bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Collaborative Process for Planning Transition Services for All Students with Disabilities
Authors: Aspel Nellie , Bettis Gail , Quinn Pat , Test David W. , Wood Wendy M.
Published: April 2008

The purpose of this article is to describe a multilevel interagency transition planning process which includes three levels—a community-level team, school-level team, and individual-level team. While all three teams are described, we focus on the school-level and individual-level team planning processes. Evaluation data indicate consumer satisfaction with the TASSEL (Teaching All Students Skills for Employment and Life) transition planning process. Three case examples are used to demonstrate the planning process "in action."
Supported Employment Services to Students with Severe Disabilities: Emphasis Patterns Across Stakeholders
Authors: Luft Pamela , Rubin Stephen S.
Published: April 2008

This study compiles final reports of 12 Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services demonstration grant projects to examine services for individuals with severe disabilities and patterns of emphasis across key stakeholders. The reports identified a total of 639 project purposes, activities, outcomes, and barriers. These components were analyzed using a social systems framework consisting of four levels: student and family, program, organizational, and community. Results showed a consistently greater emphasis on the program level and a lesser emphasis on other levels, particularly at the community level. This pattern differed from project purposes which showed a more equal balance across the levels. In conjunction with the nature of the barriers projects experienced, this pattern of emphasis suggests that collaboration, both within and external to the projects, remains a significant issue. Collaboration and person-centered planning strategies may assist in involving stakeholders at all levels.
State R&D Tax Credits and High-Technology Establishments
Authors: Yonghong Wu
Published: April 2008

This empirical research examines the effects of state research and development (R&D) tax credits on the size of the high-technology business sector. In addition to a description of federal and state R&D tax credit programs, this article estimates a model that relates each of the two alternate measures of high-technology establishments in each state to state R&D tax credit, controlling for other factors. The results show that the initiation of a state R&D tax credit has significant and positive effects on the number of the state's high-technology establishments relative to its population or total business establishments. This research provides empirical evidence about the role of state R&D tax incentives in technology-based economic development.
Proximity Matters? European Union Enlargement and Relocation of Activities
Authors: Bilbao-Ubillos Javier , Camino-Beldarrain Vicente
Published: April 2008

This article centers on the potential attractiveness of central and east European countries' (CEEC) economies for industrial groups given their comparative economic and institutional characteristics. The authors focus on the possibility that cars and components production may be relocated from plants currently operating in Spain to plants in new member states of the CEEC and that new investments under corporate internationalization strategies may go to those countries seeking to take advantage of the benefits inherent in setting up in states such as Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The authors look at the key variables for decision making and compare the theoretical probabilities with assessments drawn up by firms themselves concerning location factors on the basis of information gathered during field work.
A Path Toward Fairness
Authors: Chiang Yen-Sheng
Published: April 2008

Recent experimental findings on behavioral games show that subjects do not behave in a self-interest-maximizing manner as would be predicted by game theory. An evolutionary approach attempts to explain why 'irrational' strategies can be dominant in the long run. The article presents an evolutionary model of the Ultimatum game by considering the impact of interaction structure. The question of interest is: will the dominant strategy in evolution be different from the Nash-equilibrium strategy if players are allowed to choose partners they prefer based on the reinforcements (payoffs) from past interactions? Numerical simulation shows that the strategies of fairness could evolve to be dominant. Conditions of the emergence and its properties are discussed. The model offers a supplementary theoretical account for recent field work that indicates a positive association between market integration and the likelihood of making fair offers in the Ultimatum game (Henrich et al. 2004).
Effects of Once-Daily Oral and Transdermal Methylphenidate on Sleep Behavior of Children With ADHD
Authors: Faraone Stephen V. , Glatt Stephen J. , Bukstein Oscar G. , Lopez Frank A. , Arnold L. Eugene , Findling Robert L.
Published: April 2008

Objective: Methylphenidate is a leading first-line treatment for ADHD (AD/HD). This stimulant has long been suspected to adversely affect sleeping patterns of treated individuals, especially children. There are few studies on the effects of recently developed longer-acting methylphenidate treatments, such as once-daily oral or transdermal formulations, on sleep. Method: The authors examined eight indices of sleep behavior among children treated with either of these two methylphenidate preparations or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, parallel-group study. Results: The main predictor of sleep problems was baseline numbers or severity of preexisting sleep problems, whereas the different treatments and placebo varied little in their propensity to elicit such problems. There was no significant relationship between dosage and severity or frequency of sleep problems. Conclusion: The authors found little evidence that methylphenidate treatment (at least in sustained-release forms) was a significant cause of sleep problems in treated children who were carefully titrated to an optimal dose. (J. of Att. Dis. 2009; 12(4) 308-315)
'The Coolest Way to Watch Movie Trailers in the World'
Authors: Johnston Keith M.
Published: April 2008

At a time of uncertainty over film and television texts being transferred online and on to portable media players, this article examines one of the few visual texts that exist comfortably on multiple screen technologies: the trailer. Adopted as an early cross-media text, the trailer now sits across cinema, television, home video, the internet, games consoles, mobile phones and iPods. Exploring the aesthetic and structural changes the trailer has undergone in its journey from the cinema to the iPod screen, the article focuses on the new mobility of these trailers, the shrinking screen size, and how audience participation with these texts has influenced both trailer production and distribution techniques. Exploring these texts, and their technological display, reveals how modern distribution techniques have created a shifting and interactive relationship between film studio and audience.
Intervention Validity of Cognitive Assessment
Authors: Braden Jeffery P. , Shaw Steven R.
Published: April 2008

The intervention validity of cognitive assessment batteries is considered within an historical context to identify what the evidence supports (knowns), what cannot be known (unknowables), and what is not yet known (unknowns). Two ways cognitive batteries could inform intervention are identified: a disordinal (i.e., aptitude-treatment interaction) model and an ordinal (i.e., g) model. Existing research provides little support for disordinal models and modest to strong support for ordinal models when applied to conditions of incomplete instruction. Limitations to what can be known (e.g., a failure to prove is not proof of failure) are identified to avoid holding intervention validity research to inappropriate evidential standards. Finally, issues that are within the realm of knowledge but for which there is currently insufficient or no evidence are identified as logical next steps toward understanding the intervention validity of cognitive assessment batteries.
Stem-cell ecology and stem cells in motion
Authors: Papayannopoulou Thalia , Scadden David T.
Published: April 2008

This review highlights major scientific developments over the past 50 years or so in concepts related to stem-cell ecology and to stem cells in motion. Many thorough and eloquent reviews have been presented in the last 5 years updating progress in these issues. Some paradigms have been challenged, others validated, or new ones brought to light. In the present review, we will confine our remarks to the historical development of progress. In doing so, we will refrain from a detailed analysis of controversial data, emphasizing instead widely accepted views and some challenging novel ones.
Vasodilative effects of prostaglandin E1 derivate on arteries of nerve roots in a canine model of a chronically compressed cauda equina
Authors: Shirasaka Masayoshi , Takayama Bunji , Sekiguchi Miho , Konno Shin-ichi , Kikuchi Shin-ichi
Published: April 2008

Background

Reduction of blood flow is important in the induction of neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC) in lumbar spinal canal stenosis. PGE1 improves the mean walking distance in patients with NIC type cauda equina compression. PGE1 derivate might be effective in dilating blood vessels and improving blood flow in nerve roots with chronically compressed cauda equina. The aim of this study was to assess whether PGE1 derivate has vasodilatory effects on both arteries and veins in a canine model of chronic cauda equina compression.

Methods

Fourteen dogs were used in this study. A plastic balloon inflated to 10 mmHg was placed under the lamina of the 7th lumbar vertebra for 1 week. OP-1206-cyclodextrin clathrate (OP-1206-CD: prostaglandin E1 derivate) was administered orally. The blood vessels of the second or third sacral nerve root were identified using a specially designed surgical microscope equipped with a video camera. The diameter of the blood vessels was measured on video-recordings every 15 minutes until 90 minutes after the administration of the PGE1 derivate.

Results

We observed seven arteries and seven veins. The diameter and blood flow of the arteries was significantly increased compared with the veins at both 60 and 75 minutes after administration of the PGE1 derivate (p < 0.05). Blood flow velocity did not change over 90 minutes in either the arteries or veins.

Discussion

The PGE1 derivate improved blood flow in the arteries but did not induce blood stasis in the veins. Our results suggest that the PGE1 derivate might be a potential therapeutic agent, as it improved blood flow in the nerve roots in a canine model of chronic cauda equina compression.
Connective tissue metabolism in chikungunya patients
Authors: Lokireddy Sudarsanareddy , Vemula Sarojamma , Vadde Ramakrishna
Published: April 2008

Background

Chikungunya (CHIK) fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of Chikungunya virus (CHIK virus) infected Aedes mosquitoes. CHIK virus is a member of the Alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. Previous reports have indicated that infection with CHIK virus produces an acute arthritis in human hosts by large area of necrosis and collagenosis or fibrosis.

Results

We carried out the present study to determine the effect of chikungunya on the collagen and connective tissue metabolism in 75 chikungunya-affected people. First, we screened for mucopolysaccharides in urine by Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) test. Appearance of heavy precipitate indicates the presence of higher levels of mucopolysaccharides and later quantified by DMB dye method. The urinary mucopolysaccharide in CHIK patients was 342 ± 45 mg/l compared to healthy controls (45 ± 5.6 mg/l). The collagen building blocks, proline and hydroxyproline were also measured in CHIK patients and observed higher excretion compared to healthy controls. Urinary excretions hydroxyproline was greater than the proline levels.

Conclusion

These results indicate that CHIK virus infection affects and damage the cartilage and connective metabolism and releases the degraded products from the tissue and responsible for increasing the levels of proline, hydroxyproline and mucopolysaccharides in CHIK affected patients.
Adenylate cycalse toxin ofBordetella pertussisinhibits TLR-induced IRF-1 and IRF-8 activation and IL-12 production and enhances IL-10 through MAPK activation in dendritic cells
Authors: Hickey Fionnuala B , Brereton Corinna F , Mills Kingston H G
Published: April 2008

Adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) of Bordetella pertussis binds to CD11b/CD18 on macrophages and dendritic cells (DC) and confers virulence to the bacteria by subverting innate immune responses of the host. We have previously demonstrated that CyaA promotes the induction of IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells in vivo by modulating DC activation. Here, we examine the mechanism of immune subversion, specifically, the modulation of TLR signaling pathways in DC. We found that CyaA synergized with LPS to induce IL-10 mRNA and protein expression in DC but significantly inhibited IL-12p70 production. CyaA enhanced LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK in DC, and inhibitors of p38 MAPK, MEK, or NF-κB suppressed IL-10 production in response to LPS and CyaA. However, inhibition of p38 MAPK, MEK, and NF-κB did not reverse the inhibitory effect of CyaA on TLR agonist-induced IL-12 production. Furthermore, CyaA suppression of IL-12 was independent of IL-10. In contrast, CyaA suppressed LPS- and IFN-γ-induced IFN-regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) and IRF-8 expression in DC. The modulatory effects of CyaA were dependent on adenylate cyclase activity and induction of intracellular cAMP, as an enzyme-inactive mutant of CyaA failed to modulate TLR-induced signaling in DC, whereas the effects of the wild-type toxin were mimicked by stimulation of the DC with PGE2. Our findings demonstrate that CyaA modulates TLR agonist-induced IL-10 and IL-12p70 production in DC by, respectively, enhancing MAPK phosphorylation and inhibiting IRF-1 and IRF-8 expression and that this is mediated by elevation of intercellular cAMP concentrations.
Enteral glutamine: a novel mediator of PPARγ in the postischemic gut
Authors: Ban Kechen , Kozar Rosemary A
Published: April 2008

Early enteral nutrition supplemented with glutamine, arginine, omega-3 fatty acids, and nucleotides has been shown to decrease infection complications in critically injured patients. Concern has been raised, however, that under conditions of hyperinflammation, these diets may be injurious through the induction of inducible NO synthase by enteral arginine. In a rodent model of gut ischemia/reperfusion, inflammation and injury are intensified by enteral arginine and abrogated by glutamine. These findings correlate with the degree of metabolic stress imposed upon the gut by hypoperfusion. Glutamine is metabolized by the gut and therefore, can contribute back energy in the form of ATP, whereas arginine is a nonmetabolizable nutrient, using but not contributing energy. Recent data suggest that one of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the gut-protective effects of enteral glutamine is the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ. This anti-inflammatory transcription factor belongs to the family of nuclear receptors, plays a key role in adipocyte development and glucose homeostasis, and has been recognized as an endogenous regulator of intestinal inflammation. Preliminary clinical studies support the use of enteral glutamine in patients with gut hypoperfusion.
Phlebotomine salivas inhibit immune inflammation-induced neutrophil migration via an autocrine DC-derived PGE2/IL-10 sequential pathway
Authors: Carregaro Vanessa , Valenzuela Jesus G , Cunha Thiago M , Verri Waldiceu A , Grespan Renata , Matsumura Graziela , Ribeiro José M C , Elnaiem Dia-Eldin , Silva João S , Cunha Fernando Q
Published: April 2008

In the present study, we investigated whether saliva from Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus duboscqi inhibited antigen-induced neutrophil migration and the mechanisms involved in these effects. The pretreatment of immunized mice with salivary gland extracts (SGE) of both phlebotomines inhibited OVA challenge-induced neutrophil migration and release of the neutrophil chemotactic mediators, MIP-1α, TNF-α, and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). Furthermore, SGE treatment enhanced the production of anti-inflammatory mediators, IL-10 and PGE2. SGE treatments failed to inhibit neutrophil migration and MIP-1α and LTB4 production in IL-10−/− mice, also failing in mice treated with nonselective (indomethacin) or selective (rofecoxibe) cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. COX inhibition resulted in diminished SGE-induced IL-10 production, and PGE2 release triggered by SGE remained increased in IL-10−/− mice, suggesting that prostanoids are acting through an IL-10-dependent mechanism. SGE treatments in vivo reduced the OVA-induced lymphoproliferation of spleen-derived cells. Further, the in vitro incubation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DC) with SGE inhibited the proliferation of CD4+T cells from OVA-immunized mice, which was reversed by indomethacin and anti-IL-10 antibody treatments. Supporting these results, SGE induced the production of PGE2 and IL-10 by DC, which were blocked by COX inhibition. These effects were associated with the reduction of DC-membrane expression of MHC-II and CD86 by SGE treatment. Altogether, the results showed that Phlebotomine saliva inhibits immune inflammation-induced neutrophil migration by an autocrine DC sequential production of PGE2/IL-10, suggesting that the saliva constituents might be promising therapeutic molecules to target immune inflammatory diseases.
Priming of neutrophil oxidative burst in diabetes requires preassembly of the NADPH oxidase
Authors: Omori Kazuhiro , Ohira Taisuke , Uchida Yushi , Ayilavarapu Srinivas , Batista Eraldo L , Yagi Motohiko , Iwata Tomoyuki , Liu Hongsheng , Hasturk Hatice , Kantarci Alpdogan , Van Dyke Thomas E
Published: April 2008

Hyperglycemia associated with diabetes mellitus results in the priming of neutrophils leading to oxidative stress that is, in part, responsible for diabetic complications. p47phox, a NADPH oxidase cytosolic subunit, is a key protein in the assembly of the NADPH oxidase leading to superoxide generation. Little is known about the priming mechanism of oxidative pathways in neutrophils of people with diabetes. In this study, the kinetics of p47phox activation was investigated by comparing neutrophils from diabetic and healthy subjects, and the mechanism of hyperglycemia-induced changes was studied by using neutrophil-like HL-60 cells as a model. In resting neutrophils from diabetic subjects, p47phox prematurely translocates to the cell membrane and preassembles with p22phox, a NADPH oxidase membrane subunit. This premature p47phox translocation and preassembly with p22phox were also observed in HL-60 cells cultured with high glucose (HG; 25 mM) and with the specific ligand for the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), S100B. Phosphorylation of ERK1/2, but not p38 MAPK, was the primary signaling pathway, as evidenced by PD98059 suppressing the translocation of p47phox in HL-60 cells incubated with HG and S100B. HL-60 cells cultured in HG and S100B exhibited a 1.8-fold increase in fMLP-induced superoxide generation compared with those cultured in normal glucose (5.5 mM). These data suggest that HG and increased AGE prime neutrophils and increase oxidative stress inducing the translocation of p47phox to the cell membrane and preassembly with p22phox by stimulating a RAGE-ERK1/2 pathway.
EPIC: Phase III Trial of Cetuximab Plus Irinotecan After Fluoropyrimidine and Oxaliplatin Failure in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Sobrero Alberto F. , Maurel Joan , Fehrenbacher Louis , Scheithauer Werner , Abubakr Yousif A. , Lutz Manfred P. , Vega-Villegas M. Eugenia , Eng Cathy , Steinhauer Ernst U. , Prausova Jana , Lenz Heinz-Josef , Borg Christophe , Middleton Gary , Kröning Hendrik , Luppi Gabriele , Kisker Oliver , Zubel Angela , Langer Christiane , Kopit Justin , Burris Howard A.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

To determine whether adding cetuximab to irinotecan prolongs survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) previously treated with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin.

Patients and Methods

This multicenter, open-label, phase III study randomly assigned 1,298 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor–expressing mCRC who had experienced first-line fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin treatment failure to cetuximab (400 mg/m2 day 1 followed by 250 mg/m2 weekly) plus irinotecan (350 mg/m2 every 3 weeks) or irinotecan alone. Primary end point was overall survival (OS); secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), and quality of life (QOL).

Results

Median OS was comparable between treatments: 10.7 months (95% CI, 9.6 to 11.3) with cetuximab/irinotecan and 10.0 months (95% CI, 9.1 to 11.3) with irinotecan alone (hazard ratio [HR], 0.975; 95% CI, 0.854 to 1.114; P = .71). This lack of difference may have been due to post-trial therapy: 46.9% of patients assigned to irinotecan eventually received cetuximab (87.2% of those who did, received it with irinotecan). Cetuximab added to irinotecan significantly improved PFS (median, 4.0 v 2.6 months; HR, 0.692; 95% CI, 0.617 to 0.776; P ≤ .0001) and RR (16.4% v 4.2%; P < .0001), and resulted in significantly better scores in the QOL analysis of global health status (P = .047). Cetuximab did not exacerbate toxicity, except for acneform rash, diarrhea, hypomagnesemia, and associated electrolyte imbalances. Neutropenia was the most common severe toxicity across treatment arms.

Conclusion

Cetuximab and irinotecan improved PFS and RR, and resulted in better QOL versus irinotecan alone. OS was similar between study groups, possibly influenced by the large number of patients in the irinotecan arm who received cetuximab and irinotecan poststudy.
Toremifene Improves Lipid Profiles in Men Receiving Androgen-Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Interim Analysis of a Multicenter Phase III Study
Authors: Smith Matthew R. , Malkowicz S. Bruce , Chu Franklin , Forrest John , Sieber Paul , Barnette K. Gary , Rodriquez Domingo , Steiner Mitchell S.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with greater risk of incident coronary heart disease and hospital admission for myocardial infarction; treatment-related increases in serum lipids may contribute to greater cardiovascular disease risk. We evaluated the effects of toremifene, a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, on fasting serum lipid levels in men receiving ADT for prostate cancer.

Patients and Methods

In an ongoing, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III fracture-prevention study, 1,389 men receiving ADT for prostate cancer were randomly assigned to receive toremifene (80 mg/d) or placebo. In this interim analysis of 188 patients, changes in fasting serum lipids from baseline to month 12 were compared between the placebo and toremifene groups.

Results

Changes in serum lipids differed significantly between the groups. Mean (± SE) total cholesterol decreased by 1.0% ± 1.7% from baseline to month 12 in the placebo group and decreased by 8.1% ± 1.4% in the toremifene group (P = .001 for between group comparison). Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol increased by 0.8% ± 2.5% in the placebo group and decreased by 8.2% ± 2.5% in the toremifene group (P = .003). In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreased by 4.9% ± 1.2% in the placebo group and increased by 0.5% ± 2.2% in the toremifene group (P = .018). Triglycerides increased by 6.9% ± 4.2% in the placebo group and decreased by 13.2% ± 3.6% in the toremifene group (P = .003).

Conclusion

Toremifene significantly decreased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, and increased HDL cholesterol in men receiving ADT for prostate cancer.
Phase I Study of a Novel Capecitabine Schedule Based on the Norton-Simon Mathematical Model in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Traina Tiffany A. , Theodoulou Maria , Feigin Kimberly , Patil Sujata , Tan K. Lee , Edwards Charles , Dugan Ute , Norton Larry , Hudis Clifford
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This study was conducted to determine, in patients with advanced-stage breast cancer, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of capecitabine administered orally for 7 days followed by a 7-day rest (7/7), a schedule based on a mathematical method for the optimization of anticancer drug scheduling.

Patients and Methods

Eligible patients had measurable, metastatic breast cancer. There was no limit to number of prior treatments. A standard, three-patients-per-cohort dose-escalation scheme used flat-dose capecitabine beginning at 1,500 mg orally twice daily (bid) on a 7/7 schedule. Each cohort was monitored for 28 days before escalation to the next cohort to assess for delayed toxicity. Response was evaluated radiographically every 12 weeks; toxicity was assessed every 2 weeks.

Results

Twenty-one patients were treated on study. The most frequently reported treatment-related grade 2/3 adverse events were hand-foot syndrome (29%), leukopenia/neutropenia (24%), and fatigue (19%). Grade 3 toxicity was transient and easily managed. Three patients experienced grade 3 hand-foot syndrome; one of these patients had grade 3 diarrhea. There were no grade 4 events. The MTD of capecitabine 7/7 is 2,000 mg twice daily.

Conclusion

As predicted by mathematical modeling, capecitabine dosing for 7 days followed by a 7-day rest is well tolerated. Efficacy of this schedule is being determined in a phase II clinical trial in patients with advanced breast cancer.
Improvement in Oncology Practice Performance Through Voluntary Participation in the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative
Authors: Jacobson Joseph O. , Neuss Michael N. , McNiff Kristen K. , Kadlubek Pamela , Thacker Leroy R. , Song Frank , Eisenberg Peter D. , Simone Joseph V.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) became available to all American Society of Clinical Oncology member physicians in 2006 as a voluntary medical oncology practice-based quality measurement and improvement project. QOPI assesses practice performance for a series of evidence- and consensus-based process measures, relying on practices to complete structured chart reviews and submit data via a secure Web-based portal.

Methods

This analysis focused on the 71 practices that participated in both the March and September 2006 data collections (7,624 charts abstracted in March and 10,240 in September). Among 33 measures common to both collections, five measures were closely correlated, and 28 are included in the final analysis. Composite scores were created for six different domains of care. Statistical significance was tested on both absolute changes and relative changes (relative failure reduction) of quality measures from baseline to follow-up and between the lower quartile and all other quartiles.

Results

Practice performance on individual measures varied between 18.8% and 98.6%. Mean overall performance as measured by a composite score increased from 78.7% in March to 82.3% in September (P < .05). Improvement was most marked among practices originally performing in the bottom quartile. Using a composite score, the absolute and relative performance for the bottom quartile improved by 27% and 35%, respectively, statistically superior to that of all others.

Conclusion

Practices that participated in QOPI demonstrated improved performance in self-reported process measures, with the greatest improvement demonstrated in initially low-performing practices.
The Effect of Foundation Details and Soil Types on the Airborne Sound Insulation of Masonry Cavity Walls
Authors: Hopkins C.
Published: April 2008

Two important variables that affect the airborne sound insulation of cavity masonry separating walls in the field are the foundation detail and the soil type upon which the foundations are built. Vibration transmission was measured between cavity wall leaves on three different types of foundation: concrete deep trench fill, a strip footing and a strip footing with concrete infill. The results indicated that where a strip footing is used, higher sound insulation can be achieved without the concrete infill. Measurements of the dynamic properties of soils indicated significant differences between the compression stiffness per unit area and the loss factor of different soils. These different soil properties were seen to affect the airborne sound insulation of cavity walls. This explains some of the variation in airborne sound insulation between nominally identical masonry cavity separating walls in the field.
Predicting Bidders' Willingness to Pay in Online Multiunit Ascending Auctions: Analytical and Empirical Insights
Authors: Bapna Ravi , Goes Paulo , Gupta Alok , Karuga Gilbert
Published: April 2008

We develop a real-time estimation approach to predict bidders' maximum willingness to pay in a multiunit ascending uniform-price and discriminatory-price (Yankee) online auction. Our two-stage approach begins with a bidder classification step, which is followed by an analytical prediction model. The classification model identifies bidders as either adopting a myopic best-response (MBR) bidding strategy or a non-MBR strategy. We then use a generalized bid-inversion function to estimate the willingness to pay for MBR bidders. We empirically validate our two-stage approach using data from two popular online auction sites. Our joint classification-and-prediction approach outperforms two other naïve prediction strategies that draw random valuations between a bidder's current bid and the known market upper bound. Our prediction results indicate that, on average, our estimates are within 2% of bidders' revealed willingness to pay for Yankee and uniform-price multiunit auctions. We discuss how our results can facilitate mechanism-design changes such as dynamic-bid increments and dynamic buy-it-now prices.
Inventory Record Inaccuracy: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: DeHoratius Nicole , Raman Ananth
Published: April 2008

Traditional inventory models, with a few exceptions, do not account for the existence of inventory record inaccuracy (IRI), and those that do treat IRI as random. This study explores IRI observed both within and across product categories and retail stores. Examining nearly 370,000 inventory records from 37 stores of one retailer, we find 65% to be inaccurate. We characterize the distribution of IRI and show, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), that 26.4% of the total variance in IRI lies between product categories and that 2.7% lies between stores. We identify several factors that mitigate record inaccuracy, such as inventory auditing practices, and several factors that exacerbate record inaccuracy, such as the complexity of the store environment and the distribution structure. Collectively, these covariates explain 67.6% and 69.0% of the variance in IRI across stores and product categories, respectively. Our findings underscore the need to design processes to reduce the occurrence of IRI and highlight factors that can be incorporated into inventory planning tools developed to account for its presence.
Interior Additivity and Subjective Probability Assessment of Continuous Variables
Authors: Clemen Robert T. , Ulu Canan
Published: April 2008

One of the goals of psychological research on subjective probability judgment is to develop prescriptive procedures that can improve such judgments. In this paper, our aim is to reduce partition dependence, a judgmental bias that arises from the particular way in which a state space is partitioned for the purposes of making probability judgments. We explore a property of subjective probabilities called interior additivity (IA). Our story begins with a psychological model of subjective probability judgment that exhibits IA. The model is a linear combination of underlying support for the event in question and a term that reflects a prior belief that all elements in the state space partition are equally likely. The model is consistent with known properties of subjective probabilities, such as binary complementarity, subadditivity, and partition dependence, and has several additional properties related to IA. We present experimental evidence to support our model. The model further suggests a simple prescriptive method based on IA that decision and risk analysts can use to reduce partition dependence, and we present preliminary empirical evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the method.
A Dynamic Competitive Forecasting Model Incorporating Dyadic Decision Making
Authors: Ding Min , Eliashberg Jehoshua
Published: April 2008

New products are often launched sequentially, by different firms, and the purchasing decisions are sometimes made by dyads. This paper proposes a new model that explicitly considers dyadic decision making in drug prescription and allows assessment of the relative influence that physicians and patients have in making decisions concerning new as well as existing ethical drugs. Modeling sequentially launched competing products in a category allows for parsing out effects that are hard to differentiate in models designed to capture only a single product's dynamics. The proposed model is applied to prescription drug data sets in the pharmaceutical industry, and it also explicitly captures both physicians' and patients' pretrial and posttrial utilities of each drug in the therapeutic category. Based on the model's fit and out-of-sample forecasting performance, we find that, in many cases, the incorporation of the dyadic decision making leads to better performance vis-à-vis models where such decision making is not explicitly considered. We also find that in many cases the posttrial utility of a drug is greater than its corresponding pretrial utility, lending partial empirical support to the prevailing industry practice of spending on various activities (e.g., sampling to physicians) needed to get potential patients to try a new drug. The proposed model enables managers to predict in advance the sales of sequentially launched new drugs and plan the new product launch and strategy accordingly. The model is also applicable to other product categories involving more than a single decision maker, including business-to-business products (e.g., office equipment) as well as to products targeting children (e.g., toys).
Regret and Feedback Information in First-Price Sealed-Bid Auctions
Authors: Engelbrecht-Wiggans Richard , Katok Elena
Published: April 2008

We investigate the effect of regret-related feedback information on bidding behavior in sealed-bid first-price auctions. Two types of regret are possible in this auction format. A winner of the auction may regret paying too much relative to the second highest bid, and a loser may regret missing an opportunity to win at a favorable price. In theory, under very general conditions, being sensitive to winning and paying too much should result in lower average bids, and being sensitive to missing opportunities to win at a favorable price should result in higher bids. For example, the U.S. Government's policy of revealing losing bids may cause regret-sensitive bidders to anticipate regret and bid conservatively, decreasing the government's revenue. We test these predictions in the laboratory and find strong support for both.
Selection Capability: How Capability Gaps and Internal Social Frictions Affect Internal and External Strategic Renewal
Authors: Capron Laurence , Mitchell Will
Published: April 2008

The dynamic capabilities literature suggests that firms need to use both internal development and external sourcing to thrive over time, but we have a limited understanding of the conditions that best suit different sourcing choices. This study examines how constraints that arise from firms' existing stocks of capabilities and from their internal social contexts shape their choices of capability-sourcing modes and, in turn, their ability to obtain new capabilities. Thus, the research focuses on an underemphasized form of dynamic capability: the ability to select appropriate modes of capability sourcing. We test the arguments with a survey and longitudinal survival study of the international telecommunications industry. We find intriguing variations in the way that firms' selection capability influences their ability to renew their capabilities and, ultimately, to survive.
An Entrainment-Based Model of Temporal Organizational Fit, Misfit, and Performance
Authors: Pérez-Nordtvedt Liliana , Payne G. Tyge , Short Jeremy C. , Kedia Ben L.
Published: April 2008

Entrainment refers to the synchronization of the tempo and/or phase of two or more activities within a system. This article utilizes entrainment theory to develop a conceptual model and related propositions describing and explaining the relationship between temporal fit, misfit, and performance at the organizational level of analysis. Essential to the development of our model is the concept of organization-environment (O-E) temporal fit, which is a state of synchronization or alignment of organization and environment activity cycles. O-E temporal fit is positioned as an important contingency element because temporal misfit implies inefficiencies, substandard performance, and the potential death of the organization over time. Overall, this article offers a theoretical perspective that fills a gap in the extant organizational research literature regarding the elusive and understudied perspective of time and posits its relationship to organizational performance.
Framing Contests: Strategy Making Under Uncertainty
Authors: Kaplan Sarah
Published: April 2008

I develop a model of framing contests to elucidate how cognitive frames influence organizational strategy making. By using ethnographic techniques to study the day-to-day practices of strategy making in one firm, I examine the ways actors attempted to transform their own cognitive frames of a situation into predominant frames through a series of interactions. Frames are the means by which managers make sense of ambiguous information from their environments. Actors each had cognitive frames about the direction the market was taking and about what kinds of solutions would be appropriate. Where frames about a strategic choice were not congruent, actors engaged in highly political framing practices to make their frames resonate and to mobilize action in their favor. Those actors who most skillfully engaged in these practices shaped the frame that prevailed in the organization. This framing perspective suggests that frames are not only instrumental tools for the ex post justification of actions taken through power, but rather are an ex ante part of the political process that produces decisions. Uncertainty opens up the possibility for new actors to gain power, and contesting frames is a way of changing the power structures in the organization. A principal contribution of the framing contests model is to locate a middle ground between cognitive and political models of strategy making, one in which frames are both constraints and resources and outcomes can be shaped by purposeful action and interaction to make meaning.
Bad Character Evidence and Reprehensible Behaviour
Authors: Goudkamp James
Published: April 2008

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 ushered in a new system for determining the admissibility of bad character evidence in criminal proceedings. Unfortunately, this system is riddled with anomalies and plagued by obscurity. These problems contaminate its core as it is unclear what constitutes ‘bad character’ evidence. This uncertainty is in large part due to the fact that the Act offers little clue as to the meaning of the words ‘reprehensible behaviour’, evidence of which is ‘bad character’ evidence. Accordingly, this article asks whether the decisions in which the expression ‘reprehensible behaviour’ has fallen for consideration shed light on its content. It is concluded that the authorities offer scant guidance and have introduced several difficulties.
The Contours of the Right to Self-Defence: Is the Requirement of Imminence Merely a Translator for the Concept of Necessity?
Authors: Bakircioglu Onder
Published: April 2008

The right to self-defence has lately been subjected to intense academic controversy, both at the domestic and international level. The debate is focused on the question of whether or not the requirement of imminence is merely a translator for the notion of necessity. At the domestic level, the debate has mainly been kindled by feminist scholars, who, in the context of the ‘battered woman’, argue that the requirement of imminence should be discarded from the contours of the self-defence doctrine. The purpose of this article is to prove the necessity of the imminence requirement as a litmus test to detect possible abuses of the self-defence doctrine.
Building a Lightweight SOA (Implementierung einer Service Orientierten Architektur mit Open Source)
Authors: Linton Ruwan , Fremantle Paul , Weerawarana Sanjiva , Perera Asankha
Published: April 2008

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has become a mainstream approach for enterprises to integrate their disparate systems — and at the same time create a closer alignment between business processes and IT. In this paper we present an overview of how to implement a Service Oriented Architecture using open standards and open source software (OSS). In particular we will look at the prevalence of open source in SOA, and explore the use of an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) in creating and managing an SOA deployment.
An Occupational Health Study of Emergency Physicians in Japan: Health Assessment by Immune Variables (CD4, CD8, CD56, and NK Cell Activity) at the Beginning of Work
Authors: Okamoto Hiroteru , Tsunoda Tooru , Teruya Koji , Takeda Nobuo , Uemura Takamoto , Matsui Tomoko , Fukazawa Shinji , Ichikawa Kaoru , Takemae Rieko , Tsuchida Kosuke , Takashima Yutaka
Published: April 2008

An Occupational Health Study of Emergency Physicians in Japan: Health Assessment by Immune Variables (CD4, CD8, CD56, and NK cell activity) at the Beginning of Work: Hiroteru Okamoto, et al. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Kyorin University—This study was conducted to evaluate the occupational health of Japanese physicians in emergency medicine. Subjects participating in this study were eighty‐nine physicians working at 12 medical facilities (10 critical care emergency centers) in Japan. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire of work conditions and to provide blood samples for immune variable measurements (CD4, CD8, CD56 and natural killer cell (NK cell) activity) before commencing their work. The data collected from seventy‐four of 89 participating physicians were analyzed. The traditional work group comprised of 39 emergency physicians, who were significantly overworked compared to other two groups: the shift work group and the day work group. Among these three groups, no immune variable was significantly different except lymphocyte, number of CD4, and NK cell activity; and the NK cell activity of the shift work group was significantly lower than those of the traditional work group (p<0.01) and the day work group (p<0.01) in terms of Bonferroni's multiple comparison, probably due to circadian rhythm. It was indicated that NK cell activity was significantly lower in samples collected at night versus in the morning (OR=8.34, 95%CI: 1.95–35.6, p<0.01) through multiple logistic regression analyses. NK cell activity was significantly lower in individuals taking 0–3 days off per month, as compared to those taking 4 or more days off (OR=4.65, 95%CI: 1.27–17.0, p=0.02), according to multiple logistic regression analyses. Therefore, the low NK cell activity appears to have reflected the extent of fatigue arising from physicians' overwork. Overwork would have been a potential risk for the physicians' health, resulting in a lower quality of Japanese emergency medical services than that which could have been achieved otherwise. This study suggests that it would be better for the Japanese emergency physicians to take 4 or more days off per month for their health and the quality of their services.
Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants With Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus Requiring Shunt Insertion
Authors: Adams-Chapman Ira , Hansen Nellie I. , Stoll Barbara J. , Higgins Rose ,   for the NICHD Research Network
Published: April 2008

OBJECTIVE. We aimed to evaluate neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes among extremely low birth weight infants who had severe intraventricular hemorrhage that required shunt insertion compared with infants without shunt insertion.

METHODS. Infants who were born in 1993–2002 with birth weights of 401 to 1000 g were enrolled in a very low birth weight registry at medical centers that participate in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network, and returned for follow-up at 18 to 22 months' corrected age were studied. Eighty-two percent of survivors completed follow-up, and 6161 children were classified into 5 groups: group 1, no intraventricular hemorrhage/no shunt (n = 5163); group 2, intraventricular hemorrhage grade 3/no shunt (n = 459); group 3, intraventricular hemorrhage grade 3/shunt (n = 103); group 4, intraventricular hemorrhage grade 4/no shunt (n = 311); and group 5, intraventricular hemorrhage grade 4/shunt (n = 125). Group comparisons were evaluated with χ2 and Wilcoxon tests, and regression models were used to compare outcomes after adjustment for covariates.

RESULTS. Children with severe intraventricular hemorrhage and shunts had significantly lower scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development IIR compared with children with no intraventricular hemorrhage and with children with intraventricular hemorrhage of the same grade and no shunt. Infants with shunts were at increased risk for cerebral palsy and head circumference at the <10th percentile at 18 months' adjusted age. Greatest differences were observed between children with shunts and those with no intraventricular hemorrhage on these outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS. This large cohort study suggests that extremely low birth weight children with severe intraventricular hemorrhage that requires shunt insertion are at greatest risk for adverse neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes at 18 to 22 months compared with children with and without severe intraventricular hemorrhage and with no shunt. Long-term follow-up is needed to determine whether adverse outcomes persist or improve over time.
Genre as Ideological Mediation
Authors: Bartlett Tom
Published: April 2008

This paper draws on data from intercultural development discourse, ESL teaching and hate media in pre-genocide Rwanda to characterise genres as mediators of ideology, instantiating and interweaving culturally significant representations, authority systems and textual traditions through dispersed patterns of discourse as much as structural regularity. Applications of the approach for development and educational discourse are discussed in terms of the generic potential of discourse contexts and the registerial competence of participants, and the potential of the approach for propagating counter-discourses to hate media is considered in light of the data from Rwanda.
Genre and the Museum Exhibition
Authors: Ravelli Louise J.
Published: April 2008

This paper applies a linguistic understanding of genre to the domain of museum exhibitions, interpreting these exhibitions as communicative texts. Genre will be seen to be not just a useful metaphor, but an important analytical tool in approaching the analysis of museum exhibitions as texts. Two concurrent exhibitions from a science and technology museum are compared in terms of genre, and it is argued that genre is a useful tool for identifying their distinctive social purposes. It is also noted that the unique nature of these complex, three-dimensional, multimodal texts requires some of the linguistic understandings of genre to be adapted. Connections are made both ‘below’, to aspects of register variation, and ‘above’, to the ideological stance and communicative potential of the museum as a whole as a communicative entity.