bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tobacco, Drug, and HIV Preventive Media Interventions
Authors: Jason Leonard A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractMedia‐based health promotion interventions can reach large segments of the population and lower barriers to participation in programs. By collaborating with media specialists, we can develop interventions that might be broader, more publicized, and ultimately more likely to change behaviors and attitudes within the community. The present paper describes a series of media interventions involving smoking cessation, drug abuse prevention, stress reduction, weight control, and HIV/AIDS prevention. The process by which I became involved in these interventions is discussed, and the implications of developing these types of large‐scale behavioral interventions are discussed.
Applying Cluster Analysis to Test a Typology of Homelessness by Pattern of Shelter Utilization: Results from the Analysis of Administrative Data
Authors: Kuhn Randall , Culhane Dennis P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis study tests a typology of homelessness using administrative data on public shelter use in New York City (1988–1995) and Philadelphia (1991–1995). Cluster analysis is used to produce three groups (transitionally, episodically, and chronically homeless) by number of shelter days and number of shelter episodes. Results show that the transitionally homeless, who constitute approximately 80% of shelter users in both cities, are younger, less likely to have mental health, substance abuse, or medical problems, and to overrepresent Whites relative to the other clusters. The episodically homeless, who constitute 10% of shelter users, are also comparatively young, but are more likely to be non‐White, and to have mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems. The chronically homeless, who account for 10% of shelter users, tend to be older, non‐White, and to have higher levels of mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems. Differences in health status between the episodically and chronically homeless are smaller, and in some cases the chronically homeless have lower rates (substance abuse in New York; serious mental illness in Philadelphia). Despite their relatively small number, the chronically homeless consume half of the total shelter days. Results suggest that program planning would benefit from application of this typology, possibly targeting the transitionally homeless with preventive and resettlement assistance, the episodically homeless with transitional housing and residential treatment, and the chronically homeless with supported housing and long‐term care programs.
Life Circumstances and Personal Resources as Predictors of the Ten‐Year Course of Depression
Authors: Cronkite Ruth C. , Moos Rudolf H. , Twohey Joan , Cohen Caryn , Swindle Ralph 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA 10‐year naturalistic study of 313 patients who entered treatment for unipolar depression and a community comparison group of 284 nondepressed adults was conducted. We compared life stressors, social resources, personal resources, and coping among patients who were remitted (N = 76), partially remitted (N = 146), or nonremitted (N = 91). Compared with the controls and the remitted patients, the partially remitted and nonremitted patients consistently experienced more life stressors and fewer social resources, were less easygoing, and relied more on avoidance coping. A less easygoing disposition, fewer close relationships, and more reliance on avoidance coping were associated with higher odds of experiencing a course of partial remission or nonremission. In addition, more depressive symptoms and medical conditions predicted nonremission.
Description and Immediate Impacts of a Preventive Intervention for Conduct Problems
Authors: Reid John B. , Eddy J. Mark , Fetrow Rebecca Ann , Stoolmiller Mike 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA population‐based randomized intervention trial for the prevention of conduct problems (i.e., oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder) is described. The LIFT (Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers) intervention was designed for all first‐ and fifth‐grade elementary school boys and girls and their families living in at‐risk neighborhoods characterized by high rates of juvenile delinquency. The 10‐week intervention strategy was carefully targeted at proximal and malleable antecedents in three social domains that were identified by a developmental model of conduct problems. From 12 elementary schools, 671 first and fifth graders and their families participated either in the theory‐based universal preventive intervention or in a control condition. The intervention consisted of parent training, a classroom‐based social skills program, a playground behavioral program, and systematic communication between teachers and parents. A multiple measure assessment strategy was used to evaluate participant satisfaction and participation, fidelity of implementation, and the immediate impacts of the program on targeted antecedents.
Antecedents and Consequences of Victimization of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young People: A Structural Model Comparing Rural University and Urban Samples
Authors: Waldo Craig R. , Hesson-McInnis Matthew S. , D'Augelli Anthony R. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractResearch indicates that antigay victimization is widespread and that lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people may be very vulnerable to such victimization. The current study builds upon previous work by Hershberger and D'Augelli (1995), who studied the consequences of sexual orientation‐based victimization in 194 urban lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Using structural equation modeling, the present study models both antecedents and consequences (including psychological distress, self‐esteem, and suicidality) of victimization via a secondary analysis of their data set. In addition, a second sample of 54 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths from a rural university setting was examined to cross‐validate and generalize the relationships found in urban settings. Results indicated that a revised model of victimization exhibited sufficient fit to the urban sample data and provided preliminary support for the generalizability of the model beyond the initial sample. Additional similarities were found between the urban and rural university community samples, including a high prevalence of reported suicide attempts: 42% of the urban sample and 32% of the rural university sample had attempted suicide at least once. Results indicated that victimization based on sexual orientation has similar correlates for young people in different community settings.
A Developmental Approach to Prevention Research: Configural Antecedents of Early Parenthood
Authors: Gest Scott D. , Mahoney Joseph L. , Cairns Robert B. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA developmental framework emphasizing the combined impact of correlated constraints within and without the individual was applied to a prospective longitudinal study of early parenthood. The purpose was to use a person‐approach to the analysis of longitudinal data to clarify risk for early parenthood and to generate hypotheses about potentially useful intervention strategies. Respondents were 475 youth who were assessed annually from seventh grade through the end of high school and, again, at ages 20 and 24. The risk patterns associated with parenthood were the same for both sexes. Individuals with a middle‐school configuration of low socioeconomic status, high aggression, low academic skills, low popularity, and prior grade failure were most likely to become parents by early adulthood. Risk for early parenthood increased substantially for respondents who dropped out of school early, regardless of their initial risk status.
Empirical Support for the Critical Assumptions of Empowerment Theory
Authors: Foster-Fishman Pennie G. , Salem Deborah A. , Chibnall Susan , Legler Ray , Yapchai Courtney 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis exploratory case study provides empirical support for three critical assumptions of empowerment theory. Many empowerment theorists have argued that empowerment takes on multiple forms across people, is contextually embedded, and shifts over time (Rappaport, 1984; Zimmerman, 1990, 1995). To better understand the implications of these assumptions for empowerment theory and the research and intervention methods we employ, the empowerment experiences of 49 employees within a large human service delivery organization were explored. A method well suited to investigate empowerment's assumptions of multiplicity and dynamism—a constructivist approach to inquiry—was employed. Content analyses of interview and observational data revealed that the process of empowerment may be more complex than originally conceived. Not only did multiple meanings and desires for empowerment emerge across employees and between employees and leaders, but several shifting ecologies impacted the employees' lives, causing the employees' empowerment experiences to fluctuate. Empowerment emerged as a dynamic, highly individualistic, contextually layered process. Multiple forms, contexts, and dynamics that influenced employee empowerment are described. Implications of these findings for empowerment research and intervention are discussed.
Personal Resources and the Social Distribution of Depression
Authors: Turner R. Jay , Lloyd Donald A. , Roszell Patricia 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis paper addresses the hypothesis that gender, age, marital status, and SES matter for depression partly because of associated differences in the availability and/or impact of the personal resources of mastery and self‐esteem. It is argued that findings indicating that the social distributions of these resources complement those for depression would provide preliminary support for this hypothesis. Based on a large urban community sample (n = 1,390), our findings fail to support the availability hypothesis in relation to marital status, provide only modest support in reference to age and gender, but yield compelling support in relation to socioeconomic status (SES). Indeed, variations in the availability of these resources, especially mastery, provide a largely, if not entirely, adequate explanation for the SES–depressive symptoms relationship and accounts for nearly half of the SES–Major Depressive Disorder relationship. Although the significance of mastery was more pronounced among women and unmarried persons, such differences did not contribute to understanding observed gender or marital status variations in depression.
A Qualitative Evaluation of School‐Based Family Resource and Youth Service Centers
Authors: Kalafat John , Illback Robert J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAs part of the Kentucky Education Reform Act, school‐based Family Resource/Youth Service Centers were commissioned to address those poverty‐related issues that attenuate children and youths' coming to school prepared to learn. The centers had flexible mandates and were to adapt their service profiles to local urban, suburban and rural communities. A variety of grounded, inductive qualitative strategies were employed in an implementation evaluation that yielded profiles or domains of program elements, and descriptions of implementation strategies and impact on participants. These program descriptors were considered accurate by program personnel, formed the basis for training new program coordinators, and have served as reliable predictors of educational outcomes for program participants, thus affirming the utility of the qualitative evaluation approaches.
Opening the Black Box: Using Process Evaluation Measures to Assess Implementation and Theory Building
Authors: Harachi Tracy W. , Abbott Robert D. , Catalano Richard F. , Haggerty Kevin P. , Fleming Charles B. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe past decade has seen increasing recognition in prevention science of the need to move away from a black box approach to intervention evaluation and toward an approach that can elaborate on the mechanisms through which changes in the outcomes operate (Chen & Rossi, 1989; Durlak & Wells, 1997; Spoth et al., 1995). An approach that examines issues of program implementation is particularly critical in the design of efficacy studies of school‐based preventive interventions. Numerous preventive intervention strategies are now delivered within the schools, often by regular classroom teachers. The extent to which teachers faithfully deliver a particular curriculum or incorporate instructional strategies emphasized by an intervention is a critical question for the overall project evaluation. This article illustrates the utilization of process measures from a multicomponent school‐based prevention program to examine implementation of a teaching staff development intervention, and the program's underlying theoretical basis. Given the nested study design, the analyses utilize hierarchical linear models (Bryk & Raudenbush, 1992) to examine changes in teaching strategies by condition and investigate the hypothesized relationships between teaching practices and student behaviors based on the program's theoretical framework. Results suggest that teaching practices in two of the six intervention focus areas were positively impacted in the first 18 months of the project. Findings also support th relationships between teachers' instructional practices and students' behaviour.
Preparing the Way: A Qualitative Study of High‐Achieving African American Males and the Role of the Family
Authors: Maton Kenneth I. , Hrabowski Freeman A. , Greif Geoffrey L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractEmployed qualitative methods to examine the role of the family in the academic success of very high‐achieving African American males. Findings revealed a complex tapestry of family processes and contexts involved in each youth's journey to outstanding academic achievement. Specifically, the combined importance of parental‐determined academic engagement, strict discipline, nurturance, and community connectedness appeared to counteract potentially negative contextual influences of neighborhood, peers, schools, and society. The qualitative findings tell a multifaceted, rich, and compelling story of the pathways to academic success for Black males, and highlight the need for culture‐specific and ecologically based conceptualization, research, and intervention approaches.
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Genetic Counseling by Telephone Compared to a Clinic Visit
Authors: Sangha Karan K. , Dircks Anita , Langlois Sylvie 
Published: April 2003

AbstractMaternal serum screening, also known as the triple screen, is used during pregnancy to assess the risk of carrying a fetus with specific chromosome abnormalities or open spina bifida. All women in British Columbia who screen positive are eligible for genetic counseling and are offered amniocentesis. The purpose of this study is to determine what differences (if any) exist in patients' understanding and/or anxiety when genetic counseling for a positive triple screen is conducted in person versus over the telephone. Each patient who participated was given the choice of having genetic counseling in person or over the telephone, this after a randomized design failed to elicit any participants. Using a written postcounseling questionnaire, each patient was assessed for her understanding of the information presented in the session, and her anxiety regarding her risk. In this small pilot study, no large differences were detected in patients' understanding or anxiety when genetic counseling was conducted by telephone versus in person.
Development of an Interactive Decision Aid for Female BRCA1/BRCA2 Carriers
Authors: Kaufman Elizabeth M. , Peshkin Beth N. , Lawrence William F. , Shelby Rebecca , Isaacs Claudine , Brown Karen , Rispoli Jessica , O'Neill Suzanne , Hurley Karen , DeMarco Tiffani , Brogan Barbara , Grumet Sherry , Jandorf Lina , McKenna Kristine , Valdimarsdottir Heiddis , Schwartz Marc D. 
Published: April 2003

AbstractShared decision making between patients and providers is becoming increasingly common, particularly when there is no clear preferred course of action. As a result, decision aids are being adopted with growing frequency and have been applied to many medical decision‐making issues. One such issue where there is uncertainty is breast cancer risk management among BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers. We present the development of a CD‐ROM decision aid to facilitate risk management decision making in this population. Our decision aid was developed with the intention of providing it through a randomized clinical trial. The CD‐ROM is a multimedia, interactive intervention which provides information about breast cancer, risks associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, risk management options for hereditary breast cancer, and a breast cancer risk management decision aid. The goal of this CD‐ROM, offered as an adjunctive intervention, is to reduce decisional conflict and psychological distress and improve comprehension of risk information, decisional satisfaction, medical adherence, and quality of life for this population of women at increased risk for breast cancer.
Expression of Heteropolymeric Ferritin Improves Iron Storage inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Kim Hye-Jin , Kim Hyang-Mi , Kim Ji-Hye , Ryu Kyeong-Seon , Park Seung-Moon , Jahng Kwang-Yeup , Yang Moon-Sik , Kim Dae-Hyuk 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACTSaccharomyces cerevisiaewas engineered to express different amount of heavy (H)- and light (L)-chain subunits of human ferritin by using a low-copy integrative vector (YIp) and a high-copy episomal vector (YEp). In addition topep4::HIS3allele, the expression host strain was bred to have the selection markersleu2−andura3−for YIplac128 and YEp352, respectively. The heterologous expression of phytase was used to determine the expression capability of the host strain. Expression in the new host strain (2805-a7) was as high as that in the parental strain (2805), which expresses high levels of several foreign genes. Following transformation, Northern and Western blot analyses demonstrated the expression of H- and L-chain genes. The recombinant yeast was more iron tolerant, in that transformed cells formed colonies on plates containing more than 25 mM ferric citrate, whereas none of the recipient strain cells did. Prussian blue staining indicated that the expressed isoferritins were assembled in vivo into a complex that bound iron. The expressed subunits showed a clear preference for the formation of heteropolymers over homopolymers. The molar ratio of H to L chains was estimated to be 1:6.8. The gel-purified heteropolymer took up iron faster than the L homopolymer, and it took up more iron than the H homopolymer did. The iron concentrations in transformants expressing the heteropolymer, L homopolymer, and H homopolymer were 1,004, 760, and 500 μg per g (dry weight) of recombinant yeast cells, respectively. The results indicate that heterologously expressed H and L subunits coassemble into a heteropolymer in vivo and that the iron-carrying capacity of yeast is further enhanced by the expression of heteropolymeric isoferritin.
Identification of a Third Sulfate Activation System inSinorhizobiumsp. Strain BR816: the CysDN Sulfate Activation Complex
Authors: Snoeck Carla , Verreth Christel , Hernández-Lucas Ismael , Martínez-Romero Esperanza , Vanderleyden Jos 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACTSinorhizobiumsp. strain BR816 possesses twonodPQcopies, providing activated sulfate (3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate [PAPS]) needed for the biosynthesis of sulfated Nod factors. It was previously shown that the Nod factors synthesized by anodPQdouble mutant are not structurally different from those of the wild-type strain. In this study, we describe the characterization of a third sulfate activation locus. Two open reading frames were fully characterized and displayed the highest similarity with theSinorhizobiummelilotihousekeeping ATP sulfurylase subunits, encoded by thecysDNgenes. The growth characteristics as well as the levels of Nod factor sulfation of acysDmutant (FAJ1600) and anodP1 nodQ2 cysDtriple mutant (FAJ1604) were determined. FAJ1600 shows a prolonged lag phase only with inorganic sulfate as the sole sulfur source, compared to the wild-type parent. On the other hand, FAJ1604 requires cysteine for growth and produces sulfate-free Nod factors. Apigenin-inducednodgene expression for Nod factor synthesis does not influence the growth characteristics of any of the strains studied in the presence of different sulfur sources. In this way, it could be demonstrated that the “household” CysDN sulfate activation complex ofSinorhizobiumsp. strain BR816 can additionally ensure Nod factor sulfation, whereas the symbiotic PAPS pool, generated by thenodPQsulfate activation loci, can be engaged for sulfation of amino acids. Finally, our results show that rhizobial growth defects are likely the reason for a decreased nitrogen fixation capacity of bean plants inoculated withcysDmutant strains, which can be restored by adding methionine to the plant nutrient solution.
Insecticidal Activity Associated with the Outer Membrane Vesicles of
Xenorhabdus nematophilus
Authors: Khandelwal Puneet , Banerjee-Bhatnagar Nirupama 
Published: April 2003

ABSTRACT

Xenorhabdus nematophilus
secretes a large number of proteins into the culture supernatant as soluble proteins and also as large molecular complexes associated with the outer membrane. Transmission electron micrographs of
X. nematophilus
cells showed that there was blebbing of the outer membrane from the surface of the bacterium. The naturally secreted outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) were purified from the culture supernatant of
X. nematophilus
and analyzed. Electron microscopy revealed a vesicular organization of the large molecular complexes, whose diameters varied from 20 to 100 nm. A sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile of the vesicles showed that in addition to outer membrane proteins, several other polypeptides were also present. The membrane vesicles contained lipopolysaccharide, which appeared to be of the smooth type. Live cells of
X. nematophilus
and the OMV proteins derived from them exhibited oral insecticidal activity against neonatal larvae of
Helicoverpa armigera
. The proteins present in the OMVs are apparently responsible for the biological activity of the OMVs. The soluble proteins left after removal of the OMVs and the outer membrane proteins also showed low levels of oral toxicity to
H. armigera
neonatal larvae. The OMV protein preparations were cytotoxic to Sf-21 cells in an in vitro assay. The OMV proteins showed chitinase activity. This is the first report showing toxicity of outer membrane blebs secreted by the insect pathogen
X. nematophilus
into the extracellular medium.