bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advertising Research Issues from FTC versus Stouffer Foods Corporation
Authors: Craig Andrews J. , Maronick Thomas J.
Published: January 2019

Extrinsic evidence is frequently offered in Federal Trade Commission advertising deception cases, most often in the form of advertising research, such as copy tests. Although generally accepted principles exist for copy test evidence presented before the Commission, how these principles are operationalized can provide fertile ground for challenges. Thus, the authors review six copy testing and ad interpretation issues from the recent Stouffer Foods case. The authors discuss difficult tradeoffs inherent in relative versus absolute claims, multiple claims, control ad groups, control questions, and disclosure information. The careful consideration of such trade-offs in advertising research decisions will help in the preparation of extrinsic evidence before the Commission.
Comparative Advertising Law in the European Community: Will the Proposed Directive Harmonize across the Atlantic?
Authors: Petty Ross D. , Spink Paul M.
Published: January 2019

Almost 20 years after its first proposal, the European Community (EC) is once again attempting to both authorize and control comparative advertising within its borders. The authors examine the current proposal and the new co-decision procedure under which the proposal and future Community efforts to regulate and harmonize the marketing function will be considered. They then analyze U.S. case law and policy concerning comparative advertising to determine the similarities and differences between it and the EC's proposal and the prospects for harmonization across the Atlantic.
Socioeconomic Factors, Nutrition, and Food Choices: An Analysis of the Salad Dressing Market
Authors: Mathios Alan D.
Published: January 2019

Most studies utilize consumer surveys or experimental data to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic variables and food choices. The author examines actual purchase behavior (supermarket scanner data) in the natural shopping environment. The author focuses on whether the propensity to purchase high-fat unlabeled products within a product category varies across supermarkets with different demographic profiles. The results show differences in this propensity across demographic groups, even after accounting for price and sale promotions. The findings are consistent with consumer survey and experimental design research on the relationship between demographic characteristics and the processing of nutrition information.
Another Look at the Impact of Reference Information on Consumer Impressions of Nutrition Information
Authors: Barone Michael J. , Rose Randall L. , Manning Kenneth C. , Miniard Paul W.
Published: January 2019

The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 requires the provision of daily value reference information on food labels to improve consumer judgments of product nutritiousness. Yet, a review of the literature reveals little research indicating that daily values (DVs) have such a facultative effect. In light of this, the authors empirically examine how DVs fare against an alternative reference point in the form of average-brand values. Their results demonstrate that these two reference points differ in terms of their impact on consumers’ interpretation of nutritional information. In particular, they find that average-brand reference points better facilitate consumer discernment between healthy and less healthy products than either the DVs currently mandated by the NLEA or no reference information at all. Their findings also reveal the potential for DVs to cause consumers to form incorrect conclusions about a product's nutritiousness. The authors draw implications regarding the provision of reference information on product labels as a means of attaining public policy objectives.
Product Disadoption: Quitting Smoking as a Diffusion Process
Authors: Redmond William H.
Published: January 2019

Smoking cessation has been examined from several perspectives, including psychological, physiological, and pharmacological. The author takes a sociological approach by examining quitting smoking as an adoption/diffusion process. In particular, adoption of quitting is seen as the equivalent of disadoption of cigarettes. As such, quitting represents a diffusion process, a social phenomenon that is viewed in considerably clearer focus when quitting among adults is segregated from cigarette adoption among younger persons. Three 10-year age cohorts, now ages 45–54, 55–64, and 65–74, are examined over time to isolate quitting behavior from smoking initiation during the teenage years. The results show good conformance to both adoption and diffusion theories. These theories, in turn, offer insights into limitations of the quitting process, forecasts of long-term quitting, and evaluation of segments of smokers that are expected to exhibit varying degrees of resistance to quitting. The author discusses implications for the communication of cessation messages and segmentation of potential quitters.
Negative Option Selling Plans: Current forms versus Existing Regulations
Authors: Spriggs Mark T. , Nevin John R.
Published: January 2019

The recent emergence of new forms of negative option selling has increased the popularity of this unique marketing and selling method with sellers, but critics claim some of these new negative option techniques circumvent consumer choice, exploit consumer trust, and are incapable of creating legally valid exchange contracts. The authors describe the different forms of negative option selling and how some of the newer forms differ from traditional club-type plans. They also assess the adequacy of the existing negative option laws for addressing the abusive practices that are being attributed to these new negative option selling methods and conclude with recommendations for negative option regulatory reform, which attempt to balance consumer protection and economic efficiency.
Advertising Law in the United States and European Union
Authors: Petty Ross D.
Published: January 2019

Nearly 40% of the more than $270 billion spent on advertising throughout the world occurs in the United States and more than 25% more is spent in Europe (Adler 1996). Both the United States and European Union (EU) have a central government that is the source of marketwide law, as well as numerous states, each with its own individual laws. Although the EU drew on U.S. law when drafting its 1984 Directive on Misleading Advertising, many of its member states have legal traditions predating those of the United States, and they are reluctant to change. The author examines advertising law in both the United States and EU, specifically exploring the law of misleading, comparison, and unfair advertising. Differences between states in each market, the states and central government, and the United States and EU are analyzed to develop implications for both marketers and policy makers.
The Protection of Intellectual Property: Issues of Origination and Ownership
Authors: Mittelstaedt John D. , Mittelstaedt Robert A.
Published: January 2019

Western intellectual property protection is based on the twin premises that individual people can originate and own ideas. Because these premises are not universally accepted, differences in laws and enforcement exist in the global market. The authors present a framework for describing these differences and discuss it in terms of relations among developing nations, between developed and developing nations, and between all nations ant indigenous peoples. They conclude with a discussion of implications for marketers in several industrial sectors.
Punitive Damages after BMW v. Gore (1996)
Authors: Morgan Fred W. , Boedecker Karl A.
Published: January 2019

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in BMW v. Gore (1996) in May. This decision triggered another round of discussions regarding restraints on punitive damages as a part of the overall reform of the U.S. tort system. Here, the authors review the BMW decision and its immediate predecessors to illustrate the essential public policy issues that are associated with proposed limits on punitive damages.
Do Product Warnings Increase Safe Behavior? A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Cox Eli P. , Wogalter Michael S. , Stokes Sara L. , Murff Elizabeth J. Tipton
Published: January 2019

In a meta-analysis of warnings literature, the authors examine empirical studies containing no-warning control groups to address the question of whether the presence of on-product warnings increases the safe behavior of product users. The major findings of the study are that (1) warnings increase safe behavior and (2) this increase is found for both nonstudent and student subjects.
Consumer Participation in Mailing Lists: A Field Experiment
Authors: Milne George R.
Published: January 2019

Increasingly, companies are acquiring customer names and personal information for database marketing purposes. Because lists of customer names often are sold and rented without customer knowledge, legislation has been proposed to curtail the ability of marketers to sell personal information without customer consent. In reaction, the direct marketing community has responded with aggressive self-regulation, strongly recommending negative option permission formats and carefully worded disclosure statements. The author examines the assumptions underlying the direct marketing community's self-regulation efforts. Using afield experiment, the author measures consumers’ willingness to provide marketers with personal information and permission to rent this information based on varying permission formats, type of information requested, and level of disclosure. The results of the field experiment support the direct marketing community's assumptions about how question format affects consumers’ willingness to allow their personal information to be transferred to a third party. However, the results do not support the common assumptions that using negative option formats and not asking consumers for sensitive information improves consumers’ willingness to join mailing lists.
The U.S. Supreme Court's Use of Post-Chicago Antitrust Theory in Eastman Kodak v. Image Technical Services: Implications for Marketing Practice
Authors: Schleicher Tara J.
Published: January 2019

The author examines the U.S. Supreme Court's use of post-Chicago economic theory in Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services. The author evaluates the impact of the post-Chicago perspective in Kodak on future antitrust litigation and examines the implications of a post-Chicago perspective for marketers.
Legal Potholes on the Information Superhighway
Authors: Richards Jef I.
Published: January 2019

The Internet represents the promise of better, cheaper, and more efficient marketing in the near future. Few marketers, however, have considered fully the downside of this virtual marketplace. Along with great potential come new, often hidden legal risks. The number of legal issues a marketer may encounter in tapping this new resource is significant, and no marketer should enter this new medium without first considering these issues. The author provides an overview of those Internet-related legal issues that, to date, are known or reasonably expected as the age of cybermarketing approaches.
How Well Do Young People Follow the Label? An Investigation of Four Classes of Over-the-Counter Drugs
Authors: Ellen Pam Scholder , Bone Paula Fitzgerald , Stuart Elnora W.
Published: January 2019

Media reports, medical professionals, mental health counselors, and existing research suggest that some young people fail to follow the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) required labeling of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests young people are misusing some OTC products by taking more than the recommended dosage and/or taking them for purposes other than those intended by the FDA or the manufacturer. In a nonprobability sample, the authors find a significant incidence of OTC drug misuse. More than half of the past-30-day OTC drug uses were over the recommended dosage—some of which were intentional (i.e., the user knowingly took more than recommended), some unintentional (i.e., the user was unaware that he or she was taking more than recommended). A smaller percentage used OTC drugs for off-label, recreational purposes (e.g., getting high). Intentional overuse and recreational use are related positively to peer approval of overuse of OTC medicines. In addition, both uses increase as risk perceptions decrease. Recreational use appears to be similar to illicit drug use, in that recreational users tend to have lower self-esteem and place a greater value on independence relative to academic achievement.
The Sleeping Dog Stirs: New Signs of Life in Efforts to End Corruption in International Business
Authors: Hotchkiss Carolyn
Published: January 2019

For many years, international firms and executives treated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) as the proverbial sleeping dog, best left alone. The FCPA was perceived as an overreaching and naïve attempt by the U.S. government to impose unrealistic moral standards on global business conduct. The statute was regarded as unenforced and unenforceable. Recently, however, the U.S. government has stepped up FCPA prosecutions. International organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Transparency International also have increased global interest in and efforts to combat corrupt business practices. In November 1997, OECD member nations and others signed an agreement that committed them to changing their national laws to fight bribery. This increased activity should be an early warning signal to executives that demonstrates the higher risk of exposure of and the higher level of legal and business consequences for corrupt practices.
Continuing Duty to Warn: An Opportunity for Liability Prevention or Exposure
Authors: Schwartz Victor E.
Published: January 2019

The author examines the tort law surrounding manufacturers’ post-sale duty to warn consumers of product risks or defects. Using examples and possible scenarios, the author argues that liability based on inadequate warnings at the point of sale should not be imposed if the risk could be neither known nor anticipated. The author also addresses post-sale failure to warn and recall.
Slotting Allowances and the Retail Sale of Alcohol Beverages
Authors: Gundlach Gregory T. , Bloom Paul N.
Published: January 2019

Considerable controversy and debate surrounds the practice of slotting allowances, or fees, paid by manufacturers for obtaining the patronage of retailers. To date, regulators have yet to agree on public policy toward these practices; at least one federal antitrust agency suggests that slotting fees may be competitive, another has conducted investigations into these practices, and still another suggests banning them altogether. In this article, the authors examine the recent decision by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) to prohibit slotting allowances in the retail sale of alcohol beverages. Focusing on the regulatory environment, industry structure, marketing practices, and consumer consumption behavior in the alcohol beverage industry, the authors analyze the BATF's decision and attempt to reconcile disparate public policy treatment of these practices. Implications for understanding slotting allowances and recommendations for further public policy development and research then are explored.
Agency Theory, Drug Formularies, and Drug Product Selection: Implications for Public Policy
Authors: Mott David A. , Schommer Jon C. , Doucette William R. , Kreling David H.
Published: January 2019

The authors describe the pharmaceutical utilization system and present the conceptual framework for agency theory. They then apply agency theory to the selection of pharmaceuticals and the role of drug formularies in drug selection. The use of drug formularies can increase the goal conflict and uncertainty related to the selection of drug products. The authors address public policy and research directions to suggest ways of reducing the level of goal conflict and uncertainty associated with drug selection. Recognition of agency relationships and the environment surrounding agency relationships appear to be important for the development and analysis of future policy regarding selection decisions pertaining to pharmaceuticals.
Will Khan Foster or Hinder Franchising? An Economic Analysis of Maximum Resale Price Maintenance
Authors: Blair Roger D. , Lafontaine Francine
Published: January 2019

In this article, the authors consider the economic consequences of State Oil v. Khan (1997) for franchising. After discussing the evolution of antitrust policy regarding maximum resale prices, they examine the economics behind franchisors’ desire to impose price ceilings on franchisees. The authors show that the most likely explanations for this practice imply that maximum resale prices enhance consumer welfare.
Distributive Justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Moral Responsibility of Marketers
Authors: Laczniak Gene R.
Published: January 2019

This commentary uses as its platform an essay by Karpatkin (1999) titled “Toward a Fair and Just Marketplace for All Consumers: The Responsibilities of Marketing Professionals. ” This article supports Karpatkin's position that, too often, large corporations are willing to exploit weak and vulnerable consumers as the means to unsavory financial gain. Vulnerable groups include the poor, children, and the disadvantaged elderly. Essentially, Karpatkin raises questions about the lack of distributive justice for these consumer segments in the marketplace. In answer to this, the author presents a religion-inspired business ethics. Using a body of writing sometimes called Catholic Social Teaching (CST), the author describes and discusses a set of four guiding ethical principles. At the foundation of CST is the principle of human dignity. Building on this base, the author explores three additional principles: stewardship, preferential option for the vulnerable, and worker dignity. Together, these principles provide a “blended” moral theory that outlines a rationale for giving economically or socially disadvantaged consumer segments distinct and special moral treatment in the marketplace.
Global Poverty and the United Nations
Authors: Hill Ronald Paul , Adrangi Bahram
Published: January 2019

The impact of poverty on consumers’ lives has received considerable attention in the public policy and marketing literature, but primarily from the perspective of the United States. The purpose of this article is to examine global poverty using the multidimensional position advanced by the United Nations (UN). The authors provide a discussion of the history of the UN, from its founding during World War II to the present, with an emphasis on the resolutions, declarations, and conventions that guide its focus on poverty. Then, the authors present UN data on human development to create an understanding of the magnitude and dimensions of poverty worldwide. They close with recommendations for a specific research agenda for public policy and marketing scholars.
Elderly Consumers’ Receptiveness to Telemarketing Fraud
Authors: Lee Jinkook , Geistfeld Loren V.
Published: January 2019

The authors use data from the 1996 and 1997 EXCEL Omnibus Survey commissioned by the American Association of Retired Persons to investigate the receptiveness of consumers 50 years of age or older to telemarketing fraud. The authors investigate elderly consumers’ receptiveness to telemarketing fraud, as reflected by a consumer's psychological orientation (willingness to listen to sales pitch and attitude toward callers) and actual engagement in risky behavior (responding to unknown callers) using setwise regression. They conclude with policy implications.
Tobacco Marketing Restrictions in the Multistate Attorneys General Settlement: Is this Good Public Policy?
Authors: Petty Ross D.
Published: January 2019

After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule to regulate the marketing of tobacco to children, states negotiated two settlements of their health care reimbursement lawsuits with the tobacco industry. In this article, the author examines the marketing restrictions contained in the second agreement now being adopted into state law. These restrictions are compared with those in the earlier, aborted settlement, the FDA-proposed rule, and the recently adopted European Union directive. The article concludes by suggesting that negotiating a single agreement, offered to virtually all the states, that contains both damage payments and marketing restrictions does not lead to sound public policy decisions.
Marketing Public Policy and the Evolving Role of Marketing Academics: A Historical Perspective
Authors: Hollander Stanley C. , Keep William W. , Dickinson Roger
Published: January 2019

In this article, the authors highlight marketing public policy activities and the evolving role of marketing academics prior to 1960. In doing so, the authors provide an historical setting for discussions of more contemporary activities. The evidence illustrates the enduring influence of marketing academics on public policy over time.
Marketing and Policy Considerations for Violent Video Games
Authors: Anders Kelly
Published: January 2019

In this article, the author discusses the video game market, marketing practices, the rating system, and efforts by the gaming industry and state and federal lawmakers to keep videos with adult themes out of the hands of minors.
Pattern of Brain Injury Predicts Long-Term Epilepsy Following Neonatal Encephalopathy
Authors: Xu Qi , Chau Vann , Sanguansermsri Chinnuwat , Muir Katherine E. , Tam Emily W. Y. , Miller Steven P. , Wong Darren S. T. , Chen Hao , Wong Peter K. H. , Zwicker Jill G. , Poskitt Kenneth J. , Hill Alan , Roland Elke H.
Published: January 2019

Objective:

To determine if patterns of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in term newborns predict subsequent childhood epilepsy.

Methods:

This retrospective cohort study includes term newborns with encephalopathy (n = 181) born between 2004-2012 and admitted to British Columbia Children’s Hospital. MRI was performed between 3 and 5 days of age. The predominant patterns of hypoxic-ischemic injury were classified as Normal, Watershed, Basal Nuclei, Total, and Focal-Multifocal. Lesions in hippocampus, motor and occipital cortex were noted.

Results:

Of 181 newborns, 166 (92%) survived the neonatal period, and 132 (80%) had follow-up with a median duration of 61 months (IQR: 28–95). Twenty-three children (17%) developed epilepsy. A higher proportion with Watershed, Basal Nuclei, or Total patterns developed epilepsy ( P < .001). Injury to motor cortex, hippocampus, and occipital lobe ( P < .01) were independent risk factors for epilepsy. In the adjusting logistic model, Watershed (odds ratio = 16.0, 95% CI [1.3, 197.2], P = .03) and Basal Nuclei injury (odds ratio = 19.4, 95% CI [1.9, 196.3], P = .01) remained independent risk factors. Therapeutic hypothermia did not alter these associations. Severity of brain injury and recurrent neonatal seizures are other clinical risk factors.

Significance:

In term newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, the predominant pattern of Watershed and Basal Nuclei injury are valuable predictors for development of epilepsy in later childhood.
Analyzing Change-in-Control Payments Since the Enactment of Say-on-Pay
Authors: Siciliano Mark
Published: January 2019

Since the enactment of Say on Pay in January 2011, companies are required to disclose the amounts payable to named executive officers as a results of an acquisition. There have been 1,524 U.S. public takeovers from 2011 to 2017, which have disclosed golden parachute payments to executives. The author describes payments made by sector, payment types, triggering events and the propensity of voters to accept, or reject, golden parachute payments based some of the more concerning pay practices.
Administration of rCTRP9 Attenuates Neuronal Apoptosis Through AdipoR1/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway after ICH in Mice
Authors: Zhao Lianhua , Zhang John H. , Sherchan Prativa , Krafft Paul R. , Zhao Wei , Wang Sa , Chen Shengpan , Guo Zaiyu , Tang Jiping
Published: January 2019

Targeting neuronal apoptosis after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) may be an important therapeutic strategy for ICH patients. Emerging evidence indicates that C1q/TNF-Related Protein 9 (CTRP9), a newly discovered adiponectin receptor agonist, exerts neuroprotection in cerebrovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-apoptotic role of CTRP9 after experimental ICH and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. ICH was induced in mice via intrastriatal injection of bacterial collagenase. Recombinant CTRP9 (rCTRP9) was administrated intranasally at 1 h after ICH. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, adiponectin receptor1 small interfering ribonucleic acid (AdipoR1 siRNA) and selective PI3 K inhibitor LY294002 were administered prior to rCTRP9 treatment. Western blots, neurofunctional assessments, immunofluorescence staining, and Fluoro-Jade C (FJC) staining experiments were performed. Administration of rCTRP9 significantly improved both short- and long-term neurofunctional behavior after ICH. RCTRP9 treatment significantly increased the expression of AdipoR1, PI3 K, p-Akt, and Bcl-2, while at the same time was found to decrease the expression of Bax in the brain, which was reversed by inhibition of AdipoR1 and PI3 K. The neuroprotective effect of rCTRP9 after ICH was mediated by attenuation of neuronal apoptosis via the AdipoR1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway; therefore, rCTRP9 should be further evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent for ICH patients.
Book Review: Mike Wright and Israel Drori (Eds.), Accelerators: Successful Venture Creation and Growth
Authors: Shankar Raj K.
Published: January 2019

Mike Wright and Israel Drori (Eds.), Accelerators: Successful Venture Creation and Growth, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018, 224 pp.
Immigration, Euroscepticism, and the rise and fall of UKIP
Authors: Evans Geoffrey , Mellon Jonathan
Published: January 2019

This article presents a case study of the emergence of the issue-linkage necessary for a cross-cutting European Union cleavage to become electorally salient. We argue that a key political decision on immigration in 2004 facilitated the emergence of a new dimension of party competition and growth in popular support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leading eventually to the 2016 EU Referendum. To examine this thesis, we trace the impact of the UK government’s immigration policy on (i) rising immigration, (ii) the political salience of immigration, (iii) the increasing association between concern about immigration and Euroscepticism, and (iv) the emergence of a cross-cutting dimension of party competition coalescing around support for UKIP. The analysis combines information from official immigration rates, media reporting on immigration, Mori polls, continuous monitoring surveys, and the British Election Study.
Economic internationalization and the decline of the left–right dimension
Authors: Grossman Emiliano , Sauger Nicolas
Published: January 2019

This article examines the continuing importance of the left–right dimension for voting behavior in Western Europe. We test the extent to which economic internationalization may affect the capacity of this dimension to structure party preferences. We explore two dimensions of internationalization, long-term openness and short-term changes, assessing, respectively, the impact of international trade and foreign investments on voters’ preference formation. To study the influence of changing context, we use four waves of the European Election Study (1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014). We show that openness to international economic exchanges tends to weaken the left–right cleavage. At the same time, long-term economic openness appears to soften the impact of short-term shocks for the relevance of left–right politics.
Economic performance and center-periphery conflicts in party competition
Authors: Pardos-Prado Sergi , Sagarzazu Iñaki
Published: January 2019

The reasons pushing parties to politicize noneconomic dimensions of competition, and the consequences of this for the representation of public opinion, are badly understood in the party competition literature. This is a pressing research gap, especially given the recent and significant reactivation of territorial or center-periphery conflicts in Western Europe. In this article, we first argue that bad macroeconomic performance increases the incentives of incumbent parties to deviate the attention toward territorial conflicts in order to avoid electoral punishment. Second, we also argue that the opposite is true for public opinion: it is precisely during periods of bad economic performance and high economic concern, when the electorate moves away from territorial interests. The dynamic emerging from our findings is thus far from an ideal bottom-up representation: elites divert the attention toward territorial conflicts to mask periods of poor economic performance, which is precisely when public opinion is less interested in center-periphery issues. We validate our claims using text analysis of party attention in Spain and time series models covering four electoral cycles (1996–2011).
Deplorables: Emotions, Political Sophistication, and Political Intolerance
Authors: Gibson James , Claassen Christopher , Barceló Joan
Published: January 2019

While scholars have shown strong interest in the role of emotions in politics, questions remain about the connections between emotions and political intolerance. First, it is not clear which emotion (if any) is likely to produce intolerance toward one’s disliked groups, with different studies favoring hatred, anger, or fear. Second, it is unclear whether these effects of emotion are moderated by sophistication, as some conventional political thought argues. Do the less-sophisticated rely on emotions when making judgments, therefore being less tolerant than sophisticates, who rely on reason? Here, we test both hypotheses using a large representative sample Americans. We find that hatred, anger, and fear are significantly but only modestly related to political intolerance. Moreover, the effects of emotions on intolerance are not consistently stronger among the unsophisticated. These findings provide little support for the conventional assumption that the less-sophisticated rely on their emotions in making political judgments.
Abnormalities of Alpha Activity in Frontocentral Region of the Brain as a Biomarker to Diagnose Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Khaleghi Ali , Mohammadi Mohammad Reza , Moeini Mahdi , Zarafshan Hadi , Fadaei Fooladi Mahbod
Published: January 2019

Objectives. To investigate brain abnormalities in adolescents with new-onset bipolar disorder (BD) during acute hypomanic and depressive episodes using electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis and to derive a computer-based method for diagnosis of the disorder. Methods. EEG spectral power and entropy of 21 adolescents with BD (included 11 patients in the hypomanic episode and 10 patients in the depressive episode) and 18 healthy adolescents were compared. Moreover, using significant differences and K-nearest-neighbors (KNN) classifier, it was attempted to distinguish the BD adolescents from normal ones. Results. The BD adolescents had higher values of spectral power in all frequency bands, particularly in the frontocentral, mid-temporal, and right parietal regions. Also, spectral entropy had significantly increased in delta, alpha, and gamma frequency bands for BD. A high accuracy of 95.8% was achieved by all significant differences in the alpha band in discriminating adolescents with BD. The depressive state showed higher values of spectral power and entropy in low-frequency bands (delta and theta) compared to the hypomanic state. Conclusion. Based on BD symptoms, especially inattention, increased alpha power is a rational finding which is associated with thalamus dysfunction. Thus, it seems that EEG alpha oscillation is the main source of abnormality in BD. Furthermore, EEG slowing in the depressive episode is related to inhibition of electrical activity and reduced cognitive functions.
Distribution and Habitat Use by Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Coffee-Dominated Landscape of Southern India
Authors: Krishnan Vinod , Kumar Mavatur Ananda , Raghunathan Ganesh , Vijayakrishnan Sreedhar
Published: January 2019

Understanding the impacts of land-use mosaics on elephant distribution and the patterns of habitat use is essential for their conservation in modified landscapes. We carried out a study in 205 villages, covering 610 km2 of plantation–agriculture–forest mosaic of Hassan–Madikeri divisions in southern India, an area of intense human–elephant interactions. We monitored elephant movements, crop damage incidents, and human casualties on a daily basis for a 2-year period (2015–2017) to understand the patterns of elephant distribution across the landscape and habitat-use patterns, resulting in 1,117 GPS locations across six major habitats. Elephants were distributed across the landscape in the first year, but a high concentration of locations were noticed toward northern part of the study area during the second year, owing to clear felling of trees and installation of barriers around coffee plantations, causing an overall shift in their distribution. Investigations into habitat use by elephants revealed that during the day, elephants preferred monoculture refuges of acacia, eucalyptus, and so on, and forest fragments, avoiding reservoir, coffee, roads, and habitations. At night, agricultural lands were used more frequently while moving between refuges compared with forest fragments and habitations. Seasonally, forest fragments and agriculture were used significantly more during dry and wet, respectively. Across years, use of monoculture refuges and coffee increased with a corresponding decrease in the use of forest fragments and agriculture. In areas devoid of forest habitats, retention of monoculture refuges which provide shelter for elephants and facilitating free movement through open habitats may help minimize human–elephant conflict and promote coexistence in such land-use mosaics.
Feasibility of a mobile feedback system for gait retraining in people with lower limb loss—A technical note
Authors: Fiedler Goeran , Kutina Krista
Published: January 2019

Gait retraining in people with musculoskeletal and/or neurological impairments requires sustained dedicated efforts by the patient and the rehabilitation therapist. Various technical approaches have been proposed and utilized to improve the effectiveness of training interventions. Among the most promising approaches is the provision of real-time feedback information to the patient, which has been used with success on treadmill-based interventions in the past. We are describing a mobile visual feedback system that is intended to work in the user’s everyday-life environment. The data are captured by a small mobile load cell, processed in a wearable computer, and displayed to the user via smart-glasses. Preliminary testing of the initially selected feedback variable stance/step ratio (i.e., the duration of a step’s stance phase in relation to the overall step’s duration) confirmed that data quality is sufficient for purposes of generating feedback information and that the chosen variable is responsive to changes in gait symmetry. The presented work may inform future studies and developments on the topic of mobile visual feedback for gait rehabilitation.
Factors Influencing Work–Life Balance in Physicians and Advance Practice Clinicians and the Effect of Heartfulness Meditation Conference on Burnout
Authors: Thimmapuram Jayaram R , Grim Rodney , Bell Theodore , Benenson Ronald , Lavallee Mark , Modi Mihir , Noll David , Salter Ridgley
Published: January 2019

Background

Burnout levels have risen in recent years and satisfaction with work–life balance has decreased. Individual and organizational factors may affect burnout in physicians and advance practice clinicians (APCs). Meditation is a tool to mitigate stress and enhance well-being. In this study, we assessed the factors affecting work–life balance in physicians and APCs. We also measured the impact of Heartfulness meditation conference on burnout.

Methods

Physicians and APCs were surveyed through an abbreviated Maslach burnout inventory (aMBI) to assess the burnout levels and a question to assess the factors influencing work–life balance. Wellness initiatives included either attending a Heartfulness meditation conference or reading a book about burnout and wellness (approximated at a 3-h read). A repeat aMBI survey was sent 8 weeks after the conference. Pre- and postburnout scores were assessed.

Results

Of the 1393 physicians and APCs, 537 responded to the aMBI, and there were 414 comments (663 factors) for the question on work–life balance. Among the respondents, 60.5% and 32% had symptoms of moderate to severe emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization, respectively. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents had symptoms of moderate to low personal accomplishment. The major factors impacting work–life balance included work load, work flow, and scheduling. A follow-up aMBI survey was completed by 79 from the conference group and 264 from the nonconference group. In the age-group between 30 and 50 for the conference group (n = 40), mean EE decreased from 9.8 to 8.6 with statistical significance ( P = .014). There was no statistically significant change in the nonconference group in any age-group.

Conclusion

Workload, workflow, and scheduling issues were the major factors affecting work–life balance. There is a significant level of burnout in physicians and APCs. Heartfulness meditation conference was associated with a significant decrease in EE in those aged 30 to 50 years. There was no significant change seen in the nonconference/book reading group.
Illness Management in Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Couples: A Review
Authors: Nowakowski Alexandra C. H. , Chan Alan Y. , Miller Jordan Forrest , Sumerau J. E.
Published: January 2019

More openly sexually and gender diverse people are aging into later life across the world as generational transitions occur. People identifying many different ways beyond cisgender and heterosexual are diverse with respect to many other characteristics and sociopolitical locations across the globe and may thus experience a wide array of health journeys both individually and as partners in intimate relationships. In this review article, we summarize the major contributions of and ongoing gaps in existing studies about such couples’ experiences of chronic disease management in later life. We focus on three key groups of findings from prior research about the health of older sexually and/or gender diverse couples: care practices, unmet needs, and diverse resources. We outline priorities for future research within and across these topic areas and in varied locations, with unique recommendations for scholars in both academic and clinical settings. These recommendations support greater integration of such populations, topics, and needs in existing discourse on aging and late life. Likewise, recommendations from this review illuminate potential best practices for engaging and serving these elders in both academic and applied settings.
Morbidity and Treatment-seeking Behaviour Among Scheduled Tribe in India: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Raushan Rajesh , Acharya Sanghmitra S.
Published: January 2019

The progress of Indigenous people or the Scheduled Tribes (STs) on developmental indicators is much poor than expected, especially their status of health. They report the highest mortality and malnutrition, low level of obstetric care, and are also among the poorest users of healthcare services in the country. This study examines the prevalence of acute and chronic morbidities and treatment-seeking behaviour among the ST in India. Second wave of India Human Development Survey (IHDS-2) data, 2011–2012, has been used in the study. Considering that culture and religion shape the demographic and health outcomes of people, this article has tried to seek a deeper understanding on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour by categorising the ST into four tribo-religious groups: namely, Hindu ST, Christian ST, Indigenous ST and the rest along ethnicity and religion lines. The study found evidence of an early epidemiologic transition in tribal areas and associated increase in the incidence of chronic and lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma. Other emerging concerns are prevalence of high untreated morbidity, dependence on private healthcare providers and increasing dependence on pharmacists among the ST.
Silent brain infarcts on diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid revascularisation: A surrogate outcome measure for procedural stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Traenka Christopher , Engelter Stefan T , Brown Martin M , Dobson Joanna , Frost Chris , Bonati Leo H
Published: January 2019

Aim

To investigate whether lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI+) after carotid artery stenting (CAS) or endarterectomy (CEA) might provide a surrogate outcome measure for procedural stroke.

Materials and Methods

Systematic MedLine® database search with selection of all studies published up to the end of 2016 in which DWI scans were obtained before and within seven days after CAS or CEA. The correlation between the underlying log odds of stroke and of DWI+ across all treatment groups (i.e. CAS or CEA groups) from included studies was estimated using a bivariate random effects logistic regression model. Relative risks of DWI+ and stroke in studies comparing CAS vs. CEA were estimated using fixed-effect Mantel-Haenszel models.

Results

We included data of 4871 CAS and 2099 CEA procedures (85 studies). Across all treatment groups (CAS and CEA), the log odds for DWI+ was significantly associated with the log odds for clinically manifest stroke (correlation coefficient 0.61 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.87), p = 0.0012). Across all carotid artery stenting groups, the correlation coefficient was 0.19 (p = 0.074). There were too few CEA groups to reliably estimate a correlation coefficient in this subset alone. In 19 studies comparing CAS vs. CEA, the relative risks (95% confidence intervals) of DWI+ and stroke were 3.83 (3.17–4.63, p < 0.00001) and 2.38 (1.44–3.94, p = 0.0007), respectively.

Discussion

This systematic meta-analysis demonstrates a correlation between the occurrence of silent brain infarcts on diffusion-weighted imaging and the risk of clinically manifest stroke in carotid revascularisation procedures.

Conclusion

Our findings strengthen the evidence base for the use of DWI as a surrogate outcome measure for procedural stroke in carotid revascularisation procedures. Further randomised studies comparing treatment effects on DWI lesions and clinical stroke are needed to fully establish surrogacy.
Redox-Mediated High-Yield Exfoliation of Layered Composites into Nanosheets
Authors: Yamamoto Yuna , Imai Hiroaki , Oaki Yuya
Published: January 2019

A variety of organic and inorganic layered compounds are exfoliated into 2D nanomaterials in liquid phase. Improvement of exfoliation yield is a significant challenge for further applications of 2D nanomaterials. However, yield of transition-metal-oxide nanosheets is not so high, such as around 5% for 240 h and 15% for 120 h, in previous exfoliation methods. Here we show a new exfoliation approach to high-yield synthesis of nanosheets. A layered composite of cobalt hydroxide and guest quinone derivative was exfoliated into nanosheets through redox reactions of the interlayer guests in the yield 16–57% for 1 h under mild conditions. The redox reactions of the guest molecules on the layer facilitate efficient exfoliation through improvement of the affinity between the guest and dispersion medium. The present redox-mediated exfoliation approach can be applied to efficient synthesis of a variety of 2D nanomaterials from layered composites.
Segmented poly(A) tails significantly reduce recombination of plasmid DNA without affecting mRNA translation efficiency or half-life
Authors: Trepotec Zeljka , Geiger Johannes , Plank Christian , Aneja Manish K. , Rudolph Carsten
Published: January 2019

Extensive research in the past decade has brought mRNA closer to the clinical realization of its therapeutic potential. One common structural feature for all cellular messenger RNAs is a poly(A) tail, which can either be brought in cotranscriptionally via the DNA template (plasmid- or PCR-based) or added to the mRNA in a post-transcriptional enzymatic process. Plasmids containing poly(A) regions recombine in E. coli, resulting in extensive shortening of the poly(A) tail. Using a segmented poly(A) approach, we could significantly reduce recombination of plasmids in E. coli without any negative effect on mRNA half-life and protein expression. This effect was independent of the coding sequence. A segmented poly(A) tail is characterized in that it consists of at least two A-containing elements, each defined as a nucleotide sequence consisting of 40–60 adenosines, separated by a spacer element of different length. Furthermore, reducing the spacer length between the poly(A) segments resulted in higher translation efficiencies compared to homogeneous poly(A) tail and reduced recombination (depending upon the choice of spacer nucleotide). Our results demonstrate the superior potential of segmented poly(A) tails compared to the conventionally used homogeneous poly(A) tails with respect to recombination of the plasmids and the resulting mRNA performance (half-life and translational efficiency).
HIV prevalence correlated with circumcision prevalence and high-risk sexual behavior in India's states: an ecological study
Authors: Kenyon Chris R.
Published: January 2019

Background:HIV prevalence varies between 0% and 1.6% in India's states. The factors underpinning this variation are poorly defined.

Methods:We evaluated the relationship between HIV prevalence by state and a range of risk factors in the Indian 2015 National Family Health Survey. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between HIV prevalence and each variable. The prevalence of each risk factor was compared between five high-HIV-prevalence states (>1% prevalence) and a large low-HIV-prevalence state (Uttar Pradesh; HIV prevalence, 0.06%).

Results:There was an association between HIV prevalence and men's mean lifetime number of partners (r = 0.55; P = 0.001) and men reporting sex with a non-married, non-cohabiting partner (r = 0.40; P = 0.014). In general, men in high-prevalence states were less likely to be circumcised and (with the exception of Chandigarh) use condoms at last sex. In two high prevalence states (Mizoram and Nagaland), men reported a higher number of lifetime partners and a higher prevalence of multiple partners and high-risk sex in the past year.

Conclusions:Variation in circumcision prevalence and sexual behavior may contribute to the large variations in HIV prevalence by state in India.