Broader Implications (broader + implication)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


THOUGHTS ON THE BROADER IMPLICATIONS OF THE "MIRACLE OF THE CELLS"

CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2008
DANIEL S. NAGIN
First page of article [source]


Tobacco is Going, Going , But Where?

CULTURE, AGRICULTURE, FOOD & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2009
Donald D. Stull
Abstract Tobacco is America's most vilified agricultural product. It is also the eighth most valuable crop in the United States, and its immense economic value and historic depth made it an agricultural cornerstone and a cultural focus in the Upper South. The federal tobacco program limited production and ensured a fair price to growers, helping many small family farms survive at no net cost to the American taxpayer. Kentucky ranks second in tobacco production and is the most tobacco-dependent state. This paper examines what has happened to tobacco farmers in western Kentucky since the federal tobacco program was terminated in 2004 and its broader implications. [source]


Eco-hydrological controls on summertime convective rainfall triggers

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007
JEHN-YIH JUANG
Abstract Triggers of summertime convective rainfall depend on numerous interactions and feedbacks, often compounded by spatial variability in soil moisture and its impacts on vegetation function, vegetation composition, terrain, and all the complex turbulent entrainment processes near the capping inversion. To progress even within the most restricted and idealized framework, many of the governing processes must be simplified and parameterized. In this work, a zeroth-order representation of the dynamical processes that control convective rainfall triggers , namely land surface fluxes of heat and moisture , is proposed and used to develop a semianalytical model to explore how differential sensitivities of various ecosystems to soil moisture states modify convective rainfall triggers. The model is then applied to 4 years (2001,2004) of half-hourly precipitation, soil moisture, environmental, and eddy-covariance surface heat flux data collected at a mixed hardwood forest (HW), a maturing planted loblolly pine forest (PP), and an abandoned old field (OF) experiencing the same climatic and edaphic conditions. We found that the sensitivity of PP to soil moisture deficit enhances the trigger of convective rainfall relative to HW and OF, with enhancements of about 25% and 30% for dry moisture states, and 5% and 15% for moist soil moisture states, respectively. We discuss the broader implications of these findings on potential modulations of convective rainfall triggers induced by projected large-scale changes in timberland composition within the Southeastern United States. [source]


Is informed choice in genetic testing a different breed of informed decision-making?

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2001
A discussion paper
Traditionally genetic counselling has promoted a non-directive approach to patients' decision-making but the feasibility of this has been questioned. Unlike most branches of medicine, which are shifting away from a paternalistic model, genetic counselling is approaching shared decision-making from a different perspective. There are certain features of genetic counselling and genetic testing which may complicate the drive towards shared decision-making and informed choice: 1. Genetic test results can have broader implications than non-genetic test results. 2. Genetic test results may be perceived by the patient differently to non-genetic test results. 3. Carrier status for autosomal recessive conditions may be difficult for patients to conceptualize. 4. Decisions in genetic counselling are often multiple and sequential. 5. Most information in genetic counselling is based on probabilities and uncertainties. Each of these features is discussed in relation to achieving shared decision-making in genetic testing and the implications for genetic counsellors are described. The points raised, however, have broader implications for medicine as several of the features, although central to genetic testing, are not entirely unique. Lessons learnt from genetic testing and genetic counselling in achieving shared decision-making could help develop methods of promoting informed choice in other medical arenas such as cancer screening. [source]


Emphatic ne in informal spoken French and implications for foreign language pedagogy

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 1 2009
Rémi A. Van Compernolle
variation linguistique; langue française; négation verbale; compétence sociolinguistique; enseignement des langues étrangères This paper investigates the variable retention vs deletion of the negative particle ne in a corpus of informal spoken French, and compares the results with previous studies in which a variationist approach was used. A qualitative analysis of ne use revealed that the negative particle co-occurs most often with a number of prosodic features of discourse used for emphasis. The final part of this paper provides a number of recommendations for teaching and learning the sociolinguistics and pragmatics of verbal negation in conversational French, and discusses broader implications for the treatment of variation in foreign language education. Cet article explore l'omission variable de la particule négative ne dans un corpus de français parlé de tous les jours et situe les résultats de cette recherche par rapport aux études variationnistes antérieures. Une analyse qualitative de l'emploi du ne met en lumière la corrélation entre la présence de la particule négative et l'accentuation prosodique. La fin de cet article se concentre sur l'enseignement et l'apprentissage de la négation verbale en mettant en valeur les aspects sociolinguistiques et pragmatiques de la particule négative dans le français parlé de tous les jours. Par extension suit une discussion des implications plus larges quant au traitement de la variation linguistique dans les cours de langues étrangères. [source]


The Consensus Conference and Combined-Integrated model of doctoral training in professional psychology, Overview of Part 1: Nature and scope of the Combined-Integrated model

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 9 2004
Craig N. Shealy
This special series of articles on the Consensus Conference and Combined-Integrated (C-I) model of doctoral training in professional psychology consists of 13 articles in two successive volumes of the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Six articles are presented in Part 1 (Vol. 60, Issue 9), which collectively describe the "nature and scope" of the C-I model (e.g., historic and definitional issues; the potential advantages of this model; implications for the profession). In Part 2 of this special series (Vol. 60, Issue 10), articles 7 through 12 address the broader implications and potential applications of the C-I model within a range of professional and societal contexts (e.g., for interprofessional collaboration; the health care field; development of a global curriculum; the unified psychology movement; issues of assessment and professional identity; and higher education); article 13 provides a summary of the series as well as a discussion of future directions. As an overview, this paper provides the abstract for each of the articles in Part 1, and describes the various topics of the articles in Part 2. Taken together, the articles in this special series are designed to provide a coherent account of how and why the C-I model is timely and relevant, and therefore warrants serious consideration by the larger education and training community in professional psychology. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol. [source]


Evolution and homology of the astragalus in early amniotes: New fossils, new perspectives

JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
F. Robin O'Keefe
Abstract The reorganization of the ankle in basal amniotes has long been considered a key innovation allowing the evolution of more terrestrial and cursorial behavior. Understanding how this key innovation arose is a complex problem that largely concerns the homologizing of the amniote astragalus with the various ossifications in the anamniote tarsus. Over the last century, several hypotheses have been advanced homologizing the amniote astragalus with the many ossifications in the ankle of amphibian-grade tetrapods. There is an emerging consensus that the amniote astragalus is a complex structure emerging via the co-ossification of several originally separate elements, but the identities of these elements remain unclear. Here we present new fossil evidence bearing on this contentious question. A poorly ossified, juvenile astragalus of the large captorhinid Moradisaurus grandis shows clear evidence of four ossification centers, rather than of three centers or one center as posited in previous models of astragalus homology. Comparative material of the captorhinid Captorhinikos chozaensis is also interpretable as demonstrating four ossification centers. A new, four-center model for the homology of the amniote astragalus is advanced, and is discussed in the context of the phylogeny of the Captorhinidae in an attempt to identify the developmental transitions responsible for the observed pattern of ossification within this clade. Lastly, the broader implications for amniote phylogeny are discussed, concluding that the neomorphic pattern of astragalus ossification seen in all extant reptiles (including turtles) arose within the clade Diapsida. J. Morphol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Potential mechanisms for astrocyte-TIMP-1 downregulation in chronic inflammatory diseases

JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2006
Jessica Gardner
Abstract The pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 associated dementia, is exacerbated by an imbalance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In the context of disease, TIMP-1 has emerged as an important multifunctional protein capable of regulating inflammation. We previously reported differential TIMP-1 expression in acute versus chronic activation of astrocytes. This study investigates possible mechanisms underlying TIMP-1 downregulation in chronic neuroinflammation. We used interleukin (IL)-1, as a model pro-inflammatory stimulus and measured TIMP-1 binding to extracellular matrix, cell death, receptor downregulation, TIMP-1 mRNA stability and transcriptional regulation in activated astrocytes. TIMP-1 remained localized to the cell body or was secreted into the cell supernatant. DNA fragmentation ELISA and MTT assay showed that prolonged IL-1, activation of astrocytes induced significant astrocyte death. In acute and chronic IL-1,-activated astrocytes, IL-1 receptor levels were not significantly different. TIMP-1 mRNA stability was measured in astrocytes and U87 astroglioma cells by real-time PCR, and TIMP-1 promoter activation was studied using TIMP-1-luciferase reporter constructs in transfected astrocytes. Our results indicated that TIMP-1 expression is regulated through multiple mechanisms. Transcriptional control and loss of mRNA stabilization are, however, the most likely primary contributors to chronic downregulation of TIMP-1. These data are important for unraveling the mechanisms underlying astrocyte responses during chronic neuroinflammation and have broader implications in other inflammatory diseases that involve MMP/TIMP imbalance. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The impact of developmental conditions on adult salivary estradiol levels: Why this differs from progesterone?

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
Alejandra Núñez-De La Mora
Women living in energetically stressful conditions have significantly lower baseline salivary steroid levels compared to those in affluent environments. Developmental hypotheses suggest that interpopulation variation in ovarian function results from contrasting environments experienced during growth. We use a migrant study of Bangladeshi women to test this hypothesis. We compared middle-class women (19,39 years) who migrated to London, UK, at different life-stages (pre and postmenarche), with Bangladeshi sedentees, second-generation British-Bangladeshis, and white British women living in similar London neighborhoods (total n = 227). We analyzed levels of salivary estradiol for one menstrual cycle, together with data on anthropometry, diet, lifestyle, and migration and reproductive histories. Results from multiple linear regression models, controlling for anthropometric and reproductive variables, show no significant differences in baseline estradiol levels between groups whether all cycles or just ovulatory cycles are analyzed. We also found no correlation between age at migration or time since migration on estradiol levels, nor between adult estradiol levels and age at menarche. Our results differ from previous reports of significantly lower salivary estradiol levels in populations living in more extreme ecological settings. They also contrast with our previous findings of significant intergroup differences in baseline levels of salivary progesterone. However, women who spent their childhood in Sylhet have a lower proportion of ovulatory cycles compared to women who developed in Britain. These group differences in ovulation frequency indicate more qualitative effects of contrasting developmental environments. We discuss possible explanations for differences in response between progesterone and estradiol, as well as broader implications of our findings. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Intrinsic brain connectivity in fibromyalgia is associated with chronic pain intensity,

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2010
Vitaly Napadow
Objective Fibromyalgia (FM) is considered to be the prototypical central chronic pain syndrome and is associated with widespread pain that fluctuates spontaneously. Multiple studies have demonstrated altered brain activity in these patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the degree of connectivity between multiple brain networks in patients with FM, as well as how activity in these networks correlates with the level of spontaneous pain. Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) data from 18 patients with FM and 18 age-matched healthy control subjects were analyzed using dual-regression independent components analysis, which is a data-driven approach for the identification of independent brain networks. Intrinsic, or resting-state, connectivity was evaluated in multiple brain networks: the default mode network (DMN), the executive attention network (EAN), and the medial visual network (MVN), with the MVN serving as a negative control. Spontaneous pain levels were also analyzed for covariance with intrinsic connectivity. Results Patients with FM had greater connectivity within the DMN and right EAN (corrected P [Pcorr] < 0.05 versus controls), and greater connectivity between the DMN and the insular cortex, which is a brain region known to process evoked pain. Furthermore, greater intensity of spontaneous pain at the time of the FMRI scan correlated with greater intrinsic connectivity between the insula and both the DMN and right EAN (Pcorr < 0.05). Conclusion These findings indicate that resting brain activity within multiple networks is associated with spontaneous clinical pain in patients with FM. These findings may also have broader implications for how subjective experiences such as pain arise from a complex interplay among multiple brain networks. [source]


Museum Outreach Programs to Promote Community Engagement in Local Environmental Issues

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2007
Ruth Lane
Ideas of ,community' and ,community voice' have been mobilised in collaborative programs developed between the National Museum of Australia and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission since 1992. This collaboration is set within a broader context of changing ideas and practice around governance, community and environmental issues. The recent Murray-Darling Outreach Project (MDOP), a series of museum outreach projects with regional communities aiming to increase community engagement in local environmental issues in the Murray-Darling Basin, is specifically examined. Evaluation research on the MDOP found that the approach to program development significantly shaped the types of voices, range of issues presented and the nature of the communicative forums established. The potential impacts on online audiences are discussed along with broader implications for government agencies involved in community partnerships. [source]


Pattern Bargaining: An Investigation into its Agency, Context and Evidence

BRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2008
Franz Traxler
Pattern bargaining stands out as both an under-researched and controversial subject. This article is an analytical and empirical contribution to this debate. Theoretically, it provides a conceptual framework, which enables analysis to systematically differentiate between distinct forms of pattern bargaining in terms of scope, agency, development and function, which arise from differing contexts in terms of interest configuration, power relations and economic conditions. This framework is used to develop testable hypotheses on pattern bargaining as a mechanism of inter-industry bargaining co-ordination. The empirical part of the article examines these hypotheses for collective bargaining from 1969 to 2004 in Austria, which is commonly seen as a paradigm case of pattern bargaining. The article concludes by highlighting the broader implications its findings have from a cross-nationally comparative perspective. [source]


Pros and Cons of Educational Technologies as Methods for Disseminating Evidence-Based Treatments

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2004
Jennifer M. Lane
The article by Weingardt (this issue) proposes the adoption of instructional design technologies (IDTs) for the dissemination of empirically supported psychological therapies (ESTs). Although the use of such tools for the dissemination of ESTs clearly has multiple benefits, it is important to consider the broader implications of these approaches for clinical research and treatment. We suggest that reliance of educationally based technologies could have important consequences for the way in which the scientist-practitioner relationship is framed. Furthermore, we propose that the adoption of IDT principles raises some significant practical and conceptual concerns about the future directions of psychotherapy research and practice. [source]