Stronger Decreases Research Articles

Understanding Long-Term Variations in Surface Ozone in United States (U.S.) National Parks

Long-term surface ozone observations at 25 National Park Service sites across the United States were analyzed for processes on varying time scales using a time scale decomposition technique, the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD). Time scales of interest include the seasonal cycle, large-scale climate oscillations, and long-term (>10 years) trends. Emission reductions were found to have a greater impact on sites that are nearest major urban areas. Multidecadal trends in surface ozone were increasing at a rate of 0.07 to 0.37 ppbv year−1 before 2004 and decreasing at a rate of −0.08 to −0.60 ppbv year−1 after 2004 for sites in the East, Southern California, and Northwestern Washington. Sites in the Intermountain West did not experience a reversal of trends from positive to negative until the mid- to late 2000s. The magnitude of the annual amplitude (=annual maximum–minimum) decreased at eight sites, two in the West, two in the Intermountain West, and four in the East, by 5–20 ppbv and significantly increased at three sites; one in Alaska, one in the West, and one in the Intermountain West, by 3–4 ppbv. Stronger decreases in the annual amplitude occurred at a greater proportion of sites in the East (4/6 sites) than in the West/Intermountain West (4/19 sites). The date of annual maximums and/or minimums has changed at 12 sites, occurring 10–60 days earlier in the year. There appeared to be a link between the timing of the annual maximum and the decrease in the annual amplitude, which was hypothesized to be related to a decrease in ozone titration resulting from NOx emission reductions. Furthermore, it was found that a phase shift of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), from positive to negative, in 1998–1999 resulted in increased occurrences of La Niña-like conditions. This shift had the effect of directing more polluted air masses from East Asia to higher latitudes over the North American continent. The change in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)/El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) regime influenced surface ozone at an Alaskan site over its nearly 30-year data record.

On the relationships between plasma chemistry, etching kinetics and etching residues in CF4+C4F8+Ar and CF4+CH2F2+Ar plasmas with various CF4/C4F8 and CF4/CH2F2 mixing ratios

In this work, we investigated how the CF4/C4F8 and CF4/CH2F2 mixing ratios in CF4+C4F8+Ar and CF4+CH2F2+Ar inductively coupled plasmas influence plasma parameters, densities and fluxes of plasma active species and etching characteristics (process kinetics, etching rates and selectivities, etching residues) for both Si and SiO2. For this purpose, we employed surface diagnostics by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), plasma diagnostics by Langmuir probes and 0-dimensional plasma model. It was found that the substitution of CF4 for CH2F2 causes the stronger decreases in both F atom flux and ion energy flux compared with the effect of C4F8. Accordingly, the CF4+CH2F2+Ar mixture provides the deeper fall of both Si and SiO2 etching rates, leaves the higher amount of the fluorocarbon polymer on the etched surface (especially in the case of Si) and results in a bit higher SiO2/Si etching selectivity. It was shown also that, in both gas systems, the etching process appears in the steady-state regime. The mechanisms influencing the etching/polymerization balance were discussed based on the correlation between Si and SiO2 etching rates with fluxes of plasma active species.

Short- and long-term effects of over-reporting of grades on academic self-concept and achievement.

This study examined the short- and long-term effects of self-enhancement (i.e., overreporting of academic grades) on academic self-concept and academic achievement. A total of 916, 719, and 647 students participated in the first, second, and third waves of assessment, respectively (mean age at T1 = 15.6 years). At each assessment, students reported their last midterm grades and their self-concepts in mathematics, German, English, and French. Actual midterm grades were obtained from the school administrations. Results showed that self-enhancement was positively associated with self-concept in the short term. However, in the long term, self-enhancement was directly associated with stronger decreases in self-concept and indirectly with stronger decreases in achievement that were linked to inflated self-concepts. Implications for research and educational practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Puffed-up but shaky selves: State self-esteem level and variability in narcissists.

Different theoretical conceptualizations characterize grandiose narcissists by high, yet fragile self-esteem. Empirical evidence, however, has been inconsistent, particularly regarding the relationship between narcissism and self-esteem fragility (i.e., self-esteem variability). Here, we aim at unraveling this inconsistency by disentangling the effects of two theoretically distinct facets of narcissism (i.e., admiration and rivalry) on the two aspects of state self-esteem (i.e., level and variability). We report on data from a laboratory-based and two field-based studies (total N = 596) in realistic social contexts, capturing momentary, daily, and weekly fluctuations of state self-esteem. To estimate unbiased effects of narcissism on the level and variability of self-esteem within one model, we applied mixed-effects location scale models. Results of the three studies and their meta-analytical integration indicated that narcissism is positively linked to self-esteem level and variability. When distinguishing between admiration and rivalry, however, an important dissociation was identified: Admiration was related to high (and rather stable) levels of state self-esteem, whereas rivalry was related to (rather low and) fragile self-esteem. Analyses on underlying processes suggest that effects of rivalry on self-esteem variability are based on stronger decreases in self-esteem from one assessment to the next, particularly after a perceived lack of social inclusion. The revealed differentiated effects of admiration and rivalry explain why the analysis of narcissism as a unitary concept has led to the inconsistent past findings and provide deeper insights into the intrapersonal dynamics of grandiose narcissism governing state self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record

Aerosol radiative effects under clear skies over Europe and their changes in the period of 2001–2012

ABSTRACTIn the study, the clear‐sky aerosol radiative effects have been quantified at 52 European sites using empirical and radiative transfer modelling approaches. Furthermore, the trends of the aerosol radiative effects are also determined for the period of 2001–2012. The aerosol radiative effects are simulated using the Mesoscale Atmospheric Global Irradiance Code radiation code with aerosol and water vapour climatology. The annual mean of the surface aerosol radiative effects in clear‐sky situations over Europe is −7.1 ± 2.9 W m−2. The trends of the aerosol radiative effects are derived assigning radiative effects to monthly Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aerosol optical depth time series applying linear fitting. In the indirect approach, the clear‐sky situations are selected from daily surface solar radiation observations from the Word Radiation Data Centre, and the trends of the aerosol radiative effects are delimitated in these clear‐sky radiation time series. The two approaches give good fit, based on the direct approach the annual trend of the aerosol radiative effects on clear‐sky solar surface radiation is −4.41 W m−2 per decade for the period of 2001–2013, while in the case of the indirect approach, this trend is found to be −4.46 W m−2 per decade. The seasonal trends of the aerosol radiative effects vary between −7.57 and −0.17 W m−2 per decade indicating stronger decreases in summertime. The results are presented for four sub‐regions of Europe detecting negative changes in all cases with a stronger decrease in the central, north‐eastern and southern part of the continent. The trends of the aerosol radiative effect have the same magnitude as the trends detected in clear‐sky solar surface radiation, and are an order of magnitude higher than the radiative effects of water vapour (0.20 W m−2 per decade).

Natural Variation of Cold Deacclimation Correlates with Variation of Cold-Acclimation of the Plastid Antioxidant System in Arabidopsis thaliana Accessions.

Temperature variations impact on the balance between photosynthetic electron transport and electron-consuming assimilation reactions and transiently increase generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previous studies demonstrated that the expression of C-repeat binding factors (CBFs), which activate cold acclimation reactions, respond to chloroplast ROS signals and that cold deacclimation is partly halted for days after the transfer of acclimated plants to optimal growth conditions in four Arabidopsis accessions from cold-continental habitats. We hypothesized that these accessions differ from others in the regulation of the plastid antioxidant system (PAS). In the present study, we compared the expression intensity of the 12 most prominent PAS genes for peroxidases, superoxide dismutase and low molecular weight antioxidant regenerating enzymes in 10 Arabidopsis accessions with regulation of CBF and COR (cold regulated genes) transcript levels and cold-regulated metabolite levels prior to cold, after 2 week long cold acclimation and during the first 3 days of deacclimation. In the accessions with prolonged activation of cold responses, by trend, weaker induction of various cold-inducible PAS genes and stronger decreases in the expression of negatively cold-regulated PAS genes were observed. Low PAS gene expression delayed the post-cold decrease in H2O2 levels after transfer of the plants from cold to optimal growth conditions. We conclude that weaker expression of various PAS genes in the cold is an adapted strategy of the Arabidopsis accessions N14, N13, Ms-0, and Kas-1 to avoid full inactivation of cold-responses in the first days after the end of the cold period.

Dietary Intake according to Gender and Education: A Twenty-Year Trend in a Swiss Adult Population.

We assessed trends in dietary intake according to gender and education using repeated cross-sectional, population-based surveys conducted between 1993 and 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland (17,263 participants, 52.0 ± 10.6 years, 48% male). In 1993–1999, higher educated men had higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), carotene and vitamin D intakes than lower educated men, and the differences decreased in 2006–2012. In 1993–1999, higher educated women had higher fiber, iron, carotene, vitamin D and alcohol intakes than lower educated women, and the differences decreased in 2006–2012. Total energy, polyunsaturated fatty acids, retinol and alcohol intakes decreased, while mono/disaccharides, MUFA and carotene intake increased in both genders. Lower educated men had stronger decreases in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and calcium intakes than higher educated men: multivariate-adjusted slope and 95% confidence interval −0.11 (−0.15; −0.06) vs. −0.03 (−0.08; 0.02) g/day/year for SFA and −5.2 (−7.8; −2.7) vs. −1.03 (−3.8; 1.8) mg/day/year for calcium, p for interaction <0.05. Higher educated women had a greater decrease in iron intake than lower educated women: −0.03 (−0.04; −0.02) vs. −0.01 (−0.02; 0.00) mg/day/year, p for interaction = 0.002. We conclude that, in Switzerland, dietary intake evolved similarly between 1993 and 2012 in both educational groups. Educational differences present in 1993 persisted in 2012.

Association of stress-induced increases of inhibitory kappaB gene expression with depressive symptoms

Rationale Depressive symptoms are associated with exaggerated inflammatory and altered cortisol stress responses. Cortisol has been shown to stimulate IkB gene expression, which counteracts pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Increased inflammation is a risk factor for disease, highlighting the need to understand factors controlling inflammation. No studies have examined IkB expression in response to acute stress in relation with depressive symptoms. Methods We recruited n = 48 healthy individuals and exposed them to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Stress responses of plasma Interleukin-6, salivary cortisol, as well as inhibitory kappa-B (IkB) gene expression in peripheral blood, were measured before, as well as 30, and 120 min after stress. We also assessed self-reported depressive symptoms, post-stress mood, and stress appraisals. Results Stress exposure induced increases in IL-6 and cortisol (IL-6: F = 42.41, p 0.001 ; cortisol: F = 15.98, p 0.001 ). IkB expression increased after stress with a peak at 30 min and recovery at 120 min (F = 13.11, p 0.001 ). Depressive symptoms were positively related with IkB expression 30 min after stress (beta = 0.30, p = 0.05), and this relationship was mediated by decreases in positive affect. Conclusions: These show that in individuals with more depressive symptoms, acute stress translates into upregulated gene expression of inhibitory kappaB, which might be mediated through stronger decreases in mood. Higher IkB might allow better down regulation of inflammation, but could also be a response to stronger inflammatory reactivity in general.

Abstract LB-72: An immunoassay detecting Bcl-2:Bim and Mcl-1:Bim complexes in the phase 1 monotherapy study of the Bcl-2 inhibitor, ABT-199/GDC-0199, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

Abstract Introduction Proteins in the Bcl-2 family are key regulators of the apoptotic process. This family comprises of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. Overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, which bind to the BH3 α-helical domain of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bim, can inhibit pro-apoptotic proteins’ functions. Bcl-2 and Bim are highly expressed in CLL patients and a Bcl-2:Bim complex is formed at mitochondria in these patients. ABT-199 (GDC-0199) is a potent, selective, small molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2. Preclinical data shows Bcl-2:Bim disruption can serve as a proximal PD biomarker for this treatment. Conversely, an increase of Mcl-1:Bim complex could indicate an inhibition of Mcl-1's anti-apoptotic function thereby blocking a mechanism of escape from Bcl-2 inhibitor treatment. Here we describe the development of an immunoassay for detecting Bcl-2:Bim and Mcl-1:Bim complexes in CLL patient blood. This assay is used to evaluate these two complexes in patient PBMC samples from the Phase 1 monotherapy study of GDC-0199 in CLL/SLL (M12-175). Method Bcl-2:Bim or Mcl-1:Bim complexes from PBMC lysates were captured in solution using anti-Bcl-2 or anti-Mcl-1 antibody, followed by incubation with anti-Bim antibody, which was immobilized on a MSD plate. Bcl-2:Bim or Mcl-1:Bim concentration was calculated using a standard curve. The standard curve was generated using Bcl-2:Bim or Mcl-1:Bim complexes formed from recombinant human Bcl-2 or Mcl-1 protein mixed with recombinant human Bim protein at equal molar concentration. In pre-clinical studies, PBMCs from healthy donor treated with ABT-0199 ex-vivo, or from the SUDHL4 tumor xenograft model was run. In the M12-175 clinical study, PBMCs were collected from patients once prior to GDC-0199 treatment, 6 hour and 24 hours post first dose. Results Our data from pre-clinical studies showed a dose dependent decrease of Bcl-2:Bim association in PBMC lysates. In the clinical study M12-175, we had data from 26 patients at 6h timepoint and 27 patients at 24h timepoint. Data was limited to patients with sufficient amounts of total protein (&amp;gt;7 ug) in their PBMC lysates which was the minimum required for this immunoassay. Since post- treatment samples were only taken after the first dose, this limited the evaluation of most patient samples to the starting dose of ABT-199, 20 mg in 3 patients, 50 mg in 23 patients and 200 mg in 1 patient evaluated, with most patients subsequently receiving intra-patient dose escalation to the target doses, the highest tolerable dose tested so far is 600 mg. Strongest decrease in Bcl-2:Bim complex was observed at 200 mg which was the highest dose tested with this assay. Variable decrease in the Bcl-2:Bim complex was observed at the 20 mg and 50 mg doses, range from 1-3 in fold change and 22 % of them with a 2 fold decrease at 24h. A concomitant increase in Mcl-1:Bim was observed in a subset of patients. 14% of them with a 2 fold increase at 24h. Conclusions ABT-199 treatment resulted in a decrease in Bcl-2:Bim complexes measured using our MSD immunoassay run on PBMC lysates from patients on the M12-175 monotherapy study in CLL/SLL patients. Measurable decreases were observed in the majority of patients (although to variable extents) even at the lowest doses of 20 mg and 50 mg, with stronger decreases in the patient at 200 mg. Citation Format: Jessica Li, Jun Chen, Ward Kadel, Brenda Chyla, evelyn McKeegan, Elizabeth Punnoose, Walter Darbonne. An immunoassay detecting Bcl-2:Bim and Mcl-1:Bim complexes in the phase 1 monotherapy study of the Bcl-2 inhibitor, ABT-199/GDC-0199, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-72. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-LB-72

Associations between Basal Cortisol Levels and Memory Retrieval in Healthy Young Individuals

Cortisol is known to affect memory processes. On the one hand, stress-induced or pharmacologically induced elevations of cortisol levels enhance memory consolidation. On the other hand, such experimentally induced elevations of cortisol levels have been shown to impair memory retrieval. However, the effects of individual differences in basal cortisol levels on memory processes remain largely unknown. Here we tested whether individual differences in cortisol levels predict picture learning and recall in a large sample. A total of 1225 healthy young women and men viewed two different sets of emotional and neutral pictures on two consecutive days. Both sets were recalled after a short delay (10 min). On Day 2, the pictures seen on Day 1 were additionally recalled, resulting in a long-delay (20 hr) recall condition. Cortisol levels were measured three times on Days 1 and 2 via saliva samples before encoding, between encoding and recall as well as after recall testing. We show that stronger decreases in cortisol levels during retrieval testing were associated with better recall performance of pictures, regardless of emotional valence of the pictures or length of the retention interval (i.e., 10 min vs. 20 hr). In contrast, average cortisol levels during retrieval were not related to picture recall. Remarkably during encoding, individual differences in average cortisol levels as well as changes in cortisol did not predict memory recall. Our results support previous findings indicating that higher cortisol levels during retrieval testing hinders recall of episodic memories and extend this view onto interindividual changes in basal cortisol levels.

Drivers of hemispheric differences in return dates of mid-latitude stratospheric ozone to historical levels

Abstract. Chemistry-climate models (CCMs) project an earlier return of northern mid-latitude total column ozone to 1980 values compared to the southern mid-latitudes. The chemical and dynamical drivers of this hemispheric difference are investigated in this study. The hemispheric asymmetry in return dates is a robust result across different CCMs and is qualitatively independent of the method used to estimate return dates. However, the differences in dates of return to 1980 levels between the southern and northern mid-latitudes can vary between 0 and 30 yr across the range of CCM projections analyzed. Positive linear trends in ozone lead to an earlier return of ozone than expected from the return of Cly to 1980 levels. This forward shift is stronger in the Northern than in the Southern Hemisphere because (i) trends have a larger effect on return dates if the sensitivity of ozone to Cly is lower and (ii) the trends in the Northern Hemisphere are stronger than in the Southern Hemisphere. An attribution analysis performed with two CCMs shows that chemically-induced changes in ozone are the major driver of the earlier return of ozone to 1980 levels in northern mid-latitudes; therefore transport changes are of minor importance. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the spread in the simulated hemispheric difference in return dates across an ensemble of twelve models is only weakly related to the spread in the simulated hemispheric asymmetry of trends in the strength of the Brewer–Dobson circulation. The causes for chemically-induced asymmetric ozone trends relevant for the total column ozone return date differences are found to be (i) stronger increases in ozone production due to enhanced NOx concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere lowermost stratosphere and troposphere, (ii) stronger decreases in the destruction rates of ozone by the NOx cycle in the Northern Hemisphere lower stratosphere linked to effects of dynamics and temperature on NOx concentrations, and (iii) an increasing efficiency of heterogeneous ozone destruction by Cly in the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes as a~result of decreasing lower stratospheric temperatures.

Stressful Events and Temperament Change during Early and Middle Adolescence: The TRAILS Study

This project investigates how stressful events are related to deviations from normative temperament development during adolescence. Temperament traits were assessed at ages 11 and 16 years. Life–event data was captured using an interview (total n = 1197). Normative changes were found in all traits. A linear trend was found between the experience of stressful events and temperament development. Adolescents exposed to stressful events showed smaller decreases in fear and shyness, stronger decreases in effortful control and affiliation and smaller increases in high intensity pleasure. Exposure to stressful events was related to increases in frustration instead of decreases. Our results show that whereas normative development is mostly in the direction of maturation, adolescents who experienced stressful events showed less maturation of their temperament. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Bidirectional links and concurrent development of parent-child relationships and boys' offending behavior.

This study examined different types of longitudinal associations (i.e., directional links and overlapping developmental changes) between children's delinquency and the quality of parent-child relationships from middle childhood to late adolescence. We used 10-wave interview data of 503 boys, their primary caregivers, and their teachers. Our first aim was to unravel the direction of effects between parent-child relationships and children's offending. Cross-lagged panel models revealed bidirectional links over time between poorer quality parent-child relationships and boys' offending across late childhood (age 7-10), early adolescence (age 10-13) and middle adolescence (age 13-16). Second, we examined the associations between mean changes in delinquency, on the one hand, and mean changes in relationship quality, on the other hand. Although parent-child relationships improved during childhood, their quality decreased in early adolescence and remained stable in middle adolescence. Delinquency increased only in middle adolescence. In five out of six models, the slope factors of relationship quality and offending were strongly correlated, indicating that stronger increases in delinquency were associated with stronger decreases in parent-child relationship quality across childhood, early adolescence, and middle adolescence. The discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of these two types of longitudinal associations.

Longitudinal assessment of BMI in relation to ADT use among early stage prostate cancer survivors

The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer is on the rise, but its adverse side effects may include increased fat mass and decreased lean muscle mass. The net effect of ADT on BMI is unknown. Primary, incident cases of early stage prostate cancer (n = 473) were identified from the Buffalo VA Medical Center tumor registry and matched to body size, demographic, comorbidity, and treatment exposure data from veteran medical records. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the association between ADT and changes in BMI. On average, survivors were overweight at diagnosis and showed small, non-significant changes in BMI over time. However, among those survivors with a history of ADT, a significant decrease of 0.05 BMI units per year was associated with each additional dose of ADT (p < 0.001). When the association between BMI rate of change and ADT was allowed to vary with respect to age, additional doses of ADT predicted stronger decreases in BMI for younger survivors as compared to older survivors (p < 0.05). Neither a history of surgery nor radiation influenced the association between ADT use and BMI. Declines in BMI in relation to ADT exposure may be reflective of unfavorable changes in body composition, especially decreased muscle mass, that is most pronounced in younger survivors. Survivors on ADT may benefit from close monitoring of physical functioning and referral for exercise interventions to preserve muscle mass and improve health related quality of life.

Physical activity and breast cancer risk: impact of timing, type and dose of activity and population subgroup effects

Objective:To review (1) the epidemiological literature on physical activity and the risk of breast cancer, examining the effect of the different parameters of activity and effect modification within different population...

Adult attachment and social support interact to reduce psychological but not cortisol responses to stress

Objective Adult attachment has been suggested to mediate the effect of social support on stress protection. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adult attachment and social support on psychological and endocrine responses to psychosocial stress. Methods Sixty-three healthy men who were married or cohabiting were randomly assigned to receive either instructed social support from their partner or no social support before being exposed to a standardized psychosocial stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Attachment was determined using the Experiences in Close Relationships—Revised questionnaire. State anxiety, mood, and salivary cortisol levels were repeatedly assessed before and after stress. Results Secure attachment was associated with stronger decreases in state anxiety levels following stress exposure. More importantly, the combination of social support and secure attachment exhibited the lowest anxiety levels after stress (interaction effect). Social support alone reduced cortisol responses to stress, whereas secure attachment did not influence cortisol concentrations. Conclusion This first study on the interaction of adult attachment and social support in terms of psychological and endocrine stress responses concurs with previous studies suggesting an important protective role of attachment for psychological stress responsiveness. However, attachment did not directly moderate cortisol responses to acute stress.

Longitudinal neuroendocrine changes assessed by dexamethasone/CRH and growth hormone releasing hormone tests in psychotic depression

Although psychotic depression has been reported to exhibit a greater degree of dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) function than non-psychotic depression, little is known concerning hypothalamic-pituitary-somatotropic (HPS) function in psychotic depression and how neuroendocrine function changes after treatment. To investigate the longitudinal changes in HPA and HPS system function in psychotic depression, we performed repeated dexamethasone/corticotropin releasing hormone (DEX/CRH) tests and growth hormone (GH) releasing hormone (GHRH) tests in inpatients with major depressive disorder. The psychotic depression group exhibited greater elevation of ACTH responses to the DEX/CRH test and stronger decreases in GH responses to the GHRH test than the non-psychotic depression group at admission. At discharge, the neuroendocrine responses to the DEX/CRH test of the psychotic depression group were still stronger than those of the non-psychotic depression group, though there were no significant differences in severity of depression between the groups. There were significant longitudinal changes in neuroendocrine responses to the DEX/CRH test between admission and discharge. The psychotic depression group exhibited increased GH responses to GHRH at discharge compared with those at admission, whereas no significant longitudinal change in GH response was found in the non-psychotic depression group. Consequently, there were no significant differences in GH responses to GHRH between the psychotic and non-psychotic depression groups at discharge. The results of GHRH test showed no significant relationships with severity of depression except psychotic features and the results of the DEX/CRH test. Our findings suggest that the HPS axis may be associated with psychotic features rather than general severity of depression. Further longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the role of HPS function in psychotic depression and whether sustained dysregulation of HPA function in psychotic depression is associated with a poor outcome after discharge.

Hydraulic compensation in northern Rocky Mountain conifers: does successional position and life history matter?

As trees grow tall and the resistance of the hydraulic pathway increases, water supply to foliage may decrease forcing stomata to close and CO2 uptake to decline. Several structural (e.g. biomass allocation) and physiological adjustments, however, may partially or fully compensate for such hydraulic constraints and prevent limitations on CO2 uptake and growth. The degree to which trees compensate for hydraulic constraints as they grow tall may depend on the costs and benefits associated with hydraulic compensation according to their ecology and life history. Because later successional Rocky Mountain conifers are more shade tolerant, optimization of CO2 uptake as trees grow tall and shade increases may confer greater benefits than in earlier successional species. If so, higher compensation for hydraulic constraints is expected in later successional species relative to co-occurring earlier successional species. I have examined height-related changes of crown stomatal conductance on a leaf area basis (G(LA)) and leaf to sapwood ratios (A(L):A(S)) for five conifer species in the northern Rocky Mountains. Species were arranged in pairs, each pair consisting of an early and late successional species. For high elevations I used, respectively, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa); for mid-elevations, western larch (Larix occidentalis) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii); for lower elevations, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas-fir. A(L):A(S) either decreased (subalpine fir, ponderosa pine), remained constant (Douglas-fir, western larch) or increased (whitebark pine) with tree height. As hypothesized, earlier successional species (ponderosa pine, whitebark pine and western larch) exhibited significantly stronger decreases of G(LA) with tree height relative to their later successional pairs (Douglas-fir and subalpine fir), which fully compensated for height-related hydraulic constraints on G(LA). A life history approach that takes into account the optimization of size- and species-specific ecological functions may also help researchers better understand biomass allocation and hydraulic function in trees.

Do protection orders affect the likelihood of future partner violence and injury?

Background Approximately 20% of U.S. women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) annually obtain a civil protection order (CPO). The effect of these orders on future abuse has been estimated in only a few studies, with mixed results. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a CPO on the risk of future self-reported IPV and injury. Methods In this prospective cohort study of 448 adult female Seattle WA residents with IPV between October 1997 and December 1998, interviews were conducted at baseline, 5 months, and 9 months after the index incident. Odds ratios (ORs) estimated risks of contact; unwelcome calls or visits; threats; weapon threats; psychological, sexual, or physical abuse or injury; and abuse-related medical care among women who obtained a CPO after the index incident, compared with those who did not. Results Women who obtained a CPO following the index IPV incident had significantly decreased risk of contact by the abuser (OR=0.4); weapon threats (OR=0.03); injury (OR=0.3); and abuse-related medical care (OR=0.2) between the first and second follow-up interviews. Stronger decreases in risk were seen among women who had maintained the CPO throughout follow-up, which were significant for contact by the abuser (OR=0.2); weapon threats (OR=0.02); psychological abuse (OR=0.4); sexual abuse (OR=0.2); physical abuse (OR=0.3); injury (OR=0.1); and abuse-related medical care (OR=0.1) between first and second follow-up interviews. Conclusions CPOs are associated with decreased likelihood of subsequent physical and nonphysical IPV.