Search

The receptor tyrosine kinase PDGFRβ is essential for pericyte migration to the endothelium. In mice lacking one allele of PDGFRβ (PDGFRβ+/−), previous reports have described an age-dependent loss of pericytes in the brain, leading to cerebrovascular dysfunction and subsequent neurodegeneration reminiscent of that seen in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. We examined 12–20-month-old PDGFRβ+/− mice to better understand how pericyte loss affects brain microvascular structure and perfusion in vivo. We observed a mild reduction of cortical pericyte number in PDGFRβ+/− mice (27% fewer cell bodies) compared to controls, but no decrease in pericyte coverage of the endothelium. This mild degree of pericyte loss caused no discernable change in cortical microvascular density, length, basal diameter or reactivity to hypercapnia. Yet, it was associated with an increase in basal blood cell velocity, primarily in pre-capillary arterioles. Taken together, our results suggest that mild pericyte loss can lead to aberrant cerebral blood flow despite a lack of apparent effect on microvascular structure and reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smooth muscle cells and pericytes, together called mural cells, coordinate many distinct vascular functions. Canonically, smooth muscle cells are ring-shaped and cover arterioles with circumferential processes, whereas pericytes extend thin processes that run longitudinally along capillaries. In between these canonical mural cell types are cells with features of both smooth muscle cells and pericytes. Recent studies suggest that these transitional cells are critical for controlling blood flow to the capillary bed during health and disease, but there remains confusion on how to identify them and where they are located in the brain microvasculature. To address this issue, we measured the morphology, vascular territory, and α-smooth muscle actin content of structurally diverse mural cells in adult mouse cortex. We first imaged intact 3D vascular networks to establish the locations of major gradations in mural cell appearance as arterioles branched into capillaries. We then imaged individual mural cells occupying the regions within these gradations. This revealed two transitional cells that were often similar in appearance, but with sharply contrasting levels of α-smooth muscle actin. Our findings highlight the diversity of mural cell morphologies in brain microvasculature, and provide guidance for identification and categorization of mural cell types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the context of ethical decision making in research and suggests that direct attention to the ways in which decisions are actually made in such environments is needed. A decision-making model based on the literature on heuristic processing is proposed and is followed by a review of the method, data, and results of the authors’ research on this model. The implications of the research are developed, and a research agenda is outlined. Key findings were that competent actors do indeed process ethics problems heuristically and in ways that interweave intuitive, affective, and more rational phases. This processing does not typically follow a simple progressive pattern but evidences a sort of trial-and-error processing that is consistent with the logic of heuristic processing more generally. Finally, while diverse, participant-level processing attempts appear to follow patterns which are associated with the experience and training of the actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical studies have revealed a strong link between increased burden of cerebral microinfarcts and risk for cognitive impairment. Since the sum of tissue damage incurred by microinfarcts is a miniscule percentage of total brain volume, we hypothesized that microinfarcts disrupt brain function beyond the injury site visible to histological or radiological examination. We tested this idea using a mouse model of microinfarcts, where single penetrating vessels that supply mouse cortex were occluded by targeted photothrombosis. We found that in vivo structural and diffusion MRI reliably reported the acute microinfarct core, based on spatial co-registrations with post-mortem stains of neuronal viability. Consistent with our hypothesis, c-Fos assays for neuronal activity and in vivo imaging of single vessel hemodynamics both reported functional deficits in viable peri-lesional tissues beyond the microinfarct core. We estimated that the volume of tissue with functional deficit in cortex was at least 12-fold greater than the volume of the microinfarct core. Impaired hemodynamic responses in peri-lesional tissues persisted at least 14 days, and were attributed to lasting deficits in neuronal circuitry or neurovascular coupling. These data show how individually miniscule microinfarcts could contribute to broader brain dysfunction during vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States has witnessed enormous criminal justice system growth in the past 60 years. In response to calls for reform, several jurisdictions have implemented programs that provide intensive supervision for high risk offenders, swiftly responding to violations with sanctions. This quasi experimental study is the first comprehensive analysis of Michigan's Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program (SSSPP), an alternative-to-incarceration program. The findings indicate that SSSPP participants had lower recidivism rates compared with individuals sentenced to probation-as-usual. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wealth of research has been amassed documenting the effectiveness of drug treatment courts in addressing the needs of substance-abusing individuals involved with the criminal justice system. However, there is a relative dearth of research that examines the long-term impact of these programs on recidivism rates for both drug treatment court graduates and those unsuccessfully discharged from the program. In this study, we examine which demographic and programmatic/legal factors influence program disposition and recidivism rates of participants (both graduates and those unsuccessfully discharged) across the 5 years following their discharge from a drug treatment court program located in a suburban city in the Midwest. The study sample consists of 249 (N = 249) male participants who have been out of the program for more than 5 years. Results from the univariate and multivariate analyses are provided, as well as policy implications, directions for future research, and study limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature suggests that administering drug surveys to public school students is best done by persons outside of the school system (or at least unfamiliar to the students). This is the approach used by the long-time Monitoring the Future project. Because of the increased costs that administration by outside research associates requires (both time and transportation), we decided to design an experiment that would compare it to administration by school personnel. Six school systems were split, and 3756 surveys were administered, about half by outside research associates and half by school personnel. The results indicate that there were minimal and non-significant differences between the two groups. On the basis of these results, we draw the conclusion that school personnel are able to administer survey instruments without affecting the quality of the results and, thus, that school districts may safely use such data in the evaluation of their drug education and drug prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the dimensions of the concept of control orientation with respect to substance-abusing behaviors as measured by Keyson and Janda's 1972 Drinking-related Locus of Control scale. Difference of the dimensional structure from the one presented by Donovan and O'Leary in 1978 for male alcoholics at a hospital in Virginia.

Focuses on the findings of a 1991 study of the Southwest Missouri State University on the social experience of Black college students at a predominantly White university. Effect of race on making friends; Participation in social groups and interest groups; Social segregation and group solidarity among Black students.

The authors report the results from a study of a residential crisis program house in Missouri. Like other programs of its kind, the program is designed to provide a home-like atmosphere for consumers experiencing acute episodes. The study contributes to a quantitative comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of such programs; it suggests that a residential crisis program is a less expensive alternative to hospitalization and appears to serve the short-term stabilization needs of its clientele. Client self-reports confirm return to preadmission functioning and high levels of satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case management has been identified as an important addition to traditional services offered in drug and alcohol treatment. Implementation of case-management services requires a new array of managerial behaviors by middle managers. The Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, introduced case management as a central component of the innovative Comprehensive Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation Program. The authors, drawing from the experience in Missouri, describe the challenge of effectively implementing case management in existing programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines variables related to court decision making and recidivism over a two-year follow-up in a group of first-time referrals to a juvenile court. Previous research on the variables related to official decision making; Methodology of the research; Results of the study; Discussion and conclusions.

Internal validity refers to the confidence with which changes in a dependent variable can be isolated from the effects of extraneous factors and causally attributed to the effects of an independent variable. While a randomized design is commonly recommended as the best way to preserve internal validity, random assignment of subjects to groups is not always feasible in evaluations of correctional programs. This paper argues that the biased assignment design, whereby subjects are assigned to groups according to controlled criteria, is a viable alternative means of preserving internal validity which should be employed more frequently by corrections researchers. The steps for using the biased assignment design are presented, as is a strategy for proper data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A variety of assessment tools have been proposed to evaluate the sociology curriculum. This article analyses the validity of assessment tools and their impact on the quality of assessment. An alternative to formal tests is the use of a bachelor's paper as the assessment tool. Here the author proposes that such a paper is an appropriate means of assessment for the individual sociology student and for the program as a whole. The bachelor's paper is simply the student's attempt to use the theoretical and methodological tools of his or her discipline to address a substantively important topic. This can help in realizing the areas of the curriculum that need reforms. The bachelor's paper has several advantages as an assessment tool. First, if critical thinking and the ability to conduct and combine library and empirical research are goals of the program, a cumulative research experience is sensible. The second advantage of the bachelor's paper as assessment is that greater depth of theoretical knowledge can be encouraged in a paper than in most test formats.

This paper argues for an intensive use of microcomputers across an applied research curriculum. This use is justified and guided by five objectives that should be central to such curricula. It is suggested that the necessary resources are within reach of many departments. Finally, the paper reviews several problems and rewards that may result from the implementation of such a program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on the paper by Miriam W. Boeri on iterative triangulation. They note that based on their own paper, Boeri does take up their argument in terms of measurement and addresses their central point that explicit attention to synthesis of multiple measures is required. Moreover, they emphasize that commensurability is a fairly strong version of what Boeri did and most applicable to the bias reduction objective of triangulation. They could not agree more with the importance of an iterative attention.

This section comments on several papers regarding the capstone course. The capstone course is certainly an appropriate topic for a special issue of Teaching Sociology. The papers do a fine job of reviewing the justifications for such a course and of describing a variety of approaches to operationalization. Calls for curricular reform, as for other forms of intervention, are hollow in if they do not require assessment and if they do not use that assessment to refocus and refine the intervention. The Laden Cart addresses these issues most clearly. The author presents explicit goals, describes attempts to measure success along those dimensions to channel feedback into program improvement. One may disagree with the particular emphases and measures of this department, but its process of assessment and refinement is a fine model for others. The analysis of social problems described in The Generic Capstone Course comes closest to defining the relationship of the course with the expected professional roles of its graduates. Even that paper, however, does not indicate how well the students actually are dong in their professional roles. The fine work that has gone into delineating departmental goals for students merits follow through in assessment of impact.

As drug treatment courts developed over the past 20 years, they were increasingly and productively grounded in the philosophy of therapeutic jurisprudence and in the operational standard of the 10 key components. Both of these and particularly the growing literature on the efficacy of the key components offer guidance for the implementation and monitoring of programs an provide a logic for attributing outcomes to program operation. What then, if anything, might be gained by an explicit attention to what is generally called social science theory in understanding and modifying drug courts? This article addresses these questions and develops social learning theory as an example of the potential for this union of theoretical and practical concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research indicates that posttreatment factors, including employment, residential stability, and social and family support, influence the resiliency of treatment outcomes. The degree to which current treatment methods affect such outcomes is the subject of much research and debate. The authors argue that case management should be considered complementary to traditional treatment services. By focusing directly on community functioning and social rehabilitation, case management can positively affect factors associated with relapse and alcohol-related problems. A strengths-based, outreach model of case management is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]