Showing papers by "University of Massachusetts Boston published in 2003"

Greener Pastures and the Impact of Dynamic Institutional Preferences

Abstract: Although institutional investors have a preference for large capitalization stocks, over time they have shifted their preferences toward smaller, riskier securities. These changes in aggregate preferences have arisen primarily from changes in the preferences of each class of institution, rather than changes in the importance of different classes. Evidence also suggests that recent growth in institutional investment combined with this shift in preferences helps explain why markets in general, and smaller stocks in particular, have exhibited greater firm-specific risk and liquidity in recent years. Additional analyses suggest that institutional investors moved toward smaller securities because such securities offer "greener pastures." Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.

The Antisocial Process Screening Device An Examination of its Construct and Criterion-Related Validity

Abstract: The clinical assessment of psychopathy in adulthood is well established via programmatic research. More recently, psychopathy has been extended to children and adolescents with correlates to maladaptive personality traits, violent behavior, and noncompliance with institutional rules. To screen for adolescent psychopathy, the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) was developed as a 20-item self-report measure of psychopathy. The original validation of the APSD was limited to samples of clinic-referred and community-based children. In extending this research to delinquent populations, the current article uses two separate samples of adolescent offenders incarcerated in a maximum security facility (n = 78) and a local juvenile detention facility (n = 77). As evidence of criterion-related validity, the APSD was compared with two versions of the Psychopathy Checklist that yielded mixed results. Construct validity was examined via a confirmatory factor analysis that provided support for a three-factor model of the APSD.

The Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA): Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity

Abstract: In this paper the refinement and psychometric properties of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) are described. Results from a sociodemographically diverse birth cohort sample of 1,235 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 36 months are presented. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized Internalizing, Externalizing, Regulatory, and Competence domains as well as the 17 individual scales that comprise the ITSEA. Findings for 3 additional indices useful in identifying significant psychopathology are presented. Subgroup analyses revealed structural invariance and expected mean level differences across both child sex and 6-month age bands. Child sex differences emerged for some problem and most competence scales, with boys rated as higher on Activity/Impulsivity and girls rated higher on Anxiety and most Competence scales. All competence scores increased across age groups. Problem behaviors showed a more mixed developmental pattern. Test-retest and interrater reliability were acceptable. Associations between the ITSEA and independent evaluator ratings and parental ratings of child behavior problems, temperament, and parental distress support the validity of the instrument.

Risk Factors for and Functions of Deliberate Self‐Harm: An Empirical and Conceptual Review

Abstract: Given the clinical importance of deliberate self-harm and the need for further research informing the treatment and prevention of this behavior, a review of the extant literature on the risk factors for and functions of self-harm is needed. In this article, I review empirical and theoretical literature on the following potential risk factors for self-harm: childhood sexual and physical abuse, neglect, childhood separation and loss, security of attachment to caregivers, and emotional reactivity and intensity. Literature on the emotion regulating function of self-harm behavior is also reviewed. Future research is needed on the interaction of individual and environmental risk factors in the development of self-harm, as well as on the experi-entially avoidant function of this behavior.

A Neo‐Gramscian Approach to Corporate Political Strategy: Conflict and Accommodation in the Climate Change Negotiations*

Abstract: A neo-Gramscian theoretical framework for corporate political strategy is developed drawing from Gramsci's analysis of the relations among capital, social forces, and the state, and from more contemporary theories. Gramsci's political theory recognizes the centrality of organizations and strategy, directs attention to the organizational, economic, and ideological pillars of power, while illuminating the processes of coalition building, conflict, and accommodation that drive social change. This approach addresses the structure-agency relationship and endogenous dynamics in a way that could enrich institutional theory. The framework suggests a strategic concept of power, which provides space for contestation by subordinate groups in complex dynamic social systems. We apply the framework to analyse the international negotiations to control emissions of greenhouse gases, focusing on the responses of firms in the US and European oil and automobile industries. The neo- Gramscian framework explains some specific features of corporate responses to challenges to their hegemonic position and points to the importance of political struggles within civil society The analysis suggests that the conventional demarcation between market and non-market strategies is untenable, given the embeddedness of markets in contested social and political structures and the political character of strategies directed toward defending and enhancing markets, technologies, corporate autonomy and legitimacy.

The influence of teacher support on student adjustment in the middle school years: a latent growth curve study.

Abstract: The influence of perceived teacher support on trajectories of depression and self-esteem in middle school was examined using multigroup latent growth cross-domain models A longitudinal sample of 2,585 students was followed from the sixth through the eighth grades Students' perceptions of teacher support and general self-esteem declined and depressive symptoms increased over the course of middle school We further found that, for both boys and girls, changes in perceptions of teachers' support reliably predicted changes in both self-esteem and depression In particular, those students perceiving increasing teacher support showed corresponding decreases in depressive symptoms and increases in self-esteem Gender differences were found for the initial levels of both perceptions of teacher support and general self-esteem A competing model was also tested, which gave additional support for pathways of influence from perceptions of teacher support to depression and self-esteem, rather than the reverse This study underscores the role of teacher support in facilitating students' adjustment to middle school and highlights the importance of using idiographic methodologies in the study of developmental processes Implications and future directions are discussed

Linguistic and cultural barriers to care.

Abstract: CONTEXT: Primarily because of immigration, Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse minority groups in the United States. However, little is known about their perspectives on health care quality.

Reforming to preserve: compstat and strategic problem solving in american policing*

Abstract: Research Summary: This paper provides the first national description of Compstat programs, considered in the framework of strategic problem solving. Relying on a survey of American police departments conducted by the Police Foundation, we examine the diffusion of Compstat programs and the nature of Compstat models throughout the United States. We also assess the penetration of models of strategic problem solving more generally into American policing. Our findings document a process of “diffusion of innovation” of Compstat-like programs in larger police agencies that follows a rapid pace. At the same time, our data suggest that many elements of strategic problem solving had begun to be implemented more widely across American police agencies before the emergence of Compstat as a programmatic entity, and that such elements have been adopted broadly even by departments that have not formally adopted a Compstat program. Policy Implications: Compstat holds out the promise of allowing police agencies to adopt innovative technologies and problem-solving techniques while empowering traditional police organizational structures. However, our analysis suggests that at this stage, what most characterizes Compstat departments and distinguishes them from others is the development of the control element of this reform. This leads us to question whether the rapid rise of Compstat in American police agencies can be interpreted more as an effort to maintain and reinforce the “bureaucratic” or “paramilitary” model of police organization (that has been under attack by scholars for most of the last two decades) than as an attempt to truly reform models of American policing.

Photonic Crystals Based on Periodic Arrays of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract: We demonstrate here that large area periodic arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes can be fabricated inexpensively on Ni dots made by the process of self-assembly nanosphere lithography. These periodic arrays appear colorful due to their efficient reflection and diffraction of visible light. In addition, due to their honeycomb lattice structure, these arrays can act as photonic band gap crystals in the visible frequency range. In this report, we present the initial exploration of the optical properties of such arrays. Here we show that these potential 2D photonic band gap crystal arrays might find very important applications in optoelectronics.

Overyielding among plant functional groups in a long‐term experiment

Abstract: A recent debate among ecologists has focused on mechanisms by which species diversity might affect net primary productivity. Communities with more species could use a greater variety of resource capture characteristics, leading to greater use of limiting resources (complementarity) and therefore greater productivity (overyielding). Recent experiments, however, have shown a variety of relationships between diversity and productivity. In an experiment on serpentine grassland communities spanning 8 years, we found that overyielding increased several years after plot establishment. Overyielding varied greatly depending on the functional characteristics of the species involved and the biotic and abiotic environment (particularly water availability). While functional differences among species led to strong complementarity and facilitation, these effects were not sufficient to cause significant transgressive overyielding or consistent increases in productivity with increased plant diversity. These results suggest that greater absolute production with greater diversity may be restricted to particular species combinations or environmental conditions.

Detection of Feigned Mental Disorders A Meta-Analysis of the MMPI-2 and Malingering

Abstract: The validity of test data from multiscale inventories is dependent on self-reports that may be easily distorted by malingering. In examining the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2's (MMPI-2) role in the assessment of feigning, this review provides a conceptual analysis of the detection strategies underlying the MMPI-2 validity scales. The conceptual analysis is augmented by comprehensive meta-analysis of 65 MMPI-2 feigning studies plus 11 MMPI-2 diagnostic studies. For the rare-symptoms strategy, Fp (Cohen's d = 2.02) appears especially effective across diagnostic groups; its cut scores evidence greater consistency than most validity indicators. The data supported the F as an effective scale but questioned the routine use of Fb. Among the specialized scales, Ds appeared especially useful because of its sophisticated strategy, consistent cut score, and minimalfalse-positives. General guidelines are offeredfor specific MMPI-2 validity scales in the assessment of malingering with specific diagnoses.

From Paid Worker to Volunteer: Leaving the Paid Workforce and Volunteering in Later Life

Abstract: Numerous role shifts occur between the ages of 55 and 74 as individuals typically relinquish paid work and some family roles and make choices about how to use their expanding discretionary time. Using data from the first two waves of the Americans' Changing Lives survey, we examine the association between paid work status and formal and informal volunteer activity. No evidence for an association between paid work status and informal volunteering is found, suggesting that helping friends, neighbors, and relatives occurs independent of constraints associated with paid work. A relationship is established for formal volunteering, however. Among individuals who were not volunteering for formal organizations at the time of the first interview, those who worked part-time, those who had not worked in either wave, as well as those who stopped work between interviews were significantly more involved in volunteering than were full-time workers.

Factors Affecting Volunteerism among Older Adults

Abstract: This study examines whether employment status has an effect on a person's decision to volunteer and the number of hours volunteered. The data are from the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) study. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics are used to determine the rate of volunteering in relation to employment status because fewer people remain in the workforce among the older population. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between respondents who did or did not volunteer within the past 12 months. A regression analysis suggested that part-time work, age, education, importance of religion, and health status are significantly related to volunteer hours. Although only a small number of respondents are currently working, the number of volunteer hours contributed is higher in comparison to past studies.

Too much of a good thing: retinoic acid as an endogenous regulator of neural differentiation and exogenous teratogen.

Abstract: Retinoic acid (RA) is essential for both embryonic and adult growth, activating gene transcription via specific nuclear receptors. It is generated, via a retinaldehyde intermediate, from retinol (vitamin A). RA levels require precise regulation by controlled synthesis and catabolism, and when RA concentrations deviate from normal, in either direction, abnormal growth and development occurs. This review describes: (i) how the pattern of RA metabolic enzymes controls the actions of RA; and (ii) the type of abnormalities that result when this pattern breaks down. Examples are given of RA control of the anterior/posterior axis of the hindbrain, the dorsal/ventral axis of the spinal cord, as well as certain sex-specific segments of the spinal cord, using varied animal models including mouse, quail and mosquitofish. These functions are highly sensitive to abnormal changes in RA concentration. In rodents, the control of neural patterning and differentiation are disrupted when RA concentrations are lowered, whereas inappropriately high concentrations of RA result in abnormal development of cerebellum and hindbrain nuclei. The latter parallels the malformations seen in the human embryo exposed to RA due to treatment of the mother with the acne drug Accutane (13-cis RA) and, in cases where the child survives beyond birth, a particular set of behavioural anomalies can be described. Even the adult brain may be susceptible to an imbalance of RA, particularly the hippocampus. This report shows how the properties of RA as a neural induction agent and organizer of segmentation can explain the consequences of RA depletion and overexpression.

Maximal Strength Testing in Healthy Children

Abstract: Strength training has become an accepted method of conditioning in children. However, there is concern among some observers that maximal strength testing may be inappropriate or potentially injurious to children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength testing in healthy children. Thirty-two girls and 64 boys between 6.2 and 12.3 years of age (mean age 9.3 +/- 1.6 years) volunteered to participate in this study. All subjects were screened for medical conditions that could worsen during maximal strength testing. Under close supervision by qualified professionals, each subject performed a 1RM test on 1 upper-body (standing chest press or seated chest press) and 1 lower-body (leg press or leg extension) exercise using child-size weight training machines. No injuries occurred during the study period, and the testing protocol was well tolerated by the subjects. No gender differences were found for any upper- or lower-body strength test. These findings demonstrate that healthy children can safely perform 1RM strength tests, provided that appropriate procedures are followed.

Multicenter Evaluation of Use of Dried Blood and Plasma Spot Specimens in Quantitative Assays for Human Immunodeficiency Virus RNA: Measurement, Precision, and RNA Stability

Abstract: Eleven laboratories evaluated the use of dried blood and plasma spots for quantitation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA by two commercially available RNA assays, the Roche Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor and the bioMerieux NucliSens HIV-1 QT assays. The recovery of HIV RNA was linear over a dynamic range extending from 4,000 to 500,000 HIV type 1 RNA copies/ml. The Monitor assay appeared to have a broader dynamic range and seemed more sensitive at lower concentrations. However, the NucliSens assay gave more consistent results and could be performed without modification of the kit. HIV RNA was stable in dried whole blood or plasma stored at room temperature or at -70 degrees C for up to 1 year. Dried blood and dried plasma spots can be used as an easy and inexpensive means for the collection and storage of specimens under field conditions for the diagnosis of HIV infection and the monitoring of antiretroviral therapy.

Justice and Identity: Changing Perspectives on What Is Fair:

Abstract: Most research on justice has aimed to describe abstract, depersonalized models that could apply to anyone. However, much of this research has involved identity, if only implicitly. We argue that justice needs to be contextualized to take into account the powerful effects of identity in determining when justice matters. The complexity and fluidity of identity need to be considered to understand when, why, and how strongly people care about justice, and how people choose among competing models of justice. We review existing research on distributive, procedural, and inclusionary justice and describe their connection to identity. We illustrate the intersection of justice and identity in environmental issues, a context in which these constructs have significant implications for individual, community, and planetary well-being. We conclude with 4 points to stimulate further research on the intersections of identity and justice.

Race and ethnic differences in depressed mood following the transition from high school.

Abstract: Young adulthood is a period of increased mental health risk, with evidence linking psychological disorder to problematic role transitions. To our knowledge, there has been little or no research that examines the forces shaping minority mental health at this time. Using a diverse, urban sample of young adults who are followed over a two-year period, this paper examines the link between race/ethnicity and depressed mood and the transitional roles and interpersonal experiences that mediate this association. Findings indicate that blacks and Hispanics have elevated depressed mood relative to whites and Asian Americans, independent of socioeconomic background factors. The underrepresentation of blacks and Hispanics in four-year colleges largely explains the differences in depressed mood between members of these groups and Asian American youth. In contrast, comparisons of black and Hispanic youth to white youth highlight problems in peer and parental relations among individuals in the former groups. Overall, findings suggest that the heightened depressed mood among Hispanics and blacks relative to whites and Asian Americans reflects their increasingly disadvantaged pathways into adulthood, characterized by poorer prospects for educational advancement and more problematic relationships subsequent to the high school years.

Adolescent mothers' relationship with their children's biological fathers: social support, social strain, and relationship continuity.

Abstract: Two-hundred and eighteen low-income, minority, adolescent mothers were interviewed during the perinatal period and 3 years later about their social networks, including their relationships with their children's fathers. Few adolescents were involved with fathers at both time points. Relationships with fathers were, in general, less supportive and less problematic over time. Moreover, although father support was not associated with adolescent mothers' psychological adjustment, father absence and father strain had negative associations with psychological adjustment. Maternal grandmother support buffered the negative effects of strain in the adolescents' relationships with biological fathers. Perceptions of less social support from maternal grandmothers and more social support from fathers during the perinatal period as well as less social support from a new male partner at 3 years postpartum predicted relationship continuity between adolescent mothers and fathers at 3 years postpartum. Implications for intervention and policy are discussed.

Structural antecedents and psychological correlates of teacher empowerment

Abstract: Empowered teachers participate in critical decisions that directly affect teaching and learning. Empowering work environments may enhance professionalism, facilitate teacher leadership, improve the quality of work life, and enable effective implementation of school reform. Process‐based views of empowerment suggest associations between school organizational structures and teacher empowerment, while psychological perspectives on empowerment suggest potential relationships between the phenomenon and cognitive and affective outcomes. Empowerment is considered in terms of teams and teamwork in schools, and relationships between empowerment and commitment to the school are examined.

Bargains Old and New: Multinational Corporations in Global Governance

Abstract: This paper outlines an approach for understanding the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in global governance. We develop a typology of regime types with two dimensions, the goal of the regime, which can be market enabling or regulatory, and the location of authority, which can be national, regional, or international, with public and private elements. MNCs tend to support the creation of market enabling regimes at the international level, and prefer to keep social or environmental regulation under national or private authority. However, these are only generalizations and MNCs develop preferences based on their relative influence in various arenas, the costs of political participation, and competitive considerations. We argue that institutions of global governance represent the outcome of a series of negotiations among corporations, states, and non-state actors. The preferences and power of MNCs vary across issues and sectors, and from one negotiating forum to another, accounting for the uneven and fragmented nature of the resulting system. Our approach differs from the traditional FDI bargaining framework in that it recognizes the multi-party nature of negotiations and multiple sources of power. Moreover, the complexity and dynamic nature of the process results in a somewhat indeterminate process.

Natural Mentors in the Lives of African American Adolescent Mothers: Tracking Relationships over Time.

Abstract: In this study, we focused on the academic attainment of African American adolescents as they made the transition from pregnancy or recent delivery to 2 years postpartum. We examined the duration, characteristics, and effects of relationships that endured over 2 years postpartum, and the role of adolescents' mentor versus maternal support. Compared to participants who did not identify mentors at either time point, participants whose mentor relationships endured over the course of the 2-year study were more likely to have remained in school or graduated. Subsequent analyses revealed that long-term mentor relationships were characterized by weekly and, in many instances, daily interactions. Additionally, participants in long-term mentor relationships reported deriving more emotional support from their mentors than from their mothers, were more satisfied with mentor support, and indicated that this support was more important to them than maternal support.

Patterns, mechanisms, and functions of translation regulation in mammalian spermatogenic cells.

Abstract: Translational regulation is a fundamental aspect of the atypical patterns of gene expression in mammalian meiotic and haploid spermatogenic cells. Every mRNA is at least partially translationally repressed in meiotic and haploid spermatogenic cells, but the extent of repression of individual mRNA species is regulated individually and varies greatly. Many mRNA species, such as protamine mRNAs, are stored in translationally repressed free-mRNPs in early haploid cells and translated actively in late haploid cells. However, translation does not regulate developmental expression of all mRNAs. Some mRNAs appear to be partially repressed for the entire period that the mRNA is expressed in meiotic and haploid cells, while other mRNAs, some of which are expressed at high levels, are almost totally inactivated in free-mRNPs and/or generate little or no protein. This distinctive phenomenon can be explained by the hypothesis that translational repression is used to prevent the potentionally deleterious effects of overproduction of proteins encoded by overexpressed mRNAs. Translational regulation also appears to be frequently altered by the widespread usage of alternative transcription start sites in spermatogenic cells. Many ubiquitously expressed genes generate novel transcripts in somatic spermatogenic cells containing elements, uORFs and secondary structure that are inhibitory to mRNA translation, while the ribosomal proten L32 mRNA lacks a repressive element that is present in somatic cells. Very little is known about the mechanisms that regulate mRNA translation in spermatogenic cells, largely because few labs have utilized in vivo genetic approaches, although there have been important insights into the repression and activation of protamine 1 mRNA, and the role of Y-box proteins and poly(A) lengthening in mRNA-specific translational activation mediated by the cytoplasmic poly(A) element binding protein and a testis-specific isoform of poly(A) polymerase. A very large literature by evolutionary biologists suggests that the atypical patterns of gene expression in spermatogenic cells are the consequence of the powerful and unusual selective pressures on male reproductive success.

Accuracy of the TRUGENE HIV-1 genotyping kit

Abstract: Drug resistance and poor virological responses are associated with well-characterized mutations in the viral reading frames that encode the proteins that are targeted by currently available antiretroviral drugs. An integrated system was developed that includes target gene amplification, DNA sequencing chemistry (TRUGENE HIV-1 Genotyping Kit), and hardware and interpretative software (the OpenGene DNA Sequencing System) for detection of mutations in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease and reverse transcriptase sequences. The integrated system incorporates reverse transcription-PCR from extracted HIV-1 RNA, a coupled amplification and sequencing step (CLIP), polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, semiautomated analysis of data, and generation of an interpretative report. To assess the accuracy and robustness of the assay system, 270 coded plasma specimens derived from nine patients were sent to six laboratories for blinded analysis. All specimens contained HIV-1 subtype B viruses. Results of 270 independent assays were compared to “gold standard” consensus sequences of the virus populations determined by sequence analysis of 16 to 20 clones of viral DNA amplicons derived from two independent PCRs using primers not used in the kit. The accuracy of the integrated system for nucleotide base identification was 98.7%, and the accuracy for codon identification at 54 sites associated with drug resistance was 97.6%. In a separate analysis of plasma spiked with infectious molecular clones, the assay reproducibly detected all 72 different drug resistance mutations that were evaluated. There were no significant differences in accuracy between laboratories, between technologists, between kit lots, or between days. This integrated assay system for the detection of HIV-1 drug resistance mutations has a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility in several laboratories.

Are Students Failing School or Are Schools Failing Students? Class Cutting in High School

Abstract: In many urban public high schools today, students navigate their day by selectively cutting class leading to course failure and dropping out Collaborative, qualitative research conducted with urban high school students indicates that cutting results from disengagement and alienation that students label "boredom" Focus group data (N= 160 in 8 groups) indicate that class cutting has not only an individual component that schools address, but also a systemic, conflictual component that schools do not address These unaddressed, intransigent conflicts can foster moral exclusion and structural violence These data suggest that rather than relying on standard punitive approaches, schools can respond to class cutting more effectively by taking students' concerns seriously, working collaboratively with students, and engaging in institutional self-scrutiny

Consistent Economic Indexes for the 50 States

Abstract: In the late 1980s James Stock and Mark Watson developed for the U.S. economy an alternative coincident index to the one now published by the Conference Board. They used the Kalman filter to estimate a latent dynamic factor for the national economy and designated the common factor as the coincident index. This paper uses the Stock-Watson methodology to estimate a consistent set of coincident indexes for the 50 states. These indexes provide researchers with a comprehensive monthly measure of economic activity that can be used to examine a number of state and regional issues.

Alternative Explanations of Emotional Numbing of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Examination of Hyperarousal and Experiential Avoidance

Abstract: The mechanisms that underlie the emotional numbing symptoms associated with PTSD are not well understood. Studies of Vietnam combat veterans have demonstrated that hyperarousal symptoms predict emotional numbing symptoms more strongly than do other symptoms of PTSD. This study sought to extend these findings through the self-report of 170 female sexual assault survivors. The study also examined whether the relationship between hyperarousal and emotional numbing symptoms was the result of the relationship of each of these to another variable, the tendency to engage in experiential avoidance. Results were consistent with and extended previous findings. Hyperarousal symptoms were also found to predict emotional numbing symptoms above and beyond experiential avoidance, as well as all other symptoms of PTSD.