bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Th e Arab “Youth Quake”: Implications on Democratization and Stability
Authors: Al-Momani Mohammad
Published: October 2011

Th e Arab Spring has advanced the prospects for democracy in the region. After years during which any democratic transition seemed implausible in the Arab World, masses across the region have risen to challenge the political status quo, inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia. A major cause to the political unrest can be identifi ed in the large number of unemployed youth in Arab nations, whose political frustrations were aggravated by their inability to express themselves in a tightly controlled police state, political corruption, and the incapability of the state to deal with social and economic problems. In addition, social media was a vital vehicle in both sustaining reform movements within single countries, and spreading the wave of demonstrations across the region. Yet, the events of the Arab Spring have challenged the stability of countries undergoing these transitions. Th e possibility for the creation of failed states or international interventions, and the necessity of governments to deal with large numbers of refugees, sectarian tensions, and deeply rooted economic problems threaten to derail the recent political transformations. In spite of these challenges, however, the recent political changes do provide encouraging opportunities for creating peace in the region and moderating Islamic parties.
China and the Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Peerenboom Randall
Published: October 2011

The 2011 revolutions in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) led to considerable hope for some people that China would experience a similar political uprising, as well as considerable anxiety for the ruling regime. The government’s immediate response was to downplay the risk of a similar event occurring in China by distinguishing between China and MENA, while at the same time cracking down on activists and other potential sources of instability—including attempts to organize popular revolutionary protests in China. Although the government has so far managed to avoid a similar uprising, neither response has been entirely successful. Despite a number of significant diff erences between China and MENA countries, there are enough commonalities to justify concerns about political instability. Moreover, relying on repression alone is not a long-term solution to the justified demands of Chinese citizens for political reforms and social justice. Whether China will ultimately be able to avoid the fate of authoritarian regimes in MENA countries will turn on its ability to overcome a series of structural challenges while preventing sudden and unpredictable events, like those that gave rise to the Arab revolutions, from spinning out of control.
The Muslim Brotherhood and Democratic Transition in Egypt
Authors: Wickham Carrie Rosefsky
Published: October 2011

As Egypt’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood is uniquely situated to play a leading role in this era of political transition. Although some welcome the Brotherhood’s involvement, others view its growing infl uence with apprehension and dismay. Such diff ering reactions refl ect serious disagreements about the credibility of the Brotherhood’s commitments to pluralism and democracy, as well as on whether its rising power poses a threat to regional peace and stability. At the core of such disagreements are fundamental diff erences of opinion on a number of key issues. First, what is the Brotherhood and what does it want? Second, how much support does it enjoy among members of the wider Egyptian public, and how well-positioned is it to convert that support into political power? Th ird, and perhaps most consequentially, to what extent, and in what ways, has the Brotherhood moved away from its radical anti-system past? Such questions raise the larger issue of whether “fundamentalist” religious groups are capable of self-transformation through their involvement in the give-and-take of democratic politics, a subject with broader relevance to our understanding of social movement change writ large.
Distribution of Lesions in Fetal Brains Following Experimental Infection of Pregnant Sheep With Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: O’Donovan J. , Proctor A. , Gutierrez J. , Worrell S. , Nally J. , Marques P. , Brady C. , McElroy M. , Sammin D. , Buxton D. , Maley S. , Bassett H. , Markey B.
Published: October 2011

Six ovine fetal brains were harvested 33 to 35 days postchallenge from 5 ewes, each of which was given 3000 Toxoplasma gondii oocysts on day 90 of pregnancy. Histopathologic examination of transverse sections taken at 13 levels in the fetal brains revealed the presence of toxoplasmosis-related lesions in all 6 brains. However, lesions were not randomly distributed ( P = .007); they were most numerous at the level of the optic tract, the rostral margin of the pons, and 4 mm caudal to the ansate sulcus and were absent in all sections at the level of the caudal cerebellum. Lesion distribution may be due to hemodynamic factors, differences in the expression of endothelial surface receptor molecules at the level of the blood-brain barrier, or the presence of localized permissive/inhibitory factors within the brain. The results have implications for the selection of areas of brain from aborted ovine fetuses to be examined histopathologically for laboratory diagnosis.
TP53 Mutations in Canine Brain Tumors
Authors: York D. , Higgins R. J. , LeCouteur R. A. , Wolfe A. N. , Grahn R. , Olby N. , Campbell M. , Dickinson P. J.
Published: October 2011

The p53 tumor suppressor gene ( TP53) is the most frequently altered gene in human cancer. Mutation of the gene has been shown to be an important mechanism of p53 pathway inactivation in a variety of human brain tumors, particularly those of astrocytic origin. Genomic DNA from a series of 37 glial and 51 nonglial canine brain tumors was sequenced to determine the frequency of TP53 gene mutations involving exons 3–9. Exonic mutations were found in 3 of 88 tumors (3.4%) and specifically in 1 of 18 astrocytic tumors (5.5%). This is markedly lower than that reported in comparable human tumors, suggesting that alternative mechanisms of p53 inactivation are likely to be present if p53 function contributes significantly to oncogenesis in canine brain tumors.
Researching Trafficked Women
Authors: Bosworth Mary , Hoyle Carolyn , Dempsey Michelle Madden
Published: October 2011

This article exposes methodological barriers we encountered in a small research project on women trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and our attempts, drawing on feminist and emergent methods, to resolve them. It critically assesses the role of institutional gatekeepers and the practical challenges faced in obtaining data directly from trafficking victims. Such difficulties, it suggests, spring at least in part from lingering disagreements within the feminist academic, legal, and advocacy communities regarding the nature, extent, and definition of trafficking. They also reveal concerns from policy makers and practitioners over the relevance and utility of academic research. Although feminist researchers have focused on building trust with vulnerable research participants, there has been far less discussion about how to persuade institutional elites to cooperate. Our experiences in this project, we suggest, reveal limitations in the emphasis on reflexivity in feminist methods, and point to the need for more strategic engagement with policy makers about the utility of academic research in general.
Chasing Laurie
Authors: Jago Barbara J.
Published: October 2011

This is an autoethnographic short story about sisterhood.
Methodological Practicalities in Analytical Generalization
Authors: Halkier Bente
Published: October 2011

In this article, I argue that the existing literature on qualitative methodologies tend to discuss analytical generalization at a relatively abstract and general theoretical level. It is, however, not particularly straightforward to “translate” such abstract epistemological principles into more operative methodological strategies for producing analytical generalizations in research practices. Thus, the aim of the article is to contribute to the discussions among qualitatively working researchers about generalizing by way of exemplifying some of the methodological practicalities in analytical generalization. Theoretically, the argumentation in the article is based on practice theory. The main part of the article describes three different examples of ways of generalizing on the basis of the same qualitative data material. There is a particular focus on describing the methodological strategies and processes in producing the three different ways of generalizing: ideal typologizing, category zooming, and positioning.
Aftershocks
Authors: Henson Donna F.
Published: October 2011

A disorganized narrative in both form and content, this article presents the storying and restorying of distant witness experience in the wake of recent natural disaster. A layered, fractured text; the writing blurs the lines between sense and nonsense making, self and other. Presenting the notion of verbal rumination as a theoretical method: This repetitive, ruminative narrative plays with the warm fuzzy and sometimes cold and prickly consequences of interpersonal storying. The resultant piece reflects a psychography of sorts, and seeks to make sense of the nonsensical, to organize the disorganized, to reconcile the irreconcilable. As with all natural disasters, it is a work in progress. My own little earthquake.
A Postmodern Headache
Authors: Corroto Carla
Published: October 2011

This autoethnographic narrative describes the equivocal process of identifying the source of physical discomfort, navigating interaction with health care institutions, and contemplating treatment. The author’s is a postmodern condition with multiple “truths” in a liminal position.
Don’t Be Mistaken—This Does Concern You!
Authors: Martin Montserrat
Published: October 2011

In this article, the author attempts to represent the mise abyme effect, when writing a “story within a story.” Instead of showing the two stories of sexual harassment in sport that the author wrote to trigger her students’ reactions to this issue, this article focuses on the experience of one of the students reacting to the two stories and discovering her own personal relationship to sexual harassment in sport. Instead of choosing a linear description charting the sexual harassment or abuse of this student, the author has chosen to represent her story of being an unconscious witness to the abuse a former teammate suffered in the past as a gymnast. The final purpose is to reflect on one’s “possible subtle” involvement in perpetrating sexual harassment in sport.
The Construction of Shame in Feminist Reflexive Practice and Its Manifestations in a Research Relationship
Authors: Womersley Gail , Maw Anastasia , Swartz Sally
Published: October 2011

Despite the psychically toxic nature of shame, it has historically been under-researched and under-theorized. However, a recent burgeoning of literature has brought an increasing awareness of shame as a pathogenic force. An investigation of this noxious affect is especially pertinent in the context of feminist qualitative research. The authors consider the significant effect of shame on a specific dialogue that unfolded with a female survivor of rape in Cape Town. The analysis tracks the ubiquitous manifestations of shame between researcher and researched and reveals how shame was unavoidably generated, exacerbated, and maintained within the intersubjective field. What is highlighted is a need to reflexively locate the emotion within the racialized, gendered, and institutionalized relationships. Such a consideration would arguably provide invaluable insights for psychological research and practice as it pays critical attention to positionality, reflexivity, and the power relationships inherent in the production of knowledge.
(Re)Forming Research Poetry
Authors: Lahman Maria K. E. , Rodriguez Katrina L. , Richard Veronica M. , Geist Monica R. , Schendel Roland K. , Graglia Pamela E.
Published: October 2011

In this article, the authors reflect on an experience with research representation in which they deliberately engage to push their notion of what research poetry might be. The authors discuss the experience that began when they examined approximately 50 in-depth narrative interviews of international doctoral students’ graduate school experiences. The article discusses a traditional thematic qualitative research article that was written and published on the basis of data derived from the aforementioned narrative interviews. In the next part of the experience, the one specific to this article, the authors compose three research poems of varying styles—free form, elegy, and haiku. The authors challenge their current research, representation, and poetic understandings by comparing and contrasting the traditional qualitative article to the nontraditional poetic representations. The final step of this process includes the authors’ methodological reflections on poetic representations in the areas of accessibility, power of compressed form, and writing ability or good enough research poetry.
Sexualities transformed? Inside visions of sexual, social and political change in Spain
Authors: Calvo Kerman , Pichardo José Ignacio
Published: October 2011

This introduction provides a framework for this special issue on sexualities and social change in Spain. Together with the presentation of the basic arguments of the issue, the article defends an understanding of sexual change as an efficient way to identify broad patterns of social change and transformation.
Good girls versus bad girls in early Francoist prisons: Sexuality as a great divide
Authors: Osborne Raquel
Published: October 2011

This is a story about ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls’ — the political prisoners and the non-political prisoners of the first period of Franco’s regime. The political prisoners, mostly communists, differentiated themselves from non-political prisoners by refusing to have anything to do with the non-normative sexuality — auto-eroticism and lesbianism — that was rife among the non-political prisoners, many of whom were prostitutes. Taking a unique stance, the sexual liberalness of the political prisoner, Carlota O’Neill, set her account apart from the rest of the written testimonies that have been analysed. This article examines the reasons for these diverging views on sexuality. Along with testimonies, this work of historical memory is based on historical studies and interviews.
We are family (or not): Social and legal recognition of same-sex relationships and lesbian and gay families in Spain
Authors: Pichardo José Ignacio
Published: October 2011

Spain has experienced a radical change in terms of recognition of same-sex couples and non-heterosexual families. Officially a Catholic country during a 40-year dictatorial regime, the consolidation of democracy created a favourable context for the legalization of same-sex marriage and the recognition of lesbian and gay families. In this article, the Spanish case is examined against existing literature on queer kinship revealing important peculiarities. The available data on people’s use of this new legal possibility and their reasons for marrying or not are also analysed. This article argues that these social changes bring about new challenges, since they shed light onto different forms of discrimination and homophobic prejudice, still present at the different levels of society, public policies and the legal system.
Fighting for love rights: Claims and strategies of the LGBT movement in Spain
Authors: Calvo Kerman , Trujillo Gracia
Published: October 2011

In this article we centre the attention on LGBT organizations in Spain. We discuss the emergence, evolution and claims of this social movement. The political associations and groups that advocate lesbian, gay and transsexual rights are presented as the voice of sexual communities and peoples. Accordingly, they are treated as a key social and political actor that links the desires and needs of grass-root non-heterosexual peoples with the higher spheres of institutions, politics and the law. The article builds on qualitative data on protesting, claims-making and mobilization to account for the transformation of a major section of the Spanish LGBT movement into a defender of human rights and equality. This is presented as the consequence of internal balances of power, and also as a cause of the de-sexualization of the claims brought before the state by sexual communities in Spain.
Study of DNA Amplification Efficiency Based on Temperature Analyses of the Moving Fluid in a Liquid-Plug Flow PCR System
Authors: Fuchiwaki Yusuke , Nagai Hidenori , Saito Masato , Tamiya Eiichi
Published: October 2011

Flow-through PCR devices for performing rapid and small-volume DNA amplification on a single chip have attracted great interest. Flow-through DNA amplification was performed by moving PCR solution as a liquid plug through three individual temperature zones. Since precise control of the temperature setting is the most important technique for successful DNA amplification, real-time temperature analyses of the moving fluid were investigated using a polyolefin pressure-sensitive adhesive (PPSA) film to cover the microchannel. The temperature profile at 20 °C during annealing phase was the closest to the recommended conditions for PCR compared to the profile from 55 to 20 °C, and it showed the highest amplification of the tested regimes. The microchannel design was optimized using an infrared (IR) thermal imager to significantly increase the fluorescence intensity of the amplified products. A flow time of five to six seconds per cycle resulted in a temperature profile close to the recommended thermal gradient. These studies resulted in effective findings for simple and rapid amplification by moving a PCR solution as liquid-plug on a single chip.
Chirality Inversion in a Crystal Only by Photoirradiation
Authors: Nitami Tsuyoshi , Sekine Akiko , Uekusa Hidehiro , Ohashi Yuji
Published: October 2011

When a crystal of [(S)-1-cyclohexylethylamine]bis(dimethylglyoximato)[(S)-1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]cobalt(III) was irradiated with a halogen lamp, the absolute configuration of the (S)-1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl group gradually changed from S to R with retention of the single crystal form. After 24 h exposure, the change became within experimental error and the S:R ratio of the 1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl group was found to be 18:82 by X-ray crystal structure analysis. The crystals with the (R)- and (racemic)-1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl groups instead of the (S)-enantiomer have isomorphous structures to the crystal with the (S)-enantiomer. Both of the crystals were also changed to the same structure as that with the (S)-enantiomer on exposure to the halogen lamp. This marvelous ratio of 18:82 was clearly explained with the shape of the reaction cavity for the photoreactive 1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl group in each crystal structure. A pseudo-isomorphous crystal of the complex with the (S)-enantiomer was obtained under the same conditions but it contains a water molecule as solvate. The (S)-1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl group in the crystal gradually changed to the disordered racemate with retention of the single-crystal form. The different reaction pathway between the pseudo-isomorphous crystals with and without a water molecule was explained with not only the size but also the shape of the reaction cavity for the photoreactive group.
Preparation, Spectral Properties, and Electron Affinity of Bis(thiadiazolo)quinoxaline and Bis(thiadiazolo)phenanthroquinoxaline as n-Type Semiconductors
Authors: Ishi-i Tsutomu , Nakanishi Taro , Teshima Yuuki , Yasuda Takeshi , Han Liyuan
Published: October 2011

Bis(thiadiazolo)phenanthroquinoxaline and bis(thiadiazolo)quinoxaline derivatives were prepared as a new candidate of n-type semiconductors and their electronic properties were investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements. The bis(thiadiazolo)phenanthroquinoxaline having the trifluoromethyl groups indicates n-type characteristic in an organic field-effect transistor.
Preparation of Electrically Conductive Film from Silver Nanocolloid Synthesized by Reduction of Silver–Thiolate
Authors: Miyashima Naoki , Matsuda Keigo , Shishido Masahiro
Published: October 2011

We have developed a simple scheme for preparation of silver nanoparticle film. This scheme includes the reaction between octanethiol in the toluene and silver ion in water at toluene–water interface. The electric conductive films would be produced by sintering the coated films of the prepared silver nanoparticles below 200 °C.
Kendrick-Analogous Network Visualisation of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Fourier Transform Mass Spectra: Improved Options for the Assignment of Elemental Compositions and the Classification of Organic Molecular Complexity
Authors: Tziotis D. , Hertkorn N. , Schmitt-Kopplin Ph.
Published: October 2011

We propose a novel computational and visual approach for the analysis of high-field Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectra (FT-ICR-MS) based on successive and multiple atomic and Kendrick analogous mass difference analyses. Compositional networks based on elemental compositions and functional networks based on selected functional group equivalents enable improved assignment options of elemental composition and classification of organic complexity with tuneable validation windows. The approach is demonstrated through the analysis of a 12 T FT-ICR mass spectrum of an intricate water-soluble extract of a secondary organic aerosol with a previously established abundance in CHNOS molecules.
Determination of HX0969w in Rabbit Whole Blood by Liquid Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry and its Application in a Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Yin Wang , Wang Yu , Yang Jun , Kang Yi , Zhang Wen-Sheng
Published: October 2011

HX0969w is a novel carboxylate ester prodrug of propofol. After intravenous administration of HX0969w, the compound is rapidly hydrolyzed to its active metabolite propofol. A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method with electrospray ionization has been developed for determination of HX0969w in rabbit whole blood. Protein precipitation with methanol was used for sample preparation and 7-hydroxycoumarin served as internal standard. The standard curve ranged from 50.1 ng mL−1. to 15,030 ng mL−1. The lower limit of quantification for HX0969w was 50.1 ng mL−1. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were within ±10% and precisions were below 5.52%. The method was successfully applied to samples from a rabbit pharmacokinetic study.
Charge as You Like! Efficient Manipulation of Negative Ion Net Charge in Electrospray Ionization of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
Authors: Ganisl Barbara , Taucher Monika , Riml Christian , Breuker Kathrin
Published: October 2011

Acidic proteins and nucleic acids such as RNA are most readily ionized in electrospray ionization (ESI) operated in negative-ion mode. The multiply deprotonated protein or RNA ions can be used as precursors in top-down mass spectrometry. Because the performance of the dissociation method used critically depends on precursor ion negative net charge, it is important that the extent of charging in ESI can be manipulated efficiently. We show here that (M – nH) n– ion net charge of proteins and RNA can be controlled efficiently by the addition of organic bases to the electrosprayed solution. Our study also highlights the fact that ion formation in ESI in negative mode is only poorly understood.
Characterization of Gallotannins from Astronium Species by Flow Injection Analysis-Electrospray Ionization-Ion Traptandem Mass Spectrometry and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: da Silva Viviane Cândida , Napolitano Assunta , Eletto Daniela , Rodrigues Clenilson Martins , Pizza Cosimo , Vilegas Wagner
Published: October 2011

The species Astronium urundeuva (Allemao) Engl. and Astronium graveolens Jacq., which are used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat allergies, inflammation, diarrhea and ulcers, were investigated for their composition. The aim of this study was to define a rapid and reliable analytical approach, based on the flow-injection analysis–electrospray ionization–ion trap–tandem mass spectrometry (FIA-ESI-IT-MS-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF-MS), to investigate the full range of hydrolyzable tannins present in the extracts of these Astronium species. The MALDI-ToF-MS analysis allowed us to ascertain the presence of hydrolysable tannins in both Astronium species as a series of gallotannins with degrees of polymerization of 7 to 13 galloyl units. Moreover, the analysis by FIA-ESI-IT-MS-MS, as well as confirming this result and chemically defining gallotannins as galloylglucose compounds, highlighted the presence of further classes of hydrolysable tannins, such as hexahydrodiphenoyl esters of glucose and some gallic acid derivatives, providing information about their structure by a careful study of their fragmentation patterns. Finally, the evaluation of the number of positional isomers of gallotannins occurring in both Astronium species was obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-IT-MS). This is the first mass spectrometric evidence relating to the existence of gallotannins in Astronium genus.
Contribution of Liquid-Phase and Gas-Phase Ionization in Extractive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Primary Amines
Authors: Meier Lukas , Schmid Stefan , Berchtold Christian , Zenobi Renato
Published: October 2011

In this study, we investigated how binary mixtures of compounds influence each other's signal intensity in electrospray ionization (ESI), extractive electrospray ionization (EESI) and secondary electrospray ionization (SESI) experiments. The experiments were conducted using a series of homologous primary amines (from 1-butyl to 1-decylamine). In every experiment, two of the amines were present, and all 21 possible combinations were measured with EESI, ESI and SESI as ionization sources. Except for the volatility, which decreases with increasing molecular weight, the physico–chemical properties of the amines are very similar, so that the intensity ratio obtained in each experiment provides information about discrimination effects occurring during the ionization process. The results show that for the relatively volatile compounds investigated, the EESI ionization mechanism resembles the SESI-like gas-phase charge transfer more than ESI-like analyte ionization in solution. In addition, almost no discrimination effects were observed in the spectra obtained in EESI experiments. Quantitative EESI experiments with nonylamine as internal standard showed that EESI is capable of providing both more accurate and more precise results than SESI and ESI.
An unusual case of suicidal carbon monoxide poisoning
Authors: Rossi Riccardo , Suadoni Fabio , Cittadini Francesca , Oliva Antonio , Massimo Lancia
Published: October 2011

The authors present a case of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in a confined space with interesting elements related to the method and the circumstances in which it took place. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very common cause of death in accidental and suicidal cases, but the method used in this case, consisting of burning charcoal in a small office bathroom, presents some particularly interesting aspects. The circumstances, moreover, appear very interesting because the person who committed suicide was an employee of the Public Administration and he had received notification regarding his involvement in a legal prosecution.
An overview of the genetic susceptibility to alcoholism
Authors: Buscemi Loredana , Turchi Chiara
Published: October 2011

Aims

Alcoholism is a multifactorial, genetically influenced disorder. It is a major health and social issue, a highly frequent disease and a cause of premature death. It is also the most expensive addictive disorder due to morbidity, mortality, societal and legal problems. Besides their involvement in alcohol-related fatalities, forensic scientists are also required to assess driving and working ability as well as permanent invalidity due to alcohol-related conditions. Greater knowledge of the genetic basis of alcoholism could improve prevention by identifying specific risk factors and mechanisms, leading to effective therapeutic strategies and eventually to personalized treatments.

Methods

This overview of the recent scientific literature on the genetic basis of alcoholism summarizes the analytical strategies currently applied to the identification of candidate genes involved in alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) and discusses some genes and related phenotypes that have been shown to influence the risk of alcoholism.

Results

Alcoholism is a complex heterogeneous genetic disease. It is a quantitative disorder, in which the combined incidence of multiple genetic factors and environmental factors varies from one subject to another. Family, twin and adoption studies indicate that 50-60% of the risk of alcoholism is due to genetic factors. Risk loci for AUDs include both genes involved in alcohol pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics as well as genes moderating neurophysiological responses such as impulsivity, disinhibition, sensation-seeking and externalizing behaviours. Alcoholism also co-exists with other addictions and psychiatric disorders. Such co-morbidity suggests the existence of shared aetiological factors.

Conclusions

Despite several genes that influence the risk for AUDs having been identified, the genetic bases of alcoholisn remain largely unknown. Particularly the mechanism of action or the understanding of the physiology of some genes, as well as the gene-environment interactions, is still unknown. Technological progress and advances in transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics are expected to enhance our knowledge of the genetic susceptibility to alcoholism.
Testing the specificity of the diatom test: search for false-positives
Authors: Bortolotti Federica , Del Balzo Giovanna , Calza Riccardo , Valerio Fernando , Tagliaro Franco
Published: October 2011

The diatom test is widely used by forensic pathologists as proof of drowning, notwithstanding some criticisms mainly concerning the occurrence of false-positive results (presence of diatoms in the tissues of subjects who died from causes other than drowning). The aim of the present study was to verify the claimed inaccuracy of the method caused by an excessive rate of false-positives related to inadvertent exposure to diatoms of the general population. The study was carried out to investigate the presence of diatoms in the tissues (lungs and sternum) of subjects who died from causes other than drowning. Two groups of cadavers that underwent an autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Verona were included in the study. Group A comprised 45 individuals who died from causes other than drowning, whereas Group B comprised 20 bodies which had been recovered from water. The extraction of the diatoms was performed by incubation of samples in nitric acid for 48 hours at 60°C. The analysis of the samples from Group A showed the absence of diatoms in both lung and sternum samples. In Group B all lung samples showed the presence of diatoms, whereas only six sternum samples were shown to contain diatoms. The difference between Groups A and B was statistically highly significant. The absence of diatoms in the samples collected from Group A falsified the hypothesis that false-positive results from the diatom test may occur due to diatoms entering living bodies through the respiratory and/or digestive tracts via air, water or food, supporting the validity of the diatom test as proof of drowning.
Histopathological markers for the diagnosis of anaphylactic death
Authors: Luongo S , Frontalini C , Pesaresi M , Valsecchi M , Tagliabracci A
Published: October 2011

The postmortem diagnosis of anaphylactic death may be frustrating when victims are not hospital patients, even more so when they are recovered dead. The frequent lack of specific morphological findings in such cases means that diagnosis by the forensic pathologist must rely solely on exclusion criteria or circumstantial evidence. However, a diagnostic approach based on case history, analysis of circumstances, available clinical and necropsy findings, as well as toxicology, histopathology and biohumoral data, often allows demonstration of the cause of death. Some useful reflections on microscopic morphological data have come from two recent cases, where thorough data collection provided a reasonably certain diagnosis of anaphylactic death and systemic inflammatory response syndrome-related cardiac arrest, respectively. In both cases tissue histopathology proved crucial, since histochemical (GIEMSA) and immunohistochemical analysis (CD117 and tryptase) documented a large number of mast cells in tissues, particularly the laryngeal wall, and a discrepancy between cells positive for GIEMSA and tryptase and those positive for CD117. Staining for CD117 was also detected in cells with dendrite morphology and in a subpopulation of small lymphocytes with incised nuclei. The morphological findings of these cases are discussed, especially those obtained with immunohistochemistry, and the need for the latter data to be interpreted by experienced medical staff in the framework of a thorough analysis of all the data collected is highlighted.
The use of the anti-Glycophorin a antibody in the detection of red blood cell residues in human soft tissue lesions decomposed in air and water: a pilot study
Authors: Taborelli A , Andreola S , Di Giancamillo A , Gentile G , Domeneghini C , Grandi M , Cattaneo C
Published: October 2011

The distinction between antemortem and postmortem wounds is one of the most important medicolegal problems. In fresh cadavers the macroscopic examination of haemorrhagic infiltration can be sufficient to reveal the vitality of a wound but in more difficult cases (putrefied corpses) histological and histochemical analyses need to be performed. The scope of this study was to detect the vitality of soft tissue samples in an advanced state of putrefaction using a monoclonal anti-human Glycoforin A antibody in order to evaluate the presence of red blood cells or red blood cell residues. Samples of skin wounds were taken from cadavers with a known time survival between trauma and death, and then submitted to a simulated putrefaction procedure. The skin samples were left to decompose for 30 days in air and in water and analyzed at a time interval of 3-6-15-30 days. These samples were stained with haematoxylin eosin stain, trichrome stain and with immunohistochemical stains. Results showed that in the air red blood cells could be seen for up to six days and granular deposits of Glycophorin reactive material for up to 15 days whereas no red blood cells were recognizable after 30 days. In water red cell putrefaction (or non-detection) was faster than in the air: after six days only amorphous granular deposits slightly reactive to Glycophorin could be seen. Nonetheless results showed that extravasated red blood cell residues can still be detected in skin bruises left to decompose in air and water, for up to at least 15 days in the open air and one week in water.
Agalactorrhoea following reductive mastoplasty: a case of permanent impairment evaluation
Authors: Verzeletti Andrea , De Ferrari Francesco
Published: October 2011

A woman of fertile age who had been suffering from agalactorrhoea since undergoing reductive mastoplasty was referred to us for forensic evaluation. As the impairment rating criteria listed within the main Italian assessment guidelines did not provide us with any helpful clues, we turned our attention to a selection of French, Spanish and Portuguese rating tables either legally binding or merely indicative in nature, to the barème (table) formulated by the CEREDOC (Confédération Européenne d'Experts en Evaluation et Réparation du Dommage Corporel) and to the American Medical Association guidelines, the only ones contemplating rating criteria specific for agalactorrhoea with an impairment score range of 0-5 percentage points. In light of the woman's young age and in subsequent consideration of the implications agalactorrhoea typically has both for nursing mothers and for their newborn babies, we estimated her physical impairment at five percentage points.
Social problem-solving interventions in medium secure settings for women
Authors: Long C G , Fulton B , Dolley O , Hollin C R
Published: October 2011

Problem-solving interventions are a feature of overall medium secure treatment programmes. However, despite the relevance of such treatment to personality disorder there are few descriptions of such interventions for women. Beneficial effects for women who completed social problem-solving group treatment were evident on a number of psychometric assessments. A treatment non-completion rate of one-third raises questions of both acceptability and timing of cognitive behavioural interventions.
Mired in confusion: making sense of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Authors: Cairns Ruth , Brown Penelope , Grant-Peterkin Hugh , Owen Gareth S , Richardson Genevra , Szmukler George , Hotopf Matthew
Published: October 2011

Introduction

There is uncertainty about how to identify deprivation of liberty and the interface of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act Safeguards.

Objective

To increase current understanding by exploring how an expert legal panel interpret existing case law relating to deprivation of liberty in the clinical setting.

Design

Clinical vignettes of real patients were used to explore lawyers' thinking about important factors that: (1) distinguish lawful restriction from deprivation of liberty and (2) govern the choice between safeguard regimes when there is deprivation of liberty. The relative importance of such factors was discussed in a consensus meeting using a modified nominal group approach.

Participants and setting

Six eminent barristers and solicitors with expertise in mental health law attended a consensus meeting after making individual judgements about vignettes describing the situations of 28 incapacitated patients who had been admitted informally to a range of psychiatric inpatient units in South East London.

Results

Lawyers attributed key importance to a patient's ‘freedom to leave’ and suggested that patients' subjective experiences should be considered when identifying deprivation of liberty.

Conclusions

Clarification of deprivation of liberty and its safeguards will develop with future case law. Based on current available case law, the lawyers' expert views represented a divergence from Code of Practice guidance. We suggest that clinicians give consideration to this.
The clinical reality of implementing formal risk assessment and management measures within high secure forensic care
Authors: Vojt Gabriele , Slesser Morag , Marshall Lisa , Thomson Lindsay
Published: October 2011

This paper describes the successful implementation of a formal violence risk assessment and management strategy within a high secure forensic care facility. The aim of the implementation was to ensure that each patient had a formal violence risk assessment and management plan that was shared and applied to clinical practice by the patient's clinical team. The process as a whole, from risk assessment to risk management including appropriate care and treatment documentation, is outlined. In this way, this paper also describes the difficulties and problems encountered within the organizational reality of implementation projects. Suggestions and recommendations on how to avoid and manage these are made.
Kinship analysis using DNA typing from five skeletal remains with an unusual postmortem course
Authors: Matsumura Shusaku , Nakazono Takehiko , Ishiko Atsushi , Atsuchi Masaru , Hiroshige Kenichi , Yamaguchi Hiroki , Kubo Shin-ichi
Published: October 2011

The skeletal remains of five individuals with an unusual postmortem course were discovered in a house. According to the explanation of the putative bereaved family, the postmortem interval of the five remains was between five and 20 years. They also explained to the police that they and the dead family members believed that the dead can be resurrected, and they had kept the bodies indoors, so the bodies had followed an unusual postmortem course. The five dead were identified by kinship analysis using DNA typing. For DNA extraction, we used the DNA extraction method with ultrafiltration and a silica-based DNA extraction kit. As a result, complete amplification STR profiles were obtained from DNA from bone samples of all five skeletons and their identity was proven by kinship testing.
Winning the Battle but Losing the War: The Psychology of Debt Management
Authors: Amar Moty , Ariely Dan , Ayal Shahar , Cryder Cynthia E. , Rick Scott I.
Published: October 2011

When consumers carry multiple debts, how do they decide which debt to repay first? Normatively, consumers should repay the debt with the highest interest rate most quickly. However, because people tend to break complicated tasks into more manageable parts, and because losses are most distressing when segregated, the authors hypothesize that people will pay off the smallest loan first to reduce the total number of outstanding loans and achieve a sense of tangible progress toward debt repayment. To experimentally examine how consumers manage multiple debts, the authors develop an incentive-compatible debt management game, in which participants are saddled with multiple debts and need to decide how to repay them over time. Consistent with the hypothesis, four experiments reveal evidence of debt account aversion: Participants consistently pay off small debts first, even though the larger debts have higher interest rates. The authors also find that restricting participants’ ability to completely pay off small debts, and focusing their attention on the amount of interest each debt has accumulated, helps them reduce overall debt more quickly.
Minimum Required Payment and Supplemental Information Disclosure Effects on Consumer Debt Repayment Decisions
Authors: Navarro-Martinez Daniel , Salisbury Linda Court , Lemon Katherine N. , Stewart Neil , Matthews William J. , Harris Adam J.L.
Published: October 2011

Repayment decisions—how much of the loan to repay and when to make the payments—directly influence consumer debt levels. The authors examine how minimum required payment policy and loan information disclosed to consumers influence repayment decisions. They find that while presenting minimum required payment information has a negative impact on repayment decisions, increasing the minimum required level has a positive effect on repayment for most consumers. Experimental evidence from U.S. consumers shows that consumers’ propensity to pay the minimum required each month moderates these effects; U.K. credit card field data indicate that borrowers’ credit limit and balance due also moderate these effects. However, increasing the minimum level is unlikely to completely eliminate the negative effect of presenting minimum payment information. In addition, disclosing supplemental information, such as future interest cost and time needed to repay the loan, does not reduce the negative effects of including minimum payment information and has no substantial positive effect on repayments. This research offers new insights into the debt repayment process and has implications for consumers, lenders, and public policy.
Axe the Tax: Taxes are Disliked More than Equivalent Costs
Authors: Sussman Abigail B. , Olivola Christopher Y.
Published: October 2011

Tax collection is critical for the proper functioning of society. However, many people strongly dislike paying taxes. Although this distaste could be rational on economic grounds, the authors show that this attitude extends beyond simply disliking the costs incurred and affects behavior in coun-ternormative ways. They demonstrate the phenomenon of tax aversion: a desire to avoid taxes per se that exceeds the rational economic motivation to avoid a monetary cost. Across five experiments, the authors provide evidence that people have a stronger preference to avoid tax-related costs than to avoid equal-sized (or larger) monetary costs unrelated to taxes. Tax aversion affects consumer preferences in a variety of domains, including standard store purchases, financial investments, and job selection. Furthermore, this tendency is most prevalent among people who identify with political parties that generally favor less taxation. Finally, encouraging participants who identify with “antitax” parties to consider positive uses of their tax payments mitigates tax aversion. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for consumer behavior research and tax policies.
Paying with Money or Effort: Pricing When Customers Anticipate Hassle
Authors: Lambrecht Anja , Tucker Catherine
Published: October 2011

For many services, customers subscribe to long-term contracts. Standard economic theory suggests that customers evaluate a contract on the basis of its overall net benefits. The authors suggest that rather than evaluating multiperiod service contracts at the contract level, customers use period-level bracketing. Customers evaluate the distinct per-period loss or gain they incur from choosing this contract. This has important consequences when benefits vary over the course of the contract—for example, due to “hassle costs.” If customers use period-level bracketing, they will value a lower price more in periods during which they have hassle than in other periods. The authors explore this using data from a field experiment for web hosting services. They find that a lower price in the initial period is more attractive to customers when they expect their hassle costs to be high at setup. In five lab experiments, the authors support and extend the field experiment's findings. They find evidence for period-level bracketing when customers have hassle costs, independently of whether hassle costs occur in the first, an intermediate, or the last period of a contract. They also rule out alternative explanations, such as hyperbolic discounting. The findings suggest that in setting prices, firms should consider the timing of hassle costs customers face.
The Impact of Advertising on Media Bias
Authors: Gal-or Esther , Geylani Tansev , Yildirim Tuba Pinar
Published: October 2011

In this study, the authors investigate the role of advertising in affecting the extent of bias in the media. When making advertising choices, advertisers evaluate both the size and the composition of the readership of the different outlets. The profile of the readers matters because advertisers want to target readers who are likely to be receptive to their advertising messages. The authors demonstrate that when advertising supplements subscription fees, it may serve as a polarizing or moderating force, contingent on the extent of heterogeneity among advertisers in appealing to readers having different political preferences. When heterogeneity is large, each advertiser chooses a single outlet for placing advertisements (single-homing), and greater polarization arises in comparison to when the media outlet relies on subscription fees only for revenues. In contrast, when heterogeneity is small, each advertiser chooses to place advertisements in multiple outlets (multihoming) and reduces polarization results.