bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regional Differences in Men Attending a Sexual Health Clinic in Sydney for Premature Ejaculation
Authors: Frewen Amie , Rapee Ronald M. , Bowden Pip , Lagios Katerina 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Previous investigation from UK sexual health clinics has suggested that men from Central Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds are more likely to present with premature ejaculation (PE) than men from Western backgrounds. This interesting finding requires replication, especially in populations from other countries.

Aim
The current study aimed to determine whether men who had sought treatment for PE from a community sexual health clinic were more likely to come from Central Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds than from Western backgrounds.

Main Outcome Measures
Demographic and clinical data were collected retrospectively from patient files over a 3-year period. Patient-defined ethnicity for outpatients seeking psychological interventions for PE was compared to the ethnicity of those attending for other sexual dysfunctions and also to local population census data.

Method
Clinical files for 215 men seeking psychological interventions for sexual dysfunctions at an urban sexual health clinic in Sydney were examined. Men were included in the study if they reported being born in one of two regional groups: Western countries or Middle Eastern/Central Asian countries. The rates of men seeking help for PE vs. other sexual dysfunctions were compared between these two regional groups and were compared with the representation of each region in the broader sexual health service as well as the local population.

Results
Relative to men born in Western regions, men from Central Asian/Middle Eastern countries were more likely to present with PE than with other sexual dysfunctions. The proportion of men from Central Asian/Middle Eastern countries presenting with PE was considerably higher than expected for the population attending the sexual health clinic or the broader local community.

Conclusion
Consistent with previous research, Asian and Middle Eastern men living in a Western society appear to be more likely than Western men to report difficulties with PE.
Better age estimation using ultraviolet–optical colours: breaking the age–metallicity degeneracy
Authors: Kaviraj S. , Rey S.-C. , Rich R. M. , Yoon S.-J. , Yi S. K. 
Published: September 2007

Abstract
We demonstrate that the combination of GALEX ultraviolet (UV) photometry in the far-UV (FUV; ∼1530 Å) and near-UV (NUV; ∼2310 Å) passbands with optical photometry in the standard U, B, V, R, I filters can efficiently break the age–metallicity degeneracy. We estimate well-constrained ages, metallicities and their associated errors for 42 globular clusters (GCs) in M31, and show that the full set of FUV, NUV, U,B,V,R,I photometry produces age estimates that are ∼90 per cent more constrained and metallicity estimates that are ∼60 per cent more constrained than those produced by using optical filters alone. The quality of the age constraints is comparable or marginally better than those achieved using a large number of spectroscopic indices.
RHEOLOGICAL, TEXTURAL AND MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF THE HIGH‐METHOXY PECTIN/GELATIN MIXED SYSTEMS
Authors: LIU H. , ZHU D.Sh. , XU X.M. , GUO Sh.D. , JIN Zh.Y. 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to evaluate the interaction between high‐methoxy pectin and gelatin in solution and mixed gel utilizing rheological, texture profile and microstructure analysis. The results showed that the phase separation and association might both exist depending on the ratio of pectin to gelatin in the mixed system. After the pectin addition to the mixed system, the gelation properties of gelatin were improved at suitable conditions. The structure development rate, gel hardness and gel brittleness of the pectin/gelatin mixed system were positively affected by the addition of pectin and from there to expand the application of the mixed system in food industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSStructure‐forming polysaccharides and protein provide desired functional properties to a wide range of foods such as gel confectionery products, milk products and fat replacers. As an academic paper, this article provided the information that high‐methoxy (HM) pectin could prove the gelation properties of gelatin to corporate audiences. We could find that the ratio of HM pectin to gelatin, and the concentration of these two polymers, dictate the texture properties of the mixed system. The pectin addition to the gelatin system affected the structure development rate, which might save time when the products are processed in practice. The melting temperature was increased with the pectin addition to the gelatin system, which is favorable if it is to be kept under higher temperature.
Through the Looking Blast: Geopolitics and Visual Culture
Authors: Hughes Rachel 
Published: September 2007

AbstractIt is often argued that the most commonly assumed visual mode in geopolitics is the objective and disembodied gaze of the master geopolitical tactician. This is a charge that has been levelled at both geopolitical figures such as national leaders, and at academics who write about historical and present‐day geopolitics. However, recent work has diversified the way in which formal, practical and popular geopolitical visions may be examined in critical geopolitical studies. Such work calls for greater attention to be paid to popular visual cultures and to geopolitical practice as a way of envisioning global space that is embodied and subjective.
Sustainable Ecotourism Development in Central America and the Caribbean: Review of Debates and Conceptual Reformulation
Authors: Klak Thomas 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTourism is one of the world's largest economic sectors. Ecotourism is its fastest growing component (United Nations World Tourism Organization 2007), and a promising strategy for sustainable development. Rural Central America and the Caribbean are in need of sustainable development and contain promising ecotourism sites. Despite their empirical importance and potential, tourism and ecotourism as research topics present several difficulties. This article surveys recent tourism and ecotourism scholarship and pays special attention to other recent literature reviews that contribute to that scholarship. It offers a three‐dimensional view of sustainable ecotourism development based on ecological integrity, economic viability, and social justice. Our common conception of ecotourism needs to broaden. It is typically presented as one of many distinct alternatives to mass tourism such as cultural, historical, and agro‐tourism. It is more fruitful to view alternative tourisms as synergistic components of a sustainable tourism ensemble. The article explores consequences of neglecting any of the three sustainability dimensions. It concludes by summarizing the article's contributions to the practice and analysis of sustainable ecotourism development.
From Citadels of Education to Cartier Latins (and Back?): The Changing Landscapes of Student Populations in European Cities
Authors: Russo Antonio Paolo , Tatjer Laura Capel 
Published: September 2007

AbstractStudent communities are among the most active agents in the transformation of European cities, due to the concurring circumstances of booming international student mobility, the restructuring of university residence patterns, and the acknowledgement of the importance of knowledge assets and creativity for sustainable urban development. This article presents a conceptualisation of emerging student landscapes, especially focusing on the spatial configuration of mobility and activity flows. It is argued that while student landscapes are determined in the first place by the structure of the city and university settlements, they undergo a peculiar dynamic which, in most cases, leads to a decoupling of education spaces and the habitats where students spend the rest of their time. This result may not be the optimal for a sustainable, competitive city. Using evidence from two cities, Barcelona and Lille, our article derives indications for the planning of new higher education facilities and student settlements that may produce more coherent student landscapes.
Revolting Geographies: Urban Unrest in France
Authors: Dikeç Mustafa 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis article provides an account of urban unrest in France, with particular emphasis on the revolts of 2005 in the banlieues. It looks at some of the reasons behind the revolts, including social disadvantage, discrimination, repression, and the tensions arising from France's alleged universalism, colonial history and post‐colonial present. Then, by putting the 2005 revolts in context and comparing them to previous incidents, it points to their distinctive geographical dimension. This geographical focus shows that there is a constantly expanding geography of revolts, that this geography overlaps with geographies of inequalities, discrimination and repression, and suggests that there is a logic of resistance behind the revolts.
Urban Rivers: Hydrology, Geomorphology, Ecology and Opportunities for Change
Authors: Gurnell Angela , Lee May , Souch Catherine 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis article describes how urban development impacts on the processes that control river geomorphology and influence ecology. At the catchment scale, urban development transforms the hydrological system through construction of impervious surfaces and stormwater drainage systems. River water and sediment quality also are affected by stormwater and waste water drainage and by point and diffuse inputs of pollutants. Within the river channel network, widespread river engineering improves floodwater conveyance but imposes major changes in river network and channel characteristics. The results of an analysis of Urban River Survey data from 143 channel reaches in three European rivers (the River Tame, UK; the River Emscher, Germany; and the River Botic, Czech Republic) are presented to demonstrate the strong influence of river channel engineering on channel structure, physical habitat features and vegetation patterns. This analysis also shows the surprisingly varied character of urban rivers and thus their differential potential to respond to rehabilitation efforts. Because the success of river rehabilitation efforts depend not only on a scientific understanding of form and process within urban river systems but also on the acceptance and support of urban communities and integration within urban design and planning, the article briefly explores the coupling of natural and social science approaches to drive a more sustainable future for rivers in cities.
Spectroscopic Whole‐Blood Indicators of End‐Stage Renal Disease and the Hemodialysis Treatment
Authors: Lagali Neil S. , Burns Kevin D. , Zimmerman Deborah L. , Munger Rejean 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe diffuse reflection spectrum in the 500–1670 nm region for whole blood taken from healthy subjects and end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients was measured to test the feasibility of optically monitoring ESRD and its treatment by hemodialysis. Spectral regions where optical absorption significantly differed between healthy subjects and ESRD patients were used to form a multiple linear discriminant classification model. With this model a total of 41 whole‐blood samples were classified into healthy, pretreatment and posttreatment ESRD classes. 96.7% of original and cross‐validated cases and 100% of independent validation cases were correctly classified, indicating ESRD and its treatment exhibit characteristic spectral features in whole blood. Upon comparison of the discriminant model variables with a few key clinical blood parameters, model variables were found to significantly correlate with hematocrit and plasma levels of urea and potassium (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the optical signature of whole blood conveys basic clinical status information, and provides a path for investigating improved indices of hemodialysis toxicity, adequacy and patient outcome.
Experimental Study on Predicting Skin Flap Necrosis by Fluorescence in the FAD and NADH Bands During Surgery
Authors: Mokrý Michal , Gál Peter , Harakaľová Magdaléna , Hutňanová Žaneta , Kušnír Jaroslav , Mozeš Štefan , Sabo Ján 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe objective of the present study was to assess the feasibility of using endogenous fluorescence in intraoperative prediction of skin flap necrosis. The investigation was carried out in 10 Sprague–Dawley rats in which proximally based over‐dimensioned random pattern skin flaps were dissected on the back and thereafter fixed into position. Immediately after surgery on each rat, synchronous fluorescence spectra (Δλ = 90 nm) from five parts of the skin flap surface were measured. The presence of necrosis was evaluated on postoperative day 7. In flap parts designated as necrotic (n = 18), a significantly lower (P < 0.001) fluorescent signal from the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) bands (360–380 and 440–460 nm, respectively) was detected in comparison with the vital parts (n = 32) (for FAD:1767 ± 39 versus 2579 ± 65 auxiliary units [A.U]. and for NADH:11724 ± 340 versus 16810 ± 473 A.U.). The results suggested a close relationship between the fluorescent signals from the FAD and NADH bands on one side and flap necrosis or survival on the other side. Thus, the use of fluorescence spectroscopy may be considered as a valuable noninvasive tool for the prediction of skin flap necrosis.
Critical Psychology: What It Is and What It Is Not
Authors: Parker Ian 
Published: September 2007

AbstractCritical psychology alerts us to the limitations of mainstream research in the discipline, and it promises to put ‘social’ issues on the agenda in the whole of psychology. A starting point of the stance of critical psychological research is that the claims that psychologists make about human beings often seem to vanish almost as quickly as they are discovered. People, a group or culture do not behave or think like the model would predict, and, more importantly, we find that our awareness, our reflection on a process described by a psychologist changes that process. It is in the nature of human nature to change, to change as different linguistic resources, social practices, and representations of the self become available, and for human nature to change itself as people reflect on who they are and who they may become. That means that any attempt to fix us in place must fail. But it will only fail in such a way that something productive emerges from it if we do something different, and one place to do something different is in psychology. We need to step back and look at the images of the self, mind and behaviour that psychologists have produced, the types of practices they engage in, and the power those practices, those ‘technologies of the self’ have to set limits on change. When we appreciate this, we can start to look at what psychologists might do instead as part of a genuinely critical approach.
Personality and the Pursuit of Happiness
Authors: Lucas Richard E. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAlthough people pursue life outcomes because they believe that these outcomes will make them happy, research shows that external life circumstances have a surprisingly small effect on happiness and subjective well‐being. In contrast, personality traits and other stable factors appear to play a more important role in happiness. Happiness is heritable, stable over time, and moderately to strongly associated with personality characteristics. Empirical support for these conclusions is reviewed, and more recent evidence that challenges strong interpretations of personality effects is discussed. Although the effects of personality are robust, long‐term levels of happiness can and do change.
A Window on the ‘New’ Sociology of Childhood
Authors: Matthews Sarah H. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis article is intended as a window on the body of research that has come to be known as the ‘new sociology of childhood’. To elucidate its underlying tenets I identify three major weaknesses that scholars in the ‘new’ sociology find in the ‘old’ conceptualization – socialization – and discuss implications for doing research on children and childhood. I suggest that scholars in the United States are on a somewhat different path than their colleagues in other Western countries. Finally, I argue that the view that children are not yet members of their societies is one that is difficult to undermine.
Ethnography and News Production: New(s) Developments in the Field*
Authors: Cottle Simon 
Published: September 2007

AbstractEthnographic studies of news production provide invaluable insights into the nature and determinants of news production and a necessary corrective, therefore, to grand speculative claims and theories about the news media. These more grounded studies have variously examined the daily routines, bureaucratic nature, competitive ethos, professional ideologies, source dependencies and cultural practices of the news media. Today, however, the globalising field of news production and journalist practices is fast changing and ethnographies of news production remain as essential as ever for explaining and understanding the complexities involved. This article overviews the field of news production studies and makes the case for why ethnographic studies need to be conducted in the future. It describes past studies and their findings, reflects on the principal strengths and possible blind spots of ethnography as a research method, and finally considers new developments in the field and the challenges that these pose to academic researchers.
Youth (and) Violence
Authors: Hogeveen Bryan R. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractYouth violence is a major concern. Everyday the news and entertainment media feeds the public a fresh supply of school shootings, stabbings at house parties and random gun violence involving young people. These narratives do not just entertain, they fundamentally alter our existence. But, should they? Are our fears warranted? This essay considers how youth violence shapes our ontology, that is, the way we view and interact with our world. Towards this end, I examine the prevalence of violence in North American society. However, before sliding into this discussion, I highlight the nuances involved in asking the question, ‘what is violence’? Next, I ask what is the aetiology or ‘causes’ of violence? This section surveys a variety of experts on the subject including: Freud, sociologists, criminologists and philosophers. I conclude by suggesting that violence is irreverent and to begin an exegesis requires that we, all of us, avow all life.
Transnational Crime and Transnational Policing
Authors: Sheptycki James William Edward 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis paper reviews the scholarly literature that connects transnational crime and policing through a critical discussion of the terms used to describe them. It is argued that authorized discourses regarding transnational crime are selective and partial. Ultimately, this results in two sorts of failures in contemporary transnational policing. It is a positive failure insofar as the ramping up of policing power in response to a global crime panic has come at the expense of civil liberties and human rights. It is a negative failure insofar as the transnational policing capacity that has been developed is unable to respond to the very real criminological consequences that are part of the downside of globalization. The surveillant assemblage of the emerging global policing security complex is an awesome and unaccountable power legitimitated on the basis of specified folkdevils. However, and despite well‐publicized claims to success, due to its own internal organizational pathologies and institutional fragmentation, the policing security complex is capricious. The article concludes by arguing that critical the examination of the concepts that constitute transnational crime and policing is a crucial contribution to theories of global governance.
Development of a Method for Detection of
Giardia duodenalis
Cysts on Lettuce and for Simultaneous Analysis of Salad Products for the Presence of
Giardia
Cysts and
Cryptosporidium
Oocysts
Authors: Cook N. , Nichols R. A. B. , Wilkinson N. , Paton C. A. , Barker K. , Smith H. V. 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT

We report a method for detecting
Giardia duodenalis
cysts on lettuce, which we subsequently use to examine salad products for the presence of
Giardia
cysts and
Cryptosporidium
oocysts. The method is based on four basic steps: extraction of cysts from the foodstuffs, concentration of the extract and separation of the cysts from food materials, staining of the cysts to allow their visualization, and identification of cysts by microscopy. The concentration and separation steps are performed by centrifugation, followed by immunomagnetic separation using proprietary kits. Cyst staining is also performed using proprietary reagents. The method recovered 46.0% ± 19.0% (
n
= 30) of artificially contaminating cysts in 30 g of lettuce. We tested the method on a variety of commercially available natural foods, which we also seeded with a commercially available internal control, immediately prior to concentration of the extract. Recoveries of the Texas Red-stained
Giardia
cyst and
Cryptosporidium
oocyst internal controls were 36.5% ± 14.3% and 36.2% ± 19.7% (
n
= 20), respectively. One natural food sample of organic watercress, spinach, and rocket salad contained one
Giardia
cyst 50 g
−1
of sample as an indigenous surface contaminant.
Morphological and Genetic Diversity of Temperate Phages in
Clostridium difficile
Authors: Fortier Louis-Charles , Moineau Sylvain 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACT

Eight temperate phages were characterized after mitomycin C induction of six
Clostridium difficile
isolates corresponding to six distinct PCR ribotypes. The hypervirulent
C. difficile
strain responsible for a multi-institutional outbreak (NAP1/027 or QCD-32g58) was among these prophage-containing strains. Observation of the crude lysates by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the presence of three phages with isometric capsids and long contractile tails (
Myoviridae
family), as well as five phages with long noncontractile tails (
Siphoviridae
family). TEM analyses also revealed the presence of a significant number of phage tail-like particles in all the lysates. Southern hybridization experiments with restricted prophage DNA showed that
C. difficile
phages belonging to the family
Myoviridae
are highly similar and most likely related to previously described prophages φC2, φC5, and φCD119. On the other hand, members of the
Siphoviridae
phage family are more genetically divergent, suggesting that they originated from distantly related ancestors. Our data thus suggest that there are at least three genetically distinct groups of temperate phages in
C. difficile
; one group is composed of highly related myophages, and the other two groups are composed of more genetically heterogeneous siphophages. Finally, no gene homologous to genes encoding
C. difficile
toxins or toxin regulators could be identified in the genomes of these phages using DNA hybridization. Interestingly, each unique phage restriction profile correlated with a specific
C. difficile
PCR ribotype.