bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Did Health Care Reform in Massachusetts Impact Insurance Premiums?
Authors: Graves John A , Gruber Jonathan
Published: May 2012

It is widely recognized that the 2006 Massachusetts health reforms served as a blueprint for national reform under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). As such, there is interest in using the Massachusetts experience to understand how insurance premiums might change under the ACA. In this paper, we analyze changes in private insurance premiums in Massachusetts between 2002 and 2010. In contrast to earlier estimates from Massachusetts (Cogan, Hubbard and Kessler 2010), we find no statistical evidence of changes in group premiums. By contrast, we find large reductions in non-group premiums in Massachusetts relative to the rest of the U.S.
Getting at Systemic Risk via an Agent-Based Model of the Housing Market
Authors: Geanakoplos John , Axtell Robert , Farmer Doyne J , Howitt Peter , Conlee Benjamin , Goldstein Jonathan , Hendrey Matthew , Palmer Nathan M , Yang Chun-Yi
Published: May 2012

Systemic risk must include the housing market, though economists have not generally focused on it. We begin construction of an agent-based model of the housing market with individual data from Washington, DC. Twenty years of success with agent-based models of mortgage prepayments give us hope that such a model could be useful. Preliminary analysis suggests that the housing boom and bust of 1997-2007 was due in large part to changes in leverage rather than interest rates.
Business Cycles and Gender Diversification: An Analysis of Establishment-Level Gender Dissimilarity
Authors: Bansak Cynthia , Graham Mary E , Zebedee Allan A
Published: May 2012

During recessions, the focus on male job losses may overshadow other important outcome variables. We examine the effects of economic downturns on occupational segregation by gender, using staffing data from over 6 million private-sector US establishments from 1966-2010. Consistent with the literature, we find a downward trend in occupational segregation that is diminishing over time. Drawing upon Rubery's (1988) work on women and recessions, we find support for both the buffer and the segmentation hypotheses. On net, however, the buffer hypothesis appears to dominate providing evidence that in periods of economic decline the trend of decreasing economic dissimilarity is interrupted.
Birth Rates and the Vietnam Draft
Authors: Bitler Marianne P , Schmidt Lucie
Published: May 2012

The Vietnam conflict was the defining event for a generation, with nearly 8 million Americans serving in the armed forces. A large literature in economics has focused on effects of Vietnam-Era service post-war, while little research looks at contemporaneous effects of the mobilization, despite the potential for this mobilization to change marriage markets for particular cohorts. We use exogenous variation across states and over time in men drafted per 100 men 19-25 to look at the effects of the wartime mobilization on birth rates. We find robust evidence that higher rates of inducted men led to significantly lower birth rates.
Did the Housing Price Bubble Clobber Local Labor Market Job and Worker Flows When It Burst?
Authors: Abowd John M , Vilhuber Lars
Published: May 2012

We use the Census Bureau's Quarterly Workforce Indicators and the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Indices to study the effects of the housing price bubble on local labor markets. We show that the 35 MSAs in the top decile of the house price boom were most severely impacted. Their stable job employment fell much more than the national average. Their real wage rates did not fall as fast as the national average. Accessions fell much faster than average while separations were constant. Job creations fell substantially while destructions rose slightly.
Retirement and Home Production: A Regression Discontinuity Approach
Authors: Stancanelli Elena , Soest Arthur Van
Published: May 2012

Existing studies show that individuals who retire replace some private consumption with home production, but do not consider joint behavior of couples. Here we analyze the causal effect of retirement of each partner on hours of home production for both partners in a couple. Our identification strategy exploits the earliest age retirement laws in France, enabling a fuzzy regression discontinuity approach. We find that own retirement significantly increases own hours of home production and the effect is larger for men than for women. Moreover, retirement of the female partner significantly reduces male hours of home production but not vice versa.
The Role of Preferences and Opportunity Costs in Determining the Time Allocated to Housework
Authors: Stratton Leslie S
Published: May 2012

Research on intrahousehold time allocations has assumed that housework is a necessary evil and focused exclusively on the causal role of opportunity costs. In fact, agents likely act to maximize happiness, and preferences regarding even mundane household chores differ considerably. I use information from the 2000-01 UK Time Use Survey to examine time spent on laundry, ironing, cleaning, and food shopping. Joint multivariate analysis of his and her time on weekend and weekday days as well as maid service reveals that her opportunity cost of time matters more than his, but that his preferences play a greater role than hers.
Aggregate Impacts of a Gift of Time
Authors: Lee Jungmin , Kawaguchi Daiji , Hamermesh Daniel S
Published: May 2012

How would people spend additional time if confronted by permanent declines in market work? We examine the impacts of cuts in legislated standard hours which raised employers' overtime costs in Japan around 1990 and in Korea in the early 2000s. Using time-diaries from before and after, we show the shocks were effective -- per-capita hours of market work declined discretely. The economy-wide drops in market work were reallocated solely to leisure and personal maintenance. In the absence of changing household technology a permanent time gift leads to no increase in time spent in household production by the average individual.
Privacy-Preserving Methods for Sharing Financial Risk Exposures
Authors: Abbe Emmanuel A , Khandani Amir E , Lo Andrew W
Published: May 2012

The financial industry relies on trade secrecy to protect its business processes and methods, which can obscure critical financial risk exposures from regulators and the public. Using results from cryptography, we develop computationally tractable protocols for sharing and aggregating such risk exposures that protect the privacy of all parties involved, without the need for trusted third parties. Financial institutions can share aggregate statistics such as Herfindahl indexes, variances, and correlations without revealing proprietary data. Potential applications include: privacy-preserving real-time indexes of bank capital and leverage ratios; monitoring delegated portfolio investments; financial audits; and public indexes of proprietary trading strategies.
Fiscal Policy and the Great Recession in the Euro Area
Authors: Coenen Günter , Straub Roland , Trabandt Mathias
Published: May 2012

How much did fiscal policy contribute to euro area real GDP growth during the Great Recession? We estimate that discretionary fiscal measures have increased annualized quarterly real GDP growth during the crisis by up to 1.6 percentage points. We obtain our result by using an extended version of the European Central Bank's New Area-Wide Model with a rich specification of the fiscal sector. A detailed modeling of the fiscal sector and the incorporation of as many as eight fiscal time series appear pivotal for our result.
Understanding Bubbly Episodes
Authors: Carvalho Vasco M , Martin Alberto , Ventura Jaume
Published: May 2012

Over the last two decades US aggregate wealth has fluctuated substantially. Against the backdrop of the Great Recession, the effects of these boom-and-bust cycles have come to dominate academic and policy discussions. How can we explain these fluctuations in wealth? Why are these fluctuations associated with changes in consumption, investment and output? In this note, we argue that answers to these questions entail the addition of two ingredients to existent macroeconomic models: rational bubbles and financial frictions. We explain why each of these building blocks is crucial to understand recent events and how they can be seamlessly integrated in standard models.
Contributory Qualifying and Non-Qualifying Triggers in the Loss of Control Defence: A Wrong Turn on Sexual Infidelity
Authors: Baker Dennis J. , Zhao Lucy X.
Published: May 2012

This article considers the decision of the Court of Appeal in R v Clinton where Lord Judge CJ speaking for the Court of Appeal held that sexual infidelity could be considered under the third prong of the new partial defence of loss of control, even though it is expressly excluded under the second prong. We argue that sexual infidelity is excluded from being considered under all the prongs of the new defence. It is expressly excluded as a form of qualifying provocation, which means it cannot be considered as a ‘circumstance’ that might prevent a person of D's sex and age with a normal degree of tolerance and self-restraint from killing. The objective tests in the new defence overlap, because the jury already has objective self-restraint in mind when it is considering the objectiveness of the provocation. When the jury is considering whether a normal person would have been provoked by the victim's conduct, it is also considering whether a normal person would have exercised self-restraint. Conceptually, these are two aspects of a single broader question: Was it reasonable for the defendant to lose control? Therefore, the jury cannot consider whether sexual infidelity prevented a person of a normal degree of tolerance from exercising control, even if it is a circumstance that relates to some other qualifying trigger. Where sexual infidelity is a (major) contributory trigger for the loss of control, it should not be considered under any of the prongs of the defence. If D has been taunted about his impotence in circumstances where he is enraged by his wife's sexual infidelity, the defence will only be made out if the jury accepts that the taunts about the impotence constituted objective provocation on their own, and that the taunts about the impotence per se might have prevented a person of normal control and tolerance from exercising self-restraint. The sexual infidelity would have to be compartmentalised, so that the jury would not be influenced by it.
‘I don’t wanna be anything other than me’: A case study on gender representations of teenagers in American teen drama series One Tree Hill
Authors: Van Damme Elke , Van Bauwel Sofie
Published: May 2012

Economic and demographic trends have turned young people into a target audience, and media producers and the marketing industry have realized that the contemporary teenage market has substantial potential. Television is still the most popular medium among teenagers; along with web surfing
and social networking, television is part of teens’ daily media use. Media content is essential in teenagers’ self-representation: fictional media programmes produce commodified meanings, and models of behaviour and information about norms and values are repetitively delivered
by attractive characters in the form of entertainment. This article gives an overview of the gender representations of teenagers in the American teen series by Schwahn One Tree Hill (2003–2012) by using a qualitative thematic textual analysis. We can say that the series revolves around
a male-oriented world in which basketball is the main topic. Teen subcultures are often portrayed in a prototypical manner and traditional discourses of masculinity and femininity are often rein-forced. A more liberal stance was noted regarding (female) sexuality.
On Braggarts and Gossips: A Self-Enhancement Account of Word-of-Mouth Generation and Transmission
Authors: De Angelis Matteo , Bonezzi Andrea , Peluso Alessandro M. , Rucker Derek D. , Costabile Michele
Published: May 2012

Previous research on word of mouth (WOM) has presented inconsistent evidence on whether consumers are more inclined to share positive or negative information about products and services. Some findings suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in positive WOM, whereas others suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in negative WOM. The present research offers a theoretical perspective that provides a means to resolve these seemingly contradictory findings. Specifically, the authors compare the generation of WOM (i.e., consumers sharing information about their own experiences) with the transmission of WOM (i.e., consumers passing on information about experiences they heard occurred to others). They suggest that a basic human motive to self-enhance leads consumers to generate positive WOM (i.e., share information about their own positive consumption experiences) but transmit negative WOM (i.e., pass on information they heard about others' negative consumption experiences). The authors present evidence for self-enhancement motives playing out in opposite ways for WOM generation versus WOM transmission across four experiments.
The Need for Independent Prison Oversight in a Post-PLRA World
Authors: Deitch Michele
Published: May 2012

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) severely hampered the courts' ability to exercise long-term oversight of conditions in prisons and jails. This article examines the potential for alternative types of correctional oversight in a post-PLRA world. The article begins by assessing the critical role the courts have played in exercising oversight over correctional facilities, while acknowledging the weaknesses of the judicial oversight model and the PLRA's restrictions. The article proposes an alternative model of independent government oversight, involving routine monitoring of all correctional facilities on an ongoing basis. Such preventative inspections have long been the norm in other countries that have been less reliant on the courts for the protection of prisoners' rights. The article explores how such oversight might work, and discusses examples of prison monitoring bodies. Finally, the article addresses the all-important continuing role for the courts in enforcing prisoners' rights in conditions cases.
Forms of Deference in Prison Law
Authors: Dolovich Sharon
Published: May 2012

The imperative of judicial deference is arguably the primary driver of the Supreme Court's prisoners' rights jurisprudence. Yet taken as a body, the cases in this area reveal no principled basis for determining when deference is justified, what forms it may legitimately take, or the proper limits on its use. Instead, the mere mention of “deference” has emerged as a catch-all justification for curtailing both the burden on prison officials to ensure constitutional prisons and prisoners' prospects for recovery even for arguably meritorious claims. The role of deference in prison law merits a more in-depth treatment than I am able to offer here. This essay is simply a first cut at the issue. As such, it does three things. First, it identifies three main forms that deference takes in this area and provides examples of the deployment of each. Second, it highlights moments in the PLRA cases where the Court has opted not to defer, and offers a preliminary hypothesis as to why this might be. Third and finally, it calls for a theory of deference for the prison law context, i.e., for the development of principles to guide judicial deference in prison law cases and to set appropriate limits on its use.
The Prison Litigation Reform Act: A Threat to Civil Rights
Authors: Fathi David C.
Published: May 2012

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), enacted by Congress in 1996, establishes a separate and unequal system of justice that applies only to prisoners. Under the PLRA, injunctive relief in cases involving prison conditions is both harder to obtain and easier for defendants to terminate than in other cases. The PLRA also imposes strict limits on damages and attorney fees that can be recovered by prisoners whose rights have been violated. Federal courts have largely upheld the PLRA's restrictions, and the reasoning of these decisions is not confined to cases involving prisoners. The PLRA and the court decisions approving it thus stand as a worrisome invitation to Congress to enact similar restrictions on judicial relief for other unpopular and politically powerless minorities.
Unlocking the Courthouse Door: Removing the Barrier of the PLRA's Physical Injury Requirement to Permit Meaningful Judicial Oversight of Abuses in Supermax Prisons and Isolation Units
Authors: Mushlin Michael B.
Published: May 2012

In recent years the number of inmates held in isolation in American prisons has increased dramatically. At the same serious abuses have occurred in these isolation units. These abuses, which include subjecting inmates to degrading, humiliating and unnecessary suffering, often do not cause physical injury. Even though constitutional rights are violated by these acts, federal courts have often failed to provide relief to victims of these abuses. The reason is that the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) deprives federal courts of the ability to provide relief from degrading and even torturous behavior if there is not physical injury. This article calls for the repeal or reform of the physical injury requirement of the PLRA so that the ability of federal courts to provide meaningful remedies for violations of the United States Constitution can be restored.
AEDPA Mea Culpa
Authors: Yackle Larry
Published: May 2012

In this essay, the author contends that the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 [AEDPA] has frustrated both the enforcement of federal rights and legitimate state interests. He lays most of the blame on the Supreme Court's methodology for construing AEDPA's provisions. The Court insists that poorly conceived and drafted provisions must be taken literally, whatever the consequences, and that every provision must be read to change habeas corpus law in some way. This approach has produced unfair, wasteful, and even bizarre results that might have been avoided if the Court had assessed AEDPA more realistically.
Telos and Temporality: Phenomenology and the Experience of Time in Lewin's Study of Perception
Authors: Moshaver Maryam A.
Published: May 2012

In his 1986 essay on the intersections between music theory, phenomenology, and perception, David Lewin develops a heuristic model through which to come to terms with the constitution of multiple and heterogeneous perceptions of musical events. One of his principal vehicles for demonstrating this phenomenological turn is the well-known analysis of Schubert's “Morgengruß.” The present article considers the ramifications of Lewin's methodology, particularly with respect to the experience of time that emerges from Lewin's mobilization of the heuristic perception model, by approaching it from the perspective of Husserl's Phenomenology of Internal Time Consciousness. This perspective reveals a superposition of temporalities as well as a superposition of languages as the underlying factors through which Lewin's analysis is produced.
paranormal market in the Netherlands
Authors: Jespers Frans
Published: May 2012

In the Netherlands, the paranormal circuit has been evident in “paranormal fairs” (psychic fairs) for the past twenty-five years. Sociologists consider such fairs to be no more than commercialized New Age practices, but there must be more to it than that. In this article, eight characteristics of New Age are summarized, and then a typical paranormal fair and the complete circuit around it are described. From that, some remarkable differences between such fairs and New Age can be deduced. The people who attend the fairs have a directly thaumaturgical expectation, especially when clairvoyants invoke spirits. These visitors combine a more or less dualistic worldview with practices from various religions (e.g. reincarnation, amulets). Of note is the sociological classification of these visitors: the majority belong to the lower working class and are female. The conclusion of this study is that paranormal fairs represent a special form of “the spiritual revolution” (Heelas and Woodhead, 2005), namely, New Age in its most popular and traditional version, hardly secularized, but rather re-enchanting or re-sacralizing. In summary, the paranormal “market” may show a takeover of a segment of New Age by folk religion.
Issues Arising from an Ethnographic Investigation of the Religious Identity Formation of Young People in Mixed-faith Families
Authors: Arweck Elisabeth , Nesbitt Eleanor
Published: May 2012

This article documents and discusses issues arising from an ethnographic study of the religious identity formation of young people growing up in mixed-faith families. It reports and reflects on challenges to the design of our project, possible explanations for these challenges and the ways in which we addressed them. The areas where we encountered difficulties relate, firstly, to the combination of traditional ethnography with cyber-ethnography and, secondly, to sampling, interviewing and participant observation. There are implications for our project and for future empirical studies of families, especially those with particular focus on religion, culture and identity. The intention of this article is thus twofold: to make a contribution to debates regarding methodsand ethical aspects of ethnography and, through the reflections on our research experiences, to inform researchers who may face similar challenges.
Fieldwork on East Asian Buddhism
Authors: Fisher Gareth
Published: May 2012

Recent interest in the contemporary practice of Buddhism in East Asia has led scholars of religion to undertake firsthand fieldwork among religious professionals and lay practitioners. Using three recent studies as examples, this paper argues that scholars of religion and Buddhism sometimes fail to maximize the potential of ethnographic fieldwork due to their focus on updating genealogies of Buddhist institutions. Drawing from a field-based study of lay Buddhists in contemporary Beijing, this paper advocates a “person-centered approach” that examines lay practitioners less as participants within a connected, institutionally-recognized narrative of Buddhism’s evolution in China and more as persons who use the social space of temples to find their place within a rapidly changing world, often in very different ways
Bonds or Conflicts? Religious Organizations in the Evolving Global Order
Authors: Simai Mihaly
Published: May 2012

In spite of the global process of secularization, religion has remained important in the lives of people, countries and also in international relations. This article discusses the role of organized religion and communities of believers in shaping world orders and influencing their function. It reveals that religious organizations, particularly those with thousand of years of traditions, are not only different expressions of human beings in their relations to a spiritual world, but also a complex global network with varying influence on different societies. However, given its long history of strained and often confrontational relationships with the secular world, the contemporary role of religious denominations begs a fundamental question. Will the different doctrines, social teaching and norms promote progress toward “globalization with human face” or will they simply aggravate global division and confrontations in an already divided world?
Fundamentalism and Fanaticism
Authors: Yousif Ahmad F
Published: May 2012

Despite the fact that fanaticism exists in world religions, there has been a strong tendency to associate Islam with fundamentalism and fanaticism. Consequently, many scholars view the terms as almost synonymous. What exactly is fanaticism and what are some of the reasons for its occurrence? If all the world’s great religions preach peace and the preservation of life, why do fanatics kill and maim in the name of their religion? How did this term come to be closely associated with Islam rather than other major world religions, and most particularly in the last three decades? Is this connection justified academically or otherwise? What have contemporary and classical Muslim scholars written about the above terms? This paper will address the above questions, including the concept of “fanaticism” and “fundamentalism,” the relationship between fanaticism and Islamic revivalism, and whether fanaticism can be “cured.”
Confronting Myths of Difference
Authors: Gay David
Published: May 2012

This article explores the nexus between Islam and the West as expressed through the American Muslim writer Mohsin Hamid. Where Muslims from outside the US are comfortable in assessing their position and that of their fellow believers from the relatively safe environment of ‘other’, this analysis hopes to examine how a writer deals with the polarity implied when living within. The result is often a special kind of instability, exacerbated by the new global context of much of today’s life experience. Moreover, Hamid attempts to unpack the meaning of ‘fundamentalist,’ since any support for Islam is often interpreted as support for that brand of religion. The argument here is that Hamid demonstrates the strictures imposed by the continuing power of these designations.
Volume Editor’s Introduction
Authors: Ruml Mark
Published: May 2012

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Toward the Renaissance of Aboriginal Spiritual Culture
Authors: Waugh Earle
Published: May 2012

Despite the still-lingering negative image of Aboriginal traditions, the fact is that significant advances have been made in Canada to lift the discussion to another level and to place Aboriginal spiritual perceptions and attitudes into dialogue with Canadian intellectual life. This movement is in tandem with a general sense of renewal and engagement within the Aboriginal community itself...the community itself in renaissance. We deal here with some recent initiatives in Alberta that demonstrate how Indigenous viewpoints are beginning to be addressed by the academy and wider public. Critical, too is the notion expressed by Aboriginal people that the rise of their traditions is a way of addressing pressing social and medical problems. This analysis focuses on two areas of discussion: Aboriginal law and the incorporation of traditional notions into health sciences and medicine. It specifically reviews the approach by traditionalist Wayne Roan in the Albertasource website, examines the health initiatives of the Centre for the Cross-Cultural Study of Health and Healing and initiatives undertaken by Sundance chief and healer, Clifford Cardinal in the curriculum in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. It also calls attention to the University of Calgary’s important initiative under the guidance of Peigan physician Dr. Lindsey Crowshoe. The renaissance continues with some of the advances made when traditional healers from across Canada gathered at the University to discuss the boundaries of sharing traditional knowledge with medical institutions. These elements can only be perceived as symbolic of a significantly wider movement.
Indigenous Knowledge Documentation Project-Morrison Sessions
Authors: Ruml Mark F
Published: May 2012

The purpose of this article is to introduce two Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Elders/Traditional Teachers/Traditional Healers/Ceremonial Leaders and their teachings related to Gagige Inaakonige, The Eternal Natural Laws. It is through their link to the teachings of the past, their knowledge of traditional ceremonies, their proficiency in their Anishinaabe language, and their spiritual gifts that they are strengthening the youth and people of all ages seeking spiritual renewal or to re-gain what was lost or taken from them.
Canadian Census Figures on Aboriginal Spiritual Preferences
Authors: Fonda Marc
Published: May 2012

This article compares and contrasts several data sources that enumerate the religious or spiritual preferences of Canadian First Nations peoples, exposing trends and discussing inconsistencies between the findings of the Canadian Census and three other contemporaneous data sources. It then examines the growing degree of penetration that Aboriginal spiritualities have in such communities, its relationship to community well-being and asks whether it is empirically possible to claim that, indeed, we are witnessing a revitalization movement of Aboriginal cultures and spiritualities.
“Our Ancestors Paddle With Us”
Authors: Kelley Dennis
Published: May 2012

The Aboriginal populations of the western coasts of Canada and the US have been engaged in the current revitalization of traditional maritime cultures for over twenty years. The canoe societies of tribes ranging from southern California (Tongva and Chumash) to the Coastal Tlingit in British Columbia utilize their traditional canoes as exemplars of both indigeneity and their individual tribal values. Engaging in paddling events as embodied religious practice and spiritual teaching tools for young people, canoe societies challenge their communities to choose healthy physical lifestyles and interpersonal behavior, and to claim a presence in contemporary US and Canadian society. This article engages these issues, using the maritime revitalization processes of the Chumash Indians of California’s central coast and the Makah Nation of Neah Bay, Washington to argue for the significance of cultural performance in the development and maintenance of a functioning Native religious identity in the assertion of modern contemporary Indian authenticity.
Issues of Tension
Authors: Houle Leta
Published: May 2012

Western feminism has been used by Aboriginal and Métis women to assert their gender rights within Aboriginal cultures. However, issues of what exactly Aboriginal women’s issues are, and who gets to discuss them is under contention. Defining Western feminism and Aboriginal women’s exclusion from it, is followed by a discussion on how Aboriginal and Métis women are using Western feminism within various Aboriginal Algonquian cultures to assert their rights and this is building tension between Aboriginal women with a Western feminist view, and traditional Aboriginal women. The focus is largely drawn from my experience in Cree culture, with the broader issue of feminism discussed within the context of Native cultures.
A Preliminary Investigation of NSCL/P Plasma and Urine in Guizhou Province in China Using NMR-Based Metabonomics
Authors: Lei Huang Guang , Hong Luo , Kun Song Ju , Hai Yin Xin , Dong Wang Ya , Ke Zhao , Ping Xu , Hao Chen
Published: May 2012

Objective

To assess the feasibility of metabonomics in clinical studies. This is a pilot study introducing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)–based metabonomics to elucidate and compare the metabolism of patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and children without orofacial clefts.

Methods

High-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy was performed on plasma and urine samples obtained from NSCL/P and healthy children. The 1H NMR spectra were further analyzed with principal component analysis.

Results

Compared to the control group, the level of low-molecular-weight metabolites in plasma such as asparagine was higher in NSCL/P patients, while arginine, lysine, acetate, lactate, proline, glutamine, pyruvate, creatinine, choline, and β-glucose were lower. The carnitine, citrate, and formate excretion in urine appeared to be higher in the healthy children, while the NSCL/P group excreted higher concentrations of aspartic acid and phenylalanine in urine.

Conclusion

The present study clearly demonstrated the great potential of NMR-based metabonomics in elucidating NSCL/P plasma metabolism and the possible application of this technology in clinical diagnosis and screening.
Decomposer diversity and identity influence plant diversity effects on ecosystem functioning
Authors: Eisenhauer Nico , Reich Peter B. , Isbell Forest
Published: May 2012

Plant productivity and other ecosystem functions often increase with plant diversity at a local scale. Alongside various plant‐centered explanations for this pattern, there is accumulating evidence that multi‐trophic interactions shape this relationship. Here, we investigated for the first time if plant diversity effects on ecosystem functioning are mediated or driven by decomposer animal diversity and identity using a double‐diversity microcosm experiment. We show that many ecosystem processes and ecosystem multifunctionality (herbaceous shoot biomass production, litter removal, and N uptake) were affected by both plant and decomposer diversity, with ecosystem process rates often being maximal at intermediate to high plant and decomposer diversity and minimal at both low plant and decomposer diversity. Decomposers relaxed interspecific plant competition by enlarging chemical (increased N uptake and surface‐litter decomposition) and spatial (increasing deep‐root biomass) habitat space and by promoting plant complementarity. Anecic earthworms and isopods functioned as key decomposers; although decomposer diversity effects did not solely rely on these two decomposer species, positive plant net biodiversity and complementarity effects only occurred in the absence of isopods and the presence of anecic earthworms. Using a structural equation model, we explained 76% of the variance in plant complementarity, identified direct and indirect effect paths, and showed that the presence of key decomposers accounted for approximately three‐quarters of the explained variance. We conclude that decomposer animals have been underappreciated as contributing agents of plant diversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Elevated decomposer performance at high plant diversity found in previous experiments likely positively feeds back to plant performance, thus contributing to the positive relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem functioning.
Will extreme climatic events facilitate biological invasions?
Authors: Diez Jeffrey M , D'Antonio Carla M , Dukes Jeffrey S , Grosholz Edwin D , Olden Julian D , Sorte Cascade JB , Blumenthal Dana M , Bradley Bethany A , Early Regan , Ibáñez Inés , Jones Sierra J , Lawler Joshua J , Miller Luke P
Published: May 2012

Extreme climatic events (ECEs) – such as unusual heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and droughts – can dramatically affect ecological and evolutionary processes, and these events are projected to become more frequent and more intense with ongoing climate change. However, the implications of ECEs for biological invasions remain poorly understood. Using concepts and empirical evidence from invasion ecology, we identify mechanisms by which ECEs may influence the invasion process, from initial introduction through establishment and spread. We summarize how ECEs can enhance invasions by promoting the transport of propagules into new regions, by decreasing the resistance of native communities to establishment, and also sometimes by putting existing non‐native species at a competitive disadvantage. Finally, we outline priority research areas and management approaches for anticipating future risks of unwanted invasions following ECEs. Given predicted increases in both ECE occurrence and rates of species introductions around the globe during the coming decades, there is an urgent need to understand how these two processes interact to affect ecosystem composition and functioning.
Newborn Screening
Authors: Anderson Rebecca , Rothwell Erin , Botkin Jeffrey R.
Published: May 2012

Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screening (NBS) is a core public health service and is the largest application of genetic testing in the United States. NBS is conducted by state public health departments to identify infants with certain genetic, metabolic, and endocrine disorders. Screening is performed in the first few days of life through blood testing. Several drops of blood are taken from the baby's heel and placed on a filter paper card. The dried blood, on the filter cards, is sent from the newborn nursery to the state health department laboratory, or a commercial partner, where the blood is analyzed. Scientific and technological advances have lead to a significant expansion in the number of tests—from an average of 6 to more than 50—and there is a national trend to further expand the NBS program. This rapid expansion has created significant ethical, legal, and social challenges for the health care system and opportunity for scholarly inquiry to address these issues. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the NBS programs and to provide an in-depth examination of two significant concerns raised from expanded newborn screening, specifically false-positives and lack of information for parents. Implications for nursing research in managing these ethical dilemmas are discussed.
Genomics Education in Nursing in the United States
Authors: Calzone Kathleen A. , Jenkins Jean
Published: May 2012

Discovery of the genetics/genomics underpinnings of health, risk for disease, sickness, and treatment response have the prospects of improving recognition and management of at risk individuals; improving screening, prognostics, and therapeutic decision-making; expanding targeted therapies; and improving the accuracy of medication dosing and selection based on drug metabolism genetic variation. Thus, genetics/genomics science, information, and technologies infl uence the entire health care continuum and are fundamental to the nursing profession. Translating the benefi ts of genetics and genomics into health care requires that nurses are knowledgeable about and able to integrate this information and technology into their practice. This chapter explores the development of essential nursing competences in genetics and genomics and outcome indicators. Included is an overview of projects aimed at measuring and/or supporting adoption and integration of such competencies. Included as well is an update reviewing current evidence of the state of genomics nursing education in the United States and recommendations for next steps.
Perinatal Genomics
Authors: Latendresse Gwen
Published: May 2012

Significant maternal, fetal, and newborn morbidity and mortality can be attributed to complications of pregnancy. There are direct links between perinatal complications and poor fetal/newborn development and impaired cognitive function, as well as fetal, newborn, and maternal death. Many perinatal complications have pathophysiologic mechanisms with a genetic basis. The objective of this chapter is to focus on perinatal genomics and the occurrence of two specific complications: preterm birth and dysfunctional placental phenotype. This chapter includes discussions of genetic variation, mutation and inheritance, gene expression, and genetic biomarkers in relation to preterm birth, in addition to the impact of maternal tobacco smoke exposure on placental phenotype. The concept of epigenetics is also addressed, specifically the regulation of gene expression in the placenta and fetal origins of adult health and disease. There is great potential for nurse-researchers to make valuable contributions to perinatal genomics investigations, but this requires perseverance, increased genetics-based understanding and skills, as well as multidisciplinary mentorship.
From Mouse to Man
Authors: Renn Cynthia L. , Dorsey Susan G.
Published: May 2012

Animal models are a critical component of biomedical and biobehavioral research and have contributed to the exponential expansion of our understanding of human disease. Now, as we move onward into the era of genetics and genomics research, the importance of animal models to the research process will become even more acute as we explore the significance of genetic differences that are found in the presence and absence of disease. The decision to use an animal model is not one that can be taken lightly; but, rather, requires careful thought and consideration. In this review, we will address (a) why we should consider using animal models, (b) several caveats that are associated with using animals for research, and (c) some of the common genetic tools that are used in animal research.
Human–Canine Interaction: Exploring Stress Indicator Response Patterns of Salivary Cortisol and Immunoglobulin A
Authors: Krause-Parello Cheryl A. , Tychowski Joanna , Gonzalez Andres , Boyd Zakiya
Published: May 2012

A repeated measures design was used to analyze the effect of a canine interaction on salivary cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in 33 adults; 16 were pet owners and 17 were non-pet owners. Cortisol and IgA levels before and after a canine interaction (experimental) or viewing a canine movie (control) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and spectrophotometer. Data show a significant interaction effect for salivary cortisol in non-pet owners (p = 0.003). Changes in IgA levels were not significant. The findings suggested that interaction with canines may help reduce the biological effects of stress that influences human health. Further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to support these results.
Effects of Vaginal Douching Education on Turkish Women’s Vaginal Douching Practice
Authors: Mete Samiye , Yenal Kerziban , Tokat Merlinda Aluş , Serçekuş Pınar
Published: May 2012

Background: Vaginal douching (VD) is a very common practice in Turkish culture. This practice is affected by individual and cultural characteristics. Purpose: The aim of the research was to determine how the education based on Pender’s Health Promotion Model (HPM) affects women’s decision to quit vaginal douche and the factors that cause women to continue VD practices. Methods: The HPM guided the 2-hr education process. The sample has 58 women. Results: As a result, the model education-based HPM helped 69% of women to quit VD practice. It was also determined that education affected women who performed VD to feel clean and to comply with the religion but was less effective in women who had lower education or performed VD to comply with the husband’s demand. Conclusions: Finally, the study showed that the education based on HPM affected the women to change their attitude toward VD and quit it.
Comparative Study of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Versus Escherichia coli‐Derived Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐2 Using the Critical‐Size Supraalveolar Peri‐Implant Defect Model
Authors: Lee Jaebum , Lee Eui Nam , Yoon James , Chung Sung‐Min , Prasad Hari , Susin Cristiano , Wikesjö Ulf M.E.
Published: May 2012

Background: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell‐derived recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2) has been introduced for spine, long bone, and craniofacial indications. Escherichia coli‐ (E. coli) derived rhBMP‐2 displays comparable efficacy to CHO cell‐derived rhBMP‐2 in vitro and in small‐animal models. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of E. coli‐derived rhBMP‐2 compared to the benchmark CHO cell‐derived rhBMP‐2 using an established large‐animal model.

Methods: Contralateral, critical‐size supraalveolar peri‐implant defects in six adult male Hound Labrador mongrel dogs received CHO cell‐ or E. coli‐derived rhBMP‐2 (0.2 mg/mL) in an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) carrier. In each quadrant, three dental implants were placed. A titanium mesh device was used to support space provision. The animals received fluorescent bone markers for qualitative evaluations. Animals were euthanized at 8 weeks for histopathologic and histometric evaluation.

Results: Clinical healing included significant swelling, but none of the animals experienced wound dehiscences. CHO cell‐ and E. coli‐derived rhBMP‐2 supported comparable bone formation (new bone area, 35.8 ± 3.6 versus 30.1 ± 2.2 mm2; bone density, 31.8% ± 1.6% versus 35.6% ± 2.5%; and osseointegration, 32.9% ± 7.4% versus 33.7% ± 8.1%) without statistically significant differences between treatments. Newly formed immature delicate trabecular bone in fibrovascular marrow filled the space underneath the titanium mesh and extended coronally above the mesh. Seroma formation was frequently observed. There were no discernable qualitative histologic differences between treatments.

Conclusion: CHO cell‐ and E. coli‐derived rhBMP‐2 in an ACS carrier appear equally effective at inducing local bone formation in support of dental implant osseointegration.
Enamel Matrix Derivative, Alone or Associated With a Synthetic Bone Substitute, in the Treatment of 1‐ to 2‐Wall Periodontal Defects
Authors: De Leonardis Dario , Paolantonio Michele
Published: May 2012

Background: In this study, we compare the effects of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) associated with a hydroxyapatite and β‐tricalcium phosphate (HA/β‐TCP) implant to EMD alone and to open‐flap debridement (OFD) when surgically treating 1‐ to 2‐wall intrabony defects.

Methods: Thirty‐four patients, exhibiting ≥3 intraosseous defects in different quadrants, were each treated by OFD, EMD, or EMD + HA/β‐TCP in each defect. At baseline and 12 and 24 months, a complete clinical and radiographic examination was done. Pre‐therapy and post‐therapy clinical (probing depth [PD], clinical attachment level [CAL], and gingival recession [GR]) and radiographic (defect bone level [DBL] and radiographic bone gain [RBG]) parameters for the different treatments were compared.

Results: After 12 and 24 months, almost all the clinical and radiographic parameters showed significant changes from baseline within each group (P <0.001). Differences in PD, CAL, and DBL scores were also seen among the three groups at the 12‐ and 24‐month visits (P <0.001). At 12 and 24 months after treatment, the EMD + HA/β‐TCP group showed significantly greater PD reduction (4.00 ± 0.42 mm; 4.25 ± 0.63 mm), CAL gain (3.47 ± 0.65 mm; 3.63 ± 0.91 mm), and RBG (3.17 ± 0.69 mm; 3.35 ± 0.80 mm) and less GR increase (0.56 ± 0.37 mm; 0.63 ± 0.42 mm) compared with the OFD and EMD groups (P <0.05).

Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis that the adjunct of an HA/β‐TCP composite implant with EMD may improve the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the surgical treatment of unfavorable intrabony defects.
The Clinical Effect of Scaling and Root Planing and the Concomitant Administration of Systemic Amoxicillin and Metronidazole: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zandbergen Dina , Slot Dagmar E. , Cobb Charles M. , Van der Weijden Fridus A.
Published: May 2012

Background: The treatment of periodontitis frequently begins with a non‐surgical phase that includes scaling and root planing (SRP) and, on occasion, the use of systemic antibiotics. The goal of this review is to systematically evaluate the data concerning the effect of the concomitant administration of amoxicillin and metronidazole adjunctive to SRP in adults who are otherwise healthy.

Methods: The PubMed‐MEDLINE, Cochrane‐Central, and EMBASE databases were searched to April 1, 2012, to identify appropriate studies. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing, and plaque index were selected as outcome variables. Based on the extracted mean values and number of individuals, changes in weighted means were calculated and a meta‐analysis conducted.

Results: The search yielded 526 unique titles and abstracts. Ultimately, 35 studies were selected, describing 28 clinical trials meeting the eligibility criteria. The full‐mouth weighted mean change for PD showed an improvement of 1.41 mm. The full‐mouth weighted mean change for CAL showed a gain of 0.94 mm.

Conclusion: Systemic antimicrobial therapy using a combination of amoxicillin and metronidazole as an adjunct to SRP can enhance the clinical benefits of non‐surgical periodontal therapy in adults who are otherwise healthy.