bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevated MMP‐8 and Decreased Myeloperoxidase Concentrations Associate Significantly with the Risk for Peripheral Atherosclerosis Disease and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm1
Authors: Pradhan‐Palikhe P. , Vikatmaa P. , Lajunen T. , Palikhe A. , Lepäntalo M. , Tervahartiala T. , Salo T. , Saikku P. , Leinonen M. , Pussinen P. J. , Sorsa T.
Published: May 2010

Matrix metalloproteinases are responsible for degradation and remodelling of extracellular matrix and exert important roles in initiation and progression of inflammatory diseases. We aimed to examine the role of Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their regulators in degenerative arterial diseases. Serum samples were collected from patients with arterial disease (n = 126), who underwent surgery because of symptomatic aorto‐occlusive disease (AOD, n = 18), carotid artery stenosis (n = 67) or abdominal arotic aneurysm (n = 41). Serum MMP‐1, MMP‐8, MMP‐13, TIMP‐1, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (HNE) concentrations were determined by ELISA, and the molar ratio of MMP‐8 and TIMP‐1 was calculated. To get reference values, the determinations were done on samples of healthy blood donors (n = 100). In univariate analyses, the patients had higher MMP‐8 (P < 0.001), TIMP‐1 (P = 0.045), and MMP‐8/TIMP‐1 (P < 0.001), and lower MPO (P < 0.001) when compared with the blood donors. All three subgroups had higher MMP‐8 (P < 0.001) and MMP‐8/TIMP‐1 (P < 0.001), and lower MPO (P < 0.01, except AOD) levels when compared with the references. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the male gender (P < 0.01), age (P < 0.001), elevated MMP‐8 (P < 0.001) and decreased MPO (P < 0.001) concentrations associated significantly with the risk for arterial disease, and provided an area under curve (AUC) of 0.97 in the Receiver operating characteristics analyses. In multiple linear regression analyses, HNE correlated with both MMP‐8 (P < 0.001) and MPO (P = 0.008) concentrations. Combination of high MMP‐8 and low MPO level in serum eventually reflecting selectively modified neutrophil degranulation may indicate increased risk for arterial disease.
Natural Killer Cells Accumulate in Lung‐Draining Lymph Nodes and Regulate Airway Eosinophilia in a Murine Model of Asthma
Authors: Ple C. , Barrier M. , Amniai L. , Marquillies P. , Bertout J. , Tsicopoulos A. , Walzer T. , Lassalle P. , Duez C.
Published: May 2010

Increasing evidence suggests a key role for the innate immune system in asthma development. Although the role of Natural Killer (NK) cells in allergic asthma is poorly known, modifications of the blood NK cell populations have been found in asthmatic and/or allergic patients. Their repartition and activation status in the inflammatory (lungs) and the regulatory (draining lymph nodes) sites of the allergic reaction is unknown. The aim of our study was to monitor NK cell migration pattern and activation status and to investigate the consequences of NK cell depletion during allergic airway reaction in a mouse model. Ovalbumin sensitization and challenges of BALB/cByJ mice had no effect on the total number of lung NK cells but significantly decreased the number of most mature NK cells and increased the level of the activation marker CD86. In the lung‐draining mediastinal lymph nodes, ovalbumin sensitization and challenges led to increased number of NK cells, and more precisely, immature NK cells and increased expression of CD86. Ovalbumin‐sensitized mice also exhibited increased percentage of proliferating NK cells in lung‐draining mediastinal lymph nodes. Anti‐ASGM1 antibody treatment depleted most NK cells and decreased bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia but did not modify airway responsiveness. Altogether, our study shows that pulmonary allergic sensitization induces modification in the NK cell compartment at the inflammatory and regulatory sites and suggests that NK cells may participate in the regulation of the asthmatic response and, more particularly, to the allergic airway eosinophilia.
Genetic analysis of pathway regulation for enhancing branched‐chain amino acid biosynthesis in plants
Authors: Chen Hao , Saksa Kristen , Zhao Feiyi , Qiu Joyce , Xiong Liming
Published: May 2010

The branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) valine, leucine and isoleucine are essential amino acids that play critical roles in animal growth and development. Animals cannot synthesize these amino acids and must obtain them from their diet. Plants are the ultimate source of these essential nutrients, and they synthesize BCAAs through a conserved pathway that is inhibited by its end products. This feedback inhibition has prevented scientists from engineering plants that accumulate high levels of BCAAs by simply over‐expressing the respective biosynthetic genes. To identify components critical for this feedback regulation, we performed a genetic screen for Arabidopsis mutants that exhibit enhanced resistance to BCAAs. Multiple dominant allelic mutations in the VALINE‐TOLERANT 1 (VAT1) gene were identified that conferred plant resistance to valine inhibition. Map‐based cloning revealed that VAT1 encodes a regulatory subunit of acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS), the first committed enzyme in the BCAA biosynthesis pathway. The VAT1 gene is highly expressed in young, rapidly growing tissues. When reconstituted with the catalytic subunit in vitro, the vat1 mutant‐containing AHAS holoenzyme exhibits increased resistance to valine. Importantly, transgenic plants expressing the mutated vat1 gene exhibit valine tolerance and accumulate higher levels of BCAAs. Our studies not only uncovered regulatory characteristics of plant AHAS, but also identified a method to enhance BCAA accumulation in crop plants that will significantly enhance the nutritional value of food and feed.
A multicentre placebo‐controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of oral ciclosporin A in the treatment of canine idiopathic sebaceous adenitis in comparison with conventional topical treatment
Authors: Lortz Jutta , Favrot Claude , Mecklenburg Lars , Nett Claudia , Rüfenacht Silvia , Seewald Wolfgang , Linek Monika
Published: May 2010

Canine idiopathic sebaceous adenitis (ISA) is an inflammatory reaction of sebaceous glands, potentially resulting in their complete loss. It is considered a T‐cell‐mediated disease, but its precise pathogenesis is still unknown. Topical treatment with oil soaks, humectants and shampoos is effective but laborious. Ciclosporin A (CsA), an immunomodulatory drug, has recently been shown to ameliorate the clinical picture of ISA and to reduce inflammation greatly. It is, however, an expensive treatment option. The objective of this multicentre, partly double‐blinded, randomized controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of ciclosporin A, either alone or with topical therapy, in comparison to conventional topical treatment alone, as measured by the primary end‐points alopecia and scaling, and multiple histopathological secondary objectives. Thirty‐four dogs with an established diagnosis were treated for 4–6 months and were evaluated before, during and after therapy. Both CsA and topical therapy demonstrated efficacy in this study. Differences between the treatment protocols were marginal. Topical treatment, both alone and in combination with CsA, appeared to reduce scaling more effectively than CsA alone. Both therapies reduced alopecia. There is evidence of a synergistic benefit on both scaling and alopecia, if both treatment options are combined. Inflammation of the sebaceous glands is also best reduced by a combination of both CsA and topical therapy. There is evidence that regeneration of sebaceous glands is best achieved by CsA, either given alone or in combination with topical treatment.
Patient participation as dialogue: setting research agendas
Authors: Abma Tineke A. , Broerse Jacqueline E. W.
Published: May 2010

Background  Collaboration with patients in healthcare and medical research is an emerging development. We aimed to develop a methodology for health research agenda setting processes grounded in the notion of participation as dialogue.

Methods  We conducted seven case studies between 2003 and 2007 to develop and validate a Dialogue Model for patient participation in health research agenda setting. The case studies related to spinal cord injury, neuromuscular diseases, renal failure, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, burns, diabetes and intellectual disabilities.

Results  The Dialogue Model is grounded in participatory and interactive approaches and has been adjusted on the basis of pilot work. It has six phases: exploration; consultation; prioritization; integration; programming; and implementation. These phases are discussed and illustrated with a case description of research agenda setting relating to burns.

Conclusions  The dialogue model appeared relevant and feasible to structure the process of collaboration between stakeholders in several research agenda setting processes. The phase of consultation enables patients to develop their own voice and agenda, and prepares them for the broader collaboration with other stakeholder groups. Challenges include the stimulation of more permanent changes in research, and institutional transitions.
Induced hypothermia in comatose survivors of asphyxia: a case series of 14 consecutive cases
Authors: BALDURSDOTTIR S. , SIGVALDASON K. , KARASON S. , VALSSON F. , SIGURDSSON G. H.
Published: May 2010

Background: Induced hypothermia is widely used for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. Other causes of hypoxic brain injury carry a poor prognosis when treated using traditional methods. At our hospital, hypothermia has also been used for the management of all comatose survivors of asphyxiation. The aim of the present study was to report the results of the management of these patients.

Methods: Hospital charts of all patients admitted unconscious after asphyxiation during a 7‐year period were reviewed. This included patients after hanging, drowning, carbon monoxide intoxication and other gas intoxications. In all patients, hypothermia with a target temperature of 32–34 °C was induced with external or intravascular cooling for 24 h. The primary outcome was neurologic function at discharge.

Results: Fourteen male patients were treated with hypothermia, eight after hanging, three after drowning, two after carbon monoxide intoxication and one after methane intoxication. All were deeply comatose (Glasgow Coma Score 3–5) on arrival to hospital. Nine had been resuscitated from cardiac arrest. There were nine survivors (65%), all with good neurological recovery (Cerebral Performance Category 1–2). Four out of five non‐survivors showed cerebral edema already on arrival computed tomographic (CT) scan while none of the nine survivors did.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that an early abnormal CT scan of the brain in patients resuscitated after asphyxiation carries an adverse prognosis. The favorable outcome of the patients in the present study suggests that a randomized clinical trial on the use of induced hypothermia in patients exposed to severe asphyxia might be warranted.
Elevated Fetal Fibronectin in Midtrimester Amniotic Fluid Is Involved with the Onset of Preeclampsia
Authors: Sakura Mari , Nakabayashi Masao , Takeda Yoshihiko , Sato Kodo
Published: May 2010

Objective: To examine early midtrimester amniotic fluid for its significance in pregnancy outcomes, especially with connection to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Methods: A prospective, nested, case‐control study was conducted. Fetal fibronectin in early midtrimester (16—20 weeks gestation) amniotic fluid was measured by EIA method. Results were compared by their pregnancy outcomes.

Results: Amniotic fluid levels of fetal fibronectin were significantly higher in the group subsequently developing severe preeclampsia (106.8 ± 13.2 μg/m/, mean± SD, n = 12) compared with matched controls (66.7 ± 7.1 μg/ml, n = 12) (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: High levels of fetal fibronectin were found in the amniotic fluid of women subsequently developing severe preecalmpsia before any symptom appear. Involvement of extracellular injury or cellular hyperactivity in the midtrimester pla‐cental site with the onset of preeclampsia is suggested.
A Prospective Randomized Control Study to Compare the Effect of Serum and a Commercial Serum Substitute (Plasmanate) on the Outcome of Assisted Reproduction Program
Authors: Yeung William S. B. , Lau Estella Y. L. , Ng Victor K. H. , Cheung Tak‐Ming , So William W. K. , Ho Pak‐Chung
Published: May 2010

Objectives: To compare the effect of supplementation of serum and Plasmanate, a commercial serum substitute, to culture medium on the IVF outcome.

Methods: One hundred eighty‐nine subfertile couples were prospective randomized into the serum and the Plasmanate group during their IVF treatment. In vitro experiment was also performed to determine the fraction of Plasmanate that might affect embryo development.

Results: The pregnancy rate were similar in both groups. The fertilization rate, the number of gestational sacs and good quality spare embryos suitable for cryopreservation were higher in the serum group than the Plasmanate group. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Significantly more embryos in the former cleaved to more than 4 cells at the time of transfer than the latter (p < 0.05). Ultrafiltration study showed that this inhibitory effect resided in the low molecular weight fraction (< 30‐kD) of Plasmanate.

Conclusions: Serum is slightly better than Plasmanate as a protein supplement. However, Plasmanate may still be used for short term embryo culture in assisted reproduction.
Insulin‐like Growth Factors and Ovarian Physiology
Authors: Yoshimura Yasunori
Published: May 2010

Objective:To review the available information regarding the roles of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐IGF binding protein (IGFBP) system in ovarian physiology.

Design:Studies that specifically relate to the roles of ovarian folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation, and ovulation were identified through the literature and Medline searches.

Results:Numerous actions of the IGFs have been demonstrated in the ovary, including an enhancement of cell proliferation, aromatase activity, and progesterone biosynthesis. The ovarian IGF system, comprised of IGF‐I and IGF‐II peptides, IGFBPs and IGF receptors, plays a significant role in the process of follicular development. In addition, IGF‐I stimulates the meiotic maturation of follicle‐enclosed oocytesin vitrovia the IGF‐I receptors. IGFBP‐3 significantly inhibit gonado‐tropin‐induced ovulation and oocyte maturation by neutralizing endogenously produced IGF‐I. Thus, the intraovarian IGF‐IGFBP system play a significant role in the processes of follicular development, oocyte maturation, and ovulation.

Conclusion:IGF‐IGFBP systems have autocrine/paracrine regulatory actions in ovarian physiology. The disturbance of the IGF‐IGFBP system in human ovaries may lead to an ovulation, disorders of androgen excess, and infertility.
Negotiations of distress between East Timorese and Vietnamese refugees and their family doctors in Melbourne
Authors: Kokanovic Renata , May Carl , Dowrick Christopher , Furler John , Newton Danielle , Gunn Jane
Published: May 2010

Recent critiques of depression have contested its coherence as a concept and highlighted its performance in medicalising distress. Studies of depression in a cross‐cultural context have focused on language and belief systems as technical barriers to practice that need to be overcome in enacting depression work. This paper seeks to locate culture within the broader socio‐structural context of depression care in general practice. The paper draws on interviews with five general practitioners (GPs), and 24 patients from Vietnamese and East Timorese backgrounds who predominantly have left their home as refugees. Each had been diagnosed with depression or prescribed antidepressants. These patients gave accounts of distress deeply embedded within, and inseparable from, lives fraught with frightening pre‐migration experiences, traumatic escape and profound dislocation and alienation in their new ‘home’. Fragmented lives were contrasted with the nourishing social fabric of homes left behind. GP participants were involved in a process of engaging with a profoundly communal and structural account of emotional distress while defending and drawing on an individualised notion of depression in performing their work and accounting for the pain presented to them.
Balancing the good – a critical discourse analysis of home modification services
Authors: Johansson Karin , Lilja Margareta , Park Melissa , Josephsson Staffan
Published: May 2010

Today an increasing number of people with functional limitations are ageing in their homes. Although the home has become an arena for assessment and implementation of services, little is known about how the interrelationships between ideological and practical circumstances influence the allocation of such welfare services. This explorative study applied a combination of critical discourse analysis and a narrative approach to closely examine such relationships in home modification services to older persons in Sweden. Data consisted of focus group discussions with street‐level bureaucrats from two institutional contexts in the organisational field of home modification services and official documents related to such services. Findings showed that the attempts of street‐level bureaucrats to allocate resources in accordance with the good were complicated by competing local definitions of ‘the good’. The process of forming local perceptions of the good included complex balancing acts between hegemonic discourses within the organisational field which influenced and shaped how ‘the good’ was practised. Understanding the moral dimensions that enter into the complexity of allocation of home modification services across institutional settings has implications for the policies of and practices for the allocation of welfare resources.
On remedicalisation: male circumcision in the United States and Great Britain
Authors: Carpenter Laura M.
Published: May 2010

This paper compares the histories of male circumcision in the United States and Great Britain to explicate the theoretically important, yet inadequately specified, processes of demedicalisation and remedicalisation. Circumcision became medicalised to a similar extent, through similar processes, in both countries before World War II. However, by the 1960s, circumcision was almost completely demedicalised in Britain and almost universal in the US, where it became partially demedicalised after the 1970s. Medical professionals and insurance/healthcare systems drove demedicalisation in both countries; in the US, grassroots activists also played a critical role, while medical community ‘holdovers’ and parents resisted demedicalisation. Recent research linking circumcision to HIV prevention and deaths following religious circumcision are differentially likely to produce remedicalisation in the two nations, given differences in circumcision prevalence, HIV epidemiology, insurance/health systems, activism opportunities, and status of religious groups. Research on (de/re)medicalisation should theorise the life cycle of medicalisation, explore comparative cases, and attend more closely to medical holdovers from previous eras, prevalence and duration of medicalised practices, and barriers to promoting non‐medical interpretations.
Negotiating the contested terrain of narrative methods in illness contexts
Authors: Thomas Carol
Published: May 2010

This paper offers an interpretive account of an ongoing transatlantic debate about illness narratives instigated by the publication in 1997 of Paul Atkinson’s paperNarrative Turn Or Blind Alley?The claims and counter‐claims to be found in this debate about narrative data and narrative analysis are set out sequentially, in an attempt to grasp the debate’s essentials. Matters of theoretical perspective, methodology, ethics, and personal politics are found to be at stake in the writings of the four featured academics: Paul Atkinson, Arthur Bochner, Arthur Frank and Elliot Mishler. The paper moves on to consider the types of sociologies at work in their arguments, and explores the debate’s implications for the author’s own illness narratives research project. The paper’s overall aim is to assist researchers who seek to clarify their own thinking on the use of narrative research methods in illness contexts.
Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods
Authors: Andrieu Christophe , Doucet Arnaud , Holenstein Roman
Published: May 2010

Markov chain Monte Carlo and sequential Monte Carlo methods have emerged as the two main tools to sample from high dimensional probability distributions. Although asymptotic convergence of Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms is ensured under weak assumptions, the performance of these algorithms is unreliable when the proposal distributions that are used to explore the space are poorly chosen and/or if highly correlated variables are updated independently. We show here how it is possible to build efficient high dimensional proposal distributions by using sequential Monte Carlo methods. This allows us not only to improve over standard Markov chain Monte Carlo schemes but also to make Bayesian inference feasible for a large class of statistical models where this was not previously so. We demonstrate these algorithms on a non-linear state space model and a Lévy-driven stochastic volatility model.
A Self-Normalized Approach to Confidence Interval Construction in Time Series
Authors: Shao Xiaofeng
Published: May 2010

We propose a new method to construct confidence intervals for quantities that are associated with a stationary time series, which avoids direct estimation of the asymptotic variances. Unlike the existing tuning-parameter-dependent approaches, our method has the attractive convenience of being free of any user-chosen number or smoothing parameter. The interval is constructed on the basis of an asymptotically distribution-free self-normalized statistic, in which the normalizing matrix is computed by using recursive estimates. Under mild conditions, we establish the theoretical validity of our method for a broad class of statistics that are functionals of the empirical distribution of fixed or growing dimension. From a practical point of view, our method is conceptually simple, easy to implement and can be readily used by the practitioner. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to compare the finite sample performance of the new method with those delivered by the normal approximation and the block bootstrap approach.
Sufficient Dimension Reduction for Spatial point Processes Directed by Gaussian Random Fields
Authors: Guan Yongtao , Wang Hansheng
Published: May 2010

We develop a sufficient dimension reduction paradigm for inhomogeneous spatial point processes driven by Gaussian random fields. Specifically, we introduce the notion of the kth-order central intensity subspace. We show that a central subspace can be defined as the combination of all central intensity subspaces. For many commonly used spatial point process models, we find that the central subspace is equivalent to the first-order central intensity subspace. To estimate the latter, we propose a flexible framework under which most existing benchmark inverse regression methods can be extended to the spatial point process setting. We develop novel graphical and formal testing methods to determine the structural dimension of the central subspace. These methods are extremely versatile in that they do not require any specific model assumption on the correlation structures of the covariates and the spatial point process. To illustrate the practical use of the methods proposed, we apply them to both simulated data and two real examples.
On Selection of Spatial Linear Models for Lattice Data
Authors: Zhu Jun , Huang Hsin-Cheng , Reyes Perla E.
Published: May 2010

Spatial linear models are popular for the analysis of data on a spatial lattice, but statistical techniques for selection of covariates and a neighbourhood structure are limited. Here we develop new methodology for simultaneous model selection and parameter estimation via penalized maximum likelihood under a spatial adaptive lasso. A computationally efficient algorithm is devised for obtaining approximate penalized maximum likelihood estimates. Asymptotic properties of penalized maximum likelihood estimates and their approximations are established. A simulation study shows that the method proposed has sound finite sample properties and, for illustration, we analyse an ecological data set in western Canada.
Pollinator‐mediated selection on floral display, spur length and flowering phenology in the deceptive orchid Dactylorhiza lapponica
Authors: Sletvold Nina , Grindeland John M. , Ågren Jon
Published: May 2010

Featured paper: See Commentary p303
Epigenetic differentiation and relationship to adaptive genetic divergence in discrete populations of the violet Viola cazorlensis
Authors: Herrera Carlos M. , Bazaga Pilar
Published: May 2010

Commentary p562
Dual roles for the variable domain in protein trafficking and host‐specific recognition of Heterodera glycines CLE effector proteins
Authors: Wang Jianying , Lee Chris , Replogle Amy , Joshi Sneha , Korkin Dmitry , Hussey Richard , Baum Thomas J. , Davis Eric L. , Wang Xiaohong , Mitchum Melissa G.
Published: May 2010

Featured paper: See Editorial p877
Trust and Terrorism: Citizen Responses to Anti‐Terrorism Performance History
Authors: Johnson Branden B.
Published: May 2010

The “intuitive detection theorists” model of trust posits greater trust for correctly distinguishing danger from safety and an activist response under uncertainty about danger. An American sample evaluated U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) performance after two possible terrorism events in which DHS has the same activist or nonactivist response bias. Outcomes were two successes (bombing prevented or lack of threat accurately foretold), two failures (bombing or DHS action against high school prank leads to student deaths), or a mix. Hindsight empathy (a belief one would have made the same decision) differed across treatments but trust less so; contrary to a similar one‐event experiment in Germany, an active but incorrect response did not raise trust relative to passive incorrect action. Political conservatives were much more trusting and empathetic than liberals, and all ideological groups (including moderates) exhibited little internal variation reflecting experimental conditions. Consistently accurate outcomes rated significantly higher in empathy than either inconsistent results or consistent inaccuracy (the lowest rated); trust exhibited no significant differences. Results in this study show actual (experimentally manipulated) performance being trumped by the interpretive screen of political ideology, but this seemed less the case in the earlier German study, despite its finding of a strong moderating effect of right‐wing authoritarianism. Trust scholars need to attend more to effects of performance history (i.e., a sequence of events) and their limiting factors. More systematic testing of effects of ideology and performance history would enhance future research on trust.
Who by Accident? The Social Morphology of Car Accidents
Authors: Factor Roni , Yair Gad , Mahalel David
Published: May 2010

Prior studies in the sociology of accidents have shown that different social groups have different rates of accident involvement. This study extends those studies by implementing Bourdieu's relational perspective of social space to systematically explore the homology between drivers’ social characteristics and their involvement in specific types of motor vehicle accident. Using a large database that merges official Israeli road‐accident records with socioeconomic data from two censuses, this research maps the social order of road accidents through multiple correspondence analysis. Extending prior studies, the results show that different social groups indeed tend to be involved in motor vehicle accidents of different types and severity. For example, we find that drivers from low socioeconomic backgrounds are overinvolved in severe accidents with fatal outcomes. The new findings reported here shed light on the social regularity of road accidents and expose new facets in the social organization of death.
Maternal Distress and Parenting in the Context of Cumulative Disadvantage
Authors: ARDITTI JOYCE , BURTON LINDA , NEEVES‐BOTELHO SARA
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

This article presents an emergent conceptual model of the features and links between cumulative disadvantage, maternal distress, and parenting practices in low‐income families in which parental incarceration has occurred. The model emerged from the integration of extant conceptual and empirical research with grounded theory analysis of longitudinal ethnographic data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three‐City Study. Fourteen exemplar family cases were used in the analysis. Results indicated that mothers in these families experienced life in the context of cumulative disadvantage, reporting a cascade of difficulties characterized by neighborhood worries, provider concerns, bureaucratic difficulties, violent intimate relationships, and the inability to meet children's needs. Mothers, however, also had an intense desire to protect their children, and to make up for past mistakes. Although, in response to high levels of maternal distress and disadvantage, most mothers exhibited harsh discipline of their children, some mothers transformed their distress by advocating for their children under difficult circumstances. Women's use of harsh discipline and advocacy was not necessarily an “either/or” phenomenon as half of the mothers included in our analysis exhibited both harsh discipline and care/advocacy behaviors. Maternal distress characterized by substance use, while connected to harsh disciplinary behavior, did not preclude mothers engaging in positive parenting behaviors.
Mother–Grandmother Coparenting Relationships in Families with Incarcerated Mothers: A Pilot Investigation
Authors: BAKER JASON , McHALE JAMES , STROZIER ANNE , CECIL DAWN
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

Using new methods designed to assess coparenting between incarcerated mothers of preschool‐aged children and the maternal grandmothers caring for the children during their absence, we examined relationships between coparenting quality during the mother's jail stay and both concurrent child behavior problems and later coparenting interactions following mothers' release and community reentry. Forty mother–grandmother dyads participated in joint coparenting discussions during the incarceration, with a smaller subset completing a parallel activity at home 1 month postrelease. Both women also participated in individual coparenting interviews during the incarceration, and reported on child behavior problems. Mother–grandmother coparenting interactions exhibited an overall structure similar to that documented in nuclear families, with population‐specific dynamics also evident. The observational system demonstrated good interrater and internal reliability, and showed associations with maternal (but not grandmother) reports and descriptions of the coparenting relationship via interview. Greater coparenting relationship quality during incarceration was associated with fewer concurrent child externalizing behavior problems, and predicted more positive coparenting interactions postrelease. Findings suggest that the coparenting assessments were useful for understanding mother–grandmother coparenting relationships in these families and that importantly, these relationships were tied to children's functioning. Avenues for future research and considerations for intervention efforts are discussed.
Toward a Better Understanding of Psychological Well‐Being in Dementia Caregivers: The Link Between Marital Communication and Depression
Authors: BRAUN MELANIE , MURA KATHARINA , PETER‐WIGHT MELANIE , HORNUNG RAINER , SCHOLZ URTE
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

Dementia research has frequently documented high rates of caregiver depression and distress in spouses providing care for a partner suffering from dementia. However, the role of marital communication in understanding caregiver distress has not been examined sufficiently. Studies with healthy couples demonstrated an association between marital communication and the partners' psychological well‐being, depressiveness, respectively (e.g., Heene, Buysee, & Van Oost, 2005). The current study investigates the relationship between caregiver depression and communication in 37 couples in which the wives care for their partners with dementia. Nonsequential and sequential analyses revealed significant correlations between caregiver depression and marital communication quality. Caregivers whose husbands used more positive communication reported less depression and distress. Additionally, caregiver depression was negatively correlated with rates of positive reciprocal communication indicating dependence between the couples' interaction patterns. This study is one of the first to illustrate the relevance of spousal communication in understanding caregiver distress and depression.
Structural Ecosystems Therapy for HIV+ African‐American Women and Drug Abuse Relapse
Authors: FEASTER DANIEL J. , BURNS MYRON J. , BRINCKS AHNALEE M. , PRADO GUILLERMO , MITRANI VICTORIA B. , MAUER MEGALY H. , SZAPOCZNIK JOSE
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

This report examines the effect of Structural Ecosystems Therapy (SET) for (n=143) HIV+ African‐American women on rate of relapse to substance use relative to both a person‐centered approach (PCA) to therapy and a community control (CC) group. A prior report has shown SET to decrease psychological distress and family hassles relative to these 2 comparison groups. In new analyses, SET and CC had a significant protective effect against relapse as compared with PCA. There is evidence that SET's protective effect on relapse was related to reductions in family hassles, whereas there was not a direct impact of change in psychological distress on rates of relapse. Lower retention in PCA, perhaps caused by the lack of a directive component to PCA, may have put these women at greater risk for relapse. Whereas SET did not specifically address substance abuse, SET indirectly protected at‐risk women from relapse through reductions in family hassles.
A Dyadic Analysis of the Between‐ and Within‐System Alliances on Distress
Authors: ANDERSON SHAYNE R. , JOHNSON LEE N.
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

This study examines the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and distress using the couple rather than the individual as the unit of analysis. One hundred and seventy‐three couples receiving treatment for relational distress at two university clinics participated in this study. The actor–partner interdependence model was used to analyze the relationship of each partner's between‐ and within‐system alliance scores and distress at session four. Results provide support for actor effects on relational distress for both male and female partners and for actor effects on psychological distress for female partners. Limited support was found for partner effects on distress. Furthermore, results indicate that the alliance between partners is a stronger predictor of improvement in early sessions in comparison with the alliance between the individual and the therapist.
Family Microtransitions: Observing the Process of Change in Families with Adolescent Children
Authors: MOLINARI LUISA , EVERRI MARINA , FRUGGERI LAURA
Published: May 2010

To read this article in Spanish, please see this article's Supporting Information on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp). To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

The aim of the study is to explore the process of microtransitions in families with adolescent children. Original methodological procedures were designed in order to have families as the objects of study and to analyze data with particular attention to the family process of change. A family interview focused on the adolescent and family change was conducted with 12 families having an adolescent child. As indicators of change, we used coordination and oscillation. Our results highlight different patterns of family interactions, illustrating various ways through which families deal with change. Conclusive remarks focus on the theoretical relevance of the study, the method and the implications for family practice and policy.
Beyond the “Birds and the Bees”: Gender Differences in Sex‐Related Communication Among Urban African‐American Adolescents
Authors: KAPUNGU CHISINA TSVAKAYI , BAPTISTE DONNA , HOLMBECK GRAYSON , MCBRIDE CAMI , ROBINSON‐BROWN MELISSA , STURDIVANT ALLYSE , CROWN LAUREL , PAIKOFF ROBERTA
Published: May 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

The current study examined gender differences in communication about sex‐related topics in a community sample of urban, African‐American mothers and adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods with high HIV rates. One hundred and sixty‐two mother–adolescent dyads completed self‐report measures of sex‐related communication. Youth also reported on their sexual risk. We identified the range of sexual‐based topics that adolescents discussed with their mothers, fathers, friends, and at school. The relationship between the frequency of sexual communication and sexual risk was examined. We also investigated congruency between adolescent and mother report about whether sexual‐based discussions occurred. Consistent with prior research, girls talked to their mothers, fathers, friends, and at school about sex‐related topics more than boys. Findings indicated that mothers not only communicated more frequently about sexual issues with their daughters than sons but that parental messages for girls were more protective. Greater sexual communication with mother was significantly associated with decreased HIV risk in the past 90 days and increased protection from HIV. Inconsistencies between mother and adolescent reports about sexual communication were marginally associated with decreased protection from HIV. Findings reveal the protective effect of sexual communication and the general lack of congruence between mother and adolescent reports of sexual communication.
The STTI Practice‐Academe Innovative Collaboration Award: Honoring Innovation, Partnership, and Excellence
Authors: Kirschling Jane Marie , Erickson Jeanette Ives
Published: May 2010

Purpose: To describe the benefits and barriers associated with practice‐academe partnerships and introduce Sigma Theta Tau International's (STTI's) Practice‐Academe Innovative Collaboration Award and the 2009 award recipients.

Design and Methods: In 2008, STTI created the CNO‐Dean Advisory Council and charged it with reviewing the state of practice‐academe collaborations and developing strategies for optimizing how chief nursing officers (CNOs) and deans work together to advance the profession and discipline of nursing. The Council, in turn, developed the Practice‐Academe Innovative Collaboration Award to encourage collaboration across sectors, recognize innovative collaborative efforts, and spotlight best practices. A call for award submissions resulted in 24 applications from around the globe.

Findings: An award winner and seven initiatives receiving honorable mentions were selected. The winning initiatives reflect innovative academe‐service partnerships that advance evidence‐based practice, nursing education, nursing research, and patient care. The proposals were distinguished by their collaborators’ shared vision and unity of purpose, ability to leverage strengths and resources, and willingness to recognize opportunities and take risks.

Conclusions: By partnering with one another, nurses in academe and in service settings can directly impact nursing education and practice, often effecting changes and achieving outcomes that are more extensive and powerful than could be achieved by working alone.

Clinical Relevance: The award‐winning initiatives represent best practices for bridging the practice‐academe divide and can serve as guides for nurse leaders in both settings.
Coexistence of A‐ and B‐Site Vacancy Compensation in La‐Doped Sr1−xBaxTiO3
Authors: Wang Lin , Sakka Yoshio , Shao Yang , Botton Gianluigi A. , Kolodiazhnyi Taras
Published: May 2010

BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 perovskites of the A2+B4+O3 type form complete solid solution, Sr1−x BaxTiO3, which can accommodate a substantial amount of donor dopants, for example, La. At high oxygen partial pressure, La dopants in SrTiO3 are compensated by A‐site vacancies, whereas in BaTiO3 they are compensated by B‐site vacancies. Therefore, donor compensation in the Sr1−xBaxTiO3 solid solution should demonstrate a crossover from the A‐site vacancies at x=0 to the B‐site vacancies at x=1. One may expect, therefore, that at some critical concentration, xc, the free energy of the Sr1−xBaxTiO3 system can become invariant to the vacancy compensation regime. In other words, the system will adopt either A‐ or B‐site vacancies depending on the target chemical composition. Based on the Rietveld refinement of X‐ray diffraction patterns and their phase composition analysis as well as scanning electron microscopic and transmission electron microscopic data, we demonstrate that the 28% La‐doped Sr1−xBaxTiO3 system equilibrated at 1400°C indeed becomes invariant to the vacancy‐type compensation at xc≈0.25 and can accommodate A‐ and B‐site vacancies at any given ratio. Finally, we propose a microscopic model based on the off‐center Ti displacement and the partial covalency of Ti–O bond to explain the distinct difference in the vacancy compensation mechanisms in BaTiO3 and SrTiO3. These findings are important for a further understanding of the thermodynamics of the intrinsic point defects in perovskites as well as for the improvement of electrical performance of the solid oxide fuel cells, ferroelectric, and voltage‐tunable ceramics.
Dielectrical and Magnetic Properties of CoFe2O4–BaTiO3Composite Films Prepared by a Combined Method of Sol–Gel and Electrophoretic Deposition
Authors: Zhang Ling , Zhai Jiwei , Mo Weifeng , Yao Xi
Published: May 2010

CoFe2O4–BaTiO3 composite thick films were prepared using a combined method of sol–gel and electrophoretic deposition. Phase compositions and microstructures of the films were examined using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic techniques, respectively. The XRD results indicated that the films consisted of both spinel CoFe2O4 and BaTiO3 perovskite phase. The leakage current density of the films is in the order of about 10−8 A/cm2 at zero electric field. Polarization– electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops and magnetization–magnetic field hysteresis loops of the thick films were investigated. At room temperature, the composite thick films show good ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties.
Facile Preparation of Hierarchically Porous TiO2 Monoliths
Authors: Hasegawa George , Kanamori Kazuyoshi , Nakanishi Kazuki , Hanada Teiichi
Published: May 2010

Monolithic titania (TiO2) with multiscale porous structures have been successfully prepared via the sol–gel route accompanied by phase separation utilizing a chelating agent and mineral salt. The TiO2 gels obtained possess well‐defined macropores derived from spinodal decomposition and mesopores as interstices of anatase TiO2 nanocrystallites. Most of the chelating agent were removed by hydrolysis and subsequent decarbonation through the gradual solvent exchange from ethanol to water. The TiO2 particles comprising TiO2 gel skeletons spontaneously converted from amorphous to anatase through the solvent exchange process in a mild condition at 60°C. The present method of the fabrication of porous TiO2 monoliths is advantageous for widespread applications because the reaction occurs under an almost neutral condition and does not require a hydrothermal process, which was indispensable to strengthen the monolith in the method previously reported.
Failure Mechanism of a Low‐Temperature‐Cofired Ceramic Capacitor with an Inner Ag Electrode
Authors: Shih Yi‐Ting , Jean Jau‐Ho , Lin Shih‐Chang
Published: May 2010

Failure mechanism of a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) made of a low‐fire BaNd2Ti4O12(BNT)+ZnO–B2O3 (ZB) dielectric with an inner pure silver electrode at elevated temperatures and voltages has been investigated. A nonlinear current–voltage leakage characteristic is found when the degradation of MLCC occurs, and the time to failure decreases with increasing either the temperature or the voltage. Results of microstructure, composition, and impedance analyses reveal that the failure is caused by silver diffusion in the ZB glass during sintering and highly accelerated life test.
Effect of Milling on the Formation of Nanocrystalline χ‐Al2O3 from Gibbsite
Authors: Chaitree Wasu , Jiemsirilers Sirithan , Mekasuwandumrong Okorn , Praserthdam Piyasan , Charinpanitkul Tawatchai , Panpranot Joongjai
Published: May 2010

Gibbsite (FG) with mean particle diameter (d50=13 μm) was milled in an attrition mill for 12 and 24 h using alumina balls as grinding media and calcined at different temperatures in the range of 350°–600°C. The properties of the alumina obtained were determined by X‐ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, thermogravimetric/differential thermal analyses, and transmission electron microscopy. Without milling, the alumina obtained normally contained the mixed phases between γ‐ and χ‐phase alumina. On the other hand, high purity of nanocrystalline χ‐phase alumina (100 wt%) can be produced by calcination of the 24‐h milled FG at 600°C. The isothermal kinetics measurements revealed that the rate constant (k) for phase transformation increased as the particle size of gibbsite decreased and the calculated activation energy for transformation from FG to alumina decreased from 20.6 to 14.7 and 6.8 kJ/mol after milling for 12 and 24 h, respectively. The physical properties of nanocrystalline χ‐alumina obtained by the calcination of milled FG were comparable to those produced by the solvothermal method. The present results offer a simple way to prepare a large amount of pure χ‐phase alumina for particular industrial applications.
Preparation and Sintering Behavior of the Tin‐Doped Indium Oxide Nanopowders
Authors: Zhu Guisheng , Yang Zupei , Zhi Li , Yang Huijuan , Xu Huarui , Yu Aibing
Published: May 2010

Tin‐doped indium oxide (ITO) nanopowders with 90±3 and 40±3 nm particle size were prepared by the urea‐based hydrothermal under a low‐pressure method. The sintering behavior of the as‐prepared ITO powder was studied at temperature from 1200° to 1500°C. The sintered ITO targets with large dimensions of 500 mm × 300 mm × 6 mm made from the as‐prepared 90 and 40 nm powders with w90 nm:w40 nm=70:30 had high density (99.7% of the theoretical density) and low specific electrical resistivity (120 μΩ·cm). The as‐prepared powders were favorable to commercial fabrication of the high‐density ITO targets.