6,655 research outputs found
Sex Offences Perpetrated Against Older Adults: A Multivariate Analysis of Crime Scene Behaviors
The aim of this study was to thematically explore the relationship between crime scene behaviors and background characteristics of offenders who commit sexual offences against female victims aged 60 years or more. Research and understanding of offence behaviours in this area is extremely limited, therefore, the study sought to provide a preliminary understanding and multivariate model of offence behaviours in cases where older female adults were sexually abused. Twenty-seven crime scene behaviours from 143 rape or attempted rape cases of an older adult victim were analysed, frequency data was computed to provide base rate information and Smallest Space Analysis provided a visual representation of the co-occurrence of crime scene behaviors. Three distinct dominant themes were identified in that 56% of offences displayed themes of Involvement (22%), Control (17%) and Hostility (16%). The relationship between each dominant theme and selected background characteristics was then analysed. For example, offenders displaying an Involvement theme were found to be significantly less likely to have prior convictions. Significance was also found in the relationship between dominant themes and a âtheft and kindred offence otherâ pre-conviction background characteristic. The findings demonstrate offending behavior can be separated into three distinct themes, providing an explanation of offender subtypes and supporting previous models found in other types of sexual offending. Applications for law enforcement agencies regarding identified themes and links with likely offender background characteristics are highlighted. Limitations and future research avenues are discussed
The dynamics of central control and subsidiary autonomy in the management of human resources: case study evidence from US MNCs in the UK
This article revisits a central question in the debates on the management of multinationals: the balance between centralized policy-making and subsidiary autonomy. It does so through data from a series of case studies on the management of human resources in American multinationals in the UK. Two strands of debate are confronted. The first is the literature on differences between multinationals of different national origins which has shown that US companies tend to be more centralized, standardized, and formalized in their management of human resources. It is argued that the literature has provided unconvincing explanations of this pattern, failing to link it to distinctive features of the American business system in which US multinationals are embedded. The second strand is the wider debate on the balance between centralization and decentralization in multinationals. It is argued that the literature neglects important features of this balance: the contingent oscillation between centralized and decentralized modes of operation and (relatedly) the way in
which the balance is negotiated by organizational actors through micro-political processes whereby the external structural constraints on the company are defined and interpreted. In such negotiation, actorsâ leverage often derives from exploiting differences between the national business systems in which the multinational operates
Exacerbated signs of an immunosuppressive AIDS-like disease in macaques infected with multiple retroviruses
Metformin and cimetidine: Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling to investigate transporter mediated drugâdrug interactions
Metformin is used as a probe for OCT2 mediated transport when investigating possible DDIs with new chemical
entities. The aim of the current study was to investigate the ability of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic
(PBPK) models to simulate the effects of OCT and MATE inhibition by cimetidine on metformin kinetics. PBPK
models were developed, incorporating mechanistic kidney and liver sub-models for metformin (OCT and
MATE substrate) and a mechanistic kidney sub-model for cimetidine. The models were used to simulate inhibition
of the MATE1, MATE2-K, OCT1 and OCT2 mediated transport of metformin by cimetidine. Assuming competitive
inhibition and using cimetidine Ki values determined in vitro, the predicted metformin AUC ratio was 1.0
compared to an observed value of 1.46. The observed AUC ratio could only be recovered with this model when
the cimetidine Ki for OCT2 was decreased 1000-fold or the Ki's for both OCT1 and OCT2 were decreased 500-
fold. An alternative description of metformin renal transport by OCT1 and OCT2, incorporating electrochemical
modulation of the rate of metformin uptake together with 8â18-fold decreases in cimetidine Ki's for OCTs and
MATEs, allowed recovery of the extent of the observed effect of cimetidine on metformin AUC. While the final
PBPK model has limitations, it demonstrates the benefit of allowing for the complexities of passive permeability
combined with active cellular uptake modulated by an electrochemical gradient and active efflu
Drop the bad attitude! Narcissism predicts acceptance of violent behaviour
Previous research has found that narcissism is related to a number of anti-social behaviours such as domestic violence, sexual coercion, aggression, and general offending. However, no research to date has explored the relationship between narcissism and attitudes towards these types of behaviours. To address this shortfall, the present study (N = 329) investigated narcissism and attitudes towards violence in a non-offending population. Males scored significantly higher on total narcissism and all attitudes towards violence. However, when narcissism was investigated in relation to specific attitudes, it was found that narcissistic females were equally accepting of violence as men were. In addition, attitudes towards violence in males related to more socially desirable, adaptive narcissism, whereas in females, attitudes towards violence were related to both adaptive and maladaptive narcissism. These new findings contribute to the very little we already know about narcissism and attitudes towards violence, and may provide the reason as to why narcissism relates to general offending behaviour; simply because they think it is acceptable
Residual dipolar coupling investigation of a heparin tetrasaccharide confirms the limited effect of flexibility of the iduronic acid on the molecular shape of heparin
The solution conformation of a fully sulfated heparin-derived tetrasaccharide, I, was studied in the presence of a 4-fold excess of Ca2+. Protonâproton and protonâcarbon residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) were measured in a neutral aligning medium. The order parameters of two rigid hexosamine rings of I were determined separately using singular value decomposition and ab initio structures of disaccharide fragments of I. The order parameters were very similar implying that a common order tensor can be used to analyze the structure of I. Using one order tensor, RDCs of both hexosamine rings were used as restraints in molecular dynamics simulations. RDCs of the inner iduronic acid were calculated for every point of the molecular dynamics trajectory. The fitting of the calculated RDCs of the two forms of the iduronic acid to the experimental values yielded a population of 1C4 and 2So conformers of iduronic acid that agreed well with the analysis based on protonâproton scalar coupling constants. The glycosidic linkage torsion angles in RDC-restrained molecular dynamics (MD) structures of I are consistent with the interglycosidic three-bond protonâcarbon coupling constants. These structures also show that the shape of heparin is not affected dramatically by the conformational flexibility of the iduronic acid ring. This is in line with conclusions of previous studies based on MD simulations and the analysis of 1H-1H NOEs. Our work therefore demonstrates the effectiveness of RDCs in the conformational analysis of glycosaminoglycans
Action research in physical education: focusing beyond myself through cooperative learning
This paper reports on the pedagogical changes that I experienced as a teacher engaged in an action research project in which I designed and implemented an indirect, developmentally appropriate and childâcentred approach to my teaching. There have been repeated calls to expunge â or at least rationalise â the use of traditional, teacherâled practice in physical education. Yet despite the advocacy of many leading academics there is little evidence that such a change of approach is occurring. In my role as teacherâasâresearcher I sought to implement a new pedagogical approach, in the form of cooperative learning, and bring about a positive change in the form of enhanced pupil learning. Data collection included a reflective journal, postâteaching reflective analysis, pupil questionnaires, student interviews, document analysis, and nonâparticipant observations. The research team analysed the data using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Six themes emerged from the data: teaching and learning, reflections on cooperation, performance, time, teacher change, and social interaction. The paper argues that cooperative learning allowed me to place social and academic learning goals on an even footing, which in turn placed a focus on pupilsâ understanding and improvement of skills in athletics alongside their interpersonal development
The changing patterns of group politics in Britain
Two interpretations of ways in which group politics in Britain have presented challenges to democracy are reviewed: neo-corporatism or pluralistic stagnation and the rise of single issue interest groups. The disappearance of the first paradigm created a political space for the second to emerge. A three-phase model of group activity is developed: a phase centred around production interests, followed by the development of broadly based 'other regarding' groups, succeeded by fragmented, inner directed groups focusing on particular interests. Explanations of the decay of corporatism are reviewed. Single issue group activity has increased as party membership has declined and is facilitated by changes in traditional media and the development of the internet. Such groups can overload the policy-making process and frustrate depoliticisation. Debates about the constitution and governance have largely ignored these issues and there is need for a debate
Characterisation of the pathogenic effects of the in vivo expression of an ALS-linked mutation in D-amino acid oxidase: Phenotype and loss of spinal cord motor neurons
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset neuromuscular disorder characterised by selective loss of motor neurons leading to fatal paralysis. Current therapeutic approaches are limited in their effectiveness. Substantial advances in understanding ALS disease mechanisms has come from the identification of pathogenic mutations in dominantly inherited familial ALS (FALS). We previously reported a coding mutation in D-amino acid oxidase (DAOR199W) associated with FALS. DAO metabolises D-serine, an essential co-agonist at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid glutamate receptor subtype (NMDAR). Using primary motor neuron cultures or motor neuron cell lines we demonstrated that expression of DAOR199W, promoted the formation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates, activated autophagy and increased apoptosis. The aim of this study was to characterise the effects of DAOR199W in vivo, using transgenic mice overexpressing DAOR199W. Marked abnormal motor features, e.g. kyphosis, were evident in mice expressing DAOR199W, which were associated with a significant loss (19%) of lumbar spinal cord motor neurons, analysed at 14 months. When separated by gender, this effect was greater in females (26%; p< 0.0132). In addition, we crossed the DAOR199W transgenic mouse line with the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS to determine whether the effects of SOD1G93A were potentiated in the double transgenic line (DAOR199W/SOD1G93A). Although overall survival was not affected, onset of neurological signs was significantly earlier in female double transgenic animals than their female SOD1G93A littermates (125 days vs 131 days, P = 0.0239). In summary, some significant in vivo effects of DAOR199W on motor neuron function (i.e. kyphosis and loss of motor neurons) were detected which were most marked in females and could contribute to the earlier onset of neurological signs in double transgenic females compared to SOD1G93A littermates, highlighting the importance of recognizing gender effects present in animal models of ALS
The politics of regulatory enforcement and compliance: Theorizing and operationalizing political influences
There is broad consensus in the literature on regulatory enforcement and compliance that politics matters. However, there is little scholarly convergence on what politics is or rigorous theorization and empirical testing of how politics matters. Many enforcement and compliance studies omit political variables altogether. Among those that address political influences on regulatory outcomes, politics has been defined in myriad ways and, too often, left undefined. Even when political constructs are explicitly operationalized, the mechanisms by which they influence regulatory outcomes are thinly hypothesized or simply ignored. If politics is truly as important to enforcement and compliance outcomes as everyone in the field seems to agree, regulatory scholarship must make a more sustained and systematic effort to understand their relationship, because overlooking this connection risks missing what is actually driving regulatory outcomes. This article examines how the construct of âpoliticsâ has been conceptualized in regulatory theory and analyzes how it has been operationalized in empirical studies of regulatory enforcement and compliance outcomes. It brings together scholarship across disciplines that rarely speak but have much to say to one another on this subject in order to constitute a field around the politics of regulation. The goal is to sharpen theoretical and empirical understandings of when and how regulation works by better accounting for the role politics plays in its enforcement
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