bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential Attitudes Toward an Adult Education Program for Pharmacists
Authors: Kotzan Jeffrey A. , Jowdy Albert W.
Published: March 2007

The research project measured post exposure attitude differentials toward a series of adult education programs for registered pharma cists. Four attitudinal scales were constructed for three specific factors of the pharmaceutical adult programs and one general criterion scale. Attending pharmacists were categorized according to their working environment and graduation date from pharmacy school. The quantified attitudinal measurements were subjected to an unequal cell, single factor analysis of variance. The analysis revealed that hospital pharmacists held more negative general attitudes toward the series of adult pharmacy programs than did community pharmacists. A similar analysis of variance revealed that the graduation date classification demonstrated no relation ship to the expressed attitudes of the attending pharmacists.
Continuing Education for the Aged: a Survey of Needs and Interests of Older People
Authors: Hiemstra Roger P.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the educational needs and interests of 86 retired persons participating in senior citizen center activities or living in residential centers for the aged. Two hypotheses were examined: That the aged prefer residential or senior citizen center educational activities to those offered in formal educational set tings, and that the aged perceive instrumental activities (compet ency areas designed for effective mastery of old age challenges) as more important than expressive activities (experiences designed to increase a person's enjoyment of life.) Analysis of questionnaire data revealed significant (.001 level) support for both hypotheses. Additional information collected showed that transportation prob lems and evening-only educational activities limit participation. It was concluded that adult educators must consider the aged as clientele with special needs and interests.
Adults in the College Setting: Deciding To Develop Skills
Authors: Clarke John H.
Published: March 2007

Survey of Study Habits and Attitude Scores, age variables, and the decision to participate in remediation were examined among 261 academically deficient college freshmen. Analysis of variance revealed that older students scored higher than younger groups on three of four SSHA subscales (p .001). Chi Square test of independence showed that the choice to attend remedia tion activities was associated with high SSHA scores among members of the oldest group of par ticipants and low SSHA scores among members of the youngest group (p .007). Discussion fo cused on the need to study further possible implications of age and attitude differences among remedial participants.
Contributions of Curiosity and Relevance To Adult Learning Motivation
Authors: Rossing Boyd E. , Long Huey B.
Published: March 2007

Berlyne (6) has proposed that epistemic curiosity, the desire to gain knowledge, can be evoked by "surprising information." This study investigated the relative associations of curiosity evoked by surprise and of perceived value of information to the desire to know more about psychological research topics. The sample consisted of 79 volunteers from both evening credit classes and non-credit continuing education classes ranging in age from 21 to 52.

A significant positive correlation was observed between perceived value and desire for knowledge, but the positive relationship observed between surprise and desire for knowledge was not statistically significant.

Comparison of results to similar research with adolescents suggested that the importance of curiosity as a motivation to learn may decline in adulthood. Results were, however, consistent with Berlyne's contention that curiosity adds to the motivation derived from perceived value of information. The importance of further research was stressed.
The Relationship between Identity Development and Self-Esteem during the Late Adolescent Years: Sex Differences
Authors: Dusek Jerome , Carter O. Bruce , Levy Gary
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the two studies reported in this paper was to examine the relationship between identity and self-esteem development during the late adolescent years. Subjects in Study 1 completed the Inventory of Psychosocial Development and a semantic differential measure of four components of self-esteem. Using a backwards stepwise multiple regression procedure the IPD scales that were significant predictors of the self-esteem measures were identified for males and for females. The subjects in the second study completed the same instruments. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine if the scales found to be significant predictors of self-esteem in the first study also predicted self-esteem in the second study. This was generally found to be the case except for the Masculinity/Femininity component of self-esteem for males. The findings were interpreted as demonstrating that resolution of identity issues has important implications for self-esteem, and that identity is differentially related to self-esteem for males and females.
Egocentrism and Depressive Symptomatology in Adolescents
Authors: Baron Pierre
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between egocentrism and depressive symptomatology in adolescents. One hundred ninety-four adolescents (108 males, 86 females), ranging in age from 12 to 17 years and enrolled in a high school in Quebec, completed the Adolescent Egocentrism-Sociocentrism Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. As predicted, subjects with high egocentrism showed significantly more depressive symptoms than subjects with low egocentrism. Results are discussed in light of the literature on adolescent depression.
Adolescent Process and Family Organization: A Model of Development as a Function of Family Paradigm
Authors: Constantine Larry L. , Massachusetts Acton,
Published: March 2007

Adolescent behavior and development are generally recognized as mediated, in part, by family process. Based on research and clinical experience, a framework has been developed that organizes the diversity of family styles and structures into fundamental themes, or family paradigms, around which family process can be organized. Following work of Kantor, Reiss, Olson, and Constantine, these paradigmatic themes are characterized as closed/traditional, random/individualistic, open/collaborative, and synchronous/harmonious. This framework has been elaborated to systematically link individuation in adolescent development to enduring features of family style and world view. Whereas support for differentiation from the family and separation or autonomous functioning varies with paradigm, adolescents raised under different child-rearing regimes may face quite different developmental tasks. Issues that are salient for adolescents from close/traditional families with strong parental authority, for example, may not be as important developmentally for those raised in the more permissive style of a random/individualistic paradigm. Normal development and clinical issues are both argued to be systematically related to family paradigm.
Sociometric Status among Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents in a Residential Treatment Program
Authors: Connolly Jennifer A.
Published: March 2007

Positive and negative peer nominations were collected longitudinally for 64 adolescents in a 15-bed residential treatment program, beginning with each adolescent's first week of admission. Prior to admission, parent ratings of social competence and problem behaviors were collected. Behavior observations and clinician ratings of social behavior were also collected. The study goals were to determine if social status could be reliably assessed in this peer group, if it could be predicted from measures of social activity collected prior to admission and whether it correlated with patterns of social behavior. The results indicated good week-to-week stability for acceptance, rejection and social preference. Social impact was not generally reliable. Parent ratings of problematic behavior prior to admission significantly predicted acceptance and social preference established later in the clinical milieu. Preferred social status in the residential milieu was related to more socially competent patterns of behavior. Finally, low social status was associated with a longer hospital stay and with lower IQ. The study provides support for the use of sociometric procedures in the study of social competence and adolescent psychopathology. The clinical relevance of systematically monitoring milieu social relationships is discussed.
The Development of Lay Theories of Problem Drinking
Authors: Sigelman Carol K. , Gurstell Stacy A. , Stewart Amanda K.
Published: March 2007

The development of theories of and attitudes surrounding adolescent alcohol abuse was explored by asking students from sixth grade to college to react to a hypothetical case of problem drinking. With age, students perceived the problem as less serious; less often attributed it to moral weakness, but displayed little change in their endorsement of causal views emphasizing biological disease, bad environment, or normal motives; more often emphasized the individual's own responsibility for solving the problem and the value of self-initiated and nonpunitive treatment; and expressed more acceptance of the problem drinker. In addition, males were more likely than females to normalize and tolerate problem drinking. Deviance from adult-sanctioned, conventional values, although a contributor to tolerant views ofproblem drinking in its own right, could accountfor only some age and gender differences in perceptions. Implications for substance abuse education are discussed.
Ethnic and Gender Differences in Beliefs about Sex Partner Questioning to Reduce HIV Risk
Authors: Mays Vickie M. , Cochran Susan D.
Published: March 2007

With the increasing risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HPV) transmission among sexually active adolescents and young adults, individuals are sometimes advised to select sexual partners from lower H!V-risk populations. One method for doing so is directly asking questions about sexual risk histories. The current study examines, in a sample of 394 sexually active, heterosexual, unmarried youngAsian-A merican, African-American, Hispanic, and White adults, their perceptions of the effectiveness of partner questioning in reducing HIV risk and the extent to which they employ the technique. Results indicate that young adults, both male and female, expect others, particularly men, to minimize HIV risk histories. Ethnic differences were also found, with African-American and Hispanic young adults anticipating more frequent risk minimization. Despite this knowledge, a substantial proportion of young adults use partner questioning to reduce their HIV risk. Women who did so reported less frequent condom use when compared to other women.
Susceptibility to Antisocial Peer Pressure and Its Relation to Acculturation in Mexican-American Adolescents
Authors: Wall Julie A. , Power Thomas G. , Arbona Consuelo
Published: March 2007

Antisocial hypothetical situations modeled after those developed by Thomas Berndt and an abridged version of an acculturation questionnaire by Susan Keefe and Amado Padilla were used to examine the relation between susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure and acculturation among a sample of low socioeconomic status (SES) and working-class Mexican-American adolescents (Grades 9 through 12). Multiple regression was used to predict susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure from gender, grade, generational status, and acculturation. Amongfirst-generation immigrants, more acculturated adolescents within each grade were more susceptible to antisocial peerpressure. Generally, susceptibility decreased with advances in grade. Further, boys were more susceptible than were girls. Unexpectedly, there was no main effect for generational status. The findings mirror the gender and grade trends reported in the literature for Anglo adolescents. The findings for acculturation are discussed in terms of cultural differences in the relative influence of parents and peers.
Mutual Perceptions and Interethnic Strategies among French, Italian, and Haitian Adolescents of a Multiethnic School in Montreal
Authors: Laperriere Anne , Compere Lejacques , D'Khissy Majid , Dolce Rene , Fleurant Nicole
Published: March 2007

Processes through which interethnic relations and identity are constructed in a natural situation were studied among French, Italian, and Haitian adolescents of a multiethnic high school in Montreal. Grounded theory was the methodology chosen to study how the microsocial and macrosocial contexts influence the development of attitudes and strategies of individuals and groups. The research was conducted mainly through interviews of groups offriends (n = 4 to 6) of the same ethnic origin, gender, and age. The sample (N = 169) was almost equally distributed among gender, age groups (12 to 13, 14 to 15, and 16 to 17 years old), and the three most important ethnic groups of the school (58 French, 53 Italians, 58 Haitians). A marked evolution in attitudes and strategies was noted from the first to the fifth year of high school in all groups. The dominant taboo concerning ethnic differences noted among the 12-and 13-year-olds burst into an open celebration of these differences during the third year of high school to end on a sharp division between subgroups open or closed to ethnic differences in the fifth year of high school. A diversity of positions were to be found within each ethnic group. Gender and social class seemed to play different roles within each ethnic group in determining attitudes and strategies.
Parents, Siblings, Psychological Control, and Adolescent Adjustment
Authors: Conger Katherine Jewsbury , Conger Rand D. , Scaramella Laura V.
Published: March 2007

The relations between parents' and siblings' psychological control and adolescent adjustment (i.e., self-esteem and problems of internalization and externalization) were assessed over a 3 year periodfor 388 adolescents (7th graders at Year 1). Correlational and regression analyses were used to assess the contemporaneous and lagged associations between these variables. Patterns of association between psychological control and adolescent adjustment were consistent across family members. Results indicated that psychological control both by parents and by siblings contributes to increases in adolescents'adjustment problems and to diminished self-confidence. Relations to previous research on parents' behavior and adolescent adjustment, as well as implications forfuture research, are discussed.
The Association Between Humor and Depression in Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients and High School Students
Authors: Freiheit Stacy R. , Overholser James C. , Lehnert Kim L.
Published: March 2007

Humor may be an important coping skillfor dealing with emotional difficulties during adolescence. The relations between humor and symptoms of depression in high school students and in depressed adolescent psychiatric inpatients were examined in the present study. Assessment of humor included measures of humor appreciation, humor creativity, and humor coping. Professional comedians rated humor creativity. Depression was assessed with self-report measures of depressed mood, self-esteem, and hopelessness. Results indicated that humor can be measured reliably and that humor and depression are related. Specifically, using humor to cope with emotional difficulties was related to depression more than was the ability to appreciate or create humorous material. Although the adolescent inpatients reported more emotional distress than did the high school participants, the two groups did not differ on the humor measures. Further research examining the role of humor in coping with depression among adolescents is indicated.
Parent-Adolescent Communication about Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Druguse
Authors: Miller-Day Michelle A.
Published: March 2007

For this study, 67 adolescent African American and Caucasian adolescents were interviewed about their parent-adolescent conversations regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use. Analyses indicated that fewer than half of the youth had engaged in a conversation with one or more parent about ATOD use and that significantly more adolescents felt closest to and preferred talking with their mothers about risky topics than to other family members. Moreover, the results suggested that parental antidrug messages were part of the ongoing discourse of family life rather than structured in an isolated “drug talk,” as is advocated in contemporary media. This article argues for a clearer definition of the parent-adolescent conversation, discusses implications for targeting mothers as prevention agents, and introduces risksocialization theory.
Understanding Developmental Systems in Adolescence
Authors: Lerner Richard M. , Lerner Jacqueline V. , De Stefanis Imma , Apfel Alison
Published: March 2007

Contemporary theories of adolescence stress developmental systems models that integrate both individual and contextual levels of analysis in a relational manner—ones that place substantive emphasis on understanding the diversity of adolescent development. This scholarship suggests that adolescence should be investigated with multivariate-longitudinal designs and change-sensitive measures and data analytic strategies—ones that capitalize on and seek triangulation across both quantitative and qualitative methods, for example as may be illustrated by current advances in categorical data analysis. Such research will inform in useful ways policies and programs aimed at promoting positive development among diverse youth; but it will require innovations in training if new cohorts of developmental scholars are to be proficient in both the basics and applied scientific dimensions of studying adolescence.
The Emergence of Psychosocial Engagement in Adopted Adolescents
Authors: Grotevant Harold D. , Wrobel Gretchen Miller , van Dulmen Manfred H. , Mcroy Ruth G.
Published: March 2007

Psychosocial engagement of adopted adolescents was examined as a function of longitudinal patterns of stability and change in parents’ perceptions of the compatibility of the child within the family.Psychosocial engagement involves the adolescent’s active use of his or her inner resources to interact positively with others in family, peer, and community contexts.Participants included 177 adoptive families who were interviewed when the target child was in middle childhood and again when the child was in adolescence.Five patterns of stability and change in compatibility were identified.Parents’ perceptions of their adolescent’s social competence were related to patterns indicating higher compatibility, and higher reports of problem behaviors were found in families with patterns indicating lower compatibility.The same pattern of results was evident whether mothers’ or fathers’ scores for social competence and behavior problems were used.No main effects for adolescent gender or interaction between gender and change pattern emerged.
Sex-Related HIV Risk Reduction Behavior among Adolescents in DATOS-A
Authors: Joshi Vandana , Hser Yih-Ing , Grella Christine E. , Houlton Roberta
Published: March 2007

This study examines the effect of drug treatment on reducing HIV-related risky sex behavior among 796 adolescents entering drug treatment programs in four cities in the United States. More than half of the adolescents (54%) reported reductions in risky sex behavior after treatment. Conduct-disordered adolescents with abuse history, unmet physical and emotional needs, and low commitment to school were associated with lack of improvement. Furthermore, conduct-disordered adolescents who perceived treatment to be effective were more likely to show posttreatment improvement, with the exceptions that those who scored high on hostility or low in self-perception were not likely to improve. Among adolescents without conduct disorder, receipt of mental health services was associated with improvements in their risky sex behavior. The effect of drug treatment on HIV risk reduction can be increased when attention is focused on adolescents’ pretreatment risk factors, service needs, intreatment responses, and key personality characteristics.
The Effect of Drug Treatment on Criminal Behavior among Adolescents in DATOS-A
Authors: Farabee David , Shen Haikang , Hser Yih-Ing , Grella Christine E. , Anglin M. Douglas
Published: March 2007

This study examined criminal activity among 1,167 adolescents who participated in a community-based substance abuse treatment study (Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents) (DATOS-A). The primary goals of this study were to assess the effect of substance abuse treatment on adolescent crime and to identify the patient characteristics that were most closely associated with reductions in crime during the posttreatment period. Results confirmed that among adolescents who had engaged in criminal activity during the 12 months prior to entering DATOS-A treatment, reductions in alcohol or marijuana use were independently associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of committing crimes during the 12-month follow-up period. The present study also provides further support for emphasizing dynamic rather than static patient characteristics to predict the likelihood of continued drug-related offending among substance-abusing adolescents.
Effects of Feeding Cycles on Circadian Rhythms in Squirrel Monkeys
Authors: Aschoff Jürgen , von Goetz Christiana
Published: March 2007

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were housed singly in cages equipped with a tree for climbing to measure locomotor activity, and with a movable food cup that could be arrested automatically. The animals were kept in continuous dim illumination (LL), twice interrupted by several weeks of entrainment by a light-dark (LD) 12:12 cycle. Apart from three control sections in which the food cups were unlocked continuously (ad libitum feeding), food was accessible for 3 hr per day only, with interfeeding intervals varying from 23 to 26 hr (periodic restricted feeding, or RF). During LD entrainment, the imposition of an RF schedule resulted in anticipatory behaviors, represented by increased tugs at the food cup and a pause in locomotor activity preceding the feeding time. In LL, the animals showed free-running circadian rhythms of locomotor and "feeding" activity that nearly always persisted when ad libitum feeding was replaced by RF. The period (τ) of the free-running rhythm was slightly modulated in relation to the varying interfeeding intervals (T, , but entrainment was never achieved except in one test with an animal whose τ was very close to T. It is concluded that periodic availability of food represents an extremely weak zeitgeber, if any, for the circadian pacemaker of squirrel monkeys.
Cell Cycle Synchronization of Gonyaulax polyedra by Filtration: Quantized Generation Times
Authors: Homma Keiichi , Hastings J. Woodland
Published: March 2007

A size filtration method to synchronize cultures of the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra to the beginning of the G1 phase has been developed. This technique selects newly born cells by two sequential filtrations, based on the fact that cell division is restricted to the beginning of the day, so that a decrease in cell volume occurs at this time. The fraction of synchronized cells immediately after the second filtration is about 90%; the procedures do not alter the free-running period or phase of glow rhythm, and the selected cells divide again in a few days. Applying this method, we have found that the generation times of this species in a light-dark cycle (LD 12:12) are indeed quantized to multiples of 24 hr, but are variable from generation to generation.
Effects of Constant Darkness and Constant Light on Circadian Organization and Reproductive Responses in the Ram
Authors: Ebling Francis J. P. , Lincoln Gerald A. , Wollnik Franziska , Anderson Norah
Published: March 2007

The relationship between circadian rhythms in the blood plasma concentrations of melatonin and rhythms in locomotor activity was studied in adult male sheep (Soay rams) exposed to 16-week periods of short days (8 hr of light and 16 hr of darkness; LD 8:16) or long days (LD 16:8) followed by 16-week periods of constant darkness (dim red light; DD) or constant light (LL). Under both LD 8:16 and LD 16:8, there was a clearly defined 24-hr rhythm in plasma concentrations of melatonin, with high levels throughout the dark phase. Periodogram analysis revealed a 24-hr rhythm in locomotor activity under LD 8:16 and LD 16:8. The main bouts of activity occurred during the light phase. A change from LD 8:16 to LD 16:8 resulted in a decrease in the duration of elevated melatonin secretion (melatonin peak) and an increase in the duration of activity corresponding to the changes in the ratio of light to darkness. In all rams, a significant circadian rhythm of activity persisted over the first 2 weeks following transfer from an entraining photoperiod to DD, with a mean period of 23.77 hr. However, the activity rhythms subsequently became disorganized, as did the 24-hr melatonin rhythms. The introduction of a 1-hr light pulse every 24 hr (LD 1:23) for 2 weeks after 8 weeks under DD reinduced a rhythm in both melatonin secretion and activity: the end of the 1-hr light period acted as the dusk signal, producing a normal temporal association of the two rhythms. Under LL, the 24-hr melatonin rhythms were disrupted, though several rams still showed periods of elevated melatonin secretion. Significant activity rhythms were either absent or a weak component occurred with a period of 24 hr. The introduction of a 1-hr dark period every 24 hr for 2 weeks after 8 weeks under LL (LD 23:1) failed to induce or entrain rhythms in either of the parameters. The occurrence of 24-hr activity rhythm in some rams under LL may indicate nonphotoperiodic entrainment signals in our experimental facility. Reproductive re sponses to the changes in photoperiod were also monitored. After pretreatment with LD 8:16, the rams were sexually active; exposure to LD 16:8, DD, or LL resulted in a decline in all measures of reproductive function. The decline was slower under DD than LD 16:8 or LL. Conversely, after pretreatment with LD 16:8, the rams were sexually regressed, and exposure to LD 8:16, DD, or LL resulted in redevelopment of the reproductive axis; the rate of development was similar in all three treatments. The overall results illustrate that in the Soay ram the circadian organization of melatonin and activity rhythms is disrupted during pro longed exposure to DD and LL. Reproductive regression or recrudescence occurs under these constant conditions, apparently dictated by the immediate photoperiodic history.
Circadian Rhythm of Photoaccumulation in Paramecium bursaria
Authors: Johnson Carl Hirschie , Miwa Isoji , Kondo Takao , Hastings J. Woodland
Published: March 2007

Populations of Paramecium bursaria cells display a circadian rhythm of photoac cumulation. Both Chlorella-containing cells and Chlorella-free cells exhibit this rhythm. Sev eral other species of Paramecium do not express rhythmic photoaccumulation when tested under the same conditions. In P. bursaria, photoaccumulation rhythms persist in continuous conditions (constant temperature and either continuous light or continuous darkness). The period of this rhythm is "temperature-compensated," with a Q10 of 1.10-1.12. The rhythm can be reset by pulses of light or darkness in a phase-dependent manner. Therefore, an endoge nous circadian oscillator controls photoaccumulation behavior in P. bursaria.
Differential Elimination of Circadian and Ultradian Rhythmicity by Hypothalamic Lesions in the Common Vole, Microtus arvalis
Authors: Gerkema Menno P. , Groos Gerard A. , Daan Serge
Published: March 2007

Effects of hypothalamic lesions on the ultradian and circadian organization of wheel running and feeding were studied in the common vole, Microtus arvalis. Circadian organization broke down within 30 days in continuous darkness in 24% of intact voles (n = 135). Ultradian rhythmicity of feeding (period 2-3 hr) persisted in constant conditions in all intact voles.

Following lesions of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), circadian rhythmicity disappeared when lesions were complete (n = 8) or more extensive than 25% of the total SCN volume (n = 5). Absence of circadian rhythmicity was also found in animals with substantial lesions in the diencephalic paraventricular area (PVA) and in the retrochiasmatic area (RCA) and/or adjacent arcuate nucleus (Arc). Complete loss of ultradian and circadian organization occurred in eight voles with damage to the RCA and/or Arc. In three of these, the SCN was intact.

The SCN is a likely candidate for a circadian pacemaker in voles (as in other rodents), while the loss of circadian rhythmicity following PVA and RCA/Arc lesions may be due to destruction of efferent pathways from the SCN. The RCA/Arc area is apparently necessary for the expression of ultradian rhythms. The intact SCN is neither necessary nor sufficient for the generation of ultradian rhythmicity.
Changes in the Phase Response Curve of the Circadian Clock to a Phase-Shifting Stimulus
Authors: Van Reeth Olivier , Turek Fred W.
Published: March 2007

Experiments were conducted in hamsters to determine whether the phase response curve (PRC) to injections of the short-acting benzodiazepine triazolam is a fixed or a labile property of the circadian clock. The results indicated that (1) both the shape and the amplitude of the PRC to triazolam generated on the first day of transfer from a light-dark cycle (LD 14:10) to constant darkness (DD) (i.e., PRCLD) were different from those of the PRC generated after many days in DD (PRCDD); and (2) the phase-shifting effects of triazolam on the activity rhythms of hamsters transferred from LD 14:10 or 12:12 to DD changed dramatically within the fist 8-9 days spent in DD. In an attempt to accelerate the resynchronization of the circadian clock of hamsters subjected to an 8-hr advance in the LD cycle, triazolam was given to the animals at a time selected on the basis of the characteristics of PRCLD. The activity rhythms of five of eight triazolam-treated animals were resynchronized to the new LD cycle within 2-4 days after the shift, whereas those of most of the control animals were resynchronized 21-29 days after the shift. These findings suggest that attempts to use pharmacological or nonpharmacological tools to phase-shift circadian clocks under entrained conditions should take into account information derived from PRCs generated at the time of transition from entrained to free-running conditions.
Light-Induced Phase Shifts and Fos Expression in the Hamster Circadian System: The Effects of Anesthetics
Authors: Colwell Christopher S. , Kaufman Claire M. , Menaker Michael , Ralph Martin R.
Published: March 2007

In the present study, we examined the effect of administration of anesthetics on light-induced phase shifts of the circadian system. This information is of critical importance, because many studies of light input to the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) have been performed on anesthetized animals. We found that light-induced phase shifts were blocked by all drugs used at anesthetic doses. We then determined the effect of two of these agents on light induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the SCN. We found that the administration of sodium pentobarbital prevented light induction of Fos expression in the SCN, whereas the administration of urethane did not. These results raise cautions about the use of anesthetized animals to answer questions about the photic regulation of neuronal activity in the SCN.
Differences in Circadian Photosensitivity between Retinally Degenerate CBA/J Mice (rd/rd) and Normal CBA/N Mice (+/+)
Authors: Yoshimura Takashi , Nishio Miyuki , Goto Maki , Ebihara Shizufumi
Published: March 2007

Using the magnitude of phase shift of circadian locomotor rhythms induced by a single pulse of white fluorescent light, we compared the sensitivity of the circadian system to light in retinally degenerate mice and in normal mice. In the first experiment, phase response curves (PRCs) for 10- lux white light were generated in CBA/J mice with retinal degeneration ( rd/rd) and CBA/N mice with normal retinas (+/+). Although large phase delays early in the subjective night and small phase advances in the late subjective night were observed in CBA/N mice, CBA/J mice showed only small phase delays early in the subjective night. In the second experiment, we found that the magnitude of phase shifts at circadian time (CT) 16 for delays and CT 24 for advances in CBA/J mice became larger with increasing light intensity, and that CBA/J mice could show the same amount of phase shift as CBA/N mice when higher intensities were used. These findings indicate that the differences in the shapes of PRCs are not due to differences in the nature of the oscillating system, but to differences in circadian photosensitivity between these strains. Because the genetic background for the rd loci was not completely identical in the CBA/N and CBA/J mice, it was possible that genes other than the rd gene might have caused different photosensitivity in these mice. Therefore, in the last experiment, we studied the circadian photosensitivity in F 1 hybrids between CBA/N and CBA/J mice and in the backcross progeny with different genotypes (+/ rd and rd/rd) obtained from the crossing between F1 hybrids between CBA/N and CBA/J mice and in the backcross progeny with different genotypes (+ / rd and rd/rd ) obtained from the crossing between F1 and CBA/J mice. In these mice with heterogeneous genetic backgrounds as well, mice with retinal degeneration were always less sensitive to light, suggesting that reduced circadian photosensitivity is caused by retinal degeneration. These results are discussed in relation to recent findings in retinally degenerate C57BL mice, which have been found to have normal circadian sensitivity to light.
Twenty-Four-Hour Rhythms in Relation to the Natural Photoperiod: A Field Study in Humans
Authors: Laakso Maija-Liisa , Porkka-Heiskanen Tarja , Alila Aino , Stenberg Dag , Johansson Gunnar
Published: March 2007

The daily rhythms of salivary melatonin, salivary cortisol, and axillary body temperature were measured in nine healthy volunteers in midsummer, around the autumn equinox, and in midwinter, at a latitude of 60°N. The aim was to find out whether these rhythms were dependent on variations of the natural daylength. The samples were collected every 2 hr during 24-hr periods in everyday conditions. The individual rhythms were characterized with the acrophase estimates of the best-fitting cosine curve models and with the half-rise and half-decline times calculated from the raw data. The melatonin and cortisol rhythms were delayed significantly (about 1 hr) in midwinter as compared with summer and autumn. The most advanced rhythms were found in autumn. The shifts of the melatonin and cortisol rhythms could be explained as a result of the changes of natural illumination. The overt temperature rhythms did not differ significantly among the sampling months. The lack of seasonal patterns in temperature rhythms probably primarily reflected the socially determined rest-activity cycles of the subjects.
Age-Related Changes in Light-Induced Jun-B and Jun-D Expression: Effects of Transplantation of Fetal Tissue Containing the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
Authors: Aihua Cai  , Wise Phyllis M.
Published: March 2007

Fos and Jun mRNA and peptide exhibit a daily light-induced rhythm in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The authors previously have reported that Fos expression in the SCN is elevated prematurely during the dark, light-induced Fos expression is attenuated in middle-aged rats, and transplantation of fetal SCN tissue into the third ventricle of rats of this age restores the daily pattern of Fos expression to that of the young. Using immunocytochemistry, the authors performed the present study to determine whether Jun-B and Jun-D expression in the SCN is altered at the same stage during aging and, if so, whether transplantation of fetal tissue containing the SCN can restore the light-induced rhythms of these two immediate early genes. All groups of rats were transcardially perfused 90 min prior to and after light onset. In young rats, light induced a robust increase in the number of Jun-B positive cells in the SCN, whereas very few cells were labeled before light onset. In middle-aged rats, the light-induced increase in the number of Jun-B positive cells was significantly attenuated. Transplantation of fetal SCN tissue into the middle-aged rats successfully restored light-induced Jun-B expression to the levels of young rats. By contrast, Jun-D exhibited a constitutively high level of expression in the SCN both before and after light onset, and light induced only a slight but significant increase. No age-related changes were detected in the expression of Jun-D either before or after light onset. Transplantation of fetal SCN tissue did not alter the daily pattern of Jun-D expression in the middle-aged rats. These data suggest that (1) light-induced activation of SCN neural activity is blunted during aging, (2) fetal SCN tissue can provide the critical support to allow the host to respond properly to light cues, and (3) the age-related change in Jun-B expression in the middle-aged host SCN can be rescued by fetal SCN transplants.
Long-Term Fitness Training Improves the Circadian Rest-Activity Rhythm in Healthy Elderly Males
Authors: Van Someren Eus J. W. , Lijzenga Cees , Mirmiran Majid , Swaab Dick F.
Published: March 2007

In old age, the circadian timing system loses optimal functioning. This process is even accelerated in Alzheimer's disease. Because pharmacological treatment of day-night rhythm disturbances usually is not very effective and may have considerable side effects, nonpharmacological treatments deserve attention. Bright light therapy has been shown to be effective. It is known from animal studies that increased activity, or an associated process, also strongly affects the circadian timing system, and the present study addresses the question of whether an increased level of physical activity may improve circadian rhythms in elderly In the study, 10 healthy elderly males were admitted to a fitness training program for 3 months. The circadian rest-activity rhythm was assessed by means of actigraphy before and after the training period and again 1 year after discontinuation. As a control for possible seasonal effects, repeated actigraphic recordings were performed during the same times of the year as were the pre and post measurements in a control group of 8 healthy elderly males. Fitness training induced a significant reduction in the fragmentation of the rest-activity rhythm. Moreover, the fragmentation of the rhythm was negatively correlated with the level of fitness achieved after the training. No seasonal effect was found. Previous findings in human and animal studies are reviewed, and several possible mechanisms involved in the effect of fitness training on circadian rhythms are discussed. The results suggest that fitness training may be helpful in elderly people suffering from sleep problems related to circadian rhythm disturbances.
The Promise and Problems of Worker Cooperatives
Authors: Dickstein Carla
Published: March 2007

Public policy interest in worker cooperatives has focused primarily on their potential for retaining and creating jobs. Cooperatives are thought to lead to increased productivity and worker satisfaction, better job quality and security, and greater control of the local economy. This article surveys the literature on the performance of worker cooperatives in capitalist countries and the barriers to their development. It also examines factors contributing to their success, as demonstrated in the highly successful Mondragon cooperatives. The article concludes with the lessons arising from existing cooperative experience and policy directions for developing worker cooperatives.
Restructuring Land Use Governance
Authors: Bollens Scott A.
Published: March 2007

Current restructuring of multi-tier (state, regional, local) land use governance in the United States invites discussion and reexamination of the origins, diversity, and effects of intergovernmental planning. This article surveysfour major aspects of the literature on land use governance reform: the rationales and political motivations underlying reform attempts since the 1960s, citizen support and constituencies for changes in land use governance, the institutional forms and techniques of restructured land use control, and the procedural outputs and development outcomes of multi-tier growth management. These studies and evaluations help to illuminate both the potential benefits and the possible conflicts of current state-level reform.
Science Parks: A Critical Assessment
Authors: Amirahmadi Hooshang , Saff Grant
Published: March 2007

During the 1980s, many policymakersfacing decreasing revenues and increasing unemployment looked to technology-led development to pump new life into their sagging regional and national economies. One of the ways they attempted to promote this high-tech strategy was through the creation of science parks. But although these parks have demonstrated some potential for enhancing economic growth, they are hardly the economic quick fixes some policymakers believe them to be: successful parks often have taken a decade or more to become economically viable, theirfailure rate is high, and their regional and national economic impacts have been exaggerated. State or governmental support is essential to the success of a science park. This assistance may take many forms-from direct state subsidy, to provision of infrastructure, to simply directing government-related research and development contracts to science park tenants. Locating a park near certain urban features-good transportation linkages, a high-quality residential environment, a university, and a pleasant working environment-is also essential. Science parks are not, in themselves, the answer to promoting regional or national high-technology-led economic development, but they can be one of a number of options available to planners and policymakers as part of a well-thought-out and coordinated development strategy built on regional or national strengths, rather than artificial supports for costly and uncertain high-technology strategies.
A Socialist Feminist Analysis of the Family Support Act of 1988
Authors: Naples Nancy A.
Published: March 2007

This article explores the ways in which sexism is embedded in welfare policy by examining the hidden gender assumptions of the Family Support Act of 1988. An overview of feminist perspectives on the state reveals five key ways that the state organizes women's oppression. These five categories of analysis are used to demonstrate how patriarchal social relations are organized through the act.
Reframing the Dialogue on Female-Headed Single-Parent Families
Authors: Schmitz Cathryne L.
Published: March 2007

The increase in female-headed single-parent families, and the high rates of poverty among them, caused by changing economic and social support structures, is an international phenomenon. The traditional negative focus on the deviance of this family structure has led to blaming unmarried women, rather than implementing economic and social support structures that could lift their families out of poverty. This article presents data on these families and suggests ways of reframing the dialogue to broaden the lens under which social work educators, students, and practitioners view single-mother families.
Saints or Sinners? The Image of Social Workers From American Stage and Cinema Before World War II
Authors: Hiersteiner Catherine
Published: March 2007

Films and plays produced before World War II portrayed young social workers as fallen angels and older social workers as spinsters or misguided-mother types—images influenced more by political ideology, the audience factor, and attitudes toward women than by any actual knowledge of the profession. A deconstruction of the archetypes, which linger today, can help the profession enhance its identity and esteem and challenge social workers to circulate new stories about themselves in the popular media.
Interpersonal Violence and Posttraumatic Symptomatology
Authors: McGRUDER-JOHNSON ANITA K. , DAVIDSON EMILY S. , GLEAVES DAVID H. , STOCK WENDY , FINCH JOHN F.
Published: March 2007

A sample of 222 African American, Mexican American, or European American undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing lifetime exposure to interpersonal violence and current levels of psychological distress. The frequency of interpersonal violence was high: 39.2% of the students reported direct exposure to at least one violent, nonsexual life event and 43.7% reported at least one violent sexual experience. Fourteen percent of the participants had lifetime diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder, with the highest reported rate occurring for the African Americans, who also reported more violent sexual and nonsexual experiences and higher levels of psychological distress. Women reported more direct sexual experiences whereas men reported more nonsexual violent events. Covariance analyses suggested that degree of exposure to violence explained most, but not all of the ethnic and gender differences found in terms of posttraumatic symptomatology. Thus, exposure to life-threatening events, rather than ethnic or gender group per se was most directly related to psychological distress.
Further Evidence for a Relationship Between Attachment Insecurity and Coercive Sexual Behavior in Nonoffenders
Authors: SMALLBONE STEPHEN W. , DADDS MARK R.
Published: March 2007

To replicate and extend the findings of a previous study examining attachment insecurity and coercive sexual behavior in nonoffenders, a new cohort of 119 male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of childhood maternal and paternal attachment, adult attachment, antisociality, aggression, and coercive sexual behavior. Consistent with earlier findings, insecure childhood attachment was significantly associated with coercive sexual behavior, accounting for an additional (although nonsignificant) proportion of variance after anti-sociality and aggression were statistically controlled. In contrast with earlier findings, maternal avoidant attachment rather than paternal avoidant attachment emerged as an important predictor of coercive sexual behavior. Examination of more specific aspects of childhood attachment revealed that insecure patterns of both maternal and paternal attachment were associated with coercive sexual behavior independently of aggression and antisociality. Adult attachment avoidance was found to be associated with coercive sexual behavior, and adult attachment anxiety was found to be associated with antisociality and aggression.
Maternal Knowledge About Children's School Performance
Authors: KINARD E. MILLING
Published: March 2007

When mothers of maltreated children were compared with mothers of nonmaltreated children regarding the extent of agreements between their assessments of their children's school performance and school records, there was substantial agreement for both groups. However, discrepancies were more common in the maltreatment group than in the nonmaltreatment group, particularly for subject grades, and these discrepancies were generally in the direction of mothers underestimating rather than overestimating their children's performance. Maternal inaccuracies in knowledge of children's school performance have implications for protective service interventions and for selecting sources of information in research.