bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crossing Musical Worlds: Ottoman Jewry, Music Making, and the Rise of the Nation
Authors: Jackson Maureen
Published: January 2012

Based on a larger project investigating music making as an integral part of Ottoman and Turkish social history, this article seeks to understand surviving musical resonances across ethnoreligious communities in Turkey today. It specifically explores Jewish religious music and its interconnections with a wider Ottoman-Turkish musical culture that has sustained historical traces in Turkish synagogues today. Focusing primarily on a Jewish musical form with close links to Ottoman court music, the Maftirim repertoire, the study investigates the changing urban landscape of intercommunal music making as the Ottoman Empire ended and the Turkish nation was built. Through composer biographies and ethnographic methodologies of oral history within an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, the analysis seeks to articulate the places and people circulating in a late Ottoman music world and sharing patterns of patronage, aesthetic understandings, professional specialization, and master-pupil relations. The social ethos of this art world provides the foundation for tracing Ottoman-Turkish-Jewish music making in the republic. By pursuing not only minority human and cultural losses in the twentieth century but also the musical lives of those Jews who remained in Turkey, the article elucidates continuities in Ottoman lines of transmission and interethnic music making to explain the performance of Maftirim in Istanbul today. It argues that it was through alternative patrons and civic spaces that Turkish Jewish religious musicians participated with their non-Jewish counterparts in sustaining at-risk, albeit changing, Ottoman cultural forms in the face of state and commercial cultural interests.
Performing Meşk, Narrating History: Legacies of Transmission in Contemporary Turkish Musical Practices
Authors: Gill-Gürtan Denise
Published: January 2012

This essay focuses on the multiple definitions and conflicting narrative performances of meşk that coexist in contemporary Turkish practices of music transmission. In Ottoman contexts, meşk referred to the prescribed unfolding of transmission over a long period of time between a master and an apprentice. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Istanbul (during 2003 – 5), I examine contemporary interpretations of meşk as performances of history and memory directly engaged with musicians’ situatedness. Conflicting understandings of meşk within the distinctive discursive realms of the master-apprentice system, state-sponsored places, and consumer circuits indicate competing discourses that illuminate the workings of different hegemonic power structures. In performative statements of meşk, individuals are doing more than simply articulating practices of musical transmission. Rather, performances of meşk work to place individuals in a tradition in which their past, present, and future are fused together and constituted as social identity. In this essay, I unpack identity practices (how individuals position themselves through interpretations of meşk), performances (how individuals perceive and narrate themselves as belonging to history), and engagement with cultural and musical production (Turkish classical music and practices of transmitting the same) to come to an enlarged understanding of the historical composition of identity for musicians today.
Foxa2 mediates critical functions of prechordal plate in patterning and morphogenesis and is cell autonomously required for early ventral endoderm morphogenesis
Authors: Harrelson Zachary , Kaestner Klaus H. , Evans Sylvia M.
Published: January 2012

Axial mesendoderm is comprised of prechordal plate and notochord. Lack of a suitable Cre driver has hampered the ability to genetically dissect the requirement for each of these components, or genes expressed within them, to anterior patterning. Here, we have utilized Isl1-Cre to investigate roles of the winged helix transcription factor Foxa2 specifically in prechordal plate and ventral endoderm. Foxa2loxP/loxP; Isl1-Cre mutants died at 13.5 dpc, exhibiting aberrations in anterior neural tube and forebrain patterning, and in ventral foregut morphogenesis and cardiac fusion. Molecular analysis of Foxa2loxP/loxP; Isl1-Cre mutants indicated that Foxa2 is required in Isl1 lineages for expression of notochord and dorsal foregut endoderm markers, Shh. Brachyury, and Hlxb9. Our results support a requirement for Foxa2 in prechordal plate for notochord morphogenesis, axial patterning, and patterning of dorsal foregut endoderm. Loss of Foxa2 in ventral endoderm resulted in reduced expression of Sox17, Gata4, and ZO proteins, accounting at least in part for observed lack of foregut fusion, cardia bifida, and increased apoptosis of ventral endoderm.
Excitatory glutamate is essential for development and maintenance of the piloneural mechanoreceptor
Authors: Woo Seung-Hyun , Baba Yoshichika , Franco Alexa M. , Lumpkin Ellen A. , Owens David M.
Published: January 2012

The piloneural collar in mammalian hairy skin comprises an intricate pattern of circumferential and longitudinal sensory afferents that innervate primary and secondary pelage hairs. The longitudinal afferents tightly associate with terminal Schwann cell processes to form encapsulated lanceolate nerve endings of rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors. The molecular basis for piloneural development, maintenance and function is poorly understood. Here, we show that Nefh-expressing glutamatergic neurons represent a major population of longitudinal and circumferential sensory afferents innervating the piloneural collar. Our findings using a VGLUT2 conditional-null mouse model indicate that glutamate is essential for innervation, patterning and differentiation of NMDAR+ terminal Schwann cells during piloneural collar development. Similarly, treatment of adult mice with a selective NMDAR antagonist severely perturbed piloneural collar structure and reduced excitability of these mechanosensory neurons. Collectively, these results show that DRG-derived glutamate is essential for the proper development, maintenance and sensory function of the piloneural mechanoreceptor.
Jmjd5, an H3K36me2 histone demethylase, modulates embryonic cell proliferation through the regulation of Cdkn1a expression
Authors: Ishimura Akihiko , Minehata Ken-ichi , Terashima Minoru , Kondoh Gen , Hara Takahiko , Suzuki Takeshi
Published: January 2012

Covalent modifications of histones play an important role in chromatin architecture and dynamics. In particular, histone lysine methylation is important for transcriptional control during diverse biological processes. The nuclear protein Jmjd5 (also called Kdm8) is a histone lysine demethylase that contains a JmjC domain in the C-terminal region. In this study, we have generated Jmjd5-deficient mice (Jmjd5Δ/Δ) to investigate the in vivo function of Jmjd5. Jmjd5Δ/Δ embryos showed severe growth retardation, resulting in embryonic lethality at the mid-gestation stage. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Jmjd5 hypomorphic embryos (Jmjd5neo/neo) also showed the growth defect. Quantitative PCR analysis of various cell cycle regulators indicated that only Cdkn1a expression was upregulated in Jmjd5neo/neo MEFs and Jmjd5Δ/Δ embryos. A knockdown assay with Cdkn1a-specific small interfering RNAs revealed that the growth defect of Jmjd5neo/neo MEFs was significantly rescued. In addition, a genetic study using Jmjd5Δ/Δ; Cdkn1aΔ/Δ double-knockout mice showed that the growth retardation of Jmjd5Δ/Δ embryos was partially rescued by Cdkn1a deficiency. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that increased di-methylated lysine 36 of histone H3 (H3K36me2) and reduced recruitment of endogenous Jmjd5 were detected in the transcribed regions of Cdkn1a in Jmjd5neo/neo MEFs. Taken together, these results suggest that Jmjd5 physiologically moderates embryonic cell proliferation through the epigenetic control of Cdkn1a expression.
Tudor-SN and ADAR1 are components of cytoplasmic stress granules
Authors: Weissbach Rebekka , Scadden A.D.J.
Published: January 2012

Hyperediting by adenosine deaminases that acts on RNA (ADARs) may result in numerous Adenosine-to-Inosine (A-to-I) substitutions within long dsRNA. However, while countless RNAs may undergo hyperediting, the role for inosine-containing hyperedited dsRNA (IU-dsRNA) in cells is poorly understood. We have previously shown that IU-dsRNA binds specifically to various components of cytoplasmic stress granules, as well as to other proteins such as Tudor Staphylococcal Nuclease (Tudor-SN). Tudor-SN has been implicated in diverse roles in mammalian cells, including transcription, splicing, RNAi, and degradation. Moreover, we have shown that Tudor-SN interacts directly with stress granule proteins. Here we show that Tudor-SN localizes to cytoplasmic stress granules in HeLa cells undergoing arsenite-induced oxidative stress, or following transfection with long dsRNA (poly[IC]), which initiates an interferon cascade. We additionally demonstrate a novel interaction between Tudor-SN and ADAR1. Finally, we show that ADAR1 is also localized to stress granules in HeLa cells following various stresses.
Accuracy of 6 Routine 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Assays: Influence of Vitamin D Binding Protein Concentration
Authors: Heijboer Annemieke C , Blankenstein Marinus A , Kema Ido P , Buijs Madelon M
Published: January 2012

BACKGROUND

Recent recognition of its broad pathophysiological importance has triggered an increased interest in 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. By consequence, throughput in 25(OH)D testing has become an issue for clinical laboratories, and several automated assays for measurement of 25(OH)D are now available. The aim of this study was to test the accuracy and robustness of these assays by comparing their results to those of an isotope dilution/online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (ID-XLC-MS/MS) method. We put specific focus on the influence of vitamin D–binding protein (DBP) by using samples with various concentrations of DBP.

METHODS

We used 5 automated assays (Architect, Centaur, iSYS, Liaison, and Elecsys), 1 RIA (Diasorin) preceded by extraction, and an ID-XLC-MS/MS method to measure 25(OH)D concentrations in plasma samples of 51 healthy individuals, 52 pregnant women, 50 hemodialysis patients, and 50 intensive care patients. Using ELISA, we also measured DBP concentrations in these samples.

RESULTS

Most of the examined 25(OH)D assays showed significant deviations in 25(OH)D concentrations from those of the ID-XLC-MS/MS method. As expected, DBP concentrations were higher in samples of pregnant women and lower in samples of IC patients compared to healthy controls. In 4 of the 5 fully automated 25(OH)D assays, we observed an inverse relationship between DBP concentrations and deviations from the ID-XLC-MS/MS results.

CONCLUSIONS

25(OH)D measurements performed with most immunoassays suffer from inaccuracies that are DBP concentration dependent. Therefore, when interpreting results of 25(OH)D measurements, careful consideration of the measurement method is necessary.
Flucht aus Rom
Authors: Bohr Felix Nikolaus
Published: January 2012

Vorspann

Der Name Kappler war 1977 in aller Munde. Der hochrangige SS-Mann hatte 1944 das entsetzliche Massaker in den Fosse Ardeatine vor den Toren Roms befehligt und war dafür 1948 von einem italienischen Militärgericht zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilt worden. Die intensiven Bemühungen der Bundesregierung um eine Begnadigung Kapplers blieben erfolglos, weil die italienische Regierung den Protest der antifaschistischen Öffentlichkeit fürchtete. Im August 1977 war er dennoch plötzlich weg – und bald danach zurück auf deutschem Boden. Felix Bohr, ein junger Berliner Historiker, rekonstruiert die Etappen der mysteriösen Flucht Kapplers und beschreibt die Folgen für die deutsch-italienischen Beziehungen, die damals einen Tiefpunkt erreichten: Vor allem die italienische Presse nährte den Verdacht, bei Kapplers Flucht seien deutsches Geld und deutsche Hände im Spiel gewesen, und tat auch sonst alles, um antideutsche Ressentiments zu schüren. Der Erfolg blieb nicht aus, war aber nur von kurzer Dauer, weil Rom und Bonn viel Augenmaß bewiesen.
Head and neck paragangliomas: genetic spectrum and clinical variability in 79 consecutive patients
Authors: Piccini Valentina , Rapizzi Elena , Bacca Alessandra , Di Trapani Giuseppe , Pulli Raffaele , Giachè Valentino , Zampetti Benedetta , Lucci-Cordisco Emanuela , Canu Letizia , Corsini Elisa , Faggiano Antongiulio , Deiana Luca , Carrara Davide , Tantardini Valeria , Mariotti Stefano , Ambrosio Maria Rosaria , Zatelli Maria Chiara , Parenti Gabriele , Colao Annamaria , Pratesi Carlo , Bernini Giampaolo , Ercolino Tonino , Mannelli Massimo
Published: January 2012

Head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs) are neural crest-derived tumors. In comparison with paragangliomas located in the abdomen and the chest, which are generally catecholamine secreting (sPGLs) and sympathetic in origin, HNPGLs are, in fact, parasympathetic in origin and are generally nonsecreting. Overall, 79 consecutive patients with HNPGL were examined for mutations in SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, SDHAF2, VHL, MAX, and TMEM127 genes by PCR/sequencing. According to a detailed family history (FH) and clinical, laboratory (including metanephrines), and instrumental examinations, patients were divided into three groups: a) patients with a positive FH for HNPGL (index cases only), b) patients with a negative FH and multiple HNPGLs (synchronous or metachronous) or HNPGL associated with an sPGL, and c) patients with negative FH and single HNPGL. The ten patients in group a) proved to be SDHD mutation carriers. The 16 patients in group b) proved to be SDHD mutation carriers. Among the 53 patients in group c), ten presented with germ-line mutations (three SDHB, three SDHD, two VHL, and two SDHAF2). An sPGL was found at diagnosis or followed up in five patients (6.3%), all were SDHD mutation carriers. No SDHC, SDHA, MAX, and TMEM127 mutations were found. In SDHD mutation carriers, none of the patients affected by HNPGL associated with sPGL presented missense mutations. In conclusion, a positive FH or the presence of multiple HNPGLs is a strong predictor for germ-line mutations, which are also present in 18.8% of patients carefully classified as sporadic. The most frequently mutated gene so far is SDHD but others, including SDHB, SDHAF2, and VHL, may also be affected.
Immunogenicity of an Inactivated Monovalent 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Vaccine in Patients Who Have Cancer
Authors: Xu Yiqing , Methuku Nanda , Coimbatore Praveena , Fitzgerald Theresa , Huang Yiwu , Xiao Ying-Yi , Pagala Murali , Gupta Shachi , Solomon William , Rubin Philip , Treanor John , Astrow Alan , Minkoff Howard , Cooper Jay S.
Published: January 2012

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Cite the primary concerns of oncologists regarding influenza vaccination for their cancer patients.Describe research showing that cancer patients, whether taking myelosuppressive chemotherapy or not, are able to generate an immune response to the H1N1 vaccine similar to that of healthy controls.

This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

Background.

The immune response of patients who have cancer, who may be receiving immunosuppressive therapy, is generally considered to be decreased. This study aimed to evaluate the immune response of cancer patients to the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.

Patients and Methods.

We conducted a prospective single site study comparing the immune response after H1N1 vaccination of healthy controls (group A), patients who had solid tumors and were taking myelosuppressive chemotherapy (group B), patients who had solid tumors and were taking nonmyelosuppressive or no treatment (group C), and patients who had hematologic malignancies (group D).

Results.

At 2–6 weeks after vaccination, seroconversion was observed in 80.0% of group A (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.0%–89.7%), 72.2% of group B (95% CI, 55.9%–84.3%), 87.0% of group C (95% CI, 72.2%–94.7%), and 75.0% of group D (95% CI, 52.8%–89.2%) (p = NS). The geometric mean titer ratio, that is, geometric mean factor increase in antibody titer after vaccination, was 12.6 (95% CI, 7.9–19.9), 12.7 (95% CI, 7.3–22.1), 23.0 (95% CI, 13.9–38.2), and 12.1 (95% CI, 5.3–27.9) (p = NS), and the seroprotection rates were 95.5% (95% CI, 84.0%–99.6%), 79.0% (95% CI, 63.4%–89.2%), 90.5% (95% CI, 77.4%–96.8%), and 90.0% (95% CI, 71%–98.7%) in the corresponding groups (p = NS). Immune responses were robust regardless of malignancy, or time intervals between the use of myelosuppressive or immunosuppressive medications and vaccination. No participants developed clinical H1N1 infection.

Conclusion.

Cancer patients, whether taking myelosuppressive chemotherapy or not, are able to generate an immune response to the H1N1 vaccine similar to that of healthy controls.
Vaccination of Oncology Patients: An Effective Tool and an Opportunity Not to Be Missed
Authors: Kotton Camille N. , Poznansky Mark C.
Published: January 2012

The manuscript by Xu et al., published in this issue of The Oncologist, examining the use of influenza vaccination in cancer patients undergoing active treatment is reviewed.
Preparation of Pt electrocatalysts by galvanic displacement
Authors: Ribeiro Vilmaria A. , Neto Almir Oliveira , Linardi Marcelo , Spinacé Estevam V.
Published: January 2012

Pt-based electrocatalysts were prepared by spontaneous deposition (galvanic displacement) of Pt on carbon-supported Ni, Sn, and NiSn electrocatalysts. The spontaneous deposition of Pt was performed by stirring of an aqueous solution of H2PtCl6·6H2O in the presence of Ni/C, Sn/C, and NiSn/C for 1 h at room temperature and open atmosphere. The obtained materials were characterized Energy-dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cyclic voltammetry, and were tested for ethanol electro-oxidation using chronoamperometry. X-ray diffractograms of Ni/C and Sn/C showed that a Ni(fcc) phase and metallic Sn were formed, respectively. For NiSn/C, the presence of metallic Sn and NiSn phases was observed. After the spontaneous deposition of Pt, the x-ray diffractograms of the obtained materials did not show the presence of the crystalline phases of Pt; however, EDX analysis showed the presence of Pt in these materials. The materials obtained after spontaneous deposition of Pt showed a superior activity for ethanol electro-oxidation compared with the starting materials.
Area‐based assessment of extinction risk
Authors: He Fangliang
Published: January 2012

Underpinning the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is the assessment of extinction risk as determined by the size and degree of loss of populations. The IUCN system lists a species as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable if its population size declines 80%, 50%, or 30% within a given time frame. However, effective implementation of the system faces substantial challenges and uncertainty because geographic scale data on population size and long‐term dynamics are scarce. I develop a model to quantify extinction risk using a measure based on a species' distribution, a much more readily obtained quantity. The model calculates the loss of the area of occupancy that is equivalent to the loss of a given proportion of a population. It is a very simple yet general model that has no free parameters and is independent of scale. The model predicted well the distributions of 302 tree species at a local scale and the distributions of 348 species of North American land birds. This area‐based model provides a solution to the long‐standing problem for IUCN assessments of lack of data on population sizes, and thus it will contribute to facilitating the quantification of extinction risk worldwide.
Relationship between CRP Polymorphism and Cardiovascular Events in Chinese Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Poon Peter Yam-Kau , Szeto Cheuk-Chun , Ching-Ha Kwan Bonnie , Chow Kai-Ming , Li Philip Kam-Tao
Published: January 2012

Background and objectives

The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) -717A→G substitution, rs2794521, was found in the promoter of the C-reactive protein (CRP) gene. Functional studies showed that A allele promoter has higher transcriptional activity than the G allele. This study investigated the association between this SNP and the outcome of Chinese patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

The study included 441 new PD patients (232 men; mean age ± SD, 56.7±13.5 years). CRP genotyping was determined; patients were followed for 41.3±18.3 months for cardiovascular events.

Results

For the entire cohort, 5-year event-free survival rates did not differ between the AA and AG/GG groups (35.7% and 31.9%, respectively; P=0.64). However, there was significant interaction between plasma cholesterol levels and CRP genotype groups on event-free survival (P=0.04 for interaction). For patients with cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or greater, the 5-year event-free survival rate in the AG/GG group was significantly better than that in the AA group (54.7% versus 40.0%; P=0.04), whereas there was no difference in event-free survival between genotype groups for patients with cholesterol levels less than 200 mg/dl.

Conclusions

CRP gene -717AG or GG genotypes is associated with cardiovascular benefit to Chinese PD patients with cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or greater. These findings suggest a complex interaction among cholesterol, CRP, and cardiovascular disease in PD patients.
Kidney Dysfunction and Cognitive Decline in Women
Authors: Sajjad Imran , Grodstein Francine , Kang Jae H. , Curhan Gary C. , Lin Julie
Published: January 2012

Background and objectives

ESRD is associated with substantial cognitive deficits but whether earlier kidney dysfunction predicts cognitive decline is less well defined.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

More than 1700 women aged ≥70 years in the Nurses' Health Study had plasma creatinine and urinary albumin/creatinine ratios (ACRs) measured in 2000, within 12 months of their initial cognitive testing. These participants had repeated assessments of cognition administered by phone every 2 years, including tests for general cognition, verbal memory, verbal fluency, and working memory for up to 6 years of follow-up. Mixed-effects regression analysis was applied to calculate mean differences in the rate of cognitive decline between women with an estimated GFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or an ACR ≥5 mg/g versus referent levels.

Results

The median age was 74 years at initial cognitive testing, 99% of women were Caucasian, median plasma creatinine was 0.8 mg/dl, and 25% had an ACR ≥5 mg/g. The difference in cognitive decline with a baseline ACR ≥5 mg/g versus an ACR <5 mg/g was equivalent to the difference observed with 2–7 years of aging; that is, a higher ACR was associated with 2–7 times faster decline in all four cognitive domains assessed (all P values <0.05) than that attributed to each 1 year of aging alone. No associations were observed between an eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and cognitive decline.

Conclusions

A baseline urinary ACR ≥5 mg/g, a level not traditionally considered clinically significant, is independently associated with faster decline in cognitive function.
Psychometric Properties of the Padua Inventory in Chinese College Samples
Authors: Zhong Jie , Liu Jun , Wang Chun , Qin Mo , Tan Jieqing , Yi Chunli
Published: January 2012

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Padua Inventory in Chinese college samples. Three different samples ( N1 = 1,939, N2 = 1,341, and N3 = 298) of Chinese college students were recruited. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a four-factor structure which was similar to that found in previous studies. Further, present results showed good internal consistency as well as convergent and divergent validity with the subscales of the Symptom Checklist–90 and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Although no sex difference was found on total score, women had significantly higher scores on Factor 2 (Urges and worries of losing control over motor behaviors) and Factor 4 (Checking), while men had significantly higher scores on Factor 3 (Contamination). Implications of the results and directions for research are discussed.
The Development and Validation of the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH)
Authors: Abdel-Khalek Ahmed M.
Published: January 2012

The objective of this research was to develop and validate the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH) as a generic screening measure and research tool for adults and adolescents. Several samples of both sexes were recruited ( N = 3,619). Their ages ranged between 15 and 71 years. The scale has two equivalent versions: Arabic and English. The ASMH comprises 40 brief statements plus 10 filler items. Principal components analysis yielded six components labeled: satisfaction, self-confidence, optimism, enjoyment, meaningful life, and stability. Item-remainder correlations ranged between .31 and .79. Reliabilities in these samples indicated good internal consistency (alphas = .94 to .96) and temporal stability (7- to 10-day test-retest r = .84 to .94). The ASMH significantly and positively correlated with measures of happiness, satisfaction with life, hope, optimism, love of life, and self-actualization, from which one salient component was identified. Therefore, initial convergent and factorial validities were adequate. Male undergraduates obtained a higher mean score than did both their female counterparts and male employed workers, but the effect size was small. It was concluded that the ASMH has good psychometric characteristics in its Arabic version. The English version merits investigation in a cross-cultural study.
Relations among Early Adolescents' Parent-Adolescent Attachment, Perceived Social Competence, and Friendship Quality
Authors: Boling Melissa W. , Barry Carolyn McNamara , Kotchick Beth A. , Lowry Jen
Published: January 2012

To assess whether the relation between attachment and friendship quality may be explained by social competence, 113 students in Grades 7 and 8 from the Baltimore metropolitan area completed self-report questionnaires on the variables of interest. In hierarchical regression analyses, both maternal Affective Quality of Attachment and the interaction of School with paternal Affective Quality of Attachment predicted social competence. Also, the interaction of School with paternal Affective Quality of Attachment predicted negative friendship features, whereas social competence predicted positive friendship features. These findings provide support for a pathway between adolescents' attachment to both parents and adolescents' perceived social competence and, in turn, their friendship quality.
Pilot Study of Personality Traits Assessed by the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) in Asthma, Atopy, and Rhinitis
Authors: Runeson Roma , Wahlstedt Kurt , Norbäck Dan
Published: January 2012

Asthma and atopy are common diseases. To study associations between personality and asthma, atopy, rhinitis, and personality traits were measured on the Karolinska Scales of Personality for 193 persons working in 19 buildings with suspected indoor air problems. In addition, information on history of atopy, asthma, and rhinitis was collected by postal questionnaire. In analyses, asthma was associated with higher impulsiveness scores, and atopy in non-asthmatics was associated with higher social desirability scores and lower irritability, guilt, and impulsiveness scores. Non-atopic rhinitis was associated with scores on several anxiety-related scales, while atopic rhinitis was not associated with scores on the Karolinska Scales of Personality. This exploration implies that asthma, atopy, and rhinitis may be associated with various but different personality trait scores. The finding of such personality trait associations in persons with non-asthmatic atopy raises the question of a potential role of an emotional conflict in atopy and the role of personality in asthma, atopy, and rhinitis.
The Comparison of Performances of Preschool Children on Two Motor Assessments
Authors: Logan S. Wood , Robinson Leah E. , Getchell Nancy
Published: January 2012

Understanding children's motor performance on different assessments is important for researchers. The Test of Gross Motor Development–2 (TGMD–2) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–2 (MABC–2) are motor assessments that use either a process- or product-oriented scoring approach. However, no studies have examined how performances are related to these two types of assessment. This study compared the performance of preschool children on the TGMD–2 and the MABC–2. 32 children ( M age = 4.2 yr., SD = 9) completed each test to assess whether each described motor performance similarly. Significant low to moderate Spearman's rank correlations ( r2 range = .13–.40) were found between the subscales of the assessments. A related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank test was not significant between total performances on the TGMD–2 and MABC–2. From a practical standpoint, each assessment provides a similar overall description of motor competence in preschool children. However, each assessment results in scores that present different information about motor performance.
Retroactive Interference and Mental Practice Effects on Motor Performance: A Pilot Study
Authors: Kremer Peter , Spittle Michael , Malseed Sarah
Published: January 2012

This study examined the effect of similar versus dissimilar retroactive interference on the mental practice effects for performing a novel motor skill. Research has shown that mental practice of a motor task can interfere with learning and performance of the task; however, little is known about how different retroactive interference activities affect mental practice effects. 90 volunteers ages 18 to 51 years ( M = 26.8, SD = 9.6) completed a pre-test and post-test of 10 sets of five trials of a throwing task with the non-preferred hand. In the practice phase, participants mentally practiced the throwing task and then mentally practiced a task that was similar, dissimilar, or completed an unrelated reading task. Performance for all groups improved from pre- to post-test; however, there were no differences in increases for the three groups. The findings suggest that mental practice of similar and dissimilar tasks produced no significant interference in performance.
Sports Spectator Behavior: A Test of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Lu Wan-Chen , Lin Shin-Huei , Cheng Chih-Fu
Published: January 2012

The theory of planned behavior has been applied to sports and exercise behaviors. According to this theory, human intention to take action in a specific context is guided by three antecedents: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Behavioral intention mediates the relationships between these three considerations and its ultimate performance. However, this theory has seldom been applied to the behaviors of spectators of sporting events. A sample of 269 volleyball spectators in Taiwan was studied to examine whether people's intention mediated their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward a given behavior, watching the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball World Grand Prix in Taipei. Regression analyses did not support behavioral intention as a mediator. This result is discussed in the context of planned behavior.
Physical Fitness of South African Primary School Children, 6 to 13 Years of Age: Discovery Vitality Health of the Nation Study
Authors: Armstrong Miranda E. G. , Lambert Estelle V. , Lambert Michael I.
Published: January 2012

Basic physical fitness was measured using 8 different measures for 10,295 South African children and youths (5,611 boys, 4,684 girls) ages 6 to 13 years. These measurements included height, weight, Body Mass Index, standing long jump, shuttle run, sit-and-reach, sit-up (EUROFIT testing battery), and cricket ball throw scores. Due to the effects of earlier apartheid laws on separating communities, it was hypothesized that scores for different ethnic groups may differ. Therefore, in addition to the calculation of basic norms and sex differences, ethnic differences were also tested. Height and weight, relative to age, were different between the various ethnic groups (Black, White, and Mixed ancestry3) for boys, with Black boys being shorter and lighter than White boys. There were no differences in sit-and-reach flexibility scores between the groups. With the exception of the cricket ball throw for girls, White children had higher scores in most tests. Although not significantly different from the White children, in the majority of cases, the children of mixed ancestral origin had scores that ranged between the other two ethnic groups. These results suggest a need for encouraging fitness in school children, and the reintroduction of formal physical education into the South African school curriculum, especially into schools in which Black children predominate.
Promoting Exercise Behavior among Chinese Youth with Hearing Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial Based on the Transtheoretical Model
Authors: Si Qi , Yu Kehong , Loprinzi Paul D. , Cardinal Bradley J. , Lee Hyo , Yan Zi , Li Fuzhong , Liu Haiqun
Published: January 2012

The transtheoretical model proposes that behavior change is experienced as a series of stages. Interventions tailored to these stages are most likely to be effective in progressing people through the model's hypothesized behavior change continuum. In this study, a stage-tailored, 12-week, exercise behavior intervention based on the transtheoretical model was conducted among a sample of 150 Chinese youth with hearing loss. Participants were randomized into an intervention or control group with all the core transtheoretical model constructs assessed pre-and post-intervention. Participants in the intervention group showed greater advances in their stage of exercise behavior change, decisional balance, and processes of change use compared to those in the control group. The intervention, however, was insufficient for increasing participants' self-efficacy for exercise behavior. The findings partially support the utility of the theory-based intervention for improving the exercise behavior of Chinese youth with hearing loss, while simultaneously helping to identify areas in need of improvement for future applications.
Individual Differences in Sensitivity to Violence
Authors: Collyer Charles E. , Brell Amethyst , Moster Aviva , Furey Jenlyn
Published: January 2012

A survey of university students explored correlates of sensitivity to violence, defined as a person's average rating of the severity of violence of several behaviors. The 79 women were somewhat more sensitive than the 39 men. Sensitivity was associated with the tendency to describe oneself as violence sensitive or violence tolerant, with the person's manner of defining the concept of violence, and with the tendency to include verbal abuse and inaction as possible forms of violence. Sensitivity was not clearly associated with some other variables, such as attitudes toward bullying and acceptability of hunting. The potential utility of measuring sensitivity to violence, and further work suggested by these findings, are discussed.
Distance Mitigates Perceived Threat
Authors: Stamps Arthur E.
Published: January 2012

It has previously been shown that distance mitigates the extent to which visual cues convey perceived threat. It was hypothesized that the visual cues of eye contact, sex, facial expression, and posture would all convey threat. It was further hypothesized that the effects of visual cues on the perception of threat would decrease with distance, but the extent of those decreases was unknown. In the present study, participants were exposed to images of people situated in a physical venue. The images were created to exhibit combinations of the levels of the four visual cues (yes or no for eye contact, male or female for sex, hostile or benign for facial expression, and hostile or benign for posture). Participants were given an opportunity to record how threatening the images of the people seemed to be. The results supported all a priori hypotheses regarding the effects of the visual cues. The results also generated estimates of the distances at which those visual cues ceased to convey threat.
Perceptions of Visible Piercings: A Pilot Study
Authors: Martino Sara , Lester David
Published: January 2012

49 undergraduates were shown pictures of a man and a woman with piercings and with no piercings. The pierced model was judged to be less attractive and less normal than the nonpierced model. The pierced model was perceived as less intelligent, caring, generous, honest, and religious but more artistic and mysterious.
Accessibility of Private and Public Aspects of Traits Descriptive of Oneself and Others
Authors: Mrozinski Blazej , Karylowski Jerzy J.
Published: January 2012

Previous research has shown that compared to mental representations of others, mental representations of ourselves are characterized by relatively greater accessibility of private, unobservable content, as opposed to content that is public and observable. Are those differences preserved when individuals focus on their own public selves and/or on private selves of others? Participants were asked to make social judgments involving traits that, in their view, were highly descriptive of either public or private selves of themselves, their best friend, or an acquaintance. Results demonstrated that highly self-descriptive traits were more accessible in social judgments involving individuals' private rather than public selves. This was true not only for traits descriptive of one's private self but also for traits descriptive of one's public self. Furthermore, other-descriptive traits, including traits that were highly descriptive of representations of private selves of others, were more accessible in social judgments involving public rather than private selves.
Perceived Parental Attachment and Achievement Motivation
Authors: Bal M. , Barušs Imants
Published: January 2012

A significant amount of research in attachment theory has been devoted to factors affecting academic achievement, but less attention has been given to the role of attachment in the relation between academic achievement and achievement motivation. The current preliminary study examined the role of perceived parental attachment in achievement motivation. Self-report data obtained from the Parental Attachment Questionnaire, Achievement Goals Questionnaire, and the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory were collected from 50 university students with a mean age of 18.8 yr. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that parental facilitation of independence correlated significantly and negatively with fear of failure. Results yielded partial support for the hypothesis that performance-oriented goals are related to a fear of failure, whereas mastery-oriented goals are not. The results also suggest that high parental attachment in the case of high-frequency religious practitioners is related to an increased chance of acquiring a more avoidance-oriented achievement motivation.
Sensitivity to Coincidences and Paranormal Belief
Authors: Hadlaczky Gergö , Westerlund Joakim
Published: January 2012

Often it is difficult to find a natural explanation as to why a surprising coincidence occurs. In attempting to find one, people may be inclined to accept paranormal explanations. The objective of this study was to investigate whether people with a lower threshold for being surprised by coincidences have a greater propensity to become believers compared to those with a higher threshold. Participants were exposed to artificial coincidences, which were formally defined as less or more probable, and were asked to provide remarkability ratings. Paranormal belief was measured by the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale. An analysis of the remarkability ratings revealed a significant interaction effect between Sheep-Goat score and type of coincidence, suggesting that people with lower thresholds of surprise, when experiencing coincidences, harbor higher paranormal belief than those with a higher threshold. The theoretical aspects of these findings were discussed.
Training Referential Communicative Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
Authors: Olivar-Parra José-Sixto , De-La-Iglesia-Gutiérrez Myriam , Forns Maria
Published: January 2012

The present study reports the effects of referential communication training in individuals formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 20 children with ASD ( M age = 14.3 yr., SD = 4.2; 6 girls, 14 boys) in the role of speakers and 20 control children, who acted as listeners. They were all enrolled in mainstream compulsory education. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were defined according to the clinical diagnosis of ASD, the presence or absence of additional or associated disability, previous training in referential communication, and any drug treatment. Speakers were randomly assigned to one of two groups (trained vs untrained). Linguistic age, cognitive level, and autistic symptoms were analyzed, respectively, with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC–R or WAIS–III), and the Autistic Behavior Checklist (ABC). Communicative abilities were analyzed through two indexes related to message complexity and self-regulation. The trained group was trained in referential communication tasks (task analysis, role taking, and task evaluation), while the untrained group took part in a communicative game but without any specific communicative training. The results showed that the complexity of emitted messages had improved statistically significantly in the trained group as an effect of training. Ecological referential communication is shown to be an appropriate paradigm for studying the communicative process and its products and could be used to develop and implement a training program focused on those skills in which individuals with ASD are most deficient.
Recognition of Tactile Relief by Children and Adults
Authors: Shiah Yung-Jong , Chang Frances , Tam Wai-Cheong Carl
Published: January 2012

This study was designed to compare tactile sensitivity of children and adults on printed target stimuli covering a wide range of elevations and requiring different resolutions. A recognition-relief task using 9 digits at 6 levels of elevation from a surface (0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05 mm) was presented to 24 young adults and 24 children. As predicted, relief elevations as low as 0.05 mm were recognized above chance. As predicted, children performed significantly more poorly than the adults on recognition at all elevations, although the difference increased as elevation increased. Adults performed significantly better than children on high-resolution digit 8, but there was no reliable age difference on low-resolution digit 1. Recognition difference between the high- and low-resolution digits decreased nonlinearly as elevation increased, irrespective of age. Overall, the findings support previous research indicating greater tactile sensitivity in adults than in children, but the superiority was moderated by the elevation and resolution requirements of the stimuli.
Factors Affecting the Extent of Monday Blues: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis
Authors: Areni Charles S. , Burger Mitchell , Zlatevska Natalina
Published: January 2012

A meta-analysis of 34 samples identified a small but reliable “Monday blues” effect (−.08≤ d≤−.06) in samples reporting current or real-time moods for each day of the week. However, the size of the effect in samples reporting recalled summaries of moods experienced over the course of a day varied depending on whether the sample involved university students or nonstudents. University students reporting recalled summaries of daily moods showed a large Monday blues effect ( d = −.25), whereas married men who were not students reported smaller effects with greater variance (−.19≤ d≤−.01). The 34 samples reporting recalled summaries of moods experienced over multiple days produced effects ranging from −.25 to −1.28, but the variance among these samples was too great to estimate an aggregate d statistic.
Backward versus Forward Blocking: Evidence for Performance-Based Models of Human Contingency Learning
Authors: Luque David , Vadillo Miguel A.
Published: January 2012

Two types of theories are usually invoked to account for cue-interaction effects in human-contingency learning, performance-based theories, such as the comparator hypothesis and statistical models, and learning-based theories, such as associative models. Interestingly, the former models predict two important cue-interaction effects, forward and backward blocking, should affect responding in a similar manner, whereas learning-based models predict the effect of forward blocking should be larger than the effect of backward blocking. Previous experiments involved important methodological problems, and results have been contradictory. The present experiment was designed to explore potential asymmetries between forward and backward blocking. Analyses yielded similar effect sizes, thereby favoring the explanation by performance-based models.
Practice Effects on Decreasing and Increasing Force-Control during Periodic Isometric Movements of the Index Finger
Authors: Masumoto Junya , Inui Nobuyuki
Published: January 2012

The present study examined whether improvement in control while decreasing force to achieve a lower force target would be facilitated by comparison of performance while increasing force to achieve a higher force target. Participants practiced control of isometric force and timing during a unimanual force production task cycling between 5 and 10% of maximum voluntary contraction with a target interval of 500 msec. Although errors and variability of both peak and valley forces and interval decreased during early practice, the valley force was still more inaccurate and variable than the peak force in the final practice. Variabilities of both forces did not decrease when the valley force was synchronized with an audible metronome pulse but did decrease when the peak force was synchronized with it.
Do University Students Really Have Difficulty in Duration Judgments? Comment on Okazaki and Matsuda (2008, 2010)
Authors: Francuz Piotr , Oleś Piotr
Published: January 2012

Reinterpretation suggests that low performance of the participants studied by Okazaki and Matsuda (2008, 2010) may have been caused by using a procedure which overloads the cognitive capacities of undergraduate students. The questions asked participants about their reasoning could have led to cognitive overload because they performed two tasks: judgment of movement duration and paying attention to what kind of knowledge should be used (α or β). Some interpretations are offered referring to possible effects of training procedures for applying both kinds of knowledge.
Effects of Boundary Height and Horizontal Size within Boundary on Perceived Enclosure
Authors: Stamps Arthur E.
Published: January 2012

The permeability theory of environmental design predicts that perceived enclosure will be more strongly related to boundary properties such as height as opposed to the size of a horizontal area within a boundary. An experiment on perceived enclosure, provided by 24 participants on 12 spaces in a park, indicated that enclosure correlated at .85 with boundary height and –.60 with horizontal area. These results were as predicted by permeability theory.