed that release planning contributed additional predictive validity for sexual recidivism after controlling for static and dynamic risk factors. Findings suggest that assessment of release planning might improve accuracy of sex offender risk assessments and that improved release planning should contribute to reductions in recidivism.
Mediating Effects of Stalking Victimization on Gender Differences in Mental Health
Authors: Kuehner Christine , Gass Peter , Dressing Harald
Published: August 2011

Studies suggest that stalking victimization may have a serious mental health impact. The present article investigates gender differences in mental health and possible mediating effects of stalking victimization in a community sample. The study includes a postal survey of 665 German community residents on the experience of stalking and various mental health indicators. In a majority of mental health scales, women score poorer than men, and a higher percentage of women fulfill criteria for a current mental disorder and used psychotropic medication. However, effects of gender decrease to a nonsignificant level when stalking victimization is entered into the respective models. Furthermore, associations of stalking victimization with poor mental health, psychosocial functioning, and use of medication are largely comparable across gender.
Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence, Peer Relations, and Risk for Internalizing Behaviors
Authors: Camacho Kathleen , Ehrensaft Miriam K. , Cohen Patricia
Published: August 2011

The present study examines the quality of peer relations as a mediator between exposure to IPV (intimate partner violence) and internalizing behaviors in a sample of 129 preadolescents and adolescents (ages 10-18), who were interviewed via telephone as part of a multigenerational, prospective, longitudinal study. Relational victimization is also examined as a moderator of IPV exposure on internalizing behaviors. Results demonstrate a significant association of exposure to severe IPV and internalizing behaviors. Relational victimization is found to moderate the effects of exposure to severe IPV on internalizing behaviors. The present findings suggest that the effects of exposure to IPV had a particularly important effect on the risk for internalizing problems if the adolescent also experienced relational victimization. Conversely, the receipt of prosocial behaviors buffer against the effects of IPV exposure on internalizing symptoms in teen girls.
‘Snapshots’ of the classroom: Autobiographies and the experience of elementary education in the Madras Presidency, 1882—1947
Authors: Ellis Catriona
Published: August 2011

This article looks at the remembered experiences of children who went to school in the late colonial period and examines the extent to which these memories relate to the official literature of the time and the historiographical debates surrounding education. The precise focus is memories of formal elementary education in the Madras Presidency 1882—1947 as described in autobiographies. This includes a study of how children regarded the space of the classroom, what they did and what was important enough to be remembered. In other words this article attempts to find fragments of the experiences of children, rather than just the history of education.
Telling different tales: Possible childhoods in children’s literature
Authors: Sreenivas Deepa
Published: August 2011

This article draws on the insights/questions that emerged while putting together a set of stories for children published in a series named Different Tales. These stories, set in Dalit and other minority communities, problematize the normative grids through which we view ‘childhood’ as they depict the complex ways in which children negotiate and cope with the material conditions of their marginality, often drawing upon the resources and relationships within the community. What follows is a resistance to representing culture as a marker of essentialized difference.
Beyond compassion: Children of sex workers in Kolkata’s Sonagachi
Authors: Sircar Oishik , Dutta Debolina
Published: August 2011

In 2005, children of sex workers from Kolkata’s Sonagachi red-light district formed their own collective, Amra Padatik (‘We are Foot Soldiers’), to work for gaining dignity for their mothers and claiming their own rights as children of sex workers. In this article the authors speak to AP’s founder members to demystify the culture of fear associated with their lives — perpetuated through popular representations — not to underplay their acute experiences of disadvantage, but to foreground them as politically astute citizens and decision-makers in policies that concern and affect them — to replace the compassion-driven traditional 3Rs of raid, rescue, rehabilitation with 3 counter-Rs: resilience, reworking and resistance.
Laser stripping of TiAlN coating to facilitate reuse of cutting tools
Authors: Marimuthu S , Kamara A M , Whitehead D , Mativenga P , Li L , Yang S , Cooke K
Published: August 2011

The potential of using the laser ablation process to perform controlled stripping of titanium aluminium nitrite (TiAlN) coating from tungsten carbide (WC) substrate is explored in this paper. TiAlN coatings are extensively used in cutting tools to improve machining capability, and to extend the life of the tools. However, if any error is detected on the coated tools, or when the tooling needs to be reused, it is mandatory to remove the existing coating to facilitate reshaping/recoating. The existing coating removal process uses chemical stripping methods, which are not environmentally friendly and not suitable for selective coating removal. In the present work, excimer laser removal of TiAlN from coated WC flat plates has been studied and demonstrated as a viable alternative to existing chemical stripping methods. The ablation thresholds of the TiAlN coating and WC substrate were identified as 1.85 J/cm2 and 2.3 J/cm2 respectively. The paper also presents experimental and theoretical evidence of the process mechanism responsible for laser stripping of TiAlN coatings