bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive gene expression profiling of rat lung reveals distinct acute and chronic responses to cigarette smoke inhalation
Authors: Stevenson Christopher S. , Docx Cerys , Webster Ruth , Battram Cliff , Hynx Debra , Giddings June , Cooper Philip R. , Chakravarty Probir , Rahman Irfan , Marwick John A. , Kirkham Paul A. , Charman Christine , Richardson Delwood L. , Nirmala N. R. , Whittaker Paul , Butler Keith
Published: August 2007

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a smoking-related disease that lacks effective therapies due partly to the poor understanding of disease pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to identify molecular pathways that could be responsible for the damaging consequences of smoking. To do this, we employed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis to analyze differences in global gene expression, which we then related to the pathological changes induced by cigarette smoke (CS). Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to whole body CS for 1 day and for various periods up to 8 mo. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of microarray data identified that metabolic processes were most significantly increased early in the response to CS. Gene sets involved in stress response and inflammation were also upregulated. CS exposure increased neutrophil chemokines, cytokines, and proteases (MMP-12) linked to the pathogenesis of COPD. After a transient acute response, the CS-exposed rats developed a distinct molecular signature after 2 wk, which was followed by the chronic phase of the response. During this phase, gene sets related to immunity and defense progressively increased and predominated at the later time points in smoke-exposed rats. Chronic CS inhalation recapitulated many of the phenotypic changes observed in COPD patients including oxidative damage to macrophages, a slowly resolving inflammation, epithelial damage, mucus hypersecretion, airway fibrosis, and emphysema. As such, it appears that metabolic pathways are central to dealing with the stress of CS exposure; however, over time, inflammation and stress response gene sets become the most significantly affected in the chronic response to CS.
Perinatal hypoxia triggers alterations in K+channels of adult pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells
Authors: Marino M. , Bény J. L. , Peyter A. C. , Bychkov R. , Diaceri G. , Tolsa J. F.
Published: August 2007

Adverse events during the perinatal period, like hypoxia, have been associated with adult diseases. In pulmonary vessels, K+channels play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone. In the fetus, Ca2+-activated K+channels (KCa) are predominant, whereas from birth voltage-gated K+channels (KV) prevail in the adult. We postulated that perinatal hypoxia could alter this maturational shift and influence regulation of pulmonary vascular tone in relation to K+channels in adulthood. We evaluated the effects of perinatal hypoxia on KVand KCachannels in the adult main pulmonary artery (PA) using a murine model. Electrophysiological measurements showed a greater outward current in PA smooth muscle cells of mice born in hypoxia than in controls. In controls, only KVchannels contributed to this current, whereas in mice born in hypoxia both KVand KCachannels were implicated. KVchannel activity was even higher in mice born in hypoxia than in controls. Therefore, perinatal hypoxia results in increased KCaand KVchannel activity in adult PA. Moreover, PA of adults born in hypoxia displayed higher large-conductance KCaα-subunit and KV1.5 α-subunit protein expression than controls. Interestingly, relaxation induced by nitric oxide (NO) donors [ S-nitroso- N-acetyl-D,l-penicillamine, 2-( N, N-diethylamino)-diazenolate-2-oxide] in isolated PA of control mice was not mediated by KCachannels and only slightly by KVchannels, whereas following perinatal hypoxia both KCaand KVchannels contributed to this relaxation. Thus perinatal hypoxia results in altered expression and activity of different K+channels in the adult main PA, which could contribute to modifications of pulmonary vasoreactivity.
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 regulates vimentin expression in lung cancer cells
Authors: Chu Shijian , Xu Haishan , Ferro Thomas J. , Rivera Paola X.
Published: August 2007

Vimentin is one of the mammalian intermediate filament proteins. It is expressed in cells of mesenchymal origin and is characteristic of proliferating cells at the fetal stage. During malignancy, vimentin expression is activated in certain lung epithelial cells. Examination of a group of lung cancer cells showed a marked difference in their vimentin expression. The difference in vimentin expression among lung cancer cells is due to differential regulation at the transcriptional level. Analysis of the vimentin promoter revealed a 102-bp promoter sequence that is important for promoter activity in a lung cancer cell line in which vimentin is strongly expressed. This promoter region interacts with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), which is also a transcription regulator. Exogenous expression of PARP-1 increased vimentin promoter activity. A shortened PARP-1 without the COOH-terminal catalytic domain showed the same promoter activation effect. Treatment of cells with H2O2reduced PARP-1 and vimentin expression at the protein level. H2O2also dose dependently suppressed vimentin promoter activity in cells overexpressing PARP-1. These results demonstrate that vimentin expression in lung cancer cells is regulated at the transcriptional level and that PARP-1 binds and activates the vimentin promoter independent of its catalytic domain and may play a role in H2O2-induced inhibition of vimentin expression.
Impact of neutrophils on antiviral activity of human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
Authors: White Mitchell R. , Tecle Tesfaldet , Crouch Erika C. , Hartshorn Kevan L.
Published: August 2007

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) and neutrophils participate in the early innate immune response to influenza A virus (IAV) infection. SP-D increases neutrophil uptake of IAV and modulates neutrophil respiratory burst responses to IAV; however, neutrophil proteases have been shown to degrade SP-D, and human neutrophil peptide defensins bind to SP-D and can cause precipitation of SP-D from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). BALF has significant antiviral activity against IAV. We first added neutrophils to BALF during incubation with IAV. Addition of neutrophils to BALF caused significantly greater clearance of IAV from culture supernatants than from BALF alone, and this effect was significantly more pronounced when neutrophils were activated during incubation with the virus. In contrast, if activated neutrophils were incubated with BALF before addition of virus, they reduced antiviral activity of BALF. This effect correlated with depletion of SP-D from BALF. Activation of neutrophils with agonists that induce primary granule release (including release of human neutrophil peptide defensins) caused SP-D depletion, but activation with PMA, which causes only secondary granule release, did not. The ability of activated neutrophils to deplete SP-D from BALF was partially, but not fully, corrected with protease inhibitors but was unaffected by inhibition of neutrophil respiratory burst responses. These results suggest that chronic neutrophilic inflammation (e.g., as in chronic smoking or cystic fibrosis) may reduce SP-D levels and predispose to IAV infection. In contrast, acute inflammation, as occurs in the early phase of IAV infection, may promote neutrophil-mediated viral clearance.
Congenital NOS2 deficiency prevents impairment of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in murine ventilator-induced lung injury
Authors: Liu Rong , Hotta Yukako , Graveline Amanda R. , Evgenov Oleg V. , Buys Emmanuel S. , Bloch Kenneth D. , Ichinose Fumito , Zapol Warren M.
Published: August 2007

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) preserves systemic arterial oxygenation during lung injury by diverting blood flow away from poorly ventilated lung regions. Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is characterized by pulmonary inflammation, lung edema, and impaired HPV leading to systemic hypoxemia. Studying mice congenitally deficient in inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) and wild-type mice treated with a selective NOS2 inhibitor, l- N6-(1-iminoethyl)lysine (l-NIL), we investigated the contribution of NOS2 to the impairment of HPV in anesthetized mice subjected to 6 h of either high tidal volume (HVT) or low tidal volume (LVT) ventilation. HPV was estimated by measuring the changes of left lung pulmonary vascular resistance (LPVR) in response to left mainstem bronchus occlusion (LMBO). LMBO increased the LPVR similarly in wild-type, NOS2−/−, and wild-type mice treated with l-NIL 30 min before commencing 6 h of LVT ventilation (96% ± 30%, 103% ± 33%, and 80% ± 16%, respectively, means ± SD). HPV was impaired in wild-type mice subjected to 6 h of HVT ventilation (23% ± 16%). In contrast, HPV was preserved after 6 h of HVT ventilation in NOS2−/− and wild-type mice treated with l-NIL either 30 min before or 6 h after commencing HVT ventilation (66% ± 22%, 82% ± 29%, and 85% ± 16%, respectively). After 6 h of HVT ventilation and LMBO, systemic arterial oxygen tension was higher in NOS2−/− than in wild-type mice (192 ± 11 vs. 171 ± 17 mmHg; P < 0.05). We conclude that either congenital NOS2 deficiency or selective inhibition of NOS2 protects mice from the impairment of HPV occurring after 6 h of HVT ventilation.
Overexpression of human Hsp27 inhibits serum-induced proliferation in airway smooth muscle myocytes and confers resistance to hydrogen peroxide cytotoxicity
Authors: Salinthone Sonemany , Ba Mariam , Hanson Lisa , Martin Jody L. , Halayko Andrew J. , Gerthoffer William T.
Published: August 2007

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) hypertrophy and hyperplasia are characteristics of asthma that lead to thickening of the airway wall and obstruction of airflow. Very little is known about mechanisms underlying ASM remodeling, but in vascular smooth muscle, it is known that progression of atherosclerosis depends on the balance of myocyte proliferation and cell death. Small heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is antiapoptotic in nonmuscle cells, but its role in ASM cell survival is unknown. Our hypothesis was that phosphorylation of Hsp27 may regulate airway remodeling by modifying proliferation, cell survival, or both. To test this hypothesis, adenoviral vectors were used to overexpress human Hsp27 in ASM cells. Cells were infected with empty vector (Ad5) or wild-type Hsp27 (AdHsp27 WT), and proliferation and death were assessed. Overexpressing Hsp27 WT caused a 50% reduction in serum-induced proliferation and increased cell survival after exposure to 100 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) compared with mock-infected controls. Overexpression studies utilizing an S15A, S78A, and S82A non-phosphorylation mutant (AdHsp27 3A) and an S15D, S78D, and S82D pseudo-phosphorylation mutant (AdHsp27 3D) showed phosphorylation of Hsp27 was necessary for regulation of ASM proliferation, but not survival. Hsp27 provided protection against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity by upregulating cellular glutathione levels and preventing necrotic cell death, but not apoptotic cell death. The results support the notion that ASM cells can be stimulated to undergo proliferation and death and that Hsp27 may regulate these processes, thereby contributing to airway remodeling in asthmatics.
Structural refinement of neutron powder diffraction data of two-stage martensitic phase transformations in
Ti50.75Ni47.75Fe1.50 shape memory alloy
Authors: Sitepu Husin
Published: August 2007

Transformation behaviors of the technologically important polycrystalline
Ti50.75Ni47.75Fe1.50 shape memory alloy were investigated using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and powder diffraction techniques. DSC revealed that there are two-stage (i.e., cubic→trigonal→monoclinic) martensitic phase transformations on cooling and a one-step transformation (monoclinic→cubic) on heating. In situ structural refinement of cubic→trigonal→monoclinic on cooling was carried out using the D1A high-resolution neutron powder diffractometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin Neutrons for Science in Grenoble, France. Results showed that the phases involved during the phase transition are consistent with the differential scanning calorimeter cooling curve, and the refined crystal structure parameters obtained from Rietveld refinements with the generalized spherical harmonic description agreed reasonably well with X-ray single-crystal data. Subsequently, a combined neutron and synchrotron structural refinement for each phase was conducted because the trial refinements initially using only the synchrotron data of trigonal phase yielded a false minimum with a somewhat high goodness-of-fit χ2. Results obtained from the combined neutron and synchrotron data of the cubic, trigonal, and monoclinic phases show that the same minimum goodness-of-fit indices were always obtained.
Effect of substitution of Ga on the structure and magnetic properties of Dy2Co17−xGax (0≤x≤7) compounds
Authors: FuSheng Liu , WeiQin Ao , YongXi Jian , JunQin Li
Published: August 2007

A series of
Dy2Co17−xGax polycrystalline samples with x from 0 to 7 were prepared by arc melting. X-ray powder diffraction analysis indicated that these compounds have the hexagonal
Th2Ni17 structure for x≤3 and the rhombohedral
Th2Zn17 structure for 3.5≤x≤7. The lattice parameters a and c increase linearly with the gallium content until x=5.3. With further increasing the gallium content x up to 7, the lattice parameter c slightly decreases, whereas the lattice parameter a increases more quickly than that for 0≤x≤5.3. The unit-cell volume shows an approximately linear increase of 6.1 Å3/Ga for 0≤x≤3.0 and 10.1 Å3/Ga for 3.5≤x≤7.0, respectively. Rietveld refinement of the
Dy2Co11.7Ga5.3 compound reveals that the Ga atoms occupy all the 6c, 9d, 18f, and 18h sites and preferentially occupy the 6c site. The Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization of the rhombohedral
Dy2Co17−xGax compounds decrease almost linearly with increasing Ga content.
Pathophysiology and Clinical Aspects of Urinary Lithiasis
Authors: Vella M. , Karydi M. , Coraci G. , Oriti R. , Melloni D.
Published: August 2007

Urine is a complex balanced solution containing dissociated and non-dissociated solutes. Any variation in urine saturation grade (number of crystals dissolved in a volume of urine), urinary pH and the concentration of crystallization inhibitors can break the normal existing balance and lead to urolithiasis. In the present article we analyze the principal mechanisms (absorptive, renal, resorptive) of hypercalciuria. It will be also shown how heredity directly influences the clinical aspects of cystine, xanthine and oxalate lithiasis and how diet, in association with metabolic disorders, interferes in uric acid and oxalate stone formation. Finally, we report on the roles of urinary tract malformations, urinary tract infections and drugs in the clinical characterization of urolithiasis.
ESWL Prediction of Outcome and Failure Prevention
Authors: Vella M. , Caramia M. , Maltese M. , Melloni D. , Caramia G.
Published: August 2007

Based on our own experiences and a review of the recent literature, this article evaluates recent developments in predicting outcomes and failures of shockwave lithotripsy when treating patients with urinary tract stones. After a detailed MEDLINE research, the authors identified several variables that influence and predict extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) success. These variables may be categorized as stone variables, patient variables and operator variables. Only multivariate analysis on a large number of homogenous patients may offer an objective evaluation of the factors conditioning ESWL outcome.
When an MI Is Not an MI: A Case of Varicella Zoster Myocarditis
Authors: Kelly Emer , Cullen Garret , McGurk Colm
Published: August 2007

A sixteen-year-old male presented with symptoms and investigations suggestive of acute myocardial infarction. The patient had suffered from a varicella zoster infection 5 days prior to presentation. Varicella myocarditis was suspected and diagnosed following treatment and positive varicella serology. This case highlights a rare but serious cardiac presentation of a common condition.
Soluble CD40 Ligand as a Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Stable Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography
Authors: Rondina Matthew T. , Lappé Jason M. , Carlquist John F. , Muhlestein Joseph B. , Kolek Matthew J. , Horne Benjamin D. , Pearson Robert R. , Anderson Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2007

Background: In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), elevated levels of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events. We evaluated sCD40L levels and future cardiovascular events in patients not experiencing ACS. Methods: Serum sCD40L levels were measured in 909 patients undergoing angiography. A three-way matching scheme (age, gender and catheterization time period) identified 303 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who experienced a cardiac event within 1 year (CAD/event), 303 patients with CAD free of events (CAD/no event) and 303 patients without CAD and free of events (no CAD). Results: Average age was 64 ± 11 years; 74% were males. Median (± SE) sCD40L levels were higher for no CAD patients (335 ± 60 pg/ml) compared to CAD (248 ± 65 pg/ml, p = 0.01) and to CAD/event (233 ± 63 pg/ml, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in median sCD40L levels between CAD/no event and CAD/event patients. Higher sCD40L quartiles were associated with a significant decrease in the risk of CAD/event versus no CAD (quartile 4 versus quartile 1: odds ratio = 0.59, p = 0.03). There was a nonsignificant trend towards a decreased risk of CAD as compared to no CAD, and for CAD/event versus CAD. Conclusions: In non-ACS patients, higher sCD40L levels were associated with a decreased risk of CAD. This novel interaction of sCD40L raises interesting questions for CAD pathogenesis.
Physical Examination and ECG Screening in Relation to Echocardiography Findings in Young Healthy Adults
Authors: Landau Dan-Avi , Grossman Alon , Sherer Yaniv , Harpaz David , Azaria Bella , Carter Dan , Barenboim Erez , Goldstein Liav
Published: August 2007

Background and Aims: Cardiovascular screening in young adults is an important tool in many occupational settings. Our aim was to test whether screening physical examination and ECG influence the rate of abnormal echocardiogarphic findings in young healthy subjects. Methods: Consecutive echocardiography results of 18- to 20-year-old flight candidates were analyzed retrospectively. Echocardiographies were performed as part of a screening protocol, which includes ECG, physical examination and referral for echocardiography for any positive finding. A second stage includes universal echocardiography for all candidates. Results: 1,066 subjects were evaluated; 489 subjects underwent echocardiography following referral because of abnormal auscultatory or ECG findings. Findings (mostly mild valvular insufficiencies) were demonstrated in 12.7%, with only 0.6% of subjects disqualified. In subjects who underwent universal echocardiography (n = 577), findings (mostly mild valvular insufficiencies) were detected in 18%, with only 0.5% of subjects disqualified. Conclusions: The rate of significant echocardiography findings is extremely low in this young and healthy population. The presence of abnormal findings on either physical examination or ECG screening was not demonstrated to alter the rate of abnormal echocardiographic findings. We suggest that the low yield of screening should be weighed against the cost of an unidentified congenital cardiac lesion in the specific setting.
Terrestrial Carbon Sinks for the United States Predicted from MODIS Satellite Data and Ecosystem Modeling
Authors: Potter Christopher , Klooster Steven , Huete Alfredo , Genovese Vanessa
Published: August 2007

A simulation model based on satellite observations of monthly vegetation cover from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was used to estimate monthly carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems of the conterminous United States over the period 2001–04. Predicted net ecosystem production (NEP) flux for atmospheric CO2 in the United States was estimated as annual net sink of about +0.2 Pg C in 2004. Regional climate patterns were reflected in the predicted annual NEP flux from the model, which showed extensive carbon sinks in ecosystems of the southern and eastern regions in 2003–04, and major carbon source fluxes from ecosystems in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions in 2003–04. As demonstrated through tower site comparisons, net primary production (NPP) modeled with monthly MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) inputs closely resembles both the measured high- and low-season carbon fluxes. Modeling results suggest that the capacity of the NASA Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model to use 8-km resolution MODIS EVI data to predict peak growing season uptake rates of CO2 in irrigated croplands and moist temperate forests is strong.
Assessing Downsizing Guidelines With an Exemplar
Authors: Nutt Paul C.
Published: August 2007

The propositions in two theories of downsizing are compared to a success story in an exemplary state agency: the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH). ODMH was downsized, taking out a total of $150 million, with hospital closures, transfers, and mergers. A 15-year database of weekly reports to the governor of the state of Ohio recorded the actions taken in 19 closures, mergers, and transfers and their success. Propositions offered by Cameron (Cameron, 1995; Cameron and Smart, 1996) to turn aside dirty dozen outcomes and by managed de-development (Nutt, 2001; 2004) were compared to the CEO's actions documented in the histories. The findings suggest that the guidelines offered by both theories have merit. Crucial actions appear to be shifting ODMH to a lower order of organized complexity by devising a new identity to guide change with slow-paced moves to preserve core competencies that differentiated before integrating and accommodated before assimilating.
Lessons Learned From a 5-Year Project Within the Department of Veterans Affairs
Authors: Yorks Lyle , Neuman Joel H. , Kowalski Daniel R. , Kowalski Rita
Published: August 2007

Although much has been written about the importance of generative learning to organizational effectiveness, less is known about the creation and maintenance of the “social space” necessary to foster such learning. This article describes how, as an exercise in sensemaking the authors conceptualized their experience in the establishment and preservation of such space within a 5-year action research project at the United States Department of Veteran Affairs and how theories of interpersonal aggression and organizational justice inform development of this kind of space. To this end, the authors discuss each stage of this process, which was experienced as (a) enrollment (identification of focal issues/needs, enabling conditions, social networks), (b) negotiations leading to peripheral understanding among participants (confronting tensions about methods, data, norms, roles, power, control), (c) the threshold (a “fuzzy boundary” separating collaborative from conventional social space), and (d) the emergence of collaborative social space.
Influence of Food Intake on the Pharmacokinetics of Miglustat, an Inhibitor of Glucosylceramide Synthase
Authors: van Giersbergen Paul L. M. , Dingemanse Jasper
Published: August 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of miglustat, an inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase. Twenty‐four healthy male (n = 9) and female (n = 15) subjects were treated in a randomized, 2‐way crossover design with a single oral dose of 100 mg miglustat with or without food. Consumption of a standard high‐fat breakfast within 30 minutes before administration of miglustat significantly reduced peak exposure but did not significantly affect the extent of systemic exposure to miglustat. The peak plasma concentration (Cmax) decreased by 36% on average following administration with food. Area under the plasma concentration—time curve (AUC0‐∞) showed a modest (14%) decrease with food, but the 90% confidence interval was within the acceptance limit of 80% to 125%. The median (min‐max) time to Cmax (tmax) was prolonged from 2.5 (1.0–4.0) hours in the fasted state to 4.5 (1.5–8.0) hours in the fed state, whereas the apparent terminal half‐life was approximately 8 hours and not affected by food. In conclusion, the intake of food has an effect on some pharmacokinetic parameters such as Cmax and tmax but does not affect the extent of exposure to miglustat. The observed effects of food intake on the pharmacokinetics of miglustat are not considered to be of clinical relevance.
Ciprofloxacin Prolonged‐Release Tablets Do Not Affect Warfarin Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Authors: Washington Carla , Hou S. Y. Eddie , Hughes Nicola C. , Campanella Corinne , Berner Bret
Published: August 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pharmacokinetics of warfarin and ciprofloxacin PR (a prolonged‐release formulation of ciprofloxacin) were altered after coadministration. Eighteen healthy male volunteers were given a single oral 7.5‐mg dose of warfarin, a single oral 500‐mg dose of ciprofloxacin PR, or both drugs administered together in a randomized, open‐label, 3‐way crossover study. Ciprofloxacin concentrations, warfarin (R)‐ and (S)‐enantiomer concentrations, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were measured over 120 hours following study drug administration. There were no significant differences in pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic parameters among treatments. A slightly greater value of half‐life for (R)‐warfarin was observed when coadministered with ciprofloxacin PR compared with warfarin administered alone (52.6 vs 50.1 hours1 P = .029). This difference is not considered clinically relevant, because the values remain similar. These results show that warfarin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are not altered with concomitant administration of ciprofloxacin PR.
Test Reviews: A Systemic-Based Interview Guide
Authors: Kubinger Klaus D. , Wiesflecker Sabine , Steindl Renate
Published: August 2007

An interview guide for children and adolescents, which is based on systemic therapy, has recently been added to the collection of published instruments for psychological interviews. This article aims to establish the amount of information gained during a psychological investigation using the Systemic-based Interview Guide rather than an intuitive, unstructured interview approach; the latter is often used by inexperienced practitioners. For this purpose, an experiment was designed using reconstructed clinical cases, which were then presented by role players pretending to be patients in a psychological interview. Each case could thus be presented numerous times, in particular under both experimental conditions. The respective interview was carried out by 20 psychology students. A higher validity, as a result of more relevant information, and a higher economy, as a result of less irrelevant information, was found for the Systemic-based Interview Guide. Therefore, it can be recommended that the Systemic-based Interview Guide, as described here, be used instead of an intuitive unstructured approach, particularly for interviewers with less practical experience.
Measurement Invariance of the Chinese Gifted Rating Scales
Authors: Petscher Yaacov , Huijun Li
Published: August 2007

The Gifted Rating Scales—School Form (GRS-S) has been validated in several countries; however, no study has examined the rater invariance of this measure. The present study built on previous validity studies and examined configural and metric invariance between parent and teacher raters using the Chinese version of the GRS-S Teacher and Parent Forms. Analyses were conducted from a Jöreskog tradition, with testing of hypotheses related to group invariance. Model fit indices (i.e., comparative fit index [CFI], root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA], χ 2/ df) supported equivalence in factor structure and standardized loadings between raters. Additionally, hypothesis testing revealed equivalence in loadings for raters. Implications of the results, as well as limitations and directions for future research, are discussed.
The Complexities of the Religious Response to Domestic Violence
Authors: Pyles Loretta
Published: August 2007

Drawing on data from a study conducted in Wyoming about the community response to domestic violence, this article focuses on an unanticipated finding: how religion is paradoxically both a source of assistance and a barrier to women surviving domestic violence. The results indicate that although religious institutions are a resource for emotional comfort and provide practical assistance, they may also perpetuate silence. The article concludes that many religious communities are not adequately equipped to respond to the problem of domestic violence in a way that is safe for women. Implications for social work, particularly for recent faith-based initiatives, are discussed.
Using the Internet for Offline Relationship Formation
Authors: Bo Xie
Published: August 2007

This study examines the impact of the Internet on the online and offline social interactions and relationships of members of a senior-oriented computer club. Twenty semistructured, openended interviews were conducted in February 2005 to collect data. Grounded theory was used to guide data analysis. Major findings include the following: First, within this particular group of older American Internet users, there is little online interaction. The Internet is used primarily as a handy tool to obtain information rather than for developing online relationships. Second, weak tie relationships that develop as a result of face-to-face interactions in computer club meetings facilitate the exchange of information among members. Third, social interactions in the offline environment also provide rich opportunities for older adults to form and maintain companionship relationships. These findings reveal a previously ignored phenomenon: In addition to creating online social relationships, the Internet can also affect relationship formation in the physical world.
Low Self-Control and Social Learning in Understanding Students' Intentions to Pirate Movies in the United States
Authors: Higgins George E. , Fell Brian D. , Wilson Abby L.
Published: August 2007

This study determined whether social learning theory conditioned the link between low self-control and movie piracy. Using cross-sectional data from college students ( n = 338), the findings revealed that the link between low self-control and movie piracy is exacerbated by substantial association with movie-pirating peers and positive attitudes toward software piracy. Policy implications are also presented.
Disability and Psychosocial Outcomes in Old Age
Authors: Paúl Constança , Ayis Salma , Ebrahim Shah
Published: August 2007

Objective: This article explores psychosocial variables associated with illness and age-related losses during old age. Method: The study is cross-sectional and comprised 999 people aged 65 and older. The variables included health problems and limitations, self-perceptions of health, optimism, and quality of life. Results: In general, people aged 80+ years show high prevalence of health problems and disability, good self-perception of health, and quality of life. However, among the oldest age group, those in better health were more optimistic, but more problems meant lower self-perception of health, quality of life, and optimism. Discussion: This does not fully confirm the disability paradox (high disability and high optimism and self-perception of quality of life). The dual-process coping model helps to understand the results of our study: First is an attempt to avoid losses; afterward, people lower goals and standards to meet constraints and foster adaptation.
Cohort Differences in Adult Obesity in the United States: 1982—2002
Authors: Reynolds Sandra L. , Himes Christine L.
Published: August 2007

Objectives: To examine the relative importance of broad social change, cohort-specific change, and population composition on trends in adult obesity over the past two decades. Methods: Using the National Health Interview Study from 1982 through 2002, 5-year birth cohorts are examined for differential trends in obesity. Logistic regression is used to separate out the effects of population composition from broad social change and cohort-specific change. Results: Results confirm that age-specific obesity rates have been increasing for successively born cohorts, indicating broad social change. There is little evidence for cohort-specific change, and only small effects of compositional change. Discussion: Although increasing diversity in the older population will probably result in higher rates of obesity in the future, increasingly sedentary lives and the uncertain impact of smoking cessation on weight outweigh population composition effects. More research is needed on the impact of lifestyle behaviors on the American population.
Racial Profiling and the Courts
Authors: Gabbidon Shaun L. , Marzette Lakiesha N. , Peterson Steven A.
Published: August 2007

This article examines 135 federal-level racial profiling cases. Based on a review of these cases, the research reveals that such cases are on the decline. Moreover, most of the persons alleging they were racially profiled were Black and Hispanic. More than half of the persons making racial profiling allegations were caught engaging in criminal activity during the incident that instigated the legal suit. In addition, most of the incidents involved multiple male officers, who were employed by local police departments. The research also found that persons making racial profiling allegations win in less than a third of the cases. The article concludes by discussing the implications of these results.
Police Discourse on Racial Profiling
Authors: Glover Karen S.
Published: August 2007

As central actors in the phenomenon, the police view is noticeably absent from research on racial profiling. Given the prominence of “color-blind” racial ideology in the face of disparate opinions about the police between minorities and Whites in the United States, police discourse on racial profiling bears examination. The author employs in-depth interviews of patrol officers in the Novad (a fictitious name), Texas, police department about racial profiling. A dominant narrative—“White boy in a no White boy zone” —emerges in contrast to the reverse scenario that composes the public discourse on racial profiling. This analysis supports the work of Bonilla-Silva, who suggests that rhetorical strategies have developed in the color-blind era to express racialized issues in ways that appear nonracial.
Racial Profiling and Postmodern Society
Authors: Miller Kirk
Published: August 2007

Racial profiling is among the most important challenges to the legitimacy of law enforcement agencies in the United States. In response to concerns about racial profiling, police departments have taken a number of approaches to address the threat to legitimacy that racial profiling poses. Among the most common approaches, and one that citizens, policy makers, and scholars have all supported, is the implementation of data collection programs designed to document the situational characteristics of traffic stops. The consensus is that data collection will provide an empirical basis for determining whether race-based or other biased policing is occurring. This article argues that this approach is limited in its effectiveness. It is argued that police interest in documenting and preventing racial profiling is driven by concerns about developing and maintaining the perception of responsiveness to the public. Police strategy, ironically, uses technology and science to enhance institutional legitimacy.
Legislative and Court Decisions That Promulgated Racial Profiling
Authors: Stokes Larry D.
Published: August 2007

Racial profiling is not confined to the illegal practices of targeting, questioning, and arresting minority group members by law enforcement officials because of their involvement in criminal activity; it is systemic and pervasive in private and public institutions. Other minority groups are racially profiled; however, this discussion focuses on racial profiling of African Americans. Specifically, this article provides a sociohistorical perspective of selected legislative and court decisions that promulgated racial profiling. The enforcement of these decisions was based on the degree of ethnic/racial visibility. Consequently, today's incidence of de facto racial profiling is the result of de jure practices.
Black Criminal Stereotypes and Racial Profiling
Authors: Welch Kelly
Published: August 2007

The racial stereotyping of criminals has been an enduring and unfortunate feature of American culture. However, following the civil rights movement, the linkage between Blacks and crime was galvanized. The stereotyping of Blacks as criminals is so pervasive throughout society that “criminal predator” is used as a euphemism for “young Black male.” This common stereotype has erroneously served as a subtle rationale for the unofficial policy and practice of racial profiling by criminal justice practitioners. This article details the theoretical elements contributing to the development of Black criminal typification to understand how this has been used to justify racial profiling.
“It's Like . . . a Confronting Issue”: Life-Changing Narratives of Young People
Authors: Weber Zita , Rowling Louise , Scanlon Lesley
Published: August 2007

In this article, the authors report on the narrative accounts given in interviews by 27 first-year university students in New South Wales, Australia, regarding their experiences of loss. The students were drawn from four campuses: a large city campus, a smaller urban campus, one outer metropolitan campus, and one rural campus. From participants' accounts, the researchers found that it was important for these students to organize their experience and make sense of it. In making sense, these students imposed meaning on their experiences and thereby constructed and reconstructed stories of loss to make better sense of their experience. The researchers recognized that within the interviews, they were positioned as an audience and that they were part of a reexperiencing of the narrative. In this sense, they were collaborators in the retelling of the narrative of a lived experience.
Exploring the Use of Vignettes: From Validity to Trustworthiness
Authors: Spalding Nicola J. , Phillips Terry
Published: August 2007

In this article one of the authors presents her experience of using vignettes in an action research case study, with particular emphasis on their trustworthiness. The research was carried out with a group of health care professionals who were working together to improve preoperative education for patients awaiting a hip replacement in one National Health Service Trust in the United Kingdom. The authors describe the exploration of three types of vignette—snapshots, portraits, and composites—as a means of collecting, analyzing, and representing data. They provide an example of each and briefly present their evaluative use by the health care professionals. The vignettes were constructed to provide one account of the truth that was representative of events. Within this representation was the writer, researcher, and reader feature. The vignettes stimulated reflection and analysis within the action research cycle and thus contributed to the improvement of practice.
Carspecken's Critical Approach as a Way to Explore Nursing Leadership Issues
Authors: Stewart Lee , Usher Kim
Published: August 2007

Nursing leaders are attempting to provide effective support for staff as well as optimal client care in the most challenging of times for the health care industry globally. Regardless of where leaders practice, their health care setting will have its own socially constructed way of getting the work done. In this article the authors suggest Carspecken's critical methodology, particularly his use of the pragmatic horizon, as a useful method to assist leaders in recognizing their own behaviors as a first step to providing leadership that is more emancipatory. The aim of this reflection and resulting action is increasing leadership effectiveness to improve health care outcomes.
The Asian Tsunami and Problem-Based Learning for Postgraduate Students in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayawardana A.K.L. , O'Donnell Michael
Published: August 2007

The Asian Tsunami struck Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004. Sri Lanka was the second worst affected country after Indonesia, and this natural disaster killed in excess of 35,000 people and displaced over 1 million. The article explores the Tsunami Disaster Management Program developed by one Sri Lankan university: the Postgraduate Institute of Management at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The program encouraged postgraduate students to undertake a range of recovery management projects to improve the operation of temporary camps and restore the livelihoods of tsunami survivors. The article examines the steps taken by postgraduate students to diagnose problems within the camps and implement a comprehensive range of solutions. The recovery management projects enhanced postgraduate students' managerial skills in diagnosis and analysis, planning and goal setting, leading teams and conflict resolution as well as their awareness of their social responsibilities to local communities at a time of national crisis. The article also highlights a number of lessons for other educational institutions contemplating changing their curricula to promote a stronger focus on problem-based learning.
Enraged or Engaged? Preferences for Direct Citizen Participation in Affluent Democracies
Authors: Bowler Shaun , Donovan Todd , Karp Jeffrey A.
Published: August 2007

Widespread approval of direct democracy has been attributed to politically engaged citizens who seek more opportunities to participate in politics. Others suggest that people prefer a limited role in politics, but cynicism with representation leads them to embrace direct democracy. The authors analyze opinion in sixteen affluent democracies to test these explanations. The authors find expectations of “more participation” were motivated by distrust of government and the belief that a citizen had a duty to keep a watch on government. Distrust, however, had an inverse relationship with approval of referendums in several nations. Support for referendums was greater among people who expect more opportunities to participate in public decisions and from people who were interested in politics, trusted government, and were satisfied with how democracy was working. Enthusiasm for direct democracy may reflect what people find lacking in representative democracy as much as it reflects interest in a more participatory version of democracy.
Does Democratization Depress Participation? Voter Turnout in the Latin American and Eastern European Transitional Democracies
Authors: Kostadinova Tatiana , Power Timothy J.
Published: August 2007

Scholars and policy makers have advanced conflicting hypotheses about the dynamics of voter participation in nascent democratic regimes. The authors advance the research program by examining 108 parliamentary elections in postauthoritarian Latin America and post-Communist Europe from 1978 through 2003. Institutional, political, and demographic variables shape turnout in new democracies, but there is also a strong temporal effect: voter turnout drops sharply after founding elections and continues to fall through the fourth electoral cycle. Moreover, after appropriate controls, rates of turnout in Eastern Europe are consistently higher than the equivalent rates for Latin America. The authors attribute these differences to historical legacies and the mode of transition to democracy.
Is Urban Politics a Black Hole? Analyzing the Boundary Between Political Science and Urban Politics
Authors: Sapotichne Joshua , Jones Bryan D. , Wolfe Michelle
Published: August 2007

For many years, the scholarship of urban politics has drifted away from political science, both theoretically and methodologically. In this article, we systematically examine the boundary between urban political studies and the broader discipline of political science through an analysis of journal citations. We find that the analogy of a “black hole” is apt: No ideas escape the event horizon surrounding urban politics; furthermore, ideas from outside rarely penetrate the subfield's borders. Our evidence suggests that this is mostly due to a stunted solipsism that has engulfed too much of urban politics, but some of the blame must rest with the increasing insularity of political science. We suggest a research agenda that highlights the inherent dynamism in urban politics, and conclude with an endorsement of framework-driven citation analysis as a method of examining the flow of ideas across scholarly boundaries.
Ghazis, roads and trade in north-west Anatolia 1179–1291
Authors: Booth Ian
Published: August 2007

This article shows that parts of the late antique road system in north-west Anatolia were sometimes closed between 1179 and 1291, due to unsettled conditions, and that alternatives were in use. The alternative road from Herakleia Pontica to Kastamonu went via Çaycuma and Daday and that to Ankara via Eskişehir. Both Christian and Muslim border raiders existed in the area and may have caused these closures. They sometimes acted together but their importance is unclear since conditions were also both politically and militarily unstable. The article concludes that the Muslim raiders were not ghazis, as has been thought.
Ought one to marry? Manuel II Palaiologos’ point of view
Authors: Dąbrowska Małgorzata
Published: August 2007

Manuel II Palaiologos wrote his text on marriage and its ethical aspects between 1394 and 1397. At that time he was newly married and his wife had already given birth to their firstborn, John VIII, The text is presented in the form of a dialogue between the emperor Manuel and his mother, the dowager empress Helena Kantakouzene, wife of John V Palaiologos. An unusual case in dynastic policy, Manuel II was a bachelor until his forties. Fortunate circumstances caused him to inherit the throne after the death of his elder brother, Andronikos IV, in 1385, but he himself was not yet married and thus had no legitimate successor. His nephew, John VII, was his long-standing rival. The intention of the author of the dialogue was, without doubt, to show how important inheritance was for the imperial family. The text of the dialogue was subsequently corrected by the emperor himself; the revised version is dated to between 1417 and 1425. This article argues that the text was revised in order to encourage Manuel’s own son, John, to marry and have successors.
Mendicant orders in the Principality of Achaia and the Latin communal identity, 1204–1453
Authors: Ranner Lori Frey
Published: August 2007

Despite the fact that the Franciscan and Dominican Orders arrived in Latin Greece well armed with a specific mandate to engage and evangelize the Orthodox population in order to facilitate the implementation of Church union, little if any effort was made in this regard by the members of either order. Rather, reliant as they were on the Latin secular authorities for protection, support and sustenance, they appeared content to spend their tenure in Greece ministering almost exclusively to the Latin segment of the population, becoming deeply involved in the political, economic and cultural life of the Latin states. This was to the utter detriment of their original mission to the Orthodox. Thus, this article examines the role of mendicants in Achaia as contributors to the Latin cultural identity, especially in the episcopal context.