bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactive effects of lifetime alcohol consumption and alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase polymorphisms on esophageal cancer risks
Authors: Chen Yun‐Ju , Chen Chu , Wu Deng‐Chyang , Lee Chien‐Hung , Wu Chen‐I , Lee Jang‐Ming , Goan Yih‐Gang , Huang Shu‐Pin , Lin Cheng‐Chieh , Li Tsai‐Chung , Chou Yi‐Pin , Wu Ming‐Tsang
Published: October 2006

In our previous study, we found that polymorphisms of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH1B and ALDH2) are important risks for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a Taiwanese population. In this study, we increased the sample size to investigate the modifying effect of lifetime alcohol consumption on the association between ADH1B and ALDH2 genotypes and the risks of esophageal cancer. A multicenter hospital‐based case–control study was conducted between August 2000 and June 2004. Three hundred and thirty newly‐diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients and 592 controls were recruited from National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Controls were matched to the case patients by gender and age within 4 years (case:control = 1:1–4). Polymorphisms of ADH1B and ALDH2 were genotyped by the method of PCR‐RFLP. Individuals with ADH1B*1/*1 genotype had a 3.99‐fold risk (95% CI = 2.13–7.48) of developing esophageal cancer, compared with those with ADH1B*2/*2 genotype, after adjusted for appropriate covariates. Individuals with ALDH2*1/*2 and ALDH2*2/*2 had 4.99‐fold risk (95% CI = 3.11–7.99) and 4.24‐fold risk (95% CI = 1.52–11.84), respectively, of developing esophageal cancer, compared with those with ALDH2*1/*1, after adjusted for appropriate covariates. We also found a modifying effect of lifetime alcoholic consumption on the association between genotypes of ADH1B and ALDH2 on esophageal cancer risk. These results suggest that ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms play a pivotal role on esophageal cancer and that the effect of these polymorphisms was modified by the amount of alcohol consumed. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predictors of regaining ambulatory ability during hospitalization
Authors: Brown Cynthia J. , Roth David L. , Peel Claire , Allman Richard M.
Published: October 2006

BACKGROUND

Loss of ambulatory ability with acute hospitalization is common and often does not improve by discharge.

OBJECTIVES

To define admission predictors of regaining ambulatory ability during hospitalization in patients with expected activity limitations.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

University teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred and eighty‐six patients at least 55 years of age whose activity was expected to be limited to a bed or chair for at least the first 5 days of hospitalization or who had a hip fracture, who were ambulatory in the 4 weeks prior to hospital admission, and whose length of stay in the hospital was less than 32 days.

MEASUREMENTS

Baseline data collected from admission physician and nurse interviews and abstracted from the medical records included length of stay, demographic characteristics, global health measures, presence of specific diseases, and hospital‐related factors hypothesized to affect ambulation. Nurses were asked weekly if patient activity was still expected to be limited to a bed or chair.

RESULTS

Despite initially being limited to a bed or chair, 42% had regained ambulatory ability by discharge. Recovery of ambulatory ability was independently associated with not being married (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4‐6.2), higher physician‐rated life expectancy (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.3‐2.8), absence of restraints (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.2‐5.5), having a urinary catheter (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.2‐5.5), having deep vein thrombosis (OR = 11.4, 95% CI 1.2‐105.1), and having a higher level of bed mobility at admission (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1‐2.6).

CONCLUSIONS

Recovery of ambulatory ability is closely associated with physician‐rated life expectancy and hospital‐related factors, particularly those that affect mobility. Early recognition of who will recover ambulatory ability may help with discharge planning and potential interventions. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2006;1:277–284. © 2006 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Biosensor‐based characterization of serum antibodies during development of an anti‐IgE immunotherapeutic against allergy and asthma
Authors: Pol Ewa , Karlsson Robert , Roos Håkan , Jansson Åsa , Xu Bingze , Larsson Anita , Jarhede Tanja , Franklin Gary , Fuentes Alexis , Persson Stefan
Published: October 2006

Antibody responses, induced in Cynomolgus monkey by recombinant IgE‐derived immunotherapeutic protein against atopic allergies and asthma, were characterized using label‐free, real‐time protein interaction analysis. The effects of two different immunotherapeutic proteins were compared. Active concentrations of specific anti‐IgE antibodies formed were determined in sera sampled at multiple time points, using conditions of total mass transport limitation that were proved to exist on the sensor surface. These concentrations varied from about 0.4 to 35 μg/ml among the monkeys and throughout the immunization period. Based on these concentrations, the rate and affinity constants for the binding of antibody populations to the antigen could be determined. The apparent equilibrium dissociation constant decreased during the immunization period, for all the monkeys, by a factor between 6 and 50, ending at values from ∼2 × 10−9 to ∼2 × 10−11 M among the animals. This affinity maturation was attributable to the changes in both rate constants, although the magnitude of the contribution of each constant depended partly on specimen, but primarily on the immunotherapeutic used. The immunotherapeutic proteins examined showed excellent immunogenic properties, providing the basis for a new and effective treatment for allergy and asthma. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid fat suppression in MRI of the breast with short binomial pulses
Authors: Morrell Glen R.
Published: October 2006

Purpose

To develop a faster method of fat suppression for use in dynamic contrast enhanced MRI of the breast.

Materials and Methods

A method of fast fat suppression is presented using spatially nonselective rapid binomial pulses. In contrast to conventional binomial frequency‐selective pulses, these short pulses are applied without interpulse delay, allowing for very rapid spectrally selective excitation.

Results

Effective water excitation and fat suppression were achieved in breast MRI at 3.0 Tesla with total excitation time as low as 160 μsec, which is several times shorter than the excitation time of currently used fat suppression techniques. Rapid fat suppression comes at the expense of increased specific absorption rate (SAR) and mildly degraded quality of suppression. A flexible tradeoff of short imaging time vs. SAR can be made to optimize imaging speed for fat‐suppressed breast MRI.

Conclusion

Rapid binomial pulses can be used for dynamic contrast enhanced breast MRI with excitation times significantly shorter than currently used fat suppression pulses. Shorter excitation time allows more rapid imaging, allowing greater temporal and spatial resolution for characterization of breast lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aspergillus Section Flavi and aflatoxins in dusts generated by agricultural processing facilities in the Philippines
Authors: Sales Anthony C , Yoshizawa Takumi
Published: October 2006

Relatively few data exist regarding concentrations of aflatoxins and their causative organisms in dusts within occupational environments. Here, we examined Aspergillus Section Flavi populations and aflatoxin levels in 54 samples of dusts generated by agricultural processing facilities as possible indicators of aflatoxin exposure in the Philippines. The average incidence of Aspergillus Section Flavi expressed as a percentage of total mould populations in rice dust, corn dust, feed dust and copra dust were 8, 4, 31 and 10%, respectively. Predominant aflatoxigenic fungi isolated were Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus with ratios of 31:1, 40:5, 16:4 and 1:1 in rice dust, corn dust, feed dust and copra dust, respectively. Aflatoxins produced by selected isolates in in vitro rice culture ranged from 100 µg kg−1 to 100.5 mg kg−1. Toxigenicity of isolates based on the average aflatoxin concentrations produced by positive isolates were in the order of copra dust > corn dust > rice dust > feed dust. Average natural concentrations of aflatoxins in rice dust, corn dust, feed dust, and copra dust were 25, 6, 15 and 10 µg kg−1, respectively. Estimates of the amount of inhaled aflatoxins by workers in an 8‐h work shift ranged from 0.06 to 114 ng, the average of which is higher than the amount of aflatoxins ingested by Filipinos due to the consumption of polished rice. The presence of highly toxigenic Aspergillus Section Flavi and aflatoxins in agricultural dust is a critical health risk for workers, considering the frequency of exposure and the possibility of inhalation and subsequent absorption of aflatoxins in the respiratory tract. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Digital image analysis of the flagellar beat of activated and hyperactivated suncus spermatozoa
Authors: Kaneko Takane , Mōri Takayuki , Ishijima Sumio
Published: October 2006

The flagellar beat of hyperactivated Suncus spermatozoa was analyzed by digital imaging and was compared to that of the nonhyperactivated (activated) spermatozoa in order to examine the function of the accessory fibers during the flagellar beat and the sliding filament mechanism inducing the motility of the hyperactivated spermatozoa. Unusual large and long characteristics of the accessory fibers were involved in generating the gently curved bends and a low beat frequency. Examination of the motility parameters of the flagellar beat of the activated and hyperactivated spermatozoa attached to a slide glass by their heads revealed that there were two beating modes: a frequency‐curvature dependent mode in the activated flagellar beat and a nearly constant frequency mode in the hyperactivated flagellar beat. The hyperactivated flagellar beat was characterized by sharp bends in the proximal midpiece and a low beat frequency. The sharp bends in the proximal midpiece were induced by the increase in the total length of the microtubule sliding at the flagellar base. The rate of microtubule sliding (sliding velocity) in the axoneme remained almost constant in the flagellar beat of both the activated and hyperactivated spermatozoa. Comparison of the sliding velocity in Suncus, golden hamster, monkey, and sea urchin sperm flagella with their stiffness suggests that the sliding velocity is determined by the stiffness at the flagellar base and that the same sliding microtubule system functions in both mammalian and echinoderm spermatozoa. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 478–485, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Glycoproteins of the vitelline envelope of Amphibian oocyte: Biological and molecular characterization of ZPC component (gp41) in Bufo arenarum
Authors: Barisone Gustavo A. , Krapf Darío , Correa‐Fiz Florencia , Arranz Silvia E. , Cabada Marcelo O.
Published: October 2006

The vitelline envelope (VE) participates in sperm‐egg interactions during the first steps of fertilization. In Bufo arenarum, this envelope is composed of at least four glycoproteins, with molecular masses of 120, 75, 41, and 38 kDa and molar ratio of 1:1.3:7.4:4.8, respectively. These components were isolated and covalently coupled to silanized glass slides in order to study their sperm‐binding capacity. When considering the molar ratio of the glycoproteins in the egg‐envelope and assuming that each protein is monovalent for sperm, the assay showed that gp41 and gp38 possess 55 and 25% of total sperm‐binding activity. We obtained a full‐length cDNA of gp41 (ZPC), comprising a sequence for 486 amino acids, with 43.3% homology with Xenopus laevis ZPC. As in the case of mammalian ZP3 and Xenopus ZPC, Bufo ZPC presented a furin‐like (convertase) and a C‐terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) reflecting common biosynthetic and secretory pathways. As it was reported for some fishes, we obtained evidence that suggests the presence of more than one zpc gene in Bufo genome, based on different partial cDNA sequences of zpc, Southern blots and two‐dimensional SDS–PAGE of deglycosylated egg‐envelope components. As far as we are aware, this is the first observation of the presence of different zpc genes in an Amphibian species. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 629–640, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intake of 13C‐4 creatine enables simultaneous assessment of creatine and phosphocreatine pools in human skeletal muscle by 13C MR spectroscopy
Authors: Kan H.E. , van der Graaf M. , Klomp D.W.J. , Vlak M.H.M. , Padberg G.W. , Heerschap A.
Published: October 2006

The feasibility of a novel method for the noninvasive and local assessment of creatine (Cr) and phosphocreatine (PCr) dynamics in human skeletal muscle based on 13C magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is presented. A high dose of Cr, labeled at the guanidino C‐4 position with 13C 11% enrichment, was administered orally to a human subject for 5 days. Using a surface coil, 13C MR spectra of the lower leg were acquired on a 1.5T MR system at regular time intervals during and after Cr supplementation. An almost twofold increase in the intensities of the resolved PCr and Cr 13C‐4 signals was observed during this period. The slow decrease in these signals to normal values after supplementation reflects the slow daily turnover of Cr. The PCr/Cr ratio did not appear to change over the whole measurement period. During exercise of the leg, reversible changes in PCr and Cr signals were observed, reflecting conversion by the Cr kinase reaction. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Technical note: Find a hidden “treasure”
Authors: Garnaev A.
Published: October 2006

This paper deals with a two searchers game and it investigates the problem of how the possibility of finding a hidden object simultaneously by players influences their behavior. Namely, we consider the following two‐sided allocation non‐zero‐sum game on an integer interval [1,n]. Two teams (Player 1 and 2) want to find an immobile object (say, a treasure) hidden at one of n points. Each point i ∈ [1,n] is characterized by a detection parameter λi (μi) for Player 1 (Player 2) such that pi(1 − exp(−λixi)) (pi(1 − exp(−μiyi))) is the probability that Player 1 (Player 2) discovers the hidden object with amount of search effort xi (yi) applied at point i where pi ∈ (0,1) is the probability that the object is hidden at point i. Player 1 (Player 2) undertakes the search by allocating the total amount of effort X(Y). The payoff for Player 1 (Player 2) is 1 if he detects the object but his opponent does not. If both players detect the object they can share it proportionally and even can pay some share to an umpire who takes care that the players do not cheat each other, namely Player 1 gets q1 and Player 2 gets q2 where q1 + q2 ≤ 1. The Nash equilibrium of this game is found and numerical examples are given. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007
Time‐dependent density functional theory study of electronic spectrum property for carbazolyl–pyridinyl alternating copolymers
Authors: Wang Hanlu , Wang Xueye , Wang Ling , Wang Hengliang , Liu Aihong
Published: October 2006

Three A‐B‐type fluorescent copolymers comprised of alternating carbazolyl and pyridinyl units, poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(3,5‐pyridinyl))](PEHCP‐35), poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(2,6‐pyridinyl))] (PEHCP‐26) and poly[(2,7‐(N‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyl)carbazolyl)‐alt‐(2,5‐pyridinyl))] (PEHCP‐25), are studied by means of the density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP/6‐31G). Based on the optimized geometries, the optical properties are calculated by employing time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). The bandgaps and optical properties are saturated quickly in PEHCP‐35 and PEHCP‐26. It is known from experiment that PEHCP‐25 is actually an oligomer with a polymerization degree of 4. So the tetramers of PEHCP‐35, PEHCP‐26, and PEHCP‐25 are adopted to study the electronic and optical properties, and the calculated results are in close agreement with experiment. The calculated bandgaps of copolymers obtained from two ways, i.e., HOMO–LUMO gaps and the lowest excitation energies, decrease in the following order PEHCP‐35 > PEHCP‐26 > PEHCP‐25, the same trend as the data obtained from the edge of the electric band but different from the electrochemically obtained data from experiment (PEHCP‐25 > PEHCP‐26 > PEHCP‐35). The outcomes showed that, when excited, a charge transfer from carbazolyl unit to pyridinyl unit occurs, and the lumophor is mainly carbazolyl units. The UV absorption and emission wavelengths both exhibit bathochromic shifts: PEHCP‐35 < PEHCP‐26 < PEHCP‐25. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007
Automatic extraction of bilingual word pairs from parallel corpora with various languages using learning for adjacent information
Authors: Echizen‐ya Hiroshi , Araki Kenji , Momouchi Yoshio
Published: October 2006

This paper presents a learning method using adjacent information as the method to extract bilingual word pairs efficiently from parallel corpora with various languages for which language resources are insufficient. In our method, information about correspondence between source language words and target language words is acquired automatically using the word strings that adjoin bilingual word pairs. That acquired information is used to solve the ambiguity problem of correspondence between source language words and target language words in various bilingual sentence pairs. First, the system using our method automatically acquires templates as information that indicates correspondence between source language words and target language words. The templates are based on word strings that adjoin the bilingual word pairs. Moreover, the system using our method efficiently extracts bilingual word pairs from bilingual sentence pairs using the acquired templates. Evaluation experiments showed that the system using our method extracted bilingual word pairs from parallel corpora with five kinds of languages. Results show that the total extraction rate was 60.1%. The total extraction rate was better by 8.0 percentage points compared to that obtained using a system based only on the Dice coefficient without our method. Those results confirm the effectiveness of our method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(13): 40–53, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20534
Object tracking by comparing multiple viewpoint images to CG images
Authors: Moritani Takayuki , Hiura Shinsaku , Sato Kosuke
Published: October 2006

There has recently been much research into real‐time tracking of object location and orientation tracking. However, many of the current methods use explicit image features such as corners, edges or silhouettes, etc. and are, therefore, not well suited to tracking curved and smooth objects from which it is difficult to extract features. On the other hand, with methods that attempt to estimate the movement of an object from the optical flow obtained from the pixel intensity gradient, it is difficult to avoid tracking errors accumulated during tracking. Therefore, in this paper we propose a method for estimating the movement of an object with six degrees of freedom without extracting features from the images. In particular, the difference between real images and CG (computer graphics) images is minimized based on the principle of intensity gradient images. CG images can be generated using an object model which consists of shape and color information with location and orientation parameters of the object. Here we show that by using images obtained simultaneously from multiple cameras at different angles, the stability of this tracking method is improved. We present experiments in which we construct an object tracking system that uses multiple cameras and show that we can perform object tracking with six degrees of freedom at a speed of approximately five frames per second for a rigid and arbitrarily curved object from which it is difficult to extract features. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(13): 28–39, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20546
Natural mentor relationships among latina adolescent mothers: Psychological adjustment, moderating processes, and the role of early parental acceptance
Authors: Rhodes Jean E. , Contreras Josefina M. , Mangelsdorf Sarah C.
Published: October 2006

Investigated the antecedents, effects, and underlying characteristics of natural mentor relationships in a sample of 54 inner‐city, Latina adolescent mothers. Women with mentors reported significantly lower levels of depression and anxiety than those without mentors despite similar levels of stress exposure and overall support resources. Young women with natural mentors were also more satisfied with their support resources and appeared better able to cope effectively with relationship problems. Finally, women with mentors recalled their childhood relationships with their mothers as more accepting. Mentor relationships appear to enhance young women's capacity to benefit from their support resources and offset the effects of relationship problems. Implications for future research and intervention strategies are discussed.
Empowering lesbian and gay communities: A call for collaboration with community psychology
Authors: Garnets Linda D. , D'Augelli Anthony R.
Published: October 2006

This article traces the history of empowerment efforts in lesbian and gay communities. Despite considerable progress, lesbians and gay men remain marginalized in American society. Their personal, family, and community development is hampered by social and institutional barriers to empowerment. Three powerful disempowering problems of contemporary lesbian and gay communities are detailed: (1) stresses related to coming out; (2) heterosexism; and, (3) difficulties identifying with a community. Four domains are suggested for future collaboration between community psychologists and lesbian/gay communities: (1) anti‐lesbian/anti‐gay prejudice, discrimination, and violence; (2) mental health and health enhancement; (3) the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and, (4) civil rights. Future collaborations must build on successful‐social change strategies already used by activists in lesbian and gay communities.
Latinos and latinas in community psychology: A review of the literature
Authors: Bernal Guillermo , Enchautegui-de-Jesús Noemí
Published: October 2006

Latinos and Latinas are one of the largest minority groups in the United States yet they remain a silent group. The article begins by considering the social, historical, and economic backgrounds of Latino and Latina groups in the U.S. as a context for understanding diversity and as a resource for explaining the participation of this minority group in community psychology. This article then examines the extent to which Latinos and Latinas are present and participate in community psychology throughout its publications and explores the nature of their participation through a thematic analysis of the published literature. A content analysis was conducted on 1,851 articles published from 1973 through 1992 in theAmerican Journal of Community Psychology and theJournal of Community Psychology to evaluate the presence of Latinos and Latinas in the community psychology literature. The quantitative analysis revealed that 3.7% (n=69) of all the articles reviewed focused on Latinos and Latinas or had samples with at least 15% of the participants coming from this ethnic group. Mexican Americans/Chicanos were the focus of the largest number of articles about specific Latino and Latina subgroups, followed by Cubans and Puerto Ricans. The results indicated less attention to Latino and Latina populations in the community psychology literature than would be expected from the field's goals. However, a qualitative review of the articles was more encouraging since many articles by and about Latinos and Latinas reflected values consonant with the field such as cultural pluralism or employed conceptual tools of the discipline such as empowerment or ecological approaches. Nevertheless, some of the articles reviewed also lacked a concern for the field's values in relation to Latinos and Latinas as a group. Finally, suggestions and strategies to empower this group are offered.
Psychological empowerment: Issues and illustrations
Authors: Zimmerman Marc A.
Published: October 2006

Discussed several issues related to psychological empowerment. The thesis of this paper is that the development of a universal and global measure of psychological empowerment may not be a feasible or appropriate goal. I begin by distinguishing between empowerment processes and outcomes. Underlying assumptions are discussed including the notion that empowerment differs across people, contexts, and times. A nomological network that includes intrapersonal, interactional, and behavioral components is also presented. Two examples of psychological empowerment for voluntary service organization members and members of a mutual help organization are described to help illustrate differences in the specific variables that may be used to measure psychological empowerment in different populations and settings.
Citizen participation and emprowerment: The case of local environmental hazards
Authors: Rich Richard C. , Edelstein Michael , Hallman William K. , Wandersman Abraham H.
Published: October 2006

Local environmental hazards place millions of citizens at risk of physical, emotional, and financial harm. While the discovery of such hazards can be fundamentally disempowering for individuals and communities, few scholars have examined the dynamics of empowerment in this context. We explore the relationships among forms of empowerment, citizen participation, and local environmental hazards, and offer a model of the processes of empowerment and disempowerment appropriate to a broad range of citizen issues. On the basis of this analysis we recommend a partnership approach to community decision making that is designed both to reduce the likelihood that local environmental hazards will develop and to minimize the disempowering impact of any threats that do occur.
Individual, organizational, and societal empowerment: A study of the processes in a Nicaraguan agricultural cooperative
Authors: Kroeker C. J.
Published: October 2006

Defined and examined the personal (material and psychological), organizational, and societal goals of empowerment. This exploration of empowerment was primarily based on 7 months of participant observation in an agricultural cooperative in Nicaragua in 1989. The research focused on the perspectives of the participants, internal program functioning, and relations to local organizations and the national context. This study shows that some factors in the cooperative setting enhanced empowerment at each level, while others impeded its development. The cooperative met immediate needs, and provided social status and a degree of autonomy in society. Its structure allowed for broad participating in decision making and control. “Sense‐making” and informal consciousness‐raising processes facilitated psychological empowerment. These processes were hidden in apparent disorganization and thus not recognized by local service providers. Fears of speaking in meetings and the reluctance to face crises were intense and influential. Opinions and behavior of outsiders and the environmental context, although seemingly helpful, also had detrimental effects. Parallels are drawn to empowerment theory and findings from other populations.
Speaking truth to power: Empowerment ideology as social intervention and policy
Authors: Perkins Douglas D.
Published: October 2006

The popularity, and subsequent ambiguity, in the use of the term “empowerment” has created an even greater need for reassessment in the applied context than in the theory and research literatures. This paper outlines some of the areas of community, organizational, and societal level social intervention and policy ostensibly based on the concept of empowerment. These include neighborhood voluntary associations (for environmental protection, community crime prevention, etc.), self‐help groups, competence‐building primary prevention, organizational management, health care and educational reforms, and national and international community service and community development policies. Issues in applying social research to community organizations and to legislative and administrative policy making are reviewed. Ten recommendations are offered, including the value of a dialectical analysis, for helping researchers and policy makers/administrators make more effective use of empowerment theory and research.
Race, gender, and the response to stress: Autoworkers' vulnerability to long‐term unemployment
Authors: Broman Clifford L. , Hamilton V. Lee , Hoffman William S. , Mavaddat Roya
Published: October 2006

A three‐wave panel study of auto plant closings focused on the mental health effects of unemployment on blue‐collar workers. This paper explores how the impact of long‐term unemployment varies across race and gender. We also examine whether other demographic factors can themselves modify the impactsof race and gender. Dependent variables include two measures of distress and two drinking measures. Results showed that the effect of long‐term unemployment on distress and drinking was more severe among less educated workers, and responses of blacks were especially sensitive to level of education. In addition, men showed a greater association of long‐term unemployment with depression (and to some extent anxiety) than did women. Marriage affected the responses of men but not of women, and of whites but not of blacks. Explanatory variables—the worker's experiences of financial hardship, other negative life events, and lack of a confidant—largely accounted for male‐female differences. We conclude by discussing theoretical implications of these effects and address the limitations of the traditional term “vulnerability” in describing them.
The effects of a community‐based literacy program on young children's language and conceptual development
Authors: Cronan Terry A. , Cruz Sonia G. , Arriaga Rosa I. , Sarkin Andrew J.
Published: October 2006

Effects of a community‐based literacy program on 1−, 2−, and 3‐year‐old children's language and conceptual development were assessed. University students were trained to teach Head Start parents effective methods for reading to their children. Families were randomly assigned to receive 18, 3, or 0 instructional visits. Results indicated that parents in the 18‐instructional‐visit program increased their participation in appropriate literacy behaviors such as reading to their children, teaching concepts to their children, and using the library, more than parents in the 0‐instructional‐visit groups. Children in the 18‐instructional‐visit program showed greater gains in language and conceptual development than children in the 0‐instructional‐visit group. Few differences were found between children in the 3‐visti and 0‐instructional‐visit groups. Thus, only a high‐intensity community‐based intervention designed to train parents was effective in increasing emergent literacy in low‐income ethnic children.
Regulatory processes and population cyclicity in laboratory populations of Anagasta kühniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae)
Authors: Matsumoto B. M. , Huffaker C. B.
Published: October 2006

AsMatsumoto andHuffaker (1973) concluded that their initial universe size was too small for the proper separation of the effects of host density and dispersion on parasite performance, a larger universe of 38 1/2″ (length) ×38 1/2″ (width) ×3″ (height) was used.

When individual parasites were exposed to fixed densities and dispersion patterns of host, they displayed an overall decrease in the parasitization rate when compared to the small universe. In all cases aHolling‐type response resulted.

When a group of 10 parasites per test was employed a Nicholsonian type of response resulted.

In an experimentally confined space, the parasites displayed a mutual behavioral interference resulting in emigration which accelerated as the parasite density increased.
A stochastic computer model for simulating population growth
Authors: Sonleitner Frank J.
Published: October 2006

A model is described for investigating the interactions of age‐specific birth and death rates, age distribution and density‐governing factors determining the growth form of single‐species populations. It employs Monte Carlo techniques to simulate the births and deaths of individuals while density‐governing factors are represented by simple algebraic equations relating survival and fecundity to population density. In all respects the model's behavior agrees with the results of more conventional mathematical approaches, including the logistic model andLotka's Law, which predicts a relationship betwen age‐specific rates, rate of increase and age distribution.

Situations involving exponential growth, three different age‐independent density functions affecting survival, three affecting fecundity and their nine combinations were tested. The one function meeting the assumptions of the logistic model produced a logistic growth curve embodying the correct values or rm and K. The others generated sigmoid curves to which arbitrary logistic curves could be fitted with varying success. Because of populational time lags, two of the functions affecting fecundity produced overshoots and damped oscillations during the initial approach to the steady state.

The general behavior of age‐dependent density functions is briefly explored and a complex example is described that produces population fluctuations by an egg cannibalism mechanism similar to that found in the flour beetle Tribolium.

The model is free of inherent time lags found in other discrete time models yet these may be easily introduced. Because it manipulates separate individuals, the model may be combined readily with the Monte Carlo simulation models of population genetics to study eco‐genetic phenomena.
The role of medium conditioning in the population dynamics of the housefly
Authors: Bryant Edwin H. , Hall Augusta E.
Published: October 2006

The role of larval medium conditioning on the behavior of larvae and of ovipositing adults of the housefly, Musca domestica L., was investigated through behavioral preference tests. Larvae were strongly attracted to medium conditioned by themselves or other larvae, while adult females overwhelmingly oviposited in fresh medium. Medium conditioning occurs within a few hours after hatching of an egg cohort and is effective in preventing overcrowding of a single site by shutting off further oviposition within 24 hours after eggs are initially deposited. A model of medium conditioning optimizes density for developing larvae and could also provide for regulation of local larval populations.
A computer simulation of the epidemiology of the rice dwarf virus
Authors: Nakasuji Fusao , Kiritani Keizi , Tomida Eishi
Published: October 2006

An epidemiological system model was developed to evaluate the role of factors which were responsible for the prevalence of rice dwarf virus (RDV) transmitted by the green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticeps. Simulation tests were conducted by varying values of the following three parameters: the vector density, the coefficient of the efficiency of feeding acquisition of RDV of the vector, and that of efficiency of RDV transmission by the vector. The effect of each parameter was assessed in terms of changes in percentages of infected insects and of infected rice hills.

Both the percentages of infected insects and of infected rice hills increased rapidly with increasing vector density within a range of low vector density. The former increased linearly when the acquisitive coefficient was increased. But the percentage of infected rice hills was affected to a lesser extent. The percentage of infected insects and that of infected rice hills increased exponentially with increasing values of the transmission coefficient. The results obtained from the simulation tests were discussed in relation to the ecological factors which caused the recent prevalence of RDV.
Estimating the survival rate and mean longevity for adults in a field population of the green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticepsUhler, by the application ofHokyo andKiritani's method
Authors: Hokyo Nobuhiko , Kuno Eizi
Published: October 2006

Application of the female dissection method proposed byHokyo andKiritani (1967) was attempted in both 1968 and 1969 to estimate the daily survival rate and the mean longevity for the adult population of the green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticeps, in a paddy field. The estimated mean longevity for females was far shorter than the physiological longevity of this species, ranging from 4 to 7 days with some variation between different generations. This could explain the remarkable discontinuity among successive generations which proved to form an important feature of the pattern of seasonal population changes of this insect. Between the two years, the estimated survival rate (and hence the mean longevity also) was negatively correlated to the estimated population size of adults that emerged in either of the two successive generations. This apparent density dependence suggests the possibility that the adult survival, including the effect of dispersal, plays some critical role in bringing about the remarkable population stability from year to year shown by the field population of N. cincticeps.
A field study of the effect of prebaiting on censusing by the capture‐recapture method in a vole population
Authors: Tanaka Ryo
Published: October 2006

Populations of the vole,Clethrionomys rufocanus, in a lowland woodlot of Hokkaido were studied for the presence of effects of prebaiting on censusing by the capture‐recapture method. A grid of 121 live‐traps, spaced 5 m apart, was laid out on each of two plots, one of which alone was prebaited three days long. Owing to very high densities and great trap‐efficiency, sufficient and favourable samples could be available for statistical analysis, except the trend of delayed catch for young in sampling. The population on either plot, however, proved to be markedly variable in catchability of unmarked animals in the course of trapping; while the probability of recapture was counted as invariable on the average from day to day, the recapture frequency was different between juveniles, subadults and adults. Needless to say, the catchability was distinctly greater for marked voles than for unmarked ones, whether prebaited or not, through the trapping period, except that the first‐day catchability for unmarked ones on the prebaited plot seems not to be significantly lower than that for marked ones.

Consequently, it turns out that the prebaiting has almost never helped to eliminate the important bias induced by differential trap‐response of marked and unmarked animals; its contribution is only that the catchability for unmarked ones is slightly higher on the part of the prebaited plot on earlier days of the period.

In accordance with the heterogeneous catchability, the Γ‐form distribution analogous to the geometric could be applied with thorough fitness to the capture frequency in order to estimate the whole populations. The fact that the estimates are reliable, being not at any rate underestimates, was further confirmed by the result of a follow‐up work conducted by means of the removal method with wider trap‐spacing which brought forth distinct underestimation chiefly referable to unexposure to traps of the partial populations. The subject of unexposure was discussed by laying stress on the relation between minimum range length and trap‐spacing.
Ecological assessments of community disorder: Their relationship to fear of crime and theoretical implications
Authors: Perkins Douglas D. , Taylor Ralph B.
Published: October 2006

Researchers suggest that fear of crime arises from community disorder, cues in the social and physical environment that are distinct from crime itself. Three ecological methods of measuring community disorder are presented: resident perceptions reported in surveys and on‐site observations by trained raters, both aggregated to the street block level, and content analysis of crime‐ and disorder‐related newspaper articles aggregated to the neighborhood level. Each method demonstrated adequate reliability and roughly equal ability to predict subsequent fear of crime among 412 residents of 50 blocks in 50 neighborhoods in Baltimore, MD. Pearson and partial correlations (controlling for sex, race, age, and victimization) were calculated at multiple levels of analysis: individual, individual deviation from block, and community (block/neighborhood). Hierarchical linear models provided comparable results under more stringent conditions. Results linking different measure of disorder with fear, and individual and aggregated demographics with fear inform theories about fear of crime and extend research on the impact of community social and physical disorder. Implications for ecological assessment of community social and physical environments are discussed.
Family, peer, and neighborhood influences on academic achievement among African‐American adolescents: One‐year prospective effects
Authors: Gonzales Nancy A. , Cauce Ana Mari , Friedman Ruth J. , Mason Craig A.
Published: October 2006

Using a 1‐year prospective design, this study examined the influence of family status variables (family income, parental education, family structure), parenting variables (maternal support and restrictive control), peer support, and neighborhood risk on the school performance of 120 African American junior high school students. In addition to main effects of these variables, neighborhood risk was examined as a moderator of the effects of parenting and peer support. Family status variables were not predictive of adolescent school performance as indexed by self‐reported grade point average. Maternal support at Time 1 was prospectively related to adolescent grades at Time 2. Neighborhood risk was related to lower grades, while peer support predicted better grades in the prospective analyses. Neighborhood risk also moderated the effects of maternal restrictive control and peer support on adolescent grades in prospective analyses. These findings highlight the importance of an ecological approach to the problem of academic underachievement within the African American community.
Statistical analysis of occupancy rates for overdispersed populations by redistribution procedures: Application to the european corn borer EGG masses distribution
Authors: Vaillant J. , Hawlitzky N.
Published: October 2006

Standard statistical analyses of distributions of individuals from contingency tables are generally invalid if the individuals are not distributed independently of each other. In this paper, we discuss a method of testing hypotheses about classification category occupancy rates for overdispersed population or for population whose individuals are distributed by groups rather than lonely. These methods are based on population redistribution simulations and provide valid, exact and powerful tests in situations for which classical methods are not appropriate. Illustrations are given from the European Corn Borer eggs data.
Relationships between body size, reproductive traits, and food resource in three species of tropical flesh flies
Authors: Tanaka Seiji , Guardia Modesto , Denlinger David L. , Wolda Henk
Published: October 2006

Intra‐ and inter‐specific comparisons in progeny size and clutch size were used to identify possible selection pressures acting on three sympatric species of ovoviviporous flesh flies. Both progeny and clutch sizes increased with body weight of the female parent in all species. There was no evidence for a simple trade‐off between the two traits. In one species, the larger the female adult the smaller the relative biomass of larvae per clutch (total weight of larvae/body weight of female parent). Female flies produced similar progeny and clutch sizes over successive batches. Variation in progeny size did not influence either larval survival or duration of larval and pupal development. However, larger first instar larvae tended to form larger pupae in two of the species. The experiments testing the effect of progeny size on pupal weight under limited food conditions suggest a selective advantage for larger progeny size.
Population dynamics of the green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in synchronized and staggered transplanting areas of paddy fileds in Indonesia
Authors: Widiarta I Nyoman , Suzuki Yoshito , Sawada Hiroichi , Nakasuji Fusao
Published: October 2006

The population dynamics of Nephotettix virescens, a vector of rice tungro virus disease was investigated in a synchronized transplanting area at Jatisari (1984–1986), West Java and in a staggered transplanting area at Sidan (1986–1988), Bali, Indonesia. The FARMCOP suction sampler was employed for population censuses of N. virescens and its natural enemies. The population growth pattern was affected by transplanting pattern: In the staggered transplanting area, the population density increased from the immigrant generation to the first generation, and sharply decrease thereafter, while in the synchronized transplanting area the population density often reached the highest peak in the second generation. The degree of contageousness in the spatial distribution of N. virescens was negatively correlated with population density of the immigrant generation.
Role of a parasitoid with a low fecundity, Praestochrysis shanghaiensis (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), in the population dynamics of its host
Authors: Yamada Yoshihiro
Published: October 2006

Analysis of life tables of the oriental moth, Monema flavescens, obtained for 8 generations over 4 years, disclosed that the cocoon parasitoid, Praestochrysis shanghaiensis, acted as a density‐disruptive factor.

The density of the host cocoon remained stable (max./min.=3.2), whereas that of the host adult varied (max./min.=14.3) although both showed similar fluctation patterns.

Stability of the host population was associated with the density‐dependence in the ratio of first generation cocoons to overwintered generation moths, which was the key factor for the rate of change throughout the year. Chrysidid parasitism among the first generation cocoons ranged from 37.7 to 70.1%, and that among the second generation cocoons from 16.7 to 63.2%, each showing an inverse density‐dependence and acting as the main determinant (key‐factor) of the between‐year variation in the density of the adult moths.

The density‐dependence of the rate of change from overwintered generation adults to first generation cocoons was so strong that the parasitism on the second generation hosts had not effect on the cocoon density of the first generation. On the other hand, the density‐dependence of the rate of change from first generation adults to second generation cocoons was weak, and the parasitism on the first generation hosts became the key factor for the between‐year variation of the second generation cocoons.

It is suggested that the stability of the parasitoid‐host system will be disrupted without three parasitism‐restricting factors: asynchrony in the parasitoid attack on the second generation hosts, high mortality among parasitoid larvae of the second generation, and the high proportion of those first generation parasitoids that enter diapause. These factors are considered to be effective only in cooler parts of the distribution of the parasitoid.