bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Time and frequency analysis of beat‐to‐beat R–T interval variability in patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction providing evidence for non‐neural control of ventricular repolarisation
Authors: Sosnowski Maciej , Czyz Zbigniew , Tendera Michal 
Published: December 2002

AbstractBackground:Determinants of temporal lability in ventricular repolarisation are not fully recognised. We aimed to analyse the sources of RT variability by comparing normal subjects and patients after myocardial infarction (MI) with either depressed or preserved left ventricular (LV) function.Methods:One hundred and nine patients (27 women, 82 men, aged 51±9 years) were divided into three groups: 24 patients (pts) with an uncomplicated angiographically proven coronary heart disease (CHD‐group), 59 post‐MI pts with preserved LV function (LVEF>40%, PMI‐N‐group) and 26 post‐MI pts with depressed LV function (LVEF<40%, PMI‐L‐group). An ECG signal of low‐noise 512 heartbeats was recorded using a computer‐assisted amplifier (16 bit, 2 kHz). The onset and offset of the R‐wave and T‐wave were determined automatically. The magnitude of R–R and R–T variability was measured as the standard deviation of all intervals (SD–RR and SD–RT, ms, respectively). Their relationship was quantified by the correlation coefficient rRT/RR. Power spectral density of RR or RT variability was estimated with the FFT (Welch's averaged periodogram, Hanning window) and frequency relation was quantified using a squared coherence spectrum (SCS). For all spectral and cross‐spectral measurements two frequency ranges were considered: high (0.15–0.50 Hz, HF) and low (0.04–0.15 Hz, LF). Spectral power and SCS of RR and RT variability for both ranges (HFRR, LFRR, HFRT, LFRT, SCSHF, SCSLF), and the ratios LF/HFRR and LF/HFRT were drawn for comparisons. The central frequency of HFRR was considered as the frequency of respiration (fresp, Hz).Results:In the PMI‐L group the SD–RT was significantly greater compared to the remaining groups and accounted for almost 10% of the SDRR. Also, the coefficient rRT/RR was weakest in this group. The spectral indices of RR variability were similar in all groups, while the greatest value of the HFRT was observed in the PMI‐L group. The SCSLF was insignificant in this group, contrary to the CHD and PMI‐N groups. Additionally, there were significant negative relationships between fresp and spectral indices of RT variability in PMI‐patients with depressed LV function.Conclusion:A greater beat‐to‐beat variation in RT interval duration along with increased power of its HF component indicates an important role of respiration in ventricular repolarisation control, while reduced time‐ and frequency RT–RR relationships seem to relate to an impaired process of ventricular duration adaptation.
Analysis of altered genomic expression profiles in the senescent and diseased myocardium using cDNA microarrays
Authors: Juhasz Ondrej , Zhu Yi , Garg Rahul , Anisimov Sergey V. , Boheler Kenneth R. 
Published: December 2002

AbstractCardiac function deteriorates with aging or disease. Short term, any changes in heart function may be beneficial, but long term the alterations are often detrimental. At a molecular level, functional adaptations involve quantitative and qualitative changes in gene expression. Analysis of all the RNA transcripts present in a cell's population (transcriptome) offers unprecedented opportunities to map these transitions. Microarrays (chips), capable of evaluating thousands of transcripts in one assay, are ideal for transcriptome analyses. Gene expression profiling provides information about the dynamics of total genome expression in response to environmental changes and may point to candidate genes responsible for the cascade of events that result in disease or are a consequence of aging. The aim of this review is to describe how comparisons of cellular transcriptomes by cDNA array based techniques provide information about the dynamics of total gene expression, and how the results can be applied to the study of cardiovascular disease and aging.
Role of individual and contextual effects in injury mortality: new evidence from small area analysis
Authors: Borrell C , Rodríguez M , Ferrando J , Brugal M T , Pasarín M I , Martínez V , Plaséncia A 
Published: December 2002

Objective:To analyse the role of individual and contextual variables in injury mortality inequalities from a small area analysis perspective, looking at the data for the city of Barcelona (Spain) for 1992–98.Setting:Barcelona (Spain).Methods:All injury deaths in residents older than 19, which occurred in the period 1992–98 were included (n=4393). Age and sex specific mortality rates were calculated for each educational level and each cause of death (traffic injuries, falls, drug overdose, suicide, other injuries). The contextual variables included were the proportion of men unemployed, and the proportion of men in jail, in each neighbourhood. Multilevel Poisson regression models were fitted using data grouped by age, educational level, and neighbourhood for each sex.Results:Death rates were higher in males, at the extremes of the age distribution (under 44 and over 74 years), and for lower educational levels. The results of the Poisson multilevel models indicate that inequalities by educational level follow a gradient, with higher risks for the population with no schooling, after having adjusted for the contextual variables of the neighbourhood. Such inequalities were more important in the youngest age group (20–34 years), as relative risk of 5.41 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.9 to 7.4) for all injury causes in males and 4.38 (95% CI 2.3 to 8.4) in females. The highest relative risks were found for drug overdose. There was a contextual neighbourhood effect (the higher the deprivation, the higher the mortality) after having taken into account individual variables.Conclusion:The findings underscore the need to implement injury prevention strategies not only at the individual level taking into account socioeconomic position, but also at the neighbourhood level.
Effect of helmet wear on the incidence of head/face and cervical spine injuries in young skiers and snowboarders
Authors: Macnab A J , Smith T , Gagnon F A , Macnab M 
Published: December 2002

Purpose:To evaluate whether helmets increase the incidence and/or severity of cervical spine injury; decrease the incidence of head injury; and/or increase the incidence of collisions (as a reflection of adverse effects on peripheral vision and/or auditory acuity) among young skiers and snowboarders.Methods:During one ski season (1998–99) at a world class ski resort, all young skiers and snowboarders (<13 years of age) presenting with head, face, or neck injury to the one central medical facility at the base of the mountain were identified. On presentation to the clinic, subjects or their parents completed a questionnaire reviewing their use of helmets and circumstances surrounding the injury event. Physicians documented the site and severity of injury, investigations, and disposition of each patient. Concurrently, counts were made at the entry to the ski area of the number of skiers and snowboarders wearing helmets.Results:Seventy children were evaluated at the clinic following ski/snowboard related head, neck, and face injuries. Fourteen did not require investigation or treatment. Of the remaining 56, 17 (30%) were wearing helmets and 39 (70%) were not. No serious neck injury occurred in either group. Using helmet-use data from the hill, among those under 13 years of age, failure to wear a helmet increased the risk of head, neck, or face injury (relative risk (RR) 2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23 to 4.12). When corrected for activity, RR was 1.77 and 95% CI 0.98 to 3.19. There was no significant difference in the odds ratio for collisions. The two groups may have been different in terms of various relevant characteristics not evaluated. No separate analysis of catastrophic injuries was possible.Conclusion:This study suggests that, in skiers and snowboarders under 13 years of age, helmet use does not increase the incidence of cervical spine injury and does reduce the incidence of head injury requiring investigation and/or treatment.
The price‐concentration relationship in grocery retailing: Retesting Newmark
Authors: Yu Chih‐ching , Connor John M. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractA study by Newmark is one of two price‐concentration studies of U.S. grocery retailing that has failed to find a positive relationship. We examined four possible sources of experimental error in this study. The most important source of error was the failure to exclude noncompeting grocery retailers in the construction of the concentration measure. The relationship was also sensitive to controlling for a subgroup of observations from one state, to alternative data sources, and functional form. When these changes were made, concentration was found to be positively associated with the cost of groceries across cities. The relationship was significant despite a small nonrandom sample of cities and unscientifically sampled prices. [Econ Lit citations: L130, L810, L100] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Marketing natural pork: An empirical analysis of consumers in the mountain region
Authors: Grannis Jennifer , Thilmany Dawn D. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractThe demand for organic meats, including beef and chicken, has grown dramatically in recent years. Yet, there are few branded pork products. This research examines the potential market for natural pork in the Intermountain West, with emphasis on targeting the market segment most likely to purchase this product at a significant premium. High‐income, frequent pork consumers, and those that have purchased natural beef are most likely to purchase natural pork products. With respect to production‐related attributes, those concerned about feed additives, and to a lesser degree, the effects of pork production on the environment, are likely target markets. [Econ‐Lit subject codes: M310, Q130] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Explaining pricing conduct in a product‐differentiated oligopolistic market: An empirical application of a price conjectural variations model
Authors: Kinoshita Junko , Suzuki Nobuhiro , Kaiser Harry M. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractA generalized Bertrand‐type model is applied to gain insights on Japanese firms' pricing conduct regarding milk beverages made from fresh milk and reconstituted milk. The empirical results, based on weekly scanner data, indicate the original Bertrand model is inappropriate for our empirical analysis. The estimated model resulted in substantially more elastic own‐price elasticities than previous estimates in Japan based on aggregate market data, supporting the Japanese retailers' contention that fluid milk is a more price‐elastic product than what previous studies had found. Incorporating estimated price conjectures into the model resulted in considerable discrepancies between partial and perceived own‐price elasticities. The result shows that a firm's price conjecture can be an important factor in determining the firm's perceived own‐price elasticity. The estimated conjectural variations were tested to determine whether they represent consistent pricing behavior, and the results indicated that consistent pricing behavior could not be statistically supported. [Econ‐Lit citations: Q110, Q130] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Multicriteria analysis and assessment of financial viability of agribusinesses: The case of marketing co‐operatives and juice‐producing companies
Authors: Baourakis George , Doumpos Michael , Kalogeras Nikos , Zopounidis Constantin 
Published: November 2002

AbstractOur main purpose here is to assess the viability of Greek companies that operate in the field of agricultural food‐production and marketing. More specifically, we present the basic operational framework within which the agricultural organizations of co‐operatives operate; we also examine the main features of the juice market. The analysis concerns the periods 1993–1998 (for the co‐operatives) and 1994–1998 (for juice‐producing firms), and is based upon the financial characteristics of 10 agricultural co‐operative organizations and 2 investor‐owned firms established and operating on the largest Greek island, Crete, and the 15 largest (in economic and financial terms) juice‐producing companies in Greece. The assessment procedure includes data analysis techniques in combination with a multicriteria analysis method (the PROMETHEE II method). The analysis results in an overall ranking of the examined firms' performance. This indicates the strengths and weaknesses of the firms involved with regard to their financial behavior, thereby contributing to the identification of the imperfections of the examined firms. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Staggering and synchronisation of prices in a low‐inflation environment: Evidence from German food stores
Authors: Loy Jens‐Peter , Weiss Christoph 
Published: November 2002

AbstractOnly a few studies have analysed staggering and synchronisation in pricing behaviour of multiproduct firms. These studies used low‐frequency data in an environment of high rates of inflation. This article investigates staggering and synchronisation of weekly prices for 10 food products in 131 grocery stores in Germany over the period of May 1995 to December 2000 (296 weeks). Different forms of staggering and synchronisation (across‐store synchronisation, within type‐of‐store synchronisation, within‐retailer synchronisation, or across‐product synchronisation) have been analysed. None of these forms of synchronisation is supported empirically, however. In contrast, perfect staggering can only be rejected in very few cases, indicating that fixed or firm‐specific menu costs are not major causes for price stickiness. [JEL classification: L11, D40] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The demand impacts of chicken contamination publicity—a case study
Authors: Dahlgran Roger A. , Fairchild Dean G. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractAdverse publicity regarding food contamination can depress demand, causing lost producer revenue. This study addresses the magnitude of those losses through the analysis of the impact of TV and print news coverage of bacterial contamination of chicken in the United States. An inverse demand model for chicken is estimated using weekly data from 1982 through 1991. Our findings indicate adverse publicity about salmonella contamination of chicken depressed the demand for chicken, but that the effect was small, less than 1% during the period of maximum exposure. Further, consumers soon forget this news as they reverted to prior consumption patterns in a matter of weeks. [EconLit citation: D120] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
U.S. consumer preference and willingness‐to‐pay for domestic corn‐fed beef versus international grass‐fed beef measured through an experimental auction
Authors: Umberger Wendy J. , Feuz Dillon M. , Calkins Chris R. , Killinger‐Mann Karen 
Published: November 2002

AbstractExperimental auction procedures were used to measure Chicago and San Francisco consumers' willingness‐to‐pay for beef flavor from domestic, corn‐fed beef versus Argentine, grass‐fed beef. Based on taste panel rankings and bid differentials between paired steak samples, consumers were grouped into one of three beef‐preference categories: corn‐fed beef preferring, grass‐fed beef preferring, and indifferent. A multinomial logit model and regression analysis were used to identify consumers who prefer a particular flavor of beef. On average, consumers were willing to pay a 30.6% premium for corn‐fed beef. Sixty‐two percent of the participants were willing to pay an average premium of $1.61 more per pound for the corn‐fed beef, 23% of the consumers were willing to pay a premium of $1.36 more per pound for the grass‐fed beef, only 15% of the consumers were indifferent. The results have important implications for country‐of‐origin labeling of beef products, as well as niche marketing of corn‐fed and grass‐fed beef. [EconLit citations: L110, L660, Q130]. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The white shrimp futures market: Lessons in contract design and marketing
Authors: Sanders Dwight R. , Manfredo Mark R. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractThe successful introduction of futures contracts to industries unfamiliar with futures markets is likely to become increasingly important as futures exchanges move to alternative governance structures (e.g., for‐profit corporations), trading platforms evolve (i.e., electronic/Internet trading), and regulatory requirements relax. Here, we examine the performance of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange's white shrimp futures contract, one of the first futures contracts aimed at the aquaculture industry. Although the market structure largely conforms to the traditional criteria for a successful futures market, the contract's performance is disappointing in terms of liquidity, basis behavior, and ultimately, hedging effectiveness. Furthermore, nonpar‐size delivery options embedded in the contract design likely impact basis behavior for certain hedges. While these reasons contributed to the ultimate demise of the contract, a general lack of knowledge regarding futures markets among the shrimp industry was also a factor. Given these findings, pragmatic implications for the introduction and marketing of new futures contracts into new industries are discussed. [JEL/EconLit: Q130, Q140, G130] © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Minimum effective scale in export promotion
Authors: Richards Timothy J. , Patterson Paul M. 
Published: November 2002

AbstractNonprice promotion has long been used by small firms or organizations to increase agricultural exports. Some believe that export promotion in these cases is often unsuccessful as the promoter is unable to achieve the “critical mass” of awareness that is required for success. The objective of this article is to develop a theoretical explanation for the likely existence of minimum expenditure thresholds and to estimate their size using an econometric model of the optimal supply of advertising. An empirical example of apple promotion from Washington state (USA) finds minimum effective scale levels for four key promotion activities among several Latin American countries.[EconLit citations: C34, M37, Q17]. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assessment of CD24 expression on bone marrow neutrophilic granulocytes: CD24 Is a marker for the myelocytic stage of development
Authors: Elghetany M. Tarek , Patel Jyoti 
Published: November 2002

AbstractThe understanding of normal surface maturation pattern of granulocytes plays an essential role in identifying abnormal patterns, which may be of diagnostic or pathogenetic significance in some disorders, such as myclodysplastic syndromes. CD24, which is expressed only on granulocytes and not on monocytes, has not been adequately studied. Surface marker studies on eight control marrows indicate that CD24 is expressed on bone marrow granulocytes in a pattern that is similar to CD11b while much different than the more mature markers, CD16b and CD35. Three sorting experiments show that the majority of CD24− cells are promyelocytes. We conclude that CD24 is expressed on the neutrophilic granulocytes at the stage of myelocytes, and hence it could potentially be used to study normal and abnormal maturation of granulocytes. Am. J. Hematol. 71:348–349, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Discontinuation of immunosuppression for prevention of kidney graft rejection after receiving a bone marrow transplant from the same HLA identical sibling donor
Authors: Gajewski James L. , Ippoliti Cindy , Ma Yan , Champlin Richard 
Published: November 2002

AbstractInduction of tolerance in solid organ transplant recipients has been a long sought goal so that patients will not need lifelong immunosuppression. In this case report we review a patient who received a kidney transplant from an HLA matched related sibling and developed acute leukemia as a consequence of her immunosuppression. The patient was then treated with an allogeneic bone marrow transplant from her kidney donor. After the bone marrow transplant, all immunosuppression therapy for graft rejection and graft versus host disease was stopped. Six months after the bone marrow transplant, the patient's kidney function had no deterioration as a consequence of stopping immunosuppression. This illustrated that a combined solid organ/bone marrow transplant can help to induce tolerance. In fact, the tolerance to the bone marrow transplant for prevention of graft versus host disease may have been accomplished by the prior kidney transplant. Am. J. Hematol. 71:311–313, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Randomized study comparing 4′‐epi‐doxorubicin (Epirubicin) versus doxorubicin as a part of induction treatment in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Bhutani Manisha , Kumar Lalit , Vora Amish , Bhardwaj Narendra , Pathak Ashutosh Kumar , Singh Rajvir , Kochupillai Vinod 
Published: November 2002

AbstractDoxorubicin or daunorubicin are routinely used to induce remission in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Efficacy of epirubicin (an analog of doxorubicin), however, has not been adequately evaluated in ALL management. This randomized study was undertaken to compare the relative efficacy of epirubicin vs. doxorubicin as part of induction chemotherapy in adult ALL. Between January 1990 and June 1998, 79 previously untreated adult ALL patients (age 11–55 years, median 20 years) were randomized to receive either doxorubicin (Group A, n = 39) or epirubicin (Group B, n = 40) as a part of induction therapy. Vincristine and prednisolone were common in each group. The induction treatment was followed by identical consolidation and maintenance therapy. The two groups were compared as regards pretherapy clinical and laboratory parameters, dose intensity of therapy, therapeutic efficacy, myelotoxicity, and survival. Epirubicin was as effective as doxorubicin in terms of complete remission rate (80% vs. 78.3%; P = 0.87) and relapse rate (57.1% vs. 51.7%; P = 0.68). Five‐year overall survival (30% vs. 30%, P = 0.98) and disease‐free survival (40% vs. 39%, P = 0.92) at median follow‐up of 68 months was also similar in the two groups. The incidence of Grade 4 myelotoxicity was comparable in the two groups. Patients 20 years of age or less had better CR rates (90% vs. 65%; P = 0.011) and median overall survival (39 vs. 11 months; P = 0.008) compared to those who were older. From this study epirubicin appears as effective as doxorubicin as part of induction therapy for adult ALL. However, the results need to be validated on the basis of immunophenotype and cytogenetic prognostic characterization. Am. J. Hematol. 71:241–247, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spontaneous splenic rupture following the administration of intravenous heparin: Case report and retrospective case review
Authors: Ghobrial Michel W. , Karim Mohammad , Mannam Sunitha 
Published: November 2002

AbstractWe report the case of a 40‐year‐old African‐American female who presented to the Emergency Department with unstable angina. The patient, who had multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease, was admitted to the coronary care unit for cardiac work‐up and management. Shortly after the intravenous administration of unfractionated heparin, she suffered the acute onset of upper abdominal pain and shock. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed splenic rupture with hemoperitoneum. The patient, who was managed surgically, had complete recovery before discharge. A review of systems and medical records revealed no obvious risk factors or other potential etiology for this rupture. We herein provide the characteristics of this rarely documented causal relationship between heparin and spontaneous splenic rupture and retrospectively review similar cases in the literature. Am. J. Hematol. 71:314–317, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.