bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Twins as a natural experiment to study the causes of mild language delay: II: Family interaction risk factors
Authors: Thorpe Karen , Rutter Michael , Greenwood Rosemary 
Published: March 2003

Background:Twins tend to lag behind singletons in their language development, but the causes were unknown.Method:Ninety‐six twin pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), for whom birth was after at least 33 weeks of gestation, were compared with 98 pairs of singletons, no more than 30 months apart in age. Parental qualities and family interaction were assessed through standardised questionnaires and interviews and both structured and unstructured observations in the home at 20 months and 36 months. The possible causal role of postnatal family influences was assessed through five criteria: i) the feature had to differ between twins and singletons; ii) individual differences in that feature had to relate to individual differences in language level within the sample of singletons and of twins; iii) the feature as measured at 20 months had to predict language as assessed at 36 months; iv) that had to apply after controlling for language level at 20 months; and v) introduction of the predictive feature into an overall model had to obliterate the twin–singleton difference in language level.Results:Patterns of parent–child interaction and communication met these five criteria. The maternal factors all concerned aspects of interaction that were broadly concerned with communication: encouraging the child to speak, providing elaborating comments, engaging in reading to the child and talking about the story and its illustrations. The HOME inventory findings provided similar findings with respect to responsiveness, involvement and level of experiences involved. Family features that might have been influential, but which were not, included parental depression, breastfeeding, family size, and style of sibling interaction.Conclusions:Patterns of parent–child interaction and communication within the normal range have environmentally mediated effects on language and account for twin–singleton differences in language developmently. The results indicate the value of a natural experiment in testing competing causal hypotheses, and show the role of environmental factors as influences on language variations within the normal range, for both twins and singletons.
Visual awareness of low‐contrast stimuli is reflected in event‐related brain potentials
Authors: Ojanen Ville , Revonsuo Antti , Sams Mikko 
Published: March 2003

AbstractVisual awareness was studied in 11 subjects by using coherent and scrambled objects as stimuli. The stimuli were presented near the subjective perceptual threshold. Explicitly recognized stimuli elicited a specific negative ERP deflection peaking at 460 ms. Our reaction time experiment suggests that this visual awareness negativity (VAN) is similar to that found previously at a shorter latency. We propose that VAN might reflect the exact moment of becoming aware of the task‐relevant stimulus properties and provide an online marker of the temporal dynamics of visual awareness.
A Duration Model For Defaultable Bonds
Authors: Jacoby Gady 
Published: March 2003

AbstractI extend recent theoretical work on duration and derive an improved model for the risk‐adjusted duration of corporate bonds. My ex‐ante risk‐adjusted duration is the sum of the bond's Fisher‐Weil duration and the duration of the potential expected delay in recovery caused by the default option. My main conclusion is that failing to adjust duration for default is costly for high‐yield bonds, especially those with a shorter time to maturity. For investment‐grade bonds, this cost is trivial for all maturities.
Original‐Issue Systematic and Default Risk Pricing Efficiency of Speculative‐Grade Bonds
Authors: Spahr Ronald W. , Schwebach Robert G. , Sunderman Mark A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe investigate whether primary market, original‐issue risk premiums on speculative‐grade debt are justified solely by expected defaults or whether these risk premiums also include other orthogonal risk components. Studies of secondary‐market holding period risk and return have hypothesized that risk premiums on speculative‐grade debt may be explained by bond‐ and equity‐related systematic risk and possibly other types of risk. Using an actuarial approach that considers contemporaneous correlation between default frequency and severity and first‐order serial correlation, we cannot reject the hypothesis that the entire original‐issue risk premium can be explained by expected default losses. This suggests that speculative‐grade bond primary markets efficiently price default risk and that other types of risk are priced as coincident as opposed to orthogonal risks.
Semi‐Parametric Specification Tests for Discrete Probability Models
Authors: Fang Yue 
Published: March 2003

AbstractLoss functions play an important role in analyzing insurance portfolios. A fundamental issue in the study of loss functions involves the selection of probability models for claim frequencies. In this article, we propose a semi‐parametric approach based on the generalized method of moments (GMM) to solve the specification problems concerning claim frequency distributions. The GMM‐based testing procedure provides a general framework that encompasses many specification problems of interest in actuarial applications. As an alternative approach to the Pearson χ2 and other goodness‐of‐fit tests, it is easy to implement and should be of practical use in applications involving selecting and validating probability models with complex characteristics.
Web‐Based Product Development Systems Integration and New Product Outcomes: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Sethi Rajesh , Pant Somendra , Sethi Anju 
Published: March 2003

In hopes of improving the effectiveness of their new product development (NPD) processes, many firms increasingly are eager to adopt integrated web‐based NPD systems for NPD. However, few would argue that the mere use of web‐based NPD systems substantially will improve the NPD process. But we know little about how and when these systems can be used for enhancing NPD.An organization desiring to employ the web in its NPD process can use it at varying levels of functionality and sophistication, ranging from a tool for automating manual tasks and exchanging data to a means of integrating various intra‐ and interorganizational NPD functions and processes. At higher levels of technology sophistication or integration, an organization's NPD processes will get more integrated internally, i.e., between different stages of the NPD process and with the processes of its suppliers, technology providers, etc. Such integration of both internal and external NPD processes is considered important for successful innovation. Thus, on the surface, higher levels of web‐based systems integration may seem universally desirable. However, each increasing level of integration brings with it higher costs—not only the costs of expensive technology but also costs of implementing a complicated system, redesigning intra‐ and interorganizational processes, disrupting the status quo, and spending management time and energy during implementation. Therefore, it may not be wise for firms to jump blindly on the web‐based NPD bandwagon. High levels of web‐based NPD systems integration may be created when low levels of integration may not deliver the desired results. Further, if such systems are installed without appropriate conditions within and outside the firm, it may not be possible to exploit their full potential. As such, it is important to know how much web‐based NPD systems integration is suitable for different conditions.In this article, we develop a conceptual framework that focuses on how web‐based NPD systems integration can influence the outcome of NPD and how the relationship between systems integration and outcomes can be affected by various contextual factors. For this purpose, we draw on research in areas such as NPD, web‐based information systems, and organization theory and on many discussions we had with professionals and software vendors who deal with NPD and web‐based NPD systems. The contextual factors of interest in this framework are strategic orientation of the firm, product‐related factors, business environment, organizational factors, information technology factors, and partner‐characteristics. Managerial and research implications of the framework are discussed.
Cooperation and the Ability to Minimize the Time and Cost of New Product Development within the Spanish Automotive Supplier Industry
Authors: Martínez Sánchez Angel , Pérez Pérez Manuela 
Published: March 2003

New product development (NPD) cycle time has become a strategic competitive weapon for corporations and a focus for research on product development management. Reducing NPD cycle time may create relative advantages in market share, profit, and long‐term competitiveness. This article follows recent research that already has moved beyond anecdotes and case studies to test factors empirically and variables that are associated with the company's NPD time and cost minimization abilities. One emerging research area is the impact of comprehensive lists or sets of firm variables (not project variables) on the ability to speed up NPD.At the same time, several authors' findings suggest a contingency approach to speeding up innovation. Contingency theory argues that there is not one “best answer” to a particular problem: Instead, the appropriateness of managerial interventions is dependent on the prevailing conditions that surround that problem. On the issue of NPD, several scholars point out that cooperation accelerates learning and product development: Firms that combine resources can gain a competitive advantage over firms that are unable to do so, and this is viewed as one of the key benefits of interfirm cooperation. A firm's network of cooperations represent a valuable resource that can yield differential returns in the same way as other tangible and intangible assets such as product brands or R&D capabilities. Combining both lines of research, this study seeks to add to the growing literature and further to inform practicing managers in speeding up NPD by analyzing the relationship between cooperation and the use of some NPD firm practices.This article shows the results of a survey of 63 Spanish automotive suppliers to test the moderation effect of cooperation in the relationship between the use of NPD firm practices and the company's NPD time and cost minimization abilities. Factor and regression analyses were used to test the article's hypotheses. It was found that high‐cooperation companies used more intensively sets of firm practices than low‐cooperation companies. It also was found that two out of four identified factors of NPD firm practices—Design‐Manufacturing Interface and Cross‐Functional Design—were related positively to the company's NPD time and cost minimization abilities in the subsample of high‐cooperation companies but not in the low‐cooperation companies. These results support late research in the area of speeding up NPD. The article discusses some implications for managers.
Government Shekels without Government Shackles? The Administrative Challenges of Charitable Choice
Authors: Kennedy Sheila Suess , Bielefeld Wolfgang 
Published: March 2003

As President Bush plans to expand “Charitable Choice,” civil libertarians worry that the legislation is part of a new assault on separation of church and state. Religious Right activists demand assurances that funds will not flow to groups like the Nation of Islam or Scientologists. African American pastors in urban areas—arguably the main targets of the initiative—are concerned that “government shekels” will be accompanied by “government shackles,” that the costs and regulatory burdens accompanying collaborations with government will divert resources from client services and mute their prophetic voice.Caught in the middle are public managers, who must make the legislation work in the face of significant administrative challenges. Those challenges occur in three areas: contracting procedures, contract administration, and evaluation. In each of these categories, political realities and constitutional constraints will significantly complicate the manager's job.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Executive Order 12898: Environmental Justice for All?
Authors: Murphy–Greene Celeste , Leip Leslie A. 
Published: March 2003

This article examines several federal and state laws, such as the Worker Protection Standards and the Florida Pesticide Law, to determine whether the goals of these laws are being achieved in the State of Florida. A survey based on questions pertaining to various laws was used to gather data on farm workers in three South Florida counties. Face–to–face interviews were conducted with farm workers in Palm Beach and Indian River counties, Florida, in 1997 and in Collier County, Florida, in 1999.Overall, the findings indicate that farm workers in South Florida have been exposed to pesticides through direct or indirect spraying. The findings of the study reveal that federal and state laws—currently in place to protect the workers from pesticide exposure—are not effectively implemented, and farm workers are uninformed of the laws that exist to protect them from pesticide exposure.The study concludes with policy recommendations that will improve the implementation and enforcement of the current laws, which are designed to protect farm workers from pesticide exposure.
G10.3 monoclonal antibody identifies novel functional cell surface structures expressed by normal B lymphocytes and various malignant cell lines
Authors: Schiavon V. , Elhabazi A. , Agrawal S. , Tawab A. , Nikolova M. , Boumsell L. , Bensussan A. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:G10.3, a unique monoclonal antibody (mAb), was produced to better characterize lymphocyte subsets. In the present study, we show that this mAb identifies 118, 83 and 51 kDa cell surface sialylated glycoproteins on the immunizing cell line YTindi. The reactivity of G10.3 mAb is restricted in normal cells to B lymphocytes, whereas within tumoral cell lines various lymphoid and non‐lymphoid cells were found positive. Interestingly, functional studies revealed that triggering G10.3 mAb reactive molecules with soluble antibody led to an inhibition of growth and to an induction of programmed cell death in tumor cell lines expressing high levels of reactive molecules.
Impaired binding of a DQ2 and DQ8‐binding HSV VP16 peptide to a DQA1*0501/DQB1*0302 trans class II heterodimer
Authors: Reichstetter S. , Kwok W.W. , Nepom G.T. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:DQα and DQβtrans heterodimeric HLA‐DQ molecules form in individuals heterozygous for the DQ2 and DQ8 specificities. Unique functions and disease associations have been postulated for such trans‐dimers, which may be different from cis‐encoded DQ molecules encoded by the corresponding haplotypes. We analyzed the ability of the trans‐dimer encoded by HLA‐DQA1*0501/DQB1*0302 to bind a peptide antigen which interacts with DQ molecules encoded by both parental haplotypes. Markedly impaired binding was observed, consistent with both the use of different anchor residues and with changes in levels of DQ cis‐dimer availability for peptide binding interactions.
Limited polymorphism in the HLA‐DOA gene
Authors: Naruse T.K. , Kawata H. , Anzai T. , Takashige N. , Kagiya M. , Nose Y. , Nabeya N. , Isshiki G. , Tatsumi N. , Inoko H. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:The HLA‐DO molecule, a heterodimer consisting of two novel members of the class II gene family, DOA and DOB, has recently been suggested to function as an important modulator in the HLA class II restricted antigen presentation pathway by interaction with the HLA‐DM molecule. In this study, we have analyzed genetic polymorphism and allelic variation of the HLA‐DOA gene in 37 HLA class II homozygous typing cells using the direct DNA sequencing technique. As a result, we recognized at least eight allelic variations, DOA*01011, *0101201, *0101202, *0101203, *01013, *0101401, *0101402 and *01015. None of them, however, result in amino acid substitution. The HLA‐DOA gene has been identified in other mammals as well, and the nucleotide sequences were well conserved among these species. These results suggest that the DOA molecule has undergone strong selective pressure to preserve functional structure and conformation required for interaction with the DM molecule, preventing non‐synonymous amino acid substituiton Note.
Novel HLA‐A and HLA‐B alleles in South American Indians
Authors: Marcos C.Y. , Fernández‐Viña M.A. , Lázaro A.M. , Moraes M.E. , Moraes J.R. , Stastny P. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex includes the most polymorphic genes in humans. More than 600 allelic variants have been described in different populations. The HLA‐B locus has contributed the largest number of alleles. Although Native American populations display a restricted number of HLA‐alleles, many novel HLA class I alleles have been identified in indigenous communities of Central and South America. We have studied 248 unrelated individuals from three tribes of North‐East Argentina and one from South‐West Brazil, as well as 80 related individuals from the Brazilian tribe. In the course of this work, we found 8 new B‐locus alleles and 2 novel A‐locus alleles in these populations. Here we report the nucleotide sequences of A*0219, A*0222, B*3519, B*3520, B*3521, B*3912, B*4009 and B*4803 and we show their relationship with similar alleles. The new alleles B*35092 and B*3518 have been described by us in a previous paper. The possible mechanisms that may have produced these alleles over evolutionary time are discussed Note.
Identification of a new variant, HLA‐Cw*1507, differing from Cw*1502 only at the KIR‐related dimorphism of codons 77 and 80
Authors: Day S. , Van Dam M. , Buckland E. , Dunn P.P.J. , Ross J. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:We describe here a novel allele, HLA‐Cw*1507, identified by polymerase chain reaction using sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP) and sequence‐based typing (SBT). Cw*1507 is similar to Cw*1502 with differences at nucleotide positions 302 (A to G) and 312 (A to C) in exon 2. The substitutions observed in Cw*1507, change codon 77 from AAC (asparagine) to AGC (serine) and codon 80 from AAA (lysine) to AAC (asparagine), compared to Cw*1502. Residues 77 and 80 of HLA‐C alleles are located in the alpha 1 domain, where they can influence interaction between antigenic peptides and the T‐cell receptor. Also, the dimorphism at these residues from asparagine and lysine to serine and asparagine, respectively, are known to modulate interaction with the natural killer (NK) cell killer inhibitory receptor (KIR). The new HLA‐Cw*1507, together with Cw*1502, represents the fourth pair of HLA‐C alleles differing only at the KIR‐related dimorphic codons 77 and 80 Note.
Augmentation of immune response by altered peptide ligands of the antigenic peptide in a human CD4+ T‐cell clone reacting to TEL/AML1 fusion protein
Authors: Yun C. , Senju S. , Fujita H. , Tsuji Y. , Irie A. , Matsushita S. , Nishimura Y. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:The 12;21 chromosomal translocation occurs in leukemic cells from 20–30% of patients with B‐lineage childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the result being the TEL/AML1 fusion gene carrying a sequence different from TEL or AML1. Because the protein newly formed by TEL/AML1 fusion is probably not tolerated by human immune system, the fusion region is a good candidate for tumor antigen expressed only in TEL/AML1‐positive leukemic cells. We established two human CD4+αβ T‐cell clones (T31.1 and Y41.2) reacting to the TEL/AML1 fusion region, from two unrelated healthy donors. In order to do this, we stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells with synthetic peptides corresponding to the TEL/AML1 fusion region. Both T31.1 and Y41.2 proliferated in response to TEL/AML1 fusion protein as well as to a peptide IGRIAECILGMNPSR, in the context of HLA‐DP5 and DP17, respectively, and killed B lymphoblastoid cells pulsed with the peptide. Furthermore, these T‐cell clones proliferated in response to several altered peptide ligands carrying a single residue substitution in the TEL/AML1 peptide, and some induced augmentation of proliferation and production of Th1‐type cytokines. These superagonistic altered peptide ligands can be given consideration for anti‐leukemic immunotherapy.
A novel HLA‐B*51 allele (B*5116) identified by nucleotide sequencing
Authors: Tamouza R. , Carbonnelle E. , Schaeffer V. , Sadki K. , Abed Y. , Marzais F. , Poirier J.C. , Fortier C. , Toubert A. , Raffoux C. , Charron D. 
Published: March 2003

Acknowledgments:This work was supported by Grants from EFG and LNCC.Abstract:We report here an additional HLA‐B*51 variant designated HLA‐B*5116. Detected by an abnormal serological reactivity pattern, this variant was identified as a B*51 allele by polymerase chain reaction using sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP) and characterized by nucleotide sequencing. The new variant sequence match closely with the classical HLA‐B*5101 excepted two adjacent nucleotide substitutions at positions 216 and 217 of the third exon and the subsequent Leucine to Glutamic acid change at codon 163 of the α2 domain (CTG→GAG). This new variant was not detected in three different ethnic groups (French, Algerian and Lebanese) suggesting a very rare frequency ( Note).
Characterization of the novel allele HLA‐B*4417: implications for bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Elsner H.‐A. , Schmitz G. , Ballas M. , Lenhard V. , Blasczyk R. 
Published: March 2003

Acknowledgments:We would like to thank Sandra Reuter for excellent technical assistance. This study was in part supported by the Wilhelm Sander‐Foundation.Abstract:The identification of the novel allele HLA‐B*4417, which was found in a blood donor of Caucasian origin, is described. In the sequence analysis the new allele differs from B*4402 by three nucleotides in exon 3. At the protein level, the new allele has two residue differences compared to B*4402. Due to substantial differences with other B*44 variants a possible mismatch may impair clinical outcome of bone marrow transplantation ( Note).
Identification of six novel polymorphisms in the human corneodesmosin gene
Authors: Guerrin M. , Vincent C. , Simon M. , Ahnini R. Tazi , Fort M. , Serre G. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract:Psoriatic epidermis is characterised by a defective differentiation program leading to an abnormal permeability barrier and impaired desquamation. The corneodesmosin gene (CDSN) or “S” gene is a strong candidate in psoriasis susceptibility, due first to its genomic position (“S” gene, 160 kb telomeric to HLA‐C) and second to its expression and function in the epidermis. Moreover, an association between CDSN and psoriasis vulgaris was recently shown in Caucasian populations. In order to pursue the CDSN polymorphism analysis, we determined the sequence of its alleles in 14 HLA‐Cw6‐positive individuals. A 4.6 kb genomic fragment encompassing the first exon, the unique intron and the coding sequence of the second exon was amplified from 8 psoriatic patients and 6 controls. Allelic discrimination was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The entire coding sequence and the intron boundaries of 27 alleles were sequenced. A total of 26 dimorphic sites were found, 23 consisting in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 3 in triplet modifications. Five out of the 23 SNPs have not been previously reported, and among them, one causes amino‐acid exchange leading to the suppression of a potential chymotrypsin site. Among the triplet modifications, one leads to deletion of one out of five consecutive valines in the protein. The high polymorphism of the gene allowed the identification of 13 different alleles. These haplotypes will permit additional family‐based studies that could provide new genetic support for the involvement of CDSN in psoriasis susceptibility. Moreover, the establishment of an extensive catalogue of CDSN alleles will allow functional analyses of the different protein isoforms.