bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alopecia Areata in C3H/HeJ Mice Involves Leukocyte-mediated Root Sheath Disruption in Advance of Overt Hair Loss
Authors: McElwee K. J. , Silva K. , Boggess D. , Bechtold L. , King L. E. , Sundberg J. P.
Published: November 2003

Alopecia areata (AA) can be induced in C3H/HeJ mice by grafting full-thickness AA-affected skin. An 8- to 12-week delay between surgery and overt hair loss onset provides an opportunity to examine disease pathogenesis. Normal haired C3H/HeJ mice were sham-grafted or grafted with AA-affected skin. Mice were euthanatized 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after surgery along with chronic AA-affected mice as a positive control. Until 6 weeks after grafting, inflammation was only evident around anagen-stage hair follicles in host skin adjacent to but not distant from the AA-affected graft. From 8 weeks on, AA-grafted but not sham-grafted mice exhibited a diffuse dermal inflammation at distant sites that progressively focused on anagen-stage hair follicles at 10 and 12 weeks. Perifollicular inflammation was primarily composed of CD4+ and CD8+ cells associated with follicular epithelium intercellular adhesion molecule -1 expression. Only CD8+ cells penetrated intrafollicularly by 12 weeks after surgery, although both CD4+ and CD8+ intrafollicular cells were observed in chronic AA-affected mice. Under electron microscopy, intrafollicular lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration associated with hair follicle dystrophy was prominent 10 weeks after surgery, primarily within the differentiating outer and inner root sheaths. This study shows that focal follicular inflammation develops some time in advance of overt hair loss and focuses on the differentiating root sheaths in C3H/HeJ mice. The severity of inflammation and the degree of hair follicle dystrophy induced by the infiltrate appear to reach a threshold level before overt hair loss occurs.
Immunohistochemical Expression of p53, Fibroblast Growth Factor-b, and Transforming Growth Factor-α in Feline Vaccine-associated Sarcomas
Authors: Nieto A. , Sánchez M. A. , Martínez E. , Rollán E.
Published: November 2003

Fifty feline sarcomas associated with vaccine-site injection were evaluated to determine the immunohistochemical expression of p53 protein, basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-b), and transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α). Forty-one tumors (82%) were fibrosarcomas (FS), eight (16%) were malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFH), and one (2%) was a chondrosarcoma (CS). Overexpression of p53 protein was observed in the nuclei of tumor cells in 28 (56%) sarcomas; FGF-b expression was found in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in 40 (80%) feline sarcomas, but the staining was more intense in the spindle-shaped cells of FS than in polygonal or round cells of MFH. The single CS faintly expressed FGF-b. The majority of feline vaccine-associated sarcomas (43 of 50, 86%) expressed moderate or intense staining for TGF-α in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. Heterogeneous immunolabeling for p53, FGF-b, and TGF-α was present in neoplastic, multinucleated giant cells. Intense expression of FGF-b was statistically associated with younger cats ( P < 0.01) and with tumors with nodular growth patterns ( P = 0.02). In addition, sarcomas negative for p53 protein expressed FGF-b more frequently than did p53-positive tumors ( P = 0.04). The frequency of FGF-b immunostaining was significantly higher in sarcomas with intense expression of TGF-α ( P = 0.05). Immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein, FGF-b, and TGF-α suggests that these growth-regulating proteins may play different roles in the development of sarcomas associated with vaccine sites.
Glioblastoma Multiforme: Clinical Findings, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Pathology in Five Dogs
Authors: Lipsitz D. , Higgins R. J. , Kortz G. D. , Dickinson P. J. , Bollen A. W. , Naydan D. K. , LeCouteur R. A.
Published: November 2003

Although glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a World Health Organization grade IV astrocytoma, is the most common primary brain tumor in humans, in dogs GBM is relatively rare, accounting for only about 5% of all astrocytomas. This study presents combined clinical, neuroimaging, and neuropathologic findings in five dogs with GBM. The five dogs, aged from 5 to 12 years, were presented with progressive neurologic deficits that subsequent clinical neurologic examination and neuroimaging studies by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), localized to space occupying lesions in the brain. MRI features of the tumors included consistent peritumoral edema ( n = 5), sharp borders ( n = 4), ring enhancement ( n = 3), heterogenous T2-weighted signal intensity ( n = 3), iso- to hypointense T1-weighted images ( n = 5), necrosis ( n = 5), and cyst formation ( n = 2). Two tumors were diagnosed clinically using a computed tomography-guided stereotactic biopsy procedure. At necropsy all the tumors resulted in, on transverse sections, a prominent midline shift and had a variegated appearance due to intratumoral necrosis and hemorrhage. Histologically, they had serpentine necrosis with glial cell pseudopalisading and microvascular proliferation, features which distinguish human GBM from grade III astrocytomas. Immunoreactivity of tumor cells for glial fibrillary acidic protein was strongly positive in all cases, whereas 60% and 40% of the tumors also expressed epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor, respectively. These canine GBMs shared many diagnostic neuroimaging, gross, microcopic, and immunoreactivity features similar to those of human GBMs.
Expression of Class II β-Tubulin by Proliferative Myoepithelial Cells in Canine Mammary Mixed Tumors
Authors: Arai K. , Nakano H. , Shibutani M. , Naoi M. , Matsuda H.
Published: November 2003

Benign mammary mixed tumors in dogs resemble human salivary pleomorphic adenomas with regard to their histogenesis, including the occurrence of cartilaginous or bony metaplasia as well as the expression pattern of cytoskeletal proteins in proliferative myoepithelial cells. Recently, a monoclonal antibody specific for class II β-tubulin has been developed. The epitope it recognizes was determined to be the hepta-peptide Glu-Glu-Glu-Glu-Gly-Glu-Asp, which is the common sequence found among the canine, rat, mouse, and human class II β-tubulin-specific regions. We carried out immunohistochemical studies on mammary mixed tumors obtained from three female dogs using this the monoclonal antibody. The antibody to class II β-tubulin reacted intensely with proliferative myoepithelial cells in canine mammary mixed tumors, whereas staining was barely detectable in normal myoepithelial cells surrounding alveoli and alveolar ducts within the tumor and adjacent normal tissue. Proliferative myoepithelial cells also expressed vimentin, but α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) staining was barely detectable. Immunoblot analysis showed that class II β-tubulin and vimentin were expressed in myoepithelial cell lines prepared from the three mammary mixed tumors. On the other hand, only one cell line, which was negative for αSMA, produced cartilage-specific type II collagen. These results suggest that class II β-tubulin could be a new molecular marker of proliferating myoepithelial cells in canine mammary mixed tumors and that differential expression of cytoskeletal components is associated with cartilaginous metaplasia of proliferative myoepithelial cells in mixed mammary tumors.
Cutaneous Smooth Muscle Tumors in the Dog and Cat
Authors: Liu S. M. , Mikaelian I.
Published: November 2003

Cutaneous smooth muscle tumors may arise from arrector pili muscles and from smooth muscles of the dermal vasculature. This report describes histologic and immunohistochemical features of eight arrector pili hamartomas in 8 dogs, 15 piloleiomyomas in 10 dogs and 3 cats, 10 piloleiomyosarcomas in 9 dogs and 1 cat, 1 angioleiomyoma in 1 cat, and 9 angioleiomyosarcomas in 6 dogs and 3 cats. Hamartomas and tumors arising from arrector pili muscles preferentially originated from the dorsal trunk. 5/5 (100%) arrector pili hamartomas, 10/12 (83%) piloleiomyomas, 4/5 (80%) piloleiomyosarcomas, 1/1 (100%) angioleiomyoma, and 6/7 (86%) angioleiomyosarcomas were positive for smooth muscle actin. 5/5 (100%) arrector pili hamartomas, 10/12 (83%) piloleiomyomas, 4/5 (80%) piloleiomyosarcomas, 1/1 (100%) angioleiomyoma, and 1/7 (14%) angioleiomyosarcomas were positive for desmin. Two incompletely excised canine angioleiomyosarcomas recurred locally. Metastases were not reported.
Bile Duct Dysplasia and Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis Associated with Polycystic Kidney (Caroli Syndrome) in a Rat
Authors: Bettini G. , Mandrioli L. , Morini M.
Published: November 2003

Hepatic fibrosis with bile duct ectasia and hyperplasia associated with polycystic kidney disease, analogous to Caroli syndrome in humans, was observed in a rat used as a control in a subchronic toxicity study. Light microscopy of liver sections showed multiple cystic and segmental saccular dilatations and hyperplasia of the intrahepatic bile ducts associated with overgrowth of portal connective tissue; the kidneys had diffuse cystic dilatation of cortical renal tubules. The lesions resembled those of human cases of the fibropolycystic disease termed as Caroli syndrome, which is thought to be the result of a pathologic developmental process known as ductal plate malformation. Recently, an animal model of Caroli syndrome has been described in mutant rats from a colony that constantly showed renal and hepatic cysts and an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The finding in our case of identical hepatorenal lesions suggests that the same mutation has occurred incidentally in a standard colony.
Coronary Arteriosclerosis with Myocardial Atrophy in a 13-year-old Dog
Authors: Williams K. J.
Published: November 2003

Myocardial ischemia, an uncommon cause of sudden death in dogs, usually results in infarction and fibrosis of the myocardium. Necropsy examination of a 13-year-old German Shepherd dog that died suddenly demonstrated multifocal myocardial thinning and loss in the left and right ventricular free wall and right atrium. Histopathologic examination confirmed the myocardial thinning to be sites of myocyte atrophy and loss, with loose reticulin-positive fibrovascular tissue and adipocytes and little fibrosis. Many intramural coronary arteries were irregularly thickened and partially occluded by segmental intimal and medial deposits of periodic acid-Schiff-positive, Congo red-negative amorphous extracellular material. This finding is consistent with hyaline arteriosclerosis. These vascular lesions likely lead to insufficient perfusion of the affected myocardium and gradual loss of myofibers without the acute necrosis and fibrosis characteristic of infarction.
Adenomatous Hyperplasia of the Thyroid Gland in Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Hudson Bay, Quebec, Canada
Authors: Mikaelian I. , Labelle P. , Kopal M. , De Guise S. , Martineau D.
Published: November 2003

We evaluated thyroid gland lesions in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary ( n = 16) and Hudson Bay ( n = 14). Follicular cysts and nodules of adenomatous hyperplasia of the thyroid gland were found in eight and nine adults from the St. Lawrence Estuary ( n = 10), respectively, and in four and six adults from Hudson Bay ( n = 14), respectively. The total volume of the lesions of thyroid adenomatous hyperplasia was positively correlated with age in both populations. Comparison between populations could not be performed because of differences in age structures of sample groups. Beluga whales from both populations have unique thyroid lesions among marine mammals.
West Nile Virus Infection in Eastern Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger)
Authors: Kiupel M. , Simmons H. A. , Fitzgerald S. D. , Wise A. , Sikarskie J. G. , Cooley T. M. , Hollamby S. R. , Maes R.
Published: November 2003

Since the initial outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) in the northeastern United States in 1999, the virus has rapidly spread westward and southward across the USA, causing high mortality in crows as well as sporadic mortality in horses, humans, and a wide variety of birds. In 2002 the epidemic widened as hundreds of equine and human cases and sporadic cases in other mammalian species were reported. This is the first report of WNV infection in three Eastern fox squirrels ( Sciurus niger). Neurologic signs included head tilt, uncoordinated movement, paralysis, and tremors. Gross lesions were absent. Microscopic lesions consisted of lymphoplasmacytic inflammation involving the brain, heart, kidney, and liver. Formalin-fixed tissues from the three squirrels were tested for WNV antigen by immunohistochemical staining and for WNV-specific RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The kidneys of all three squirrels stained positive with immunohistochemistry for WNV, whereas the brain and heart were positive in only one animal. Two of the three squirrels were positive for WNV by RT-PCR.
Intrahepatic Splenosis in a Dog
Authors: Knostman K. A. B. , Weisbrode S. E. , Marrie P. A. , Worman J. L.
Published: November 2003

A 10-year-old castrated male Standard Poodle presented with an acute onset of lethargy and abdominal pain. The animal had a history of traumatic splenic rupture requiring splenectomy 5 years previously. Surgical exploration revealed multiple cystic red nodules involving all liver lobes, several of which were submitted for histopathology. Microscopically, the cystic nodules were dilated bile ducts and lymphatics surrounded by ectopic splenic tissue. A diagnosis of intrahepatic splenosis was made.
Comparison of Tyrosinase-related Protein-2, S-100, and Melan A Immunoreactivity in Canine Amelanotic Melanomas
Authors: Choi C. , Kusewitt D. F.
Published: November 2003

Tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2) is a highly conserved melanogenic enzyme expressed in both pigmented and unpigmented melanomas of the mouse. To determine whether TRP-2 would be a good diagnostic marker for amelanotic melanomas of the dog, we performed immunohistochemistry for TRP-2, S-100, and Melan A on 21 canine tumors identified as amelanotic melanomas based on routine histopathologic examination. Thirteen of the tumors were TRP-2 positive, 10 were Melan A positive, and 19 were S-100 positive. TRP-2 was expressed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in both primary and metastatic melanomas. S-100 staining was positive in all of three schwannomas and two of three gastrointestinal stromal tumors (one fibrosarcoma and one leiomyosarcoma) tested. Neither Melan A nor TRP-2 antibodies reacted with these tumors. Our findings indicate that staining for TRP-2 is a sensitive and specific method for confirming the diagnosis of amelanotic melanoma in dogs.
Lipid-rich Carcinomas of the Mammary Gland in Seven Dogs: Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Features
Authors: de los Monteros A. Espinosa , Hellmén E. , Ramírez G. A. , Herráez P. , Rodríguez F. , Ordás J. , Millán Y. , Lara A. , de las Mulas J. Martín
Published: November 2003

Lipid-rich carcinomas occurred in seven female dogs. Affected dogs were purebred (all but one), intact (all but one), and between 4 and 13 years of age. Five of them had a history of parity, one had pseudopregnancy, and none had received contraceptive steroids. The tumors were single (five cases) or multiple (two cases) well-circumscribed masses of different sizes (varying from 1 to 6 cm in diameter), composed of solid nests and cords of tumor cells separated by a moderate amount of stroma. The tumor cells contained either multiple and small or large and solitary vacuoles that pushed the nucleus to the periphery of the cell (signet-ring cell). A glandular epithelial immunophenotype (cytokeratins 5 and 8 and 8 and 18) was observed in the majority of tumor cells. All tumors lacked both estrogen and progesterone receptors, and five out of seven tumors gave rise to local recurrence and proximal or distant metastases or both.
Experimental Transmission of Abnormal Prion Protein (PrPsc) in the Small Intestinal Epithelial Cells of Neonatal Mice
Authors: Okamoto M. , Furuoka H. , Horiuchi M. , Noguchi T. , Hagiwara K. , Muramatsu Y. , Tomonaga K. , Tsuji M. , Ishihara C. , Ikuta K. , Taniyama H.
Published: November 2003

Using an immunohistochemical method, we attempted to detect the transmission of abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) to the enterocytes of the small intestine of neonatal mice by oral exposure with sheep brain affected by scrapie. Five 1-day-old neonatal mice were exposed by oral inoculation to the homogenized brain of a scrapie-affected sheep. In the small intestine of all mice 1 hour after inoculation, immunoreactivity with antinormal prion protein (PrPc) antibody was seen in the cytoplasm of villus enterocytes. This finding suggests transmission of abnormal PrPsc into the cytoplasm of enterocytes. In control mice treated with normal sheep brain, no PrPc signal was seen in enterocytes of the small intestine. Immunopositivity for neurofilament protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein was seen in the cytoplasm of enterocytes of mice inoculated with scrapie and normal sheep brain. This suggests that the enterocytes of neonatal mice can absorb PrPsc and other macromolecular proteins of the sheep brain affected by scrapie and may be more important than previously thought as a pathway for PrPsc transmission in neonatal animals.
Understanding Service Convenience
Authors: Berry Leonard L. , Seiders Kathleen , Grewal Dhruv
Published: November 2003

The subject of service convenience is important in service economies, yet little is known about this topic. The consumer convenience literature—strong in certain respects, underdeveloped in other respects—gives insufficient attention to service convenience. The prevailing pattern is either to treat service convenience generally or to lump services and goods together into an overall convenience construct. The authors seek to stimulate a higher level of research activity and dialogue by proposing a more comprehensive and multidimensional conceptualization of service convenience and a model delineating its antecedents and consequences. The authors build their case by systematically examining the convenience literature, explicating the dimensions and types of service convenience, developing the overall model and related research propositions, and presenting directions for further research.
Marketing Literature Review
Authors: Leonard Myron
Published: November 2003

This section is based on a selection of article abstracts from a comprehensive business literature database. Marketing-related abstracts from more than 125 journals (both academic and trade) are reviewed by JM staff. Descriptors for each entry are assigned by JM staff. Each issue of this section represents three months of entries into the database.

Each entry has an identifying number. Cross-references appear immediately under each subject heading.

The following article abstracts are available online from the ABI/INFORM database, which is published and copyrighted by ProQuest Information and Learning. For additional information about access to the database or about obtaining photocopies of the articles abstracted here, please call (800) 521-0600 or write to ProQuest, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.
The Effects of Entrepreneurial Proclivity and Market Orientation on Business Performance
Authors: Matsuno Ken , Mentzer John T. , Özsomer Ayşegül
Published: November 2003

The recent literature suggests a potential tension between market orientation and entrepreneurial proclivity in achieving superior business performance. This is unsettling for marketers, because it could mean that being market oriented is detrimental to a firm that is also trying to be entrepreneurial and successful. To examine this unnerving potential, the authors investigate structural influences (both direct and indirect) of entrepreneurial proclivity and market orientation on business performance. The results indicate that entrepreneurial proclivity has not only a positive and direct relationship on market orientation but also an indirect and positive effect on market orientation through the reduction of departmentalization. The results also suggest that entrepreneurial proclivity's performance influence is positive when mediated by market orientation but negative or nonsignificant when not mediated by market orientation. The authors also provide a discussion and future research implications.
Technological Opportunism and Radical Technology Adoption: An Application to E-Business
Authors: Srinivasan Raji , Lilien Gary L. , Rangaswamy Arvind
Published: November 2003

Using the resource-based view of the firm, the authors hypothesize that differences in adoption of radical technologies among firms can be attributed to a sense-and-respond capability of firms with respect to new technologies, which is termed technological opportunism. Using survey data from senior managers in business-to-business firms, the authors study the adoption of e-business, a radical technology with the potential to alter business models. The authors first establish the distinctiveness of technological opportunism from related constructs, such as organizational innovativeness, and show that it offers a significantly better explanation of technology adoption than existing constructs do. In a follow-up survey of senior managers, the authors investigate the antecedents of technological opportunism and find that organizations can develop technological opportunism by taking specific actions such as focusing on the future, by having top management advocate new technologies, and by becoming more of an adhocracy culture and less of a hierarchy culture. The proposed technological opportunism construct can inform theory development on the relative emphasis on internal (research and development) versus external (buying, licensing) development of technologies and the complementarities in technology orientation and market orientation in the firm. The results can be used by managers who seek to develop the technological opportunism capability of their firms and by those in technology vendor firms who seek to develop segmentation strategies based on the technological opportunism capabilities of their customer firms.
When Does Trust Matter? Antecedents and Contingent Effects of Supervisee Trust on Performance in Selling New Products in China and the United States
Authors: Atuahene-Gima Kwaku , Li Haiyang
Published: November 2003

There is a strong normative bias toward the inherent value of trust among both marketing researchers and practitioners. Yet there is little empirical evidence of a positive impact of trust on performance. Indeed, scholars suggest that the sources of trust may provide opportunities for its abuse. Following this line of thinking, the authors investigate the dual roles of sales controls and supervisor behaviors as antecedents of salespeople's belief in the benevolence of the supervisor (i.e., supervisee trust). The authors then examine these antecedents as moderators of the relationship between supervisee trust and sales performance in the context of selling new products. Data on field salespeople from high-technology firms in China and the United States suggest that factors such as supervisor accessibility engender supervisee trust but do not necessarily enhance its impact on sales performance. In the Chinese sample, supervisee trust enhances sales performance when output control is adopted, when the supervisor has a higher level of achievement orientation style, and when the salesperson has higher role ambiguity. Furthermore, the results suggest that the supervisee trust–sales performance relationship is negative when supervisor accessibility is high. With the exception of achievement orientation and supervisor accessibility, these effects are negative or nonexistent in the U.S. sample. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of the study's findings.
Market Orientation and Alternative Strategic Orientations: A Longitudinal Assessment of Performance Implications
Authors: Noble Charles H. , Sinha Rajiv K. , Kumar Ajith
Published: November 2003

Although the merits of maintaining a market orientation have been extensively discussed in the literature, studies examining the empirical link between market orientation and performance have shown mixed results. The authors explore the relative performance effects of various dimensions of market orientation using a longitudinal approach based on letters to shareholders in corporate annual reports. Furthermore, the authors examine the relative effects of alternative strategic orientations that reflect different managerial priorities for the firm. The authors also extend previous work by considering the mediating effects of organizational learning and innovativeness on the orientation–performance relationship. The results show that firms possessing higher levels of competitor orientation, national brand focus, and selling orientation exhibit superior performance.
The GMS: A Broad Conceptualization of Global Marketing Strategy and Its Effect on Firm Performance
Authors: Zou Shaoming , Cavusgil S. Tamer
Published: November 2003

Despite the strong interest in global marketing, there is no consensus in the literature about what constitutes a global marketing strategy and whether it affects a firm's global market performance. The authors develop a broad conceptualization of global marketing strategy, the GMS, that integrates three major perspectives—namely, the standardization, configuration–coordination, and integration perspectives—of global marketing strategy. They also develop a conceptual model that links the GMS to a firm's global market performance. On the basis of a survey of business units competing in global industries, the authors find support for the broad GMS perspective and the fundamental relationship between the GMS and firms' global market performance. The authors also discuss theoretical and managerial implications of their findings.
Getting Return on Quality: Revenue Expansion, Cost Reduction, or Both?
Authors: Rust Roland T. , Moorman Christine , Dickson Peter R.
Published: November 2003

Financial benefits from quality may be derived from revenue expansion, cost reduction, or both simultaneously. The literature on both market orientation and customer satisfaction provides considerable support for the effectiveness of the revenue expansion perspective, whereas the literature on both quality and operations provides equally impressive support for the effectiveness of the cost reduction perspective. There is, however, little evidence for the effectiveness of attempting both revenue expansion and cost reduction simultaneously, and some of what little empirical and theoretical literature is available suggests that emphasizing both simultaneously may not work. In a study of managers in firms seeking to obtain a financial return from quality improvements, the authors address the issue of which quality profitability emphasis (revenue expansion, cost reduction, or both) is most effective. The authors examine firm performance using managers' reports of firm performance and longitudinal secondary data on firm profitability and stock returns. Although it is clear that no company can neglect either revenue expansion or cost reduction, the empirical results suggest that firms that adopt primarily a revenue expansion emphasis perform better than firms that try to emphasize cost reduction and better than firms that try to emphasize both revenue expansion and cost reduction simultaneously. The results have implications with respect to how both theory and practice view organizational efforts to achieve financial returns from quality improvements.
Service Orientation of a Retailer's Business Strategy: Dimensions, Antecedents, and Performance Outcomes
Authors: Homburg Christian , Hoyer Wayne D. , Fassnacht Martin
Published: November 2003

Augmenting products with services is a major way retailers have of gaining differentiation in today's competitive market. Despite its importance, this topic has received relatively little research attention. Unlike previous research, this study adopts a more comprehensive perspective on retail services by examining three important research gaps related to a service-oriented business strategy: First, the authors elaborate on the dimensions of a service-oriented business strategy and introduce a new measure of this strategy. Second, the authors examine the antecedents of a service-oriented business strategy. In practice, there appears to be considerable variability in terms of the extent to which retailers demonstrate a service orientation, but there is a major gap in the understanding of what factors influence this orientation. Third, the authors investigate the neglected link between a service-oriented business strategy and performance outcomes. To examine these three important areas, the authors conducted an empirical study of clothing and furniture retailers in both the United States and Germany. This study provides evidence for the proposed conceptualization of a service-oriented business strategy. The authors also find that the investigated antecedents account for some variance of a service-oriented business strategy, which in turn positively affects company performance in the market and thereby profitability. Furthermore, the authors discuss several important research issues as well as managerial implications and future research avenues.
The Integrated Networks Model: Explaining Resource Allocations in Network Markets
Authors: Frels Judy K. , Shervani Tasadduq , Srivastava Rajendra K.
Published: November 2003

The last decade has witnessed a shift from a focus on the value created by a single firm and product to an examination of the value created by networks of firms (or product ecosystems) in which assets are comingled with external entities. The authors examine these market-based assets in the context of network markets and propose an Integrated Networks model in which three types of networks—user, complements, and producer—add value or enhance the attractiveness of the associated focal product. The authors empirically test the proposed model by surveying information technology professionals on their resource allocation decisions regarding the Unix and Windows NT operating systems. The findings suggest that the value added by these three networks is significantly and positively associated with resources allocated by business customers to competing products. The results also show that the three networks mediate the relationship between stand-alone product performance and resource allocation.
Firms Reap what they Sow: The Effects of Shared Values and Perceived Organizational Justice on Customers’ Evaluations of Complaint Handling
Authors: Maxham James G. , Netemeyer Richard G.
Published: November 2003

Employing elements of organizational theory and service recovery research, the authors examine how employees’ perceptions of shared values and organizational justice can stimulate customer-directed extra-role behaviors when handling complaints. They also investigate how these extra-role behaviors affect customers’ perceptions of justice, satisfaction, word of mouth, and purchase intent. The authors capture and match employee and customer perceptions regarding the relevant constructs following a complaint and recovery experience. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of shared values and organizational justice affect customer-directed extra-role behaviors. Furthermore, the authors find that extra-role behaviors have significant effects on customers’ perceptions of justice and that these behaviors mediate the effects of shared values and organizational justice on customer justice perceptions. Their study reveals that customer ratings of justice affect the customer outcomes of satisfaction with recovery, overall firm satisfaction, purchase intent, and word of mouth. Finally, the authors show that customers’ perceptions of justice mediate the effects that extra-role behaviors have on customer outcomes.
What to Convey in Antismoking Advertisements for Adolescents: The use of Protection Motivation Theory to Identify Effective Message Themes
Authors: Pechmann Cornelia , Zhao Guangzhi , Goldberg Marvin E. , Reibling Ellen Thomas
Published: November 2003

Antismoking advertising is increasingly used, but its message content is controversial. In an initial study in which adolescents coded 194 advertisements, the authors identified seven common message themes. Using protection motivation theory, the authors develop hypotheses regarding the message theme effects on cognitions and intentions and test them in an experiment involving 1667 adolescents. Three of the seven message themes increased adolescents’ nonsmoking intentions compared with a control; all did so by enhancing adolescents’ perceptions that smoking poses severe social disapproval risks. Other message themes increased health risk severity perceptions but were undermined by low perceived vulnerability.
Making Healthful Food Choices: The Influence of Health Claims and Nutrition Information on Consumers’ Evaluations of Packaged Food Products and Restaurant Menu Items
Authors: Kozup John C. , Creyer Elizabeth H. , Burton Scot
Published: November 2003

The authors report the results of three experiments that address the effects of health claims and nutrition information placed on restaurant menus and packaged food labels. The results indicate that when favorable nutrition information or health claims are presented, consumers have more favorable attitudes toward the product, nutrition attitudes, and purchase intentions, and they perceive risks of heart disease and stroke to be lower. The nutritional context in which a restaurant menu item is presented moderates the effects of both nutrition information and a health claim on consumer evaluations, which suggests that alternative (i.e., nontarget) menu items serve as a frame of reference against which the target menu item is evaluated.
Innovations in Product Functionality: When and Why Are Explicit Comparisons Effective?
Authors: Ziamou Paschalina (Lilia) , Ratneshwar S.
Published: November 2003

The authors investigate the effects of explicit comparisons in differentiating innovations that offer new functionalities to the consumer. Although marketing communications commonly employ explicit comparisons in launching new product functionalities, the authors suggest that such comparisons are not always helpful. The authors show that an explicit comparison of a new functionality with an existing functionality is effective only when the new functionality is offered in a device or physical product that is atypical of the existing functionality. However, when the new functionality is offered in a product that is typical of the existing functionality, explicit comparisons tend to backfire because they merely facilitate the assimilation of the new functionality to the prior functionality. The results of three studies provide significant support for the predictions, and a fourth study demonstrates how the backfire effect might be avoided. The authors discuss implications for communication tactics, new product marketing, and consumer behavior theory.
Cognitive Lock-In and the Power Law of Practice
Authors: Johnson Eric J. , Bellman Steven , Lohse Gerald L.
Published: November 2003

The authors suggest that learning is an important factor in electronic environments and that efficiency resulting from learning can be modeled with the power law of practice. They show that most Web sites can be characterized by decreasing visit times and that generally those sites with the fastest learning curves show the highest rates of purchasing.
Consumer–Company Identification: A Framework for Understanding Consumers’ Relationships with Companies
Authors: Bhattacharya C.B. , Sen Sankar
Published: November 2003

In this article, the authors try to determine why and under what conditions consumers enter into strong, committed, and meaningful relationships with certain companies, becoming champions of these companies and their products. Drawing on theories of social identity and organizational identification, the authors propose that strong consumer–company relationships often result from consumers’ identification with those companies, which helps them satisfy one or more important self-definitional needs. The authors elaborate on the nature of consumer–company identification, including the company identity, and articulate a consumer-level conceptual framework that offers propositions regarding the key determinants and consequences of such identification in the marketplace.
Four Defining Health Issues of the 2024 Presidential Election
Authors: Parekh Anand
Published: January 2024

This Viewpoint discusses 4 defining health issues that will likely influence not only the 2024 presidential election but also congressional and state races.
Clinical Risk and Outpatient Therapy Utilization for COVID-19 in the Medicare Population
Authors: Wilcock Andrew D. , Kissler Stephen , Mehrotra Ateev , McGarry Brian E. , Sommers Benjamin D. , Grabowski David C. , Grad Yonatan H. , Barnett Michael L.
Published: January 2024

Importance

Multiple therapies are available for outpatient treatment of COVID-19 that are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and mortality. Although racial and socioeconomic disparities in use of these therapies have been documented, limited evidence exists on what factors explain differences in use and the potential public health relevance of these differences.

Objective

To assess COVID-19 outpatient treatment utilization in the Medicare population and simulate the potential outcome of allocating treatment according to patient risk for severe COVID-19.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study included patients enrolled in Medicare in 2022 across the US, identified with 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was any COVID-19 outpatient therapy utilization. Secondary outcomes included COVID-19 testing, ambulatory visits, and hospitalization. Differences in outcomes were estimated based on patient demographics, treatment contraindications, and a composite risk score for mortality after COVID-19 based on demographics and comorbidities. A simulation of reallocating COVID-19 treatment, particularly with nirmatrelvir, to those at high risk of severe disease was performed, and the potential COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality outcomes were assessed.

Results

In 2022, 6.0% of 20 026 910 beneficiaries received outpatient COVID-19 treatment, 40.5% of which had no associated COVID-19 diagnosis within 10 days. Patients with higher risk for severe disease received less outpatient treatment, such as 6.4% of those aged 65 to 69 years compared with 4.9% of those 90 years and older (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.62-0.65]) and 6.4% of White patients compared with 3.0% of Black patients (aOR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.54-0.58]). In the highest COVID-19 severity risk quintile, 2.6% were hospitalized for COVID-19 and 4.9% received outpatient treatment, compared with 0.2% and 7.5% in the lowest quintile. These patterns were similar among patients with a documented COVID-19 diagnosis, those with no claims for vaccination, and patients who are insured with Medicare Advantage. Differences were not explained by variable COVID-19 testing, ambulatory visits, or treatment contraindications. Reallocation of 2022 outpatient COVID-19 treatment, particularly with nirmatrelvir, based on risk for severe COVID-19 would have averted 16 503 COVID-19 deaths (16.3%) in the sample.

Conclusion

In this cross-sectional study, outpatient COVID-19 treatment was disproportionately accessed by beneficiaries at lower risk for severe infection, undermining its potential public health benefit. Undertreatment was not driven by lack of clinical access or treatment contraindications.
How is the memory conformity effect influenced by the relative power of the individuals involved?
Authors: Wright Daniel B. , Celic Vuk
Published: January 2024

When people remember together, what one person says can affect what others report. The size of this effect is dependent on characteristics of the people and how they express their beliefs. The power relationship among people affects much of their social cognition, including the size of this memory conformity effect. However, some research has shown people conform more to high power individuals and some research shows the opposite. The proposed research identified what we believe is an important difference in these studies in the type of power that was manipulated: evaluation versus managerial power. The proposed research will examine these using a 2 × 2 factorial design, plus a control group. The study is designed to be like how people learn new vocabulary in an education context.
Associations between inhibition and precursors of literacy and mathematics in kindergarten children
Authors: Michel Eva , Lang Jonas , Boesche Finn
Published: January 2024

This study analyzes the relationship between different components of inhibition (interference control, response inhibition) and pre‐academic skills in a sample of 105 5‐ and 6‐year‐old German and Austrian kindergarten children. Interference control is a form of cognitive inhibition that fosters focused attention on task‐relevant information and the exclusion of task‐irrelevant stimuli, while response inhibition refers to the behavioral inhibition of predominant reactions. We hypothesized that interference control would explain more variance in pre‐academic skills than response inhibition because of the importance of focused attention for the acquisition of (pre‐)academic skills. A structural equation model with two latent factors for the two assumed inhibition components did not fit the data, but a model with a single latent inhibition factor fit well. Inhibition substantially predicted pre‐academic skills over and above chronological age. Results indicate that inhibitory processes are domain‐general predictors of early academic achievement, but the factorial structure of inhibition in kindergarten age requires further clarification.
Charge‐Programmable Photopolymers for 3D Electronics via Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Wang Zhen , Wang Junbo , Xu Zhenpeng , Hensleigh Ryan , Lu Haotian , Sowers Mack , Worsley Marcus A. , Rahmat‐Samii Yahya , Zheng Xiaoyu (Rayne)
Published: January 2024

Charge‐programmed 3D printing enables the fabrication of 3D electronics with lightweight and high precision via selective patterning of metals. This selective metal deposition is catalyzed by Pd nanoparticles that are specifically immobilized onto the charged surface and promises to fabricate a myriad of complex electronic devices with self‐sensing, actuation, and structural elements assembled in a designed 3D layout. However, the achievable property space and the material‐performance correlation of the charge‐programmed printing remain unexplored. Herein, a series of photo‐curable resins are designed for unveiling how the charge and crosslink densities synergistically impact the nanocatalyst‐guided selective deposition in catalytic efficiency and properties of the 3D printed charge‐programmed architectures, leading to high‐quality 3D patterning of solid and liquid metals. The findings offer a wide tunability of the structural properties of the printed electronics, ranging from stiff to extreme flexibility. Capitalizing on these results, the printing and successful application of an ultralight‐weight and deployable 3D multi‐layer antenna system operating at an ultrahigh‐frequency of 19 GHz are demonstrated.
Novel Intelligent Photon‐Encoding Gel with Dynamically Switching Supramolecular Networks
Authors: Duan Chengliang , Wang Bin , Li Jinpeng , Zeng Jinsong , Cao Daxian , Xu Jun , Gao Wenhua , Chen Kefu
Published: January 2024

The microscopically structural switching of supramolecular networks endows programmable gel materials with dynamic hiding properties and functionalities. However, the reconstruction of supramolecular network will destroy the programming information imprinted on the original network structure, making it difficult to restore to the original state. Here, a novel intelligent programmable photonic gel composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and acrylamide is constructed. The mechanical properties and optical signals of gel can be switched reversibly on demand by reasonably designing the winding and compression between molecular structures. Under this conversion mechanism, the rigid “skeleton” constructed from the CNC chiral structure perfectly acts as the coding substrate. Importantly, even after multiple dynamic switching of the supramolecular network, the encoded information can be displayed completely and accurately on the CNC chiral structure in the stretched state. In addition, the 5D controllable conversion of stiffness, transparency, stretchability, color, and shape greatly improves the security and confidentiality of the encoded information inside the gel. This is a successful example of the application of CNC chiral structure in switchable supramolecular network materials. It is believed that the flexible variability and advanced camouflage give the intelligent gel the potential to be used in a wider range of practical scenarios.
Hydrogen Bonds‐Pinned Entanglement Blunting the Interfacial Crack of Hydrogel–Elastomer Hybrids
Authors: Wang Zibi , Yang Fahu , Liu Xiaoxu , Han Xiang , Li Xinxin , Huyan Chenxi , Liu Dong , Chen Fei
Published: January 2024

Anchoring a layer of amorphous hydrogel on an antagonistic elastomer holds potential applications in surface aqueous lubrication. However, the interfacial crack propagation usually occurs under continuous loads for amorphous hydrogel, leading to the failure of hydrogel interface. This work presents a universal strategy to passivate the interfacial cracks by designing a hydrogen bonds‐pinned entanglement (Hb–En) structure of amorphous hydrogel on engineering elastomers. The unique Hb–En structure is created by pinning well‐tailored entanglements via covalent‐like hydrogen bonds, which can amplify the delocalization of interfacial stress concentration and elevate the necessary fracture energy barrier within hydrogel interface. Therefore, the interfacial crack propagation can be suppressed under single and cyclic loads, resulting in a high interfacial toughness over 1650 J m−2 and an excellent interfacial fatigue threshold of 423 J m−2. Such a strategy universally works on blunting the interfacial crack between hydrogel coating and various elastomer materials with arbitrary shapes. The superb fatigue‐crack insensitivity at the interface allows for durable aqueous lubrication of hydrogel coating with low friction.
3D‐Printed Photonic Crystal Sub‐Terahertz Leaky‐Wave Antenna
Authors: Guerboukha Hichem , Sakaki Masoud , Shrestha Rabi , Li Jingwen , Kölbel Johanna , Benson Niels , Mittleman Daniel M.
Published: January 2024

Wireless systems are facing increasing pressure due to the growing demand for data transmission. One potential solution to this problem is to shift communication frequencies toward the terahertz (THz) spectrum. However, this requires the development of new components that can efficiently process signals at these high frequencies and transmit them via highly directional beams. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to achieving efficient THz signal processing by combining two existing technologies: photonic crystals and leaky‐wave antennas. Incorporating a 2D photonic crystal inside a leaky‐wave waveguide allows to manipulate the wave vector of the guided wave in unique ways, which in turn impacts the far‐field radiation pattern emitted through the leaky‐wave aperture. The device fabrication uses 3D printing of alumina and allows for convenient and scalable manufacturing. Through numerical simulations and experiments, free‐space data transmission at rates of few hundred Mbps at a carrier frequency of 101.2 GHz is demonstrated. The findings illustrate the feasibility of photonic crystal‐based leaky‐wave antennas and lay the groundwork for the development of compact and high‐performance components for THz wireless communication systems.