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This chapter examines the campaign against Ibutho Coal’s proposed open-pit coal mine near the community of Fuleni in northern South Africa. The project is also close to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi nature reserve, which is home to endangered species, such as the southern white rhino. The reserve is also an important tourist destination and a cultural heritage of the Zulu nation because King Shaka lived and hunted there as a youngster. The proposed mine triggered a response at two levels: one local and focused on community livelihoods, and the other transnational and centered on wilderness conservationism. Local organizations promoted community exchanges to share information about the environmental harms of coal mining. They also sought to bundle material threats over land and water with nonmaterial threats related to the local Zulu identity and culture. Community members in Fuleni faced several obstacles that made preventive mobilization difficult, but they embraced other strategies to stall mining with the support of transnational wildlife advocacy networks.

This chapter traces the conflict over B2Gold’s proposed open-pit gold mine in Rancho Grande, Nicaragua. Similar to other protracted conflicts, host communities, industry, and government actors were in a race against each other to define (or redefine) the threats and opportunities presented by mining. While farmers in Rancho Grande opposed the project, Catholic Church leaders became the main face of the anti-mining campaign. Church leaders emphasized a trade-off between short-term benefits and long-term costs of mining through radio shows and led peaceful marches against the proposed project. When these leaders spoke of the Church teachings related to the protection of the environment, they tapped into the religious identity of community members. As such, they helped to bridge material threats over land and water with nonmaterial concerns related to the community’s religious identity.

This chapter summarizes our findings and contributions to the literature on resource conflicts. We examined three cases characterized by protracted conflicts over mining in Peru, Nicaragua, and South Africa with the goal of revealing the attitudes of individuals prior to the extraction of minerals. This chapter contextualizes the importance of social engagement by considering different approaches to exploring participatory venues at the local level and by comparing conflicts at later stages in the commodity chain. It revisits the sources of support for mining, which—unlike opposition views, being more vocal and visible—remain largely under the radar. The concluding chapter also addresses the broader implications of our findings for the onset of conflicts, the salience of preventive strategies, firm–community relations, as well as participatory mechanisms related to decisions over mining.

Using original public opinion surveys, this chapter highlights similarities as well as differences in the reasons for support and opposition to the proposed mining projects in Tía María (Peru), Rancho Grande (Nicaragua), and Fuleni (South Africa). This chapter presents our quantitative analysis on the determinants of support for mining. We explain the operationalization of our variables, modeling technique, and substantive findings. Our surveys reveal a representative picture of community views about mining that are politically layered based on contextual factors, which can remain unknown because supporters of mining are less vocal than opponents. While controlling for competing explanations and other socio-demographic variables, our empirical results confirm the hypothesized effect of social engagement on support for mining.

This chapter studies one of the most protracted and violent conflicts over mining in Peru: the Tía María open-pit copper mine project of the Southern Copper Corporation. The conflict can be traced to 2009 when Southern presented its first environmental impact assessment report. It emphasizes the role of organizations connected to the local agriculture, such as irrigator boards and producers’ associations. These organizations shared information related to the threats induced by mining and empowered individuals to challenge industry and government actors interested in expanding extractive activities. They also helped to redefine material threats to land and water with nonmaterial threats related to the community’s agricultural identity. Despite strong local opposition, Southern and various government actors remain interested in bringing the project to light.

This introductory chapter situates resource conflicts in the Global South by highlighting the importance of resource extraction to developing economies in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. It presents the positive and negative externalities that are commonly associated with extractive activities. It suggests that an approach based on individual-level attitudes enables researchers to get closer to the roots or micro-politics, where views over mining are formed or reinforced. This approach provides a more representative picture of the diversity of views about mining, particularly in conflict areas where opposition to mining appears to be widespread. These individual views, in turn, inform mobilizing strategies over mining, which to date have been the main focus of the existing literature on this subject.

This chapter reviews the contributions of the existing literature and shows how an approach based on individual attitudes fills important gaps in the current scholarship. It develops the theoretical arguments about social engagement and how it helps to differentiate individuals who oppose mining from those who support these activities. It emphasizes what individuals get from participation in local organizations (e.g., critical information about mining threats, empowerment, a community worldview free of mining) and how these outcomes work to shape or reinforce views about mining. The chapter also situates the threats and opportunities presented by mining by drawing attention to the nature of claims over extractive activities, which we categorized as either rejection or redistribution claims. The chapter concludes by explaining the selection of case studies and the research methodology informing the empirical analysis.

Studies of resource conflicts emphasize the structural characteristics of mining projects and the strategies of pro- and anti-mining groups in the context of large-scale mining. In this book, we take a different approach that looks at individuals living near proposed mines. We argue and show that individuals are drawn to their communities in different ways. Some of them participate in local organizations more than others, and this social engagement sets them apart from each other when it comes to their views and later demands about mining. By participating in local organizations, individuals gain critical information about the threats posed by mining as well as resources to address community concerns. Participation in local organizations also emboldens individuals to challenge industry and/or government actors seeking to expand resource extraction. And finally, participation in local organizations imparts a community worldview that allows community members to see themselves as being in the same boat, thus also rejecting proposals that jeopardize existing community livelihoods. Individuals who are less socially engaged, in contrast, are more open to embracing the opportunities about mining coming from industry and/or government actors. They apply greater weight to the importance of resource extraction to the nation and their own pocketbooks. These individuals are more likely to express supportive views about mining. The book examines this variation in individual attitudes in three sites characterized by protracted mining conflicts in Peru, Nicaragua, and South Africa. Fieldwork and original surveys in host communities near proposed mines support these findings.

Much scholarship available on team-teaching focuses on K-12 programming, with limited examples in post-secondary education. Adding to the growing research on college-level team-taught courses, this...

Some limited scholarship, focused on the US as donor, links the allocation of foreign aid to the implementation of transitional justice (TJ) mechanisms in post-authoritarian recipient states. Howev...

Higher educational attainment levels are associated with better public health outcomes, lower levels of income inequality, more participation in democratic instructions, and safer communities. Promoting education in war-torn societies can have an immediate impact in mitigating violence and play a significant role in preventing conflict recurrence. This study investigates UN peacekeeping missions’ role in this process, positing that UN deployments to locations experiencing armed conflict lead to higher levels of educational attainment by increasing local stability, incentivizing individuals to return to school while also making renewed investment worthwhile. Testing this logic using new data on local-level educational attainment across Africa from 2000 to 2014, this study finds that conflict zones where the UN maintained peacekeeping deployments saw an increase in educational attainment when compared to those that did not, a finding corroborated by coarsened exact matching. Maintaining a modest number of UN forces is shown to increase female attainment by at least 4.89 percent and reduce gender disparity by 5.13 percent, revealing the critical role UN peacekeeping plays in restoring education in the shadow of political violence.

Protests over resource extraction have increased in Latin America in recent years. However, significant variation exists in the region in terms of citizen's willingness to protest against resource extraction. We argue that this variation is based on the interaction of factors at both the individual and state levels. Individual-level characteristics, such as social engagement, influence the likelihood of protest activity. State-level characteristics, such as the quality of governance, also present opportunities for engaged individuals to challenge resource extraction. Following political mediation theory, we argue that collective action strategies are likely to be more productive in some political contexts than in others. Thus socially-engaged citizens in high-quality governance environments are more willing to participate in protests over resource extraction vis-a-vis their counterparts in low-quality governance settings. We utilize survey data and state-level governance data across Latin America to determine why some individuals are willing to demonstrate against resource extraction while others are not.

Studies in non-human animal models have revealed that in early development, the onset of visual input gates the critical period closure of some auditory functions. The study of rare individuals whose sight was restored after a period of congenital blindness offers the rare opportunity to assess whether early visual input is a prerequisite for the full development of auditory functions in humans as well. Here, we investigated whether a few months of delayed visual onset would affect the development of Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs). ABRs are widely used in the clinical practice to assess both functionality and development of the subcortical auditory pathway and, provide reliable data at the individual level. We collected Auditory Brainstem Responses from two case studies, young children (both having less than 5 years of age) who experienced a transient visual deprivation since birth due to congenital bilateral dense cataracts (BC), and who acquired sight at about two months of age. As controls, we tested 41 children (sighted controls, SC) with typical development, as well as two children who were treated (at about two months of age) for congenital monocular cataracts (MC). The SC group data served to predict, at the individual level, wave latencies of each BC and MC participant. Statistics were performed both at the single subject as well as at the group levels on latencies of main ABR waves (I, III, V and SN10). Results revealed delayed response latencies for both BC children compared with the SC group starting from the wave III. Conversely, no difference emerged between MC children and the SC group. These findings suggest that in case the onset of patterned visual input is delayed, the functional development of the subcortical auditory pathway lags behind typical developmental trajectories. Ultimately results are in favor of the presence of a crossmodal sensitive period in the human subcortical auditory system.

The impact of resource wealth on society remains highly contested in the literature. Some perspectives suggest that resource wealth is associated with political apathy, while others indicate that resource wealth fosters violent civil conflicts. We leverage these seemingly contradictory impacts of natural resources on society by expanding the scope of inquiry to explore different types of resource wealth (oil and minerals) as well as other dimensions of political life (protest). Utilising a global dataset for the period 1950–2006, we test the impact of resource wealth on mobilisation. We find that while oil wealth demobilises citizens in all regime types, mineral wealth strongly correlates with higher levels of mobilisation in democracies, though not in autocracies. In addition, using survey data, we examine individual-level attitudes toward protest participation in two resource-rich states, Peru and Ecuador. The results indicate that an individual living in a mineral-rich country like Peru is more...

This chapter focuses on the study of human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in International Relations. It focuses on the definition of the organizations and the variation that exists within the sector. The chapter outlines how existing theoretical approaches in International Relations have approached human rights NGOs. It traces on the tactics and strategies that NGOs have used in the pursuit of human rights improvement and then focus on what recent empirical scholarship has found about their impact. The chapter addresses what we see as the coming challenges in this area, both for advocates on the ground and for International Relations scholars interested in studying this dynamic NGO sector. Notable financial scandals within the NGO community represent a complete lack of effective accountability mechanisms, which may lead to poor performance of programmes and theft through accounting manipulation. International Relations scholarship has examined human rights NGOs for some time.

Human rights advocates have been argued to be working as part of a larger “network” of actors supporting the respect and security of individuals. However, until recently, much scholarship in this area has used “network” as a synonym for “connected actors” instead of examining the network characteristics of advocacy actors and the ways in which the nature of the advocacy network could influence human rights outcomes. This chapter examines the growing literature that focuses on human rights advocacy using network theory and methodologies. It outlines both global and local data collection efforts and the state of the literature and addresses how this literature has drawn on the larger political networks literature. It concludes with a call for future work on how the network characteristics of advocacy actors influences both which human rights issues receive international attention and whether this attention translates into improvements in human rights practices on the ground.

Summary Background Inhaled endotoxin (LPS) may cause a transient increase in airway responsiveness, possibly through a cytokine-mediated airway inflammation, which is associated with an increase in nitric oxide synthesis and release. Objective We wondered whether pentoxifylline (PTX), which may attenuate cytokine release induced by LPS. could inhibit LPS-induced increase in airway responsiveness. Objective Methacholine (Mch) bronchial responsiveness was assessed 2 and 24 h after saline or LPS inhalation in eight subjects with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (PD20FEV1 610 ± 53 μg), treated with iv saline or PTX, in a double-blind crossover design. Nitric oxide (NO) in the exhaled air, which was expected to increase after LPS inhalation, and PEFR values were also measured at baseline, hourly for 6h and 24 h later. Results After LPS inhalation PEFR decreased significantly compared with placebo inhalation, reaching a maximum decrease of 11.25 ± 1.05 and 4.5 ± 0.84% of baseline, at 2h, respectively during saline and PTX infusion, P < 0.001. Exhaled NO were elevated after LPS compared with placebo inhalation at 1h (35.6 ± 4.8 vs 18 ± 2.8 ppb, P < 0.001), with no difference during saline or PTX infusion. Exhaled NO remained elevated until the 6th hour. PD20FEVI 2h after LPS inhalation was significantly lower than after placebo inhalation both during saline infusion (234 ± 29 vs 625 ± 62 μg, P < 0.001) and during PTX infusion (441 ± 47 vs 616 ± 48 μg, P < 0.001), the difference between saline and PTX being significant (P < 0.01). At 24 h no difference in PEFR, PD20FEV1 and exhaled NO was observed in comparison with pre-study values. Conclusion PTX attenuates both the decrease in airway patency and the increase in bronchial responsiveness induced by LPS inhalation, without any significant change in exhaled NO, which is increased by LPS inhalation.

This work reports the results of an environmental survey carried out in an industrial area in the Province of Turin: its main aim is to assess the levels of iron and aluminium in the outside air during the period from July to September to assess the influence of industrial activity (a cast-iron and aluminium foundry) which is interrupted during the month of August, on the level of metals present in the air. Conducting the analysis during this period of time made it possible to avoid the confounding effect of pollution due to domestic central heating. The measurements were taken from nine areas at different distances from the foundry in the area and according to the direction of the prevailing winds, as deduced from the historical data. The results of this survey show a statistically significant difference in iron and aluminium levels in the outside air in the geographic areas between the two main periods examined: during August (no foundry activity) v/s July-September (foundry activity). The values recorded are: Aluminium 0.4+/-0.45 microg/m(3) v/s 1.12+/-1.29 microg/m(3) (p

Background : In a cross-sectional case-control study conducted in northern Italy, 64 former aluminium dust-exposed workers were compared with 32 unexposed controls from other companies matched for age, professional training, economic status, educational and clinical features. The findings lead the authors to suggest a possible role of the inhalation of aluminium dust in pre-clinical mild cognitive disorder which might prelude Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or AD-like neurological deterioration. Methods : The investigation involved a standardised occupational and medical history with particular attention to exposure and symptoms, assessments of neurotoxic metals in serum: aluminium (Al-s), copper (Cu-s) and zinc (Zn-s), and in blood: manganese (Mn-b), lead (Pb-b) and iron (Fe-b). Cognitive functions were assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and auditory evoked Event-Related Potential (ERP-P300). To detect early signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the time required to solve the MMSE (MMSE-time) and CDT (CDT-time) was also measured. Results : Significantly higher internal doses of Al-s and Fe-b were found in the ex-employees compared to the control group. The neuropsychological tests showed a significant difference in the latency of P300, MMSE score, MMSE-time, CDT score and CDT-time between the exposed and the control population. P300 latency was found to correlate positively with Al-s and MMSE-time. Al-s has significant effects on all tests: a negative relationship was observed between internal Al concentrations, MMSE score and CDT score; a positive relationship was found between internal Al concentrations, MMSE-time and CDT-time. All the potential confounders such as age, height, weight, blood pressure, schooling years, alcohol, coffee consumption and smoking habit were taken into account. Conclusions : These findings suggest a role of aluminium in early neurotoxic effects that can be detected at a pre-clinical stage by P300, MMSE, MMSE-time, CDT-time and CDT score, considering a 10 μg/l cut-off level of serum aluminium, in aluminium foundry workers with concomitant high blood levels of iron. The authors raise the question whether pre-clinical detection of aluminium neurotoxicity and consequent early treatment might help to prevent or retard the onset of AD or AD-like pathologies.

Nanophasic CeO2-based thin films were grown at low temperatures on SiO2 and Si(100) by plasma-enhanced (PE) CVD from a Ce(IV) beta-diketonate first generation precursor. Film depositions were carried out in low-pressure Ar-O2 plasmas at temperatures between 150 and 300°C. The film microstructure was investigated by glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while their surface and in-depth chemical composition was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) respectively. Optical properties were analyzed by UV-vis optical absorption. Nanostructured CeO2-based films, with crystal size less than 6 nm and a controllable Ce(IV)/Ce(III) ratio, were obtained at temperatures even lower than the one required for precursor vaporization (170°C). In particular, TEM analyses evidenced an island growth mode and different microstructural features as a function of the substrate used.

A two-dimensional fit of a suitable model for interpreting small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has been shown to be a valuable tool in obtaining quantitative microstructural information. The model is based on the hypothesis that dilute ellipsoidal particles are arranged parallel to each other. The method has been applied to two glasses containing oriented particles. The investigated materials are both alkali aluminoborosilicate glasses, thermally treated and redrawn at a temperature above their softening point. The Ag(Cl, Br) crystalline droplets, formed during the preliminary thermal treatment, assume, after drawing, a cigar-like shape, oriented in the stretching direction, and give the material birefringence properties. The volumetric particle distribution has an average of 22 × 70 nm and is skewed up to length values of about 1200 nm. The composition of the solid solution, determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), is Ag(Cl0.35, Br0.65). When the Ag(Cl, Br) particles on the surface are chemically reduced to Ag, a material with polarizing properties is obtained (PolarcorTM). For this sample, two distributions of particles have been found: one with an average of 18 x 230 nm and skewed up to 600 nm, and one, very sharp, of much shorter particles (14 × 30 nm).

Goals: Our goal is to investigate the chemopreventive effect of green tea extract (GTE) and tamoxifen (TAM) alone or in combination on mammary carcinogenesis and preneoplastic lesions of C3H/OuJ mouse. Methods: Mammary tumors of C3H/OuJ mouse induced by exogenous MMTV frequently arise from preneoplastic lesions termed hyperplastic alveolar nodules (HANs). Mice were divided into five groups; (1) no treatment as control, (2) 1%GTE orally administered with drinking water, (3) 0.5%GTE orally, (4) TAM pellet subcutaneously administered (10mg /body/3months), (5) 1%GTE orally and TAM subcutaneously in combination. The treatment was started at 10 week-old and observed the tumor formation. At 48 week-old, mice were sacrificed and mammary glands were removed, stained with methylene blue for HAN count, and with silver nitrate for counting Nucleolar Organizer Regions (AgNORs). Results: The tumor incidence of control group, 1%GTE group, 0.5%GTE group, TAM group and combination group was 30%, 25%, 25%, 14% and 0%, respectively, but not significantly different. Average HAN count of control group, 1%GTE group, 0.5%GTE group, TAM group and combination group was 9.2, 6.1, 7.5, 6.0 and 5.8, respectively. HAN formation was significantly reduced in 1%GTE group, TAM group and combination group compared with control group. Average AgNOR count of control group, 1%GTE group, 0.5%GTE group, TAM group and combination group was 2.862/cell, 1.886, 1.993, 1.697 and 1.590, respectively. AgNOR formation was significantly reduced in 1%GTE group, TAM group and combination group compared with control group. Conclusion: These data suggest that GTE and TAM have some potential in chemoprevention of breast cancer, individually and in combination.

Our study included 27 polyurethane foam workers exposed to MDI only at low concentrations (ranging from 0.0005 to 0.001 ppm) and 27 clerks from the same factory matched by age. Respiratory function tests were performed on a Monday and Friday of the same week at shift onset, 4 h later and at shift end. The subjects under study were asymptomatic for asthma. The two groups had quite similar spirometric values with minimal functional impairment. A statistical analysis was carried out by Student's t-test for matched pairs and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), in order to take into account both occupational exposure and smoking habits. No significant differences between the two groups were observed with paired t-tests in the respiratory parameter trend during both the Monday and Friday work shift. Nor were differences observed within the two groups when Friday's and Monday's results were compared. No significant differences between the two groups were found in paired comparisons between Friday and Monday for respiratory parameters. ANOVA demonstrated that the FEV1 and FEF25-75 reduction present on Friday, when compared to Monday, was related to smoking and not to occupational exposure. In conclusion our findings showed no short-term respiratory changes in subjects exposed to low MDI concentration.

Aims of our study were: to evaluate small airway function of subjects with past or present silica dust exposure and normal spirometric values; to investigate whether small airway disease is related to radiographic signs of silicosis, to cumulative dust exposure (ES) and to cigarette smoking. Maximal expiratory flow at 50% (MEF50) and 25% (MEF25) of forced expired vital capacity were measured in 112 subjects, 69 with radiographic signs of silicosis, group I, and the remaining 43 with normal chest X-rays. Even if age and ES were significantly higher in group I, no significant difference in respiratory function tests and in prevalence of small airway disease was found between the two groups. In both groups small airway function was significantly negatively related to smoking habits, while it was independent of the other variables considered. Multiple regression analysis with MEF50 and MEF25 as dependent variables did not show any significant relationship. We conclude that small airway disease due to encroachment of bronchiolar walls by SiO2 deposition is masqued by the damage produced by cigarette smoking, even in the presence of radiographic signs of silicosis.

Static and dynamic lung volumes, flow-volume curve in air and after He-O2 were carried out in 5 normal subjects baseline, immediately after rapid infusion of 2 litres of normal saline, and then 15, 30 and 60 min after. At the end of the infusion, a marked reduction of delta MEF50, FVC, FEV1, MEF50, MEF25 and an increase of Viso V and CV/VC were observed in all the subjects. The poor response to He-O2 suggests a predominant increase of small airway resistance after rapid infusion. In the recovery phase, He-O2 tests promptly returned to control values, while an increased CV/VC was detectable until 30 min after the infusion.

Nitric oxide may be involved in the impaired oxygenation of cirrhotic patients, a condition that improves in most patients after liver transplantation.To compare oxygenation and nitric oxide concentrations before and after liver transplantation.Before-and-after observational study.Academic medical center.18 patients with cirrhosis and no obvious cardiopulmonary disease who underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation.Orthotopic liver transplantation.Blood gas analysis, measurement of exhaled nitric oxide, contrast-enhanced echocardiography, and pulmonary function tests.Before transplantation, the mean (+/- SD) exhaled nitric oxide concentration was higher in patients than in normal controls (13 +/- 4.9 parts per billion [ppb] compared with 5.75 +/- 1.9 ppb; P0.001). After transplantation, the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient significantly decreased (from 17.3 +/- 7.1 mm Hg to 9 +/- 5.2 mm Hg; P0.001), as did the exhaled nitric oxide concentration (from 13 +/- 4.9 ppb to 6.2 +/- 2.8 ppb; P0.001). The decrease in the exhaled nitric oxide concentration was significantly correlated with the decrease in the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (r = 0.56; P = 0.014). Five patients met the criteria for the diagnosis of the hepatopulmonary syndrome before transplantation; the syndrome was cured by transplantation.The correlation between the decrease in exhaled nitric oxide concentration after liver transplantation and the improvement in oxygenation reinforces the hypothesis that nitric oxide is an important mediator of impaired oxygenation in patients with cirrhosis.

Impaired arterial oxygenation, ranging from increased alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (AaDo2) to hypoxemia, is commonly present in patients with cirrhosis. Nitric oxide (NO), through pulmonary vasodilatation, may play a major role in the oxygen abnormalities of cirrhosis. Our aim was to study the relationship between NO production and O2 abnormalities in 45 nonsmoking patients with cirrhosis and without major cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Intrapulmonary shunting was detected by contrast-enhanced (CE) echocardiography. Lung volumes and diffusion, arterial blood gas analysis, serum NO2-/NO3-, NO output in the exhaled air, and cardiac index by the echocardiographic method were determined in all patients. Twenty-seven (60%) patients had an abnormally increased (15 mm Hg) AaDo2. The mean values of exhaled NO output and serum NO2-/NO3- were significantly higher in cirrhotic patients than in controls (252 +/- 117 vs. 75.2 +/- 19 nL/min/m2, P.0001; and 47.5 +/- 29.4 vs. 32.9 +/- 10.1 micromol/L, P.02, respectively). In all patients, there was a significant correlation between exhaled NO and AaDo2 (r = .78, P.0001). Twelve patients (26.6%) were found to have CE-echocardiographic evidence of intrapulmonary shunting (positive CE-echo). Nine patients were considered to have hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) on the basis of an AaDo215 mm Hg and positive CE-echo. These 9 patients had a mean value of exhaled NO significantly higher than patients without HPS (331 +/- 73.2 vs. 223 +/- 118.4 nL/min/m2, P.05). In all patients, cardiac index was positively correlated with exhaled NO (r = .47, P.001) and with serum NO2-/NO3- (r = .43, P.01). The results suggest an important role of NO in the oxygenation and circulatory abnormalities of patients with cirrhosis.

Equation (18) of the paper by Enzo, Fagherazzi, Benedetti & Polizzi [J. Appl. Cryst. (1988). 21, 536–542] is in error. The correct equation is: A(2θ) = exp [−a|(2θ − 2θ 0)/cot 2θ 0|].

Beyond stripes: The extreme lipophobicity of perfluorinated chains attached to amphiphilic thiolates triggers the formation of “stars” (or patches) surrounded by amphiphilic alkylthiolates in three-dimensional self-assembled monolayers. This strategy led to the first example of a water-soluble multicompartment monolayer wrapped around a gold core.

ESR spectroscopy has been used to study the interaction of para-pentylbenzyl hydroxyalkyl nitroxide with the monolayer of water-soluble protected gold clusters having a core diameter ranging from 1.6 to 5.3 nm. The solubilization of the nitroxide probe in the more hydrophobic environment of the monolayer strongly depends on the size of the gold core. In particular, the partition equilibrium constant increases as the nanoparticle diameter decreases. These results have been attributed to the different packing of the chains in the monolayer resulting from the different radius of curvature of the investigated nanoparticles. This represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first report demonstrating that the core size of metallic nanoparticles affects the solvating properties of the protective organic monolayer.