Solid-state NMR (31)P paramagnetic relaxation enhancement membrane protein immersion depth measurements

Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) is a widely used approach for measuring long-range distance constraints in biomolecular solution NMR spectroscopy. In this paper, we show that (31)P PRE solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be utilized to determine the immersion depth of spin-labeled membrane peptides and proteins. Changes in the (31)P NMR PRE times coupled with modeling studies can be used to describe the spin-label position/amino acid within the lipid bilayer and the corresponding helical tilt. This method provides valuable insight on protein-lipid interactions and membrane protein structural topology. Solid-state (31)P NMR data on the 23 amino acid α-helical nicotinic acetylcholine receptor nAChR M2δ transmembrane domain model peptide followed predicted behavior of (31)P PRE rates of the phospholipid headgroup as the spin-label moves from the membrane surface toward the center of the membrane. Residue 11 showed the smallest changes in (31)P PRE (center of the membrane), while residue 22 shows the largest (31)P PRE change (near the membrane surface), when compared to the diamagnetic control M2δ sample. This PRE SS-NMR technique can be used as a molecular ruler to measure membrane immersion depth.

Longitudinal determinants of consistent condom use by partner type among young injection drug users: the role of personal and partner characteristics

We investigated the longitudinal influence of individual-, relationship- and social-level factors on condom use by partner type among young injections drug users (IDUs) enrolled in the Collaborative Injection Drug Users Study-III/Drug Users Intervention Trial (CIDUS-III/DUIT) from 2002 to 2004. Based on longitudinal analysis using generalized estimating equations (GEE), consistent condom use with main partners was more commonly reported among males and those with greater self-efficacy for condom use; main partner’s desire for pregnancy and needle sharing were negatively associated with consistent condom use. Among those with casual partners, having fewer sex partners was associated with consistent condom use. Positive attitudes toward condom use and partner norms supporting condom use were associated with greater consistent condom use with both partner types. These findings suggest that intervention strategies targeting individual- and partner-level factors may provide avenues for intervening upon sexual risks among young IDUs.

Psychometric assessment of dynamic risk factors for child molesters

To explore the relationship between dynamic risk factors and recidivism in child molesters, we studied a sample of men (N=495) who completed an intensive, prison-based treatment program in New Zealand. During the follow-up period (M=5.8 years), 9.9% were reconvicted for a sexual offense. A self-report psychometric battery was administered at pre-treatment that assessed a range of variables related to sexual attitudes and beliefs, emotional functioning, and interpersonal competency. Factor analysis showed that individual differences in the battery could be described by four dimensions-Social Inadequacy, Sexual Interests, Anger/Hostility, and Pro-Offending Attitudes. Factor scores for each dimension were significantly correlated with sexual recidivism. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that the Sexual Interests and Pro-Offending Attitudes factor scores, as well as an Overall Deviance score which combined the dimensions, provided significant additional validity for predicting recidivism beyond the Static-99 (Hanson and Thornton Law and Human Behavior 24:119-136, 2000). When added to the Static-99, the Overall Deviance score increased the area under the Receiver-Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) from 0.72 to 0.81. These results show that psychometric self-reports can provide valid measures of dynamic risk factors, and that inclusion of such measures can improve risk prediction beyond that achievable by static factors alone.

Correlates of consistent condom use with main partners by partnership patterns among young adult male injection drug users from five US cities

This paper examined correlates of consistent condom use with a main partner among heterosexual male injection drug users (IDUs). Using data from a multi-site sample of young IDUs, we identified 1770 sexually active men of whom 24% (429/1770) reported an exclusive main female sex partner and 49% (862/1770) reported both main and casual female sex partners. Consistent condom use with a main partner was low among men with an exclusive main partner and those with multiple partners (12% and 17%, respectively). In multivariate analysis, consistent condom use with a main partner across partnership patterns was directly associated with anticipating a positive response to requests for condom use and by partner support of condom use; consistent condom use was inversely associated with a main partner's pregnancy desires. Among men with an exclusive main partner, consistent condom use was also inversely associated with needle sharing with a main partner. Among men with multiple partners, consistent condom use with a main partner was inversely associated with injecting with a used needle and intimate partner violence. The low prevalence of consistent condom use with main female partners among heterosexually active male IDUs indicates an increased risk for HIV transmission between men and their primary sex partners. Interventions for heterosexual males that are geared toward increasing condom use in primary relationships are warranted.

Motivational interviewing in health settings: a review

There is evidence that patient-centred approaches to health care consultations may have better outcomes than traditional advice giving, especially when lifestyle change is involved. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centred approach that is gathering increased interest in health settings. It provides a way of working with patients who may not seem ready to make the behaviour changes that are considered necessary by the health practitioner. The current paper provides an overview of MI, with particular reference to its application to health problems.

Dynamic risk factors: the Kia Marama evaluation

Risk assessment is an essential part of clinical practice. Each of the three aspects of risk (static, stable, and acute dynamic) are important at various points of contact between the man and the systems that are responsible for providing service. Dynamic factors, the typical treatment and supervision targets, have received less research attention than static factors. This paper examined the extent to which pretreatment, posttreatment and change scores were associated with reoffending among men incarcerated for sexually molesting. The results were generally supportive of change in prooffending attitudes as the key to not reoffending and suggested that the perspective-taking component of empathy and the use of fantasy may be important mechanisms. Affect scales generally failed to show any relationship with reoffending, outside decreases in trait and suppressed anger. Moreover, these data suggest that we could improve our assessments and treatment through increased sensitivity to offense pathways.

Links between psychological sense of control and disturbed eating behavior in women with diabetes mellitus. Implications for predictors of metabolic control

PURPOSE

Eating disturbances and aspects of psychological control are both repeatedly cited as significant correlates of metabolic control in diabetes mellitus (DM), yet such findings are typically discussed in separate literatures and have been criticized for overreliance on outdated constructs of psychological control when more complex means of analysis are available.

METHODS

Utilizing a multidimensional control inventory, this study investigates the relationship between eating disturbance and psychological sense of control, and assesses the utility of these two constructs in predicting metabolic control in 96 women recruited from a specialist diabetes clinic.

RESULTS

Despite significantly overlapping relationships between these two predictor variables and metabolic control, it is control specific to the domain of interpersonal relationships, along with eating disturbance in the form of bulimia/food preoccupation, that independently predicts level of metabolic control.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have implications for the current form and content of psychological interventions in the management of DM.

Female and male undergraduates' attributions for sexual offending against children

This study examined gender differences in undergraduates' attributions for child sex offending. One hundred and sixty-four undergraduates were asked to give the reasons why they think men sexually offend against children and to rate them using Benson's Attributional Scale across four dimensions: stability, locus, controllability and globality. A Grounded Theory methodology was applied to these reasons and a set of nine categories derived from the data. The results showed that undergraduates' reasons for child sexual abuse strongly parallel contemporary scientific theories of abuse, and that there were significant gender differences in the frequency with which participants cited various types of reasons given for sexual abuse. Females endorsed significantly more victim reasons than males, and also more power and control reasons than did males. In contrast, males endorsed significantly more sexual reasons for offending than did females. Furthermore, significant gender differences were found between the ways in which participants construed the reasons for sexual abuse, with females seeing the phenomenon as significantly more stable and internal than males. No significant gender differences were found on the dimensions of controllability and globality.

Metabolic control and psychological sense of control in women with diabetes mellitus. Alternative considerations of the relationship

PURPOSE

Identifying psychological strategies to buffer the adverse outcomes in people with diabetes mellitus (DM) remains a priority for many health professionals. While 'locus of control' (LOC) has been repeatedly investigated to this end, research findings are contradictory. The development of more complex appraisals of psychological control, and the utilization of control inventories deriving from such analyses, presents a way forward from such contradictions.

METHODS

Employing such a measure, this study examines the relationship between metabolic control and psychological sense of control in 96 women with DM.

RESULTS

Optimal metabolic control is significantly associated with overall sense of control, while poor metabolic control was significantly associated with experiences of loss of psychological control and feelings of inadequacy. Furthermore, poor metabolic control was significantly associated with reduced control in the specific domains of interpersonal relationships and bodily functions.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidimensional control inventories enable a more complex appraisal of the relationship between metabolic control and psychological control, and in doing so, provide a way forward from problems arising from reliance on LOC constructs. Interventions for DM management relying on aspects of psychological control need to target domains beyond traditional issues of self and bodily functions.

Interpersonal competency in sex offenders

The major theoretical frameworks all invoke, often implicitly, social competency deficits as part of their causal explanations for sexual aggression. In this article, the authors review the evidence for this general position, noting both that social competency is not best seen as being equivalent to social skill and that domain specificity is likely to be important. They argue that intimacy, empathy, and cognitive distortions are likely to be the most salient domains in the area of sexual aggression. Recent use of attachment theory to conceptualize intimacy suggests that this approach may have more utility in both classification and intervention planning. An information processing view of empathy, together with likelihood of situational constraints on deficits, has usefully advanced this area. The possible relationships between such deficits and cognitive distortions are noted. Current literature on cognitive distortions is also briefly reviewed. Finally, suggestions for a helpful research agenda are made.

Sexual offenders' implicit planning: a conceptual model

In recent years empirical research, clinical observation, and theoretical models about sexual offending have emphasized the importance of problem solving and decision making throughout different phases in the offense chain. This work suggests that sometimes offense planning is explicit, systematic, and analytical, while at other times it appears to be implicit and intuitive. The latter style of decision making has been called seemingly unimportant decisions. We attempt to provide an explanation of offenders' implicit decision making and suggest two social cognitive mechanisms capable of generating these types of decisions. We believe that implicit decision making in offenders has the appearance of automaticity, that is, decision making that is implicit, fast, relatively autonomous, frequently associated with a lack of control, effortless, and occurring without conscious awareness. Drawing from diverse theoretical sources, we hypothesize that these types of decisions are generated by underlying automatic goal dependent action plans. More specifically, we suggest that there are at least two types of automatic goal dependent plans evident in offenders' decision making: offense scripts and mental simulations. We draw implications for generating future hypotheses and provide suggestions for future research.

Rape and rapists: theory and treatment

The sexual assault of adult women is noteworthy by its huge social and personal cost to the victims, their families, and ultimately society as a whole. The past decade has seen burgeoning research and clinical interest regarding child molesters but a lack of equivalent effort concerning rapists. Rapists are significantly different from child molesters. While considerable heterogeneity exists within this group, there is a lack of distinctiveness when compared to the wider population of serious criminal offenders. These two features of rapists have implications both for research and treatment. We also argue that despite the advances of the last decade this has been in terms of theory proliferation rather than integration, and that major explanatory gaps remain. In particular, there is a need for more middle-level theory that articulates mechanisms and can underpin treatment. Current treatment approaches have typically been developed for child molesters, and while there has been a significant increase in comprehensiveness and sophistication, the evidence for treatment efficacy with rapists remains tentative. Treatment programs need to be tailored to the specific needs of rapists and to the issues of treatment engagement and completion. We conclude with a variety of suggestions for the research agenda over the next decade.

Cognitive distortions in sex offenders: an integrative review

Clinicians and researchers have noted that maladaptive beliefs and distorted thinking play an important role in facilitating or justifying sexual offenses. There have been a number of attempts to describe the nature of these beliefs and to develop ways of measuring them, but in the absence of any integrating theory. We suggest that an understanding of the cognitive processes underlying the initiation, maintenance, and justification of sexual offending is a vital prerequisite to the development of successful treatment programs. In this paper, we use a social cognition framework to review the literature on the role of cognition in sexual offending. Pertinent research in the sexual offending domain, specifically cognitive products, information processing, cognitive change, and the impact of affective and motivational factors on cognitive processes, is described and related to the social cognitive approach. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed in light of the major issues and problems highlighted in our review.

The abstinence violation effect in child molesters

The reformulation of the abstinence violation effect (AVE) is briefly described together with the empirical support for the construct. Twenty-six incarcerated male child molesters were assessed, using the Differential Emotions Scale and the Attributional Dimension Scale, at three points (high-risk, lapse, and relapse) while they listened to an audiotaped recording of a description of their most typical offense chain. Eighteen Ss experienced an AVE at the point of relapse and 7 as a result of lapse. There were significant increases in most negative emotions and decreases in interest over the relapse chain. There were significantly higher disgust, contempt, hostility, fear, shame, shyness and anger scores reported by those showing an AVE. Conversely, the AVE group showed significantly lower scores for joy and surprise. There were no significant differences on any of the 4 attributional dimensions across the relapse process but those showing an AVE reported significantly more uncontrollability and higher stability scores. The significance of these results for clinical practice are discussed.

The abstinence violation effect in bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa often follows a chronic and relapsing course. To understand relapse in this disorder, we highlight cognitive processes underlying the binge/purge cycle. Links are drawn between cognitions, causal perceptions, and the binge/purge cycle in a reformulation of the abstinence violation effect with a special focus on attributions. This reformulation is then applied to the lapse-relapse transition in bulimia nervosa. Finally, theoretical and clinical implications of the reformulation are presented.

Micromechanics of bone strength and fracture

The mechanical properties of bone were modeled in the context of a filled polymeric composite containing a collagenous matrix and a hydroxyapatite filler. The longitudinal and transverse moduli of cortical bone as a composite with perfect alignment of filler particles were calculated to be 34.5 and 5.3 GPa, respectively. When considering that particle orientation is arranged within a distribution about the long axis, moduli close to the experimentally measured values are achieved. The calculated tensile strength of 1.7 GPa is higher than the experimental values, which may be attributable to intrinsic sample flaws and biological heterogeneity. The mode of tensile failure in this model is particle-matrix debonding, which may explain fatigue or stress fractures. Overall, the filled composite model of bone helps explain the roles of mineralization fraction, particle shape and orientation, and other attributes of the constituent phases in understanding the tensile properties. The fundamentals of bone behavior in compression are less well understood. It is proposed that incorporation of an inorganic phase in bone was teleologically necessary for vertebrates to achieve adequate levels of compressive strength.

The effects of masturbatory reconditioning with nonfamilial child molesters

Abel and Annon's (Reducing deviant sexual arousal through satisfaction, Denver, Colo., 1982) suggested combination of 'directed masturbation' and 'satiation' to alter deviant sexual preferences, was applied to 10 nonfamilial child molesters. Post-treatment assessments revealed significant reductions in deviant arousal as was expected, but unfortunately there were also reductions in appropriate arousal although these changes did not achieve statistical significance. The results are discussed in terms of their meaning but it is concluded that empirical support for these clinically popular procedures remains weak.

The abstinence violation effect in sex offenders: a reformulation

It is argued that the central issue in the treatment of sexually aggressive behavior is the tendency to relapse shown by offenders. A model of the relapse process is presented along with what is described as its central feature, the abstinence violation effect (AVE). This construct is critically examined and its shortcomings identified. A brief description of Weiner's attributional theory is provided and this is used to reformulate the AVE. The advantages of the reformulated AVE are described, as are the clinical implications. Suggestions are then made for future research.

Premenstrual syndrome in hysterectomized women: mood and physical symptom cyclicity

In 36 hysterectomized women presenting with PMS, a daily record of eight mood states and five physical symptoms was kept during 109 ovarian cycles. Premenstrual tension (PMT) was estimated at a point 92% through the ovarian cycle after fitting a five-term Fourier series to the data. Although significant mood and physical-symptom swings were common (present in 71% and 69% of cycles respectively), the incidence of symptoms late in the luteal phase (PMT) was low (36%). In nine women no PMT was detected, in twenty-two women PMT was sporadic, and in five there was evidence of the consistent appearance of both mood and physical symptom-related PMT. Symptoms clustered significantly around a point 85% through the ovarian cycle for moods, and 83% for physical symptoms; this differs significantly from the 92% observed in menstruant women with PMS and is consistent with the removal of a factor associated with menstrual onset, which may contribute to the symptoms perceived by women as PMT.

Behavior management of infant sleep disturbance

Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, we evaluated the effects of extinction and stimulus control on nighttime sleep disturbances exhibited by 7 infants. Results showed that frequency and duration of night wakings decreased for all subjects, with corresponding improvements reflected through changes in responses to the sleep behavior scale. Observed improvements maintained at 3 and 24 months posttreatment.

Assessment of the significance and severity of premenstrual tension--I. A new model

A method is proposed for analysing daily mood scores for premenstrual tension (PMT) in single menstrual cycles by fitting an approximation function consisting of the first two harmonics of a Fourier series. On the basis of harmonic analysis of 133 cycles of daily mood scores obtained from women perceiving themselves to have the premenstrual syndrome (PMS), the severity of PMT is taken to be the difference between the mean and the fitted function at a point 92% of the way through the menstrual cycle. The significance of the severity is calculated statistically. Significant PMT was detected in 70% of the 133 cycles; this compared with an 8% incidence in women who considered that they did not have PMS. The method improves on previously described methods for detecting PMT by: (1) using statistical criteria; (2) modelling cycles with asymmetric and double peaks; (3) using a difference rather than a ratio as the severity estimate; (4) smoothing the data and (5) giving valid estimates when data points are missing. There was no evidence for the presence of distinct periodicities with wavelengths less than half that of the menstrual cycle.

The premenstrual syndrome: selection of women for treatment trials

Statements made at interview by 31 women presenting with the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were compared with the moods and physical symptoms reported daily during the next 6 menstrual cycles. Diagnosis was confirmed in 21 women (premenstrual tension (PMT) present in greater than or equal to 5/6 cycles), not substantiated in two (PMT in less than or equal to 1/6 cycles) and in doubt in eight. Placebo treatment was associated with a significant over-all reduction in both the incidence and the severity of mood-related PMT, but had no clear effect on premenstrual physical symptoms; women with PMT in 5 cycles were usually placebo-resistant. Criteria are proposed for the selection of women for treatment trials based on their response to placebo.

Serological assessment of rubella during pregnancy

In 45 patients with rubella-like illnesses during pregnancy serological tests showed that the clinical diagnosis had been accurate in only 20. Since only 16 of these patients had presented for laboratory investigations within a week of the onset of symptoms, the value of haemagglutination-inhibition tests was considerably reduced; the diagnosis in these cases was confirmed by complement-fixation and rubella-specific IgM tests.Of 172 patients exposed to a rubella-like illness, only 17 were seronegative; 105 sought advice within two weeks of exposure, and therefore the haemagglutination-inhibition antibody tests were useful in determining immunity. Since the clinical diagnosis of rubella was proved incorrect in a number of cases, these pregnancies were saved. Hence both doctors and patients should report both exposure to and rubella-like illnesses as early as possible, so that laboratory investigations may be carried out without delay.