bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Taxation of a Polluting Durable Goods Monopolist
Authors: Boyce John R. , Goering Gregory E.
Published: November 2009

The authors consider optimal taxation in a two-period model of a durable goods monopolist where pollution is a byproduct of production. In the case where the firm rents its output, the optimal tax is lower than the tax placed on a competitive industry, all else held constant. When the monopolist sells its output, the tax will be larger than in the rental case. The authors find that this is due to the "Coase conjecture" that durable goods sales monopolists will be forced nearer to marginal cost pricing than will durable goods rental monopolists. They also show that Buchanan's result that the optimal pollution tax on a simple monopolist is less than the optimal pollution tax on a competitive industry generally holds for the case where the monopolist sells durable goods. However, an exception to this occurs when production costs decrease at the margin. In the durable goods case, Buchanan's result may be reversed. This is not the case when the goods are nondurable.
The Textile, Apparel, and Footwear Act of 1990: Determinants of Congressional Voting
Authors: Allen Stuart D. , Hopkins Amelia S.
Published: November 2009

This article uses probit analysis to examine the effect of political and economic variables on the probability of senators and representatives voting favorably on the Textile, Apparel, and Footwear Trade Act of 1990. The results show that voting behavior by senators and representatives was significantly influenced by their party affiliations, the importance of textile and apparel employment in their states, and campaign contributions. Senate voting behavior also was significantly affected by the length of tenure in office. House voting behavior also was negative and signifi cantly affected by the percentages of states' agricultural employment, which is an important export sector.
Optimal Capital Taxation and Debt Policy in a Finite-Horizon Macro Model
Authors: Mccafferty Stephen
Published: November 2009

This article analyzes optimal taxation and debt policies in a model of overlapping generations of finite-lived agents. Taxes are levied proportionately on capital and labor incomes. Tax rates are uniform across all agents. When the social and private discount rates coincide, the optimal steady-state tax rate on capital income is zero. Alternatively, the optimal steady-state tax rate on capital income is positive (or negative), and the optimal steady-state level of government debt is larger (or smaller) whenever the social discount rate is greater (or less) than the private discount rate.
To Pay or To Delay: an Economic Analysis of the Decision To Delay and the Incidence of Delaying the Payment of Corporate Income Tax
Authors: Feltham Glenn D. , Paquette Suzanne M.
Published: November 2009

This article examines firms' incentives to borrow from the government through delaying the payment of federal income tax. A contingent claims framework is then used to examine the economic incidence of delayed tax payment on the value of debt, equity, and government claims. Because tax laws and rules governing the priority of claims vary across countries, incentives to delay and incidence are examined for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Intergovernmental Grants in the Presence of Distortionary Taxation and Foreign Ownership
Authors: Tarzwell Gordon , Seldon James R.
Published: November 2009

This article analyzes intergovernmental transfers in a federal setting where lower level governments use distortionary taxation. Transfer policy is modeled in a federation with two states: foreign ownership of land and endogenously determined tax rates. The article concludes that under these circumstances, the standard result in the literature requires modification. Not only will the federal government be unable to achieve the national output-maximizing solution through the use of transfer payments, but the prescription for equating net fiscal benefits across states will, in general, not even achieve a second best.
Subsidies in Oligopoly Markets: a Welfare Comparison Between Symmetric and Asymmetric Costs
Authors: Hamilton Stephen F. , Sandin Rickard
Published: November 2009

This article studies welfare effects of uniform production subsidies in oligopoly markets, comparing cases of symmetric and asymmetric costs. Cost asymmetry reduces the welfare impact relative to the symmetric-cost case if the demand function is concave and magnifies the impact if demand is convex. The welfare difference increases with the degree of market power and with the cost differential in the industry.
Political Party Purpose, Individual Votes, and Political Action Committee Contributions
Authors: Greene Kenneth V. , Nelson Phillip J.
Published: November 2009

The authors use two different data sources to confront the questton of whether a party's primary economic purpose is to sell spectal favors or alternatively to provide information and serve as an ideological label. Although not denying the proposition that politicians sell special favors, it does present results consistent with the subordination of favor specialization to ideological specialization. Besides referring to earlier published results, this article analyzes individual voting data in presiden tial and congressional elections in the United States and contributions by groups of individuals and types of special interest classes to incumbent members of the U.S. Senate and House. These results also imply that there is no need to assume differential abilities to provide favors to special interest groups to explain differential success rates in more or less aggregated political jurisdictions.
A Reexamination of Budgetary Disequilibria
Authors: Ross Kevin L. , Payne James E.
Published: November 2009

Recent research has found that the time path of revenue and expenditure equations fails to respond to budgetary disequilibria but does adjust toward their long-run relationship to the gross national product. This result has been used to reject both the tax-and-spend and spend-and-tax models of the budgetary process. The purpose of this article is to reexamine the debate on the temporal relationships between federal government revenues and expenditures using quarterly U.S data over the 1955.1 to 1994 2 time frame. Using time-series techniques such as cointegration analysis and autoregressive conditionally heteroskedastic models, the authors find that, although revenue equations do respond to both budgetary and fiscal disequili bria, expenditure equations do not respond to either disequilibria individually. Thus, the time path of the expenditure equations are not affected by movements in the budget deficit or by the overall movements in the economy at large.
Separating the Decisions of Lottery Expenditures and Participation: a Truncated Tobit Approach
Authors: Stranahan Harriet A. , Borg Mary O.
Published: November 2009

This study uses a sample of lottery players from three states to estimate the probability of lottery play and expenditures on lottery products using a different methodology than is used in previous studies. The authors reject the parameter restrictions implied by the standard Tobit and estimate the decisions of whether. to purchase lottery products and how much players spend using a probit and truncated Tobit, respectively. Overall, an interesting demographic profile of the players, which was not apparent from the results obtained by estimating the standard Tobit, emerged as a result of separating the decisions. The more general model provides new information for lottery administrators interested in designing programs that specifi cally increase market share versus programs that increase spending for those who already play regularly. This study calculates the expected value of lottery expendi tures to estimate the tax incidence associated with different lottery products. Pre vious studies calculating lottery tax regressivity have used an incorrect formula for the expected value of lottery expenditures. The authors find that the taxes on all lottery games are regressive, with instant games having the greatest regressivity
Contingent Valuation of Quasi-Public Goods: Validity, Reliability, and Application To Valuing a Historic Site
Authors: Chambers Catherine M. , Chambers Paul E. , Whitehead John C.
Published: November 2009

This article employs the contingent valuation method (CVM) to measure the non- market value of preservation of the Ste. Genevieve Academy, a quasi-public good. This study represents a new application of the CVM featuring a historical resource. As such, the authors explore the validity and reliability of this application of the method. Construct validity tests based on economic theory and the reliability test of internal consistency are conducted. The authors find evidence that the CVM can be a useful approach for measuring the nonmarket value of quasi-public goods such as historical resources. The authors also illustrate how the CVM can be used for policy analysis of preservation of historical sites.
Are Government Revenues From Financial Repression Worth the Costs?
Authors: Alm James , Buckley Robert
Published: November 2009

A new perspective on financial repression has recently been developed that stresses the public finance aspects of this policy. In this view, financial repression is seen as an implicit tax that generates "benefits" for government in the form of substantial amounts of government revenues, especially under high inflation. However, once it is granted that financial repression is a tax, it must also be granted that there are "costs" of repression, in the form of an array of distortions. In this article, the authors present estimates of the welfare costs of financial repression for Turkey, a country that recent work shows has been heavily taxed by such means. A simple computable general equilibrium model is constructed and calibrated to obtain estimates of the efficiency costs of this implicit tax. The analysis shows that financial repression creates very high welfare costs whose magnitude may well exceed the revenues generated. Consequently, although financial liberalization measures should always be cautiously pursued, and a better understanding of the scale of the implicit taxes implied by government policy is very useful, the size of the latter should not serve as a rationale to discourage pursuit of the former.
Efficiency Costs and the Demand for Income Redistribution
Authors: Colburn Christopher B. , Horowitz John B.
Published: November 2009

This study includes the marginal cost of redistribution (MCR) in analyzing the adjusted tax price faced by the median voter. The adjusted tax price is then used to analyze the degree to which efficiency costs change the level of income redistribution provided through the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. The results of this article suggest that efficiency costs, on average, raise the cost of AFDC transfers by approximately 28% and reduces the level of AFDC redistribution by about 14.6%.
Using Contingent Valuation to Measure the Compensation Required to Gain Community Acceptance of a Lulu: the Case of a Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility
Authors: Groothuis Peter A. , Van Houtven George , Whitehead John C.
Published: November 2009

This article examines an application of the contingent valuation (CV) method to Abstract measure the compensation required for the siting of a hazardous waste disposal facility. First, the risk valuation literature on the siting of a hazardous waste facility is discussed. In this section, the authors discuss past studies using contingent valuation techniques and the importance of subjective risk assessment. Second, a contingent valuation survey is performed to measure willingness to accept (WTA) using a dichotomous choice referendum framework. Using these data, the authors test for the internal consistency of the responses and calculate the WTA for siting a hazardous waste disposal facility. The authors conclude that CV can be used to estimate reasonable measures of WTA and is a potentially useful tool for assessing the compensation required to site a hazardous waste disposal facility.
Tax Evasion and Tax Rates: Properties of a Penalty Structure
Authors: Balassone Fabrizio , Jones Philip
Published: November 2009

Allingham and Sandmo demonstrated that under decreasing absolute risk aversion, when the penalty for tax evasion fell on evaded income, an increase in the tax rate might increase, decrease, or leave unaltered the level of evaded income. Yitzhaki resolved the ambiguity by considering the impact of increased tax rates when the penalty for tax evasion fell on evaded taxes. However, his result (that an increase in tax rates leads to a decrease, rather than an increase, in evaded income) has been heavily criticized as counterintuitive, and this criticism has spawned a literature aimed at exploring different assumptions that would generate an "intuitive" result. Preoccupation with this concern has deflected analysis from appraisal of the properties of the penalty structure as described by Yitzhaki. In this article, the authors challenge the view that Yitzhaki's analysis is so counterintuitive and, by offering a broader assessment, the intention is to refocus the discussion. Yitzhaki's analysis is better interpreted in the context of an evaluation of different penalty structures. Building on Yitzhaki's analysis, it can be shown that penalties are generally more efficient when punishment is designed to fit the crime.
Central Regulation of Local Authorities
Authors: Carlsen Fredrik
Published: November 2009

Decentralized provision of services allows communities to adapt to local variations in preferences. However, surveys show that central regulation of local sector revenue, spending, and borrowing decisions is pervasive. This article argues that one rationale for central regulations is to prevent local authorities from distorting allocation decisions in order to drive up intergovernmental grants. By limiting the local sector's discretion to act strategically, regulations give the government leeway in setting grants.
Financing a Nationalized Monopoly: Coase's Versus Hotelling-Lerner's Solution
Authors: Torregrosa Ramón J.
Published: November 2009

In 1946, Coase rejected Hotelling-Lerner's solution for financing a nationalized monopoly on the grounds that any tax structure could distort relative prices. In monopoly where two-part tariffs are infeasible, Coase suggested average cost pricing as a noninfenor solution to the above policy. This article shows that, in a general equilibrium model, it is possible to choose a distortionary Hotelling-Lerner's tax policy that is superior to average cost pricing.
Institutional Structure and Education Spending
Authors: Landon Stuart
Published: November 2009

This article provides an empirical comparison of the level of education spending under three different institutional structures of spending control. From least to most centralized, these are local control of spending with overlapping Jurisdictions, local control with nonoverlapping jurisdictions, and state (or provincial) control. A model of education expenditure determination under each regime is derived and estimated (using Canadian data), and spending levels under the three regimes are simulated and compared. The results indicate that spending behavior differs significantly across regimes and that the institutional structure ofspending control is an important determinant of the level of education expenditures. The local control regime with nonoverlapping jurisdictions yields the lowest level of total education spending, but the provincial control regime has the lowest operating expenditures. The local control regime with overlapping jurisdictions has the highest level of both total and operating expenditures. These results suggest that the relationship between decen tralization and spending is not necessarily monotonic.
Measuring Tax Progressivity: Compatible Global and Local Indexes
Authors: Baum Sandy
Published: November 2009

This paper analyzes two complementary measures of tax progressivity. Relative Share Adjustment (RSA) is the ratio of after-tax to before-tax shares of income for particular groups. RSAg, a global measure, is the log of RSA averaged over all groups, weighted by group population. It is equal to the absolute change in inequality resulting from the tax, as measured by Theil's index of income inequality. Values for the indexes are computed through application of alternative tax functions to simulated lognormal income distributions. The results highlight the contrasts in the distributional effects of different tax structures of similar overall progressivity.
The Design of Commodity Taxes in the Presence of Tax Evasion With Illustrative Evidence From India
Authors: Ray Ranjan
Published: November 2009

This article analyzes the impact of tax evasion in the optimal commodity tax model with heterogeneous individuals. A recent model of indirect tax evasion is applied to the many-person case. Indian data show that sales underreporting has a major impact on tax design, and makes the optimal commodity taxes more redistributive. Thus, tax evasion plays a role similar to that of inequality aversion in traditional tax calculations. The tax evasion parameter is endogenized and shown to be nonuniform across items. The article also introduces a framework that allows simultaneous analysis of commodity and income tax evasion.
Tax Increment Financing: Municipal Adoption and Effects On Property Value Growth
Authors: Man Joyce Y. , Rosentraub Mark S.
Published: November 2009

Tax increment financing (TIF) has been adopted widely by municipalities in the United States as an economic development tool. Despite the large number of state initiatives and TIF's increasing popularity, few statistical studies have been con ducted to examine the direct effect of the TIF program from an economic perspective. This article analyzes the effect of TIF plans on property value growth by comparing pre-TIF to post-TIF property value changes in a first-difference model. The empiri cal results from a panel of Indiana cities indicate that the TIF program has increased median owner-occupied housing values in a TIF-adopting city by 11% relative to what it would have been without TIF. This finding suggests that the TIF program effectively stimulates property value growth in an entire community.
Monetary and Fiscal Constitutions and the Bureaucratic Behavior of the Federal Reserve
Authors: Boyes William J. , Mounts William Stewart , Sowell Clifford
Published: November 2009

A body of literature has developed that models the Federal Reserve as a self- interested bureaucracy, and not simply as an altruistic bureau guided only by a concern with the public interest. This literature focuses on the monetary constitution—the institutional arrangements and relationships under which the Federal Reserve operates. However, the Federal Reserve also operates under a fiscal constitution (the institutional arrangements that guide development of a federal budget). This is because the Federal Reserve is an agent of Congress. Unfortunately, this important principal-agent relationship has not been incorpo rated into the examinations of the bureaucratic behavior of the Federal Reserve. The purpose of this article is to reexamine the Federal Reserve's tendency to engage in expense-preference behavior while controlling for both monetary and fiscal constitutions.
The Optimal Time to File for Social Security Benefits
Authors: Mirer Thad W.
Published: November 2009

Under current Social Security rules, a newly retired worker can affect the age structure of benefits that he or she will receive by choosing when to file for a claim for benefits: the longer the claim is deferred, the greater the monthly benefit will be. This article examines the alternatives available to individuals and presents a life cycle model of retirement planning that determines the optimal time to file for benefits. The model is applied with the Social Security rules for 1998 and with an idealized system in which all adjustments to benefits are actuarially fair. It is shown that in many cases individuals will choose to file for benefits several years after retirement instead of immediately. The gain achieved by doing this can be substantial.
Multiple sclerosis in childhood: clinical features of 149 cases
Authors: Ghezzi A. , Deplano V. , Faroni J. , Grasso MG , Liguori M. , Marrosu G. , Pozzilli C. , Simone IL , Zaffaroni M.
Published: November 2009

From the retrospective study of 3375 patients affected by clinically definite or probable multiple sclerosis (MS), 149 patients were collected with onset of the disease before the age of 16 years (4.4%). Female/male ratio was higher than that of the adult onset MS (AOMS) population (2.2 vs 1.6) particularly at ages of onset after 12 years (3.0, P=0.007 vs AOMS). Among initial symptoms, those suggesting brainstem dysfunction (25%) were more frequent compared to other systems and compared to AOMs symptoms; motor and sensory disturbances were slightly less frequent (respectively 17.5% and 18.3%). Optic neuritis appeared in 16.5% of cases with onset in childhood and in 16.2% of cases with AOMS, cerebellar disturbances respectively in 9.1 % and 7.7%. The first interattack interval and the clinical course of early onset MS did not differ significantly from AOMS. In early onset MS patients with disease duration < 8 years, cases with EDSS > 6 were slightly more frequent than in the AOMS group (P=0.04). The frequency of cases for different levels of disability was similar for disease duration > 8 years.
Enhancement of central nervous system remyelination in immune and non-immune experimental models of demyelination
Authors: van Engelen Baziel GM , Pavelko Kevin D , Rodriguez Moses
Published: November 2009

Studies in both humans and experimental animals indicate that there is potential for full remyelination following CNS demyelination, but the factors that control the degree of myelin repair are unknown. In the Theiler's virus model of demyelination CNS remyelination can be promoted either by global immunosuppression or by selective immunoglobulin therapy. In this paper we discuss whether immunoglobulin-mediated remyelination is a characteristic of immune-mediated demyelination, or whether immunoglobulin-mediated remyelination also occurs in the toxic-traumatic model of lysolecithin-induced demyelination. Our data support the hypothesis that even in a non-primary immune model of demyelination, manipulating the immune system can be beneficial in myelin repair.
To what extent is oligodendrocyte progenitor migration a limiting factor in the remyelination of multiple sclerosis lesions?
Authors: Franklin Robin JM , Blakemore William F
Published: November 2009

In this article we describe a series of experimental approaches, involving the use of gliotoxin-induced demyelination, X-irradiation and glial cell transplantation, which examine the size of the area around demyelinating lesions from which new remyelinating cells are generated, and the distance over which they are able to migrate. Taken together, these studies suggest that the recruitment of remyelinating cells takes place over a very limited area and that long distance migration of remyelinating cells is not a feature of remyelination. The implications of these findings for spontaneous remyelination of multiple sclerosis plaques, and the development of strategies for enhancing remyelination are discussed.
Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in multifocal motor neuropathy and other chronic immune-mediated neuropathies
Authors: Comi G. , Nemni R. , Amadio S. , Galardi G. , Leocani L.
Published: November 2009

This review deals with the use of intravenous IVIg immunoglobulines in the treatment of chronic immune-mediated neuropathies: multifocal motor neuropathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, neuropathies associated with monoclonal gammopathies. A particular attention is given to case series and trials which compare IVIg to other therapies, such as steroid treatment, immunosuppressors and plasma exchange. At present, clinical and instrumental data seem to indicate the short term efficacy of IVIg in multifocal motor neuropathies, especially as early treatment; further studies are need in order to prove its long term efficacy in this disease. Concerning chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies, short term IVIg efficacy is comparable to that of plasma exchange and in the long term most patients need repeated treatments. Most patients respond to the initial therapy and the initial nonresponders usually improve with a second treatment modality.
Growth factors and myelin regeneration in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Webster Henry de F
Published: November 2009

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) are multifunctional growth factors which are found in the CNS. Oligodendroglia are the cells that form and maintain myelin sheaths and many in vitro experiments have shown that these growth factors promote the proliferation, differentiation and survival of cells in the oligodendroglial lineage. Since myelin breakdown is often severe in multiple sclerosis (MS), the possibility of growth factor use in the treatment of MS has been considered and recently, IGF-I treatment has been shown to reduce lesion severity and promote myelin regeneration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. This review briefly summarizes the structural characteristics of these growth factors and the actions which might help reduce oligodendrocyte-myelin sheath injury in MS and promote myelin regeneration.
Modulation of autoimmune responses by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)
Authors: Kaveri Srinivas , Prasad Nagendra , Vassilev Tchavdar , Hurez Vincent , Pashov Anastas , Lacroix-Desmazes Sebastien , Kazatchkine Michel
Published: November 2009

Significant progresss has been made in understanding the mechanisms by which intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) exert immunomodulatory effects in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. A unique property of immunoglobulins is the diversity of variable (V) regions. The evidence discussed in this communication supports our notion that the diversity of V regions in IVIg preparations is a determining factor for the antiinflammatory substitutive and immunomodulatory functions of IVIg therapy. We have demonstrated the presence in IVIg, of anti-idiotypic antibodies directed against various autoantibodies. The ability of IVIg to interact through V regions with complementary V regions of antibodies and antigen receptors as well as with relevant soluble and surface molecules provides the basis for inducing the selection of immune repertoires. The study of the mechanisms by which IVIg mediates selection of autoreactive repertoires is essential for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the emergence of pathological autoimmunity and of the physiological role of natural antibodies in the establishment and maintenance of tolerance to self and homeostasis of autoreactivity in healthy individuals.
MRI measures and their relations with clinical disability in relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Giugni E. , Pozzilli C. , Bastianello S. , Gasperini C. , Paolillo A. , Koudriavtseva T. , Frontoni M. , Farina D. , Bozzao L.
Published: November 2009

To further evaluate the relationship between clinical disability and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) lesion burden, we examined 85 patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (54 relapsing-remitting and 31 secondary progressive). This cross-sectional study reports on the correlations between total and infratentorial lesion volume on both T1 and T2 weighted images, and overall physical disability measured by Expanded Disability Status Scale, ambulation index and individual functional systems. Assessment of the hypointense lesion load on T1 weighted images rather than the hyperintense lesion load on T2 weighted images at brain MRI was shown to be useful for differentiating relapsing-remitting from secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. A weak relationship between disability and total lesion volume on both T1 and T2 weighted images was found in relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. In secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, infratentorial lesion volume on T2 weighted images represents the only marker of disability. Finally, the presence of cerebellar, brainstem and mental impairment was significantly associated to a greater total lesion volume on MRI, while no relationship was found with other functional systems.
1H MRSI of normal appearing white matter in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Rooney WD , Goodkin DE , Schuff N. , Meyerhoff DJ , Norman D. , Weiner MW
Published: November 2009

The primary goal of this study was to determine if differences in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals exist between normal appearing white matter (NAWM) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and white matter of control subjects. Water suppressed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging was used to determine the signal intensities of N-acetylated moieties (NA, predominantly N-acetylaspartate (NAA) the putative neuronal marker), creatine and phosphocreatine (Cr), and cholines (Ch) in 19 MS patients (15 relapsing-remitting and four secondary progressive) and 19 age matched control subjects. NA/Cr was significantly reduced (P < 0.00 1) in MS NAWM (1.8 ± 0.2; x ± s.d.) distant from MRI detected lesion areas compared to white matter of control subjects (2.1 ± 0.2). This reduction was due to an increase in Cr from 0.39 ± 0.04 (arbitrary units) in controls to 0.45 ± 0.05 in MS patients. There was no significant change in NA or Ch in MS NAWM compared to controls. NA/ Cr, distant from MRI lesion, was negatively correlated with total brain lesion volume as measured from T2-weighted MRI. We interpret the reduced NA/Cr in MS NAWM to indicate diffuse microscopic disease.
T cell-T cell activation in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Lindsey JW , Kerman RH , Wolinsky JS
Published: November 2009

Activated T cells are able to stimulate proliferation in resting T cells through an antigen non-specific mechanism. The in vivo usefulness of this T cell-T cell activation is unclear, but it may serve to amplify immune responses. T cell-T cell activation could be involved in the well-documented occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations following viral infections. Excessive activation via this pathway could also be a factor in the etiology of MS. We tested the hypothesis that excessive T cell-T cell activation occurs in MS patients using in vitro proliferation assays comparing T cells from MS patients to T cells from controls. When tested as responder cells, T cells from MS patients proliferated slightly less after stimulation with previously activated cells than T cells from controls. When tested as stimulator cells, activated cells from MS patients stimulated slightly more non-specific proliferation than activated cells from controls. Neither of these differences were statistically significant We conclude that T cell proliferation in response to activated T cells is similar in MS and controls.
Influenza virus vaccination of patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Mokhtarian Foroozan , Shirazian Djamshid , Morgante Linda , Miller Aaron , Grob David , Lichstein Edgar
Published: November 2009

Prior to vaccination with a trivalent influenza vaccine (AT/Texas, AB/Beijing, and BP/Panama), sera from 19 MS patients had a significantly higher mean level of antibody than 9 normal subjects to AT strain of influenza, but not to AB or BP strains. After Flu vaccination, the mean anti-AT and anti-AB antibody titers significantly increased 4-fold in I I MS patients and 9 normal subjects. The ratio of MS responders (6II 1), however, was lower than normal (8/9). The mean PBL proliferative response to the Flu antigens increased after vaccination significantly more in MS patients than in normal subjects, and increased in 9 of I I MS patients and 3 of 9 normal subjects. Although MS patients responded to Flu antigens with higher antibody levels and proliferative responses of PBL, than normal subjects, a clinical protective effect of the vaccine against Flu was not dearly demonstrated in these patients, and vaccination did not cause or protect against exacerbation of MS.
Black Women’s Leadership Experiences: Examining the Intersectionality of Race and Gender
Authors: Jean-Marie Gaetane , Williams Vicki A. , Sherman Sheila L.
Published: November 2009

In this article, the experiences of Black women educational leaders are highlighted to examine the intersection of race and gender in their leadership experiences and tease out approaches to gender inclusiveness to disrupt the isms (racism, sexism, etc.) in the construction of their leadership. The participants’ transcendence of racial and gender stereotypes became the impetus for developing a leadership style that is inclusive, builds consensus, and is collaborative. This issue is important given the increasing demographic changes in society in which more opportunities for Black women to ascend to leadership roles in professional organizations (e.g., business, higher education, and government) become prevalent.
Fostering an Ethic of Care in Leadership: A Conversation with Five African American Women
Authors: Bass Lisa
Published: November 2009

This article is a qualitative, exploratory, multicase study that examines the leadership of five educational administrators and teachers serving students of various levels. This study addresses the following questions: How do African American women leaders’ experiences with intersectionality (race, class, and gender) inform an ethic of care in responding to social injustices within the educational system? How do African American women in these situations define caring? This study offers new perspectives to feminist care-focused frameworks by including the intersection of race, gender, and class in the conversation. Central to the discussion is African American women’s sensitivity of issues that emerge from the intersection of race, gender, and social class in large organizational systems as a result of their own marginalized status in society. Although this study examines educational leaders, the implications are similar across other professions where African American women are leaders and demonstrate an ethic of care.
Preventing Unintentional Injury: A Review of Behavior Change Theories for Primary Care
Authors: Sleet David A. , Carlson Gielen Andrea , Diekman Shane , Ikeda Robin
Published: November 2009

Many injuries are preventable, and most have a behavioral component on their causal pathway. However, far more effective use of theory-based approaches to behavioral risk management is needed, which remains a challenge for practitioners. This review discusses theories and applications of behavioral change principles for use in primary care and community health settings. Injury-related behaviors cannot be separated from the environments in which they take place. Preventing unintentional injuries requires an understanding of patient knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as community norms, that lead to injuries. In addition to the role clinicians have in counseling for lifestyle change to prevent injuries, reducing exposure of patients to hazardous products and environments, and fostering social and organizational change to improve public policy, legislation, and enforcement to prevent injuries are equally important. Challenges lie ahead in testing the applicability of these theories in primary care settings and in predicting and understanding injury-related behaviors of patients. Training more medical practitioners in the epidemiology of injury and the science of injury control is an urgent priority. Success will partly depend on how behavioral theories can be integrated into practice and adapted through clinical experience to benefit patients.
Relationships of Physical Activity to Brain Health and the Academic Performance of Schoolchildren
Authors: Trudeau François , Shephard Roy J.
Published: November 2009

This review examines possible relationships between academic performance and participation in sports, physical education, and other forms of physical activity. Recent fundamental research has reignited interest in the effects of physical activity on cognitive processes. Experimental studies of potential mediating variables point to physiological influences such as greater arousal and an increased secretion of neurotrophins and psychosocial influences such as increased self-esteem and connectedness to schools. In the specific case of sports, experimental studies are limited to demonstrations of greater attention and acute gains of mental performance immediately following such activity. Several quasi-experimental studies of other types of physical activity have been completed, mainly in primary school students; these have found no decrease in academic performance despite a curtailing of the time allocated to the teaching of academic subjects. Indeed, in some cases, experimental students undertaking more physical activity have out-performed control students. Many investigators have looked at cross-sectional associations between participation in sport or other forms of physical activity and academic performance. Despite difficulties in allowing for confounding variables, particularly socioeconomic status, the overall conclusion has been of a weak positive association. From the practical point of view, it can be concluded that the physical activity needed for healthy child development can be incorporated into the school curriculum without detriment to academic achievement.
Health Promotion in Latinos
Authors: Pekmezi Dori , Marquez Becky , Marcus-Blank Joshua
Published: November 2009

This article provides a review of health promotion research conducted among Latinos. The authors examined 31 intervention studies promoting physical activity and/or healthy diet in Latino samples. Overall, findings suggested that Latinos are responsive to interventions promoting physical activity and healthy diet, despite facing numerous barriers to health promotion. In fact, 12 of the 21 studies that measured physical activity and 19 of the 26 studies that measured dietary behavior reported that the intervention produced significant improvements in those health behaviors. Design strengths of these studies included the high rates of retention and large number of randomized controlled trials. However, there were concerns regarding the lack of diversity in the samples (mostly Mexican American women), limiting the generalizability of the findings and the underutilization of objective measures of physical activity and diet behavior in intervention studies.
Risk analysis and risk adapted on-site monitoring in noncommercial clinical trials
Authors: Brosteanu Oana , Houben Peggy , Ihrig Kristina , Ohmann Christian , Paulus Ursula , Pfistner Beate , Schwarz Gabriele , Strenge-Hesse Anke , Zettelmeyer Ulrike
Published: November 2009

Background The concept of risk assessment for clinical trials has been discussed before, but no comprehensive structured procedure leading to risk-adapted quality management has been published so far. Such a procedure is of particular interest for noncommercial trials in order to optimally use the sparse resources.

Purpose To provide a structured procedure for risk analysis in clinical trials. To propose strategies for on-site monitoring adapted to the risks identified.

Results The risk analysis refers to the risk of noncompliance with the main objectives of Good Clinical Practice. It takes into account risks of the study intervention compared to the risks a patient would run if treated outside a protocol as well as further potential risks regarding patient safety, patient rights, or the credibility of results. The risk analysis is based on detailed questionnaires, which are used to draw up (a) an on-site monitoring strategy recommendation, (b) a list of trial-specific tasks to be covered by on-site monitoring, and (c) a specification of further quality management measures e.g., central monitoring measures. The resulting risk-adapted monitoring strategies focus on the trial’s critical aspects, and differ in terms of the recommended extent of on-site activities.

Limitations The effectiveness of the proposed risk analysis and risk-adapted monitoring has not yet been confirmed. However, the ADAMON project (prospective cluster-randomised study of trial-specific adapted strategies for on-site monitoring in combination with additional quality management measures) has been started in Germany to investigate whether a trial-specific, risk-adapted, reduced on-site monitoring strategy is as effective as an intensive monitoring strategy with regard to the occurrence of serious or critical audit findings. Twelve clinical trials planning to recruit more than 3200 patients participate in this investigation.

Conclusions Our proposal will provide sponsor-investigators and other noncommercial sponsors with an instrument that may facilitate risk analysis and the implementation of targeted quality management measures. Clinical Trials 2009; 6: 585—596. http://ctj.sagepub.com
Muramyldipeptide augments the actions of lipopolysaccharide in mice by stimulating macrophages to produce pro-IL-1β and by down-regulation of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1)
Authors: Shikama Yosuke , Kuroishi Toshinobu , Nagai Yasuhiro , Iwakura Yoichiro , Shimauchi Hidetoshi , Takada Haruhiko , Sugawara Shunji , Endo Yasuo
Published: November 2009

Muramyldipeptide (MDP), the minimum essential structure responsible for the immuno-adjuvant activity of peptidoglycan, is recognized by intracellular nuclear-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2). Muramyldipeptide enhances the activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but the mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. Here, we obtained evidence that intravenously injected MDP augments LPS-induced hypothermia in wild-type mice, but not in mice deficient in interleukin (IL)-1α/β and/or tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Muramyldipeptide also: (i) increased pro-IL-1β in tissues, but did not increase IL-1β in serum (since caspase-1 was not activated by MDP); (ii) downregulated the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1; a negative-feedback regulator of LPS-induced signaling); and (iii) augmented the LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-12 p40, and interferon (IFN)-γ. Moreover, by performing in vivo and in vitro experiments, we obtained evidence that macrophages were involved in these effects of MDP. These results suggest that two different mechanisms may underlie the augmenting effect of MDP: namely, stimulation of pro-IL-1β production by, and down-regulation of SOCS1 in, macrophages. We consider that this work may help to elucidate the pathogenesis of mixed bacterial infections, including septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).
Transcriptional profiling at different sites in lungs of pigs during acute bacterial respiratory infection
Authors: Mortensen Shila , Skovgaard Kerstin , Hedegaard Jakob , Bendixen Christian , Heegaard Peter M.H.
Published: November 2009

The local transcriptional response was studied in different locations of lungs from pigs experimentally infected with the respiratory pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5B, using porcine cDNA microarrays. This infection gives rise to well-demarcated infection loci in the lung, characterized by necrotic and haemorrhagic lesions. Lung tissue was sampled from necrotic areas, from visually unaffected areas and from areas bordering on necrotic areas. Expression pattern of these areas from infected pigs was compared to healthy lung tissue from un-infected pigs. Transcription of selected genes important in the innate defence response were further analysed by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR. A clear correlation was observed between the number of differentially expressed genes as well as the magnitude of their induction and the sampling location in the infected lung, with the highest number of differentially expressed genes, and the most highly induced genes found in necrotic areas. Interestingly, a group of differentially regulated genes was represented in all three areas, comprising genes encoding cytokines, acute phase proteins, and factors related to regulation of apoptosis and the complement system. Interferon-γ was downregulated in both necrotic and bordering areas. Evidence of neutrophil recruitment was seen by the up-regulation of chemotactic factors for neutrophils. In conclusion, we found subsets of genes expressed at different levels in the three selected areas of the infected lung as compared to the control group. Thus it is demonstrated that an infection with clearly defined infected loci leads to a rapid disseminated intra-organ response in neighbouring seemingly unaffected tissue areas of the infected organ. Within the lung, we found a clear division of induced genes as, in unaffected areas a large part of differently expressed genes were involved in systemic reactions to infections, while differently expressed genes in necrotic areas were mainly concerned with homeostasis regulation.
Proteomics-based discovery of a novel, structurally unique, and developmentally regulated plasminogen receptor, Plg-RKT, a major regulator of cell surface plasminogen activation
Authors: Andronicos Nicholas M. , Chen Emily I. , Baik Nagyung , Bai Hongdong , Parmer Caitlin M. , Kiosses William B. , Kamps Mark P. , Yates John R. , Parmer Robert J. , Miles Lindsey A.
Published: November 2009

Activation of plasminogen, the zymogen of the primary thrombolytic enzyme, plasmin, is markedly promoted when plasminogen is bound to cell surfaces, arming cells with the broad spectrum proteolytic activity of plasmin. In addition to its role in thrombolysis, cell surface plasmin facilitates a wide array of physiologic and pathologic processes. Carboxypeptidase B-sensitive plasminogen binding sites promote plasminogen activation on eukaryotic cells. However, no integral membrane plasminogen receptors exposing carboxyl terminal basic residues on cell surfaces have been identified. Here we use the exquisite sensitivity of multidimensional protein identification technology and an inducible progenitor cell line to identify a novel differentiation-induced integral membrane plasminogen receptor that exposes a C-terminal lysine on the cell surface, Plg-RKT (C9orf46 homolog). Plg-RKT was highly colocalized on the cell surface with the urokinase receptor, uPAR. Our data suggest that Plg-RKT also interacts directly with tissue plasminogen activator. Furthermore, Plg-RKT markedly promoted cell surface plasminogen activation. Database searching revealed that Plg-RKT mRNA is broadly expressed by migratory cell types, including leukocytes, and breast cancer, leukemic, and neuronal cells. This structurally unique plasminogen receptor represents a novel control point for regulating cell surface proteolysis.