bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of COMT Val108/158Met Genotype with Smoking Cessation in a Nicotine Replacement Therapy Randomized Trial
Authors: Johnstone Elaine C. , Elliot Katherine M. , David Sean P. , Murphy Michael F.G. , Walton Robert T. , Munafò Marcus R.
Published: June 2007

We investigated the association of catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype with abstinence following a smoking cessation attempt among a large cohort of smokers who attempted to quit using either the nicotine transdermal patch or placebo and were followed up over an 8-year period following their initial cessation attempt. In addition, we examined the possible moderating influence of sex on any association. The genotype × treatment interaction effect at 12-week follow-up indicated a greater benefit of active nicotine replacement treatment compared with placebo on likelihood of abstinence in the COMT Met/Met genotype group (33% versus 12%), in comparison to the Met/Val + Val/Val group (22% versus 16%). Our results indicate that COMT genotype may moderate the effect of active transdermal nicotine patch compared with placebo, with reduced relative benefit of nicotine replacement therapy in individuals with Met/Val or Val/Val genotype. Our data follow an emerging pattern of results suggesting that genetic variation in the dopamine pathway may provide a future basis for tailored smoking cessation therapies, but indicate that different genes influencing various components of this pathway may have different effects on response to smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1065–9)
Supplemental and Dietary Vitamin E Intakes and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Large Prospective Study
Authors: Wright Margaret E. , Weinstein Stephanie J. , Lawson Karla A. , Albanes Demetrius , Subar Amy F. , Dixon L. Beth , Mouw Traci , Schatzkin Arthur , Leitzmann Michael F.
Published: June 2007

Supplemental vitamin E (α-tocopherol) has been linked to lower prostate cancer incidence in one randomized trial and several, although not all, observational studies. The evidence regarding dietary intake of individual vitamin E isoforms and prostate cancer is limited and inconclusive, however. We prospectively examined the relations of supplemental vitamin E and dietary intakes of α-, β-, γ-, and δ- tocopherols to prostate cancer risk among 295,344 men, ages 50 to 71 years and cancer-free at enrollment in 1995 to 1996, in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. At baseline, participants completed a questionnaire that captured information on diet, supplement use, and other factors. Proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of prostate cancer. During 5 years of follow-up, 10,241 incident prostate cancers were identified. Supplemental vitamin E intake was not related to prostate cancer risk (for >0-99, 100-199, 200-399, 400-799, and ≥800 IU/d versus never use: RR, 0.97, 0.89, 1.03, 0.99, and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.87-1.07) respectively; Ptrend = 0.90). However, dietary γ-tocopherol, the most commonly consumed form of vitamin E in the United States, was significantly inversely related to the risk of advanced prostate cancer (for highest versus lowest quintile: RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.56-0.84; Ptrend = 0.001). These results suggest that supplemental vitamin E does not protect against prostate cancer, but that increased consumption of γ-tocopherol from foods is associated with a reduced risk of clinically relevant disease. The potential benefit of γ-tocopherol for prostate cancer prevention deserves further attention. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1128–35)
Serum and Dietary Vitamin E in Relation to Prostate Cancer Risk
Authors: Weinstein Stephanie J. , Wright Margaret E. , Lawson Karla A. , Snyder Kirk , Männistö Satu , Taylor Philip R. , Virtamo Jarmo , Albanes Demetrius
Published: June 2007

α-Tocopherol supplementation (50 mg daily for 5-8 years) reduced prostate cancer incidence by 32% in the α-Tocopherol, β-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. We investigated whether serum α-tocopherol or intake of vitamin E (eight tocopherols and tocotrienols) was associated with prostate cancer risk with up to 19 years of follow-up in the α-Tocopherol, β-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study cohort. Of the 29,133 Finnish male smokers, ages 50 to 69 years recruited into the study, 1,732 were diagnosed with incident prostate cancer between 1985 and 2004. Baseline serum α-tocopherol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and the components of vitamin E intake were estimated based on a 276-item food frequency questionnaire and food chemistry analyses. Proportional hazard models were used to determine multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Higher serum α-tocopherol was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.96 for highest versus lowest quintile; Ptrend = 0.03) and was strongly and inversely related to the risk of developing advanced disease (RR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.36-0.85; Ptrend = 0.002). The inverse serum α-tocopherol-prostate cancer association was greater among those who were supplemented with either α-tocopherol or β-carotene during the trial. There were no associations between prostate cancer and the individual dietary tocopherols and tocotrienols. In summary, higher prediagnostic serum concentrations of α-tocopherol, but not dietary vitamin E, was associated with lower risk of developing prostate cancer, particularly advanced prostate cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1253–9)
Within-Individual Stability of Obesity-Related Biomarkers among Women
Authors: Kaplan Robert C. , Ho Gloria Y.F. , Xue XiaoNan , Rajpathak Swapnil , Cushman Mary , Rohan Thomas E. , Strickler Howard D. , Scherer Philipp E. , Anastos Kathryn
Published: June 2007

Objective: Novel biomarkers including proinflammatory cytokines and adipokines are being explored as potential mediators of cancer and other obesity-related conditions. Prospective studies linking biomarker levels with disease outcomes often measure biomarkers at a single time point and assume that the within-individual variation in levels is small compared with the interindividual variation. However, this assumption is seldom tested.

Methods: This study examined the within-individual stability over time of plasma adiponectin, resistin, leptin, plasma activator inhibitor type 1, hepatocyte growth factor, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and insulin among healthy young women.

Results: The study included 17 women (9 Black non-Hispanic, 2 Black Hispanic, 2 White Hispanic, and 4 other race/ethnicity) with mean age of 32.3 years, mean body mass index of 31.2 kg/m2, and 76% prevalence of smoking. Analysis of intraclass correlation (ICC) suggested high to moderate correlation over repeated samples taken over 3 years in levels of resistin (ICC = 0.95), hepatocyte growth factor (0.91), plasma activator inhibitor type 1 (0.84), adiponectin (0.73), insulin (0.62), and leptin (0.58). ICCs were weaker for levels of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α (0.39), and interleukin 6 (0.47).

Conclusion: In this population of minority young females with a high prevalence of overweight and smoking, several obesity-related endocrine markers were stable over a period of 3 years. This supports the feasibility of longitudinal studies relating these biomarkers to the future occurrence of cancer and other health consequences of obesity. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1291–3)
Path Analysis of Biomarkers of Exposure and Early Biological Effects among Coke-Oven Workers Exposed to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Authors: Qiu Li , Leng Shuguang , Wang Zhongxu , Dai Yufei , Zheng Yuxin , Wang Zengzhen
Published: June 2007

Many host factors or biomarkers are involved in the process of early DNA damage induced by occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as seen in coke-oven workers. This paper aimed to identify complicated causal interrelationship of various biomarkers using the path analysis. In this analysis, we included 235 subjects (166 coke-oven workers and 69 nonexposed controls) whose data on the comet assay (e.g., Olive tail moment) and cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes as well as urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) were available. The path analysis showed that coke-oven exposure and tobacco smoke were both significant predictors of the concentrations of urinary 1-OHP (P < 0.05), with a coefficient of determination of 0.75. The factors having significant influence on the Olive tail moment were in the following order: urinary 1-OHP > XRCC1-exon 9 variant genotype > ERCC2-exon 10 variant genotype > XRCC1-exon 6 variant genotype, with a coefficient of determination of 0.22. The variables of relative importance in influencing on cytokinesis-block micronucleus frequencies were in the following order: coke-oven exposure > urinary 1-OHP > age > mEH3 variant genotype > ERCC2-exon 10 variant genotype > XRCC1-exon 6 variant genotype, with a coefficient of determination of 0.27. These results indicated that exogenous agents, especially the coke-oven exposure, played a more important role than the genotypes in the induction of early genetic damage. In conclusion, the path analysis seemed to be an alternative statistical approach for the ascertainment of complicated association among related biomarkers for the assessment of occupational exposure. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1193–9)
Heightened Risk of Breast Cancer Following Pregnancy: Could Lasting Systemic Immune Alterations Contribute?
Authors: Shakhar Keren , Valdimarsdottir Heiddis B. , Bovbjerg Dana H.
Published: June 2007

The protective effect of having a first full-term pregnancy (FFTP) at a younger age on women's lifetime risk of breast cancer is well known. Less appreciated is the increased risk seen in the years immediately following pregnancy. This adverse effect is more pronounced and more prolonged in women with later age at FFTP. The mechanisms responsible for this increased risk are still poorly understood. In the present paper, we put forward the hypothesis that the marked peripheral immune changes induced by pregnancy may account for these effects. We highlight immune changes that characterize the unique immune state of pregnancy (a combination of cellular immunosuppression and enhanced inflammatory response), note the resemblance of these changes to cancer escape mechanisms, and discuss why such immune changes may be critical for the development of breast cancer following pregnancy. We further support this idea by initial findings from our own laboratory that the age at FFTP is negatively related to natural killer cell cytotoxicity many years later and propose possible models for the kinetics of the immune changes during and following pregnancy. The effect of age at FFTP on the immune function is currently understudied. Its potential relevance to the development of breast cancer stresses the need for further research. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1082–6)
Effect of Delays in Processing Blood Samples on Measured Endogenous Plasma Sex Hormone Levels in Women
Authors: Jones Michael E. , Folkerd Elizabeth J. , Doody Deborah A. , Iqbal Jhangir , Dowsett Mitch , Ashworth Alan , Swerdlow Anthony J.
Published: June 2007

Time spent in transit may affect the concentration of various constituents of collected blood samples and, consequently, results of sex hormone assays. Whole blood was collected from 46 women, and one third was processed immediately, one third was stored at ambient conditions (22°C) for 1 day, and one third was stored for 2 days. Estradiol concentration increased by 7.1% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 3.2-11.3%] after a delay in processing of 1 day and by 5.6% (95% CI, 0.2-11.4%) after a delay in processing of 2 days; the change was most apparent at lower than median concentrations. Progesterone concentrations showed no substantial change. Testosterone concentrations changed by 23.9% (95% CI, 17.8-30.3%) after a delay of 1 day but little thereafter. The sex hormone–binding globulin concentration decreased by 6.6% (95% CI, 4.6-8.6%) and 10.9% (95% CI, 8.1-13.6%), follicle-stimulating hormone increased by 7.4% (95% CI, 4.2-10.7%) and 13.9% (95% CI, 8.7-19.3%), and luteinizing hormone increased by 4.9% (95% CI, 1.3-8.5%) and 6.7% (95% CI, 2.2-11.5%) after a delay in processing of 1 and 2 days. Increases in calculated values for biologically available levels of estradiol and testosterone were greater than the increases seen in measured total hormone concentrations. Similar changes are likely when samples are delayed in transit, and evidence of etiology may be obscured unless study designs or analyses take into account processing delays. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1136–9)
Why Smoking Prevention Programs Sometimes Fail. Does Effectiveness Depend on Sociocultural Context and Individual Characteristics?
Authors: Johnson C. Anderson , Cen Steven , Gallaher Peggy , Palmer Paula H. , Xiao Lin , Ritt-Olson Anamara , Unger Jennifer B.
Published: June 2007

Background: School-based smoking prevention programs sometimes fail in unexpected ways. This study tests the hypotheses that both social/cultural contexts and individual dispositional characteristics may interact with program content to produce effects that are variable in potentially predictable ways.

Methods: Students in 24 culturally heterogeneous or primarily Hispanic/Latino middle schools (N = 3,157 6th graders) received a multicultural collectivist-framed social influences (SI) program, an individualist-framed SI program, or a control condition. Three-way linear and nonlinear interactions, program frame × social context × dispositional phenotype, were tested.

Results: Three-way interactions were found for the dispositional phenotypes of depression and hostility with social context and program content/frame. In predominantly Hispanic/Latino schools, larger program effects were observed for high depressed and high hostile youth in both the collectivist and individualist framed programs. In culturally mixed schools, prevention effects were greatest for low depressed and low hostile youth, especially in the individualist framed program. In culturally mixed schools, there may have been a negative treatment effect for both programs among adolescents scoring high on depression and hostility.

Discussion: Prevention program effects can vary by combination of program content, social setting, and individual dispositional characteristics. The results suggest that prevention program design and implementation should be sensitive to population characteristics at both the individual and sociocultural levels. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1043–9)
Comparison of a New and Existing Method of Mammographic Density Measurement: Intramethod Reliability and Associations with Known Risk Factors
Authors: McCormack Valerie A. , Highnam Ralph , Perry Nicholas , dos Santos Silva Isabel
Published: June 2007

Background: Mammographic density is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. It is commonly measured by an interactive threshold method that does not fully use information contained in a mammogram. An alternative fully automated standard mammogram form (SMF) method measures density using a volumetric approach.

Methods: We examined between-breast and between-view agreement, reliability, and associations of breast cancer risk factors with the threshold and SMF measures of breast density on the same set of 1,000 digitized films from 250 women who attended routine breast cancer screening by two-view mammography in 2004 at a London population-based screening center. Data were analyzed using random-effects models on transformed percent density.

Results: Median (interquartile range) percent densities were 12.8% (5.0-22.3) and 21.8% (18.4-26.6) in the threshold and SMF methods, respectively. There was no evidence of systematic differences between left-right breasts or between views in either method. Reliability of a single measurement was lower in the SMF than in the threshold method (0.77 versus 0.92 for craniocaudal and 0.68 versus 0.89 for mediolateral oblique views). Increasing body mass index and parity were associated with reduced density in both methods; however, an increase in density with hormone replacement therapy use was found only with the threshold method.

Conclusion: Established properties of mammographic density were observed for SMF percent density; however, this method had poorer left-right reliability than the threshold method and has yet to be shown to be a predictor of breast cancer risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1148–54)
Review of Development and Aging in the Eye of Teleost Fish
Authors: Kunz Yvette W.
Published: June 2007

The teleost eye is an excellent organ for studying retinal development since teleosts and their eyes continue to grow throughout life. The retinal growth zones are found at the periphery of the eye and in some species also along the ventral embryonic fissure. The retinal cones are arranged into regular mosaic patterns, which is an advantage for microspectrophotometrical analyses of visual pigments. They revealed that teleost eyes are di-, tri- and tetrachromatic. The last type includes ultraviolet-sensitive cones. They appear in early life over the whole retina and later disappear in this region although they continue to be formed in the peripheral growth zones, but die there once the retina is differentiated. The melanin granules in the pigment epithelium and the cones and rods undergo circadian retinomotor movements. Another circadian rhythm is displayed by the tips of the photoreceptor outer segments, which are shed by cones at night and by rods during the day. The embryonic development of the retina is described in detail for the viviparous guppy, the salmonids and the zebrafish, which display direct development. This is contrasted by results of teleosts with indirect development (involving metamorphosis).
Sociopsychological Foundations of Intractable Conflicts
Authors: Bar-Tal Daniel
Published: June 2007

The article presents a conceptual framework that concerns the sociopsychological foundation and dynamics of intractable conflict. First, it defines and characterizes the nature of intractable conflict, and then it describes how societies involved in this reality adapt to the conditions of intractable conflict. This adaptation meets three fundamental challenges: satisfying the needs of the society members, coping with stress, and withstanding the rival. In trying to confront them successfully, societies develop appropriate sociopsychological infrastructure, which includes collective memory, ethos of conflict, and collective emotional orientations. This infrastructure fulfills important individual and collective level functions, including the important role of formation, maintenance, and strengthening of a social identity that reflects this conflict. Special attempts are made to disseminate this infrastructure via societal channels of communication and institutionalize it. The evolved sociopsychological infrastructure becomes a prism through which society members construe their reality, collect new information, interpret their experiences, and make decisions about their course of action. This infrastructure becomes hegemonic, rigid, and resistant to change as long as the intractable conflict continues. It ends up serving as a major factor fueling the continuation of the conflict, thus becoming part of a vicious cycle of intractable conflict.
Psychological Bases of Extreme Policy Preferences
Authors: Maoz Ifat , Eidelson Roy J.
Published: June 2007

This study examined the extent to which Israeli-Jews' beliefs about ingroup vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, and helplessness are linked to extreme policy preferences in the context of the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a phone survey of a representative sample ( N = 504), stronger beliefs in all domains except for helplessness predicted greater support for the morally problematic transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to neighboring Arab countries compared to alternative policies highlighting territorial compromise. This set of beliefs remained important even after taking into consideration the respondents' political orientation and degree of religiosity.
Promoting Tractability in South Africa and Israel/Palestine
Authors: Lieberfeld Daniel
Published: June 2007

This article examines two cases of intractable intergroup conflict in which a process of “semiofficial talks” led adversaries to direct, official negotiation. It adopts a typological approach to specify the variables—in terms of the status of participants in the talks, the status of the third party, the objectives of the intervention, and the form of dialogue— that distinguish semiofficial talks from other forms of diplomacy. It analyzes why adversary leaders sought negotiated settlements and draws on oral histories and narrative accounts from participants in two cases of semiofficial talks, as well as on documented minutes of the meetings themselves, to trace the causal pathways by which such talks contributed to conflict resolution. Analysis of semiofficial talks in South Africa and Israel/Palestine permits an inductive approach to theory building regarding the particular political circumstances in which this type of conflict resolution initiative may be effective.
Organizational cynicism: Extending the exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect model of employees' responses to adverse conditions in the workplace
Authors: Naus Fons , van Iterson Ad , Roe Robert
Published: June 2007

We propose to extend the Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect (EVLN) model of employees' responses to adverse organizational circumstances with the construct of Organizational Cynicism. Structural equation modeling was used to fit the data provided by 159 office employees of a large Dutch trade union, who were involved in a restructuring program at the time of the research, to the postulated five-factor model. Results indicated that the model showed an acceptable fit, providing suppor t for including organizational cynicism as a distinct response in the model. Multiple regression analysis was used for the differential prediction of the five responses, using two situational variables (role conflict and autonomy), two personality variables (asser tiveness and rigidity), and selected interactions. The best predictions are obtained for exit, cynicism and loyalty. Loyalty is predicted by low role conflict and high autonomy, whereas cynicism and exit are about equally predicted by high role conflict, low autonomy, and low assertiveness.
The Effects of Verbal Instruction, Modeling, Rehearsal, and Feedback on Correct Posture During Flute Playing
Authors: Dib Nancy Ellen , Sturmey Peter
Published: June 2007

A behavioral skills training package, including verbal instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, was used to teach children correct posture, defined as keeping feet on the floor, legs parallel to each other, and the back and neck perpendicular to the floor, during flute lessons. Three typically developing girls aged 8 to 9 years participated. All three students' posture improved from 0% during baseline to nearly 100% after training for all sessions, generalization probes, and after a 1- to 2-month follow-up. The training package was proven effective in the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of correct posture for flute playing.
Are Parental Gender Role Beliefs a Predictor of Change in Sexual Communication in a Prevention Program?
Authors: Gale McKee Laura , Forehand Rex , Miller Kim S. , Whitaker Daniel J. , Long Nicholas , Armistead Lisa
Published: June 2007

This study examined if pre-intervention maternal gender role beliefs predict change in sexual communication in a sexual risk behavior prevention program designed to increase parent—pre-adolescent communication about sex. A sample of 281 African American fourth and fifth graders and their mothers participated in the five-session program and completed computerized questionnaires at baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up. Based on mother report, more egalitarian maternal gender role beliefs predicted greater increases in parent—pre-adolescent communication about sex at postintervention. Based on pre-adolescent report, similar findings emerged at the 6-month follow-up, but only for boys. The relationship of maternal gender role beliefs to changes in sexual communication was not accounted for by maternal comfort with sexual communication with their pre-adolescents. The implications of maternal gender role beliefs in a prevention program designed to increase communication about sexual topics are considered.
The Impact of CBT and ACT Models Using Psychology Trainee Therapists
Authors: Lappalainen Raimo , Lehtonen Tuula , Skarp Eerika , Taubert Eija , Ojanen Markku , Hayes Steven C.
Published: June 2007

The present study compares the impact of individualized treatment provided by trainee therapists based on a traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) model. Fourteen therapists were given initial training in CBT and ACT. Outpatients ( N = 28) were randomized to either approach, with each therapist treating one client within each model, linked to a functional analysis. Clients treated within an ACT model showed better symptom improvement than the CBT clients, despite the fact that students felt initially less knowledgeable about ACT and were more fearful throughout when it was used. CBT improved client self-confidence more rapidly than ACT, and ACT improved acceptance more than CBT. Both processes predicted better outcomes; acceptance remained predictive when controlling for self-confidence but not vice versa. Overall, therapists with limited training in both models got better results with ACT and the processes of change fit with the ACT model.
On the philosophy/rhetoric binaries
Authors: Abizadeh Arash
Published: June 2007

The susceptibility of Habermas' socio-political theory (and notion of constitutional patriotism) to the charge of motivational impotence can be traced to a problem in the way in which he conceives of discursive practical reason. By implicitly constructing the notion of discursive rationality in contrast to, and in abstraction from, the rhetorical and affective components of language use, Habermas' notion of discursive practical reason ends up reiterating the same binaries — between reason and passion, abstract and concrete, universal and particular — that provide the tacit parameters used by his critics to motivate the charge of impotence. Habermas' project of reconciling social integration and political rule with freedom can succeed only by rebuilding his discourse-ethical theory of politics upon a notion of discursive practical reason that overcomes these philosophy/rhetoric binaries common to both camps.
What impacts on quality assessment using OASys?
Authors: Crawford Anthony
Published: June 2007

This article outlines the findings of a small study based in one probation area which considered the factors that may impact on quality assessment when using OASys (Offender Assessment System). Following a brief outline of the organizational and broader context in which OASys is used, the study explores the findings of case studies, survey questionnaires and interviews undertaken with Probation Officers. Tentative conclusions are drawn about the factors which emerge as affecting quality in assessment and suggestions are offered for further study. The article concludes by welcoming the strategic initiatives currently being undertaken to improve assessment and management of risk but suggests that the use of top-down initiatives alone, combined with an emphasis on risk management and containment, may serve to undermine ownership of the aspiration to risk reduction and, in the long term, threatens the loss of skills necessary for effective assessment and management of risk.
Sea and Sardinia: Pax Britannica versus Vendetta in the New Italy (1870)
Authors: Wright O.J.
Published: June 2007

When the Risorgimento culminated in the Unification of Italy (1859–61), many British spectators anticipated that it would lead to the rebirth of the part of the world which had produced the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. But a sequence of events soon conspired to undermine this optimism. One of these incidents was the Zamponi affair, which drew British attention to Sardinia in 1870. When a local feud between rival Sardinian families in Terranova (Olbia) resulted in a vendetta against a British vice-consul, and when the Italian authorities failed to intervene, a Royal Navy gunboat was sent to the island, causing a brief upset in the normally amicable relations between Britain and Italy. Examination of the British reaction to the vendetta reveals how the island and its people were perceived by contemporary observers as barbarous and unruly, and provides evidence of how their high expectations of the new Italian state had already been disappointed within a decade of Unification. It also enhances our understanding of the role of British consular officials in Italy, and of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. In particular it exposes a tendency towards gunboat diplomacy during a period in which Britain is generally supposed to have avoided entanglements in European affairs. Above all, in the twenty-first century when the British government has sought through aggression to spread its values and institutional models to parts of the world for which they are not necessarily suited and where they are not necessarily desired, it is worthwhile looking at how Italy once succeeded in disappointing the exponents of this perennial British policy.
Rethinking maps
Authors: Kitchin Rob , Dodge Martin
Published: June 2007

In this paper we argue that cartography is profitably conceived as a processual, rather than representational, science. Building on recent analysis concerning the philosophical underpinnings of cartography we question the ontological security of maps, contending that it is productive to rethink cartography as ontogenetic in nature; that is maps emerge through practices and have no secure ontological status. Drawing on the concepts of transduction and technicity we contend that maps are of-the-moment, brought into being through practices (embodied, social, technical); that mapping is a process of constant reterritorialization. Maps are never fully formed and their work is never complete. Maps are transitory and fleeting, being contingent, relational and context-dependent; they are always mappings; spatial practices enacted to solve relational problems (eg, how best to create a spatial representation, how to understand a spatial distribution, how to get between A and B, and so on). Such a rethinking, we contend, provides a fresh perspective on cartographic epistemology, and could work to provide a common framework for those who undertake mapping as applied knowledge (asking technical questions) and those that seek to critique such mapping as a form of power/knowledge (asking ideological questions). We illustrate our argument through an analysis of mapping practices.
Do Age, Gender, and Sector Affect Job Satisfaction? Results From the Korean Labor and Income Panel Data
Authors: Jung Kwangho , Jae Moon M. , Sung Deuk Hahm
Published: June 2007

Although job satisfaction is a primary human resource management concern, there is little empirical research considering job satisfaction in non-Western countries. In Korea, reforms aim to make the public service more competitive and diverse and have led to the recruitment of more women and young people. This study uses data from the Korean Income and Labor Panel Study to explore the relationship of age, gender, and service sector with job satisfaction. No substantial difference was found in the perceived job satisfaction of public employees of different ages, but an unexpected negative association was found in a subsample of private employees. Korean public and nonprofit employees are more satisfied with their jobs than private employees are but are less satisfied with their wages than with job security and job content. The study supports the expectation hypothesis and suggests there is a gender effect on job satisfaction, particularly for wages and work environment.
The Supreme Court and the Deconstitutionalization of the Freedom of Speech Rights of Public Employees
Authors: Roberts Robert
Published: June 2007

In Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006), the United States Supreme Court held that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit a public employer from disciplining a public employee for the contents of an official memorandum made in the course of the performance of official duties, even if a federal court finds that the contents of the memorandum involved a matter of “public concern.” This article argues that the Garcetti decision modifies the Pickering v. Board of Education (1968) and Connick v. Myers (1983) two-part test by requiring federal courts to first determine whether or not the public official made a communication in the course of the performance of official duties. The article also argues that it remains to be seen whether the Garcetti decision will have a significant impact on the willingness of public employees to make use of official channels to raise legitimate concerns over actions taken or not taken by their organizations.
Impact of Problem Alcohol Use on Patient Behavior and Caregiver Burden in a Geriatric Assessment Clinic
Authors: Pirzada Sattar S. , Padala Prasad R. , McArthur-Miller Delores , Roccaforte William H. , Wengel Steven P. , Burke William J.
Published: June 2007

There has been a growing interest in understanding issues surrounding alcohol use in late life. Information about the relationship of alcohol use to behavioral problems in older persons living in the community is particularly limited. This study used information obtained from an outpatient geriatric assessment clinic to study this relationship and the effects of these behaviors on caregivers. Data on alcohol use, problem behaviors, and caregiver burden were collected prospectively in consecutive patients undergoing geriatric assessment primarily for cognitive problems over a 3-year period. All patients were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team, which included a geriatric psychiatrist. The evaluation screened for current and/or past alcohol use through interviews with the patient and a collateral source. The collateral source also completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Family Burden Scale. Subjects were classified into 2 groups: those with a current or past alcohol problem and those with no alcohol problem. A total of 349 patients were evaluated, with 17.8% being designated as having a current or past alcohol problem. This subgroup represented 35% of the men and 9% of the women from the study population. Approximately half of the subgroup was actively drinking alcohol. Patients with a history of problem alcohol use, regardless of current use and cognitive status, exhibited more behavioral disturbances including agitation, irritability, and disinhibition. Their caregivers reported significantly higher caregiver distress. Current or past alcohol problem use was frequent in this population of frail, older adults undergoing geriatric assessment. Regardless of current alcohol use, these patients displayed more behavioral disturbances than those without a history of problem drinking, and their caregivers experienced significantly more burden. A history of problem drinking appears to be a significant marker for behavioral disturbances in late life and merits further study. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:120—127)
Cerebral Metabolic Correlates of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Perneczky Robert , Hartmann Julia , Grimmer Timo , Drzezga Alexander , Kurz Alexander
Published: June 2007

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often a prodromal state of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Imaging studies have shown that metabolic deficits in cerebral regions known to be affected early by AD pathology are predictive of progression to AD. In the present article, the authors examine associations between clinical impairment (Clinical Dementia Rating scale sum of boxes [CDR-SB]) and regional deficits in glucose utilization in a sample of 41 patients with MCI, who underwent cerebral 18F-FDG PET for the measurement of regional glucose metabolism. A linear regression analysis with CDR-SB score as the independent variable and glucose metabolism as the dependent variable, adjusted for age, gender, and years of school education, was conducted in voxel-by-voxel fashion in SPM2. The regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between CDR-SB score and glucose metabolism in the right posterior cingulate gyrus ( P < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons), which was independent from demographical variables. The authors conclude that clinical severity of impairments is already correlated with deficits in glucose metabolism in the stage of MCI. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:84-88)
Premorbid Relationship Satisfaction and Caregiver Burden in Dementia Caregivers
Authors: Lea Steadman Pamela , Tremont Geoffrey , Duncan Davis Jennifer
Published: June 2007

Dementia caregiver appraisal of the quality of their current and premorbid relationship with the care recipient is associated with caregiving behaviors, caregiver mood, and the decision to end home care. This study examined the contribution of premorbid relationship satisfaction to caregiver burden in dementia caregivers. Live-in dementia caregivers (n = 72) completed several psychosocial measures. Caregiver responses were used to divide them into low premorbid relationship satisfaction group (low) versus high premorbid relationship satisfaction group (high). Results indicate that premorbid relationship satisfaction is negatively associated with caregiver burden and quality of family functioning. Caregivers with high satisfaction demonstrated significantly less burden and less reactivity to memory and behavior problems, and better problem solving skills and more effective communication compared with the low caregivers. Findings are independent of length of caregiving, disease severity, care recipient daily functioning, and relationship type. Relationship satisfaction may be an important contributor to caregiver burden. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:115-119)
Race, Reward, and Reform
Authors: Gayles Jonathan
Published: June 2007

The Florida School Recognition Program (FSRP) was created by the Florida legislature in 1997 to provide an incentive to schools that achieve specific standards-based goals. Achievement is measured primarily through the state's high-stakes test, the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. Through analysis of FSRP awards, it is established that poverty and race influence these awards. This analysis considers the larger context and implications of this influence. Ultimately, it is asserted that such policies may act to legitimate and further entrench social stratification.
From Accountability to Privatization and African American Exclusion
Authors: Lipman Pauline , Haines Nathan
Published: June 2007

This article analyzes Chicago's new Renaissance 2010 school plan to close public schools and reopen them as choice and charter schools. Grounding the analysis in participatory research methods, the authors argue that Chicago's education accountability policies have laid the groundwork for privatization. They furthermore argue that Renaissance 2010 is part of a neoliberal corporate and financial urban agenda of gentrification, African American displacement, and the class conquest of the city by the middle and upper-middle classes. The authors conclude with a discussion of emerging resistance to the plan, suggesting that education may be a focal point of anti-neoliberal economic and social struggles.
Grooving to the same tunes?
Authors: Felstead Alan , Fuller Alison , Jewson Nick , Kakavelakis Konstantinos , Unwin Lorna
Published: June 2007

Closing the productivity gap with other nations has become a mantra of public policy in the UK. Promoting participation in learning and training is seen as the principal means of narrowing the gap. While tracking episodes of training is relatively easy, it is not clear what is learnt, by whom and why. This article examines these questions among a specific occupational group - exercise to music instructors - whose numbers have grown significantly in recent years. It identifies two productive systems through which these aerobic classes are delivered. Each has different consequences for learning. Under one regime, training expands horizons and develops abilities, while under the second instructors are taught to conform and follow scripts written by others.The article argues that 'training' can lead to different learning outcomes and that these are best understood through an analysis of the productive systems in which training and learning takes place.
Working space: why incorporating the geographical is central to theorizing work and employment practices
Authors: Herod Andrew , Rainnie Al , McGrath-Champ Susan
Published: June 2007

Theorists of work and employment (W&E) practices should more seriously engage with literatures concerning how space is constitutive of social praxis. Rather than simply serving as a stage upon which social life is played out or being merely a reflection of social relations, the construction of the economic landscape in particular ways is fundamental to how social systems function. Struggles over space are a central dynamic in W&E practices as different actors engage with the economic landscape to ensure their 'geographical vision' is emplaced in that landscape. Furthermore, conflicts over W&E practices frequently revolve around the spatial (re)scaling of such practices (as when collective bargaining is 'decentralized'). Consequently, an important key to better theorizing W&E practices is understanding how the various spatial scales at which these operate are socially constructed and discursively represented.
Porn, pride and pessimism: experiences of women working in professional construction roles
Authors: Watts Jacqueline H.
Published: June 2007

This qualitative study contributes to knowledge about the strategies women use to establish their presence in professional roles in the highly gendered construction sector.The article focuses on construction site culture that is hierarchical and 'laddish' with sexual harassment an entrenched feature of life on site.Women find this threatening but are unable to challenge it, because being part of the 'building team' requires their silence. These negative experiences contrast with the pride expressed in their socially useful work bringing both aesthetic and technical satisfaction. Modernization of the industry that one participant framed as 'dragging it out of the dark ages' was seen as a priority.The two most pressing issues are the long-hours culture and the conflict-ridden nature of the sector. A feminist interpretive lens is used to draw out the continuing problems women face in the industry and concludes that the prospects for change to cultural practices remain bleak.
Coercion and the Mentally Ill: Ethical Perspectives
Authors: Zolnierek Cindy Diamond
Published: June 2007

Legal procedures have long been implemented to protect the rights of persons with mental illness, to mandate treatment for those unable to care for themselves, and to protect society from dangerous behavior. Although legal, mandated treatment poses ethical concerns. This article analyzes ethical issues emerging from a case study. Ethical principles, considered within a common morality framework, are applied to consider dilemmas inherent in the case study. A care-ethics lens is then introduced to enrich the ethical perspective and offer additional options for individualized and respectful resolutions. Considerations for nursing practice and research are offered. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2007; 13(2), 101-108.
The Meaning of Mindfulness: A Second-Order Cybernetics of Stress, Metacognition, and Coping
Authors: Garland Eric L.
Published: June 2007

Stress-related illness presents an ever-increasing burden to society, and thus has become the target of numerous complementary and integrative medicine interventions. One such clinical intervention, mindfulness meditation, has gained eminence for its demonstrated efficacy in reducing stress and improving health outcomes. Despite its prominence, little is known about the mechanics through which it exerts its treatment effects. This article details the therapeutic mechanisms of mindfulness with a novel causal model of stress, metacognition, and coping. Mindfulness is hypothesized to bolster coping processes by augmenting positive reappraisal, mitigating catastrophizing, and engendering self-transcendence. Reviews of stress and mindfulness are then framed by the perspective of second-order cybernetics, a transdisciplinary conceptual framework which builds on extant theory by highlighting the recursion between the individual and their environment.
Advances in the Use of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
Authors: Post-White Janice , Ladas Elena J. , Kelly Kara M.
Published: June 2007

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is an herbal supplement used to treat liver and biliary disorders. Silymarin, a mixture of flavanoid complexes, is the active component that protects liver and kidney cells from toxic effects of drugs, including chemotherapy. Although milk thistle has not significantly altered the course of chronic liver disease, it has reduced liver enzyme levels and demonstrated anti-inflammatory and T cell—modulating effects. There is strong preclinical evidence for silymarin's hepatoprotective and anticarcinogenic effects, including inhibition of cancer cell growth in human prostate, skin, breast, and cervical cells. Milk thistle is considered safe and well-tolerated, with gastrointestinal upset, a mild laxative effect, and rare allergic reaction being the only adverse events reported when taken within the recommended dose range. More clinical trials of rigorous methodology, using standardized and well-defined products and dosages, are needed to evaluate the potential of silymarin against liver toxicity, chronic liver disease, and human cancers.
Milk Thistle Nomenclature: Why It Matters in Cancer Research and Pharmacokinetic Studies
Authors: Kroll David J. , Shaw Heather S. , Oberlies Nicholas H.
Published: June 2007

Extracts of milk thistle have been recognized for centuries as “liver tonics” and are well-known to prevent or reverse hepatotoxicity of reactive drug metabolites or naturally occurring toxins. Milk thistle extracts are now under intense study in the experimental therapeutics of cancer for chemoprevention, treatment, and amelioration of chemotherapy side effects. Precision in nomenclature, however, has lagged behind this progress. The crude commercial product of milk thistle is termed silymarin, a complex of at least 7 flavonolignans and 1 flavonoid that comprises 65% to 80% of milk thistle extract. From silymarin is derived silibinin, a semipurified fraction once thought to be a single compound but now recognized as a 1:1 mixture of 2 diastereoisomers, silybin A and silybin B. The distinction between silymarin and silibinin is not only important to understanding the historical literature, but thorough characterization and use of chemically defined mixtures in preclinical and clinical studies are essential to the progress of these botanical compounds as human therapeutics. As a result, we urge clinicians and preclinical investigators alike to exercise rigor in nomenclature and use pure compounds or precisely defined chemical mixtures in subsequent studies. Herein, we provide a guide to the proper nomenclature and composition of milk thistle extracts and discuss the known pharmacokinetic studies of these botanical medicines. The drug-interaction potential of these extracts appears to be quite low, and in fact, silibinin appears to synergize with the antitumor effects of some commonly used chemotherapeutics. However, some precautions are advised as high-dose, phase II studies are conducted.