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This study focused on the buffering effects of Adults in the Making (AIM), a family-centered preventive intervention, on the link between life stress and increases in risk behaviors among 347 rural, southern African Americans as they left high school. Of the families, 174 were assigned to the prevention condition and 173 to a control condition. Emerging adults reported risk behaviors at pretest, posttest (7 months after pretest), and long-term follow-up (10 months after posttest). A significant Life stress x Prevention condition interaction emerged: Increases in risk behaviors were significantly greater among emerging adults in the control condition who experienced high stress levels than among those in the prevention condition who experienced equally high stress levels.

This longitudinal study was designed to test hypotheses, derived from a stress proliferation framework, regarding the association between perceived racial discrimination and changes in parenting among African American mothers in the rural South. A sample of 139 mothers and their children were interviewed 3 times at 1-year intervals. Mothers reported on perceived discrimination and two proliferated stressors: stress-related health problems and depressive symptoms. Both mothers and children reported on mothers' competence-promoting parenting. Structural equation modeling revealed a chain-like sequence: Perceived discrimination forecast increases in mothers' stress-related health problems, which in turn were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms constituted the proximal variable associated with decreases in mothers' competence-promoting parenting. These results emerged independent of socioeconomic characteristics.

Longitudinal links between perceived racial discrimination and later conduct problems and depressive symptoms were examined among 714 African American adolescents who were 10-12 years old at recruitment. Data were gathered 3 times over a 5-year period. Hypotheses were tested via latent curve modeling and multiple-group latent growth modeling. Increases in perceived discrimination were associated with increased conduct problems and depressive symptoms. This association was weaker when youths received nurturant-involved parenting, affiliated with prosocial friends, and performed well academically. For conduct problems, the association was stronger for boys than for girls; for depressive symptoms, no gender differences emerged. The findings thus identify contextual variables that moderate the contribution of perceived discrimination to African American youths' adjustment.

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01288.x Byline: Gene H. Brody (1), Steven R. H. Beach (1), Robert A. Philibert (2), Yi-fu Chen (3), Velma McBride Murry (3) Abstract: A randomized prevention design was used to investigate a moderation effect in the association between a polymorphism in the SCL6A4(5HTT) gene at 5-HTTLPR and increases in youths' risk behavior initiation. Participation in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program was hypothesized to attenuate the link between 5-HTTLPR status and risk behavior initiation. Youths (N = 641, M age = 11.2 years) were assigned randomly to a SAAF or control condition. Risk behavior initiation across 29 months was linked positively with the 5-HTTLPR genotype and negatively with SAAF participation. Control youths at genetic risk initiated risk behavior at twice the rate of SAAF youths at genetic risk and youths not at genetic risk in either condition. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Georgia (2)University of Iowa (3)University of Georgia Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Gene H. Brody, Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602-4527. Electronic mail may be sent to gbrody@uga.edu.

Communication using power line as a medium provides a convenient and inexpensive way for data transmission and control signaling in the households. In this paper, we will introduce a power-line channel model as well as architecture of a spread-spectrum baseband transceiver integrated circuit (IC) for a power-line modem. The modulation and spreading scheme used in the proposed transceiver is M-ary bi-orthogonal keying (MBOK). This transceiver runs at a chipping rate of 256 kHz and provides 128-Kbps data rate. Simulation results as well as FPGA emulation verify the effectiveness of the proposed architecture for household data communication. Index Terms--Home automation, modern, power line, spread spectrum.

Therefore, for node-negative T2-T4 gastric cancer patients with poor prognostic factors and <25 retrieved lymph nodes, adjuvant treatments, including chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, should be considered to eradicate possible micrometastases and residual cancer cells in the locoregional nodes. Rationale in the Use of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in pT3N0M0 Gastric Cancer Resected Patients. However, some patients did not undergo adjuvant chemotherapy under several considerations, including poor performance status after surgery, old age, concerns of chemotherapy-related side effects, and the limited benefits by chemotherapy. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To investigate the expression and regulation of alpha 1 anti-trypsin (AAT) in tubular epithelial cells., Methods: The expression of AAT in tubular epithelial cell line HKC was detected with indirect immunofluorescence assay and confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in transcription level respectively, and PCR product was sequenced. In order to observe the response of HCK to LPS, the different concentrations of LPS (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 microg/ml) were used in the research and the regulation of AAT in HKC was semi-quantitatively detected with Western Blot and Real-Time PCR respectively., Results: Indirect immunofluorescence staining showed that AAT was positive in HKC, but negative in renal interstitial fibroblast. By PCR, a significant messenger RNA band of AAT was found in HKC, but not in renal interstitial fibroblast. DNA sequencing indicated that the sequence of PCR product is consistent with AAT mRNA sequence in Gene Bank. Real-time PCR showed that the expression of AAT mRNA was up-regulated (fluorescence intensity ratio is 3.43 +/- 0.88 versus 1.22 +/- 0.20; P < 0.01) in HKC stimulated with 2.0 microg/ml LPS for 4 h, and Western Blot showed that the synthesis of AAT significantly increased (band density ratio is 0.88 +/- 0.12 versus 0.59 +/- 0.05; P < 0.01) in HKC stimulated with 2.0 microg/ml LPS for 8 h, as compared with unstimulated HKC. 0.5, 1.0 g/ml of LPS has no effect on the expression of AAT mRNA and AAT protein in HKC., Conclusions: HKC express AAT and the expression can be up-regulated by LPS.