bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Humor, Laughter, and Happiness in the Daily Lives of Recently Bereaved Spouses
Authors: Lund Dale A. , Utz Rebecca , Caserta Michael S. , de Vries Brian
Published: January 2009

The positive psychology movement has created more interest in examining the potential value of experiencing positive emotions (e.g., humor, laughter, and happiness) during the course of bereavement. This study of 292 recently widowed (5–24 weeks) men (39%) and women (61%) age 50 and over examined both the perceived importance of and actual experience of having positive emotions in their daily lives and how they might impact bereavement adjustments. We found that most of the bereaved spouses rated humor and happiness as being very important in their daily lives and that they were also experiencing these emotions at higher levels than expected. Experiencing humor, laughter, and happiness was strongly associated with favorable bereavement adjustments (lower grief and depression) regardless of the extent to which the bereaved person valued having these positive emotions.
Six-Year Longitudinal Predictors of Posttraumatic Growth in Parentally Bereaved Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Wolchik Sharlene A. , Coxe Stefany , Tein Jenn Y. , Sandler Irwin N. , Ayers Tim S.
Published: January 2009

Using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, we examined posttraumatic growth in a sample of 50 adolescents and young adults who had experienced parental death in childhood or adolescence. Longitudinal relations were examined between baseline measures of contextual and intraindividual factors and scores on the posttraumatic growth subscales (i.e., New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strengths, Spiritual Changes, and Appreciation of Life) six years later. Controlling for time since death, threat appraisals, active coping, avoidant coping, seeking support from parents or guardians, seeking support from other adults, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems were significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. The implications of these findings for research and clinical practice are discussed.
Death Anxiety in a National Sample of United States Funeral Directors and its Relationship with Death Exposure, Age, and Sex
Authors: Harrawood Laura K. , White Lyle J. , Benshoff John J.
Published: January 2009

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the level of death anxiety among a national sample of United States funeral directors with varying levels of death exposure, age, and sex. Utilizing the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS), the results showed a significant, but weak negative relationship between levels of death anxiety and the participants' reported number of funerals attended per year. The correlation between death anxiety scores and the number of reported embalming cases performed yearly was, however, not significant. We found a significant negative correlation between death anxiety and age in both men and women funeral directors. The difference in the death anxiety scores between men ( n = 166) and women ( n = 38) funeral directors was not significant. There was a significant negative correlation with age in both men and women in several fears of death including fear of the dying process, fear for significant others, and fear of premature death. The significant negative correlations were stronger for women than men across all three subscales. Results, direction for further research, and implications of the findings for mental health workers are discussed.
Changes in Gender Discrimination after Death: Evidence from a Cemetery
Authors: Abel Ernest L.
Published: January 2009

Information on tombstones from a large cemetery in New York State were analyzed for gender discrimination. Criteria for gender bias were indications of familial relationships, absence of surnames, and absence of maiden names combined with surname for married women. Overall, females were far more likely to be identified in terms of familial relationships and were far less likely to have their married surname included on their gravestone. However, when the data were divided into 50 year epochs, it was apparent that identification of women in terms of familial relationships had become far less common and indication of surnames had become more common over the last 150 years. There was also a slight trend for women to have both their maiden and surnames on their grave markers.
The Impact of Holidays on Suicide in Hungary
Authors: Zonda Tamás , Bozsonyi KÁroly , Veres Elõd , Lester David , Frank Michael
Published: January 2009

The suicide rate on religious and public holidays was examined for 133,699 suicides for Hungary for the period 1970–2002. For both men and women, more suicides were committed on Monday, while fewer were committed on the weekends. More suicides occurred on New Year's Day than expected. On Christmas Day and on Easter Sunday and Monday, suicides were less frequent only for men, a result consistent with Durkheim's theory. There was less evidence for Gabennesch's broken promise effect on the days after the holidays. National holidays had no impact on the frequency of suicide.
GLP-1R Agonist Liraglutide Activates Cytoprotective Pathways and Improves Outcomes After Experimental Myocardial Infarction in Mice
Authors: Noyan-Ashraf Mohammad Hossein , Momen M. Abdul , Ban Kiwon , Sadi Al-Muktafi , Zhou Yu-Qing , Riazi Ali M. , Baggio Laurie L. , Henkelman R. Mark , Husain Mansoor , Drucker Daniel J.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are used to treat type 2 diabetes, and transient GLP-1 administration improved cardiac function in humans after acute myocardial infarction (MI) and percutaneous revascularization. However, the consequences of GLP-1R activation before ischemic myocardial injury remain unclear.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We assessed the pathophysiology and outcome of coronary artery occlusion in normal and diabetic mice pretreated with the GLP-1R agonist liraglutide.

RESULTS

Male C57BL/6 mice were treated twice daily for 7 days with liraglutide or saline followed by induction of MI. Survival was significantly higher in liraglutide-treated mice. Liraglutide reduced cardiac rupture (12 of 60 versus 46 of 60; P = 0.0001) and infarct size (21 ± 2% versus 29 ± 3%, P = 0.02) and improved cardiac output (12.4 ± 0.6 versus 9.7 ± 0.6 ml/min; P = 0.002). Liraglutide also modulated the expression and activity of cardioprotective genes in the mouse heart, including Akt, GSK3β, PPARβ-δ, Nrf-2, and HO-1. The effects of liraglutide on survival were independent of weight loss. Moreover, liraglutide conferred cardioprotection and survival advantages over metformin, despite equivalent glycemic control, in diabetic mice with experimental MI. The cardioprotective effects of liraglutide remained detectable 4 days after cessation of therapy and may be partly direct, because liraglutide increased cyclic AMP formation and reduced the extent of caspase-3 activation in cardiomyocytes in a GLP-1R–dependent manner in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that GLP-1R activation engages prosurvival pathways in the normal and diabetic mouse heart, leading to improved outcomes and enhanced survival after MI in vivo.
Mice With Hyperghrelinemia Are Hyperphagic and Glucose Intolerant and Have Reduced Leptin Sensitivity
Authors: Bewick Gavin A. , Kent Aysha , Campbell Daniel , Patterson Michael , Ghatei Mohammed A. , Bloom Stephen R. , Gardiner James V.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE

Ghrelin is the only known peripheral hormone to increase ingestive behavior. However, its role in the physiological regulation of energy homeostasis is unclear because deletion of ghrelin or its receptor does not alter food intake or body weight in mice fed a normal chow diet. We hypothesized that overexpression of ghrelin in its physiological tissues would increase food intake and body weight.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We used bacterial artificial chromosome transgenesis to generate a mouse model with increased ghrelin expression and production in the stomach and brain. We investigated the effect of ghrelin overexpression on food intake and body weight. We also measured energy expenditure and determined glucose tolerance, glucose stimulated insulin release, and peripheral insulin sensitivity.

RESULTS

Ghrelin transgenic (Tg) mice exhibited increased circulating bioactive ghrelin, which was associated with hyperphagia, increased energy expenditure, glucose intolerance, decreased glucose stimulated insulin secretion, and reduced leptin sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report of a Tg approach suggesting that ghrelin regulates appetite under normal feeding conditions and provides evidence that ghrelin plays a fundamental role in regulating β-cell function.
Rapamycin Prevents and Breaks the Anti-CD3–Induced Tolerance in NOD Mice
Authors: Valle Andrea , Jofra Tatiana , Stabilini Angela , Atkinson Mark , Roncarolo Maria-Grazia , Battaglia Manuela
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE

Non–Fc-binding anti-CD3–specific antibodies represent a promising therapy for preserving C-peptide production in subjects with recent-onset type 1 diabetes. However, the mechanisms by which anti-CD3 exerts its beneficial effect are still poorly understood, and it is questionable whether this therapeutic approach will prove durable with regard to its ability to impart metabolic preservation without additional actions designed to maintain immunological tolerance. We used the NOD mouse model to test whether rapamycin, a compound well-known for its immunomodulatory activity in mice and humans, could increase the therapeutic effectiveness of anti-CD3 treatment in type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Rapamycin was administered to diabetic NOD mice simultaneously with anti-CD3 or to NOD mice cured by anti-CD3 therapy. The ability of this combined therapy to revert type 1 diabetes and maintain a state of long-term tolerance was monitored and compared with that of anti-CD3 therapy alone.

RESULTS

Rapamycin inhibited the ability of anti-CD3 to revert disease without affecting the frequency/phenotype of T-cells. Rapamycin also reinstated diabetes in mice whose disease was previously reversed by anti-CD3. Withdrawal of rapamycin in these latter animals promptly restored a normoglycemic state.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that, when combined with anti-CD3, rapamycin exerts a detrimental effect on the disease outcome in NOD mice for as long as it is administered. These results suggest strong caution with regard to combining these treatments in type 1 diabetic patients.
Successful Versus Failed Adaptation to High-Fat Diet–Induced Insulin Resistance
Authors: Matveyenko Aleksey V. , Gurlo Tatyana , Daval Marie , Butler Alexandra E. , Butler Peter C.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE

Obesity is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, most obese individuals do not develop diabetes because they adapt to insulin resistance by increasing β-cell mass and insulin secretion. Islet pathology in type 2 diabetes is characterized by β-cell loss, islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), and increased β-cell apoptosis characterized by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We hypothesized that IAPP-induced ER stress distinguishes successful versus unsuccessful islet adaptation to insulin resistance.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

To address this, we fed wild-type (WT) and human IAPP transgenic (HIP) rats either 10 weeks of regular chow or a high-fat diet and prospectively examined the relations among β-cell mass and turnover, β-cell ER stress, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity.

RESULTS

A high-fat diet led to comparable insulin resistance in WT and HIP rats. WT rats compensated with increased insulin secretion and β-cell mass. In HIP rats, in contrast, neither β-cell function nor mass compensated for the increased insulin demand, leading to diabetes. The failure to increase β-cell mass in HIP rats was the result of ER stress–induced β-cell apoptosis that increased in proportion to diet-induced insulin resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

IAPP-induced ER stress distinguishes the successful versus unsuccessful islet adaptation to a high-fat diet in rats. These studies are consistent with the hypothesis that IAPP oligomers contribute to increased β-cell apoptosis and β-cell failure in humans with type 2 diabetes.
Central Nervous System Function in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes 12 Years After Disease Onset
Authors: Northam Elisabeth A. , Rankins Debbie , Lin Ashleigh , Wellard R. Mark , Pell Gaby S. , Finch Sue J. , Werther George A. , Cameron Fergus J.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE—In this study, we used neurocognitive assessment and neuroimaging to examine brain function in youth with type 1 diabetes studied prospectively from diagnosis.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We studied type 1 diabetic (n = 106) and control subjects (n = 75) with no significant group difference on IQ at baseline 12 years previously by using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of General Intelligence, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging, and metabolic control data from diagnosis.

RESULTS—Type 1 diabetic subjects had lower verbal and full scale IQs than control subjects (both P < 0.05). Type 1 diabetic subjects had lower N-acetylaspartate in frontal lobes and basal ganglia and higher myoinositol and choline in frontal and temporal lobes and basal ganglia than control subjects (all P < 0.05). Type 1 diabetic subjects, relative to control subjects, had decreased gray matter in bilateral thalami and right parahippocampal gyrus and insular cortex. White matter was decreased in bilateral parahippocampi, left temporal lobe, and middle frontal area (all P < 0.0005 uncorrected). T2 in type 1 diabetic subjects was increased in left superior temporal gyrus and decreased in bilateral lentiform nuclei, caudate nuclei and thalami, and right insular area (all P < 0.0005 uncorrected). Early-onset disease predicted lower performance IQ, and hypoglycemia was associated with lower verbal IQ and volume reduction in thalamus; poor metabolic control predicted elevated myoinositol and decreased T2 in thalamus; and older age predicted volume loss and T2 change in basal ganglia.

CONCLUSIONS—This study documents brain effects 12 years after diagnosis in a type 1 diabetic sample whose IQ at diagnosis matched that of control subjects. Findings suggest several neuropathological processes including gliosis, demyelination, and altered osmolarity.
Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
Authors: Nettleton Jennifer A. , Lutsey Pamela L. , Wang Youfa , Lima João A. , Michos Erin D. , Jacobs David R.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVE

We determined associations between diet soda consumption and risk of incident metabolic syndrome, its components, and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Diet soda consumption was assessed by food frequency questionnaire at baseline (2000–2002). Incident type 2 diabetes was identified at three follow-up examinations (2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2005–2007) as fasting glucose >126 mg/dl, self-reported type 2 diabetes, or use of diabetes medication. Metabolic syndrome (and components) was defined by National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CI for type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome components were estimated, adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary confounders.

RESULTS

At least daily consumption of diet soda was associated with a 36% greater relative risk of incident metabolic syndrome and a 67% greater relative risk of incident type 2 diabetes compared with nonconsumption (HR 1.36 [95% CI 1.11–1.66] for metabolic syndrome and 1.67 [1.27–2.20] for type 2 diabetes). Of metabolic syndrome components, only high waist circumference (men ≥102 cm and women ≥88 cm) and high fasting glucose (≥100 mg/dl) were prospectively associated with diet soda consumption. Associations between diet soda consumption and type 2 diabetes were independent of baseline measures of adiposity or changes in these measures, whereas associations between diet soda and metabolic syndrome were not independent of these factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Although these observational data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of select incident metabolic syndrome components and type 2 diabetes.
Wikination: On Peace and Conflict in the Middle East
Authors: Hall Gary
Published: January 2009

This article begins by analyzing critically the usefulness of the recent political philosophy of Chantal Mouffe for reconceptualizing ideas of peace and conflict. It takes as its focus for doing so the situation of the Middle East. It proceeds to show how Mouffe’s radical democratic politics is actually just another form of the liberalism of Habermas and Rawls that she positions her theory against. The article then explores the potential digital media hold for making affirmative, affective, hyperpolitical interventions in specific contents and singular situations. In particular it advocates using the wiki medium – hence the piece’s Wikipedia-like form – to experiment with new ways of organizing institutions, cultures, communities, and countries which do not uncritically repeat the reductive adherence to democracy, hegemony, and Western, bourgeois, liberal humanism identified in Mouffe, but which can also be located in the institution of academic criticism more widely. “WikiNation” is part of a series of “performative media” projects. Performative media here stands for media that do not endeavor to represent the world so much as have an effect in or on it. They are media which produce the things of which they speak, in other words, and which are engaged primarily in their actual performance.
Iran and the Boomeranging Cartoon Wars: Can Public Spheres at Risk Ally with Public Spheres Yet to Be Achieved?
Authors: Fischer Michael M.J
Published: January 2009

Twelve cartoons, published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September 2005, nine cartoons published in the Tehran newspaper Iran in May 2006, and 282 cartoons curated in Tehran in September 2006 provide a useful case study in the experimentation with new and old media in the transnational circuitry.

At stake are the agons, polemos (Greek terms of reference), or luti-jahel-darvish, “Karbala paradigm,” and jumhuri-ye moral struggles (Persian terms of reference) in Iran and the West over creating and protecting robust public spheres and civil societies. Four perspectives are probed: cultural politics; cultural media histories; the emotional excess (jouissance, petit à) of cultural politics; and the deep play mode of aesthetic judgement formed between the practical and ethical, between political economy and expressive art (including political drama), and between individual self-fashioning on the one hand, and on the other hand changing symbolic and social orders.
CONSIGNING BADIOU TO THE Past: THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA AND Philosophy’s GENDERED THOUGHT OF THE ENDLESS ARCHIVE
Authors: Mays Sas
Published: January 2009

The overall remit of this article concerns a philosophical contextualization of Badiou’s antipathy toward the capitalist status quo, as it is played out in the denigration of the “encyclopaedia.” The article argues that this object marks an extension of the phonocentric idealism of Western philosophy and its consequent abasement of material, technological, and institutional forms of memory. This abasement of mnemotechnics, consistently associated with endlessness and consistently articulated in patriarchal terms, produces a specific complex of terms: the femininity of the archival ad infinitum. To this phobic object are contrasted the masculine virtues of totality, universality, and the absolute. On the other hand, then, in its immateriality or its accumulative finitude, philosophy also imagines a positive knowledge. Yet the archive needs be recognized as a site at, through, or around which the logical clarity of such philosophical polarizations maintains a tendency toward collapse. Introducing its key concerns through Badiou, the article provides a schematic outline of the history of philosophy’s gendered relation to the state legal archive through Plato, Kant, and Hegel and ends by returning to Badiou – in order to raise questions concerning the possibility of an unacknowledged and problematic contiguity between Badiou’s thought and the very philosophies it claims to surpass.
Assessing factors influencing the space use of a woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou population using an individual‐based model
Authors: Metsaranta Juha M.
Published: January 2009

Similar to earlier studies, a population of woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in west‐central Manitoba, Canada, showed preference for mature coniferous forests and fidelity to seasonal home ranges. However, because preferred forest types were common in the study area, these findings could not determine what would happen if these home ranges were disturbed because the relative importance of preference for these forest types and home‐range fidelity in determining the space use of this population was not known. This question was explored using an individual‐based space‐use model that incorporates a random movement component, a habitat value function that considers these two factors individually or together, and a decision optimisation component. Four possible forms of the model were used to conduct Monte‐Carlo simulations of space‐use patterns, which were compared to true range‐use patterns over an annual cycle. True range use could not be simulated without including a home‐range fidelity factor in the model. This suggests that there is some factor about the selected home ranges that is not quantified by the forest type which is currently present that causes animals in this population to show fidelity to them. The explanation most consistent with the general understanding of the factors limiting this species is that these home ranges are refuges from predation. This suggests that the appropriate conservation action is to protect these ranges from disturbance unless the animals themselves demonstrate the presence of other suitable areas by dispersing to them.
The clinical impact of identifying metabolic syndrome in patients with diabetes: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Bulugahapitiya Uditha , Siyambalapitiya Sajith , Sithole Jabulani , Fernando Devaka J , Idris Iskandar
Published: January 2009

The objectives of the study were to determine whether identifying patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) (as defined by International Diabetes Federation [IDF] criteria) among patients with diabetes would affect the decision to prescribe statin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), based on currently available public health guidelines.

We analysed the most recent recorded CVD risk profiles obtained from electronic patient files from 304 general practices in England and Wales. Of 60,258 patients with diabetes, 11,005 men and women aged 30–74 years fulfilled criteria for primary CVD prevention and were not on lipid-lowering drugs. Outcome data were extrapolated to an estimated national diabetes prevalence of 3.6%.

Identifying MetS in this group of patients would produce an additional 29,536 (8.4%; 95% CI: 7.7, 9.0), 104,288 (29.6%; 95% CI: 28.5, 30.7) and 147, 328 (41.9%; 95% CI: 40.8, 43.0) patients nationally who would not have been eligible otherwise for primary CVD prevention strategies with statins, based on the Joint British Societies’, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the General Medical Services contract guidelines, respectively. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of these different strategies to detect metabolic syndrome were 87.5% and 69.1%; 57.3% and 76.8%; and 37.8% and 70.2%, respectively.

In conclusion, among individuals with diabetes, identifying patients with MetS may further increase the use of statin therapy for primary CVD prevention.
Long-term hyperglycaemia impairs vascular smooth muscle cell function in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Bjarnegård Niclas , Arnqvist Hans J , Lindströ;m Torbjö;rn , Jonasson Lena , Länne Toste
Published: January 2009

Observations of increased stiffness in the elastic aorta in women with diabetes, but not men, emphasise the need for further analysis regarding early abnormalities in arterial wall properties of women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Ultrasound was used to study the wall properties of the distal brachial artery (BA) in 37 type 1 diabetic women (aged 22–45 years) without evident complications and in 53 controls (C). Blood samples were drawn for later analysis.

Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was slightly lower in DM than C, 8.1±4.3% vs. 10.3±4.9% (p<0.05), and nitrate-mediated dilatation (NMD) was markedly lower, 21.7±6.6% vs. 31.4±5.7% (p<0.001). Lumen diameter, intima-media thickness and distensibility were similar in DM and C. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) was lower in DM than C, 231±65 vs. 349±68 ng/ml (p<0.001). Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) were independent predictors of the reduced NMD in the DM.

Brachial artery responsiveness to an exogenous donor of nitric oxide (NO) was markedly reduced in type 1 diabetic women despite only limited reduction in endothelium-dependent dilatation. The negative association between NMD and HbA1C suggests that long-term hyperglycaemia impairs vascular smooth muscle cell function in DM.
Metabolic syndrome and its single traits as risk factors for diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance: the STOP-NIDDM trial
Authors: Hanefeld Markolf , Karasik Avraham , Koehler Carsta , Westermeier Torsten , Chiasson Jean-Louis
Published: January 2009

The STOP-NIDDM trial was an international, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised study in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). They were treated with an α-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, to prevent diabetes; the overall number needed to treat (NNT) was 11.

In a secondary analysis, we considered the impact of single traits and overall metabolic syndrome (MetS) respectively on risk of diabetes and NNT respectively.

In all, there were 1,368 patients. They were followed up for 3.3 years, and the prevalence of MetS was 61%. Multivariate analysis revealed treatment group 2-hour (post-challenge) plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C), triglycerides and leukocyte count as independent predictors. The annual incidence of diabetes in the placebo group with MetS was 18.7% vs. 11.2% in patients without MetS; the corresponding figures in the acarbose group were 13.5% and 9.4%, respectively. The NNT in patients was 5.8 in patients with MetS and 16.5 in those without MetS.

In conclusion, most single traits and overall MetS label a very high-risk group in people with IGT. People with MetS reach a NNT to prevent development of new diabetes with acarbose of 5.8.

Trial-Number: NCT00629213//ClinicalTrials.gov
The effect of rosiglitazone on integrated cardiovascular performance, cardiac structure, function and myocardial triglyceride: trial design and rationale
Authors: Mcguire Darren K , See Raphael , Abdullah Shuaib M , Snell Peter G , Mcgavock Jonathan M , Ayers Colby R , Szczepaniak Lidia S
Published: January 2009

The thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of medications has been associated with increased risk for peripheral oedema, as well as incident and worsening heart failure (HF). The mechanism of these observed effects remains unclear. Here we present the rationale and study design for a randomised clinical trial designed to evaluate the cardiac effects of rosiglitazone on integrated cardiovascular performance, cardiac structure and function.

The study is a randomised, single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial to evaluate the effect of rosiglitazone on integrated cardiovascular performance in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at increased risk for developing heart failure (HF). Participants will be randomised to receive rosiglitazone or matching placebo for six months. All subjects will undergo maximal treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing at baseline and after six months on study drug, with the primary trial end point of peak oxygen uptake indexed to fat-free mass (VO2peak-FFM). Approximately two-thirds of the study cohort will undergo cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) at baseline and after six months of study therapy to assess cardiac structure, function and myocardial triglyceride content.

While concerns for peripheral oedema and HF continue to confound clinical use of TZD medications, the direct cardiac effects of these drugs remain poorly understood and the clinical relevance of these clinical observations remains unclear. The present study will combine a series of state-of-the-art assessments to evaluate the cardiac effects of rosiglitazone treatment. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00424762).
Joint Accessibility Design
Authors: Straatemeier Thomas , Bertolini Luca
Published: January 2009

In both the scientific and the professional communities, the need to integrate transport and land use policies to achieve more sustainable mobility patterns is widely recognized. Three challenges to attaining integrated strategies are identified. The first challenge is to find a common language and concepts that stimulate communication between disciplines. The second challenge is to create more explicit links between broader economic, social, and environmental goals and transport policies. The third challenge is to put more emphasis on policy design, the phase in the planning process in which opportunities for policy integration are maximal but which is poorly supported by current transport planning approaches. Accessibility is a concept that can address all three challenges. It relates to features of the transport system (speed, travel costs) as well as the land use system (densities, opportunities) and can be related to wider goals within society (for example, access to jobs). A well-known and well-studied concept within the scientific literature, accessibility is nonetheless not often used. This paper develops a framework to stimulate the joint design of accessibility-enhancing strategies, and the framework is then tested and developed in cooperation with practitioners in two case studies in the Netherlands.
Freight Transportation Planning
Authors: Schank Joshua , Hirschman Ira , Elliott Preston
Published: January 2009

The U.S. economy is increasingly reliant on freight movement. Unfortunately, freight movement in the United States is constrained to some extent by its lack of exposure and an emphasis by politicians and the public on passengers. Thus freight has taken a backseat in regional planning by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). Metropolitan regions wanting to improve their economies, however, cannot do so without embracing freight, but these regions may not have attempted to plan for freight regionally and thus do not know how to start or what to do. Therefore, if MPOs better understand how to conduct effective freight planning, they can implement successful freight planning programs in their regions. A useful way to do this is to survey existing MPO freight planning processes. Several MPOs have substantial freight components and plan for freight effectively. A nationwide benchmarking and best-practices survey of freight transportation planning of MPOs was conducted. The survey and resulting analysis provide guidelines, ideas, and strategies for MPOs that want to set up or improve current freight transportation planning practices.
Addressing SAFETEA-LU Requirements for Operational and Management Strategies in Puget Sound Region of Washington State
Authors: Loudon William R. , Rossi Stephanie , Cummings Michael , Mayhew Robin
Published: January 2009

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users [SAFETEA-LU (Public Law 109–59, 109th Cong., August 10, 2005)] requires that metropolitan transportation plans (MTPs) “include operational and management strategies to improve the performance of the existing transportation facilities to relieve vehicular congestion and maximize safety and mobility for people and goods.” In addition, SAFETEA-LU requires that “there must be a process that provides for effective management and operation to address congestion management.” These two provisions of SAFETEA-LU establish a clear directive to incorporate operational and management strategies into the long-range planning for a region and to coordinate the consideration of the operational and management strategies between the MTP and the congestion management process (CMP). The Puget Sound Regional Council in Washington State has undertaken a process to ensure that all requirements for incorporating operational and management strategies in the region are addressed. This has included an update of the CMP to fully integrate consideration of operational and management strategies and an update of the MTP to reflect a more direct linkage of the MTP with the CMP. Research on best practices was conducted nationally. This paper relates how the concepts reflected in these best practices were implemented in the Central Puget Sound region to meet the SAFETEA-LU requirements. The CMP was modified to provide multimodal performance measures for passenger and freight movement that were more sensitive to operational and management strategies, and the data collection and monitoring programs were revised to reflect the new performance measures.
Limited Amendment Process of Montana's Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan to Meet SAFETEA-LU Requirements
Authors: Wang Jessica , Straehl Sandra , Leonard Kenneth
Published: January 2009

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) uses a limited process to amend its statewide transportation plan and bring it into compliance with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) regulations. This amendment process is an alternative to a full-scale, long-range transportation plan update. An overview is presented of ongoing business and planning processes that have made this limited amendment possible, followed by discussion about the approach used in Montana. The discussion focuses on specific areas addressed by the limited amendment process, including efficient management of the transportation system, economic development and land use planning, environmental mitigation, safety, and new consultations. Existing processes addressing such areas were in place before the amendment, including the performance programming process, the highway economic analysis tool, and the corridor planning process. The policy basis for these processes was established in earlier statewide transportation policy plans, whereas the specific business processes used evolved over several years. Limited amendments support maturing statewide planning processes because the mechanisms used for initial full-scale plans, once established within a state department of transportation, can become the drivers behind planning processes that advance either opportunistically or as evolutionary business process change. Some of these mechanisms are continuous robust public involvement, routine cyclic strategic environmental scans, and ongoing fiscal and technical analysis.
Development of Best Practices for Traffic Impact Studies
Authors: Muldoon Darren , Bloomberg Loren
Published: January 2009

Traffic impact studies (TISs) are used by transportation agencies to forecast system effects from proposed development projects and to predict the useful life of a transportation project against an expected land use scenario. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) project Best Practices for Traffic Impact Studies was completed because there is a perception that TISs are not as accurate as they could be, there is variability in assumptions and inputs to predict traffic impacts, impacts may not be accurately projected in TISs, and the best decisions for the transportation system may not be made. The research model consisted of three steps: (a) analysis of case studies for actual developments to compare forecasted traffic conditions to actual postdevelopment traffic conditions, (b) a literature search of the state of the practice by other jurisdictions, and (c) refinement assessment for topics of interest. Case study TISs were selected to compare forecasted traffic conditions to postdevelopment traffic conditions by analyzing key variables used in traffic analyses. Results of these comparisons were mixed. On the basis of the case study results and additional research, a set of best practices was identified for key technical topics to be considered in the scoping and preparation of TISs. The best practices supplement ODOT's development review guidelines but are equally applicable to other transportation agencies and local jurisdictions.
Ferry Parking and Landside Access Study
Authors: Camay Stephanie , Ramasubramanian Laxmi , Derman Brandon , Bohn Eric , Albrecht Jochen , Milczarski William , Boile Maria , Theofanis Sotiris
Published: January 2009

Through federal regulations, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are mandated to perform public outreach and impact assessment. Although there are some established parameters, the quality and effectiveness of public outreach efforts vary widely, and in many instances information dissemination becomes the central focus of public outreach efforts. However, information dissemination, although essential, is not as effective as a two-way process of public involvement in which members of the public may provide feedback to shape agency initiatives. Research conducted for the Ferry Parking and Landside Access Study is used to describe best practices in public outreach, focusing on socio-economic and community impact assessment. The landside access study represents a dedicated effort by the New York MPO to approach planning for waterborne services by using a comprehensive approach based on land use. With emphasis on land-use criteria, the focus is on people and impact, unlike the traditional demand analysis seen in past ferry studies. By acknowledging regulatory shortcomings and outlining a plan for implementing public outreach and impact assessment, success for consensus building is likely. Practitioners are encouraged to examine the effectiveness of their own public outreach and impact assessment methods.
Accountable Public Involvement
Authors: Alter Rebecca , Lewiecki Maura , Renz-Whitmore Mikaela , Albright David
Published: January 2009

Bernalillo County, New Mexico, undertook an initiative to improve public involvement in guiding transportation and recreation decision making through quantitative tracking of participation among stakeholder groups. A methodology was developed and a demonstration project selected to implement the methodology. The proposed methodology was to identify the demographic characteristics of the community affected by the proposed project. Outreach program performance would be measured by ascertaining whether persons who commented on the proposed project were representative of the population served. For the purpose of the demonstration, three demographic characteristics were identified as represented in the community affected by the demonstration project but historically underrepresented in Bernalillo County public meetings. Public involvement of persons whose primary language was Spanish, persons with disabilities, and youths were tracked. Successfully engaging persons with these characteristics required partner organizations that could engage them. A partnership approach was adopted to reach out to the community served. The public involvement partnership was formed with a variety of governmental, private, and nongovernmental organizations. There was an increase in the diversity of the public involved in discussing the demonstration project. A benchmark was established for public involvement in future phases of the demonstration project. Building accountability into public outreach can improve the level of community participation in proposed transportation projects. An effective means of delivering an accountable outreach program is through partnerships. In the Bernalillo County experience, partner organizations should be as diverse as the public to be served.
Self-Selection in Home Choice
Authors: Zhou Bin (Brenda) , Kockelman Kara M.
Published: January 2009

The role of self-selection in shaping travel patterns, by affecting one's home location choice, is a critical issue. Developers, planners, and policy makers regularly debate to what extent the built environment and land use patterns can alleviate roadway congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and myriad other urban problems. A study illustrates the use of Heckman's latent index model to ascertain travel impacts of neighborhood type in Austin, Texas. Under this approach, self-selection is formulated as sample selection bias in receiving a treatment. Here, treatment is defined to be one's residence in a suburban or rural zone, rather than Austin's central business district (CBD) and nearby urban zones. This approach of treatment or no-treatment is a meaningful advance in models of self-selection effects and requires estimation of three straightforward models. Depending on model specification used, results suggest that at least half (58% to 90%) of the differences in vehicle miles traveled observed between similar households living in CBD or urban versus rural or suburban neighborhoods of Austin is due to the location or treatment itself, whereas self-selection of such treatment (by households that wish to meet special travel needs or preferences) accounts for the remainder.
Estimating Transportation Costs by Characteristics of Neighborhood and Household
Authors: Haas Peter M. , Makarewicz Carrie , Benedict Albert , Bernstein Scott
Published: January 2009

Since information on U.S. household expenditures was first collected, transport expenditures have risen from the sixth-highest share of household budgets, less than 2%, in 1917 to the second-highest share since the 1970s. This rise is linked to increased automobile purchase and automobile use and a relative decline in other costs, particularly food. Studies have also linked variations in the built environment to transport expenditures, but this influence cannot be tested by the federal Consumer Expenditure Survey since it is reported at the metropolitan level. Regional travel demand models recognize the dual influence of land use and household characteristics but do not include sufficient detail on the built environment of neighborhoods. Additionally, these models report travel time, distance, and frequency but not out-of-pocket household transportation expenditures. A study was launched to create a statistical model to predict household total annual transportation expenditures for each neighborhood in the largest metropolitan regions in the United States, controlling for the built environment and household size and income. The model specifies five independent variables—density, jobs access, neighborhood services, walkability, and transit connectivity. Model parameters were calibrated to measured vehicle ownership and transit use in the pilot region, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, and to vehicle miles traveled by households at the block group level in the National Household Travel Survey. Statistically significant results confirm the influence of the built environment and regional accessibility on transport expenditures. Intended users are households, policy makers, and planners making location, design, and investment decisions.
Accessibility Trade-Offs in Household Residential Location Decisions
Authors: Chen Jason , Chen Cynthia , Timmermans Harry J. P.
Published: January 2009

The literature for residential location choice is deficient in two aspects. First, many studies model location choice as a static choice, with no memory of the past. Second, current understanding of household tradeoffs between attributes is limited. These two issues are addressed by developing and estimating a residential location model that accounts for prior locations by using the Puget Sound Panel (1989–2002) data set. Four types of accessibility attributes are examined: work, open space, retail opportunity, and recreation. A comparison between the proposed model and the existing literature model demonstrates the superiority of the former. Prior commute distance, open space, and recreation opportunity are all shown to influence current residential location choices.
Land Use Challenges to Implementing Transit-Oriented Development in China
Authors: Thomas Alainna , Deakin Elizabeth
Published: January 2009

Several Chinese cities are interested in incorporating transit-oriented development (TOD) around their subway stations. Few cities, however, have considered incorporating TOD into their bus systems; fewer still have included China's bike population. The midsize Chinese city of Jinan, capital of the northeastern province of Shandong, wants to incorporate both bus rapid transit (BRT) and TOD within its urban planning framework. Jinan is set to construct a 135-km BRT network and seeks to incorporate TOD initially at the neighborhood level and eventually in the entire city. As part of an ongoing project between the University of California Transportation Center and the Transportation Engineering Department of Shandong University, preliminary land use analysis was conducted on a proposed BRT corridor, Lishan Road, incorporating smart-growth principles as a framework for creating walkable neighborhoods. Current land-use challenges, both citywide and street specific, to making the Lishan Road BRT corridor a true transit-oriented development are presented. The main barriers identified are as follows: (a) Excessive auto-oriented land uses along the corridor result in pedestrian–bike, bike–vehicle, and pedestrian–vehicle conflicts, which will increase with the construction of the BRT stations; (b) the land-use pattern manifested in 1-km blocks results in excessive distances between pedestrian crossings at intersections; (c) with superblock land use patterns and a lack of secondary roads, accessibility is limited for all modes; and (d) parking is inconsistently enforced, and cars are allowed to park on sidewalks, creating unwalkable areas and encouraging driving. Policies and guidelines that help shift Jinan's planning to more pedestrian-friendly designs are presented.
Cities and Satellites
Authors: Vance Colin , Iovanna Rich
Published: January 2009

The confluence of factors driving urban growth is highly complex, resulting from a combination of ecological and social determinants that co-evolved over time and space. Identifying these factors and quantifying their impact requires models that capture both why urbanization happens and where and when it happens. A database that links five satellite images spanning 1976 to 2001 to a suite of socioeconomic, ecological, and geographic information system–created explanatory variables was used to develop a spatial–temporal model of the determinants of built-up area across a 25,900-km2 swath across central North Carolina. Extensive conversion of forest and agricultural land in the past decades is modeled by using the complementary log-log derivation of the proportional hazards model and thereby affords a means for modeling continuous–time landscape change by using discrete–time satellite data. To control for unobserved heterogeneity, the model specification includes an error component that is gamma distributed. Results confirm the hypothesis that the landscape pattern surrounding a pixel has a major influence on the likelihood of its conversion and, moreover, that the omission of external spatial effects can lead to biased inferences about the influence of other covariates, such as proximity to road. Cartographic and nonparametric validation exercises illustrate the utility of the model for policy simulation.