bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Employee Gender and Job Congruency on Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Mohr Lois A. , Henson Steve W.
Published: March 2004

Selecting the best employees for customer contact jobs is critically important for customer satisfaction and, ultimately, an organization's success. One potential influence on satisfaction is the congruency between the characteristics of the employee and customer expectations. This research examines how customers respond to employees who are not of the typical, or expected, gender in gender‐typed jobs. Two experiments were conducted that used scenarios of service encounters to manipulate employee gender and gender dominance of the occupation in between‐subjects designs. The dependent variables were level of satisfaction with the service encounter (Experiment 1) and employee evaluation (Experiment 2). The results generally showed that respondents evaluated employees more positively when they performed congruent rather than incongruent jobs. In addition, gender and trait characteristics of the respondents influenced the way employee gender affected evaluations. The preference for congruent employees was strongest among male respondents and cross‐sex‐typed respondents. A different type of congruency was also found. That is, some respondents evaluated employees more positively if they were the same rather than the opposite gender as themselves. This effect was strongest for female and for gender‐aschematic respondents.
Moods and Attitude Judgments: A Comment on Fishbein and Middlestadt
Authors: Schwarz Norbert
Published: March 2004

Fishbein and Middlestadt (F & M; 1995) proposed that all “noncognitive” influences on attitude change are mediated through changes in beliefs and their evaluative implications. This proposal is evaluated in light of recent research into different processes underlying mood effects on attitude judgments. Whereas some process assumptions (mood congruent recall and mood‐induced differences in processing style) are compatible with F & M's proposal, other influences cannot be traced to changes in belief structure. Instead, individuals’ mood at the time of judgment may itself serve as a source of information, resulting in direct influences on evaluative judgments.
Beyond Fact or Artifact: An Assessment of Fishbein and Middlestadt's Perspectives on Attitude Change Processes
Authors: Haugtvedt Curtis P. ,   The Consumer Psychology Seminar
Published: March 2004

In this brief article, we respond to some specific issues raised in Fishbein and Middlestadt's (F & M's; 1995) article. We suggest that F & M's perspective is inconsistent with current research findings, and we focus on examining how various moderator variables may influence the processes of attitude formation and change. Next, we discuss the links between theory and measurement and issues that we feel need to be prioritized in this area in the light of F & M's comments.
Managing Negative Feedback Effects Associated With Brand Extensions: The Impact of Alternative Branding Strategies
Authors: Milberg Sandra J. , Whan Park C. , McCarthy Michael S.
Published: March 2004

This article investigates the relation between alternative brand extension strategies and negative feedback effects of such extensions. We examine situations in which extensions may dilute family brand beliefs and create negative affect and how a sub‐branding strategy (a new brand name in conjunction with a family brand name) may mitigate these effects. We find negative feedback effects when (a) extensions are perceived as belonging to a product category dissimilar from those associated with the family brand and (b) extension attribute information is inconsistent with image beliefs associated with the family brand. Relative to a direct extension, a sub‐branding strategy mitigated these negative feedback effects and improved consumer evaluations of extensions belonging to dissimilar product categories.
How Much Will I Spend? Factors Affecting Consumers’ Estimates of Future Expense
Authors: Menon Geeta , Raghubir Priya , Schwarz Norbert
Published: March 2004

Respondents in marketing surveys are often asked to estimate future expenses on products and services to assist marketers in arriving at market‐share forecasts. To estimate future expenses for products and services, respondents may use information about past expenses, information about past behavioral frequencies for a related behavior, or both, if they are elicited prior to eliciting estimates of future expenses. To the extent that these sources of information are biased due to the manner in which they are elicited, subsequent estimates of future expense are biased. This article investigates the effect of response alternatives used to elicit behavioral frequencies on subsequent estimates of future expense related to the behavior. Two experiments demonstrate that past and future expense estimates are affected by the range of response alternatives used to elicit a related behavioral frequency prior to eliciting the expense estimate. This effect holds, however, only when the behavior is irregular. Further, the relative use of past expenses versus behavioral frequencies to estimate future expenses is a function of the presence and range of response alternatives used to elicit the behavioral frequency, the regularity of the behavior, and the order in which these are elicited. The results emphasize that the importance of question sequencing in surveys is a function of the regularity of the target behavior.
Consumer Responses to Rumors: Good News, Bad News
Authors: Kamins Michael A. , Folkes Valerie S. , Perner Lars
Published: March 2004

Three studies—a field survey and two experiments—examine social and situational factors influencing the evaluation and communication of information labeled as rumor. The survey focused on rumor transmission and beliefs about marketplace rumors held by the public. Consumers reported that they were exposed to and spread more negative than positive rumors. Additionally, rumor, when identified as such, was evaluated less favorably than other word‐of‐mouth communications. These findings were then examined in greater depth in two experiments that compared the interpersonal consequences of transmission of negative and positive rumors. The first experimental study revealed that labeling information as a rumor decreased its credibility and transmission to others and that positively valenced rumors were more likely to be transmitted and generated greater liking for the transmitter. Study 3 revealed that the personal relevance of the information interacted with valence to influence rumor transmission, affective reactions, and interpersonal attraction. There was a greater propensity to spread positive rumors that reflected well on oneself compared to negative rumors that reflected badly. In contrast, negative rumor about one's rival was more likely to be transmitted than positively valenced rumor. Rumor valence did not influence transmission when the information concerned a remote other.
Social Marketing: Are We Fiddling While Rome Burns? A Response to Andreasen and Wells
Authors: Goldberg Marvin E.
Published: March 2004

Andreasen's (this issue) and Wells’ (this issue) comments regarding my initial article (Goldberg, 1995) are both reasoned and thought provoking. Both endorse the need for marketers to consider applying their skills to issues that are problematic in our society today. The devil is in the details!

First let me address Andreasen's comments. One of his primary concerns appears to be a cautionary note for young marketing scholars: Beware the temptation to address a social ill as the primary motivation for developing research. He argues that academics, and especially untenured academics, ought to be driven to explore “fundamental theoretical problems.” At the same time he suggests that there is ample opportunity to “advance fundamental knowledge while at the same time doing good” (Andreasen, this issue). Petty and Cacioppo (1996) made the same case, concluding with a plea to basic researchers to make their research more accessible to applied researchers and to the latter to become more sensitive to the potential of theory‐driven research. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be the last time we hear this plea, unless some meaningful way of operationalizing it captures the imagination of at least a subset of consumer researchers.
Presentation Medium and Spontaneous Imaging Effects on Consumer Memory
Authors: Costley Carolyn , Das Samar , Brucks Merrie
Published: March 2004

After reviewing evidence for separate sensory processing systems for seeing and hearing, we propose that presentation medium influences retrieval cue effectiveness. Specifically, we posit that retrieval cues enhance recall better within medium than across medium, a “modality match hypothesis.” An initial experiment indicated enhanced recall for visual stimuli through both encoding and retrieval processes, supporting the hypothesis. The modality match effect was, however, weaker in the audio medium. An analysis of the data supported the view that some people might be engaging in spontaneous visual imaging of the audio stimuli, thereby suppressing the audio modality match effect. A second experiment was designed to study audio modality match with high‐and low‐imaging advertising slogans encoded in audio and visual mediums. The advertising slogans were either spoken out in audio or presented visually as printed words. We found a significant modality match effect in the low spontaneous imaging condition for messages encoded and retrieved in the audio medium. We discuss implications of these results for testing advertising effectiveness and choosing communication media.
More There Than Meets Their Eyes: Support for the Mere‐Ownership Effect
Authors: Beggan James K. , Allison Scott T.
Published: March 2004

Barone, Shimp, and Sprott (this issue) attempted to replicate and extend the mere‐ownership effect (Beggan, 1992), the tendency of an owner, relative to a nonowner, to enhance the perceived attractiveness of an object merely because it is owned. They reported that five experiments failed to provide consistent evidence of the mere‐ownership effect. We suggest that Barone et al. are excessively critical of their own results and, in fact, do obtain the mere‐ownership effect. Our assertion is based on a meta‐analysis of their data, an important limitation of their methodology, and problems with their statistical analyses.
The Mere‐Ownership Effect: ‘More There Than Meets Their Eyes’ or ‘Less There Than They Would Have Us Believe’?
Authors: Barone Michael J. , Shimp Terence A. , Sprott David E.
Published: March 2004

Our earlier results (Barone, Shimp, & Sprott, this issue) prompted us to question the robustness of the mere‐ownership effect examined by Beggan (1992). In this article, we challenge the criticisms raised in Beggan and Allison's (this issue) response. After a careful analysis of their concerns, we maintain our position that the mere‐ownership effect is, at best, a tricky critter to capture. We offer suggestions for future research that may provide insight into the empirical irregularity observed in the prior research.
Antecedents of Positivity Effects in Social Versus Nonsocial Judgments
Authors: Menon Geeta , Venkataramani Johar Gita
Published: March 2004

The positivity effect in judgments of personal experiences is a well‐established finding. In this article, we posit that this effect may not manifest in the case of product experiences. We base this on literature that suggests that social stimuli (such as personal experiences) are more ambiguous than nonsocial stimuli (such as experiences associated with products). Because of this ambiguity, construal processes are more likely to occur for social versus nonsocial stimuli, increasing the likelihood of the operation of self‐serving theories in social judgments. Experiment 1 reveals that positive personal experiences are more likely to be retrieved than negative personal experiences; however, there is no difference in recall of positive and negative product experiences. Experiments 2 and 3 extend this finding to judgments of past and future experiences, respectively, and replicate the better‐than‐average effect for personal, but not product, experiences. Experiment 4 then examines the motivational underpinnings of construal processes and shows that construals can operate even for relatively unambiguous product experiences when participants believe such experiences implicate the self.
Development of a Scale to Measure Consumer Skepticism Toward Advertising
Authors: Obermiller Carl , Spangenberg Eric R.
Published: March 2004

A 9‐item Likert‐type scale was developed to measure consumer skepticism toward advertising. Skepticism toward advertising, defined as the general tendency toward disbelief of advertising claims, was hypothesized to be a basic marketplace belief that varies across individuals and is related to general persuasability. A nomological network was proposed, unidimensionality and internal consistency of the scale were established, and a series of studies were conducted to establish the scale's validity and to investigate the effects of ad skepticism.
Moderators of Perceived Behavioral Control's Predictiveness in the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Notani Arti Sahni
Published: March 2004

A meta‐analysis of the theory of planned behavior is conducted to (a) assess the robustness of the theory and (b) delineate conditions that moderate support for the theory. The results indicate that the pairwise relations featuring perceived behavioral control cannot be considered homogeneous across studies. Using a matrix of aggregated effect sizes, a causal model was estimated to assess the significance of the causal relations specified in the theory. The model performed well, with perceived behavioral control serving as an antecedent to both behavioral intention and behavior. Furthermore, conditions under which perceived behavioral control can be expected to be a stronger versus a weaker predictor of behavior and behavioral intention are identified. Four such moderators are identified, and causal models are estimated at each level of the moderator. The results show that perceived behavioral control is a stronger predictor of behavior when it (a) is operationalized as a global (vs. belief‐based) measure, (b) is conceptualized to reflect control over factors primarily internal (vs. external) to an individual, and (c) is used for nonstudent (vs. student) samples and familiar (vs. unfamiliar) behaviors. Perceived behavioral control is found to be a stronger predictor of behavioral intention with student (vs. nonstudent) samples and familiar (vs. unfamiliar) behaviors and is equally predictive under the operationalization (global or belief) and conceptualization (internal or external control) moderators.
Context Effects in Product Line Extensions: Context Is Not Destiny
Authors: Wänke Michaela , Bless Herbert , Schwarz Norbert
Published: March 2004

Research on brand extensions has mainly focused on the similarity between the extension and the core brand as a determinant of assimilation of the extension to the core brand. The studies reported here (a) investigate how the evaluation of an extension can be influenced by means other than actual product similarity and (b) emphasize the role of contrast effects in the evaluation of brand extensions. Two experiments illustrate that the use of brand information in evaluations of a brand extension can be influenced by superficial characteristics of the extension that are under marketers’ control, such as its name. In Experiment 1, a compact car manufactured by a sports car company received a more sports‐car‐typical evaluation when its name reflected the continuation rather than discontinuation of previous models. Experiment 2 suggests that name discontinuation elicits contrast to previous models. This contrast effect was more pronounced for nonexperts than for experts.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Ethical Trade‐Offs in Consumer Decision Making
Authors: Irwin Julie R.
Published: March 2004

How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.

Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759, p. 1
The Effects of Product Type and Donation Magnitude on Willingness to Pay More for a Charity‐Linked Brand
Authors: Strahilevitz Michal
Published: March 2004

This research investigates how the nature of a product and the magnitude of a donation to charity interact to determine the effectiveness that a charity incentive will have in promoting a product. The results suggest that sensitivity to magnitude in the case of charity incentives (i.e., the size of the contribution made per purchase) is not as strong as sensitivity to magnitude in the case of monetary incentives (i.e., the percentage of the price being discounted). In addition, it is found that with large donation magnitudes competing with large monetary incentives, charity incentives will be significantly more effective in promoting products perceived as “frivolous luxuries” (e.g., a hot fudge sundae or a luxury cruise) than in promoting products perceived as “practical necessities” (e.g., a roll of paper towels or a new washing machine). In contrast, in the case of small donation magnitudes competing with correspondingly small monetary incentives, no significant difference in charity incentive effectiveness is observed between different product types. Finally, the effects of donation magnitude and product type are examined in the context of choosing among multiple charity‐linked brands. It is found that whereas brands linked to large donations are more likely to be preferred with frivolous products, brands linked to smaller donations are more likely to be favored with practical products.
Effects of Information About Firms’ Ethical and Unethical Actions on Consumers’ Attitudes
Authors: Folkes Valerie S. , Kamins Michael A.
Published: March 2004

Three experiments examined the manner in which consumers are influenced by information about firms’ ethical behaviors and product attribute information when forming attitudes toward the firm. Confirming principles drawn from evaluations of individuals, results showed that a superior product attribute enhances attitudes toward ethically behaving firms more than toward unethically behaving firms. Furthermore, consumers’ attitudes toward superior products differed depending on the type of ethical behavior enacted by the firm—whether refraining from unethical behavior or acting prosocially. However, when a product attribute was inferior, firms’ ethics had less impact.
Psychophysical Numbing: When Lives Are Valued Less as the Lives at Risk Increase
Authors: Friedrich James , Barnes Paul , Chapin Kathryn , Dawson Ian , Garst Valerie , Kerr David
Published: March 2004

Costly life‐saving interventions can often be described not only in terms of the number of lives that may be saved but also in terms of the proportion of lives saved out of some total number at risk. In a phenomenon that has been referred to as psychophysical numbing (PN), Fetherstonhaugh, Slovic, Johnson, and Friedrich (1997) found that participants rated an intervention saving a fixed number of lives to be less worth investing in when more total lives were at risk (i.e., when saved lives represented a smaller proportion of the total threat or problem). In two new experiments, life‐valuation correlates of PN responding, as well as manipulations of death salience, accountability, and economics focus, were explored in the context of students’ willingness to support mandatory antilock brake requirements for new cars. PN responding was pervasive, but non‐PN responders were clearly distinguished by the greater overall value they placed on saving lives. Salience and accountability manipulations did not debias judgments but did tend to rule out low‐effort processing as an explanation for these quantity confusions. An emphasis on economic considerations was consistently related to greater PN responding.
Patterns of Fairness Judgments in North America and the People's Republic of China
Authors: Bian Wen‐Qiang , Robin Keller L.
Published: March 2004

This article covers the results of 5 surveys conducted in the United States, Canada, and the People's Republic of China. These surveys illustrate the differences and similarities of ethical tradeoff patterns regarding fairness between North Americans and Chinese, in situations concerning health and safety risks and in situations involving pricing of a variety of goods and services under a number of market settings. Although the results are tied to special contexts, the general pattern of findings is quite clear. On health and safety issues, American graduate business students in California were found to make decisions consistent with their fairness judgments in health and safety risk settings. In contrast, the fairness judgments of Chinese graduate business students do not necessarily coincide with their own decisions in the same health and safety situations. On marketplace issues, responses of members of the Canadian public, in addition to recognizing market forces, demonstrate significant concern for the protection of consumers’ interests, whereas market principles appear to dominate most of the responses of Chinese and Californian graduate business students. These results provide valuable insights for multinational businesses involved in North American–Chinese joint ventures when developing strategies on pricing, negotiations, and bidding on environmentally sensitive projects.
The Moralization of Cigarette Smoking in the United States
Authors: Rozin Paul , Singh Leher
Published: March 2004

Moralization refers to the conversion of a preference into a value, within a culture and in individual lives. It is hypothesized that values, because of associated moral meanings, are more likely to produce internalization than instrumental concerns such as health risks. Specifically, it is predicted that liking for and disgust toward a substance or activity will be more extreme if the substance or activity is treated as a value (is moralized). These ideas are tested by attitudes to cigarette smoking, an activity which is undergoing moralization in the United States. Results from questionnaires completed by 715 American participants of 3 generations (college students, their parents, and grandparents) support this hypothesis. Beliefs that smoking is immoral correlate more highly with disgust at and liking for smoking than do beliefs about the health effects of cigarettes. These relations hold across all 3 generations. Retrospective data from the parents and grandparents document decreased liking and increasing health and moral concerns and disgust over the last 20 or 40 years. On the other hand, the history of smoking and living in a society that did not disapprove of smoking seems to have left no residual effects in contemporary judgments of grandparents or parents; their current negative attitudes to smoking are about the same as those of their grandchildren and children. There is weak evidence suggesting that moral attitudes to cigarettes are transmitted more from parent to child than are health beliefs or preferences.
Shopping Lists as an External Memory Aid for Grocery Shopping: Influences on List Writing and List Fulfillment
Authors: Block Lauren G. , Morwitz Vicki G.
Published: March 2004

We explore the use of shopping lists as an external memory aid to consumers’ grocery shopping by examining the factors that influence the content of consumers’ shopping lists and the effectiveness of shopping lists as external memory aids. We analyze the shopping lists and actual purchase behavior of a panel of consumers during multiple grocery shopping trips conducted over a 2‐month period. Our results indicate that consumers record on their lists approximately 40% of the items they ultimately purchase. Consistent with the external memory literature, we find that consumers write items on their shopping lists for which there are financial incentives to remember (e.g., manufacturers’ coupons), need‐based incentives to remember (e.g., the product is frequently used), and schema‐based advantages to remember (e.g., items purchased on fill‐in trips). More than 80% of the items written on the shopping list were actually purchased. Thus, shopping lists appear to be an effective external memory storage device for grocery purchasing. We discuss these and other findings in relation to the literatures on external memory and planned versus unplanned purchasing.
Understanding Compulsive Buying Among College Students: A Hierarchical Approach
Authors: Mowen John C. , Spears Nancy
Published: March 2004

Borrowing from Allport (1961), we propose a hierarchical approach in which cardinal psychological traits predict central traits, which in turn predict surface traits. The hierarchical perspective was employed to investigate the surface trait of compulsive buying among college students—a growing problem at U.S. universities. In Study 1, traits from the Five‐Factor Model of personality were employed as cardinal traits, the needs for arousal and for materialism were employed as central traits, and compulsive buying was the dependent variable. Structural equation modeling was employed to find the best fitting model, which accounted for 19% of the variance in compulsive buying. In Study 2, this model was confirmed and accounted for 28% of the variance in compulsive buying. Implications for theory and for understanding compulsive buying are identified.
Molecular genetic approaches to studying fertilization in model systems
Authors: Geldziler Brian , Kadandale Pavan , Singson Andrew
Published: March 2004

In a wide range of experimental systems, a variety of both forward and reverse genetic approaches are becoming available for the study of the molecules involved in fertilization. An integration of these methods with the antibody-based and biochemical studies traditionally used in fertilization research is enabling rapid advancements in our understanding of this process. We highlight some of the recent advances resulting from these genetic methods and their applications in these systems.
Staging of ovine embryos and expression of the T-box genes Brachyury and Eomesodermin around gastrulation
Authors: Guillomot Michel , Turbe Annick , Hue Isabelle , Renard Jean-Paul
Published: March 2004

The high rates of embryonic mortalities which followin vitroproduction of ruminant embryos have emphasized the need for increased knowledge of early development. It is likely that early failures in embryonic development and placenta formation involve abnormal differentiation of mesoderm. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of expression of two T-box genes known to control the gastrulation process,BrachyuryandEomesodermin, by whole-mountin situhybridization. To allow a more precise comparison of both expression patterns between embryos, we describe a new staging of pre-implanted ovine embryos by gross morphology and histology from pre-gastrulation stages to the beginning of neurulation. In pre-streak embryos primitive mesoderm cells delaminated in between the primitive endoderm and the epiblast. At that stage, no expression ofBrachyuryorEomesodermincould be detected in the embryos. Early expression of both T-genes was observed by the early-streak stages in epiblast cells located close to the presumptive posterior pole of the embryos. Later on, during gastrulation both genes followed a pattern of expression similar to the ones described in other mammals. These observations suggest that other genes, which remain to be identified, are responsible for extra-embryonic mesoderm differentiation in ruminant embryos.
Cyclooxygenases and prostaglandin E synthases in the endometrium of the rhesus monkey during the menstrual cycle
Authors: Sun Tong , Li Shi-Jie , Diao Hong-Lu , Teng Chun-Bo , Wang Hong-Bin , Yang Zeng-Ming
Published: March 2004

Cyclooxygenase (COX), a rate-limiting enzyme that produces prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid, exists in two isoforms, COX-1 and COX-2. PGE2synthase (PGES) is a terminal prostanoid synthase and can enzymatically convert the cyclooxygenase product PGH2to PGE2, including two isoforms: microsomal PGES (mPGES) and cytosolic PGES (cPGES). cPGES is predominantly linked with COX-1 to promote the immediate response. mPGES is preferentially coupled with the inducible COX-2 to promote delayed PGE2generation. COX-2-deficient female mice are infertile with abnormalities in ovulation, fertilization, implantation and decidualization. The aim of this study was to examine immunohistochemically the expression pattern of COX-1, COX-2, mPGES and cPGES proteins in the endometrium of the rhesus monkey during the menstrual cycle. COX-1 immunostaining was mainly localized in the luminal epithelium and glandular epithelium near the lumen, and detected in all the stages during the menstrual cycle. COX-2 immunostaining was mainly localized in the luminal and glandular epithelium, and strongly shown during the mid-luteal phase (days 16 and 20) of the menstrual cycle. There was a strong cPGES immunostaining in the luminal and glandular epithelium on days 12, 16, 20 and 25 of the menstrual cycle. mPGES immunostaining was strongly detected in the glandular epithelium on days 20 and 25 of the menstrual cycle. These data suggest that the coupling of cPGES and COX-1 in the luminal epithelium may be responsible for the synthesis of PGE2in monkey endometrium, and the coupling of mPGES and COX-2 in the glandular epithelium may be of importance for preparing the receptive endometrium.
Evidence that activation of Src family kinase is not required for fertilization-associated [Ca2+]i oscillations in mouse eggs
Authors: Kurokawa Manabu , Sato Ken-ichi , Smyth Jeremy , Wu Hua , Fukami Kiyoko , Takenawa Tadaomi , Fissore Rafael A
Published: March 2004

Recent evidence in marine invertebrate, frog, and zebrafish eggs suggests the involvement of a Src family kinase (SFK) in fertilization-induced Ca2+release. In the present study, we have investigated whether activation of an SFK is required for initiation of intracellular Ca2+([Ca2+]i) oscillations in mouse fertilization. We detected a Hck-like protein and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in soluble and insoluble sperm fractions, respectively. However, the presence of these proteins did not correspond to the active fractions of porcine sperm extracts (pSE). Moreover, [Ca2+]ioscillations induced by pSE in mouse eggs were unaltered by pre-incubation of pSE with specific SFK inhibitors such as 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazol[3,4-d]-pyrimidine (PP2) or lavendustin A, despite the fact that the inhibitors were shown to be active bothin vivoandin vitro. Another SFK inhibitor, peptide A, blocked oscillations when incubated with pSE prior to injection into eggs, but this inhibition required more than ten times the concentration reportedly required to inhibit SFK activity. In addition, pre-injection or pre-incubation of eggs with these inhibitors did not affect the ability of pSE to trigger [Ca2+]ioscillations in mouse eggs. Microinjection of a recombinant c-Src protein or mRNAs encoding constitutively active Src proteins did not induce [Ca2+]irelease. Finally, when sperm and eggs, both of which were pre-treated with PP2, were fertilized, [Ca2+]ioscillations occurred normally. We can therefore conclude that activation of an SFK is neither necessary nor sufficient for triggering fertilization-induced [Ca2+]ioscillations.
Administration of low-dose LH induces ovulation and prevents vascular hyperpermeability and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in superovulated rats
Authors: Gómez R , Lima I , Simón C , Pellicer A
Published: March 2004

The administration, to rats, of a combination of pregnant mares serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in high doses induces the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) which is characterized by increased vascular permeability (VP) and simultaneous overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ovarian cells. hCG has a longer half-life than LH and a greater biological activity, expressed in a higher incidence of complications such as OHSS. Similarly, FSH may also be related to the ovulatory changes within the follicle as there is a simultaneous surge in spontaneous cycles. The aim of this study was to compare the capacity of hCG, FSH and LH to induce ovulation and simultaneously prevent OHSS in the animal model. Immature female rats were treated with 10 IU PMSG for 4 days, and ovulation was triggered with saline, 10 IU hCG, 10 IU FSH, 10 IU LH or 60 IU LH. The number of oocytes ovulated into the tubes, VP and mRNA VEGF expression were evaluated and compared.

All the hormones employed were as effective at triggering ovulation, with similar significant P values when compared with the control for which saline was used. The use of 10 IU LH resulted in significantly lower VP and VEGF expression than that seen in the groups treated with 10 IU hCG, 10 IU FSH or 60 IU LH. In conclusion, FSH and hCG, as well as a sixfold increase in LH, displayed similar biological activities, including increased VP due to excessive VEGF expression. The use of lower doses of LH produced similar rates of ovulation, while preventing the undesired changes in permeability. These experiments should therefore encourage clinicians to determine the optimal dose of LH to be employed in women in order to trigger ovulation and, at the same time, avoid the risk of OHSS.
The mechanism of sperm–oocyte fusion in mammals
Authors: Kaji Keisuke , Kudo Akira
Published: March 2004

Sperm–oocyte fusion is one of the most impressive events in sexual reproduction, and the elucidation of its molecular mechanism has fascinated researchers for a long time. Because of the limitation of materials and difficulties in analyzing membrane protein–protein interactions, many attempts have failed to reach this goal. Recent studies involving gene targeting have clearly demonstrated the various molecules that are involved in sperm–oocyte binding and fusion. Sperm ADAMs (family of proteins with a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain), including fertilin α, fertilin β and cyritestin, have been investigated and found to be important for binding rather than for fusion and painstaking studies have raised suspicions that their putative receptors, oocyte integrins, are necessary for the sperm–oocyte interaction. Recently, several studies have focused the spotlight on CD9 and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins on oocytes, and epididymal protein DE on sperm, as candidate molecules involved in sperm–oocyte fusion. Lack of, or interference with the function of, these proteins can disrupt the sperm–oocyte fusion without changing the binding. In this review we highlight the candidate molecules involved in the sperm–oocyte interaction suggested from the recent progress in this research field.
Insights into the molecular basis of sperm–egg recognition in mammals
Authors: Hoodbhoy Tanya , Dean Jurrien
Published: March 2004

The zona pellucida surrounding the egg and pre-implantation embryo is required forin vivofertility and early development. Explanatory models of sperm–egg recognition need to take into account the ability of sperm to bind to ovulated eggs, but not to two-cell embryos. For the last two decades, investigators have sought to identify an individual protein or carbohydrate side chain as the ‘sperm receptor’. However, recent genetic data in mice are more consistent with the three-dimensional structure of the zona pellucida, rather than a single protein (or carbohydrate), determining sperm binding. The mouse and human zonae pellucidae contain three glycoproteins (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) and, following fertilization, ZP2 is proteolytically cleaved. The replacement of endogenous mouse proteins with human ZP2, ZP3 or both does not alter taxon specificity of sperm binding or prevent fertility. Surprisingly, human ZP2 is not cleaved following fertilization and intact ZP2 correlates with persistent sperm binding to two-cell embryos. Taken together, these data support a model in which the cleavage status of ZP2 modulates the three-dimensional structure of the zona pellucida and determines whether sperm bind (uncleaved) or do not (cleaved).
Contrasts, independent component analysis, and blind deconvolution
Authors: Comon P.
Published: March 2004

A general definition of contrast criteria is proposed, which induces the concept of trivial filters. These optimization criteria enjoy identifiability properties, and aim at delivering outputs satisfying specific properties, such as statistical independence or a discrete character. Several ways of building new contrast criteria are described. It is then briefly elaborated on practical numerical algorithms. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Supercritical Fluid–Liquid–Solid Synthesis of Gallium Arsenide Nanowires Seeded by Alkanethiol‐Stabilized Gold Nanocrystals
Authors: Davidson F. M. , Schricker A. D. , Wiacek R. J. , Korgel B. A.
Published: March 2004

A new GaAs nanowire synthesis method is employed to produce a high yield of single‐crystalline wires. Reaction at 500 °C in supercritical hexane using gold seed particles results in wires that average 25 nm in diameter and tens of micrometers in length. The wires lend themselves to device fabrication (see Figure) allowing for electronic characterization.
Anthropometric characteristics of X‐linked hypophosphatemia
Authors: Pronicka Ewa , Popowska Ewa , Rowińska Elżbieta , Arasimowicz Elżbieta , Syczewska Małgorzata , Jurkiewicz Dorota , Lebiedowski Michał
Published: March 2004

An anthropometric study was undertaken to assess head proportions of patients with X‐linked hypophosphatemia (XLH). Fourteen morphometric parameters of the head were measured and 10 cephalic indices calculated in 82 affected persons (57 females and 25 males) from 55 unrelated families with XLH, and compared with the results obtained in the group of their healthy relatives (37 females and 33 males), as well as with general population control values. Normalized values (SD, z‐score) were analyzed statistically. The group of healthy relatives, both males and females, differed significantly from Polish population control values in most of the normalized variables measured, making population control values useless as a control group for the analyzed XLH group. Intrafamilial values of cephalic parameters in healthy relatives of the XLH patients were finally applied for statistical analysis. Generally patients with XLH showed highly statistically significant increase in head length (males 0.95 ± 1.07 vs. −0.37 ± 1.02, females 0.57 ± 1.59 vs. −0.06 ± 1.15), significant decrease in occipital breadth (males −0.56 ± 1.27 vs. 0.70 ± 1.28, females −0.59 ± 1.7 vs. 0.13 ± 1.1) and several milder anomalies of craniofacial proportions. Mean cephalic index was significantly lower in XLH patients when compared with the healthy relatives (males −0.909 vs. 0.278 P < 0.0001, females −0.705 vs. 0.381 P = 0.007). The cephalic changes were found both in XLH children and XLH adults and were more pronounced in affected males than in females. There were no differences between offspring born by hypophosphatemic and normophosphatemic mothers. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Attitudes and psychosocial adjustment of unaffected siblings of patients with phenylketonuria
Authors: Pho Lana T. , Zinberg Randi E. , Hopkins‐Boomer Theresa A. , Wallenstein Sylvan , McGovern Margaret M.
Published: March 2004

Sibling illness may contribute to an increased risk of adjustment problems in healthy siblings. Previous studies have reported a variety of effects on healthy individuals who have an ill sibling, but the psychosocial effects of treatable inherited disease on healthy siblings have not yet been investigated. We report the results of a survey study conducted in families with both unaffected and affected children with classic phenylketonuria (PKU), an inherited inborn error of metabolism. The survey included a knowledge test about PKU, and four previously validated instruments designed to assess psychosocial adjustment of unaffected siblings compared to age and sex matched norms. The responses revealed that unaffected adolescent and adult siblings had gaps in their knowledge about the genetic basis of PKU, and had evidence for the presence of adverse psychosocial sequelae. These findings suggest a role for genetic services providers, including genetic counselors, in assisting all members of a family adjust, when the diagnosis of an inborn error of metabolism has been made. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A child with Angelman syndrome and trisomy 13 findings due to associated paternal UPD 15 and segmental UPD 13
Authors: Chun‐Hui Tsai Anne , Gibby Tamra , Beischel Linda , McGavran Loris , Johnson John P.
Published: March 2004

A child with Angelman syndrome, cutis aplasia, cleft palate, and congenital microform cleft lip, born to a father with a Robertsonian translocation 13;15 is described. Molecular studies using polymorphic markers on chromosomes 15 and 13 showed paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) 15 and segmental UPD 13. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Couples' experiences of predictive testing and living with the risk or reality of Huntington disease: A qualitative study
Authors: Richards Fiona
Published: March 2004

A qualitative study, based on family systems theory, was undertaken in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of predictive testing and of living with the risk or reality of Huntington disease (HD), on couple relationships. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 couples; in 9 couples the at‐risk partner had undergone testing, and of these, 4 were already affected with HD. At‐risk partners in the remaining five couples had not been tested. Interview transcripts were analyzed to obtain a range of themes, which reflect the salient experiences of these couples in relation to HD. Most couples reported that receiving a predictive test result had little or no adverse effect on their relationship. However for two couples who separated after the at‐risk partner received a non‐carrier result, emotional factors associated with years of living with the HD risk, rather than the result itself, were regarded as having caused irreparable damage to the relationship. For two couples who have remained together since the diagnosis of one partner, loyalty was identified as the main factor contributing to the continuance of the relationship. The separations of the other two couples in which one partner was diagnosed were attributed to emotional distancing, and to the obsessive behavior of the affected partner. The findings of this study highlight both the individuality and the complexity of psychological effects on the intimate relationships of couples who live with the risk or reality of HD, and provide important insights for professionals offering support to these couples. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular cytogenetic analysis of a de novo balanced X;autosome translocation: Evidence for predominant inactivation of the derivative X chromosome in a girl with multiple malformations
Authors: Gläser B. , Shirneshan K. , Bink K. , Wirth J. , Kehrer‐Sawatzki H. , Bartz U. , Zoll B. , Bohlander Stefan K.
Published: March 2004

We report on the characterization of a de novo, apparently balanced translocation t(X;15)(p11.3;q26) detected in a girl with multiple congenital malformations. Replication banding studies on Epstein–Barr virus transformed peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed non‐random X chromosome inactivation with predominant inactivation of the derivative X chromosome. Using chromosomal fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we located the breakpoints to a 30 kb region on the short arm of the X chromosome band p11.3 and to a 160 kb region defined by BAC RP11‐89K11 on the long arm of chromosome 15. Our data suggest that the disruption/disturbance of plant homeo domain (PHD) zinc finger gene KIAA0215 or of another gene (RGN, RNU12, P17.3, or RBM10) in the breakpoint region on the X chromosome is not well tolerated and leads to the selection of cells with an active non‐rearranged X chromosome. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Soft‐tissue facial areas and volumes in individuals with ectodermal dysplasia: A three‐dimensional non invasive assessment
Authors: Ferrario Virgilio F. , Dellavia Claudia , Serrao Graziano , Sforza Chiarella
Published: March 2004

The objective of this study was to supply quantitative information about the facial soft‐tissues of a group of patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. The three‐dimensional coordinates of 28 soft‐tissue facial landmarks were obtained by an electromagnetic digitizer in 11 male and 9 female patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia aged 7–41 years, and in 318 healthy individuals of the same age, ethnicity, and sex. From the landmarks, facial areas (eyes, ears, nose, and lips) and volumes (nose and lips) were calculated according to a geometrical model of face. Data were compared to those collected in the normal subjects by computing z‐scores. Male and female z‐scores were not significantly different. In the pooled sample, the deviations from the norm were particularly evident in the lips, with a significant (Student's t‐test, P < 0.05) increment of the total lip area (mean z‐score: 0.96) and of the vermilion area of the upper lip (mean z‐score: 1.07), a finding negatively related (r = −0.632) to the number of teeth present in the mouth. The eye area was reduced in most patients, a finding significant on the left side (mean z‐score: −0.76). Most of the facial areas and volumes of the ectodermal dysplasia patients had z‐scores deviating only ±2 standard deviations from the reference groups. Only 4% of measurements had z‐scores larger than ±3. Additionally, a large inter‐individual variability was found, together with a certain age‐related trend of improvement of the number of measurements within the ±2 interval. The method allowed a simple, low cost, fast, and non invasive examination of the patients, and provided a quantitative assessment of the deviation from the norm. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cloacal exstrophy in an infant with 9q34.1‐qter deletion resulting from a de novo unbalanced translocation between chromosome 9q and Yq
Authors: Thauvin‐Robinet Christel , Faivre Laurence , Cusin Véronica , Khau Van Kien Philippe , Callier Patrick , Parker Keith L. , Fellous Marc , Borgnon Joséphine , Gounot Emmanuel , Huet Frédéric , Sapin Emmanuel , Mugneret Francine
Published: March 2004

Cloacal exstrophy is a rare malformation, belonging to a spectrum of birth defects, which, in order of severity, includes phallic separation with epispadias, pubic diastasis, bladder exstrophy, and cloacal exstrophy. This malformation overlaps the OEIS complex (O = omphalocele, E = bladder exstrophy, I = imperforate anus, S = spinal defects). The etiology of cloacal exstrophy is unknown to date. It may result from either a single defect of early blastogenesis or a defect of mesodermal migration during the primitive streak period. We report an infant with cloacal exstrophy, exomphalos, right kidney agenesis, ambiguous external genitalia, and axial hypotonia. The karyotype showed a de novo unbalanced translocation between the long arm of chromosome 9 and the long arm of chromosome Y resulting in a 9q34.1‐qter deletion. Reviewing the literature, we did not find any observation of cloacal exstrophy associated with a structural chromosomal abnormality. The steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) gene, included in the deleted region, was a good candidate gene but no pathogenic mutation was found by direct sequencing. We hypothesize that another gene, expressed early in embryogenesis and responsible for cloacal exstrophy, is present in the 9q34.1‐qter region. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.