bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managing Real and Virtual Waits in Hospitality and Service Organizations
Authors: Dickson Duncan , Ford Robert C. , Laval Bruce
Published: January 2005

Nearly all service and hospitality experiences require customers to wait at some point in the service process. Unless the provider of the service has unlimited capacity or can precisely match customer demand to available capacity, customers will be forced to wait for the experience they seek. Although waiting is an expected part of many services (say, gracious dining), for most customers waiting is an annoyance to be minimized or avoided. Waiting can also cause customer dissatisfaction that can greatly influence the intent to return whenever that service experience is sought again. To minimize the negative aspects of waiting, managers have available the following three strategies. The first is to manage the reality of the actual wait through the use of techniques that can help better match capacity with customer demand. The second is to manage the perception of thewait by responding to how customers perceive the wait. The third, and most innovative, is to make the wait invisible through developing virtual queues, which allow customers to participate in other activities while they wait for an appointed time at their desired activity.
Preparing for Disaster
Authors: Kwortnik Robert J.
Published: January 2005

Based on the experience of hoteliers caught in the blackout of '03, this checklist will help managers plan for power interruptions due to either man-made or natural causes. An organized approach to disaster planning provides a guide for maintaining guest service and for supporting the staff members who will provide that service in difficult circumstances. The checklist will help managers analyze the most likely problems caused by a protracted power outage and outlines preparations to address those problems.
The Case for Cobranding in Restaurant Segments
Authors: Muller Christopher
Published: January 2005

A multiple-brand strategy, sometimes called cobranding, confers numerous benefits for chain restaurant companies. Although the strategy has been little used thus far in the restaurant industry, cobranding has been applied in other industries for some time. Combining complementary brands can augment both, in particular by giving customers a wider choice of food in a given location and reducing customers' search costs.
Latino Immigrants Describe Residence in Rural Midwestern Meatpacking Communities: A Longitudinal Assessment of Social and Economic Change
Authors: Dalla Rochelle L. , Christensen April
Published: January 2005

The authors describe results from a longitudinal investigation of Latino immigrants residing in three rural, Midwestern, meatpacking communities. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 43 Latino immigrants. Survey data assessed economic strain, community concerns, and community service access and availability; in-depth interviews focused on satisfaction with rural Midwestern residence. The following year, 23 of the original participants were located. They completed the same instruments and engaged in an in-depth interview to assess change during the previous year. Results of this investigation are presented as are suggestions for further work and advocacy efforts.
Employment Hardship Among Mexican-Origin Women
Authors: De Anda Roberto M.
Published: January 2005

This study compares the prevalence and causes of employment hardship between Mexicanorigin and White women. Data come from the March 1992, 1996, and 2000 Current Population Surveys. Using logistic regression, the author assesses whether there is a difference between Mexican-origin and White women in employment hardship, controlling for personal and structural factors. Then, the analysis is conducted separately for these two groups of women to evaluate whether particular correlates of employment hardship affect them differently. The findings show that there were more than twice as many Mexicanorigin women than White women who experienced employment hardship. Net of relevant factors, employment hardship among Mexican women was greater than among comparable White women. Separate analysis revealed that Mexican-origin women who were young, poorly educated, recent immigrants, and employed in low-skilled occupations and the services industry were vulnerable to employment hardship.
Effect of the Bienestar Health Program on Physical Fitness in Low-Income Mexican American Children
Authors: Treviño Roberto P. , Hernandez Arthur E. , Yin Zenong , Garcia Oralia A. , Hernandez Irene
Published: January 2005

Once considered an adult onset disease, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in low-income Mexican American children. Studies have suggested that most of those so diagnosed were overweight, reported low levels of physical activity, and were generally unaware of their disease. The Bienestar Health Programwas designed to reduce risk factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes. A major focus of the curriculum is health and physical education. A comparison of intervention and control group students resulted in a significant difference in physical fitness change scores (p < .003) after an 8-month intervention. This study suggests that it is possible to improve the physical fitness of low-income Mexican American preadolescent children through a comprehensive school-based health program.
Amygdala, Long-term Potentiation, and Fear Conditioning
Authors: Dityatev Alexander E. , Bolshakov Vadim Y.
Published: January 2005

Fear conditioning, during which emotional significance is attached to an initially biologically insignificant conditioned stimulus, when such neutral stimulus is paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus, provides an experimental paradigm that is most commonly used to study fear learning. The amygdala, a sub-cortical nuclear group, is a brain structure critically important for fear conditioning. Recent studies indicate that both fear conditioning-induced neuronal plasticity and LTP at the amygdala synapses share common mechanisms of induction and expression. These findings provide the most direct evidence yet available that the mechanisms of LTP are recruited in the experimental animals during behavioral training and that such mechanisms might be utilized for memory storage.
Caspase-Dependent and -Independent Neuronal Death: Two Distinct Pathways to Neuronal Injury
Authors: Stefanis L.
Published: January 2005

Caspases are cysteine proteases that mediate apoptotic death in a variety of cellular systems, including neurons. Caspases are activated through extrinsic or intrinsic pathways. The latter is used by most neurons in most situations. In this pathway, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytoplasm induces formation of the apoptosome, which leads to the activation of caspase 9 and subsequently other caspases. Recent data demonstrate that when caspase activation is inhibited at or downstream of the apoptosome, neurons undergo a delayed, caspase-independent death. Furthermore, there are instances, most notably following excitotoxic injury and calcium overload, in which the direct cell death pathway elicited differs from classical apoptosis. The molecular and biochemical features of such caspase-independent, nonapoptotic forms of neuronal death are just beginning to be elucidated, but alterations at the level of the mitochondria and noncaspase proteases play significant roles. Mitochondrial alterations in caspase-independent death may include energy depletion, generation of free radicals, opening of the permeability transition pore, and release of cytotoxic proteins, such as apoptosis-inducing factor. The particular mechanisms employed can be context dependent. In disease states, in which a combination of apoptotic and nonapoptotic death occurs, therapeutic strategies need to take into account both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways.
Early TCR-β and TCR-γ PCR detection of T-cell clonality indicates minimal tumor disease in lymph nodes of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: diagnostic and prognostic implications
Authors: Assaf Chalid , Hummel Michael , Steinhoff Matthias , Geilen Christoph C. , Orawa Helmut , Stein Harald , Orfanos Constantin E.
Published: January 2005

The lymph nodes are generally the first extracutaneous manifestation in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL); however, their early involvement is difficult to assess. The aim of our study was to define the diagnostic and prognostic value of T-cell clonality analysis for a more precise assessment of lymph node involvement in CTCL. T-cell clonality was determined by 2 independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, namely a recently developed T-cell receptor-β (TCR-β) PCR technique as well as an established TCR-γ PCR. T-cell clonality was found in 22 of 22 lymph nodes with histologically detectable CTCL involvement as well as in 7 of 14 histologically noninvolved dermatopathic lymph nodes. The clonal T-cell populations in the lymph nodes were in all cases identical to those detected in the corresponding skin lesions, identifying them as the tumor cell population. T-cell clonality was not found in any of the 12 dermatopathic lymph nodes from 12 patients with inflammatory skin diseases. Clonal T-cell detection in 7 of 14 dermatopathic lymph nodes of patients with CTCL was associated with limited survival (74 months; confidence interval [CI], 66-82 months) as in patients with histologically confirmed lymph node involvement (41 months; CI, 35-47 months), whereas all patients without T-cell clonality in the lymph nodes (7 patients) were alive at the last follow-up. Thus, T-cell clonality analysis is an important adjunct in differentiating benign dermatopathic lymphadenitis from early CTCL involvement.
Psoriatic scales: a promising source for the isolation of human skin-derived antimicrobial proteins
Authors: Harder Jürgen , Schröder Jens-Michael
Published: January 2005

Patients with psoriasis, a chronic, hyperproliferative and noninfectious skin disease, suffer surprisingly fewer cutaneous infections than would be expected. This observation led us to the hypothesis that a local “chemical shield” in the form of antimicrobial proteins provides psoriatic skin with resistance against infection. We subsequently began a systematic analysis of in vitro antimicrobially active proteins in psoriatic-scale extracts. A biochemical approach with rigorous purification and characterization combined with antimicrobial testing identified a number of mostly new human antibiotic peptides and proteins. In this review, we will focus on the most prominent antimicrobial proteins in psoriatic-scale extracts, which we identified as the S100-protein psoriasin, human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2), RNase 7, lysozyme, and human neutrophil defensin 1–3. Apart from these cutaneous, antimicrobial proteins, only a few others, including hBD-3, have been characterized. A great number of minor antimicrobial proteins await further structural characterization.
The unresponsiveness of aged mice to polysaccharide antigens is a result of a defect in macrophage function
Authors: Chelvarajan R Lakshman , Collins Sarah M , Van Willigen Juliana M , Bondada Subbarao
Published: January 2005

A reduction in macrophage (MΦ) function with aging makes mice less responsive to bacterial capsular polysaccharides, such as those present in the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, a model of thymus independent (TI) antigen (Ag). Using trinitrophenol (TNP)-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TNP-Ficoll, two other well-studied TI Ag, we studied the mechanistic basis of reduced MΦ function in the aged. We show that aged mice are profoundly hyporesponsive to these TI Ag. As a result of a requirement for MΦ, highly purified B cells from young-adult mice do not respond to TI Ag. When purified, young B cells were immunized with TNP-Ficoll, the antibody production from those cultures reconstituted with MΦ from aged mice was significantly lower than that seen with young MΦ. Consequently, this unresponsiveness can be overcome by a mixture of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. Upon stimulation with LPS, in comparison with young MΦ, aged MΦ secreted reduced amounts of IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α, IL-1β, and IL-12, cytokines necessary for B cells to respond to TI Ag. LPS also induced aged MΦ to produce an excess of IL-10. Neutralization of IL-10 enhanced the production of proinflamatory cytokines by MΦ upon LPS stimulation and also induced Ab production by aged splenocytes. Thus, the inability of aged MΦ to help the B cell response appears to be caused by an excess of IL-10. As aged MΦ have a reduced number of cells expressing Toll-like receptor 4 and CD14, the imbalance in cytokine production might be partly a result of fewer cells expressing key components of the LPS receptor complex.
A novel role for neutrophils as a source of T cell-recruiting chemokines IP-10 and Mig during the DTH response to HSV-1 antigen
Authors: Molesworth-Kenyon S J , Oakes J E , Lausch R N
Published: January 2005

Analogous to CD4+ T cells, neutrophils are essential participants in delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to Herpes simplex virus type 1 antigen. However, what role they play in this cellular immune response is unclear. The recent recognition that neutrophils are potent producers of chemokines led us to hypothesize that they may help recruit CD4+ effector T cells. In the present study, we show that neutrophil depletion was accompanied by a marked decrease in the numbers of CD4+ and CXC receptor 3+ (CXCR3+)-expressing cells migrating to the DTH site and a sharp drop in the levels of interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and monokine induced by IFN-γ (Mig). Purified mouse neutrophils were stimulated directly by IFN-γ to secrete these chemokines, and neutrophils at the DTH site expressed IP-10. IFN-γ knockout mice, which manifested depressed ear-swelling following DTH challenge, made little IP-10 and no Mig. Reconstitution of these mice with IFN-γ induced CXCR3 ligand synthesis. Depletion of neutrophils or CD4+ T cells but not CD8+ T cells markedly reduced IFN-γ levels, suggesting the former were direct (or indirect) cellular sources of this cytokine. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that neutrophil production of T cell-recruiting chemokines contributes to the regulation and amplification of the DTH response.
Active participation of endothelial cells in inflammation
Authors: Cook-Mills Joan M , Deem Tracy L
Published: January 2005

Leukocyte migration from the blood into tissues is vital for immune surveillance and inflammation. During this diapedesis of leukocytes, the leukocytes bind to endothelial cell adhesion molecules and then migrate across the vascular endothelium. Endothelial cell adhesion molecules and their counter-receptors on leukocytes generate intracellular signals. This review focuses on the active function of endothelial cells during leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions. We include a discussion of the “outside-in” signals in endothelial cells, which are stimulated by antibody cross-linking or leukocyte binding to platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Some of these signals in endothelial cells have been demonstrated to actively participate in leukocyte migration. We suggest that some of the adhesion molecule signals, which have not been assigned a function, are consistent with signals that stimulate retraction of lateral junctions, stimulate endothelial cell basal surface adhesion, or induce gene expression.
Early mental health intervention after disasters
Authors: Alexander David A.
Published: January 2005

Disasters are complex events that challenge the coping abilities of individuals and communities. This article reviews the likely impact of such events and factors that compromise the ability of survivors to cope with that impact. The principles of early intervention are also considered, particularly with regard to the role of a mental health adviser. This role is an important and demanding one, and its aims and principles of professional conduct should be carefully scrutinised.
New drugs, old problems: Revisiting… Pharmacological management of treatment-resistant depression
Authors: Cowen Philip J.
Published: January 2005

Effective pharmacological management of depression resistant to antidepressant medication is best carried out in the context of a supportive and collaborative relationship, following a mutually agreed care plan. Simpler pharmacological approaches such as switching antidepressant classes are tried first, then augmentation is used if needed. New classes of antidepressants have made antidepressant combination a popular augmentation strategy, but lithium addition has most supporting evidence. The use of atypical antipsychotics as augmenting agents is increasing. For patients unresponsive to these strategies, monoamine oxidase inhibitors and electroconvulsive therapy remain important. Large randomised pragmatic trials are needed to help clinicians and patients make better treatment choices.
Advancing the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression
Authors: Frangou Sophia
Published: January 2005

Bipolar disorder is a recurring, often chronic, illness characterised by periods of mania and depression with variable inter-episode recovery. For the majority of patients it is the depressive component of this illness that contributes to most of the associated morbidity, social disability and mortality. Research and clinical experience suggest that acute treatment and prevention of depressive episodes is by far the most challenging aspect of the care of patients with the disorder. This review examines the contribution of depression to the course and outcome of bipolar disorder as well as diagnostic difficulties that often complicate treatment and may lead to inappropriate medication. Key studies that form the evidence base of treatment recommendation for bipolar depression are presented and areas of therapeutic uncertainty are highlighted.
The art of reflection: reflective practice in publishing education
Authors: Hardy Christine
Published: January 2005

One of the aims for the MA Publishing at Nottingham Trent University is to ‘develop students into reflective practitioners ...’ Associated with this aim are several assessed learning outcomes. From student feedback throughout the course, it became evident that the various
prescribed methods of reflection were not having the expected outcome: that of enabling students to take a deep approach to learning. This paper examines the reasons for this by exploring the students’ perceptions of their experiences and comparing them to a small sample of other postgraduate
students’ experiences of reflection. This is achieved using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The focus is on the journal as this was the method that students concentrated upon in their responses. It was found that those on the non-practice-based MA Publishing
experienced difficulties, both in their usefulness and assessment; in contrast those on practice-based programmes considered the journal useful, but timeconsuming. It was concluded, that in addition to the journal, other methods to encourage reflection should be investigated for those students
on non-practicebased programmes; and that they should be embedded into the curriculum.
Editorial
Authors: Drew Linda
Published: January 2005

This particular issue should interest readers from a number of different perspectives, because there is a wide range of featured subject contexts including art, design and media practice, media studies and specialist areas such as journalism and publishing education. However, the focus
of the five major articles in this issue concentrates on just two key aspects of learning and teaching: learner reflection and assessment.
Reflection as confession: discipline and docility in/on the student body
Authors: Devas Angela
Published: January 2005

This article examines the reflective turn in student education. It draws on Foucault (1977, 1979, 1980) to analyse a student response questionnaire using a methodology derived from textual analysis. The articles investigates the idea of self-governance and situates the student within
a regime of self-examination and self-surveillance. This is linked to a notion of power that operates from within the student, rather than from above. In the process of becoming a ‘student subject’ the student becomes a self-monitoring agent. The author argues that the imperative
of confession is used to situate the student within a particular nexus of power. The article interrogates the idea of the rational subject of the enlightenment that is constructed by the questionnaire, and argues that the ‘student’ is a product of discursive educational practices.
The notion of learning that is implied by the questionnaire does not directly address issues of class and cultural capital, but these issues can be unpacked from the questionnaire, which also offers up an idealized, masculinized subject position for the learner.
A reflective approach to teaching journalism
Authors: Sheridan Burns Lynette
Published: January 2005

This article considers how professionals ‘think by doing’ and provides a theoretical rationale for reflective practice as a model for teaching journalism. This approach focuses on the development of graduate efficacy in the intellectual skills and the understanding required of professional practitioners. It is argued here that by ‘blocking the exits’ to escape from the implications and effects of their practice, students are held to high benchmarks of critical thinking. Further, the ‘lived’ experience provided by a problem-based pedagogy develops confidence and a sense of competence in students. Moreover, this approach integrates thinking and doing in a way that binds practices with the social and ethical effects produced.
The ‘wow’ factors: the assessment of practical media and creative arts subjects
Authors: Gordon Janey
Published: January 2005

This article proposes that within media arts and other practical creative subjects, the ‘wow’ factors have a legitimate place within assessment criteria. Three distinctive considerations of assessment procedures within these subject areas are identified and the QAA benchmarks
for the creative arts subjects are examined, noting that the music benchmarks are particularly inspiring. Three practices are suggested as ways of encouraging students to ‘live dangerously’ when doing practical assignments. The piece concludes that media arts and other creative
subject areas entail a number of skills and qualities that are going to require subtle assessment procedures.
‘Faudrait-il le dire à vous, Étranger?’: enjeux intertextuels dans Vingt Ans de Nguyên Duc Giang
Authors: Dixon Susan
Published: January 2005

En retravaillant la trame d’initiation coloniale présente dans de nombreux romans français d’Indochine, Vingt Ans (1940), roman francophone de Nguyên Duc Giang, se construit à partir d’une intertextualité romanesque et coloniale qui
nourrit une réflexion sur le rôle du roman, à la fois dans l’éducation coloniale des lecteurs métropolitains et en tant que base d’une possible relation franco-vietnamienne. Francophones et francophiles, les jeunes Vietnamiens représentés
par le narrateur vietnamien semblent évoluer en dehors de la situation coloniale, alors qu’un lecteur ‘étranger’, présumé français, hante l’intrigue à travers sa relation dialogique mais instable avec le narrateur. Ce dernier
fournit au lecteur des repères familiers qu’il brouille aussitôt, transgressant de cette manière le pacte qui les lient. Il révèle par là son ambiguïté vis-à-vis du lecteur et de sa culture, dont l’hégémonie
se retrouve ainsi remise en cause.
Open Forum – An interview with Javier Cercas: language, history and memory in Soldados de Salamina
Authors: Payne John
Published: January 2005

The author presents material from an interview with the writer Javier Cercas, author of Soldados de Salamina, to illustrate Cercas’s views on two issues of concern in contemporary Spanish public debate: the issue of which language a writer chooses to write in, particularly in
the context of deliberations about Catalan identity; and the issue of truth in private and public memories, particularly memories of wartime atrocities and acts of heroism.
Book Reviews
Authors: Torres Maggie
Published: January 2005

Red Barcelona: Social Protest and Labour Mobilization in the Twentieth Century, Angel Smith (ed.) (2002) London and New York: Routledge, xiii + 258 pp., ISBN 0-415-27905-4, Hardback
Franco’s last stand: an analysis of Spanish foreign policy regarding Moroccan independence in 1956
Authors: Elkin Mike
Published: January 2005

During the years leading to Morocco’s independence in 1956, there was a flurry of activity among the foreign policy-makers in France and Spain. General Franco, however, badly misread French intentions and ultimately lost his foothold in Northern Africa. Franco’s policy of
gaining international prestige at the expense of the French proved to be Spanish Morocco’s downfall and his largely cosmetic ties to the Arab League nations did little to maintain Franco’s hold on his old battlegrounds. The documents also show that Spanish High Commissioner García
Valiño and Franco did not conduct different agendas - but only Franco realized, in February 1956, that the situation was lost.
‘Operación Triunfo’: amusing Catalonia to death
Authors: León Solís Fernando
Published: January 2005

The musical contest Operación Triunfo, broadcast by the state-financed Televisión Española, broke audience records all over Spain. The almost identical audience behaviour shown by Catalans and the rest of Spaniards triggered a negative reaction in the Catalanist
daily Avui which attempted to counteract the success of the programme by arguing that it was homogenizing, tasteless and erosive of the Catalan public sphere, and a danger to Catalan national identity. This article argues that the ideologically-driven counteractive strategies of Avui showed
‘modern’ features that might be at odds with the ‘postmodern’ tendencies of present-day society and particularly with the predominance of entertainment in the media.
Building technological capability in the context of globalization: opportunities and challenges facing developing countries
Authors: Huq Mozammel
Published: January 2005

It is an honour to edit this special issue on ‘Globalization and Technology Development’, the publication of which is an outcome of the 2003 DSA (Development Studies Association) Annual Conference held in Glasgow at the University of Strathclyde, itself a source of pioneering studies on technology and development. This recent conference coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first assembly of the DSA, held at Strathclyde, for which the David Livingstone Institute of Overseas Development Studies, then actively investigating technology choice in developing countries, took a leading role. In introducing this special issue, an attempt will be made to highlight the case for explicit, coherent and effective technology policy as the way forward in rapidly globalizing economies, especially those in the developing world. In this regard, this introductory paper will invoke some recently published evidence from three countries of the Indian subcontinent, namely Bangladesh, India and Nepal, all of which are low-income developing countries.
Appropriate Technology in a Globalizing World
Authors: Grieve Roy H.
Published: January 2005

This article identifies different concepts of ‘appropriate technology’ and the strategies they imply. It is observed that while the original neoclassical strategy of adopting labour-intensive alternatives for medium- and large-scale production in developing countries has
fallen out of favour, for small-scale developments, the ‘intermediate technology’ approach is recognized as valid for tackling the consequences of dualistic development. The accepted strategy for medium- and large-scale industry in less developed countries (LDCs) is now technological
capability building based on technology transfer with the aim of achieving competitiveness in international markets. Finally, it is noted that subject to the rapid pace of globalization, developing countries are increasingly finding the task of catching-up both daunting and urgent.
Globalization and systems of production and innovation in newly industrialized countries (NICs): lessons from Brazil
Authors: Villaschi Arlindo
Published: January 2005

This article presents a working definition of ‘competitiveness’ and ‘social capabilities’ which should be taken into consideration when dealing with industrializing countries that are facing the challenges and opportunities of the ICT techno-economic paradigm.
Empirical evidence from nine production and innovation ‘arrangements’ in Brazil are used in order to indicate the need for public policy, so that these challenges can be properly managed and the opportunities fully captured at a time of intense competition in the world market.
Sleep Patterns and Sleep Problems Among Schoolchildren in the United States and China
Authors: Liu Xianchen , Liu Lianqi , Owens Judith A. , Kaplan Debra L.
Published: January 2005

Objectives. Sleep patterns and sleep problems in children are not only influenced by a large number of biological and psychologic factors but also by cultural and social factors. Little is known about similarities and differences in sleep patterns and sleep problems among children across countries. We attempted to compare sleep patterns and sleep problems among schoolchildren from 2 countries with distinctive cultural contexts: the United States and China.

Methods. The data come from 2 cross-sectional surveys in 3 elementary schools of Jinan City, People's Republic of China, and 3 elementary schools from a suburban school district in southeastern New England, United States. The Chinese sample consisted of 517 elementary school children (grades 1 to 5), and the US sample consisted of 494 elementary school children (grades kindergarten through 4). We used the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to assess children's sleep patterns and sleep problems as reported by parents. Parents of the Chinese sample completed a Chinese version of the CSHQ.

Results. For children in both the US and Chinese samples, reported bedtime was delayed and sleep duration decreased with increasing age. Compared with the US children (grades 1–4), Chinese children went to bed approximately half an hour later (9:02 vs 8:27 pm) and woke up half an hour earlier (6:28 vs 6:55 am), resulting in an average sleep duration that was 1 hour less (9.25 vs 10.15 hours). Chinese children were rated significantly higher than the US children on almost all CSHQ scales, indicating more sleep problems in Chinese children. Common sleep problems observed for all children were difficulty falling asleep, having a fear of sleeping in the dark, sleep talking, restless sleep, teeth grinding during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Shorter daily sleep duration was associated with difficulty falling asleep, struggling at bedtime, and trouble sleeping away for the US children, and with going to bed at different times and having a fear of sleeping alone for Chinese children. Short sleep duration was a main predictor of daytime sleepiness for Chinese children, whereas restless sleep and snoring predicted daytime sleepiness for the US children.

Conclusions. As reported by parents, children in China went to bed later and woke up earlier and their sleep duration was 1 hour shorter than the US children. Chinese children were reported to have more sleep problems than their US counterparts. Daytime sleepiness was determined by sleep duration only for those who slept insufficiently. Unique school schedules and sleep practices may contribute to the differences in the sleep patterns and sleep problems of children from the United States and China.
Age-Related Changes in Sleep/Wake Patterns Among Korean Teenagers
Authors: Yang Chang-Kook , Kim Jung K. , Patel Sanjay Rajnikant , Lee Jeong-Hyeong
Published: January 2005

Introduction. As children go through the transition from childhood to adolescence, many shifts occur in sleep/wake patterns related to intrinsic and extrinsic developmental changes. These shifts have been shown to result in corresponding shifts in sleep phase (later sleep onset) and sleep deprivation among teenagers in Western societies. However, the effect of these developmental changes on the sleep habits of Korean teenagers has not been analyzed. This study aims to quantify age-related changes in sleep/wake patterns among Korean teenagers and elucidate cultural and other factors causing these changes.

Methods. The School Sleep Habits Survey was administered in homeroom classes to students in grades 5 to 12 (mean age: 13.7 ± 2.4 years) selected via a 2-way stratification sampling method. The survey included items regarding usual sleep/wake patterns over the previous 2 weeks as well as measures of daytime sleepiness, sleep/wake-problem behavior, depressed mood, and morningness/eveningness.

Results. A total of 1457 students (52.9% male) completed the survey. The higher the grade, the later bedtime was found to be on both school days and weekends. There was a similar relationship between increasing grade and earlier wake time on school days, but higher grades were associated with later wake time on weekends. Total sleep time decreased by ∼3 hours on school nights and 1 hour on weekend nights from grades 5 to 12. Adolescents were severely sleep deprived, with mean school-night total sleep times of 6.02, 5.62, and 4.86 hours for 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-graders, respectively. In the higher grades, there was a greater discrepancy between school nights and weekends in terms of bedtime and wake time, and the magnitude of weekend oversleep increased. Older students also reported more daytime sleepiness, more sleep/wake-problem behavior, more depressed mood, and more eveningness preference. The chief reasons students cited for their sleep deprivation differed across grades: Academic demands and entertainment (such as Internet and television) were reported by 5th- and 6th-graders, entertainment and then academic demands by 7th-, 8th-, and 9th-graders, and early school start time and academic demands by 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders.

Conclusions. This study clearly demonstrates that Korean adolescents do not get adequate sleep and that they have profound discrepancies in their sleep/wake patterns between school and weekend nights. Compared with previous studies from other countries, Korean students display even greater sleep deprivation and also more irregular sleep/wake patterns. This study also demonstrates that academic demands/stress and early school start time are the most important contributing factors for sleep deprivation among Korean adolescents. These findings stress the need to promote awareness of the magnitude of adolescent sleep deprivation and its detrimental effects in Korean society.
Constipation as a Feature of Anogenital Lichen Sclerosus in Children
Authors: Maronn Mandi L. , Esterly Nancy B.
Published: January 2005

Objective. To call attention to constipation as a frequent sign of lichen sclerosus (LS) in girls.

Methods. A focused questionnaire was sent to parents of 24 girls with anogenital LS seen in the pediatric dermatology clinic at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin between January 2001 and May 2004.

Results. Eighteen of 24 questionnaires were completed and returned. The average age of onset of LS was 4.2 years, but average age at diagnosis was 5.2 years; only 1 patient was diagnosed correctly by her primary care physician. Itching was the most common symptom (78%). Severe constipation was reported in 67% of patients, and 89% had at least 1 gastrointestinal complaint (bleeding with bowel movements, fissuring, soiling, fecal impaction, or constipation).

Conclusions. Childhood anogenital LS often presents with recalcitrant constipation or some other gastrointestinal complaint. Primary care physicians need to consider the diagnosis of LS and perform a thorough examination by looking for anogenital lesions when a female pediatric patient presents with unexplained constipation or other severe gastrointestinal complaints.
Breast Cancer in African-American Women
Authors: Newman Lisa A.
Published: January 2005

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:

Explain the differences in breast cancer incidence and mortality rates between African-American and Caucasian- American women. Describe the patterns of breast cancer risk that are specific to African Americans, including age distribution and hormone receptor expression. Discuss the potential limitations of breast cancer risk assessment for African-American women.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

African-American women face a lower risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer as compared to Caucasian-American women, yet they paradoxically face an increased breast cancer mortality hazard. An increased incidence rate for early-onset disease has also been documented. This manuscript review summarizes the socioeconomic, environmental, genetic, and possible primary tumor biologic factors that may explain these disparities.
Prior Red Blood Cell Transfusions in Cancer Patients Increase the Risk of Subsequent Transfusions With or Without Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Management
Authors: Couture F. , Turner A.R. , Melosky B. , Xiu L. , Plante R.K. , Lau C.Y. , Quirt I.
Published: January 2005

Cancer patients often receive transfusions when their hemoglobin concentration falls to dangerously low levels due to chemotherapy or due to the disease itself. The availability of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has significantly reduced transfusion frequencies in cancer patients. However, the predictability of transfusions prior to the use of rHuEPO for future transfusions has not been evaluated. Data from five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and epoetin alfa were utilized to calculate the relative risk of subsequent transfusions in patients who were pretransfused. A meta-analysis with patient-level data was used to assess predictors of transfusion. Baseline data from an open-label study were used to compare quality-of-life (QOL) parameters between previously transfused and transfusion-naïve patients. The mean relative risks (RR) of exposure to additional transfusion for pretransfused patients on placebo or epoetin alfa were 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.73, 2.65) and 2.51 (95% CI: 1.92, 3.27), respectively, compared with nontransfused patients. Data from the meta-analysis of patients on epoetin alfa showed that pretransfusion was the most significant predictor for subsequent transfusions (parameter estimate = −1.2628, p < 0.0001 from Logistic Regression Analysis). While epoetin alfa was similarly effective in reducing transfusion risks for patients with or without pretransfusions (compared with placebo), those who were pretransfused were more than twice as likely to be subsequently transfused, compared with those not pretransfused. QOL was significantly worse for pretransfused patients than for nontransfused patients, as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy –Anemia and the Linear Analogue Scale Assessment QOL instruments. The results suggest that transfusions prior to epoetin alfa therapy increase the risk of future transfusions, and early treatment with epoetin alfa might reduce the risk of subsequent transfusions.
Warfarin Versus Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Therapy in Cancer Patients
Authors: Zacharski Leo R. , Prandoni Paolo , Monreal Manuel
Published: January 2005

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:

Define characteristics of the interface between deep vein thrombosis and malignancy. Evaluate patient factors that may complicate long-term warfarin use in patients with cancer. List advantages that may be realized with low-molecular-weight heparin (versus warfarin) therapy in cancer patients.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

The association between cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is well established. Importantly, VTE is a significant cause of mortality in cancer patients. Although long-term warfarin (Coumadin™; Bristol-Myers Squibb; New York, NY) therapy is the mainstay of treatment for cancer patients with VTE, there are many practical problems with its use in this population. In particular, achieving therapeutic drug levels is difficult in cancer patients due to the increased risk of drug interactions, malnutrition, vomiting, and liver dysfunction in these patients. Moreover, cancer patients are at an increased risk of adverse effects of warfarin therapy. In contrast, low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) are associated with a lower risk of adverse events compared with warfarin in patients with cancer. These agents also offer practical advantages compared with warfarin, including more predictable anticoagulant effects and ease of administration in addition to possible antineoplastic effects. Several LMWHs have demonstrated superior efficacy to warfarin in the secondary prevention of VTE. In particular, the LMWH, dalteparin (Fragmin®; Pfizer; New York, NY), has recently been shown to have superior efficacy to warfarin in a large trial of patients with cancer and VTE without increasing the risk of bleeding. A randomized trial of dalteparin has also shown improved response rates and survival in patients with small cell lung cancer. In view of the availability of more effective and reliable alternatives to warfarin therapy in cancer patients, it is appropriate to reassess the role of warfarin therapy in patients with cancer and VTE. Further evaluation of the LMWHs for effects on cancer outcome is indicated.
Conformational studies of Aib‐rich peptides containing lactam‐bridged side chains: Evidence of 310‐helix formation
Authors: Schievano E. , Pagano K. , Mammi S. , Peggion E.
Published: January 2005

Aib‐rich side‐chain lactam‐bridged oligomers Ac‐($\rm{G{\overline{lu-Aib-Aib-Ly}s}}$)n‐Ala‐OH with n = 1,2,3 were designed and synthesized as putative models of the 310‐helix. The lactam bridge between the side chains of L‐Glu and L‐Lys in (i) − (i + 3) positions was introduced in order to enhance the structural preference toward the right‐handed 310‐helix. The conformational properties of the three peptides were studied in trifluoroethanol (TFE) solution by CD, NMR, and computer simulations. The structural information was derived mainly from the analysis of nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy spectra. The presence of αH(i)—HN(i + 2) and of αH(i)—HN(i + 3) connectivities and the absence of αH(i)—HN(i + 4) connectivities indicate that these peptides fold into a 310‐helix rather than into an α‐helix. Based on these conformational features, stereospecific assignment of the Aib methyl groups was possible. The results of such experiments and of the subsequent distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics simulations reveal a marked preference of these peptides for 310‐helix. The CD spectra of these peptides indicate that the helix content increases upon chain elongation. The CD spectrum of the trimer is characterized by a negative band at 200 nm and by a weak positive band around 220 nm. The CD spectrum in TFE is different from that observed in aqueous solution in the presence of SDS micelles, reported in our previous work, and from those reported by a different research group for 310‐helical peptides. A possible reason for these differences could rest in the presence of different equilibria of the conformer populations of the various peptides in different solvent systems. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci), 2005
Small business responsibility in developing countries: a threat or an opportunity?
Authors: Luken Ralph , Stares Rodney
Published: January 2005

Many developing country small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are exporters see themselves facing a dilemma. They do not know how to respond to the rising social and environmental requirements of global buyers and supply chains and fear that were they to do so they would lose their competitive edge. However, they are aware that if they do not meet these requirements, they will not be able to access new foreign markets and may lose the contracts they already have. To investigate whether practical methods exist for resolving this dilemma, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) carried out a one year project with 22 SMEs in four Asian countries. The results suggest that well targeted, enterprise‐specific efforts to meet corporate social responsibility (CSR) requirements can make a positive contribution to both short‐term profitability and longer‐term competitiveness. The ‘business case’ for CSR appears strongest in the environmental area, but measures in that area can act as a ‘starter motor’ for tackling more systemic ‘social’ problems. Furthermore, tackling social issues at the workplace can feed back positively to improve the sustainability of the environmental improvement measures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Chaotic mixing in a basin due to a sinusoidal wind field
Authors: Liang Qiuhua , Borthwick Alistair G. L. , Taylor Paul H.
Published: January 2005

This paper presents a novel numerical study of wind‐induced mixing in a circular shallow lake. The wind‐induced hydrodynamic field is first predicted by a Godunov‐type shallow water equation solver based on a quadtree grid. Then the horizontal mixing processes are analysed in terms of chaotic advection. The particle dynamics under a sinusoidal wind field are found to change from regular to chaotic states with increasing period of wind oscillation. The numerical approach is applicable to a wide range of environmental flows. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global fractionation of oak heartwood extractable polymers (lignins, polysaccharides and ellagitannins) by selective precipitations
Authors: Nonier Marie‐Françoise , Vivas Nicolas , De Gaulejac Nathalie Vivas , Absalon Christelle , Vitry Christiane , Fouquet Eric
Published: January 2005

This paper introduces a new fractionation method by selective extractions and precipitations making it possible to collect the three groups of oak heartwood extractable polymers in a single operation. The three families, lignins, polysaccharides and ellagitannins, were obtained and each was characterized by different techniques. We grouped together the techniques used to characterize these different oak wood groups of polymers: IR, GC, GC‐MS, LC‐MS, 1H NMR, SEC, MALDI‐TOF/MS. This work focuses on the qualitative aspect only. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
A comparison of ownership structures and innovations of US and Japanese firms
Authors: Lee Peggy M.
Published: January 2005

This study analyzes the impact of ownership structure on innovation in the US and Japan. Agency theory is used to develop links between the distinct patterns of ownership in the US and Japan to differences in innovation. Empirical evidence shows that ownership concentration and the identity of the investors with large ownership positions affects innovation. This relationship differs across the two countries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.