Sex role behavioral differences in parental alienation

Includes bibliographical references.Men and women deal with conflicts in different ways and sex differences have been demonstrated in terms of aggressive behaviors. The purpose of the current study is to examine if gender differences exist in the context of divorce, particularly when children are involved when parental alienation occurs. We hypothesized that men are more likely to use direct aggression to prevent a mother from seeing her children while women would employ more indirect aggression to assist with the alienation

Investigating the role of histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation in regulating disease-associated vascular smooth muscle cell gene expression

Widespread changes in gene expression accompany vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switching, a hallmark of vascular disease. Upon insult, VSMCs downregulate contractile proteins and upregulate genes linked to vascular remodelling, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, the epigenetic mechanisms which regulate VSMC phenotypic switching remain unclear. This thesis explores the role of histone 3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), a repressive epigenetic mark, in regulating the expression of disease-associated VSMC genes. Intriguingly, murine models of VSMC phenotypic switching revealed reduced levels of H3K9me2 upon loss of the contractile state while chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) identified a subset of IL-1α/injury-responsive VSMC gene promoters enriched for H3K9me2. To test the functional importance of H3K9me2 for VSMC gene regulation the methyltransferase G9A/GLP was pharmacologically inhibited in vitro and in vivo. The resulting loss of H3K9me2 attenuated the expression of contractile VSMC markers and significantly potentiated IL-1α/injury-induced expression of MMP and pro-inflammatory genes. H3K9me2-mediated regulation of contractile and IL-1α-responsive VSMC gene expression was confirmed in cultured human VSMCs (hVSMCs). This prompted the use of hVSMCs to investigate the mechanism underlying H3K9me2-dependent regulation of IL-1α-mediated VSMC genes. Interestingly, G9A/GLP inhibition did not influence the level of IL-1α-induced nuclear localisation of the NFkB transcription factor p65 but significantly increased IL-1α-induced p65 binding to the IL6 promoter, correlating with reduced H3K9me2 levels. In contrast, enrichment of p65 was not observed at reported NFkB sites within the MMP3 promoter after IL-1α stimulation. Rather, IL-1α-induced MMP3 expression was dependent on JNK activity and G9A/GLP inhibition potentiated IL-1α-induced binding of the AP-1 transcription factor cJUN to the MMP3 promoter. Collectively, these findings suggest that H3K9me2 plays a role in maintaining the contractile VSMC state and prevents binding of both NFkB and AP-1 transcription factors at specific IL-1α-regulated genes to possibly block spurious induction of a pro-inflammatory state.Funded by the British Heart Foundatio

EFFECTS OF CREEP FLOW AND VISCOUS DISSIPATION IN THE SLIP REGIME FOR ISOFLUX RECTANGULAR MICROCHANNELS

ABSTRACT The effects of rarefaction on convective heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics are numerically evaluated for uniform wall heat flux rectangular microchannels. Results are obtained by numerically solving the momentum and energy equations with both first-and second-order slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions. The resulting velocity and temperature fields are then evaluated to obtain the microchannel Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers. In addition to the effects of rarefaction, the effects of aspect ratio, thermal creep flow, and viscous dissipation are investigated for locally fully developed Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers. The constant wall heat flux results obtained in this study are compared to constant wall temperature results obtained previously, using the same numerical algorithm, at various aspect ratios including the limiting case of parallel plate microchannels. In addition to supplying previously unreported data on slip flow convective heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics, these results verify the numerical algorithm for more complex future slip flow analyses

15 years of 'War on AIDS': what impact has the global HIV/AIDS response had on the political economy of Africa?

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Review of African Political Economy on 21st August 2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03056244.2015.1064370

Disease-relevant transcriptional signatures identified in individual smooth muscle cells from healthy mouse vessels.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) show pronounced heterogeneity across and within vascular beds, with direct implications for their function in injury response and atherosclerosis. Here we combine single-cell transcriptomics with lineage tracing to examine VSMC heterogeneity in healthy mouse vessels. The transcriptional profiles of single VSMCs consistently reflect their region-specific developmental history and show heterogeneous expression of vascular disease-associated genes involved in inflammation, adhesion and migration. We detect a rare population of VSMC-lineage cells that express the multipotent progenitor marker Sca1, progressively downregulate contractile VSMC genes and upregulate genes associated with VSMC response to inflammation and growth factors. We find that Sca1 upregulation is a hallmark of VSMCs undergoing phenotypic switching in vitro and in vivo, and reveal an equivalent population of Sca1-positive VSMC-lineage cells in atherosclerotic plaques. Together, our analyses identify disease-relevant transcriptional signatures in VSMC-lineage cells in healthy blood vessels, with implications for disease susceptibility, diagnosis and prevention.BH

Use of services and associated costs for young adults with childhood hyperactivity/conduct problems: 20-year follow-up

Background Although childhood hyperactivity and conduct problems are associated with difficulties in adulthood, little is known about later service use or public expenditure costs in the UK. Aims To describe the use of services and calculate recent (past 6 months) and early adulthood (since the age of 18 years) public expenditure costs incurred by young adults who had hyperactivity and/or conduct problems during childhood. Method A 20-year follow-up of a community sample of 6- to 7-yearold boys (n = 83) with hyperactivity only, conduct problems only, mixed hyperactivity and conduct problems, and no behaviour problems (control). Information was obtained about service use; recent (past 6 months), and early adulthood (since age 18 years) public expenditure costs were calculated. Results High levels of childhood conduct problems were associated with a two- to threefold increase in early adulthood costs, mainly driven by criminal justice contacts. Although the mixed problems group had the highest recent costs in terms of receipt of benefits and health and social care, they had the lowest criminal justice costs. Conclusions High levels of early childhood conduct problems are particularly associated with increased health, social care and criminal justice costs in adulthood

Extensive Proliferation of a Subset of Differentiated, yet Plastic, Medial Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Contributes to Neointimal Formation in Mouse Injury and Atherosclerosis Models.

RATIONALE: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) accumulation is a hallmark of atherosclerosis and vascular injury. However, fundamental aspects of proliferation and the phenotypic changes within individual VSMCs, which underlie vascular disease, remain unresolved. In particular, it is not known whether all VSMCs proliferate and display plasticity or whether individual cells can switch to multiple phenotypes. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether proliferation and plasticity in disease is a general characteristic of VSMCs or a feature of a subset of cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using multicolor lineage labeling, we demonstrate that VSMCs in injury-induced neointimal lesions and in atherosclerotic plaques are oligoclonal, derived from few expanding cells. Lineage tracing also revealed that the progeny of individual VSMCs contributes to both alpha smooth muscle actin (aSma)-positive fibrous cap and Mac3-expressing macrophage-like plaque core cells. Costaining for phenotypic markers further identified a double-positive aSma+ Mac3+ cell population, which is specific to VSMC-derived plaque cells. In contrast, VSMC-derived cells generating the neointima after vascular injury generally retained the expression of VSMC markers and the upregulation of Mac3 was less pronounced. Monochromatic regions in atherosclerotic plaques and injury-induced neointima did not contain VSMC-derived cells expressing a different fluorescent reporter protein, suggesting that proliferation-independent VSMC migration does not make a major contribution to VSMC accumulation in vascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that extensive proliferation of a low proportion of highly plastic VSMCs results in the observed VSMC accumulation after injury and in atherosclerotic plaques. Therapeutic targeting of these hyperproliferating VSMCs might effectively reduce vascular disease without affecting vascular integrity.This work was funded by the British Heart Foundation grants to HFJ (PG/12/86/29930, FS/15/38/31516). HFJ and MRB acknowledge support from the BHF Oxbridge Centre of Regenerative Medicine [RM/13/3/30159] and the BHF Cambridge Centre of Research Excellence [RE/13/6/30180]. BDS acknowledges the support of the Wellcome Trust [098357/Z/12/Z].This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the American Heart Association via https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.30979

“A very orderly retreat”: Democratic transition in East Germany, 1989-90

East Germany's 1989-90 democratisation is among the best known of East European transitions, but does not lend itself to comparative analysis, due to the singular way in which political reform and democratic consolidation were subsumed by Germany's unification process. Yet aspects of East Germany's democratisation have proved amenable to comparative approaches. This article reviews the comparative literature that refers to East Germany, and finds a schism between those who designate East Germany's transition “regime collapse” and others who contend that it exemplifies “transition through extrication”. It inquires into the merits of each position and finds in favour of the latter. Drawing on primary and secondary literature, as well as archival and interview sources, it portrays a communist elite that was, to a large extent, prepared to adapt to changing circumstances and capable of learning from “reference states” such as Poland. Although East Germany was the Soviet state in which the positions of existing elites were most threatened by democratic transition, here too a surprising number succeeded in maintaining their position while filing across the bridge to market society. A concluding section outlines the alchemy through which their bureaucratic power was transmuted into property and influence in the “new Germany”

Collage Vol. II

JUDY COCHRAN: Editorial, 4-5 ROBERTA CHAPMEN: Photo, 6 ANITRA CHUGHTAI (Translations): Haikus, 7 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 8 MARK VANDERLINDE-ABERNATHY, ALYSSA LANDRY (Translator): Memories of a Spider (Les souvenirs d\u27une araignee), 9 MARK VANDERLINE-ABERNATHY, AMY NORSKOG (Translator): Tomato Fields (Champ de tomates), 10 SARAH BISHOP, HEFEDH ZANINA (Translator): Dear John (Cher John), 11 RYAN BUTZ (Translator): Basho\u27s Haiku, Issa\u27s Haiku, 12-13 JENNIFER HUMBERT, FADOUA EL BOUAMRAOUI (Translator): Pressed Lips (Levres Serrees), 15 ADELE REEVES (Translator): Contemporary song by Mr. Children, 16-17 BRODY PAGEL, GRACE DUGAR (Translator): The Lizard King (Le Roi Lezard), 18 JIMMY PIPKIN (Translator): In Love with You, 19 MOLLY ROSCOE: Saturday Night at Rusty\u27s (Samedi Soir a Rusty\u27s), 20 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 21 MATT MESSMER (Translator): Waseda University School Song, 22-23 TIMOTHY COOPER: Wenn du grosh bist… (When you\u27re Tall…), 24 DAVID HARMAN: Der Dunkle Stern (The Dark Star), 25 ANN TOWNSEND, JUDY COCHRAN (Translator): From a Window (D\u27une Fenetre), 26-27 SARA CAHILL: El sauce lloron (The Weeping Willow), 28-32 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 30 JENNIFER HUMBERT, MATT BISHOP: Past, Present (passe, present), 33 CAROL GENEYA KAPLAN, FADOUA EL BOUAMRAOUI (Translator): Une Autre Femme (Another Woman), 34-35 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 36 ANN TOWNSEND, JUDY COCHRAN (Translator): The Mowers (Les Faucheurs), 37 PRISCILLA PATON: Photo, 38 GONZALO TUESTA: La Grande Dame De Paris (The Great Lady of Paris), 39 SARAH PILLERDORF (Translator): Japanese Cartoons by Tezuka Osamu, 41-45 DANIELLE GERKEN: Schuhe der Heimat (Boots of Home), 47 CURTIS PLOWGIAN: Le peste de la langue francaise, 48-52 PRISCILLA PATON: Photo, 50 ZANE HOUSEHOLDER: Vive la Republique! (Film), 54 JENNIFER ZIMMER: EL tenis y las frustraciones (Tennis and Frustrations), La tumba de Ben (Ben\u27s Grave), 56-57 AUTUMN LOTZE: Times Square in the rain, 58-59 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 60 STEPHEN M. JULKA: Colors of the Earth, 61 THOMAS BRESSOUD: Java, 62 ERIC NELSON: World, 63 SARAH CLAPP (Translator): At a long day\u27s end (Natsume Soseki), A friend has come and is now leaving, Eating persimmons (Masaoka Shiki), 64 CHARLES O\u27KEEFE: Photo, 65 JOHN BURZYNSKI, MEGAN FETTER (Translator): Home is where the heart is, 66 RICHARD BANAHAN: Photo, 67 KIM FREEMAN: Baltimore, 68 JACOB RIDRIGUEZ-NOBLE: Home (Heimat), 69 SUZANNE KENNEDY: Oft verberge ich mich (Oft I hide myself), 70 RICHARD BANAHAN: Photo, 7

Clogging the machinery: the BBC's experiment in science coordination, 1949–1953

In 1949, physicist Mark Oliphant criticised the BBC’s handling of science in a letter to the Director General William Haley. It initiated a chain of events which led to the experimental appointment of a science adviser, Henry Dale, to improve the ‘coordination’ of science broadcasts. The experiment failed, but the episode revealed conflicting views of the BBC’s responsibility towards science held by scientists and BBC staff. For the scientists, science had a special status, both as knowledge and as an activity, which in their view obligated the BBC to make special arrangements for it. BBC staff, however, had their own professional procedures which they were unwilling to abandon. The events unfolded within a few years of the end of the Second World War, when social attitudes to science had been coloured by the recent conflict, and when the BBC itself was under scrutiny from the William Beveridge’s Committee. The BBC was also embarking on new initiatives, notably the revival of adult education. These contextual factors bear on the story, which is about the relationship between a public service broadcaster and the external constituencies it relies on, but must appear to remain independent from. The article therefore extends earlier studies showing how external bodies have attempted to manipulate the inner workings of the BBC to their own advantage (e.g. those by Doctor and Karpf) by looking at the little-researched area of science broadcasting. The article is largely based on unpublished archive documents