bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of interferon beta 1a in Cebus apella
Authors: Lahoz Mónica , Kauffman Marcelo Andrés , Carfagnini Julio , Vidal Alejandro , Papouchado Mariana , Sterin‐Prync Aída , Diez Roberto Alejandro , Nagle Carlos
Published: November 2008

Background  Recombinant human interferon (hIFNβ) is indicated for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Its effect presents species restriction, thus lacking biological activity on most mammals. Although there have been previous studies of the pharmacology of INFβ in Old World primates, no data exists on New World primates. Therefore, we explored its effect on Cebus apella, a New World monkey, describing the pharmacology of this molecule when injected by subcutaneous route in this species.

Methods  Safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of IFNβ were evaluated in nine Cebus apella individuals.

Results  A single subcutaneous injection of 12 × 106 IU of hIFNβ1a resulted in a median AUC(0–48) (area under the curve) of 14.82 ng/ml, a Cmax (maximum plasma concentrations) of 1.51 ng/ml and a Tmax (time to achieve maximum plasma concentrations) of 3 h. IFNβ was biologically active as demonstrated by an increase in neopterin levels. There were no safety concerns.

Conclusions  New World non‐human primates are a suitable animal model for the study of IFNβ pharmacology.
Spastin Couples Microtubule Severing to Membrane Traffic in Completion of Cytokinesis and Secretion
Authors: Connell James W. , Lindon Catherine , Luzio J. Paul , Reid Evan
Published: November 2008

Mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule (MT)‐severing protein spastin are the most common cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia, a genetic condition in which axons of the corticospinal tracts degenerate. We show that not only does endogenous spastin colocalize with MTs, but that it is also located on the early secretory pathway, can be recruited to endosomes and is present in the cytokinetic midbody. Spastin has two main isoforms, a 68 kD full‐length isoform and a 60 kD short form. These two isoforms preferentially localize to different membrane traffic pathways with 68 kD spastin being principally located at the early secretory pathway, where it regulates endoplasmic reticulum‐to‐Golgi traffic. Sixty kiloDalton spastin is the major form recruited to endosomes and is also present in the midbody, where its localization requires the endosomal sorting complex required for transport‐III‐interacting MIT domain. Loss of midbody MTs accompanies the abscission stage of cytokinesis. In cells lacking spastin, a MT disruption event that normally accompanies abscission does not occur and abscission fails. We suggest that this event represents spastin‐mediated MT severing. Our results support a model in which membrane traffic and MT regulation are coupled through spastin. This model is relevant in the axon, where there also is co‐ordinated MT regulation and membrane traffic.
Histomorphometric evaluation of delayed changes in masseter muscle after lengthening the rabbit mandible by distraction osteogenesis
Authors: Tüz HH , Dolanmaz D , Pampu A Alper , Kişnişci RŞ , Günhan Ö
Published: November 2008

Objective:  The aim of the study was to evaluate the delayed responses and changes of gradually lengthened masseter muscles of rabbit mandibles.

Study Design:  Unilateral lengthening of rabbit mandibles was performed in 18 New Zealand rabbits for 7 days at the rate of 1 mm day−1. Mandibles of animals were removed at months 3, 4, and 6 after distraction. Biopsy samples of distracted and contralateral side masseter muscles were histopathologically evaluated and mean area of muscle fibers (MAF) was evaluated with histomorphometric methods. Results were statistically analyzed.

Results:  Mild to moderate atrophy of the fibers, and necrosis and myophagocytosis in some areas were the leading features at month 3 and which were decreased at month 4 in distracted side‐muscle specimens, with no statistically significant differences when compared with non‐distracted side muscles at the same periods. Almost completely, normal fibers were detected in distracted muscle specimens at month 6. Evidence of myopathic changes was found to disappear at month 6 and no significant difference was found in the MAF of distracted side muscles.

Conclusion:  This study showed that the masseter muscle could adapt to gradual lengthening of the mandible within 6 months. Regenerative features and some degree of atrophic changes that could be observed at months 3 and 4 disappeared at month 6, with adaptation of the fibers.
Aborting and Suspending Pregnancy in Rural Tanzania: An Ethnography of Young People's Beliefs and Practices
Authors: Plummer Mary L. , Wamoyi Joyce , Nyalali Kija , Mshana Gerry , Shigongo Zachayo S. , Ross David A. , Wight Daniel
Published: November 2008

The World Health Organization estimates that 3.1 percent of East African women aged 15–44 have undergone unsafe abortions. This study presents findings regarding abortion practices and beliefs among adolescents and young adults in Tanzania, where abortion is illegal. From 1999 to 2002, six researchers carried out participant observation in nine villages and conducted group discussions and interviews in three others. Most informants opposed abortion as illegal, immoral, dangerous, or unacceptable without the man's consent, and many reported that ancestral spirits killed women who aborted clan descendants. Nonetheless, abortion was widely, if infrequently, attempted, by ingestion of laundry detergent, chloroquine, ashes, and specific herbs. Most women who attempted abortion were young, single, and desperate. Some succeeded, but they experienced opposition from sexual partners, sexual exploitation by practitioners, serious health problems, social ostracism, and quasi‐legal sanctions. Many informants reported the belief that inopportune pregnancies could be suspended for months or years using traditional medicine. We conclude that improved reproductive health education and services are urgently needed in rural Tanzania.
Young Women's Perceived Ability to Refuse Sex in Urban Cameroon
Authors: Hattori Megan Klein , DeRose Laurie
Published: November 2008

In many sub‐Saharan African countries, young women face decreasing educational opportunities, age asymmetries between sexual partners, and high prevalence of HIV infection. This study draws upon data from the 2002 Cameroon Adolescent Reproductive Health Survey to analyze the determinants of young women's perceived ability to refuse sex in urban Cameroon. Our findings are consistent with predictions of social exchange theory: young women's status characteristics predict their vulnerability differently under different circumstances, and, overall, young women report having a lower ability to refuse sex in their relationships with men who offer to pay their school fees than in their relationships with men in positions of power over them. The costs and benefits of sexual exchanges made in order to continue one's education increase simultaneously in a context of declining enrollments and spreading HIV infection. When educational aspirations exceed opportunities, policy supporting access to education could reduce young women's need to employ their sexual resources in order to invest in their future.
Associations Between Premarital Sex and Leaving School in Four Sub‐Saharan African Countries
Authors: Biddlecom Ann , Gregory Richard , Lloyd Cynthia B. , Mensch Barbara S.
Published: November 2008

With the spread of formal schooling in sub‐Saharan Africa and delays in the age at marriage, a growing proportion of adolescents remain enrolled in school when they “come of age.” As a consequence, more and more adolescents have to negotiate sexual maturation and sexual initiation in a vastly different context from that of prior generations. Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Adolescents conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda, we investigate the empirical association between premarital sex and leaving school among those who were enrolled in school at the outset of adolescence (age 12). Discrete‐time logistic regression models show that, in general, girls are more likely than boys to leave school before completing secondary school, before completing primary school, and, among those completing primary school, before progressing to secondary school. Girls who complete primary school, however, do so at the same age as or a younger age than their male peers. Girls appear more vulnerable to leaving school once they engage in premarital sex. These findings can assist researchers, policymakers, program managers, and educators in understanding and addressing the challenges to educational attainment posed by the increasing proportion of school‐aged adolescents engaging in premarital sex.
Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling Among Young People in Urban South Africa
Authors: Marteleto Letícia , Lam David , Ranchhod Vimal
Published: November 2008

This study examines transitions in schooling, sexual activity, and pregnancy among adolescents and young adults in urban South Africa. Data are analyzed from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS), a recently collected longitudinal survey of young adults and their families in metropolitan Cape Town. We find that teen pregnancy is not entirely inconsistent with continued schooling, especially for African (black) women. More than 50 percent of African women who were pregnant at age 16 or 17 were enrolled in school the following year. We estimate probit regressions to identify the impact of individual and household characteristics on sexual debut, pregnancy, and school dropout between 2002 and 2005. We find that male and female students who performed well on a literacy and numeracy exam administered in 2002 were less likely than those who performed more poorly to become sexually active and less likely to drop out of school by 2005. Surprisingly, 14–16‐year‐olds who had completed more grades in school in 2002, conditional on their age, were more likely than those who had completed fewer grades to have become sexually active by 2005, a potential indicator of peer effects resulting from the wide dispersion in age per grade in South African schools. Overall, this study shows the importance of accounting for a measure that reflects the knowledge and skills of young people in an examination of their transitions to adulthood.
Pregnancy‐related School Dropout and Prior School Performance in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa
Authors: Grant Monica J. , Hallman Kelly K.
Published: November 2008

This study uses data from KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa, to examine the factors associated with schoolgirl pregnancy and subsequent educational pathways. We find that prior schooling discontinuities—defined as instances of non‐pregnancy‐related grade repetition or temporary withdrawals from school—are strongly associated with a young woman's likelihood of later becoming pregnant while enrolled in school, dropping out of school if she becomes pregnant, and not returning to school following a pregnancy‐related dropout. Young women who are the primary caregivers to their children are also significantly more likely to leave school than are those who have help with their childcare responsibilities. Given the increasing importance of female school participation in sub‐Saharan Africa, programs must be designed to reach girls and their families early to increase incentives for ensuring their timely progression through school and to increase their access to reproductive health information and services.
Use of Evidence‐Based Practice in School Nursing: Prevalence, Associated Variables, and Perceived Needs
Authors: Adams Susan , Barron Sheila
Published: November 2008

Background: Research on the adoption of evidence‐based practice (EBP) in health care has been focused mainly on hospital settings and primary care; little is known about EBP adoption and implementation among school nurses in the United States (US).

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence of EBP use among school nurses, (2) describe demographic, individual, and organizational factors associated with EBP use, and (3) identify resources needed to enhance EBP use.

Methods: A survey designed for this study was mailed to all school nurses in Iowa in the US, with a response rate of 56.8% (n= 386). Descriptive statistics and t‐tests were used to indicate and compare the variables of interest. Multiple regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods were used to identify variables explaining the variance in the use of EBP.

Results: Information sources, professional membership, and district size explain 22% of the variance in current use of EBP. Identified resources needed to increase the use of EBP included networking opportunities, predeveloped EBP guidelines, and education on outcome evaluation.

Conclusions: This study indicates important information on variables that affect current practice in school nursing and also shows requested resources for increasing EBP use. These results can be used to develop translation strategies to increase the use of EBP in the school setting. Because only 22% of the variance was explained, further research is needed to identify additional variables.
Marine toxins and the cytoskeleton: azaspiracids
Authors: Vilariño Natalia
Published: November 2008

The azaspiracids (AZAs) are a group of marine phycotoxins discovered during the second half of the 1990s. Several cases of human intoxication due to the presence of AZAs in shellfish have been reported, with gastrointestinal symptoms. Toxicological studies in vivo and in vitro have revealed that various cell types are sensitive to AZA toxicity; however, the biological target of the toxin is still unknown. One of the in vitro signs of AZA toxicity is the alteration of the actin cytoskeleton arrangement, which is accompanied by changes in cell shape and loss of cell adherence to the substrate. Moreover, the cytoskeletal damage is irreversible after toxin withdrawal. Several other in vitro effects of AZAs have been described that could be related to cytoskeletal changes, such as E‐cadherin degradation, caspase activation/apoptosis, membrane cholesterol reduction, or gene expression alterations, although evidence for a direct relationship between any of these effects and AZA‐induced cytoskeletal damage is still nonexistent.
Marine toxins and the cytoskeleton: pectenotoxins, unusual macrolides that disrupt actin
Authors: Espiña Begoña , Rubiolo Juan A.
Published: November 2008

In recent years, many natural macrolactones have been found that display toxicity against the actin cytoskeleton. Pectenotoxins are macrolactones produced by species of the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis. They were initially classified within the diarrheic shellfish poisoning group of toxins, because of their co‐occurrence and biological origin, but mice toxicity assays demonstrated that pectenotoxins do not induce diarrheic symptoms. Intraperitoneal injection of pectenotoxins into mice produces high hepatotoxicity as the principal symptom, so the liver seems to be their target organ. Up to now, 15 pectenotoxin analogs have been discovered, with different toxicological potencies that are related to their structures. Now, it is generally accepted that the actin cytoskeleton is the principal molecular target of pectenotoxins. Although recent studies have demonstrated that pectenotoxins induce actin filament disruption by a capping effect, other kinds of activity, such as sequestration of actin, cannot be ruled out. All of the active analogs tested triggered disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and displayed potencies that correlated with their toxicity in mice. Moreover, pectenotoxins induce apoptosis to a higher degree in tumor cells than in normal cells of the same tissue. This fact opens the prospect of studying new chemotherapy agents and actin cytoskeleton dynamics with potential clinical applications.
Cloning of Xenopus orthologs of Ctf7/Eco1 acetyltransferase and initial characterization of XEco2
Authors: Takagi Masatoshi , Bunai Keigo , Yanagi Ken‐ichiro , Imamoto Naoko
Published: November 2008

Sister chromatid cohesion is important for the correct alignment and segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Although the cohesin complex has been shown to play a physical role in holding sister chromatids together, its loading onto chromatin is not sufficient for the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion. The activity of the cohesin complex must be turned on by Ctf7/Eco1 acetyltransferase at the replication forks as the result of a specific mechanism. To dissect this mechanism in the well established in vitro system based on the use of Xenopus egg extracts, we cloned two Xenopus orthologs of Ctf7/Eco1 acetyltransferase, XEco1 and XEco2. Both proteins share a domain structure with known members of Ctf7/Eco1 family proteins. Moreover, biochemical analysis showed that XEco2 exhibited acetyltransferase activity. We raised a specific antibody against XEco2 and used it to further characterize XEco2. In tissue culture cells, XEco2 gradually accumulated in nuclei through the S phase. In nuclei formed in egg extract, XEco2 was loaded into the chromatin at a constant level in a manner sensitive to geminin, an inhibitor of the pre‐replication complex assembly, but insensitive to aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerases. In both systems, no specific localization was observed during mitosis. In XEco2‐depleted egg extracts, DNA replication occurred with normal kinetics and efficiency, and the condensation and sister chromatid cohesion of subsequently formed mitotic chromosomes was unaffected. These observations will serve as a platform for elucidating the molecular function of Ctf7/Eco1 acetyltransferase in the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion in future studies, in which XEco1 and XEco2 should be dissected in parallel.
Ethics and Religion
Authors: Davis G. Scott
Published: November 2008

This essay surveys the relations between ethics and religion in a variety of comparative contexts. It suggests replacing the older paradigms of moral theory, for example, deontology/teleology/consequentialism, with a more supple one deploying law, character, and economics. At the same time, it argues for an emphasis on history and ethnography that will ultimately blur both typologies and disciplinary boundaries. This is a good thing if we wish to understand how people actually think about their moral commitments and the worlds they live in.
Spatial Theory and the Study of Religion
Authors: Knott Kim
Published: November 2008

A ‘spatial turn’ has been witnessed in the humanities and social sciences since Henri Lefebvre's La production de l’espace, and its translation into English in 1991. Subsequently, the socio‐spatial theories of Lefebvre, Foucault, Certeau and postmodern geographers, such as Soja, Massey and Harvey, have had an impact on research in many disciplines, including religious studies. With its own traditions, of geography of religion and sacred space, it contributes theorists of its own, including van der Leeuw, Eliade, J. Z. Smith and Anttonen, but to these must be added those from beyond the boundaries of the discipline whose ideas have been formative for recent methodological and theoretical work by scholars such as Knott and Tweed. The article ends by asking what spatial theory contributes to the study of religion.
Recent Research and Debates in Adi Granth Studies
Authors: Singh Pashaura
Published: November 2008

Recent debates in Adi Granth studies have exposed two divergent approaches on the process of canon formation in the Sikh tradition. The first approach stresses a linear process that began with a single source and then diversified into separate textual strands with minor variations that we encounter in the available manuscripts of the Adi Granth. The second approach lays emphasis on the development of ‘independent’ textual traditions in different geographical areas in isolation from one another in the process of repeated copying and correction over generation of scribal activity. The present article offers an analysis of a new source, the Bhai Rupa Pothi (book), highlighting the third alternative of the ‘theory of working drafts’ prepared under the direct supervision of Guru Arjan.
Scrambling
Authors: Karimi Simin
Published: November 2008

This article is an overview of the literature on scrambling in various languages. It discusses the typology of languages that exhibit this property, as well as different theories and findings that correspond to this phenomenon. Some critical responses to previous literature have been offered where appropriate.
Linguistics in the Study and Teaching of Literature
Authors: Fabb Nigel
Published: November 2008

Literary texts include linguistic form, as well as specialized literary forms (some of which also involve language). Linguistics can offer to literary studies an understanding of these kinds of form, and the ways by which a text is used to communicate meaning. In order to cope with the great variety of creative uses of language in literature, linguistics must acknowledge that some texts are assigned structure by non‐linguistic means, but the boundaries between linguistic and non‐linguistic explanations for literary language are not clearly drawn. The article concludes with discussion of what kinds and level of linguistics might usefully be taught in a literature classroom, and offers practical suggestions for the application of linguistics to literature teaching.
Semantics and Pragmatics of Humor
Authors: Attardo Salvatore
Published: November 2008

This article presents the state of the art of semantic‐pragmatic research on humor. The developments in the field are seen as fanning out from two central concepts: the linguistic version of the incongruity/resolution theory of humor (script opposition) and the methodological claim that such a theory was a theory of humor competence. The developments of the theory of humor competence and, more recently, of work on humor performance are seen as lying at the opposite ends of a continuum, with various approaches positioning themselves along that axis. It is argued that a theory encompassing both competence and performance is necessary for the study of humor.
Genetic diversity of swine influenza viruses isolated from pigs during 2000 to 2005 in Thailand
Authors: Takemae Nobuhiro , Parchariyanon Sujira , Damrongwatanapokin Sudarat , Uchida Yuko , Ruttanapumma Ruttapong , Watanabe Chiaki , Yamaguchi Shigeo , Saito Takehiko
Published: November 2008

Background  Recent studies have revealed the existence of genetic diversity in swine influenza viruses (SIVs) in the world. In Thailand, there has been a little information on the molecular characteristics of the SIVs since the first isolation of viruses of H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes in the late 1970s. Our previous study demonstrated that Thai H1N1 SIVs possessed the classical swine H1 and avian‐like swine N1 genes (Takemae et al., Proceedings of the Options for the Control of Influenza VI.2007;350–353).

Objectives  In the present study, we genetically characterized 12 SIVs including those of H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 subtypes isolated between 2000 and 2005.

Methods  We determined the entire nucleotide sequences of the eight gene segments of those isolates.

Results  Phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of nine distinct genotypes amongst the Thai SIVs. These genotypes arose from multiple introductions of classical swine, avian‐like swine and human viruses. The existence of two distinct sublineages within classical swine H1 and NS, avian‐like swine PA and M and human H3 and N2 genes of the Thai SIVs suggested that introduction of viruses of classical swine, avian‐like swine and human origins occurred twice respectively into the Thai pig population. The predominance of avian‐like swine genes amongst the Thai SIVs was evident. In particular, three polymerase (PB1, PB2 and PA) and matrix genes of avian‐like swine origin were retained in all the Thai SIVs examined.

Conclusions  These observations may suggest that genes of avian‐like swine lineages have some advantages to be maintained in pigs as seen in the SIVs established through multiple introductions in other regions.
Introduction to the Special Section: Transformative Research on Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation
Authors: DelCarmen‐Wiggins Rebecca
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
Scholars are giving increased attention to the need to incorporate research on more basic developmental processes into new paradigms for understanding and treating mental illness in children and adolescents. The study of emotion regulation, rooted in neurodevelopment, has proven a fruitful model for understanding and characterizing problems of behavior and risk in children and adolescents. This article summarizes NIMH initiatives designed to encourage transformational research on the neurodevelopment origins of mental illness. It highlights the NIMH Strategic Plan and the Report on Transformative Neurodevelopment Research as part of an introduction to a collection of articles that grew out of a previously organized NIMH workshop on developmental and translational models of emotion regulation and dysregulation.
Reassessing Emotion Regulation
Authors: Thompson Ross A. , Lewis Marc D. , Calkins Susan D.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—Developmental research on emotion regulation is increasingly advancing toward a systems view that integrates behavioral and biological constituents of emotional self‐control. However, this view poses fundamental challenges to prevailing conceptualizations of emotion regulation. In portraying emotion regulation as a network of multilevel processes characterized by feedback and interaction between higher and lower systems, it becomes increasingly apparent that emotion regulation is a component of (rather than a response to) emotional activation, that it derives from the mutual influence of multiple emotion‐related systems (rather than the maturation of higher control processes alone), and that it sometimes contributes to maladaptive behavioral outcomes, especially in conditions of environmental adversity. The implications of this perspective for the developmental study of emotion regulation are discussed.
Developmental Neuroscience Perspectives on Emotion Regulation
Authors: Goldsmith H. Hill , Pollak Seth D. , Davidson Richard J.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
Because individual differences in emotion regulation are associated with risk for childhood behavioral problems, multidisciplinary investigation of the genetic and neural underpinnings of emotion regulation should be a research priority. This article summarizes research findings from 3 independent laboratories to demonstrate the ways in which a variety of developmental human neuroscience‐based approaches can address critical conceptual issues in the emergence of emotion regulation. To do so, the authors present 3 perspectives on how developmental neurobiology constrains and enriches theories of emotion regulation. The 3 perspectives of (a) genetics, (b) brain structure and function, and (c) plasticity of development are illustrated with empirical results derived from both typical and atypical samples of children and adults. These perspectives are complementary and sometimes represent different levels of analysis of the same question.
Emotion (Dys)regulation and Links to Depressive Disorders
Authors: Kovacs Maria , Joormann Jutta , Gotlib Ian H.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
Clinical depression is a significant mental health problem that is associated with personal suffering and impaired functioning. These effects underscore the continuing need for new approaches that can inform researchers and clinicians when designing interventions. The present article proposes that individual differences in the self‐regulation of sadness and distress provide an important link between stress, depressed mood, and the onset of depressive disorder, and that a better understanding of the ways children successfully manage dysphoric emotions will lead to improved prevention and treatment of pediatric depression. After examining the normative development of responses that children use to attenuate sadness, aspects of the neurobiological infrastructure that both enable and constrain such self‐regulatory efforts, and affect regulation of children at familial risk for depressive disorders, this article concludes by calling for integrated, developmental, multidisciplinary studies of sadness self‐regulation.
Beyond Emotion Regulation: Emotion Utilization and Adaptive Functioning
Authors: Izard Carroll , Stark Kevin , Trentacosta Christopher , Schultz David
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
Recent research indicates that emotionality, emotion information processing, emotion knowledge, and discrete emotion experiences may influence and interact with emotion utilization, that is, the effective use of the inherently adaptive and motivational functions of emotions. Strategies individuals learn for emotion modulation and emotion utilization become stabilized in emerging affective–cognitive structures or emotion schemas. In these emotion schemas, the feeling/motivational component of emotion and perceptual and cognitive processes interact dynamically and continually. The concepts and techniques that promote emotion knowledge, emotion regulation, and emotion utilization have proved effective in promoting favorable behavioral outcomes in both emotion‐based and cognitive–behavioral interventions. This article suggests that current conceptualizations of emotion regulation need to be extended to take these interactions into account.
Empirical Benchmarks for Interpreting Effect Sizes in Research
Authors: Hill Carolyn J. , Bloom Howard S. , Black Alison Rebeck , Lipsey Mark W.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
There is no universal guideline or rule of thumb for judging the practical importance or substantive significance of a standardized effect size estimate for an intervention. Instead, one must develop empirical benchmarks of comparison that reflect the nature of the intervention being evaluated, its target population, and the outcome measure or measures being used. This approach is applied to the assessment of effect size measures for educational interventions designed to improve student academic achievement. Three types of empirical benchmarks are illustrated: (a) normative expectations for growth over time in student achievement, (b) policy‐relevant gaps in student achievement by demographic group or school performance, and (c) effect size results from past research for similar interventions and target populations. The findings can be used to help assess educational interventions, and the process of doing so can provide guidelines for how to develop and use such benchmarks in other fields.
How Measurement Error Affects the Interpretation and Understanding of Effect Sizes
Authors: Burchinal Margaret R.
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
It is important to understand the role of measurement error when interpreting effect sizes, especially when studying development in very young children. The accuracy of measurements of children’s developmental skills depends on the age of the child and the type of development being assessed. On average, measurement error is lower in older than in younger children and for assessments of cognitive, language, and achievement skills than of social–emotional skills. Standardized effect sizes tend to be lower when measurement error is larger because the variability in the scores, based in part on error of measurement, is used in computing those effect sizes. Because more reliable measures will lead to stronger effect sizes, it is more difficult to obtain large effect sizes in studies of very young children than of older children or in studies than in less robust assessments of children’s developmental skills.
The Search for Meaningful Ways to Express the Effects of Interventions
Authors: Cooper Harris
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT—
Researchers often describe the quantitative effects of interventions using terms related to their magnitude (e.g., large, small) and practical impact (e.g., promising, significant). This article describes some of these efforts. It suggests that providing such descriptors for effect sizes must be done with great caution and much additional context. The article also illustrates some translations of effect sizes that should be meaningful to audiences with limited statistical expertise and hopefully make it unnecessary for researchers to apply qualitative descriptors to them.
How We Can Promote Behavior That Serves All of Us in the Future
Authors: Van Lange Paul A. M. , Joireman Jeff A.
Published: November 2008

The health and vitality of relationships, groups, and society at large is strongly challenged by social dilemmas or conflicts between short‐term self‐interest and long‐term collective interest. Pollution, depletion of natural resources, and intergroup conflict can be characterized as examples of urgent social dilemmas. This article advances a conceptual framework in which we analyze social dilemmas in terms of social and temporal concerns relevant to the social (individual vs. collective) and temporal (short‐term vs. long‐term) conflicts underlying social dilemmas. We discuss the plasticity of social orientations (altruism, cooperation, egalitarianism, individualism, competition, aggression) and temporal orientations (short‐term orientation, future orientation), and illustrate their “logical effects” and “paradoxical effects” on behavior that supports collectively desired outcomes. This analysis enables us to suggest a set of novel recommendations for policy and intervention to help solve various social dilemmas in contemporary society.
The Role of Acceptance and Empowerment in Promoting Reconciliation from the Perspective of the Needs‐Based Model
Authors: Shnabel Nurit , Nadler Arie , Canetti‐Nisim Daphna , Ullrich Johannes
Published: November 2008

We propose that following a victimization episode, victims experience an enhanced need for power, whereas perpetrators experience an enhanced need for social acceptance. We present the needs‐based model of reconciliation, according to which the reciprocal satisfaction of these needs may lead to improved relations between victims and perpetrators. We then use the model as an organizing framework for reviewing theories and empirical findings within the field of victim/perpetrator dynamics in general and reconciliation in particular. We also examine its applicability to various contexts including interpersonal and intergroup conflicts and conflicts between majority and minority groups within the same society. Finally, we conclude by discussing policy implications drawn from the model.
The Sociology of Micro‐politics: An Examination of a Neglected Field of Political Action in the Middle East and Beyond
Authors: Goldfarb Jeffrey C.
Published: November 2008

In this paper, the political dimensions of the social interactions of everyday life are investigated. The perspectives of Michel Foucault and Michel de Certeau, George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman, are applied. A close analysis of micro‐politics in Israel–Palestine and the Sinai is used to reveal the independent significance of micro‐politics, as it is shown that such politics constitute the prevailing order of things, but also present the possibility of escaping, subverting, criticizing and transforming that order.
The Day Care Ritual Abuse Moral Panic: A Sociological Analysis
Authors: De Young Mary
Published: November 2008

A new type of sex crime was discovered in the United States in the 1980s – the sexual abuse of young children in ghastly rituals performed by devil worshippers who happened to be their day care providers. ‘Ritual abuse’, as this new sex crime came to be termed, appeared to be epidemic during that decade; hundreds of day care centers were investigated and scores of providers were arrested and prosecuted. This article asserts that the day care ritual abuse scare was a moral panic, in fact, the ‘purest example’ of a moral panic in that the putative threat to children had to be wholly constructed. Using the key sociological elements set out by Cohen (1972/2002), this article analyzes the day care ritual abuse moral panic and concludes by discussing additional key elements that will facilitate future sociological analyses of moral panics.
Healing Victims and Offenders and Reducing Crime: A Critical Assessment of Restorative Justice Practice and Theory
Authors: Rossner Meredith
Published: November 2008

The current article explores the growing restorative justice movement. It examines promising research indicating that face‐to‐face dialogue with crime victims and offenders may work to restore and heal participants, and reduce recidivism. In addition, the article assesses the current state of restorative justice theory, suggesting new avenues for future theory and research. I show how current thinking about restorative justice can benefit from a micro‐sociological reframing, focusing on the production of collective emotion and micro‐dynamics of interaction.
Canadian Dentists' Opinions on Publicly Financed Dental Care
Authors: Quiñonez Carlos R. , Figueiredo Rafael , Locker David
Published: November 2008

Objective: The aim of this study was to inform policy leaders of the opinions of Canada's major dental care service provider regarding publicly financed dental care. Methods: Using provincial/territorial dental regulatory authority listings, a 26‐item questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of Canadian dentists (n = 2219, response rate = 45.8 percent). Descriptive statistics were produced, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to assess what predicts dentists' responses. Results: Canadian dentists support governmental involvement in dental care, preferring investments in prevention to direct delivery. The majority of dentists have less than 10 percent of their practice represented by publicly insured patients, with a small minority having greater than 50 percent. The majority would accept new publicly insured patients, preferring fee for service remuneration. Dentists generally appear dissatisfied with public forms of third‐party financing. Conclusions: Dentists prefer a targeted effort at meeting public needs and are influenced in their opinions largely in relation to ideology. In order to move forward, policy leaders will need to devote some attention to the influence and complexity of public and private tensions in dentistry. At the very least, public and private practitioners must come to appreciate each other's challenges and balance public and private expectations in public programming.
What Frames of Reference Underlie Self‐Ratings of Oral Health?*
Authors: Locker David , Maggirias John , Wexler Evelyn
Published: November 2008

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the referents and meanings that underlie self‐ratings of oral health and to determine whether they vary by participants' characteristics. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 80 adults who were asked to rate their oral health and explain the reasons for their ratings. The interviews were tape‐recorded, transcribed in full, and subject to a content analysis that involved identification and coding of their frames of reference. These codes were collapsed to create a smaller number of categories to allow for comparisons of the proportions invoking each frame of reference. Results: There was considerable variation in the accounts offered to support the self‐ratings of oral health. The most common referents used were biomedical, involving current oral problems, treatment needs and treatment histories, and behavioral, which included oral self‐care practices, other health behaviors, and dental visiting patterns. Pain and tooth loss were also common. Most notable was the absence of functional and psychosocial referents that are prominent in contemporary definitions and measures of “oral‐health‐related quality of life.” There was some variation in the referents used according to sociodemographic characteristics, with age being the main source of variation. There was also variation according to the category of the self‐rating used; those with favorable ratings tended to use different frames of reference than those with unfavorable ratings. Conclusions: The biomedical model and professional ideologies and values provide the main frames of reference that give meaning to self‐ratings of oral health. Variations in the meanings of the self‐ratings have some implications for the use of this item in quantitative studies, which warrants further investigation.
Oral‐Health‐Related Quality of Life during Pregnancy
Authors: Acharya Shashidhar , Bhat Parvati V.
Published: November 2008

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the differences in oral health and perceived oral‐health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) between pregnant and nonpregnant rural Indian women and to describe factors that could possibly influence OHRQoL. Methods: A number of 259 pregnant (mean age 26 ± 5.5) and 237 nonpregnant (mean age 27.8 + 6.9) women who participated in the cross‐sectional study were administered the Oral Health Impact Profile–14 questionnaire and underwent oral examination. Results: The results showed that the perceived OHRQoL was significantly poorer among the pregnant women than among nonpregnant women. The mean number of sextants with Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Needs scores of 2 and 3 and the gingival index scores were significantly (P < 0.001) higher among pregnant women than in the comparison groups. Factors such as pregnancy number (P < 0.05), decayed, missing, filled teeth scores (P < 0.001), and Gingival Index scores (P < 0.001) were significant predictors for OHRQoL. Conclusion: Oral health and perceived OHRQoL were poorer among pregnant women than among nonpregnant women.
A Survey of North Carolina Safety‐Net Dental Clinics' Methods for Communicating with Patients of Limited English Proficiency (LEP)*
Authors: Hammersmith Kimberly J. , Lee Jessica Y.
Published: November 2008

Objective: Dental providers are increasingly challenged in communicating with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to examine methods of communicating with patients with LEP in North Carolina (NC) safety‐net dental clinics as perceived by dental staff. Methods: An anonymous, 36‐item, cross‐sectional survey was distributed to representatives of 68 NC safety‐net dental clinics. Question domains included: a) a perceived need for language services; b) methods of language services provided; c) perceptions of dental staff about dental care experiences for patients with LEP; and d) perceived legal and financial roles in providing language services. Results: Of the 68 clinics, 55 responded (81 percent). All clinics reported treating patients with LEP, and 93 percent of clinics reported a need for providing language services. Many clinics used multiple methods to provide language services. Some clinics reported differences in treatment recommendations (13 percent), treatment provided (19 percent), and visit length (61 percent) for patients with LEP. All responded that additional costs are incurred to treat patients with LEP, and only 69 percent of responding clinics recognized legal obligations of treating patients with LEP. Conclusions: There is a reported need for language services in NC safety‐net dental clinics. These services often resulted in additional costs to the dental clinic. To maintain the quality of care and to comply with legal requirements related to dental patients with LEP, additional funding sources might be required to recruit multilingual staff, support language services in dental clinics, and provide language skills training for practicing dentists. Additionally, studies are suggested to measure the perception of the effectiveness of communication methods of patients with LEP.
Dental Caries in 3‐Year‐Old Children is Associated More with Child‐Rearing Behaviors than Mother‐Related Health Behaviors
Authors: Kawashita Yumiko , Fukuda Hideki , Kawasaki Koji , Kitamura Masayasu , Hayashida Hideaki , Furugen Reiko , Fukumoto Emiko , Iijima Youichi , Saito Toshiyuki
Published: November 2008

Objective: We assessed whether child‐ or mother‐related health behaviors were associated more strongly with dental caries in 3‐year‐old children. Methods: Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed on dental caries' presence as the dependent variable with independent variables from the results of examination and a self‐administered questionnaire of 396 mother–child pairs. Result: Dental caries of 3‐year‐old children was more strongly associated with child‐related health behavior than mother‐related health behavior. Of the child‐related variables, “a habit of feeding in bed”[OR (odds ratio) 10.14; 95 percent class interval (CI) 1.80‐56.97], “eating between meals three times a day or more” (OR 3.33; 95 percent CI 1.56‐7.10), “consuming a sports drink three times a week or more” (OR 4.47; 95 percent CI 1.60‐12.49), “having both home and professional preventive dental care” (OR 3.02; 95 percent CI 1.44‐6.32), and “having professional preventive dental care” (OR 3.79; 95 percent CI 1.75‐8.21) were significantly associated with dental caries in children. Of the mother‐related variables, “brushing teeth once a day or less” (OR 2.72; 95 percent CI 1.19‐6.20) and “drinking alcohol three times a week or more” (OR 0.38; 95 percent CI 0.16‐0.93) had significant effects. Conclusion: Dental caries of 3‐year‐old children was more strongly associated with child‐related health behavior than mother‐related health behavior. The results of this study suggest that encouraging good child‐rearing behavior among mothers could result in better dental health among their children regardless of the mother's dental health status.
Considerations on Optimal Fluoride Intake Using Dental Fluorosis and Dental Caries Outcomes – A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Warren John J. , Levy Steven M. , Broffitt Barbara , Cavanaugh Joseph E. , Kanellis Michael J. , Weber‐Gasparoni Karin
Published: November 2008

Objectives: The “optimal” intake of fluoride has been widely accepted for decades as between 0.05 and 0.07 mg fluoride per kilogram of body weight (mg F/kg bw) but is based on limited scientific evidence. The purpose of this paper is to present longitudinal fluoride intake data for children free of dental fluorosis in the early‐erupting permanent dentition and free of dental caries in both the primary and early‐erupting permanent teeth as an estimate of optimal fluoride intake. Methods: Data on fluoride ingestion were obtained from parents of 602 Iowa Fluoride Study children through periodic questionnaires at the ages of 6 weeks; 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, and 36 months; and then at 6‐month intervals thereafter. Estimates of total fluoride intake at each time point were made by summing amounts from water, dentifrice, and supplements, as well as other foods and beverages made with, or containing, water. Caries data were obtained from examinations of children at ages 5 and 9 years, whereas fluorosis data were obtained from examinations of children only at age 9 years. Results: The estimated mean daily fluoride intake for those children with no caries history and no fluorosis at age 9 years was at, or below, 0.05 mg F/kg bw for nearly all time points through the first 48 months of life, and this level declined thereafter. Children with caries had generally slightly less intakes, whereas those with fluorosis generally had slightly higher intakes. Conclusions: Given the overlap among caries/fluorosis groups in mean fluoride intake and extreme variability in individual fluoride intakes, firmly recommending an “optimal” fluoride intake is problematic.