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Several North American studies have found a connection between domestic violence and animal abuse. This article reports on the first Australian research to examine this connection. A group of 102 women recruited through 24 domestic violence services in the state of Victoria and a nondomestic violence comparison group (102 women) recruited from the community took part in the study. Significantly higher rates of partner pet abuse, partner threats of pet abuse, and pet abuse by other family members were found in the violent families compared with the nondomestic violence group. As hypothesized, children from the violent families were reported by their mothers to have witnessed and committed significantly more animal abuse than children from the nonviolent families. Logistic regression analyses revealed, for the group as a whole, that a woman whose partner had threatened the pets was 5 times more likely to belong to the intimate partner violence group. (Contains 2 tables and 7 notes.)

This study examined the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to identify prison inmates in a mandatory sex offender treatment program prone to engage in institutional misconduct. Archival PAI and institutional disciplinary data were coded for 137 inmates in treatment for an average of 1.59 years. The Antisocial Features scale predicted various forms of general and major infractions (e.g., verbal aggression), with no other scales providing any incremental validity beyond this measure. The Treatment Rejection scale was uniquely but modestly correlated (r=.14) with treatment noncompliance, even though such infractions were rare in this sample.

This study explored the relationships between professional orientation (defined as how the principal sees his or her role in the organization) and school culture, the influence of gender on professional orientation, and the relationship between school culture and the academic achievement of students. One hundred principals were surveyed. Two instruments, the Professional Orientation and the School Culture Survey were completed. The results were analyzed using linear regression statistics to determine (a) gender and professional orientation effect on the factors of school culture, and (b) if factors of school culture had an effect on student success in the elementary school. Findings of this study suggested that the professional orientation of the principal does appear to have a significant effect on school culture. In addition, professional orientation choices do vary in ways that can be connected to gender. Of the six school culture factors, only learning partnership appears to have any significant effect on student achievement. (Contains 3 tables.)

Designing a mental health facility requires special considerations to protect the safety and dignity of patients in a fragile psychiatric state as well as ensure the security of staff. Previously, [...]

Report of a study of the leadership competencies of rural principals in Missouri who were prepared through the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards. Findings indicate that a standards-based program and collaboration between the training institution and public schools results in well-prepared leaders. (Contains 1 table and 17 references.) (WFA)

Several North American studies have found a connection between domestic violence and animal abuse. This article reports on the first Australian research to examine this connection. A group of 102 women recruited through 24 domestic violence services in the state of Victoria and a nondomestic violence comparison group (102 women) recruited from the community took part in the study. Significantly higher rates of partner pet abuse, partner threats of pet abuse, and pet abuse by other family members were found in the violent families compared with the nondomestic violence group. As hypothesized, children from the violent families were reported by their mothers to have witnessed and committed significantly more animal abuse than children from the nonviolent families. Logistic regression analyses revealed, for the group as a whole, that a woman whose partner had threatened the pets was 5 times more likely to belong to the intimate partner violence group. Keywords: animal abuse; domestic violence; family violence; pet abuse

The effects of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and sprouty1 expressions on mouse ureteric epithelium development are presented.

A study was conducted to compare alternative class-sparing antiretroviral regimens in treatment of naive subjects by using the open label, multicenter, randomized trial. It was seen that secondary analyses favored the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) regiment over the protease inhibitor and NRTI regimens and the results were excellent in 96-weeks.

Abstract Feminist teachers often look to computer-mediated communication as a solution to the gender inequities of the classroom. This paper discusses the difficulties encountered by feminist teachers in a computer [...]

Issues are presented concerning the accuracy of the Personality Assessment Inventory's Antisocial Features scale in determining psychopathic assessments. A group of 55 sex offenders and a group of 46 forensic psychiatric inpatients were studied.

PURPOSE Biomarker-driven master protocols represent a new paradigm in oncology clinical trials, but their complex designs and wide-ranging genomic results returned can be difficult to communicate to participants. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate patient knowledge and expectations related to return of genomic results in the Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP). METHODS Eligible participants with previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer were recruited from patients enrolled in Lung-MAP. Participants completed a 38-item telephone survey ≥ 30 days from Lung-MAP consent. The survey assessed understanding about the benefits and risks of Lung-MAP participation and knowledge of the potential uses of somatic testing results returned. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios for associations between demographic factors and correct responses to survey items were assessed. RESULTS From August 1, 2017, to June 30, 2019, we recruited 207 participants with a median age of 67, 57.3% male, and 94.2% White. Most participants "strongly/somewhat agreed" with statements that they "received enough information to understand" Lung-MAP benefits (82.6%) and risks (69.5%). In items asking about potential uses of Lung-MAP genomic results, 87.0%correctly indicated that the results help to select cancer treatment, but < 20% correctly indicated that the results are not used to confirm cancer diagnosis, would not reveal risk of developing diseases besides cancer, and would not indicate if family members had increased cancer risk. There were no associations between sociodemographic factors and proportions providing correct responses. CONCLUSION In a large National Clinical Trials Network biomarker-driven master protocol, most participants demonstrated incorrect knowledge and expectations about the uses of genomic results provided in the study despite most indicating that they had enough information to understand benefits and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on the use of standardized patients, lay persons trained to portray a particular patient, is reviewed, focusing on their use in medical education and potential applications in dental education. A test of 80 dental students using standardized patients is also described and evaluated. (MSE)

Describes results of a survey of Deans of Colleges of Education that investigated distance education courses using interactive television or a Web-based instructional delivery model. Discusses faculty ownership of developed courses and materials; compensation; attitudes toward the distance learning instructional model; faculty training and professional development; and technical support. (LRW)

The Minnesota Department of Education's rules regarding licensure of coaches are described. (MT)

Eighteen journal articles and monographs on learning theory and its possible applications to library instruction are listed and annotated. Most of the materials were published within the last 10 years, although some earlier titles that are considered basic are included. (EM)

The utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is examined to identify prison inmates in a mandatory sex offender treatment program prone to engage in institutional misconduct. The Antisocial Features scale predicted various forms of general and major infractions, with no other scales providing any incremental validity beyond this measure.

Radio frequency (RF) treatment is one of the most promising physical disinfestation methods in agricultural products due to rapid heating, deep penetration depth, and leaving no chemical residues. This paper focuses on reviewing uses of RF energy for disinfestation of agricultural products. It provides a brief introduction on the basic principle of RF heating technology, analyzes the differential heating of pests in host products at RF range, and discusses the factors influencing the RF heating uniformity and the possible methods to improve heating uniformity by computer simulations. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent progresses in developing RF treatment protocols for disinfesting fresh fruits and dry products, and recommendations for future research to effectively achieve the required RF heating uniformity and bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal death kinetics of Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) at different life stages, heating rate, and temperature is essential for developing postharvest treatments to control pests in chestnuts. Using a heating block system (HBS), the most heat-tolerant life stage of C. punctiferalis and the effects of heating rate (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10°C/min) on insect mortality were determined. The thermal death kinetic data of fifth-instar C. punctiferalis were obtained at temperatures between 44 and 50°C at a heating rate of 5°C/min. The results showed that the relative heat tolerance of C. punctiferalis was found to be fifth instars>pupae> third instars> eggs. To avoid the enhanced thermal tolerance of C. punctiferalis at low heating rates (0.1 or 0.5°C/min), a high heating rate of 5°C/min was selected to simulate the fast radio frequency heating in chestnuts and further determine the thermal death kinetic data. Thermal death curves of C. punctiferalis followed a 0th-order kinetic reaction model. The minimum exposure time to achieve 100% mortality was 55, 12, 6, and 3 min at 44, 46, 48, and 50°C, respectively. The activation energy for controlling C. punctiferalis was 482.15 kJ/mol with the z value of 4.09°C obtained from the thermal death–time curve. The information provided by thermal death kinetics for C. punctiferalis is useful in developing effective postharvest thermal treatment protocols for disinfesting chestnuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dehydration reduces water activity and extends shelf life of perishable agricultural products. The purpose of this research was to study the application of radio frequency (RF) energy in dehydration of in-shell Macadamia nuts and shorten the lengthy process times needed in conventional hot air drying operations. A pilot scale 27.12-MHz and 6-kW RF system was used to determine the operational parameters, the drying curve, and the quality attributes of the processed nuts. The results showed that an electrode gap of 15.5 cm and a hot air temperature of 50 °C provided an acceptable heating rate and stable sample temperatures, and were used for further drying tests. The drying curves showed an exponential decay and required 750 and 360 min to achieve the final moisture content of 0.030 kg water/kg dry solid (3.0 % dry basis) in whole nuts in hot air drying and RF heating/hot air combined drying, respectively. The drying kinetics of the nuts were described well by the Page model for hot air drying, but a logarithmic model was more suited for RF/hot air drying. Peroxide value and free fatty acid increased with the drying time both for hot air and RF drying but remained within acceptable range required by the nut industry. The RF process shows potential to provide rapid, uniform, and quality-acceptable drying technology for the nut industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric manifestations. Since the mutation responsible for the disease was identified as an unstable expansion of CAG repeats in the gene encoding the huntingtin protein in 1993, numerous mouse models of HD have been generated to study disease pathogenesis and evaluate potential therapeutic approaches. Of these, knock-in models best mimic the human condition from a genetic perspective since they express the mutation in the appropriate genetic and protein context. Behaviorally, however, while some abnormal phenotypes have been detected in knock-in mouse models, a model with an earlier and more robust phenotype than the existing models is required. We describe here for the first time a new mouse line, the zQ175 knock-in mouse, derived from a spontaneous expansion of the CAG copy number in our CAG 140 knock-in colony [1]. Given the inverse relationship typically observed between age of HD onset and length of CAG repeat, since this new mouse line carries a significantly higher CAG repeat length it was expected to be more significantly impaired than the parent line. Using a battery of behavioral tests we evaluated both heterozygous and homozygous zQ175 mice. Homozygous mice showed motor and grip strength abnormalities with an early onset (8 and 4 weeks of age, respectively), which were followed by deficits in rotarod and climbing activity at 30 weeks of age and by cognitive deficits at around 1 year of age. Of particular interest for translational work, we also found clear behavioral deficits in heterozygous mice from around 4.5 months of age, especially in the dark phase of the diurnal cycle. Decreased body weight was observed in both heterozygotes and homozygotes, along with significantly reduced survival in the homozygotes. In addition, we detected an early and significant decrease of striatal gene markers from 12 weeks of age. These data suggest that the zQ175 knock-in line could be a suitable model for the evaluation of therapeutic approaches and early events in the pathogenesis of HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (VAHPERD) convention to be held at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia from November 9-11, 2012, along with the celebration of the VAHPERD's 75th anniversary.

The purpose of this paper is to present matrix learning as an approach for developing teamwork, synergy, and critical thinking in business classes. Matrix learning is a cooperative learning technique, where students discuss concepts, present arguments and counter arguments, and develop critical thinking skills. Students also realize positive learning benefits like empowerment and responsible association. Matrix learning maximizes performance, morale, and well-being of students. Numerous researchers have studied the effects of the use of cooperative learning on student achievement from reading comprehension and English as a second language to chemistry and engineering to elementary teacher education and the development of psychomotor learning in gymnastics (Artut & Tarim, 2007; Doymus, 2008; Ghaith & Bouzeineddine, 2003; Gömleksiz, 2007; Shaaban, 2006). While most have reported positive effects on learning, researchers do not argue that cooperative learning techniques are equally efficacious for all learning. Cooperative learning does not seem to work well, for example, in the development of psychomotor learning (O'Leary & Griggs, 2010); and some students have negative opinions, regarding group work as being "a waste of time" (Greenop, 2007). Overall, however, researchers (Ghaith & El-Malak, 2004; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Joyce, 1999; McKeachie, 1988; Slavin, 1987;) have reported that cooperative learning techniques like matrix learning are significantly more effective than traditional methods in terms of achievement, but are superior in terms of fostering group affection and respect. Matrix learning allows students to assume some responsibility for their own learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is often used when warfarin therapy is interrupted for surgery. Objective: To determine the preoperative anticoagulant activity of LMWH following a standardized ‘bridging’ regimen. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Single university hospital. Patients: Consecutive patients who had warfarin therapy interrupted before an invasive procedure. Intervention: Enoxaparin, 1 mg/kg of body weight, twice daily. The last dose was administered the evening before surgery. Measurements: Blood anti-factor Xa heparin levels measured shortly before surgery. Results: Preoperative anti-Xa heparin levels were obtained in 80 patients at an average of 14 hours after the last dose of enoxaparin was administered. The average anti-Xa heparin level was 0.6 U/mL. The anti-Xa heparin level, measured shortly before surgery, was 0.5 U/mL or greater in 54 (68%) patients and 1.0 U/mL or greater in 13 (16%) patients. A shorter interval since the last dose (P < 0.001) and a higher body mass index (P = 0.001) were associated with higher preoperative anti-Xa heparin levels. Limitations: The small sample size limits accurate estimates of the frequency of the clinical outcomes. A single regimen of LMWH was evaluated. Conclusions: Anti-Xa heparin levels often remain high at the time of surgery if a last dose of a twice-daily regimen of LMWH is given the evening before surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]