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Objective: Childhood maltreatment has been consistently linked to problematic marriages. The pathways, however, linking childhood maltreatment to marital problems over time remain understudied. The present study examined trait anger and trait anxiety as possible mediators linking childhood maltreatment to marital quality, support, and strain over a 9 year period. It was expected that both trait anger and trait anxiety would mediate each of the associations. Method: Data were from a secondary data analysis of Midlife Development in the United States. A sample of 596 adults (50.2% female) were included in the analysis. The Midlife Development in the United States study is a longitudinal data set and the present study used data from those who participated in the three waves of data collection over a 9 year period. Structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping procedures were used to examine the indirect effects from childhood maltreatment to marital functioning via trait anxiety and trait anger. Results: Results of the structural equation modeling mediational model indicated that the bootstrapped indirect effects from childhood maltreatment to marital quality (β = −.02, 95% CI −.054, −.005]) and marital support (β = −.02, 95% CI −.054, −.007]) were significant through trait anxiety. Trait anxiety did not mediate the association between maltreatment to marital strain. Trait anger did not mediate any of the pathways. Conclusions: Trait anxiety was identified as possible mediator linking childhood maltreatment to marital support and quality. Addressing trait anxiety among midlife adults may be a point of clinical intervention to improve marriages over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Childhood abuse is linked to experiencing multiple chronic health problems in midlife adults. Research has seldom examined whether childhood abuse is associated with a greater number of chronic physical health issues over time. The current study was to examine the contributions of childhood abuse on the development of chronic health conditions over a 10-year period. Participants and setting Data were taken from the study of Midlife Development in the United States. Using three waves of data, 661 married adults were included in the analysis. Results Using hierarchical regression, we found that childhood abuse was uniquely associated with the development of a greater number of chronic physical health conditions over a 10-year period. Post-hoc analysis found that neither gender nor age moderated the associations. Conclusions Findings of the study indicate that childhood abuse was uniquely associated with a greater number of chronic physical health conditions over a 10-year period. These findings suggest that abuse in childhood may speed up biological aging and erode adult's health over time leaving adults vulnerable to chronic health conditions. Prevention efforts should assess adults for childhood abuse and the impact of childhood abuse on adult health over time may be preventable or more manageable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many women experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA) during their childhood and CSA often negatively impacts adult's romantic relationships. Consequently, it is important to understand the protective factors that buffer against the detrimental impact of CSA on the quality of women's romantic relationships. Forgiveness may be one such factor. The current study looked at trait forgiveness as a moderator of CSA and overall relationship quality, positive relationship quality, and negative relationship quality. A sample of 171 women completed an online survey. Using hierarchical regression, forgiveness was found to moderate the association between CSA and overall relationship quality and negative relationship quality, but not positive relationship quality. Findings indicate that the interaction between CSA and forgiveness was significant, but higher levels of forgiveness actually decreased overall relationship quality and increased negative relationship quality. The relationship between CSA and overall reports of relationship quality and negative relationship quality were stable at low levels of forgiveness, but when forgiveness was high overall relationship quality decreased and negative relationship quality increased. CSA was also directly associated with lower levels of positive relationship quality. Findings from the study indicate continued conceptual refinement when considering CSA, forgiveness, and relationship quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Childhood abuse has been linked to problematic familial relationships in adulthood; however, it remains unclear what factors buffer the association. Mindfulness research has demonstrated promise in improving relationships among adults abused during childhood, but research has focused on couples, with fewer studies examining familial relationships. Methods: Using a data sample of 2430 adults from the Midlife Development in the United States, the current study examined mindfulness as a moderator of childhood abuse and familial support and strain in adults. Results: Analysis of hierarchical regression revealed that mindfulness was a moderator of childhood abuse and family strain over a 10-year period in women, but not men. However, mindfulness did not moderate childhood abuse and support. Discussion: This examination of mindfulness in the context of familial relationships may help women more successfully manage negative familial interactions. Results indicate mindfulness-based interventions may be helpful in improving familial relationships among adults abused by family members in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood maltreatment has well-established links to poorer marital functioning. Mindfulness has been shown to improve marital relationships and may buffer the effects of maltreatment. Using the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) data, the current study examined whether mindfulness buffered the effects of maltreatment on marital quality, support, and strain in a sample of 560 married men and women. Moderation analysis revealed that mindfulness buffered the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adults' marital quality, marital support, and marital strain. Mindfulness-based interventions may help adults who were maltreated improve their relationships. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood maltreatment is associated with mental health problems across the life course and depression and social anxiety are two of the more common problems. Given the interpersonal nature of childhood maltreatment, adult romantic relationships have also been a keen interest. It has been suggested that the interpersonal relationships may mediate the relationship between maltreatment and adult mental health; however, little research has examined the mediating role of adult romantic relationships. This omission misses an opportunity to advance empirical understanding as well as clinical intervention. To address this gap, the current study utilized a sample of 785 adults using two waves of data from the study of Midlife of Development in the United States to examine relationship quality as a mediator linking childhood maltreatment to adult depressive and social anxiety symptoms. Interpretation of structural equation models indicated that there were significant indirect effects from childhood maltreatment to both symptoms of depressive and social anxiety through relationship quality. Results of post hoc analysis suggested that gender did not moderate any direct or indirect paths. In light of the significant indirect effects, relationship quality may be a point of intervention. Having a high-quality romantic relationship can provide a corrective experience for adults who were maltreated in childhood, thereby decreasing symptoms of depression and social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults who were maltreated in childhood are at increased risk for depression, social anxiety, and loneliness in adulthood and spirituality may be a protective factor. The current study will extend research by examining spirituality as a moderator of childhood maltreatment severity and adult depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and loneliness. Further, men and women were examined separately to discern if spirituality has similar or dissimilar effects across gender. Data are from the biomarker study within the study of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) refresher cohort. The study was cross-sectional and included 853 adults (52.2% female). Using hierarchical regression, we found that spirituality moderated the relationship between women's reports of maltreatment severity and depression, social anxiety, and loneliness. Contrastingly, spirituality did not moderate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and any of the mental health outcomes in men; however, spirituality was directly associated with lower levels of loneliness for men. Spirituality was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and social anxiety as well as less loneliness in women who were maltreated in childhood and could be a source of resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with health problems, including cardiometabolic outcomes. Findings directly linking CSA to cholesterol levels are mixed, and identifying mediating pathways is the next logical step. Body mass index (BMI) is one possible mediator, given its association with both CSA and cardiometabolic outcomes. Gendered effects of CSA indicates that BMI may operate differently in men and women. We tested BMI as a mediator linking CSA to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) using a multiple group structural equation model stratified across gender to test the indirect effects. We utilized a sample of 1054 adults (54.7 % women) from the study of Midlife Development in the United States, who were drawn from the general population. Using two waves of data, participants responded to a questionnaire assessing CSA, provided measurements from which to calculate BMI, and a fasting blood sample from which cholesterol levels were measured. The indirect effects in the overall sample yielded a significant effect from CSA to HDL via BMI (β = −0.03, 95 % CI [−0.050, −0.010]), but not LDL (β = 0.006, 95 % CI [−0.002, 0.014]). The indirect effect from CSA to HDL cholesterol was significant among women (β = −0.04, 95 % CI [−0.066, −0.012]) only. Indirect effects to LDL among both genders were both non-significant. BMI appears to be a possible mediator linking CSA to lower HDL cholesterol among women suggesting BMI could be a point of trauma-informed prevention and intervention especially impactful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To present the 6-month results of the Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 Plasmid Treatment for Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (STOP-PAD) trial. The trial was an attempt to alter the course of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) with a biological agent vs placebo after successful arterial revascularization at or below the knee. Materials and Methods: The multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 2B STOP-PAD trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02544204) randomized 109 patients (mean age 71 years; 68 men) with Rutherford category 5 or 6 CLTI and evidence of persistent impaired forefoot perfusion following recent successful revascularization to 8- (n=34) or 16-mg (n=36) intramuscular injections of a non-viral DNA plasmid-based treatment vs placebo (n=34). The primary efficacy outcome was the 6-month wound healing score evaluated by an independent wound core laboratory; the primary safety endpoint was major adverse limb events (MALE), a composite of major amputation plus clinically-driven target lesion revascularization at 6 months. Results: Only one-third of the patients had complete wound healing at 6 months in the placebo (31%), 8-mg injection (33%), and 16-mg injection (33%) groups. In addition, the observed increase in the toe-brachial index from baseline to 6 months was statistically significant in each group; however, this did not result in lower rates of MALE at 6 months (24% in the placebo, 29% in the 8-mg injection, and 11% in the 16-mg injection groups). During the 6-month period, 6 patients (6%) died, and 24 patients (23%) had an amputation [only 4 (4%) major]. Conclusion: Combining revascularization and biological therapy failed to improve outcomes in CLTI at 6 months. STOP-PAD has provided insights for future trials to evaluate biological therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Media & Communication / Mediji i Komunikacije is the property of Academy of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Provides a history and evaluation of the reconstruction efforts conducted in Mobile, Alabama from 1865 to 1879. Funding of railroad bond measures and other projects; Increase in municipal debt; Impact on future African-American political activity; Political activity of Democratic and Republican parties; Economic and class dynamics of the era.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been linked to higher levels of allostatic load (AL) and educational achievement is a possible pathway and may differ across gender. It is also critical to determine if CM severity or specific subtypes of CM are more or less influential. This study examined educational achievement as a mediator linking cumulative and individual types of CM to AL and examined gender as a moderator. Using two waves of data, 897 adults from the study Midlife in the United States were analyzed. Multiple group structural equation models stratified across gender to test were used cumulative maltreatment and maltreatment subtypes to AL and test gender as a moderator. Overall CM was associated with educational achievement (β = −0.12, p <.01) and AL (β = 0.11, p <.05) and education was inversely associated with AL (β = −0.17, p <.001) in men but not women. The subtypes model revealed that physical abuse predicted lower level of education achievement (β = −0.20, p <.001) and among men. Educational achievement, in turn, was associated with lower levels of AL (β = −0.02, p =.002). Educational achievement was a possible pathway linking physical abuse to AL (β = 0.02, 95 % CI [0.001, 0.040]) among men but was non-significant in women. Gender did not moderate any of the pathways. Educational achievement is a potentially modifiable social determinant of health that can be a focus of prevention and intervention efforts among men who were maltreated, particularly for those who experienced physical abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the popular American television series "Daniel Boone," which was created by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and 20th Century-Fox Television and aired between 1964 and 1970. The author discusses the real-life American explorer Daniel Boone, analyzes how Boone was depicted as an Indianized white man, and explores how the television show created an image of the Anglicized Indian.

The article analyzes the television series "Walker: Texas Ranger." It examines the concept of American masculinity and the amalgamation of the white man and Native American man in the character of Cordell Walker, stereotypes concerning Native American physicality, and how the character of Walker responded to political and cultural challenges stemming from the women's movement. It also discusses the concept of white shamanism and the public persona of "Walker: Texas Ranger" actor Chuck Norris.

The article presents an analysis of the characters of the Lone Ranger and Tonto on U.S. television between 1949 to 1957, examining the themes of racial ideologies seen within them. The author discusses the extent to which the Lone Ranger represents a white savior figure and how Tonto's identity as a minority is addressed within that paradigm. A brief overview of the history of the television show "The Lone Ranger" is given. Additional subjects addressed include the cinematographic trope of cleanliness associated with the heroes, popular culture references to the team outside of the television show, and its progressive nature for its time despite what the author identifies as subtle racist overtones.

In response to Fairclough, it seems premature to conclude that enacting black suffrage during Reconstruction utterly failed. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments could not have been enacted in any other way, and it is difficult to envision the civil rights movement without them. The Great Migration made voting rights a reality for millions, which mattered even in the segregated South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the role Jacksonville, Florida's radio industry in promoting concerts and commercial activities related to popular music. According to the author, Jacksonville's prominence in the U.S. music industry was largely related to the corrupt practices of local disk jockeys (DJs). Details related to the radio station WAPE-AM and the activities of station founder Bill Brennan, DJ Sheldon Summerlin, and promoter Tom Register are also presented.

The article examines the television series "Broken Arrow," with a particular focus on its depiction of historical events and of the Chiracahua Apache people. According to the author, the series obscured the unfair treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government and helped to create a mythology of the American West which flattered Euro-American settlers. Topics discussed include the U.S. government's termination, or dissolution, of several Native American nations, the Western film and television genre, the relationship between film and politics, and the depiction of government officials in the series.

Discusses the dissident presence of the business community of Mobile, Alabama during the Civil War. Elite Union sympathizers' role in shaping Mobile's development at the war's conclusion; Extent and composition of Unionism in Mobile; Roots of dissent in Mobile's commercial and social circles; Businessmen's persistence in affirming Unionist sentiments.

Those studying public policy at the state and local level have traditionally relied on per capita measures when using regression-based techniques in comparing cities and states with different population sizes. Many have cautioned against the use of these measures. Recent articles have rejected the use of per capita index construction in the study of intergovernmental aid. This article examines the per capita controversy in light of these studies and, in particular, questions the alternative measurement approach taken by Pelissero. The burgeoning solutions to the putative flaws in per capita and other ratio indexes are themselves subject to serious questions of validity, reliability, and interpretability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study focusing on the relationship between student performance and certain aspects of school organization and operation in the United States, in relation to public choice. Methodology of study; Comparison of student performance in different districts; Results and conclusions of study; Implications of conclusions.

Two models of desegregation change between 1968 and 1974 for a number of U.S. urban school distracts are tested using a block-recursive technique incorporating the effects of community environment, the school system, and federal influence. The models can explain a considerable amount of change in the North but much less in the South. In both regions, federal intervention is a dominant influence, although for one model in the North, the earlier year level of desegregation is the most powerful effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 authorized the u.s. Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate monitored retrievable storage (MRS) as an option to manage spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 1987, the DOE sought Congressional approval for construction of an MRS at a site identified in Tennessee, despite adamant opposition from the State. An amendment in late 1987 nullified DOE's proposal, and established the MRS Commission and the High-Level Nuclear Waste Negotiator, institutions created as a results of the DOE/Tennessee, dispute. This article analyzes DOE's siting attempt in Tennessee, the actions of the Commission and Negotiator, and examines the prospects for implementation of nuclear waste policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the internal dissension among the Republican coalition over patronage and the response of the African American community, towards this internal conflict, in Alabama, during the period 1868 to 1880. Impact that the internal conflict among Republicans signified for black empowerment; Role that Willard Warner and George E. Spencer played in the internal conflict.

Depicts black nationalism during the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s. Repatriation; Senator Theodore G. Bilbo's role in developing black assertiveness and militancy; Issues relating to repatriation; African Americans' support of the Greater Liberia Bill of 1939; Provisions of the bill.

This article provides information on the achievements made by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as an administrative body in the U.S. in its second fifty years of service, as of summer 1984. A child of the Depression, the Authority has had a profound effect on the American political ethos evoking spirited debates concerning certain fundamental principles and practices related to democratic governance. Four features of the TVA experience are particularly significant. First, since its inception, the TVA has provided a focal point for debate about the relationship of a government to its people, especially the role of the bureaucratic branch of government in a democracy. The TVA, as a regional federal agency, was charged with the responsibility for establishing satisfactory relationships with all manner and types of government bodies, from local to state and national. Also, the TVA, through its most influential spokesman, David Lilienthal, can be credited with the popularization of the concept articulated first by Alf Landon in 1935 for grass roots democracy.

The article focuses on a study, which examined the factors that led to school segregation in the U.S. Since the mid-sixties, patterns of school segregation in this country have undergone extensive change, especially in the South. Most of this uproofing of entrenched institutional relationships did not just happen. The impact of federal pressure over almost two decades finally created a situation where the costs were greater for continued resistance than for compliance. Until recently the national government made virtually no effort to desegregate northern schools. Thus, change in this region has been quite limited. Regardless of region, federal pressure does not operate in a vacuum. Some states are more successful than others in blunting the impact of federal law in this socially explosive area. Schools should be more segregated in the presence of a large minority population. Such a group offers highly visible competition for resources resulting in racial discrimination and segregation. Such racial exclusion, among other things, tends to confine the minority group to lower status occupations.

Congress has enacted regulatory policies dealing with housing, medical care, employment, civil rights, the environment, public health and safety that go far beyond the scope of previous concerns. As a consequence, the implementation context of regulatory policy has been altered as well. Historically, federal agencies have applied, rather than been the targets of, such mandates. But with the institution of laws known collectively as the new social regulation — affirmative action, occupational health and safety, and environmental protection — the activities of federal agencies fall increasingly within the regulatory responsibilities of those implementing such statutes. The study is illustrative of the interplay of social, economic, and political forces that can occur during any significant attempt at intragovernmental regulation. In their decade-long dispute over air pollution control the Environmental Protection Agency pursued goals that were, at once, consistent with individual agency charters and mutually inconsistent in their ends.

Research has well-established that childhood maltreatment is associated with depressive and social anxiety symptoms in adults. Emotional support has been proposed as a mediator, yet research investigating the unique contributions of emotional support from friends, family members, and romantic partners in adulthood is sparse. The current study tested emotional support from family, friends, and romantic partners as mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment to depressive and social anxiety symptoms in adults. Participants for the current study (N = 798) included adults in a committed romantic relationship and completed both the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS 2) as well as the MIDUS 2 biomarker follow-up project. Emotional support from family, friends, and romantic partners was measured at MIDUS 2 and mental health symptoms were reported at the MIDUS 2 biomarker follow up. Emotional support from friends was identified as a mechanism from maltreatment to social anxiety symptoms (ß =.04, 95 % CI [.019,.066]), emotional support from family members was a mechanism to depressive symptoms (ß =.09, 95 % CI [.045,.146]), and emotional support from romantic partners was a mechanism for both depressive (ß =.02, 95 % CI [.005,.048]) and social anxiety symptoms (ß =.03, 95 % CI [.008,.048]). The current study documents that emotional support may be a mechanism linking childhood maltreatment to mental health symptoms. Emotional support from different sources appear to be of significant importance in understanding adult mental health. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has established that childhood maltreatment is associated with interpersonal problems across the life course. Less is known regarding how maltreatment is linked with adult's provision of emotional support to their family members, friends, and romantic partners. To examine how maltreatment severity is associated with adult's provisions of emotional support to family members, friends, and romantic partners and examine differences between men and women. A sample of 1255 adults (56 % women) was collected between 2005 and 2009. Data are from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). Participants completed retrospective survey reports of childhood maltreatment and current provision of emotional support provided to family members, friends, and romantic partners. Using hierarchical regression analysis, childhood maltreatment was negatively associated with provisions of emotional support provided to family members (b = -0.013, p <.05), friends (b = -0.013, p <.05), and romantic partners (b = -0.016, p <.05) above and beyond other childhood adversities, current mental health symptomology, and current stress. Gender moderated the relationship for friends (b = 0.012, p <. 05) and romantic partners (b = 0.015, p <.05) where women provided more emotional support than men while no gender differences in support provided to family members (b = 0.009, p >.05.) Childhood maltreatment contributes to less provision of emotional support to family members, friends, and spouses for both men and women and is particularly detrimental for men. Clinical Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the condition of investments in the biotechnology industry in the U.S. For the past 25 years, stock exchanges played the pivotal role in making the country's biotech industry the world's largest. Venture capitalists and private equity investors are considered as the core of biotech financing. Secondary offerings also produced billions for this sector.