bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Renal damage progresses despite improvement of renal function after relief of unilateral ureteral obstruction in adult rats
Authors: Ito Keiichi , Chen Jie , El Chaar Maher , Stern Joshua M. , Seshan Surya V. , Khodadadian Jonathan J. , Richardson Ingride , Hyman Michael J. , Vaughan E. Darracott , Poppas Dix P. , Felsen Diane
Published: August 2004

Progression of renal damage after relief of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) has been demonstrated, especially in neonatal rats. We evaluated renal function and renal damage after relief of 3-day UUO in five groups of adult rats: group 1, no treatment; group 2, 3-day UUO; groups 3- 5, 3-day UUO followed by relief; group 3, 7-day relief; group 4, 14-day relief; and group 5, 28-day relief. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal blood flow (RBF), tissue transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interstitial fibrosis and fibroblast expression, tubular apoptosis, macrophage infiltration, expression of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), and urinary nitrate/nitrite (NO2/NO3) were evaluated. RBF and GFR were decreased to <10% of baseline by 3 days of UUO. GFR and RBF in a previously obstructed kidney (POK) returned to baseline by 14 days after relief. Both tissue TGF-β1and interstitial fibrosis were significantly higher in POK of groups 3- 5 compared with groups 1 and 2 . In group 5, the numbers of infiltrating macrophages, fibroblasts, and apoptotic tubular cells were higher in POK compared with group 1. Urinary NO2/NO3was significantly higher than baseline from 3 to 27 days after relief of UUO. Expression of NOS isoforms was increased in tubules. As interstitial fibrosis contributes to decreased renal function, these results suggest that the acute recovery in function may be compromised in the long term by the progressive renal fibrosis which was found. Furthermore, pharmacological intervention at the time of relief of UUO, targeted to fibrotic processes, may contribute to long-term recovery of renal function.
Tracking the Trajectories of Evolution
Authors: Burtsev Mikhail S.
Published: August 2004

This article proposes a method of visualizing and measuring evolution in artificial life simulations. The evolving population of agents is treated as a dynamical system. The proposed method is inspired by the notion of trajectory. The article provides examples of tracking of trajectories of evolutionary systems in the spaces of genotypes, strategies, and some global characteristics. Visualization similar to a bifurcation diagram is used to represent results of a series of simulations.
Extending Self-Organizing Particle Systems to Problem Solving
Authors: Rodríguez Alejandro , Reggia James A.
Published: August 2004

Self-organizing particle systems consist of numerous autonomous, purely reflexive agents (“particles”) whose collective movements through space are determined primarily by local influences they exert upon one another. Inspired by biological phenomena (bird flocking, fish schooling, etc.), particle systems have been used not only for biological modeling, but also increasingly for applications requiring the simulation of collective movements such as computer-generated animation. In this research, we take some first steps in extending particle systems so that they not only move collectively, but also solve simple problems. This is done by giving the individual particles (agents) a rudimentary intelligence in the form of a very limited memory and a top-down, goal-directed control mechanism that, triggered by appropriate conditions, switches them between different behavioral states and thus different movement dynamics. Such enhanced particle systems are shown to be able to function effectively in performing simulated search-and-collect tasks. Further, computational experiments show that collectively moving agent teams are more effective than similar but independently moving ones in carrying out such tasks, and that agent teams of either type that split off members of the collective to protect previously acquired resources are most effective. This work shows that the reflexive agents of contemporary particle systems can readily be extended to support goal-directed problem solving while retaining their collective movement behaviors. These results may prove useful not only for future modeling of animal behavior, but also in computer animation, coordinated movement control in robotic teams, particle swarm optimization, and computer games.
The Data-and-Signals Cellular Automaton and Its Application to Growing Structures
Authors: Stauffer André , Sipper Moshe
Published: August 2004

In a traditional cellular automaton (CA) a cell is implemented by a rule table defining its state at the next time step, given its present state and those of its neighbors. The cell thus deals only with states. We present a novel CA where the cell handles data and signals. The cell is designed as a digital system comprising a processing unit and a control unit. This allows the realization of various growing structures, including self-replicating loops and biomorphs. We also describe the hardware implementation of these structures within our electronic wall for bio-inspired applications, the BioWall.
Adaptability and Diversity in Simulated Turn-taking Behavior
Authors: Iizuka Hiroyuki , Ikegami Takashi
Published: August 2004

Turn-taking behavior is simulated in a coupled-agents system. Each agent is modeled as a mobile robot with two wheels. A recurrent neural network is used to produce the motor outputs and to hold the internal dynamics. Agents are developed to take turns on a two-dimensional arena by causing the network structures to evolve. Turn taking is established using either regular or chaotic behavior of the agents. It is found that chaotic turn takers are more sensitive in response to inputs from the other agent. Conversely, regular turn takers are comparatively robust against noisy inputs, owing to their restricted dynamics. From many observations, including turn taking with virtual agents, we claim that there is a complementary relationship between robustness and adaptability. Furthermore, by investigating the recoupling of agents from different GA generations, we report the emergence of a new turn-taking behavior. Potential for synthesizing a new form of interaction is another characteristic of chaotic turn takers.
A Graph Grammar Approach to Artificial Life
Authors: Kniemeyer Ole , Buck-Sorlin Gerhard H. , Kurth Winfried
Published: August 2004

We present the high-level language of relational growth grammars (RGGs) as a formalism designed for the specification of ALife models. RGGs can be seen as an extension of the well-known parametric Lindenmayer systems and contain rule-based, procedural, and object-oriented features. They are defined as rewriting systems operating on graphs with the edges coming from a set of user-defined relations, whereas the nodes can be associated with objects. We demonstrate their ability to represent genes, regulatory networks of metabolites, and morphologically structured organisms, as well as developmental aspects of these entities, in a common formal framework. Mutation, crossing over, selection, and the dynamics of a network of gene regulation can all be represented with simple graph rewriting rules. This is demonstrated in some detail on the classical example of Dawkins' biomorphs and the ABC model of flower morphogenesis: other applications are briefly sketched. An interactive program was implemented, enabling the execution of the formalism and the visualization of the results.
“Putting the Blessings on him”: Vouching and Basketball Status Work
Authors: Brooks Scott N.
Published: August 2004

While being a basketball player is an important identity for kids, it is also an abiding interest for some black men in Philadelphia. Identity is a collective action, created through group interaction and made public through interaction in which friends “vouch” for each other. The criteria for social position and having high social status do not always transfer across social spaces; rather, the space and those who interact in it negotiate and determine which social traits are salient and of high status. This article examines two different types of basketball identity or status—direct and borrowed identity—and explores the way in which those identities are created and used in negotiating group membership and social interaction.
On the Value of Ethnography: Sociology and Public Policy
Authors: Becker Howard S. , Gans Herbert J. , Newman Katherine S. , Vaughan Diane
Published: August 2004

Reproduced below is a conversation and question/answer session about the relationship of ethnography to public policy. The conversation took place in Philadelphia on November 7, 2003. Comments by Jean-Michel Chapoulie follow the dialogue (p. 277).
Deindustrialization and Museumification: From Exhibited Memory to Forgotten History
Authors: Debary Octave
Published: August 2004

This ethnographic study of the creation of a museum in Le Creusot (France) provides an analysis of the heritage industry that emerged in the wake of the demise of a family company around which the town was built. This museum was a reaction to the passing of an age when industrial and urban environments were intrinsically linked. Through this description of how the past is collected and recollected in a museum, this article attempts to determine if this duty of remembrance is not, to a certain extent, a strategy of forgetfulness. Is cultural regeneration—the staging of history fading into oblivion—our society’s sole response to industrial regeneration?
Observations and Reflections of a Perpetual Fieldworker
Authors: Fox Renée C.
Published: August 2004

This article is based on the author’s five decades of experience as a “perpetual fieldworker, engaged ethnographer,” and teacher of field methods of social research. After dealing with what she perceives as a false dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methods of research, she considers some of the cognitive characteristics of ethnographic research and distinctive properties of field data. She pays special attention to the complex role of participant observer within which an ethnographer conducts field research, focusing on the delicate balance between involvement and detachment that it entails and between listening and questioning. The article ends with an acknowledgement of the pivotal part that informants play in this kind of inquiry and with a tribute to the enduring meaning of a researcher’s relationship to these “companions in the field” and her indebtedness to them.
Using the History of the Chicago Tradition of Sociology for Empirical Research
Authors: Chapoulie Jean-Michel
Published: August 2004

What use is literature about past research in social sciences to people carrying out empirical research in sociology? More generally, other than the celebration of academic ancestors, what is the point of a history of research in social sciences? How should we conceive this history if it is to be useful? This article develops the possible contributions that a nonpresentist history (following the model of histoire à part entière of Lucien Febvre) of the social sciences can make to research in these disciplines. The article analyzes the various obstacles that prevented, for more than fifty years, the introduction of the Chicago sociological tradition into French sociology and the changes that led, after 1980, to an increasing interest in an ethnographic approach in France.
The Cosmopolitan Canopy
Authors: Anderson Elijah
Published: August 2004

The public spaces of the city are more racially, ethnically, and socially diverse than ever. Social distance and tension as expressed by wariness of strangers appear to be the order of the day. But the “cosmopolitan canopy” offers a respite and an opportunity for diverse peoples to come together to do their business and also to engage in “folk ethnography” that serves as a cognitive and cultural base on which people construct behavior in public.
Bureaucracies of Mass Deception: Institutional Review Boards and the Ethics of Ethnographic Research
Authors: Bosk Charles L. , De Vries Raymond G.
Published: August 2004

Ethnographers have long been unhappy with the review of their research proposals by institutional review boards (IRBs). In this article, we offer a sociological view of the problems associated with prospective IRB review of ethnographic research. Compared with researchers in other fields, social scientists have been less willing to accommodate themselves to IRB oversight; we identify the reasons for this reluctance, and in an effort to promote such accommodation, we suggest several steps to reduce the frustration associated with IRB review of ethnographic research. We conclude by encouraging ethnographers to be alert to the ways the procedural and bureaucratic demands of IRBs can displace their efforts to solve the serious ethical dilemmas posed by ethnography.
The Ethnography of Imagined Communities
Authors: Hall Kathleen D.
Published: August 2004

A shift in ethnographic vantage point from an exclusive focus on everyday worlds to the broader historical and cultural processes in which these worlds are embedded brings to light forms of politics that challenge traditional ways of understanding immigrant incorporation in modern nation-states. The author argues that the cultural politics of immigration and citizenship in the global era require this shift in ethnographic perspective. Multisited ethnography enables researchers to illuminate the more complex cultural processes of nation formation and the contradictory and, at times, incommensurate forms of cultural politics within which immigrants are made and make themselves as citizens. Viewing immigration from the perspective of nation formation, moreover, brings into question the explanatory power and political implications of traditional assimilation models of immigrant incorporation.
Why Girls Fight: Female Youth Violence in the Inner City
Authors: Ness Cindy D.
Published: August 2004

This article considers the resort to violence by inner-city female youth, including the external forces impinging on them. In addition to underscoring that girls actively pursue and enjoy physically dominating others, I argue that the incidence of violence by girls in low-income areas, particularly “street fighting,” has been significantly underestimated in official statistics and generally by scholars. Engaging in violence was found to serve a number of functions for inner-city girls, similar to their male counterparts. Mothers were found to play an integral role in the anatomy of their daughters’ use of violence. The article addresses the need to situate girls’ violent behavior simultaneously on the level of individual psychology, on the cultural landscape of a neighborhood, and within the institutional framework that shapes both, in order to contextualize it properly. The article also considers how the method of ethnography is well suited to this end.
The Making of Black Metropolis
Authors: Peretz Henri
Published: August 2004

Black Metropolis, an exemplary monograph about the South Side of Chicago, was written mainly by St. Clair Drake and Horace R. Cayton and was published in 1945. Both authors had former experience in research and field work. Black Metropolis was initially a Works Progress Administration project in collaboration with Lloyd Warner to use the money coming from federal funds. Drake and Cayton divided the work of studying different social components of the black community. Cayton was familiar with upper class and Drake with lower class and churches. A large team was set up to undertake the Cayton-Warner project from 1936 to 1941. There was no initial project for a book, and the expectations of the different members of the team were highly diverse. It was not until 1940 and 1941, once the study had been completed, that the three main researchers had the idea of publishing a book based on it.
Paris Plage: “The City is ours”
Authors: De La Pradelle Michèle , Lallement Emmanuelle
Published: August 2004

In 2003, for the second year running, the Paris municipality entrusted a young theater designer with the transformation of one stretch of the banks of the Seine River—normally congested with heavy traffic—into an open space evocative of the seaside. Paris in August is therefore Paris by the seaside. The objective of our study is to examine the entire operation, from the moment the political decision was taken by the municipality to the many and varied activities of all those who participated. Through this study, we attempt to highlight the different forms of material and symbolic (re)creation of Paris being undertaken today. We show that in a situation such as this, a reflection on the fieldwork undertaken and the production of ethnographic knowledge is in fact the key factor in the analysis.
“It’s not Where you Live, it’s How you Live”: How Young Women Negotiate Conflict and Violence in the Inner City
Authors: Jones Nikki
Published: August 2004

To navigate inner-city neighborhoods, young women, though reluctant at times, are often encouraged to become known as able fighters for their own protection. Among peers, one’s reputation, once established, is an important social resource. The following narratives illustrate how two young women negotiate the context of violence they confront in their everyday lives.
Inner-City “Schoolboy” Life
Authors: Gunn Raymond
Published: August 2004

Academically oriented young males, or “schoolboys,” who reside in inner-city communities are often required to choose between their home and their school and are at risk of becoming alienated from either community, with far-reaching and dire consequences. The two cultures are often mutually antagonistic, and most students are severely challenged when trying to maintain a balance. The author uses relevant insights from his own childhood to approach his ongoing research with African American male students in a college preparatory magnet high school in Philadelphia.
On the Rhetoric and Politics of Ethnographic Methodology
Authors: Katz Jack
Published: August 2004

In a variety of ways, all ethnographies are politically cast and policy relevant. Each of three recurrent political rhetorics is related to a unique set of fieldwork practices. Ethnographies that report holistically on journeys to “the other side” build policy/political significance by contesting popular stereotypes. Theoretical ethnographies draw on political imagination to fill in for a lack of variation in participant observation data and to model an area of social life without attempting to rule out alternative explanations. Comparative analytic studies build political relevance by revealing social forces that are hidden by local cultures. Each of these three genres of ethnographic methodology faces unique challenges in relating fieldwork data to politically significant explanations. By shaping the ethnographer’s relations to subjects and readers, each methodology also structures a distinctive class identity for the researchers—as worker, as aristocrat, or as bourgeois professional.
Experimental Ethnography: The Marriage of Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Authors: Sherman Lawrence W. , Strang Heather
Published: August 2004

Experimental and ethnographic research methods are often described as mutually exclusive. This article suggests how they could be combined in the method of “experimental ethnography.” Building ethnographic methods into the separate branches of randomized controlled trials could substantially increase the range of conclusions that can be produced by experimental research designs, as well as by ethnographic methods. Experimental designs offer greater internal validity for learning what the effects of a social program are, and ethnographic methods offer greater insight into why the effects were produced. The prospects for such integration depend on the capacity of two different communities within social science to work together for the common goal of discovering truth.
The Emotional Experience of Class: Interpreting Working-Class Kids’ Street Racing in Helsinki
Authors: Vaaranen Heli
Published: August 2004

Reproduction of social class through culture has puzzled social scientists especially in the Nordic, advanced welfare states where social equality has been the official policy of governments for most of the postwar period. In the following article, I address this issue through the emotional experience of class that culminates in the weekend excesses of youths and even the street-racing scenes of Helsinki. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with eighteen- to twenty-four-year-old male street racers of Helsinki, I argue that stagnant class locations build on stunted ambition and feelings of injustice. The cultural performances and camaraderie of these like-minded racers support these youths’ public, carefree identities and subcultural careers. Instead of resisting exclusion, they conform to it, celebrating “a room of his own” where shared risk, craftsmanship, driving skill, and disregard of education prevail.
The Liberty Bell: A Meditation on Labor, Liberty, and the Cultural Mediations that Connect or Disconnect them
Authors: Willis Paul
Published: August 2004

A visit to the Liberty Bell has an unexpectedly penetrating effect on the author. He recasts a planned talk on the crisis of British working-class culture into a wider meditation, shaped by the metaphor of the bell, on the role of culture in popular struggles from below. The bell calls up the centrality of human labor in popular struggle and experience, from that embedded in the physical making of the bell to all the symbolic and communicative labors entailed in the grassroots cultural production of the historical meanings now condensed into it. In the past, these labors have helped to produce trade unions, abolitionist political forces and organizations, and the civil and women’s rights movements. But devastating economic and social changes seem to have fractured the everyday cultural forms of today, made them invisible, and unwound their links with political organization: the bell is cracked anew. But human labors, physical and cultural, continue even in “new times.” Ethnographic social science must recognize, record, and dignify their many forms, seeking, where possible, to make visibility a means to self-direction and repair.
W. E. B. Du Bois’s Sociology: The Philadelphia Negro and Social Science
Authors: Zuberi Tukufu
Published: August 2004

The author addresses how, as a scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois transcended disciplinary boundaries and genre by providing answers to questions of racial colonialism and enslavement, the role of theory in social change, and the role of race in the dehumanization of the African, to name only a few. Here, the author offers a critical review of Du Bois’s application of sociology to the study of the African diaspora in America in The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study. The article gives an overview of Du Bois’s sociological research as historical, statistical, demographic, and cultural in nature—the type of research that, Du Bois demanded, must lead to social action.
Media Literacy—A National Priority for a Changing World
Authors: Thoman Elizabeth , Jolls Tessa
Published: August 2004

The convergence of media and technology in a global culture is changing the way we learn about the world and challenging the very foundations of education. No longer is it enough to be able to read the printed word; children, youth, and adults need the ability to critically interpret the powerful images of a multimedia culture. Media literacy education provides a framework and a pedagogy for the new literacy needed for living, working, and citizenship in the 21st century. Moreover, it paves the way to mastering the skills required for lifelong learning in a constantly changing world.
Media Literacy and the Teaching of Civics and Social Studies at the Dawn of the 21st Century
Authors: Kubey Robert
Published: August 2004

This article discusses the critical importance of media education to the teaching of civics and social studies and examines approaches to civics via media literacy. Useful Web site resources are also given. This article argues that in a representative democracy, people must be educated in all forms of contemporary mediated expression and well beyond the print media. The state of media education in the United States, relative to other countries, and the growing presence of core curricular frameworks in the 50 states that call on teachers to help their students become more media literate are also discussed.
A College Professor Teaches a Fourth-Grade Media Literacy Unit on Television Commercials
Authors: Hundley Heather L.
Published: August 2004

This ethnographic-style article chronicles the author’s experiences teaching fourth-grade students media literacy. The 4-day lesson plan combined persuasive techniques articulated by Aristotle and media aesthetics as well as the creation of a “television commercial” to enable the students to become more critical media consumers and gain better media literacy skills. The four lessons emphasize the importance of adapting to audiences and remind readers that teaching is a two-way process.
Assessment, Media Literacy Standards, and Higher Education
Authors: Christ William G.
Published: August 2004

Recent assessment trends suggest that those interested in media literacy in higher education will need to clearly define the term and develop standards and competencies to measure media literacy student-learning outcomes. Standards, one from an accreditation agency and the other from an academic association, are presented as starting points for further conversation.
Believing is Seeing
Authors: Lederman Linda Costigan , Lederman Joshua B. , Kully Robert D.
Published: August 2004

This article argues that ordinary and mundane everyday life myths are the products of co-constructed meanings. It examines how images that students garner from the media may shape their views of everyday experiences in subtle and often pervasive ways. The myth of dangerous college drinking as a pervasive social norm is examined as a case in point. Despite the reality that most college students do not drink dangerously, news reports, media images, and extraordinary experiences converge to create a misperception of drinking as the norm. This article uses a classical metaphor of image and reality to discuss these issues.
Empowerment Education
Authors: Bergsma Lynda J.
Published: August 2004

Within a framework of media literacy and health promotion for youth, this article reviews the literature establishing that population health and well-being are intimately tied to, and consequences of, power and powerlessness, and that empowerment education is an effective model for achieving personal and social change. A comparison of the components of the empowerment education constructs of Freire, public health, and media literacy establishes the pedagogical links between public health and media literacy. An examination of the community-based and universalistic foundations of the media literacy and public health movements, and the dominant systems that oppose them, suggests strength in working together.
Media Literacy and Public Health
Authors: Gonzales Rachel , Glik Deborah , Davoudi Mehrnaz , Ang Alfonso
Published: August 2004

The influence of mass media on the culture and health-related behaviors of youth has prompted health education and health promotion practitioners and researchers to turn toward media literacy approaches. In this article, development, implementation, and evaluation of a media literacy curriculum for tobacco control for high school students are discussed. Various theories from the field of public health are used to frame practice and research issues. A quasi-experimental research design was used to assess changes in tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among students exposed to the curriculum. This type of evaluation approach has become de rigueur for assessing school-based curricula in both educational and public health fields.
Out of Sight and Out of Mind
Authors: Dennis Everette E.
Published: August 2004

With few exceptions, media literacy programs typically are aimed at children and youth in elementary and high schools, although the term media literacy, as defined generally, could apply to persons of any age. This article considers the range and scope of media literacy conceptually and operationally while suggesting there is a case for media literacy for adults. The expanding concept of literacy in relationship to media platforms and technologies is considered, as are college-level and postcollege approaches. Benefits to individuals and society are considered along with potential barriers. The locus of responsibility for media literacy, it is argued, ought to be with educators, media industries, and other institutional interests—as well as individuals themselves.
Cognitive Dissonance, Media Illiteracy, and Public Opinion on News Media
Authors: Claussen Dane S.
Published: August 2004

During the past 20 years, increasing numbers of academic studies, industry studies, and public opinion polls have assessed relative levels of public learning from news media and public perceptions of U.S. news media’s accuracy, believability, credibility, bias, honesty, and other characteristics. From the early 1980s, if not earlier, until the mid- to late 1990s, local television outscored newspapers. Newspapers are now gaining because of decreasing quality in local television news, even if the public believes newspapers are getting better. The article suggests that cognitive dissonance and low media literacy were largely responsible for the intervening overrating of television.
Media Literacy and Television Criticism
Authors: Vande Berg Leah R. , Wenner Lawrence A. , Gronbeck Bruce E.
Published: August 2004

This article argues that the concept of media literacy is strengthened when it is understood as media criticism. After briefly tracing the development from concerns about television in the early 1950s to the Aspen Institute’s 1992 call for media literacy, the article overviews several types of television criticism to illustrate how criticism embraces and moves beyond mere literacy to provide a vehicle for citizen empowerment and engagement. The conclusion reflects on the ethical impulse in media criticism and on how moral engagement with television by literate and critical citizens can serve to democratize public sphere policy debates over communication in the public sphere.
Finding Fact in Political Debate
Authors: Jackson Brooks , Jamieson Kathleen Hall
Published: August 2004

Politicians seldom tell outright lies, but they often mislead voters intentionally with statements that use any of several techniques. These includeusing statistics that may be arithmetically correct but that give voters a false picture of reality, leaving out key facts and fudging about unstated assumptions, and so forth. The public should expect news reporters to catch these tricks, but too often the misleading statements are merely quoted along with a comment from the opposing candidate in the classic “he-said-she-said” style. Both reporters and voters need to be more aware of the ways in which politicians try to manipulate them. This article offers seven principles for sifting through misleading rhetoric to find the essential facts and gives examples from the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns.
Media, Information Communication Technologies, and Youth Literacies
Authors: Alvermann Donna E.
Published: August 2004

Everyday literacy practices are changing at an unprecedented pace, and speculation as to the impact of media and interactive communication technologies on current conceptions of youth’s reading, writing, and viewing is evident on many fronts. The implications of this for teacher educators and classroom teachers are discussed.
Online Ethos
Authors: Warnick Barbara
Published: August 2004

As recently as 5 years ago, Web users were being advised to gauge Web site credibility by examining author credentials and expertise. Recent research shows, however, that users instead rely on a combination of factors such as design look, site structure, and usefulness of information when they judge Web sites. This article argues that this reliance on distributed credibility may be appropriate in a Web environment where authorship, credentials, and information sources are often not readily available for examination.
Argument for the Need for a Cognitive Theory of Media Literacy
Authors: Potter W. James
Published: August 2004

The thesis of this article is that the individual should be regarded as the locus of media literacy—not schools, parents, or the media industries. Furthermore, the article argues that it is not sufficient to educate individuals about the nature of the media and the potential harm of various messages. There is an issue more fundamental than education and that is the building of greater understanding about how the human mind works. Therefore, we need a cognitive theory that will focus on the special characteristics of media exposure and will explain how people filter messages and construct meaning from those messages.
Gender Inequality and Employment Policy in the Public Sector
Authors: Mano-Negrin Rita
Published: August 2004

The present study draws on the Esping-Andersen approach to the classification of welfare capitalist regimes to test whether the determination of managerial wages among women varies by type of welfare regime. Using a representative sample of public- and private-sector employees from five industrialized countries, the study shows that the joint effect of gender and employment sector on wages depends on the type of welfare regime and employment sector. Public-sector positions affect female managers’ wages in conservative countries, whereas private-sector placement has a significant effect on female managers’wages in liberal and conservative countries. The joint gender/employment-sector effect has no impact on the determination of wages in social-democratic regimes. These findings suggest that the elaboration of models explaining gender-based differences in wages in a cross-national perspective need readjustment to control for country-level and policy-level effects with respect to women’s employment and wage attainments.
Sex-Based Glass Ceilings in U.S. State-Level Bureaucracies, 1987-1997
Authors: Reid Margaret , Miller Will , Kerr Brinck
Published: August 2004

This study employed a national data set obtained from the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to answer two questions. Are women adequately represented in the top-level positions in state bureaucracies and are impediments that women might encounter in reaching the highest level administrative posts related to the policy missions and/or organizational characteristics of these agencies? The authors found that (a) women are underrepresented in top-level administrative and professional positions in distributive and regulatory agencies, suggesting the continued presence of glass ceilings in such agencies; (b) women are better represented among administrative and especially professional cadres in redistributive agencies, however their full representation at the uppermost administrative levels remains an unrealized goal; and (c) women are less well represented in higher paying positions (in proportion to their numbers in the agency) in agencies with higher salaries.
Soluble MD-2 activity in plasma from patients with severe sepsis and septic shock
Authors: Pugin Jérôme , Stern-Voeffray Sabine , Daubeuf Bruno , Matthay Michael A. , Elson Greg , Dunn-Siegrist Irène
Published: August 2004

In this paper, we show that plasma from patients with severe sepsis and septic shock but not normal plasma supports lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation of epithelial cells expressing Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Recombinant soluble myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2) complemented normal plasma and allowed LPS activation of epithelial cells to levels measured with “septic” plasma, whereas soluble MD-2-depleted plasma lost its effects. The same “MD-2 activity” was found in urine from a patient with septic shock and in lung edema fluids from patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recombinant soluble MD-2 enabled LPS-dependent activation of epithelial cells bearing TLR4. LPS-binding protein (LBP) and soluble CD14 increased the sensitivity of TLR4-expressing epithelial cells to LPS but were not able to mediate LPS activation of these cells in the absence of soluble MD-2. An anti-MD-2 monoclonal antibody blocked LPS activation of TLR4-expressing cells only in the presence of septic plasma or septic urine. These results suggest that septic plasma containing soluble MD-2 leaking into the extravascular space supports LPS activation of TLR4-expressing epithelial cells. We therefore propose that soluble MD-2 is an important mediator of organ inflammation during sepsis. (Blood. 2004;104:4071-4079)
Acute cholesterol depletion impairs functional expression of tissue factor in fibroblasts: modulation of tissue factor activity by membrane cholesterol
Authors: Mandal Samir K. , Iakhiaev Alexei , Pendurthi Usha R. , Rao L. Vijaya Mohan
Published: August 2004

Cholesterol, in addition to providing rigidity to the fluid membrane, plays a critical role in receptor function, endocytosis, recycling, and signal transduction. In the present study, we examined the effect of membrane cholesterol on functional expression of tissue factor (TF), a cellular receptor for clotting factor VIIa. Depletion of cholesterol in human fibroblasts (WI-38) with methyl-β-cyclodextrin–reduced TF activity at the cell surface. Binding studies with radiolabeled VIIa and TF monoclonal antibody (mAB) revealed that reduced TF activity in cholesterol-depleted cells stems from the impairment of VIIa interaction with TF rather than the loss of TF receptors at the cell surface. Repletion of cholesterol-depleted cells with cholesterol restored TF function. Loss of caveolar structure on cholesterol removal is not responsible for reduced TF activity. Solubilization of cellular TF in different detergents indicated that a substantial portion of TF in fibroblasts is associated with noncaveolar lipid rafts. Cholesterol depletion studies showed that the TF association with these rafts is cholesterol dependent. Overall, the data presented herein suggest that membrane cholesterol functions as a positive regulator of TF function by maintaining TF receptors, probably in noncaveolar lipid rafts, in a high-affinity state for VIIa binding.
Induction of plasminogen activator inhibitor I gene expression by intracellular calcium via hypoxia-inducible factor-1
Authors: Liu Qing , Möller Ulrike , Flügel Daniela , Kietzmann Thomas
Published: August 2004

The plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression can be enhanced by hypoxia and other stimuli leading to the mobilization of intracellular calcium. Thus, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the role of calcium in the hypoxia-dependent PAI-1 expression. It was shown that the Ca2+-ionophore A23187 and the cell permeable Ca2+-chelator BAPTA-am (1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl ester) induced PAI-1 mRNA and protein expression under normoxia and hypoxia in HepG2 cells. Transfection experiments with wild-type and hypoxia response element (HRE)-mutated PAI promoter constructs revealed that the HRE binding hypoxiainducible factor-1 (HIF-1) mediated the response to A23187 and BAPTA-am. Although A23187 induced a striking and stable induction of HIF-1α, BAPTA-am only mediated a fast and transient increase. By using actinomycin D and cycloheximide we showed that A23187 induced HIF-1α mRNA expression, whereas BAPTA-am acted after transcription. Although A23187 activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), as well as protein kinase B, it appeared that the enhancement of HIF-1α by A23187 was only mediated via the ERK pathway. By contrast, BAPTA-am exerted its effects via inhibition of HIF-prolyl hydroxylase activity and von Hippel-Lindau tumor repressor protein (VHL) interaction. Thus, calcium appeared to have a critical role in the regulation of the HIF system and subsequent activation of the PAI-1 gene expression. (Blood. 2004;104:3993-4001)
Enhancement of the host immune responses in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and IL-15
Authors: Wysocka Maria , Benoit Bernice M. , Newton Sarah , Azzoni Livio , Montaner Luis J. , Rook Alain H.
Published: August 2004

Patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) exhibit profound defects in cell-mediated immunity. Host immune functions appear to play an integral role in mediating disease-controlling responses in CTCL, therefore we investigated the effects of synthetic oligode-oxynucleotides with CpG motifs (CpG ODN), which have been recognized as immune stimulatory by virtue of activation of dendritic cells (DCs) following binding to Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with advanced CTCL (erythroderma with circulating malignant T cells) and healthy volunteers were cultured with either CpG-A or CpG-B ODN. Patients' PBMCs exhibited marked induction of interferon-α (IFN-α) release following culture with CpG-A. Similarly significant activation of NK cells and CD8 T cells occurred as assessed by up-modulation of CD69 expression and by natural killer lytic activity. Nevertheless, the PBMCs of patients exhibited blunted responses to CpG-A compared to healthy volunteers. In such cases, IL-15 was capable of producing levels of NK activation that were superior to CpG-A, while the combined effects of CpG-A plus IL-15 induced maximal activation of NK cells and further enhanced activation of CD8 T cells. These findings have important implications for the potential enhancement of antitumor immunity among patients with advanced CTCL.
Oral administration of K-11706 inhibits GATA binding activity, enhances hypoxia-inducible factor 1 binding activity, and restores indicators in an in vivo mouse model of anemia of chronic disease
Authors: Nakano Yoko , Imagawa Shigehiko , Matsumoto Ken , Stockmann Christian , Obara Naoshi , Suzuki Norio , Doi Takeshi , Kodama Tatsuhiko , Takahashi Satoru , Nagasawa Toshiro , Yamamoto Masayuki
Published: August 2004

Erythropoietin (Epo) gene expression is under the control of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), and is negatively regulated by GATA. Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), which increase the binding activity of GATA and inhibit Epo promoter activity, are increased in patients with anemia of chronic disease (ACD). We previously demonstrated the ability of K-7174 (a GATA-specific inhibitor), when injected intraperitoneally, to improve Epo production that had been inhibited by IL-1β or TNF-α treatment. In the present study, we examined the ability of both K-11706, which inhibits GATA and enhances HIF-1 binding activity, and K-13144, which has no effect on GATA or HIF-1 binding activity, to improve Epo production following inhibition by IL-1β or TNF-α in Hep3B cells in vitro and in an in vivo mouse assay. Oral administration of K-11706 reversed the decreases in hemoglobin and serum Epo concentrations, reticulocyte counts, and numbers of erythroid colony-forming units (CFU-Es) induced by IL-1β or TNF-α. These results raise the possibility of using orally administered K-11706 for treating patients with ACD.
The use of recombinant factor VIIa in the treatment of bleeding disorders
Authors: Roberts Harold R. , Monroe Dougald M. , White Gilbert C.
Published: August 2004

Recombinant factor VIIa was initially developed for the treatment of hemorrhagic episodes in hemophilic patients with inhibitors to factors VIII and IX. After its introduction, it has also been used “off-label” to enhance hemostasis in nonhemophilic patients who experience bleeding episodes not responsive to conventional therapy. Evidence so far indicates that the use of factor VIIa in hemophilic patients with inhibitors is both safe and effective. Anecdotal reports also suggest that the product is safe and effective in controlling bleeding in nonhemophilic patients. However, its use in these conditions has not been approved by the FDA, and conclusive evidence of its effectiveness from controlled clinical trials is not yet available. Several questions pertaining to the use of factor VIIa require further investigation, including the mechanism of action; the optimal dose; definitive indications; ultimate safety; and laboratory tests for monitoring therapy. (Blood. 2004;104:3858-3864)
Dynamic regulation of IL-7 receptor expression is required for normal thymopoiesis
Authors: Munitic Ivana , Williams Joy A. , Yang Yili , Dong Bei , Lucas Philip J. , El Kassar Nahed , Gress Ronald E. , Ashwell Jonathan D.
Published: August 2004

Interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) levels are tightly controlled during ontogeny: high on double-negative (DN) cells, absent on double-positive (DP) cells, and high once again on thymocytes undergoing positive selection. To determine if loss of IL-7–mediated survival signals in DP cells is necessary for normal antigen-specific selection, we created T-lineage–specific IL-7R α chain (IL-7Rα) transgenic (Tg) mice in which IL-7R is expressed throughout ontogeny. There was no effect of the IL-7Rα Tg on negative selection. Surprisingly, however, although the thymi of IL-7Rα Tg mice were comparable at birth, there was a decrease in thymocyte number as the mice aged. This was found to be due to competition between DN and IL-7R–expressing DP cells for endogenous IL-7, which resulted in decreased levels of Bcl-2 in DN cells, increased DN apoptosis, and decreased DN cell number. Therefore, the down-regulation of IL-7R on DP cells is an “altruistic” act required for maintaining an adequate supply of local IL-7 for DN cells.
Adaptation of an amphibian mucociliary clearance model to evaluate early effects of tobacco smoke exposure
Authors: Zayas J Gustavo , O'Brien Darryl W , Tai Shusheng , Ding Jie , Lim Leonard , King Malcolm
Published: August 2004

Rationale

Inhaled side-stream tobacco smoke brings in all of its harmful components impairing mechanisms that protect the airways and lungs. Chronic respiratory health consequences are a complex multi-step silent process. By the time clinical manifestations require medical attention, several structural and functional changes have already occurred. The respiratory system has to undergo an iterative process of injury, healing and remodeling with every exposure.

Methods

To have a better understanding of the initial changes that take place when first exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, we have developed an exposure model, using the frog palate that closely represents the features of obstructive airways where ciliary dysfunction and mucus hypersecretion occur.

Results

Mucus transport was significantly reduced, even after exposure to the smoke of one cigarette (p < 0.05) and even further with 4-cigarettes exposure (p < 0.001). Morphometric and ultrastructural studies by SEM show extensive areas of tissue disruption. Gelatinase zymography shows activation of MMP9 in mucus from palates exposed to tobacco smoke.

Conclusions

The clearance of mucus on the frog palate is significantly reduced after exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Cilia and the extracellular matrix are anatomically disrupted. Tobacco smoke triggers an increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases associated with a substantial defoliation of ciliated epithelium. These studies enhance the knowledge of the changes in the mucociliary apparatus that occur initially after exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, with the goal of understanding how these changes relate to the genesis of chronic airway pathologies in humans.