Home Occupation or Brothel? Selling Sex from Home in New South Wales

This article engages with the question of whether or not sex work in the home should be regulated in the same way as large commercial brothels or as home occupations. Underlying concerns about sex services premises generally are that they are criminogenic, disorderly and exploitative of women. This article draws upon original research of surveys of people living in the vicinity of sex services premises, interviews with sex workers and service providers, and council records of complaint to argue that, on the contrary, home occupations (sex services) can operate lawfully with minimal amenity impacts, and that this type of business can provide a positive work environment. We recommend that sex work in the home in New South Wales should be regulated in the same way as other home occupations.     

Effects of war exposure on air force personnel's mental health, job burnout and other organizational related outcomes.

Longitudinal data from a stratified representative sample of U.S. Air Force personnel (N = 1009) deployed to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations were analyzed in this study. Using structural equation models, we examined the effects of war exposure on traumatic experiences, Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) symptoms, resource loss, and on subsequent functioning, perceived health, and on job and organizationally relevant outcomes. The job and organizational outcomes included job burnout, job involvement, job strain, job satisfaction, work-family conflict, organizational commitment, deployment readiness, and intention to reenlist. We found that deployment to the theater of the war increased risk of exposure to trauma, which in turn, predicted elevated PTS symptoms and resource loss. PTS symptoms predicted later loss of resources and deterioration in perceived health and functioning. In turn, resource loss predicted negative job and organizational outcomes. Exposure to trauma fully mediated the effects of deployment to the theater of war on PTS symptoms and resource loss and had additional significant indirect effects on several job and organizational relevant outcomes. For returning veterans, deployment to the theater of war, exposure to trauma, PTS symptoms, and resource loss represents a “cascading” chain of events that over time results in a decline of health and functioning as well as in adverse job and organizationally relevant outcomes that may affect organizational effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding and tailoring the degradation of PVA‐tyramine hydrogels

We have previously reported on a hydrogel system fabricated from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) functionalized with tyramine groups (PVA‐Tyr) that has the ability to co‐polymerize with proteins in their native state. These gels were also shown to be hydrolytically degradable through the ester groups present in the functional groups. In this article, the hydrolytic degradation of the PVA‐Tyr gels is shown to be strongly dependant on pH, where at pH < 7.4 the lack of ionization of the tyramine groups resulted in slower hydrolysis. The gels' degradation was also highly influenced by temperature, where heat (>25°C) was required to facilitate the hydrolysis of the ester bonds. Moreover, the degradation rates were successfully tailored between 19 to 27 days by varying the hydrogels' initial macromer concentration. It was highlighted that the cross‐linking density was dependant on the sodium persulphate to tyramine ratio, as well as the viscosity of the macromer solution. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42142.     

The effect of walnut intake on factors related to prostate and vascular health in older men

Background

Tocopherols may protect against prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods

We assessed the effect of walnuts, which are rich in tocopherols, on markers of prostate and vascular health in men at risk for prostate cancer. We conducted an 8-week walnut supplement study to examine effects of walnuts on serum tocopherols and prostate specific antigen (PSA). Subjects (n = 21) consumed (in random order) their usual diet +/- a walnut supplement (75 g/d) that was isocalorically incorporated in their habitual diets. Prior to the supplement study, 5 fasted subjects participated in an acute timecourse experiment and had blood taken at baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 8 h after consuming walnuts (75 g).

Results

During the timecourse experiment, triglycerides peaked at 4 h, and gamma-tocopherol (γ-T) increased from 4 to 8 h. Triglyceride – normalized γ-T was two-fold higher (P = 0.01) after 8 versus 4 h. In the supplement study, change from baseline was +0.83 ± 0.52 μmol/L for γ-T, -2.65 ± 1.30 μmol/L for alpha-tocopherol (α-T) and -3.49 ± 1.99 for the tocopherol ratio (α-T: γ-T). A linear mixed model showed that, although PSA did not change, the ratio of free PSA:total PSA increased and approached significance (P = 0.07). The α-T: γ-T ratio decreased significantly (P = 0.01), partly reflecting an increase in serum γ-T, which approached significance (P = 0.08).

Conclusion

The significant decrease in the α-T: γ-T ratio with an increase in serum γ-T and a trend towards an increase in the ratio of free PSA:total PSA following the 8-week supplement study suggest that walnuts may improve biomarkers of prostate and vascular status.     

Mixtures of general linear models for functional neuroimaging

We set out a new general framework for making inferences from neuroimaging data, which includes a standard approach to neuroimaging analysis, statistical parametric mapping (SPM), as a special case. The model offers numerous conceptual and statistical advantages that derive from analyzing data at the "cluster level" rather than the "voxel level" and from explicit modeling of the shape and position of clusters of activation. This provides a natural and principled way to pool data from nearby voxels for parameter and variance-component estimation. The model can also be viewed as performing a spatio-temporal cluster analysis. The parameters of the model are estimated using an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm.     

Group remembering: Does social loafing underlie collaborative inhibition?

When people collaborate to recall information, they experience collaborative inhibition, a deficit in recall relative to nominal groups (the pooled, nonredundant recall of individuals working alone). That is, people recalling in groups do not perform up to their potential. Collaborative inhibition may be due to retrieval interference (e.g., B. H. Basden, D. R. Basden, S. Bryner, & R. L. Thomas, 1997) or to motivational factors such as social loafing in the group situation. Five experiments examined the role of motivational factors by varying monetary incentives, recall criterion, personal accountability, group cohesion, and group gender. Increasing motivation sometimes increased the overall level of recall but failed to eliminate the collaborative inhibition effect. The results suggest that collaboration interferes with an individual's ability to reconstruct his or her knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ambiguity and visual word recognition: Can feedback explain both homophone and polysemy effects?

In a lexical-decision task (LDT), Y. Hino and S. J. Lupker (see record 1996-06577-001) reported a polysemy effect (faster response times for polysemous words [e.g., BANK]), and attributed this effect to enhanced feedback from the semantic system to orthographic units, for polysemous words. Using the same task, P. M. Pexman et al (in review) reported a homophone effect (slower response times for homophonic words [e.g., MAID]) and attributed this effect to inconsistent feedback from the phonological system to orthographic units, for homophones. This article tests two predictions derived from this feedback explanation: Polysemy and homophone effects should (1) co-occur in a standard LDT (with pseudoword foils) and (2) both be larger with pseudohomophones (e.g., BRANE) as foils in LDT. The results support both predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bayesian nonstationary autoregressive models for biomedical signal analysis

We describe a variational Bayesian algorithm for the estimation of a multivariate autoregressive model with time-varying coefficients that adapt according to a linear dynamical system. The algorithm allows for time and frequency domain characterization of nonstationary multivariate signals and is especially suited to the analysis of event-related data. Results are presented on synthetic data and real electroencephalogram data recorded in event-related desynchronization and photic synchronization scenarios.     

Recent advances in titanium dioxide/graphene photocatalyst materials as potentials of energy generation

The properties of titanium dioxide (\(\hbox {TiO}_{2})\)/graphene/graphene oxides (GO) are examined in this study. These views summarize the recent theoretical and experimental novel approaches in the catalytic activity of \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\)/graphene interface. Imperative results at a level of detail, suitable for upcoming experimental and theoretical researchers involved an overview of the enthralling characteristics of \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) and graphene composites were presented. Aspects like crystal lattice, electronic band structure and phonon dispersion, among others that were used to describe the properties of a \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) interface with pristine graphene and graphene dioxide among other composites are discussed. In particular, this review covers reactivity, binding energies, geometric structures as well as the photocatalytic activity of anatase \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) surfaces with graphene and graphene oxide with hybrid nanocomposites. These views also explore the understanding of the \(\hbox {TiO}_{2}\) interactions with graphene and possible applications. Finally, highlights on the challenges and proposed strategies in developing advanced photocatalytic semiconductor-based composites for water-splitting applications are provided.     

Thrombotic events and markers of oxidation and inflammation in hemodialysis

The goal of this study was to determine whether antioxidant therapy with vitamin E would alter the rate of vascular access complications or other macrovascular complications in hemodialysis (HD) patients. A secondary goal of the study was to explore the relationship between baseline pretreatment markers of oxidative stress (the advanced glycation end product pentosidine and basal levels of vitamin Eα and γ) and the subsequent development of access failure. Thirty‐five stable patients treated by HD were recruited for the study. Patients were provided with vitamin E (800 IU) or placebo capsules to be taken daily. Clinical variables, vascular access function (flow meter access flow measurements), and circulating blood markers were obtained initially and every 3 months throughout the study. Vitamin Eα levels rose in treated patients from 12.7 ± 4.4 to 25.1 ± 15.1 µg/mL at 3 months and 28.6 ± 14.8 µg/mL at 6 months. Vitamin Eγ levels fell in treated patients from 3.9 ± 1.7 to 2.3 ± 1.5 µg/mL at 3 months and 1.7 µg/mL at 6 months. Patients who subsequently developed repeated thrombotic vascular access events were characterized by higher baseline pentosidine content of circulating proteins. Patients who developed a myocardial infarction had higher pentosidine, lower vitamin Eα, and much lower vitamin Eγ than patients who did not develop thrombotic events. These findings lead to the speculation that the anti‐inflammatory effects of vitamin Eγ may play a more important role in thrombotic vascular events than the antioxidant effects of vitamin Eα. Additional studies of these interactions are in progress.