Publishing in six socially oriented journals - the state of play globally and in Australia/NZ

This paper overviews the institutional publishing performance within 6 socially oriented journals. It identifies that authors publishing in these works come from a diverse range of countries. Although there is a dominance of publishing by North American Academics within the area, Australia and New Zealand in fact perform relatively better than one might anticipate based on the region’s size. A review of publishing performance by institutions in the region identifies that socially oriented research in fact occurs in a diverse cross section of institutions within the region as well.

Benchmarking publishing activity of U.S. colleges and universities across the leading journals : a grouped evaluation

This paper examines institutional research productivity across two sets of journals – Hult et al. (1997) and Polonsky and Whitelaw (2006), based on institutions' Carnegie Foundation Classification, funding type (private or public) and whether institutions' offer PhD's in marketing. It is identified that while Research Intensive institutions publish more than other types of organizations across journal types, the type of funding and offering PhD's in Marketing are equally if not more important. As such, institutions seeking to compare themselves to other institutions should choose a 'similar' set of institutions on which to base any comparisons.

Industries, artists, friends and fans : marketing young adult fictions online

The Internet has facilitated the coming together of formerly more separated youth taste cultures, such that literary, screen and graphic fandoms now more readily overlap. Media industries have invested in online strategies which create an ongoing relationship between producers and consumers of entertainment media texts. Using the Internet marketing campaign for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga as a case study, the paper examines the role of the publishing industry in marketing popular teen literary fiction through online channels in ways that often disguise promotional intent.

Global and regional dispersion of publishing in the field of international marketing

This paper empirically examines the research productivity of academic institutions in the leading international marketing journals, leading generalist marketing journals, and leading international business journals between the years 1999 and 2003 from a regional and country-specific perspective. The research found that across the three groups of journals, the majority of works were authored by academics at institutions located in North America, although North Americans contribute significantly less in the international marketing and international business journals than leading generalist marketing journals. The findings suggest that there is a broadening of non-U.S. influence within the international marketing and international business journals, which should lead to a broadening of international marketing theory.

Selective reduction in body fat mass and plasma leptin induced by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in rats

Objective: There is emerging evidence that angiotensin stimulates adipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis. This study tested the hypothesis that inhibition of angiotensin II by treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, perindopril, would reduce fat mass in rats. Design: After a 12-day baseline, rats were divided into two groups: one was untreated and the other received perindopril (1.2 mg kg⁻¹ per day) in drinking water for 26 days.Subjects: In total, 16 male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 10 weeks at the start of the study. Measurements: Plasma leptin was measured in samples collected at baseline, half-way through and at the end of treatment. Body weight, food and water intake were measured daily throughout the experiment. Body fat mass, bone and lean mass were determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at the end of the treatment period. Results: Daily food intake was the same in both groups throughout the study. By the end of treatment, animals receiving perindopril showed a modest reduction in weight gain relative to the untreated animals (62.4±5.0 g vs 73.0±4.0 g; P<0.05). DEXA analysis showed that body composition was greatly altered and the perindopril-treated group had 26% less body fat mass than the untreated group (61.0±5.2 g vs 44.4±4.2 g; P<0.01). The reduction in body fat mass was correlated with reductions in the weight of both the epididymal and retroperitoneal fat pads (P<0.001). Similarly, plasma leptin was reduced by perindopril treatment (4.64±0.56 ng ml⁻¹) compared to the untreated group (8.27±1.03 ng ml⁻¹; P<0.001). In contrast, there were no differences in lean or bone mass between the two groups.Conclusion: Oral treatment with perindopril selectively reduced body fat mass without influencing daily food intake. In contrast, there were no differences in lean or bone mass between the two groups

Undernutrition during suckling in rats elevates plasma adiponectin and its receptor in skeletal muscle regardless of diet composition : a protective effect?

Objective:
Nutrition during critical periods in early life may increase the subsequent risk of obesity, hypertension and metabolic diseases in adulthood. Few studies have focused on the long-term consequences of poor nutrition during the suckling period on the susceptibility to developing obesity when exposed to a palatable cafeteria-style high-fat diet (CD) after weaning.

Design:
This study examined the impact of early undernutrition, followed by CD exposure, on blood pressure, hormones and genes important for insulin sensitivity and metabolism and skeletal muscle mRNA expression of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1), carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I (CPT-1), cytochrome c oxidase 4 (COX4) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha). Following normal gestation, Sprague–Dawley rat litters were adjusted to 18 (undernourished) or 12 (control) pups. Rats were weaned (day 21) onto either palatable CD or standard chow.

Results:
Early undernourished rats were significantly lighter than control by 17 days, persisting into adulthood only when animals were fed chow after weaning. Regardless of litter size, rats fed CD had doubled fat mass at 15 weeks of age, and significant elevations in plasma leptin, insulin and adiponectin. Importantly, undernutrition confined to the suckling period, elevated circulating adiponectin regardless of post-weaning diet. Blood pressure was reduced in early undernourished rats fed chow, and increased by CD. Early undernutrition was associated with long-term elevations in the expression of AdipoR1, CPT-1, COX4 and PPARalpha in skeletal muscle.

Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the important role of early nutrition on body weight and metabolism, suggesting early undernourishment enhances insulin sensitivity and fatty-acid oxidation. The long-term potential benefit of limiting nutrition in the early postnatal period warrants further investigation.

A prospective examination of children's time spent outdoors, objectively measured physical activity and overweight

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether time spent outdoors was associated with objectively measured physical activity, body mass index (BMI) z-score and overweight in elementary-school aged children, cross-sectionally and prospectively over 3 years.
Methods: Three-year cohort study with data collected during 2001 and 2004. Nineteen randomly selected state elementary schools across Melbourne, Australia. One hundred and eighty eight 5–6-year-old and 360 10–12-year-old children. Baseline parent reports of children’s time spent outdoors during warmer and cooler months, on weekdays and weekends. At baseline and follow-up, children’s moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was objectively assessed by accelerometry, and BMI zscore and overweight was calculated from measured height and weight.
Results: Cross-sectionally, each additional hour outdoors on weekdays and weekend days during the cooler months was associated with an extra 27 min week^-1 MVPA among older girls, and with an extra 20 min week^-1 MVPA among older boys. Longitudinally, more time outdoors on weekends predicted higher MVPA on weekends among older girls and boys (5 min week^-1). The prevalence of overweight among older children at follow-up was 27–41% lower among those spending more time outdoors at baseline.
Conclusion: Encouraging 10–12-year-old children to spend more time outdoors may be an effective strategy for increasing physical activity and preventing increases in overweight and obesity. Intervention research investigating the effect of increasing time outdoors on children’s physical activity and overweight is warranted.

Decorin is a secreted protein associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes

Psammomys obesus

The division of labor, capital, communication technology and economic growth : the case of China 1952–99

The implications of the division of labor, capital, and technology for economic growth have long been a fundamental issue in development economics. This paper employs the bounds testing approach to cointegration to examine the relationship between the division of labor, capital accumulation, communication technology, and economic growth for China over the period 1952–99. We find that in the long run, capital stock and the division of labor both have statistically significant positive effects on growth, while in the short run the effects are not significantly positive. Telecommunication technology, rather surprisingly, has a statistically insignificant impact on growth both in the long run and in the short run. Our findings indicate that there exists a long run equilibrium relationship between capital and the division of labor on the one hand, and economic growth on the other, thereby lending support to the division of labor theory of growth.

Dietary combination of soy with a probiotic or prebiotic food significantly reduces total and LDL cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects

Objective: We hypothesized that a dietary combination of soy with either a probiotic (yoghurt) or a prebiotic (resistant starch) would result in enhanced lipid-lowering effects compared with a control soy diet, possibly via improvements in isoflavone bioavailability.

Subjects: Mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects (men and post-menopausal women) older than 45 years were recruited via the local media. Thirty-six subjects commenced the study; five withdrew.

Results: Soy+probiotic significantly decreased total cholesterol (4.72.0%; P=0.038) and soy+prebiotic significantly decreased total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (5.51.6%; P=0.003 and 7.32.2%; P=0.005, respectively). The bioavailabilities of daidzein, genistein or equol were not affected by probiotic or prebiotic consumption or associated with lipid changes.

Conclusion: Dietary combination of soy with either a probiotic or a prebiotic resulted in significant lipid lowering, not related to isoflavone bioavailability.

Identification of secreted proteins associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in Psammomys obesus

Objective: Skeletal muscle produces a variety of secreted proteins that have important roles in intercellular communication and affects processes such as glucose homoeostasis. The objective of this study was to develop a novel Signal Sequence Trap (SST) in conjunction with cDNA microarray technology to identify proteins secreted from skeletal muscle of Psammomys obesus that were associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Design: Secreted proteins that were differentially expressed between lean, normal glucose tolerant (NGT), overweight and impaired glucose tolerant (IGT) and obese, T2D P. obesus were isolated using SST in conjunction with cDNA microarray technology. Subsequent gene expression was measured in tissues from P. obesus by real-time PCR (RT-PCR).

Results: The SST yielded 1600 positive clones, which were screened for differential expression. A total of 91 (B6%) clones were identified by microarray to be differentially expressed between NGT, IGT and T2D P. obesus. These clones were sequenced to identify 51 genes, of which only 27 were previously known to encode secreted proteins. Three candidate genes not previously associated with obesity or type 2 diabetes, sushi domain containing 2, collagen and calcium-binding EGF domains 1 and periostin (Postn), as well as one gene known to be associated, complement component 1, were shown by RT-PCR to be differentially expressed in  skeletal muscle of P. obesus. Further characterization of the secreted protein Postn revealed it to be predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, with higher expression in visceral compared with subcutaneous adipose depots.

Conclusion: SST in conjunction with cDNA microarray technology is a powerful tool to identify differentially expressed secreted proteins involved in complex diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, a number of candidate genes were identified, in particular, Postn, which may have a role in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Is there global inclusion in publishing in the five leading advertising journals and does this relate to general publishing performance : a regional comparison

The question has been raised in academia whether there is global inclusion of authors in publishing. This has generally not been explored in the 30 years of research on advertising research activity and those works that do exist in advertising have generally only examined three North American focused journals. This paper expands the set of journals to five advertising focused journals and thus is a global examination of publishing in advertising. Within these five advertising journals there is an increased international involvement and thus it appears that a broader set of perspectives are being considered in the advertising literature. We also found that there is a positive correlation between publishing in the five leading advertising journals and four leading generalist journals, suggesting that institutions may be developing broader research cultures, rather than targeting works only in advertising.

The cost-effectiveness of removing television advertising of high-fat and/or high-sugar food and beverages to Australian children

Objective: To model the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of banning television (TV) advertisements in Australia for energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and beverages during children's peak viewing times.

Methods: Benefits were modelled as changes in body mass index (BMI) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved. Intervention costs (AUD$) were compared with future health-care cost offsets from reduced prevalence of obesity-related health conditions. Changes in BMI were assumed to be maintained through to adulthood. The comparator was current practice, the reference year was 2001, and the discount rate for costs and benefits was 3%. The impact of the withdrawal of non-core food and beverage advertisements on children's actual food consumption was drawn from the best available evidence (a randomized controlled trial of advertisement exposure and food consumption). Supporting evidence was found in ecological relationships between TV advertising and childhood obesity, and from the effects of marketing bans on other products. A Working Group of stakeholders provided input into decisions surrounding the modelling assumptions and second-stage filters of 'strength of evidence', 'equity', 'acceptability to stakeholders', 'feasibility of implementation', 'sustainability' and 'side-effects'.

Results: The intervention had a gross incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of AUD$ 3.70 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) $2.40, $7.70) per DALY. Total DALYs saved were 37 000 (95% UI 16 000, 59 000). When the present value of potential savings in future health-care costs was considered (AUD$ 300m (95% UI $130m, $480m), the intervention was 'dominant', because it resulted in both a health gain and a cost offset compared with current practice.

Conclusions: Although recognizing the limitations of the available evidence, restricting TV food advertising to children would be one of the most cost-effective population-based interventions available to governments today. Despite its economic credentials from a public health perspective, the initiative is strongly opposed by food and advertising industries and is under review by the current Australian government.