bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cross‐national variations in the division of household labor
Authors: Davis Shannon N. , Greenstein Theodore N.
Published: November 2004

Using data from the International Social Justice Project, we describe the division of household labor in married couple households using a sample of 13 nations (N= 10,153). We find significant differences in the division of household labor based upon respondents’ nations of residence. We find support for the time availability approach; households where the wife is employed outside the home for pay are more likely to respond that husbands perform at least half of the household labor. We also find support for the relative resources approach; in households where wives’ education equals or exceeds that of their husbands, husbands are more likely to perform half of the household labor. We find little support for the economic dependence approach. We suggest that future cross‐national research should place individuals in context to determine why there are nation differences in the reported division of household labor.
The Maternal Wall
Authors: Crosby Faye J. , Williams Joan C. , Biernat Monica
Published: November 2004

Although the economic and social position of women has improved considerably in the last decades, some gendered expectations and roles have proved remarkably resilient. Increasingly, the gender gap in compensation has become an issue of “mother” versus “other,” as, for example, working mothers earn 60% of what working fathers earn. Conservatives tend to frame the gender imbalance in terms of women's choices; but feminists, including those in this issue, debunk explanations that blame women for gender differences in earnings. Contributors to this issue, whose work we introduce here, chronicle and analyze the power of stereotypic thinking and behavior, and also discuss how to change both stereotypes and realities.
When Professionals Become Mothers, Warmth Doesn't Cut the Ice
Authors: Cuddy Amy J. C. , Fiske Susan T. , Glick Peter
Published: November 2004

Working moms risk being reduced to one of two subtypes: homemakers—viewed as warm but incompetent, or female professionals—characterized as competent but cold. The current study ( N= 122 college students) presents four important findings. First, when working women become mothers, they trade perceived competence for perceived warmth. Second, working men don't make this trade; when they become fathers, they gain perceived warmth and maintain perceived competence. Third, people report less interest in hiring, promoting, and educating working moms relative to working dads and childless employees. Finally, competence ratings predict interest in hiring, promoting, and educating workers. Thus, working moms' gain in perceived warmth does not help them, but their loss in perceived competence does hurt them.
Mothers and Fathers in the Workplace: How Gender and Parental Status Influence Judgments of Job‐Related Competence
Authors: Fuegen Kathleen , Biernat Monica , Haines Elizabeth , Deaux Kay
Published: November 2004

We investigated the influence of gender and parental status on employment decisions. The shifting standards model predicts that parenthood polarizes judgments of women and men such that mothers are held to stricter employment standards than fathers. Social role theory predicts that parenting role, rather than gender, guides judgments of mothers and fathers. One hundred ninety‐six undergraduates at two universities evaluated a job applicant; the applicant was either male or female and was either single or married with two children. Results showed that parents were judged less agentic and less committed to employment than non‐parents. Parental status also interacted with gender, indicating that fathers were held to more lenient standards than mothers and childless men. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.
Caregiving Around the Clock: How Women in Nursing Manage Career and Family Demands
Authors: Bullock Heather E. , Waugh Irma Morales
Published: November 2004

Nursing is considered a woman friendly profession; however, career advancement in nursing, as in other fields, is predicated on masculine models of promotion, making mobility difficult for working mothers. To learn more about how women negotiate caregiving responsibilities at home and at work, focus groups were conducted with 26 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and aides. Three themes emerged from these discussions: tension between the value nurses assigned to paid caregiving and societal devaluation of this work; “costs” of paid caring and emotional labor on family life; and the presence of both obstacles to and opportunities for career advancement. Caregiving experiences were shaped by professional status. Implications for women's well being and career advancement are discussed.
Intimate Partner Violence as an Obstacle to Employment Among Mothers Affected by Welfare Reform
Authors: Riger Stephanie , Staggs Susan L. , Schewe Paul
Published: November 2004

Welfare policies in the United States now make benefits contingent on employment outside the home. Yet violence from intimate partners and aspects of the mothering role may impede low‐income women's ability to sustain employment. This article presents results of a longitudinal study conducted over a three‐year period of 965 Illinois mothers who had received public assistance. Results suggest that recent (but not past) intimate partner violence is associated with women working fewer months. Associations over time between obstacles to employment and women's ability to maintain work highlight the need for longitudinal studies of employment among low‐income women.
On Childcare as a Support for Maternal Employment Wages and Hours
Authors: Bub Kristen L. , McCartney Kathleen
Published: November 2004

Data from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a stratified random sample of 1,364 children and their families from birth through first grade, were used to examine whether mothers' use of early childcare for their children predicted later maternal employment. Children's total number of hours in childcare was associated with higher maternal wages and more hours of employment when children were in first grade. The association between maternal hourly wages and hours in childcare was greater for mothers who were more educated. In addition, the effect of hours in childcare on employment hours was greater for non‐poor mothers.
The Public Policy of Motherhood
Authors: Williams Joan C. , Cooper Holly Cohen
Published: November 2004

Parents seeking to balance their work lives with family responsibilities often find the challenge made more difficult by outdated images of the ideal worker, the good mother, and the good father. Social and legal constraints on mothers' choices exacerbate the problem. While other countries have implemented national work/family policies, the climate in the United States seems unreceptive to federal government mandates for meaningful changes in employees' work hours, schedules, and paid leave, or for sweeping new child care subsidies. As a viable interim measure, we propose a statute forbidding discrimination based on family responsibilities, which would tap deeply‐felt values about the importance of family caregiving, serve as an important symbolic statement, and be useful to courts.
Judicial Behavior After a Change of Regime: The Effects of Judge and Defendant Characteristics
Authors: Annus Taavi , Tavits Margit
Published: November 2004

This article examines the determinants of judicial behavior in the context of transition. It tests two assumptions: first, that the judges with experience from the pretransition criminal justice system behave differently from the judges with no such experience; second, that minorities are discriminated against due to their dominant position in society before the transition and stereotypical attitudes after the transition. Using evidence from trial-level courts in Estonia, we find no statistically significant effects between case outcomes, the experience of the judge, and the ethnicity of the suspect.
Judging the Best Interests of the Child: Judges' Accounts of the Tender Years Doctrine
Authors: Artis Julie E.
Published: November 2004

With dramatic changes in family life over the last several decades, child custody law has shifted from a maternal preference to a more egalitarian standard, the best interests of the child. Despite this change in the law, scholars have debated whether gender continues to play a role in the resolution of custody disputes. Drawing on feminist legal scholarship and sociolegal research on judges, I assess the current debates over gender and custody by examining the accounts of judges who frequently adjudicate custody cases. I conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews with twenty-five trial court judges in Indiana and investigate judges' accounts about whether they continue to use the tender years doctrine in custody disputes, even though the custody statute is explicitly gender-neutral. Then, I assess several competing explanations of the variation across judges' accounts, including the judges' gender role attitudes, gender, age, and political party affiliation. In exploratory analyses, I also examine the contested custody rulings of a subset of nine judges to assess whether judges' accounts are congruent with their actual custody decisions. I discuss the implications of these findings in light of feminist legal scholarship as well as empirical research on child custody adjudication.
Participant Orientations in German Conversation‐for‐Learning
Authors: Kasper Gabriele
Published: November 2004

This article explores some roles for conversation analysis (CA) as an approach to second and foreign language learning by examining the initial segment of a Gesprächsrunde, a dyadic conversation‐for‐learning conducted between a beginning learner of German as a foreign language and a native speaker of German. The analysis focuses on the situated identities, comprising social membership categories as well as interaction‐internal participant statuses that the co‐participants made relevant to each other as their interaction unfolded. Although the complementary membership categories of target language novice and expert were demonstrably omnirelevant in the setting, they were predominantly invoked by the novice, and only on particular occasions. In these metalingual exchanges, code switching worked as one device by which the novice requested a target language action format from the language expert. Although the metalingual exchanges stood out for their salient acquisitional potential, microanalytic scrutiny is also required for other kinds of interactional conduct in order to assess their capacity for second language learning.
Was there ever a “Māori English”?
Authors: Hughes Shaun F. D.
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  Linguists working on New Zealand English have made strenuous attempts to identify any features of the English spoken by the indigenous or Māori population of New Zealand that could be considered as distinctively “Māori” without much success. But there is clear evidence from early texts that something that could be called a “contact pidgin” existed in the early decades of Māori‐Pākehā(non‐Māori) interaction although many Māori were from the beginning fluent speakers of English. Nevertheless, a long‐standing assumption has persisted among the Pākehā population that there is an easily identifiable Māori variety of English, and that there is a considerable body of printed material to prove this “fact.” This paper concentrates on investigating when this “Māori English” first appeared in print in the 1890s, how it was constructed, and where it might have come from, together with what its characteristics were when it finally settled down to appear in a “standard” form during what might be considered as the heyday of “Māori English,” 1910–40. The concluding observations will consider why this “Māori English” declined even though it did not disappear from most printed texts until the 1970s.
The role of cytokine DNAs as vaccine adjuvants for optimizing cellular immune responses
Authors: Barouch Dan H. , Letvin Norman L. , Seder Robert A.
Published: November 2004

Summary:  Cytokines represent a diverse group of immunologic effector and regulatory proteins that are critical components of the host response to invading pathogens. They have also been utilized as adjuvants to enhance immune responses to vaccines. In particular, plasmid cytokines have been studied extensively as candidate adjuvants for DNA vaccines in preclinical models and are now entering early‐phase clinical trials. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of cytokine biology, T‐lymphocyte differentiation, and potential applications of plasmid cytokines in the rational design of improved vaccines.
Induction of allergic inflammation by interleukin‐18 in experimental animal models
Authors: Tsutsui Hiroko , Yoshimoto Tomohiro , Hayashi Nobuki , Mizutani Hitoshi , Nakanishi Kenji
Published: November 2004

Summary:  Interleukin‐18 (IL‐18) has been regarded as a proinflammatory cytokine because of its potent interferon‐γ‐inducing activity. However, mutant mice that release excess amounts of IL‐18 spontaneously develop pruritic chronic dermatitis‐like atopic dermatitis (AD), suggesting the importance of IL‐18 for the development of AD. Intriguingly, depletion of il‐18 but not stat6, an essential transcriptional factor for IL‐4 signaling, rescues the mice from AD, indicating IL‐18‐dependent, T‐helper 2 (Th2) cell‐independent AD. This type of AD is classified as innate‐type allergy in contrast to Th2 cell‐dependent ordinary allergy. Consistent with the previous studies, mice transferred with antigen‐specific Th1 cells exhibit no airway hyperresponsiveness and respiratory eosinophilic inflammation after challenge with antigen alone. However, they suffer from asthma upon challenge with antigen plus IL‐18, with comparable levels of both the alterations as in those transferred with Th2 cells following challenge with antigen. The former type of asthma is categorized as Th1‐associated allergy. Therefore, it is definitely necessary to evaluate whether individual allergic disorders involve either of these IL‐18‐mediated pathways or a Th2‐mediated one.
The role of type I interferons in non‐viral infections
Authors: Bogdan Christian , Mattner Jochen , Schleicher Ulrike
Published: November 2004

Summary:  For a long time, the family of type I interferons (IFN‐α/β) has received little attention outside the fields of virology and tumor immunology. In recent years, IFN‐α/β regained the interest of immunologists, due to the phenotypic and functional characterization of IFN‐α/β‐producing cells, the definition of novel immunomodulatory functions and signaling pathways of IFN‐α/β, and the observation that IFN‐α/β not only exerts antiviral effects but is also relevant for the pathogenesis or control of certain bacterial and protozoan infections. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the production and function of IFN‐α/β during non‐viral infections in vitro and in vivo.
Issues in T‐helper 1 development – resolved and unresolved
Authors: Berenson Lisa S. , Ota Naruhisa , Murphy Kenneth M.
Published: November 2004

Summary:  T‐helper 1 cell (Th1) development participates in immunity to many pathogens in part by providing a source of interferon (IFN)‐γ that contributes numerous protective effects. The process of Th1 development involves signals provided by antigen‐presenting cells and cytokines produced in response to pathogens, with IFN‐γ itself, interleukin (IL)‐12, and IL‐18 each promoting the process in some way. Despite the rapid progress into mechanisms of Th1 development in recent years, there are still a number of important unresolved issues in this area. The precise sequence of effector and cellular mechanisms represents a relatively recent avenue of research but is still the subject of current debate, as is the basis of mechanisms that may stabilize a Th1 response. Another unresolved issue is the role of type I IFNs in substituting for IL‐12‐mediated activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (Stat4) and induction of IFN‐γ in either murine or human T cells. It is now clear that Th1 cells acquire the property of being capable of nonantigen‐dependent activation through the coordinate signaling of IL‐12 and IL‐18, but the precise order of intracellular signaling events and the uniqueness of this pathway's reliance on the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway are still issues in need of resolution. Finally, the process of verifying the effects of Stat4 mutations on functional responses has led to the recognition of an unexpected action of the STAT N‐domain that may apply generally to other STAT proteins as well. None of these areas is static or resolved fully, and they likely will remain topics of rapid progress.
Signaling by IL‐12 and IL‐23 and the immunoregulatory roles of STAT4
Authors: Watford Wendy T. , Hissong Bruce D. , Bream Jay H. , Kanno Yuka , Muul Linda , O'Shea John J.
Published: November 2004

Summary:  Produced in response to a variety of pathogenic organisms, interleukin (IL)‐12 and IL‐23 are key immunoregulatory cytokines that coordinate innate and adaptive immune responses. These dimeric cytokines share a subunit, designated p40, and bind to a common receptor chain, IL‐12Rβ1. The receptor for IL‐12 is composed of IL‐12Rβ1 and IL‐12Rβ2, whereas IL‐23 binds to a receptor composed of IL‐12Rβ1 and IL‐23R. Both cytokines activate the Janus kinases Tyk2 and Jak2, the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), as well as other STATs. A major action of IL‐12 is to promote the differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells into T‐helper (Th) 1 cells, which produce interferon (IFN)‐γ, and deficiency of IL‐12, IL‐12R subunits or STAT4 is similar in many respects. In contrast, IL‐23 promotes end‐stage inflammation. Targeting IL‐12, IL‐23, and their downstream signaling elements would therefore be logical strategies for the treatment of immune‐mediated diseases.
The BLyS family of ligands and receptors: an archetype for niche‐specific homeostatic regulation
Authors: Cancro Michael P.
Published: November 2004

Summary:  Discovery and characterization of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family member B‐lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) has opened a novel chapter in the role of TNF family members in the homeostatic control of lymphocyte populations. BLyS and its sister cytokine APRIL (a proliferation‐inducing ligand) act primarily as soluble trimers and serve to regulate the steady‐state numbers of nearly all B‐cell compartments. This homeostatic regulation is accomplished through the regulation of B‐cell production rates, selection thresholds, and lifespan. Differential expression of the three BLyS receptors during differentiation and activation provides related yet distinct homeostatic niches for follicular, marginal zone, and memory B‐cell subsets.
The role of IL‐27 in the development of T‐cell responses during parasitic infections
Authors: Hunter Christopher A. , Villarino Alejandro , Artis David , Scott Phillip
Published: November 2004

Summary:  The recognition that CD4+ T‐cell responses could be divided into at least two functional subsets either dominated by production of interferon (IFN)‐γ and associated with cell‐mediated immunity (Th1) or characterized by production of interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐5 and associated with humoral immunity (Th2) provided a basis to understand the role of T cells in resistance or susceptibility to different types of pathogens. As a consequence, many studies have focused on the identification of cytokines that influence these events. For example, the development of Th1‐type responses is largely dependent on IL‐12. However, other cytokines also affect this process, and initial studies revealed that IL‐27, a cytokine with close structural and functional similarity to IL‐12, can promote Th1 responses required for immunity to Leishmania major. Subsequent work with IL‐27R (WSX‐1)‐deficient mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii or Trypanosoma cruzi revealed that the IL‐27/IL‐27R system can act as a negative regulator of inflammatory T‐cell responses. The aim of this review is to discuss recent studies from these laboratories on the role of IL‐27 in immunity to parasitic infections in the context of previous work and to highlight the pleiotropic effects of the IL‐27/IL‐27R system in the development and regulation of Th1 and Th2 responses.
Interleukin‐10 in viral diseases and cancer: exiting the labyrinth?
Authors: Vicari Alain P. , Trinchieri Giorgio
Published: November 2004

Summary:  Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) is unique among cytokines, as it is considered both as a potent immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive factor. This complex biology has been particularly challenging when trying to define the useful or harmful role of IL‐10 in chronic viral diseases and cancer. In the present review, we emphasize how these multiple roles define IL‐10 as an adaptive molecule, constantly tuning the host response against dangerous and resourceful pathogens.
The Dialectics of Redemption. Autonomous Language, Heresy and Divine Truth in Francisco de Quevedo's Dream of Hell
Authors: Kluge Sofie
Published: November 2004

The present article proposes a reading of ‘El sueño del infierno’ that may clarify the connection between at least some of the diverse elements of Quevedo's strange world, concentrating on the relation between his ubiquitous awareness of the arbitrarity of human language — separated from divine truth after the Fall, and hence autonomous — and his quest for authoritative metaphysical meaning.

Man is the shadow of a dream. (Pindar,Pythian Odes, 8.135)
Repositioning Narrative: The Late‐Twentieth‐Century Verse Novels of Vikram Seth, Derek Walcott, Craig Raine, Anthony Burgess, and Bernadine Evaristo
Authors: Sauerberg Lars Ole
Published: November 2004

Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate (1986), Derek Walcott's Omeros (1990), Craig Raine's History: The Home Movie (1994), Anthony Burgess's Byrne: A Novel (1995), and Bernadine Evaristo's Lara (1997) are fictional works resembling the realist mainstream novel in all respects except for their mode of discourse, which is verse, not prose. This essay first considers the five verse novels in the perspective of literary history generally and then goes on to consider their verse features. Although similar in mode of discourse, the works differ widely in their intra‐, inter‐ and para‐textual invitations to contextual literary‐historical readings, a difference enhanced, arguably, by actual‐reader appreciation in interfacing with literary history and dynamics of present‐day mass‐media forms of artistic expression.
Adjuvant guided polarization of the immune humoral response against a protective multicomponent antigenic protein (Q) from Leishmania infantum. A CpG + Q mix protects Balb/c mice from infection
Authors: Parody N. , Soto M. , Requena J. M. , Alonso C.
Published: November 2004

It has been shown that vaccination with three doses of the Leishmania infantum poly‐protein Q containing five genetically fused antigenic determinants from the Lip2a, Lip2b, H2A and P0 proteins, mixed with BCG induces clearance of parasites in 9 out of 10 Leishmania infantum‐infected Beagle dogs, in addition to clinical protection. In the present paper we analysed the immunogenic potential of the poly‐protein Q and the specificity and polarization of the response against the antigenic determinants of Q when mixed with various adjuvants. The data showed that the Q protein had high intrinsic immunogenic potential and that it was able to induce a long‐lasting IgG response. The IgM immunogenic potential of the poly‐protein was mainly due to the LiP2a and LiP2b determinants, whereas the IgG immunogenic potential was mainly due to the LiP2a component. It was observed that the protein itself elicited a mixed IgG2a/IgG1 response and that the determinants of Q were endowed with different IgG2a/IgG1 potential. It was also observed that the adjuvants did not influence the intensity or specificity of the IgM response but that they modulated the intensity, the specificity and the polarization of the IgG response against the determinants of Q. CpG‐ODN motifs or double‐stranded DNA plasmids containing CpG motifs when mixed with Q induced a predominant IgG2a response mainly observed at early stages post‐immunization. The data showed that a CpG + Q mix induced significant protection against L. infantum infection in Balb/c mice.
Bayesian Monte Carlo Uncertainty Analysis of Human Health Risks from Animal Antimicrobial Use in a Dynamic Model of Emerging Resistance†
Authors: Cox Louis Anthony , Popken Douglas A.
Published: November 2004

Recent qualitative analyses warn of potential future human health risks from emergence of antibiotic resistance in food‐borne pathogens due to the use of similar antimicrobial drugs in both food animals and human medicine. While historical data suggest that human health risks from some animal antimicrobials, such as virginiamycin (VM), have remained low (McDonald et al., 2001), there is a widespread concern that “resistance epidemics” or endemics could arise in the future. How reassuring is the past about the future? This article applies quantitative risk assessment methods to help find out, using human health risks from VM and the nearly identical human antimicrobial quinupristin‐dalfopristin (QD) as a case study. A dynamic simulation model is used to predict the risks of emerging resistance to human antimicrobials in human populations from given input assumptions. Bayesian Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis allows past data to constrain and inform selection of input parameter values, and thus to predict the possible future resistance patterns that are consistent with historical data. The results show that health risks from VM use in food animals are highly sensitive to the human prescription rate of QD. For realistic prescription rates, quantitative risks are less than 1 × 10−6 even for members of the most‐threatened (ICU patient) population, while societal risks are <1 excess statistical death per year for the whole U.S. population. Such quantitative estimates complement more qualitative assessments that discuss the possibility of future “resistance epidemics” (or endemics) without quantifying their probabilities.
Spatial Risk Assessment Across Large Landscapes with Varied Land Use: Lessons from a Conservation Assessment of Military Lands
Authors: Andersen Mark C. , Thompson Bruce , Boykin Kenneth
Published: November 2004

Spatial decision‐support tools are necessary for assessment and management of threats to biodiversity, which in turn is necessary for biodiversity conservation. In conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey—Biological Resources Division's Species at Risk program, we developed a GIS‐based spatial decision‐support tool for relative risk assessments of threats to biodiversity on the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss (New Mexico and Texas) due to land uses associated with military missions of the two bases. The project tested use of spatial habitat models, land‐use scenarios, and species‐specific impacts to produce an assessment of relative risks for use in conservation planning on the 1.2 million‐hectare study region. Our procedure allows spatially explicit analyses of risks to multiple species from multiple sources by identifying a set of hazards faced by all species of interest, identifying a set of feasible management alternatives, assigning scores to each species for each hazard, and mapping the distribution of these hazard scores across the region of interest for each combination of species/management alternatives. We illustrate the procedure with examples. We demonstrate that our risk‐based approach to conservation planning can provide resource managers with a useful tool for spatial assessment of threats to species of concern.
AGAPE‐ET: A Methodology for Human Error Analysis of Emergency Tasks
Authors: Kim Jae W. , Jung Wondea , Ha Jaejoo
Published: November 2004

This article introduces a human error analysis or human reliability analysis methodology, AGAPE‐ET (AGuidance And Procedure for Human Error Analysis for Emergency Tasks), for analyzing emergency tasks in nuclear power plants. The AGAPE‐ET method is based on a simplified cognitive model and a set of performance‐influencing factors (PIFs). At each cognitive function, error‐causing factors (ECF) or error‐likely situations have been identified considering the characteristics of the performance of each cognitive function and the influencing mechanism of the PIFs on the cognitive function. Then, a human error analysis procedure based on the error analysis factors is organized to cue or guide the analyst in conducting the human error analysis. The method can be characterized by the structured identification of weak points of the task required to be performed and by the efficient analysis process such that the analyst has only to carry out the analysis with the necessary cognitive functions. Through the application, AGAPE‐ET showed its usefulness, which effectively identifies the vulnerabilities with respect to cognitive performance as well as task execution, and that helps the analyst directly draw specific error reduction measures through the analysis.
Arguments for Testing Ethnic Identity and Acculturation as Factors in Risk Judgments
Authors: Johnson Branden B.
Published: November 2004

Understanding of risk views in multiethnic societies and in a globalizing world may be enhanced by use of measures of ethnic identity and acculturation. Ethnic identity includes such attributes as positive attitudes about one's ethnic group and a sense of belonging to it, voluntary and frequent association with other ethnic group members, and ethnic practices (preferred music, food, language; attendance at ethnic festivities). Acculturation is absorption of the “host” society's cultural norms, beliefs, attitudes and behavior patterns by immigrants, or by other groups historically excluded from the larger society. Both generic and ethnicity‐specific measures of these concepts are available in the literature. This Perspective reviews the literature on risk implications of these concepts, how the nature of these measures presents both opportunities and challenges to risk researchers, and the degree to which ethnic identity and acculturation may be correlated with sociodemographic factors. Conceptual and methodological suggestions are made for risk research using these concepts, and hypotheses are offered about what such research might find.
Accommodating Uncertainty in Comparative Risk
Authors: Andrews Clinton J. , Hassenzahl David M. , Johnson Branden B.
Published: November 2004

Comparative risk projects can provide broad policy guidance but they rarely have adequate scientific foundations to support precise risk rankings. Many extant projects report rankings anyway, with limited attention to uncertainty. Stochastic uncertainty, structural uncertainty, and ignorance are types of incertitude that afflict risk comparisons. The recently completed New Jersey Comparative Risk Project was innovative in trying to acknowledge and accommodate some historically ignored uncertainties in a substantive manner. This article examines the methods used and lessons learned from the New Jersey project. Monte Carlo techniques were used to characterize stochastic uncertainty, and sensitivity analysis helped to manage structural uncertainty. A deliberative process and a sorting technique helped manage ignorance. Key findings are that stochastic rankings can be calculated but they reveal such an alarming degree of imprecision that the rankings are no longer useful, whereas sorting techniques are helpful in spite of uncertainty. A deliberative process is helpful to counter analytical overreaching.
Modulation of Cytokine Release by Differentiated CACO‐2 Cells in a Compartmentalized Coculture Model with Mononuclear Leucocytes and Nonpathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Parlesak A. , Haller D. , Brinz S. , Baeuerlein A. , Bode C.
Published: November 2004

To further investigate the interaction between human mononuclear leucocytes [peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)] and enterocytes, the effect of a confluent layer of differentiated CACO‐2 cells on cytokine kinetics during challenge with bacteria in a compartmentalized coculture model was investigated. Nonpathogenic Escherichia coli were added either to the apical or the basolateral compartment of this transwell cell culture system, the latter of which contained human leucocytes. The synthesis of tumour necrosis factor (TNF‐α) and interleukin (IL)‐12 was significantly suppressed by CACO‐2 cells when leucocytes were stimulated directly with bacteria. This suppression was not paralleled by changes in the production of IL‐10, IL‐6 and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β. When the bacteria were applied apically to the CACO‐2 cell layer, the production of TNF‐α, IL‐12, IL‐1β, IL‐8, IL‐6, IL‐10, TGF‐β and interferon‐γ was pronouncedly lower as compared to the bacterial stimulation of leucocytes beneath the CACO‐2 cells. In the latter experiments, IL‐6, IL‐8 and TNF‐α were the cytokines being mostly induced by apical addition of E. coli. Quantitative mRNA expression analysis revealed that IL‐8 gene expression was equally induced in both CACO‐2 and PBMC after apical stimulation with bacteria. Of note, bacteria‐stimulated CACO‐2 cells produced little or no cytokines in the absence of leucocytes, supporting the concept of leucocyte–epithelial cell cross‐talk in modulating cytokine responses in the gut mucosa.
Differential Expression of the C5a Receptor and Complement Receptors 1 and 3 after LPS Stimulation of Neutrophils and Monocytes
Authors: Furebring M. , Håkansson L. , Venge P. , Sjölin J.
Published: November 2004

Animal experiments recently suggested that administration of anti‐C5a, anti‐C5a receptor or soluble complement receptor type‐1 may be of value in the treatment of septic shock. Because results regarding C5a receptor expression (C5a‐R, CD‐88) have been found to differ between septic animals and patients, the aim of this study was to investigate the neutrophil and monocyte receptor expression of CD‐88 and complement receptor‐1 (CR‐1, CD‐35) after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ex vivo.

Whole blood or isolated neutrophils and monocytes from healthy people were incubated with LPS in a dose range of 0.1–1000 ng/ml. The expressions of CD‐88 and CD‐35 were analysed by means of flow cytometry. For comparison, the expressions of complement receptor‐3 (CR‐3, CD‐11b/CD‐18), Fc‐γ receptor type‐I (CD‐64) and CEACAM‐8 (CD‐66b) were also investigated.

In whole blood, CD‐88 expression on neutrophils was reduced (P < 0.05). The expressions of CD‐35 and CD‐11b were increased both on neutrophils (P < 0.001; P < 0.05) and on monocytes (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). No effect was observed on isolated cells.

In agreement with the findings in septic patients, LPS reduced the neutrophil C5a‐R expression, whereas the expressions of CR‐1 and CR‐3 were increased. The effects of LPS were indirect and were mediated via factors in the blood. The clinical significance of this is not known, but may be associated with decreased chemotaxis.
Modulation of CD28 and CD86 Expression in Patients with Paracoccidioidomycosis in Different Periods of Treatment
Authors: Bozzi A. , Reis B. S. , Prado F. L. S. , Pedroso E. P. , Leite M. F. , Goes A. M.
Published: November 2004

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a thermo‐dimorphic fungus, is the ethiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). The recidive is the greatest obstacle of this disease, because the yeast usually returns after the long treatment period. In the present work, we have investigated the cellular immune response of cells from peripheral blood drawn from patients with different duration of PCM. The classification of patients ranged from nontreated to those with long‐standing disease over 5 years. Unstimulated as well as cells stimulated with phytohemaglutinin or two different antigen preparations, secreted (MEXO) or somatic (PbAg) of P. brasiliensis, were characterized. We found that cells from patients with disease proliferate considerably upon stimulation with the antigen preparations and that cells from patients with disease of long duration does not proliferate that vigorously as from patients with more recent diagnosis. Both interferon (IFN)‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐4 appear to be increased in patients, but IFN‐γ tended to increase upon treatment while IL‐4‐secretion decreased. With respect to CD28 and CD86, we found that the subset of CD28 positive CD8 cells are decreased in all stages of the disease as compared to control individuals. A subset of CD86 positive CD19 cells appeared to be considerably increased compared to the controls. Indeed, our results demonstrated that the treatment of PCM patients promoted a regulation of IFN‐γ, IL‐4 levels and CD28, CD86 expression bringing new insight to the cellular immune response in PCM.
Differential Adherence of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts to Cartilage and Bone Matrix Proteins and its Implication for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis
Authors: Schedel J. , Wenglén C. , Distler O. , Müller‐Ladner U. , Schölmerich J. , Heinegård D. , Krenn V.
Published: November 2004

In osteoarthritis (OA), cartilage and bone fragments have been described within the synovial tissue which are surrounded by synovial cells (i.e. detritus synovitis). These cells appear to attach actively to the cartilage and bone fragments. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), on the other hand, synovial fibroblasts (SF) have also been shown to be localized at sites of invasion into cartilage and bone and to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) by secreting proteolytic enzymes. One prerequisite for exerting their aggressive properties is the attachment to cartilage and bone ECM. This attachment appears to be mediated by the expression of different adhesion molecules for which corresponding binding sites on ECM components are known. As it has not been addressed to which ECM proteins SF adhere and with which affinity this process takes place, we investigated the adherence of SF from patients with OA and RA to different cartilage and bone matrix proteins. Synovial tissue samples were obtained during synovectomy or arthroplastic surgery and used for isolating and culturing SF. Synovial cells attaching to cartilage/bone fragments were characterized using immunohistochemistry. The adherence of SF to ECM proteins was examined using an adhesion assay with the following proteins coated on 96‐well plates: aggrecan (AGG), bone sialoprotein (BSP), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), collagen type I, II and VI, proline arginine‐rich, end leucine‐rich repeat protein (PRELP), osteopontin (OPN) and recombinant chondroadherin (CHAD). Bovine serum albumin was used as negative control. In addition, adhering fibroblasts were photographed using a phase‐contrast microscope. As compared with RA‐SF, significantly higher numbers of OA‐SF adhering to collagen type II, OPN and CHAD could be detected (P < 0.05). In contrast, RA‐SF showed increased attachment to collagen type II, OPN and BSP. Adhesion to AGG, COMP and PRELP appeared not to be significantly increased and differed widely among the SF samples, and, apart from one exception (BSP), OA‐SF adhered in higher numbers to the matrix proteins than did RA‐SF. Using immunohistochemistry, synovial cells attached to cartilage/bone fragments could be shown to predominantly express CD68 (≥50%). The CD68‐negative population was of the fibroblast phenotype (AS02 positive). The study demonstrates that the binding pattern of OA‐SF and RA‐SF to ECM proteins differs considerably and therefore provides novel insights into the difficult pathophysiology of OA and RA. In general, it appeared that SF adhere primarily to ECM proteins that contain known binding sites for adhesion molecules (e.g. integrins: collagen/integrin α2β1) and that higher numbers of OA‐SF adhered to the cartilage and bone matrix proteins than did RA‐SF.
High‐Polarity Mycobacterium avium‐Derived Lipids Interact with Murine Macrophage Lipid Rafts
Authors: Maldonado‐García G. , Chico‐Ortiz M. , Lopez‐Marin L. M. , Sánchez‐García F. J.
Published: November 2004

Cholesterol‐ and sphingolipid‐rich membrane microdomains (lipid rafts) are widely recognized as portals for pathogenic micro‐organisms. A growing body of evidence demonstrates mobilization of host plasma cell membrane lipid rafts towards the site of contact with several pathogens as well as a strict dependence on cholesterol for appropriate internalization. The fate of lipid rafts once the pathogen has been internalized and the nature of the pathogen components that interact with them is however less understood. To address both these issues, infection of the J774 murine cell line with Mycobacterium avium was used as a model. After demonstrating that M. avium induces lipid raft mobilization and that M. avium infects J774 by a cholesterol‐dependent mechanism, it is shown here that mycobacterial phagosomes harbour lipid rafts, which are, at least in part, of plasma cell membrane origin. On the other hand, by using latex microbeads coated with any of the three fractions of M. avium‐derived lipids of different polarity, we provide evidence that high‐polarity, in contrast to low‐polarity and intermediate‐polarity, mycobacterial lipids or uncoated latex beads have a strong capacity to induce lipid raft mobilization. These results suggest that high‐polarity mycobacterial lipid(s) interact with host cell cholesterol‐enriched microdomains which may in turn influence the course of infection.
Distribution of Entamoeba histolytica Gal/GalNAc Lectin‐Specific Antibody Response in an Endemic Area
Authors: Kaur U. , Sharma A. K. , Sharma M. , Vohra H.
Published: November 2004

To demonstrate the dynamics of specific antibody isotypes against Entamoeba histolytica Gal/GalNAc adhesin and its correlation, if any, with the development of immunity, we evaluated subjects suffering from a spectrum of amoebic infections ranging from amoebic liver abscess (ALA) to asymptomatic cyst passers. The quantitative analysis of antibody levels was done in the sera by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Gal/GalNAc adhesin‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was higher in ALA (and their follow‐ups) and intestinal amoebiasis cases as compared with asymptomatic cyst passers (P < 0.05). Among the isotypes of IgG, high levels of IgG1 (60% of the total IgG concentration), suggestive of T‐helper 2‐type response, was associated with ALA cases. Intestinal amoebiasis cases and cyst passers had high percentage of IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies as compared with per cent IgG2 and IgG3 (of the total IgG), whereas follow‐up cases of ALA had predominantly IgG2 and IgG3 isotypes of antibodies. Gal/GalNAc lectin‐specific IgM antibodies were maximum in cases of intestinal amoebiasis. ALA cases and their follow‐ups had significantly lower levels of Gal/GalNAc‐specific IgM levels as compared with cyst passers (P < 0.05). Gal/GalNAc adhesin‐specific IgA antibodies were raised maximally in intestinal amoebic infection cases. ALA cases and their 3‐month follow‐ups had significantly higher concentrations of lectin‐specific IgA (P < 0.05) as compared with the healthy subjects.
Write‐Down Timeliness, Line‐of‐Business Disclosures and Investors’ Interpretations of Segment Divestiture Announcements
Authors: Collins Denton , Henning Steven
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  This paper examines investors’ anticipation and subsequent interpretations of asset write‐downs accompanying segment divestitures. Examining long‐window returns cumulated over the two years preceding the year of divestiture, we hypothesize and find that investors anticipate write‐downs of segment operating assets before divestiture and recognition occurs, with anticipation conditional on the timeliness of the write‐down and prior disclosure of the segments’ operating results under segment reporting rules. Short‐window returns cumulated over the three days surrounding the announcement of the divestiture confirm that investor interpretations of asset write‐downs are similarly contingent on write‐down timeliness and prior disclosure.
A Modified ‘Square Root’ Process for Determining the Value of the Option to (Dis)invest
Authors: Klumpes Paul , Tippett Mark
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  We determine optimal investment criteria for a capital project whose cash flows evolve in terms of a ‘modified square root’ process. The modified square root process has properties similar to the Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (1985)‘square root’ process but in addition, encompasses the possibility of negative cash flows. Although closed form solutions for the valuation equations implied by the modified square root process are the exception rather than the rule we are able to show that analytic solutions, in the form of infinite power series expansions, will always exist. Furthermore, we also show that when a prescribed set of regularity conditions is satisfied, these power series expansions converge to closed form valuation functions. The optimality criteria for capital investment decisions are then simplified considerably.
Cardiovascular Disease: Application of a Composite Risk Index from the Telehealth System in a District Community
Authors: Yip Y. B. , Wong Thomas K. S. , Chung Joanne W. Y. , Ko Stanley K. K. , Sit Janet W. H. , Chan Tony M. F.
Published: November 2004

Abstract  Assessing a combination of cardiovascular disease (CVD)‐risk factors may be a practical tool for risk assessment and for finding the high‐risk group among local community members. This study examines the association between the number of CVD‐risk factors, regardless of any specific combination with the CVD ambit, using data from 1,570 residents in Tsing Yi community (Hong Kong) who registered with the Telehealth System. A quantitative composite CVD Risk Index (CVDRI) with scores ranging from 0 to 6 included rankings for high systolic and diastolic blood pressure, presence of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and age. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for the prevalence of CVD. Those with a CVDRI of 1, 2, or 3 and above were 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.34–3.99], 5.3 (95% CI = 3.60–7.90), and 10 times (95% CI = 6.41–15.50) more likely to have CVD, respectively, than those with a risk index of 0. Among the CVDRI components, high blood pressure had the greatest influence on CVD risk, followed by presence of diabetes and high BMI. In conclusion, a CVDRI based on existing health data from a Telehealth System was developed and used to identify local community members at risk of CVD. Nurse intervention may achieve greater reduction of CVD morbidity and mortality if multiple risk factors for the high‐risk group are addressed at the same time.
Using Geographic Information Systems to Design Population‐Based Interventions
Authors: Caley Linda M.
Published: November 2004

Abstract Geographic information systems (GIS) offer public health nurses a new technology to plan and implement interventions within communities. The present article gives a brief overview of GIS, describes a project designed to pilot‐test the use of GIS for developing population‐based interventions, and discusses lessons learned from the project that need to be applied to any future work. Using GIS to map the incidence and prevalence of disease, locate risk factors, and identify access to health care services is not difficult. Trying to move beyond that and use the technology to depict community networks and develop and implement population‐based interventions is more problematic. The project identified specific questions that anyone involved in a planning or decision‐making project in which GIS are used should ask.