bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of Inhibition of Tubuloglomerular Feedback by CO and cGMP
Authors: Ren YiLin , D’Ambrosio Martin A. , Garvin Jeffrey L. , Wang Hong , Carretero Oscar A.
Published: May 2013

Tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) is a mechanism that senses NaCl in the macula densa (MD) and causes constriction of the afferent arteriole. CO, either endogenous or exogenous, inhibits TGF at least in part via cGMP. We hypothesize that CO in the MD, acting via both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms, attenuates TGF by acting downstream from depolarization and calcium entry into the MD cells. In vitro, microdissected rabbit afferent arterioles and their MD were simultaneously perfused and TGF was measured as the decrease in afferent arteriole diameter. MD depolarization was induced with ionophores, while adding the CO-releasing molecule-3 to the MD perfusate at nontoxic concentrations. CO-releasing molecule-3 blunted depolarization-induced TGF at 50 μmol/L, from 3.6±0.4 to 2.5±0.4 µm (
P
<0.01), and abolished it at 100 μmol/L, to 0.1±0.1 μm (
P
<0.001; n=6). When cGMP generation was blocked by guanylyl cyclase inhibitor LY83583 added to the MD, CO-releasing molecule-3 no longer affected depolarization-induced TGF at 50 μmol/L (2.9±0.4 versus 3.0±0.4 µm) but partially inhibited TGF at 100 μmol/L (to 1.3±0.2 μm;
P
<0.05; n=9). Experiments using eicosatetraynoic acid and indomethacin suggest arachidonic acid metabolites do not mediate the cGMP-independent effect of CO. We then added the calcium ionophore A23187 to the MD, which caused TGF (4.1±0.6 μmol/L); A23187-induced TGF was inhibited by CO-releasing molecule-3 at 50 μmol/L (1.9±0.6 μmol/L;
P
<0.01) and 100 μmol/L (0.2±0.5 μmol/L;
P
<0.001; n=6). We conclude that CO inhibits TGF acting downstream from depolarization and calcium entry, acting via cGMP at low concentrations, but additional mechanisms of action may be involved at higher concentrations.
Allele-Specific Expression of Angiotensinogen in Human Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue
Authors: Park Sungmi , Lu Ko-Ting , Liu Xuebo , Chatterjee Tapan K. , Rudich Steven M. , Weintraub Neal L. , Kwitek Anne E. , Sigmund Curt D.
Published: May 2013

The angiotensinogen gene is genetically linked with hypertension, but the mechanistic basis for association of sequence variants in the promoter and coding region of the gene remains unclear. An E-box at position −20 has been hypothesized to control the level of angiotensinogen expression, but its mechanistic importance for angiotensinogen expression in human tissues is uncertain. We developed an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction–based assay to distinguish between angiotensinogen mRNA derived from variants at the −20 position (rs5050) in the angiotensinogen promoter in adipose tissues obtained during surgery. The assay takes advantage of linkage disequilibrium between the rs5050 (located in the promoter) and rs4762 (located in the coding region) single nucleotide polymorphisms. This strategy allowed us to assess the level of allele-specific expression in A-20C heterozygous subjects comparing the relative proportion of each allele with the total, thus eliminating the problem of variability in the level of total angiotensinogen mRNA among subjects. We show that angiotensinogen mRNA derived from the −20C allele is expressed significantly higher than that derived from the −20A allele in subcutaneous adipose tissue, and increased expression correlates with enriched chromatin binding of upstream stimulatory factor-2 to the −20C E-box compared with −20A. This may be depot selective because we were unable to detect these differences in omental adipose. This provides the first data directly comparing expression of angiotensinogen mRNA and differential transcription factor binding derived from 2 variant alleles in human tissue where the ratio of expression of one allele to another can be accurately determined
The Ecology of Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Social Inequalities in Health
Authors: Trickett Edison J. , Beehler Sarah
Published: May 2013

Health inequities persist and, in some cases, are increasing. Multilevel interventions involve efforts to change aspects of social contexts related to the creation and maintenance of health inequities among varied groups. Momentum for conducting multilevel interventions to achieve health equity is found across professional fields as well as scientific and funding organizations. This article discusses the rationale for multilevel interventions, briefly reviews their evolution over time with respect to health inequities, and provides an ecological “way of thinking” about some of the conceptual and pragmatic challenges they raise for social science. This perspective frames community interventions as multilevel, ecologically based, collaboratively conducted, culturally situated, and designed to increase community capacity. Implications of this perspective are drawn for the development, implementation, and evaluation of multilevel interventions.
Spatial Polygamy and Contextual Exposures (SPACEs)
Authors: Matthews Stephen A. , Yang Tse-Chuan
Published: May 2013

Exposure science has developed rapidly and there is an increasing call for greater precision in the measurement of individual exposures across space and time. Social science interest in an individual’s environmental exposure, broadly conceived, has arguably been quite limited conceptually and methodologically. Indeed, in social science, we appear to lag behind our exposure science colleagues in our theories, data, and methods. In this article, we discuss a framework based on the concept of spatial polygamy to demonstrate the need to collect new forms of data on human spatial behavior and contextual exposures across time and space. Adopting new data and methods will be essential if one wants to better understand social inequality in terms of exposure to health risks and access to health resources. We discuss the opportunities and challenges focusing on the potential seemingly offered by focusing on human mobility and, specifically, the utilization of activity space concepts and data. A goal of the article is to spatialize social and health science concepts and research practice vis-à-vis the complexity of exposure. The article concludes with some recommendations for future research, focusing on theoretical and conceptual development promoting research on new types of places and human movement, the dynamic nature of contexts, and training.
Policing community problems: Exploring the role of formal social control in shaping collective efficacy
Authors: Sargeant Elise , Wickes Rebecca , Mazerolle Lorraine
Published: May 2013

Research finds police-led crime control interventions focusing on places and involving partnerships tend to yield positive crime control outcomes. Some scholars argue that these positive outcomes are achieved when police use place-based, partnership-oriented interventions to facilitate and encourage collective efficacy (CE), the corollary being that these CE-enhancing efforts lead to less crime. Nevertheless, differentiating the police activities that impact CE across different types of communities is not well understood. This paper examines the role of police in shaping CE in two contrasting communities. Using in-depth interviews with residents and key informants we find that police are most likely to enhance CE when they foster a sense of effectiveness, use inclusive and partnership-oriented strategies and when they implement strategies in a manner that encourages perceptions of police legitimacy. Moreover, if police can maintain or cultivate a sense of empowerment among community residents, they are more likely to foster CE. Yet the role of police in enhancing CE is different in different community types. We discuss the implications of these findings for policy and practice.
Testing the importance of forgiveness for reducing repeat offending
Authors: Murphy Kristina , Helmer Irene
Published: May 2013

Braithwaite’s (1989) Reintegrative Shaming Theory has gained worldwide popularity in criminology. The main focus of the theory is on shaming as a tool for reducing repeat offending. However, recent criticisms levelled at the theory have questioned the effectiveness and reliability of shaming for reducing re-offending, particularly in Western jurisdictions. Some scholars have suggested that the reintegrative notion of forgiveness may prove a more effective strategy for reducing repeat offending. In response to these suggestions, this study will examine whether forgiveness might offer an effective approach for reducing recidivism among tax offenders. Using survey data collected from tax offenders who had been caught and punished by the Australian Tax Office, it will be shown that stigmatizing shaming had no direct impact on their subsequent compliance-related behaviours. Instead, stigmatizing shaming served to displace taxpayers’ sense of responsibility for their wrong-doing. Forgiveness, in contrast, was found to play an important independent role in reducing taxpayers’ repeat offending, and for increasing their cooperation with the tax authority. These results have important implications for both the theory of reintegrative shaming and for public policy, particularly in relation to identifying strategies that effectively and reliably reduce repeat offending.
A retrospective of publications addressing suicidal behaviour in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1967–2012
Authors: Goldney Robert D
Published: May 2013

Objective:

To review publications addressing suicidal behaviour in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1967–2012.

Method:

A PubMed/MEDLINE search using the words suicide, attempted suicide (and their synonyms) and Aust NZ J Psychiatr was carried out, and an examination of all tables of contents of the journal for the years 1967–2012 was performed.

Results:

In 342 (7.4%) of 4599 articles there was reference to suicidal behaviour. This ratio was consistent over time, although the nature of their content changed from broader epidemiological and clinical review studies to more focused reports.

Conclusions:

Papers addressing suicidal behaviour have been published consistently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry since its inception in 1967. Early clinical reviews remain pertinent to the present time.
Discourses of ambition, gender and part-time work
Authors: Benschop Yvonne , van den Brink Marieke , Doorewaard Hans , Leenders Joke
Published: May 2013

The aim of this article is to unravel the gendered practices in ambition and challenge the hegemonic masculinity within it. Our findings are based on a qualitative study using focus groups in which Dutch men and women, full-timers and part-timers, constructed different meanings of ambition. The men and women in our study used three manifest discourses of ambition in the workplace, regarding individual development, mastery of the task, and upward career mobility. A critical analysis of these three discourses indicates how cultural and organizational norms on gender and working hours affect these constructions of ambition. We argue that a fourth discourse, ‘ambition as a resource’, is a major driving force of inequality. ‘Ambition as a resource’ is the dominant hegemonic discourse in organizations, and its power effects mitigate the impact of other discourses on ambition, revealing the potential for change when different discourses of ambition are valued.
Could We Huddle on This Project? Participant Learning in Newsroom Conversations
Authors: Quinn Ryan W. , Bunderson J. Stuart
Published: May 2013

Huddles—informal gatherings of two or more individuals, convened to discuss substantive issues regarding the work of one or more of the participants—are a form of social interaction that can play a critical role in the learning of organizational actors. We identify their defining properties and propose a multi-level framework for understanding the participant- and huddle-level factors that promote individual learning that is important to the work of the organization. We test our hypotheses using data obtained from huddles conducted in newspaper newsrooms using an experience sampling approach. Results confirm the importance of occupational tenure heterogeneity, perceived job relevance, attention to others’ emotions, and conversational reflexivity for participant learning in huddles. These results set the stage for understanding how the informal structure of an organization can be developed in ways that promote learning and adaptation.
Exploring the influence of the family upon firm performance: Does strategic behaviour matter?
Authors: Basco Rodrigo
Published: May 2013

This article critically analyses the fit between decision-making and strategy in the performance of family firms. Based on a configurative methodology, survey data were collected from privately owned firms. From analysis of this data, we conclude that the advantages and disadvantages of family participation within the business must acknowledge the strategic context utilised by the firm to compete in the marketplace. Family firms perform better if they follow a product/reputation differentiation strategy and balance their family and business-oriented decision-making, or if they follow a low-cost strategy and put the business first in their decision-making.
Degenerative Joint Disease of the Acromioclavicular Joint
Authors: Mall Nathan A. , Foley Emily , Chalmers Peter N. , Cole Brian J. , Romeo Anthony A. , Bach Bernard R.
Published: May 2013

Osteoarthritis of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint is a common condition causing anterior or superior shoulder pain, especially with overhead and cross-body activities. This most commonly occurs in middle-aged individuals because of degeneration to the fibrocartilaginous disk that cushions the articulations. Diagnosis relies on history, physical examination, imaging, and diagnostic local anesthetic injection. Diagnosis can be challenging given the lack of specificity with positive physical examination findings and the variable nature of AC joint pain. Of note, symptomatic AC osteoarthritis must be differentiated from instability and subtle instability, which may have similar symptoms. Although plain radiographs can reveal degeneration, diagnosis cannot be based on this alone because similar radiographic findings can be seen in asymptomatic individuals. Nonoperative therapy can provide symptomatic relief, whereas patients with persistent symptoms can be considered for resection arthroplasty by open or arthroscopic technique. Both techniques have proven to provide predictable pain relief; however, each has its own unique set of potential complications that may be minimized with an improved understanding of the anatomical and biomechanical characteristics of the joint along with meticulous surgical technique.
Evaluation of Epiphyses in the Skeletally Immature Knee Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Davis Derik L. , Chen Lina , Young Stephanie T.
Published: May 2013

Background:

Questions have been raised concerning the height of the tibial epiphysis as an important factor related to the safety of intra-articular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in skeletally immature knees. However, normal values for this parameter have yet to be established on cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Purpose:

To determine normal values for the height of the tibial epiphysis and width of the lateral femoral condylar epiphysis in children and adolescents by use of MRI.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

An electronic search was conducted for pediatric knee MRI examinations at the authors’ institution from August 2007 to July 2011. The height of the tibial epiphysis was determined on the sagittal T1-weighted image best containing the ACL footplate. Lateral femoral condylar width was recorded on coronal proton-density-weighted images. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine interobserver agreement. Knees were stratified by age into 2 groups based on potential risk of iatrogenic growth plate injury: Group 1 consisted of boys younger than 13 years (range, 7-12 years) and girls younger than 12 years (range, 10-11 years); group 2 consisted of boys between the ages of 13 and 16 years and girls between the ages of 12 and 14 years. Each cohort was further stratified by sex.

Results:

Group 1 consisted of 17 boys (mean age, 10.4 years) and 5 girls (mean age, 10.8 years), and group 2 contained 23 boys (mean age, 14.4 years) and 14 girls (mean age, 13.7 years). There was a total of 59 knees. No difference was found for average tibial epiphyseal height between group 1 (15.26 ± 1.25 mm) and group 2 (15.01 ± 2.14 mm). However, there was a statistically significant difference related to sex in each cohort: boys versus girls in group 1 (15.63 ± 1.15 mm vs 14.00 ± 0.62 mm, respectively; P = .007) and boys versus girls in group 2 (16.00 ± 1.88 mm vs 13.40 ± 1.47 mm, respectively; P = .0001). The average femoral condylar width for both cohorts was greater than 28 mm where femoral tunnel location would be expected. The ICC was strong (>0.7) at tibial and femoral locations where tunnel placement would be expected.

Conclusion:

The average height of the tibial epiphysis in both children and adolescents is 15 mm. Girls had shorter tibial epiphyses than boys, but further studies are necessary to determine whether this difference is clinically relevant. Lateral femoral condylar width in children and adolescents can be expected to be greater than 28 mm.
Validation of Scores From a New Measure of Preservice Teachers’ Self-efficacy to Teach Statistics in the Middle Grades
Authors: Harrell-Williams Leigh M. , Sorto M. Alejandra , Pierce Rebecca L. , Lesser Lawrence M. , Murphy Teri J.
Published: May 2013

The influential Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) expect students to start statistics learning during middle grades. Thus teacher education and professional development programs are advised to help preservice and in-service teachers increase their knowledge and confidence to teach statistics. Although existing self-efficacy instruments used in statistics education focus on students, the Self-Efficacy to Teach Statistics (SETS) instrument measures a teacher’s efficacy to teach key CCSSM statistical topics. Using the results from a sample of n = 309 participants enrolled in a mathematics education or introductory statistics course, SETS scores were validated for use with middle grades preservice teachers to differentiate levels of self-efficacy to teach statistics. Confirmatory factor analysis using the Multidimensional Random Coefficient Multinomial Logit Model supports the use of two dimensions, which exhibit adequate reliabilities and correspond to the first two levels of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education adopted by the American Statistical Association. Item and rating scale analyses indicate that the items and the six-category scale perform as intended. These indicators suggest that the SETS instrument may be appropriate for measuring preservice teacher levels of self-efficacy to teach statistics.
A Noisy-Channel Account of Crosslinguistic Word-Order Variation
Authors: Gibson Edward , Piantadosi Steven T. , Brink Kimberly , Bergen Leon , Lim Eunice , Saxe Rebecca
Published: May 2013

The distribution of word orders across languages is highly nonuniform, with subject-verb-object (SVO) and subject-object-verb (SOV) orders being prevalent. Recent work suggests that the SOV order may be the default in human language. Why, then, is SVO order so common? We hypothesize that SOV/SVO variation can be explained by language users’ sensitivity to the possibility of noise corrupting the linguistic signal. In particular, the noisy-channel hypothesis predicts a shift from the default SOV order to SVO order for semantically reversible events, for which potential ambiguity arises in SOV order because two plausible agents appear on the same side of the verb. We found support for this prediction in three languages (English, Japanese, and Korean) by using a gesture-production task, which reflects word-order preferences largely independent of native language. Other patterns of crosslinguistic variation (e.g., the prevalence of case marking in SOV languages and its relative absence in SVO languages) also straightforwardly follow from the noisy-channel hypothesis.
The party preferences of atypical workers in Germany
Authors: Marx Paul , Picot Georg
Published: May 2013

Are party preferences of atypical workers distinct from those in stable employment? The welfare state literature debates this question, but very few empirical studies have been conducted. We examine the German case, being an example of a welfare state with strong social insurance traditions where the rise of atypical employment has been conspicuous. In particular, we test the argument that preferences of labour market outsiders may not differ because outsiders share households with insiders. We find that labour market status significantly affects party preferences. Compared with standard employees, atypical workers have stronger preferences for small left-wing parties. Living together with a labour market insider neutralizes these party preferences, but this type of household is not very common. Moreover, atypical workers differ from the unemployed by not participating less in elections than insiders. Therefore, it is expedient to distinguish between different types of labour market outsiders.
The effect of macroeconomic and social conditions on the demand for redistribution: A pseudo panel approach
Authors: Jæger Mads Meier
Published: May 2013

This paper analyses the effect of macroeconomic and social conditions on the demand for redistribution. Using a synthetic cohort design to generate panel data at the level of socio-demographic groups, analysis of fives waves of data from the European Social Survey (2002–2010) shows that differences across countries in macroeconomic and social conditions have an effect on the demand for redistribution. Consistent with theoretical expectations, economic growth generates a lower demand for redistribution, while higher income inequality generates a higher demand. By contrast, differences across countries in unemployment levels and social expenditure are unrelated to the demand for redistribution. The analysis also suggests that empirical results depend to a considerable extent on the assumptions underlying different methodological approaches.
Time and poverty revisited: A replication of Leisering and Leibfried
Authors: Snel Erik , Reelick Fred , Groenenboom Nico
Published: May 2013

In the late 1990s, the German sociologists Leisering and Leibfried (1999) argued that most poverty is of a temporary nature. In their poverty study in the German city of Bremen, Leisering and Leibfried found that more than half of all social assistance claimants were out of poverty within a year. Based on their work, individualization theorists such as Giddens and Beck argue that ‘for most people poverty is only a temporary experience’. This article replicates Leisering and Leibfried’s study using statistical data about social assistance claiming in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In doing so we find significant numbers of short-term claimants (about 30 percent), as well as surprisingly large numbers of long-term claimants. One in four Rotterdam social assistance claimants is poor for at least 5 years – more than twice as many as Leisering and Leibfried found in their study. We also show that recurrent benefit spells, for Leisering and Leibfried another typical feature of contemporary poverty, is only the exception in Rotterdam. Leisering and Leibfried (and sociologists such as Giddens and Beck in their footsteps) are wrong in claiming that short poverty experiences are typical for poverty in late-modern society. Persistent poverty is still present in our age and in our cities.
Use of Methylphenidate for the Management of Fatigue in Chinese Patients With Cancer
Authors: Siu Steven W. K. , Law Martin , Liu Rico K. Y. , Wong K. H. , Soong Inda S. , Kwok Annie O. L. , Ng K. H. , Lam P. T. , Leung T. W.
Published: May 2013

Reason for the Study:

Studies on methylphenidate for cancer-related fatigue showed conflicting results. This prospective study aims to determine whether methylphenidate is useful for relieving fatigue in Chinese patients with cancer. Chinese Version of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C) was administered on days 1, 8, and 29. Methylphenidate dose on day 1 was 5 mg daily then adjusted after day 8 according to response and side effects tolerance.

Main Findings:

Only 48% of the 25 recruited patients were on methylphenidate by day 29. Overall, no significant improvement in fatigue level was observed after methylphenidate, though benefits were shown in subgroups with age ≤ 65 and higher baseline BFI-C values.

Principal Conclusions:

Methylphenidate may be useful for management of cancer-related fatigue in selected Chinese patients.
A microplane-based anisotropic damage effective stress
Authors: Yang Qiang , Leng Kuangdai
Published: May 2013

The Kachanov–Rabotnov damage effective stress is a fundamental concept in continuum damage mechanics. Controversies remain over the multiaxial generalization of the Kachanov–Rabotnov effective stress, especially when anisotropic damage effects occur. From a microplane point of view, we show that an anisotropic Kachanov–Rabotnov effective stress cannot simply be defined as a Cauchy-like stress tensor, namely a symmetric tensor of order two, but is essentially a vector-valued orientation distribution function. The practical effective stress tensor is identified by the second-order fabric tensor of the vector-valued Kachanov–Rabotnov stress orientation distribution function. The proposed model encompasses a wide range of classical models and thus clarifies the presuppositions of the models at a microplane level. We also prove the positive definiteness of the fourth-order damage effect tensor and provide a sufficient condition for its Voigt symmetry.
Damage mechanics of electromigration and thermomigration in lead-free solder alloys under alternating current: An experimental study
Authors: Yao Wei , Basaran Cemal
Published: May 2013

Electromigration and thermomigration reliability of Sn96.5%Ag3.0%Cu0.5 (SAC305 by weight) solder joints under alternating current is studied experimentally with the maximum current density from 2.1 × 105 A/cm2 to 1.76 × 106 A/cm2, and frequency from 100 kHz to 4 MHz. During the experiment, hot spots are observed at current crowding corners and the skin layer of solder joints. As a result, highly localized current density and joule heating exist. The combined effect of electron wind force and thermal gradient drives mass to diffuse toward the center of solder joints. Resistance change due to temperature change and current crowding was carefully recorded. Ten percent resistance change after thermal steady state was defined as failure. Scanning electron microscopic images show void formation in current crowding corners and in the skin layer of solder joints. Damage of solder joints under alternating current stressing is observed a combined process of both electromigration and thermomigration, and to be proportional to the loading frequency and current density. Owing to the reversed electron wind force, material healing is observed in most of our test vehicles. A statistical mean time to failure equation is proposed for lead-free solder joints under alternating current stressing.
A green pump scheduling algorithm for minimizing power consumption and land depletion
Authors: Wang Jen-Ya , Chen Fuh-Gwo , Chen Jr-Shian
Published: May 2013

In a water distribution system, water and electricity are two limited resources. Previous research has shown that pump scheduling is a useful technique for dealing with the resource leveling problem. This study aims to develop a genetic algorithm for achieving near-optimal resource leveling. Three contributions are made in this study. First, the problem is modeled in the real-number space, that is, it is closer to the real-world case. Second, the proposed algorithm converges faster and achieves higher solution quality than traditional ones. Finally, the proposed algorithm generates cost-economic and eco-friendly schedules.
Can Strengthening Parenting Couples’ Relationships Reduce At-Risk Parenting Attitudes?
Authors: Clark Colleen , Young M. Scott , Dow Michael G.
Published: May 2013

Low-income, unwed expectant or new parents are considered at risk of faulty parenting. This study examined whether participation in the 6-week Love’s Cradle relationship enhancement curriculum would also increase positive nonabusive parenting attitudes. Participants were 138 low-income, pregnant or postpartum adults representing 69 romantic dyads who were seeking relationship education. Measures assessed before and after the group intervention suggested statistically significant improvements in all areas of dyadic adjustment (consensus, satisfaction, cohesion, and affectional expression) and most parenting attitudes (empathy toward children’s needs, belief in corporal punishment, role responsibilities, and children’s power and independence). Subgroup analyses explored differences by gender, abuse history, and ethnicity resulting in implications for working with Hispanic couples, and for couples where the male has a history of childhood abuse. This suggested relationship between improving the quality of a couple’s relationship and a reduction in potentially abusive parenting may have implications for strengthening families.
Coping With Violence
Authors: Boxer Paul , Sloan-Power Elizabeth
Published: May 2013

Interpersonal violence is present at all levels of influence in the social ecology and can have comprehensive and devastating effects on child and adolescent development through multiple simultaneous channels of exposure. Children’s experiences with violence have been linked with a range of behavioral and mental health difficulties including posttraumatic stress disorder and aggressive behavior. In this article, we offer a conceptual framework delineating the ways in which children and adolescents might encounter violence, and a theoretical integration describing how violence might impact mental and behavioral health outcomes through short- and long-term processes. We propose that coping reactions are fundamental to the enduring effects of violence exposure on their psychosocial development and functioning. Finally, we discuss the manner in which coping efforts can support resilience among children exposed to violence and suggest new directions for research and preventive intervention aimed at optimizing outcomes for children at risk of exposure.
Biology, Genes, and Resilience
Authors: Bowes Lucy , Jaffee Sara R.
Published: May 2013

Variability in response to stressful environmental exposures is at the core of resilience research. In order to understand why some individuals show resilient functioning in the face of adversity, one needs to understand the mechanisms through which risky environments lead to pathology in some and not others, and the ways in which risk and protective factors affect these processes. Understanding the interplay between genetic and biological processes and different environments is necessary in order to elucidate the causal pathways through which individuals show resilience or vulnerability in the face of adversity.
The Political Foundations of the Black–White Education Achievement Gap
Authors: Hartney Michael T. , Flavin Patrick
Published: May 2013

More than 50 years after Brown v. Board, African American students continue to trail their White peers on a variety of important educational indicators. In this article, we investigate the political foundations of the racial “achievement gap” in American education. Using variation in high school graduation rates across the states, we first assess whether state policymakers are attentive to the educational needs of struggling African American students. We find evidence that state policymaking attention to teacher quality—an issue education research shows is essential to improving schooling outcomes for racial minority students—is highly responsive to low graduation rates among White students, but bears no relationship to low graduation rates among African American students. We then probe a possible mechanism behind this unequal responsiveness by examining the factors that motivate White public opinion about education reform and find racial influences there as well. Taken together, we uncover evidence that the persisting achievement gap between White and African American students has distinctively political foundations.
Health Behaviors and All-Cause Mortality in African American Men
Authors: Thorpe Roland J. , Wilson-Frederick Shondelle M. , Bowie Janice V. , Coa Kisha , Clay Olivio J. , LaVeist Thomas A. , Whitfield Keith E.
Published: May 2013

Because of the excess burden of preventable chronic diseases and premature death among African American men, identifying health behaviors to enhance longevity is needed. We used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988-1994 (NHANES III) and the NHANES III Linked Mortality Public-use File to determine the association between health behaviors and all-cause mortality and if these behaviors varied by age in 2029 African American men. Health behaviors included smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, obesity, and a healthy eating index score. Age was categorized as 25-44 years ( n = 1,045), 45-64 years ( n = 544), and 65 years and older ( n = 440). Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the relationship between health behaviors and mortality within each age-group. All models were adjusted for marital status, education, poverty-to-income ratio, insurance status, and number of health conditions. Being a current smoker was associated with an increased risk of mortality in the 25- to 44-year age-group, whereas being physically inactive was associated with an increased risk of mortality in the 45- to 64-year age-group. For the 65 years and older age-group, being overweight or obese was associated with decreased mortality risk. Efforts to improve longevity should focus on developing age-tailored health promoting strategies and interventions aimed at smoking cessation and increasing physical activity in young and middle-aged African American men.
Cue Integration
Authors: Zaki Jamil
Published: May 2013

Scientists examining how people understand other minds have long thought that this task must be something like how people perceive the physical world. This comparison has proven to be deeply generative, as models of physical perception and social cognition have evolved in parallel. In this article, I propose extending this classic analogy in a new direction by proposing cue integration as a common feature of social cognition and physical perception. When encountering complex social cues—which happens often—perceivers use multiple processes for understanding others’ minds. Like physical senses (e.g., vision or audition), social cognitive processes have often been studied as though they operate in relative isolation. In the domain of physical perception, this assumption has broken down, following evidence that perception is instead characterized by pervasive integration of multisensory information. Such integration is, in turn, elegantly described by Bayesian inferential models. By adopting a similar cue integration framework, researchers can similarly understand and formally model the ways that we perceive others’ minds based on complex social information.
The mechanical interaction between three geometric types of nylon core suture and a running epitenon suture in repair of porcine flexor tendons
Authors: Wit T. de , Walbeehm E. T. , Hovius S. E. R. , McGrouther D. A.
Published: May 2013

The effect of core suture geometry on the mechanical interaction with the epitenon suture in terms of gap prevention, failure strength and mode of failure was investigated in a flexor tendon repair model. A total of 48 porcine flexor tendons were repaired using three techniques with distinct core suture geometry: single Kessler; double Kessler; and cruciate repair. Cyclic linear testing was carried out with and without a simple running epitenon suture. At failure load the epitenon suture reduced gapping by 87% in the double Kessler, 42% in the single Kessler and 15% in cruciate repairs. It increased the strengths of the repairs by 58%, 33% and 24%, respectively. Kessler repairs failed mainly by suture rupture, with and without epitenon suture, but cruciate repairs failed mainly by suture pull-out. The epitenon suture did not have a significant mechanical effect on the three repairs. Rather, its effect varied with the core suture geometry. The greatest effect occurred with double Kessler repairs.
Combined joint fusion for index and middle carpometacarpal instability in elite boxers
Authors: Nazarian N. , Page R. S. , Hoy G. A. , Hayton M. J. , Loosemore M.
Published: May 2013

Isolated instability of the index and middle finger carpometacarpal joints is uncommon. An unpublished injury pattern in a consecutive series of 13 elite boxers is described, with mid-term radiological and functional results of two novel surgical treatments. All the boxers (from Australia and the UK) were unable to compete owing to pain and weakness. Four boxers were managed initially by open reduction and temporary K-wire fixation. Nine boxers underwent primary carpometacarpal arthrodesis. All were able to return to their previous level of competition. One boxer who had undergone a soft tissue reconstruction competed at international level but required an arthrodesis because of recurrent symptoms. In elite boxers, simple reduction and wiring may be appropriate for an acute injury causing index or middle finger carpometacarpal joint instability, however, arthrodesis is the treatment of choice when instability and degenerative changes are present.
Love on the Margins
Authors: Doyle David Matthew , Molix Lisa
Published: May 2013

National data on romantic relationships reveal a prominent gap between members of devalued and dominant groups in the United States, with devalued group members experiencing less positive relationship outcomes. However, little research examines how social stigma affects relationship quality for members of devalued groups and moderating factors have generally not been explored in the literature. In the current studies, we experimentally examined the effects of social stigma on relationship quality among women (Study 1) and African Americans (Study 2) as well as whether these effects differed based upon relationship length (Studies 1 and 2). Results showed that individuals involved in shorter relationships reported lesser relationship quality after social stigma was made salient, while those involved in longer relationships reported somewhat greater relationship quality after social stigma was made salient. Implications for future research on social stigma and relationship quality as well as moderating factors are discussed.
Why Female Athletes Remain on Sport’s Periphery
Authors: Crouse Karen
Published: May 2013

In this commentary, Karen Crouse, a sports reporter who is the full-time golf writer for the New York Times, reflects on key issues that underlie the Cooky, Messner, and Hextrum article “Women Play Sport, But Not on TV: A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media.” Crouse comments on the continued paucity of coverage for women’s sports, not only in traditional media but in today’s multimedia world. She observes, some 40 years after the passage of Title IX and significant advances in girls’ participation in high school sports, that women’s sports are infrequently covered by televised news media and, when coverage does occur, that women’s sports are devalued with female athletes often sexually objectified or trivialized. Using the example of Se Ri Pak in South Korea, Crouse suggests ways that sporting audiences can demand and facilitate change by seeing sport through the eyes of the increasing numbers of girls participating in sports who believe their achievements matter and are deserving of more parity in sports coverage.
Application of soft sets to diagnose the prostate cancer risk
Authors: Yuksel Saziye , Dizman Tugbahan , Yildizdan Gulnur , Sert Unal
Published: May 2013

In recent years the artificial intelligence has been developed rapidly since it can be applied easily to several areas like medical diagnosis, engineering and economics, among others. In this study we have devised a soft expert system (SES) as a prediction system for prostate cancer by using the prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume (PV) and age factors of patients based on fuzzy sets and soft sets and have calculated the patients’ prostate cancer risk. Our data set has been provided by the Department of Urology, Meram Medical Faculty in Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
Nuclear translocation and accumulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase involved in diclazuril-induced apoptosis in Eimeria tenella (E. tenella)
Authors: Wang Congcong , Han Chunzhou , Li Tao , Yang Dehao , Shen Xiaojiong , Fan Yinxin , Xu Yang , Zheng Wenli , Fei Chenzhong , Zhang Lifang , Xue Feiqun
Published: May 2013

In mammalian cells, GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) has recently been shown to be implicated in numerous apoptotic paradigms, especially in neuronal apoptosis, and has been demonstrated to play a vital role in some neurodegenerative disorders. However, this phenomenon has not been reported in protists. In the present study, we report for the first time that such a mechanism is involved in diclazuril-induced apoptosis in Eimeria tenella (E. tenella). We found that upon treatment of parasites with diclazuril, the expression levels of GAPDH transcript and protein were significantly increased in second-generation merozoites. Then, we examined the subcellular localization of GAPDH by fluorescence microscopy and Western blot analysis. The results show that a considerable amount of GAPDH protein appeared in the nucleus within diclazuril-treated second-generation merozoites; in contrast, the control group had very low levels of GAPDH in the nucleus. The glycolytic activity of GAPDH was kinetically analyzed in different subcellular fractions. A substantial decrease (48.5%) in glycolytic activity of GAPDH in the nucleus was displayed. Moreover, the activities of caspases-3, -9, and −8 were measured in cell extracts using specific caspase substrates. The data show significant increases in caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities in the diclazuril-treated group.
Development of human hip joint in the second and the third trimester of pregnancy; a cadaveric study
Authors: Masłoń Adrian , Sibiński Marcin , Topol Mirosław , Krajewski Karol , Grzegorzewski Andrzej
Published: May 2013

Background

The purpose of the study was an evaluation of fetal hip joint morphology during the second and the third trimester of pregnancy. Serial sections were performed on 23 cadaver infants.

Results

The mean lunar age was 6.6 months. Femoral shaft length (FSL) and width of the proximal and distal epiphysis were x-rayed to determine fetal age. The neck shaft angle (NSA), the femoral antetorsion angle (FAA), the acetabulum anteversion angle (AAA) and the acetabulum slope angle (ASA) were measured. Hip development ratios were plotted for all cadaveric species and revealed: flat FSL/NSA slope pattern, upward FSL/FAA slope pattern and downward slope pattern for FSL/ASA and FSL/AAA ratios. The changes, observed during the developmental period, were not statistically significant. NSA did not change during the second or the third pregnancy trimester. FAA increased during pregnancy but the changes were not statistically significant. AA, as well as ASA, showed a decreasing trend during the second and the third pregnancy trimester, however, with no correlations to age.

Conclusion

Despite an increasing depth and growing dimensions of the acetabulum in the uterus, its orientation does not change in any significant way.
Influence of arthritis-related protein (BBF01) on infectivity of Borrelia burgdorferi B31
Authors: Imai Denise , Holden Kevin , Velazquez Eric M , Feng Sunlian , Hodzic Emir , Barthold Stephen W
Published: May 2013

Background

Lyme borreliosis, caused by tick-borne Borrelia burgdorferi, is a multi-phasic, multi-system disease in humans. Similar to humans, C3H mice develop arthritis and carditis, with resolution and periodic bouts of recurrence over the course of persistent infection. Borrelia burgdorferi arthritis-related protein (Arp/BBF01), a highly conserved protein among B. burgdorferi s.s. isolates, has been shown to be antigenic in humans with Lyme borreliosis, and a target for antibody-mediated disease resolution in the mouse model.

Results

A mutant strain of B. burgdorferi s.s. deficient of the arp gene and a complemented version of that mutant were created and examined for phenotypic effects in mice compared to wild-type B. burgdorferi. Deletion of arp did not abolish infectivity, but did result in a higher infectious dose compared to wild-type B. burgdorferi, which was restored by complementation. Spirochete burdens in tissues of C3H-scid mice were lower when infected with the arp mutant, compared to wild-type, but arthritis was equally severe. Spirochete burdens were also lower in C3H mice infected with the arp mutant, but disease was markedly reduced. Ticks that fed upon infected C3H mice were able to acquire infection with both wild-type and arp mutant spirochetes. Arp mutant spirochetes were marginally able to be transmitted to naïve hosts by infected ticks.

Conclusion

These results indicated that deletion of BBF01/arp did not abrogate, but diminished infectivity and limited spirochete burdens in tissues of both immunocompetent and immunodeficient hosts, and attenuated, but did not abolish the ability of ticks to acquire or transmit infection.
Screening and analysis of PoAkirin1 and two related genes in response to immunological stimulants in the Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)
Authors: Yang Chang-Geng , Wang Xian-Li , Zhang Bo , Sun Bing , Liu Shan-Shan , Chen Song-Lin
Published: May 2013

A member of the NF-κB signaling pathway, PoAkirin1, was cloned from a full-length cDNA library of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The full-length cDNA comprises a 5′UTR of 202 bp, an open reading frame of 564 bp encoding a 187-amino-acid polypeptide and a 521-bp 3′UTR with a poly (A) tail. The putative protein has a predicted molecular mass of 21 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 9.22. Amino acid sequence alignments showed that PoAkirin1 was 99% identical to the Scophthalmus maximus Akirin protein (ADK27484). Yeast two-hybrid assays identified two proteins that interact with PoAkirin1: PoHEPN and PoC1q. The cDNA sequences of PoHEPN and PoC1q are 672 bp and 528 bp, respectively. Real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that bacteria could induce the expressions of PoAkirin1, PoHEPN and PoC1q. However, the responses of PoHEPN and PoC1q to the bacterial challenge were slower than that of PoAkirin1. To further study the function of PoAkirin1, recombinant PoAkirin1 and PoHEPN were expressed in Escherichia coli and would be used to verify the PoAkirin1-PoHEPN binding activity. These results identified two proteins that potentially interact with PoAkirin1 and that bacteria could induce their expression.