bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conversational coherence and gesture
Authors: Chui Kawai
Published: December 2009

The present study claims that the use of spontaneous gestures can contribute to accomplishing coherence in sequential conversational exchanges. Three types of speech-accompanying gestures were analyzed in Chinese conversation. Based on the syntactic-semantic relation with the co-occurring utterance, the first type is associated with words that do not convey explicit meaning; the second type is associated with covert constituents; the third type does not have any linguistic affiliates. They suggest different ways in which gesture adds information to the propositional content of the associated utterance or to the content of the speech event under discussion. They also play a role in achieving conversational coherence: on the part of the speaker, it is only by using the various types of gesture that a current speaker can make the message to be conveyed in the utterance complete. On the part of the next speaker, the recognition and negotiation with the former speaker of the gestured information is a way to acknowledge or confirm mutual knowledge. The collaborative efforts contribute to the coherence of the talk in the subsequent interaction.
‘The leading journal in its field’: evaluation in journal descriptions
Authors: Hyland Ken , Tse Polly
Published: December 2009

Evaluation, as the expression of a writer’s attitudes, opinions and values, has become a key term in discourse studies in recent years and has proved to be a particularly fruitful way of analysing academic texts. But while studies have shown the importance of evaluation in research genres, its role in seemingly more promotional academic genres has been largely neglected. This article examines the journal description (JD), a brief but ubiquitous feature of all journals, whether online or in print. Situated at the academic—commercial interface, the JD provides information for prospective readers and authors while endorsing a particular view of the field and positioning the journal in the academic community. Drawing on a corpus of 200 JDs in four contrasting disciplines, we show how evaluation is a key feature of this genre, influencing both lexical choices and rhetorical structure. The analysis contributes both to our understanding of a neglected academic genre and the evaluative resources of language.
Possible interactions between dietary fibres and 5-aminosalicyclic acid
Authors: Henriksen Camilla , Hansen Steen , Nordgaard-Lassen Inge , Anderson Jens Rikardt , Madsen Pia
Published: December 2009

Background: Potentially, a binding of 5-aminosalicyclic acid (5-ASA) to dietary fibres could reduce the systemic absorption and increase the intraluminal amount. The purposes of the study were to investigate if: (1) dietary fibres can bind 5-ASA in vitro, and (2) consumption of dietary fibres is related to disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) treated with 5-ASA.

Methods: In vitro: 15 g of Ispaghula Husk, wheat bran, citrus-pectin, or wheat flour were incubated in a 37°C buffered solutions of 5-ASA (1 g/l) for 3 hours at pH 6 and 7. The concentrations of 5-ASA were determined before and after the incubation using HPLC. In vivo: patients with UC were interviewed two to three times during 6 months. The fibre consumption was estimated and related to the disease activity (CAI, CRP, Faecal-calprotectin) and quality of life (IBDQ).

Results: In vitro: 5-ASA was bound to Ispaghula Husk (5.3-10.0 mg/g) and wheat bran (4.6-5.5 mg/g), and to a minor degree to citrus-pectin. No differences were found in relation to pH. In vivo: 29 patients completed the scheduled interviews. No significant changes in fibre consumption were observed over time; however, patients consuming a diet high in fibre (>20 g/ day) had significantly lower CRP (p <0.01) and faecal-calprotectin (p <0.01) than those consuming less fibre (<20 g/dg).

Conclusions: Patients with a high intake of fibre had a lower disease activity than those with low intake. Ispaghula Husk bound 5-ASA in vitro, independent of pH. The effect might be clinically relevant in patients with UC treated with 5-ASA.
Review: Oral administration of Alequel, a mixture of autologous colon-extracted proteins for the treatment of Crohn’s disease
Authors: Israeli Eran , Ilan Yaron
Published: December 2009

The pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease involves an immune-mediated damage to the gut mucosa. Current developed therapies are based on the use of immunosuppressive drugs that can lead to significant drug-related adverse responses. There is a need for a therapeutic strategy that is more specific and less global in its effect on the immune system. Oral tolerance is an active process wherein oral administration of antigens is associated with the induction of regulatory cells and the suppression of effector cells directed toward specific and nonspecific antigens. Studies in animal models of experimental colitis suggest that oral administration of proteins extracted from the gut can induce tolerance and alleviate the disease symptoms. Recent clinical trials showed that oral administration of Alequel, an autologous protein-containing colon extract, to patients with Crohn’s disease is safe and may be effective as a therapeutic modality for treating the disease. This treatment was associated with disease-associated antigen alterations of the immune response in the patients. Oral administration of Alequel could provide a patient-tailored approach that is side-effect-free for the treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease.
Grandmothers’ Involvement in Preschool-Aged Children’s Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables
Authors: Speirs Katherine E. , Braun Bonnie , Zoumenou Virginie , Anderson Elaine A. , Finkbeiner Nicole
Published: December 2009

A social-ecological framework suggests that nutrition education programs designed to increase young children’s fruit and vegetable consumption should address the influence of immediate and extended family. However, very few nutrition education programs recognize the importance of grandmothers in shaping preschool-aged children’s consumption patterns. This study explored the impact of grandmothers on their grandchildren’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Specifically, the authors addressed 3 research questions: (1) Are grandmothers involved in purchasing food for or feeding their preschool-aged grandchildren? (2) What resources do mothers and grandmothers have to purchase fruits and vegetables, and do these resources allow them to purchase a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables? (3) Do mothers and grandmothers consume fruits and vegetables and understand their importance? Using a sample of 62 low-income mothers and grandmothers from rural Maryland, the authors found evidence that grandmothers shaped their grand-children’s fruit and vegetable consumption by purchasing and providing food for their daughters and grandchildren. However, grandmothers also reported consuming less than the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, which suggests they may negatively affect their grandchildren’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Implications for future research and programming are discussed.
Manipulation of Types of Fats and Cholesterol Intake Can Successfully Improve the Lipid Profile While Maintaining the Efficacy of the Ketogenic Diet
Authors: Fenton Cagla , Chee Claire M. , Bergqvist A. G. Christina
Published: December 2009

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a dietary therapy that effectively treats intractable epilepsy in children. Hyperlipidemias are common side effects of KD and have been reported in approximately 30% to 50% of patients on this diet. Fats comprise 90% of the calories, and saturated fats are often used as 50% of the fat intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether alterations of the dietary fat sources can improve the lipid profiles while maintaining seizure control in the ketogenic diet. Using a retrospective chart review, the authors evaluated their practices of treating hyperlipidemias in 6 children on the KD who developed elevated lipid profiles. All had normal or mildly elevated lipid profiles before beginning the KD. The elevated lipid levels were detected after an average of 7 months of KD treatment. Changing the dietary fat types to mainly oils (polyunsaturated fats) and decreasing the use of protein foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol resulted in a normalized or baseline lipid profile in all 3 months later. Seizure control was unaffected. Hyperlipidemia is not a cause for discontinuing the KD and can be managed by changing the dietary fat sources.
Uncovering transcriptional interactions via an adaptive fuzzy logic approach
Authors: Chuang Cheng-Long , Hung Kenneth , Chen Chung-Ming , Shieh Grace S
Published: December 2009

Background

To date, only a limited number of transcriptional regulatory interactions have been uncovered. In a pilot study integrating sequence data with microarray data, a position weight matrix (PWM) performed poorly in inferring transcriptional interactions (TIs), which represent physical interactions between transcription factors (TF) and upstream sequences of target genes. Inferring a TI means that the promoter sequence of a target is inferred to match the consensus sequence motifs of a potential TF, and their interaction type such as AT or RT is also predicted. Thus, a robust PWM (rPWM) was developed to search for consensus sequence motifs. In addition to rPWM, one feature extracted from ChIP-chip data was incorporated to identify potential TIs under specific conditions. An interaction type classifier was assembled to predict activation/repression of potential TIs using microarray data. This approach, combining an adaptive (learning) fuzzy inference system and an interaction type classifier to predicttranscriptionalregulatorynetworks, was named AdaFuzzy.

Results

AdaFuzzy was applied to predict TIs using real genomics data fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Following one of the latest advances in predicting TIs, constrained probabilistic sparse matrix factorization (cPSMF), and using 19 transcription factors (TFs), we compared AdaFuzzy to four well-known approaches using over-representation analysis and gene set enrichment analysis. AdaFuzzy outperformed these four algorithms. Furthermore, AdaFuzzy was shown to perform comparably to 'ChIP-experimental method' in inferring TIs identified by two sets of large scale ChIP-chip data, respectively. AdaFuzzy was also able to classify all predicted TIs into one or more of the four promoter architectures. The results coincided with known promoter architectures in yeast and provided insights into transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

Conclusion

AdaFuzzy successfully integrates multiple types of data (sequence, ChIP, and microarray) to predict transcriptional regulatory networks. The validated success in the prediction results implies that AdaFuzzy can be applied to uncover TIs in yeast.
A pooling-based genome-wide analysis identifies new potential candidate genes for atopy in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS)
Authors: Castro-Giner Francesc , Bustamante Mariona , Ramon González Juan , Kogevinas Manolis , Jarvis Deborah , Heinrich Joachim , Antó Josep-Maria , Wjst Matthias , Estivill Xavier , de Cid Rafael
Published: December 2009

Background

Asthma and atopy are complex phenotypes with shared genetic component. In this study we attempt to identify genes related to these traits performing a two-stage DNA pooling genome-wide analysis in order to reduce costs. First, we assessed all markers in a subset of subjects using DNA pooling, and in a second stage we evaluated the most promising markers at an individual level.

Methods

For the genome-wide analysis, we constructed DNA pools from 75 subjects with atopy and asthma, 75 subjects with atopy and without asthma and 75 control subjects without atopy or asthma. In a second stage, the most promising regions surrounding significant markers after correction for false discovery rate were replicated with individual genotyping of samples included in the pools and an additional set of 429 atopic subjects and 222 controls from the same study centres.

Results

Homo sapiens protein kinase-like protein SgK493 (SGK493) was found to be associated with atopy. To lesser extent mitogen-activated protein kinase 5 (MAP3K5), collagen type XVIII alpha 1 (COL18A1) and collagen type XXIX alpha 1 (COL29A1) were also found to be associated with atopy. Functional evidences points out a role for MAP3K5, COL18A1 and COL29A1 but the function of SGK493 is unknown.

Conclusion

In this analysis we have identified new candidate regions related to atopy and suggest SGK493 as an atopy locus, although these results need further replication.
Helping someone with problem drinking: Mental health first aid guidelines - a Delphi expert consensus study
Authors: Kingston Anna H , Jorm Anthony F , Kitchener Betty A , Hides Leanne , Kelly Claire M , Morgan Amy J , Hart Laura M , Lubman Dan I
Published: December 2009

Background

Alcohol is a leading risk factor for avoidable disease burden. Research suggests that a drinker's social network can play an integral role in addressing hazardous (i.e., high-risk) or problem drinking. Often however, social networks do not have adequate mental health literacy (i.e., knowledge about mental health problems, like problem drinking, or how to treat them). This is a concern as the response that a drinker receives from their social network can have a substantial impact on their willingness to seek help. This paper describes the development of mental health first aid guidelines that inform community members on how to help someone who may have, or may be developing, a drinking problem (i.e., alcohol abuse or dependence).

Methods

A systematic review of the research and lay literature was conducted to develop a 285-item survey containing strategies on how to help someone who may have, or may be developing, a drinking problem. Two panels of experts (consumers/carers and clinicians) individually rated survey items, using a Delphi process. Surveys were completed online or via postal mail. Participants were 99 consumers, carers and clinicians with experience or expertise in problem drinking from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Items that reached consensus on importance were retained and written into guidelines.

Results

The overall response rate across all three rounds was 68.7% (67.6% consumers/carers, 69.2% clinicians), with 184 first aid strategies rated as essential or important by ≥80% of panel members. The endorsed guidelines provide guidance on how to: recognize problem drinking; approach someone if there is concern about their drinking; support the person to change their drinking; respond if they are unwilling to change their drinking; facilitate professional help seeking and respond if professional help is refused; and manage an alcohol-related medical emergency.

Conclusion

The guidelines provide a consensus-based resource for community members seeking to help someone with a drinking problem. Improving community awareness and understanding of how to identify and support someone with a drinking problem may lead to earlier recognition of problem drinking and greater facilitation of professional help seeking.
Interventions for promoting physical activity among European teenagers: a systematic review
Authors: De Meester Femke , van Lenthe Frank J , Spittaels Heleen , Lien Nanna , De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse
Published: December 2009

Background

Although physical activity is considered to yield substantial health benefits, the level of physical activity among European teenagers is not sufficient. Adolescence is characterized by a decline in physical activity level. Many studies investigated the effectiveness of interventions promoting physical activity among young people, but none dealt with the available evidence specific for Europe. This review was conducted to summarize the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity among European teenagers.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted to identify European intervention studies published in the scientific literature since 1995. Four databases were searched, reference lists were scanned and the publication lists of the authors of the retrieved articles were checked. The ANGELO framework was used to categorise the included studies by setting and by intervention components.

Results

The literature search identified 20 relevant studies. Fifteen interventions were delivered through the school setting, of which three included a family component and another three a family and community component. One intervention was conducted within a community setting, three were delivered in primary care and one was delivered through the internet. Ten interventions included only an individual component, whereas the other ten used a multi-component approach. None of the interventions included only an environmental component.

Main findings of the review were: (1) school-based interventions generally lead to short term improvements in physical activity levels; (2) improvements in physical activity levels by school-based interventions were limited to school related physical activity with no conclusive transfer to leisure time physical activity; (3) including parents appeared to enhance school-based interventions; (4) the support of peers and the influence of direct environmental changes increased the physical activity level of secondary school children; (5) the assumption that a multi-component approach should produce synergistic results can not be confirmed; (6) when interventions aimed to affect more than one health behaviour the intervention appeared to be less effective in favour of physical activity.

Conclusion

Overall, the current European literature supports the short-term effectiveness of school-based physical activity promotion programmes. The available evidence for the effectiveness in other settings is rather limited and underscores the need for further research.
A MIF haplotype is associated with the outcome of patients with severe sepsis: a case control study
Authors: Lehmann Lutz E , Book Malte , Hartmann Wolfgang , Weber Stefan U , Schewe Jens-Christian , Klaschik Sven , Hoeft Andreas , Stüber Frank
Published: December 2009

Background

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays an important regulatory role in sepsis. In the promoter region a C/G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position -173 (rs755622) and a CATT5-8 microsatellite at position -794 are related to modified promoter activity. The purpose of the study was to analyze their association with the incidence and outcome of severe sepsis.

Methods

Genotype distributions and allele frequencies in 169 patients with severe sepsis, 94 healthy blood donors and 183 postoperative patients without signs of infection or inflammation were analyzed by real time PCR and Sequence analysis. All included individuals were Caucasians.

Results

Genotype distribution and allele frequencies of severe sepsis patients were comparable to both control groups. However, the genotype and allele frequencies of both polymorphisms were associated significantly with the outcome of severe sepsis. The highest risk of dying from severe sepsis was detectable in patients carrying a haplotype with the alleles -173 C and CATT7 (p = 0.0005, fisher exact test, RR = 1,806, CI: 1.337 to 2.439).

Conclusion

The haplotype with the combination of the -173 C allele and the -794 CATT7 allele may not serve as a marker for susceptibility to sepsis, but may help identify septic patients at risk of dying.
Primary plasmacytoma of the cranial vault: a case report
Authors: Zigouris Anrdeas , Drosos Dimitrios , Alexiou George A , Fotakopoulos George , Mihos Evaggelos , Pahatouridis Dimitrios , Tsiouris Spyridon , Fotopoulos Andreas D , Voulgaris Spyridon
Published: December 2009

We report one case of a 78-year-old woman who referred to our hospital because of a progressive right hemiparesis. On clinical examination a painless large soft mass in the left parietal region was observed. CT and MRI revealed an extra-axial mass in the in the left fronto-temporo-parietal region. The lesion was totally excised despite the bleeding tendency. Histology disclosed the presence of a plasmacytoma. Postoperative, the patient developed an epidural hematoma that required immediate evacuation. On further investigation active tuberculosis was detected. On follow up examination 1 year later no tumor recurrence or evidence of multiple myeloma was detected.
A comparison of phase inversion and traveltime tomography for processing near-surface refraction traveltimes
Authors: Ellefsen Karl J.
Published: December 2009

With phase inversion, one can estimate subsurface velocities using the phases of first-arriving waves, which are the frequency-domain equivalents of the traveltimes. Phase inversion is modified to make it suitable for processing traveltimes from near-surface refraction surveys. The modifications include parameterizing the model, correcting the observed phases, and selecting the complex frequency. This modified phase inversion is compared to traveltime tomography. For two comparisons using computer-simulated traveltimes, the difference between the estimated and correct models, the residual mean, and the residual standard deviation are smaller for the phase inversion than they are for the traveltime tomography. For a comparison using field data from an S-wave refraction survey, both methods estimate models that are consistent with the known geology. Nonetheless, the phase-inversion model includes small-scale features in the bedrock that are geologically plausible; the residual mean and the residual standard deviation are smaller for the phase inversion than they are for the traveltime tomography.
The effects of data quality in local earthquake tomography: Application to the Alpine region
Authors: Husen Stephan , Diehl Tobias , Kissling Edi
Published: December 2009

Despite the increase in quality and number of seismic stations in many parts of the world, accurate timing of individual arrival times remains crucial for many tomographic applications. To achieve a data set of high quality, arrival times need to be picked with high accuracy, including a proper assessment of the uncertainty of timing and phase identification, and a high level of consistency. We have investigated the effects of data quantity and quality on the solution quality in local earthquake tomography. We have compared tomographic results obtained with synthetic and real data of two very different data sets. The first data set consisted of a large set of arrival times of low precision and unknown accuracy taken from the International Seismological Centre (ISC) Bulletin for the greater Alpine region. The second high-quality data set for the same region was seven times smaller and was obtained by automated quality-weighted repicking. During a first series of inversions, synthetic data resembling the two data sets were inverted with the same amount of Gaussian distributed noise added. Subsequently, during a second series of inversions, the noise level was increased successively for ISC data to study the effect of larger Gaussian distributed error on the solution quality. Finally, the real data for both data sets were inverted. These investigations showed that, for Gaussian distributed error, a smaller data set of high quality could achieve a similar or better solution quality than a data set seven times larger but about four times lower in quality. Our results further suggest that the quality of the ISC Bulletin is degraded significantly by inconsistencies, strongly limiting the use of this large data set for local earthquake tomography studies.
Velocity calibration for microseismic monitoring: A very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) approach for joint-objective optimization
Authors: Pei Donghong , Quirein John A. , Cornish Bruce E. , Quinn Dan , Warpinski Norman R.
Published: December 2009

To accurately locate microearthquakes that are genetically related to hydraulic fracture stimulation, a thorough knowledge of the velocity structure between monitoring and fracturing treatment wells is essential. Very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) is implemented to invert for a flat-layered velocity model between wells using perforation or string-shot data. A two-point ray-tracing method is used to find the ray parameter [Formula: see text] for a ray traveling from a source to a receiver. The original traveltime-calculation formula is modified to account for the borehole source-receiver geometry. VFSA is used as a tool to optimize P- and S-wave velocities simultaneously. Unlike previous applications of VFSA, two improvements result from a new study: (1) both P- and S-wave arrival-time misfits are considered in a joint-objective function, and (2) P- and S-wave velocities are perturbed simultaneously during annealing. The inverted velocities follow the true values closely with a very small root-mean-square error, indicating the inverted model is close to the global minimum solution whose rms error should be zero for synthetic examples. Data noise contaminates inverted models, but not substantially in synthetic test results. A comparison of models inverted using VFSA and Occam’s inversion technique indicates that inverted models using VFSA are superior to those using Occam’s method in terms of velocity accuracy.
Passive seismic tomography using induced seismicity at a petroleum field in Oman
Authors: Zhang Haijiang , Sarkar Sudipta , Toksöz M. Nafi , Kuleli H. Sadi , Al-Kindy Fahad
Published: December 2009

A borehole network consisting of five monitoring wells monitored the induced seismicity at a producing petroleum field for about [Formula: see text]. Nearly 5400 microseismic events were analyzed and used to image the reservoir based on a new double-difference (DD) seismic tomography. The DD tomography method simultaneously solved for event locations and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] models using absolute and differential P, S, and S-P arrival times. Microseismicity in the field was caused primarily by compaction of the reservoir in and above the gas-bearing formation and was distributed along the two major northeast-southwest faults in the field. The model resolution analysis based on the checkerboard test and the resolution matrix showed that the central part of the model was resolved relatively well for the depth range of [Formula: see text]. Clear velocity contrasts were imaged across most parts of the two northeast-southwest faults. The [Formula: see text] ratio estimates from the tomographic inversion were low [Formula: see text] in the shallow depth range, likely caused by rock type and gas content; but they were large [Formula: see text] in the deeper part of the model, likely because of fluid-saturated formation. Thus, seismic tomography shows great potential for reservoir imaging and property estimation using induced seismicity.
Novel microscopic imager instrument for rock and fluid imaging
Authors: Schneider Marc H. , Tabeling Patrick , Rezgui Fadhel , Lüling Martin G. , Daynes Aurelien
Published: December 2009

Core analysis from reservoir rock plays an important role in oil and gas exploration as it can provide a large number of rock properties. Some of these rock properties can be extracted by image analysis of microscopic rock images in the visible light range. Such properties include the size, shape, and distribution of pores and grains, or more generally the texture, mineral distribution, and so on. A novel laboratory instrument and method allows for easy and reliable core imaging. This method is applicable even when the core sample is in poor shape. The capabilities of this technique can be verified by core images, image interpretation, and dynamic measurements of rock samples during flooding. A microscopic imager instrument is operated in video acquisition mode and can measure additional properties, such as fluid mobility, by detecting the emergence of injected fluids across the core sample.
Association of BRCA1 Mutations With Occult Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: A Possible Explanation for the Link Between Infertility and Breast/Ovarian Cancer Risks
Authors: Oktay Kutluk , Kim Ja Yeon , Barad David , Babayev Samir N.
Published: December 2009

Purpose

Germline mutations in BRCA genes are associated with breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. Because infertility is associated with breast and ovarian cancer risks, we hypothesized that the mutations in the BRCA gene may be associated with low response to fertility treatments.

Methods

We performed ovarian stimulation in 126 women with breast cancer by using letrozole and gonadotropins for the purpose of fertility preservation by embryo or oocyte cryopreservation. As surrogates of ovarian reserve, the oocyte yield and the incidence of low response were compared with ovarian stimulation according to BRCA mutation status.

Results

Of the 82 women who met the inclusion criteria, 47 women (57%) had undergone BRCA testing, and 14 had a mutation in BRCA genes, of which two were of clinically undetermined significance. In BRCA mutation–positive patients, low ovarian response rate was significantly higher compared with BRCA mutation–negative patients (33.3 v 3.3%; P = .014) and with BRCA-untested women (2.9%; P = .012). All BRCA mutation–positive low responders had BRCA1 mutations, but low response was not encountered in women who were only BRCA2 mutation positive. Compared with controls, BRCA1 mutation– but not BRCA2 mutation–positive women produced lower numbers of eggs (7.4 [95% CI, 3.1 to 17.7] v 12.4 [95% CI, 10.8 to 14.2]; P = .025) and had as many as 38.3 times the odds ratio of low response (95% CI, 4.1 to 353.4; P = .001).

Conclusion

BRCA1 mutations are associated with occult primary ovarian insufficiency. This finding may, at least in part, explain the link between infertility and breast/ovarian cancer risks.
Proteomics Out of the Archive: Two-dimensional Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry Using HOPE-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Tissues
Authors: Kähler Daniel , Alexander Christian , Schultz Holger , Abdullah Mahdi , Branscheid Detlev , Lindner Buko , Zabel Peter , Vollmer Ekkehard , Goldmann Torsten
Published: December 2009

Proteome analyses provide diagnostic information which can be essential for therapeutic predictions. The application of such techniques for analyzing paraffin-embedded tissue samples is widely hampered by the use of formalin fixation requiring antigen retrieval procedures in molecular pathology. In prior studies, the HEPES-glutamic acid buffer-mediated organic solvent protection effect (HOPE) technique of tissue fixation has been shown to provide a broad array of biochemical investigations with excellent preservation of morphological structures, DNA, RNA, and proteins, thus supporting the multimethod analysis of archived specimens. Here we show that HOPE fixation is also useful in proteomic investigations by allowing two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry, using lung cancer tissues. Two-dimensional gels of two-protein extraction protocols derived from HOPE-fixed material displayed characteristic spot patterns with high reproducibility. For comparison, 2DE analysis of ethanol-fixed, formalin-fixed, and frozen samples from the same tissues was performed. Western blotting confirmed immunoreactivity of 2DE-separated proteins from HOPE-fixed tissue samples. Additionally, distinct spots were excised from HOPE-derived 2D gels and successfully subjected to peptide mass fingerprinting. In conclusion, paraffin archives containing HOPE-fixed tissues are applicable to a wide spectrum of molecular investigations including common biochemical methods for proteome analyses and therefore represent a unique source for molecular investigations in the rapidly growing field of molecular pathology. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org . Please visit this article online to view these materials.
The Decline of Conceptual Articles and Implications for Knowledge Development
Authors: Yadav Manjit S.
Published: December 2009

This article presents a framework for understanding and revitalizing the important role of conceptual articles in the development of knowledge in the marketing discipline. An analysis of 30 years (1978–2007) of publishing data from major marketing journals indicates that conceptual articles are declining, despite repeated calls for more emphasis on this form of scholarship. The sharpest decline has occurred in Journal of Marketing (JM), with much of the shift occurring over the past decade. Many substantive areas remain largely unexplored in conceptual articles. Over this 30-year period, conceptual articles published in JM have disproportionately more citations relative to their numbers, attesting to the importance of their role in knowledge development. Addressing the decline of conceptual articles and restoring their synergistic balance with other forms of scholarship will require concerted efforts on several interrelated fronts: the current generation of scholars; doctoral programs and students; journals, reviewers, and review process; and promotion, tenure, and incentive systems.
The Direct and Indirect Effects of Advertising Spending on Firm Value
Authors: Joshi Amit , Hanssens Dominique M.
Published: December 2009

Marketing decision makers are increasingly aware of the importance of shareholder value maximization, which calls for an evaluation of the long-term effects of their actions on product-market response and investor response. However, the marketing literature to date has focused on the sales or profit response of marketing actions, and the goals of marketing have traditionally been formulated from a customer perspective. Recently, there have been a few studies of the long-term investor response to marketing actions. The current research investigates one important aspect of this impact, the long-term relationship between advertising spending and market capitalization. The authors hypothesize that advertising can have a direct effect on valuation (i.e., an effect beyond its indirect effect through sales revenue and profit response). The empirical results across two industries provide support for the hypothesis that advertising spending has a positive, long-term impact on own firms’ market capitalization and may have a negative impact on the valuation of a competitor of comparable size. The authors quantify the magnitude of this investor response effect for and discuss its implications for further research.
Is that Deal Worth my Time? The Interactive Effect of Relative and Referent Thinking on Willingness to Seek a Bargain
Authors: Saini Ritesh , Rao Raghunath Singh , Monga Ashwani
Published: December 2009

Prior research on relative thinking has suggested that the willingness to seek a bargain depends not only on the absolute value of the bargain but also on the price of the product. For example, a discount of $10 seems more appealing on a product whose regular price is $20 than a product whose regular price is $60. By invoking the interactive role of consumers’ reference prices, the authors delineate the specific conditions under which the same $10 discount can seem less appealing when the price is $20 than when it is $60. They present a formal model that simultaneously incorporates the effects of relative and referent thinking and yields novel predictions, which are supported in four laboratory experiments. Their results reveal that deviation from the reference price determines when relative thinking holds and when it gets reversed. Specifically, the relative-thinking effect holds when the actual price is the same as expected, it reverses when the actual price deviates from the expected price, but it emerges again when deviation from the expected price becomes extreme. The authors conclude with the theoretical and managerial implications of their findings for marketing activities, such as the allocation of sales promotion budgets.
Ending a Price Promotion: Retracting it in One Step or Phasing it out Gradually
Authors: Tsiros Michael , Hardesty David M.
Published: December 2009

Using the literature on both pricing and regret, the authors develop a conceptual model of purchase likelihood and propose a pricing tactic that appears to have marketplace potential. Sellers currently using a hi–lo pricing tactic discount a product for a limited time and then raise the price back to its original level in one step. Here, the authors investigate whether sellers should return prices to their prepromotion levels all at once or in steps. They propose that sellers should consider an alternative tactic, labeled “steadily decreasing discounting” (SDD). This alternative tactic requires that the seller offer one or more additional discounts that are less than the prior discount before returning the product to its original price. Study 1 is a laboratory experiment that tests the proposed underlying mechanisms (future price expectations and anticipated inaction regret) influencing likelihood to buy. In Study 2, an additional laboratory experiment is undertaken to provide further empirical support in favor of the SDD tactic, to address alternative explanations for the findings, and to demonstrate that there are no negative perceptions associated with using SDD. Study 3 is a field experiment that assesses the effectiveness of SDD, and Study 4 examines scanner panel data to evaluate its generalizability.
The Malleable Brand: The Role of Implicit Theories in Evaluating Brand Extensions
Authors: Yorkston Eric A. , Nunes Joseph C. , Matta Shashi
Published: December 2009

This research documents how implicit theories regarding personality traits (whether they are deemed to be fixed or malleable) affect consumer inferences about the malleability of a brand's personality traits and, thus, its ability to extend into new categories. Study 1 documents that consumers who believe that traits are malleable (incremental theorists) are more accepting of brand extensions than consumers who believe that traits are fixed (entity theorists). These results hold whether implicit theories are measured or manipulated. Study 2 reveals how implicit theories affect consumers’ perceptions regarding the flexibility of a brand's personality traits and not its physical traits. Study 3 demonstrates that consumers primed with different implicit theory orientations respond differently to varying degrees of change within a single trait. This study tests the limits of the effect and demonstrates the impact of using primes embedded within standard marketing communication.
The Effect of Agitation and Quenchant Temperature on the Heat Transfer Coefficients for 6061 Aluminum Alloy Quenched in Distilled Water
Authors: Maniruzzaman Mohammed , Fontecchio Marco , Sisson Richard D.
Published: December 2009

A 6061 aluminum alloy probe was quenched using a Center for Heat Treating Excellence probe-quenching system in distilled water while varying bath temperature and the agitation level. Time versus temperature data were collected during the quench using a thermocouple embedded inside the probe. The surface heat transfer coefficients as a function of temperature were calculated using the Newtonian cooling approximation. The maximum heat transfer coefficient values ranged from 1054 W/m2⋅K for 100°C water with no agitation to 3822 W/m2⋅K for 5°C water with the agitation of 1850 r/min. The data also showed that at higher levels of agitation and lower bath temperatures, the maximum heat transfer coefficient increased.
Stress Field Evolution in a Ball Bearing Raceway Fatigue Spall
Authors: Branch Nathan A. , Arakere Nagaraj K. , Svendsen Vaughn , Forster Nelson H.
Published: December 2009

The governing mechanisms of fatigue spall propagation in ball bearing inner raceways are investigated through the use of elastic-plastic finite element modeling, X-ray diffraction, and the visual inspection of fatigue spall cracks. The model simulates multiple ball impacts with a fatigue spall’s edge in a 208 size ball bearing operating at 10,000 rpm. Ball impacts are shown to cause severe plastic deformation within the spall edge and induce tensile residual stresses. The finite element results are supported by X-ray diffraction measurements and the locations of cracks observed around the edge of a spall.
Preterm Birth, Social Disadvantage, and Cognitive Competence in Swedish 18- to 19-Year-Old Men
Authors: Ekeus Cecilia , Lindström Karolina , Lindblad Frank , Rasmussen Finn , Hjern Anders
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the impact of a range of gestational ages (GAs) on cognitive competence in late adolescence and how this effect is modified by contextual social adversity in childhood.

METHODS: This was a register study based on a national cohort of 119664 men born in Sweden from 1973 to 1976. Data on GA and other perinatal factors were obtained from the Medical Birth Register, and information on cognitive test scores was extracted from military conscription at the ages of 18 to 19 years. Test scores were analyzed as z scores on a 9-point stanine scale, whereby each unit is equivalent to 0.5 SD. Socioeconomic indicators of the childhood household were obtained from the Population and Housing Census of 1990. The data were analyzed by multivariate linear regression.

RESULTS: The mean cognitive test scores decreased in a stepwise manner with GA. In unadjusted analysis, the test scores were 0.63 stanine unit lower in men who were born after 24 to 32 gestational weeks than in those who were born at term. The difference in global scores between the lowest and highest category of socioeconomic status was 1.57. Adjusting the analysis for the childhood socioeconomic indicators decreased the effect of GA on cognitive test scores by 26% to 33%. There was also a multiplicative interaction effect of social adversity and moderately preterm birth on cognitive test scores.

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms previous claims of an incremental association of cognitive competence with GA. Socioeconomic indicators in childhood modified this effect at all levels of preterm birth.
Timing of Parent and Child Communication About Sexuality Relative to Children's Sexual Behaviors
Authors: Beckett Megan K. , Elliott Marc N. , Martino Steven , Kanouse David E. , Corona Rosalie , Klein David J. , Schuster Mark A.
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE: To examine timing of parent–child discussions about sexual topics relative to child-reported sexual behavior.

METHODS: Longitudinal study of employed parents and their children, with an initial survey followed by subsequent surveys 3, 6, and 12 months later. Participants were 141 parents, along with their children (13–17 years), who were control participants in a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate a worksite-based intervention to improve parent–adolescent communication. Main outcomes were parent and child reports of discussion of up to 24 sexual topics and presexual and sexual acts (ranging from handholding to vaginal intercourse) that occurred before the first survey and in the intervals between subsequent pairs of surveys.

RESULTS: Sexual topics tend to group into 3 sets. The first set includes topics such as girls' bodies and menstruation and typically coincides with children's presexual stage (handholding, kissing). The second set includes topics such as birth control efficacy and refusing sex and typically coincides with the precoital stage (genital touching and oral sex). The third set typically occurs when children have initiated intercourse. Over half of children engage in genital touching before discussing birth control efficacy, resisting partner pressure for sex, sexually transmitted disease symptoms, condom use, choosing birth control, or partner condom refusal; >40% of children have intercourse before any discussion about sexually transmitted disease symptoms, condom use, choosing birth control, or partner condom refusal.

CONCLUSIONS: Many parents and adolescents do not talk about important sexual topics before adolescents' sexual debut. Clinicians can facilitate this communication by providing parents with information about sexual behavior of adolescents.
Food Allergy Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Primary Care Physicians
Authors: Gupta Ruchi S. , Springston Elizabeth E. , Kim Jennifer S. , Smith Bridget , Pongracic Jacqueline A. , Wang Xiaobin , Holl Jane
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE: To provide insight into food allergy knowledge and perceptions among pediatricians and family physicians in the United States.

METHODS: A national sample of pediatricians and family physicians was recruited between April and July 2008 to complete the validated, Web-based Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey for Primary Care Physicians. Findings were analyzed to provide composite/itemized knowledge scores, describe attitudes and beliefs, and examine the effects of participant characteristics on response.

RESULTS: The sample included 407 primary care physicians; 99% of the respondents reported providing care for food-allergic patients. Participants answered 61% of knowledge-based items correctly. Strengths and weaknesses were identified in each content domain evaluated by the survey. For example, 80% of physicians surveyed knew that the flu vaccine is unsafe for egg-allergic children, 90% recognized that the number of food-allergic children is increasing in the United States, and 80% were aware that there is no cure for food allergy. However, only 24% knew that oral food challenges may be used in the diagnosis of food allergy, 12% correctly rejected that chronic nasal problems are not symptom of food allergy, and 23% recognized that yogurts/cheeses from milk are unsafe for children with immunoglobulin E–mediated milk allergies. Fewer than 30% of the participants felt comfortable interpreting laboratory tests to diagnose food allergy or felt adequately prepared by their medical training to care for food-allergic children.

CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of food allergy among primary care physicians was fair. Opportunities for improvement exist, as acknowledged by participants' own perceptions of their clinical abilities in the management of food allergy.
Children on the Homefront: The Experience of Children From Military Families
Authors: Chandra Anita , Lara-Cinisomo Sandraluz , Jaycox Lisa H. , Tanielian Terri , Burns Rachel M. , Ruder Teague , Han Bing
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE: Although studies have begun to explore the impact of the current wars on child well-being, none have examined how children are doing across social, emotional, and academic domains. In this study, we describe the health and well-being of children from military families from the perspectives of the child and nondeployed parent. We also assessed the experience of deployment for children and how it varies according to deployment length and military service component.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS. Data from a computer-assisted telephone interview with military children, aged 11 to 17 years, and nondeployed caregivers (n = 1507) were used to assess child well-being and difficulties with deployment. Multivariate regression analyses assessed the association between family characteristics, deployment histories, and child outcomes.

RESULTS: After controlling for family and service-member characteristics, children in this study had more emotional difficulties compared with national samples. Older youth and girls of all ages reported significantly more school-, family-, and peer-related difficulties with parental deployment (P < .01). Length of parental deployment and poorer nondeployed caregiver mental health were significantly associated with a greater number of challenges for children both during deployment and deployed-parent reintegration (P < .01). Family characteristics (eg, living in rented housing) were also associated with difficulties with deployment.

CONCLUSIONS: Families that experienced more total months of parental deployment may benefit from targeted support to deal with stressors that emerge over time. Also, families in which caregivers experience poorer mental health may benefit from programs that support the caregiver and child.