bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Procalcitonin as a Predictor of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children With a First Febrile Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Leroy Sandrine , Adamsbaum Catherine , Marc Elisabeth , Moulin Florence , Raymond Josette , Gendrel Dominique , Bréart Gérard , Chalumeau Martin
Published: May 2005

Objective. A first febrile urinary tract infection leads to the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux in 20% to 40% of children. Systematic voiding cystourethrography then is recommended. However, for 60% to 80% of the children, voiding cystourethrography is a posteriori normal. Moreover, it is irradiating, painful, and expensive. Thus, selective approaches are needed. Because procalcitonin has been shown to be associated with severe pyelonephritis and renal scars, which are correlated to vesicoureteral reflux, we analyzed its relationship with vesicoureteral reflux.

Methods. A retrospective hospital-based cohort study included all children who were 1 month to 4 years of age and had a first febrile urinary tract infection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results. Among 136 patients included, 25% had vesicoureteral reflux. The median procalcitonin concentration was significantly higher in children with reflux than in those without (1.2 vs 0.6 ng/mL). High procalcitonin (≥0.5 ng/mL) was associated with reflux (odds ratio [OR]: 4.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–16.2). After logistic-regression adjustment for all potential confounders, the association remained significant (OR: 4.9; 95% CI: 1.7–14.0). The relationship was stronger for high-grade (≥3) reflux (OR: 8.7; 95% CI: 1.2–382) than low-grade reflux (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 1.1–15.3). High procalcitonin sensitivities were 85% (95% CI: 70–94) and 92% (95% CI: 65–99) for all-grade and high-grade reflux, respectively, with 44% specificity (95% CI: 35–54).

Conclusion. High procalcitonin is a strong and independent predictor of vesicoureteral reflux and could be used to identify low-risk patients to avoid unnecessary voiding cystourethrography.
What Caused the Epidemic ofPneumocystisPneumonia in European Premature Infants in the Mid-20th Century?
Authors: Goldman Armond S. , Goldman Lynn R. , Goldman Daniel A.
Published: May 2005

An epidemic of interstitial pneumonia principally involving premature infants occurred in Germany and nearby European countries between the 1920s and 1960s. Fatalities were due to Pneumocystis. Because the principal defenses against Pneumocystis are T cells, an acquired T-cell deficiency was postulated. A number of potential causes including malnutrition were considered. All were implausible except for a retrovirus that was benign in adults but virulent in premature infants. Furthermore, we suspect that the virus was imported into Germany from former German African colonies. Premature infants were vulnerable because of the developmental status of their T cells. Given the practices in that part of Europe at that time, the virus was most likely transmitted by contaminated blood transfusions and subsequent contamination of reusable needles and syringes used in injections. Although the epidemic ended 4 decades ago, a search for the postulated retrovirus can be conducted if tissues from affected infants are available.
Can Diet-Dependent Factors Help Explain Fish-to-Fish Variation in Thiamine-Dependent Early Mortality Syndrome?
Authors: Brown Scott B. , Arts Michael T. , Brown Lisa R. , Brown Mitra , Moore Kristin , Villella Maria , Fitzsimons John D. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Tillitt Donald E. , Zajicek James L. , Wolgamood Martha , Hnath John G.
Published: May 2005

To provide insight into the reasons why offspring of certain salmonine females exhibit early mortality syndrome (EMS) in the Great Lakes whereas others do not, we measured the egg concentrations of potential biochemical markers (stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon, fatty acid signatures, and lipid-soluble carotenoids and vitamins) that are indicative of differing food web and trophic structure. To corroborate the presence of EMS, we also measured the egg content of thiamine vitamers. For all the stocks of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha we studied, there was a very high correspondence between EMS and low concentrations of unphosphorylated thiamine in unfertilized eggs. For salmonine stocks in the Platte River, Thompson Creek, and the Swan River, Michigan, small but significant shifts occurred in measures of egg carotenoids, retinoids, δ15N depletion, and fatty acid profiles of fish producing normal offspring relative to those exhibiting EMS. Egg thiamine concentrations in Chinook salmon from the Little Manistee River, Michigan, in the low-EMS group were only marginally above the threshold for EMS induction. Along with this small thiamine differential, there was no evidence of differing food web or dietary factors between EMS-positive and normal Chinook salmon from the Little Manistee River. Further investigations are required to determine the potential dietary sources for the observed differences in biochemical markers between EMS-positive and normal fish. These findings are generally consistent with the hypothesis that a more diverse forage base may help to limit overall dietary content of species that contain thiaminase, such as alewives Alosa pseudoharengus, and may lead to improved embryonic survival for feral salmonids.
Development of Thiamine Deficiencies and Early Mortality Syndrome in Lake Trout by Feeding Experimental and Feral Fish Diets Containing Thiaminase
Authors: Honeyfield Dale C. , Hinterkopf Joy P. , Fitzsimons John D. , Tillitt Donald E. , Zajicek James L. , Brown Scott B.
Published: May 2005

We conducted a laboratory investigation on the consequences of feeding predatory salmonids either experimental diets low in thiamine or diets containing alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. In experiment 1, adult lake trout Salvelinus namaycush were fed experimental diets containing bacterial thiaminase. In experiment 2, adult lake trout were fed natural prey species, alewives, and bloaters Coregonus hoyi. The diets consisted of four combinations of alewives and bloaters from Lake Michigan (100% alewives, 65% alewives–35% bloaters, 35% alewives–65% bloaters, and 100% bloaters), alewives from Cayuga Lake, a casein bacterial thiaminase, and a commercial trout diet. We assessed the effects of each diet on egg thiamine concentration and incidence of an embryonic early mortality syndrome (EMS). In experiment 1, incidence of EMS ranged from 0% to 100%. Significant relationships were found between the incidence of EMS and thiamine. In experiment 2, adult lake trout fed 100% alewives from either Lake Michigan or Cayuga Lake or fish fed the casein bacterial thiaminase diet produced eggs with low thiamine and swim-up fry with EMS. At either 35% or 65% alewives in the diet, egg thiamine was significantly lowered. The number of females that produced offspring that died from EMS were low but demonstrated the negative potential if feral lake trout foraged on either 35% or 65% alewives. Depleted egg thiamine and the onset of EMS required diets containing thiaminase for a minimum of 2 years in lake trout initially fully thiamine replete. We conclude that EMS can be caused by extensive feeding on 100% alewives and dietary levels of 35% or greater may prove detrimental to sustainable reproduction of salmonids in the Great Lakes. The data are consistent with that observed in feral lake trout, and it is concluded that EMS is the result of a thiamine deficiency.
A Rapid Solid-Phase Extraction Fluorometric Method for Thiamine and Riboflavin in Salmonid Eggs
Authors: Zajicek James L. , Tillitt Donald E. , Brown Scott B. , Brown Lisa R. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Fitzsimons John D.
Published: May 2005

A new method has been developed and successfully applied to the selective measurement of thiamine (nonphosphorylated), total thiamine (sum of thiamine, thiamine monophosphate (TMP), thiamine diphosphate (TDP), and thiamine triphosphate (TTP)), and potentially interfering riboflavin in acidic (2% trichloroacetic acid) extracts of selected salmonid and walleye egg samples. Acidic extracts of eggs were applied directly to end-capped C18, reversed-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns and separated into three fractions by elution with mixtures of PO4 buffer (pH 2), methanol (10%), and acetonitrile (20%). All thiamine compounds recovered in the first two fractions were oxidized to their corresponding thiochromes with alkaline potassium hexacyanoferrate, and we measured the thiochrome fluorescence (excitation at 360 nm, emission at 460 nm) in a 96-well microplate reader. Riboflavin, recovered in third fraction (eluted with pH 2, 20% acetonitrile), was analyzed directly by measuring the fluorescence of this fraction (excitation at 450 nm, emission at 530 nm). Significant portions of the phosphate esters of thiamine (TMP, TDP, and presumably TTP), when present at low concentrations (<10 nmol of total −thiamine per gram of egg), were not retained by the 100-mg SPE column, and were collected directly during sample loading and in a subsequent phosphoric acid rinse as fraction 1. Free thiamine (nonphosphorylated) and remaining portions of the TDP and TMP were then eluted in the second fraction with 10% methanol/PO4 buffer, whereas the un-ionized, relatively nonpolar riboflavin was eluted in the third fraction with 20% acetonitrile. This new method uses a traditional sample homogenization of egg tissue to extract thiamine compounds into 2% trichlororacetic acid solution; an inexpensive, commercially available SPE column; small amounts of sample (0.5–1 g); microliter volumes of solvents per sample; a traditional, relatively nonhazardous, oxidation of thiamine compounds to fluorescent thiochromes; and an ultraviolet–visible-wavelength-filter fluorometer for the measurements.
Thiamine and Thiaminase Status in Forage Fish of Salmonines from Lake Michigan
Authors: Tillitt Donald E. , Zajicek James L. , Brown Scott B. , Brown Lisa R. , Fitzsimons John D. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Holey Mark E. , Wright Gregory M.
Published: May 2005

Dietary sources of thiamine (vitamin B1) and thiamine-degrading enzymes (thiaminases) are thought to be primary factors in the development of thiamine deficiency among Great Lakes salmonines. We surveyed major forage fish species in Lake Michigan for their content of thiamine, thiamine vitamers, and thiaminase activity. Concentrations of total thiamine were similar (P ≤ 0.05) among most forage fishes (alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, bloater Coregonus hoyi, spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius, deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii, yellow perch Perca flavescens, ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius, and round goby Neogobius melanostomus) and slightly lower in rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax. Concentrations of total thiamine were all above the dietary requirements of coldwater fishes, suggesting the thiamine content of forage fish is not the critical factor in the development of thiamine deficiency in Lake Michigan salmonines. Thiamine pyrophosphate was the predominant form of thiamine in most species of forage fish, followed by free thiamine and thiamine monophosphate. Total thiamine was slightly greater in summer collections of alewife and rainbow smelt than in spring and fall collections, but the same was not true for bloater. Thiaminase activity varied among species and was greatest in gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, spottail shiner, alewife, and rainbow smelt. Thiaminase activity in alewife varied among collection locations, season (greatest in spring), and size of the fish. Size and condition factors were positively correlated with both total thiamine and thiaminase activity in alewife. Thus, thiamine and thiaminase activity in forage fishes collected in Lake Michigan varied among species, seasons, year caught, and size (or condition). Therefore, multiple factors must be considered in the development of predictive models for the onset of thiamine deficiency in Great Lakes salmonines. Most importantly, thiaminase activity was great in alewives and rainbow smelt, suggesting that these prey fish are key causative factors of the thiamine deficiency in Great Lakes salmonines.
A Method for Measuring Total Thiaminase Activity in Fish Tissues
Authors: Zajicek James L. , Tillitt Donald E. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Brown Scott B. , Fitzsimons John D.
Published: May 2005

An accurate, quantitative, and rapid method for the measurement of thiaminase activity in fish samples is required to provide sufficient information to characterize the role of dietary thiaminase in the onset of thiamine deficiency in Great Lakes salmonines. A radiometric method that uses 14C-thiamine was optimized for substrate and co-substrate (nicotinic acid) concentrations, incubation time, and sample dilution. Total thiaminase activity was successfully determined in extracts of selected Great Lakes fishes and invertebrates. Samples included whole-body and selected tissues of forage fishes. Positive control material prepared from frozen alewives Alosa pseudoharengus collected in Lake Michigan enhanced the development and application of the method. The method allowed improved discrimination of thiaminolytic activity among forage fish species and their tissues. The temperature dependence of the thiaminase activity observed in crude extracts of Lake Michigan alewives followed a Q10 = 2 relationship for the 1–37°C temperature range, which is consistent with the bacterial-derived thiaminase I protein.
Thiamine Content and Thiaminase Activity of Ten Freshwater Stocks and One Marine Stock of Alewives
Authors: Fitzsimons John D. , Williston Bill , Zajicek James L. , Tillitt Donald E. , Brown Scott B. , Brown Lisa R. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Warner David M. , Rudstam Lars G. , Pearsall Webster
Published: May 2005

Alewives Alosa pseudoharengus contain thiaminase activity that has been implicated in the development of a thiamine deficiency and associated effects in salmonines of the Great Lakes basin. Little is known about the factors that regulate thiaminase activity in alewives. We sampled alewives of uniform size (60–120 mm) during the summer of 1998 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, seven of New York's Finger Lakes, one inland lake in Ontario, and two Great Lakes to assess possible relationships among thiamine, lipid content, fish abundance, lake morphometry, lake productivity, freshwater residency, and thiaminase activity. Thiaminase activity varied significantly among the 11 locations but was unrelated to thiamine concentration, which did not vary significantly. Alewife thiaminase activity in the Finger Lakes was negatively related to lipid content and positively related to measures of lake size (e.g., area, volume, and maximum depth). Activity in the one marine stock sampled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence was comparable to the highest values observed in the 10 freshwater stocks examined. Variation in alewife thiaminase activity has the potential to affect the extent of a thiamine deficiency associated with salmonines who feed on alewives as well as the viability of their offspring.
Implications of Thiamine Deficiency in Great Lakes Salmonines
Authors: Brown Scott B. , Fitzsimons John D. , Honeyfield Dale C. , Tillitt Donald E.
Published: May 2005

Our recent experimental work and ecoepizootiological assessments provide mechanistic data supporting a plausible hypothesis for an association between a prey base comprised of a large biomass of nonnative alewives Alosa pseudoharengus and the recruitment difficulties currently experienced by Great Lakes salmonines. We hypothesize that the thiamine deficiency induced by alewives, a species harboring high thiaminase activity, represents an ongoing cause of fry and adult mortality in salmonines. Overall ramifications of the thiamine deficiency on recruitment have not been firmly established but may represent a substantial bottleneck for natural recruitment in feral salmonine populations in the Great Lakes.
A Case of Mitochondrial Myopathy and Cleft Palate
Authors: Franklin Joseph A. , Lalikos Janice F. , Wooden William A.
Published: May 2005

Objective

To present a child born with both mitochondrial myopathy and cleft palate, outlining medical complications of this dual diagnosis—the first reported case in English literature.

Methods

A preterm Caucasian boy presented to the cleft palate clinic at birth for evaluation of a secondary cleft palate. Multiple anomalies were also identified, including rib fusions, ventricular septal dyskinesis, and mild hypotonia. Initial chromosome studies were unremarkable.

Results

After a multidisciplinary preoperative clearance at 11 months old, the infant underwent palatoplasty and muscle biopsy for evaluation of hypotonia. Upon extubation, he became apneic and unresponsive to anticholinesterase reversals. He was reintubated. The next morning, he was extubated uneventfully and was discharged home on postoperative day 2 (POD2). On POD7, he returned with signs of bronchitis, thereby prompting immediate reevaluation and treatment by his primary pediatrician. On POD13, he presented to an outlying emergency department with cyanosis and poor respiratory drive. Before intubation, he received a depolarizing muscle relaxation; cardiac arrest ensued and resuscitation was unsuccessful. Pathology from the muscle biopsy and postmortem examination ultimately supported mitochondrial myopathy with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Conclusion

Mitochondrial myopathies are rare disorders suspected in patients demonstrating developmental delays, hypotonia, cardiomyopathy, conduction system defects, or genetic mutations. In these patients, postoperative complications can be lethal, especially when compounded (e.g., anesthetic drug reactions, respiratory compromise, surgical stress, and postoperative infections). General discussion and specific recommendations are provided.
Effect of an Intraoral Retrusion Plate on Maxillary Arch Dimensions in Complete Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients
Authors: Oosterkamp Barbara C. M. , van Oort Robert P. , Dijkstra Pieter U. , Stellingsma Kees , Bierman Michiel W. J. , de Bont Lambert G. M.
Published: May 2005

Objective

The aim of this study was to analyze maxillary arch dimensions in patients with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate treated with an intraoral retrusion plate prior to lip closure.

Patients

The effects of the intraoral retrusion plate were evaluated on serially obtained maxillary casts of 14 patients with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Results

The Student's t test for dependent observations showed a significant decrease in distance between the premaxilla and the cleft lateral segments during active treatment. This decrease correlated with an increase in deviation of the premaxilla in relation to the vomer. For each millimeter decrease in distance between the premaxilla and the cleft lateral segments, an average increase in deviation of 4.0 degrees was found. Left and right cleft widths decreased significantly, premaxillary width increased significantly, and transverse dimensions did not change significantly.

Conclusion

From this study it can be concluded that active presurgical treatment with an intraoral retrusion plate induces a significant decrease in distance between the premaxilla and the lateral segments. This decrease is frequently accompanied by an increase in deviation of the premaxilla relative to the vomer.
Clinical Study on Eruption of Permanent Canines after Secondary Alveolar Bone Grafting
Authors: Matsui Keiko , Echigo Seishi , Kimizuka Satoshi , Takahashi Masato , Chiba Masatoshi
Published: May 2005

Objective

Eruption of cleft-associated permanent canines was studied in 190 patients with unilateral cleft lip/palate and whose permanent canines had not erupted at the time of alveolar bone grafting. In 162 of these patients, width of bone defect was compared between patients who underwent surgical exposure of canines and those whose canines erupted naturally.

Results

Cleft-associated canines naturally erupted after bone grafting in 150 patients (78.9%) and required surgical exposure in 36 patients (18.9%). Cleft-associated canines had not yet erupted in two patients. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Nasal-side bone defects were significantly wider in patients who underwent surgical exposure of cleft-associated permanent canines than in those whose cleft-associated permanent canines erupted naturally.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that nasal-side cleft width is related to the need for surgical exposure of permanent canines in children with cleft lip/palate.
Rigid External Distraction Using Skeletal Anchorage to Cleft Maxilla United with Alveolar Bone Grafting
Authors: Kita Hiroki , Kochi Shoko , Imai Yoshimichi , Yamada Atsushi , Yamaguchi Tai
Published: May 2005

Objective

Documentation of the application of maxillary distraction osteogenesis using rigid external distraction (RED) with skeletal anchorage combined with predistraction alveolar bone grafting (ABG) in cleft maxilla.

Design

Case report.

Patient

A patient with numerous congenital missing teeth and severe maxillary deficiency related to complete bilateral cleft lip and palate with large alveolar bone defect.

Intervention

The patient received preoperative orthodontic treatment, predistraction ABG, and maxillary distraction osteogenesis using RED with skeletal anchorage.

Results

Predistraction ABG completely united the cleft maxilla. The united maxilla was successfully advanced by the RED system with skeletal anchorage, despite unsound dentition with numerous congenital missing teeth.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrates that the combination of predistraction ABG and RED system with skeletal anchorage is effective for the treatment of severe maxillary deficiency related to complete bilateral cleft lip and palate with large bone defect and numerous congenital missing teeth.
Pathways From Physical Childhood Abuse to Partner Violence in Young Adulthood
Authors: Herrenkohl Todd I. , Mason W. Alex , Kosterman Rick , Lengua Liliana J. , Hawkins J. David , Abbott Robert D.
Published: May 2005

Analyses investigated several competing hypotheses about developmental pathways from childhood physical abuse and early aggression to intimate partner violence (IPV) for young adult males and females at age 24. Potential intervening variables included: adolescent violence (age 15 to 18), negative emotionality at age 21, and quality of one’s relationship with an intimate partner at age 24. At the bivariate level, nearly all variables were associated in the expected directions. However, tests of possible intervening variables revealed only a few significant results. For males, a strong direct effect of abuse on later partner violence was maintained in each model. For females, the quality of one’s relationship with an intimate partner did appear to mediate the effect of childhood abuse on later violence to a partner, raising the possibility of gender differences in developmental pathways linking abuse to IPV. Implications with regard to prevention are discussed.
Comparing Different Types of Child Abuse and Spouse Abuse Offenders
Authors: Pittman Joe F. , Lee Chih-Yuan S.
Published: May 2005

This study examined differences in offenders’ background characteristics, personal and interpersonal problems, and family climate between three types of child abuse offenders (neglecters, physical abusers, and psychological abusers) and two forms of spouse abuse offenders (physical abusers and psychological abusers) in two large samples (child abuse n = 2,910; spouse abuse; n = 7,035) of cases officially identified over a 8-year period (1988-1995) by the U.S. Air Force Family Advocacy Program. Comparisons addressed demographic factors, personal and interpersonal problems, and aspects of family climate. Among child abusers, results supported the conclusion that types of child abuse varied with offender demographics and family climate factors. For spouse abusers, however, types of abuse were not as distinctly different in terms of the comparison variables. In general, therefore, for child abuse—but not for spouse abuse—findings challenge the view of abuse as a unitary phenomenon.
Age and Vengeance as Predictors of Mild Driver Aggression
Authors: Hennessy Dwight A. , Wiesenthal David L.
Published: May 2005

The present study examined the influence of driver age and vengeance on mild aggression among drivers with at least 5 years experience. Mild aggression decreased with age among low vengeance drivers and changed little across age groups among moderately vengeful drivers. However, mild driver aggression actually increased with age among highly vengeful drivers. Results are interpreted in terms of the aggressive nature of an enduring vengeful attitude.
Where to Publish Family Violence Research?
Authors: Moore Todd M. , Rhatigan Deborah L. , Stuart Gregory L. , Street Amy , Farrell Lyette E.
Published: May 2005

Family violence researchers must weigh numerous factors in deciding where to submit their work for publication. The purpose of the present study is to provide a useful guide for family violence researchers to make informed decisions about publishing their manuscripts. Through an extensive computerized literature search, 22 English-language specialty and nonspecialty journals that frequently publish articles on family violence were identified. Editors or editorial staff of these journals were contacted and completed a brief questionnaire about their respective journal. Journals varied widely in types of articles accepted for publication, target audience, circulation rates, number of issues per year, and acceptance rates. Journals generally evidenced high acceptance rates following resubmission. Overall, this study identified numerous journals to serve as outlets for the theoretical and empirical efforts of family violence researchers.
Spatial Development across the Life Span
Authors: Akiyama M. Michael , Akiyama Hiroko , Goodrich Carolyn C.
Published: May 2005

Fifth graders, ninth graders, college students, and persons over age sixty-five were given three pencil-and-paper tasks in spatial development. Knowledge of Euclidean space was assessed in each of these three tasks. In Task 1, the participants were asked to draw water lines in tilted bottles on a horizontal stand. In Task 2, they were asked to draw water lines in tilted bottles on a tilted stand. In Task 3, they were asked to give directions from one place to another on a hypothetical map. The performance on Task 1 and 2 increased from fifth grade to college. The performance of the elderly was the same as the college students on Task 1, and less than the college students in Task 2. The elderly participants' performance on Task 3 was better than the other three age groups. These results were discussed in terms of ecological validity, experience, and the number of competing cues to be processed simultaneously. Piaget's formulation on adult cognitive development was used to explain the elderly's performance in relation to other groups [1].
Sex Differences in Daydreaming and Related Mental Activity from the Late Teens to the Early Nineties
Authors: Giambra Leonard M.
Published: May 2005

Using the Imaginal Processes Inventory, aspects of daydreaming and associated mental activity were examined for sex differences in 1200 well educated middle and upper-middle class whites aged seventeen to ninety-two years. Females reported higher levels of daydreaming and nightdreaming frequency and emotional reactions to daydreaming as well as more daydreams of a problem solving nature. Females also reported lower levels of daydreams of a sexual, bizarre-improbable, heroic and achievement-oriented nature. Most sex differences persisted over the life span with the difference for sexual daydreams increasing with increasing age level. Except for problem-solving daydreams, all daydreaming contents investigated decreased with increases in age. Across the lifespan problem-solving daydreams were the most likely for both sexes except for seventeen to twenty-nine year old males where such daydreams were second most likely; from age seventeen to twenty-nine sexual daydreams were most likely for males. After age forty, achievement oriented daydreams were relatively more important for females than for males. Females across the lifespan also reported more interpersonal curiosity than males while males exhibited more curiosity about things. Unexpectedly, male curiosity about things was equally as strong as their curiosity about people.
Passages: Fact or Fiction?
Authors: Braun Peter , Sweet Robert
Published: May 2005

Four large surveys were examined to establish the existence of “passages” through the use of objective methods. Such passages are the boundaries between age groups formed on the basis of minimum within-group variation and maximum between-group variation. Results from all four data sets indicated that such age groups and their associated passages can be identified. These passages were stable across two surveys taken in the same population at about the same time, even though the surveys measured divergent attitude dimensions. The passages appear to progress with time: two surveys taken seven years apart demonstrated a seven-year shift in passages. However, the passages are not stable across cultures: two surveys taken at about the same time in Canada and the United States showed no similarity of passages. It would appear that developmental schemes as presently espoused by psychologists are inadequate to explain these results, and that the “generational event” theory provides a better model for explanation.
The Drug Education-Drug Use Dilemma
Authors: Sheppard Margaret A. , Goodstadt Michael S. , Willett Margaret M.
Published: May 2005

Does drug education turn young people onto drugs? Does the use of drugs influence how a young person attends to drug education material? Some thoughts on these questions are followed with some recommendations about what we might do.
The Reduction of Occupational Stress among Elderly Lawyers: The Creation of a Functional Niche
Authors: Meltzer Michael W.
Published: May 2005

The question of how older lawyers function in the context of what is generally a high stress occupation is examined from data drawn from a random stratified sample of 130 members of the legal profession. It is shown that elderly lawyers are able to reduce work stress (largely deriving from volume, responsibility, clients, and trials) by control over the quantity and focus of their work, as well as through client selection. Elderly lawyers are able to create a relatively stress free work role, which is in fact a functional niche for them within the profession. The result is high job satisfaction and low rates of retirement among elderly practitioners. Two factors: work role compensation and work role autonomy, are isolated from the legal data and proposed as important variables in a general theory of retirement behavior.
Optimism, Satisfaction and Time Perspective in the Elderly
Authors: Lennings C. J.
Published: May 2005

In contrast to younger groups, research with the elderly suggest a predominantly present-focused temporal orientation. One aspect of satisfaction, optimism is conceptualized as a form of future perspective. Health psychology generally asserts that health-enhancing messages depend for effect on a person perceiving future benefits to actions taken in the present to enhance health or minimize ill-health risk. The extent to which the elderly perceive or value the future should impact on health maintenance behaviors. In a study of eighty-six elderly people, the dominant ways of viewing time coalesced around a variety of present time perspectives. Within-group differences revealed that as people aged, they became less satisfied with life relative to their level of optimism. For the young-old, optimism was positively correlated with satisfaction, but for the oldest-old the variables were negatively associated. Optimism increased with age while satisfaction decreased with age. The decrease in satisfaction is most probably related more to a sense of realism about the tasks of aging than a sense of “death anxiety,” or avoidance of the future. As people age, temporal variables become less important in predicting optimism or satisfaction and optimism becomes less important as a predictor of satisfaction. Implications for developing models of health management in the elderly are discussed.
Senior Adult Sexuality in Age Segregated and Age Integrated Communities
Authors: Weinstein Stellye , Rosen Efrem
Published: May 2005

Middle-income older adults who select to reside in age-segregated (AS) leisure-type retirement communities exhibit significantly more sexual interest, sexual activities, and liberal sexual attitudes than do middle-income older adults residing in age-integrated (AI) mainstream communities. Data from 314 respondents on a senior adult sexuality scale were subjected to a discriminant analysis. Sexual activities and traditional sexual interests respectively make the strongest contribution to the group differences. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Coping Strategies and Integrative Meaning as Moderators of Chronic Illness
Authors: Scioli Anthony , McClelland David C. , Weaver Suzanne L. , Madden Elise M.
Published: May 2005

This study contrasted the moderating effects of deriving integrative meaning (a primary appraisal process) with the use of specific, cognitive-behavioral strategies (a secondary appraisal process) in confronting stressors involving harm or loss. Eighty young adults and eighty older participants with varying levels of chronic illness were assessed. Open-ended responses to recalled experiences with illness and death were coded for integrative meaning and use of specific cognitive-behavioral strategies. In young adults with higher levels of chronic illness, a greater tendency to use specific cognitive-behavioral strategies was related to higher morale. In older participants, a greater tendency to derive integrative meaning was related to increased morale, regardless of illness levels.
Effects of Type of Examiner, Sex, and Year in School on Self Report of Drug Use by High School Students
Authors: McClary Sybil A. , Lubin Bernard
Published: May 2005

In order to study the examiner effect on self report of drug use by high school students, three types of examiners and four types of data, including self report of drug use, were manipulated. Analyses revealed that type of examiner had a significant effect on the reports of drug use but not on measures of mood, social support, and perception of drug use by other teens. Type of examiner, sex, and year in school had a significant three way interaction affecting self report of drug use. Implications for future studies involving self report of drug use are discussed.
The Relationship between Perceptions of Social Support and Adherence to Dietary Recommendations among African-American Elders with Hypertension
Authors: Schoenberg Nancy E.
Published: May 2005

Social support is generally thought to facilitate adherence to recommended treatment regimens. Despite a well-documented tradition of social support among African Americans, much of the existing research indicates a very limited level of adherence, especially to dietary modification. To account for this seeming contradiction, forty-one rural-dwelling African Americans with hypertension age 65+ participated in a series of structured and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that 1) informants perceived themselves to be well-supported by family and friends; 2) most informants have achieved a moderate to high level of dietary adherence; and 3) no statistically significant relationship existed between perceived social support and dietary adherence. The discussion focuses on three reasons for this lack of association, including: 1) modest sample size; 2) informants' identification of helpful others who defied standard evaluations of support; and 3) incremental and gradual dietary changes that required little need for social support.
Historical Archaeology at the Clarkson Mine, an Eastern Ohio Mining Complex
Authors: Keener Craig S.
Published: May 2005

This study examines the Clarkson Mine (33BL333), an eastern Ohio coal mine complex dating to the 1910s to 1920s, situated along Wheeling Creek. The results of preliminary surveys and the subsequent mitigation of four structures at the site are presented. The historical archaeology conducted at the site demonstrates the significant research possibilities inherent at many of these early industrial mine complexes. Of particular interest is the findings of depositional patterning around residential structures that revealed the influence of architecture on where and how items were deposited on the land surface. The ceramic and faunal assemblage were analyzed and provide significant details on socioeconomic attributes associated with the workers or staff. Artifacts recovered at the site provide an excellent diagnostic framework from which other similarly aged sites can be compared and dated. The findings at the Clarkson Mine are also placed into a more regional perspective and compared with other contemporary studies.
Improving the Retention Rates of Women in Computing: An Intervention Program
Authors: Staehr Lorraine , Martin Mary , Byrne Graeme
Published: May 2005

This article reports on an intervention program for women in the first year of a computing degree. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the intervention program. The quantitative results revealed the most significant factors influencing success in the first programming course to be age, having studied mathematics in the final years of secondary school, followed by university entrance score, previous programming experience, type of degree, and year of study. The qualitative results showed that the participants appreciated the supportive environment provided by the intervention program. There was a sustained increase in retention rate after the program was introduced.
Friendship Patterns among Older Women
Authors: Roberto Karen A. , Scott Jean Pearson
Published: May 2005

This study examined the friendship patterns of older women. The participants in the study were white, middle-class, urban women, sixty-five years of age or older. Results indicated the older widowed women received more help from their friends than did married older women. In addition, significant differences in the morale of the older women were found according to the equity of helping behaviors with friends. Specifically, those equitably benefited women had a higher mean morale score than over benefited women. The under benefited women also had a higher mean morale score than the over benefited women. Discussion centered on the importance of friends in the lives of older women as well as on implications for friendship support systems in late life.
Privacy and Solidarity: Effects of Nursing Home Accommodation on Environmental Perception and Sociability Preferences
Authors: Firestone Ira J. , Lichtman Cary M. , Evans John R.
Published: May 2005

This field study of nursing home accommodations examines the influence of type of living accommodation and personal characteristics upon environmental perception and interaction preferences with regard to privacy and sociability. Ward residents view their dwelling as less secure and feel less able to control social encounters occurring therein than do single room residents. In terms of preferences, however, it is the single room residents who express greater desires for isolation and disclosure restriction. These data and the absence of differences in resident satisfaction, are consistent with an adaptation model of privacy-sociability preference.
Effects of Participation in the Fifth Dimension on Far Transfer
Authors: Blanton William E. , Moorman Gary B. , Hayes Bobbie A. , Warner Mark L.
Published: May 2005

The Fifth Dimension is a distributed literacy consortium comprised of after-school programs located in Boys and Girls Clubs, YM & YWCAs, recreation centers, and public schools across America, Mexico, Australia, Sweden, and Russia. The Fifth Dimension is also a mixed activity system designed to continue the projection of a second psychology [1] and to instantiate cultural-historical activity theory [2]. At the macro level the Fifth Dimension is a cultural system containing rules, artifacts, divisions of labor, and outcomes that appropriate local Fifth Dimension cultures. The four overarching goals of the Fifth Dimension are: 1) to create sustainable activity systems in different institutional settings that instantiate cultural-historical activity theory, 2) provide contexts for children to master knowledge and skills and acquire practices mediating cognitive and social development, 3) deepen our understanding of how the social and individual create each other, and 4) to provide a context in which undergraduates from disciplines such as developmental psychology, communications, and teacher education have opportunities to connect theory with practice and at the same time deliver community service to children in the local community.
Retirement to the Porch in Rural Appalachia
Authors: Lozier John , Althouse Ronald
Published: May 2005

Successful retirement in old age depends on the existence of a set of social arrangements in which a person has accumulated a considerable longtime social standing that justifies his claims for support from the community. In a small, rural Appalachian settlement, the pattern of retirement to the porch illustrates how claims by old men for social attention and care are anchored in the interests of others and are vested with significance for the entire community. While the use of the porch to facilitate the assertion of such claims on others may be more evident in small settlements, it is suggested that comparable strategies to afford successful retirement can occur in urbanized areas. These may be more difficult to develop and maintain, since collective sanctions to enforce the performances of relevant juniors are weakened or are transferred to formal facilities that render common services, not personal recognition, to old people.
Social and Environmental Infantilization of Aged Persons: Observations in two Adult Day Care Centers
Authors: Salari Sonia Miner , Rich Melinda
Published: May 2005

This study examines the social environments, staff behavior, and social interaction of elderly clients in two adult day care centers. Goffman's (1961) description of the psycho-social effects of the “total institution” is used as a framework for conceptualizing the effects of “partial institutions” on older persons. Using qualitative research techniques, we observed the environments, activities, and interactions of approximately seventy-two clients in two adult day care settings. When the staff and environment were more infantilizing, provided less autonomy, and fewer opportunities for privacy regulation, the clients had lower social interaction with peers. In contrast, when the center had a more adult setting, with age appropriate activities, there was greater privacy regulation, autonomy, social contact, and friendships among clients.
The Training of Teachers for Drug Abuse Education Programs: Preliminary Considerations
Authors: Einstein Stanley , Lavenhar Marvin A. , Wolfson Edward A. , Louria Donald B. , Quinones Mark A. , McAteer Gerald
Published: May 2005

Recognizing that a variety of responses to the drug abuse problem has resulted, the authors turn their attention to the development of the wide range of educational programs for various population groups. A detailed description of drug programs implemented in the State of New Jersey is presented. The general outline includes the course content, format of workshops, treatment programs sociological considerations and the epidemiology of student drug use. Careful research data relative to the program are presented, analyzed and interpreted.

Such factors as knowledge of personal risk associated with drug abuse, and of drug laws, changes in attitude and emphasis on drug topics by the participants in the workshop setting are discussed. Additionally, techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of the program are considered. The authors conclude that an intensive institute using the formats of lectures, discussion groups, and various assignments can result in important changes in the participant's level of knowledge, self-confidence and attitudes in changing his role in the school's drug abuse programs.
Why so Little Interest in Whether or Not Old People Talk: A Review of Recent Research on Verbal Communication among the Elderly
Authors: Lubinski Rosemary B.
Published: May 2005

This paper is concerned with the spoken communication of chronically ill and aging residents of long term care institutions. Social gerontologists and speech pathologists have investigated areas related to spoken communication, however, there has been almost no investigation of communication from the patients' and staff perspective. Spoken communication is a vital component of social interaction and psychological well being and underlies such concepts as isolation, integration, and adjustment, and is a fertile area for investigation and analysis.
Social Reconstruction Variables and the Morale of the Aged
Authors: Sherman Edmund
Published: May 2005

Key variables from the Kuypers and Bengtson social reconstruction model were operationalized to investigate their relationship to selected measures of morale. They were incorporated in a questionnaire that was completed by 229 retired, noninstitutionalized men and women. Social reconstruction variables were found to have stronger correlations with morale measures than were demographic variables such as age and social class. Reconstruction variables were found to have significant relationships with measures of general happiness and self-esteem, but not with Form A of the Life Satisfaction Index. The interactive effect of social reconstruction variables with one another relative to morale was particularly indicative of the potential heuristic value of the model for both theory and practice.
Age-Related Patterns in Social Networks among European Americans and African Americans: Implications for Socioemotional Selectivity across the Life Span
Authors: Fung Helene H. , Carstensen Laura L. , Lang Frieder R.
Published: May 2005

Socioemotional selectivity theory contends that as people become increasingly aware of limitations on future time, they are increasingly motivated to be more selective in their choice of social partners, favoring emotionally meaningful relationships over peripheral ones. The theory hypothesizes that because age is negatively associated with time left in life, the social networks of older people contain fewer peripheral social partners than those of their younger counterparts. This study tested the hypothesis among African Americans and European Americans, two ethnic groups whose social structural resources differ. Findings confirm the hypothesis. Across a wide age range (18 to 94 years old) and among both ethnic groups, older people report as many emotionally close social partners but fewer peripheral social partners in their networks as compared to their younger counterparts. Moreover, a greater percentage of very close social partners in social networks is related to lower levels of happiness among the young age group, but not among the older age groups. Implications of findings for adaptive social functioning across the life span are discussed.