bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deletion of hepatic Ctr1 reveals its function in copper acquisition and compensatory mechanisms for copper homeostasis
Authors: Kim Heejeong , Son Hwa-Young , Bailey Sarah M. , Lee Jaekwon
Published: December 2008

Copper is a vital trace element required for normal growth and development of many organisms. To determine the roles for copper transporter 1 (Ctr1) in hepatic copper metabolism and the contribution of the liver to systemic copper homeostasis, we have generated and characterized mice in which Ctr1 is deleted specifically in the liver. These mice express less than 10% residual Ctr1 protein in the liver and exhibit a small but significant growth retardation, which disappears with age. Hepatic copper concentrations and the activities of copper-requiring enzymes are reduced; however, mild copper deficiency relative to Ctr1 protein deficit indicates compensatory mechanisms for copper metabolism. Copper concentrations of other organs did not alter despite the defect in hepatic copper uptake. Whereas biliary copper excretion is reduced, urinary copper concentration in these mice is higher than that of control mice. Our data indicate that Ctr1 plays a critical role in copper acquisition in the liver, and, when Ctr1 expression is compromised, compensatory mechanisms facilitate copper uptake and/or retention in the liver and excretion of copper via urine.
Anthropometry, CT, and DXA as predictors of GH deficiency in premenopausal women: ROC curve analysis
Authors: Bredella Miriam A. , Utz Andrea L. , Torriani Martin , Thomas Bijoy , Schoenfeld David A. , Miller Karen K.
Published: December 2008

Visceral adiposity is a strong determinant of growth hormone (GH) secretion, and states of GH deficiency are associated with increased visceral adiposity and decreased lean body mass. The purpose of our study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of different methods of assessing body composition [anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and computed tomography (CT)] to predict GH deficiency in premenopausal women and threshold values for each technique to predict GH deficiency, using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. We studied a group of 45 healthy lean, overweight, and obese premenopausal women who underwent anthropometric measurements (body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, skin fold thickness), DXA, CT, and a GH-releasing hormone-arginine stimulation test. ROC curve analysis was used to determine cutoff values for each method to identify GH deficiency. Visceral adiposity measured by CT showed the highest sensitivity and specificity for identifying subjects with GH deficiency with a cutoff of >9,962 mm2 [area under the curve (AUC), 0.95; sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 77.8%; P = 0.0001]. Largest waist circumference showed high sensitivity and specificity with a cutoff of >101.7 cm (AUC, 0.89; sensitivity, 88.9%; specificity, 75%; P = 0.0001). When the ROC curves of visceral fat measured by CT and largest waist circumference were compared, the difference between the two methods was not statistically significant ( P = 0.36). Our study showed that the largest waist circumference predicts the presence of GH deficiency in healthy premenopausal women with high sensitivity and specificity and nearly as well as CT measurement of visceral adiposity. It can be used to identify women in whom GH deficiency is likely and therefore in whom formal GH stimulation testing might be indicated.
Energetics and mammary carcinogenesis: effects of moderate-intensity running and energy intake on cellular processes and molecular mechanisms in rats
Authors: Zhu Zongjian , Jiang Weiqin , McGinley John N. , Thompson Henry J.
Published: December 2008

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects on mammary carcinogenesis of similar limitations in energy availability either by energy expenditure due to moderate-intensity running (physical activity, PA) or by regulating dietary energy (RE) intake relative to a sedentary control (SC) group that ate ad libitum. A total of 90 female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (50 mg/kg) and 7 days thereafter were randomized to either SC, a PA group given free access to a motorized running wheel, or a RE group whose food intake limited growth to the rate observed in PA. Compared with SC, mammary carcinogenesis was inhibited by RE or PA. Cancer incidence, 92.6%, 77.8%, and 66.7% ( P = 0.06), and cancer multiplicity, 3.44, 2.11, and 1.62 cancers/rat ( P = 0.006), in SC, RE, and PA, respectively, were reduced to a similar extent by RE and PA. Histological and Western blot analyses of mammary carcinomas provided evidence that RE and PA induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, that cell cycle progression was suppressed at the G1/S transition, and that intratumoral blood vessel density was reduced, although it remains to be determined whether PA and RE exert these effects via the same mechanisms.
Role of Src Tyrosine Kinase in the Atherogenic Effects of the 12/15-Lipoxygenase Pathway in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Reddy Marpadga A. , Sahar Saurabh , Villeneuve Louisa M. , Lanting Linda , Natarajan Rama
Published: December 2008

Objective—

The 12/15-Lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) and its metabolite 12(S)-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid [12(S)-HETE] mediate proatherogenic responses in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We examined the role of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Src in the signaling and epigenetic chromatin mechanisms involved in these processes.

Methods and Results—

Rat VSMCs (RVSMCs) were stimulated with 12(S)-HETE (0.1 μmol/L) in the presence or absence of the Src inhibitor PP2 (10 μmol/L). Src activation and downstream signaling events including inflammatory gene expression and chromatin histone H3-Lys-9/14 acetylation were examined by immunoblotting, RT-PCR, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. 12(S)-HETE significantly activated Src, focal adhesion kinase, Akt, p38MAPK, and CREB. Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-6 genes and histone H3-Lys-9/14 acetylation on their promoters were also increased by 12(S)-HETE. PP2 inhibited these responses as well as 12(S)-HETE-induced VSMC migration. Furthermore, dominant negative mutants of Src, CREB, and a histone acetyltransferase p300 significantly blocked 12(S)-HETE–induced inflammatory gene expression. In addition, growth factor induced Src signaling and downstream events including H3-Lys-9/14 acetylation and migration were significantly attenuated in VSMCs derived from 12/15-LO
−/−
mice relative to WT.

Conclusions—

Src kinase signaling plays a central role in the proatherogenic responses mediated by 12/15-LO and its oxidized lipid metabolite 12(S)-HETE in VSMCs.
Cyclooxygenase-2–Derived Prostaglandin F
2α
Mediates Endothelium-Dependent Contractions in the Aortae of Hamsters With Increased Impact During Aging
Authors: Wong Siu Ling , Leung Fung Ping , Lau Chi Wai , Au Chak Leung , Yung Lai Ming , Yao Xiaoqiang , Chen Zhen-Yu , Vanhoutte Paul M. , Gollasch Maik , Huang Yu
Published: December 2008

Hypertension and vascular dysfunction result in the increased release of endothelium-derived contracting factors (EDCFs), whose identity is poorly defined. We tested the hypothesis that endothelial cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 can generate EDCFs and identified the possible EDCF candidate. Changes in isometric tension of aortae of young and aged hamsters were recorded on myograph. Real-time changes in intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca
2+
]
i
) in native aortic endothelial cells were measured by imaging. Endothelium-dependent contractions were triggered by acetylcholine (ACh) after inhibition of nitric oxide production and they were abolished by COX-2 but not COX-1 inhibitors or by thromboxane–prostanoid receptor antagonists. 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (cation channel blocker) eliminated endothelium-dependent contractions and ACh-stimulated rises in endothelial cell [Ca
2+
]
i
. RT-PCR and Western blotting showed COX-2 expression mainly in the endothelium. Enzyme immunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry showed release of prostaglandin (PG)F
2α
and prostacyclin (PGI
2
) increased by ACh; only PGF
2α
caused contraction at relevant concentrations. COX-2 expression, ACh-stimulated contractions, and vascular sensitivity to PGF
2α
were augmented in aortae from aged hamsters. Human renal arteries also showed thromboxane–prostanoid receptor–mediated ACh- or PGF
2α
-induced contractions and COX-2–dependent release of PGF
2α
. The present study demonstrates that PGF
2α
, derived from COX-2, which is localized primarily in the endothelium, is the most likely EDCF underlying endothelium-dependent, thromboxane–prostanoid receptor–mediated contractions to ACh in hamster aortae. These contractions involved increases in endothelial cell [Ca
2+
]
i
. The results support a critical role of COX-2 in endothelium-dependent contractions in this species with an increased importance during aging and, possibly, a similar relevance in humans.
Macrophages Generate Reactive Oxygen Species in Response to Minimally Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein
Authors: Bae Yun Soo , Lee Jee Hyun , Choi Soo Ho , Kim Sunah , Almazan Felicidad , Witztum Joseph L. , Miller Yury I.
Published: December 2008

Oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plays a causative role in the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we demonstrate that minimally oxidized LDL (mmLDL) stimulates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in macrophages through NADPH oxidase 2 (gp91phox/Nox2), which, in turn, induces production of RANTES and migration of smooth muscle cells. Peritoneal macrophages from gp91phox/Nox2
−/−
mice or J774 macrophages in which Nox2 was knocked down by small interfering RNA failed to generate ROS in response to mmLDL. Because mmLDL-induced cytoskeletal changes were dependent on Toll-like receptor (TLR)4, we analyzed ROS generation in peritoneal macrophages from wild-type, TLR4
−/−
, or MyD88
−/−
mice and found that mmLDL-mediated ROS was generated in a TLR4-dependent, but MyD88-independent, manner. Furthermore, we found that ROS generation required the recruitment and activation of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and that mmLDL also induced phospholipase PLCγ1 phosphorylation and protein kinase C membrane translocation. Importantly, the phospholipase Cγ1 phosphorylation was reduced in J774 cells expressing Syk-specific short hairpin RNA. Nox2 modulated mmLDL activation of macrophages by regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and RANTES. We showed that purified RANTES was able to stimulate migration of mouse aortic smooth muscle cells and addition of neutralizing antibody against RANTES abolished the migration of mouse aortic smooth muscle cells stimulated by mmLDL-stimulated macrophages. These results suggest that mmLDL induces generation of ROS through sequential activation of TLR4, Syk, phospholipase Cγ1, protein kinase C, and gp91phox/Nox2 and thereby stimulates expression of proinflammatory cytokines. These data help explain mechanisms by which endogenous ligands, such as mmLDL, can induce TLR4-dependent, proatherogenic activation of macrophages.
miR-133 and miR-30 Regulate Connective Tissue Growth Factor
Authors: Duisters Rudy F. , Tijsen Anke J. , Schroen Blanche , Leenders Joost J. , Lentink Viola , van der Made Ingeborg , Herias Veronica , van Leeuwen Rick E. , Schellings Mark W. , Barenbrug Paul , Maessen Jos G. , Heymans Stephane , Pinto Yigal M. , Creemers Esther E.
Published: December 2008

The myocardium of the failing heart undergoes a number of structural alterations, most notably hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes and an increase in extracellular matrix proteins, often seen as primary fibrosis. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a key molecule in the process of fibrosis and therefore seems an attractive therapeutic target. Regulation of CTGF expression at the promoter level has been studied extensively, but it is unknown how CTGF transcripts are regulated at the posttranscriptional level. Here we provide several lines of evidence to show that CTGF is importantly regulated by 2 major cardiac microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-133 and miR-30. First, the expression of both miRNAs was inversely related to the amount of CTGF in 2 rodent models of heart disease and in human pathological left ventricular hypertrophy. Second, in cultured cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts, knockdown of these miRNAs increased CTGF levels. Third, overexpression of miR-133 or miR-30c decreased CTGF levels, which was accompanied by decreased production of collagens. Fourth, we show that CTGF is a direct target of these miRNAs, because they directly interact with the 3′ untranslated region of CTGF. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-133 and miR-30 importantly limit the production of CTGF. We also provide evidence that the decrease of these 2 miRNAs in pathological left ventricular hypertrophy allows CTGF levels to increase, which contributes to collagen synthesis. In conclusion, our results show that both miR-133 and miR-30 directly downregulate CTGF, a key profibrotic protein, and thereby establish an important role for these miRNAs in the control of structural changes in the extracellular matrix of the myocardium.
Formation of the Sinus Node Head and Differentiation of Sinus Node Myocardium Are Independently Regulated by Tbx18 and Tbx3
Authors: Wiese Cornelia , Grieskamp Thomas , Airik Rannar , Mommersteeg Mathilda T.M. , Gardiwal Ajmal , de Gier-de Vries Corrie , Schuster-Gossler Karin , Moorman Antoon F.M. , Kispert Andreas , Christoffels Vincent M.
Published: December 2008

The sinus node (or sinoatrial node [SAN]), the pacemaker of the heart, is a functionally and structurally heterogeneous tissue, which consists of a large “head” within the right caval vein myocardium and a “tail” along the terminal crest. Here, we investigated its cellular origin and mechanism of formation. Using genetic lineage analysis and explant assays, we identified T-box transcription factor
Tbx18
-expressing mesenchymal progenitors in the inflow tract region that differentiate into pacemaker myocardium to form the SAN. We found that the head and tail represent separate regulatory domains expressing distinctive gene programs.
Tbx18
is required to establish the large head structure, as seen by the existence of a very small but still functional tail piece in
Tbx18
-deficient fetuses. In contrast,
Tbx3
-deficient embryos formed a morphologically normal SAN, which, however, aberrantly expressed
Cx40
and other atrial genes, demonstrating that Tbx3 controls differentiation of SAN head and tail cardiomyocytes but also demonstrating that Tbx3 is not required for the formation of the SAN structure. Our data establish a functional order for Tbx18 and Tbx3 in SAN formation, in which Tbx18 controls the formation of the SAN head from mesenchymal precursors, on which Tbx3 subsequently imposes the pacemaker gene program.
Doppler Ultrasound Detection of Side-Vessel Occlusion
Authors: Chung Emma M.L. , Ramnarine Kumar V. , Long Chloe V. , Udommongkol Chesda , Chambers Brian R. , Gittins John , Bush Glen C. , Evans David H.
Published: December 2008

Background and Purpose—Small-vessel knock is a recently reported Doppler ultrasound finding that has been identified in patients with cerebral ischemia. It has been hypothesized that knock-type signals are linked to the presence of either small-vessel occlusion or wall motion. The aim of this study was to investigate the origins of “knock-type” signals by reproducing occlusion of a peripheral artery model in vitro.

Methods—Synthetic bifurcations were fabricated from glass and latex and placed in a flow-rig mimicking physiological blood-flow conditions. The glass model permitted study of fluid flow in the absence of wall motion, whereas the latex model also produced wall motion effects. Vessels were artificially obstructed to examine Doppler signal characteristics associated with blood flow and wall motion.

Results—Complete obstruction of the peripheral branch of the glass model revealed discrete (<100 ms) knock-type signals caused by local fluid flow in the occluded branch. Imaging of the obstructed vessel using color Doppler revealed forward and reflected flow. The walls produced periodic bidirectional knock-type signals, which occurred during systole and were not related to the presence of an obstruction.

Conclusions—In our laboratory model, transcranial Doppler ultrasound was found to be capable of detecting knock signals produced by circulating fluid within an occluded branch. However, because similar signals are also generated by nonpathological wall motion, these results cannot be directly translated to a clinical setting. Clinicians should be careful to avoid casual overinterpretation of transcranial Doppler ultrasound data.
Failure of Antithrombotic Therapy and Risk of Stroke in Patients With Symptomatic Intracranial Stenosis
Authors: Turan Tanya N. , Maidan Lucian , Cotsonis George , Lynn Michael J. , Romano Jose G. , Levine Steven R. , Chimowitz Marc I.
Published: December 2008

Background and Purpose—

We sought to determine if patients with intracranial stenosis who have a transient ischemic attack or stroke on antithrombotic therapy are at particularly high risk for recurrent stroke.

Methods—

We compared baseline features and the rates of stroke or vascular death and stroke in the territory of the symptomatic artery between patients ON (n=299) versus OFF (n=269) antithrombotics at the time of their qualifying event for the Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) trial.

Results—

In univariate analyses, there was no difference in the rates of stroke or vascular death (21% versus 23%; hazard ratio [ON/OFF], 0.91; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.29;
P
=0.59) or stroke in territory (13% versus 14%; hazard ratio [ON/OFF], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.57 to 1.39;
P
=0.61) between patients ON versus OFF antithrombotics at the time of their qualifying event. A multivariable analysis adjusted for the difference in risk factors between patients ON and OFF antithrombotic therapy also showed no significant differences in the combined end point of stroke or vascular death (hazard ratio [ON/OFF], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.55 to 1.34;
P
=0.51) or stroke in territory (hazard ratio [ON/OFF], 1.01; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.77;
P
=0.97) between patients ON versus OFF antithrombotic therapy at the time of the qualifying event.

Conclusions—

Patients with intracranial stenosis who fail antithrombotic therapy are not at higher risk of stroke than those who do not fail antithrombotic therapy. Given our finding that patients ON and OFF antithrombotic therapy are both at high risk for stroke in the territory, intracranial stenting trials should not be limited to just those who fail antithrombotic therapy.
Novel
LMNA
Mutation in Atypical Werner Syndrome Presenting With Ischemic Disease
Authors: Renard Dimitri , Fourcade Genevieve , Milhaud Didier , Bessis Didier , Esteves-Vieira Vera , Boyer Amandine , Roll Patrice , Bourgeois Patrice , Levy Nicolas , De Sandre-Giovannoli Annachiara
Published: December 2008

Background and Purpose—

Laminopathies arise through mutations in genes encoding Lamin A/C (
LMNA
) or associated proteins. They cause 4 different groups of disorders with diverse severity and often overlapping features: diseases of striated muscle (leading to muscular or cardiac involvement), peripheral neuropathy, lipodystrophy syndromes, and accelerated aging disorders.

Summary of Case—

We report on a familial case of atypical Werner syndrome (a progeroid syndrome with Werner syndrome phenotype but without typical
RECQL2
mutation) presenting with acute ischemic cerebral disease or peripheral artery disease associated with diffuse atherosclerosis, attributable to transmission of a novel
LMNA
mutation.

Conclusions—

In young patients with ischemic events and a positive family history, other progeroid features have to be searched and
LMNA
testing has to be considered, allowing for genetic counseling and presymptomatic testing of at-risk relatives.
Hypertension in Infantile Polycystic Renal Disease
Authors: Rahill W. Joseph , Rubin Mitchell I.
Published: December 2008

Two infants with polycystic renal disease and severe hyperten sion had studies of renal function and antihypertensive therapy. One infant with adequate renal function died with uncontrolled hypertenson. The second infant's blood pressure approached normal; now three and one-half years of age, he is thriving.
Deaths in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia
Authors: Seeler Ruth Andrea
Published: December 2008

During a 5-year-period, 19 children died of complications of sickle cell anemia, giving a 5 year mortality rate of 8.4% in this Chicago clinic. The children, 13 girls, 6 boys, ranged in ages from 7 months to 13 years. A disproportionate number of deaths occurred amongst the younger chil dren. Infections caused 6 deaths, acute splenic sequestration crisis 4, cerebrovascular occlusion 3, cardiovascular pulmonary 3, profound un explained anemia 1, anemia secondary to epistaxis 1, and unexplained 1.
Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
Authors: Jacques Skip , Garner John T. , Hunter Sheiden C. , Johnson Paul E. , Johnson David
Published: December 2008

Numerous bleeding episodes, neurological signs and symptoms, and pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are well documented in reports of families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. It is always assumed that these are due to the arteriovenous malformations. We are here reporting a case with positive cerebral angiographic findings of large arteriovenous communications, as well as catheterization data revealing pulmonary ab normalities secondary to the cerebral arteriovenous fistula, but no ab normalities within the pulmonary vasculature itself.
Perceived Concerns of Preservice Music Education Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Campbell Mark Robin , Thompson Linda K.
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to explore perceived concern.s of preservice music education teachers across four different points in professional development. A 45-item Teacher Concerns Checklist (Borich, 2000), based upon Fuller and Bown's (1975) three-stage model of teacher development, identified respondents' levels of self-concerns, task concerns, and impact concerns. Participants included 1,121 preservice music educators from 16 institutions of higher education in the United States. Data analysis indicated Field Experience/Practicum students held higher levels of concern than did students in Introduction to Music Education, Methods, and Student Teaching. Fernales consistently held higher concerns than did males. Students indicating a preference to teach elementary level or university level held higher concerns than those intending to teach high school. At all professional development points, impact concerns ranked highest, followed by self concerns, with task concerns ranked lowest. Implications for music teacher educators and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Factors Influencing the Pitch-Matching of Junior High Boys
Authors: Demorest Steven M. , Clements Ann
Published: December 2008

The skill of pitch-matching is a prerequisite for even the most casual musical participation. While singing accuracy has been carefully researched at the elementary level, there has been comparatively less research done with adolescents. The purpose of the study described here was to examine the influence of perceptual ability, task demands, and singing range on the pitch-matching performance of adolescent boys in various stages of the voice change. We found significant differences between certain, inconsistent, and uncertain singers in their perceptual skills and found that a contextual pitch-matching condition was significantly easier than a single-pitch condition. There was no difference by singing range. Future research should explore the progression of these skills longitudinally and continue to examine performance related to different task demands.
Effective Practice
Authors: Miksza Peter
Published: December 2008

The primary goal of this study was to examine relationships among observed practice behaviors, self-reported practice habits, and performance achievement of high school wind players (N = 60). Participants practiced in three 25-minute sessions, rated their practice efficiency following each day, and completed a practice survey. Participants performed a researcher-composed étude six times across the duration of the study. Performances were rated using objective and subjective criteria. Practice sessions were observed for frequencies of selected practice behaviors. Interjudge reliability for performance ratings and observations was acceptable to high. A significant change (p < .001) in performance achievement was detected over time (d = .85). The behaviors exhibited the most were repeat measure, repeat section, and marks part. Significant correlations were found: (a) among the behaviors repeat section, whole-part-whole, and slowing; (b) between performance achievement and the behaviors repeat section, whole-part-whole, slowing, and skipping directly to or just before critical musical sections of the étude; and (c) between performance achievement and self-reports of percentage of time spent on formal and informal practice and use of metronome. Self-evaluations of practice efficiency were strongly related to performance achievement scores at day one, less so at day two, and not at all on day three. Lastly, several small relationships were also found between self-reported practice habits and observed practice behaviors.
Use of Category Versus Individuating Information: Making Base Rates Salient
Authors: Beckett N. Elizabeth , Park Bernadette
Published: December 2008

Locksley, Hepburn, and Ortiz have argued that when individuating information is available, (a) Ss rely on this and not gender stereotypes, and (b) Ss' judgments are reliably deviant from a Bayesian normative standard. The authors argue these effects depend on the salience of the base-rate information. In this study, Ss learned about targets' gender and past behavior regarding assertiveness. Half the Ss also received photographs to increase the salience of the targets' gender Ss in the photo condition were influenced by their gender stereotypes, whereas those in the no-photo condition were not. Judgments in the photo condition did not differ from Bayesian expectations, whereas those in the no-photo condition were reliably nonnormative. In the photo condition, Ss' prior estimates of assertiveness among men and women predicted their use of gender in judgments of specific individuals, whereas this relationship was not found in the no-photo condition.
Coping Strategies and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples
Authors: Ptacek J. T. , Dodge Kenneth L.
Published: December 2008

The present study examined the association between relationship satisfaction and dispositional coping in 70 dating and married couples. Couple members completed Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale and provided information about their own coping as well as their perceptions of their partners' coping. Three important findings emerged from the correlational analyses. First, relationship satisfaction related to both self-reported coping and report-of-other coping (reports made by one member about the other member's coping). Regarding the latter, the strongest associations were between married females' report-of-other and their partners' satisfaction with the relationship. Second, there was limited support for the notion that the more similarly couple members cope the more satisfied they will be with the relationship. Third, the more similarly couple members believed they coped, the more satisfied each member was with the relationship, regardless of whether the coping dimension was adaptive or not.
Mild Depression, Mortality Salience and Defense of the Worldview Evidence of Intensified Terror Management in the Mildly Depressed
Authors: Simon Linda , Greenberg Jeff , Jones Eddie Harmon , Solomon Sheldon , Pyszczynsid Tom
Published: December 2008

Based on a terror management analysis of depression, the authors hypothesized that mildly depressed individuals would engage in especially vigorous worldview defense after mortality salience. Two studies were conducted in which mildly depressed and nondepressed American college students contemplated their own mortality or a neutral topic and then evaluated targets who supported or threatened aspects of their worldviews. Replicating previous research, subjects who contemplated their own mortality engaged in more defense of the worldview (more positive reactions to worldview supporters and more negative reactions to worldview threateners). Moreover, as predicted, mildly depressed subjects in both studies responded to mortality salience with significantly more worldview defense than did nondepressed subjects. Implications of these results for understanding and treating depression are briefly considered.
Transformational Leaders: Measurement of Personality Attributes and Work Group Performance
Authors: Ross Shirley M. , Offermann Lynn R.
Published: December 2008

The relationship between personality attributes and transformational leadership and the effects of transformational leadership on subordinate satisfaction and performance were examined. High scores on transformational leadership were associated with a distinct personality pattern characterized by higher levels of pragmatism, nurturance, and feminine attributes and lower levels of criticalness and aggression. This enabling pattern formed the core of transformational leadership. Although leader scores on transformational leadership correlated significantly with subordinate satisfaction, no performance effects of transformational leadership were found for six different objective measures of performance. Implications for models of transformational leadership are discussed.
Expectations and Realization of Joint Retirement Among Dual-Worker Couples
Authors: Ho Jeong-Hwa , Raymo James M.
Published: December 2008

Using data from the first seven waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1992 to 2004), the authors examined the extent to which joint retirement expectations were realized, the role of couple-level agreement in facilitating joint retirement, whether husbands' or wives' expectations were more likely to be realized in cases of disagreement, and factors associated with the realization of expectations. The results indicate that couples expecting joint retirement were over three times more likely to retire jointly than couples in which neither spouse expected to do so. However, the probability of joint retirement did not differ between couples in which both spouses expected to retire jointly and those in which only one spouse expected to do so. Wives' and husbands' expectations were equally strong predictors of joint retirement, and retirement age, health, spouses' relative earnings, and discussions of retirement were related to the likelihood of realizing joint retirement expectations.
A Meta-analysis Examining Clinical Test Utility for Assessing Superior Labral Anterior Posterior Lesions
Authors: Meserve Brent B. , Cleland Joshua A. , Boucher Thomas R.
Published: December 2008

Background

The reported accuracy of clinical tests for superior labral anterior posterior lesions is extremely variable. Pooling results from multiple studies of higher quality is necessary to establish the best clinical tests to use.

Hypothesis

Certain clinical tests are superior to others for diagnosing the presence or absence of a superior labral anterior posterior lesion.

Study Design

Meta-analysis.

Methods

A literature search of MEDLINE (1966–2007), CINAHL (1982–2007), and BIOSIS (1995–2007) was performed for (labrum OR labral OR SLAP OR Bankart) AND (shoulder OR shoulder joint OR glenoid) AND (specificity OR sensitivity AND specificity). Identified articles were reviewed for inclusion criteria. Sensitivity and specificity values were recorded from each study and used for meta-analysis.

Results

Six of 198 identified studies satisfied the eligibility criteria. Active compression, anterior slide, crank, and Speed tests were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. The accuracy of the anterior slide test was significantly inferior to that of the active compression, crank, and Speed tests. There was no significant difference in test accuracy found among active compression, crank, and Speed tests. Between studies, methodological scores did not significantly affect sensitivity and specificity values.

Conclusion

The anterior slide test is a poor test for detecting the presence of a labral lesion in the shoulder. Active compression, crank, and Speed tests are more optimal choices. Clinicians should choose the active compression test first, crank second, and Speed test third when a labral lesion is suspected.
Self-concept of Young Children with Special Needs: Perspectives for School and Clinic
Authors: Obiakor Festus E. , Algozzine Bob
Published: December 2008

Young children are consistently faced with problems that are beyond their limited range of experiences. These problems range from abuse and neglect to frightening uncertainty about the future. One method for reducing the negative consequences associated with these threats to normal development is the enhancement of young children's self concepts. Contemporary researchers have suggested that school and clinic personnel view self-concept as a self-descriptive behavior that is observable, measurable, and situation-specific. Two (perceptual and operational) models have dominated the debate on the construct of self-concept and a logical extension of both is that self-concept can be operationally enhanced. In this article, the authors discuss the self-concept of young children with special needs and delineate operational self-concept enhancement strategies that school and clinic personnel will find helpful in planning interventions for them.
Ethics and Social Justice in Program Evaluation: Are Evaluators Value-free?
Authors: Pettifor Jean L.
Published: December 2008

Program evaluations can be methodologically correct, comply with stated ethical principles, and yet be morally wrong because they violate concepts of social justice. Literature is reviewed on values in evaluation and relevant professional codes of ethics and standards. Issues of changing attitudes in society, who is the primary client, power differentials, vested interests, vulnerabilities, and ethical dilemmas are discussed. A Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists and A Code of Ethics for the Canadian Association of School Psychologists are seen as strong supports for psychologist evaluators in making ethical decisions that respect the rights and welfare of vulnerable populations as well as contributing to a better society. It is important for values affecting program evaluators and program evaluation to be openly recognized and for evaluators to have guidelines for negotiating the ethical dilemmas that arise.

Cependant même si l'évaluateur prend en considération l'ensemble des aspects stratégiques et methodologiques, la démarche évaluative peut quand même aboutir a une injustice sociale au regard du programme évalue. (Hurteau, 1993, p. 382).
Getting beyond Pay in Managing ”The Deal” with Your Sales Force
Authors: Weiler Timothy W. , Tuffli Christopher
Published: December 2008

High turnover among sales employees is causing organizations to rethink "the deal" they must offer to attract and retain top talent. Pay and benefits are no longer enough. To recruit and keep the best performers, companies must now provide a total rewards package that includes a good work environment and opportunities for learning and development. In designing this package, they must take a holistic approach. This article describes how a major pharmaceutical company identified sales employees' needs in four key areas and used a holistic approach in developing its total rewards package.
Innovation and Regulation: Managed Care Moves into Workers' Compensation
Authors: Victor Richard A.
Published: December 2008

Cost pressures faced by employers have forced a greater focus on workers' compensation cost containment practices and increased demands by employers for new approaches by insurers and vendors. This article examines the major trends in workers' compensation managed care and the regulatory requirements and limitations in different states. The nature of regulation and the barriers erected in some states make managed care part of the ongoing debate about approaches to cost containment and the quality of care in workers' compensation cases. Should public officials and employers support managed care? The answer begins with accurate measures and analyses.
Making A Difference:
Authors: Semler Richard P.
Published: December 2008

Many times, companies impose an incentive plan without making the effort to understand the realities of how the organization operates-and the plan fails. This article describes four complex "realities"-financial/strategic, behavioral, organizational, and technical-and how they influence the potential for success in designing and implementing incentive plans. Maintaining that the design procedure itself is now as important to a plan's success as is the design's technical soundness, the author uses case studies to illustrate how these complex realities have influenced both successes and failures in incentive plans.
Avoiding Performance Measurement Traps:
Authors: Mc Kenzie Francine C. , Shilling Matthew D.
Published: December 2008

Performance measures in annual incentive plans have evolved from simply measuring performance to driving it. This makes determining the proper performance measures more important than ever. In addition to traditional accounting measures such as earnings per share and return on net assets, human resources practitioners have a myriad of alternatives including nonfinancial measures and new approaches such as economic value-added and the Balanced Scorecard. Although these performance measures can work quite well if used correctly, they each have unique design and implementation traps that can render them ineffective. By understanding and avoiding these traps, human resources professionals can more easily determine the appropriate performance measures for their organizations and successfully implement motivational incentive programs.
Expatriate Policy and Practice: A Ten-Year Comparison of Trends
Authors: Latta Geoffrey W.
Published: December 2008

Expatriates are essential to meeting the need for operations in the expanding global marketplace. Employers are trying to use expatriates in ways that are not only in the best interests of the com-pany, but also consider the employees' personal and career interests. Expatriate management is increasingly a balancing act. The balance of con-trolling costs against designing an attractive package is a constant issue. The balance between a rigid policy and a flexible approach is a further challenge. Clear policy guidelines help avoid dif-fering treatment of individuals, while reassuring employees that the package is fair and reason-able. However, companies need to respond quickly and flexibly to an ever-changing set of business needs. This dilemma requires creativity and flexibility within an expatriate policy. The success in finding the right balance on these issues will go a long way toward enticing employ-ees to go abroad in years to come.
Situational Leadership® After 25 Years: A Retrospective
Authors: Blanchard Kenneth H. , Zigarmi Drea , Nelson Robert B.
Published: December 2008

The May 1994 American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) meeting will be the 25th anniversary of Situational Leadership. This article by one of the original developers of that model and two of his colleagues reviews work that led to the model's development, revisions that have since improved the model, and extensive research that has been conducted--much of it never before formally published--using the revised model and related instrumentation.
The Leadership of Corporate Change
Authors: Blake Robert R. , McKee Rachel Kelly
Published: December 2008

Leadership of corporate change in ways that keep the organization on a path of continuous and uninterrupted progress remains the singularly most important task facing corporations today. The recent reversals of IBM, GM, Kodak, Sears, American Express, Westinghouse, and an endless number of others, demonstrates that the leadership of some of America's most respected companies have not learned how to do it.

In this article, we seek to identify and explain the missing knowledge links that explain the failures. We point to how leaders might implement the insights essential for constant progress and development. By and large, these insights come from the behavioral sciences and go beyond reliance on common sense; they are neither technical, nor difficult to grasp. They call for conceptual thinking and diagnosis with dynamic leadership to replace power-driven, mechanistic approaches upon which change currently relies.

This article starts with a description in Part I of the top team of Magribam. Part II offers a description of the Grid and its use in the top team to analyze their own effectiveness. Thereafter, in Part III, the top group analyzes the dynamics of individual, team, and organization change.
Managerial Goal Setting
Authors: Mitchell Terence R. , Wood Robert E.
Published: December 2008

The application of traditional goal-setting theory to the managerial goal-setting context is discussed in relation to the choice of goal indicators and goal standards. Managerial work is characterized by complex causal paths, socially mediated outcomes, dynamic, evolving tasks, and multiple time frames. These characteristics make the application of goal-setting theory to managerial work more complex than simply setting specific, challenging goals. Manager's choice of goals are governed by several individual and organizational factors, including perceived control, measurability of performance and social constraints. Managerial goal setting also occurs within a rich social and political context. Research that will make the impressive core findings of goal-setting more generalizable to the managerial work context is described.
Team Leadership: A Systems Approach
Authors: Tubbs Stewart L.
Published: December 2008

Leadership of modern organizations will need to focus on the team as the working unit. This way of addressing leadership is best accomplished when embedded in a Systems Approach to analyzing the organization.
Ethical Orientation as an Influence Upon Leadership Style
Authors: Deering Thomas E. , Cavenagh Thomas D. , Kelley Karl
Published: December 2008

Effective leadership is driven by clear ethical thinking. This paper presents the results of a study which compares and assesses the ethical orientation of three groups vested with the responsibility of leadership and/or leadership development: undergraduate education majors, undergraduate business majors and practicing educators. The study addresses a number of ethical positions, all defined in the paper. The well regarded Forsyth Ethical Position Questionnaire (1980) was employed to develop the data. The paper closes with conclusions and suggestions for further research based on the findings described.
Organizational Change and Change Leadership
Authors: Krysinski Patricia R. , Reed Donald B.
Published: December 2008

Schools are complex social systems with multiple publics--change takes time. In addition to having plans for change, critical issues impacting change need consideration, such as commitment of the chief executive officer, development of "shared meaning," and dealing with uncertainty. Leaders of change have a projection of what "ought to be"; they stay with the organization throughout a change project; and, with followers, they develop values and beliefs. Furthermore, successful change leaders lead with authority rather than power and emphasize training functions of leaders. Change leaders work predominantly in informal dimensions of organizations.
Leadership Education Through Humanistic Texts and Traditions: The Hartwick Classic Leadership CasesTM
Authors: Brown Jerrold C.
Published: December 2008

Leadership is much more than the acquisition of certain skills to be applied in timely settings. The essential subject matter of leadership is human relationships, and it can best be studied in the collective wisdom of the human race, which is found in the texts and recorded traditions produced in different historical epochs and cultures throughout the world.
Using Biographies to Teach Leadership
Authors: Fagan M. Michael , Bromley Kim , Welch James
Published: December 2008

The authors draw on their four-year experience teaching "Profiles in Leadership," a freshmen course where students read and discuss the biographies of great leaders. According to student evaluations, essay question answers, and professors' observations, students learn a great deal from this process. For example, most freshmen enter college believing that leaders (e.g. Henry Ford, Mahatma Gandhi) are saint-like heroes. This course forces students to face the weaknesses of great people and develop a more realistic view of leadership. Other student insights include: (1) leaders usually fail and then learn from their mistakes, and (2) leadership is paradoxically social and solitary.
Liberating the Liberal Arts Through Leadership Studies: An Essay
Authors: Bagshaw Mark
Published: December 2008

At one time, the liberal arts were the principal method by which educated people understood and engaged the world. For a number of reasons, the liberal arts lost their social utility and became marginalized. Because of changes in the last decade in the nature of work and how organizations view their participants, there is an opportunity and a need to restore the liberal arts to a central societal role. Concepts drawn from contemporary leadership studies have considerable utility in effecting that restoration.
Leadership: A Function of Interactive Trust
Authors: Fairholm Gilbert W.
Published: December 2008

Leadership is not just an individual, but a collective activity. The qualities that describe the context within which leadership takes place are as significant as the personal characteristics of the leader. And, the leadership context is a unified, effective, harmonious culture where both leaders and followers can be free to trust the purposes, actions, and intent of others. Trust is the foundation of cooperative action between individuals and groups, nations, communities, or organizations. Leadership can only take place in such a climate of mutual, cooperative action based on common values and a common vision. Indeed, it is only when the group is unified and functioning in harmony that we can say that leadership is a part of the group dynamic.
Questions Regarding the Teaching of Ethics to Today's University Business Student
Authors: Farrell Thomas J.
Published: December 2008

This paper examines three questions that leadership educators must answer regarding the teaching of ethics:

1. What should the objectives of Business Ethics courses be?

2. What pedagogical strategies can best accomplish these objectives?

3. What are the best ways to assess the outcomes of these strategies both in the short and long term?

In addition, the paper explores the problem of how to assess the effectiveness of ethical education.
Career Description Analysis: A Systematic Approach for Studying Qualitative Information
Authors: Van Fleet David D. , Peterson Tim O.
Published: December 2008

Some qualitative sources of information about leadership are rich with descriptive reports. Analyzing that information in ways that permit different researchers to verify those analyses can be quite difficult. This paper presents a method -- Career Description Analysis -- that could be used to facilitate such verification. Career Description Analysis -- the content analysis of biographies and/or autobiographies of leaders -- is outlined and an example of its use presented. The example uses both original data and data from an earlier study to show that military and business leaders, while similar to one another, nevertheless demonstrate important differences. Suggestions about future research using Career Description Analysis also are made.