bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personality and Motivational Antecedents of Activism and Civic Engagement
Authors: Omoto Allen M. , Snyder Mark , Hackett Justin D.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT
This article conceptually links theory and research on volunteerism to different forms of political activity, specifically activism and civic engagement. Multiple perspectives and measures of personality as antecedents of volunteerism, activism, and civic engagement are outlined, including individual differences in motivations, interpersonal orientations, and traits. Next, self‐report data from 624 people involved in AIDS service organizations (as clients, volunteers, staff, or supporters) are utilized to empirically explore the best personality predictors of AIDS activism and civic engagement. Other‐focused rather than self‐focused motivation better predicted AIDS activism and civic engagement. The only measure of interpersonal orientation consistently related to these outcomes was communal orientation; as well, only the trait of extraversion was related to both outcomes. In analyses testing the predictive power of constellations of personality measures, other‐focused motivation better predicted AIDS activism and civic engagement than the other measures of motivation, interpersonal orientation, and traits. Finally, meditational analyses supported a developmental sequence in which other‐focused motivation leads to specific activism, which, in turn, encourages broader civic engagement. The discussion focuses on theoretical implications for understanding the impact of personality on different forms of citizenship behaviors and of the applicability of the Volunteer Process Model for studying political activity and civic engagement.
Gender, Sexuality, and the Authoritarian Personality
Authors: Peterson Bill E. , Zurbriggen Eileen L.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT
The political correlates of the authoritarian personality have been well established by researchers, but important linkages to other major constructs in psychology need fuller elaboration. We present new data and review old data from our laboratories that show the myriad ways in which authoritarianism is implicated in the important domain of gender roles. We show that women and men high in authoritarianism live in rigidly gendered worlds where male and female roles are narrowly defined, attractiveness is based on traditional conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and conventional sexual mores are prescribed. As a construct, authoritarianism is not just relevant for understanding people's politics, but it also affects the most personal of domains—romantic partnerships, lifestyle goals, and basic attitudes about male and female relationships.
The Person in Political Emotion
Authors: Leach Colin Wayne
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTRecent social psychological theory and research on political issues has returned to once‐popular concepts such as political emotion and ideology. Strikingly, however, this work tends to avoid the notion of personality and explicit reference to individual differences. For example, the numerous studies that examine correlations between political beliefs, feelings, and preferences rarely acknowledge that such associations show an ideological coherence in individuals. Instead, correlations between abstract constructs are interpreted as suggesting causal processes. Individuals, and their responses, are aggregated to generate such correlations but remain for the most part unexamined and unmentioned. I discuss 5 practices in research and reporting that make it difficult to find the person in correlational models of political emotion. I use my own research to illustrate these practices and to show how attention to macrolevel forces such as group membership, status, and structure may be integrated with attention to the individual person and meaningful aggregates.
Minding the Gap Between Feminist Identity and Attitudes: The Behavioral and Ideological Divide Between Feminists and Non‐Labelers
Authors: Zucker Alyssa N. , Bay‐Cheng Laina Y.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTSexism persists in the contemporary United States and has deleterious effects on women and girls. This suggests that feminism—as a movement, a set of attitudes, or an explicit identity—is still warranted. Although feminist attitudes may buffer against the effects of sexism, notably in health domains, we suggest that there may be an ideological divide between those who hold such attitudes while rejecting the identity (non‐labelers) and self‐identified feminists. Non‐labelers engage in less collective action on behalf of women's rights. On the basis of survey responses of 276 college students, non‐labelers appear to be self‐interested. We argue that disentangling attitudes from identity is crucial for sharpening predictions about the relation of feminism to other psychological and behavioral variables, and for engaging in broader social change. Furthermore, understanding whether non‐labelers' rejection of feminist identity is rooted in fear of stigma associated with the label, neoliberal beliefs, or other explanations is important to those organizing for reform.
Implementing infrastructures for managing learning objects
Authors: Klemke Roland , Ternier Stefaan , Kalz Marco , Specht Marcus
Published: October 2010

Making learning objects available is critical to reuse learning resources. Making content transparently available and providing added value to different stakeholders is among the goals of the European Commission's eContentplus programme. This paper analyses standards and protocols relevant for making learning objects accessible in distributed data provider networks. Types of metadata associated with learning objects and methods for metadata generation are discussed. Experiences from European projects highlight problems in implementing infrastructures and mapping metadata types into common application profiles. The use of learning contents and its associated metadata in different scenarios is described and concluded with lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid.
Learning objects in practice: The integration of reusable learning objects in primary education
Authors: Cameron Tiffani , Bennett Sue
Published: October 2010

The study described in this paper investigated the use of The Le@rning Federation's learning objects by students in primary school education. The study focused on how students engaged with and responded to the learning objects and how the objects supported student learning. A collective case study design allowed the researchers to investigate how students from two different classrooms within the site school were using and responding to learning objects. Data in the form of classroom observations, student work and student focus group interviews were collected in order to learn about students' experiences and perspectives. The data revealed that in general the learning objects impacted positively on students. Students exhibited high levels of engagement and motivation in their learning, although expressed negativity towards some design aspects that restricted the intended learning outcomes. The study's major findings highlight the significant role of the teacher in scaffolding and integrating learning objects in order to best support student learning outcomes, reinforcing the notion of learning objects being only part of the whole learning experience.
From content to practice: Sharing educational practice in edu‐sharing
Authors: Klebl Michael , Krämer Bernd J. , Zobel Annett
Published: October 2010

For technology‐enhanced learning, the idea of learning objects transfers the technologies of content management, methods of software engineering and principles of open access to educational resources. This paper reports on CampusContent, a research project and competence centre for e‐learning at FernUniversität in Hagen that designed and developed an integrated portal to a repository network named edu‐sharing. This portal facilitates sharing, joint development and reuse of learning material and pedagogical knowledge. CampusContent focused on essential challenges concerning use and utility of learning objects and developed principles, methods and tools that support educators in the process of contextualising learning objects within educational settings. Our model offers three levels of contextualisation: configurable objects, learning scenarios and an integrated work environment for educators.
Using VisTrails and Provenance for Teaching Scientific Visualization
Authors: Silva Cláudio T. , Anderson Erik , Santos Emanuele , Freire Juliana
Published: October 2010

Over the last 20 years, visualization courses have been developed and offered at universities around the world. Many of these courses use established visualization libraries and tools (e.g. VTK, ParaView, AVS, VisIt) as a way to provide students a hands‐on experience, allowing them to prototype and explore different visualization techniques. In this paper, we describe our experiences using VisTrails as a platform to teach scientific visualization. VisTrails is an open‐source system that was designed to support exploratory computational tasks such as visualization and data analysis. Unlike previous scientific workflow and visualization systems, VisTrails provides a comprehensive provenance management infrastructure. We discuss how different features of the system, and in particular, the provenance information have changed the dynamics of the Scientific Visualization course we offer at the University of Utah. We also describe our initial attempts at using the provenance information to better assess our teaching techniques and student performance.
‘Dealing with sperm’: comparing lesbians’ clinical and non‐clinical donor conception processes
Authors: Nordqvist Petra
Published: October 2010

A growing body of literature investigates heterosexual donor conception and there is now also a small body of work which investigates the experiences of single women and lesbian couples. Both of these focus on a clinical setting. Women, notably single and lesbians, also undertake non‐clinical donor conception, and insufficient consideration has been paid to these self‐arranged reproductive practices, and how they may compare with the clinical ones. Seeking to fill this gap, this paper explores women’s experiences of accessing donor sperm inside and outside reproductive health clinics by drawing on a qualitative interview study with 25 lesbian couples in England and Wales with experiences of jointly pursuing donor conception. The paper explores the differences embedded in the two conception routes with regard to donor recruitment, access to donor sperm over time, space and the management of sperm as a bodily fluid. Utilising the framework of ‘ontological choreography’ developed by Thompson (2005), as well as Douglas’s (1966) work around bodies, dirt and disgust, the paper argues that the clinic functions as a containment for legal as well as practical and bodily dimensions of donor conception, and this in turn shapes practices and perceptions of self‐arranged conception.
UNIVERSAL SEMICONSTANT REBALANCED PORTFOLIOS
Authors: Kozat Suleyman S. , Singer Andrew C.
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we investigate investment strategies that can rebalance their target portfolio vectors at arbitrary investment periods. These strategies are called semiconstant rebalanced portfolios in Blum and Kalai and Helmbold et al. Unlike a constant rebalanced portfolio, which must rebalance at every investment interval, a semiconstant rebalanced portfolio rebalances its portfolio only on selected instants. Hence, a semiconstant rebalanced portfolio may avoid rebalancing if the transaction costs outweigh the benefits of rebalancing. In a competitive algorithm framework, we compete against all such semiconstant portfolios with an arbitrary number of rebalancings and corresponding rebalancing instants. We investigate this framework with and without transaction costs and demonstrate sequential portfolios that asymptotically achieve the wealth of the best semiconstant rebalanced portfolios whose number of rebalancings and instants of rebalancings are tuned to the individual sequence of price relatives.
Vertebral microanatomy in squamates: structure, growth and ecological correlates
Authors: Houssaye Alexandra , Mazurier Arnaud , Herrel Anthony , Volpato Virginie , Tafforeau Paul , Boistel Renaud , De Buffrénil Vivian
Published: October 2010

The histological study of vertebrae in extant squamates shows that the internal vertebral structure in this group differs from that of other tetrapods. Squamate vertebrae are lightly built and basically composed of two roughly concentric osseous tubes – one surrounding the neural canal and the other constituting the peripheral cortex of the vertebra – connected by few thin trabeculae. This structure, which characteristically evokes that of a tubular bone, results from a peculiar remodelling process characterised by an imbalance between local bone resorption and redeposition; in both periosteal and endosteo‐endochondral territories, bone is extensively resorbed but not reconstructed in the same proportion by secondary deposits. This process is particularly intense in the deep region of the centrum, where originally compact cortices are made cancellous, and where the endochondral spongiosa is very loose. This remodelling process starts at an early stage of development and remains active throughout subsequent growth. The growth of squamate centra is also strongly asymmetrical, with the posterior (condylar) part growing much faster than the anterior (cotylar) part. Preliminary analyses testing for associations between vertebral structure and habitat use suggest that vertebrae of fossorial taxa are denser than those of terrestrial taxa, those in aquatic taxa being of intermediate density. However, phylogenetically informed analyses do not corroborate these findings, thus suggesting a strong phylogenetic signal in the data. As our analyses demonstrate that vertebrae in snakes are generally denser than those of lizards sensu stricto, this may drive the presence of a phylogenetic signal in the data. More comprehensive sampling of fossorial and aquatic lizards is clearly needed to more rigorously evaluate these patterns.
The roles of trust and experience in consumer confidence in conducting e‐commerce: a cross‐cultural comparison between France and Germany
Authors: Sun Tao
Published: October 2010

Based on the Eurobarometer survey data, this study examined the roles of experience and cultural propensity to trust in consumer confidence in conducting e‐commerce. Compared with consumers in a low‐trust culture (France), consumers from a high‐trust society (West Germany) exhibit more confidence in conducting e‐commerce. This cultural difference is only evident among consumers with no prior e‐commerce experience but disappears among consumers with prior e‐commerce experience. There is no interaction effect of culture and experience. While consumer confidence in conducting e‐commerce declines with age within each culture, consumers of the same age groups tend to have higher confidence in conducting e‐commerce in West Germany than in France. Academic and practical implications were provided.
The effect of adding herbs to labneh on physicochemical and organoleptic quality during storage
Authors: TARAKCI ZEKAI , TEMIZ HASAN , UGUR ATNAN
Published: October 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different herbs on physicochemical and organoleptic quality of labneh during storage. Analyses were carried out at 10‐day intervals in a storage period of 30 days. There were to significant differences in dry matter, fat and ash contents of the labneh samples. The pH and titratable acidity values were influenced by herbs and storage periods. Adding herb to labneh altered the colour: L* values in all samples decreased, whereas a* and b* values were affected differently from herbs added. Calcium content of the labneh decreased with the addition of herbs, but phosphorus, iron, copper and zinc contents increased. The sensorial scores of the labneh samples were influenced by the variety of herb added and the storage times. Addition of dill and parsley to labneh resulted in the greatest sensory scores.
Intrapartum tests for group B streptococcus: accuracy and acceptability of screening
Authors: Daniels JP , Gray J , Pattison HM , Gray R , Hills RK , Khan KS ,   on behalf of the GBS Collaborative Group
Published: October 2010

Please cite this paper as: Daniels J, Gray J, Pattison H, Gray R, Hills R, Khan K on behalf of the GBS Collaborative Group. Intrapartum tests for group B streptococcus: accuracy and acceptability of screening. BJOG 2011;118:257–265.

Objective  To assess the accuracy and acceptability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and optical immunoassay (OIA) tests for the detection of maternal group B streptococcus (GBS) colonisation during labour, comparing their performance with the current UK policy of risk factor‐based screening.

Design  Diagnostic test accuracy study.

Setting and population  Fourteen hundred women in labour at two large UK maternity units provided vaginal and rectal swabs for testing.

Methods  The PCR and OIA index tests were compared with the reference standard of selective enriched culture, assessed blind to index tests. Factors influencing neonatal GBS colonisation were assessed using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for antibiotic use. The acceptability of testing to participants was evaluated through a structured questionnaire administered after delivery.

Main outcome measures  The sensitivity and specificity of PCR, OIA and risk factor‐based screening.

Results  Maternal GBS colonisation was 21% (19–24%) by combined vaginal and rectal swab enriched culture. PCR test of either vaginal or rectal swabs was more sensitive (84% [79–88%] versus 72% [65–77%]) and specific (87% [85–89%] versus 57% [53–60%]) than OIA (P < 0.001), and far more sensitive (84 versus 30% [25–35%]) and specific (87 versus 80% [77–82%]) than risk factor‐based screening (P < 0.001). Maternal antibiotics (odds ratio, 0.22 [0.07–0.62]; P = 0.004) and a positive PCR test (odds ratio, 29.4 [15.8–54.8]; P < 0.001) were strongly related to neonatal GBS colonisation, whereas risk factors were not (odds ratio, 1.44 [0.80–2.62]; P = 0.2).

Conclusion  Intrapartum PCR screening is a more accurate predictor of maternal and neonatal GBS colonisation than is OIA or risk factor‐based screening, and is acceptable to women.
Timing of delivery for pregnancies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Authors: Hutcheon JA , Butler B , Lisonkova S , Marquette GP , Mayer C , Skoll A , Joseph KS
Published: October 2010

Please cite this paper as: Hutcheon J, Butler B, Lisonkova S, Marquette G, Mayer C, Skoll A, Joseph K. Timing of delivery for pregnancies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. BJOG 2010;117:1658–1662.

A recent report has suggested that delivery at early term ages may be associated with lower mortality among infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. We sought to confirm this finding by examining gestational age‐specific mortality in the USA in term infants with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia, delivered following the spontaneous onset of labour. In the final population of 928 infants, neonatal and infant mortality decreased with advancing gestation, from 25 and 36% at 37 weeks of gestation, respectively, to 17 and 20% at 40 weeks of gestation, respectively. Log‐binomial regression models showed that neonatal and infant mortality at 37 weeks of gestation were significantly higher than at 40 weeks. Further evidence, ideally from a randomised trial, is needed before recommendations for clinical practice on timing of delivery should be made.
CSF transthyretin neuroprotection in a mouse model of brain ischemia
Authors: Santos Sofia Duque , Lambertsen Kate Lykke , Clausen Bettina Hjelm , Akinc Akin , Alvarez Rene , Finsen Bente , Saraiva Maria João
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1434–1444.

Brain injury caused by ischemia is a major cause of human mortality and physical/cognitive disability worldwide. Experimentally, brain ischemia can be induced surgically by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. Using this model, we studied the influence of transthyretin in ischemic stroke. Transthyretin (TTR) is normally responsible for the transport of thyroid hormones and retinol in the blood and CSF. We found that TTR null mice (TTR−/−) did not show significant differences in cortical infarction 24 h after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion compared with TTR+/+ control littermates. However, TTR null mice, heterozygous for the heat‐shock transcription factor 1 (TTR−/−HSF1+/− mice), which compromised the stress response, showed a significant increase in cortical infarction, cerebral edema and the microglial‐leukocyte response compared with TTR+/+HSF1+/− mice. Unexpectedly, we observed novel TTR distribution throughout the infarct, localized to disintegrated β‐tubulin III+ neurons and cell debris. Specific elimination of TTR synthesis in the liver by RNAi had no effect on TTR distribution in the infarct, indicating that the observed TTR infiltration derived from CSF and not from the serum. This finding is corroborated by results from ‘in situ’ hybridization and real time PCR that excluded the presence of transthyretin mRNA in the infarct and peri‐infarct areas. Our data suggest that in conditions of a compromised heat‐shock response, CSF TTR contributes to control neuronal cell death, edema and inflammation, thereby influencing the survival of endangered neurons in cerebral ischemia.
Identifying parents with risky alcohol consumption habits in a paediatric unit – are screening and brief intervention appropriate methods?
Authors: Bjerregaard Lene B.L. , Gerke Oke , Rubak Sune , Høst Arne , Wagner Lis
Published: October 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 383–393
 
Identifying parents with risky alcohol consumption habits in a paediatric unit – are screening and brief intervention appropriate methods?

Background:  There is no systematic identification of parents with excessive alcohol use who have a child admitted to hospital. Children in families with excessive alcohol issues form a high risk group as substantial alcohol consumption has a damaging influence on a child emotionally, cognitively, socially and physically. Alcohol consumption is a sensitive issue, and health staff needs knowledge, qualifications and adequate training in communicating with parents about this taboo.

Aim: 

To identify specific patterns in subgroups of parents by comparing results from screening and demographic variables

To identify systematic patterns in staff members by demographic variables to decide whether these factors influence the screening results.

Methods:  During 1 year, screening and brief intervention (SBI) was accomplished, including health staff conducting dialogues with parents of a hospitalized child using motivational interviewing (MI) and screening for risky alcohol behaviour by Cut down, Annoyance from others, feel Guilty, Early‐morning Craving (CAGE)‐C. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics, and relationships were tested with a statistical significance level of 0.05, using SPSS (version 16.0).

Results:  Motivational dialogues with 779 parents were conducted by 43 staff members, and 11% of the parents were screened positive for risky alcohol behaviour. Drinking alcohol 4 days a week or more and drinking alcohol outside mealtimes were main risk factors. Parents’ gender was the strongest predictor of screening positive and OR was 6.8 for men (CI 4.03–11.74) compared to women, p < 0.0001. An OR of 1.2 for parents’ age (CI 1.02–1.42) indicates the risk of screening positive increases with age, p = 0.027.

Conclusions:  Brief intervention using CAGE‐C and MI has proven successful in mapping parents’ alcohol consumption patterns and in identifying parents with risky alcohol consumption habits. Health staff is able to manage health promotion and prevention when having the right competences and when being supervised.
Coparental communication, relational satisfaction, and mental health in stepfamilies
Authors: SCHRODT PAUL , BRAITHWAITE DAWN O.
Published: October 2010

This study tested a series of actor–partner interdependence models of coparental communication, relational satisfaction, and mental health in stepfamilies. Participants included 127 couples (N = 254). Results revealed 2 actor‐oriented models whereby parents' and stepparents' coparental communication quality positively predicted their own (but not their partners') satisfaction and mental health. A final model revealed that parents' relational satisfaction mediated the effect of coparental communication on their own mental health. A similar pattern emerged for stepparents, although coparental communication continued to have a direct, positive effect on stepparents' mental health. Importantly, parents' coparental communication produced an inverse partner effect on stepparents' mental health, highlighting the potential stress stepparents may experience as they are called upon to help raise their spouse's offspring.
Rho‐kinase signalling regulates trypsinogen activation and tissue damage in severe acute pancreatitis
Authors: Awla D , Hartman H , Abdulla A , Zhang S , Rahman M , Regnér S , Thorlacius H
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is characterized by trypsinogen activation, infiltration of leucocytes and tissue necrosis but the intracellular signalling mechanisms regulating organ injury in the pancreas remain elusive. Rho‐kinase is a potent regulator of specific cellular processes effecting several pro‐inflammatory activities. Herein, we examined the role of Rho‐kinase signalling in acute pancreatitis.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Pancreatitis was induced by infusion of taurocholate into the pancreatic duct in C57BL/6 mice. Animals were treated with a Rho‐kinase inhibitor Y‐27632 (0.5–5 mg·kg−1) before induction of pancreatitis.

KEY RESULTS

Taurocholate infusion caused a clear‐cut increase in blood amylase, pancreatic neutrophil infiltration, acinar cell necrosis and oedema formation in the pancreas. Levels of pancreatic myeloperoxidase (MPO), macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 (MIP‐2), trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP) and lung MPO were significantly increased, indicating local and systemic disease. Inhibition of Rho‐kinase activity dose‐dependently protected against pancreatitis. For example, 5 mg·kg−1 Y‐27632 reduced acinar cell necrosis, leucocyte infiltration and pancreatic oedema by 90%, 89% and 58%, respectively, as well as tissue levels of MPO by 75% and MIP‐2 by 84%. Moreover, Rho‐kinase inhibition decreased lung MPO by 75% and blood amylase by 83%. Pancreatitis‐induced TAP levels were reduced by 61% in Y‐27632‐treated mice. Inhibition of Rho‐kinase abolished secretagogue‐induced activation of trypsinogen in pancreatic acinar cells in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Our novel data suggest that Rho‐kinase signalling plays an important role in acute pancreatitis by regulating trypsinogen activation and subsequent CXC chemokine formation, neutrophil infiltration and tissue injury. Thus, these results indicate that Rho‐kinase may constitute a novel target in the management of SAP.
Biodistribution, pharmacokinetics and metabolism of interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA) using [18F]‐IL1RA and PET imaging in rats
Authors: Cawthorne C , Prenant C , Smigova A , Julyan P , Maroy R , Herholz K , Rothwell N , Boutin H
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential to improve our understanding of the preclinical pharmacokinetics and metabolism of therapeutic agents, and is easily translated to clinical studies in humans. However, studies involving proteins radiolabelled with clinically relevant PET isotopes are currently limited. Here we illustrate the potential of PET imaging in a preclinical study of the biodistribution and metabolism of 18F‐labelled IL‐1 receptor antagonist ([18F]IL‐1RA) using a novel [18F]‐radiolabelling technique.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

IL‐1RA was radiolabelled by reductive amination on lysine moieties with [18F]fluoroacetaldehyde. Sprague‐Dawley rats were injected intravenously with [18F]IL‐1RA and imaged with a PET camera for 2 h. For the study of IL‐1RA metabolites by ex vivoγ‐counting of samples, rats were killed 20 min, 1 h or 2 h after injection of [18F]IL‐1RA.

KEY RESULTS

[18F]IL‐1RA distribution into the major organs of interest was as follows: kidneys >> liver > lungs >> brain. In lungs and liver, [18F]IL‐1RA uptake peaked within 1 min post‐injection then decreased rapidly to reach a plateau from 10 min post‐injection. In the brain, the uptake exhibited slower pharmacokinetics with a smaller post‐injection peak and a plateau from 6 min onward. IL‐1RA was rapidly metabolized and these metabolites represented ∼40% of total activity in plasma and ∼80% in urine, 20 min after injection.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Preclinical PET imaging is a feasible method of assessing the biodistribution of new biological compounds of therapeutic interest rapidly. The biodistribution of [18F]IL‐1RA reported here is in agreement with an earlier study suggesting low uptake in the normal brain, with rapid metabolism and excretion via the kidneys.
Sarcolemmal cardiac KATPchannels as a target for the cardioprotective effects of the fluorine‐containing pinacidil analogue, flocalin
Authors: Voitychuk Oleg I , Strutynskyi Ruslan B , Yagupolskii Lev M , Tinker Andrew , Moibenko Olexiy O , Shuba Yaroslav M
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A class of drugs known as KATP‐channel openers induce cardioprotection. This study examined the effects of the novel KATP‐channel opener, the fluorine‐containing pinacidil derivative, flocalin, on cardiac‐specific KATP‐channels, excitability of native cardiac myocytes and on the ischaemic heart.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The action of flocalin was investigated on: (i) membrane currents through cardiac‐specific KATP‐channels (IKATP) formed by KIR6.2/SUR2A heterologously expressed in HEK‐293 cells (HEK‐2936.2/2A); (ii) excitability and intracellular Ca2+([Ca2+]i) transients of cultured rat neonatal cardiac myocytes; and (iii) functional and ultrastructural characteristics of isolated guinea‐pig hearts subjected to ischaemia‐reperfusion.

KEY RESULTS

Flocalin concentration‐dependently activated a glibenclamide‐sensitive IKATPin HEK‐2936.2/2Acells with an EC50= 8.1 ± 0.4 µM. In cardiac myocytes, flocalin (5 µM) hyperpolarized resting potential by 3–5 mV, markedly shortened action potential duration, reduced the amplitude of [Ca2+]itransients by 2–3‐fold and suppressed contraction. The magnitude and extent of reversibility of these effects depended on the type of cardiac myocytes. In isolated hearts, perfusion with 5 µmol·L−1flocalin, before inducing ischaemia, facilitated restoration of contraction during reperfusion, decreased the number of extrasystoles, prevented the appearance of coronary vasoconstriction and reduced damage to the cardiac tissue at the ultrastructural level (state of myofibrils, membrane integrity, mitochondrial cristae structure).

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Flocalin induced potent cardioprotection by activating cardiac‐type KATP‐channels with all the benefits of the presence of fluorine group in the drug structure: higher lipophilicity, decreased toxicity, resistance to oxidation and thermal degradation, decreased metabolism in the organism and prolonged therapeutic action.
Pharmacogenetics of new analgesics
Authors: Lötsch Jörn , Geisslinger Gerd
Published: October 2010

Patient phenotypes in pharmacological pain treatment varies between individuals, which could be partly assigned to their genotypes regarding the targets of classical analgesics (OPRM1,PTGS2) or associated signalling pathways (KCNJ6). Translational and genetic research have identified new targets, for which new analgesics are being developed. This addresses voltage‐gated sodium, calcium and potassium channels, for whichSCN9A,CACNA1B,KCNQ2andKCNQ3, respectively, are primary gene candidates because they code for the subunits of the respective channels targeted by analgesics currently in clinical development. Mutations in voltage gated transient receptor potential (TRPV) channels are known from genetic pain research and may modulate the effects of analgesics under development targeting TRPV1 or TRPV3. To this add ligand‐gated ion channels including nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, ionotropic glutamate‐gated receptors and ATP‐gated purinergic P2X receptors with most important subunits coded byCHRNA4,GRIN2BandP2RX7. Among G protein coupled receptors, δ‐opioid receptors (coded byOPRD1), cannabinoid receptors (CNR1andCNR2), metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5 coded byGRM5), bradykinin B1(BDKRB1) and 5‐HT1A(HTR1A) receptors are targeted by new analgesic substances. Finally, nerve growth factor (NGFB), its tyrosine kinase receptor (NTRK1) and the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) have become targets of interest. For most of these genes, functional variants have been associated with neuro‐psychiatric disorders and not yet with analgesia. However, research on the genetic modulation of pain has already identified variants in these genes, relative to pain, which may facilitate the pharmacogenetic assessments of new analgesics. The increased number of candidate pharmacogenetic modulators of analgesic actions may open opportunities for the broader clinical implementation of genotyping information.
Targeting the oncogenic role of miRNA in human cancer using naturally occurring compounds
Authors: Rushworth Stuart A
Published: October 2010

Micro‐RNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate the expression of genes involved in development, growth, proliferation and apoptosis. In cancer several miRNAs have been functionally classified as oncogenes or tumour suppressers or act to regulate transcription factors, like nuclear factor kappa B and NF‐E2–related factor 2, in cancers such as leukaemia, breast and colorectal. Therefore, it has been proposed that manipulating miRNA regulation may be a novel avenue for developing efficient therapies against cancer. In this issue, Li and colleagues describe a novel way of targeting miRNA, by using a naturally occurring anti‐cancer compound found in mistletoe which they showed to down‐regulate miR‐135a&b, which target the 3′untranslated region of adenomatous polyposis coli gene, the inactivation of which is a major initiating event in colorectal tumourigenesis. This commentary aims to discuss the regulatory mechanisms of miRNA synthesis and the potential outcomes for using naturally occurring compounds antioxidants or cellular antioxidant pathways to target miRNA for therapeutic intervention.

LINKED ARTICLE This article is a commentary on Li et al., pp. 349–364 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2010.01042.x
Technology Alliance Portfolios and Financial Performance: Value‐Enhancing and Cost‐Increasing Effects of Open Innovation*
Authors: Faems Dries , De Visser Matthias , Andries Petra , Van Looy Bart
Published: October 2010

Firms increasingly adopt an open innovation model in which they rely on technology alliances to complement and supplement their internal innovation efforts. Although previous studies provide in‐depth insight into the impact of technology alliances on the innovation performance, they remain relatively silent on how technology alliances eventually influence the financial performance of the firm. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual framework that disentangles both the value‐enhancing and cost‐increasing effects of technology alliances on financial performance. The model was tested with a sample of 305 Belgian manufacturing firms. Combining data from the Belgian Community Information Survey (CIS IV) database and the BELFIRST database, structural equation analyses were conducted on the connection among technology alliance portfolio diversity, product innovation performance, and financial performance. This study's data provide empirical confirmation for the assumption of existing research that technology alliance portfolio diversity has an indirect positive impact on financial performance via increased product innovation performance. However, a direct cost‐increasing effect of technology alliance portfolio diversity on financial performance is observed. Moreover, the structural equation analyses suggest that, in the short‐term, the direct cost‐increasing effect of technology alliance portfolio diversity exceeds the indirect value‐generating effect of technology alliances. These findings contribute to the current research on open innovation in two important ways. First, these results support the open innovation model by illuminating the interconnectedness between internal and external innovation strategies. In particular, technology alliance portfolio diversity has a positive impact on internal innovation efforts, which increases product innovation performance. Second, the findings complement the focus of existing open innovation research on the value‐generating properties of technology alliances, directing attention to the cost‐increasing effects of such collaborative strategies. On a managerial level, these findings suggest that, when making technology alliance decisions, managers not only should consider the potential benefits of such collaborative strategies but also should take into account the additional costs of intensifying the technology alliance portfolio.
Living Twice: How a Product Goes through Multiple Life Cycles*
Authors: Christiansen John K. , Varnes Claus J. , Gasparin Marta , Storm‐Nielsen Diana , Vinther Erik Johnsen
Published: October 2010

Product value and life are usually expected to follow the product life cycle (PLC), wherein products are expected to move from an investment toward a profitable mature peak that ends when the product is phased out. This study illustrates the sales volume of Arne Jacobsen's Egg chair over a 50‐year period, shifting from low to high volume to extremely low to high again. This study introduces a theoretical perspective in which value creation is described as a process of valuing, in which an assumption is made that the value of a product is relational and that relationships between products and consumers are created, broken, and recreated. This makes it possible to understand how timeless products can be achieved. Based on a coconstructivistic view of value creation, the life of the Egg chair demonstrates how value is cocreated as different associations, relationships, and conflicts are attached, detached, and reattached to the product through processes of qualifications and requalifications. Value is context dependent, emerging, and performative. By providing vital clues about what makes some products timeless, the study of the Egg provides implications for companies and managers. The strength of the Egg is its ability to be simultaneously flexible and stable. At its core is the design of a mastermind, yet it can adapt to today's changes and tastes. Through its ability to transform and connect in new ways, keeping its core, it becomes strong. The implications for product development are, among other things, that the PLC curve should not guide actions or reactions. Instead, it is necessary to understand, identify, or define the core design and values of products and the way products of the past can be adapted, negotiated, and transformed to stay attractive and to involve modern customers. It is essential to understand how product framing and framing devices work as management technologies in processes that involve the creation of long‐lasting product icons.
Positive and Negative Effects of Team Stressors on Job Satisfaction and New Product Performance*
Authors: Rodríguez‐Escudero Ana I. , Carbonell Pilar , Munuera‐Aleman Jose L.
Published: October 2010

The subject of stress and its impact on performance has received limited empirical attention in the new product development field. The present study examines the impact of three work stressors (i.e., role ambiguity, role conflict, and pressure for performance) on team job satisfaction and three dimensions of new product performance: adherence to budget and schedule, product quality, and market success. Data were collected using a cross sectional, Web‐based survey among Spanish innovative firms. A total of 197 questionnaires was received. Findings from this research suggest that role conflict and role ambiguity are negatively related to team job satisfaction. Results, however, show a lack of association between pressure for performance and job satisfaction. Regarding the effect of work stressors on new product performance, findings indicate that different stressors have different relationships with performance. Concerning role ambiguity, findings provide empirical evidence of a U‐shaped relationship between role ambiguity and adherence to budget and schedule and between role ambiguity and product quality. Thus, intermediate levels of role ambiguity are hurtful, but low and high levels of role ambiguity are helpful. Nonetheless, given that the levels of ambiguity measured in this study are not high enough, the findings regarding the impact of moderate to high levels of ambiguity on new product performance should be viewed as tentative. Role conflict has a negative linear relationship with adherence to budget schedule and an inverted U‐shaped relationship with product quality. For pressure for performance, findings indicate a triphasic effect on product quality. Specifically, the initial phase is characterized by increasingly lower levels of product quality owing to increasing levels of pressure for performance. As pressure for performance keeps further increasing, a positive effect on product quality begins to manifest. Beyond some threshold, however, a new phase starts in which product quality decreases with increasing amounts of performance pressure. Finally, results show a lack of association between pressure for performance and adherence to budget and schedule. All three stressors were found to have an indirect, rather than a direct, effect on market success via job satisfaction, adherence to budget and schedule, or product quality. Several managerial implications follow from these results. First, product managers should make every effort to reduce role ambiguity to minimal levels, ensuring that team members fully understand their role requirements and have adequate information about their job. Second, rather than reducing the level of role conflict to zero, managers must take into account the positive effect that moderate levels of role conflict have in product quality. Finally, management should put some pressure on the team members and make sure they understand that there is a sense of urgency.
Technological Activities and Their Impact on the Financial Performance of the Firm: Exploitation and Exploration within and between Firms*
Authors: Belderbos Rene , Faems Dries , Leten Bart , Looy Bart Van
Published: October 2010

The present study analyzes the impact of firms' technological strategies on their financial performance. Technology strategies are defined by making a distinction between explorative and exploitative as well as collaborative and solitary technological activities. Several hypotheses are tested on a panel data set (1996–2003) of 168 research and development (R&D)‐intensive firms based in Japan, the United States, and Europe and situated in five different industries (i.e., chemicals, pharmaceuticals, information and communication technologies [ICT], electronics, and nonelectrical machinery). This study's analyses confirm the existence of an inverted U‐shape relationship between the share of explorative technological activities and financial performance. In addition, firms engaging more intensively in collaboration perform relatively stronger in explorative activities. At the same time, a negative relationship is observed between the share of collaborative technological activities and a firm's market value. This negative relationship is most pronounced in collaborative activities of an exploratory nature. Overall, these findings suggest that the value appropriation complexities of collaborative technological activities may offset their value‐enhancing potential.
Procyclicality, Bank Lending, and the Macroeconomic Implications of a Revised Basel Accord
Authors: Jacques Kevin T.
Published: October 2010

Bank regulators are in the process of implementing revised regulatory capital standards. However, the macroeconomic effects of a revised Basel Accord are uncertain. Examining the various channels through which the revised Accord may influence economic output suggests that making the buffer stock of capital positively related to the business cycle is necessary to reduce procyclicality. This can be accomplished by bank regulators using either enhanced supervisory powers or increased financial disclosure.
Idiosyncratic Risk in Emerging Markets
Authors: Angelidis Timotheos
Published: October 2010

In this study, I examine the properties and portfolio management implications of value‐weighted idiosyncratic volatility in 24 emerging markets. This paper provides evidence against the view that the rise of idiosyncratic risk is a global phenomenon. Furthermore, specific and market risks jointly predict market returns as there is a negative (positive) relation between idiosyncratic (market) risk and subsequent stock returns. Idiosyncratic volatility is the most important component of tracking error volatility, and it does not exhibit either an upward or a downward trend. Thus, investors do not have to increase, on average, the number of stocks they hold to keep the active risk constant.
Termination of Ventricular Tachycardia by Far‐Field Stimulation in Humans: A Feasibility Study
Authors: LAWO THOMAS , SCHRADER JÜRGEN , BUDDENSIEK MICHAEL , SCHWEIKA OLIVER , MÜGGE ANDREAS , BÖSCHE LEIF I.
Published: October 2010

Background: Although a low‐energy cardioversion (LEC) shock from an implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) can terminate ventricular tachycardia (VT), it frequently triggers ventricular fibrillation (VF) and is therefore not used in clinical practice. We tested whether a modified LEC shock with a very short duration (0.12–0.36 ms), termed “field stimulus,” can terminate VT without triggering VF.

Methods: In 13 sedated patients with implanted ICDs, we attempted to induce VT and to terminate the arrhythmias by field stimuli during hospital predischarge tests.

Results: In eight patients, 27 VT episodes were induced and treated with a total of 46 high‐voltage (25–200 V) field stimuli, which terminated 11 VT episodes (41% efficacy) and never accelerated VT into VF. VT episodes slower than 230 beats per minute (bpm) (median rate) were terminated more successfully than faster arrhythmia episodes (69% vs 15%, P < 0.01). The strength of the field stimulus had no major influence on the effectiveness. We therefore postulate that suboptimal timing of field stimuli (delivered simultaneously with a sensed event in the right ventricular apex) was the main reason for failed VT terminations.

Conclusion: A short (0.12–0.36 ms), high‐voltage (50–100 V) field stimulus delivered from the shock coil of an implanted ICD system can safely terminate VT, especially for VT rates below 230 bpm. We believe that it would be reasonable to test the effectiveness of automatic field‐stimulus therapy from implanted ICDs in VT episodes up to 230 bpm that are not susceptible to termination by antitachycardia pacing. (PACE 2010; 33:1540–1547)
Evidence for a Previously Unrecognized Mycobacterial Endosymbiont in Acanthamoeba castellanii Strain Ma (ATCC®50370™)
Authors: GLASER KATHLEEN C. , HETRICK NEIL D. , MOLESTINA ROBERT E.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT. We describe the isolation of a mycobacterium from Acanthamoeba castellanii strain Ma (ATCC®50370™). The mycobacterium resides within vacuoles of A. castellanii, can be cultured by routine methodologies, and is a member of the Mycobacterium avium complex. Previously unrecognized mycobacterial endosymbionts are likely common among strains of Acanthamoeba housed at culture collections.