bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow–Derived Cells Contribute to Vascular Inflammation but Do Not Differentiate Into Smooth Muscle Cell Lineages
Authors: Iwata Hiroshi , Manabe Ichiro , Fujiu Katsuhito , Yamamoto Tetsufumi , Takeda Norifumi , Eguchi Kosei , Furuya Akiko , Kuro-o Makoto , Sata Masataka , Nagai Ryozo
Published: November 2010

Background—

It has been proposed that bone marrow–derived cells infiltrate the neointima, where they differentiate into smooth muscle (SM) cells; however, technical limitations have hindered clear identification of the lineages of bone marrow–derived “SM cell–like” cells.

Methods and Results—

Using a specific antibody against the definitive SM cell lineage marker SM myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC) and mouse lines in which reporter genes were driven by regulatory programs for either
SM-MHC
or
SM
α
-actin
, we demonstrated that although some bone marrow–derived cells express SM α-actin in the wire injury–induced neointima, those cells did not express SM-MHC, even 30 weeks after injury. Likewise, no SM-MHC
+
bone marrow–derived cells were found in vascular lesions in
apolipoprotein E
−/−
mice or in a heart transplantation vasculopathy model. Instead, the majority of bone marrow–derived SM α-actin
+
cells were also CD115
+
CD11b
+
F4/80
+
Ly-6C
+
, which is the surface phenotype of inflammatory monocytes. Moreover, adoptively transferred CD11b
+
Ly-6C
+
bone marrow cells expressed SM α-actin in the injured artery. Expression of inflammation-related genes was significantly higher in neointimal subregions rich in bone marrow–derived SM α-actin
+
cells than in other regions.

Conclusions—

It appears that bone marrow–derived SM α-actin
+
cells are of monocyte/macrophage lineage and are involved in vascular remodeling. It is very unlikely that these cells acquire the definitive SM cell lineage.
Adipocyte Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction Attenuates Metabolic Syndrome in Both Male and Female Obese Mice
Authors: Burgess Angela , Li Ming , Vanella Luca , Kim Dong Hyun , Rezzani Rita , Rodella Luigi , Sodhi Komal , Canestraro Martina , Martasek Pavel , Peterson Stephen J. , Kappas Attallah , Abraham Nader G.
Published: November 2010

Increases in visceral fat are associated with increased inflammation, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and vascular dysfunction. We examined the effect of the potent heme oxygenase (HO)-1 inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), on regulation of adiposity and glucose levels in both female and male
obese
mice. Both lean and
obese
mice were administered CoPP intraperitoneally (3 mg/kg once per week) for 6 weeks. Serum levels of adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFa), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, and HO-1, PPARγ, pAKT, and pAMPK protein expression in adipocytes and vascular tissue were measured. While female
obese
mice continued to gain weight at a rate similar to controls, induction of HO-1 slowed the rate of weight gain in male
obese
mice. HO-1 induction led to lowered blood pressure levels in
obese
male and female mice similar to that of lean male and female mice. HO-1 induction also produced a significant decrease in the plasma levels of IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β, and fasting glucose of
obese
females compared to untreated female
obese
mice. HO-1 induction increased the number and decreased the size of adipocytes of
obese
animals. HO-1 induction increased adiponectin, pAKT, pAMPK, and PPARγ levels in adipocyte of
obese
animals. Induction of HO-1 in adipocytes was associated with an increase in adiponectin and a reduction in inflammatory cytokines. These findings offer the possibility of treating not only hypertension, but also other detrimental metabolic consequences of obesity including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in
obese
populations by induction of HO-1 in adipocytes.
Interstitial and Plasma Adenosine Stimulate Nitric Oxide and Prostacyclin Formation in Human Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Nyberg Michael , Mortensen Stefan P. , Thaning Pia , Saltin Bengt , Hellsten Ylva
Published: November 2010

One major unresolved issue in muscle blood flow regulation is that of the role of circulating versus interstitial vasodilatory compounds. The present study determined adenosine-induced formation of NO and prostacyclin in the human muscle interstitium versus in femoral venous plasma to elucidate the interaction and importance of these vasodilators in the 2 compartments. To this end, we performed experiments on humans using microdialysis technique in skeletal muscle tissue, as well as the femoral vein, combined with experiments on cultures of microvascular endothelial versus skeletal muscle cells. In young healthy humans, microdialysate was collected at rest, during arterial infusion of adenosine, and during interstitial infusion of adenosine through microdialysis probes inserted into musculus vastus lateralis. Muscle interstitial NO and prostacyclin increased with arterial and interstitial infusion of adenosine. The addition of adenosine to skeletal muscle cells increased NO formation (fluorochrome 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7-difluorescein fluorescence), whereas prostacyclin levels remained unchanged. The addition of adenosine to microvascular endothelial cells induced an increase in NO and prostacyclin levels. These findings provide novel insight into the role of adenosine in skeletal muscle blood flow regulation and vascular function by revealing that both interstitial and plasma adenosine have a stimulatory effect on NO and prostacyclin formation. In addition, both skeletal muscle and microvascular endothelial cells are potential mediators of adenosine-induced formation of NO in vivo, whereas only endothelial cells appear to play a role in adenosine-induced formation of prostacyclin.
A Synthetic Aperture Radar–Based Climatology of Open-Cell Convection over the Northeast Pacific Ocean
Authors: Sikora Todd D. , Young George S. , Fisher Caren M. , Stepp Matthew D.
Published: November 2010

This paper presents an 8-yr (1999–2006) climatology of the frequency of open-cell convection over the northeastern Pacific Ocean and the thermodynamic and kinematic environment associated with its development. The climatology is based on synthetic aperture radar–derived wind speed images and reanalysis data. The climatology shows that open-cell convection was a cold-season phenomenon, having occurred in environments in which the difference in temperature between the near-surface air and the sea surface is negative and in environments with positive surface sensible and latent heat fluxes. Within the region between the surface and 500 hPa, the 700–850-hPa layer median static stability was near moist adiabatic while that for the remainder was conditionally unstable. The median magnitude of the vertical wind shear was largest in the 925-hPa–near-surface and 500–700-hPa layers while that at midlevels was relatively weak. Similarities are highlighted between the organization of open-cell convection over the northeastern Pacific Ocean and tropical deep moist maritime convection in terms of cold-pool dynamics. Avenues for future work are discussed.
A Robust Mechanism for Strengthening of the Brewer–Dobson Circulation in Response to Climate Change: Critical-Layer Control of Subtropical Wave Breaking
Authors: Shepherd Theodore G. , McLandress Charles
Published: November 2010

Climate models consistently predict a strengthened Brewer–Dobson circulation in response to greenhouse gas (GHG)-induced climate change. Although the predicted circulation changes are clearly the result of changes in stratospheric wave drag, the mechanism behind the wave-drag changes remains unclear. Here, simulations from a chemistry–climate model are analyzed to show that the changes in resolved wave drag are largely explainable in terms of a simple and robust dynamical mechanism, namely changes in the location of critical layers within the subtropical lower stratosphere, which are known from observations to control the spatial distribution of Rossby wave breaking. In particular, the strengthening of the upper flanks of the subtropical jets that is robustly expected from GHG-induced tropospheric warming pushes the critical layers (and the associated regions of wave drag) upward, allowing more wave activity to penetrate into the subtropical lower stratosphere. Because the subtropics represent the critical region for wave driving of the Brewer–Dobson circulation, the circulation is thereby strengthened. Transient planetary-scale waves and synoptic-scale waves generated by baroclinic instability are both found to play a crucial role in this process. Changes in stationary planetary wave drag are not so important because they largely occur away from subtropical latitudes.
The Spatial and Temporal Variability of Convective Storms over the Northeast United States during the Warm Season
Authors: Murray John C. , Colle Brian A.
Published: November 2010

A spatial and temporal climatology of convective storms over the Northeast United States during the warm season (April–September) is presented using composite National Operational Weather radar (NOWrad) data at 2-km grid spacing from 1996 to 2007 as well as cloud-to-ground lightning from the National Lightning Data Network (NLDN) on a 10-km grid from 2001 to 2007. There are preferred regions for convective storms within New York’s Hudson River Valley, western and southeastern Pennsylvania, central New Jersey, and across the Delmarva Peninsula. A favored initiation area during the early afternoon is the immediate lee of the Appalachians, with a tendency for these convective systems to move eastward to the coast by late evening. There is a sharp gradient in convective frequency within 20 km of the coast on average as a result of the relatively stable marine boundary layer, but as the sea surface warms by midsummer this convective activity increases near the coast, with a nocturnal (0600–1200 UTC) convective maximum over the coastal waters. Convective frequency can vary by more than 40% interannually across subregions of the Northeast. There was 40%–50% more convection across southern New England and Long Island during 1998–2001 than in 2002–05, which was partially the result of more frequent and amplified trough activity in 1998–2001, which helped to trigger convective storms.

Spatial composites using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) highlight some of the synoptic flow patterns associated with the enhanced convective frequencies. Convective storms tend to weaken rapidly from west to east across southern New England when there is low-level southerly flow from the relatively cool ocean. Severe convection is favored over the populated New York City and Long Island coastal regions when there is warm, moist, and unstable air extending northward along the mid-Atlantic coastal plain, with west-southwesterly flow at low levels and an approaching shortwave trough at midlevels.
The Impact of Size Distribution Assumptions in a Bulk One-Moment Microphysics Scheme on Simulated Surface Precipitation and Storm Dynamics during a Low-Topped Supercell Case in Belgium
Authors: Van Weverberg Kwinten , van Lipzig Nicole P. M. , Delobbe Laurent
Published: November 2010

In this research the impact of modifying the size distribution assumptions of the precipitating hydrometeors in a bulk one-moment microphysics scheme on simulated surface precipitation and storm dynamics has been explored for long-lived low-topped supercells in Belgium. It was shown that weighting the largest precipitating ice species of the microphysics scheme to small graupel results in an increase of surface precipitation because of counteracting effects. On the one hand, the precipitation formation process slowed down, resulting in lower precipitation efficiency. On the other hand, latent heat release associated with freezing favored more intense storms. In contrast to previous studies finding decreased surface precipitation when graupel was present in the microphysics parameterization, storms were rather shallow in the authors’ simulations. This left little time for graupel sublimation. The impact of size distribution assumptions of snow was found to be small, but more realistic size distribution assumptions of rain led to the strongest effect on surface precipitation. Cold pools shrunk because of weaker rain evaporation at the cold pool boundaries, leading to a decreased surface rain area.
A Climatology of Fatal Convective Wind Events by Storm Type
Authors: Schoen Joseph M. , Ashley Walker S.
Published: November 2010

There are still hundreds of casualties produced by thunderstorm hazards each year in the United States despite the many recent advances in prediction and mitigation of the effects of convective storms. Of the four most common thunderstorm hazards (wind, hail, flooding, and lightning), convective winds (tornadic and nontornadic) remain one of the most dangerous threats to life and property. Using thunderstorm fatality and Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data, this research illustrates a spatial and temporal analysis of the storm morphological characteristics, or convective mode, of all fatal tornadic and nontornadic convective wind events from 1998 to 2007. The investigation employs a radar-based morphology classification system that delineates storm type based on an organizational continuum, including unorganized cellular, quasi-organized cellular (either a cluster of cells or a broken line of cells), organized cellular (supercells and supercells embedded in an organized linear system), and organized linear (either squall lines or bow echoes). Results illustrate that over 90% of the 634 recorded tornado deaths were associated with supercells, with 78% of the deaths due to isolated tornadic supercells and 12% linked to tornadic supercells embedded within an organized linear convective system. The morphologies responsible for the 191 nontornadic convective wind fatalities vary substantially, with bow echoes (24%), squall lines (19%), and clusters of cells (19%) the most prominent convective modes producing fatalities. Unorganized and quasi-organized convection accounted for nearly half (45%) of all nontornadic convective wind fatalities. Over half of all fatal tornadoes (53%) occurred between 0000 and 0600 UTC, and most (59%) fatalities from nontornadic convective winds occurred in the afternoon between 1800 and 0000 UTC. Two corridors of nontornadic convective wind fatalities were present: the lower Great Lakes region and the mid-South. Tornado fatalities were greatest in a zone extending from southeastern Missouri, through western Tennessee, northeastern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The methods employed and results found in this study are directly applicable in the further development of storm classification schemes and provide forecasters and emergency managers with information to assist in the creation and implementation of new convective wind mitigation strategies.
A Weather-Pattern-Based Approach to Evaluate the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) Forecasts: Comparison to Automatic Weather Station Observations
Authors: Nigro Melissa A. , Cassano John J. , Seefeldt Mark W.
Published: November 2010

Typical model evaluation strategies evaluate models over large periods of time (months, seasons, years, etc.) or for single case studies such as severe storms or other events of interest. The weather-pattern-based model evaluation technique described in this paper uses self-organizing maps to create a synoptic climatology of the weather patterns present over a region of interest, the Ross Ice Shelf for this analysis. Using the synoptic climatology, the performance of the model, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model run within the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System, is evaluated for each of the objectively identified weather patterns. The evaluation process involves classifying each model forecast as matching one of the weather patterns from the climatology. Subsequently, statistics such as model bias, root-mean-square error, and correlation are calculated for each weather pattern. This allows for the determination of model errors as a function of weather pattern and can highlight if certain errors occur under some weather regimes and not others. The results presented in this paper highlight the potential benefits of this new weather-pattern-based model evaluation technique.
The Role of Social Network Locations in the College Access Mentoring of Urban Youth
Authors: Ahn June
Published: November 2010

This study uses social network analysis to describe the social network of college mentors in a college access program. Urban students in the program are paired with college mentors-students, professors, and other institutional agents-to help improve their college going process. The study analyzes the social networks within which the mentors are embedded, and highlights how different mentors have varying levels of social capital.
Truancy Programs: Are the Effects Too Easily Washed Away?
Authors: Huck Jennifer L.
Published: November 2010

Truancy has been identified as a risk factor of criminal behavior but results are mixed as to the best means to reduce this school-based concern. The Truancy Prevention Initiative has been implemented in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina under the direction of the Recovery School District to reduce levels of truancy, increase graduation rates, and decrease youth crime. This article emphasizes the statutes and ordinances behind this initiative in order for it to be compared to current evidence-based literature to forecast its effectiveness. In addition, social disorganization and deterrence theories are used to analyze the foundational elements of the Truancy Prevention Initiative. The Truancy Prevention Initiative is a promising program that requires process and outcome evaluations to draw a stronger conclusion of its effectiveness.
Fatty Acid Profiles in Smokers with Chronic Periodontitis
Authors: Buduneli N. , Larsson L. , Bıyıkoğlu B. , Renaud D.E. , Bagaitkar J. , Scott D.A.
Published: November 2010

We hypothesized that tobacco smoke induces alterations to the 3-OH fatty acids present in lipid A in a manner consistent with a microflora of reduced inflammatory potential. Whole saliva samples and full-mouth clinical periodontal recordings were obtained from persons with (22 smokers; 15 non-smokers) and without (14 smokers; 15 non-smokers) chronic periodontitis. Clear differences in the contributions of multiple saturated 3-OH fatty acid species were noted in the group with disease compared with healthy individuals. Increases in the long-chain fatty acids associated with anaerobic bacterial periodontopathogens, particularly 3-OH-Ci17.0 (146.7%, relative to controls), were apparent. Significant reductions in the 3-OH fatty acids associated with the consensus (high potency) enteric LPS structure (3-OH-C12.0 and 3-OH-C14.0; 33.3% and 15.8% reduction, respectively) were noted in smokers compared with non-smokers with chronic periodontitis. Thus, smoking is associated with specific structural alterations to the lipid-A-derived 3-OH fatty acid profile in saliva that are consistent with an oral microflora of reduced inflammatory potential. These findings provide much-needed mechanistic insight into the established clinical conundrum of increased infection with periodontal pathogens but reduced clinical inflammation in smokers.
Periodontal Disease and Incident Diabetes
Authors: Ide R. , Hoshuyama T. , Wilson D. , Takahashi K. , Higashi T.
Published: November 2010

Diabetes is associated with a high prevalence of periodontal disease, but little is known about the effects of periodontal disease on incident diabetes. In total, 5848 non-diabetic individuals aged 30-59 yrs who completed a health examination were analyzed in this study. They were divided into three categories: no pathological pockets, moderate periodontitis, or severe periodontitis. Incident diabetes was defined as newly diagnosed cases with fasting plasma glucose > 125 mg/dL. Cox proportional hazards models estimated the effect of periodontitis on incident diabetes during a seven-year follow-up period. Moderate and severe periodontitis was significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes in unadjusted analyses, but the magnitude of the association decreased after full adjustment [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.00, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.77-1.30 and HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.89-1.86, respectively]. Our findings do not indicate an apparent association between periodontitis and incident diabetes, although there was a tendency for increased risk.
Oral Health and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes – What’s Next?
Authors: Han Y.W.
Published: November 2010

Studies on the link between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcome have gone through several phases. The epidemiological studies predominantly support a positive association between these wide-affecting diseases. During the intervention phase, a few small-scale, single-center studies reported improvement of birth outcome following periodontal treatment, whereas the large-scale multi-center studies did not demonstrate efficacy. Many questions arise with regard to patient population, disease type, and therapy. In addressing these questions, it is crucial that one understands the mechanism underlying the link between these diseases. Two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses exist. In the first, periodontal disease is believed to affect the maternal and fetal immune responses systemically, leading to premature labor. Alternatively, evidence is accumulating that oral bacteria may translocate directly into the pregnant uterus, causing localized inflammation and adverse pregnancy outcome in the presence or absence of clinical periodontitis. The oral-uterine transmission is not limited to the well-recognized periodontal pathogens, but instead may also involve the commensal species. Future studies should investigate these mechanisms, to understand the host susceptibility to oral-uterine transmission. Only when a thorough understanding of the mechanism is achieved can meaningful intervention studies be designed utilizing effective therapies, targeting appropriate populations, and measuring relevant outcomes.
The Identification of a Novel Locus for Mandibular Prognathism in the Han Chinese Population
Authors: Li Q. , Li X. , Zhang F. , Chen F.
Published: November 2010

Mandibular prognathism is a common dentofacial phenotype with a substantial genetic component; however, few susceptibility loci have been mapped. Ethnicity is a risk factor for mandibular prognathism, and a relatively high prevalence is observed in Asian populations. The hypothesis of this study suggested that a specific locus for mandibular prognathism exists in the Han Chinese population. So, the authors studied a Han Chinese pedigree in which mandibular prognathism was inherited (11 affected, 10 unaffected) in an autosomal dominant pattern. A genomewide linkage scan was performed with the Illumina Linkage-12 DNA Analysis Kit. Multipoint parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses were performed with MERLIN 1.01. A susceptibility locus was identified on chromosome 14q24.3-31.2, with a nonparametric linkage score of 11.341 (empirical P = .020) and a logarithm of the odds score of 2.032 (empirical P = .008). Haplotype analysis refined the candidate locus to a 10.62-cM interval (72.42 to 83.14 cM; 74.57 to 84.66 Mb) between rs1468507 and rs7141857. Within this interval, the candidate functional genes are TGFB3 and LTBP2. In conclusion, the authors detected a suggestive linkage for mandibular prognathism in a Han Chinese pedigree, and this finding can be combined with previous studies to further understand the genetic basis of mandibular prognathism.
Review Essays: Keynes and Macroeconomics after 70 Years
Authors: Francis Thomas
Published: November 2010

The book under review is critiqued with regard to its adherence, modification, and departure from John Maynard Keynes’s position. This review is weighted to emphasizing the role of “expectation” in Keynes’s work and its role in the book under review. The review seeks to develop an interpretation of the “psychology of society” or “structural rationality” in Keynes’s work and contrasts this with the positions of the authors in the book under review. Following this Keynes’s work is advocated as being highly malleable and a corpus that can illuminate further research and policy prescription.
Emergence in Sociology
Authors: Greve Jens
Published: November 2010

The emergentist position that R. Keith Sawyer has formulated, nonreductive individualism, contains three propositions. First, that social characteristics must always be realized in individuals; second, that it is nevertheless possible to understand social properties as irreducible; and third, that therefore it is possible to demonstrate how social properties are able to exercise independent causal influences on individuals and their properties. It is demonstrated that Sawyer is not able to meet an objection that Kim has formulated against the analogous position in the philosophy of mind. In his defense of the claim of irreducibility Sawyer refers to Fodor’s argument about multiple realizability, but this line of argument cannot preserve the claim for downward causation because Fodor’s claim for irreducibility rests on assumptions that are not compatible with a systematic formulation of downward causation. The article proposes a reading of Fodor’s argument that is consistent with individualism but not with nonreductive individualism.
Hobbes’s Fool the Insipiens, and the Tyrant-King
Authors: Springborg Patricia
Published: November 2010

Hobbes in Leviathan, chapter xv, 4, makes the startling claim: “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘there is no such thing as justice,’” paraphrasing Psalm 52:1: “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.” These are charges of which Hobbes himself could stand accused. His parable of the fool is about the exchange of obedience for protection, the backslider, regime change, and the tyrant; but given that Hobbes was himself likely an oath-breaker, it is also self-reflexive and self-justificatory. For, Hobbes’s fool is not a windbag ( follis), or one of the dumb mob, led astray by priests ( stultus). He is, in the terminology of Psalm 52, an insipiens, a madman or raving lunatic, whose rebellion against God the King is his own destruction and that of his people. A long iconographic tradition portraying the fool as insipiens, Antichrist, heretical impostor and tyrant king, was at Hobbes’s disposal.
Observations and Recommendations for Community-Based Diabetes Screenings
Authors: West Brian , Parikh Punam , Arniella Guedy , Horowitz Carol R.
Published: November 2010

Purpose

Community-based diabetes screening is common, but its impact on health outcomes is unclear. Screening protocols may not be standardized nor reflect current clinical practice. A community and clinical team examined the quality and consistency of community-based screening to diagnose hyperglycemic states, and it developed a bilingual screening tool to allow screeners to present accurate, actionable results to participants.

Methods

The team interviewed providers and community members, analyzed forms and educational materials utilized by screeners, and observed local diabetes screening events. Researchers compared glucose parameters used by screeners to published guidelines and observed finger-stick techniques and protocols for education, referral, and follow-up. Screening was divided into 3 phases: participant assessment before testing, obtainment of a sample, and interpretation of and counsel about results.

Results

There was a general lack of consistency in diabetes screening practices at the 12 screenings attended and among the 11 screeners interviewed. Assessment rarely included evaluation of diabetes risk factors or recent caloric intake. Obtaining a sample through fingersticks often included practices known to cause discomfort and decrease accuracy of glucose measurements. Criteria used to categorize results as “normal” or “abnormal” rarely followed published guidelines for laboratory-measured glucose values and varied significantly between screeners. No organization mentioned prediabetes in screenings. Postscreening consultation protocols varied widely.

Conclusions

Inconsistencies and inaccuracies in screening practices may limit the quality and relevance of community-based diabetes screenings. The impact of local screenings may be enhanced by using a tool that includes concrete steps and precise guidelines.
Predicting Whether Multiculturalism Positively or Negatively Influences White Americans’ Intergroup Attitudes: The Role of Ethnic Identification
Authors: Morrison Kimberly Rios , Plaut Victoria C. , Ybarra Oscar
Published: November 2010

Multiculturalism, or the belief that racial and ethnic differences should be acknowledged and appreciated, has been met with both positive reactions (e.g., decreased prejudice) and negative reactions (e.g., perceptions of threat) from dominant group members. The present research proposes that multiculturalism can either positively or negatively influence White Americans’ intergroup attitudes depending on their degree of ethnic identification. In Studies 1 and 2, White Americans primed with multiculturalism exhibited higher social dominance orientation (Study 1) and greater prejudice (Study 2), especially when they identified strongly with their ethnicity. In Study 3, perceptions of threat to group values were found to mediate the relation between multiculturalism, ethnic identification, and prejudice among White Americans. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for threat perceptions, ethnic identification, and conceptions of diversity.
Priming in Interpersonal Contexts: Implications for Affect and Behavior
Authors: Wyer Natalie A. , Calvini Guglielmo , Nash Abigail , Miles Natasha
Published: November 2010

Priming stereotypes can lead to a variety of behavioral outcomes, including assimilation, contrast, and response behaviors. However, the conditions that give rise to each of these outcomes are unspecified. Furthermore, theoretical accounts posit that prime-to-behavior effects are either direct (i.e., unmediated) or mediated by cognitive processes, whereas the role of affective processes has been largely unexplored. The present research directly investigated both of these issues. Three experiments demonstrated that priming a threatening social group (“hoodies”) influences both affect and behavior in an interpersonal context. Hoodie priming produced both behavioral avoidance and several affective changes (including social apprehension, threat sensitivity, and self-reported anxiety and hostility). Importantly, avoidance following hoodie priming was mediated by anxiety and occurred only under conditions of other- (but not self-) focus. These results highlight multiple routes through which primes influence affect and behavior, and suggest that attention to self or others determine the nature of priming effects.
“If Only I Had Done Better”: Perfectionism and the Functionality of Counterfactual Thinking
Authors: Sirois Fuschia M. , Monforton Jennifer , Simpson Melissa
Published: November 2010

Although a recent update on the functional theory of counterfactual thinking suggests that counterfactuals are important for behavior regulation, there is some evidence that counterfactuals may not be functional for everyone. Two studies found differences between maladaptive and high personal standards perfectionism in the functionality of counterfactuals and variables relevant to behavior regulation. Maladaptive but not personal standards perfectionism predicted making more upward counterfactuals after recalling a negative event and was linked to a variety of negative markers of achievement. Maladaptive perfectionism was associated with making controllable, subtractive, and less specific counterfactuals. High personal standards perfectionism moderated the effects of maladaptive perfectionism on counterfactual controllability. Generating counterfactuals increased motivation for personal standards perfectionists relative to a noncounterfactual control group but had no effect on motivation for maladaptive perfectionists. The findings suggest a continuum of counterfactual functionality for perfectionists and highlight the importance of considering counterfactual specificity and structure.
Racing to the Bottom?
Authors: Cassell Mark K. , Turner Robert C.
Published: November 2010

Does intrajurisdictional tax competition lead local governments to offer larger tax abatements to firms? The authors build upon the traditional literature that models tax abatements as a negotiation between individual governments and firms by including systemic political and economic trends affecting the bargaining power of local governments and businesses. The authors use a longitudinal data set from 1983 to 2004 with detailed information on the 4,408 individual tax abatements negotiated between local governments and firms to examine how tax abatement generosity varies in response to the relative bargaining position of governments and firms. They find that as Ohio has increased the number of local governments able to offer tax abatements, local governments have offered larger abatements to firms.
Do Institutions Matter?
Authors: Gabrini Carl J.
Published: November 2010

This article re-examines whether direct democracy mechanisms influence government fiscal behavior. The study builds on prior research by using a large sample of smaller U.S. cities, spending on specific policy areas, and an additional mechanism—the citizen advisory committee. These committees are included because they are prevalent in local government charters and are employed up front in the decision process. The results indicate that direct democracy mechanisms are either associated with higher spending levels or are not significant factors in spending decisions, indicating that local government fiscal behavior may be somewhat resistant to these types of institutional constraints.
Effects of lamotrigine on PCP-evoked elevations in monoamine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex of freely moving rats
Authors: Quarta Davide , Large Charles H
Published: November 2010

Lamotrigine is suggested to have potential as an add-on treatment for patients with schizophrenia. Supporting evidence comes from the efficacy of the drug in models of psychotic-like behaviour induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine (PCP). These drugs enhance levels of the monoamines in the cortex, which may contribute to their psychotomimetic effects. The ability of lamotrigine to prevent these neurochemical changes has not been examined. We studied PCP-evoked overflow of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin in the medial prefrontal cortex of awake rats using microdialysis. Rats were administered lamotrigine or vehicle, followed by PCP. Locomotor activity was also recorded before and after drug treatment. Lamotrigine did not have an influence on basal levels of the monoamines, but significantly reduced PCP-evoked overflow of dopamine and serotonin; PCP-evoked overflow of noradrenaline was also reduced by lamotrigine, but not to a significant degree. In contrast, PCP-induced hyperactivity was unaffected by lamotrigine. It is concluded that lamotrigine can modify PCP-evoked monoamine overflow in the cortex, consistent with an ability to prevent the psychotomimetic effects of NMDA receptor antagonists in rodents and humans. The dissociation between monoamine overflow and locomotor activity suggests the involvement of different brain circuits; relevance to the treatment of schizophrenia is also discussed.
Determining the Impact of Informed Choice
Authors: McCaffery Kirsten J. , Turner Robin , Macaskill Petra , Walter Stephen D. , Chan Siew Foong , Irwig Les
Published: November 2010

Background. The Rucker 2-stage randomized trial (RCT) design and method allows treatment, preference, and selection effects to be estimated separately in clinical trials. Objective. To understand the effect of patient choice on patient outcomes, the authors applied the Rucker design and analysis method. Design. They used data from a trial of management strategies for women with atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) detected at routine cervical screening, in which informed choice using a decision aid was compared to no choice. Setting. Women’s health clinics across Australia. Patients. Women aged 18 to 70 years (n = 314) with ASCUS. Intervention. Women were randomized to either an informed choice of human papillomavirus (HPV) triage testing or repeat Pap testing or to no choice with random allocation to management by either option. Measurements. Health-related quality of life (SF36) and satisfaction were measured over the course of management and up to 1 year after triage. Results. Using the Rucker analysis, patients who received their choice had higher quality of life scores than those who did not choose (SF36 MCS, 6% higher, 6.0; 95% confidence interval: −0.6 to 12.9; P = 0.07; effect size 0.61 [moderate]). In contrast, the traditional RCT analysis suggested there was little difference in quality of life between the choice and no-choice trial arms. Limitations. The Rucker method assumes that the declared preferences for treatment in the choice arm are representative of the preferences that would have been observed in the no-choice arms if choice was available. Conclusions. The Rucker method should be used to estimate treatment, preference, and selection effects in randomized trials, as it adds to our understanding of the effect of choice on patient outcomes.
Web-Based Cancer Communication and Decision Making Systems: Connecting Patients, Caregivers, and Clinicians for Improved Health Outcomes
Authors: DuBenske Lori L. , Gustafson David H. , Shaw Bret R. , Cleary James F.
Published: November 2010

Over the cancer disease trajectory, from diagnosis and treatment to remission or end of life, patients and their families face difficult decisions. The provision of information and support when most relevant can optimize cancer decision making and coping. An interactive health communication system (IHCS) offers the potential to bridge the communication gaps that occur among patients, family, and clinicians and to empower each to actively engage in cancer care and shared decision making. This is a report of the authors’ experience (with a discussion of relevant literature) in developing and testing a Web-based IHCS—the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS)—for patients with advanced lung cancer and their family caregivers. CHESS provides information, communication, and coaching resources as well as a symptom tracking system that reports health status to the clinical team. Development of an IHCS includes a needs assessment of the target audience and applied theory informed by continued stakeholder involvement in early testing. Critical issues of IHCS implementation include 1) need for interventions that accommodate a variety of format preferences and technology comfort ranges; 2) IHCS user training, 3) clinician investment in IHCS promotion, and 4) IHCS integration with existing medical systems. In creating such comprehensive systems, development strategies need to be grounded in population needs with appropriate use of technology that serves the target users, including the patient/family, clinical team, and health care organization. Implementation strategies should address timing, personnel, and environmental factors to facilitate continued use and benefit from IHCS.
Foot Orthoses in the Prevention of Injury in Initial Military Training
Authors: Franklyn-Miller Andrew , Wilson Cassie , Bilzon James , McCrory Paul
Published: November 2010

Background: Overuse lower limb injury is common in incidence and morbidity. Many risk factors, gait related and biomechanical, have been identified, although little conclusive evidence has been found in terms of injury prevention to date.

Hypothesis: Orthoses, as produced by proprietary software interpretation of plantar pressures, are able to reduce injury rates in an “at risk” military population.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods: Four hundred military officer trainees were assessed by means of pressure plate recording of their contact foot pressures during walking. Participants were risk assessed and randomized to receive or not receive customized orthoses using the D3D system. Both cohorts were followed up for injury through their basic training at the 7-week point.

Results: The orthotic intervention group sustained 21 injuries in total (1 injury per 4666 hours of training), whereas the control group sustained 61 injuries in total (1 injury per 1600 hours of training) ( P < .0001), thereby demonstrating an absolute risk reduction of 0.49 from use of the orthoses ( P < .0001, chi square; confidence interval, 1.7, 2.4).

Conclusion: In this military trainee population, orthoses were effective in the prevention of overuse lower limb injury. This is the first study to identify a positive preventive role of orthoses.
Flux measurements of benzene and toluene from landfill cover soils
Authors: Tassi Franco , Montegrossi Giordano , Vaselli Orlando , Morandi Andrea , Capecchiacci Francesco , Nisi Barbara
Published: November 2010

Carbon dioxide and CH 4, C6H6 and C7H8 fluxes from the soil cover of Case Passerini landfill site (Florence, Italy) were measured using the accumulation and static closed chamber methods, respectively. Results show that the CH4/CO2, CH4/ C 6H6 and CH4/C7H8 ratios of the flux values are relatively low when compared with those of the ‘pristine’ biogas produced by degradation processes acting on the solid waste material disposed in the landfill. This suggests that when biogas transits through the cover soil, CH4 is affected by degradation processes activated by oxidizing bacteria at higher extent than both CO2 and mono-aromatics. Among the investigated hydrocarbons, C6H6 has shown the highest stability in a wide range of redox conditions. Toluene behaviour only partially resembles that of C6H6, possibly because de-methylation processes require less energy than that necessary for the degradation of C6H6, the latter likely occurring via benzoate at anaerobic conditions and/or through various aerobic metabolic pathways at relatively shallow depth in the cover soil where free oxygen is present. According to these considerations, aromatics are likely to play an important role in the environmental impact of biogas released into the atmosphere from such anthropogenic emission sites, usually only ascribed to CO2 and CH4. In this regard, flux measurements using accumulation and static closed chamber methods coupled with gas chromatography and gas chromatography—mass spectrometry analysis may properly be used to obtain a dataset for the estimation of the amount of volatile organic compounds dispersed from landfills.
Investigating factors influencing construction waste management efforts in developing countries: an experience from Thailand
Authors: Manowong Ektewan
Published: November 2010

Rapid economic growth and urbanization in developing countries lead to extensive construction activities that generate a large amount of waste. A challenge is how to manage construction waste in the most sustainable way. In the developing world, research on construction waste management is scarce and such academic knowledge needs to be responsive to actual practices in the industry in order to be implemented. As construction projects involve a number of participants and stakeholders, their participation and commitment can have a major influence on the goals of green and sustainable construction for urban development. This study provides a significant step in conducting a very first research of this kind in Thailand by aiming to investigate the level of construction stakeholders’ commitment as well as the achievement of construction waste management in order to improve short-term practices and to establish a long-term strategic construction waste management plan. In this study, a structural equation model was employed to investigate the influence of factors that are related to environmental aspects, social aspects, and economic aspect of construction waste management. Concern about health and safety was found to be the most significant and dominant influence on the achievement of sustainable construction waste management. Other factors affecting the successful management of construction waste in Thai construction projects were also identified. It is perceived that this study has potential to contribute useful guidelines for practitioners both in Thailand and other developing countries with similar contexts.
Feasibility of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: Lengacher Cecile A. , Johnson-Mallard Versie , Barta Michelle , Fitzgerald Shirley , Moscoso Manolete S. , Post-White Janice , Jacobsen Paul B. , Molinari Shelton Melissa , Le Nancy , Budhrani Pinky , Goodman Matthew , Kip Kevin E.
Published: November 2010

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has a positive effect on breast cancer survivors’ psychological status, psychosocial characteristics, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) during the critical transition period from end of treatment to resumption of daily activities. Design: Single-group, quasi-experimental, pretest—posttest design. Method: A sample of 19 women who completed breast cancer treatment with lumpectomy, radiation, and/or chemotherapy was recruited from the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, a National Cancer Institute— designated cancer center, and the University of South Florida. The authors assessed the feasibility, compliance, and whether an 8-week MBSR program positively influenced changes in psychological status (fear of recurrence, perceived stress, anxiety, depression), psychosocial characteristics (optimism, social support, spirituality), physical symptoms, and QOL. Findings: Seventeen women (89.5%) completed the study. The mean age was 57 years; the majority of participants (94%) were White. The estimated compliance rate for the program was 67%. Paired t tests indicated significant improvements fear of recurrence, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and QOL through MBSR participation. Conclusions: Participants enrolled in the MBSR classes generally were compliant. Significant improvement in psychological status, symptoms, and QOL can be achieved with MBSR use in this population.