bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Major Life Changes Before and After the Onset of Chronic Daily Headache: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Scher AI , Stewart WF , Buse D , Krantz DS , Lipton RB
Published: June 2008

Chronic daily headache (CDH), when defined as ≥ 15 headache days per month, affects 3-5% of the adult population. Major life changes are putative precipitating events for onset of chronic pain, including chronic headache. This study compared the occurrence of specific life events between CDH cases and episodic headache controls in a community sample. CDH cases (180+ headache days per year: n = 206) and episodic headache controls (2-104 headache days per year: n = 507) were identified from a randomly selected adult US population. Subjects were interviewed about the occurrence of certain major life changes or events (change of residence, employment status, marital status, related to their children, deaths of relatives or close friends, and ‘extremely stressful’ ongoing situations) occurring in a defined time period. Events that occurred during the same year or year before frequent headache onset in cases or in an equivalent time period in controls were considered to be antecedent events. Those that occurred after this time were considered subsequent events. Compared with episodic headache controls, CDH cases had more major life changes in the year before or same year as CDH onset. After adjusting for age, gender, headache type and year of event, the odds of CDH increased additionally with each antecedent event [odds ratio (OR) 1.20 (1.1, 1.3), P < 0.001], but not with subsequent events [OR 0.94 (0.8, 1.1), P < 0.4]. In secondary analyses, the association between antecedent events and CDH was significant only for the approximately half of CDH cases who were aged ≥ 40 years [OR 1.33 (1.2, 1.50) vs. OR 1.04 (0.9, 1.2), P < 0.05 for interaction by age]. These results suggest that major life changes are associated with the onset of chronic daily headache, particularly in middle age.
Serotonin Type 1D Receptors (5HT1DR) are Differentially Distributed in Nerve Fibres Innervating Craniofacial Tissues
Authors: Harriott AM , Gold MS
Published: June 2008

We tested the hypothesis that the 5HT1DR, the primary antinociceptive target of triptans, is differentially distributed in tissues responsible for migraine pain. The density of 5HT1DR was quantified in tissues obtained from adult female rats with Western blot analysis. Receptor location was assessed with immunohistochemistry. The density of 5HT1DR was significantly greater in tissues known to produce migraine-like pain (i.e. circle of Willis and dura) than in structures in which triptans have no antinociceptive efficacy (i.e. temporalis muscle). 5HT1DR-like immunoreactivity was restricted to neuronal fibres, where it colocalized with calcitonin gene-related peptide and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive fibres. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that the limited therapeutic profile of triptans could reflect its differential peripheral distribution and that the antinociceptive efficacy reflects inhibition of neuropeptide release from sensory afferents. An additional site of action at sympathetic efferents is also suggested.
The Trigeminal Trophic Syndrome: An Unusual Cause of Face Pain, Dysaesthesias, Anaesthesia and Skin/Soft Tissue Lesions
Authors: Garza I
Published: June 2008

The trigeminal trophic syndrome is an unusual consequence of trigeminal nerve injury that results in facial anaesthesia, dysaesthesia and skin ulceration. Limited knowledge is available. The aim of this study was to increase the knowledge of this syndrome by performing a retrospective medical record review and case series report. Fourteen cases were identified. The female : male ratio was 6:1. Mean age of onset was 45 years (range 6-82). The cause was iatrogenic in most. Latent period to onset ranged from days to almost one decade. The majority ( n = 12) had bothersome dysaesthesias. Most ( n = 9) self-manipulated the face; a third ( n = 5) did not. Most ulcers affected the second trigeminal division, mainly in the infraorbital nerve distribution. Neuropathic and/or neuralgic facial pain occurred in 50% ( n = 7). Pain intensity was severe in most (n = 6). Gabapentin gave relief in two. To conclude, trigeminal trophic syndrome follows injury to the trigeminal nerve or its nuclei. For unclear reasons, most ulcerations follow infraorbital nerve distribution. Self-manipulation may contribute to ulcer development rather than being required. Gabapentin may help pain.
The Impact of Analysts' Forecast Errors and Forecast Revisions on Stock Prices
Authors: Beaver William , Cornell Bradford , Landsman Wayne R. , Stubben Stephen R.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We present a comprehensive analysis of the association between stock returns, quarterly earnings forecast errors, and quarter‐ahead and year‐ahead earnings forecast revisions. We find that forecast errors and the two forecast revisions have significant effects on stock prices, indicating each conveys information content. Findings also show that the fourth quarter differs from other quarters—the relative importance of the forecast error (quarter‐ahead forecast revision) is lower (higher). We also find a marked upward shift over time in the forecast error and forecast revision coefficients, consistent with the I/B/E/S database reflecting an improved quality of both earnings forecasts and actual earnings.
Opinion Divergence Among Professional Investment Managers
Authors: Hu Gang , Meng J. Ginger , Potter Mark E.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We find that opinion divergence among professional investment managers is commonplace, using a large sample of transaction‐level institutional trading data. When managers trade together, future returns are similar regardless if they are all buying or selling, inconsistent with the notion that professional investment managers possess stock picking ability or private information that is of investment value. However, when managers trade against each other, subsequent returns are low, especially for stocks that are difficult to short. This U‐shaped disagreement‐return relationship is consistent with Miller's (1977) hypothesis that, in the presence of short‐sale constraints, opinion divergence can cause an upward bias in prices.
Managerial Entrenchment and Corporate Social Performance
Authors: Surroca Jordi , Tribó Josep A.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We examine empirically the relationships amongst managerial entrenchment practices, social performance, and financial performance. We hypothesize that entrenched managers may collude with non‐shareholder stakeholders in order to reinforce their entrenchment strategy; this is particularly so in firms that have efficient internal control mechanisms. Moreover, we prove that the combination of entrenchment strategies and the implementation of socially responsible actions have particularly negative effects on financial performance. We test these contentions with a sample of 358 companies, from 22 different countries, for the period 2002–2005.
Do Acquirers Manage Earnings Prior to a Share for Share Bid?
Authors: Botsari Antonia , Meeks Geoff
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Earnings management by acquirers ahead of share for share bids may affect whether a bid succeeds, and hence which management team controls the target's assets, as well as the distribution of gains between target and acquirer shareholders. This paper tests for such earnings management for the UK, the world's second largest takeover market, in the period 1997–2001 when M&A reached record levels and share for share deals came to account for the majority of expenditure. Using a range of approaches originating in Jones' model, the paper finds evidence consistent with earnings management ahead of share‐financed bids.
Identification of Association of Common AGGF1 Variants with Susceptibility for Klippel‐Trenaunay Syndrome Using the Structure Association Program
Authors: Hu Y. , Li L. , Seidelmann S. B. , Timur A. A. , Shen P. H. , Driscoll D. J. , Wang Q. K.
Published: June 2008

Klippel‐Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a severe congenital disorder characterized by capillary malformations, venous malformations or varicose veins, and hypertrophy of the affected tissues. The angiogenic factor gene AGGF1 was previously identified as a candidate susceptibility gene for KTS, but further genetic studies are needed to firmly establish the genetic relationship between AGGF1 and KTS. We analyzed HapMap data and identified two tagSNPs, rs13155212 and rs7704267 that capture information for all common variants in AGGF1. The two SNPs were genotyped in 173 Caucasian KTS patients and 477 Caucasian non‐KTS controls, and both significantly associated with susceptibility for KTS (P= 0.004 and 0.013, respectively). Permutation testing also showed a significant empirical P value for the association (empirical P= 0.006 and 0.015, respectively). To control for potential confounding due to population stratification, the population structure for both cases and controls was characterized by genotyping of 38 ancestry‐informative markers (AIMs) and the STRUCTURE program. The association between the AGGF1 SNPs and KTS remained significant after multivariate analysis by incorporating the inferred cluster scores as a covariate or after removal of outlier individuals identified by STRUCTURE. These results suggest that common AGGF1 variants confer risk of KTS.
The role of food, weather and climate in limiting the abundance of animals
Authors: White T. C. R.
Published: June 2008

More and more studies are demonstrating that populations of animals ‐ from herbivores to top predators, vertebrates and invertebrates ‐ are limited by their food, and that the availability of this food is dictated by the weather. Satellite monitoring is revealing how cyclic and quasi‐cyclic climatic patterns, like the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, are driving and synchronising these weather‐driven changes in the supplies of food. Changes in the amount of food available operate to limit the abundance of populations largely through their influence on the survival of the very young: the Achilles heel of all populations.

Any individual organism struggles to use whatever resources it can get from a mostly inhospitable environment to maximise the proliferation of its genes. Each level of a food chain is thus dependent upon, and pressing hard against the limits set by the one below. The resulting intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions produce a multitude of complex outcomes, that significantly influence the dynamics of populations, but do not determine their ultimate size. There is no density‐dependent regulation of abundance. Intra‐specific competition does not determine the size of populations, it only decides which few individuals gain access to the limited food. Nor do predators regulate their prey. They, too, are limited by their food, and the abundance and quality of food is dictated by the weather.
Origin and evolution of the protein‐repairing enzymes methionine sulphoxide reductases
Authors: Zhang Xing‐Hai , Weissbach Herbert
Published: June 2008

The majority of extant life forms thrive in an O2‐rich environment, which unavoidably induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during cellular activities. ROS readily oxidize methionine (Met) residues in proteins/peptides to form methionine sulphoxide [Met(O)] that can lead to impaired protein function. Two methionine sulphoxide reductases, MsrA and MsrB, catalyse the reduction of the S and R epimers, respectively, of Met(O) in proteins to Met. The Msr system has two known functions in protecting cells against oxidative damage. The first is to repair proteins that have lost activity due to Met oxidation and the second is to function as part of a scavenger system to remove ROS through the reversible oxidation/reduction of Met residues in proteins. Bacterial, plant and animal cells lacking MsrA are known to be more sensitive to oxidative stress. The Msr system is considered an important cellular defence mechanism to protect against oxidative stress and may be involved in ageing/senescence. MsrA is present in all known eukaryotes and eubacteria and a majority of archaea, reflecting its essential role in cellular life. MsrB is found in all eukaryotes and the majority of eubacteria and archaea but is absent in some eubacteria and archaea, which may imply a less important role of MsrB compared to MsrA. MsrA and MsrB share no sequence or structure homology, and therefore probably emerged as a result of independent evolutionary events. The fact that some archaea lack msr genes raises the question of how these archaea cope with oxidative damage to proteins and consequently of the significance of msr evolution in oxic eukaryotes dealing with oxidative stress. Our best hypothesis is that the presence of ROS‐destroying enzymes such as peroxiredoxins and a lower dissolved O2 concentration in those msr‐lacking organisms grown at high temperatures might account for the successful survival of these organisms under oxidative stress.
Osteology of Icadyptes salasi, a giant penguin from the Eocene of Peru
Authors: Ksepka Daniel T. , Clarke Julia A. , DeVries Thomas J. , Urbina Mario
Published: June 2008

We present the first detailed description of the giant Eocene penguin Icadyptes salasi. The species is characterized by a narrow skull with a hyper‐elongate spear‐like beak, a robust cervical column and a powerful flipper. The bony beak tip of Icadyptes is formed by fusion of several elements and is unique among penguins, differing markedly from previously described giant penguin beaks. Vascular canal patterning similar to that of boobies, frigatebirds and albatrosses suggests I. salasi may have had a thin, sheet‐like rhamphotheca unlike the thick rugose rhamphotheca of modern penguins. Together, these features suggest a novel ecology for I. salasi, most likely involving the capture of larger prey items via spearing. As the first described giant penguin specimen to preserve a complete wing skeleton, the I. salasi holotype yields significant insight into the shape, proportions and orientation of the wing in giant penguins. In articulation, the forelimb of I. salasi is straighter, permitting less manus and antibrachium flexion, than previous depictions of giant penguin wings. Cross‐sections of the humerus and ulna reveal a level of osteosclerosis equalling or surpassing that of extant penguins. Based on ontogenetic data from extant penguins and the morphology of the carpometacarpus of I. salasi, we infer the retention of a free alular phalanx in basal penguins. Previously, the status of this element in penguins was disputed. Differences in the proportions of the manual phalanges contribute to a more abruptly tapering wingtip in I. salasi compared with crown penguins. Fossils from Peru, including the I. salasi holotype specimen, document that penguins expanded to nearly the whole of their extant latitudinal range early in their evolutionary history and during one of the warmest intervals in the Cenozoic.
Research Review: Dopamine transfer deficit: a neurobiological theory of altered reinforcement mechanisms in ADHD
Authors: Tripp Gail , Wickens Jeff R.
Published: June 2008

This review considers the hypothesis that changes in dopamine signalling might account for altered sensitivity to positive reinforcement in children with ADHD. The existing evidence regarding dopamine cell activity in relation to positive reinforcement is reviewed. We focus on the anticipatory firing of dopamine cells brought about by a transfer of dopamine cell responses to cues that precede reinforcers. It is proposed that in children with ADHD there is diminished anticipatory dopamine cell firing, which we call the dopamine transfer deficit (DTD). The DTD theory leads to specific and testable predictions for human and animal research. The extent to which DTD explains symptoms of ADHD and effects of pharmacological interventions is discussed. We conclude by considering the neural changes underlying the etiology of DTD.
Preschoolers’ sleep behaviour: associations with parental hardiness, sleep‐related cognitions and bedtime interactions
Authors: Johnson Nikki , McMahon Catherine
Published: June 2008

Background:  Childhood sleep problems which are prevalent in Western societies are associated with a wide range of emotional, cognitive and behavioural disturbances. Growing evidence suggests that parents play a pivotal role in children's sleep behaviour and that a parenting style which promotes self‐regulation is beneficial. This study tested a unique model that included parental hardiness, sleep‐related cognitions, bedtime interactions and child sleep behaviour.

Methods:  Parents (N = 110) with a child attending preschool (mean age = 3.81 years, SD = .84) responded to a survey assessing their level of hardiness, sleep‐related cognitions, bedtime interactions and their child's sleep behaviour and temperament. Secondary caregivers completed a survey assessing child sleep and temperament, and teachers/childcare workers also reported on child temperament.

Results:  In line with previous research, 37% of children in this community sample met criteria for a sleep problem. Regression analyses and structural equation modelling confirmed that low parental hardiness, problematic sleep‐related cognitions and a greater number of parental interactions at bedtime significantly predicted child sleep problems, after considering child temperament.

Conclusions:  This study's theoretically driven model not only offers an explanation for what contributes to and maintains sleep problems in childhood but also suggests new areas for research. Importantly, the model can also be readily translated into clinical interventions to develop and enhance effective authoritative parenting.
Feasibility and behavioral effects of an at‐home multi‐night sleep restriction protocol for adolescents
Authors: Beebe Dean W. , Fallone Gahan , Godiwala Neha , Flanigan Matt , Martin David , Schaffner Laura , Amin Raouf
Published: June 2008

Background:  Sleep deprivation is common among adolescents and has been associated with adverse behavioral and educational outcomes. However, it is difficult to draw strong causal conclusions because of a dearth of experimental sleep research. In part, this appears related to methodological challenges when working with this population. This study tested the feasibility and behavioral effects of a multi‐night, at‐home experimental sleep restriction protocol in a sample of adolescents.

Methods:  Twenty healthy adolescents aged 13.9–16.9 years were enrolled in a three‐week sleep manipulation protocol using a counterbalanced cross‐over experimental design. The protocol included a baseline week, followed in random order by a short sleep week (Monday–Friday nights limited to 6.5 hours time in bed) and an extended sleep week (10 hours lights‐out time in bed Monday–Friday nights). Sleep was monitored via self‐report and objective actigraphy. These were reviewed with participants and parents on the Saturdays at the end of each week, when parents and participants also completed behavior rating questionnaires.

Results:  One participant dropped out of the study, but each of the remaining 19 displayed markedly less sleep in the short sleep condition than the extended sleep condition (average nightly gap ∼2.5 hours). Data also reflected indirect effects of sleep deprivation that are consistent with an increase in homeostatic sleep drive. Compared to the extended sleep week, parents during the short sleep week reported that the participants displayed significantly greater problems with sleepiness, attention, oppositionality/irritability, behavior regulation, and metacognition. Participant self‐report results were similar, though less robust.

Conclusions:  A multi‐night, at‐home sleep manipulation protocol for use with adolescents is indeed feasible. This study also provided the first experimental evidence that chronic sleep restriction during adolescence is causally related to a wide range of behavioral deficits.
Poor utility of the age of onset criterion for DSM‐IV attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: recommendations for DSM‐V and ICD‐11
Authors: Todd Richard D. , Huang Hongyan , Henderson Cynthia A.
Published: June 2008

Background:  To test whether the retrospective reporting of the age of onset impairment criterion for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) required in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – IV (DSM‐IV) complicates identification of new and known child and adolescent cases later in life.

Methods:  A birth‐records‐based cohort of twins assessed at ages 7 to 19 years were blindly reassessed five years later using the MAGIC interview. Study outcome measures were differences in reported ages of onset for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

Results:  For all age groups and respondents (parent on youth or youth self‐report), later ages of ADHD onset were reported five years later. The same phenomenon was also present for the other diagnostic groups. Of the initial ADHD individuals who continued to meet all other ADHD criteria at follow‐up, 46% failed the age of onset criterion five years later. When ignoring the age of onset criterion, late onsets of ages 7–16 years accounted for about 10% of all ADHD.

Conclusions:  Use of the DSM‐IV age of onset criterion for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the assessment of adolescents and young adults results in under‐identification of affected individuals. Consideration should be given to revising the current nomenclatures to reflect the reality of retrospective reporting errors in age of onset as well as the presence of late onset cases.
Research Review: What is the association between the social‐communication element of autism and repetitive interests, behaviours and activities?
Authors: Mandy William P.L. , Skuse David H.
Published: June 2008

Autism is currently conceptualised as a unitary disorder, in which social‐communication impairments are found alongside repetitive interests, behaviours and activities (RIBAs). This relies upon the validity of the assumption that social‐communication impairments and RIBAs co‐occur at an above chance level as a result of sharing underlying causes. In the current review it is argued that the evidence for this assumption is scarce: the very great majority of RIBA research has not been intended for or suited to its examination. In fact only three studies are fit to address directly the question of the relationship between social‐communication impairment and RIBAs, and these contradict each other. In consequence, further relevant evidence was sought in the behavioural and genetic literature. This approach suggested that the correlation between social‐communication impairments and RIBAs has been exaggerated in the current consensus about the autism syndrome, and that these aspects of autism may well share largely independent underlying causes. Some clinical and research implications are discussed.
The developmental course of illicit substance use from age 12 to 22: links with depressive, anxiety, and behavior disorders at age 18
Authors: Lansford Jennifer E. , Erath Stephen , Yu Tianyi , Pettit Gregory S. , Dodge Kenneth A. , Bates John E.
Published: June 2008

Background:  Previous theory and research suggest links between substance use and externalizing behavior problems, but links between substance use and internalizing problems are less clear. The present study sought to understand concurrent links among diagnoses of substance use disorders, internalizing disorders, and behavior disorders at age 18 as well as developmental trajectories of illicit substance use prior to and after this point.

Methods:  Using data from 585 participants in the Child Development Project, this study examined comorbidity among substance use, behavior, and internalizing disorders at age 18 and trajectories of growth in illicit substance use from age 12 to age 22.

Results:  In this community sample, meeting diagnostic criteria for comorbid internalizing disorders, a behavioral disorder (conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder) alone, or both internalizing and behavioral disorders predicted higher concurrent substance use disorders (abuse, dependence, or withdrawal). Meeting diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder alone or depression alone did not predict higher concurrent substance use diagnoses. Over time, youths with behavioral disorders at age 18 showed a pattern of increasing substance use across early adolescence and higher levels of substance use than those with no diagnosis at age 18. Substance use declines from late adolescence to early adulthood were observed for all groups.

Conclusions:  Substance use disorders were more highly comorbid with behavior disorders than with internalizing disorders at age 18, and behavior disorder and comorbid behavior‐internalizing disorders at age 18 were related to trajectories characterized by steep increases in illicit substance use during adolescence and high rates of illicit substance use over time.
What’s in a game: the effect of social motivation on interference control in boys with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Geurts Hilde M. , Luman Mariolein , Van Meel Catharina S.
Published: June 2008

Background:  Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are known to have cognitive control deficits. Some studies suggest that such deficits may be reduced when motivation is increased through tangible reinforcers. Whether these deficits can also be modulated by non‐tangible reinforcers has hardly been studied.

Methods:  Therefore, the effect of social motivation on the ability to suppress irrelevant information (i.e., interference control) was investigated in 22 ADHD boys, 22 ASD boys, and 33 typically developing (TD) boys. An adapted Eriksen Flanker task was administered under a motivational condition in which the boys were told that they were competing with peers, and under a neutral condition in which standard instructions were given.

Results:  In comparison with TD boys, boys with ADHD were impaired even when no interference was present, while this was not the case for the ASD boys. All groups benefited from the motivation manipulation, i.e., their performance increased when they thought they were competing with peers. Although the boys with ADHD were still slower than TD boys when motivated, they performed as accurately as TD boys. Children with ASD also improved slightly in accuracy and response speed, but this did not reach significance.

Conclusion:  Children with ADHD are able to exert sufficient cognitive control when they are motivated, which is in line with the current models of ADHD. However, motivation seems to have a general effect on performance and is not solely related to cognitive control abilities. In contrast, this effect was not obtained in children with ASD.
Working toward a neurobiological account of ADHD: Commentary on Gail Tripp and Jeff Wickens, Dopamine transfer deficit
Authors: Williams Jonathan
Published: June 2008

The dopamine transfer deficit model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is compared and contrasted with the existing dynamic developmental theory and the extended temporal difference (TD) model. The first two both identify learning deficits as a key problem in ADHD, but this mechanism would seem at least as likely to cause other neurodevelopmental disorders. Learning deficits also do not provide a natural account of ADHD performance worsening in longer trials, nor of stimulant action, nor of the high rate of test–retest inconsistency. The extended TD model is based on the quite different premise that there are very many underlying causes for the disorder, and computational simulation of it has supported the existence of two subtypes that involve no dopamine transfer deficit, as well as several subtypes that do. The three models have markedly different ways of accounting for key aspects of ADHD, including intra‐individual variability, stimulant effects, and extinction deficits. The most important shortcoming of all the models is their limited treatment of state‐regulation processes, which are very important in ADHD; this is partially addressed by the extended TD model’s proposed dopamine appetite.
Fetal origins of child non‐right‐handedness and mental health
Authors: Rodriguez Alina , Waldenström Ulla
Published: June 2008

Background:  Environmental risk during fetal development for non‐right‐handedness, an index of brain asymmetry, and its relevance for child mental health is not fully understood.

Methods:  A Swedish population‐based prospective pregnancy–offspring cohort was followed‐up when children were five years old (N = 1714). Prenatal environmental risk exposures were the number of ultrasound examinations and maternal distress during pregnancy. Child mental health, including symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), language difficulties, and care‐seeking for child behavior problems, was assessed via maternal and/or kindergarten teacher’s ratings.

Results:  Prenatal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms and critical life events were associated with increased risk of child non‐right‐handedness and mixed handedness, after adjustment for parity, maternal age, birth outcomes, infant sex, and parental handedness. No association was found between handedness and number of ultrasound examinations. Non‐right and mixed‐handedness, rather than left‐handedness, were associated with increased risk of language difficulties and particularly with ADHD symptoms, after adjustment for current parental ADHD symptoms, current maternal depressive symptoms, birth outcomes, smoking during pregnancy, depressive symptoms and critical life events. Problems were significant enough to prompt mothers to seek care for children’s behavioral problems, and parents were more likely to have received advice from the children’s kindergarten teachers to seek care.

Conclusions:  This study suggests that mixed‐handedness, i.e., reflecting atypical brain laterality, can be a marker of both severity of prenatal exposure to maternal distress and of increased risk of ADHD symptoms in childhood. Our results support the idea that the fetal environment plays a role in subsequent child mental health.
Emotion regulation and internalizing symptoms in a longitudinal study of sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents
Authors: Hatzenbuehler Mark L. , McLaughlin Katie A. , Nolen‐Hoeksema Susan
Published: June 2008

Background:  Sexual minority adolescents appear to be at increased risk for internalizing disorders relative to their heterosexual peers, but there is a paucity of research explaining this elevated risk. Emotion regulation deficits are increasingly understood as important predictors of internalizing psychopathology among general samples of adolescents. The present study sought to examine whether deficits in emotion regulation could account for disparities in internalizing symptoms between sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents.

Methods:  The present study utilized longitudinal data from a racially/ethnically diverse (68% non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino) community sample of 1,071 middle school students (ages 11–14).

Results:  Adolescents who endorsed same‐sex attraction evidenced higher rates of internalizing symptoms at both time points. Structural equation modeling indicated that sexual minority adolescents exhibited greater deficits in emotion regulation (rumination and poor emotional awareness) than their heterosexual peers. Emotion regulation deficits in turn mediated the relationship between sexual minority status and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Conclusions:  The results demonstrate the importance of considering normative psychological processes in the development of internalizing symptomatology among sexual minority adolescents, and suggest emotion regulation deficits as specific targets of prevention and intervention efforts with this population. Future studies are needed to determine whether stigma‐related stressors are responsible for emotion regulation deficits among sexual minority youth.
Consumer empowerment: global context, UK strategies and vulnerable consumers
Authors: Brennan Carol , Coppack Martin
Published: June 2008

Globalization has created new consumer needs and wants, and resulted in consumer confusion regarding the increasing complexity of products and services. This has stimulated global interest in educating and empowering consumers. The UK government has made a very ambitious commitment to ensure that the framework for consumer empowerment and support is at the level of the best in the world by 2008. The government, many consumer organizations and regulators believe that empowered consumers are key to the success of competitive markets. Two national strategies to co‐ordinate activities in the UK have been developed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The OFT consumer education strategy aims to deliver targeted, effective consumer education by increasing co‐ordination and making the best use of available resources. The FSA is leading a financial capability strategy designed to deliver change to improve the UK's financial capability. Both strategies share a vision of educated and confident consumers making informed choices about the products and services they buy, and both aim to empower vulnerable consumers. Given the global interest and the development of national strategies, it is useful to consider what is meant by the term consumer empowerment. Is there a shared view of consumer empowerment internationally? Does the education of consumers result in empowered consumers? To what extent do the national strategies address the empowerment of vulnerable, disadvantaged, excluded or susceptible consumers? These questions will be addressed in this article which reviews the global context for the consumer education and empowerment agenda and considers key UK developments, with particular reference to the needs of vulnerable consumers. The study found that the language of consumer empowerment is gaining prominence in policy and strategy documents at the highest levels internationally in the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Community, and nationally in the UK.
Customer loyalty to food retailers in Northern Ireland: ‘devoted loyals’ or ‘promiscuous switchers’?
Authors: Doherty Susan , Nelson Roy
Published: June 2008

Store loyalty is a major challenge for food retailers, and the food retail market in Northern Ireland has been subject to considerable change in the past decade. Although shoppers will often patronize many stores, they typically have a primary affiliation to a ‘main’ food store that captures the majority of their food purchases. This study uses a unique approach to segmenting customers into groups based on loyalty in terms of both the type of data used to generate a loyalty score and the data collection techniques used. Innovative projective techniques have been used alongside traditional questioning techniques to reveal ‘behavioural’ and ‘emotional’ loyalty indicators, and in doing so create a holistic measure of customer loyalty to a main food store, allowing customers to be segmented into groups based on loyalty. A paper‐based questionnaire was administered to 152 food shoppers from throughout Northern Ireland. Responses to traditional questioning formats and projective techniques (cartoon friends and mini case studies) were analysed and used to generate a loyalty score for each respondent. The first group of customers nearly always visit the same store, are willing to recommend the store to others and are less likely to switch to a competitor, even when offered an incentive to do so. They also rate the ‘hard’ attributes of this store highly. As a result of these characteristics, customers in this segment were termed ‘devoted loyals’. The second group of customers may occasionally use a different supermarket for food shopping, some would consider switching to a competitor if offered an incentive, and they rate ‘hard’ store attributes at a slightly lower level than the ‘devoted loyals’. Based on their group profile, these customers were assigned the title of ‘susceptibles’. The third group of customers are less willing to actively encourage friends and family to shop at a specific store. Many in this group did not consider their current store as their number one choice in the next few years. An incentive to switch to a competitor store is more likely to trigger a transfer of loyalty by this group. These customers were termed ‘promiscuous switchers’.
The influence of age and gender on food choice: a focus group exploration
Authors: Chambers Stephanie , Lobb Alexandra , Butler Laurie T. , Traill W. Bruce
Published: June 2008

With 25% of the UK population predicted to be obese by 2010, the costs to individuals and society are set to rise. Due to the extra economic and social pressures obesity causes, there is an increasing need to understand what motivates and prevents consumers from eating a healthy diet so as to be able to tailor policy interventions to specific groups in society. In so doing, it is important to explore potential variations in attitudes, motivation and behaviour as a function of age and gender. Both demographic factors are easily distinguished within society and a future intervention study which targets either, or both, of these would likely be both feasible and cost‐effective for policy makers. As part of a preliminary study, six focus groups (total n = 43) were conducted at the University of Reading in November 2006, with groups segmented on the basis of age and gender. In order to gather more sensitive information, participants were also asked to fill out a short anonymous questionnaire before each focus group began, relating to healthy eating, alcohol consumption and body dissatisfaction. Making use of thematic content analysis, results suggested that most participants were aware of the type of foods that contribute to a healthy diet and the importance of achieving a healthy balance within a diet. However, they believed that healthy eating messages were often conflicting, and were uncertain about where to find information on the topic. Participants believed that the family has an important role in educating children about eating habits. Despite these similarities, there were a number of key differences among the groups in terms of their reasons for making food choices. Older participants (60+ years old) were more likely to make food choices based on health considerations. Participants between the ages of 18–30 were less concerned with this link, and instead focused on issues of food preparation and knowledge, prices and time. Younger female participants said they had more energy when they ate healthier diets; however, very often their food choices related to concern with their appearance. Older female participants also expressed this concern within the questionnaire, rather than in the group discussions. Overall, these results suggest that consumer motivations for healthy eating are diverse and that this must be considered by government, retailers and food producers.
Expanding opportunities in fashion merchandizing: a successful internship programme through an innovative collaboration with The National NeedleArts Association
Authors: Jennings‐Rentenaar Teena , Buckland Sandra Stansbery , Leslie Catherine Amoroso , Mulne Sherry
Published: June 2008

Internships are an important part of education in an applied field such as consumer sciences. Within consumer sciences, coursework typical of a fashion merchandizing programme exposes students, often for the first time, to issues of fibre, yarn and textile structure as well as colour and design. While these topics expand student knowledge beyond apparel, students find it difficult to imagine careers outside of the typical fashion merchandizing framework, thus limiting their internship choices to apparel retailing. Most students are unaware of the art and craft markets, specifically the needlearts of knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, cross‐stitching and embroidery. In the United States and Canada alone, this market, which includes fibre and yarn designers and producers, suppliers and retailers, constitutes an $8.5 billion industry. In summer 2006, the University of Akron and The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA), a trade association, initiated a joint venture, coined Pathways into Professional Needlearts (PiPN), to familiarize and train students in the needlearts. During the pilot programme, 10 fashion merchandizing students attended TNNA's trade show, spent 2 weeks in intense needlearts training and completed 10‐week‐long internships. TNNA appealed to its members for internship positions, which were subsequently matched with students’ abilities and expectations. The positions, scattered throughout the United States and Canada, ranged from a summer camp for school‐aged children, a design house for specialty knits, a needlepoint boutique and design business, yarn designers and distributors, to a web site and e‐business to retail boutiques. Both hosts and students benefited from new, and ongoing, business relationships. The enthusiasm for PiPN prompted TNNA to sponsor a second class in 2007. The students reported that they easily transferred their traditional fashion course concepts to their new areas of interest. They were able to apply their knowledge of textile materials, construction techniques, fashion trends, market research and consumer behaviour to both their needlearts course and subsequent internship. Students not only learned the fundamentals of the needlearts, they also gained a new perspective on the possibilities of future careers. Equally important, they experienced the personal fulfilment of self‐expression through artistic media previously not attempted and the relevance of building a community through the needlearts. They also learned that in applying the traditional content of fashion merchandizing to a related industry, they could expand consumer choice by providing a different market perspective.
Food retailers' perceptions of older consumers in Northern Ireland
Authors: Meneely Lisa , Burns Amy , Strugnell Chris
Published: June 2008

Demographic changes' occurring in developed countries has meant that older consumers are becoming an increasingly important consumer segment that retailers need to pay particular attention to. It is essential that their specific needs within the food and other service sectors are met, as food plays an important role in their social well‐being. Very little research has focused upon the extent to which retailers meet their demands and particular needs. The aim of this study, as part of a wider study on older consumers, is to address this lack of information by examining the level of awareness held by food retail management as to the needs of older consumers (60+ years old) and the problems that they encounter while shopping. Qualitative data were collected using face‐to‐face interviews with retail managers (n = 5) from food retailers in Northern Ireland. These were analysed according to Gillham's content analysis guide. Food retailers stated they were aware of the issues older consumers face and recognize their importance as a growing consumer segment; however, there would appear to be relatively little actual consideration/evidence of them meeting their needs. All interviewees expressed an interest in improving the food shopping experiences of older consumers, and were keen to make an increased effort towards this segment of the population, but these were often not put into practice. In order to overcome the problems faced by older consumers and strengthen the food shopping experience for this age group, it is suggested that retail management make practical changes to improve in‐store facilities, increase affordability of food products and home delivery services, and enhance customer communication.
Profiling consumers in home ware stores according to their decision‐making process: an exploratory study
Authors: Van Der Merwe Daleen , Campbell Theresa
Published: June 2008

Despite the growing interest of South African consumers regarding home ware, insufficient research is available regarding their decision making of this product category. The objectives of this exploratory study were to evaluate consumers' decision‐making process regarding home ware, and to suggest consumer profiles of the home ware based on the decision‐making process. A qualitative research strategy was used to purposively recruit both male and female participants walking around a home ware store. Semi‐structured interviews were used to collect data from 33 participants at which point data saturation was reached. Each step of the decision‐making process was investigated during the interviews, using questions relevant to the purchasing of home ware. The results indicated clear differences as well as similarities in home ware consumers' decision‐making process. It was evident that the decision‐making process was a result of their specific need for a home ware product. Consumers evaluated home ware based on their needs, values and personal style, while making their final product choice based on product quality, appearance and price. It was also possible to identify home ware consumer profiles based on an evaluation of their decision‐making process. Four profiles were identified, namely, the quality‐conscious, the fashion‐conscious, the lifestyle‐orientated and the impulsive home ware consumer. The characteristics associated with each profile should provide the growing home ware market with insight regarding the specific needs and preferences of the consumer. Seeing that this study was only exploratory in nature, it is recommended that further research regarding the purchasing of home ware should be done.
A situational analysis of consumer science skills used to improve incomes and create self‐employment in the Limpopo province, South Africa
Authors: Maliwichi Lucy L. , Simalenga Timothy E. , Oni Stephen E.
Published: June 2008

A two‐phase study was conducted in the Mopani and Vhembe Districts of the Limpopo Province of South Africa to identify types of small‐scale businesses used by households to improve their income. The study sample was made up of 240 households from 16 villages and members from 16 organizations working with households in small‐scale, business‐related activities. Phase one of the study collected data on the types of small‐scale businesses carried out by households and organizations assisting them. Phase two developed training manuals and offered training to households. The findings revealed that self‐employment from sales of prepared and processed foods provided the main source of income for most households. Clothing and needlework and housing and art/craft were also used by families to generate income. Problems experienced included lack of technical/management skills, lack of marketing/business skills, inadequate operational funds, low profit margins, unavailability of raw materials and competition from big businesses. The findings highlighted the importance of consumer science‐related skills in poverty alleviation programmes targeting low‐resource households.