bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Victimisation and suicide ideation in the TRAILS study: specific vulnerabilities of victims
Authors: Herba Catherine M. , Ferdinand Robert F. , Stijnen Theo , Veenstra René , Oldehinkel Albertine J. , Ormel Johan , Verhulst Frank C.
Published: May 2008

Background:  Scientific studies have provided some support for a link between being a victim of bullying and suicide ideation. We examine whether (1) parental psychopathology and (2) feelings of rejection (at home and at school) exacerbate vulnerability to suicide ideation in victims of bullying (pure victims and bully‐victims).

Method:  Data were from a population‐based cohort study of Dutch children (n = 1526, mean age = 12.29 years). Using peer nominations, three groups were established: (1) victim only; (2) bully‐victims (children who are victims and who also bully others); (3) uninvolved. Self‐report data on suicide ideation were obtained using two items from the Youth Self‐Report (Achenbach, 1991). Parental internalising and externalising disorders were assessed, as were self‐reported feelings of rejection at home and social well‐being among classmates.

Results:  The association between victimisation and suicide ideation was moderated by parental internalising disorders (but not externalising disorders) and feelings of rejection at home. Victims (but not bully‐victims) with parents with internalising disorders reported elevated levels of suicide ideation compared to children uninvolved in bullying. Victims feeling more rejected at home also reported more suicide ideation. There were no overall sex differences in suicide ideation. Surprisingly, bully‐victims did not report higher levels of suicide ideation compared to children uninvolved in bullying.

Conclusions:  Parental internalising disorders and feelings of rejection at home confer a specific vulnerability for suicide ideation among victims of bullying.
Audiovisual speech integration in pervasive developmental disorder: evidence from event‐related potentials
Authors: Magnée Maurice J.C.M. , De Gelder Beatrice , Van Engeland Herman , Kemner Chantal
Published: May 2008

Background:  Integration of information from multiple sensory sources is an important prerequisite for successful social behavior, especially during face‐to‐face conversation. It has been suggested that communicative impairments among individuals with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) might be caused by an inability to integrate synchronously presented visual and auditory cues.

Method:  We investigated audiovisual integration of speech stimuli among a group of high‐functioning adult PDD individuals and age‐ and IQ‐matched controls using electroencephalography, measuring both early pre‐phonological, as well as late phonologically driven integration.

Results:  Pre‐phonological AV interactions are intact, while AV interactions corresponding to more complex phonological processes are impaired in individuals with PDD.

Conclusions:  The present findings argue for a pattern of impairments on tasks related to complex audiovisual integration combined with relative sparing of low‐level integrational abilities. This combination may very well contribute to the communicative disabilities which are typical for the disorder.
Pre‐ and peri‐natal environmental risks for attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): the potential role of epigenetic processes in mediating susceptibility
Authors: Mill Jonathan , Petronis Arturas
Published: May 2008

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood neurobehavioural disorder defined by symptoms of developmentally inappropriate inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. As is the norm for most psychiatric phenotypes, traditional aetiological studies have focused primarily on the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. It is likely that epigenetic factors, i.e., heritable, but reversible changes to genomic function that are independent of DNA sequence, are also important. It is known that epigenetic processes can be induced following exposure to a range of external factors, and thus provide a mechanism by which the environment can lead to long‐term alterations in phenotype. In this article we hypothesise that epigenetic dysregulation may mediate the association observed between early‐development environmental insults and ADHD. We propose that understanding the epigenetic processes involved in linking specific environmental pathogens to an increased risk for ADHD may offer new possibilities for preventative and therapeutic intervention.
Risk and resilience for psychological distress amongst unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents
Authors: Hodes Matthew , Jagdev Daljit , Chandra Navin , Cunniff Anna
Published: May 2008

Background:  To investigate the level of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, and background risk and protective factors that might increase or ameliorate this distress amongst unaccompanied asylum‐seeking children and adolescents (UASC).

Methods:  Cross‐sectional survey carried out in London. Participants were 78 UASC aged 13–18 years, predominantly from the Balkans and Africa, compared with 35 accompanied refugee children. Measures included self‐report questionnaires of war trauma, posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms.

Results:  UASC had experienced high levels of losses and war trauma, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Predictors of high posttraumatic symptoms included low‐support living arrangements, female gender and trauma events, and increasing age only amongst the UASC. High depressive scores were associated with female gender, and region of origin amongst the UASC.

Conclusion:  UASC might have less psychological distress if offered high‐support living arrangements and general support as they approach the age of 18 years, but prospective studies are required to investigate the range of risk and protective factors.
Maternal depression and infant cortisol: influences of timing, comorbidity and treatment
Authors: Brennan Patricia A. , Pargas Rebecca , Walker Elaine F. , Green Paula , Jeffrey Newport D. , Stowe Zachary
Published: May 2008

Background:  The current study examines the relationship between maternal depression and infant cortisol concentrations. The potential roles of comorbid maternal anxiety disorders, timing of maternal depression, and maternal treatment with psychotropic medications during pregnancy are addressed.

Methods:  Women with 6‐month‐old infants (105 boys and 84 girls) participated in a laboratory paradigm that included infant saliva collection at six points, noise burst and arm restraint stressor tasks, and a diagnostic interview of the mother.

Results:  Lifetime history of maternal depression was associated with increased baseline and mean (average) infant cortisol levels. Comorbidity with anxiety disorder was related to infant cortisol reactivity. Peripartum (prepartum and/or postpartum) maternal depression, rather than a pre‐pregnancy history of disorder, was associated with higher infant cortisol reactivity. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to maternal disorder had similar effects, but prenatal maternal psychotropic medication treatment appeared to attenuate infant cortisol increases associated with prenatal maternal disorder exposure.

Conclusions:  These data suggest that exposure to maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum period may increase infant salivary cortisol. This maternal depression–infant cortisol association is independent of the effects of delivery complications, and appears to be modulated by prenatal maternal psychotropic treatment.
Suppression of autophagy precipitates neuronal cell death following low doses of methamphetamine
Authors: Castino Roberta , Lazzeri Gloria , Lenzi Paola , Bellio Natascia , Follo Carlo , Ferrucci Michela , Fornai Francesco , Isidoro Ciro
Published: May 2008

Methamphetamine abuse is toxic to dopaminergic neurons, causing nigrostriatal denervation and striatal dopamine loss. Following methamphetamine exposure, the number of nigral cell bodies is generally preserved, but their cytoplasm features autophagic‐like vacuolization and cytoplasmic accumulation of α‐synuclein‐, ubiquitin‐ and parkin‐positive inclusion‐like bodies. Whether autophagy is epiphenomenal or it plays a role in the mechanism of methamphetamine toxicity and, in the latter case, whether its role consists of counteracting or promoting the neurotoxic effect remains obscure. We investigated the signaling pathway and the significance (protective vs. toxic) of autophagy activation and the convergence of the autophagic and the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathways at the level of the same intracellular bodies in a simple cell model of methamphetamine toxicity. We show that autophagy is rapidly up‐regulated in response to methamphetamine. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and immuno‐electron microscopy studies demonstrated the presence of α‐synuclein aggregates in autophagy‐lysosomal structures in cells exposed to methamphetamine, a condition compatible with cell survival. Inhibition of autophagy either by pharmacologic or genetic manipulation of the class III Phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase‐mediated signaling prevented the removal of α‐synuclein aggregates and precipitated a bax‐mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
Large‐scale analysis of glucocorticoid target genes in rat hypothalamus
Authors: Sato Hirohito , Horikawa Yukio , Iizuka Katsumi , Sakurai Noriko , Tanaka Takeshi , Shihara Nobuyuki , Oshima Akihiko , Takeda Jun , Mikuni Masahiko
Published: May 2008

Insufficient glucocorticoid (GC) signaling is frequently observed in major depressive disorder (MDD). Since emotional and behavioral symptoms are often accompanied by disturbances in hypothalamic systems, GC insufficiency in this region is regarded as important in the pathogenesis of MDD. In this study, 22 early GC‐responsive genes comprising 15 up‐regulated and 7 down‐regulated genes in rat hypothalamus were identified as being regulated at least two‐fold by dexamethasone using microarray with 22 599 unique transcripts. Among these 22 genes, five of which are novel GC‐responsive genes, the expression patterns ofsgk,bcl6,pdk4,andplekhf1were examinedin vitroin detail, and GC‐responsive regions were identified only within the promoter ofsgk. This suggests that glucocorticoid response element‐independent pathways also play a critical role in early GC‐response in hypothalamus. Considering that a number of these GC‐responsive genes are candidate neuronal regulators, this gene list should be useful in clarifying the relationship between GC insufficiency and the pathogenesis of MDD.
Differential regulation of sphingomyelin synthesis and catabolism in oligodendrocytes and neurons
Authors: Kilkus John P. , Goswami Rajendra , Dawson Sylvia A. , Testai Fernando D. , Berdyshev Eugeny V. , Han Xianlin , Dawson Glyn
Published: May 2008

Neurons (both primary cultures of 3‐day rat hippocampal neurons and embryonic chick neurons) rapidly converted exogenous NBD‐sphingomyelin (SM) to NBD‐Cer but only slowly converted NBD‐Cer to NBD‐SM. This was confirmed by demonstrating low in vitro sphingomyelin synthase (SMS) and high sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity in neurons. Similar results were observed in a human neuroblastoma cell line (LA‐N‐5). In contrast, primary cultures of 3‐day‐old rat oligodendrocytes only slowly converted NBD‐SM to NBD‐Cer but rapidly converted NBD‐Cer to NBD‐SM. This difference was confirmed by high in vitro SMS and low SMase activity in neonatal rat oligodendrocytes. Similar results were observed in a human oligodendroglioma cell line. Mass‐Spectrometric analyses confirmed that neurons had a low SM/Cer ratio of (1.5 : 1) whereas oligodendroglia had a high SM/Cer ratio (9 : 1). Differences were also confirmed by [3H]palmitate‐labeling of ceramide, which was higher in neurons compared with oligodendrocytes. Stable transfection of human oligodendroglioma cells with neutral SMase, which enhanced the conversion of NBD‐SM to NBD‐Cer and increased cell death, whereas transfection with SMS1 or SMS2 enhanced conversion of NBD‐Cer to NBD‐SM and was somewhat protective against cell death. Thus, SMS rather than SMases may be more important for sphingolipid homeostasis in oligodendrocytes, whereas the reverse may be true for neurons.
The roles of membrane estrogen receptor subtypes in modulating dopamine transporters in PC‐12 cells
Authors: Alyea Rebecca A. , Laurence Stephanie E. , Kim Sung H. , Katzenellenbogen Benita S. , Katzenellenbogen John A. , Watson Cheryl S.
Published: May 2008

The effects of 17β‐estradiol (E2) on dopamine (DA) transport could explain gender and life‐stage differences in the incidence of some neurological disorders. We tested the effects of E2 at physiological concentrations on DA efflux in nerve growth factor‐differentiated rat pheochromocytoma cells that express estrogen receptors (ER) α, ERβ, and G‐protein coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), and DA transporter (DAT). DAT efflux was determined as the transporter‐specific loss of 3H‐DA from pre‐loaded cells; a 9–15 min 10−9 M E2 treatment caused maximal DA efflux. Such rapid estrogenic action suggests a non‐genomic response, and an E2‐dendrimer conjugate (limited to non‐nuclear actions) caused DA efflux within 5 min. Efflux dose–responses for E2 were non‐monotonic, also characteristic of non‐genomic estrogenic actions. ERα siRNA knockdown abolished E2‐mediated DA efflux, while ERβ knockdown did not, and GPR30 knockdown increased E2‐mediated DA efflux (suggesting GPR30 is inhibitory). Use of ER‐selective agonists/antagonists demonstrated that ERα is the predominant mediator of E2‐mediated DA efflux, with inhibitory contributions from GPR30 and ERβ. E2 also caused trafficking of ERα to the plasma membrane, trafficking of ERβ away from the plasma membrane, and unchanged membrane GPR30 levels. Therefore, ERα is largely responsible for non‐genomic estrogenic effects on DAT activity.
Evaluation of mitral regurgitation by pulmonary venous blood flow patterns. Relation to angiographic and haemodynamic parameters in subgroups of patients
Authors: Teien D. , Holm S. , Karp K.
Published: May 2008

Summary. Objectives: to study the relationship between pulmonary venous systolic flow fraction (PVSFfr) recorded using pulsed Doppler transesophageal echocardiography and angiographic grading and haemodynamic parameters in subgroups of patients with mitral regurgitation.

Background: reversed systolic pulmonary venous flow is a sensitive sign of severe mitral regurgitation. Scarse data are available regarding the effects of atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease.

Methods: PVSFfr was calculated as the systolic flow velocity integral divided by the total inflow integral. PVSFfr is negative when systolic flow is dominantly reversed. 111 patients were studied.

Results: PVSFfr<0 was 91% sensitive for angiographic severe mitral regurgitation (MR) (specificity 75%). In patients with sinus rhytm and without coronary artery disease the sensivity was 100% and specificity was 86% (n= 25). PVSFfr correlated to angiographic grade (r= ‐0.63, P= 0.0001), mean PCW (r= ‐0.63, P= 0.0001), v‐wave (r=‐0.72, P= 0.0001), systolic blood pressure (r= 0.28, P= 0.003) and left atrial diameter (r= ‐0.42, P= 0.0001) (n= 111). Stepwise linear regression analysis revealed the v‐wave, angiographic grading, left atrial diameter and systolic blood pressure to be independent predictors of PVSFfr. Subgroup analysis revealed a correlation (r= 0.85, n= 25) between angiographic grading and PVSFfr in patients with sinus rhythm without CAD and (r= 0.35, n= 23) in patients with CAD in atrial fibrillation.

Conclusions: PVSFfr is valuable in assessing mitral regurgitation. In the presence of atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease the correlation with angiographic grading decreases indicating the dynamic nature of this valvular lesion.
Pulsatile blood flow asymmetry in paired human legs
Authors: Mayrovitz H. N. , Larsen P. B.
Published: May 2008

Summary. Average leg blood flow has been extensively measured using noninvasive methods, but knowledge concerning pulsatile flow at specific leg cross‐sections in normal or vascularly impaired limbs is quite limited. The present study used nuclear magnetic resonance flowmetry to address two fundamental questions; (1) to what extent are pulsatile flow differences present between paired‐legs? and (2) is paired‐leg flow symmetry affected by the presence of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD)? Comparisons of left‐right leg pulsatile blood flow (ml/min), perfusion (ml/min/100cc), and arterial status index at multiple leg sites showed highly significant correlations between legs (P < 0.001) in 57 normal and 37 patients with LEAD. To evaluate symmetry, the ratio of lower to higher paired‐leg flow parameter values at five below‐knee sites were averaged. Results showed all ratios significantly greater in normal subjects (P < 0.001). These findings establish the distribution and range of leg flow symmetry in vascularly normal individuals and show significant symmetry reductions accompanying bilateral LEAD. Although the cause of the asymmetry is presently unknown, non‐uniform disease progression between paired legs may be involved. These initial findings provide a basis for subsequent research regarding the possible use of bilateral flow asymmetry assessment to further clarify the pathophysiological progression process and the possibility of using symmetry‐based parameters to develop early markers of sub‐clinical peripheral arterial disease progression.
Role of pulmonary vascular disorder in determining exercise capacity in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Fujii T. , Kurihara N. , Fujimoto S. , Hirata K. , Yoshikawa J.
Published: May 2008

Summary. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the primary cardiovascular complication is the development of pulmonary hypertension, especially during exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pulmonary vascular disorder plays an important role in determining exercise capacity in patients with severe COPD. Twenty‐one male patients with severe COPD (mean FEV1= 0.91 ? 0.26 1) performed a progressive incremental exercise test, until symptom‐limited maximum, to determine maximal exercise capacity, and then a constant‐load exercise test for 5 min at a workload (20–60 W) corresponding to 60% of maximal workload during right heart catheterization to characterize the haemodynamic behavior of pulmonary circulation during exercise. The severity of the pulmonary vascular disorder was assessed using the slope of the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) ‐ cardiac index (CI) relationship during constant‐load exercise (P‐Q slope). A significant inverse correlation was found between the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and P‐Q slope (r= ‐0.669), but not between VO2max and indices of expiratory airflow obstruction. In addition, the P‐Q slope was inversely correlated with mixed venous oxygen tension (PvO2) at the end of constant‐load exercise (r= ‐0–679) and with the change in oxygen delivery relative to oxygen consumption (ΔO2/ΔVO2) during constant‐load exercise (r= ‐0.671). These findings suggest that in patients with COPD, the functional impairment of the pulmonary vasculature is associated with disturbance in oxygen transport to the peripheral muscle during exercise, resulting in reduction of exercise capacity. We conclude that pulmonary vascular disorder may be an important factor in determining the exercise capacity of patients with severe COPD.
A new device combining laser Doppler perfusion imaging and digital photography
Authors: Bornmyr S. , Mårtensson A. , Svensson H. , Nilsson K.‐G. , Wollmer P.
Published: May 2008

Summary. We describe a new method for acquisition and analysis of skin perfusion images acquired by laser Doppler scanning and digital photographs of the area scanned. Photographs are obtained with a commercial digital still video camera. A commercial software package is used to handle the perfusion image file and the digital photo. We describe software developed to assess blood flow distribution in detail in relation to the visual appearance of the skin, palpatory findings and other clinical signs. Possible clinical applications of the method described by case reports are post‐operative evaluation of vascularized grafts and monitoring of treatment of chronic skin ulcers.
Effect of β‐blocking agents with and without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity on work efficiency in healthy men
Authors: Mäki T. , Näveri H , Leinonen H , Sovijärvi A
Published: May 2008

Summary. In order to evaluate the effect of β‐blocking agents with and without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) on work efficiency in healthy subjects, we studied the haemodynamic and gas exchange parameters, as well as blood lactate concentrations, during a graded maximal bicycle exercise test performed after perorally given propranolol (PRO) and pindolol (PIN) in seven healthy men. The medications (PRO: 80 mg X 2/day, PIN: 10 mg X 2/day, for seven days) were given in a placebo (PLA) controlled, double‐blind, randomized, cross‐over fashion.

Both the drugs reduced heart rate and blood pressure during exercise equally compared with the placebo. The oxygen uptake at submaximal work loads, as well as at the maximum, was constantly and equally reduced by PRO and PIN compared with PLA. The anaerobic threshold was reached at a slightly lower oxygen uptake for both the drugs compared with the placebo (P < 0.05). No significant difference was, however, observed in the work levels at which the ventilatory anaerobic threshold was reached. Moreover, the gross efficiency, i.e. the amount of work performed at a certain energy consumption level (aerobic+anaerobic), was increased by both PRO (26.7 ± 0.5%, P < 0.02 vs PLA: 24–7 ± 0.5%) and PIN (26.5 ± 0–5%, P < 0.05 vs PLA) at a submaximal work load of 240 W.

The results indicate that β‐blocking agents propranolol and pindolol slightly and equally reduce maximal work performance, but increase the efficiency of submaximal work in a way that a certain amount of external work can be done with smaller consumption of oxygen. These findings may contribute to the benefit of β‐blocking agents in patients with coronary heart disease.
TECHNICAL NOTE: Continuous non‐invasive measurement of mean blood pressure in fingers by volume‐clamp and differential oscillometric method
Authors: Jagomägi K. , Talts J. , Raamat R. , Länsimies E.
Published: May 2008

Summary. The present study compares two different methods for non‐invasive beat‐to‐ beat finger arterial blood pressure monitoring. The measurements using the volume clamp method (FINAPRES, Ohmeda, USA) were compared with measurements applying the differential oscillometric method (UT9201 device, University of Tartu). 13 healthy volunteers were studied at rest, during head‐up tilt (HUT) and during deep breathing (DB) with a fixed rate of 6 breaths/min. Blood pressure was recorded from adjacent fingers of the right hand. 150 pairs of mean blood pressure values in each subject were included for statistical evaluation. No systematic differences between the two methods were found. The difference between values (FINAPRES — UT9201) at rest was ‐1.1 mmHg (SD 5.5), during HUT 0.5 mmHg (SD 6.9) and during DB‐3.6 mmHg (SD 7.7). The insignificant differences between the results obtained by the two independent methods allow us to conclude that both methods give reliable data on finger mean arterial pressure.
Markings for Image‐Based Deformation Measurement on a Torsion Test Machine
Authors: Joseph S. H.
Published: May 2008

Abstract:  The markings used for full‐field strain measurement by image correlation often take the form of a spray from aerosol or brush. On commercial test machines, specimens are more usually marked with an arrangement of dots or lines. Factors influencing the choice of markings for a specimen for a torsion machine are investigated. A theoretical analysis for predicting the random errors in displacement estimates of an image patch containing a mark using a sum‐squared difference criterion is developed, and compared with test results on synthetic images of edge and dot models. Tests on real images containing a contrast gradient are carried out at finite displacements, employing various criteria. The scatter of displacement estimates is compared with the random error predicted by the theoretical analysis, and the contrast gradients are measured. Further tests of the dot model on synthetic images quantify the systematic errors in displacement estimate that arise in the presence of contrast gradients. Further tests of dot and spray markings in synthetically sheared images indicate the extent to which displacement gradient parameters may be omitted from the criteria without increasing the random error of displacement estimates for deformed specimens.
Do attributions mediate the association between attachment and negative couple communication?
Authors: PEARCE ZOE J. , HALFORD W. KIM
Published: May 2008

This study explored whether attributions for negative partner behavior mediate the association between insecure attachment and negative couple communication, using both self‐report and observational data. A sample of 59 married and cohabiting Australian couples completed self‐report measures of attachment, attributions, and communication; were videotaped participating in two 10‐min problem‐solving discussions; and were assessed on their attributions during the discussions using video‐mediated recall. Multilevel modeling found that female attachment insecurity was the most consistent predictor of self‐reported and observed couple communication, and negative attributions mediated the association between attachment and self‐reported couple communication. These findings suggested that attachment insecurity increased the likelihood that negative attributions were generated, which, in some cases, then influenced the style of communication each partner reported.
Self‐ and maternal representations, relatedness patterns, and problem behavior in middle childhood
Authors: WANIEL ARIELA , BESSER AVI , PRIEL BEATRIZ
Published: May 2008

The present study investigated the association between children’s representations of their mothers’ and teachers’ reports of children’s problem behavior. The research team conducted semistructured narrative interviews with a community sample of 203 Israeli 9‐ to 11‐year‐old children. Ten months later, researchers collected teachers’ reports of children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. This study investigated whether children’s self‐representation narratives and their maladaptive relatedness stances questionnaire scores mediated this association. Results indicated that children reporting benevolent representations of their mothers exhibited lower levels of problem behavior. More positive self‐representations and lower levels of skewness in children’s relatedness stances to their mothers both mediated this association. This article includes a discussion of these results in light of factors contributing to maladjustment in middle childhood.
Family rituals in married couples: Links with attachment, relationship quality, and closeness
Authors: CRESPO CARLA , DAVIDE ISABEL N. , COSTA M. EMILIA , FLETCHER GARTH J. O.
Published: May 2008

This study examined the association between self‐reports of family rituals and relationship attachment, relationship quality, and closeness in 150 married couples in Portugal. Using structural equation modeling to examine both within‐individual and across‐partner effects, the results were generally as predicted. First, lower levels of avoidant attachment were related to greater family investment in rituals. Second, greater family investment in rituals was associated with more positive relationship quality and closeness. Third, family investment in rituals partially mediated the link between avoidance and relationship quality and closeness. Fourth, the mediational models were significant for women but not for men. These results highlight the importance of links among family interactions, couple interactions, and individual differences.
How was your day? Couples’ affect when telling and hearing daily events
Authors: HICKS ANGELA M. , DIAMOND LISA M.
Published: May 2008

This study examined day‐to‐day mood changes associated with disclosure of positive and stressful events as affect regulation within couples. In daily diaries, 48 couples cohabiting in the United States reported whether they told their partner about the most positive and stressful event of their day. Participants reported greater positive affect on days when they told their partner about the most positive event of their day. This effect was less pronounced among avoidant women. Participants also reported greater positive affect on days when their partner shared their most positive event. Sharing about stressors was not associated with greater negative affect. These findings underscore the importance of investigating affect regulation processes such as daily event disclosures from a dyadic perspective.
The impact of imagined audiences on self‐appraisals
Authors: SCHLENKER BARRY R. , WOWRA SCOTT A. , JOHNSON RYAN M. , MILLER MARISA L.
Published: May 2008

The concept of the relational self suggests that simply imagining significant others produces shifts in self‐assessments consistent with one’s roles and experiences with those others. To test relevant hypotheses, college women (from the United States) imagined a significant other as part of a visualization task. After imagining parents as compared to peers, participants described themselves as less sensual, dominant, and adventurous (Experiment 1), a pattern consistent with other women’s ratings of how they actually felt with those others. Supporting the idea that self‐esteem differences emerge in more evaluative contexts, self‐esteem moderated self‐assessments on key dimensions (Experiment 2). After imagining a romantic other but not a best friend, self‐esteem was directly related to women’s self‐ratings of sensuality, physical attractiveness, and being at ease.
Henrico Boscano's Isola beata: new evidence for the Academia Leonardi Vinci in Renaissance Milan
Authors: Pederson Jill
Published: May 2008

Historians have long debated the possibility of an academy in Quattrocento Milan centred around Leonardo da Vinci. Such an academy has been variously characterized based on textual and material sources. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, however, the existence of this group has been vigorously denied in the scholarship on Leonardo. This article presents new information on the academy derived largely from the previously unpublished Renaissance manuscript, the Isola beata (c.1513). The text provides details of the academy's membership, as well as information that illuminates Leonardo's Milanese intellectual circle and helps to contextualize it in relation to other contemporary Italian Renaissance academies.
From bottega to studio
Authors: Bauer Linda
Published: May 2008

The changing conception of the artist that occurred during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has been recognized in various ways. This article seeks to argue that it may be seen in the language used to describe artists’ working spaces. Typically lacking any precise differentiation in the inventories of painters’ estates that enumerate the contents of their dwellings room by room, the language for these spaces undergoes a change in the more rhetorically shaped literature on art. First sporadically, then strikingly, the word ‘bottega’ with its unwanted commercial connotations is abandoned and, before ‘studio’ comes to take its place, the word ‘stanza’– simply space or room – is used as a more neutral, less problematic word, even for multiple spaces. Entailed in this usage is both the concern for the status of the artist and the introduction of new social practices into a definition of the artist's workplace that had been largely economic.
The Epidemiology of Urinary Incontinence in Older Women: Incidence, Progression, and Remission
Authors: Lifford Karen L. , Townsend Mary K. , Curhan Gary C. , Resnick Neil M. , Grodstein Francine
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine the epidemiology of urinary incontinence (UI) in older women.

DESIGN: Prospective study.

SETTING: Nurses' Health Study.

PARTICIPANTS: Incidence of UI was determined in 23,792 women aged 54 to 79 without UI at baseline. Progression or remission of UI was determined in 28,813 women with UI at least monthly at baseline.

MEASUREMENTS: UI was ascertained according to questionnaires in 2000 and 2002. Rates of incident UI and progression or remission of prevalent UI were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks of UI associated with risk factors.

RESULTS: In women with no urine leakage at baseline, 9.2% reported leakage at least monthly after 2 years. For women with leakage at least weekly, the incidence was 3.6%; of these cases, stress UI had the highest incidence, followed by mixed and urge UI. Relationships between UI and age differed for stress UI, which decreased with age (relative risk (RR)=0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.43–0.92 for aged 70–79 vs 54–59), and urge and mixed UI, which increased with age (RR=2.28, 95% CI=1.09–4.75 and RR=2.11, 95% CI=1.24–3.61, respectively). For prevalent UI in 2000, 32.1% of subjects with leakage once a month progressed to leakage at least once a week over follow‐up. Only 8.9% with frequent leakage in 2000 reported improvement to monthly leakage or less, with 2.0% having complete remission.

CONCLUSION: The incidence of UI is high in older women, and progression from occasional to frequent leaking is common. Urge UI, for which there are limited effective treatments, increases with age, thus research on UI prevention in older women is particularly important.
Ethnic Prejudice and Discrimination in Europe
Authors: Zick Andreas , Pettigrew Thomas F. , Wagner Ulrich
Published: May 2008

This article provides an introduction to research on European prejudice and discrimination. First, we list the distinctive characteristics of a European perspective and provide a short sketch of European immigration and ethnic groups. Europe has become a multicultural community. Nevertheless, public opinion and the continent's politics often do not reflect this empirical fact. Prejudice and discrimination directed at immigrants are a widespread phenomena across Europe. Several cross‐European surveys support this conclusion, although theoretically driven surveys on prejudice and discrimination in Europe remain rare. Cross‐European research studies classical and modern theories of prejudice and discrimination and attempts to uncover the psychological mechanisms that explain individual readiness to exclude ethnic groups. A brief sketch of recent European research is presented. This issue offers both important cross‐national perspectives as well as needed comparisons with the more studied case of racial prejudice and discrimination in the United States.
Everyday Racism as Predictor of Political Racism in Flemish Belgium
Authors: Billiet Jaak , De Witte Hans
Published: May 2008

Two aspects of research on racism in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed in this article based on results from large‐scale surveys between 1991 and 2003. The first relates to the (negative) attitudes of the majority toward foreigners
(everyday racism). The second relates to the vote for an extreme right‐wing political party that emphasizes anti‐immigrant viewpoints in its political program and propaganda(political racism). Our main research question is how both forms of racism are related. First, theories to explain political racism are reviewed. Some theories suggest an extreme right‐wing vote to be motivated by a content‐related agreement with (part of) the program of these parties (e.g., racism, nationalism, or authoritarianism). Other theories suggest that this vote represents an antipolitical protest vote. From these theories, hypotheses are derived regarding the background characteristics and attitudes that are associated with an extreme right‐wing vote (e.g., the Vlaams Blok). These hypotheses are tested using data from election research in 1991, 1999, and 2003. The results suggest that the vote for the party Vlaams Blok is a rational vote. Of all theories, the theory suggesting that everyday racism plays a prominent role received most support. Everyday racism thus motivates political racism in the Flemish part of Belgium.
Black Immigrants in Portugal: Luso–Tropicalism and Prejudice
Authors: Vala Jorge , Lopes Diniz , Lima Marcus
Published: May 2008

This article analyzes the relationship between the luso–tropicalist representation of the history of Portuguese colonization and overt as well as covert expressions of anti‐immigrant prejudice. The luso–tropicalist representation emphasizes the uniqueness of the Portuguese colonial relations based on Portuguese empathy and capacity to deal with people from different cultures. This representation was created during Salazar's dictatorial regime and is still assumed to be a dimension of Portuguese national identity. The empirical findings presented in this article show that this luso–tropicalist representation may explain the salience of the norm against prejudice in Portugal and may contribute to weaken the traditional association between national identity and overt prejudice. A second dimension of the association between luso–tropicalism and integration of Black immigrants in Portuguese society was examined, that is, the impact of luso–tropicalism on the attribution and covert evaluation of cultural differences between White Portuguese and Black immigrants. Results show that despite the luso–tropicalist representation, White Portuguese individuals express a covert negative evaluation of cultural differences attributed to Black immigrants. This means that the luso–tropicalist representation can protect against the expression of overt prejudice but not against its covert dimensions.
Postconflict Reconciliation: Intergroup Forgiveness and Implicit Biases in Northern Ireland
Authors: Tam Tania , Hewstone Miles , Kenworthy Jared B. , Cairns Ed , Marinetti Claudia , Geddes Leo , Parkinson Brian
Published: May 2008

Even after a conflict has formally ended, there is still a need for postconflict reconciliation and the building of mutual forgiveness and trust between communities. This article addresses psychological processes crucial to moving beyond a history of violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. We investigated the predictors of intergroup forgiveness, in terms of intergroup emotions, infrahumanization, empathy, and intergroup contact. Intergroup trust and measures of implicit intergroup bias were also explored in this area of real intergroup conflict. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for postconflict reconciliation in Northern Ireland and other conflict areas.
Types of Identification and Intergroup Differentiation in the Russian Federation
Authors: Minescu Anca , Hagendoorn Louk , Poppe Edwin
Published: May 2008

The fall of the Soviet Union affected the established identity patterns and intergroup relations in the Russian Federation. A survey investigates the effect of Russians' and titulars' identifications with their ethnic group, their republic, and the Russian Federation on intergroup stereotypes. We hypothesized that identification at various inclusiveness levels is differently reflected in the positive/negative stereotypes about in‐group and out‐groups. While in‐group stereotypes would be positively affected by all types of identification, out‐group stereotypes would turn more negative by ethnic identification and more positive by republican and federal identification. Further, we expected that republican identification would improve titulars' in‐group stereotypes and Russians' out‐group stereotypes, while federal identification would enhance Russians' in‐group stereotypes and titular's out‐group stereotypes. Russians favored their in‐group mostly in positive terms. Titular minorities favored their in‐group mostly on negative stereotypes. A model of intergroup differentiation is proposed that takes into account social identification at different inclusiveness levels. This model makes clear the potential threat posed by republican identifications to the stability of intergroup relations in Russia.
Anti‐Semitic Attitudes in Europe: A Comparative Perspective
Authors: Bergmann Werner
Published: May 2008

The article uses available survey data to depict the depth and spread of anti‐Semitic attitudes across Europe. The main assumption is that European anti‐Semitism, both currently and historically, is closely tied to issues and crises of national self‐identification; for this reason, social identity theory is employed to study the varying configurations of anti‐Semitic prejudice. In most European countries, Jews are a small and socially integrated minority. Attitudes toward them are determined less by concrete experiences of cultural differences, or conflicts over scarce resources, but rather by a perceived threat to the national self‐image. This leads to an accentuation of the pertinent prejudices that blame Jews to be responsible for that threat. This perspective brings to light considerable differences between Eastern and Western Europe and the continuing influence of national traditions.
The Syndrome of Group‐Focused Enmity: The Interrelation of Prejudices Tested with Multiple Cross‐Sectional and Panel Data
Authors: Zick Andreas , Wolf Carina , Küpper Beate , Davidov Eldad , Schmidt Peter , Heitmeyer Wilhelm
Published: May 2008

Different types of prejudice are usually treated as separate constructs. We propose that they constitute a syndrome of group‐focused enmity (GFE), that is, they are related to each other and share a common core that is strongly predicted by a generalized ideology of inequality. Furthermore, GFE components are supposed to have similar predictors and outcomes. An empirical test is presented using structural equation modeling on the syndrome, its causes, consequences, and structural stability over time. The study relies on three German cross‐sectional probability samples (each N= 2,700) and a related panel study (2002, 2003, and 2004). The idea of a GFE syndrome is strongly supported. Future research is discussed, as well as alternative approaches of a common prejudice factor.
Prejudice and Group‐Related Behavior in Germany
Authors: Wagner Ulrich , Christ Oliver , Pettigrew Thomas F.
Published: May 2008

This article analyses the relationship of ethnic prejudice and discriminatory behavioral intentions in Germany. We utilize two representative surveys conducted in 2002 and 2004 (N= 2,722 and 1,383, respectively) as well as a longitudinal study with three annual measurement points (2002–2004; N= 825). Results show that prejudice is substantially correlated with the respondents' reports of their own discriminatory intentions (R= .33 to .49). Controlling for additional psychological variables, the cross‐lagged, longitudinal analyses support the causal hypothesis that prejudice leads to discriminatory intentions. Additional influences on discriminatory intentions—intergroup threat and intergroup contact—are substantially mediated by ethnic prejudice. Thus, a practical implication of these results is that the reduction of intergroup threat and increment of intergroup contact may well lead to both reduced intergroup prejudice and to less discriminatory behavior.
Incarceration, Health, and Racial Disparities in Health
Authors: Massoglia Michael
Published: May 2008

This article addresses two basic questions. First, it examines whether incarceration has a lasting impact on health functioning. Second, because blacks are more likely than whites to be exposed to the negative effects of the penal system—including fractured social bonds, reduced labor market prospects, and high levels of infectious disease—it considers whether the penal system contributes to racial health disparities. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and both regression and propensity matching estimators, the article empirically demonstrates a significant relationship between incarceration and later health status. More specifically, incarceration exerts lasting effects on midlife health functioning. In addition, this analysis finds that, due primarily to disproportionate rates of incarceration, the penal system plays a role in perpetuating racial differences in midlife physical health functioning.
Prisoners' Adjustment, Correctional Officers, and Context: The Foreground and Background of Punishment in Late Modernity
Authors: Vuolo Mike , Kruttschnitt Candace
Published: May 2008

Past research indicates that front-line criminal justice workers are the critical players in determining whether innovations in penal policy are realized. Recent attempts to understand the diversity in the application of the penal harm movement have, however, sidestepped the primary audience of these policies, the population of convicted offenders. This article uses data from two prisons to examine the effects of correctional officers on women prisoners' adjustment to prison life. Using regression models and interview data, we find that correctional officer behavior has a profound impact on women's ability to adjust to prison, and this effect is largely independent of the prisoners' characteristics and the institutions in which they are housed. On a theoretical level, the findings speak to recent calls to examine the background and foreground of penal culture. On a practical level, they highlight the need to understand the environments from which women are emerging, not just the communities into which they are released.
Popular Constitutionalism's Hard When You're Not Very Popular: Why the ACLU Turned to Courts
Authors: Zackin Emily
Published: May 2008

Through a case study of the early American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), this article examines the empirical ramifications of constitutional scholars' recent exhortations to “take the Constitution away from the courts” in order to promote democratic deliberation about constitutional meaning. While it is now one of the most prominent examples of a litigation-based interest group, the ACLU began its existence demonstrating a commitment to constitutionalism outside the courts. Through coding a decade's worth of meeting minutes and examining archival sources, I demonstrate that the ACLU's mounting unpopularity rendered extrajudicial politics impossible, precipitating the ACLU's shift toward litigation. The ACLU's move toward litigation, despite its early devotion to political activism outside the courts, suggests that it is not always possible for political actors to make constitutional arguments without courts. Furthermore, the ACLU's use of courts to publicize and dramatize its constitutional arguments demonstrates that litigation may actually promote popular deliberation about constitutional meaning. These political realities both highlight and contradict two empirical assumptions underlying arguments about the normative desirability of restricting courts' involvement in constitutional politics. First, the state is not a neutral arena in which all political actors are equally free to pursue their constitutional visions through majoritarian processes. Second, courts may facilitate (rather than hinder) popular deliberation about constitutional questions.