Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors

This paper reports on the first national survey of adults concerning a history of childhood sexual abuse. Victimization was reported by 27% of the women and 16% of the men. Higher rates of abuse were found among men who grew up in unhappy families, lived for some period with only their mothers, who were currently residing in the West and who came from English or Scandinavian heritage. Higher rates of abuse were found among women who grew up in unhappy families, lived for some period without one of their natural parents, received inadequate sex education, were currently residing in the West or who were born after 1925.     

Inspecting a picture before reading affects attentional processing but not comprehension

Abstract

This study investigated whether presenting a picture before reading can encourage situation-model construction. We compared two conditions (n?= 30) which differed in whether a picture of the initial situation described in a narrative text was presented before reading (i.e. pictorial-support condition) or not (i.e. no-picture condition). Situation-model construction was measured using both process- and product-oriented measures. Eye-tracking data indicated online resource allocation to the different levels of text representation: surface, textbase, and situation model. Literal text questions and inference questions were used as an offline indication of textbase and situation-model processing, respectively. The results showed that a picture presented before reading led to a redistribution of processing resources during reading, evidenced by a shift from textbase to situation-model processing. This attentional shift did not translate into higher comprehension scores. The results were interpreted in line with multimedia learning theories suggesting pictures can serve as a mental scaffold for situation-model construction.     

Reagent integration and controlled release for multiplexed nucleic acid testing in disposable thermoplastic 2D microwell arrays

The seamless integration of reagents into microfluidic devices can serve to significantly reduce assay complexity and cost for disposable diagnostics. In this work, the integration of multiplexed reagents into thermoplastic 2D microwell arrays is demonstrated using a scalable pin spotting technique. Using a simple and low-cost narrow-bore capillary spotting pin, high resolution deposition of concentrated reagents within the arrays of enclosed nanoliter-scale wells is achieved. The pin spotting method is further employed to encapsulate the deposited reagents with a chemically modified wax layer that serves to prevent disruption of the dried assay components during sample introduction through a shared microchannel, while also enabling temperature-controlled release after sample filling is complete. This approach supports the arbitrary patterning and release of different reagents within individual wells without crosstalk for multiplexed analyses. The performance of the in-well spotting technique is characterized using on-chip rolling circle amplification to evaluate its potential for nucleic acid-based diagnostics.     

Causal Inference in Psychological Data in the Case of Aggression

We carried out an empirical study of aggression in relation to different personal traits. In this article we present results obtained for different forms of aggression, including results of machine-learning experiments with the AQJSM method. The method distinguishes several classes with different levels of aggression defined with a special form, as well as making causal inferences with AQ preprocessing and the first stage of JSM method of extraction of cause and effect relationships. The proposed method produces acceptable results for both small datasets and big data with incomplete information.     

Films and Film-Makings: The Current Scene

I.C. Jarie's Movies and Society (Basic Books, $10.00)

Gone Youngblood's Expanded Cinema (Dutton, $9.95)

Robert Gessner's The Moving Image (Dutton $8.95)

Robert Richardson's Literature and Film (University of Indiana Press, $4.95)

Wolf Rilla's A-Z of Movie-Making (Viking/Studio Press Book, $6.95)     

Book reviews

Access Denied in the Information Age edited by S. Lax, Palgrave, 2001, 236 pages, ISBN: 0 333 92019 8, http://www.palgrave.com/

Managing in the Media written by Peter Block (editor), W. Houseley, T. Nicholls, R. Southwell. Focal Press 2001, 388 pages, ISBN 0240515994, http://www.focalpress.com

Mobilising the Information Society: Strategies for Growth and Opportunity written by Robin Mansell and W. Edward Steinmueller, Oxford University Press, 2000, 516 pages, ISBN 0198295561, http://www.oup.com

Electronic Media Law and Regulation 3rd edition written by Kenneth C. Creech, Focal Press, 2000, 336 pages, ISBN 0240803590, http://www.focalpress.com     

Basic research in the Novosibirsk oblast’: Bibliometrical analysis for 2004–2009

The results from analyzing the scientific output of scientists from the Novosibirsk oblast’ are given based on works published in 2005–2009. The analysis was carried out using the data and potential of the Web of Science (WoS) and, in particular, information about domestic and foreign science foundations that supported particular studies, Journal Citation Reports, HistCite software, and certain additional data that included official statistics from Rosstat and involved indicators derived from the journal impact factor and the aggregate impact factor of the WoS knowledge category. The publications by the scientists from the oblast’ were distributed according to 133 WoS knowledge categories. Research in certain trends in 48 WoS knowledge categories carried out in the oblast’ is in no way inferior to and very often is even better than the global science standards. More than 50% of the publications were sponsored by domestic and foreign science foundations: the scientific quality of these works was considerably higher than that of the unsponsored studies. The coauthors of the articles published by scientists of the oblast’ in the period were their colleagues from 83 countries. R & D costs in the Novosibirsk oblast’ are used quite efficiently: in 2009 the publications by the scientists of the oblast’ accounted for more than 9% of the entire amount of works published all over Russia, while internal research and development expenses were only 2.5% of such expenses nationwide.     

The ISI Web of Knowledge,a modern system for the information support of scientific research: a review

This paper describes an automated system for information support of scientific research, the ISI Web of Knowledge, which is one of the largest systems in the modern world; approximately 150000 users turn to it each day. The system was created in 1992 based on the experience and achievements of the well-known American information firm Institute for Scientific Information, which was purchased by Thomson Corp., a Canadian information-publishing firm. The main principles of the building of this system, the information resources used in it, and the main directions of its development are characterized.