bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ovarian Morphology Is a Marker of Heritable Biochemical Traits in Sisters with Polycystic Ovaries
Authors: Franks Stephen , Webber Lisa J. , Goh Micaela , Valentine Anne , White Davinia M. , Conway Gerard S. , Wiltshire Steven , McCarthy Mark I. 
Published: June 2008

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy of uncertain etiology but with strong evidence for a genetic contribution.
Objective: The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that the typical polycystic ovarian morphology is a marker of inherited biochemical features in families of women with PCOS.
Design: A study of probands with PCOS and their sisters.
Patients: Patients included 125 probands and 214 sisters. All probands had PCOS, defined by symptoms of anovulation and/or hyperandrogenism with polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. Affected sisters were defined by polycystic ovaries, regardless of symptoms, and unaffected sisters defined by normal ovarian morphology.
Setting: This was a clinic-based study.
Main Outcome Measures: Clinical, endocrine, and metabolic features in the various groups were compared, and estimates of broad-sense heritability were obtained using the quantitative transmission disequilibrium test.
Results: Although affected sisters had fewer symptoms than probands (30% had no symptoms of PCOS), serum testosterone, androstenedione, LH, and fasting insulin and insulin sensitivity were similar in the two groups with polycystic ovaries but significantly different from those in unaffected sisters or controls. We observed moderate to high heritabilities for all traits studied in affected sister pairs, whereas heritabilities calculated from discordant siblings were substantially lower.
Conclusions: These data provide further evidence for a genetic basis of PCOS. The high heritability of biochemical features in probands and affected sisters, despite wide variation in symptoms, shows that not only are these biochemical traits strongly influenced by genetic factors but also, importantly, that polycystic ovarian morphology is an index of inherited traits in families with PCOS.
The Type 5 Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor Tadalafil Influences Salivary Cortisol, Testosterone, and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate Responses to Maximal Exercise in Healthy Men
Authors: Di Luigi Luigi , Baldari Carlo , Sgrò Paolo , Emerenziani Gian Pietro , Gallotta Maria Chiara , Bianchini Serena , Romanelli Francesco , Pigozzi Fabio , Lenzi Andrea , Guidetti Laura 
Published: June 2008

Context: Physical exercise-related stress activates hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; nitric oxide is one of the mediators of the HPA axis response to stress, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors influences nitric oxide-linked biological activities.
Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether a single oral long half-life phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (tadalafil) administration influences the HPA axis response to exercise-related stress.
Design: This was a double-blind, cross-over trial.
Participants: Participants included nine healthy male athletes.
Interventions: All subjects performed a maximal exercise test in normoxia, after which they received a single oral administration of tadalafil or placebo. Then after a 2-wk washout period, they were crossed over and repeated the exercise test. Each subject was his own control. Salivary collections, for steroid evaluations [cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), testosterone] and respective ratio calculation (DHEAS to cortisol, testosterone to cortisol, testosterone to DHEAS), were performed before each exercise (Pre-Ex), immediately after (Post-Ex), and at 30 min during recovery.
Results: As expected, mean salivary cortisol concentration increased immediately after exercise after both tadalafil and placebo (P = 0.014 and P =0.036 vs. Pre-Ex, respectively); however, the cortisol increase was significantly higher after tadalafil administration (P = 0.034 vs. placebo). Furthermore, an increased salivary testosterone after exercise was observed only after tadalafil administration (P = 0.029 vs. Pre-Ex). No effects of either exercise and/or tadalafil administration on salivary DHEAS concentrations were observed. DHEAS to cortisol and testosterone to cortisol ratios significantly decreased after exercise after tadalafil administration (P = 0.037, and P = 0.02 vs. placebo, respectively).
Conclusion: Tadalafil administration amplified the salivary cortisol and testosterone responses to a maximal exercise-related stress in healthy trained humans.
A Two-Sided, Empirical Model of Television Advertising and Viewing Markets
Authors: Wilbur Kenneth C. 
Published: June 2008

For marketers, television remains the most important advertising medium. This paper proposes a two-sided model of the television industry. We estimate viewer demand for programs on one side and advertiser demand for audiences on the other. The primary objective is to understand how each group's program usage influences the other group. Four main conclusions emerge. First, viewers tend to be averse to advertising. When a highly rated network decreases its advertising time by 10%, our model predicts a median audience gain of about 25% (assuming no competitive reactions). Second, we find the price elasticity of advertising demand is −2.9, substantially more price elastic than 30 years ago. Third, we compare our estimates of advertiser and viewer preferences for program characteristics to networks' observed program choices. Our results suggest that advertiser preferences influence network choices more strongly than viewer preferences. Viewers' two most preferred program genres, Action and News, account for just 16% of network program hours. Advertisers' two most preferred genres, Reality and Comedy, account for 47% of network program hours. Fourth, we perform a counterfactual experiment in which some viewers gain access to a hypothetical advertisement avoidance technology. The results suggest that ad avoidance tends to increase equilibrium advertising quantities and decrease network revenues.
Informing, Transforming, and Persuading: Disentangling the Multiple Effects of Advertising on Brand Choice Decisions
Authors: Mehta Nitin , Chen Xinlei (Jack) , Narasimhan Om 
Published: June 2008

Prior behavioral research has suggested that advertising can influence a consumer's quality evaluation through informative and transformative effects. The informative effect acts directly to inform a consumer of product attributes and hence shapes her evaluations of brand quality. The transformative effect affects the consumer's evaluation of brand quality by enhancing her assessment of her subsequent consumption experience. In addition, advertising may influence a consumer's utility directly, even without providing any explicit information—this is the persuasive effect. In this paper, we propose a framework that formally models the processes through which all three effects of advertisements impact consumers' brand evaluations and their subsequent brand choice decisions. In particular, we model source credibility, confirmatory bias, and bounded rationality on the part of consumers, by appropriately modifying the standard Bayesian learning approach. Our model conforms closely to prior behavioral literature and the experimental findings therein. In our empirical analysis, we get significant estimates of both informative and transformative effects across brands. We find interesting temporal patterns across the effects; for instance, the importance of transformative effects seem to grow over time, while that of informative effects diminishes. Finally, we conduct policy experiments to examine the impact of increased ad intensity on advertising effects, as well as the role played by consumption ambiguity.
Cross-Brand Pass-Through in Supermarket Pricing
Authors: Dubé Jean-Pierre , Gupta Sachin 
Published: June 2008

We investigate the sensitivity of cross-brand pass-through estimates to two types of pooling: across stores, and across regular price and promotional price weeks. Using the category data from Besanko, Dubé, and Gupta (2005), hereafter BDG, we find consistent support across all 11 categories for the predictive power of the wholesale prices of substitute products for retail shelf prices. A Bayesian procedure is used to address the small sample issues that arise in the absence of pooling. Even though the unpooled results render our inferences for specific cross-brand pass-through magnitudes reported in BDG as imprecise, consistent with McAlister (2007), we do find significant empirical support for cross-brand pass-through. We next assess the sensitivity of cross-brand pass-through estimates to pooling. This requires us to construct a much longer time series of 224 weeks for the refrigerated orange juice category, in contrast with the 52-week samples used in BDG and McAlister (2007). We find strong empirical support for the predictive power of wholesale prices of substitute products for retail shelf prices. In addition, we find evidence of nonzero own- and cross-brand pass-through elasticities for which our inferences are much more precise. These findings are robust to the separation of regular and promotional price weeks. However, the magnitudes of own-brand and cross-brand pass-through are quite different during promotional and regular price weeks. Our results clearly show that with longer data series and more robust models that can handle small sample sizes, there is evidence of cross-brand pass-through, substantiating the findings in BDG. Finally, we comment on why our results are entirely consistent with both the theoretical and empirical literatures on category pricing and retailer behavior.
An Analysis of Monotone Follower Problems for Diffusion Processes
Authors: Bayraktar Erhan , Egami Masahiko 
Published: June 2008

We consider a singular stochastic control problem, which is called the monotone follower stochastic control problem, and give sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a local-time type optimal control. To establish this result, we use a methodology that has not been employed to solve singular control problems. We first confine ourselves to local-time strategies. We then apply a transformation to the total reward accrued by reflecting the diffusion at a given boundary and show that it is linear in its continuation region. Now, the problem of finding the optimal boundary becomes a nonlinear optimization problem: The slope of the linear function and an obstacle function need to be simultaneously maximized. The necessary conditions of optimality come from first-order derivative conditions. We show that under some weak assumptions these conditions become sufficient. We also show that the local-time strategies are optimal in the class of all monotone increasing controls. As a by-product of our analysis, we give sufficient conditions for the value function to be C2 on all of its domain. We solve two dividend payment problems to show that our sufficient conditions are satisfied by the examples considered in the mainstream literature. We show that our assumptions are satisfied not only when capital of a company is modeled by a Brownian motion with drift, but also when we change the modeling assumptions and use a square root process to model the capital.
Approximation Algorithms for the Capacitated Multi-Item Lot-Sizing Problem via Flow-Cover Inequalities
Authors: Levi Retsef , Lodi Andrea , Sviridenko Maxim 
Published: June 2008

We study the classical capacitated multi-item lot-sizing problem with hard capacities. There are N items, each of which has a specified sequence of demands over a finite planning horizon of T discrete periods; the demands are known in advance but can vary from period to period. All demands must be satisfied on time. Each order incurs a time-dependent fixed ordering cost regardless of the combination of items or the number of units ordered, but the total number of units ordered cannot exceed a given capacity C. On the other hand, carrying inventory from period to period incurs holding costs. The goal is to find a feasible solution with minimum overall ordering and holding costs. We show that the problem is strongly NP-hard, and then propose a novel facility location type LP relaxation that is based on an exponentially large subset of the well-known flow-cover inequalities; the proposed LP can be solved to optimality in polynomial time via an efficient separation procedure for this subset of inequalities. Moreover, the optimal solution of the LP can be rounded to a feasible integer solution with cost that is at most twice the optimal cost; this provides a 2-approximation algorithm which is the first constant approximation algorithm for the problem. We also describe an interesting on-the-fly variant of the algorithm that does not require solving the LP a priori with all the flow-cover inequalities. As a by-product we obtain the first theoretical proof regarding the strength of flow-cover inequalities in capacitated inventory models.
Assessment of Clinical Pharmacists' Interventions in French Hospitals: Results of a Multicenter Study
Authors: Bedouch Pierrick , Charpiat Bruno , Conort Ornella , Rose François-Xavier , Escofier Laurence , Juste Michel , Roubille Renaud , Allenet Benoît 
Published: June 2008

Background: The development of clinical pharmacy activities in most European countries is underway; however, data on these activities are still poorly reported. Multicenter studies are necessary to standardize and demonstrate the value of clinical pharmacy activities in these countries. Objective: To document clinical pharmacists' daily routine interventions (Pls) to identify trends of intervention, drugs, and situations most frequently associated with drug-related problems (DRPs) and to estimate physicians' acceptance of PI. Methods: A prospective study of Pls was conducted in 6 French hospitals. The sample consisted of 300 randomized Pls par hospital, recorded during the medication order validation process when a DRP was identified. We recorded patients' demographic characteristics, drugs involved, wards, DRP description, pharmacists' recommendations, and whether or not the recommendations were accepted by the physicians. Results: A total of 38, 626 medication orders were analyzed by 28 clinical pharmacists, leading to 1800 Pls (4.66 Pls per 100 medication orders). Of the 1800 Pls, 25.9% targeted psychotropic drugs, 15.9% targeted antithrombotic drugs. 15.5% targeted digestive and metabolic drugs, and 15.0% targeted cardiovascular drugs. The most commonly identified DRPs were nonconformity to guidelines or contraindication (21.3%), followed by improper administration (20.6%), supratherapeutic dose (19.2%), and drug interaction (12.6%). Nearly half (42.2%) of the pharmacists' recommendations were related to drug choice (drug switch 22.2%, drug discontinuation 16.3%, addition of a new drug 3.7%) followed by dose adjustment (23.8%), optimization of administration (21, 9%; change of administration route 10.3%, administration modalities 11.6%), and need for drug monitoring (12.2%). The rate of physicians' acceptance was 73.4% (15.3% refusals, 11.3% not assessable). Conclusions: In French hospitals, pharmacists contribute to preventing DRPs during medication order validation. This study suggests that a few types of drugs and errors constitute a substantial proportion of Pls. Knowledge of the most frequent DRPs could significantly increase the efficiency of clinical Pls.
Delivery of Optimized Anticoagulant Therapy: Consensus Statement from the Anticoagulation Forum
Authors: Garcia David A , Witt Daniel M , Hylek Elaine , Wittkowsky Ann K , Nutescu Edith A , Jacobson Alan , Moll Stephan , Merli Geno J , Crowther Mark , Earl Laura , Becker Richard C , Oertel Lynn , Jaffer Amir , Ansell Jack E 
Published: June 2008

Objective: To provide recommendations, policies, and procedures pertaining to the provision of optimized anticoagulation therapy designed to achieve desired clinical endpoints while minimizing the risk of anticoagulant-related adverse outcomes (principally bleeding and thrombosis). Study Selection and Data Extraction: Due to this document's scope, the medical literature was searched using a variety of strategies. When possible, recommendations are supported by available evidence; however, because this paper deals with processes and systems of care, high-quality evidence (eg, controlled trials) is unavailable. In these cases, recommendations represent the consensus opinion of all authors who constitute the Board of Directors of The Anticoagulation Forum, an organization dedicated to optimizing anticoagulation care. The Board is composed of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses with demonstrated expertise and significant collective experience in the management of patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. Data Synthesis: Recommendations for delivering optimized anticoagulation therapy were developed collaboratively by the authors and are summarized in 9 key areas: (I) Qualifications of Personnel, (II) Supervision, (III) Care Management and Coordination, (IV) Documentation. (V) Patient Education, (VI) Patient Selection and Assessment, (VII) Laboratory Monitoring, (VIII) Initiation and Stabilization of Warfarin Therapy, and (IX) Maintenance of Therapy. Recommendations are intended to inform the development of care systems containing elements with demonstrated benefit in improvement of anticoagulation therapy outcomes. Recommendations for delivering optimized anticoagulation therapy are intended to apply to all clinicians involved in the care of outpatients receiving anticoagulation therapy, regardless of the structure and setting in which that care is delivered. Conclusions: Anticoagulation therapy, although potentially life-saving, has inherent risks. Whether a patient is managed in a solo practice or a specialized anticoagulation management service, a systematic approach to the key elements outlined herein will reduce the likelihood of adverse events. The need for continued research to validate optimal practices for managing anticoagulation therapy is acknowledged.
Can artificial soil be used in the vegetative vigor test for US pesticide registration?
Authors: Bidelspach Conor , Olszyk David , Pfleeger Thomas 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Current testing guidelines for pesticide registration for the protection of nontarget plants calls for the use of sterilized, standardized soil consisting of primarily sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy clay, or clay loam that contains up to 3% organic matter. Low organic matter soils can be difficult to manage in a greenhouse setting because when soils dry, they contract, causing impeded water infiltration, or when overwatered, poor drainage increases the chances of anaerobic conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine if the results for the vegetative vigor test differed when using either natural or artificial soils. The herbicide sulfometuron methyl was applied 14 d after emergence at 0.1 and 0.0032 of the suggested field application rate. Six plant species were tested, 4 of the common test species, Zea mays (corn), Glycine max (soybean), Avena sativa (oat), and Lactuca sativa (lettuce), and 2 native plants of the Willamette Valley, Oregon prairie, Bromus carinatus (California brome) and Ranunculus occidentalis (western buttercup). Herbicide application rate was the most significant factor in the experiment regardless of soil type. The different soils generally produced different results, even though the 2 native soils, one from Oregon and the other from Maryland, are both acceptable soils for the pesticide registration tests. The plants grown on artificial soil produced results generally between the Oregon and Maryland soil results. This study indicates that artificial soils may produce results similar to or more sensitive than soils currently used in the vegetative vigor test.
Description of three new European cryptic species of Gyrodactylus Nordmann, 1832 supported by nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenetic characterization
Authors: Kuusela Jussi , Ziętara Marek , Lumme Jaakko 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThree previously undescribed species of wageneri group of Gyrodactylus Nordmann, 1832 (subgenus Limnonephrotus, Gyrodactylidae, Monogenoidea) related to G. lavareti Malmberg, 1957 are described here. G. pomeraniae sp. nov. was found on roach (Rutilus rutilus) in Poland and Belgium, G. ouluensis sp. nov. on roach in Finland and G. salvelini sp. nov. on Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in the Lake Inari, Finland. A molecular redescription of G. lavareti on Coregonus lavaretus is also presented, and G. bliccensis on Alburnus alburnus from river Morava, Czech Republic is included in the phylogenetic analysis. In addition, a hybrid clone of maternal G. pomeraniae sp. nov. and paternal G. lavareti found on farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is characterized. The molecular species description was based on the complete CO1 gene of the mitochondrial DNA, and on phylogenetic comparison of the internal transcribed spacer segment (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. The species hosted by cyprinids were basal in the phylogeny rooted by numerous relatives of wageneri-species group.
Redescription of Decorataria decorata (Spirurida, Acuariidae) based on nematodes from Podiceps cristatus and P. grisegena (Aves, Podicipediformes) from Bulgaria
Authors: Mutafchiev Yasen , Georgiev Boyko 
Published: June 2008

AbstractDecorataria decorata (Cram, 1927) is redescribed on the basis of light-microscopy and SEM observations on specimens collected from the stomach of Podiceps cristatus and P. grisegena from Bulgaria. The SEM study revealed the presence of a porebearing field on each pseudolabium and a pair of spines (one dorsal and one ventral) situated between bases of the cordons. The deirids are spine-like and minute. The light-microscopy examination showed the presence of ornamentation situated under the dorsal surface of caudal alae. The occurrence of D. decorata in Bulgaria is a new geographical record.
Cyclophyllidean cysticercoids from Echinogammarus tibaldii (Amphipoda, Gammaridae) from Lake Piediluco, Italy
Authors: Nikolov Pavel , Georgiev Boyko , Dezfuli Bahram 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIn August 2007, 856 specimens of Echinogammarus tibaldii Pinkster et Stock, 1970 from the Lake Piediluco (Central Italy) were collected from 3 different sites and examined for larval helminths. Fourteen amphipods (1.63%) were infected with larvae of Lateriporus teres (Dilepididae) and one amphipod (0.12%) was infected with Microsomacanthus microsoma (Hymenolepididae). Adults of both species are known from waterfowl and gulls. The present results constitute new host records for both cestode species and the first finding of L. teres in Italy.
Female morphology of Philometra parasiluri (Nematoda, Philometridae), an ocular parasite of the Amur catfish Silurus asotus in Japan
Authors: Moravec František , Scholz Tomáš , Kuchta Roman , Grygier Mark 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe female morphology of the nematode Philometra parasiluri Yamaguti, 1935 (Philometridae) is described based on a sub-gravid specimen found in the oculo-orbit of the Amur catfish Silurus asotus Linnaeus of Lake Biwa, Honshu, Japan collected in April 2007. Light and scanning electron microscopical examination made it possible to study in detail the morphology of this so far little-known species. In contrast to the original species description, no cuticular bosses are found on the body surface; in addition to the previously reported eight large cephalic papillae of the external circle, the cephalic end also bears six (2 lateral and 4 submedian) small papillae of the internal circle and a pair of inconspicuous amphids; no oesophageal teeth are present and the anterior oesophageal lobes are slightly elevated; two large, lateral, papilla-like caudal projections are present. To date P. parasiluri has been found only in Japan and the present finding represents the third documented record of this species. Philometra parasiluri probably has a pronounced annual maturation cycle with the period of the production of larvae in the late spring and summer.