bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Opportunism in Capital Budget Recommendations: The Effects of Past Performance and Its Attributions*
Authors: Ho Joanna L. , Vera‐Muñoz Sandra C. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study uses an experiment to examine the separate and combined effects of managers' loss aversion and their causal attributions about their divisions' performance on tendencies to make goal‐incongruent capital budget recommendations. We find that managers' recommendations are biased by their loss aversion. In particular, managers of high‐performing divisions are more likely than managers of low‐performing divisions to propose investments that maximize their division's short‐term profits at the expense of the firm's long‐term value. We also find that managers' recommendations are biased by their causal attributions. In particular, managers are more likely to propose investments that maximize their division's short‐term profits at the expense of the firm's long‐term value when they attribute their division's performance to external causes (e.g., task difficulty or luck) rather than to internal causes (e.g., managerial ability or effort). Further, the effects of causal attributions are greater for managers of high‐performing divisions than for managers of low‐performing divisions. The study's findings are important because loss aversion and causal attributions are often manifested in firms. Thus, they may bias managers' decisions, which in turn may be detrimental to the firms' long‐term value.
The Value of Production Schedule Integration in Supply Chains
Authors: Krajewski Lee , Wei Jerry C. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study explores the value of integrated production schedules for reducing the negative effects of schedule revisions in supply chains involving buyer and supplier firms. A stochastic cost model is developed to evaluate the total supply chain cost with integrated purchasing and scheduling policies. The model minimizes the costs associated with assembly rate adjustment, safety stock, and schedule changes for all supply chain members. Through experimentation, the paper examines the impact of several environmental factors on the value of schedule integration. This study finds that schedule integration can lead to overall cost savings in a supply chain, but some firms may have to absorb costs in excess of those they would incur with independent scheduling. Environments with high inventory holding costs and long supplier lead times may not find it beneficial to adopt an integrated schedule. Forecast effectiveness plays a critical role in realizing the benefits of schedule integration. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.
Strict Uncertainty: A Criterion for Moderately Pessimistic Decision Makers*
Authors: Ballestero Enrique 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a decision rule to rank actions under strict uncertainty, the available information being limited to the states of nature, the set of alternative rows, and the consequence of choosing every row if a given state occurs. This rule is suitable to moderately pessimistic individuals and social groups, these agents being neither maximax nor maximin decision makers but people who assume that the best outcome from the action will not occur. For these decision makers the paper shows the existence of a consistent weight system in which one and only one weight is attached to each state of the world under plausible conditions of domination. Most of the traditional axioms are satisfied by the proposed ranking approach. In the frame of disappointment (measured by ranges of column dispersion), the meaning of some controversial postulates used in the literature is explained. The proposed criterion is a departure from Laplace's (1825) rule and from the remaining standard criteria. Only in the special case of equal column dispersion do both Laplace's rule and the proposed weights lead to the same solution.
A Psychometric Evaluation of the Expectations, Perceptions, and Difference‐Scores Generated by the IS‐Adapted SERVQUAL Instrument
Authors: Carr Christopher L. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThis article describes the results of a study assessing the psychometric properties of the expectations and perceptions‐of‐performance instruments and the difference‐score data contained within the information systems (IS)‐Adapted SERVQUAL measurement paradigm. The central claim of this study is: In order for rational inferences to be made about service expectations, service performance perceptions, or the gap between them, each of the two instruments must exhibit reasonable psychometric properties in isolation before difference‐scores are taken. Analysis of data from a field study (N= 401) through structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques produces empirical evidence indicating that both of the instruments exhibit low psychometric quality and yet the difference‐scores exhibit “psychometric inflation.” That is, the quality of the difference‐score data is in many ways apparently superior to the raw data from both instruments. Negative conclusions are reached as to the efficacy of either individual instrument and, thus, the full IS‐Adapted SERVQUAL paradigm. Questions and prospects for further research in this important area of service quality measurement/management are presented, and a potentially rich future for IS service quality is outlined. It is strongly suggested that future IS service quality research be based on development of a new instrument, grounded in attributes endemic to IS services and developed using the best available development techniques.
User Acceptance Enablers in Individual Decision Making About Technology: Toward an Integrated Model
Authors: Venkatesh Viswanath , Speier Cheri , Morris Michael G. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTBuilding on recent unique, yet potentially complementary, approaches to understanding the formation of user perceptions about technology (Venkatesh, 1999; Venkatesh & Speier, 1999), the present work reanalyzes the data from both studies to develop an integrated model of technology acceptance. The integrated model specifically examines the influence of pre‐training and training environment interventions (termed user acceptance enablers) to understand how user perceptions are formed prior to system implementation. The model is then further extended and tested using longitudinal data in a field setting. The results indicate that the integrated model emerged as a better predictor of user behavior when compared to the existing models.
White matter abnormalities in drug‐naïve patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder: a Diffusion Tensor Study before and after citalopram treatment
Authors: Yoo S. Y. , Jang J. H. , Shin Y.‐W. , Kim D. J. , Park H.‐J. , Moon W.‐J. , Chung E. C. , Lee J.‐M. , Kim I. Y. , Kim S. I. , Kwon J. S. 
Published: June 2007

Objective:  The aim was to investigate the white matter abnormalities of drug‐naïve patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) using diffusion tensor‐imaging and the white matter changes in the patients after pharmacotherapy.Method:  Thirteen drug‐naïve OCD patients and 13 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy comparison subjects were examined using diffusion tensor‐imaging and structural magnetic resonance imaging. Measurements were made in OCD patients before and after 12 weeks of citalopram treatment.Results:  Compared with controls, the drug‐naïve OCD patients showed significant increases in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum, the internal capsule and white matter in the area superolateral to the right caudate. The increases in FA were mostly no longer observed in patients after 12 weeks of treatment compared with controls.Conclusion:  Our findings suggest that white matter alterations are associated with the pathophysiology of OCD, and the abnormalities may be partly reversible with pharmacotherapy.
Estimating Excess Deaths in Iraq Since the US—British-Led Invasion
Authors: Zeger Scott L. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
No-one knows how many Iraqis have died as a result of the invasion of their country. Surveys published in The Lancet in 2004 and 2006 estimated the number at 10 times figures previously given. Predictably, they raised a storm of protest. Politicians attacked the surveys; public media gave their own spin. Here Scott Zeger and Elizabeth Johnson, statistical analysts of the surveys, discuss these and other attempts to count the dead, and how statistical messages should be best communicated.
Narratives on Pain and Comfort: Readings from Endings and Beginnings
Authors: Albertson Sandra 
Published: June 2007

At age twenty-nine, while a graduate student in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, Mark Albertson was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. He died four months later, leaving a wife and two young daughters—Robin, three years old, and Kim, three months. Sandra Albertson, a Quaker, writes about their family’s experience with death and renewal.The following is reprinted from Sandra Albertson, Endings and Beginnings (New York: Random House, 1980; Ballantine, 1983): chs. 9, 10.
Amino acid substitutions in the S region of hepatitis B virus in sera from patients with acute hepatitis
Authors: Aono Junko , Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi , Miyoshi Hideyuki , Tsutsumi Takeya , Fujie Hajime , Shintani Yoshizumi , Moriya Kyoji , Okuse Chiaki , Suzuki Michihiro , Yasuda Kiyomi , Iino Shiro , Koike Kazuhiko 
Published: June 2007

Background:  An increase in the number of acute hepatitis patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) of non‐indigenous genotypes may reduce the efficacy of vaccination against HBV.Methods:  We have determined the amino acid (aa) sequences in the major hydrophilic region (MHR) in the S region of HBV in patients with acute hepatitis B and compared those with the ones from HBV strains used for the production of HBV vaccines commercially available in Japan.Results:  Of 48 patients studied, 11 were infected with genotype A, 11 with genotype B and 26 with genotype C HBV. The aa sequences of the nine genotype A isolates were the same as the aa sequence of J02205 which is used for the production of one of the commercially available recombinant vaccines. The aa sequences of the 11 genotype B isolates differed from the aa sequence of J02205 in two or three amino acids. Of the26 genotype C isolates, 22 had the same aa sequence as X01587 which is used for the production of another recombinant vaccine. The remaining genotype C isolates had aa substitutions at aa131, which have a potential to alter the hydropathy and the three‐dimensional structure of the MHR. The differences among the three current HBV vaccines in aa sequences in the MHR theoretically alter the hydropathy and three‐dimensional structure.Conclusion:  Our results suggest that the transmission of HBV isolates with different genotypes or with aa substitutions in the MHR might reduce the efficacy of currently available HBV vaccines in the protection of HBV infections.
Clinical features of Japanese type 1 autoimmune hepatitis patients with zone III necrosis
Authors: Miyake Yasuhiro , Iwasaki Yoshiaki , Terada Ryo , Onishi Toru , Okamoto Ryoichi , Takaguchi Kouichi , Ikeda Hiroshi , Makino Yasuhiro , Kobashi Haruhiko , Sakaguchi Kohsaku , Shiratori Yasushi 
Published: June 2007

Aim:  In Caucasians in northern Europe and North America, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by susceptibility to human leukocyte antigens DR3 and DR4, and patients with zone III necrosis more frequently have an acute onset of the disease and a lower frequency of cirrhosis than those without. In Japanese patients, however, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis is primarily associated with DR4, and there are almost no DR3‐positive patients. Thus, the clinical features of Japanese patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and zone III necrosis may be different from those reported previously for Caucasians.Methods:  We investigated 160 consecutive patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (20 males and 140 females; median age, 55 years; range, 16–79 years).Results:  Forty‐seven patients (29%) had zone III necrosis, and these patients had lower serum levels of albumin and higher serum levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferaseand alanine aminotransferase. Histologically, zone III necrosis was found more frequently in patients with acute hepatitis than in those with chronic hepatitis. However, there was no difference in the frequency of cirrhosis between patients with and without zone III necrosis. In addition, normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase levels within six months after the introduction of corticosteroid treatment was slightly more frequent in patients with zone III necrosis (95% vs. 88%).Conclusion:  In Japanese patients, zone III necrosis may reflect not only acute autoimmune hepatitis, but also acute exacerbation of pre‐existing chronic disease. Furthermore, patients with zone III necrosis may respond better to corticosteroid treatment than those without.
Using multileaf collimator interleaf leakage to extract absolute spatial information from electronic portal imaging device images
Authors: Gao Zhanrong , Szanto Janos , Gerig Lee 
Published: June 2007

Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) are potentially valuable tools for linear accelerator quality assurance and for measuring and analyzing geometric variations in radiation treatment delivery. Geometric analysis is more robust if referenced against an absolute position such as the isocenter (collimator axis of rotation), allowing the observer to discriminate between various setup errors and jaw or multileaf collimator (MLC) calibration errors. Unfortunately, mechanical instabilities in EPIDs make such analysis difficult. In the present work, we describe how MLC interleaf radiation leakage, hidden in the background of portal images, can be extracted and analyzed to find the field isocenter perpendicular to leaf travel direction. The signal from the interleaf radiation leakage is extracted to provide a precise and accurate determination of the isocenter location in the direction perpendicular to MLC leaf travel. In the direction of leaf travel, the minimization of residuals between planned and measured leaf positions is used to determine the isocenter. This method assumes that leaf positioning errors are randomly distributed. The validity of the method for determining the angular deviation between EPID image grid lines and collimator angle and for determining the known isocenter position is experimentally established.PACs numbers: 87.53.Oq, 87.53.Xd, 87.57.NK
Post‐implant computed tomography–magnetic resonance prostate image registration using feature line parallelization and normalized mutual information
Authors: Vidakovic Sandra , Jans Hans S. , Alexander Abe , Sloboda Ron S. 
Published: June 2007

Post‐implant dosimetry for permanent prostate brachytherapy is typically performed using computed tomography (CT) images, for which the clear visualization of soft tissue structures is problematic. Registration of CT and magnetic resonance (MR) image volumes can improve the definition of all structures of interest (soft tissues, bones, and seeds) in the joint image set. In the present paper, we describe a novel two‐stage rigid‐body registration algorithm that consists of (1) parallelization of straight lines fit to image features running primarily in the superior–inferior (Z) direction, followed by (2) normalized mutual information registration. The first stage serves to fix rotation angles about the anterior–posterior (Y) and left–right (X) directions, and the second stage determines the remaining Z‐axis rotation angle and the X, Y, Z translation values. The new algorithm was applied to CT and 1.5T MR (T2‐weighted and balanced fast‐field echo sequences) axial image sets for three patients acquired four weeks after prostate brachytherapy using seeds. Image features used for the stage 1 parallelization were seed trains in CT and needle tracks and seed voids in MR. Simulated datasets were also created to further investigate algorithm performance. Clinical image volumes were successfully registered using the two‐stage approach to within a root‐mean‐squares (RMS) distance of <1.5 mm, provided that some pubic bone and anterior rectum were included in the registration volume of interest and that no motion artifact was apparent. This level of accuracy is comparable to that obtained for the same clinical datasets using the Procrustes algorithm. Unlike Procrustes, the new algorithm can be almost fully automated, and hence we conclude that its further development for application in post‐implant dosimetry is warranted.PACS numbers: 87.53.Jw, 87.57.Gg, 87.59.Fm, 87.61.Pk
Detection of Respiratory Viruses and Subtype Identification of Influenza A Viruses by GreeneChipResp Oligonucleotide Microarray
Authors: Quan Phenix-Lan , Palacios Gustavo , Jabado Omar J. , Conlan Sean , Hirschberg David L. , Pozo Francisco , Jack Philippa J. M. , Cisterna Daniel , Renwick Neil , Hui Jeffrey , Drysdale Andrew , Amos-Ritchie Rachel , Baumeister Elsa , Savy Vilma , Lager Kelly M. , Richt Jürgen A. , Boyle David B. , García-Sastre Adolfo , Casas Inmaculada , Perez-Breña Pilar , Briese Thomas , Lipkin W. Ian 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT
Acute respiratory infections are significant causes of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden worldwide. An accurate, early differential diagnosis may alter individual clinical management as well as facilitate the recognition of outbreaks that have implications for public health. Here we report on the establishment and validation of a comprehensive and sensitive microarray system for detection of respiratory viruses and subtyping of influenza viruses in clinical materials. Implementation of a set of influenza virus enrichment primers facilitated subtyping of influenza A viruses through the differential recognition of hemagglutinins 1 through 16 and neuraminidases 1 through 9. Twenty-one different respiratory virus species were accurately characterized, including a recently identified novel genetic clade of rhinovirus.
Characterization and Function of Putative Substrate Specificity Domain in Microvirus External Scaffolding Proteins
Authors: Uchiyama Asako , Chen Min , Fane Bentley A. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT
Microviruses (canonical members are bacteriophages φX174, G4, and α3) are T=1 icosahedral virions with an assembly pathway mediated by two scaffolding proteins. The external scaffolding protein D plays a major role during morphogenesis, particularly in icosahedral shell formation. The results of previous studies, conducted with a cloned chimeric external scaffolding gene, suggest that the first α-helix acts as a substrate specificity domain, perhaps mediating the initial coat-external scaffolding protein interaction. However, the expression of a cloned gene could lead to protein concentrations higher than those found in typical infections. Moreover, its induction before infection could alter the timing of the protein's accumulation. Both of these factors could drive or facilitate reactions that may not occur under physiological conditions or before programmed cell lysis. In order to elucidate a more detailed mechanistic model, a chimeric external scaffolding gene was placed directly in the φX174 genome under wild-type transcriptional and translational control, and the chimeric virus, which was not viable on the level of plaque formation, was characterized. The results of the genetic and biochemical analyses indicate that α-helix 1 most likely mediates the nucleation reaction for the formation of the first assembly intermediate containing the external scaffolding protein. Mutants that can more efficiently use the chimeric scaffolding protein were isolated. These second-site mutations appear to act on a kinetic level, shortening the lag phase before virion production, perhaps lowering the critical concentration of the chimeric protein required for a nucleation reaction.
Development of Smallpox Vaccine Candidates with Integrated Interleukin-15 That Demonstrate Superior Immunogenicity, Efficacy, and Safety in Mice
Authors: Perera Liyanage P. , Waldmann Thomas A. , Mosca Joseph D. , Baldwin Nicole , Berzofsky Jay A. , Oh Sang-Kon 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThe potential use of variola virus, the etiological agent of smallpox, as a bioterror agent has heightened the interest in the reinitiation of smallpox vaccination. However, the currently licensed Dryvax vaccine, despite its documented efficacy in eradicating smallpox, is not optimal for the vaccination of contemporary populations with large numbers of individuals with immunodeficiencies because of severe adverse effects that can occur in such individuals. Therefore, the development of safer smallpox vaccines that can match the immunogenicity and efficacy of Dryvax for the vaccination of contemporary populations remains a priority. Using the Wyeth strain of vaccinia virus derived from the Dryvax vaccine, we generated a recombinant Wyeth interleukin-15 (IL-15) with integrated IL-15, a cytokine with potent immunostimulatory functions. The integration of IL-15 into the Wyeth strain resulted in a >1,000-fold reduction in lethality of vaccinated athymic nude mice and induced severalfold-higher cellular and humoral immune responses in wild-type mice that persisted longer than those induced by the parental Wyeth strain. The superior efficacy of Wyeth IL-15 was further demonstrated by the ability of vaccinated mice to fully survive a lethal intranasal challenge of virulent vaccinia virus even 10 months after vaccination, whereas all mice vaccinated with parental Wyeth strain succumbed. By integrating IL-15 into modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a virus currently under consideration as a substitute for the Dryvax vaccine, we developed a second vaccine candidate (MVA IL-15) with greater immunogenicity and efficacy than Dryvax. Thus, Wyeth IL-15 and MVA IL-15 viruses hold promise as more-efficacious and safe alternatives to the Dryvax vaccine.
Neutralization of Human Papillomavirus with Monoclonal Antibodies Reveals Different Mechanisms of Inhibition
Authors: Day Patricia M. , Thompson Cynthia D. , Buck Christopher B. , Pang Yuk-Ying S. , Lowy Douglas R. , Schiller John T. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT
The mechanisms of human papillomavirus (HPV) neutralization by antibodies are incompletely understood. We have used HPV16 pseudovirus infection of HaCaT cells to analyze how several neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) generated against HPV16 L1 interfere with the process of keratinocyte infection. HPV16 capsids normally bind to both the cell surface and extracellular matrix (ECM) of HaCaT cells. Surprisingly, two strongly neutralizing MAbs, V5 and E70, did not prevent attachment of capsids to the cell surface. However, they did block association with the ECM and prevented internalization of cell surface-bound capsids. In contrast, MAb U4 prevented binding to the cell surface but not to the ECM. The epitope recognized by U4 was inaccessible when virions were bound to the cell surface but became accessible after endocytosis, presumably coinciding with receptor detachment. Treatment of capsids with heparin, which is known to interfere with binding to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), also resulted in HPV16 localization to the ECM. These results suggest that the U4 epitope on the intercapsomeric C-terminal arm is likely to encompass the critical HSPG interaction residues for HPV16, while the V5 and E70 epitopes at the apex of the capsomer overlap the ECM-binding sites. We conclude that neutralizing antibodies can inhibit HPV infection by multiple distinct mechanisms, and understanding these mechanisms can add insight to the HPV entry processes.