bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solvent Content and Macroviscosity Effects on the in vitro Transcutaneous Delivery and Skin Distribution of Ketoprofen from Simple Gel Formulations
Authors: Gallagher S.J. , Heard C.M.
Published: May 2005

The effects of decreasing solvent content and macroviscosity of simple topical gel formulations on the transcutaneous delivery and distribution of ketoprofen through skin were studied. Simple topical gels, based on ketoprofen, PEG 400 and either Cabosil® M-5 or hydroxypropylcellulose were formulated and applied to freshly excised pig ear skin in vitro. Receptor phase samples were taken to determine permeation and depth profiles of ketoprofen were constructed, following tape stripping and membrane separation. Reduction of solvent from the Cabosil-thickened gels resulted in a rank order reduction in the permeation and distribution of ketoprofen. Reduced amounts of ketoprofen were distributed through the skin, particularly the dermis, with decreasing solvent. Two gels sharing the same macroviscosity exhibited significantly different skin permeation and distribution characteristics. The rank order reduction in both permeation and distribution of ketoprofen was attributed to the physiochemical properties of the formulation and how they may change after application, in particular the increased adsorptivity of ketoprofen to the Cabosil relative to the amount of solvent present in the system. This effect appeared to be predominant over any interactions occurring between the formulation and the skin. The data provided further evidence that adsorption to the thickener, rather than changes in viscosity, were primarily responsible for reduced permeation and distribution in the system examined.
Protective Effects of Different Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) and Rosemary Cream Preparations against Sodium-Lauryl-Sulfate-Induced Irritant Contact Dermatitis
Authors: Fuchs S.M. , Schliemann-Willers S. , Fischer T.W. , Elsner P.
Published: May 2005

In the present study, we evaluated the protective action of cream preparations containing seven different types of marigold and rosemary extracts in vivo in healthy volunteers with experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Marigold and rosemary extracts in base cream DAC (Deutscher Arzneimittel-Codex = German Pharmaceutical Codex) were tested in a 4-day repetitive irritation test using sodium lauryl sulfate. The effect was evaluated visually and quantified by noninvasive bioengineering methods, namely chromametry and tewametry. When the test products were applied parallel to the induction period of ICD, a statistically significant protective effect of all cream preparations was observed by all methods. This effect, although not statistically significant, was superior to control by undyed marigold und faradiol ester-enriched extracts in chromametry and by dyed and undyed rosemary extracts in tewametry. The sequential treatment (postirritation) once a day for 5 days was without any effect. Thus, a protective effect of some marigold and rosemary extracts against ICD could be shown in the elicitation phase.
Efficacy of Sunscreens Containing Pre-Tocopheryl in a Surviving Human Skin Model Submitted to UVA and B Radiation
Authors: Boisnic S. , Branchet-Gumila M.-C. , Merial-Kieny C. , Nocera T.
Published: May 2005

The aim of the present study was to evaluate by means of histological and biochemical tools the additive efficacy of pre-tocopheryl during photoprotection using a sunscreen containing mineral sunblock agents 50B-10A (TiO2, ZnO) and pre-tocopheryl in comparison to a cream containing only mineral sunblock agents 50B-10A. For this purpose, an ex vivo technique and an acetone-impaired human skin model were used in order to approximate in vivo metabolic conditions. Creams were topically applied to the surface of the epidermis and submitted to UV radiations. Then, human skin explants were maintained alive in organ culture for 3 days. Free radical modulation was analysed by hydroperoxide assay. Epidermal (involucrin, cell proliferation, stratum corneum lipids) and dermal changes (elastic fibres and collagen) were studied. Analysis of ex vivo surviving skin samples impaired by UV irradiations and treated with the mineral sunscreen 50B-10A showed a significant decrease in hydroperoxide production and an improvement in the elastic fibre and collagen network in the dermis. Adding pre-tocopheryl to this formula induced an increase in involucrin and epidermal lipids such as squalenes and ceramides. Altogether, these results confirm the efficacy of the combination of a mineral sunscreen and pre-tocopheryl in photoprotection and free radical protection.
Hypoxia-Induced Intrauterine Growth Retardation: Effects on Pulmonary Development and Surfactant Protein Transcription
Authors: Gortner L. , Hilgendorff A. , Bähner T. , Ebsen M. , Reiss I. , Rudloff S.
Published: May 2005

Background and Objectives: Preterm infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) reveal an increased risk for the development of acute and chronic pulmonary disorders, i.e. bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). In order to investigate the effect of IUGR on pulmonary development, an easily reproducible animal model for fetal growth restriction has been established using hypoxia as a sole intervention in the last third of pregnancy. Methods: Date-mated mice were randomly assigned to either being kept at a fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) of 0.10 (hypoxic group) starting at day 14 or under normoxic conditions until day 17.5 of gestation (control group). Variables of somatic growth were assessed and standardized histomorphometric analyses of pulmonary tissue were performed. Expression of surfactant proteins (SP)-A, -B, -C and -D was determined by quantitative rt-PCR as biochemical indicators for lung development and maturation. Results: Fetuses were delivered preterm at 0.87 of gestation. Those grown under hypoxic conditions revealed significantly lower birth weights (median: 0.69 vs. 0.97 g in controls; p < 0.001), body lengths (median: 17.5 vs. 20.2 mm in controls; p < 0.001) and fronto-occipital diameters (median: 9.4 vs. 10.1 mm in controls; p < 0.001) compared to controls. Histomorphometric analyses were found to be without significant differences between both groups. On the transcriptional level, however, mRNA expression of SP-A, -B and -C but not SP-D could be shown to be significantly reduced in hypoxic fetuses compared to normoxic controls. Conclusions: In conclusion, hypoxic conditions from day 14 to 17.5 led to IUGR in preterm mice and to significant alterations of the developing surfactant system. We speculate restricted development of SP gene expression to be a causal factor for the increased risk of acute and chronic pulmonary disorders in preterm infants with IUGR.
Irreversible Binding Kinetics of Neuropeptide Y Ligands to Y2 but Not to Y1 and Y5 Receptors
Authors: Dautzenberg Frank M. , Neysari Shiva
Published: May 2005

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors type 1 (Y1), type 2 Y2) and type 5 (Y5) were tested for their kinetic properties to bind radiolabeled NPY or PYY. Rapid association and dissociation was observed with recombinant (HEK293 cells) and endogenous (SK-N-MC cells) human Y1 and recombinant mouse Y5 receptors. Recombinant (HEK293) and endogenous (SMS-KAN) human Y2 receptors bound both radiolabels comparable to the Y1 receptors, but only minimal (∼20%) dissociation of both radiolabels was observed after long incubation time (>8 h). Furthermore, neither peptide nor small molecule Y2 ligands efficiently competed for binding to Y2 receptors once association binding had been initiated. The Y2-selective antagonist BIIE0246 behaved as an insurmountable antagonist in functional assays when pre-incubated for 30 min before agonist addition, but was a competitive antagonist when co-applied with the agonist. These data show that Y2 receptors in contrast to Y1 and Y5 receptors bind their ligands in an irreversible manner.
On the Pharmacotherapy of Sleep Bruxism: Placebo-Controlled Polysomnographic and Psychometric Studies with Clonazepam
Authors: Saletu Alexander , Parapatics Silvia , Saletu Bernd , Anderer Peter , Prause Wolfgang , Putz Hanna , Adelbauer Josef , Saletu-Zyhlarz Gerda Maria
Published: May 2005

Objectives: Sleep bruxism (SB) is a parasomnia defined as a stereotyped movement disorder characterized by grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep. Pathophysiologically, SB is the result of biological and psychosocial influences. Treatment comprises behavioral, orthodontic and pharmacological interventions. While benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants have been reported by clinicians to reduce bruxism-related motor activity, placebo-controlled studies are lacking. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of clonazepam (Rivotril®) as compared with placebo, utilizing polysomnography and psychometry. Method: Ten drug-free outpatients (6 females, 4 males), aged 46.5 ± 13.1 years, suffering from SB (ICD-10: F45.8; ICSD: 306.8) and having been treated by bite splints were included in the trial. Comorbidity was high: 7 patients presented nonorganic insomnia related to adjustment or anxiety disorders (5 patients) or depression (2 patients); all patients had a concomitant movement disorder (6 restless legs syndrome, 4 periodic leg movement disorder). After one adaptation night, patients received placebo and 1 mg clonazepam 1/2 hour before lights out in a single-blind, nonrandomized study design. Objective sleep quality was determined by polysomnography, subjective sleep and awakening quality by rating scales, objective awakening quality by psychometric tests. Clinical evaluation was based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Zung Depression (SDS) and Anxiety (SAS) Scales, the Quality of Life Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) Scale. Results: On admission, SB patients exhibited deteriorated PSQI, SAS, SDS and IRLSSG measures. As compared with placebo, 1 mg clonazepam significantly improved the mean bruxism index from 9.3 to 6.3/h of sleep. Furthermore, it significantly improved the total sleep period, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency and time awake during the total sleep period, and increased stage 2 sleep and movement time. Periodic leg movements decreased significantly, while the apnea index and apnea-hypopnea index increased marginally, but remained within normal limits. Subjective sleep quality improved as well, while in mood, performance and psychophysiology no changes were observed. Conclusion: Acute clonazepam therapy significantly improved not only the bruxism index but also objective and subjective sleep quality, with unchanged mood, performance and psychophysiological measures upon awakening, suggesting good tolerability of the drug.
Citrate Reverses Cyclosporin A-Induced Metabolic Acidosis and Bone Resorption in Rats
Authors: Tsuruoka Shuichi , Schwartz George J. , Ioka Takashi , Yamamoto Hisashi , Ando Hitoshi , Fujimura Akio
Published: May 2005

Background: Cyclosporine A (CsA) causes distal renal tubular acidosis (RTA) and osteoporosis. We have recently reported that the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) exacerbates this condition. Distal RTA may deplete bone mineral due to the chronic buffering of acid in the blood. The interaction of CsA and NO in causing metabolic acidosis and bone demineralization has not been studied previously. Nor has the salubrious effect of citrate therapy. Purpose: To examine the effect of systemic pH correction by citrate on renal electrolyte (Na, K, Cl, NH3, HCO3) excretion following acute water loading in CsA-treated and NO-reduced rats. We further evaluated femoral bone density and bone demineralization activity after the same treatments. Methods: Rats received CsA, L-arginine (L-Arg), or nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME), or a combination of CsA+L-NAME plus or minus citrate. Urine and blood electrolytes were examined, as well as the urine excretion of deoxypyridinoline and the bone density of both femurs. Results: CsA and L-NAME reduced urine pH and the serum HCO3– concentration, and increased serum K+ and Cl– concentrations. The combination of CsA with L-NAME caused more severe deficits in the serum HCO3– concentration and elevations in serum K+ and Cl– concentrations than either drug alone. Both CsA and L-NAME reduced urinary nitrate excretion, which was reversed by co-administration of L-Arg. Co-administration of citrate or L-Arg improved the CsA- and L-NAME-induced acidosis and hyperkalemia. Bone resorption and density of the femurs were decreased by CsA and L-NAME and were additive for both drugs. Co-administration of citrate or L-Arg restored both bone resorption and density to normal levels. Conclusion: CsA induces a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with hyperkalemia and a reduction in NO. The ensuing systemic acidosis causes bone resorption and demineralization. These effects were corrected by co-treatment with citrate. Citrate, at least in part, directly reduces the protonation of bone in animals treated with CsA and is recommended as a potential adjunct drug to prevent bone demineralization in patients chronically receiving CsA.
Practical Implementation of the Guidelines for Unstable Angina/Non–ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the Emergency Department
Authors: Gibler W. Brian , Cannon Christopher P. , Blomkalns Andra L. , Char Douglas M. , Drew Barbara J. , Hollander Judd E. , Jaffe Allan S. , Jesse Robert L. , Newby L. Kristin , Ohman E. Magnus , Peterson Eric D. , Pollack Charles V.
Published: May 2005

In the United States each year, >5.3 million patients present to emergency departments with chest discomfort and related symptoms. Ultimately, >1.4 million individuals are hospitalized for unstable angina and non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. For emergency physicians and cardiologists alike, these patients represent an enormous challenge to accurately diagnose and appropriately treat. This update of the 2002 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Unstable Angina and Non–ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (UA/NSTEMI) provides an evidence-based approach to the diagnosis and treatment of these patients in the emergency department, in-hospital, and after hospital discharge. Despite publication of the guidelines several years ago, many patients with UA/NSTEMI still do not receive guidelines-indicated therapy.
Cardiovascular Effects of Secondhand Smoke
Authors: Barnoya Joaquin , Glantz Stanton A.
Published: May 2005

Background—

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of coronary heart disease by ≈30%. This effect is larger than one would expect on the basis of the risks associated with active smoking and the relative doses of tobacco smoke delivered to smokers and nonsmokers.

Methods and Results—

We conducted a literature review of the research describing the mechanistic effects of secondhand smoke on the cardiovascular system, emphasizing research published since 1995, and compared the effects of secondhand smoke with the effects of active smoking. Evidence is rapidly accumulating that the cardiovascular system—platelet and endothelial function, arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, heart rate variability, energy metabolism, and increased infarct size—is exquisitely sensitive to the toxins in secondhand smoke. The effects of even brief (minutes to hours) passive smoking are often nearly as large (averaging 80% to 90%) as chronic active smoking.

Conclusions—

The effects of secondhand smoke are substantial and rapid, explaining the relatively large risks that have been reported in epidemiological studies.
Altered Walking Pattern in a Virtual Environment
Authors: Sondell Björn , Nyberg Lars , Eriksson Staffan , Engström Björn , Backman Anders , Holmlund Kenneth , Bucht Gösta , Lundin-Olsson Lillemor
Published: May 2005

Falls and fractures among elderly persons constitute a major health problem. Many falls occur while walking and falls that occur during turning often result in a fracture. Methods aimed at understanding the complex mechanisms involved in walking should therefore assess tested individuals during walks and turns. In order to identify persons at risk and take the correct preventive measures, it is important to find methods that quantify movements as the tested persons are processing multisensory input. In a clinical setting this is sometimes difficult to achieve in a controlled manner, since tests are difficult to set exactly the same from one time to another. Using a virtual environment (VE) and a tracker system, conditions such as light, sound, events, body movements, and room size can be controlled and measured. Tests in VE can therefore be identically reproduced over and over again to evaluate if a person can withstand changing outer demands at any given moment. In order to perform quantitative measures 8 persons (21–74 years) were tested in immersive virtual reality. The VE was a corridor in which expected and unexpected events could be produced. Events studied were doors swinging open in front of the subjects during a walk and a virtual tilting of the environment. Trackers were used for collecting and analyzing the movement data. Our results show that the system was well tolerated among the subjects and that there was a clear tendency that the system could generate fall tendency among the subjects. There was also a difference among the subjects regarding walking strategies when subjected to the various events.
Formative Evaluation and Preliminary Findings of a Virtual Reality Telerehabilitation System for the Lower Extremity
Authors: Deutsch Judith A. , Lewis Jeffrey A. , Whitworth Elizabeth , Boian Rares , Burdea Grigore , Tremaine Marilyn
Published: May 2005

Usability studies are an essential and iterative component of technology development and ease its transfer from the laboratory to the clinic. Although such studies are standard methodology in today's graphical user-interface applications, it is not clear that current methods apply to new technologies such as virtual reality. Thus experimentation is needed to examine what existing methods can be viably transferred to the new user-interaction situations. In this paper, 5 integrated interfaces with 3 simultaneous users are evaluated via a set of usability studies, which adapt traditional methods for assessing the ease of use of the interface design. A single expert domain user was run in an intensive study that examined the therapist manual and interfaces of the Rutgers Ankle Rehabilitation System (RARS). The interface and manual were extensively modified based on this evaluation. A second study involving 5 therapists was then conducted to evaluate the telerehabilitation component of the RARS system. In both studies, the tester and developer's observations, along with the session videotapes and therapist-user questionnaires, were triangulated to identify user problems and suggest design changes expected to increase the usability of the system. Changes that resulted from the analysis with the domain expert are described and recommendations for how to conduct usability studies in such multiuser remote virtual reality situations are proposed. Results from the pilot usability telemonitoring studies are also presented. The validity of usability studies in the development and refinement of rehabilitation technology is highlighted.
A SWOT Analysis of the Field of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation and Therapy
Authors: Rizzo Albert “Skip” , Kim Gerard Jounghyun
Published: May 2005

The use of virtual-reality technology in the areas of rehabilitation and therapy continues to grow, with encouraging results being reported for applications that address human physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning. This article presents a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the field of VR rehabilitation and therapy. The SWOT analysis is a commonly employed framework in the business world for analyzing the factors that influence a company's competitive position in the marketplace with an eye to the future. However, the SWOT framework can also be usefully applied outside of the pure business domain. A quick check on the Internet will turn up SWOT analyses for urban-renewal projects, career planning, website design, youth sports programs, and evaluation of academic research centers, and it becomes obvious that it can be usefully applied to assess and guide any organized human endeavor designed to accomplish a mission. It is hoped that this structured examination of the factors relevant to the current and future status of VR rehabilitation will provide a good overview of the key issues and concerns that are relevant for understanding and advancing this vital application area.
From Medieval Mnemonics to a Social Construction of Memory
Authors: Packard Noel , Chen Christopher
Published: May 2005

How did human memory activity, conceived of as an activity that helped bring a person closer to God, become affiliated with early sociological conceptualizations of a social construction of reality? This article explores one way of answering this question by considering some social conceptions of human memory from medieval times to modernity. In the Middle Ages, a good memory was an important characteristic of the most esteemed scholars. Rhetoric was enhanced through mnemotechniques. Memory as practiced activity complemented early theological concepts of self-consciousness, or “being”closer to God, and morality and complemented early interpretations of contract law, casuistry, and jurisprudence. These concepts changed when religious belief, educational, and legal systems changed to meet the needs of a modern, capitalistic, and secular society. Capitalism facilitated the development of memory in commodity form, and human memory was claimed from metaphysical discourse as an object of scientific study by sociologists Emile Durkheim and Maurice Halbwachs.
Memory and Democracy
Authors: Misztal Barbara A.
Published: May 2005

This article reconstructs and evaluates prevalent assumptions in the literature about links between collective memory and democracy. There are widespread assertions that memory is important for democratic community to achieve its potential, avoid dangers of past crimes, and secure its continuation. These assertions assume collective memory as a condition for freedom, justice, and the stability of democratic order. This article considers these assumptions with equally popular counterpropositions, arguing that memory presents a threat to democratic community because it can undermine cohesion, increase the costs of cooperation, and cause moral damage to civil society by conflating political and ethnic or cultural boundaries. The relationship between memory and democracy is discussed, along with the intermediate notions of identity, trauma, and ritual. The article concludes that what matters for democracy’s health is not social remembering per se but the way in which the past is called up and made present.
“True” and “False” Child Sexual Abuse Memories and Casey’s Phenomenological View of Remembering
Authors: Hall Joanne M. , Kondora Lori L.
Published: May 2005

This analysis provides a historical context for the debate about“true” and“false” childhood sexual abuse memories; discusses selected literature about conventional understandings of memory and their relevance to this debate; presents an integrative, phenomenological approach to memory in the recovery and rehabilitation of women child sexual abuse survivors; and uses the insights gained to draw conclusions about the authenticity of delayed childhood sexual abuse memories. Edward Casey’s phenomenological concepts of reminding, reminiscing, recognition, body memory, place memory, and commemoration are used to illuminate the complexity of traumatic memories and recovery and rehabilitation needs of the survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Sharing and Responding to Memories
Authors: Pepinsky Hal
Published: May 2005

This article describes the evolution of a college seminar in which reports are presented of sexual assault arising in child custody cases and of ritual abuse and mind-control programming. Seminar participants listen to stories from a variety of sources firsthand and secondhand. Techniques of seminar organization and management to promote open, critical evaluation and discussion of the significance and validity of these reports are reviewed. The seminar has become a primary means by which the instructor himself learns and teaches about the nature of personal violence and of efforts at healing and peace making in response.
Surveillance in America
Authors:   FLASHPOINTS
Published: May 2005

This is an interview with Christian Parenti hosted by Christopher Sprinkle for Flashpoints, a daily news magazine show heard on KPFA 94.1 FM, Berkeley, California, and other Pacifica Radio stations including affiliates, and produced by Dennis Bernstein, which aired on October 29, 2003. The subject of the interview is Parenti’s (2003) book, The Soft Cage: Surveillance in America From Slavery to the War on Terror. In his book, Parenti applied sociological analysis to the history of surveillance and the industry of dataveillance. He traced the history of surveillance in America back to its early use in monitoring slaves through World War II when the Nazis used IBM computers to help implement the final solution. In this interview, Parenti concisely described key aspects of his book while applying traditional sociological theoretical analysis to his findings. This compact and insightful interview neatly and sociologically extends traditional debates beyond public collective memory issues into a discussion about how private intelligence industries, which own, “mine,” and sell collected “commodity memory,” are affecting American society.
Global Memory and the Rhythm of Life
Authors: Stepnisky Jeffrey
Published: May 2005

Collective memory has been central to the creation of community throughout history. Nevertheless, the structure and content of memory narratives have changed significantly from premodern, modern, and into the global era. This article builds on scholarship in cultural globalization and collective memory studies to describe global memory. Beginning with a review of theories of collective memory, especially as it develops in oral (premodern) and literary/print (modern) societies, the article then describes features of globalization and the way that these shape the emergence of global memory. Global memory grows out of the interconnectedness facilitated by electronic media and expresses consciousness of a common humanity. Furthermore, global memory responds to dilemmas and problems of globalization including global risk and the threat of intercultural conflict. This account of global memory is illustrated with a description and analysis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s Memory of the World program.
The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Latimer Jeff , Dowden Craig , Muise Danielle
Published: May 2005

This article provides an empirical synthesis of the existing literature on the effectiveness of restorative justice practices using meta-analytic techniques. The data were aggregated from studies that compared restorative justice programs to traditional nonrestorative approaches to criminal behavior. Victim and offender satisfaction, restitution compliance, and recidivism were selected as appropriate outcomes to adequately measure effectiveness. Although restorative programs were found to be significantly more effective, these positive findings are tempered by an important self-selection bias inherent in restorative justice research. A possible method of addressing this problem, as well as directions for future research, are provided.
Wardens’ Perceptions of Prison Sex
Authors: Hensley Christopher , Tewksbury Richard
Published: May 2005

Using data gathered from anonymous questionnaires of 226 male and female wardens from state-operated institutions, the research assesses whether, and to what degree, individual demographic variables and institutional characteristic variables are related to wardens’ perceptions of the prevalence of sexual assault in their institutions, the prevalence of inmates’ consensual sexual activities, and wardens’ assessment of the proportion of sexual assaults that come to their attention. The results of the study show that wardens generally believe sexual activities, consensual and coercive, are relatively rare in their institutions. Individual and institutional characteristics are not shown to be statistically significantly related to perceptions of the prevalence of coercive sexual incidents or frequency of knowledge of sexual assaults. However, four variables (gender, race, sex of prison, and ratio of inmates to officers) are significantly related to estimates of the proportion of inmates that are involved in consensual sexual activities.
Wardens’ Perceptions of Inmate Fear of Sexual Assault: A Research Note
Authors: Hensley Christopher , Tewksbury Richard
Published: May 2005

Research on inmate fear of sexual assault is sparse in sociological and correctional journals. Studies that examine wardens’ perceptions of inmate fear of sexual assault are nonexistent in the literature. Therefore, using data gathered from 226 wardens of state correctional institutions, this study examines which demographic and institutional factors significantly affect wardens’ perceptions of inmate fear of sexual assault within their institutions. Sex of the institution, security level, and number of officially reported inmate sexual assaults within the facilities were the most salient predictors of wardens’ beliefs in the prevalence of inmate fear of sexual assault. Policy implications are also addressed.
The Attitudes and Practices of Israeli Adult Probation Officers Regarding the Use of the Criminal Fine
Authors: Einat Tomer
Published: May 2005

During the past three decades, numerous Western justice systems have begun to focus on the search for alternatives to imprisonment. One alternative that began to receive increased attention in recent years is the criminal fine. This study has been aimed at examining the discretion of Israeli adult probation officers in recommending the use of criminal fines, analyzing their fining policy—in reference to the ideology of the Israeli adult probation service and clarifying the future tendencies of its use. Key findings from the research include the following: (a) Israeli adult probation officers hold negative attitudes towards the use of this sanction, (b) most participants claim that their professional training does not offer the knowledge and ability to recommend or set monetary sanctions, and (c) most interviewees totally ignore the subject of criminal fine enforcement.
A Multilevel Model of Drug Abuse Inside Prison
Authors: Gillespie Wayne
Published: May 2005

Elements from differential association and importation theory were incorporated into a contextual model to explain drug abuse inside prison. Data came from self-administered questionnaires given to more than 1,000 inmates in 30 different correctional institutions throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the impact of correctional context on individual behavior. Results indicated that drug abuse inside prison varies across different correctional institutions. The effect of prior street-drug use on drug abuse in prison also varied across contexts. Moreover, an aggregate measure of crowding explained both drug abuse in prison as well as the effect of prior street-drug use on substance abuse in prison.
Relationships of Assertiveness, Depression, and Social Support Among Older Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Segal Daniel L.
Published: May 2005

This study assessed the relationships of assertiveness, depression, and social support among nursing home residents. The sample included 50 older nursing home residents (mean age = 75 years; 75% female; 92% Caucasian). There was a significant correlation between assertiveness and depression ( r = -.33), but the correlations between social support and depression ( r = -.15) and between social support and assertiveness ( r = -.03) were small and nonsignificant. The correlation between overall physical health (a subjective self-rating) and depression was strong and negative ( r = -.50), with lower levels of health associated with higher depression. An implication of this study is that an intervention for depression among nursing home residents that is targeted at increasing assertiveness and bolstering health status may be more effective than the one that solely targets social support.
Staff Reports of Setting Events Associated With Challenging Behavior
Authors: McGill Peter , Teer Kerry , Rye Lynne , Hughes David
Published: May 2005

This study sought to identify the setting events reported by care staff as more and less likely to be associated with the challenging behaviors of people with intellectual disabilities. Sixty-five staff working with 22 individuals were interviewed using an inventory of putative setting events. Findings were collated to allow identification of those events reported to be associated with increased and decreased likelihood of challenging behavior. Some events were reported as strongly associated with the occurrence of challenging behavior, some as strongly associated with its absence, some as largely “inert,” and many as idiosyncratically associated with occurrence, absence, or inertness. Different categories of setting events contributed different relative amounts to reported variation in challenging behavior. The use of the inventory described here, or modified versions, may be a useful way of identifying relationships between setting events and challenging behaviors, which suggest ways in which routine service provision might be modified to help prevent challenging behavior.
Experimental Studies of Psychological Interventions With Athletes in Competitions
Authors: Martin Garry L. , Vause Tricia , Schwartzman Lisa
Published: May 2005

During the past three decades, behavioral practitioners have been applying techniques to improve the performance of athletes. To what extent are interventions, designed to improve the directly and reliably measured performance of athletes in competitions, based on experimental demonstrations of efficacy? That is the question addressed by this review. All issues of three behavioral journals and seven sport psychology journals, from 1972 through 2002, were examined for articles that addressed the above question. Fifteen articles were found that met the inclusion criteria, yielding an average of only one published study every 2 years. This article reviews those articles, discusses reasons for the dearth of research in this area, and makes recommendations for much needed future research.
Effects of Increased Response Effort and Reinforcer Delay on Choice and Aberrant Behavior
Authors: Gwinn Michelle M. , Derby K. Mark , Fisher Wayne , Kurtz Patricia , Fahs Angela , Augustine Mary , McLaughlin T. F.
Published: May 2005

A four-phase investigation was completed to analyze the utility of forced-choice preference assessments when response effort and reinforcer delays are altered within a subsequent reinforcer assessment. The results indicated that access to highly preferred stimuli continued to serve as a reinforcer when increased response effort was required. When reinforcer delay was increased, the utility of preferred stimuli to serve as a reinforcer was variable. Despite stimuli continuing to serve as reinforcers for academic task engagement, increased response effort and reinforcer delay resulted in an increased level of aberrant behavior.
Evaluating the Establishment and Maintenance of Visual-Visual and Gustatory-Visual Equivalence Relations in Adults With Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Rehfeldt Ruth Anne , Dixon Mark R.
Published: May 2005

Four adults with developmental disabilities were taught to make conditional discriminations between either pictures and their corresponding printed English and Spanish words, or tastes and their corresponding printed English and Spanish words. Participants required more training trials to master the visual-visual conditional discriminations than the gustatory-visual conditional discriminations, and 3 of the 4 participants performed with higher accuracy on visual equivalence class test trials than gustatory-visual equivalence class test trials. A follow-up equivalence test conducted 30 to 40 days later showed substantially greater stability over time for the gustatory-visual classes than for the visual classes, for all participants. That participants acquired gustatory-visual conditional discriminations, as well as equivalence classes based on those conditional discriminations, may have relevance for incorporating gustatory stimuli into mand training sessions, as well as for teaching individuals with sensory impairments in other modalities.
Do Negative Emotions Predict Alcohol Consumption, Saturated Fat Intake, and Physical Activity in Older Adults?
Authors: Anton Stephen D. , Miller Peter M.
Published: May 2005

This study examined anger, depression, and stress as related to alcohol consumption, saturated fat intake, and physical activity. Participants were 23 older adults enrolled in either an outpatient or in-residence executive health program. Participants completed (a) a health-risk appraisal assessing medical history and current health habits, (b) the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and (c) the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Questionnaire. Bivariate correlations revealed that anxiety was negatively correlated with alcohol consumption. High levels of depression, trait anger, and outward anger expression style were positively associated with saturated fat intake. Trait anger was also associated with less aerobic exercise. Inward anger expression was positively correlated with regular participation in strength training. Results suggest that anger, anger expression style, and depression interact with healthy and unhealthy behavior patterns and that these interactions may be complex.
Testing for Mediating Variables in Management Research: Concerns, Implications, and Alternative Strategies
Authors: Shaver J. Myles
Published: May 2005

Due to the nature of the data employed and of the concepts tested, standard tests for mediating variables in management research can often violate an assumption on which these tests are built. As a result, estimates from standard tests of mediating variables can often lack desirable statistical properties and lead to incorrect conclusions. This article highlights when data in management research will violate assumptions underlying tests of mediating variables, suggests an alternative strategy that provides better estimates, discusses the theoretical and empirical demands of the alternative strategy, and demonstrates the magnitude to which estimates improve by using the suggested approach.
Structural Versus Individual Perspectives on the Dynamics of Group Performance: Theoretical Exploration and Empirical Investigation
Authors: Lin Zhiang , Yang Haibin , Arya Bindu , Huang Zhi , Li Dan
Published: May 2005

This study contrasts the structural perspective with the individual perspective in explaining group performance in a dynamic setting. The authors argue that these perspectives are not mutually exclusive but have different predictive powers at different group stages. Results from 45 project groups show (a) group structures provide stronger performance predictions at the later stage, whereas individual-based attributes do so at the earlier stage, and (b) different group structures and individual-based attributes provide distinctive insights at respective stages. This indicates the need to explore the potential bridge between the two perspectives in advancing group studies.
Top Management Leadership and Influence on Innovation: The Role of Sociocultural Context
Authors: Elenkov Detelin S. , Manev Ivan M.
Published: May 2005

This study proposes and tests a model for top-management influence on innovations. Three research questions are addressed: Is top managers’ influence on innovation a function of their leadership? Does socio-cultural context directly affect leadership? and, Does sociocultural context moderate the relationship of leadership with top-management influence on innovation? These questions are investigated with data from 12 European countries. The results show that leadership factors have strong effects on top-management innovation influence. In support of the culture-specific view of leadership, sociocultural context directly influences leadership and moderates its relationship with organizational innovation.
Real Options in International Joint Ventures
Authors: Reuer Jeffrey J. , Tong Tony W.
Published: May 2005

This article empirically investigates the determinants of firms’ use of explicit call options to acquire equity in their international joint ventures (IJVs). Such options are an important contractual element of IJVs because they allow a firm to secure a claim on future expansion opportunities and to safeguard itself against various exchange hazards. The authors therefore draw on real options and transaction cost arguments, respectively, to develop hypotheses on the circumstances under which firms use such options. The article underscores the importance of studying the design of alliances in finer grained terms and helps refine the application of real options theory in the alliance context.
The Impact of Board Composition on Firms’ Critical Decisions: A Meta-Analytic Review
Authors: Deutsch Yuval
Published: May 2005

To date, the results of agency theory-based research exploring the impact of board composition on firms’ critical decisions are equivocal. Through meta-analyses, this study reveals systematic relationships between board composition and six of the seven critical decisions examined. Interestingly, the results provide little support to agency theory’s predictions on the impact of board composition on critical decisions that involve a potential conflict of interest between managers and shareholders. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Politicians on the Board of Directors: Do Connections Affect the Bottom Line?
Authors: Hillman Amy J.
Published: May 2005

Resource dependence theory emphasizes the importance of linking firms with external contingencies that create uncertainty and interdependence. A critical source of external interdependency and uncertainty for business is government. One way to link a firm to the government is appointing ex-politicians to the board of directors. This study compares the boards of two groups of firms—those from heavily and less regulated industries—and finds the former group has more politician directors. Firms with politicians on the board are associated with better market-based performance across both groups, although the relationship is more pronounced within heavily regulated industries.
Rho Family GTPases and Dendrite Plasticity
Authors: Negishi Manabu , Katoh Hironori
Published: May 2005

Dendrite structures exert a profound influence on neuronal information processing. The Rho family GTPases have been implicated in the regulation of dendritic development. Among them, Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 have been characterized extensively, and Rac and Cdc42 promote dendrite growth and branching, whereas Rho acts as a negative regulator for dendrite growth. Recently, other members of Rho family GTPases, including Rnd1 and Rnd2, have also been shown to be involved in the regulation of dendrite development. Rnd1 promotes spine maturation, and Rnd2 stimulates dendrite branching through its specific effector, Rapostlin. Thus, a variety of Rho family GTPases play important roles in dendritic development.
Cortical Interneurons and Their Origins
Authors: Wonders Carl , Anderson Stewart A.
Published: May 2005

GABAergic interneurons regulate both the development and function of the cerebral cortex. Multiple studies have demonstrated that many cortical interneurons, possibly all of those in nonprimate mammals, originate in the subcortical telencephalon. Most of these derive from the medial ganglionic eminence, but based on varying degrees of evidence, other sources have been proposed, including the caudal and lateral ganglionic eminences, the septal region, and the cortex itself. Recent evidence also suggests that the spatial diversity of interneuron origins contributes to the remarkable diversity of their differentiated fate.
Synaptic Learning Rules, Cortical Circuits, and Visual Function
Authors: Yao Haishan , Dan Yang
Published: May 2005

Sensory experience is essential for the refinement of neuronal circuits during development and for learning and memory in the adult brain. Such experience-dependent plasticity is largely mediated by activity-dependent synaptic modification. In this review, we focus on a spike timing-dependent synaptic learning rule, in which the direction and magnitude of synaptic modification depend on the relative spike timing of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. We discuss a series of recent studies exploring the functional implications of this learning rule in the visual system. These studies show that temporally patterned visual stimuli can cause rapid changes in visual circuits, neuronal receptive fields, and visual perception, with a temporal specificity of tens of milliseconds. Particularly, motion stimuli that are common in natural scenes may interact strongly with the spike timing-dependent learning rule, leaving distinct marks in the perceptual function of the mature brain.
Synapse Formation and Plasticity: The Roles of Local Protein Synthesis
Authors: Wiersma-Meems Ryanne , Van Minnen Jan , Syed Naweed I.
Published: May 2005

From simple reflexes in lower animals to complex motor patterns and learning and memory in higher animals, all nervous system functions hinge upon fundamental, albeit specialized, neuronal units termed synapses. The term synapse denotes the structural and functional building block upon which pivots the enormous information-processing capabilities of our brain. It is the neuronal communications through synapses that ultimately determine who we are and how we react and adapt to our ever-changing environment. Synapses are not only the epic center of our intellect, but they also control myriad traits of our personality, ranging from sinfulness to sainthood (see, e.g., Hamer 2004). Simply put—we are what our synapses deem us to be (LeDoux 2003)! Notwithstanding the reasoning that some aspects of the synaptic arrangement may be genetically hardwired, an overwhelming body of knowledge does nevertheless provide ample plausible evidence that synapses are highly plastic entities undergoing rapid adaptive changes throughout life. It is this adaptability that endows our brain with its “uncanny” powers.
Neural Correlates of Enhanced Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia
Authors: Whalley Heather C. , Whyte Marie-Claire , Johnstone Eve C. , Lawrie Stephen M.
Published: May 2005

Schizophrenia is a disabling psychotic disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and impaired functioning in many aspects of everyday life. The established condition generally becomes manifest in early adulthood, and evidence suggests that one of the most important risk factors for developing the disorder is inherited vulnerability. The established illness has been shown to be associated with deficits in many domains of cognitive function, along with structural and functional brain abnormalities, most notably in pre-frontal and temporal lobes. However, such studies have not been able to determine the extent to which such deficits relate to the presence of a schizophrenic predisposition, the presence of symptoms, and/or medication effects. A number of research groups have therefore turned to the study of relatives of affected individuals with the aim of determining if similar cognitive deficits and brain abnormalities are also found in those with increased genetic vulnerability to the disorder. In this article, studies on such individuals are discussed. It is concluded that deficits are apparent in relatives that are similar to but less marked than those seen in patients with schizophrenia.