bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endothelial Grb2-Associated Binder 1 Is Crucial for Postnatal Angiogenesis
Authors: Zhao Jinjing , Wang Weiye , Ha Chang Hoon , Kim Ji Young , Wong Chelsea , Redmond Eileen M. , Hamik Anne , Jain Mukesh K. , Feng Gen-Sheng , Jin Zheng Gen
Published: March 2011

Objective—

Grb2-associated binder 1 (Gab1), a scaffolding adaptor protein, plays an important role in transmitting key signals that control cell growth, differentiation, and function from multiple tyrosine kinase receptors. The study was designed to investigate the role of endothelial Gab1 in angiogenesis and its underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods and Results—

Using Cre-Lox recombination technology, we generated endothelial-specific Gab1 knockout (Gab1-ecKO) mice. Gab1-ecKO mice are viable and showed no obvious developmental defects in the vascular system. To analyze the role of Gab1 in postnatal angiogenesis, we used hindlimb ischemia and Matrigel plug models. We found that loss of endothelial Gab1 in mice dramatically impaired postnatal angiogenesis. Gab1-ecKO mice had impaired ischemia-initiated blood flow recovery, exhibited reduced angiogenesis, and were associated with marked limb necrosis. We further observed significant endothelial cell (EC) death in the ischemic hindlimb of Gab1-ecKO mice. Matrigel plug assay showed that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)–mediated angiogenesis was inhibited in Gab1-ecKO mice. In vitro studies showed that Gab1 was required for HGF-induced EC migration, tube formation, and microvessel sprouting. Mechanistically, HGF stimulated Gab1 tyrosine phosphorylation in ECs, leading to activation of extracellular regulated MAP kinase 1/2 and Akt, which are angiogenic and survival signaling.

Conclusion—

Gab1 is essential for postnatal angiogenesis through mediating angiogenic and survival signaling.
A Critical Analysis of the Scientific Evidence Behind International Guidelines Related to Cardiac Arrhythmias
Authors: Roos Markus , Brodbeck Jeannette , Sarkozy Andrea , Battista Chierchia Gian , De Asmundis Carlo , Brugada Pedro
Published: March 2011

Background—

Guidelines have become very important in assisting with decision making in clinical practice. However, few studies have analyzed the level of evidence (LOE) underlying guidelines critically. This study aims to assess the accuracy of the referenced literature that has led to recommendations with a level of evidence A (LOE-A) rating.

Methods and Results—

The latest updates of the practice guidelines related to arrhythmia posted on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) web site were analyzed. The referenced literature for LOE-A recommendation was analyzed to reassess the proposed grading scheme for LOE-A. Furthermore, the clearly defined positive (Class I) and negative (Class III) recommendations with correctly referenced LOE-A were assessed. A median of 5.4% of all recommendations per guideline (interquartile range 4.9% to 9.7%) were categorized as LOE-A, but only 3.7% (IQR 3.4% to 4.9%) were accurately referenced as LOE-A. In total, 27 of 698 recommendations (median 1.2% per guideline [IQR 0.95% to 3.7%]) were correctly referenced as Class I or III LOE-A recommendations implying definite evidence-based positive or negative conclusion.

Conclusions—

Our findings raise the question of the accuracy of LOE-A in medical guidelines in general and highlight the importance of a critical use of all recommendations. Moreover, they underline the need for improving the guideline-writing process. Further randomized double-blinded and/or crossover-designed studies should focus on areas with a gap in the evidence, such as existing but not yet convincing (LOE-B) or conflicting (Class II) evidence.
Preprocedural Clinical Parameters Determining Perimitral Conduction Time During Mitral Isthmus Line Ablation
Authors: Miyazaki Shinsuke , Shah Ashok J. , Liu Xingpeng , Jadidi Amir S. , Nault Isabelle , Wright Matthew , Forclaz Andrei , Linton Nick , Xhaët Olivier , Rivard Lena , Derval Nicolas , Knecht Sébastien , Sacher Frédéric , Hocini Mélèze , Jaïs Pierre , Haïssaguerre Michel
Published: March 2011

Background—

Achievement of complete conduction block across left mitral isthmus (MI) is challenging. Anticipation of perimitral conduction time (PMCT) associated with MI block may expedite this procedure. We evaluated the relationship between the preprocedural variables and the quantum of PMCT in patients with bidirectionally blocked MI.

Methods and Results—

We reviewed clinical and echocardiographic parameters in 290 consecutive patients with confirmed bidirectional MI block during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. PMCT was defined as the temporal delay to the latest of the double potentials on the line of block while pacing posteroseptal to it in the left atrium (LA). LA size and type of AF significantly influenced PMCT in multivariate analysis. A cumulative score based on LA size (0≦45 mm; 1>45 mm) and type of AF (0: paroxysmal; 1=nonparoxysmal) ranged from 0 to 2. PMCT was directly correlated to the cumulative score (0: 169 ms; n=78; 95% confidential interval, 156 to 181); 1: 187 ms; n=103; 95% confidential interval, 178 to 196; 2: 209 ms; n=109; 95% confidential interval, 200 to 217). In 61 patients who underwent AF ablation twice, the difference between 2 PMCT values was <30 ms in 75% patients. Another consecutive 143 patients with and without MI block after at least 15 minutes of radiofrequency application were analyzed. Perimitral conduction delay <130 ms ruled out bidirectional MI block. Perimitral conduction delay >173 ms predicted bidirectional block with an accuracy of 86%.

Conclusions—

LA size and AF type significantly influence PMCT in patients undergoing successful MI ablation. These parameters can be used to predict the time value associated with MI block, preprocedurally.
Chromosome 9p21 Haplotypes and Prognosis in White and Black Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Gong Yan , Beitelshees Amber L. , Cooper-DeHoff Rhonda M. , Lobmeyer Maximilian T. , Langaee Taimour Y. , Wu Jun , Cresci Sharon , Province Michael A. , Spertus John A. , Pepine Carl J. , Johnson Julie A.
Published: March 2011

Background—

Although numerous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in chromosome 9p21 have been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and incident myocardial infarction (MI) in whites, there are limited and conflicting reports on the association of this locus with prognosis in whites with existing CAD and no reports in blacks or Hispanics. We investigated the hypothesis that 9p21 polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with documented CAD.

Methods and Results—

We studied the association of 155 chromosome 9p21 SNPs with adverse outcomes among hypertension patients with CAD of multiple races/ethnicities in INVEST-GENES (the International Verapamil SR Trandolapril Study Genetic Substudy) (n=1460 and n=5979 for 2 SNPs) with replication testing of 4 SNPs in the INFORM (Investigation of Outcomes From Acute Coronary Syndrome) study (n=714) of patients with acute coronary syndromes. In INVEST, the haplotype comprising the risk allele for the widely reported 9p21 SNPs was associated with better prognosis in whites (odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.92;
P
=0.0085) but not in blacks (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.24;
P
=0.52) or Hispanics (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.65 to 1.44;
P
=0.86). A less commonly reported linkage disequilibrium block was associated with worse prognosis in INVEST in both whites (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.93;
P
=0.0006) and blacks (OR, 4.11; 95% CI, 1.55 to 10.88;
P
=0.004).

Conclusions—

Our findings suggest that previously reported chromosome 9p21 SNPs, which predict incident CAD, are not associated with higher risk for adverse outcomes in patients with established CAD. The less commonly reported linkage disequilibrium block warrants further investigation.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00133692.
Peptide-Mediated Disruption of Calmodulin–Cyclin E Interactions Inhibits Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Neointima Formation
Authors: Hui Sonya , Choi Jaehyun , Zaidi Syed , Momen Abdul , Steinbach Sarah K. , Sadi Al-Muktafi , Ban Kiwon , Husain Mansoor
Published: March 2011

Rationale:

Cell cycle progression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a therapeutic target for restenosis.

Objective:

Having discovered that calmodulin (CaM)-dependent cyclin E/CDK2 activity underlies Ca
2+
-sensitive G
1
-to-S phase transitions in VSMCs, we sought to explore the physiological importance of the CaM–cyclin E interaction.

Methods and Results:

A peptide based on the CaM binding sequence (CBS) of cyclin E was designed to interfere with CaM–cyclin E binding. Compared with control peptides, CBS blocked activating Thr160 phosphorylation of CDK2, decreased basal cyclin E/CDK2 activity, and eliminated Ca
2+
-sensitive cyclin E/CDK2 activity in nuclear extracts from mouse VSMCs. Nucleofection with CBS, or treatment with CBS conjugated to the HIV-1 TAT protein transduction domain to improve bioavailability, inhibited G
1
-to-S cell cycle progression in a dose-dependent manner. These effects were not observed with control peptides. TAT-CBS inhibited
3
H-thymidine incorporation in primary human aortic SMCs (HA-SMCs) in vitro, manifested greater transduction into HA-SMCs compared with endothelial cells in vitro, and limited decreased SM22α expression, neointima formation, and medial thickening without affecting collagen deposition or reendothelialization in a mouse model of carotid artery injury in vivo. The antiproliferative effects of CBS remained evident in mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from wild-type mice but not cyclin E1/E2 double knockout mice.

Conclusions:

A synthetic peptide designed to disrupt CaM–cyclin E binding inhibits Ca
2+
/CaM-dependent CDK2 activity, cell cycle progression, and proliferation in VSMCs and limits arterial remodeling following injury. Importantly, this effect appears to be cyclin E–dependent and may form the basis of a potentially novel therapeutic approach for restenosis.
Echocardiographic Speckle-Tracking Based Strain Imaging for Rapid Cardiovascular Phenotyping in Mice
Authors: Bauer Michael , Cheng Susan , Jain Mohit , Ngoy Soeun , Theodoropoulos Catherine , Trujillo Anna , Lin Fen-Chiung , Liao Ronglih
Published: March 2011

Rationale:

High-sensitivity in vivo phenotyping of cardiac function is essential for evaluating genes of interest and novel therapies in small animal models of cardiovascular disease. Transthoracic echocardiography is the principal method currently used for assessing cardiac structure and function; however, standard echocardiographic techniques are relatively insensitive to early or subtle changes in cardiac performance, particularly in mice.

Objective:

To develop and validate an echocardiographic strain imaging methodology for sensitive and rapid cardiac phenotyping in small animal models.

Methods and Results:

Herein, we describe a modified echocardiographic technique that uses speckle-tracking based strain analysis for the noninvasive evaluation of cardiac performance in adult mice. This method is found to be rapid, reproducible, and highly sensitive in assessing both regional and global left ventricular (LV) function. Compared with conventional echocardiographic measures of LV structure and function, peak longitudinal strain and strain rate were able to detect changes in adult mouse hearts at an earlier time point following myocardial infarction and predicted the later development of adverse LV remodeling. Moreover, speckle-tracking based strain analysis was able to clearly identify subtle improvement in LV function that occurred early in response to standard post–myocardial infarction cardiac therapy.

Conclusions:

Our results highlight the utility of speckle-tracking based strain imaging for detecting discrete functional alterations in mouse models of cardiovascular disease in an efficient and comprehensive manner. Echocardiography speckle-tracking based strain analysis represents a method for relatively high-throughput and sensitive cardiac phenotyping, particularly in evaluating emerging cardiac agents and therapies in mice.
Association Between Acute Statin Therapy, Survival, and Improved Functional Outcome After Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Ní Chróinín Danielle , Callaly Elizabeth L. , Duggan Joseph , Merwick Áine , Hannon Niamh , Sheehan Órla , Marnane Michael , Horgan Gillian , Williams Emma B. , Harris Dawn , Kyne Lorraine , McCormack Patricia M.E. , Moroney Joan , Grant Tim , Williams David , Daly Leslie , Kelly Peter J.
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—

Statins improve infarct volume and neurological outcome in animal stroke models. We investigated the relationship between statin therapy and ischemic stroke outcome in the North Dublin Population Stroke Study.

Methods—

A population-based prospective cohort study was performed using rigorous ascertainment methods. Prestroke and acute (≤72 hours) poststroke medications were recorded. Modified Rankin score and fatality were assessed at 7, 28, and 90 days and 1 year.

Results—

Of 448 ischemic stroke patients, statins were prescribed before stroke onset in 30.1% (134/445) and were begun acutely (≤72 hours) in an additional 42.5% (189/445). On logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, prestroke disability (modified Rankin scale), NIHSS score, hypertension, and aspirin, new poststroke statin therapy was independently associated with improved early and late survival (compared with statin untreated patients: OR for death, 0.12; CI, 0.03–0.54 at 7 days; OR, 0.19; CI, 0.07–0.48 at 90 days; OR, 0.26; CI, 0.12–0.55 at 1 year;
P
≤0.006 for all). Similar findings were observed for statin therapy before stroke onset (adjusted OR for death compared with statin-untreated-patients, 0.04; CI, 0.00–0.33;
P
=0.003 at 7 days; OR, 0.23; CI, 0.09–0.58;
P
=0.002 at 90 days; OR, 0.48; CI, 0.23–1.01;
P
=0.05 at 1 year).

Conclusions—

Statin therapy at stroke onset and newly begun statins were associated with improved early and late outcomes, supporting data from experimental studies. Randomized trials of statin therapy for treatment of acute stroke are needed.
Influence of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Outcomes of Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Ryan Clodagh M. , Bayley Mark , Green Robin , Murray Brian J. , Bradley T. Douglas
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—

In stroke patients, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with poorer functional outcomes than in those without OSA. We hypothesized that treatment of OSA by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in stroke patients would enhance motor, functional, and neurocognitive recovery.

Methods—

This was a randomized, open label, parallel group trial with blind assessment of outcomes performed in stroke patients with OSA in a stroke rehabilitation unit. Patients were assigned to standard rehabilitation alone (control group) or to CPAP (CPAP group). The primary outcomes were the Canadian Neurological scale, the 6-minute walk test distance, sustained attention response test, and the digit or spatial span-backward. Secondary outcomes included Epworth Sleepiness scale, Stanford Sleepiness scale, Functional Independence measure, Chedoke McMaster Stroke assessment, neurocognitive function, and Beck depression inventory. Tests were performed at baseline and 1 month later.

Results—

Patients assigned to CPAP (n=22) experienced no adverse events. Regarding primary outcomes, compared to the control group (n=22), the CPAP group experienced improvement in stroke-related impairment (Canadian Neurological scale score,
P
<0.001) but not in 6-minute walk test distance, sustained attention response test, or digit or spatial span-backward. Regarding secondary outcomes, the CPAP group experienced improvements in the Epworth Sleepiness scale (
P
<0.001), motor component of the Functional Independence measure (
P
=0.05), Chedoke-McMaster Stroke assessment of upper and lower limb motor recovery test of the leg (
P
=0.001), and the affective component of depression (
P
=0.006), but not neurocognitive function.

Conclusions—

Treatment of OSA by CPAP in stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation improved functional and motor, but not neurocognitive outcomes.

Clinical Trial Registration Information—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00221065.
FORECASTS AND WARNINGS
Authors: GARRIOTT E. B.
Published: March 2011

No Abstract Available.
GREAT INVERSIONS OF TEMPERATURE
Authors: HENRY A. J.
Published: March 2011

No Abstract Available.

January 26, 1909
A PLEA FOR TERRESTRIAL AND COSMICAL PHYSICS.1
Authors: BAUER L. A.
Published: March 2011

No Abstract Available.

December, 1908
DISTRICT No. 10, GREAT BASIN
Authors: THIESSEN ALFRED H.
Published: March 2011

No Abstract Available.
THE DROUGHT OF 1913 IN KANSAS
Authors: FLORA S. D.
Published: March 2011

No Abstract Available.
The Generation and Evolution of Nonlinear Internal Waves in the Deep Basin of the South China Sea
Authors: Li Qiang , Farmer David M.
Published: March 2011

Time series observations of nonlinear internal waves in the deep basin of the South China Sea are used to evaluate mechanisms for their generation and evolution. Internal tides are generated by tidal currents over ridges in Luzon Strait and steepen as they travel west, subsequently generating high-frequency nonlinear waves. Although nonlinear internal waves appear repeatedly on the western slopes of the South China Sea, their appearance in the deep basin is intermittent and more closely related to the amplitude of the semidiurnal than the predominant diurnal tidal current in Luzon Strait. As the internal tide propagates westward, it evolves under the influence of nonlinearity, rotation, and nonhydrostatic dispersion. The interaction between nonlinearity and rotation transforms the internal tide into a parabolic or corner shape. A fully nonlinear two-layer internal wave model explains the observed characteristics of internal tide evolution in the deep basin for different representative forcing conditions and allows assessment of differences between the fully and weakly nonlinear descriptions. Matching this model to a wave generation solution for representative topography in Luzon Strait leads to predictions in the deep basin consistent with observations. Separation of the eastern and western ridges is close to the internal semidiurnal tidal wavelength, contributing to intensification of the westward propagating semidiurnal component. Doppler effects of internal tide generation, when combined with a steady background flow, suggest an explanation for the apparent suppression of nonlinear wave generation during periods of westward intrusion of the Kuroshio.
Societal value formation and the value of life
Authors: Featherstone Mike
Published: March 2011

This article explores the formation of values on individual, cultural, societal, civilizational and epochal levels and discusses the carriers of values, symbolic hierarchies and future prospects. It demonstrates the continued conceptual and time-diagnostic usefulness of Georg Simmel’s sociological approach to values and argues that his Lebensphilosophie (‘philosophy of life’) offers a platform for dealing with modernity’s contingencies and ambiguities by treating life as such as the ultimate but indeterminate value that must be worked out by individuals. Values are needed as a preliminary means of orientation, even if these need not be considered to be of lasting duration.
Capitalist market values in East Malaysia and China
Authors: Chee-Beng Tan
Published: March 2011

This article discusses the ecological and political bases of values, and their significance in our understanding of cultural life, through an ethnographic reflection of an indigenous minority in East Malaysia, the Badeng Kenyah’s, encounter with capitalist markets. In addition, post-Mao China’s encounter with the global capitalist market is also discussed to show the nature of values and social change and the need to reinvent values and create institutions to reinforce relevant values that will shape new cultural forms. Human values, including values that emphasize social welfare and harmony with nature, have their roots in the principle of reciprocity in egalitarian small-scale societies. However, values embedded in human cultural traditions are swept away by market forces in an increasingly globalized world. Ecological humanism is an emerging new worldview that influences the reinvention of values and fosters the formation of new cultural forms.
Advertising and value formation: The power of multinational companies
Authors: Ciochetto Lynne
Published: March 2011

Contemporary advertising images in the media play an important role in promoting and sustaining contemporary consumer culture and provide one of the pillars upholding and furthering contemporary capitalism. Though one of its key roles is to promote materialism, advertising imagery also plays a role in cultural and value change at both the surface, selling products, and structural levels, causing shifts in cultural values such as an increasing emphasis on self-gratification through consumption, acceptance of increasing use of sexuality to sell products, obsession with youth, appearance and body image, and overwhelming obsession with modernity and the latest technology. There needs to be greater acknowledgement of these processes or the probable future will be an intensification of the present unsustainable economic system. Preferable options for the future need to take cognizance of the powerful role advertising and the media play in society and assess the possible options for changing those roles.
Symbolism and values: Rationality and irrationality of culture
Authors: Bachika Reimon
Published: March 2011

Values tend to be taken for granted by communitarian politicians and religiously thinking people as well as by various sociologists, that is insofar as certain aspects of social life underscore the belief in the importance of values. However, other social phenomena, particularly ethnic and religious conflicts, seem more affected by the symbolism of culture than by values. This article attempts to trace the logic of symbolism and values in various cultural settings. It contends that these core components of culture are of much consequence but may be problematic as well, due to their ambivalence and conflation. It concludes that symbolism and values may invert their inherent nature of reason and affect, rationality and irrationality.
Cosmopolitanism, the clash of civilizations and multiple modernities
Authors: Casanova José
Published: March 2011

The article examines the three alternative conceptions of the emerging global order with special reference to the place and role of the world religions in that order. (1) Cosmopolitanism builds upon developmental theories of modernization that envision this transformation as a global expansion of western secular modernity, conceived as a universal process of human development. Secularization remains a key analytical as well as normative component. Religions that resist privatization are viewed as a dangerous ‘fundamentalism’ that threatens the differentiated structures of secular modernity. (2) Huntington’s conception of the ‘clash of civilizations’ maintains the analytical components of western modernity but stripped of any universalist normative claim. Modernity is a particular achievement of western civilization that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The world religions are the continuously vital core of what are essentially incompatible civilizations doomed to clash with one another for global hegemony. (3) The model of ‘multiple modernities’ is presented as an alternative analytical framework that combines some of the universalist claims of cosmopolitanism, devoid of its secularist assumptions, with the recognition of the continuous relevance of the world religions for the emerging global order.
Christian Theology Today: An Appreciative Response to David Fergusson’s Review of Christianity and Creation and Jesus of Nazareth (Exp Tim, April 2009)
Authors: Mackey James P.
Published: March 2011

In this response to David Fergusson’s review of his Christianity and Creation and Jesus of Nazareth, James Mackey considers three apparently contrasting ideas: creation-out-of-nothing and emanation; transcendence and immanence; and absolute idealism and absolute realism. The relationship of each to the possibility of seeing a divine, loving personhood rather than God as an impersonal ground of being is discussed, and it is argued that these are not contrasting but co-ordinate ideas. The meaning of resurrection is then considered, from the perspective of Jesus’ own understanding, and the purpose of the resurrection appearances is explored: as demonstrating the possibility of encountering the real and full presence of the risen Christ, particularly in the fellowship of the Eucharistic meal; and that the true way of the Messiah is a path of service and suffering rather than power and might.
Haiti: Three Analytical Narratives of Crisis and Recovery
Authors: Asante Molefi Kete
Published: March 2011

Perhaps no other revolution in modern times, whether American, French, Russian, or Algerian, has stirred such different emotions and raised so many theories of the act itself as the Haitian Revolution. This essay is framed around the given and received interpretations of Haiti’s long history in order to demonstrate that there is neither curse nor punishment in Haiti’s history; there is only intrigue, interest, and interference. The natural disasters whether earthquakes or hurricanes do not occur because of some rational targeting of the country but are the results of the arbitrariness of nature. Of course, how Haiti has dealt with these natural disasters can be interpreted from positions of class narrative, religious narrative, and cultural narrative.
A Man-Made Disaster: The Earthquake of January 12, 2010— A Haitian Perspective
Authors: Bellegarde-Smith Patrick
Published: March 2011

The earthquake of January 12, 2010, was not the first, nor will it be the last, to hit Haiti, a volcanic land traumatized by natural and man-made disasters from its beginning as a colony and sovereign nation. In the throes of rein-venting itself politically, socially, and culturally since the overthrow of the Duvalier dictatorship, 1957-1986, Haiti now has to reinvent itself physically. Are there bounds to the Haitians’ vaunted resilience? The author proposes to examine the aftermath of the “Goudougoudou,” as Haitians now call the event, relating it to other events that have taxed Haitian resolve over the course of two centuries.
Prosody intervention: A single subject study of a Swedish boy with prosodic problems
Authors: Samuelsson Christina
Published: March 2011

Swedish has a complicated prosodic system, compared, for example, with English. A large proportion of Swedish children with language impairment (LI) have prosodic problems to some extent. There are few descriptions in the literature of prosody intervention, which means that clinicians must rely on their overall linguistic and therapeutic knowledge when designing intervention for prosodic problems. The aim of the present study is to design an intervention package for prosodic problems in children and to evaluate this intervention. The article reports a single subject multiple baselines case study. The participant was a boy (aged 4 years and 6 months) with prosodic problems, mainly on word level but also on phrase and discourse level. The intervention was devised to address his problems and focused on word level prosody. The intervention was carried out over 6 weeks, comprising six 60-minute sessions. Post-intervention assessments were carried out immediately after intervention and 9 weeks later. The participant improved his overall prosodic skills significantly, as assessed by a procedure designed to capture prosody at word, phrase and discourse level. An evaluation of a spontaneous speech sample was also made by a panel of three experienced listeners, and they found some improvement in the participant’s prosody in connected speech, although this was not significant.
Gender Identification Moderates Social Identity Threat Effects on Working Memory
Authors: Kaiser Cheryl R. , Hagiwara Nao
Published: March 2011

This investigation examined whether gender identification moderates women’s working memory following exposure to situations that threaten the integrity of their gender group. Young adults read sentences that either threatened women’s gender identity (in the social identity threat condition) or did not threaten this identity (in the control condition). During this sentence-reading task, participants were also asked to remember numerous neutral words. Women who were more strongly gender-identified recalled fewer of the neutral words when these words were presented in conjunction with sentences that threatened women’s gender identity compared to when the words were presented with non-identity threatening sentences. More weakly gender-identified women, as well as men, did not show working memory impairments when exposed to threatening as compared to nonthreatening sentences. This study provides insight into who is most vulnerable to experiencing working memory impairments following a threat to their social identity. It also has practical implications for promoting environments that increase the likelihood that members of devalued groups can more optimally draw on their reserves of memory. For instance, workplaces that permit the expression of sexism may find that this behavior actually decreases the performance of female employees who identify with their gender group.
Juvenile Delinquency and Teenage Pregnancy
Authors: Khurana Atika , Cooksey Elizabeth C. , Gavazzi Stephen M.
Published: March 2011

The authors examined ecological risk factors associated with teen pregnancy with a sample of 1,190 court-involved female juvenile offenders between 11 and 18 years of age. Data were obtained from five Midwestern juvenile county courts using a recently developed youth risk assessment instrument called the global risk assessment device (GRAD). In line with past research on teen pregnancy, the authors found that young African American female offenders were three times more likely to have ever been pregnant than their European American counterparts. Factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedures were conducted to identify the ecological risk domains that differentiated groups of female juvenile offenders in the sample of this study, based on their pregnancy history and racial background. The findings of this study suggest that female offenders who had experienced a pregnancy had significantly higher levels of health-related risks as compared to their counterparts who had never been pregnant. Furthermore, regardless of their pregnancy history, White female offenders reported significantly greater involvement in substance abuse behaviors as compared to Blacks. Taken together, these findings underscore the need to utilize comprehensive risk assessments when designing integrated intervention programs that are tailored to the unique needs of young female offenders who are at risk for early pregnancies.
A Socioecological Model of Rape Survivors' Decisions to Aid in Case Prosecution
Authors: Anders Mary C. , Christopher F. Scott
Published: March 2011

The purpose of our study was to identify factors underlying rape survivors' post-assault prosecution decisions by testing a decision model that included the complex relations between the multiple social ecological systems within which rape survivors are embedded. We coded 440 police rape cases for characteristics of the assault and characteristics of the rape survivor congruent with rape mythology. In addition, support from friends/family members, social service providers, and police were assessed. Path analysis, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) that included a bias-corrected bootstrap resampling procedure, supported our model. As hypothesized, rape survivors' final decisions to aid in case prosecution were predicted by support from the three social ecologies: family/friends, social service providers, and police. Social service provider support, in turn, was predicted by assault characteristics congruent with rape mythology, whereas family/friend and police support were significantly predicted by the interaction between assault and survivor characteristics congruent with rape mythology. Our results show the value of applying a socioecological framework to help understand factors that influence rape survivors' prosecution decisions. Moreover, our results highlight the need to challenge commonly held views of “typical” rape survivors and the “typical” circumstances surrounding their assault.
The Struggle for ‘‘Ownership of Conflict’’: An Exploration of Victim Participation and Voice in the Criminal Justice System
Authors: Englebrecht Christine M.
Published: March 2011

In the past several decades, the victims’ rights movement has advocated for a more inclusive criminal justice system, one that would allow victims greater voice. In response, states have created opportunities for victims to participate in the various stages of the justice process. One example of this inclusion is the victim impact statement that allows victims the opportunity to share their stories and victimization experiences with the court. And, while there is an abundance of research examining the effects of these statements on certain outcomes (e.g., sentencing), few studies have explored how the victim’s role in the justice process is created in relation to, or perhaps in conflict with, criminal justice workers. The current study used in-depth interviews with criminal justice officials and families of homicide victims to uncover views of victim participation. Results indicated that while most members of the courtroom workgroup felt victims should have a role in the justice process, they believed that role should be limited. Conversely, advocates and crime victims sought a more pronounced role for victims in the justice process. These disparate views caused conflict between these groups and raised questions about the nature of the role for victims in the justice process.
Governing Wildfire Risks: What Shapes County Hazard Mitigation Programs?
Authors: Muller Brian , Schulte Stacey
Published: March 2011

Land use policies and programs offer a diverse set of strategies for management of wildfire risk. Many county governments have only recently begun to implement such strategies, and relatively little research has been conducted on county activity in wildfire risk reduction such as hazard assessment, plan making, regulation of land use, and subdivision design. Based on a questionnaire survey, the authors explore influences over choice of risk reduction strategy by county governments. Our findings underscore the importance of governance variables including intergovernmental grants in development of mitigation programs.
A Case for Collective Conscience: Climategate, COP-15 and Climate Justice
Authors: Deane-Drummond Celia
Published: March 2011

This paper argues that given the importance of joining together local and global aspects of climate change, individual conscience needs to be complemented by critical consideration of collective forms of conscience. Evidence for the existence of such collective forms as relevant to climate debates can be found in public reactions to email leaks on climate science, dubbed ‘Climategate’ in the processes leading up to the United Nations Summit on Climate Change, COP-15. In critical engagement with Emile Durkheim’s conscience collective and Bernard Häring’s reciprocal consciences, I argue for collective conscience to be used as a heuristic tool in order to analyse both weaknesses in collective responsibility and appropriate actions of communities at local, national or international levels. I suggest that such an approach critically engages with more general notions such as the role of solidarity in public debate that both develops and critiques Jürgen Habermas’s more recent work opening up a religious voice in the public domain. Using an experiential case study from the Massai tribe, I intend to show just one way in which collective conscience might be expressed when faced with the problems associated with climate change.
On Building an Ark: The Global Emergency and the Limits of Moral Exhortation
Authors: Gorringe Timothy J.
Published: March 2011

The paper argues, first, that the range of problems confronting humanity constitutes a global emergency; next, that this cannot be addressed by moral exhortation but by the building of ‘arks’; finally, that community, cultivation of the virtues, and place may be considered key aspects of such ark building.
Burden-sharing in a Changing Climate: Which Principles and Practices can Theologians Endorse?
Authors: Russell Cathriona
Published: March 2011

Empirical evidence of our changing climate is frequently interpreted through the lens of either optimism or pessimism. In tandem with this, ethical responses can oscillate from myopic ‘business as usual’ to misanthropic ‘lifeboat ethics’. In this paper I argue that these are inadequate and unworthy positions from which to begin in Christian ethics. The question of sharing the burdens of climate-change mitigation and adaptation is the crucial task facing the world community. The development of the burden-sharing rules—sector based as well as country based—since the Kyoto agreement will be evaluated from the perspective of three theological ethical principles: justice, solidarity and subsidiarity. Lastly I suggest that creation serves as a ground for developing shared perspectives in the ethics of environmental questions in the context of intercultural and interfaith dialogue.
Pressure and Perverse Flights to Familiarity
Authors: Litt Ab , Reich Taly , Maymin Senia , Shiv Baba
Published: March 2011

Under pressure, people often prefer what is familiar, which can seem safer than the unfamiliar. We show that such favoring of familiarity can lead to choices precisely contrary to the source of felt pressure, thus exacerbating, rather than mitigating, its negative consequences. In Experiment 1, time pressure increased participants’ frequency of choosing to complete a longer but incidentally familiar task option (as opposed to a shorter but unfamiliar alternative), resulting in increased felt stress during task completion. In Experiment 2, pressure to reach a performance benchmark in a chosen puzzle increased participants’ frequency of choosing an incidentally familiar puzzle that both augured and delivered objectively worse performance (i.e., fewer points obtained). Participants favored this familiar puzzle even though familiarity was established through unpleasant prior experience. This “devil you know” preference under pressure contrasted with disfavoring of the negatively familiar option in a pressure-free situation. These results demonstrate that pressure-induced flights to familiarity can sometimes aggravate rather than ameliorate pressure, and can occur even when available evidence points to the suboptimality of familiar options.
The Omission Strategy
Authors: DeScioli Peter , Christner John , Kurzban Robert
Published: March 2011

People are more willing to bring about morally objectionable outcomes by omission than by commission. Similarly, people condemn others less harshly when a moral offense occurs by omission rather than by commission, even when intentions are controlled. We propose that these two phenomena are related, and that the reduced moral condemnation of omissions causes people to choose omissions in their own behavior to avoid punishment. We report two experiments using an economic game in which one participant (the taker) could take money from another participant (the owner) either by omission or by commission. We manipulated whether or not a third party had the opportunity to punish the taker by reducing the taker’s payment. Our results indicated that the frequency of omission increases when punishment is possible. We conclude that people choose omissions to avoid condemnation and that the omission effect is best understood not as a bias, but as a strategy.
Serum and urinary free microRNA level in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Wang G , Tam LS , Li EKM , Kwan BCH , Chow KM , Luk CCW , Li PKT , Szeto CC
Published: March 2011

MicroRNAs circulating in body fluid have been suggested as biomarkers of various diseases. We studied the serum and urinary level of several miRNA species (miR-200 family, miR-205 and miR-192) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We studied 40 SLE patients. Serum and urinary miRNA levels were determined and compared with that of healthy controls. The serum levels of miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-429, miR-205 and miR-192, and urinary miR-200a, miR-200c, miR-141, miR-429 and miR-192 of SLE patients were lower than those of controls. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) correlated with serum miR-200b ( r = 0.411, p = 0.008), miR-200c ( r = 0.343, p = 0.030), miR-429 ( r = 0.347, p = 0.028), miR-205 ( r = 0.429, p = 0.006) and miR-192 ( r = 0.479, p = 0.002); proteinuria inversely correlated with serum miR-200a ( r = −0.375, p = 0.017) and miR-200c ( r = −0.347, p = 0.029). SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) inversely correlated with serum miR-200a ( r = −0.376, p = 0.017). Serum miR-200b ( r = 0.455, p = 0.003) and miR-192 ( r = 0.589, p < 0.001) correlated with platelet count, while serum miR-205 correlated with red cell count ( r = 0.432, p = 0.005) and hematocrit ( r = 0.370, p = 0.019). These pilot results suggested that miRNA may take part in the pathogenesis of SLE. Further studies are needed to validate the role of serum miRNA as a biomarker of SLE.
Serum levels of the regulatory cytokines transforming growth factor-β and interleukin-10 are reduced in patients with discoid lupus erythematosus
Authors: Antiga E , Del Bianco E , Difonzo EM , Fabbri P , Caproni M
Published: March 2011

T-lymphocytes are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). However, the reasons that lead to loss of tolerance and to development of autoimmunity in DLE remain unclear. In the present paper, we investigated serum levels of the regulatory cytokines transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and interleukin (IL)-10 in 25 newly diagnosed patients with DLE, 15 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 10 with psoriasis, 10 with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 20 healthy controls (HC). TGF-β serum levels were significantly lower in patients with DLE compared with patients with psoriasis and HC, while no differences were found between DLE, SLE and AD (medians: DLE: 28.49 ng/ml; psoriasis: 42.77 ng/ml; HC: 43.71 ng/ml; DLE vs. psoriasis: p < 0.05; DLE vs. HC: p < 0.05). IL-10 concentrations were reduced in DLE serum samples with respect to SLE, psoriasis, AD and HC (medians: DLE: 46.42 pg/ml; SLE: 127.64 pg/ml; psoriasis: 109.3 pg/ml; AD: 76.3 pg/ml; HC: 114.71 pg/ml; DLE vs. SLE: p < 0.05; DLE vs. psoriasis: p < 0.05; DLE vs. AD: p < 0.05; DLE vs. HC: p < 0.05). The downregulation of TGF-β and IL-10 in DLE may lead to defective immune suppression and thus to the generation of the tissue injury that is found in lupus patients.
Nonverbal behaviours in popular music performance: A case study of The Corrs
Authors: Kurosawa Kaori , Davidson Jane W.
Published: March 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate performer nonverbal behaviour in popular music performance in order to understand the use and functions of gestures, postures, and facial expression. To this end, the study begins by reviewing relevant psychological and sociological research including Ekman and Friesen and Argyle's categorisations of nonverbal behaviour. Drawing on these specific categories, functions of nonverbal behaviours in popular music performance are proposed. These include: to maintain performer self-control; to provide musical, narrative, emotional and personal information; to regulate and manipulate relationships between performer, co-performer and audience. The investigative work focuses on a case study of The Corrs and is carried out by observing two commercially available film recordings of the band in live performance. The songs demonstrate that within this band, three of the four members take turns singing solos. In the first performance, What can I do? is sung by Andrea (principle vocal), and in the second performance, No frontiers is sung by Sharon and Caroline. Focusing on the soloists, all their nonverbal behaviours are classified in terms of types ( e.g., emblem, illustrator, regulator, adaptor, affect display) and frequency of behaviour. The results demonstrate that Ekman and Friesen and Argyle's categorisations provide a complete description of the nonverbal behaviours found in the performances. Moreover, the analysis reveals differences between individuals and the two songs. With these findings, the paper concludes that nonverbal behaviours in this type of performance are crucial to the development, production and perception of the musical performance. Though preliminary, the study indicates a need for much more detailed research of this topic if performers, educators and researchers are to understand and exploit the nonverbal aspects of a musical communication fully.
Zipf's law and the creation of musical context
Authors: Zanette Damiáan H.
Published: March 2011

This article discusses the extension of the notion of context from linguistics to the domain of music. In language, the statistical regularity known as Zipf's law — which concerns the frequency of usage of different words — has been quantitatively related to the process of text generation. The connection is established by Simon's model, on the basis of a few assumptions regarding the accompanying creation of context. This model captures the essential mechanism of repetition of perceptual elements, which underlies the construction of a structured, comprehensible message. Here, it is shown that the statistics of note usage in musical compositions are compatible with the predictions of Simon's model. This result, which gives objective support to the conceptual likeness of context in language and music, is obtained through automatic analysis of the digital versions of several compositions. As a by-product, a quantitative measure of context definiteness is introduced, and used to compare tonal and atonal works.