Empirical questions, paradoxical interventions, and treatment acceptability: Reply to Kolko and Milan.

Responds to the comments of D. J. Kolko and M. A. Milan (see record 1987-22644-001) on the study of acceptability of paradoxical interventions by T. A. Cavell et al (see record 1987-23315-001) by recasting their comments as empirical questions and including them within an expanded outline of empirical issues related to the acceptability of paradoxical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Giant desmosomes in tumors

The lengths of desmosomal profiles were measured in sections of tumor tissue from cases of mesothelioma, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, thymoma, and meningioma. Giant desmosomes (length of profile 1 micron or greater than 1 micron) were found in all the above-mentioned tumors except adenocarcinomas. The largest desmosomal profile in adenocarcinoma was approximately 0.8 micron long; the largest in mesothelioma was approximately 2 microns long. Our observations suggest that one of the ways in which giant desmosomes arise is by growth and fusion of adjacent desmosomes. Giant desmosomes may at times help in distinguishing mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma, but this is a rather rare phenomenon. In this study giant desmosomes were found in only 2 out of 10 cases of mesothelioma.     

Soft X-ray spectroscopy of oxide-embedded and functionalized silicon nanocrystals

An X-ray absorption spectroscopic investigation into the electronic and optical properties of silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) derived from the thermal processing of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) is presented. Hydrofluoric (HF) acid etching and subsequent photochemical hydrosilylation with styrene liberates the as-synthesized oxide-embedded Si-NCs from their matrix and renders them solution dispersible through the formation of surface Si–C bonds. The impact of this process on the photoluminescence behavior exhibited by these materials has been studied through near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectroscopies.     

History of peer victimization and children's response to school bullying.

We examined the degree to which children with and without a history of stable peer victimization differentially endorse strategies for dealing with school bullies. Participants were 323 children, 58 of whom met criteria for chronic peer victimization. Children with a history of stable peer victimization differed from comparison children in how they rated various strategies, but the findings were gender specific. Chronically bullied girls were less inclined to endorse any strategy (coercive or noncoercive), whereas chronically bullied boys generally endorsed adult-recommended strategies. However, strategy endorsement for boys was associated with greater levels of peer victimization in the following grade. Discussed is the complex role of interpersonal strategies in affecting change in bullied children's victimization experiences and the implications for intervening on behalf of chronically bullied children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing for Effects on Variance in Experiments With Factorial Treatment Structure and Nested Errors

There is increased interest in industrial experiments aimed at improving quality by reducing the variability of a product characteristic while maintaining the desired mean level of the characteristic. Analysis of treatment effects on variability, however, is more difficult than analyzing the effects on mean performance. In this article we extend the results of Zelen to test for treatment effects on variance when there are two sources of variability, that which exists between production runs or setups and variability within runs. Bootstrap critical values are developed to handle possibly nonnormal errors at either level of variability.     

Adverse School Context Moderates the Outcomes of Selective Interventions for Aggressive Children.

Drawing on social ecological theory and empirical studies on the role of school context in aggression, the authors argue that school adversity is an important consideration in choosing selective interventions for aggressive children. The moderating role of school adversity on intervention effectiveness is illustrated with data from a randomized clinical trial study investigating 2 selective interventions administered to 86 aggressive 2nd and 3rd graders. The authors expected that PrimeTime, an intervention targeting child competencies, would be more effective in low-adversity schools, whereas Lunch Buddy, an intervention targeting peer ecology, would be more effective in high-adversity schools. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed significant posttreatment effects on composite measures of aggression and achievement for the interaction between the level of school adversity and treatment condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)