bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moral Emotions and Moral Behavior
Authors: Tangney June Price , Stuewig Jeff , Mashek Debra J.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Moral emotions represent a key element of our human moral apparatus, influencing the link between moral standards and moral behavior. This chapter reviews current theory and research on moral emotions. We first focus on a triad of negatively valenced “self-conscious” emotions—shame, guilt, and embarrassment. As in previous decades, much research remains focused on shame and guilt. We review current thinking on the distinction between shame and guilt, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of these two moral emotions. Several new areas of research are highlighted: research on the domain-specific phenomenon of body shame, styles of coping with shame, psychobiological aspects of shame, the link between childhood abuse and later proneness to shame, and the phenomena of vicarious or “collective” experiences of shame and guilt. In recent years, the concept of moral emotions has been expanded to include several positive emotions—elevation, gratitude, and the sometimes morally relevant experience of pride. Finally, we discuss briefly a morally relevant emotional process—other-oriented empathy.
The Representation of Object Concepts in the Brain
Authors: Martin Alex
Published: August 2006

Evidence from functional neuroimaging of the human brain indicates that information about salient properties of an object—such as what it looks like, how it moves, and how it is used—is stored in sensory and motor systems active when that information was acquired. As a result, object concepts belonging to different categories like animals and tools are represented in partially distinct, sensory- and motor property–based neural networks. This suggests that object concepts are not explicitly represented, but rather emerge from weighted activity within property-based brain regions. However, some property-based regions seem to show a categorical organization, thus providing evidence consistent with category-based, domain-specific formulations as well.
Race, Race-Based Discrimination, and Health Outcomes Among African Americans
Authors: Mays Vickie M. , Cochran Susan D. , Barnes Namdi W.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Persistent and vexing health disadvantages accrue to African Americans despite decades of work to erase the effects of race discrimination in this country. Participating in these efforts, psychologists and other social scientists have hypothesized that African Americans' continuing experiences with racism and discrimination may lie at the root of the many well-documented race-based physical health disparities that affect this population. With newly emerging methodologies in both measurement of contextual factors and functional neuroscience, an opportunity now exists to cleave together a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which discrimination has harmful effects on health. In this article, we review emerging work that locates the cause of race-based health disparities in the external effects of the contextual social space on the internal world of brain functioning and physiologic response. These approaches reflect the growing interdisciplinary nature of psychology in general, and the field of race relations in particular.
Research on Attention Networks as a Model for the Integration of Psychological Science
Authors: Posner Michael I. , Rothbart Mary K.
Published: August 2006

As Titchener pointed out more than one hundred years ago, attention is at the center of the psychological enterprise. Attention research investigates how voluntary control and subjective experience arise from and regulate our behavior. In recent years, attention has been one of the fastest growing of all fields within cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. This review examines attention as characterized by linking common neural networks with individual differences in their efficient utilization. The development of attentional networks is partly specified by genes, but is also open to specific experiences through the actions of caregivers and the culture. We believe that the connection between neural networks, genes, and socialization provides a common approach to all aspects of human cognition and emotion. Pursuit of this approach can provide a basis for psychology that unifies social, cultural, differential, experimental, and physiological areas, and allows normal development to serve as a baseline for understanding various forms of pathology. D.O. Hebb proposed this approach 50 years ago in his volume Organization of Behavior and continued with introductory textbooks that dealt with all of the topics of psychology in a common framework. Use of a common network approach to psychological science may allow a foundation for predicting and understanding human behavior in its varied forms.
Analysis of Nonlinear Patterns of Change with Random Coefficient Models
Authors: Cudeck Robert , Harring Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Nonlinear patterns of change arise frequently in the analysis of repeated measures from longitudinal studies in psychology. The main feature of nonlinear development is that change is more rapid in some periods than in others. There generally also are strong individual differences, so although there is a general similarity of patterns for different persons over time, individuals exhibit substantial heterogeneity in their particular response. To describe data of this kind, researchers have extended the random coefficient model to accommodate nonlinear trajectories of change. It can often produce a statistically satisfying account of subject-specific development. In this review we describe and illustrate the main ideas of the nonlinear random coefficient model with concrete examples.
Mediation Analysis
Authors: MacKinnon David P. , Fairchild Amanda J. , Fritz Matthew S.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Mediating variables are prominent in psychological theory and research. A mediating variable transmits the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable. Differences between mediating variables and confounders, moderators, and covariates are outlined. Statistical methods to assess mediation and modern comprehensive approaches are described. Future directions for mediation analysis are discussed.
Causal Cognition in Human and Nonhuman Animals: A Comparative, Critical Review
Authors: Penn Derek C. , Povinelli Daniel J.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  In this article, we review some of the most provocative experimental results to have emerged from comparative labs in the past few years, starting with research focusing on contingency learning and finishing with experiments exploring nonhuman animals' understanding of causal-logical relations. Although the theoretical explanation for these results is often inchoate, a clear pattern nevertheless emerges. The comparative evidence does not fit comfortably into either the traditional associationist or inferential alternatives that have dominated comparative debate for many decades now. Indeed, the similarities and differences between human and nonhuman causal cognition seem to be much more multifarious than these dichotomous alternatives allow.
Cross-Cultural Organizational Behavior
Authors: Gelfand Michele J. , Erez Miriam , Aycan Zeynep
Published: August 2006

Abstract  This article reviews research on cross-cultural organizational behavior (OB). After a brief review of the history of cross-cultural OB, we review research on work motivation, or the factors that energize, direct, and sustain effort across cultures. We next consider the relationship between the individual and the organization, and review research on culture and organizational commitment, psychological contracts, justice, citizenship behavior, and person-environment fit. Thereafter, we consider how individuals manage their interdependence in organizations, and review research on culture and negotiation and disputing, teams, and leadership, followed by research on managing across borders and expatriation. The review shows that developmentally, cross-cultural research in OB is coming of age. Yet we also highlight critical challenges for future research, including moving beyond values to explain cultural differences, attending to levels of analysis issues, incorporating social and organizational context factors into cross-cultural research, taking indigenous perspectives seriously, and moving beyond intracultural comparisons to understand the dynamics of cross-cultural interfaces.
Partitioning the Domain of Social Inference: Dual Mode and Systems Models and Their Alternatives
Authors: Kruglanski Arie W. , Orehek Edward
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Recent decades of theorizing about social inference phenomena have seen a variety of models that partitioned the underlying processes into two qualitatively distinct types whose specific nature was depicted differently in the different frameworks. The present article reviews major such partitioning efforts as well as their proposed alternatives, and discusses their unique features, their commonalities, and the conceptual and empirical issues that they raise.
Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes
Authors: Lieberman Matthew D.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Social cognitive neuroscience examines social phenomena and processes using cognitive neuroscience research tools such as neuroimaging and neuropsychology. This review examines four broad areas of research within social cognitive neuroscience: (a) understanding others, (b) understanding oneself, (c) controlling oneself, and (d) the processes that occur at the interface of self and others. In addition, this review highlights two core-processing distinctions that can be neurocognitively identified across all of these domains. The distinction between automatic versus controlled processes has long been important to social psychological theory and can be dissociated in the neural regions contributing to social cognition. Alternatively, the differentiation between internally-focused processes that focus on one's own or another's mental interior and externally-focused processes that focus on one's own or another's visible features and actions is a new distinction. This latter distinction emerges from social cognitive neuroscience investigations rather than from existing psychological theories demonstrating that social cognitive neuroscience can both draw on and contribute to social psychological theory.
Motivational and Emotional Aspects of the Self
Authors: Leary Mark R.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Recent theory and research are reviewed regarding self-related motives (self-enhancement, self-verification, and self-expansion) and self-conscious emotions (guilt, shame, pride, social anxiety, and embarrassment), with an emphasis on how these motivational and emotional aspects of the self might be related. Specifically, these motives and emotions appear to function to protect people's social well-being. The motives to self-enhance, self-verify, and self-expand are partly rooted in people's concerns with social approval and acceptance, and self-conscious emotions arise in response to events that have real or imagined implications for others' judgments of the individual. Thus, these motives and emotions do not operate to maintain certain states of the self, as some have suggested, but rather to facilitate people's social interactions and relationships.
The Experience of Emotion
Authors: Barrett Lisa Feldman , Mesquita Batja , Ochsner Kevin N. , Gross James J.
Published: August 2006

Abstract  Experiences of emotion are content-rich events that emerge at the level of psychological description, but must be causally constituted by neurobiological processes. This chapter outlines an emerging scientific agenda for understanding what these experiences feel like and how they arise. We review the available answers to what is felt (i.e., the content that makes up an experience of emotion) and how neurobiological processes instantiate these properties of experience. These answers are then integrated into a broad framework that describes, in psychological terms, how the experience of emotion emerges from more basic processes. We then discuss the role of such experiences in the economy of the mind and behavior.
ApoB mRNA editing is mediated by a coordinated modulation of multiple apoB mRNA editing enzyme components
Authors: Chen Zhigang , Eggerman Thomas L. , Patterson Amy P.
Published: August 2006

Apolipoprotein (apo)B mRNA editing is accomplished by a large multiprotein complex. How these proteins interact to achieve the precise single-nucleotide change induced by this complex remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between altered apoB mRNA editing and changes in editing enzyme components to evaluate their roles in editing regulation. In the mouse fetal small intestine, we found that the dramatic developmental upregulation of apoB mRNA editing from ∼3% to 88% begins with decreased levels of inhibitory CUG binding protein 2 (CUGBP2) expression followed by increased levels of apoB mRNA editing enzyme (apobec)-1 and apobec-1 complementation factor (ACF) (4- and 8-fold) and then by decreased levels of the inhibitory components glycine-arginine-tyrosine-rich RNA binding protein (GRY-RBP) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP)-C1 (75% and 56%). In contrast, the expression of KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP), apobec-1 binding protein (ABBP)1, ABBP2, and Bcl-2-associated athanogene 4 (BAG4) were unaltered. In the human intestinal cell line Caco-2, the increase of apoB mRNA editing from ∼1.7% to ∼23% was associated with 6- and 3.2-fold increases of apobec-1 and CUGBP2, respectively. In the mouse large intestine, the editing was 48% and had a 2.7-fold relatively greater CUGBP2 level. Caco-2 and the large intestine thus have increased instead of decreased CUGBP2 and a lower level of editing, suggesting that inhibitory CUGBP2 may play a critical role in the magnitude of editing regulation. Short interfering RNA-mediated gene-specific knockdown of CUGBP2, GRY-RBP, and hnRNP-C1 resulted in increased editing in Caco-2 cells, consistent with their known inhibitory function. These data suggest that a coordinated expression of editing components determines the magnitude and specificity of apoB mRNA editing.
Rapid expansion of intestinal secretory lineages following a massive small bowel resection in mice
Authors: Helmrath Michael A. , Fong Jerry J. , Dekaney Christopher M. , Henning Susan J.
Published: August 2006

Following massive small bowel resection (SBR) in mice, there are sustained increases in crypt depth and villus height, resulting in enhanced mucosal surface area. The early mechanisms responsible for resetting and sustaining this increase are presently not understood. We hypothesized that expansion of secretory lineages is an early and sustained component of the adaptive response. This was assessed in the ileum by quantitative morphometry at 12 h, 36 h, 7 days, and 28 days and by quantitative RT-PCR of marker mRNAs for proliferation and differentiated goblet, Paneth cell, and enterocyte genes at 12 h after 50% SBR or sham operation. As predicted, SBR elicited increases of both crypt and villus epithelial cells, which were sustained though the 28 days of the experiment. Significant increases in the overall number and percentage of both Paneth and goblet cells within intestinal epithelium occurred by 12 h and were sustained up to 28 days after SBR. The increases of goblet cells after SBR were initially observed within villi at 12 h, with marked increases occurring in crypts at 36 h and 7 days. Consistent with this finding, qRT-PCR demonstrated significant increases in the expression of mRNAs associated with proliferation (c-myc) and differentiated goblet cells (Tff3, Muc2) and Paneth cells (lysozyme), whereas mRNA associated with differentiated enterocytes (sucrase-isomaltase) remained unchanged. From these data, we speculate that early expansion of intestinal secretory lineages within the epithelium of the ileum occurs following SBR, possibly serving to amplify the signal responsible for initiating and sustaining intestinal adaptation.
Small cytoplasmic domain peptides of natriuretic peptide receptor-C attenuate cell proliferation through Giα protein/MAP kinase/PI3-kinase/AKT pathways
Authors: Hashim Shehla , Li Yuan , Anand-Srivastava Madhu B.
Published: August 2006

The present studies were undertaken to investigate the effect of C-atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)4–23and several peptide fragments containing 12 amino acids from different regions of the cytoplasmic domain of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-C on cell proliferation in the absence or presence of angiotensin (ANG) II, endothelin (ET)-1, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in A-10 vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). The peptide fragments used have either complete Giactivator sequences K461-H472(peptide 1) and H481-H492(peptide 3) or partial Giactivator sequences R469-K480(peptide 2) and I465-H472(peptide Y) with truncated COOH or NH2terminus, respectively. The other peptide used had no structural specificity (Q473-K480, peptide X) or was the scrambled peptide control for peptide 1 (peptide Z). ANG II, ET-1 and AVP significantly stimulated DNA synthesis in these cells as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation that was inhibited by peptides 1, 2, and 3 and not by peptides X, Y, and Z in a concentration-dependent manner, with an apparent Kibetween 1 and 10 nM. In addition, C-ANP4–23, which interacts with NPR-C, also inhibited DNA synthesis stimulated by vasoactive peptides; however, the inhibition elicited by C-ANP4–23was not additive with the inhibition elicited by peptide 1. On the other hand, basal DNA synthesis in these cells was not inhibited by C-ANP4–23or the peptide fragments. Furthermore, vasoactive peptide-induced stimulation of DNA synthesis was inhibited by PD-98059 and wortmannin, and this inhibition was potentiated by peptide 1. In addition, peptide 1 also inhibited vasoactive peptide-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT and enhanced expression of Giα proteins. These data suggest that C-ANP4–23and small peptide fragments containing 12 amino acids irrespective of the region of the cytoplasmic domain of NPR-C inhibit proliferative responses of vasoactive peptides through Giα protein and MAP kinase/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT pathways.
AMPK and metabolic adaptation by the heart to pressure overload
Authors: Allard Michael F. , Parsons Hannah L. , Saeedi Ramesh , Wambolt Richard B. , Brownsey Roger
Published: August 2006

Accelerated glycolysis in hypertrophied hearts may be a compensatory response to reduced energy production from long-chain fatty acid oxidation with 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) functioning as a cellular signal. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced fatty acid oxidation improves energy status and normalizes AMPK activity and glycolysis in hypertrophied hearts. Glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, AMPK activity, and energy status were measured in isolated working hypertrophied and control hearts from aortic-constricted and sham-operated male Sprague-Dawley rats. Hearts from halothane (3–4%)-anesthetized rats were perfused with KH solution containing either palmitate, a long-chain fatty acid, or palmitate plus octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid whose oxidation is not impaired in hypertrophied hearts. Compared with control, fatty acid oxidation was lower in hypertrophied hearts perfused with palmitate, whereas it increased to similar values in both groups with octanoate plus palmitate. Glycolysis was accelerated in palmitate-perfused hypertrophied hearts and was normalized in hypertrophied hearts by the addition of octanoate. AMPK activity was increased three- to sixfold with palmitate alone and was reduced to control values by octanoate plus palmitate. Myocardial energy status improved with the addition of octanoate but did not differ between groups. Our findings, particularly the correspondence between glycolysis and AMPK activity, provide support for the view that activation of AMPK is responsible, in part, for the acceleration of glycolysis in cardiac hypertrophy. Additionally, they indicate myocardial AMPK is activated by energy state-independent mechanisms in response to pressure overload, demonstrating AMPK is more than a sensor of the heart's energy status.
Enhanced oxidative stress in kidneys of salt-sensitive hypertension: role of sensory nerves
Authors: Wang Youping , Chen Alex F. , Wang Donna H.
Published: August 2006

To determine the mechanism(s) underlying enhanced oxidative stress in kidneys of salt-sensitive hypertension, neonatal Wistar rats were given vehicle or capsaicin (CAP, 50 mg/kg sc) on the first and second days of life. After being weaned, male rats were assigned into four groups and treated for 2 wk with the following: vehicle + a normal sodium diet (NS, 0.4%, CON-NS), vehicle + a high-sodium diet (HS, 4%, CON-HS), CAP + NS (CAP-NS), and CAP + HS (CAP-HS). Systolic blood pressure was significantly increased in CAP-HS but not CAP-NS or CON-HS rats. Plasma and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2αlevels increased by ∼40% in CON-HS and CAP-HS rats compared with their respective controls fed a NS diet ( P < 0.05), and these parameters were higher in CAP-HS compared with CON-HS rats. Superoxide (O2−·) levels in the renal cortex and medulla increased by ∼45% in CAP-HS compared with CON-HS, CON-NS, and CAP-NS rats ( P < 0.05). Enhanced O2−· levels in the cortex and medulla in CAP-HS rats were prevented by preincubation of renal tissues with apocynin, a selective NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor. Protein expression of NAD(P)H oxidase subunits, including p47phoxand gp91phoxin the renal cortex and medulla, was significantly increased in CAP-HS compared with CON-HS, CON-NS, and CAP-NS rats. In contrast, protein expression and activities of Cu/Zn SOD and Mn SOD were significantly increased in the renal medulla in both CAP-HS and CON-HS but in the cortex in CAP-HS rats only. Creatinine clearance decreased by ∼45% in CAP-HS rats compared with CON-HS, CON-NS, and CAP-NS rats ( P < 0.05). O2−· levels in the renal cortex of CAP-HS rats negatively correlated with creatinine clearance ( r = −0.76; P < 0.001). Therefore, regardless of enhanced SOD activity to suppress oxidative stress, increased oxidative stress in the kidney of CAP-treated rats fed a HS diet is likely the result of increased expression and activities of NAD(P)H oxidase, which may contribute to decreased renal function and increased blood pressure in these rats. Our results suggest that sensory nerves may play a compensatory role in attenuating renal oxidative stress during HS intake.
Electrical remodeling in a canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Liu Xian-Sheng , Jiang Min , Zhang Mei , Tang Daniel , Clemo Henry F. , Higgins Robert S. D. , Tseng Gea-Ny
Published: August 2006

The nature of electrical remodeling in a canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM; induced by repetitive intracoronary microembolizations) that exhibits spontaneous ventricular tachycardia is not entirely clear. We used the patch-clamp technique to record action potentials and ionic currents of left ventricular myocytes isolated from the region affected by microembolizations. We also used the immunoblot technique to examine channel subunit expression in adjacent affected tissue. Ventricular myocytes and tissue isolated from the corresponding region of normal hearts served as control. ICM myocytes had prolonged action potential duration (APD) and more pronounced APD dispersion. Slow delayed rectifier current ( IKs) was reduced at voltages positive to 0 mV, along with a negative shift in its voltage dependence of activation. Immunoblots showed that there was no change in KCNQ1.1 ( IKs pore-forming or α-subunit), but KCNE1 ( IKs auxiliary or β-subunit) was reduced, and KCNQ1.2 (a truncated KCNQ1 splice variant with a dominant-negative effect on IKs) was increased. Transient outward current ( Ito) was reduced, along with an acceleration of the slow phase of recovery from inactivation. Immunoblots showed that there was no change in Kv4.3 (α-subunit of fast-recovering Ito component), but KChIP2 (β-subunit of fast-recovering component) and Kv1.4 (α-subunit of slow-recovering component) were reduced. Inward rectifier current was reduced. L-type Ca current was unaltered. The immunoblot data provide mechanistic insights into the observed changes in current amplitude and gating kinetics of IKs and Ito. We suggest that these changes, along with the decrease in inward rectifier current, contribute to APD prolongation in ICM hearts.
Adult Hypertension in Intrauterine Growth-Restricted Offspring of Hyperinsulinemic Rats
Authors: Bursztyn Michael , Gross Marie-Luise , Goltser-Dubner Tania , Koleganova Nadja , Birman Tatiana , Smith Yoav , Ariel Ilana
Published: August 2006

In humans, intrauterine growth-restricted newborns are prone to develop hypertension as adults. We studied a rat model of pregnancy-induced hypertension associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) produced by chronic administration of insulin. Fetuses of hyperinsulinemic dams (HDs) were smaller than those of normal dams (5.1±0.4 g versus 5.6±0.1 g, respectively;
P
<0.05). At 16 weeks of age, tail-cuff systolic blood pressure was measured, the rats were placed in metabolic cages and euthanized, and the kidneys were examined. Male but not female offspring of HDs (n=9) had higher blood pressure than normal-pregnancy offspring (n=12; 148±11 mm Hg versus 118±14 mm Hg;
P
<0.004). In contrast to other models, there was no difference in ours in the number and volume of glomeruli. However, there were significantly greater glomerular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular damage indices in the kidneys of male HD offspring versus controls (2.01±0.34 versus 1.08±0.16, 1.80±0.34 versus 0.76±0.12, and 2.13±0.81 versus 0.78±0.16, respectively;
P
<0.0001), with similar tubulointerstitial findings in females. Increased expression of collagen type IV, a kidney damage marker indicating fibrosis, was found in the tubulointerstitium. This may be associated with downregulation of bone morphogenetic protein 6, a presumptive antifibrogenic agent, at the end of gestation. In conclusion, male offspring of HDs displayed IUGR and adult hypertension accompanied by several indices of renal fibrosing damage, mainly in the renal tubulointerstitium. Our findings suggest that there is >1 pathway of fetal programming leading from IUGR to development of hypertension in later life.
Attenuation of Inflammatory Vascular Remodeling by Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor–Associated Protein
Authors: Oshita Akira , Iwai Masaru , Chen Rui , Ide Ayumi , Okumura Midori , Fukunaga Shiori , Yoshii Toyofumi , Mogi Masaki , Higaki Jitsuo , Horiuchi Masatsugu
Published: August 2006

To explore the role of angiotensin II Type 1 receptor–associated protein (ATRAP) in vascular remodeling, we developed transgenic mice for mouse ATRAP cDNA and examined remodeling after inflammatory vascular injury induced by polyethylene cuff placement. In ATRAP transgenic (ATRAP-Tg) mice, ATRAP mRNA was increased 3- to 4-fold in the heart, aorta, and femoral artery. ATRAP-Tg mice showed no significant change in body weight, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and heart/body weight ratio. However, cell proliferation and neointimal formation in the injured artery were attenuated in ATRAP-Tg mice. The increase in NADPH oxidase activity and the expression of p22
phox
, a reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide/reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunit, after cuff placement was also attenuated in ATRAP-Tg mice. Moreover, activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 after cuff placement was significantly reduced in ATRAP-Tg mice. Pressor response and cardiac hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II infusion and pressure overload were also attenuated in ATRAP-Tg mice. These results suggest that ATRAP plays an important role in vascular remodeling as a negative regulator.
The Economic Burden of Angina in Women With Suspected Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Shaw Leslee J. , Merz C. Noel Bairey , Pepine Carl J. , Reis Steven E. , Bittner Vera , Kip Kevin E. , Kelsey Sheryl F. , Olson Marian , Johnson B. Delia , Mankad Sunil , Sharaf Barry L. , Rogers William J. , Pohost Gerald M. , Sopko George
Published: August 2006

Background—

Coronary angiography is one of the most frequently performed procedures in women; however, nonobstructive (ie, <50% stenosis) coronary artery disease (CAD) is frequently reported. Few data exist regarding the type and intensity of resource consumption in women with chest pain after coronary angiography.

Methods and Results—

A total of 883 women referred for coronary angiography were prospectively enrolled in the National Institutes of Health–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–sponsored Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE). Cardiovascular prognosis and cost data were collected. Direct (hospitalizations, office visits, procedures, and drug utilization) and indirect (out-of-pocket, lost productivity, and travel) costs were estimated through 5 years of follow-up. Among 883 women, 62%, 17%, 11%, and 10% had nonobstructive and 1-vessel, 2-vessel, and 3-vessel CAD, respectively. Five-year cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction rates ranged from 4% to 38% for women with nonobstructive to 3-vessel CAD (
P
<0.0001). Five-year rates of hospitalization for chest pain occurred in 20% of women with nonobstructive CAD, increasing to 38% to 55% for women with 1-vessel to 3-vessel CAD (
P
<0.0001). The volume of repeat catheterizations or angina hospitalizations was 1.8-fold higher in women with nonobstructive versus 1-vessel CAD after 1 year of follow-up (
P
<0.0001). Drug treatment was highest for those with nonobstructive or 1-vessel CAD (
P
<0.0001). The proportion of costs for anti-ischemic therapy was higher for women with nonobstructive CAD (15% versus 12% for 1-vessel to 3-vessel CAD;
P
=0.001). For women with nonobstructive CAD, average lifetime cost estimates were $767 288 (95% CI, $708 480 to $826 097) and ranged from $1 001 493 to $1 051 302 for women with 1-vessel to 3-vessel CAD (
P
=0.0003).

Conclusions—

Symptom-driven care is costly even for women with nonobstructive CAD. Our lifetime estimates for costs of cardiovascular care identify a significant subset of women who are unaccounted for within current estimates of the economic burden of coronary heart disease.
Wild-Type and Mutant HCN Channels in a Tandem Biological-Electronic Cardiac Pacemaker
Authors: Bucchi Annalisa , Plotnikov Alexei N. , Shlapakova Iryna , Danilo Peter , Kryukova Yelena , Qu Jihong , Lu Zhongju , Liu Huilin , Pan Zongming , Potapova Irina , Knight Bruce Ken , Girouard Steven , Cohen Ira S. , Brink Peter R. , Robinson Richard B. , Rosen Michael R.
Published: August 2006

Background—

Biological pacemakers (BPM) implanted in canine left bundle branch function competitively with electronic pacemakers (EPM). We hypothesized that BPM engineered with the use of mE324A mutant murine HCN2 (mHCN2) genes would improve function over mHCN2 and that BPM/EPM tandems confer advantage over either approach alone.

Methods and Results—

In cultured neonatal rat myocytes, activation midpoint was −46.9 mV in mE324A versus −66.1 mV in mHCN2 (
P
<0.05). mE324A manifested a positive shift of voltage dependence of gating kinetics of activation and deactivation compared with mHCN2 (
P
<0.05) in myocytes as well as
Xenopus
oocytes. In intact dogs in complete atrioventricular block, saline (control), mHCN2, or mE324A virus was injected into left bundle branch, and EPM were implanted (VVI 45 bpm). Twenty-four–hour ECGs were monitored for 14 days. With EPM discontinued, there was no difference in duration of overdrive suppression among groups. However, basal heart rates in controls were less than those in mHCN2, which did not differ from those in E324A (45 versus 57 versus 53 bpm;
P
<0.05). When spontaneous rate fell below 45 bpm, EPM intervened at that rate, triggering 83% of beats in control, contrasting (
P
<0.05) with 26% (mHCN2) and 36% (mE324A). On day 14, epinephrine (1 μg/kg per minute IV) induced a 50% heart rate increase in all mE324A, one third of mHCN2, and one fifth of control (
P
<0.05 mE324A versus control or mHCN2).

Conclusions—

mE324A induces faster, more positive pacemaker current activation than mHCN2 and stable, catecholamine-sensitive rhythms in situ that compete with EPM comparably but more catecholamine responsively than mHCN2. BPM/EPM tandems function reliably, reduce the number of EPM beats, and confer sympathetic responsiveness to the tandem.
Selective Atrial Vagal Denervation Guided by Evoked Vagal Reflex to Treat Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Scanavacca Mauricio , Pisani Cristiano F. , Hachul Denise , Lara Sissy , Hardy Carina , Darrieux Francisco , Trombetta Ivani , Negrão Carlos Eduardo , Sosa Eduardo
Published: August 2006

Background—

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether selective radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation of the atrial sites in which high-frequency stimulation induces vagal reflexes prevents paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods and Results—

Ten patients with episodes suggestive of vagal-induced paroxysmal AF and no heart disease were selected for percutaneous epicardial and endocardial mapping of the atria to search for sites in which high-frequency transcatheter stimulation (20 Hz,) induced vagal reflexes. A vagal response defined as AV block of >2 seconds was elicited in 7 of 10 patients (70%) with an average of 5±2.4 (range, 2 to 9) sites per patient, and RF pulses (21.0±12.0 per patient) were applied at those sites to eliminate all evoked vagal reflexes. The 3 patients in whom evoked vagal reflexes were not obtained underwent circumferential pulmonary vein ablation with an average of 58.0±13.9 RF pulses per patient (
P
=0.022). Autonomic evaluation was performed before and 48 hours and 3 months after the procedure and was consistent with vagal withdrawal in all patients. Two of the 7 patients who underwent denervation remained asymptomatic without the use of antiarrhythmic medication at a mean follow-up of 8.3±2.8 months (range, 5 to 15 months); 4 had frequent recurrences and were referred for circumferential pulmonary vein ablation; and 1 had few AF episodes without antiarrhythmic medication. The 3 patients without evoked vagal reflexes who underwent circumferential pulmonary vein ablation remained asymptomatic without antiarrhythmic medication. One patient had acute delayed gastric emptying after atrial vagal denervation.

Conclusions—

RF catheter ablation of selected atrial sites in which high-frequency stimulation induced vagal reflexes may prevent AF recurrences in selected patients with apparently vagal-induced paroxysmal AF.
α-E-Catenin Inactivation Disrupts the Cardiomyocyte Adherens Junction, Resulting in Cardiomyopathy and Susceptibility to Wall Rupture
Authors: Sheikh Farah , Chen Yinhong , Liang Xingqun , Hirschy Alain , Stenbit Antine E. , Gu Yusu , Dalton Nancy D. , Yajima Toshitaka , Lu Yingchun , Knowlton Kirk U. , Peterson Kirk L. , Perriard Jean-Claude , Chen Ju
Published: August 2006

Background—

α-E-catenin is a cell adhesion protein, located within the adherens junction, thought to be essential in directly linking the cadherin-based adhesion complex to the actin cytoskeleton. Although α-E-catenin is expressed in the adherens junction of the cardiomyocyte intercalated disc, and perturbations in its expression are observed in models of dilated cardiomyopathy, its role in the myocardium remains unknown.

Methods and Results—

To determine the effects of α-E-catenin on cardiomyocyte ultrastructure and disease, we generated cardiac-specific α-E-catenin conditional knockout mice (α-E-cat cKO). α-E-cat cKO mice displayed progressive dilated cardiomyopathy and unique defects in the right ventricle. The effects on cardiac morphology/function in α-E-cat cKO mice were preceded by ultrastructural defects in the intercalated disc and complete loss of vinculin at the intercalated disc. α-E-cat cKO mice also revealed a striking susceptibility of the ventricular free wall to rupture after myocardial infarction.

Conclusions—

These results demonstrate a clear functional role for α-E-catenin in the cadherin/catenin/vinculin complex in the myocardium in vivo. Ablation of α-E-catenin within this complex leads to defects in cardiomyocyte structural integrity that result in unique forms of cardiomyopathy and predisposed susceptibility to death after myocardial stress. These studies further highlight the importance of studying the role of α-E-catenin in human cardiac injury and cardiomyopathy in the future.
Low-Pressure Cardiac Tamponade
Authors: Sagristà-Sauleda Jaume , Angel Juan , Sambola Antonia , Alguersuari Joan , Permanyer-Miralda Gaietà , Soler-Soler Jordi
Published: August 2006

Background—

Low-pressure cardiac tamponade is a form of cardiac tamponade in which a comparatively low pericardial pressure results in cardiac compression because of low filling pressure. This syndrome is poorly characterized because only isolated cases have been reported. We conducted a study of its clinical and hemodynamic profiles.

Methods and Results—

From 1986 through 2004, we evaluated all patients at our institution with combined pericardiocentesis and cardiac catheterization. We identified those patients who fulfilled catheterization-based criteria of low-pressure cardiac tamponade and compared their clinical and catheterization data with those of patients with classic tamponade. A total of 1429 patients with pericarditis were evaluated, 279 of whom underwent combined pericardiocentesis and catheterization. Criteria of low-pressure cardiac tamponade were met in 29, whereas 114 had criteria of classic cardiac tamponade. Patients with low-pressure tamponade less frequently had clinical signs of tamponade, but the rate of constitutional symptoms, use of diuretics, and echocardiographic findings of tamponade were similar in both groups. Patients with low-pressure tamponade showed a significant increase in cardiac output after pericardiocentesis, but they usually had less severe cardiac tamponade compared with patients with classic tamponade. Prognosis was related mainly to the underlying disease.

Conclusions—

Low-pressure cardiac tamponade was identified in 20% of patients with catheterization-based criteria of tamponade. Clinical recognition may be difficult because of the absence of typical physical findings of tamponade in most patients. Although some patients are critically ill, most show a stable clinical condition. However, these patients obtain a clear benefit from pericardiocentesis.
The Regulation of Subsoil Resource Usage: The Erosion of the "Two-Key" Principle and Its Inclusion into the Framework of Civil Law
Authors: Skyner Louis
Published: August 2006

The article analyses the two main changes in direction in the regulation of subsoil use and management evident in Russia over the past twelve months. The first set of changes—effective as of 1 January 2005—significantly alter the relative authority of federal and regional executive bodies with regards to both the development of licensing programs and the procedures established for issuing the licenses themselves. The author asks whether the transfer of authority to federal executive bodies is realizable in practice, and whether or not the provisions of the Draft Law on subsoil—published by the government in March 2005—suggest that the federal authorities will establish a framework for licensing and the management of use that provides the predictability required by investors. This material was presented at a seminar "Law, Judicial Practice and the Russian Petroleum Sector" held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in June 2005.The author then goes on to discuss the legal nature and potential effect of a subsoil use contract, the new instrument for regulating subsoil use relations as envisaged by the draft Law "On Subsoil" use, focusing on the security and transferability of the property right that is created. To illustrate what he perceives to be a general reluctance of the state to allow the transfer of forms of use right to be free from administrative control, comparisons are made with the uneasy balance of civil and administrative law regulations in product sharing agreements, and the problems in enacting the civil law transfer of other natural resources such as agricultural land.The article concludes by discussing the potential applicability of the provisions of the Draft Law on subsoil, the possible consequences of the failure of the Draft Law to define the grounds upon which executive bodies may develop criteria to restrict or terminate the rights of the user, and the general absence of a clear definition of the function and competence of different state bodies.
Apollo, paenitentia, and Ovid's Metamorphoses
Authors: Fulkerson Laurel
Published: August 2006

Through a comparison of several examples of divine repentance in Ovid's Metamorphoses to their closest human analogue (Apollo/Phaethon and Apollo/Coronis, each in book 2, Apollo/Hyacinthus and Cyparissus, each in book 10) this study attempts both to illustrate the characterization of Apollo in the poem and to raise questions about why Apollo is the god so portrayed. I will suggest that Apollo's paenitentia highlights a key difference between gods and mortals, and also that Ovid may be using the figure of Apollo to remark upon that of Augustus.
Homer and History: Iliad 9.381-4
Authors: Kelly Adrian
Published: August 2006

The description of Orkhomenos and Egyptian Thebes in Akhilleus' famous comparison at Iliad 9.381-4 seems to reflect the political and economic climate of the Late Bronze Age, and not the seventh century as Walter Burkert has argued in an influential article (1976). A Mycenaean context is indicated by two factors: (1) the idea that wealth 'goes into' (πoτινíσεται, 9.381) a city fits well with Mycenaean economics, but is individual within the Homeric poems; (2) the history of the thirteenth century explains both the onomastic equation between Egyptian and Boiotian Thebes and the replacement of the latter by the former in the comparison.
Sources of Delusion in Analytica Posteriora 1.5
Authors: Hasper Pieter Sjoerd
Published: August 2006

Aristotle's philosophically most explicit and sophisticated account of the concept of a (primary-)universal proof is found, not in Analytica Posteriora 1.4, where he introduces the notion, but in 1.5. In 1.4 Aristotle merely says that a universal proof must be of something arbitrary as well as of something primary and seems to explain primacy in extensional terms, as concerning the largest possible domain. In 1.5 Aristotle improves upon this account after considering three ways in which we may delude ourselves into thinking we have a primary-universal proof. These three sources of delusion are shown to concern situations in which our arguments do establish the desired conclusion for the largest possible domain, but still fail to be real primary-universal proofs. Presupposing the concept of what may be called an immediate proof, in which something is proved of an arbitrary individual, Aristotle in response now demands that a proof be immediate of the primary thing itself and goes on to sketch a framework in which an intensional criterion for primacy can be formulated.For the most part this article is a comprehensive and detailed commentary on Aristotle's very concise exposition in 1.5. One important result is that the famous passage 74a17-25 referring to two ways of proving the alternation of proportions cannot be used as evidence for the development of pre-Euclidean mathematics.
An Investigation into the Association between the Witnessing of Animal Abuse and Adolescents' Behavior toward Animals
Authors: Thompson Kelly , Gullone Eleonora
Published: August 2006

Research (Baldry, 2003; Flynn, 1999, 2000a; Henry, 2004) has linked witnessing abuse to nonhuman animals with the committal of such acts. This study reports frequency data based on adolescents' self-reported witnessing of animal abuse and involvement in animal-directed behaviors. The study investigates associations between witnessing abuse and engaging in both positive and negative animal-directed behaviors. 281 adolescents, 12-18 years of age, completed measures of animal cruelty and the humane treatment of animals. As predicted, the study found a history of witnessing animal abuse associated with significantly higher levels of animal cruelty. The study reported significantly higher levels of cruelty for those who had witnessed a friend, relative, parent, or sibling abuse an animal and significantly lower levels for those who had witnessed a stranger abuse an animal. Participants who "Frequently" witnessed animal abuse reported significantly higher levels of cruelty than those who viewed abuse "A few times". There was no association found between humane treatment of animals and the witnessing of animal abuse. Positive influences, peer mentors and humane education, would help to combat this cycle of abuse.
Attitudes to Animals in the Animal Protection Community Compared to a Normative Community Sample
Authors: Taylor Nicola , Signal Tania
Published: August 2006

Attitudes toward the treatment of nonhuman animals in the animal protection community remain largely under researched. In an attempt to begin to rectify this, this study conducted a survey of 407 members of the animal protection community using the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS). The survey also asked participants to indicate whether they identified more with (a) animal rights or animal welfare perspectives and (b) a direct or indirect action approach to securing animal protection. Results of the current study indicate that, regardless of philosophical or practical beliefs, those in the animal protection community were significantly more pro-animal welfare (as measured by the AAS) than members of the general community. This disparity was even greater between the current participants and those of a previous study who identified as being employed in the Primary Industry (PI) sector. This paper discusses implications of this as well as respondents' philosophical and practical views.
Tails of Laughter: A Pilot Study Examining the Relationship between Companion Animal Guardianship (Pet Ownership) and Laughter
Authors: Valeri Robin Maria
Published: August 2006

A pilot study examined the relationship in daily life between companion animal guardianship (pet ownership) and peoples' laughter. The study divided participants (n = 95) into 4 mutually exclusive groups: dog owners, cat owners, people who owned both dogs and cats, and people who owned neither. For one day, participants recorded in "laughter" logs the frequency and source of their laughter and the presence of others when laughing. Dog owners and people who owned both dogs and cats reported laughing more frequently than cat owners, as did people who owned neither. The most frequent source of laughter was spontaneous laughter resulting from a situation. People who owned both dogs and cats reported most frequent spontaneous laughter resulting from an incident involving a pet. Dog owners reported less; cat owners, the least. Dog owners and people who owned both dogs and cats reported laughing more frequently in the presence of their pets than did cat owners. Findings suggest a complex relationship between pet ownership and laughter. Dogs may serve as friends with whom to laugh or their behaviors may provide a greater source of laughter.