Boys and violence: A gender-informed analysis.

This article discusses the phenomenon of youth violence from a psychology of gender perspective. Although other factors are discussed--including gun availability, violence-related media influence, family and caretaker factors, and effects of teasing and bullying--the intention is to highlight new thinking on the potential relationship between boys' traditional masculine socialization experiences and violence. In this new perspective, traditional masculine socialization estranges and isolates many boys from their genuine inner lives and vital connections to others, which is theorized to heighten their risk of engaging in acts of violence. The authors identify school and community programs that may be helpful in counteracting damaging socialization experiences and supporting boys' healthier emotional and psychological development. Finally, the article discusses approaches that psychologists and other mental health professionals can use to help address this vital issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of viscosity on the bitterness and astringency of grape seed tannin

To examine the separate effects of viscosity and sweetness on astringency, aqueous solutions of grape seed tannin (GST) were thickened with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) from 2 to 45 cP (experiment 1) or sweetened with 0 to 1.8 g/L aspartame (experiment 2). Trained subjects continuously rated astringency and bitterness in duplicate. Subjects were categorized by the salivary flow induced by citric acid and ability to taste n-propyl thiouracil (PROP). In experiment 1, maximum intensity and total duration of astringency were significantly decreased as viscosity rose, although time to maximum intensity of astringency was not affected. Maximum intensity and total duration of bitterness were not significantly affected by increasing viscosity; however, the onset of bitterness was significantly delayed. In experiment 2, increasing sweetness had no affect on any astringency parameter, although maximum intensity of bitterness was significantly decreased. Neither PROP nor salivary flow-status had any effect on perception of bitterness or astringency in either experiment.     

Topology design and bridge-capacity assignment for interconnecting token ring LANs: A simulated annealing approach

We address the problem of determining the topology and bridge-capacity assignments for a network connecting a number of token rings via source-routing bridges. The objective is to minimize the cost of bridge installations while meeting the network users' performance requirements. The problem is modeled as a mixed 0–1 integer program. A comparison is given between two solution algorithms: a simulated annealing algorithm using the flow-deviation algorithm for each routing subproblem, and a drop algorithm using the simplex method for the same subproblems to provide benchmark solutions. In the former algorithm, the routing subproblem is formulated as a nonlinear program with penalty functions to model node and link capacity constraints, and in the latter as a multicommodity flow model with the same capacity constraints. Computational results show that the simulated-annealing/flow-deviation algorithm produced substantially better solutions than the LP-based drop algorithm.     

Physiological deterioration of cassava roots

Rapid post-harvest physiological deterioration of cassava roots (Manihot esculenta Crantz) appears to be due essentially to wound responses, comparable to those observed in other plant storage organs. The wound responses observed include: increased activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, an enzyme associated with phenol biosynthesis; increased activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase; formation of phenols/polyphenols including leucoanthocyanidins, catechins, sco-poletin and condensed tannins, and often the formation of a wound periderm. In cassava, the responses did not remain localised at wound surfaces in roots when held at low storage humidity but spread through the roots causing a discolouration of the vascular tissue and storage parenchyma. Roots stored at high humidity showed a more typical wound response with localised production of phenols and periderm formation.     

An anisotropic theory of elasticity for continuum damage mechanics

This paper presents the development of an anisotropic elastic damage theory. This is achieved by deriving a modified damage effect tensor M(D) for the effective stress equations capable of including the effect of anisotropic material damage. The modified tensor removes the restriction of a priori knowledge of the directions of principal stresses imposed by a damage effect tensor developed earlier and can now be made for general practical engineering applications of failure analysis. Reduction of the proposed tensor to a scalar for isotropic damage is shown to be possible when it is expressed not only in the principal directions but also in any arbitrary coordinate system, a necessary condition to verify the validity of the proposed tensor. Uniaxial tension and pure torsion are chosen to illustrate the application of the theory as well as associated damage variables that may be experimentally determined using laboratory size specimens. The measured damage variables confirm the presence of anisotropic damage from an initially isotropic material specimen and the magnitude is more pronounced at higher stresses and strains.

---

Résumé On présente un développement d'une théorie sur l'endommagement élastique anisotrope en déduisant un tenseur modifié décrivant l'effet de l'endommagement pour un système d'équations de contraintes effectives susceptible d'inclure l'effet d'un endommagement dans un matériau anisotrope. Le tenseur modifié supprime la restriction de la connaissance a priori des directions des contraintes principales imposées par un tenseur d'effet d'endommagement développé précédemment; il peut à présent entrer dans les applications pratiques en construction de l'analyse des ruptures.On montre qu'il est possible de réduire le tenseur proposé à une valeur scalaire dans le cas d'un dommage isotrope, dès lors qu'il est exprimé non seulement suivant les directions principales, mais dans un système de coordonnées arbitraires, ce qui est une condition nécessaire pour en vérifier la validité.On choisit une traction multiaxiale et une torsion pure pour illustrer l'application de la théorie ainsi que des variables d'endommagement associées, susceptibles d'être déterminées expérimentalement à l'aide d'éprouvettes de laboratoire.Les variables d'endommagement mesurées confirment la présence d'un dommage anisotrope dans le cas d'une éprouvette d'un matériau initialement isotrope; son amplitude est plus prononcée à des contraintes ou des déformations plus importantes.

     

The study of sexual behavior in relation to the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus: Caveats and recommendations.

To create the behavior-change programs essential for limiting the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, we must obtain a precise understanding of the sexual behavior, knowledge, and attitudes of our nation's various ethnic, racial, social, age, regional, and sexual orientation groups. Such information is necessary for developing the precisely targeted educational programs that currently are our most effective means of reducing risk behaviors and halting the spread of the disease in the United States. These behavioral data are also crucial to biomedical investigations, making possible the identification of appropriate subjects for programs ranging from the testing of vaccines to the evaluation of the threat to pregnant women and their offspring. In this article, we summarize data on sexual behaviors associated with the transmission of the AIDS virus (i.e., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) and discuss selected issues relevant to the conduct of research on human sexuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)