bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental disturbance confounds prenatal glucocorticoid programming experiments in Wistar rats
Authors: O'regan D , Kenyon C J , Seckl J R , Holmes M C
Published: January 2010

Low birth weight in humans is predictive of hypertension in adult life, and while the mechanisms underlying this link remain unknown, fetal overexposure to glucocorticoids has been implicated. We have previously shown that prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) exposure in the rat lowers birth weight and programmes adult hypertension. This current study aimed to unravel the molecular nature of this hypertension. However, unknowingly, post hoc investigations revealed that our animals had been subjected to environmental noise stresses from an adjacent construction site, which were sufficient to confound our prenatal DEX-programming experiments. This perinatal stress successfully established low birth weight, hypercorticosteronaemia, insulin resistance, hypertension and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction in vehicle (VEH)-treated offspring, such that the typical distinctions between both treatment groups were ameliorated. The lack of an additional effect on DEX-treated offspring is suggestive of a maximal effect of perinatal stress and glucocorticoids, serving to prevent against the potentially detrimental effects of sustained glucocorticoid hyper-exposure. Finally, this paper serves to inform researchers of the potential detrimental effects of neighbouring construction sites to their experiments.
A less stressful animal model: A conditioned avoidance behaviour task for guineapigs
Authors: Agterberg Martijn J H , Van Den Broek Marloes , Philippens Ingrid H C H M
Published: January 2010

In the conventional shuttle box, animals are trained to avoid electric foot-shocks. As a consequence of these stress-inducing foot-shocks the animals become anxious and are difficult to train. The aim of the present study was to avoid the stress-inducing foot-shocks and to develop a fast and reliable conditioned avoidance behaviour task for guineapigs. We examined whether narrowband noises at four different sound levels above hearing threshold could be used as conditioned stimulus (CS). The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) was a stream of air, which was used instead of the conventionally used electric foot-shocks. The animals were initially trained with a CS of 78 dB sound pressure level (SPL). In this initial training, guineapigs learned to detect a narrowband noise of 78 dB SPL. Interestingly, during the first additional training session in which three other sound levels were applied, guineapigs did not immediately generalize the learned response at 78 dB SPL to lower sound levels of 58 and 68 dB SPL. However, in this session a noise level of 88 dB SPL led immediately to a high level of responses. The response latency decreased with increasing sound level, from ~7 s at 58 dB SPL to ~3 s at 88 dB SPL. The escape latency during the UCS was ~0.6 s. The present results demonstrate that after reducing the level of stress guineapigs can acquire a response in only a few sessions and furthermore, although the guineapigs were less anxious, training at sound levels of 78 and 88 dB SPL was influenced by an aversive reaction by the guineapig. The results indicate that this aversive reaction of the guineapig is crucial for the training.
A Hybrid Bonding System for Improving the Structural Performance of FRP Flexurally Strengthened Concrete Beams
Authors: Dai Jian-Guo , Yokota Hiroshi , Ueda Tamon
Published: January 2010

In this paper results of an experimental test are presented in which eighteen notched concrete beams strengthened with carbon fiber (CF) sheets in flexure are subjected to four-point bending. The objective of the test is to seek improved bonding configurations for FRP to concrete interfaces, through which optimal flexural strengthening performance can be achieved. Two types of sheet geometries (conventional CF sheet and new CF strand sheet) and three types of adhesive bonding systems (stiff adhesive bonding, ductile adhesive bonding, and the hybrid adhesive bonding are applied in the test. Through combining the sheet geometry and adhesive bonding) system in different ways, five bonding configurations are formed as follows for comparisons: (1) conventional CF sheet + stiff adhesive bonding; (2) conventional CF sheet + ductile adhesive bonding; (3) CF strand sheet + stiff adhesive bonding; (4) CF strand sheet + ductile adhesive bonding; and (5) conventional CF sheet + hybrid adhesive bonding. Efficiencies of these bonding configurations are evaluated in terms of the serviceability limit state (SLS) and ultimate limit state (ULS) performance of strengthened beams. It is found that the new type of CF strand sheet is superior to the conventional CF sheet. In addition, the hybrid use of two types of adhesives has advantages over a single use of stiff or ductile adhesive bonding system when there is a necessity to optimize simultaneously the SLS and ULS performance.
Behaviour of Handmade FRP Anchors under Tensile Load in Uncracked Concrete
Authors: Kim S.J. , Smith S.T.
Published: January 2010

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) anchors made from rolled or bundled fibres, which are known as FRP anchors amongst other names, are an emerging form of anchorage for application to externally bonded FRP strengthening systems. Little is however known of the fundamental behaviour of these anchors. This paper in turn reports the results of experiments on FRP anchors under pure tension (pullout) loading. A detailed description of the anchor construction procedure is firstly presented followed by anchor tensile strength test results. Pullout test results of FRP anchors embedded into uncracked concrete blocks are then reported with particular attention focused on the failure mechanisms, failure loads, bond strength and load-displacement and load-strain responses for varying anchor hole diameter, embedment depth and anchor fibre content. Finally, a large test data base is assembled from the results of the present study as well as two other studies found in the open literature. Relationships between the pullout load to the anchor diameter, embedment depth and concrete strength are identified while the effects of different methods of anchor construction are also discussed.
FRP Debonding from Concrete Beams under Various Load Uniformities
Authors: Pan Jinlong , Chung Trevor C.F. , Leung Christopher K.Y.
Published: January 2010

In recent years, the bonding of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been accepted as an effective and efficient method for strengthening and retrofitting concrete structures. A lot of research efforts have focused on the flexural strengthening of concrete beams with FRP plates. However, in most investigations, experimental testing was limited to simply supported beams under three-point or four-point bending, which may not represent the real conditions of the strengthened members. In this investigation, to study the failure of the FRP strengthened beams under practical situations, a special waffle tree system is designed to test the beam specimens under quasi-distributed loading conditions. According to the test results, for beams bonded with thin FRP plate, enhancing load uniformity can significantly increase the moment capacity without changing the failure mode. However, for beams with thick FRP plate, there will be a change of failure mode from crack-induced debonding to concrete cover separation and a corresponding reduction in the moment capacity. The transition of the failure mode indicates that the load uniformity plays an important role in determining the failure behavior of the strengthened beams. For both crack induced debonding and plate end failure (concrete cover separation), several existing analytical models have been employed to calculate the ultimate debonding moment and compared with the test results. The results show that most existing models are not able to properly predict the failure behavior of the strengthened concrete beams under different levels of load uniformity.
Epirubicin, Cisplatin, and Fluorouracil (ECF) Regimen
Authors: Solimando Dominic A. , Waddell J. Aubrey
Published: January 2010

The complexity of cancer chemotherapy requires pharmacists be familiar with the complicated regimens and highly toxic agents used. This column reviews various issues related to preparing, dispensing, and administering antineoplastic therapy and to the agents, commercially available and investigational, used to treat malignant diseases.
Octreotide: Dumping Syndrome
Authors: Gilchrist Brad
Published: January 2010

This Hospital Pharmacy feature is extracted from Off-Label Drug Facts, a quarterly publication available from Wolters Kluwer Health. Off-Label Drug Facts is a practitioner-oriented resource for information about specific drug uses that are unapproved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This new guide to the literature enables the health care professional or clinician to quickly identify published studies on off-label uses and determine if a specific use is rational in a patient care scenario. A summary of the most relevant data is provided, including background, study design, patient population, dosage information, therapy duration, results, safety, and therapeutic considerations. References direct the reader to the full literature for more comprehensive information before patient care decisions are made. Direct questions or comments regarding Off-Label Drug Uses to hospital pharmacy@drugfacts.com .
Gabapentin: Cholestatic Pruritis
Authors: Generali Joyce A. , Cada Dennis J.
Published: January 2010

This Hospital Pharmacy feature is extracted from Off-Label Drug Facts, a quarterly publication available from Wolters Kluwer Health. Off-Label Drug Facts is a practitioner-oriented resource for information about specific drug uses that are unapproved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This new guide to the literature enables the health care professional or clinician to quickly identify published studies on off-label uses and determine if a specific use is rational in a patient care scenario. A summary of the most relevant data is provided, including background, study design, patient population, dosage information, therapy duration, results, safety, and therapeutic considerations. References direct the reader to the full literature for more comprehensive information before patient care decisions are made. Direct questions or comments regarding Off-Label Drug Uses to hospital pharmacy@drugfacts.com .
Inter-Rater Reliability in the Evaluation of a Thrombosis Risk Assessment Tool
Authors: Nygaard Angela , Nelson Anne Stoysich , Pick Amy , Danekas Paula L. , Massoomi Fred , Thielen Jackie , Ryschon Kay M.
Published: January 2010

Introduction

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a health concern that is common among hospitalized patients. There are more than 200,000 new VTE events that occur annually. The majority of VTE cases are asymptomatic, and 70% to 80% of fatal pulmonary embolisms (PE) in the hospital are not predictable. The ENDORSE study evaluated more than 35,000 patients and reported that only 58% of surgical and 39% of medical patients at risk for VTE received American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) recommended VTE prophylaxis. 1 Nebraska Methodist Hospital evaluated and revised the thrombosis risk assessment tool published by Motykie et al 3 for use with the institution's medical and surgical patients.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of the thrombosis risk assessment tool. Secondary end points were to determine if patients were treated with the appropriate therapy based on their total risk score, to assess if therapy was appropriately adjusted after pharmacist intervention, and to determine the incidence of VTE.

Methods

Three evaluators completed a thrombosis risk assessment of 100 patients chosen randomly upon hospital admission during a 1-month period. Pearson's correlation coefficients were determined to assess reliability. Patient medication profiles were evaluated for the proper prophylaxis regimen and interventions were made as needed. Quality control provided data on the incidence of thromboembolic events.

Results

The thrombosis risk assessment tool was shown to have good clinical reliability. Seventy percent of patients were treated appropriately. Interventions were generally accepted after pharmacist intervention unless patients were soon to be discharged. The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in surgical and medical patients and pulmonary embolism in surgical patients was decreased after implementation of the thrombosis risk assessment tool. However, the impact of the thrombosis risk assessment tool on the incidence of pulmonary embolism in the medical patients could not be determined.
Industry Relationships and the Pharmacy Director: Striking the Right Balance
Authors: Mulvanity Meredith , Weber Robert J.
Published: January 2010

The Director's Forum series is written and edited by Michael Sanborn and Robert Weber and is designed for guiding pharmacy leaders in establishing patient-centered services in hospitals and health systems. Another specific goal of this column is addressing many of the key challenges that pharmacy directors currently face, while also providing information that will foster growth in pharmacy leadership and patient safety. Recent public highlight of inappropriate relationships between health care professionals and the industry requires that the pharmacy director actively promote an environment of unbiased practice. The article features ways the pharmacy director can further recognize and react to potential workplace conflicts of interest.
Recent Publications on Medications and Pharmacy
Authors: Sterling Jacyntha A.
Published: January 2010

Hospital Pharmacy presents this feature to keep pharmacists abreast of new publications in the medical/pharmacy literature. Articles of interest regarding a broad scope of topics are abstracted monthly.
Fidaxomicin: A Macrocyclic Antibiotic for the Management of Clostridium difficile Infection
Authors: Sullivan Karyn M , Spooner Linda M
Published: January 2010

Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fidaxomicin for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection.

Data Sources:

Literature retrieval was accessed through MEDLINE (1966–January 2010) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970–January 2010) using the terms OPT-80, difimicin, PAR-101, fidaxomicin, tiacumicin, lipiarmycin, and Clostridium difficile. In addition, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

All articles published in English that were identified from the data sources were evaluated and pertinent information was included.

Data Synthesis:

Fidaxomicin is an 18-membered macrocyclic antibiotic with activity against gram-positive aerobes and anaerobes, including C. difficile. Microbiologic studies comparing in vitro activity of fidaxomicin with that of metronidazole and vancomycin have shown good activity against all strains of C. difficile tested; however, minimum inhibitory concentrations were consistently lower for fidaxomicin. Studies showed that fidaxomicin lacks activity against gram-negative pathogens, thereby preserving normal gastrointestinal flora. Small pharmacokinetic trials have shown that fidaxomicin administration leads to low concentrations in plasma, high concentrations in stool, and a postantibiotic effect of greater than 24 hours, all of which are potentially advantageous characteristics for treating C. difficile infection. Data from 2 Phase 2A trials and 1 Phase 3 (multicenter, randomized, double-blind) trial suggest that fidaxomicin is effective for the treatment of mild-to-moderate C. difficile infection at a dose of 200 mg orally every 12 hours. Limited early results from the Phase 3 trial showed favorable outcomes for fidaxomicin when compared to oral vancomycin. Overall, fidaxomicin has been well tolerated to date.

Conclusions:

The activity of fidaxomicin and limited clinical data suggest that it may have a future role in the treatment of mild-to-moderate C. difficile infection. The complete pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile, safety, and place in therapy have yet to be determined as trials comparing this agent to vancomycin are forthcoming.
Removal of Fe From Kaolin by Chemical Leaching and Bioleaching
Authors: Arslan Volkan , Bayat Oktay
Published: January 2010

The use of microorganisms to remove Fe (oxyhydr)oxides from kaolins has the potential to be an effective method for upgrading the whiteness and brightness, and therefore the commercial value, of the kaolin. The purpose of the present study was to compare kaolin products obtained by currently used chemical leaching methods with a bioleaching treatment using Aspergillus niger in order to remove Fe from kaolin (from Canakkale, Turkey). The effects of pulp density, temperature, and oxalic acid concentration on the chemical leaching experiments were investigated using the ANOVA-Yates test. The greatest degree of removal of Fe from the kaolin sample (at 15% w/v pulp density, temperature of 80°C, oxalic acid concentration of 0.2 M, and a particle size of <63 µm) was found to be 94.89% in 120 min of leaching. The Fe content decreased from 1.723%) Fe2O3 to 0.088% Fe2O3. In a shake flask, bioleaching of kaolin by Aspergillus niger resulted in removal of 77.13% of the total Fe, suggesting that this strain is effective at removing Fe impurities from kaolin. The removal efficiency generally decreased with increased pulp density. The Fe content of the kaolin decreased from 1.723% Fe2O3 to 0.394% Fe2O3 (at 1% w/v pulp density, temperature of 25°C, Aspergillus niger 3 × 107 spores, and particle size of <63 µm) after 21 days of bioleaching.
Carbonate-Induced Structural Perturbation of Al Hydroxides
Authors: Zhang G. Y. , Hu Y. F. , Xu R. K. , Dynes J. J. , Blyth R. I. R. , Kozak L. M. , Huang P. M.
Published: January 2010

The chemistry of Al transformation has been well documented, though little is known about the mechanisms of structural perturbation of Al precipitates by carbonates at a molecular level. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the structural perturbation of Al precipitates formed under the influence of carbonates. Initial carbonate/Al molar ratios (MRs) used were 0, 0.1, and 0.5 after aging for 32 days, then the samples were analyzed by X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR), and chemical analysis. The XRD data were in accord with the FTIR results, which revealed that as the carbonate/Al MR was increased from 0 to 0.1, carbonate preferentially retarded the formation of gibbsite and had relatively little effect on the formation of bayerite. As the carbonate/Al MR was increased to 0.5, however, the crystallization of both gibbsite and bayerite was completely inhibited. The impact of carbonate on the nature of Al precipitates was also evident in the increase of adsorbed water and inorganic C contents with increasing carbonate/Al MR. The Al K- and L- edge XANES data provide the first evidence illustrating the change in the coordination number of Al from 6-fold to mixed 6- and 4-fold coordination in the structural network of short-range ordered (SRO) Al precipitates formed under the increasing perturbation of carbonate. The fluorescence yield spectra of the O K-edge show that the intensity of the peak at 534.5 eV assigned to σ* transitions of Al-O and O-H bonding decreased with increasing carbonate/Al MR. The XANES data, along with the evidence from XRD, FTIR, and chemical analysis showed clearly that carbonate caused the alteration of the coordination nature of the Al-O bonding through perturbation of the atomic bonding and structural configuration of Al hydroxides by complexation with Al in the SRO network of Al precipitates. The surface reactivity of an Al-O bond is related to its covalency and coordination geometry. The present findings were, therefore, of fundamental significance in understanding the low-temperature geochemistry of Al and its impacts on the transformation, transport, and fate of nutrients and pollutants in the ecosystem.
Removal of a Binary Dye Mixture of Congo Red and Malachite Green From Aqueous Solutions Using a Bentonite Adsorbent
Authors: Özdemir Abdil , Keskin Can Serkan
Published: January 2010

An important application of clay is as a solid adsorbent for industrial dyes. The aim of the present work was to carry out an experimental—theoretical study of the adsorption of dye mixtures, namely malachite green (MG) and Congo red (CR), by bentonite. Adsorption studies were conducted after evaluation of the impact of several parameters, including pH, adsorbate dose, and contact time, on the removal of MG and CR. The pH of the dye solution is strongly affected by the chemistry of both the dye molecules and of the adsorbent in an aqueous solution. Where both dye molecules exist in solution, the optimum pH was found to be 8.2 in order to achieve the maximum adsorption of both MG and CR. Preliminary studies showed that 60 min of contact time is sufficient to reach adsorption equilibrium. The adsorption studies were carried out using 1.0 g samples of bentonite. The amount of dye adsorbed was found by application of classical least squares to the synthetic dye mixtures. Data from equilibrium adsorption on bentonite were analyzed by Freundlich, Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, and Temkin isotherm equations using regression analysis for non-linear forms of those equations. For binary-mixture analysis, isotherm parameters were determined from single-component adsorption studies and the theoretical amount of dye adsorbed was calculated using an extended Langmuir isotherm. Non-linear error analysis showed that the Temkin and Redlich-Peterson isotherms gave the best fits to the equilibrium data for adsorptive removal of MG and CR by bentonite.
Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Alteration of Trachybasalt at Conical Seamount, Papua New Guinea: Formation of Smectite and Metastable Precursor Phases
Authors: Giorgetti Giovanna , Monecke Thomas , Kleeberg Reinhard , Hannington Mark D.
Published: January 2010

The conversion of volcanic glass to secondary alteration products is one of the most common mineralogical transformations during low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of submarine basalts. To better understand the mechanism and kinetics of this transformation, porphyritic and formerly glassy trachybasalt, recovered from Conical Seamount, Papua New Guinea, was studied in detail. Low-temperature interaction of trachybasalt with hydrothermal fluids at this submerged volcano occurred in response to the formation of submarine epithermal-style gold mineralization. Alteration of the coherent volcanic rocks is heterogeneous with pronounced differences in alteration intensity occurring between igneous minerals and the surrounding glassy groundmass. In comparison to the volcanic glass, the crystalline phases were less prone to hydrothermal alteration with the alteration susceptibility decreasing from clinopyroxene through biotite to feldspar. Low-temperature alteration of clinopyroxene resulted in the formation of abundant saponite-like smectite with no topotactic relationship being observed between the two phases. In contrast, the conversion of biotite to smectite involved structural inheritance as the orientation of common structural blocks was maintained during alteration. Transmission and analytical electron microscopy revealed that pervasive alteration of interstitial glass in the groundmass of the trachybasalt resulted in the formation of montmorillonite- and saponite-like smectite whereby smectite composition is strongly influenced by the glass chemistry. The occurrence of poorly crystalline domains with a 0.3 to 0.4 nm layer spacing in the altered interstitial glass suggests that the transformation of glass to smectite involved the formation of a transitional alteration product. Comparison with the results of previous studies highlights the fact that the glass-to-smectite transformation can proceed through more than one reaction pathway. Reaction style and reaction progress are controlled by kinetic factors such as the mode of fluid transport triggering alteration in the low-temperature hydrothermal environment. Alteration of the trachybasalt at Conical Seamount is inferred to have taken place at a comparably low fluid-rock ratio as the low permeability and the absence of primary fractures and joints restricted fluid circulation through the coherent volcanic rocks.
Crystal-Chemical Changes of Mixed-Layer Kaolinite-Smectite with Progressive Kaolinization, as Investigated by TEM-AEM and HRTEM
Authors: Cuadros Javier , Nieto Fernando , Wing-Dudek Teresa
Published: January 2010

The mechanism for the kaolinization of smectite is extremely complex. The purpose of this study was to explore this mechanism by providing more microscopic information about kaolinite-smectite (K-S) intermediate phases. Crystal-chemical changes were investigated and integrated in a model of the transformation mechanism. Eight K-S samples from three localities, derived from volcanic ash beds, were studied using transmission and analytical electron microscopy (TEM, AEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). The study completes a previous investigation, using several analytical techniques. The samples cover the range of K-S composition available from the previously studied sample set. Analysis by TEM indicated the preservation of particle morphology throughout the process. Most K-S particles had anhedral, smectite-like morphology, and only the most kaolinitic specimen revealed the coexistence of anhedral and euhedral, hexagonal particles. Analytical electron microscopy showed large chemical variations within samples, corresponding to various degrees of smectite kaolinization. Comparison of chemical results (Si/Al) and d060 values (proxy for octahedral composition) with the extent of kaolinization from thermogravimetry (TG) indicates that chemical changes in the octahedral sheet occur mainly when the proportion of kaolinite is 40–70%. The results above are consistent with kaolinization occurring via layer-by-layer transformation through the progressive loss of individual tetrahedral sheets in smectite layers and subsequent chemical changes in the octahedral sheet. Such a mechanism would produce the results observed in this study: (1) most particles preserve their original morphology; (2) significant variation in terms of the extent of transformation of particles within samples, and (3) formation of crystal structures intermediate between those of smectite and kaolinite, with parts of the tetrahedral sheets missing (kaolinite-like patches). Such structures become least stable at kaolinite ∼50%, when the perimeter of the kaolinite-like patches is largest and chemical changes in the octahedral sheet can occur more easily. Kaolinite layers could not be resolved by HRTEM in most cases and showed lattice fringes corresponding to superstructures. A model was established to quantify kaolinite and smectite layers in the HRTEM images with results which matched TG-derived values.
Rapid Dehydroxylation of Nickeliferous Goethite in Lateritic Nickel Ore: X-Ray Diffraction and TEM Investigation
Authors: Landers Matthew , Gilkes Robert J. , Wells Martin A.
Published: January 2010

A method for extracting Ni and other metals from lateritic ores by means of shock heating has been investigated. Shock heating releases some of the metal from its goethitic host. Even though the transformation of pure goethite to hematite is known to occur via intermediate hydroxylated phases, the effect of other metals such as Ni substituting for Fe in goethites on this thermal transformation to hematite is unknown. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap, with the hope that the results will lead to more energy-efficient extraction methods and/or a better understanding of Fe geochemistry in thermally activated soils. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy with EDS, and thermal analysis were used to investigate mineralogical changes in nickeliferous goethites from five oxide-type lateritic nickel ore deposits that had been subjected to shock heating at temperatures in the range 220–800°C. Acicular, nano-sized goethite was the main constituent of the samples with minor to trace amounts of quartz, talc, kaolinite, chromite, maghemite, and Mn oxides. Goethite was partially dehydroxylated to OH-hematite at 340–400°C and had completely altered to well ordered hematite at 800°C. The OH-hematite was characterized by broad XRD peaks for reflections associated with the Fe sublattice. The goethite unit-cell a and b lengths remained almost constant with increasing preheating temperature up to 300°C, while the size of the c axis dimension contracted. The neoformed hematite crystals were larger than the precursor goethite crystals due to development, by sintering and surface diffusion, of regularly ordered hematite domains. The increase (1.5–2.6 fold) in surface area with increasing heating temperature (up to 340–400°C) reflected the development of slit-shaped micropores (∼300°C), which further developed into elliptically shaped micropores (∼400°C) in OH-hematite. With increased heating temperature, well ordered hematite formed with only a few micropores remaining. Such results may contribute to the development of more efficient procedures for extracting Ni from lateritic nickel ores, as the rate of dissolution of goethite in acid in ‘heap and pressure’ leach facilities will be enhanced by the increases in surface area and microporosity. The results may also provide valuable information on the probable effects of natural heating on pedogenic Fe oxides.
Kaolinite Intercalation Precursors
Authors: Li Yanfeng , Sun Dewen , Pan Xiaobing , Zhang Bo
Published: January 2010

The preparation and characterization of intercalated kaolinite is important for industries such as those using nanocomposites, but the number of compounds that can be intercalated into these clay minerals is rather limited. The purpose of this study was to expand the range of possible intercalants by developing intercalation precursors using both single and multiple (co-intercalation) precursor agents. Characterization of the resulting precursors was by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results show that the most successful single intercalation agent was DMSO and, among the co-intercalation agents, the DMSO/CH3OH system was the best. The preparation and characterization of kao-DMSO-KAc showed that the displacement reaction is the most efficient way to expand the interlayer spacing of kaolinite. At the same time, the lateral-bilayer arrangement of the Ac− in the interlayers was proven by study of de-intercalation of kao-KAc under high temperature.
Peer tutoring in reading: The effects of role and organization on two dimensions of self‐esteem
Authors: Miller David. , Topping Keith. , Thurston Allen.
Published: January 2010

Background

Paired reading (PR) is an application of peer tutoring. It has been extensively researched, and its efficacy across a range of outcomes has been established. Benefits include improvements in key reading skills, and also in affective aspects of learning. Several studies have shown gains in self‐esteem, although measurement methods have varied, and the model of self‐esteem has rarely been clearly articulated.

Aims

To investigate the changes in self‐esteem of children participating in a randomized trial of PR over a 15‐week treatment period. To investigate the relative contribution of self‐worth and self‐competence to any gains in self‐esteem. To investigate whether the pattern of change differs in children who take on different roles in the PR process.

Participants

The participants comprised a subset of a large‐scale randomized trial of peer learning (The Fife Peer Learning Project). Four schools were randomly selected from schools allocated to the same‐age PR condition, and four schools from those allocated to the cross‐age PR condition. The same‐age group consisted of 87 primary 6 children (10–11 years old). The cross‐age group consisted of 81 primary 6 children. The controls, from schools randomly selected from a neighbouring authority, consisted of 92 primary 6 children.

Method

A pre–post design employing self‐report measures of self‐esteem. Rosenberg's Self‐Esteem Scale was used, with scores analysed for worth and competence. The treatment period was 15 weeks, with the participants following a prescribed PR process.

Results

Significant pre–post gains were noted in self‐esteem, driven predominantly by improved beliefs about competence, in both same‐age and cross‐age conditions, but not for controls. Gains were also seen in self‐worth in the cross‐age condition. Further analyses of the influence of organizational condition (same‐age or cross‐age) and role played (tutor vs. tutee) showed significant differences between same‐age tutors and cross‐age tutors in relation to self‐worth. Effect sizes were generally small or moderate.

Conclusions

The findings provide further support for the belief that PR can enhance self‐esteem. Importantly, the use of a two‐dimensional model provides extra information about self‐perceptions in PR contexts: first, the central role of self‐competence; and second, the gains in self‐worth which are associated with tutoring younger children (but not same‐age peers). This new information has educational significance for schools considering the potential of peer tutoring and the benefits of different organizational conditions.
Letting go or holding on? Parents' perceptions of their relationships with their children during emerging adulthood
Authors: Kloep Marion. , Hendry Leo B.
Published: January 2010

This qualitative interview study explored and examined the transitions surrounding emerging adulthood within the family from the parents' perspective. Interviews conducted with a purposive sample of parents (N = 59) revealed the perceived difficulties parents have in ‘letting go’ of their grown‐up children, and in acknowledging their developing autonomy; and demonstrated a range of perceived parental strategies in response to young people's growing independence. The significance of these intertwined elements of perceived dependency, emotional tensions, and interactive behaviours for relationships in the family, and the implications for ‘emerging adulthood’, was discussed.
Patient-or Physician-Oriented Marketing: What Drives Primary Demand for Prescription Drugs?
Authors: Fischer Marc , Albers Sönke
Published: January 2010

The authors analyze primary demand effects of marketing efforts directed at the physician (detailing and professional journal advertising) versus marketing efforts directed at the patient (direct-to-consumer advertising). The analysis covers 86 categories, or approximately 85% of the U.S. pharmaceutical market, during the 2001–2005 period. Primary demand effects are rather small, in contrast with the estimated sales effects for individual brands. By using a new brand-level method to estimate primary demand effects with aggregate data, the authors show that the small effects are due to intense competitive interactions during the observation period but not necessarily to low primary demand responsiveness. In contrast with previous studies, the authors also find that detailing is more effective in driving primary demand than direct-to-consumer advertising. A category sales model cannot provide such insights. In addition, a category sales model likely produces biased predictions about period-by-period changes in primary demand. The suggested brand-level method does not suffer from these limitations.
Insincere Flattery Actually Works: A Dual Attitudes Perspective
Authors: Chan Elaine , Sengupta Jaideep
Published: January 2010

This research uses a dual attitudes perspective to offer new insights into flattery and its consequences. The authors show that even when flattery by marketing agents is accompanied by an obvious ulterior motive that leads targets to discount the proffered compliments, the initial favorable reaction (the implicit attitude) continues to coexist with the discounted evaluation (the explicit attitude). Furthermore, the implicit attitude has more influential consequences than the explicit attitude, highlighting the possible subtle impact of flattery even when a person has consciously corrected for it. The authors also clarify the underlying process by showing how and why the discrepancy between the implicit and explicit attitudes induced by flattery may be reduced. Collectively, the findings from this investigation provide implications for both flattery research and the dual attitudes literature.
Effects of Indirectly and Directly Competing Reference Group Messages and Persuasion Knowledge: Implications for Educational Placements
Authors: Pechmann Cornelia , Wang Liangyan
Published: January 2010

Educational placements increasingly appear to replace public service announcements as a means of communication, but their efficacy seems questionable because they contain mixed messages. Two experiments, conducted with 2850 adolescents, test versions of a real television program with an antismoking educational placement against a control program. Typical antismoking programs contain three indirectly competing messages: Smokers are attractive and prevalent but also worthy of disapproval. Experiment 1 tests several program versions with these three messages and reveals that the disapproval message dominates and elicits negative smoker thoughts and beliefs, despite the otherwise potent smoker attractiveness message. Experiment 2 indicates corresponding effects for intent but shows that adding a directly competitive smoker approval message nullifies this effect. Furthermore, Experiment 2 tests an educational epilogue designed to reinforce the disapproval message, but this message instead induces boomerang effects among smokers. That is, among smokers, an educational placement is counterattitudinal, so when the epilogue discloses the placement and evokes persuasion knowledge, smokers generate more positive smoker beliefs and intentions. These findings contribute to research regarding competing referent messages, disclosures, and persuasion knowledge.
Reducing Social Desirability Bias through Item Randomized Response: An Application to Measure Underreported Desires
Authors: De Jong Martijn G. , Pieters Rik , Fox Jean-Paul
Published: January 2010

The authors present a polytomous item randomized response model to measure socially sensitive consumer behavior. It complements established methods in marketing to correct for social desirability bias a posteriori and traditional randomized response models to prevent social desirability bias a priori. The model allows for individual-level inferences at the construct level while protecting the privacy of respondents at the item level. In addition, it is possible to incorporate covariates in to various parts of the model. The proposed method is especially useful to study social issues in marketing. In the empirical application, the authors use a two-group experimental survey design and find that with the new procedure, participants report their sensitive desires more truthfully, with significant differences between socioeconomic groups. In addition, the method performs better than methods based on social desirability scales. Finally, the authors discuss truthfulness in data collection and confidentiality in data utilization.
Product Variety, Informative Advertising, and Price Competition
Authors: Amaldoss Wilfred , He Chuan
Published: January 2010

In many product categories, consumer tastes are diverse, and firms use finely targeted advertising to inform consumers about their products. This article proposes a model of informative advertising that allows for diverse consumer tastes and multiple competing firms. Using this framework, the authors analyze how diversity in consumers’ tastes, informative advertising, and improvements in advertising technology may influence prices. First, informative advertising can lead to lower prices if consumer valuations are high. However, if consumer valuations are low, informative advertising can lead to higher prices. Second, when consumer valuations are high, price increases with greater diversity in tastes, though this result reverses if consumer valuations are low. Third, improvements in advertising technology lead to higher levels of advertising when consumer valuation is high, but the opposite effect can occur when consumer valuation is low. The authors relate these theoretical findings to previous empirical literature on advertising.
Identifying Response Styles: A Latent-Class Bilinear Multinomial Logit Model
Authors: Van Rosmalen Joost , Van Herk Hester , Groenen Patrick J.F.
Published: January 2010

Respondents can vary strongly in the way they use rating scales. Specifically, respondents can exhibit a variety of response styles, which threatens the validity of the responses. The purpose of this article is to investigate how response style and content of the items affect rating scale responses. The authors develop a novel model that accounts for different types of response styles, content of items, and background characteristics of respondents. By imposing a bilinear parameter structure on a multinomial logit model, the authors graphically distinguish the effects on the response behavior of the characteristics of a respondent and the content of an item. The authors combine this approach with finite mixture modeling, yielding two segmentations of the respondents: one for response style and one for item content. They apply this latent-class bilinear multinomial logit model to the well-known List of Values in a cross-national context. The results show large differences in the opinions and the response styles of respondents and reveal previously unknown response styles. Some response styles appear to be valid communication styles, whereas other response styles often concur with inconsistent opinions of the items and seem to be response bias.
The Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Consumer Spending Growth
Authors: Fornell Claes , Rust Roland T. , Dekimpe Marnik G.
Published: January 2010

Predicting aggregate consumer spending is vitally important to marketing planning, yet traditional economic theory holds that predicting changes in aggregate consumer spending is not possible. Previous attempts to predict consumer spending growth using standard macroeconomic predictor variables have met with little success. The authors show that the lagged change in customer satisfaction, which contributes to future demand, has a significant impact on spending growth. However, this impact is moderated by increases in consumers’ debt service ratio, a key budget constraint that affects consumers’ ability to spend. Using an asymmetric growth model, more than 23% of the variation in the one-quarter-ahead spending growth is explained, which represents a notable improvement over prior specifications.
The Impact of Product Line Extensions and Consumer Goalson the Formation of Price Image
Authors: Hamilton Ryan , Chernev Alexander
Published: January 2010

How do vertical product line extensions influence a retailer’ sprice image? Conventional wisdom suggests that adding an upscale or downscale item to a product line has a directionally consistent impact on price image, such that upscale extensions increase price image and downscale extensions decrease price image. In contrast, this research argues that vertical extensions can have the opposite effect, such that upscale extensions can decrease rather than increase price image, and vice versa for downscale extensions. The authors further propose that the impact of vertical extensions on price image is a function of consumer goals and, in particular, whether consumers have the intent of browsing or buying. The authors test these predictions in a series of five empirical studies that offer converging evidence in support of the proposed theory.
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Imitation Behavior across New Buyers at an Online Grocery Retailer
Authors: Choi Jeonghye , Hui Sam K. , Bell David R.
Published: January 2010

For Internet retailers, demand propagation varies not only through time but also over space. The authors develop a Bayesian spatiotemporal model to study two imitation effects in the evolution of demand at an Internet retailer. Building on previous literature, the authors allow imitation behavior to be reflected both in geographic proximity and in demographic similarity. As these imitation effects can be time varying, the authors specify their dynamics using a “polynomial smoother” embedded within the Bayesian framework. They apply the model to new buyers at Netgrocer. com and calibrate it on 45 months of data that span all 1459 zip codes in Pennsylvania. The authors find that the proximity effect is especially strong in the early phases of demand evolution, whereas the similarity effect becomes more important with time. Over time, new buyers are increasingly likely to emerge from new zip codes beyond the “core set” of zip codes that produce the early new buyers, and spatial concentration declines. The authors explore the managerial implications stemming from these findings through a hypothetical “seeding” experiment. They also discuss other implications for Internet retailing practice.
Forward Buying by Retailers
Authors: Desai Preyas S. , Koenigsberg Oded , Purohit Devavrat
Published: January 2010

Conventional wisdom in marketing holds that (1) retailer forward buying is a consequence of manufacturer trade promotions and (2) stockpiling units helps the retailer but hurts the manufacturer. This article provides a deeper understanding of forward buying by analyzing it within the context of manufacturer trade promotions, competition, and demand uncertainty. The authors find that regardless of whether the manufacturer offers a trade promotion, allowing the retailer to forward buy and hold inventory for the future can, under certain conditions, be beneficial for both parties. Disallowing forward buying by the retailer may lead the manufacturer to lower merchandising requirements and change the depth of the promotion. In competitive environments, there are situations in which retailers engage in forward buying because of competitive pressures in a prisoner's-dilemma situation. Finally, when the authors consider the case of uncertain demand, they find further evidence of strategic forward buying. In particular, the authors find cases in which the retailer orders a quantity that is higher than what it expects to sell in even the most optimistic demand scenario.
Measurement of surface growth stress in Eucalyptus nitens Maiden by splitting a log along its axis
Authors: Chauhan Shakti , Entwistle Kenneth
Published: January 2010

When a log is sawn along the length, an outward bending or deflection of two half rounds arises from the release of growth stresses in the log. The relationship between this outward bending and the peripheral longitudinal growth strain in logs from a 10-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantation was investigated. In total, 63 trees were felled and two logs (one bottom and an upper log) were cut from each felled tree. A strong association was observed between the measured longitudinal growth strain and the outward bending produced by splitting the log along its axis. A mathematical model was developed that enables calculation of the relationship between the surface axial growth stress and the opening of the split log. This involves calculation of the lateral deflection of a tapered cantilever beam of semi-circular cross-section under a known bending moment. The relationship between the opening of the slit log and the surface axial stress showed good agreement with the measured data on 126 logs. The model equation is effective in predicting the growth stress from the magnitude of the log distortion. This log sawing or splitting method is quick and reliable for assessing the surface growth stresses in small diameter trees. It could have potential in breeding programs for identifying families or clones for low-growth stresses of superior eucalypts for sawn timber production.