bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Out-of-the-Mainstream” Youth as Partners in Collaborative Research: Exploring the Benefits and Challenges
Authors: Harper Gary W. , Carver Lisa J.
Published: February 2007

Forming collaborations between university-based researchers and community-based organizations (CBOs) serves to improve health promotion research and service. Unfortunately, members of the targeted populations are typically not included in such collaborations. This article describes the development and maintenance of a successful university-CBO collaboration that was formed to explore HIV-related risk rates and prevention strategies for suburban street youth and discusses the benefits and challenges of including out-of-the-mainstream youth as full collaborative partners in the research. Specific benefits included population-specific modifications of the research methods and instruments, recruitment of hard-to-reach youth, greater ease in tracking participants, and increased project acceptability and credibility. Among the challenges were issues related to boundaries, confidentiality, commitment, and burnout. Although such collaborations require increased time and commitment, the synergistic knowledge and experience of university researchers, community-based service providers, and out-of-the-mainstream youth can result in the development of unique and informative research and service programs.
The Falmouth Safe Skin Project: Evaluation of a Community Program to Promote Sun Protection in Youth
Authors: Miller Donald R. , Geller Alan C. , Wood Martha C. , Lew Robert A. , Koh Howard K.
Published: February 2007

Amultidimensional community-based skin cancer prevention programwas conducted in Falmouth, Massachusetts, combining community activism with publicity campaigns and behavioral interventions to improve sun protection knowledge; attitudes; and practices in parents, caregivers, and children. The programwas associated with improvements in target outcomes, based on two telephone surveys of random samples of parents ( n= 401, 404). After program implementation, fewer parents reported sunburning of their children, particularly among children 6 years old or younger (18.6% in 1994 vs. 3.2% in 1997), and more parents reported children using sunscreen, particularly continuous use at the beach (from 47.4% to 69.9% in younger children). Hat and shirt use did not increase. Improvements also were seen in parent role modeling of sun protection practices, parents’self-efficacy in protecting children from the sun, and sun protection knowledge. While these findings must be interpreted cautiously, they do suggest that this project was effective in promoting sun protection.
Evaluation of a Three-Year School-Based Intervention to Increase Adolescent Sun Protection
Authors: Lowe John B. , Balanda Kevin P. , Stanton Warren R. , Gillespie Amaya
Published: February 2007

The efficacy of a school-based intervention was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial in Australia. In consecutive grades (8, 9, and 10), students in the intervention group received components of a program that addressed issues related to the need to protect yourself from the sun, behavioral strategies related to using sunprotective measures, personal and social images of having a tan, the use of sun-safe clothing, and howto change their schools through forms of structural change. Pre-and postintervention measures among junior high school students showed greatest improvement in the intervention group’s knowledge scores and minimal changes in sun protection behavior from Grade 8 to Grade 9, which were not maintained through Grade 10. Results of the study highlight some limitations of school-based interventions for changing sun protection behaviors.
Promoting Sun Protection in Children: Rationale and Challenges
Authors: Hill David , Dixon Helen
Published: February 2007

This article outlines the epidemiological and educational arguments for promoting sun protection during childhood and highlights factors that may facilitate or hinder achievement of this behavioral outcome. A model describing behavioral factors in the causation of skin cancer is presented. Summary results from previous behavioral studies and interventions relating to primary prevention of skin cancer are described, and recent data on the cost-effectiveness of sun protection in Australia and its implications for health insurers are discussed. This article also includes a commentary on the demonstration projects promoting skin cancer prevention among children and their caregivers featured in this special issue of Health Education and Behavior.
Evaluation of a Brief Intervention Based on Social Cognitive Theory to Develop Problem-Solving Skills among Sixth-Grade Children
Authors: Sharma Manoj , Petosa Rick , Heaney Catherine A.
Published: February 2007

This study evaluated an intervention based on social cognitive theory (SCT) intended to develop problem-solving skills (PSS) in sixth graders. Psychometrically tested measures were developed for (1) constructs of SCT (situational perception of stressors, expectations of PSS, self-efficacy for PSS, self-efficacy in overcoming barriers, and self control when applying PSS), (2) PSS, and (3) application of PSS to real-life problems. Five classrooms ( n = 133) were randomly assigned to the SCT-based intervention and five classrooms ( n = 127) to an equivalent knowledge-based intervention. Using a partial nested design, statistically significant improvements for expectations of PSS, self-efficacy for PSS, and PSS were found in the SCT-based intervention. At posttest, 36% of the students in the SCT-based intervention reported applying PSS to real-life problems as compared with 1% in the knowledge-based group. This pilot study suggested that an SCT-based intervention was more efficacious in developing PSS than a knowledge-based intervention.
Exercise Self-Efficacy and its Correlates among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Older Adults
Authors: Clark Daniel O. , Nothwehr Faryle
Published: February 2007

Self-efficacy has been shown to be one of the strongest, mutable predictors of exercise behavior. This report presents data on exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations and their correlates within a stratified random sample of 729 urban, lower-income primary-care patients age 55 and older. Exercise self-efficacy scores were greater among persons with current exercise, no pain or fear of shortness of breath with exercise, and good self-rated health. Higher outcome expectations scores were associated with verbal persuasion from a doctor or from family and friends and positive attitudes and knowledge of exercise. Sociodemographic characteristics, environmental factors, and intrapersonal factors accounted for 31% of the variance in self-efficacy, but just 13% of the variance in outcome expectations. Further work on potential correlates and their measurement is needed to identify determinants of both outcome expectations and self-efficacy.
Health Behavior, Quality of Work Life, and Organizational Effectiveness in the Lumber Industry
Authors: Donaldson Stewart I. , Sussman Steve , Dent Clyde W. , Severson Herbert H. , Stoddard Jacqueline L.
Published: February 2007

A major incentive for work-site health promotion activities has been the promise of increased company profitability. Some critics have challenged the economic argument based on distal outcomes such as increased employee longevity and less morbidity later in life. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between employee health behavior, quality of work life, and proximal organizationally valued outcomes. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of employees working at Pacific Lumber Company ( N = 146), the largest single-site lumber mill in California. Although employee sleep patterns predicted health care utilization and psychological well-being, for the most part employee health behaviors were not strong predictors of proximal organizational effectiveness factors. However, quality-of-work-life factors significantly predicted organizational commitment, absenteeism, and tardiness frequency. The findings suggest the value of improving the system of work in which employees are embedded as part of comprehensive work-site health promotion efforts.
Health Communication and Professional Preparation: Health Educator Credibility, Message Learning, and Behavior Change
Authors: Scott Lisa A. Benz , Black David R.
Published: February 2007

Health education graduate students were surveyed to assess perceptions of their professional responsibility to be role models of healthy behaviors, characteristics of a professional role model, and related socializing experiences during professional preparation. A total of 233 randomly selected health education graduate students participated in this study nationwide. Significant inverse associations were found between students’ year in graduate school and sense of excellence as a role model, graduate program satisfaction, and professional commitment (all ps < 0.05). Students’sense of professional marketability and competence to role model were statistically significant in predicting their perception that role modeling healthy behaviors is a professional responsibility, F(2, 215) = 110.25, p = 0.00001. Positive associations also were found between students’ desire to improve fitness behavior, nutrition, and weight and/or body fat ratio with self-ratings as role models (all ps< 0.05). Implications for the profession and preparation are provided.
The African American Church and University Partnerships: Establishing Lasting Collaborations
Authors: Jackson Rudolph S. , Reddick Bobbie
Published: February 2007

This article highlights the experiences of the Health Wise Church Project, a community outreach initiative between a diverse group of African American churches and a university health education program. The objective of the program was to develop early detection and illness prevention networks among older church members. Not all partnerships result in long-term collaborations, and this article makes a clear distinction between different types of “working together” arrangements. The project discussed in this article presents a four-stage model to illustrate how organizations achieve collaborative partnerships. Involving community partners in the early phase of project planning contributed to the success of the church-university collaboration. This type of shared planning helped to sustain community interest during the project’s implementation.
Predicting Breast-Feeding Intention among Low-Income Pregnant Women: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models
Authors: Kloeblen Amy S. , Thompson Nancy J. , Miner Kathleen R.
Published: February 2007

This study examined the applicability of the transtheoretical model and a model derived from the theory of reasoned action for predicting breast-feeding intention among low-income pregnant women. Participants completed a 70-item self-report questionnaire assessing their breast-feeding attitudes, intentions, and support. A positive correlation existed between Stages of Change for breast-feeding and the number of Processes of Change used by respondents. A negative correlation existed between Stages of Change for breast-feeding and the number of negative breast-feeding beliefs held by respondents. Furthermore, women’s normative beliefs and outcome beliefs were significantly correlated with breast-feeding intention in manners consistent with the model developed from the theory of reasoned action. After accounting for significant sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, the Processes of Change and outcome beliefs remained independently correlated with breast-feeding intention. These models are capable of predicting the intention to breast-feed and might offer an innovative approach for further breast-feeding research and intervention development.
Implementation of Outreach Telephone Counseling to Promote Mammography Participation
Authors: Ludman Evette J. , Curry Susan J. , Meyer Dolores , Taplin Stephen H.
Published: February 2007

To increase mammography participation, the authors implemented an outreach intervention translating concepts from expectancy value theory into a motivational interviewing telephone intervention that included the opportunity to schedule a screening appointment. Process data are presented from 491 women who had not scheduled a mammogram within 2 months of receiving a mailed invitation from a managed care organization’s centralized breast cancer screening program. A total of 83% of targeted women accepted the counseling calls. Counselors rated 84% of completed calls as either receptive or neutral in tone. Women with prior mammography experience were more likely to be receptive and to schedule a screening appointment during the calls than were women with no prior experience. Topics discussed during the calls also differed between women with and without prior mammography experience. Implications for dissemination of counseling interventions in health care organizations are discussed.
Factors Associated with Occupational Exposure and Compliance with Universal Precautions in an Urban School District
Authors: Blake Susan M. , Windsor Richard A. , Lohrmann David K. , Gay Nadine , Ledsky Rebecca , Richman Allison , Jones Sandra B. , Banspach Stephen W.
Published: February 2007

Factors associated with occupational exposure and universal precautions (UP) compliance were assessed among employees in one urban school district. Half of the employees surveyed reported responding to bleeding injuries and cleaning blood or other body fluids (e.g., vomit, urine) during the previous school year. Also, 1 in 4 custodians and 1 in 10 teachers/teacher’s aides had direct contact with blood or body fluids without protection. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, direct contact was most likely among secondary school employees in unpredictable situations who did not have protective equipment or comply with UP. UP compliance was greater among those who had protective equipment available and felt self-confident. Self-confidence was associated with having received training or protective equipment. Routine communications between administrators and employees, staff training, provision of protective equipment, and exposure incident monitoring are essential to effective implementation of UP policies in schools and work settings where occupational exposure could occur.
Parental Influences on Students’ Aggressive Behaviors and Weapon Carrying
Authors: Orpinas Pamela , Murray Nancy , Kelder Steven
Published: February 2007

This article describes the association between four family constructs (family structure, relationship with parents, parental monitoring, and perception of parental attitudes toward fighting) and aggressive behaviors and weapon carrying among middle school students. Results are based on a cross-sectional survey of 8,865 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from eight urban schools in Texas (88.5% response rate). The samplewas ethnically diverse. An inverse relationshipwas observed between aggression scores, fighting, injuries due to fighting, and weapon carrying and the family variables: parental monitoring, a positive relationship with parents, and the lack of parental support for fighting. Students who lived with both parents were less likely to report aggression than students in other living arrangements. These four family constructs accounted for almost one-third of the total variance in the aggression score. The perception of parents’ attitudes toward fighting was the strongest predictor of aggression. Results provide support for including a strong parental component in the development of violence prevention programs for young people.
The California Violence Prevention Initiative: Advancing Policy to Ban Saturday Night Specials
Authors: Wallack Lawrence
Published: February 2007

The California Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) was conceived in 1993 as a 5-year, $35 million comprehensive community, media, research, and policy advocacy effort to reduce violence among youth. The VPI included an emphasis on three broad policy areas: shifting society’s definition of violence to include a public health perspective, reducing access to alcohol and other drugs, and limiting availability of handguns. For the first 3 years of the VPI, the policy focus was on reducing the availability of handguns to youth through efforts to ban the manufacture and sale of Saturday night specials (SNSs). Prior to the VPI, there were no local SNS bans. Now, there are bans in 41 California jurisdictions, including major population centers. After two vetoes of a statewide legislative ban by the former governor, an SNS ban was signed by a newly elected governor.
Seeing Red or Feeling Blue: Differentiated Intergroup Emotions and Ingroup Identification in Soccer Fans
Authors: Crisp Richard J. , Heuston Sarah , Farr Matthew J. , Turner Rhiannon N.
Published: February 2007

In this study we examined how social identity threat, contextualized as soccer fans’ reactions to their team’s success or failure, can lead to differentiated emotional expression as a function of ingroup identification. We predicted that negative responses to threat (a team losing a match) would be qualitatively differentiated for lower and higher ingroup identifiers in terms of both emotions and action tendencies. English male soccer fans were tested in three sessions (following matches resulting in two losses and one win). The findings supported the hypotheses: following match losses lower identifiers felt sad but not angry, whereas higher identifiers felt angry but not sad. These qualitatively different negative emotional reactions to match loss mediated reported action tendencies. We discuss how these findings support intergroup emotions theory and the predictive utility of social identification in discerning differentiated emotional and behavioral reactions to intergroup threat.
Emotion and Prejudice: Specific Emotions Toward Outgroups
Authors: Tapias Molly Parker , Glaser Jack , Keltner Dacher , Vasquez Kristen , Wickens Thomas
Published: February 2007

This research draws on ideas about emotion-related appraisal tendencies to generate and test novel propositions about intergroup emotions. First, emotion elicited by outgroup category activation can be transferred to an unrelated stimulus (incidental emotion effects). Second, people predisposed toward an emotion are more prejudiced toward groups that are likely to be associated with that emotion. Discussion focuses on the implications of the studies for a more complete understanding of the nature of prejudice, and specifically, the different qualities of prejudice for different target groups.
The Past and the Pending: The Antecedents and Consequences of Group-Based Anger in Historically and Currently Disadvantaged Groups
Authors: Pennekamp Sjoerd F. , Doosje Bertjan , Zebel Sven , Fischer Agneta H.
Published: February 2007

Two studies investigated the role of domain relevance in the experience of group-based anger among disadvantaged groups using structural equation models. In the first study, Surinamese people to whom the slavery past was more relevant made stronger attributions of outgroup-blame and experienced more anger. This effect was above and beyond the influence of group identification. In the second study relevance of women’s status position in society predicted outgroup-blame and group-based anger. In both studies domain relevance and anger were predictive of the tendencies to engage in action demanding reparation, as well as of the desire for the outgroup to engage in reparation. The role of domain relevance for intergroup emotions is considered.
The Influence of Inequality, Responsibility and Justifiability on Reports of Group-Based Guilt for Ingroup Privilege
Authors: Mallett Robyn K. , Swim Janet K.
Published: February 2007

Although members of several social groups report feeling guilt because of their group’s actions, average reports of group-based guilt tend to be quite low. We investigate three antecedents of group-based guilt derived from research on social justice and interpersonal emotion. We find that Whites, men and women perceive inequality, responsibility and justifiability of group differences to the same extent. Moreover, each factor is a key antecedent of guilt for Whites, men and women. We also find an interaction between justifiability and responsibility such that reports of group-based guilt increase as perceptions of ingroup responsibility increase and justifications for group differences decrease. Given the beneficial consequences of group-based guilt for intergroup relations, it is important to understand what factors lead to group-based guilt.
Vessels with Gold or Guilt: Emotional Reactions to Family Involvement Associated with Glorious or Gloomy Aspects of the Colonial Past
Authors: Zebel Sven , Pennekamp Sjoerd F. , van Zomeren Martijn , Doosje Bertjan , van Kleef Gerben A. , Vliek Michael L. W. , van der Schalk Job
Published: February 2007

In two studies we examined whether forging a psychological bond with a nation’s colonization past facilitates the experience of positive and negative group-based self-conscious emotions as a function of a positive or negative manipulation of this past. Because people need to belong, we hypothesized that stronger family involvement in a nation’s colonization past (i.e. involved ancestors) evokes stronger a positive self-conscious emotions after positive descriptions of the nation’s colonizing past, and stronger negative self-conscious emotions after negative descriptions. In Study 1, we found support for these hypotheses in a real-life setting in which Dutch people actually found out whether their ancestors were involved in the colonization of Indonesia or not. In Study 2, we manipulated family involvement and valence of the past. Results offered support for the tested hypotheses. Implications of the results are discussed in relation to theories on identity and emotion.
Should I go or should I stay?
Authors: Glogowska Margaret , Young Pat , Lockyer Lesley
Published: February 2007

The article reports on selected findings from a multi-method research project on student retention on a nursing programme. Although the research identified some factors specific to the experiences of students on the particular programme, this article focuses on findings and recommendations of generic interest. The article compares data from semi-structured interviews with two groups of students: students who had withdrawn without completing their programme and students who considered leaving, but chose to stay. The article suggests that, in most cases, decisions to leave cannot be reduced to single factors, but are the culmination of complex interacting factors. Six ‘push’ factors are explored. These factors were mentioned by both groups of students. The article also discusses four ‘pull’ factors which act to hold students on their courses. Recommendations for improving retention include increasing support for students, and adapting provision to meet the needs of a diverse student population.
Strategies for the management of lecturer stress in feedback tutorials
Authors: Hartney Elizabeth
Published: February 2007

The process of providing students with individual feedback on assessed work was identified as a source of lecturer stress (Stough and Emmer, 1998). An action research approach was used to address the following research question. What approaches to providing students with feedback minimize lecturer stress? Data were collected using written feedback mark-sheets and a reflective diary. Findings indicated that negative expectations, student emotion, challenges from students and lack of control were identified as lecturer stressors and that a variety of strategies gleaned from recent literature were found to be effective in minimizing lecturer stress. Although shortcomings in the methodology of the study limit the generalizability of the findings, the action research provides a useful starting point for thinking about the impact of feedback strategy on lecturer stress.
Unlearning American patriotism
Authors: Miller Richard W.
Published: February 2007

Immoral excesses of American foreign policy are so severe and so deep-rooted that American patriotism is now a moral burden. This love, which pulls toward amnesia, wishful thinking and inattention to urgent foreign interests, should be replaced by commitment to a global social movement that seeks to hem in the American empire. Teachers can advance this cause without abusing their positions. But to do so, they must violate distinctive social expectations at different levels of American education.
Civic virtue out of necessity
Authors: Ben-Porath Sigal
Published: February 2007

Should patriotism be considered a legitimate part of schooling in a democracy? This question has been contested in the scholarly literature as well as by policy-makers for decades.Terrorism and conflict exacerbate this debate by adding a sense of urgency to both the demand to love thy country and the concern for individual freedom. In this article I suggest that the social circumstances of conflict substantiate the claim for teaching patriotism in schools, while maintaining a strong commitment to their democratic educational mission.While patriotism should be regarded as a civic rather than a moral virtue, its contribution to solidarity and to endurance in wartime warrants the attention of educators, scholars and education policy-makers. The implementation of patriotic teaching should thus be incorporated into the broader democratic vision which public schools should endorse and with which they should engage the next generation of citizens.
Best traditions patriotism
Authors: Blum Lawrence
Published: February 2007

Ben-Porath sees patriotism as involving attachment to fellow citizens as part of a shared fate community. Wingo places shared values at the center of patriotism. Miller argues that political ties to fellow nationals stemming from participation in imposing laws and policies on them will also generate obligations to non-nationals (especially the poor of many other nations). But he sees patriotism as involving a deeper love of one's nation that carries with it epistemic and moral distortions of the actual operations of one's nation, and for this reason rejects patriotism. I propose an alternative conception of patriotism (though consistent with Ben-Porath's and Wingo's) whose content is the ‘best traditions’ of one's nation (liberty, equality, appropriate separation of powers, for example).This does not require expecting one's nation actually to live up to those traditions at any given time, thus protecting against wish-induced distortions of the historical and contemporary record. Best traditions patriotism would enable teachers to be patriotic without supporting a given current regime,and would support critical thinking and other educationally beneficial goals. Wingo fails to recognize how universal values can be combined with particularistic understandings. Ben-Porath fails to provide strong enough democratic conditions on the nation to support her view that patriotism is generally a virtue.
Goal Rationalities as a Framework for Evaluating the Learning Potential of the Workplace
Authors: Nieuwenhuis Loek F. M. , Van Woerkom Marianne
Published: February 2007

There is conflicting empirical evidence regarding the learning potential of the workplace. Some studies conclude that workplaces should be seen as strong learning environments, whereas others show evidence of the ineffectiveness of the workplace as a learning environment. In this article, we argue that this disagreement might be caused by different goal rationalities in relation to the institutions that are involved in workplace learning. For economic reasons, societies have organized learning in a preparatory rationality: education as preparation for work. The learning potential of the workplace is often discussed from this goal rationality. In this article, this preparatory goal rationality is challenged by arguing that other rationalities in workplace learning should also be taken into account. Rationalities of optimizing goals, transformative goals, and personal goals are discussed. The model of goal rationalities that is developed in this article must be kept in mind when evaluating the learning potential of the workplace: different goals imply different evaluation criteria.
What Do We Actually Mean by Experiential Learning?
Authors: Illeris Knud
Published: February 2007

The concept of “experiential learning” is used in a wide range of connections and situations with a different meaning and content. It is the aim of this article to try to find a common definition or demarcation of the concept. First, some earlier attempts are examined. However, they are not found satisfactory, and it is claimed that to come closer to an appropriate definition, it is necessary to relate to a comprehensive and contemporary general understanding of learning and from this to try and discern which kinds of learning could be termed experiential and which could not. The article then attempts to perform this task and concludes by suggesting a definition or formulation characterizing some important features of experiential learning seen in contrast to nonexperiential learning.
The Constantinopolitan abbot Dius: his life, cult and hagiographical dossier
Authors: Krausmüller Dirk
Published: February 2007

Although one of the founding fathers of Constantinopolitan monasticism, the Syrian ascetic Dius is hardly ever mentioned in secondary literature. The reason for this unfavourable treatment lies in the scarcity of information available for this saint. His Late Antique Life is lost and can only be studied in Middle Byzantine adaptations, three canones, two synaxaria and an unedited encomium. This article offers a discussion of Dius’ biography, the development of his cult and his hagiographical dossier on the basis of the surviving material.
Two heroes, two lives in the Grottaferrata Digenes Akrites
Authors: Penninck Mieke
Published: February 2007

The status of Digenes Akrites as hero needs to be reconsidered. For this purpose, a comparison with his father can serve as a starting-point. Father and son are compared in two contexts: the family and the married couple. The differences between them reveal a hero who is not uncontroversial when it comes to family ties: Digenes isolates himself from his family and fails his wife with regard to faithfulness, trust and inseparability. Consequently, he is punished with childlessness. It is only when the oppositions between father and son are considered to be instances of dramatic irony that their true meaning is revealed.
‘Political’ personae: the poem from prison of Michael Glykas: Byzantine literature between fact and fiction
Authors: Bourbouhakis Emmanuel C.
Published: February 2007

Byzantine vernacular literature, much of it in verse, has long been seen as material for Quellenforschung into the historical or social conditions of its time. Following the precepts for literary history set down by such pioneers of Byzantine studies as Karl Krumbacher, the study of these texts has concentrated on authors rather than on the texts themselves as autonomous objects of historical study, whose form and content should guide our understanding of their original intention and reception by Byzantine audiences. The ‘Poem from Prison’ by Michael Glykas illustrates both the shortcomings of the focus on authors and the alternative potential for renewed engagement with Byzantine texts as objects of imagination and creativity.
The Competitive Advantage of Regional Clusters: An Organizational—Evolutionary Perspective
Authors: Staber Udo
Published: February 2007

Research on the competitiveness of regional clusters of firms in the same and related industries has been dominated by a profoundly optimistic view, concerned far more about the integrative possibilities of dense social networks than the dysfunctional consequences of such networks. I argue that this approach, which draws selectively on the transaction cost, knowledge-based and institutionalist perspectives, is one-sided in its fundamental premises, focusing on the presumed benefits of network homogeneity and coherence. It has led researchers to pay insufficient attention to the role of variations and imperfections in copying routines and competencies as a basis of cluster competitiveness. The evolutionary perspective calls into question the common view that competitive cluster network structures develop towards coherence and homogeneity. It views the cluster as a multilevel organizational system whose development is strongly influenced by variation generating processes at the micro-level. I discuss these processes, with special reference to competitive advantage, and outline some of the challenges they imply for empirical research.
The Strategies of Vertical Integration in the American Pharmaceutical Industry and the Quest for Market Power
Authors: Simonet Daniel
Published: February 2007

This article reviews the vertical integration of pharmaceutical manufacturers between 1993 and 1995. The objective of these strategies was to take control of Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs), to enable drug-manufacturing firms to strengthen their market power by securing an outlet for their drugs. The difficulties that appeared during these operations, and how laboratories were pressed (with the exception of Merck laboratories) to put an end to these acquisitions are analyzed. Risks of competition distortion that these strategies may lead to is also discussed. Drug manufacturing firms were not able to gain the strategic advantages, (e.g. market control), they expected because of legal limitations imposed by authorities, high penal risk and physician hostility.
UK Municipal Waste Management: From a Public Service to a Globalised Industry
Authors: Davies Steve
Published: February 2007

The UK's municipal waste management service has been transformed from a service owned and provided by local government into one increasingly provided by large multinational companies. A series of political decisions laid the basis for this, beginning with the programme of deregulation, contracting out and privatisation introduced by the Conservative governments of the 1980s. The process has continued under New Labour with the cumulative result that a new market in municipal waste exists today. Its development has also influenced the shape of the already existing wider waste management market, with the result that this too has seen a process of concentration. Having broken up a vertically integrated sector under municipal ownership, this reformation of the municipal waste market appears to be heading for a vertical reintegration of the sector on the basis of private sector ownership.
Balancing International Trade Policy with National Security: The Dilemma of China and Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
Authors: Hemphill Thomas A.
Published: February 2007

With the People's Republic of China flush with US foreign reserves generated from a significant trade imbalance with the United States (US). Chinese firms have begun to exercise foreign direct investment by acquiring US corporations. Considering the emerging military threat of China in the Pacific Rim area and economic issues involving the under-valuation of the Chinese yuan, this investment diversity strategy (beyond US Treasury debt) has resulted in serious questions being raised about whether national and economic security is at risk if these business transactions were to be consummated. Consequently, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the federal oversight commission reviewing the appropriateness of such transactions, has come under intense Congressional scrutiny. After evaluating the literature concerning the operations and performance of CFIUS, it is recommended that CFIUS share its operational performance on a quarterly basis with select committees in the US Congress; that mandated filings of specific categories of defense-related acquisitions be authorized; and that both CFIUS and the US President (and not the US Congress) continue to define what is ‘national security’.
Low-dose imatinib mesylate leads to rapid induction of major molecular responses and achievement of complete molecular remission in FIP1L1-PDGFRA–positive chronic eosinophilic leukemia
Authors: Jovanovic Jelena V. , Score Joannah , Waghorn Katherine , Cilloni Daniela , Gottardi Enrico , Metzgeroth Georgia , Erben Philipp , Popp Helena , Walz Christoph , Hochhaus Andreas , Roche-Lestienne Catherine , Preudhomme Claude , Solomon Ellen , Apperley Jane , Rondoni Michela , Ottaviani Emanuela , Martinelli Giovanni , Brito-Babapulle Finella , Saglio Giuseppe , Hehlmann Rüdiger , Cross Nicholas C. P. , Reiter Andreas , Grimwade David
Published: February 2007

The FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene is a recurrent molecular lesion in eosinophilia-associated myeloproliferative disorders, predicting a favorable response to imatinib mesylate. To investigate its prevalence, 376 patients with persistent unexplained hypereosinophilia were screened by the United Kingdom reference laboratory, revealing 40 positive cases (11%). To determine response kinetics following imatinib, real-time quantitative–polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) assays were developed and evaluated in samples accrued from across the European LeukemiaNet. The FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion transcript was detected at a sensitivity of 1 in 105 in serial dilution of the EOL-1 cell line. Normalized FIP1L1-PDGFRA transcript levels in patient samples prior to imatinib varied by almost 3 logs. Serial monitoring was undertaken in patients with a high level of FIP1L1-PDGFRA expression prior to initiation of imatinib (100 mg/d-400 mg/d). Overall, 11 of 11 evaluable patients achieved at least a 3-log reduction in FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion transcripts relative to the pretreatment level within 12 months, with achievement of molecular remission in 9 of 11 (assay sensitivities 1 in 103-105). In 2 patients, withdrawal of imatinib was followed by a rapid rise in FIP1L1-PDGFRA transcript levels. Overall, these data are consistent with the exquisite sensitivity of the FIP1L1-PDGFRα fusion to imatinib, as compared with BCR-ABL, and underline the importance of RQ-PCR monitoring to guide management using molecularly targeted therapies.
Long-term trends in evolution of indels in protein sequences
Authors: Wolf Yuri , Madej Thomas , Babenko Vladimir , Shoemaker Benjamin , Panchenko Anna R
Published: February 2007

Background

In this paper we describe an analysis of the size evolution of both protein domains and their indels, as inferred by changing sizes of whole domains or individual unaligned regions or "spacers". We studied relatively early evolutionary events and focused on protein domains which are conserved among various taxonomy groups.

Results

We found that more than one third of all domains have a statistically significant tendency to increase/decrease in size in evolution as judged from the overall domain size distribution as well as from the size distribution of individual spacers. Moreover, the fraction of domains and individual spacers increasing in size is almost twofold larger than the fraction decreasing in size.

Conclusion

We showed that the tolerance to insertion and deletion events depends on the domain's taxonomy span. Eukaryotic domains are depleted in insertions compared to the overall test set, namely, the number of spacers increasing in size is about the same as the number of spacers decreasing in size. On the other hand, ancient domain families show some bias towards insertions or spacers which grow in size in evolution. Domains from several Gene Ontology categories also demonstrate certain tendencies for insertion or deletion events as inferred from the analysis of spacer sizes.
Characterization of relationships between transcriptional units and operon structures in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli
Authors: Okuda Shujiro , Kawashima Shuichi , Kobayashi Kazuo , Ogasawara Naotake , Kanehisa Minoru , Goto Susumu
Published: February 2007

Background

Operon structures play an important role in transcriptional regulation in prokaryotes. However, there have been fewer studies on complicated operon structures in which the transcriptional units vary with changing environmental conditions. Information about such complicated operons is helpful for predicting and analyzing operon structures, as well as understanding gene functions and transcriptional regulation.

Results

We systematically analyzed the experimentally verified transcriptional units (TUs) in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli obtained from ODB and RegulonDB. To understand the relationships between TUs and operons, we defined a new classification system for adjacent gene pairs, divided into three groups according to the level of gene co-regulation: operon pairs (OP) belong to the same TU, sub-operon pairs (SOP) that are at the transcriptional boundaries within an operon, and non-operon pairs (NOP) belonging to different operons. Consequently, we found that the levels of gene co-regulation was correlated to intergenic distances and gene expression levels. Additional analysis revealed that they were also correlated to the levels of conservation across about 200 prokaryotic genomes. Most interestingly, we found that functional associations in SOPs were more observed in the environmental and genetic information processes.

Conclusion

Complicated operon strucutures were correlated with genome organization and gene expression profiles. Such intricately regulated operons allow functional differences depending on environmental conditions. These regulatory mechanisms are helpful in accommodating the variety of changes that happen around the cell. In addition, such differences may play an important role in the evolution of gene order across genomes.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis: case series
Authors: Prodanovic Hélène , Cracco Christophe , Massard Julien , Barrault Camille , Thabut Dominique , Duguet Alexandre , Datry Annick , Derenne Jean-Philippe , Poynard Thierry , Similowski Thomas
Published: February 2007

Background

Opportunistic invasive fungal infections are increasingly frequent in intensive care patients. Their clinical spectrum goes beyond the patients with malignancies, and for example invasive pulmonary aspergillosis has recently been described in critically ill patients without such condition. Liver failure has been suspected to be a risk factor for aspergillosis.

Case presentation

We describe three cases of adult respiratory distress syndrome with sepsis, shock and multiple organ failure in patients with severe liver failure among whom two had positive Aspergillus antigenemia and one had a positive Aspergillus serology. In all cases bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was positive for Aspergillus fumigatus. Outcome was fatal in all cases despite treatment with voriconazole and agressive symptomatic treatment.

Conclusion

Invasive aspergillosis should be among rapidly raised hypothesis in cirrhotic patients developing acute respiratory symptoms and alveolar opacities.
E2F-1 induces melanoma cell apoptosis via PUMA up-regulation and Bax translocation
Authors: Hao Hongying , Dong Yanbin , Bowling Maria T , Gomez-Gutierrez Jorge G , Zhou H Sam , McMasters Kelly M
Published: February 2007

Background

PUMA is a pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member that has been shown to be involved in apoptosis in many cell types. We sought to ascertain whether induction of PUMA plays a crucial role in E2F-1-induced apoptosis in melanoma cells.

Methods

PUMA gene and protein expression levels were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot in SK-MEL-2 and HCT116 cell lines after Ad-E2F-1 infection. Activation of the PUMA promoter by E2F-1 overexpression was detected by dual luciferase reporter assay. E2F-1-induced Bax translocation was shown by immunocytochemistry. The induction of caspase-9 activity was measured by caspase-9 colorimetric assay kit.

Results

Up-regulation of the PUMA gene and protein by E2F-1 overexpression was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis in the SK-MEL-2 melanoma cell line. In support of this finding, we found six putative E2F-1 binding sites within the PUMA promoter. Subsequent dual luciferase reporter assay showed that E2F-1 expression could increase the PUMA gene promoter activity 9.3 fold in SK-MEL-2 cells. The role of PUMA in E2F-1-induced apoptosis was further investigated in a PUMA knockout cell line. Cell viability assay showed that the HCT116 PUMA-/- cell line was more resistant to Ad-E2F-1-mediated cell death than the HCT116 PUMA+/+ cell line. Moreover, a 2.2-fold induction of the PUMA promoter was also noted in the HCT116 PUMA+/+ colon cancer cell line after Ad-E2F-1 infection. Overexpression of a truncated E2F-1 protein that lacks the transactivation domain failed to up-regulate PUMA promoter, suggesting that PUMA may be a transcriptional target of E2F-1. E2F-1-induced cancer cell apoptosis was accompanied by Bax translocation from the cytosol to mitochondria and the induction of caspase-9 activity, suggesting that E2F-1-induced apoptosis is mediated by PUMA through the cytochrome C/Apaf-1-dependent pathway.

Conclusion

Our studies strongly demonstrated that E2F-1 induces melanoma cell apoptosis via PUMA up-regulation and Bax translocation. The signaling pathways provided here will further enhance insights on the mechanisms of E2F-1-induced cancer cell apoptosis as a strategy for cancer therapy.
Breast density and polymorphisms in genes coding for CYP1A2 and COMT: the Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: Takata Yumie , Maskarinec Gertraud , Le Marchand Loïc
Published: February 2007

Background

Mammographic density is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk and is increased by hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Some associations with genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in estrogen metabolism have been described. This cross-sectional analysis examined the relation between mammographic density and the CYP1A2*1F and COMT Val
58
Met polymorphisms among 332 breast cancer cases and 254 controls in the Hawaii component of the Multiethnic Cohort.

Methods

Mammographic density, before diagnosis in cases, was quantified by using a validated computer-assisted method. Blood samples were genotyped by standard PCR/RFLP methods. Adjusted mean percent density was calculated by genotype using mixed models with the unstructured covariance option.

Results

A positive association between the C allele in the CYP1A2*1F gene and percent density, but not the dense area, was suggested (p = 0.11). The relation was limited to controls (p = 0.045), postmenopausal women not using HRT (p = 0.08), and normal weight subjects (p = 0.046). We did not observe any relation between the COMT Val
58
Met polymorphism and breast density.

Conclusion

The lack of an association between the CYP1A2 genotype and the size of the dense areas suggests an effect on the non-dense, i.e., fatty breast tissue. The discrepancies among studies may be due to differential susceptibility; changes in enzyme activity as a result of the CYP1A2*1F polymorphism may influence breast tissue differently depending on hormonal status. Larger studies with the ability to look at interactions would be useful to elucidate the influence of genetic variation in CYP1A2 and COMT on the risk of developing breast cancer.