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Soil dry surface layer (DSL) thickness is often considered a key parameter for land surface resistance to gas exchange. Commonly used, simple models for DSL thickness are typically empirical in nature and based on limited observational evidence. Laboratory experiments were performed to test soil condition and boundary effects on DSL formation. DSL thickness was analyzed in soil columns with varying texture, initial water content, and potential evaporation rate. DSLs formed to greater depth in fine-textured compared to coarse-textured soils, when beginning from similar initial water content. Based on experiments, we compared a simple but physically-based mass balance DSL model to an empirical DSL model from the literature. The mass balance model performed better than the empirical relative-wetness-based model, and is similar in structure to the current DSL parameterization in the Community Land Model. Results suggest soil resistance parameterizations can be improved by employing simple, but texture-dependent, physically-based DSL formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In central north Essex and central south Suffolk there are a number of houses dating from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries with a form of anchor beam where, unlike those in Denmark and a number of north European countries, the protruding end is not reduced to a tenon that goes through a post, but passes through the wall undiminished with a long wedge, called here a needle, through its protruding end. These anchor beams are not attached to a post or stud but are supported by a rail. Most appear to be sixteenth or, more likely, seventeenth century, and in most cases are used either to insert a floor into an open hall of a medieval house, or of a transitional house built with an open hall heated by a chimney, or simply to remove the need for tiebeams blocking access on the first floor of low buildings. Some do act as anchor beams holding up the side walls. Apart from a few outliers, the list descriptions in the Historic England National Heritage List for England (NHLE) suggests these beams are mostly confined to north Essex and south Suffolk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Depression, and its treatment, is a concern among college students. Research indicates decision aids (DA) improve patients' treatment knowledge, decision making, and decisional conflict; however, it is unknown whether they are helpful for disseminating depression treatment information to college students. This study evaluated a DA for depression and its impact on college students' knowledge and treatment decision making. Methods: College students (N = 144) completed questionnaires pre-, post-, and at 1-month follow-up after reviewing an evidence-based DA for depression. Results: Participants rated the DA as highly acceptable and useful, and their knowledge increased at post-treatment and follow-up. However, treatment option presentation order influenced decision making. Conclusions: This DA is a useful and acceptable decision-making tool, and increased knowledge of depression and its treatment among college students. This study proposes a novel tool for educating college students about depression treatment, furthering our understanding of factors influencing treatment preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postgraduate students often find work and thesis preparation demands compelling which in turn affect their thesis completion. The authors conducted a descriptive survey with a sample of 161 graduate thesis candidates (representing a 57% data collection return rate) using the census of the target population. Three scales were used to measure academic stress, academic burnout, and thesis completion, respectively; the questionnaires were administered via Google Forms. The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression. We found that lack of or inadequate sponsorship from beneficent organisations, several administrative bureaucracies, and inaccessibility to research databases, among others, place academic stress on graduate candidates, which connects with burnout, affecting thesis completion. The study also found that academic stress and burnout are essential determinants and predictors of thesis completion. The authors thus recommend that postgraduate schools design and implement thesis preparation schemes that consider this study's findings, especially those that recognise the elements of academic stress and its related burnout concerns for thesis candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK's 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy states that the UK will no longer give public figures for its operational nuclear weapons stockpile, deployed warheads or deployed missiles, ending previous policies on transparency. Accurate accounting for historical holdings of nuclear weapons will likely be of importance in any future verifiable nuclear disarmament treaty. The National Archives provide details on the UK's historical stockpile and its composition, and in this article John R Walker makes an initial tentative estimate of the UK's annual holdings by weapon type between 1953 and 1977.◼ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) shows that efforts to make its compliance provisions more effective have invariably fallen short. The high point of these efforts came during the 1995–2001 verification-protocol negotiations in the Ad Hoc Group (AHG). Despite solid preparation by the 1992–93 verification experts' meetings, the AHG failed to reach agreement on a Protocol. The challenges of devising effective verification measures were then, and remain now, considerable: a combination of complex scientific, technological, diplomatic, and legal obstacles proved insurmountable. Despite the passage of time, some states parties continue to call for the AHG's resumption, but many of those doing so have forgotten the challenges and that their own positions in the 1990s were instrumental in the AHG's failure. This does not augur well for future efforts to strengthen the BWC at its Ninth Review Conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burmington Manor is a stone-walled aisled manor house with a timber arcade and timber posts for the central truss of the open hall. It also includes a high end first-floor chamber lit by a twelfth-century stone window. Its date has hitherto been uncertain, but has now been determined as 1194/5d. This was a little later than expected from its primitive carpentry. The main discovery from our further examination is that the central arcade posts are in two parts, the upper sections tenoned into sockets in the top of the capitals. The high end chamber was previously thought to be contained within a crosswing; this is now uncertain and the building may have continued in line with the twelfth-century window in a dormer. The unusual face-splayed scarf joint in the arcade plate has also been closely examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core of Frobury Farmhouse, Kingsclere, Hampshire, is an aisled base cruck open hall built in c.1334/5d (Bridge and Miles, “Tree-Ring Dates from Oxford” (2015), 107) with a crown-post roof and passing braces in the closed trusses. Above all this is a full set of rafters from a mid-thirteenth-century aisled hall that had passing braces on all the trusses, tree-ring dated to 1263–8d, probably the predecessor to the base cruck hall. The 1334/5d arcade plates have edged halved and bridled scarf joints, the earliest tree-ring-dated example of these so far. These joints also show that all the arcade posts and the base cruck were erected first, before the arcade plates were laid from west to east on the north front arcade posts and from east to west on the rear posts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the impact of the implementation of mini clinical evaluation exercise (CEX) third year clinical clerkship of medical students. Topics covered include high level of adherence to the mini-CEX requirement, the increase in the number of students who report direct observation of physical examination, and the significant increase in faculty observation of history taking in psychiatry, surgery and pediatrics.

While the global emergence of e-commerce has led businesses to take advantage of the technologies available to them to enhance their use of e-commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are known for not adopting information technology to create jobs. Due to the dearth of studies of SME adoption of technology in transitioning European countries such as Slovakia, (Saffu, Walker, and Mazurek 2012), it is imperative to understand the factors that differentiate SME e-commerce adopters from non-adopters. Adoption and non-adoption factors of 230 Slovakian SMEs were empirically examined using logistic regression. Compatibility and Organizational Readiness, Decision and Operational Aids, and External Pressure were significant for discerning e-commerce adoption. Practical, policy, and research implications are presented. This study goes beyond the determinants of e-commerce adoption and contributes to the understanding of factors that distinguish between adopters and non-adopters of e-commerce for Slovakian SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The surface growth stress in logs can be determined by slitting the log axially and measuring the outward deflection of the two halves. The saw kerf removes stressed material which generates a compressive strain in the remaining material and thereby reduces the surface growth stress. The purpose of the work is to establish the magnitude of this error. The analysis assumes a uniform compressive stress in the core of the log and a logarithmic distribution in the outer region. The total axial force in the kerf before removal is calculated and, from this, the stress change in the material remaining after kerf removal is derived. Data are presented for a range of kerf widths and for three different growth stress distributions. Direct measurement of the kerf removal error was made by direct measurement of the contraction of the log and by strain gauges to measure the strain. The measured values were close to the calculated values for three growth stress distributions. The analysis yields acceptable values for the kerf removal error. The investigation concludes that for kerf widths not greater than one-tenth of the log diameter, the error in the measured tensile surface growth stress is less than 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed on responses from 195 school-age children to the Childhood Illness Attitude Scales (CIAS; Wright & Asmundson, 2003) Three-, modified 3-, 4- and 4-factor higher-order models were examined. Items originally comprising the treatment experience factor in the 4-factor higher-order model were removed resulting in a revised 3-factor model that best fit the data. Initial construct validity was established by observing moderate correlations between revised CIAS subscale and total scores and measures of anxiety-related constructs, and somatization. Suggested revisions to the CIAS warrant future examination. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baythorne Hall is an isolated raised-aisled hall in north-west Essex, tree-ring dated to 1341,1 making it the earliest of the three raised-aisled halls that have been dated so far. Raised-aisled halls are buildings where the arcade posts are raised up on to a dropped tiebeam on the centre truss of the open hall, thus clearing the open hall of arcade posts. They are not the same as roof types that look like aisled structures raised up on to normal assembly tiebeams, a number of which were constructed considerably earlier than Baythorne Hall. Baythorne was originally published as a conventional aisled hall, long before it was realised that it was a raised-aisled hall. Although this fact is well known in East Anglia, the purpose of this article is to provide a printed correction of its status, to compare it with the other two dated raised-aisled halls, and to consider the purpose of the raised-aisle truss in the centre of the open hall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative decision making is a central feature of family-centered practice and is important to families in treatment planning. This study explored parents’ preferences for decision making involvement and their information needs regarding treatment for child anxiety. Qualitative interviews conducted with 19 parents revealed four main themes: (1) parents regard themselves as protectors, (2) parents desire involvement in decision making, (3) information is key in decision making, and (4) not all treatments are perceived as equal. Parents reported a strong desire to maintain control over the final treatment decision. They preferred a wide range of information about treatment and the health-care provider. Implications for implementing family-centered practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Graduating medical students have reported concern regarding inadequate training in pharmacotherapy. Teaching by clinical pharmacists may improve medical students’ pharmacotherapy knowledge.Purpose: To assess the impact of pharmacist led workshops on 4th year medical students’ knowledge of pharmacotherapy and satisfaction.Methods: Senior medical students enrolled in intensive care unit rotations at a US medical school were randomized to an intervention of pharmacist led case-based workshops or a control group without an explicit pharmacotherapy curriculum. Intervention group students attended four weekly 1-hour workshops that covered topics in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions and toxicity. A multiple-choice test of clinical vignettes assessed students’ knowledge of pharmacotherapy. An end of clerkship survey assessed student satisfaction with teaching.Results: Of 176 medical students eligible, 148 agreed to participate and were randomized to the intervention (n = 63) or control groups (n = 85). Student satisfaction with pharmacist led workshops was high. End of clerkship performance on clinical vignettes (minimum score 0, maximum 100) was similar between the groups (mean score 47 (SD = 12.2) for intervention vs 44 (SD = 13.0) for control group, p = 0.16). On end of clerkship survey, only 8% of control group students agreed or strongly agreed that the standard curriculum provided sufficient teaching in pharmacotherapy. The majority of students (82%) felt that pharmacotherapy should be taught formally in the clinical years.Conclusion: Pharmacist led workshops on pharmacotherapy were well received by senior medical students but did not improve performance on a test of pharmacotherapy knowledge. Further study is needed to define optimal strategies for improving medical students’ pharmacotherapy knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Becoming a nuclear weapon state and sustaining a militarily credible nuclear weapons capability is far from trivial, especially for medium powers. Such a capability is demonstrated by much more than firing a first test or acquiring significant quantities of fissile material; capability is indicated by factors including weaponization, delivery of weapons, reliability and effectiveness of weapons and their delivery systems, fissile material availability, and nuclear and non-nuclear testing. Files in the British National Archives shed considerable light on the problems faced by the nuclear weapon program of the United Kingdom from 1952 through the late 1960s. The question is whether this experience is unique or if it instead offers insights into the potential problems faced by, or facing, other medium or aspiring nuclear weapon states. The proliferation-related topics highlighted include: fissile material production, nuclear testing, the first weapon, weapon delivery rates, non-nuclear testing, delivery platform problems, and long-term maintenance and capability sustainability. Further research could provide clearer insights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the field of post-compulsory English Language Teaching (ELT) management research, enquiring into its identity, legitimacy and development, by identifying and discussing issues, problems, and controversies. It reviews the nature of the ELT sector as a predominantly commercial educational service with a significant role in ‘inner circle’ economies. An examination of the ELT management literature follows, which suggests that research in the sector is sparse, fragmentary, and lacking in scope. The application of Fisk, Brown, and Bitner’s typology indicates that ELT management research appears to lack most of the features of a fully evolved research discipline and is, in effect, still ‘crawling out’. Actions recommended to advance the field include clarification by researchers of its nature and parameters and the development of a research agenda, accompanied by a significant expansion of research activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shoulder tendinopathy is a common condition in physical therapy, and the term tendinopathy covers a broad spectrum of pathology. Additionally, there is a lack of consensus on proper terminology for shoulder disorders. Nomenclature for shoulder disorders includes such terms as impingement, tendinitis, tendinosis, and tendinopathy. The continuum of physiologic changes with tendinopathy, as well as the various causes of tendinopathy are complex and require a detailed physical examination to discover the source of pain and extent of pathology to determine appropriate course of treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this review is three fold. First, the physiology of shoulder tendinopathy will be discussed. Second, the various mechanisms for shoulder tendinopathy will be explored. Finally, a review of the proposed interventions for shoulder tendinopathy will be highlighted, citing the best available evidence for each intervention. Major findings: Both the causes and the physiology of shoulder tendinopathy require a multi-faceted approach to maximize outcomes. There is a paucity of data supporting modalities in the management of shoulder tendinopathy, but high-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy has shown some effectiveness in calcifying tendinitis. Therapeutic exercise is generally accepted as a beneficial intervention, but definitive conclusions cannot be made at this time. Furthermore, eccentric training for management of tendinopathies in general is gaining more support in the literature, but evidence for its utilization in shoulder tendinopathy is scarce. Conclusions: A host of causes and physiologic changes exist for shoulder tendinopathy, in addition to multiple treatment options. However, no definitive conclusions can be made regarding the best treatment for shoulder tendinopathy. Current evidence is largely anecdotal and speculative. More randomized, controlled trials are needed that compare modalities, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a RUSI Journal double feature on the history of British nuclear stockpiles, arms control historian John R Walker presents the latest research on the size and evolution of the British stockpile of nuclear weapons from when they were first made available to the Royal Air Force in 1953 to the peak of production in 1978. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is well established that, when high-index ENSO (El Niño and La Nina) and the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) are in the same (different) phase, the impact of the ENSO phase on winter precipitation is enhanced (weakened) in the western United States. During years of low-index (neutral) ENSO conditions, spatial patterns of winter precipitation are similar to those of La Nina during cold PDO and El Niño during warm PDO, particularly in the southwestern U.S. Unknown, however, is whether the PDO influence during years of neutral ENSO exists east of the Rocky Mountains. We analyzed the influence of the PDO on winter precipitation during years of highand low-index ENSO conditions for 260 climate divisions in the eastern U.S. from 1925 to 1998. When the 33 neutral ENSO years are split by cold (12 years) and warm (21 years) PDO, the resulting winter precipitation patterns show wetter (drier) than average conditions in nearly all (80%) of the 260 climate divisions during the warm (cold) phase of the PDO. The two ENSO/PDO combinations with the driest signals for the eastern U.S. are La Nina/warm PDO and neutral ENSO/cold PDO. The modulation effect of the PDO is significant during La Nina in northern Texas and parts of New England and during neutral ENSO in southern Texas and the northern Plains. We suggest that seasonal forecasters in these regions may use this knowledge to improve long-lead winter forecasts during those ENSO phases, assuming the current PDO phase is well established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Central Amazon Basin, research has focused on links between spatial patterns of modern language groups and archaeological ceramic assemblages. Amazon Polychrome is a set of stylistically related ceramic assemblages from across the central Amazon dating from A.D. 600 to 1300 that have been linked to Arawak-speaking groups. A related assemblage comes from the Llanos de Mojos (Mojos) in eastern Bolivia; these San Juan ceramics, distributed along the lower lruyanez River and dated to the early 6th century AD., are associated with raised field agriculture. San Juan ceramics are allied with Guarita and other Amazon Polychrome assemblages in vessel form, decorative technique, and temper, although they are: a subset of a larger range of forms and decorative techniques. This suggests that Mojos and the Central Amazon were part of a regional system; the comparatively early date suggests that Mojos was integral to its development. Language, landscape, and ceramic diversity are as important as the presence of earthworks and Arawak languages for understanding Mojos and its place within the Amazon system. Without denying the importance of Arawak-speaking groups, there is no a priori reason to identify any ceramic assemblage or landscape with a particular language. Equally important are the cultural connections, combinations, and syncretism that are present in a multilingual, multiethnic, and economically complex region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arctic tundra soil N is highly limiting, N mineralization is slow and organic N greatly exceeds inorganic N. We studied the effects of fungistatics (azoxystrobin [Quadris®] or propiconazole [Tilt®]) on the fungi isolated from ericaceous plant roots in vitro. In addition to testing the phytotoxicity of the two fungistatics we also tested their effects on growth and nitrogen uptake of an ericaceous plant (Vaccinium uliginosum) in a closed Petri plate system without root-associated fungi. Finally, to evaluate the fungi-static effects in an in vivo experiment we applied fungistatics and nitrogen isotopes to intact tundra soil cores from Toolik Lake, Alaska, and examined the ammonium-N and glycine-N use by Vaccinium vitis-idaea with and without fungistatics. The experiments on fungal pure cultures showed that Tilt® was more effective in reducing fungal colony growth in vitro than Quadris®, which was highly variable among the fungal strains. Laboratory experiments aiming to test the fungistatic effects on plant performance in vitro showed that neither Quadris® nor Tilt® affected V. uliginosum growth or N uptake. In this experiment V. uliginosum assimilated more than an order of magnitude more ammonium-N than glycine-N. The intact tundra core experiment provided contrasting results. After 10 wk of fungistatic application in the growth chamber V. vitis-idaea leaf 15N was 10% lower and the amount of leaf 15N acquired was reduced from labeled ammonium (33%) and glycine (40%) during the 4 d isotope treatment. In contrast to the in vitro experiment leaf 15N assimilation from glycine was three times higher than from 15NH4 in the treatments that received no-fungistatics. We conclude that the function of the fungal communities is essential to the acquisition of N from organic sources and speculate that N acquisition from inorganic sources is mainly inhibited by competition with complex soil microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student plagiarism in colleges and universities has become a controversial issue in recent years. A key problem has been the lack of reliable empirical data on the frequency, nature and extent of plagiarism in student assignments. The aim of the study described here was to provide this data. Patterns of plagiarism were tracked in two university business studies assignments involving over 500 students and over 1000 scripts. Turnitin software was used to facilitate the identification of plagiarised material in assignments. The findings confirmed some common assertions about the nature of student plagiarism but did not provide support for a number of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observation of changes in autonomic arousal was one of the first methodologies used to detect deception. Electrodermal activity (EDA) is a peripheral measure of autonomic arousal and one of the primary channels used in polygraph exams. In an attempt to develop a more central measure to identify lies, the use of functional magnetic resonance inaging (fMRI) to detect deception is being investigated. We wondered if adding EDA to our fMRI analysis would improve our diagnostic ability. For our approach, however, adding EDA did not improve the accuracy in a laboratory-based deception task. In testing for brain regions that replicated as correlates of EDA, we did find significant associations in right orbitofrontal and bilateral anterior cingulate regions. Further work is required to test whether EDA improves accuracy in other testing formats or with higher levels of jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, business managers are expected to be able to function effectively in a global context. In consequence, business schools in North America, Britain, and Australasia have been urged to internationalize their curricula. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has been at the forefront of this imperative. To what extent undergraduate international business major programs in AACSB-accredited business schools have responded is the subject of this research. The findings show that 71% of schools in the sample prescribed foreign language study for their students, while 10% prescribed courses in cross-cultural communication and 36% required overseas experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane protein-protein interactions are important for regulation, targeting, and activity of proteins in membranes but are difficult to detect and analyse. This review covers current approaches to studying membrane protein interactions. In addition to standard biochemical and genetic techniques, the classic yeast nuclear two-hybrid system has been highly successful in identification and characterization of soluble protein-protein interactions. However, classic yeast two-hybrid assays do not work for membrane proteins because such yeast-based interactions must occur in the nucleus. Here, we highlight recent advances in yeast systems for the detection and characterization of eukaryote membrane protein-protein interactions. We discuss these implications for drug screening and discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-Columbian farmers built a variety of earthworks in the Llanos de Mojos, part of the Bolivian Amazon. Raised fields, canals, causeways, and mounds of various types in this region date to ca. 800 B.C-AD. 1600. In central Mojos, archaeological work was carried out along the Yacuma, a large west-bank tributary of the Mamoré River. Four ring ditches and two areas of associated raised agricultural fields were mapped. The Global Positioning System was used to document earthworks under the forest canopy which were analyzed within a Geographic Information System. Ceramic evidence is also included. The ring ditches in this study expand the known range of such earthworks in Mojos by 200 km. This revised distribution of ring ditches changes interpretations of the long-term history of Arawak speakers in Mojos and throughout Amazonia. While earthworks in Mojos clearly represent systems of intensive agriculture, they cannot be associated only with Arawak speakers or with Arawak languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have designed and synthesized a new ruthenium complex, [(5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline)bis(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)]ruthenium(II) by introducing two types of ligands, 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline and 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine. We investigated the electronic, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of the Ru(II) complex. The short-circuit current density and overall solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells made with this Ru(II) complex were found to be 8.9 mA/cm2 and 2.1%, respectively. A series of analogous Ru(II) complexes have also been synthesized and investigated to compare the effects of functional groups on various ligands. HOMO-LUMO energies and molecular orbital surfaces have been investigated using semiempirical quantum chemical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoregic conjugated polymers composed of thiophene and dialkoxybenzene units were designed to harvest incident light in the mid-visible energy range (band gap of 2.1 eV). Poly(1,4-bis(2-thienyl)-2,5-diheptoxybenzene) (PBTB(OC7H15)2) and poly(1,4-bis(2-thienyl)-2,5-didodecyloxybenzene) (PBTB(OC12H25)2) have shown significant photovoltaic performance as an electron donor when used in tandem with the electron acceptor [6, 6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in bulk hetero-junction photovoltaic devices. Photovoltaic devices incorporating PBTB(OC7H15)2 and PCBM have shown AM1.5 efficiencies of ∼0.6% with a short circuit current density of 2.5 mA/cm2, an open circuit voltage of 0.74 V, and a fill factor of 0.32. Incident Photon-to-Current Efficiency (IPCE) of the device was found to be ca. 16% at 410 nm. In order to examine the relationship between the molecular structure of the polymers and their electronic energy levels, and to correlate this with photovoltaic performance, optoelectronic and electrochemical results are discussed in relation to the I-V characteristics of the devices. Additionally, a computer-aided simulation is used to gain further insight into the effect of polymer structure on the energetic relationships in the bulk heterojunction devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using data measuring the labor market expectations of college seniors and juniors, who major in business and education, this paper examines gender differences in expected compensation for earnings uncertainty and skewness. Ordinary least squares regressions indicate gender differences in uncertainty and skewness in business. Estimates of expected beginning salaries indicate higher uncertainty and skewness coefficients for women compared to men. This could reflect a greater degree of risk aversion by women in business or their plans to engage in part-time work shortly after graduation. Later salary estimates indicate lower uncertainty and skewness coefficients for women. Student error in estimating these salaries may be the cause of these results. They may also reflect the plans of women in business to devote more time to the labor market later in their careers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Researchers have been exhorted to test the psychometric properties of instruments used in cross cultural studies and ascertain their validity and reliability in order to make the results emanating from the use of such instruments generalisable. This study answers such a call for rigorous evaluation of the psychometric properties of cross-national measures that are valid and reliable. The study reports the findings of an assessment of the psychometric properties of the consumer ethnocentric tendencies scale (CETSCALE) in the developing West African country of Ghana. More specifically, the study explores CETSCALE's unidimensionality, internal consistency, and discriminant validity. The findings of our study are both consistent and inconsistent with the extant literature. In particular, while our analysis indicates that the CETSCALE is internally consistent and exhibits discriminant validity, it is not unidimensional as has been reported in earlier studies. Marketing and research implications of the study are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between ethnocentrism of Ghanaian consumers and their attitudes toward a “buy local” campaign. Two hundred and thirty three consumers were interviewed in Cape Coast, the capital city and administrative centre of the Central region of Ghana. Data for the study were collected through interviewing using the mall intercept approach and factor analysed. Our findings show a relationship between ethnocentrism and attitudes of Ghanaian consumers toward the “buy local” campaign. Furthermore, the factor analysis results indicate that the attitudes of the Ghanaian consumers to the buy locally-made products can be characterized as protectionist, nationalistic, and self-interest. Implicitly, the consumers will buy Ghanaian-made products where they are of comparable quality and price as foreign-made products. This requires companies to ensure that their products are of high quality and prices are commensurate with quality. This study contributes to the ethnocentrism and country of origin literature pertaining to the African region, which is sorely under-researched. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study served to replicate and extend our previously obtained hierarchical model of the relationships among general anxiety vulnerabilities, specific anxiety vulnerabilities and specific anxiety manifestations including panic symptoms, health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and worry. Questionnaires assessing these variables, as well as positive affectivity and depressiveness, were administered to 125 outpatients seeking treatment for panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder. The results, using a clinical sample, were highly consistent with the hierarchical model obtained in the previous study using a student sample. A more elaborate model, based on published theoretical and empirical evidence, was identified and tested, and similar results were obtained. Negative affectivity had expected direct positive effects on all of the specific anxiety and depression manifestations, with the exception of health anxiety, which showed a negative relationship, and OCD symptoms, which showed no relationship. Positive affectivity was found to be a specific risk factor for depression, while intolerance of uncertainty was found to be a specific risk factor for worry and depression. Finally, anxiety sensitivity appears to be a significant risk factor for panic and health anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) induces a highly conserved homeostatic response in all eukaryotic cells, termed the unfolded-protein response (UPR). Here we describe the characterization of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a mammalian homologue of a calcium- and phosphate-regulating hormone first identified in fish, as a novel target of the UPR. Expression of STC2 gene is rapidly upregulated in cultured cells after exposure to tunicamycin and thapsigargin, by ATF4 after activation of the ER-resident kinase PERK. In addition, STC2 expression is also activated in neuronal cells by oxidative stress and hypoxia but not by several cellular stresses unrelated to the UPR. In contrast, expression of another homologue, STC1, is only upregulated by hypoxia independent of PERK or ATF4 expression. In vivo studies revealed that rat cortical neurons rapidly upregulate STC2 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Finally, siRNA-mediated inhibition of STC2 expression renders N2a neuroblastoma cells and HeLa cells significantly more vulnerable to apoptotic cell death after treatment with thapsigargin, and overexpression of STC2 attenuated thapsigargin-induced cell death. Consequently, induced STC2 expression is an essential feature of survival component of the UPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secretory granules called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) containing Von Willebrand factor (VWF) are characteristic of the mammalian endothelium. We hypothesized that vascular-specific antigens such as VWF are linked to endothelial identity and proliferation in vitro . To test this idea, the cellular accumulation of VWF in WPBs was monitored as a function of cell proliferation, confluence and passage number in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We found that as passage number increased the percentage of cells containing VWF in WPBs was reduced significantly, whilst the protein was still detected within the secretory pathway at all times. However, the endothelial-specific marker protein, PECAM-1, is present on all cells even when WPBs are absent, indicating partial maintenance of endothelial identity. Biochemical studies show that a significant pool of immature pro-VWF can be detected in sub-confluent HUVECs; however, a larger pool of mature, processed VWF is detected in confluent cells. Newly synthesized VWF must thus be differentially sorted and packaged along the secretory pathway in semi-confluent versus confluent endothelial cells. Our studies thus show that WPB formation is linked to the formation of a confluent endothelial monolayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SCFGrr1, one of several members of the SCF family of E3 ubiquitin ligases in budding Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is required for both regulation of the cell cycle and nutritionally controlled transcription. In addition to its role in degradation of Gic2 and the CDK targets Cln1 and Cln2, Grr1 is also required for induction of glucose- and amino acid-regulated genes. Induction of HXT genes by glucose requires the Grr1-dependent degradation of Mth1. We show that Mthl is ubiquitinated in vivo and degraded via the proteasome. Furthermore, phosphorylated Mth1, targeted by the casein kinases Yck½, binds to Grr1. That binding depends upon the Grr1 leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain but not upon the F-box or basic residues within the LRR that are required for recognition of Cln2 and Gic2. Those observations extend to a large number of Grr1-dependent genes, some targets of the amino acid-regulated SPS signaling system, which are properly regulated in the absence of those basic LRR residues. Finally, we show that regulation of the SPS targets requires the Yck½ casein kinases. We propose that casein kinase I plays a similar role in both nutritional signaling pathways by phosphorylating pathway components and targeting them for ubiquitination by SCFGrr1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complaints of health symptoms from ambient odors have become more frequent in communities with confined animal facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and biosolids recycling operations. The most frequently reported health complaints include eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, nausea, diarrhea, hoarseness, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, nasal congestion, palpitations, shortness of breath, stress, drowsiness, and alterations in mood. Typically, these symptoms occur at the time of exposure and remit after a short period of time. However, for sensitive individuals such as asthmatic patients, exposure to odors may induce health symptoms that persist for longer periods of time as well as aggravate existing medical conditions. A workshop was held at Duke University on April 16-17, 1998 cosponsored by Duke University, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to assess the current state of knowledge regarding the health effects of ambient odors. This report summarizes the conclusions from the Workshop regarding the potential mechanisms responsible for health symptoms from ambient odors. Methods for validation of health symptoms, presence of odor, and efficacy of odor management techniques are described as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social phobia is a common anxiety disorder associated with significant impairment in social and occupational functioning. To date, few studies have examined the relationship between social phobia and perceived social support, a construct with important relationships to physical and mental health. The present study examined data from 2 widely used measures of perceived social support administered to 132 individuals with DSM-IV generalized social phobia. These data were compared with those obtained from a healthy control group and from several clinical and non-clinical samples reported in the literature. Persons with generalized social phobia scored significantly lower on both measures of social support compared with all other groups. It is suggested that deficits in perceived social support associated with generalized social phobia may play a role in the development of co-morbid problems and should be explicitly targeted by treatments for social phobia. Low correlations between perceived social support and social anxiety measures suggest that perceived support should be specifically evaluated in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MLL fusion proteins are oncogenic transcription factors that are associated with aggressive lymphoid and myeloid leukemias. We constructed an inducible MLL fusion, MLL-ENL-ERtm, that rendered the transcriptional and transforming properties of MLL-ENL strictly dependent on the presence of 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen. MLL-ENL-ERtm-immortalized hematopoietic cells required 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen for continuous growth and differentiated terminally upon tamoxifen withdrawal. Microarray analysis performed on these conditionally transformed cells revealed Hoxa9 and Hoxa7 as well as the Hox coregulators Meis1 and Pbx3 among the targets upregulated by MLL-ENL-ERtm. Overexpression of the Hox repressor Bmi-1 inhibited the growth-transforming activity of MLL-ENL. Moreover, the enforced expression of Hoxa9 in combination with Meis1 was sufficient to substitute for MLL-ENL-ERtm function and to maintain a state of continuous proliferation and differentiation arrest. These results suggest that MLL fusion proteins impose a reversible block on myeloid differentiation through aberrant activation of a limited set of homeobox genes and Hox coregulators that are consistently expressed in MLL-associated leukemias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to (a) determine the influence of body composition on the performance of FITNESSGRAM® test items and (b) evaluate the impact of adjusting FITNESSGRAM® scores for the effect of body composition on percentile ranks and the achievement of criterion-referenced standards (CRS). Male and female children (N = 200; ages 10–;12 years) were administered a battery of FITNESSGRAM® tests. Body composition measurements had significant moderate negative correlations with PACER, curl-up, and push-up scores (r = −.30 to −.49). After the performance scores were adjusted −for sum of skinfolds (SSF) by regression analysis for each of these tests, CRS classifications were altered in 4.5–;22.7% of the participants. Adjusting the performance scores for SSF also resulted in differences of greater than 10 percentile ranks in 41–45% of the participants. The relationship between SSF and PACER, curlup, and push-up scores appears to be sufficient to justify the use of adjusted scores for evaluating cardiorespiratory endurance and upper-body muscular strength and endurance independent of SSF. The use of adjusted scores may permit a more unbiased assessment of health-related fitness independent of body size and composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out synthesis, characterization, and theoretical modeling of a rigid, rod‐like homometallic dinuclear ruthenium complex and an analogous mononuclear ruthenium complex using terpyridine and bipyridine ligands. The photophysical and photovoltaic properties have been investigated. We compared the results to understand the charge transfer processes in these complexes. The dinuclear complex showed overall photoelectric conversion efficiency of 1.9% in dye‐sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 based photovoltaic cells under simulated AM1.5 solar irradiation and is found to be an efficient photosensitizer compared to the mononuclear complex. #Dedicated to the memory of Professor Sukant K. Tripathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated a theoretical hierarchical relationship among the general anxiety vulnerability variable of neuroticism, the specific vulnerability variables of anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty, and variables reflecting specific anxiety foci including panic symptoms, health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and generalized anxiety/worry. Questionnaires assessing these variables were administered to a non-clinical sample of 91 first-year psychology students (64.8% women). Path analysis results were highly consistent with the hypothesized hierarchical model. Neuroticism was found to have a significant direct effect on both anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty. Both neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity had direct significant effects on panic symptoms, neuroticism and intolerance of uncertainty both made significant direct contributions to the prediction of worry, and neuroticism made a significant direct contribution to the prediction of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Contrary to the hypothesized model, anxiety sensitivity but not neuroticism uniquely predicted health anxiety. The results of this study provide initial empirical evidence for a hierarchical relationship among general and specific vulnerabilities, and specific anxiety manifestations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) have been shown to block human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex virus. It is hypothesized that CDKIs block viral replication by inhibiting transcription of specific cellular genes. Here we find that three CDKIs, falvopiridol, purvalanol A, and methoxy-roscovitine, block Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) transcription events. Using gene expression microarray technology to examine the inhibitory effects of CDKIs, we observed a cellular gene, the pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor 1 (Pbx1) gene, down-regulated by CDKI treatment. Teh PBX consensus element (PCE), TGATTGAC, is conserved in the long terminal repeats of several murine retroviruses, including Moloney MLV. Mutations in the PCE completely inhibited viral transcription whereas overexpression of PBX1 and a PBX1-associated protein, PREP1, enhanced viral transcription. The interaction between the PCE and PBX1-PREP1 proteins was confirmed by gel shift experiments. Blocking PBX1 protein synthesis resulted in a significant decrease in viral transcription. Collectively, our results represent the first work demonstrating that the homeodomain proteins PBX1 and PREP1 are cellular factors involved in Moloney MLV transcription regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The startle reflex can be modified by cognitive and affective variables. The present study investigated startle responses in 12 patients with panic disorder, 22 patients with social phobia and 15 healthy controls. The eye-blink component of the acoustic startle reflex was measured during baseline, pulse-alone, pre-pulse and fear-potentiated startle to disorder-specific threat words. Results indicated that patients with panic disorder exhibited significantly larger startle response amplitudes during baseline, pulsealone, pre-pulse and fear-potentiated trials than did healthy controls. Startle response amplitudes of patients with social phobia differed from healthy controls at effects of similar magnitude as the effects seen for patients with panic disorder, for all types of startle trials. During fear-potentiated trials, all groups exhibited largest startle amplitudes following the presentation of physical threat-related words, second largest magnitude to social threat-related words and the smallest to non-threatening words. It is recommended that future studies further examine startle response parameters in all forms of anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first maternal pulmonary adenocarcinoma metastatic to the fetus, as well as an updated literature review. Review of the literature revealed that there have been only 67 cases of maternal malignancy metastatic to the products of conception. These were mostly malignant melanoma and hematopoietic tumors. A 46-year-old multiparous woman with metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma, diagnosed at 23 weeks gestation, delivered a male infant who appeared normal at birth. The mother died 2 days after delivery. The child developed multiple scalp tumors at 2 weeks of age. The tumors recurred rapidly after initial resection. Wide local excision of the involved scalp and skin graft coverage was performed at 14 weeks of age. Histopathology of these tumors was identical to that of the maternal tumor. The maternal origin of these tumors was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The child is now 5 years old and free of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]