bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning from Dumbledore's Pensieve: metaphor as an aid in teaching reflexivity in qualitative research
Authors: Gerstl-Pepin Cynthia , Patrizio Kami
Published: June 2009

This article suggests that the Pensieve — a magical instrument featured prominently in the Harry Potter books — is a useful metaphor for teaching qualitative researchers about reflexivity. Teaching naturalistic forms of inquiry poses many challenges. Drawing upon their experiences as teachers and students of qualitative research, the authors examine how a reflexive journal can serve as a much needed repository for a qualitative researcher's memories and reflections. The authors suggest that by documenting the researcher's perspective over time, the Pensieve can aid in the development of reflexivity by providing a space for metacognitive reflection on the research process, and creating an opportunity to engage others in the interpretation of data.
Narratives as a tool to study personnel wellbeing in corporate mergers
Authors: Syrjälä Jari , Takala Tuomo , Sintonen Teppo
Published: June 2009

This article presents the methodological solutions used in a study investigating personnel wellbeing in the context of mergers and acquisitions in the Nordic electricity business. There have happened rapid changes in working conditions in general and in the electricity business today in the Nordic countries as on a global scale. As a result, the notion of a secure job with the same employer lasting a whole lifetime career seems to have lost its meaning also in the Finnish electricity distribution sector. This has challenged the traditional idea of wellbeing. We wanted to see how a corporate integration is experienced by those whom it affects most: namely, personnel at different levels of the integrating organization. We were interested to learn how the change affected their wellbeing. A narrative research method was selected for data collection and analysis, focusing on employees' stories about their own wellbeing and the company HR strategy in organizational change. The choice of a narrative methodology was expected to yield stories that convey an understanding about wellbeing which would be difficult to gain by other methodologies. People's feelings and experiences of wellbeing are a fundamental part of the texture of everyday life, which are mediated and reflected by their personal stories.
Doing extra-ordinariness: trans-men's accomplishment of `authenticity' in the research interview
Authors: Yeadon-Lee Tracey
Published: June 2009

Discussions concerning transsexual identities consider the self representations of transsexuals as either determined through medical discourses and practices, and thus as constructed and inauthentic or, alternatively, as expressive of an interior and thus `authentic' essential self. In contrast to each of these arguments, this article highlights the significance of social interaction to transsexual authenticity and explores, specifically, how this can be analytically captured and presented in the context of interview-based research. The article applies analytic techniques drawn from fine-grain discourse analysis to research interviews carried out with female to male transsexuals. Through this method of analysis transsexual authenticity is treated as neither determined through medical discourses nor as interior to the self, but rather as a `live' interactional accomplishment. By revealing the discursive identity work undertaken by the interviewees, the article demonstrates a constructionist approach to transsexual authenticity which, contrary to essentialist critiques, succeeds in foregrounding transsexuals as `constructing subjects'.
Naked in nature: naturism, nature and the senses in early 20th century Britain
Authors: Morris Nina J.
Published: June 2009

Advocates of naturist practice have long celebrated it as the authentic human—nature relationship, a way of rekindling our connections with the natural world, and a means of achieving and maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health. Using Hans Surén's book Man and sunlight (1927) as an example, this paper explores the importance of sensory perception to, and the embodied geographies of, naturism and the particular ways in which early 20th century naturists conceptualized, valued and attached meaning to the relationship between the body and nature. In so doing, the paper outlines the ways in which naturist practice reflected contemporary European-wide debates on urbanism, nationhood, health, and nature, and highlights some of the connections between early naturist philosophy and contemporary phenomenological theory.
Beware the Elephant in the Bush: myths, memory and indigenous traditional knowledge in north-eastern Namibia
Authors: Moore Lorraine
Published: June 2009

This article draws on a case study exploring the value of elephant wisdom and myths in managing human-elephant conflict in Caprivi (Namibia). It does so to highlight that Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) is more flexible than recent concerns suggest. This is because ITK transforms in response to changes in both the biophysical and wider socio-political setting of people's environment. The article demonstrates the transformative nature of ITK by applying the findings of the case study to the literature associated with myths, truth claims and collective memory to argue that ITK has a strong social and cultural element. As such, ITK can be viewed as cultural knowledge which is essential to people's adaptation to their social and biophysical environment. Therefore, ITK will evolve to combine traditional forms of knowledge with new knowledge as the needs of society change, whether this is due to changes in the biophysical, socio-political or both environments. This finding provides valuable insight into the dynamic nature of ITK; it also offers new perspectives on culture and cultural memory in making sense of the world.
A mall for all? Race and public space in post-apartheid Cape Town
Authors: Houssay-Holzschuch Myriam , Teppo Annika
Published: June 2009

This article analyses post-apartheid public spaces through social and spatial practices at the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront mall in Cape Town. Our empirical evidence suggests that these public spaces involve much more than just consumption patterns, as they sustain and support novel ways of asserting social identities in a new political situation. These changes are, however, quite complex and fraught with ambivalence. Consequently, we scrutinize how race is staged in that space, and how racial diversity produces various kinds of boundaries. We then argue that these urban practices lead us to an understanding of the precarious balance between private and public spaces. We propose the notion of `publicization' — the process whereby private spaces acquire a more public dimension.
Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom
Authors: Niemiec Christopher P. , Ryan Richard M.
Published: June 2009

Self-determination theory (SDT) assumes that inherent in human nature is the propensity to be curious about one's environment and interested in learning and developing one's knowledge. All too often, however, educators introduce external controls into learning climates, which can undermine the sense of relatedness between teachers and students, and stifle the natural, volitional processes involved in high-quality learning. This article presents an overview of SDT and reviews its applications to educational practice. A large corpus of empirical evidence based on SDT suggests that both intrinsic motivation and autonomous types of extrinsic motivation are conducive to engagement and optimal learning in educational contexts. In addition, evidence suggests that teachers' support of students' basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness facilitates students' autonomous self-regulation for learning, academic performance, and well-being. Accordingly, SDT has strong implications for both classroom practice and educational reform policies.
Administrative pressures and teachers' interpersonal behaviour in the classroom
Authors: Pelletier Luc G. , Sharp Elizabeth C.
Published: June 2009

The purpose of the present article is to review the contextual conditions that lead teachers to be more controlling rather than autonomy supportive with their students. Research indicates that the more teachers perceive that school administration thwarts their autonomy by imposing pressures on them, the less autonomous they are in their motivation for teaching, the more they become controlling in their teaching, and the more students demonstrate a controlled motivation orientation. At this point an element of reciprocity is introduced: teachers may be affected by the lack of students' motivation and their low performance because this reinforces the administration's perception that something needs to be done. Then teachers may perceive a pressure to behave in a controlling manner to be sure that the administration's standards are achieved.
Self-determination in medical education
Authors: Patrick Heather , Williams Geoffrey C.
Published: June 2009

Historically, medical education has focused largely on medical students' intellectual development, mostly ignoring the broader psychological milieu of medical practice. This chasm can result in practitioners who are less likely to process their emotions and/or support their patient's needs, and more likely to experience burnout. Self-determination theory (SDT) offers a unique perspective for understanding how the medical education environment can promote better integration of cognitive and psychological development through supporting the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, thus facilitating internalization of autonomous self-regulation for medical practice. Herein, we examine research applying SDT to medical education and offer suggestions that may facilitate both practitioners' and patients' well-being.
Motivation in physical education classes
Authors: Ntoumanis Nikos , Standage Martyn
Published: June 2009

This article presents a brief overview of empirical studies in school physical education (PE) that have employed self-determination theory (SDT) and, where relevant, proposes ideas for future research in this area. First, we review research on teachers' interpersonal style and its relation to students' motivation. Second, we discuss intervention studies aimed at optimizing teachers' interactions with students. Third, we present an overview of findings suggesting that basic psychological needs and motivational regulations predict various cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes in PE. Finally, we provide practical recommendations for PE teachers drawing from initial intervention studies in PE.
A cross-cultural analysis of autonomy in education
Authors: Chirkov Valery I.
Published: June 2009

In this article I highlight recent (published after 2000) cross-cultural studies on the role of autonomous academic motivation and autonomy support in students' cognitive and psychological development. The self-determination theory (SDT) thesis of a universal beneficial role of autonomous motivation is supported by numerous empirical results from educational researchers from diverse educational settings around the world. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of recognizing students' basic needs for autonomy in learning environments, and the cultural deterministic models of socio-cultural differences that have obscured that need. Studies within the SDT provide strong psychological evidence to support a more interactive, multidimensional picture of human nature in various sociocultural contexts.
The Office
Authors: Beeden Alexandra , de Bruin Joost
Published: June 2009

This article analyses the first series of both the original British and American remake of the sitcom The Office. We discuss how television format adaptations work through articulations of national identity, and suggest that the success of an adaptation may be linked to its ability to reflect and interpret its new context. Despite the global success of the sitcom genre there are clear differences in the situations, characters and humor used by British and American sitcoms which must be addressed by an adaptation. The way in which The Office has adapted to the institutional context, culture and humor of the United States, after its success as a British sitcom, illustrates that national identity is a vital part of the global television format trade. While it may appear that the growth of format adaptations reflects the increasingly globalized contemporary world, in fact, format adaptations encourage articulations of national identity and cultural belonging.
Some ideas on interrupting the right
Authors: Apple Michael W.
Published: June 2009

In a considerable number of nations, `conservative modernization' has gained increasing influence. Neo-liberals, neo-conservatives, and new middle-class mangerialists have defined the terrain of educational policy and practice. In some nations as well, authoritarian populist religious conservative movements and ideologies have also become major actors in the struggles over what the ends and means of education are. I critically examine the contradictory alliance that has been built among these movements and ideologies. However, understanding the reasons behind the growing influence of these positions is not sufficient. I then discuss a number of strategies for interrupting their power, some of which may be risky but are worth being taken seriously if we are to engage in successful counter-hegemonic activity.
Baseball Pitching Biomechanics in Relation to Injury Risk and Performance
Authors: Fortenbaugh Dave , Fleisig Glenn S. , Andrews James R.
Published: June 2009

Context:

Baseball pitching kinematics, kinetics, ball velocity, and injuries at the shoulder and elbow are related.

Evidence Acquisition:

PubMed and Sport Discus were searched for original studies published between 1994 and 2008. Relevant references in these studies were retrieved. Inferential studies that tested relationships between kinematics and kinetics were included, as were studies that tested relationships between kinematics and ball velocity. Descriptive studies that simply quantified kinematics and/or kinetics were excluded.

Results:

Several kinematic parameters at the instant of foot contact were associated with increased upper extremity kinetics: front foot position, front foot orientation, shoulder abduction, and shoulder horizontal adduction. The timing of shoulder external rotation, pelvis rotation, and upper trunk rotation was associated with increased kinetics and decreased ball velocity. Low braking force of the lead leg and a short stride were associated with decreased ball velocity. Decreased maximum shoulder external rotation, shoulder abduction, knee extension, and trunk tilt were also associated with decreased ball velocity. As pitchers develop, kinematic values remain similar, their variability reduces, and kinetic values gradually increase. Slight kinematic variations were seen among pitch types, although the kinetics of fastballs and curveballs were relatively the same; changeup kinetics were the lowest. As pitchers fatigued, kinetic values remained constant, but increases in arm pain were reported.

Conclusions:

Several kinematic parameters were related to joint kinetics and ball velocity. To enhance performance and reduce injury risk, pitchers need to learn proper fastball mechanics at an early age. A changeup is recommended as a safe secondary pitch to complement the fastball; the curveball can be added after fastball and changeup mechanics are mastered. Avoiding overuse and pitching while fatigued is necessary to minimize the risk of arm injury.
Deformation behaviour of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni with broad grain size distribution
Authors: Xu W. C. , Dai P. Q. , Wu X. L.
Published: June 2009

In the present work, nanocrystalline Ni (nc-Ni) with a broad grain size distribution (BGSD) of 5–120 nm and an average grain size of 27·2 nm was prepared. The BGSD nc-Ni sample shows a similar strength and good ductility in comparison with electrodeposited nc-Ni with a narrow grain size distribution. The intracrystalline dislocation network was observed in the post-deformed microstructure confirming the conventional intracrystalline dislocation sliding mechanism in BGSD nc-Ni. The uniaxial tensile loading–unloading–loading deformation shows BGSD nc-Ni has the capability to store dislocations in the grain interior, which is very limited compared with that of coarse grained metals. For BGSD nc-Ni, the strain rate sensitivity of flow stress m enhances with decreasing strain rate. At the strain rate of 5 × 10−6 s−1, m was estimated to be 0·055. At the corresponding strain rate, the enhanced ductility along with the decreased strength was achievable, indicating activation of other deformation mechanisms, e.g. grain boundary sliding or diffusion.
Fabrication of TiC–Fe cermet coating by plasma spraying of Fe–Ti–C powder using sucrose as carbon source
Authors: Wang H. T. , Zhang S. Q. , Huang J. H. , Zhu J. L. , Zhang H. , Zhao X. K.
Published: June 2009

A mixture of ferrotitanium and sucrose was heated to carbonise the sucrose, so the ferrotitanium particles were bound by the carbon obtained from the pyrolysis of sucrose. Then a Fe–Ti–C composite powder was made for reactive thermal spraying, which could avoid separation of Ti and C during spraying. The carbon is a reactive constituent as well as the binder in the composite powder. While this powder was used to deposit cermet coating by plasma spraying, a mass of TiC particles were in situ synthesised and uniformly distributed within metallic matrix. Average microhardness and surface hardness of the TiC–Fe coating are about 1672·5 HV0·2 and 91·4 HR(15 N) respectively. Adhesive strength value of the coating reaches 61·86 MPa. Finally, the cermet coating has good wear resistance performance.
NFI-A directs the fate of hematopoietic progenitors to the erythroid or granulocytic lineage and controls β-globin and G-CSF receptor expression
Authors: Starnes Linda Marie , Sorrentino Antonio , Pelosi Elvira , Ballarino Monica , Morsilli Ornella , Biffoni Mauro , Santoro Simona , Felli Nadia , Castelli Germana , De Marchis Maria Laura , Mastroberardino Gianfranco , Gabbianelli Marco , Fatica Alessandro , Bozzoni Irene , Nervi Clara , Peschle Cesare
Published: June 2009

It is generally conceded that selective combinations of transcription factors determine hematopoietic lineage commitment and differentiation. Here we show that in normal human hematopoiesis the transcription factor nuclear factor I-A (NFI-A) exhibits a marked lineage-specific expression pattern: it is upmodulated in the erythroid (E) lineage while fully suppressed in the granulopoietic (G) series. In unilineage E culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), NFI-A overexpression or knockdown accelerates or blocks erythropoiesis, respectively: notably, NFI-A overexpression restores E differentiation in the presence of low or minimal erythropoietin stimulus. Conversely, NFI-A ectopic expression in unilineage G culture induces a sharp inhibition of granulopoiesis. Finally, in bilineage E + G culture, NFI-A overexpression or suppression drives HPCs into the E or G differentiation pathways, respectively. These NFI-A actions are mediated, at least in part, by a dual and opposite transcriptional action: direct binding and activation or repression of the promoters of the β-globin and G-CSF receptor gene, respectively. Altogether, these results indicate that, in early hematopoiesis, the NFI-A expression level acts as a novel factor channeling HPCs into either the E or G lineage.
c-Myc is a target of RNA-binding motif protein 15 in the regulation of adult hematopoietic stem cell and megakaryocyte development
Authors: Niu Chao , Zhang Jiwang , Breslin Peter , Onciu Mihaela , Ma Zhigui , Morris Stephan Wade
Published: June 2009

RNA-binding motif protein 15 (RBM15) is involved in the RBM15-megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 fusion in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Although Rbm15 has been reported to be required for B-cell differentiation and to inhibit myeloid and megakaryocytic expansion, it is not clear what the normal functions of Rbm15 are in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and megakaryocyte development. In this study, we report that Rbm15 may function in part through regulation of expression of the proto-oncogene c-Myc. Similar to c-Myc knockout (c-Myc-KO) mice, long-term (LT) HSCs are significantly increased in Rbm15-KO mice due to an apparent LT-HSC to short-term HSC differentiation defect associated with abnormal HSC-niche interactions caused by increased N-cadherin and β1 integrin expression on mutant HSCs. Both serial transplantation and competitive reconstitution capabilities of Rbm15-KO LT-HSCs are greatly compromised. Rbm15-KO and c-Myc-KO mice also share related abnormalities in megakaryocyte development, with mutant progenitors producing increased, abnormally small low-ploidy megakaryocytes. Consistent with a possible functional interplay between Rbm15 and c-Myc, the megakaryocyte increase in Rbm15-KO mice could be partially reversed by ectopic c-Myc. Thus, Rbm15 appears to be required for normal HSC-niche interactions, for the ability of HSCs to contribute normally to adult hematopoiesis, and for normal megakaryocyte development; these effects of Rbm15 on hematopoiesis may be mediated at least in part by c-Myc.
Minor viral and host genetic polymorphisms can dramatically impact the biologic outcome of an epitope-specific CD8 T-cell response
Authors: Geldmacher Christof , Metzler Ian S. , Tovanabutra Sodsai , Asher Tedi E. , Gostick Emma , Ambrozak David R. , Petrovas Constantinos , Schuetz Alexandra , Ngwenyama Njabulo , Kijak Gustavo , Maboko Leonard , Hoelscher Michael , McCutchan Francine , Price David A. , Douek Daniel C. , Koup Richard A.
Published: June 2009

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 subtypes A and C differ in the highly conserved Gag-TL9 epitope at a single amino acid position. Similarly, the TL9 presenting human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules B42 and B81 differ only at 6 amino acid positions. Here, we addressed the influence of such minor viral and host genetic variation on the TL9-specific CD8 T-cell response. The clonotypic characteristics of CD8 T-cell populations elicited by subtype A or subtype C were distinct, and these responses differed substantially with respect to the recognition and selection of TL9 variants. Irrespective of the presenting HLA class I molecule, CD8 T-cell responses elicited by subtype C exhibited largely comparable TL9 variant cross-recognition properties, expressed T-cell receptors that used almost exclusively the TRBV 12-3 gene, and selected for predictable patterns of viral variation within TL9. In contrast, subtype A elicited TL9-specific CD8 T-cell populations with completely different, more diverse TCRBV genes and did not select for viral variants. Moreover, TL9 variant cross-recognition properties were extensive in B81+ subjects but limited in B42+ subjects. Thus, minor viral and host genetic polymorphisms can dramatically alter the immunologic and virologic outcome of an epitope-specific CD8 T-cell response.
Oral vaccination with a recombinant Salmonella vaccine vector provokes systemic HIV-1 subtype C Gag-specific CD4+ Th1 and Th2 cell immune responses in mice
Authors: Chin'ombe Nyasha , Bourn William R , Williamson Anna-Lise , Shephard Enid G
Published: June 2009

Background

RecombinantSalmonellavaccine vectors may potentially be used to induce specific CD4+ T cell responses against foreign viral antigens. Such immune responses are required features of vaccines against pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The aim of this study was to investigate the induction of systemic HIV-1-specific CD4+ T helper (Th) responses in mice after oral immunization with a live attenuatedSalmonellavaccine vector that expressed HIV-1 subtype C Gag. Groups of BALB/c mice were vaccinated orally three times (4 weeks apart) with this recombinantSalmonella. At sacrifice, 28 days after the last immunization, systemic CD4+ Th1 and Th2 cytokine responses were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunospot assay and cytometric bead array. HIV-1 Gag-specific IgG1 and IgG2a humoral responses in the serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Mice vaccinated with the recombinantSalmonellaelicited both HIV-1-specific Th1 (interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)) and Th2 (interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-5 (IL-5)) cytokine responses. The vaccine induced 70 (IFN-γ) spot-forming units (SFUs)/10e6 splenocytes and 238 IL-4 SFUs/10e6 splenocytes. Splenocytes from vaccinated mice also produced high levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines upon stimulation with a Gag CD4 peptide. The levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-5 were 7.5-, 29.1-, 26.2- and 89.3-fold above the background, respectively. Both HIV-1 Gag-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies were detected in the sera of vaccinated mice.

Conclusion

The study highlights the potential of orally-delivered attenuatedSalmonellaas mucosal vaccine vectors for HIV-1 Subtype C Gag to induce Gag-specific CD4+ Th1 and Th2 cellular immune responses and antibodies which may be important characteristics required for protection against HIV-1 infection.
Characterisation of Campylobacter jejuni genes potentially involved in phosphonate degradation
Authors: Hartley Lauren E , Kaakoush Nadeem O , Ford Justin L , Korolik Victoria , Mendz George L
Published: June 2009

Potential biological roles of the Campylobacter jejuni genes cj0641, cj0774c and cj1663 were investigated. The proteins encoded by these genes showed sequence similarities to the phosphonate utilisation PhnH, K and L gene products of Escherichia coli. The genes cj0641, cj0774c and cj1663 were amplified from the pathogenic C. jejuni strain 81116, sequenced, and cloned into pGEM-T Easy vectors. Recombinant plasmids were used to disrupt each one of the genes by inserting a kanamycin resistance (Km
R) cassette employing site-directed mutagenesis or inverse PCR. Campylobacter jejuni 81116 isogenic mutants were generated by integration of the mutated genes into the genome of the wild-type strain. The C. jejuni mutants grew on primary isolation plates, but they could not be purified by subsequent passages owing to cell death. The mutant C. jejuni strains survived and proliferated in co-cultures with wild-type bacteria or in media in which wild-type C. jejuni had been previously grown. PCR analyses of mixed wild-type/mutant cultures served to verify the presence of the mutated gene in the genome of a fraction of the total bacterial population. The data suggested that each mutation inactivated a gene essential for survival. Rates of phosphonate catabolism in lysates of E. coli strain DH5α were determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Whole-cell lysates of the wild-type degraded phosphonoacetate, phenylphosphonate and aminomethylphosphonate. Significant differences in the rates of phosphonate degradation were observed between lysates of wild-type E. coli, and of bacteria transformed with each one of the vectors carrying one of the C. jejuni genes, suggesting that these genes were involved in phosphonate catabolism.
A prospective study of androgen levels, hormone-related genes and risk of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Karlson Elizabeth W , Chibnik Lori B , McGrath Monica , Chang Shun-Chiao , Keenan Brendan T , Costenbader Karen H , Fraser Patricia A , Tworoger Shelley , Hankinson Susan E , Lee I-Min , Buring Julie , De Vivo Immaculata
Published: June 2009

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more common in females than males and sex steroid hormones may in part explain this difference. We conducted a case–control study nested within two prospective studies to determine the associations between plasma steroid hormones measured prior to RA onset and polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), aromatase (CYP19) and progesterone receptor (PGR) genes and RA risk.

Methods

We genotyped AR, ESR2, CYP19, PGR SNPs and the AR CAG repeat in RA case–control studies nested within the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHS II (449 RA cases, 449 controls) and the Women's Health Study (72 cases, and 202 controls). All controls were matched on cohort, age, Caucasian race, menopausal status, and postmenopausal hormone use. We measured plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin in 132 pre-RA samples and 396 matched controls in the NHS cohorts. We used conditional logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders to assess RA risk.

Results

Mean age of RA diagnosis was 55 years in both cohorts; 58% of cases were rheumatoid factor positive at diagnosis. There was no significant association between plasma DHEAS, total testosterone, or calculated free testosterone and risk of future RA. There was no association between individual variants or haplotypes in any of the genes and RA or seropositive RA, nor any association for the AR CAG repeat.

Conclusions

Steroid hormone levels measured at a single time point prior to RA onset were not associated with RA risk in this study. Our findings do not suggest that androgens or the AR, ESR2, PGR, and CYP19 genes are important to RA risk in women.
Lunatic fringe promotes the lateral inhibition of neurogenesis
Authors: Nikolaou Nikolas , Watanabe-Asaka Tomomi , Gerety Sebastian , Distel Martin , Köster Reinhard W. , Wilkinson David G.
Published: June 2009

Previous studies have identified roles of the modulation of Notch activation by Fringe homologues in boundary formation and in regulating the differentiation of vertebrate thymocytes and Drosophila glial cells. We have investigated the role of Lunatic fringe (Lfng) expression during neurogenesis in the vertebrate neural tube. We find that in the zebrafish hindbrain, Lfng is expressed by progenitors in neurogenic regions and downregulated in cells that have initiated neuronal differentiation. Lfng is required cell autonomously in neural epithelial cells to limit the amount of neurogenesis and to maintain progenitors. By contrast, Lfng is not required for the role of Notch in interneuronal fate choice, which we show is mediated by Notch1a. The expression of Lfng does not require Notch activity, but rather is regulated downstream of proneural genes that are widely expressed by neural progenitors. These findings suggest that Lfng acts in a feedback loop downstream of proneural genes, which, by promoting Notch activation, maintains the sensitivity of progenitors to lateral inhibition and thus limits further proneural upregulation.
RETRACTED: Strain rate and interfacial property effects of random fibre cementitious composites
Authors: Yu J H , Dai L
Published: June 2009

Yu, J. H. and Dai, L. Strain rate and interfacial property effects of random fibre cementitious composites. Journal of Strain Analysis for Engineering Design, 2009, 44: 417–425. DOI: 10.1234/03093247JSA513.

This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor and the Publishers.

Reason for Retraction:

The results of a plagiarism investigation showed that the authors of this work (Yu, J. H., and Dai, L) are in breach of the agreement that they signed in their Licence to Publish Form for JSA513, having copied substantial portions of material from the following:

Yang, E. H. Designing added functions in engineered cementitious composites. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 2008.

Yang, E. H. and Li, V. C. Rate Dependencies in Engineered Cementitious Composites. Proceedings of International RILEM workshop on HPFRCC in structural applications, Honolulu, Hawaii. Published by RILEM SARL, pp. 83–92, 2005.

Redon, C., V. C. Li, C. Wu, H. Hoshiro, T. Saito, and Ogawa, A. Measuring and Modifying Interface Properties of PVA Fibers in ECC Matrix. ASCE J. Materials in Civil Engineering, 13 (6): 399–406, 2001. We apologize that this was not detected during the peer review process in 2009.
Post-Katrina performance of a turret-moored floating storage and offloading unit in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Baar J J M
Published: June 2009

Conventional design of ships and offshore platforms relies on performing a short-term response analysis for metocean conditions with a 100-year return period. This approach is efficient but not necessarily conservative when compared with a comprehensive long-term response analysis that considers platform responses for storms encountered over the lifetime of the platform. Turret-moored floating production, storage and offloading systems are sensitive to non-collinear wind, waves, and current conditions. During hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico such conditions frequently occur and, depending on the resulting weathervaning characteristics of a turret-moored tanker, they may have a strong impact on vessel motions, mooring line loads, and riser performance. In recent years some very strong hurricanes have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, e.g. Katrina and Rita in 2005. When including these recent storm data in the long-term response analysis they have a marked effect on the extrapolated 100-year long-term responses. The post-Katrina long-term responses of a generic turret-moored floating storage and offloading unit are evaluated and compared against pre-Katrina analysis results. The results of the analysis are used to stipulate response-based design criteria which are simple short-term design sea states that can reproduce a given long-term response (e.g. roll).
Developments of a mixed finite element substructure—subdomain method for fluid—structure interaction dynamics with applications in maritime engineering
Authors: Xing J T , Xiong Y P , Tan M
Published: June 2009

Theoretical development of a mixed finite element substructure—subdomain method for dynamic analysis of fluid—structure interaction systems (FSIS) with applications in maritime engineering is summarized in this paper. Governing equations for FSIS are presented. Boundary conditions for air—liquid interfaces are formulated to account for mass density discontinuity of different fluids. The frequency shift technique is demonstrated for FSIS, which establishes a basis for the design of an algorithm for the purpose of dynamic analysis of structure, fluids, and their interactions. A flow chart of the computer program is provided to better illustrate the implementation of the numerical method. Four problems in maritime engineering are simulated using the developed fluid—structure interaction analysis program (FSIAP). Problem 1 investigates the sloshing frequencies of a liquid tank and its dynamic responses to a sinusoidal base motion and El Centro earthquake excitation, respectively. Problem 2 analyses the transient response of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank—water system to an explosion wave in the water. Problem 3 studies a structure—acoustic—volume system subject to human footfall impacts, which may explain the ‘character’ of the footstep noise claimed by people, such as ‘thuds’, ‘thumps’, and ‘booming’. Problem 4 investigates the dynamic response of an onshore LNG storage tank subject to an impact load. The numerical results are analysed to provide the guidelines for design of maritime products involving FSIS.
Radio-frequency characterization of varactors based on carbon nanotube arrays
Authors: Ek-Weis J , Eriksson A , Idda T , Olofsson N , Campbell E E B
Published: June 2009

Arrays of carbon nanotubes were reversibly actuated by applying a bias voltage. The actuation results in a variable capacitance between the arrays, which can be used to build a varactor. The capacitances were evaluated by simulating the scattering parameters in an equivalent electrical circuit while using the capacitance between the arrays as a fitting parameter. These simulations were compared with radio-frequency (RF) measurements on devices. A very good agreement between measurement and model was obtained. The capacitance could be varied by more than 20 per cent before the arrays were pulled into contact.
Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous SiO2 by the chemical precipitation method
Authors: Song X , Jiang N , Ding Y , Qu Y , Qiu G
Published: June 2009

Mesoporous silicon dioxide (SiO2) powders with different specific surface areas were prepared by the chemical precipitation method from sodium metasilicate, hydrochloric acid, and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The obtained samples were characterized by the BET method — differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetry (DSC/TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of some factors, such as pH, concentration of sodium metasilicate, concentration of hydrochloric acid solution, and reaction temperature, on the specific surface area were investigated. Mesoporous SiO2 with a BET-specific surface area of 1041.382/g and an average pore size of 5.78nm was made under the following conditions: pH, 8; concentration of sodium metasilicate, 0.4mol/L; concentration of hydrochloric acid, 1.0mol/L; reaction temperature, 30°C.
Regulatory element identification in subsets of transcripts: Comparison and integration of current computational methods
Authors: Fan Danhua , Bitterman Peter B. , Larsson Ola
Published: June 2009

Regulatory elements in mRNA play an often pivotal role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, a systematic approach to efficiently identify putative regulatory elements from sets of post-transcriptionally coregulated genes is lacking, hampering studies of coregulation mechanisms. Although there are several analytical methods that can be used to detect conserved mRNA regulatory elements in a set of transcripts, there has been no systematic study of how well any of these methods perform individually or as a group. We therefore compared how well three algorithms, each based on a different principle (enumeration, optimization, or structure/sequence profiles), can identify elements in unaligned untranslated sequence regions. Two algorithms were originally designed to detect transcription factor binding sites, Weeder and BioProspector; and one was designed to detect RNA elements conserved in structure, RNAProfile. Three types of elements were examined: (1) elements conserved in both primary sequence and secondary structure; (2) elements conserved only in primary sequence; and (3) microRNA targets. Our results indicate that all methods can uniquely identify certain known RNA elements, and therefore, integrating the output from all algorithms leads to the most complete identification of elements. We therefore developed an approach to integrate results and guide selection of candidate elements from several algorithms presented as a web service (https://dbw.msi.umn.edu:8443/recit). These findings together with the approach for integration can be used to identify candidate elements from genome-wide post-transcriptional profiling data sets.
Cross-National Logo Evaluation Analysis: An Individual-Level Approach
Authors: van der Lans Ralf , Cote Joseph A. , Cole Catherine A. , Leong Siew Meng , Smidts Ale , Henderson Pamela W. , Bluemelhuber Christian , Bottomley Paul A. , Doyle John R. , Fedorikhin Alexander , Moorthy Janakiraman , Ramaseshan B. , Schmitt Bernd H.
Published: June 2009

The universality of design perception and response is tested using data collected from 10 countries: Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain, India, The Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, and the United States. A Bayesian, finite-mixture, structural equation model is developed that identifies latent logo clusters while accounting for heterogeneity in evaluations. The concomitant variable approach allows cluster probabilities to be country specific. Rather than a priori defined clusters, our procedure provides a posteriori cross-national logo clusters based on consumer response similarity. Our model reduces the 10 countries to three cross-national clusters that respond differently to logo design dimensions: the West, Asia, and Russia. The dimensions underlying design are found to be similar across countries, suggesting that elaborateness, naturalness, and harmony are universal design dimensions. Responses (affect, shared meaning, subjective familiarity, and true and false recognition) to logo design dimensions (elaborateness, naturalness, and harmony) and elements (repetition, proportion, and parallelism) are also relatively consistent, although we find minor differences across clusters. Our results suggest that managers can implement a global logo strategy, but they also can optimize logos for specific countries if desired.
Predicting Joint Choice Using Individual Data
Authors: Aribarg Anocha , Arora Neeraj , Kang Moon Young
Published: June 2009

Choice decisions in the marketplace are often made by a collection of individuals or a group. Examples include purchase decisions involving families and organizations. A particularly unique aspect of a joint choice is that the group's preference is very likely to diverge from preferences of the individuals that constitute the group. For a marketing researcher, the biggest hurdle in measuring group preference is that it is often infeasible or cost prohibitive to collect data at the group level. Our objective in this research is to propose a novel methodology to estimate joint preference without the need to collect joint data from the group members. Our methodology makes use of both stated and inferred preference measures, and merges experimental design, statistical modeling, and utility aggregation theories to capture the psychological processes of preference revision and concession that lead to the joint preference. Results based on a study involving a cell phone purchase for 214 parent-teen dyads demonstrate predictive validity of our proposed method.
Self-Control and Optimal Goals: A Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Jain Sanjay
Published: June 2009

Consumers set goals to achieve a variety of objectives such as losing weight, saving for retirement, and achieving better health. A large body of literature in psychology and consumer behavior shows that goals can help consumers achieve these objectives. However, there is almost no research that examines how we should set optimal goals. The purpose of this paper is to develop a parsimonious framework that examines how goals can help performance and how we should set optimal goals. We use the literature on hyperbolic discounting to model these issues. Our results show that goals can often increase performance but can also sometimes encourage procrastination. We show that some goals are worse than having no goals, even when the goals are achieved and the consumer exerts more effort because of the goal. We also find that the presence of goals can lead to myopic consumers behaving as if they were hyperopic. Our results also show that the most difficult goals should be assigned to consumers with moderate levels of motivation and self-control problems. We also find that it is sometimes optimal to set goals that are never achieved.
Optimal Sales Force Diversification and Group Incentive Payments
Authors: Caldieraro Fabio , Coughlan Anne T.
Published: June 2009

In this research, we show that the interaction between territory allocation and sales force compensation—two key drivers of sales productivity—strongly affects the firm's profitability. We analyze an agency-theoretic model that jointly considers the degree of negative or positive correlation across territory outcomes, differences in territories' sales potentials, the agency problem with risk-averse salespeople, and the availability of both own-territory compensation elements, such as commission, and elements dependent on the performance of others, such as group commissions or tournaments.

We find that allocating salespeople to negatively correlated sales territories beneficially diversifies each salesperson's portfolio of sales outcomes when this allocation includes a group commission pay component, and can improve profitability even with a decrease in average territory sales performance. In a larger sales force, a balanced allocation of salespeople, coupled with a group commission, dominates an imbalanced allocation. Comparing piece-rate compensation (with or without a group commission component) to tournaments alongside the allocation problem, we find that tournaments are favored over piece-rate plans when territories are highly positively correlated, territory sales potentials are similar, and salespeople have a low disutility for effort and are not very risk-averse. A piece-rate plan conversely dominates a tournament when these conditions are reversed.
Dynamic Customer Management and the Value of One-to-One Marketing
Authors: Khan Romana , Lewis Michael , Singh Vishal
Published: June 2009

The concept of one-to-one marketing is intuitively appealing, but there is little research that investigates the value of individual-level marketing relative to segment-level or mass marketing. In this paper, we investigate the financial benefits of and computational challenges involved in one-to-one marketing. The analysis uses data from an online grocery and drug retailer. Like many retailers, this firm uses multiple promotional instruments including discount coupons, free shipping offers, and a loyalty program. We investigate the impact of customizing these promotions on the two most important consumer decisions: the decision to buy from the store and expenditure. Our modeling approach accounts for two sources of heterogeneity in consumers' responsiveness to various marketing mix elements: cross-sectional differences across consumers and temporal differences within consumers based on the purchase cycle. The model parameter estimates are fed into a dynamic programming model that determines the optimal number, sequence, and timing of promotions to maximize retailer profits. A series of policy simulations show that customizing promotions leads to a significant increase in profits relative to the firm's current practice of uniform promotions. However, the effectiveness of various promotions varies because of both cross-sectional differences in consumers as well within consumer heterogeneity due to purchase cycle factors. For instance, we find that free shipping tends to be the preferred instrument for re-acquiring lapsed customers, whereas an across-the-board price cut (via a discount coupon) is the most effective tool for managing the segment of most active customers. Interestingly, we find that customizing based on within-customer temporal heterogeneity contributes more to profitability than exploiting variations across consumers. This is important because the computational burden of implementing the dynamic optimization to account for cross-sectional heterogeneity is far greater than accounting for temporal heterogeneity. Furthermore, targeting promotions based only on timing rather than the nature and magnitude of the offers across consumers alleviates the public relations risks of price discrimination. Implications for marketing managers are also discussed.