Eastern Connecticut State University

This article describes a revised Conflict Tactics Scales (the CTS2) to measure psychological and physical attacks on a partner in a marital, cohabiting, or dating relationship; and also use of negotiation. The CTS2 has (a) additional items to enhance content validity and reliability; (b) revised wording to increase clarity and specificity; (c) better differentiation between minor and severe levels of each scale; (d) new scales to measure sexual coercion and physical injury; and (e) a new format to simplify administration and reduce response sets. Reliability ranges from .79 to .95. There is preliminary evidence of construct validity.

Abstract Methods and techniques that utilize learners' previous experiences, link conceptual foundations to practice, and encourage reflection are pivotal to the learning process.

Previous research has shown that women's mate preferences change across the ovulatory cycle in a number of ways. The leading explanation for these changes--the good genes hypothesis--predicts that women should prefer presumed markers of genetic benefits ("good genes") most strongly when they are fertile and evaluating men as possible short-term mates. Research testing this hypothesis has almost exclusively examined preferences for purported markers of good genes. Little is known about how preferences for men who display traits valued in long-term, investing mates (e.g., warmth and faithfulness) change across the cycle. The authors had women at different points in their ovulatory cycle rate videotapes of men in terms of how attractive they found each man as a short-term and long-term mate. The authors then examined how women's preferences for traits typically valued in long-term and/or short-term mates varied according to women's fertility status. The results supported the good genes hypothesis. Implications of these findings for models of human mating are discussed.

Abriefsurvey and classie cation of much of the published material on linearized rendezvous is presented. Thisis followed by a new form of solution of the terminal rendezvous problem that is valid in a general central force e eld. This solution and the solution of the related adjoint system are used to construct a general state transition matrix. Because of the generality of the assumptions, this state transition matrix is very concise and e exible. Finally, the work is applied to the problem of terminal rendezvous near any Keplerian orbit in a Newtonian gravitational e eld using the Tschauner ‐Hempel equations. Because this solution is presented in terms of the true anomaly, considerable care is taken to avoid the types of singularities that are typical in this kind of problem. The result is a state-transition matrix for linearized rendezvous studies that is thought to be simpler and more convenient than other versions found in the literature. I. Introduction L INEARIZED equations of motion are useful in describing the terminal rendezvous phase of a mission or in satellite station keeping. These areas of astrodynamics are rich in the variety of linearizations available to investigators and in the resulting mathematical analysis and computations that follow. This paper presents a brief survey of the types of linear models found in rendezvous studies, followed by a new general model that incorporates much previous work as special cases. The work combines some ideas in 19th century celestial mechanics with some recent discoveries. Because this new model assumes a general central force gravitational e eld,muchofthecomplexitiesfoundinspecie ccasesareavoidedin designingarelativelysimplestatetransitionmatrixthatisapplicable to a variety of problems. The work is then applied to the important special case of linearized rendezvous in a gravitational e eld dee ned by an inverse square law using the Tschauner ‐Hempel equations. In fact, it was this problem that motivated the study. The search for a solution devoid of singularities, valid for any Keplerian orbit, that avoids universal functions can lead to a cluttered set of equations. The new general model avoids much of this clutter and presents the results in a relatively concise form.

Seeking to deepen our understandings of the ways international study abroad programs may enhance efforts to prepare culturally responsive teachers, the purpose of this case study was to explore a preservice teacher’s intercultural development during a semester-long teacher education program in London, England. Such study abroad teacher education programs are offered as an innovative means to promote preservice teachers’ intercultural development, providing unique opportunities for these students to confront their ethnocentric worldviews and begin to consider the ways culture influences teaching and learning. Findings from this study reveal that participation in the program positively influenced intercultural development. Themes that illuminate aspects of the participant’s study abroad experience that both challenged and supported intercultural development included immersion within both a culture and school along with the essential role of an intercultural guide who promoted reflective practices around issues of culture and self. Implications for preservice teacher education program design are addressed.

Reactivation of telomerase, the chromosome end-replicating enzyme, drives human cell immortality and cancer. Point mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene promoter occur at high frequency in multiple cancers, including urothelial cancer (UC), but their effect on telomerase function has been unclear. In a study of 23 human UC cell lines, we show that these promoter mutations correlate with higher levels of TERT messenger RNA (mRNA), TERT protein, telomerase enzymatic activity, and telomere length. Although previous studies found no relation between TERT promoter mutations and UC patient outcome, we find that elevated TERT mRNA expression strongly correlates with reduced disease-specific survival in two independent UC patient cohorts (n = 35; n = 87). These results suggest that high telomerase activity may be a better marker of aggressive UC tumors than TERT promoter mutations alone.

Abstract The selection of software metrics for building software quality prediction models is a search‐based software engineering problem. An exhaustive search for such metrics is usually not feasible due to limited project resources, especially if the number of available metrics is large. Defect prediction models are necessary in aiding project managers for better utilizing valuable project resources for software quality improvement. The efficacy and usefulness of a fault‐proneness prediction model is only as good as the quality of the software measurement data. This study focuses on the problem of attribute selection in the context of software quality estimation. A comparative investigation is presented for evaluating our proposed hybrid attribute selection approach, in which feature ranking is first used to reduce the search space, followed by a feature subset selection. A total of seven different feature ranking techniques are evaluated, while four different feature subset selection approaches are considered. The models are trained using five commonly used classification algorithms. The case study is based on software metrics and defect data collected from multiple releases of a large real‐world software system. The results demonstrate that while some feature ranking techniques performed similarly, the automatic hybrid search algorithm performed the best among the feature subset selection methods. Moreover, performances of the defect prediction models either improved or remained unchanged when over 85were eliminated. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The common finding linking symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression with youth victimization (e.g., sexual abuse) might well be artifactual if preexisting psychopathology or disturbed family relationships create a common risk for both later victimization and later symptoms. This study used a longitudinal, prospective design to examine this issue. In a national random sample telephone survey, children 10 to 16 years old were interviewed and then reinterviewed approximately 15 months later about psychological problems, family relationships and victimization experiences that had occurred in the interim. Victimization in the interim was associated with PTSD-related symptoms and depression measured at Time 2, even after controlling for these symptoms and the quality of the parent-child relationship at Time 1. The association was particularly strong for sexual abuse, parental assault, and kidnapping experiences. However, these data also suggest that some of the apparent association found in cross-sectional studies between victimization and psychopathology may be due to prior psychopathology (but not parent-child relationship problems), which puts children at risk for both victimization and later symptoms.

The focus of this research was to better understand the change processes necessary for university science teaching reform to be successful. The professional development processes involved faculty cognitive perceptions of learning, teaching skills, and pedagogical knowledge, as well as faculty culture in teaching science courses. A series of faculty development programs were conducted at nine U.S. locations to explore, develop strategies, and implement changes in science classrooms. A review of research and these professional development experiences provided a base to carry out research activities related to understanding change in science faculty. Faculty participants in the program from 30 institutions were selected to be involved in the study. Ethnographic and case study approaches were used to collect and analyze data. Many faculty members encountered in this study had conceptions of the change process that inhibited successful action. These research efforts provide a predictive model for assisting faculty change and help determine which faculty professional development efforts may be successful in overcoming barriers to change in undergraduate science classrooms.

Abstract The collection and dissemination of vertebrate ichnological data is struggling to keep up with techniques that are becoming commonplace in the wider palaeontological field. A standard protocol is required to ensure that data is recorded, presented and archived in a manner that will be useful both to contemporary researchers, and to future generations. Primarily, our aim is to make the 3D capture of ichnological data standard practice, and to provide guidance on how such 3D data can be communicated effectively (both via the literature and other means) and archived openly and in perpetuity. We recommend capture of 3D data, and the presentation of said data in the form of photographs, false‐colour images, and interpretive drawings. Raw data (3D models of traces) should always be provided in a form usable by other researchers (i.e. in an open format). If adopted by the field as a whole, the result will be a more robust and uniform literature, supplemented by unparalleled availability of datasets for future workers.

University students report significantly worse sleep quality than the general population. Sleep problems are related to increased health concerns, irritability, depression, fatigue, and attention and concentration difficulties, along with poor academic performance. Clinical research indicates that psychoeducational interventions are among the most effective methods for improving sleep quality in the general population. Similar studies for university students are lacking. In this study, the authors describe the development of the Sleep Treatment and Education Program for Students (STEPS) and evaluate its effectiveness with a double blind, experimental design. Students in the treatment group reported significantly improved sleep quality and sleep hygiene behaviors at 6 weeks posttreatment.

Based on the linearized equations of motion of a spacecraft near a satellite in general Keplerian orbit and the assumptions of a bounded thrust magnitude and constant exhaust velocity, a fixed-duration, fuel-optimal rendezvous problem is formulated and is investigated for the constant-mass case through the solution for the primer vector, which is shown to satisfy the original differential equations that describe the spacecraft motion during unpowered flight. It is shown that there are no singular solutions to this rendezvous problem for noncircular Keplerian orbits and that consequently all optimal solutions for orbit eccentricities greater than zero are constructed from a finite number of intervals of full thrust and coast where the switches are determined from the primer vector.

Microstructural observations, mineral chemistry, and the spatial distribution of deformation fabrics recorded in outcrop samples collected from Atlantis Massif, the active inside corner high at 30°N, Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, suggest that strain is localized near the subhorizontal domal surface hypothesized to be an exposed detachment fault. Deformation textures in peridotite and gabbro indicate that high‐temperature (>500°C) strain occurred via crystal‐plastic flow and diffusive mass transfer. Low‐temperature (<400°C) shear zones containing brittle and semibrittle microboudinage textures in which tremolite, chlorite, and/or talc replace fractured serpentine or hornblende cut earlier formed high‐temperature deformation fabrics in peridotite. Textures indicate strain was localized by cataclasis and reaction softening into zones of intense greenschist and subgreenschist grade metamorphism. Gabbro is only weakly deformed below amphibolite facies (<500°C), indicating that strain was partitioned into altered peridotite at low temperature. There is a clear relationship between deformation intensity and structural depth beneath the subhorizontal surface of the Massif. Discontinuous high‐intensity crystal‐plastic deformation fabrics are found at all structural depths (0–520 m) beneath the surface, indicating that high‐temperature, granulite‐ and amphibolite‐grade deformation was not localized in a single shear zone. In contrast, semibrittle and brittle low‐temperature shear zones are concentrated less than 90 m structurally beneath the surface, and the most intensely brittlely deformed samples concentrated in the upper 10 m. Localization of brittle deformation fabrics near the upper surface of the massif supports the hypothesis that it is the exposed footwall of a detachment fault. The structural evolution of Atlantis Massif is therefore analogous to a continental metamorphic core complex. Strain was localized onto the fault by reaction‐softening and fluid‐assisted fracturing during greenschist‐ and subgreenschist‐grade hydrothermal alteration of olivine, clinopyroxene, serpentine, and hornblende to tremolite, chlorite, and/or talc.

Intimate partner violence, including threats, stalking, emotional, physical, and sexual assault by a spouse or partner, has significant influences on the well-being of women of all racial and social backgrounds. This study of a nationally representative sample of women from varying racial and ethnic groups examined specific types of violent acts on health and well-being. An association between intimate partner violence and poor physical and mental health was found. Types of partner violence also had different associations with the well-being of women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Social and demographic factors played an important role in moderating women's outcomes. Suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Abstract Immunotherapies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis are now a mainstay in the clinical management of multiple cancer types, however, many tumors still fail to respond. CCL2 is highly expressed in various cancer types and has been shown to be associated with poor prognosis. Inhibition or blockade of the CCL2/CCR2 signaling axis has thus been an area of interest for cancer therapy. Here we show across multiple murine tumor and metastasis models that CCR2 antagonism in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy leads to sensitization and enhanced tumor response over anti-PD-1 monotherapy. We show that enhanced treatment response correlates with enhanced CD8 + T cell recruitment and activation and a concomitant decrease in CD4 + regulatory T cell. These results provide strong preclinical rationale for further clinical exploration of combining CCR2 antagonism with PD-1/PD-L1-directed immunotherapies across multiple tumor types especially given the availability of small molecule CCR2 inhibitors and antibodies.

The data mining and machine learning community is often faced with two key problems: working with imbalanced data and selecting the best features for machine learning. This paper presents a process involving a feature selection technique for selecting the important attributes and a data sampling technique for addressing class imbalance. The application domain of this study is software engineering, more specifically, software quality prediction using classification models. When using feature selection and data sampling together, different scenarios should be considered. The four possible scenarios are: (1) feature selection based on original data, and modeling (defect prediction) based on original data; (2) feature selection based on original data, and modeling based on sampled data; (3) feature selection based on sampled data, and modeling based on original data; and (4) feature selection based on sampled data, and modeling based on sampled data. The research objective is to compare the software defect prediction performances of models based on the four scenarios. The case study consists of nine software measurement data sets obtained from the PROMISE software project repository. Empirical results suggest that feature selection based on sampled data performs significantly better than feature selection based on original data, and that defect prediction models perform similarly regardless of whether the training data was formed using sampled or original data.

Neural crest (NC) cells arise early in vertebrate development, migrate extensively and contribute to a diverse array of ectodermal and mesenchymal derivatives. Previous models of NC formation suggested derivation from neuralized ectoderm, via meso-ectodermal, or neural-non-neural ectoderm interactions. Recent studies using bird and amphibian embryos suggest an earlier origin of NC, independent of neural and mesodermal tissues. Here, we set out to generate a model in which to decipher signaling and tissue interactions involved in human NC induction. Our novel human embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based model yields high proportions of multipotent NC cells (expressing SOX10, PAX7 and TFAP2A) in 5 days. We demonstrate a crucial role for WNT/β-catenin signaling in launching NC development, while blocking placodal and surface ectoderm fates. We provide evidence of the delicate temporal effects of BMP and FGF signaling, and find that NC development is separable from neural and/or mesodermal contributions. We further substantiate the notion of a neural-independent origin of NC through PAX6 expression and knockdown studies. Finally, we identify a novel pre-neural border state characterized by early WNT/β-catenin signaling targets that displays distinct responses to BMP and FGF signaling from the traditional neural border genes. In summary, our work provides a fast and efficient protocol for human NC differentiation under signaling constraints similar to those identified in vivo in model organisms, and strengthens a framework for neural crest ontogeny that is separable from neural and mesodermal fates.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition typically arising in childhood, which untreated, can have consequences reaching into adolescence and beyond. Effective pharmacological treatment is available and has become widespread in the West. Outcomes for both the child with ADHD and the parent may be influenced by the nature of interaction between them. The authors of this article aim to review published research examining the interaction between parents and their children with ADHD. A PubMed search was conducted of studies written in English between 2000 and 2007 with the keywords ADHD and parenting. Child ADHD elicits high levels of parental stress and maladaptive parenting. The presence of parental psychopathology is common and influences the parent's response to the child's ADHD symptoms. Optimizing parent-child interaction and parental psychiatric status may improve outcomes for both parent and child.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the relation between parental ADHD symptomatology and parent-child behavior among 46 mothers and 26 fathers of ADHD children. RESULTS: Fathers' self-reports of inattention and impulsivity were strongly associated with self-reports of lax parenting both before and after parent training, and with self-reports of overreactivity after parent training. Fathers' impulsivity was also associated with more arguing during audiotaped observations of parent-child interactions prior to parent training. Mothers' self-reports of inattention were modestly associated with self-reports of laxness before and after parent training. Prior to parent training, there were non-linear relations between mothers' inattention and observations of mother-child behavior, with mothers who reported moderate levels of inattention engaging in the most negative parent-child interactions. After parent training, these relations were linear, with the mothers who reported the most inattention engaging in the most negative parent-child interactions. These results were weakened but were generally still significant when parental depression and alcohol use were controlled.

Gelatin based adhesives have been used in the last decades in different biomedical applications due to the excellent biocompatibility, easy processability, transparency, non-toxicity, and reasonable mechanical properties to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM). Gelatin adhesives can be easily tuned to gain different viscoelastic and mechanical properties that facilitate its ocular application. We herein grafted glycidyl methacrylate on the gelatin backbone with a simple chemical modification of the precursor, utilizing epoxide ring-opening reactions and visible light-crosslinking. This chemical modification allows the obtaining of an elastic protein-based hydrogel (GELGYM) with excellent biomimetic properties, approaching those of the native tissue. GELGYM can be modulated to be stretched up to 4 times its initial length and withstand high tensile stresses up to 1.95 MPa with compressive strains as high as 80% compared to Gelatin-methacryloyl (GeIMA), the most studied derivative of gelatin used as a bioadhesive. GELGYM is also highly biocompatible and supports cellular adhesion, proliferation, and migration in both 2 and 3-dimensional cell-cultures. These characteristics along with its super adhesion to biological tissues such as cornea, aorta, heart, muscle, kidney, liver, and spleen suggest widespread applications of this hydrogel in many biomedical areas such as transplantation, tissue adhesive, wound dressing, bioprinting, and drug and cell delivery.