Reconsidering changes in parent-child conflict across adolescence: a meta-analysis

A series of meta-analyses addresses whether and how parent-child conflict changes during adolescence and factors that moderate patterns of change. The meta-analyses summarize results from studies of change in parent-child conflict as a function of either adolescent age or pubertal maturation. Three types of parent-adolescent conflict are examined: conflict rate, conflict affect, and total conflict (rate and affect combined). The results provide little support for the commonly held view that parent-child conflict rises and then falls across adolescence, although conclusions regarding pubertal change as well as conflict affect are qualified by the limited number of studies available. Two diverging sets of linear effects emerged, one indicating a decline in conflict rate and total conflict with age and the other indicating an increase in conflict affect with both age and pubertal maturation. In age meta-analyses, conflict rate and total conflict decline from early adolescence to mid-adolescence and from mid-adolescence to late adolescence; conflict affect increases from early adolescence to mid-adolescence. Puberty meta-analyses revealed only a positive linear association between conflict affect and pubertal maturation. Effect-size patterns varied little in follow-up analyses of potential moderating variables, implying similarities in the direction (although not the magnitude) of conflict across parent-adolescent dyads, reporters, and measurement procedures.     

ISO 14000 and the Construction Industry: Survey in China

The rapid growth of the Chinese economy sparked off a great volume of construction activities, but the damage caused by construction activities to the environment is indisputable and has alerted some large Chinese construction firms to seek effective environmental management. The ISO 14000 series offers a framework for managing construction operations to improve environmental performance. To discover the conditions of implementation of ISO 14000 in the construction industry, a structured questionnaire survey was conducted whose results show that the major motivation for implementing the system was to seek entry to the international construction market. Other motivations include standardization of the environmental management procedures for internal operations, obtaining social recognition, gaining confidence from clients and a better corporate image, enhancing the environmental awareness of subcontractors, and cleaner sites as a result of better housekeeping. However, some obstacles remain along the path, such as the financial burden, poor rates of return for most firms, low environmental awareness, and inadequate legal enforcement. Based on the analysis and discussion, the paper concludes that the government should take the lead in encouraging training, providing financial support, and improving the legal framework to promote ISO 14000 for the Chinese construction industry.     

Web personalization: is it effective?

By knowing their customers' needs better, firms can offer products and services at the right price, in the right context, and at the right time. Web personalization enables this sort of interaction. Firms can implement personalization by integrating independent packages such as data mining and collaborative filtering tools with the Web server; or personalization could take the form of a package solution. In general, Web personalization serves three main objectives: It draws attention to a company and its products and services; implants messages; and attempts to persuade. The study presented provides empirical support that Web personalization can motivate users to consider agent-recommended items.     

Repetitive elements in the third intron of murine apolipoprotein A-I gene

PURPOSE: To review the long-term experience of helium ion therapy as a therapeutic alternative to enucleation for uveal melanoma, particularly with respect to survival, local control, and morbidity. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 347 patients with uveal melanoma were treated with helium ion RT from 1978-1992. A nonrandomized dose-searching study was undertaken, with doses progressively reduced from 80 GyE in five fractions to 48 GyE in four fractions, given in 3-15 days, mean of 7 days. RESULTS: Local control was achieved in 96% of patients, with no difference in the rate of local control being seen at 80, 70, 60, or 50 GyE in five fractions. At the lowest dose level of 48 GyE in four fractions, the local control rate fell to 87%. Fifteen of 347 patients (4%) had local regrowth in the eye requiring enucleation (12 patients), laser (1 patient) or reirradiation (2 patients). The time of appearance of local regrowth ranged from 4 months to 5 years posttreatment, with 85% occurring within 3 years. Of the 347 patients, 208 are alive as of May 1, 1997. The median follow up of all patients is 8.5 years, range 1-17 years. Kaplan-Maier (K-M) survival is 80% at 5 years, 76% at 10 years, and 72% at 15 years posttreatment. Patients with tumors not involving the ciliary body have a 15-year K-M survival of 80%. The results for patients whose tumors involved the ciliary body are poor, with a 15-year K-M survival of 43%. Seventy-five percent of patients with tumors at least 3.0 mm from the fovea and optic nerve, and initial ultrasound height less than 6.0 mm, retained vision of 20/200 or better posttreatment. Patients with tumors larger than 6 mm in thickness, or with tumors lying close to the optic nerve or fovea, have a reduced chance of retaining useful vision. The enucleation rate is 19%, 3% for local failure and 16% because of complications of the helium RT, particularly neovascular glaucoma, which occurred in 35% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Local control and retention of the eye are excellent. Complications of therapy reduce vision and eye preservation. Twenty-four percent of patients manifested distant metastases 6 to 146 months posttreatment, mean of 43 months, median of 36 months. Late-appearing distant metastases do not appear to be caused by persistent tumor in the eye. The risk of metastases is high for patients with tumors greater than 7 mm in initial ultrasound height (37%), anterior tumors involving the ciliary body (47%), and in those with local failure (53%). Patients with tumors not involving the ciliary body and initial dimensions less than 10 mm had only an 8% chance of death from melanoma. A search for effective adjuvant therapy is needed for patients at high risk of metastases (large tumors, ciliary body involved, local regrowth in eye).     

The effects of race and information variance on disagreement between psychiatric emergency service and research diagnoses in first-episode psychosis

BACKGROUND: Previously, we reported that patient race was associated with disagreement between research and clinical diagnoses. To extend this work, we studied whether disagreement was specifically due to associations of patient race with information or criterion variance. METHOD: Ninety-nine patients consecutively admitted through the University of Cincinnati Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES) for a first hospitalization for psychosis were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Diagnoses made in the PES were compared with those obtained from the structured interview. We examined the contributions of information variance and criterion variance to the association between race and diagnostic agreement of PES and research diagnoses. RESULTS: Agreement in PES and research diagnoses was present in only 42% of patients. Diagnostic agreement was less common in non-white patients than white patients, even after controlling for other sociodemographic and clinical variables. Information variance was the cause of diagnostic disagreement in 58% of cases and was associated with patient race. Criterion variance, occurring in 42% of cases, was not associated with race. CONCLUSION: Patient race may contribute to the diagnostic process in the psychiatric emergency service by influencing the information obtained from patients during clinical evaluations.     

The oral manifestations of intestinal lymphangiectasia: case report

Intestinal lymphangiectasia is a rare autosomal dominant disorder or acquired condition that leads to lymph obstruction, poor chyle transport, and concomitant problems of hypoproteinemia, lymphocytopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, and peripheral edema. Patients develop diarrhea, steatorrhea, and hypocalcemia secondary to fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption. Treatment is a restrictive diet of low fat, medium chain triglycerides. Oral manifestations are gingivitis due to poor PMN function and enamel defects due to poor calcium absorption. A case of a 14-year-old boy with both gingival and enamel problems secondary to intestinal lymphangiectasia is reported.