bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ethics of Consumer Involvement with Fashion: A Freedom under Social Pressure
Authors: Diaz-Meneses Gonzalo
Published: July 2009

The aim of this work was not only to estimate a model based on the variables of motivation and emotion that underlie the process of interest in new trends, but also to explore the moderating role of socio-demographic characteristics. An empirical work was conducted based on structural equation modeling with a sample of 341 individuals, using path modeling with a multigroup analysis. It was demonstrated that involvement with new fashion is not only a personal more than social need, but also that it is addressed more from an emotional than a cognitive perspective. Moreover, it was demonstrated that involvement with new fashion shows a negative emotional valence when social need is working on the consumer adoption model. In addition, it was shown that there are different ways in which consumers become interested in fashion according to their socio-demographic characteristics. This research lead to recommendations that may serve to improve fashion houses’ plans, by considering the consumer from an ethical perspective. This is a heterodox paper that contradicts the dominant paradigm of the diffusion of fashion since it does not recognize and accept the predominant role of personal influence on social influence but also the antecedent role of emotion on cognition to develop the involvement with new trends.
Can Inoculation Withstand Multiple Attacks?
Authors: Ivanov Bobi , Pfau Michael , Parker Kimberly A.
Published: July 2009

This investigation introduced multiple competitive attacks in order to assess the effectiveness of inoculation treatments in protecting established attitudes in a natural setting. A four-phase experiment was conducted involving 433 participants. The results revealed that the effectiveness of refutational inoculation messages dissipated some in the face of an additional attack. Still, refutational inoculation messages proved to be more effective than supportive, restoration, and control (no message) conditions in protecting established attitudes in the face of multiple attacks. The content of an additional attack (the same as the first attack or different) did not affect the capacity of inoculation refutational messages to confer resistance to competitive attacks.
Riding the Wave of Globalization: The Boundaryless and Borderless Careers of Chinese Seafarers
Authors: Morris Jonathan , Bin Wu
Published: July 2009

This article explores the emergence of new career patterns for Chinese workers in the context of the emergence of a global labour market. An empirical survey of 49 ships moored in Hong Kong Harbour and primarily crewed by Chinese seafarers is reported on, drawn from ships owned by Chinese state-owned companies, foreign-owned China-based ships or foreign-owned ships. Replacing the centralized, politicized job-allocation and promotion system, Chinese seafarers can be distinguished into three groups; `traditional' seafarers (employed by state-owned companies), `transgrants' (employed by state-owned companies or crewing agencies but mainly working on foreign-owned ships) and `freemen' (self-employed, working for both national and foreign-owned ships).
Relation of three mechanisms of working memory to children’s complex span performance
Authors: Magimairaj Beula , Montgomery James , Marinellie Sally , McCarthy John
Published: July 2009

There is a paucity of research examining the relative contribution of the different mechanisms of working memory (short-term storage [STM], processing speed) to children’s complex memory span. This study served to replicate and extend the few extant studies that have examined the issue. In this study, the relative contribution of three mechanisms of working memory — STM storage, processing speed, attentional resource allocation — to children’s complex span was examined. Children (6—12) completed a digit span task, an auditory-visual reaction time task, a task of attentional allocation, and a complex (listening) span task. Correlation analyses revealed that, after controlling for age, storage, processing speed, and attentional allocation significantly correlated with complex span. Regression analyses showed that, after partialling out age, storage accounted for 12.1% of unique variance in complex span and processing speed accounted for another 6.6% of unique variance; allocation contributed no unique variance. Consistent with the developmental literature, storage and general processing speed play critical roles in children’s complex span performance.
Ways of Knowing
Authors: Yanow Dvora
Published: July 2009

For all the attention that the concept of reflective practice has attracted, very little has been said concerning what might incline someone to be open to engage in it. My concern in this essay is with two characteristics of professional, including administrative, practice—a language of certainty and a language of inquiry —and, when the conditions under which the language of certainty has come to dominate professional practice, with the question of what might be required to introduce a posture of reflective inquiry into that practice. I advance the idea that “passionate humility” may be one of the criteria requisite for the cultivation of reflective practice, as it contains the promise of turning administrative and policy action from a language of certainty to a language of reflective inquiry. I suggest that we might learn something about the production and place of humility from the treatment of scientific practice in the philosophy of natural and social science, in two areas: in general, which sees “science” as grounded at least in part in an attitude of doubt; and in particular, from interpretive research methods and interpretive policy analysis, in which the language of inquiry is increasingly operative. Both of these might have something important to tell us concerning contemporary practices in administration and management.
Interpreting Macromarketing
Authors: Shapiro Stanley J. , Tadajewski Mark , Shultz Clifford J.
Published: July 2009

This commentary introduces a four-volume tome, Macromarketing, a major research collection for which the authors served as editors. Equity, poverty, and societal development were the primary foci. A lengthy vetting process resulted in eighty articles for inclusion. Among them are articles recently published in the Journal of Macromarketing; most of the articles however are drawn from economics, foreign policy, sociology, and the literature of other disciplines. This eclectic mix reveals other fields and leading scholars in them who share interests with macromarketers. The table of contents and organizational structure of the tome are presented in Table 1. Influential articles that ‘‘just missed the cut’’ for reasons explained in the commentary are included in Table 2.
Liquid Crystalline Polymer Blends as a Route to Self-Reinforcing Nanocomposites
Authors: Narh Kwabena A.
Published: July 2009

Blending is a widely used technique for improving the mechanical, rheological, and degradative properties of various polymeric materials. It offers the opportunity to formulate a material with more desirable characteristics than either of the individual components. From industrial perspectives, polymer blends with continuous microstructure exhibit good impact properties when compared with blends exhibiting non-continuous microstructure. In this study the effects of processing parameters on the morphological developments and the mechanical properties of LCP/PET blends were investigated through two techniques: SEM; to examine morphological changes, and tensile testing; to determine the mechanical property dependence of the processing parameters, such as mixing speeds, injection speeds, and melt temperatures. The correlation between structure development during injection molding, and the modulus of injection molded PET/LCP blends were studied. Process parameters such as injection speed and melt temperature were varied to determine the effect of these parameters on the modulus and structure of the blends. The extension of this study to the situation whereby nano sized liquid crystalline domains are formed in the matrix of commercial grade thermoplastics, in a reactive extrusion process, is discussed.
Skin Color and Self-Perceptions of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Latinas
Authors: Telzer Eva H. , Vazquez Garcia Heidie A.
Published: July 2009

Research has increasingly identified race as a salient characteristic that affects one's life experiences and psychological well-being. However, little is known about how skin color affects the emotional health of Latinos. The present study examined how skin color relates to the self-perceptions of immigrant (N = 26) and U.S.-born (N = 55) Latina college women. Results indicate that immigrant Latina participants with darker skin tend to have poorer self-perceptions than their U.S.-born peers, including lower self-esteem, lower feelings of attractiveness, and a desire to change their skin color to be lighter. Both racial socialization and ethnic identity served to buffer Latinas from the negative self-perceptions associated with darker skin. These findings suggest that skin color may be a particularly central risk factor for immigrant Latinas' well-being, and racial socialization and ethnic identity may serve as important protective factors.
Hurricane Chasers in New Orleans
Authors: Fussell Elizabeth
Published: July 2009

Little is known about the Latino workers who came to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to clean up and repair the city. The author uses data from surveys collected at the visits of the Brazilian, Mexican, and Nicaraguan consulates ( N = 253) to study the internally mobile immigrants who arrived after Katrina and who anticipate leaving New Orleans within 2 years of the survey, or what the author calls a rapid response labor force. Four hypotheses are examined: (1) that there is no difference between national origin groups in their propensity to be a member of the rapid response labor force; (2) that members are newer immigrants who have few ties to immigrants already in the United States; (3) that members are pioneers (unaccompanied working age men with weak residential ties); and (4) that members use a mobility strategy to obtain higher wages. I find that Brazilians and Mexicans are more likely than Nicaraguans to be rapid responders. Rapid responders have low levels of U.S. migratory experience, little or no English language ability, and few social network ties compared to those who are not internally mobile. These rapid responders use an internal mobility strategy to obtain higher wages and overcome their labor market disadvantages.
Levetiracetam in Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in a Child With Angelman Syndrome
Authors: Weber Peter
Published: July 2009

Children with Angelman syndrome have an increased risk of developing a nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Although the urgency to treat nonconvulsive status epilepticus depends on the underlying illness, most clinicians and authors agree that treatment should be focused to rapidly terminate this condition. Until now, the use of levetiracetam to treat nonconvulsive status epilepticus in children is based only on some case reports. Our case further supports this treatment regime for a subgroup of children with a special risk of nonconvulsive status epilepticus and developmental delay.
Injectable Poly(ethylene glycol) Dimethacrylate-based Hydrogels with Hydroxyapatite
Authors: Zhou Ziyou , Yang Dongzhi , Nie Jun , Ren Yongjuan , Cui Fuzhai
Published: July 2009

Injectable hydrogels are attractive materials for tissue engineering as they provide fast reaction rates, low heat release, and biocompatibility for cell proliferation and permanent interface with surrounding tissue. A series of injectable poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) hydrogels with four different weight fractions of hydroxyapatite (HA) particles were prepared and thermal and mechanical properties evaluated. The cytocompatibility was assessed by examining the viability and morphology of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) seeded on the hydrogels. The in situ crosslink process displayed a vast decrease in the maximal temperature and an increase in the maximal temperature time. Cytocompatibility evaluation by MTT assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) showed that the cells on the composite hydrogels possessed better viability and adherence than the hydrogels without HA. The results indicated that composite hydrogels have potential as injectable materials for tissue engineering application.
Making Heteronormative Reconciliations
Authors: Wolkomir Michelle
Published: July 2009

As a central organizing institution in society, marriage presents an idealized package for sociosexual relations that reproduces and intertwines gender power dynamics and heterosexual desire. This package is sustained, in part, by the ideology of romantic love—a set of beliefs that constructs only a particular configuration of sexual and gender practices as natural, normal, and right. Drawing on interviews with 45 people, this study examines how people negotiate marital relationships that do not fit into this normative configuration— mixed-orientation (e.g., straight and gay) marriages. Participants' resolutions to these situations, whether they divorced or created asexual or sexual nonmonogamous marriages, were heavily shaped by their belief in the ideology of romantic love, illustrating how heteronormative relations can be held in place by normalizing ideologies.
“We're There and Queer”
Authors: Collins Dana
Published: July 2009

This article offers an analysis of lived experiences of transnational mobility for gay-identified expatriates who reside in Manila, the Philippines. Drawing from in-depth interviewing and discourse analysis of eight cases, the author argues that homonormative mobility organizes gay men's travel, even as gay expatriates work to reimagine themselves through their travel and face destabilizing experiences in transnational spaces. The author offers a theorization of homonormative mobility to explain discourses of normative gender, race-nation, and desire in gay travel. Specifically, she argues that expatriates describe their mobility as (1) an escape from the heteronormative controls they face at home, (2) masculine access to freeing places in “foreign” playgrounds, (3) an act of homo-orientalist desire of Filipino men and spaces, (4) a desirable experience that builds their own self-confidence, and (5) troubling for their self-perceptions.
Capital, Power and the Struggle Over Teacher Certification
Authors: Tamir Eran
Published: July 2009

This article employs Bourdieu’s concept of capital to understand how state officials and teacher educators in New Jersey used three different forms of capital—economic, social, and cultural—in their struggle to shape the undergraduate teacher preparation and the first state sponsored alternative route program to teacher certification. Based on analysis of state archive documents and other primary sources, I describe how state officials successfully exploited their access to cultural and economic capital to establish a legitimate and credible educational policy and to marginalize teacher educators who were forced to rely, almost entirely, on their cultural capital. I conclude that as a result of this struggle, the field of educational policy in New Jersey during the 1980s experienced a shift of power, with the state gaining more power to implement its vision of educational policy (one that relied on neo-liberal and neo-conservative ideas and that supported teachers with broader subject matter knowledge and leaner pedagogic training).
A Confirmatory Test of the Factor Structure of the Short Form of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale
Authors: Miller Matthew J. , Sendrowitz Roy Kerrin , Brown Steven D. , Thomas James , McDaniel Cyndi
Published: July 2009

The present study tested a number of theoretically and empirically derived measurement models of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale—Short Form (CDSES-SF) using confirmatory factor analysis. Betz’s five-factor model of the CDSES-SF, along with a number of alternative models, demonstrated adequate model fit in two independent samples. Based on multisample analyses, 23 of 25 CDSES-SF items demonstrated metric invariance suggesting equivalence in the way in which items are interpreted across Asian and European American samples. Directions for future research are discussed.
The Effect of Intracoronary Nicorandil on Coronary Myocardial Bridging
Authors: Jung Jae-Hun , Min Pil-Ki , Sung Chong Won , Lee Sang-Hak , Choi Seonghoon , Cho Jung Rae , Lee Namho , Park Kyoung-Ha , Kim Min-Kyu , Park Woo Jung , Jang Yangsoo
Published: July 2009

Medical treatments of coronary myocardial bridging (CMB) generally include β-blockers and calcium channel blockers. Nitrates are avoided because symptoms may worsen. Nicorandil is a hybrid of a nitrate and a potassium channel opener. However, the effect of nicorandil on CMB is unknown. We analyzed nicorandil reactivity at the site with CMB in 51 patients. Maximal and minimal diameters of CMB were measured by quantitative angiography at baseline and at 60 seconds after intracoronary administration of 200 mg nicorandil. The maximal diameter during diastole increased from 2.15 + 0.42 mm to 2.34 + 0.44 mm after administration of nicorandil (P < .001), and the minimal diameter during systole increased from 1.24 + 0.63 mm to 1.67 + 0.64 mm (P < .001). Thus, nicorandil reduced the percentage vessel narrowing from 44.0 + 26.1% to 30.3 + 21.2% (P < .001). In 22 patients, we also evaluated the effect of nitroglycerin. The maximal diameter during diastole increased from 2.25 + 0.47 mm to 2.51 + 0.44 mm after administration of nitroglycerin (P < .019), and the minimal diameter during systole decreased from 1.28 + 0.64 mm to 1.14 + 0.60 mm (P = .276). Thus, nitroglycerin augmented the percentage vessel narrowing from 44.9% + 25.0% to 56.0% + 23.5% (P = .023). These results indicate that intracoronary administration of nicorandil could dilate coronary arteries during diastole as well as systole in patients with CMB during coronary angiography.
Increased Thrombophilic Tendency in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Authors: Williams Vaughan , Griffiths Adrian B. M. , Yap Zen L. , Martin James , Smith Gregory , Couper Richard , Revesz Tamas
Published: July 2009

Thrombophilia has recently been reported to be increased in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We wanted to determine whether this was applicable to our population with CF and how our patients compared to the previously reported groups. Seventy one pediatric CF patients were assessed for a thrombophilic tendency, using a lupus anticoagulant screen, protein C, protein S, antithrombin assay, and activated protein C resistance (APCR) screen. The incidence of activate protein C resistance (4.2%) was within expected limits for the general population as was the incidence of antithrombin deficiency. However there was a marked increase in the incidence of lupus anticoagulants (18%) and 14% and 19.7% of the patients showed a reduced protein C and protein S, respectively, far in excess of the general population. This increased incidence of thrombophilia was not related to any specific CF phenotype and while perturbed liver function cannot be entirely ruled out, it appeared unlikely to be responsible for all the abnormal coagulation findings. Despite the apparent thrombophilic tendency, no clinically evident thrombotic episodes were noted during the study period. Thrombophilia is of concern because of the increasingly frequent placement of indwelling catheters in CF patients. The precise cause for the thrombophilic tendency in CF patients is unknown at this stage.
Effect of Recombinant Activated Factor VII in Critical Bleeding: Clinical Experience of a Single Center
Authors: Sartori Maria Teresa , Imbergamo Silvia , Zanon Ezio , Bonaccorso Giuseppina , Pittoni Giovanni , Feltracco Paolo , Ori Carlo , Pagnan Antonio , Cella Giuseppe
Published: July 2009

Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been successfully used ‘‘off-label’’ in patients with refractory life-threatening hemorrhage. Intravenous rFVIIa was given to 31 patients unresponsive to standard therapy with blood products and surgical reexploration, who were bleeding due to trauma, surgery, organ transplantation, liver cirrhosis, ruptured uterus. We recorded their coagulation and hematologic profiles, acid-base balance, blood loss, number of red blood cells (RBC), plasma and platelet transfusions, complications, and survival. rFVIIa (mean dose 132.2 ± 56.3 μg/kg) effectively contained the hemorrhage in 28/31 (90.3%) cases, with a mean reduction in blood loss from 12.4 ± 10.2 to 2.7 ± 2.2 L (P < .0001). The need for RBC, platelet, and plasma transfusion decreased significantly after rFVIIa, with a consequent significant improvement in clotting of test hematocrit, pH, and bicarbonates. Four patients had adverse events potentially related to rFVIIa. The survival rates after 1 and 30 days were 48.4% and 29.1%, respectively.
A Cumulative Scale of Severe Sexual Sadism
Authors: Nitschke Joachim , Osterheider Michael , Mokros Andreas
Published: July 2009

The article assesses the scale properties of the criterion set for severe sexual sadism in a sample of male forensic patients ( N = 100). Half of the sample consists of sexual sadists; the remainder is sampled at random from the general group of nonsadistic sex offenders. Eleven of 17 criteria (plus the additional item of inserting objects into the victim’s bodily orifices) of Marshall, Kennedy, Yates, and Serran’s list form a cumulative scale. More specifically, this scale comprises all the 5 core criteria that Marshall and his colleagues considered particularly relevant. The resulting 11-item scale of severe sexual sadism is highly reliable ( rtt = .93) and represents a strong scale ( H = .83) of the Guttman type (coefficient of reproducibility = .97). The 11-item scale distinguishes perfectly between sexual sadists and nonsadistic sex offenders in the sample.
Measuring Opportunity-Recognition Beliefs
Authors: Grégoire Denis A. , Shepherd Dean A. , Schurer Lambert Lisa
Published: July 2009

The authors develop, illustrate, and validate an experimental approach to further empirical research on opportunity recognition. The approach emphasizes the use of recognition exercises that provide direct observations of participants’ efforts to think about ex-ante uncertain opportunities. To facilitate future uses of this approach, the authors develop a measure of opportunity-recognition beliefs and conduct three related studies to validate this measure. The authors conclude by offering concrete practical recommendations for future studies. Doing so, the authors contribute an integrated method to address conceptual and methodological issues that have hindered prior research on opportunity recognition, and thereby enable more rigorous investigations of this important activity.
From Tales of the Field to Tales of the Future
Authors: Goodall H.L.
Published: July 2009

John Van Maanen’s account of the evolution of ethnographic narratives provided far more than insight about classic anthropological and sociological texts. By encouraging qualitative researchers to focus on the rhetorical and political qualities of voice, style, authority, and representations of selves and others, he exposed the often hidden assumptions built into fieldwork and scholarship. It is not too much to say that no other single text has so forcefully shaped and inspired our understanding of qualitative research and narrative writing across the social sciences. Van Maanen’s work inspired two cross-disciplinary projects. One charted the cultural, rhetorical, and narrative influences that constructed classic ethnographic texts; the other created a common cultural code for new explorations of organizations and cultures. One result of those projects is that those of us doing qualitative became more comfortable in our textual diversity if at times challenged to find the appropriate evaluative standards to determine its worth and contribution. We have also embraced, if not fully acted upon, a perceived need to make our scholarship more relevant to diverse publics inside and outside of the academy.
Hong Kong Hotels' Sewage: Environmental Cost and Saving Technique
Authors: Chan Wilco , Wong Kevin , Lo Jennifer
Published: July 2009

With the continuing strong growth in international arrivals to Hong Kong, more hotels are planning to open in the coming years. The sewage problem stemming from local hotels is expected to be worsened. The current study covers the years 1998 to 2005, plus a projection for the years 2006 to 2009. A survey of water use and conservation in 28 local hotels has been conducted. All established norms and ratios related to water consumption in this study are on a per room basis. The environmental impact of sewage discharged is converted into monetary terms on the basis of how much the hotel industry would need to spend in order to avoid the impacts. It is found that the average volume of water consumed per occupied room decreased from 1.145m3 in 1994-1996 to 0.904m3 in 2001-2002. In 2005, the environmental costs value was more than HK$187 million and exceeded HK$364 million in 2008. It is also found that flow regulator and submeter are the two most commonly used water-saving devices in local hotels. Some recommendations are made to save water, particularly in the laundry, kitchen, and guestroom.
The Relation Between Interest Rate Derivatives, Debt Maturity Structure, and Exposure in the Lodging Industry
Authors: Singh Amrik
Published: July 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between interest rate derivatives, interest rate exposure, and debt maturity structure in a sample of lodging firms from 2000 to 2004. Lodging firms face greater exposure from their debt liabilities compared with exposure from their operating cash flows. The results show that small unrated firms are more likely to issue short-term debt and swap into fixed-rate debt to reduce exposure to interest rate risk. On the other hand, larger and highly rated firms will swap from fixed debt into floating-rate debt. The results are robust to alternative specifications and also provide support for the agency cost and information asymmetry theoretical arguments for using interest rate derivatives. In addition, the yield spread, interest rate exposure, and debt ratings are determined to be significant factors in explaining interest rate derivative positions.
Coining Spermatorrhoea: Medicine and Male Body Fluids, 1836—1866
Authors: Stephens Elizabeth
Published: July 2009

When Lallemand coined the term spermatorrhée in the first volume of Des pertes séminales involontaires (1838), an earlier discourse on 'seminal weakness' was transformed into something new: a recognizable and treatable medical disorder, with its own specific aetiology and nosology. To the symptoms of seminal weakness — blushing, crying, breathlessness, melancholy, lack of confidence and extreme sensitivity — were added symptoms such as spermatozoa in the urine detectable only with the use of new, microscopic medical technologies. While the spermatorrhoea epidemic thus reflects an increased anxiety about male fluidity at this time, it also produced a profound change in the practice and organization of medicine. The flourishing of 'quack' doctors in this area forced licensed physicians to incorporate treatment of sexual disorders and diseases within general practice, while new legislation regulated the medical profession itself.
Fandom, youth and consumption in China
Authors: Fung Anthony Y.H.
Published: July 2009

In the wake of globalization and the context of a socialist market economy, youth cultures in China have been undergoing a major transformation. While the youth culture in China has joined the global trend to become more commercialized as a result of emerging values, norms and values of consumption, along with (and going beyond) cultural consumption, liberalizing values have developed among young people which might impinge upon society and politics. Based on a framework of materialistic and non-material labour and an ethnographic study of fandom, this article attempts to investigate the problematic by examining the phenomenon of fandom in China with a case study of the fans of the most popular Chinese singer, Jay Chou, the interaction among which has reflected significant changes in youth culture and youth performativity in China today.
The Risk Factors Prevention Paradigm and the Causes of Youth Crime: A Deceptively Useful Analysis?
Authors: O'Mahony Paul
Published: July 2009

The risk factors prevention paradigm (RFPP) is currently the dominant discourse in juvenile justice, exerting a powerful influence over policy and practice in the UK, Ireland and other countries. This article argues that the predominance of the RFPP is in many ways an obstacle to a fuller understanding of, and more effective response to, youth crime. Part of the problem is the often over-simplified assumptions and exaggerated claims of the RFPP literature, which translates the findings of risk-focused research for policy makers and for popular consumption, but largely ignores the caveats of the scientific researchers themselves. Moreover, the RFPP has intrinsic, but generally neglected, methodological and theoretical shortcomings, which mean that it fails to account properly for key facets of youth justice, such as personal agency, socio-cultural context, psychological motivation and the human rights dimension.
City and/or Neighbourhood Determinants?
Authors: Weijters Gijs , Scheepers Peer , Gerris Jan
Published: July 2009

Previous research has not yet integrated determinants of youth delinquency at the city, neighbourhood and individual levels simultaneously. In this study we derived hypotheses from social disorganization theory at the city level as well as at the neighbourhood level. We use individual-level data from 11 cities in the Netherlands, supplemented with information about the structural characteristics of these cities and their neighbourhoods. Our results show that concentrated contextual disadvantage at both city and neighbourhood levels affects juvenile delinquency. More detailed analyses demonstrate that it is particularly the percentage of one-parent families that has a significant effect on youth delinquency. The implications for the study of the influence of ecological contexts on youth delinquency are discussed.
Maneuvering Space for Leadership
Authors: Espedal Bjarne
Published: July 2009

The leadership literature reveals that the top executives of organizations need room to maneuver in order to affect organizational performance and adaptiveness. This article examines the basis for this conventional wisdom. The approach is first and foremost theoretical; however, illustrative data from a case study are also included. The discussion shows that maneuvering room for leaders is comprised of structural, social, and cognitive factors that provide guidelines and set constraints for leadership action. At the same time, leaders can be learning agents that influence and shape these aspects. Thus, guidelines and constraints represent both the conditions and the objects for leadership decision making and action.
Animated Expressions: Expressive Style in 3D Computer Graphic Narrative Animation
Authors: Power Pat
Published: July 2009

The development of 3D animation systems has been driven primarily by a hyper-realist ethos, and 3D computer graphic (CG) features have broadly complied with this agenda. As a counterpoint to this trend, some researchers, technologists and animation artists have explored the possibility of creating more expressive narrative output from 3D animation environments. This article explores 3D animation aesthetics, technology and culture in this context. Synthesizing research in CG, neuroesthetics, art history, semiotics, psychology and embodied approaches to cognitive science, the nature of naturalistic vis-àvis expressive visual styles is analysed, with particular regard to expressive communication and cues for emotional engagement. Two foundations of naturalistic 3D CG, single-point perspective and photorealistic rendering, are explored in terms of expressive potential, and the conclusion considers the future for an expressive aesthetics in 3D CG animation.
Borderline Animation
Authors: Fleisch Thorsten
Published: July 2009

As an artist and filmmaker working in what is notion-ally called `animation', Thorsten Fleisch works at intersections of art, science and technology. His works belong to a genre of Structural—Materialist film as well as being highly self-reflexive investigations into the minute workings of natural phenomena. In this article, Fleisch reveals some of the underlying ideas and concepts of his films as well as the techniques involved in creating them. Fleisch has been making experimental films for more than a decade now; most of them fall under the general rubric of `animation' but their production processes and techniques belie an unusual complexity of source materials, concepts and techniques. These processes are very important to the result as Fleisch tries to find unusual ways to generate images. Fleisch's work is notable for its aesthetic and technically masterful treatment of organic materials (blood, skin, ashes) and scientific phenomena (fractals, crystals, voltage). This richly illustrated article contains many colourful details about the following films: K.I.L.L. — Kinetic Image Laboratory/Lobotomy (1998), Bloodlust (1998), Silver Screen (2000), Skinflick (2002), Gestalt (2003), Friendly Fire (2003), Kosmos (2004) and Energie! (2007).
Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded austenitic high manganese steels
Authors: Mujica L. , Weber S. , Thomy C. , Vollertsen F.
Published: July 2009

The microstructure of laser welded austenitic twinning induced plasticity steel sheets joints was investigated by means of optical microscopy, SEM and electron backscattering diffraction in order to differentiate the fusion zone, heat affected zone and base material, as well as to establish present phases, grain size distribution and grain misorientation distribution caused by the welding process. Measurements of EDX were taken into account to evaluate the effect of Mn segregations. Microhardness measurements and tensile tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the joints. In addition, the twinning phenomena progress was assessed by investigating the texture evolution in the base material and fusion zone of samples plastically deformed by 5, 10 and 15%. Grain refinement was found in the fusion zone affecting substantially the mechanical properties of the welding, being the most resistant and harder region.
Study on elimination of interlayer defects in horizontal joints made by rotating arc narrow gap welding
Authors: Guo N. , Lin S. B. , Gao C. , Fan C. L. , Yang C. L.
Published: July 2009

In this work, the characteristics of interlayer defects were studied in horizontal welds made by rotating arc narrow gap welding. The interlayer defects existed in the form of incomplete fusion and slag inclusions, occurring near the lower sidewall. In the rotating arc process, the instantaneous velocity of the arc with respect to the sample is higher when the arc is close to the lower sidewall, whereas it is lower when it is near the upper sidewall. This results in a lower effective heat input to the lower sidewall, and a corresponding reduction in the enthalpy that is transferred along with the deposited metal. Fortunately, this asymmetric nature of rotating arc welding can be exploited to minimise or eliminate interlayer defects. It is shown that, by controlling the direction of rotation for the arc, removing slag, selecting an appropriate groove size and resetting the torch position, defect free horizontal welds in heavy plates can be achieved.
Investigation of tribological properties of boronised pure Cu journal bearings
Authors: Ünlü B. S. , Atik E.
Published: July 2009

Cu based materials are widely used as journal bearings. These materials have a good tribological performance in journal bearings. Pure copper is not generally used due to its low mechanical and wear properties. It is generally used as alloys. In this study, tribological properties of copper bearings manufactured from pure copper were investigated by boronising at 950°C. The SAE 1050 steel shaft was used as counter abrader. Experiments were carried out at 20 N load and 1500 rev min–1 speed every 30 min for 2·5 h using radial journal bearing wear test rig. As a result, boronising increased wear resistance.
Sliding wear of plasma nitrided AISI 405 ferritic stainless steel
Authors: Tuckart W. , Gregorio M. , Iurman L.
Published: July 2009

The scope of this paper is to report the qualitative study of the phases present in the microstructure and of their tribological properties in a plasma nitrided ferritic stainless steel AISI 405. To achieve the proposed objective, two groups of samples were selected, one tested with a cast structure and the other submitted to plasma nitriding process in a reactor type chamber, at 673 K for 20 h, in a 25%N2/75%H2, and cooled in an Ar atmosphere. The wear under dry sliding conditions was evaluated with an Amsler wear machine. The phases were studied by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction and the mechanical properties were evaluated through Vickers microhardness profiles. The tribological behaviour of the nitrided layers was explained by means of the wear mechanisms acting in the different conditions established during the performed tests. The sliding wear resistance of plasma nitrided AISI 405 was up to 149 times higher than that of the untreated one.
Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) induces stromelysin-1 (MMP-3) in endothelial cells through activation of lipoprotein receptor–related protein
Authors: Suzuki Yasuhiro , Nagai Nobuo , Yamakawa Kasumi , Kawakami Junichi , Lijnen H. Roger , Umemura Kazuo
Published: July 2009

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is approved for treatment of ischemic stroke patients, but it increases the risk of intracranial bleeding (ICB). Previously, we have shown in a mouse stroke model that stromelysin-1 (matrix metalloproteinase-3 [MMP-3]) induced in endothelial cells was critical for ICB induced by t-PA. In the present study, using bEnd.3 cells, a mouse brain–derived endothelial cell line, we showed that MMP-3 was induced by both ischemic stress and t-PA treatment. This induction by t-PA was prevented by inhibition either of low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein (LRP) or of nuclear factor-κB activation. LRP was up-regulated by ischemic stress, both in bEnd.3 cells in vitro and in endothelial cells at the ischemic damage area in the mouse stroke model. Furthermore, inhibition of LRP suppressed both MMP-3 induction in endothelial cells and the increase in ICB by t-PA treatment after stroke. These findings indicate that t-PA deteriorates ICB via MMP-3 induction in endothelial cells, which is regulated through the LRP/nuclear factor-κB pathway.
Defining prior therapy in myelodysplastic syndromes and criteria for relapsed and refractory disease: implications for clinical trial design and enrollment
Authors: Sekeres Mikkael A. , Steensma David P.
Published: July 2009

The recent approval of 3 drugs for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) has resulted in a revolution in therapeutic options that was absent a decade ago. At the same time, the changing MDS environment is raising new challenges in clinical trial design and defining new indications for MDS drugs. Many current trials still rely on IPSS-based enrollment criteria, despite the well-recognized limitations of the IPSS. Clinical trialists designing studies struggle with several important trial design challenges, including which patients constitute the “previously treated” and “relapsed/refractory” MDS populations, and how specifically to define disease “progression.” This article considers some of these issues as they relate to study design, including how to identify certain MDS populations and define disease progression.
Heat shock protein 70-mediated sensitization of cells to apoptosis by Carboxyl-Terminal Modulator Protein
Authors: Piao Longzhen , Li Yuwen , Yang Keum-Jin , Park Kyeong Ah , Byun Hee Sun , Won Minho , Hong Janghee , Kim Jeong-Lan , Kweon Gi Ryang , Hur Gang Min , Seok Jeong Ho , Cho Jae Youl , Chun Taehoon , Hess Daniel , Sack Ragna , Maira Sauveur-Michel , Brazil Derek P , Hemmings Brian A , Park Jongsun
Published: July 2009

Background

The serine/threonine protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) is involved in insulin signaling, cellular survival, and transformation. Carboxyl-terminal modulator protein (CTMP) has been identified as a novel PKB binding partner in a yeast two-hybrid screen, and appears to be a negative PKB regulator with tumor suppressor-like properties. In the present study we investigate novel mechanisms by which CTMP plays a role in apoptosis process.

Results

CTMP is localized to mitochondria. Furthermore, CTMP becomes phosphorylated following the treatment of cells with pervanadate, an insulin-mimetic. Two serine residues (Ser37 and Ser38) were identified as novelin vivophosphorylation sites of CTMP. Association of CTMP and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) inhibits the formation of complexes containing apoptotic protease activating factor 1 and Hsp70. Overexpression of CTMP increased the sensitivity of cells to apoptosis, most likely due to the inhibition of Hsp70 function.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that phosphorylation on Ser37/Ser38 of CTMP is important for the prevention of mitochondrial localization of CTMP, eventually leading to cell death by binding to Hsp70. In addition to its role in PKB inhibition, CTMP may therefore play a key role in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by localizing to mitochondria.
A method for identifying alternative or cryptic donor splice sites within gene and mRNA sequences. Comparisons among sequences from vertebrates, echinoderms and other groups
Authors: Buckley Katherine M , Florea Liliana D , Smith L Courtney
Published: July 2009

Background

As the amount of genome sequencing data grows, so does the problem of computational gene identification, and in particular, the splicing signals that flank exon borders. Traditional methods for identifying splicing signals have been created and optimized using sequences from model organisms, mostly vertebrate and yeast species. However, as genome sequencing extends across the animal kingdom and includes various invertebrate species, the need for mechanisms to recognize splice signals in these organisms increases as well. With that aim in mind, we generated a model for identifying donor and acceptor splice sites that was optimized using sequences from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. This model was then used to assess the possibility of alternative or cryptic splicing within the highly variable immune response gene family known as 185/333.

Results

A donor splice site model was generated from S. purpuratus sequences that incorporates non-adjacent dependences among positions within the 9 nt splice signal and uses position weight matrices to determine the probability that the site is used for splicing. The Purpuratus model was shown to predict splice signals better than a similar model created from vertebrate sequences. Although the Purpuratus model was able to correctly predict the true splice sites within the 185/333 genes, no evidence for alternative or trans-gene splicing was observed.

Conclusion

The data presented herein describe the first published analyses of echinoderm splice sites and suggest that the previous methods of identifying splice signals that are based largely on vertebrate sequences may be insufficient. Furthermore, alternative or trans-gene splicing does not appear to be acting as a diversification mechanism in the 185/333 gene family.
Gene expression patterns in heterozygous Plk4 murine embryonic fibroblasts
Authors: Morettin Alan , Ward Alejandra , Nantais Jordan , Hudson John W
Published: July 2009

Background

The polo-like kinases (Plks) are a group of serine/threonine kinases which have roles in many aspects of cellular function including the regulation of mitotic activity and cellular stress responses. This study focuses on Plk4, the most divergent member of the Plk family, which is necessary for proper cellular proliferation. More specifically, alterations in Plk4 levels cause significantly adverse mitotic defects including abnormal centrosome duplication and aberrant mitotic spindle formation. We sought to clarify the effect of reduced Plk4 levels on the cell by examining transcript profiles ofPlk4wild-type and heterozygous mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Subsequently, the levels of several key proteins involved in the DNA damage response were examined.

Results

143 genes were found to be significantly up-regulated in the heterozygous MEFs compared to their wild-type counterparts, while conversely, 9 genes were down-regulated. Numerous genes with increased transcript levels in heterozygous MEFs were identified to be involved in p53-dependent pathways. Furthermore, examination of the promoter regions of all up- and down-regulated genes revealed that the majority contained putative p53 responsive elements.

An analysis of transcript levels in MEFs after exposure to either ionizing or ultraviolet radiation revealed a significant change between wild type and heterozygous MEFS for Plk4 transcript levels upon only UV exposure. Furthermore, changes in protein levels of several important cell check-point and apoptosis regulators were examined, including p53, Chk1, Chk2, Cdc25C and p21. In heterozygous MEFs, p53, p21 and Chk2 protein levels were at significantly higher levels. Furthermore, p53 activity was increased 5 fold in thePlk4heterozygous MEFs.

Conclusion

Global transcript profiles and levels of key proteins involved in cellular proliferation and DNA damage pathways were examined in wild-type andPlk4heterozygous MEFs. It was determined that Plk4 haploinsufficiency leads to changes in the levels of RNA accumulation for a number of key cellular genes as well as changes in protein levels for several important cell cycle/DNA damage proteins. We propose a model in which reduced Plk4 levels invoke an increase in p53 levels that leads to the aforementioned changes in global transcription profiles.