Schools as Incubators of Democratic Participation: Building Long-Term Political Efficacy with Civic Education

Despite a growing consensus that civic education is an important aspect of political socialization, little research has prospectively examined how gains made during civics courses are maintained after high school. This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine longer-term effects of the Student Voices program, which was originally evaluated in Philadelphia public high schools during the 2002–2003 school year. Following the 2004 presidential election, researchers recontacted students who had participated in the program for one or two semesters and students who had been in control civics classrooms. A structural equation model indicated that students who experienced two semesters of the program reported greater self-efficacy for political participation and that this effect carried over to increased political attentiveness as well as to knowledge of candidate positions. In addition, political attentiveness increased knowledge and voting in the election. However, neither knowledge nor efficacy had direct effects on voting once attentiveness was controlled. The results suggest that a supplementary civics education program such as Student Voices can increase subsequent participation in politics by building long-term gains in political self-efficacy and skills in using the news media to follow government and political affairs.     

Voluntary breath holding in the obese

Alveolar gas tensions and arterial O2 saturation (Sao2) during a voluntary breath hold at functional residual capacity (FRC) were examined in 13 healthy seated subjects. An excellent correlation (r = 0.80) was found between the fall of alveolar O2 tensions (delta PETo2) and body weight, expressed as the ratio of weight to height (wt/ht, kg/cm). An even greater correlation (r = 0.89) was found between delta PETo2 and the ratio of breath-hold time X O2 consumption/FRC. Alveolar Po2 decreased to 70 mmHg in the obese group after just 15 s of apnea, whereas this degree of hypoxia did not occur in the nonobese until the breath hold was sustained for 30 s. This variable rate of fall of alveolar Po2 during a breath hold can be ascribed to the changes of O2 consumption (Vo2) and FRC associated with changing body weight. In the obese, Vo2/FRC was twice as large as in the nonobese, thus accounting for the differences of breath-hold time needed to obtain the same alveolar Po2. Sao2 measured at the end of the breath hold was the same as that value predicted from the reduction of PETo2. This suggests that the fall of alveolar Po2 can entirely account for the observed fall of O2 saturation and that venous admixture had not increased during the 15-s apnea. In patients with sleep apnea, the ratio of Vo2/(initial lung volume) may also be an important determinant of the severity of hypoxemia observed.     

Root pathogen diversity and composition varies with climate in undisturbed grasslands,but less so in anthropogenically disturbed grasslands

Soil-borne pathogens structure plant communities, shaping their diversity, and through these effects may mediate plant responses to climate change and disturbance. Little is known, however, about the environmental determinants of plant pathogen communities. Therefore, we explored the impact of climate gradients and anthropogenic disturbance on root-associated pathogens in grasslands. We examined the community structure of two pathogenic groups—fungal pathogens and oomycetes—in undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed grasslands across a natural precipitation and temperature gradient in the Midwestern USA. In undisturbed grasslands, precipitation and temperature gradients were important predictors of pathogen community richness and composition. Oomycete richness increased with precipitation, while fungal pathogen richness depended on an interaction of precipitation and temperature, with precipitation increasing richness most with higher temperatures. Disturbance altered plant pathogen composition and precipitation and temperature had a reduced effect on pathogen richness and composition in disturbed grasslands. Because pathogens can mediate plant community diversity and structure, the sensitivity of pathogens to disturbance and climate suggests that degradation of the pathogen community may mediate loss, or limit restoration of, native plant diversity in disturbed grasslands, and may modify plant community response to climate change.Subject terms: Fungal ecology, Soil microbiology, Grassland ecology     

Diurnal cortisol rhythms among Latino immigrants in Oregon, USA

ABSTRACT: One of the most commonly used stress biomarkers is cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone released by the adrenal glands that is central to the physiological stress response. Free cortisol can be measured in saliva and has been the biomarker of choice in stress studies measuring the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Chronic psychosocial stress can lead to dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function and result in an abnormal diurnal cortisol profile. Little is known about objectively measured stress and health in Latino populations in the United States, yet this is likely an important factor in understanding health disparities that exist between Latinos and whites. The present study was designed to measure cortisol profiles among Latino immigrant farmworkers in Oregon (USA), and to compare quantitative and qualitative measures of stress in this population. Our results indicate that there were no sex differences in average cortisol AUCg (area under the curve with respect to the ground) over two days (AvgAUCg; males = 1.38, females = 1.60; p = 0.415). AUCg1 (Day 1 AUCg) and AvgAUCg were significantly negatively associated with age in men (p < 0.05). AUCg1 was negatively associated with weight (p < 0.05), waist circumference (p < 0.01) and waist-to-stature ratio (p < 0.05) in women, which is opposite to the expected relationship between cortisol and waist-to-stature ratio, possibly indicating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation. Among men, more time in the United States and immigration to the United States at older ages predicted greater AvgAUCg. Among women, higher lifestyle incongruity was significantly related to greater AvgAUCg. Although preliminary, these results suggest that chronic psychosocial stress plays an important role in health risk in this population. (271 words).     

The Value of Nonmodel Genomes and an Example Using SynMap Within CoGe to Dissect the Hexaploidy that Predates the Rosids

We find great value in the genomes from the nonmodel organisms papaya and grape. These genomes help us understand the chromosomal history of the super-order rosids. Essential to this process are new, online genomics tools that allow researchers to easily perform their own experiments, such as identifying and evaluating syntenic regions and estimating the degree of post-tetraploidy gene fractionation (diploidization); this process is exemplified here using the online comparative genomics toolset CoGe. Using case studies, we show that two of the three genomes within the rosid paleohexaploid are more fractionated with respect to one another than to a third genome. This indicates a shared history derived from a [tetraploid]-then-[wide cross to generate a triploid]-then-[whole genome duplication to generate the hexaploid,] or similar scenario involving unreduced gametes. Two alternative hypotheses are presented that differ in terms of the mechanism and timing of fractionation.