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Chronic inflammation follows defined phases of induction, inflammation, and resolution. The resolution phase requires cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity. This study aims to address what other molecules are required for a functional resolution phase. We demonstrated that in murine collagen-induced arthritis the transcription factor, PPARgamma plays a role in the resolution phase. Inhibition of COX-2 activity results in fewer PPARgamma positive cells in the arthritic synovium. Treatment with a PPARgamma antagonist, SR202, alone, also disrupts the process of resolution. PPARgamma antagonist treatment results in a decrease in eNOS phosphorylation within the arthritic synovium. These observations indicate that PPARgamma may function to regulate eNOS activity. The source of pro-resolving nitric oxide is eNOS but not, iNOS. The effect of COX-2 inhibition on the resolution phase is ameliorated by injection of a PGE2 analog. Restoration of PGE2 levels results in an increase in PPARgamma positive cells in the arthritic synovium which correlates with this restoration of resolution. Thus, this study provides in vivo evidence for the pro-resolving role of PPARgamma and its relationship with PGE2 and eNOS. / Microbiology and Immunology

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No / The article is organized into two main parts. First, it presents the termination of the conflict in Sierra Leone as a case-study to examine the degree to which cosmopolitan values connecting peacekeeping and peacebuilding are (or are not) evident. The case-study looks at the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) as a model of successful peacekeeping in the sense that everyday security was provided for the people of Sierra Leone through the deployment of a robust peacekeeping mission. This assessment needs to be qualified in relation to serious deficits still to be addressed in post-conflict peacebuilding, yet the success of this mission does provide encouragement for those who see the construction of a cosmopolitan security architecture for Africa as both desirable and achievable. Second, it explores the degree to which an appropriate model of cosmopolitan peacekeeping might emerge at regional and continental levels in Africa through the development of the African Standby Force (ASF). What the case-study presented here and the survey of the African Union (AU)/ASF in the second part of the article have in common is that taken together, they provide some evidence to suggest that, however fragile, the AU is beginning to define an agenda that represents a continent wide and, in that sense at least, a cosmopolitan response to African security issues.

This research program investigated the reasonable possibility that differential information processing strategies can be manifestations of racist prejudgments. Our research design applies a technique often used in social cognition studies. This technique captures evidence of a rather habit-driven (though not instantaneous) decision made by subjects rapidly presented with information about (typically fictional) characters. These target characters are associated (in the context of the experiment) with some form of generalized expectancy (i.e., they are typically presented as a likable or unlikable person). This is accomplished either by creating the expectancy artificially, or by using targets that are members of a conspicuously or notably-stereotyped group. The rather non-conscious decision involved is one of either bolstering one's pre-conceived notions or engaging in inconsistency resolution (e.g., either marshaling evidence to bolster your prejudicial expectation or pondering more earnestly those pieces of information which are inconsistent with your expectancy or well-known prejudicial stereotypes). Typically, the likelihood of pursuing one strategy or the other is manipulated in experimental settings by first providing an artificial expectation, then altering the structure of the person-memory task or adjusting the rate of information flow to the subjects. We hoped to reveal how a non-artificial pre-existing race-based prejudicial expectancy (of a largely non-evaluative as in non-likable/dislikable nature) might effect the pursuit of one strategy or the other. By and large, tests of our five hypotheses provide only mixed support for use of a person-memory associative network model in this context. The first and second hypotheses have some visual support (i.e., recall proportions across sentence types start out roughly equal for low prejudicial expectation - PE -- subjects then branch out; high PE subjects seem to treat sentence types differently from the start); however, these differences are not amenable to clearly interpretable statistical tests. Analysis of the third and fourth hypotheses was confounded because the candidate contaminating covariate failed to have consistent effects. This, coupled with the floor effect of the PE scale, the unexplained (and substantial) variability in recall behavior, and some other control issues (detailed below), made the use of the continuous DVs less than fruitful. The floor effect of the PE scale was especially problematic - with many subjects compressed at this floor, relations would be difficult to see even if present. In an attempt to detect weak effects of prejudice, we aggregated subjects by PE (as in high and low prejudice). Aggregation probably made the floor effect-driven range restriction less problematic (the subjects lumped together on PE's floor are probably less-afflicted with well-practiced prejudicial expectations than the high half of PE scorers). This exercise generated weak support for the third hypothesis: the time interval data feebly indicates that high PE subjects manifest a negative impression-centered person-memory schema in their storage of sentences about a Black target - and, unlike the low PE subjects, they apparently do this starting with the earliest blocks of sentences. The median split approach failed to generate support for the fourth hypothesis - where we expected to see bolstering replace inconsistency resolution (in the slow condition) since subjects were afforded the time. There was weak evidence, however, that more inconsistency resolution was occurring in the fast condition (as the proposed model had predicted). This evidence was in the form of greater recall time interval differences seen when comparing high PE subjects and their schema-speeded versus non-speeded intervals. The bottom line for the first four hypotheses is still this: we failed to create a condition where prejudice would paradoxically favor recall of laudable or admirable inconsistencies associated with a fictitious Black target. The fifth hypothesis was just intended to verify that racial prejudice does not predict recall behavior when the target is White and so are the subjects. So using a White target, we performed the same sort of tests seen above. Fortunately, relations with PE ranged from weak to very weak - and, of course, were non-significant. In sum, these outcomes suggest that Hastie-Srull associative network (H-SAN) processing effects may not reliably or consistently manifest themselves in the prejudiced rater/performance appraisal arena -- at least not in designs similar to those used previously to illustrate H-SAN effects. There were some clear exceptions, however, in our data. Taken together, our results suggest that H-SAN mechanisms may apply when appraising performance potential, but have a difficult time manifesting themselves in substantial ways. / Ph. D.

We give a projective resolution of a finite dimensional 𝛫-algebra 𝛬 over its enveloping algebra 𝛬<SUP>𝑒</SUP> = 𝛬<SUP>𝑜𝑝</SUP> ⨂<SUB>𝛫</SUB>𝛬. The description of this resolution is related to decompositions of the first syzygy module of 𝛬 as an 𝛬<SUP>𝑒</SUP> module. Resolutions of right 𝛬 modules 𝑀<SUB>𝛬</SUB> may be obtained by tensoring 𝑀 over 𝛬 with this bimodule resoution. We describe how to obtain such a resolution when 𝑀 is simple or when 𝑀 is given in the form of a projective presentation. Computations of <I>𝐸𝑥𝑡</I><SUB>𝛬</SUB><SUP>𝑛</SUP>(𝑆<SUB>𝑣</SUB>,𝑆<SUB>𝑤</SUB>) for certain classes of algebras 𝛬 are made using these resolutions, and applied to obtain results on global dimension. / Ph. D.

In recent years, Americans have seen a plethora of litigation surrounding disputes parents have with school districts involving a wide range of special education issues. The ability to challenge the decisions made by school personnel regarding identification, evaluation, placement, and the provision of free appropriate public education is a cornerstone of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (Opuda, 1997). IDEA requires that states guarantee parents the right to bring complaints to the State Education Agency regarding any of these matters (34 C.F.R. 300.507). The federal government and state legislatures have toiled to develop strategies to work through these challenges by utilizing alternative dispute resolution procedures. Under IDEA, parents are afforded the opportunity to participate in meetings concerning their child or request mediation. If they feel the child has not been provided a free appropriate public education, they can challenge the local education agency, or state education agency. Consistent with federal regulations, all states must have a system to monitor and enforce special education compliance issues. If parents believe there is sufficient proof that their child has not been served in accordance with state and federal guidelines, they may file complaint resolution procedures with their state education agency (20 U.S.C. §1400, et. seq.). This study used a quantitative approach to examine the number of cases where parents filed complaint resolution procedures with the Virginia Department of Education regarding special education compliance issues as well as analyze the frequencies of the complaint resolution procedures over a four year period. The examination of these cases focused on whether or not the effects of the division size, locale (rural, suburban, or city), geographical region, socioeconomic status of the family, and the category of the issue influenced the outcome of the complaint. / Ph. D.