Juvenile transfer to adult courts: A look at the prototypes for dangerousness sophistication-maturity and amenability to treatment through a legal lens.

Juvenile court judges are often required to make distinctions as to whether certain adolescents should remain in the juvenile justice system or be transferred to adult courts. Typically, 3 broad factors weigh into juvenile court judges' decision making: (a) the level of danger the juvenile poses to the community, (b) the level of sophistication-maturity of the juvenile, and (c) the extent to which the juvenile is viewed as treatable. In an earlier study, knowledge of forensic and child psychologists was tapped to elucidate core characteristics related to the transfer process (R. T. Salekin et al, 2001). The current study augments that investigation. Judges provided (a) their perspective regarding the core criteria for dangerousness, sophistication-maturity, and amenability to treatment, and (b) data on the core characteristics of juveniles who were evaluated and subsequently judged to be appropriate for transfer to adult criminal courts. Policy implications for this increasingly critical interface between law and psychology are threefold: (a) Individualized assessments are key; (b) the adoption of a national standard for transfer to adult court is required; and (c) the development of treatment programs to improve the socialization of youth is necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relevance of peat-draining rivers for the riverine input of dissolved iron into the ocean

Peat bogs have the ability to produce strong chelate ligands (humic and fulvic acids) which enhance the weathering rates of iron-silicate minerals and greatly increase the solubility of the essential trace metal iron in river water. Fluvial networks link peat bogs with the ocean, and thus terrestrial-derived fulvic-iron complexes fuel the ocean's biological productivity and biological carbon pump, but understanding this role is constrained by inconsistent observations regarding the behaviour of riverine iron in the estuarine mixing zone, where precipitation reactions remove iron from the water column. We applied a characterization of the colloidal iron carriers in peatland-draining rivers in North Scotland, using field-flow fractionation (FFF), in combination with end-member mixing experiments of river water sampled near the river mouth and coastal seawater using a ⁵⁹Fe radiotracer method. According to our results, the investigated river contributed “truly dissolved” Fe concentrations of about 3300 nmol L^− 1 to the ocean which is nearly two orders of magnitude higher than the dissolved iron contribution of the “average world” river (∼ 40 nmol L^− 1). Thus we conclude that peatland-draining rivers are important sources of dissolved iron to the ocean margins. We propose highly electrostatic and sterical stabilized iron-organic matter complexes in the size range of < 2 kDa to be responsible for iron transport across the estuarine mixing zone.     

Nanomaterials based on phosphorus dendrimers

Dendrimers constitute an increasingly important field of research in chemistry for more than 15 years. After pioneering works concerning synthesis, the interest in dendrimers is now mainly driven by their properties and applications. This Account will emphasize the properties of a special class of dendrimers, that is, phosphorus-containing dendritic macromolecules, as tools for the elaboration of nanomaterials. Indeed, these dendrimers can be considered themselves as materials, or they can be used as an intrinsic constituent of a material or as a modifier of the surface of a material. In this latter case, a fundamental work about surfaces covalently modified by dendrimers recently opened the way to the elaboration of DNA chips.     

Characterizing and optimizing poly-l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone membranes for urothelial tissue engineering

Different synthetic biomaterials such as polylactide (PLA), polycaprolactone and poly-l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone (PLCL) have been studied for urothelial tissue engineering, with favourable results. The aim of this research was to further optimize the growth surface for human urothelial cells (hUCs) by comparing different PLCL-based membranes: smooth (s) and textured (t) PLCL and knitted PLA mesh with compression-moulded PLCL (cPLCL). The effects of topographical texturing on urothelial cell response and mechanical properties under hydrolysis were studied. The main finding was that both sPLCL and tPLCL supported hUC growth significantly better than cPLCL. Interestingly, tPLCL gave no significant advantage to hUC attachment or proliferation compared with sPLCL. However, during the 14 day assessment period, the majority of cells were viable and maintained phenotype on all the membranes studied. The material characterization exhibited potential mechanical characteristics of sPLCL and tPLCL for urothelial applications. Furthermore, the highest elongation of tPLCL supports the use of this kind of texturing. In conclusion, in light of our cell culture results and mechanical characterization, both sPLCL and tPLCL should be further studied for urothelial tissue engineering.     

Robust Non-Wetting PTFE Surfaces by Femtosecond Laser Machining

Nature shows many examples of surfaces with extraordinary wettability, which can often be associated with particular air-trapping surface patterns. Here, robust non-wetting surfaces have been created by femtosecond laser ablation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The laser-created surface structure resembles a forest of entangled fibers, which support structural superhydrophobicity even when the surface chemistry is changed by gold coating. SEM analysis showed that the degree of entanglement of hairs and the depth of the forest pattern correlates positively with accumulated laser fluence and can thus be influenced by altering various laser process parameters. The resulting fibrous surfaces exhibit a tremendous decrease in wettability compared to smooth PTFE surfaces; droplets impacting the virgin or gold coated PTFE forest do not wet the surface but bounce off. Exploratory bioadhesion experiments showed that the surfaces are truly air-trapping and do not support cell adhesion. Therewith, the created surfaces successfully mimic biological surfaces such as insect wings with robust anti-wetting behavior and potential for antiadhesive applications. In addition, the fabrication can be carried out in one process step, and our results clearly show the insensitivity of the resulting non-wetting behavior to variations in the process parameters, both of which make it a strong candidate for industrial applications.     

Antecedents of computer self-efficacy: A study of the role of personality traits and gender

Empirical evidence suggests that computer self-efficacy plays an important role in one’s acceptance and use of new information technology. Little is however known about the antecedents of computer self-efficacy. This paper reports on a study of 143 non-users of a self-checkout library system available at a large Canadian university which was conducted to investigate the relationships between stable personality traits and gender with computer self-efficacy. Results indicate that four of the five stable personality traits, as measured by the Big-5 factors of personality, contribute to explain computer self-efficacy. Taking gender into account, results show that the traits of neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness are significantly related to computer self-efficacy for women but not for men. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Reduced purine catabolite production in the postischemic rat heart: a31P NMR assessment of cytosolic metabolites

Ischemia can cause release of adenosine and purine catabolites from the heart, through the breakdown of ATP. If repeated periods of ischemia are induced, the efflux of purines is markedly reduced, although it is not clear if this is beneficial for the long-term survival of the heart. We have investigated changes in high-energy phosphates and purine release in the isolated perfused rat heart using³¹P NMR spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. Hearts were subjected to one of the following protocols: Group A—1 min of total global ischemia (TGI) after 40 min, 60 min, and 85 min of perfusion (a total of 3 × 1 min ischemia); Group B—1 min of TGI after 40 min of perfusion, 10 min of TGI after 50 min of perfusion, and a final 1 min of TGI after 85 min of perfusion. The profile of high-energy phosphate metabolites, P_i accumulation and purine release was similar for each 1-min period of TGI in Group A, whereas phosphocreatine content was increased and ATP content reduced by an extended period of TGI in Group B, leading to a less severe acidosis and purine efflux in the final 1 min of TGI at 85 min of perfusion. In conclusion, the reduced purine release observed in Group B may be related to the preischemic ATP pool size and accessibility and the increased myocardial energy reserve in the form of phosphocreatine.     

Analytical procedure for chewing-gum I. Elastic gum-base

Summary The main constituents of the elastic gumbase, i.e. waxes, paraffins, glycerides, rosin derivatives, polyvinyl derivatives and elastomers, are isolated. Their structures are confirmed by IR, NMR, and GLC/MS.

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Analytisches Verfahren für Kaugummi I. Elastische Grundlagen des Gummis

Zusammenfassung Die Hauptbestandteile der elastischen Grundlage des Gummis wie Wachse, Paraffine, Glyceride, Harzderivate, Polyvinylderivate, Elastomere werden isoliert. Ihre Struktur wird durch IR, NMR und CC-MS sichergestellt.

     

Contribution of ozone to airborne aldehyde formation in Paris homes

Indoor aldehydes may result from ozone-initiated chemistry, mainly documented by experimental studies. As part of an environmental investigation included in the PARIS birth cohort, the aim of this study was to examine ozone contribution to airborne aldehyde formation in Paris homes. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and hexaldehyde levels, as well as styrene, nitrogen dioxide and nicotine concentrations, comfort parameters and carbon dioxide levels, were measured twice during the first year of life of the babies. Ambient ozone concentrations were collected from the closest background station of the regional air monitoring network. Traffic-related nitrogen oxide concentrations in front of the dwellings were estimated by an air pollution dispersion model. Home characteristics and families' way of life were described by questionnaires. Stepwise multiple linear regression models were used to link aldehyde levels with ambient ozone concentrations and a few aldehyde precursors involved in oxidation reactions, adjusting for other indoor aldehyde sources, comfort parameters and traffic-related nitrogen oxides. A 4 and 11% increase in formaldehyde and hexaldehyde levels was pointed out when 8-hour ozone concentrations increased by 20 μg/m³. The influence of potential precursors such as indoor styrene level and frequent use of air fresheners, containing unsaturated volatile organic compounds as terpenes, was also found. Thus, our results suggest that ambient ozone can significantly impact indoor air quality, especially with regard to formaldehyde and hexaldehyde levels.