bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving seizure control in dogs with refractory epilepsy using gabapentin as an adjunctive agent
Authors: GOVENDIR M , PERKINS M , MALIK R
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveTo assess whether there is a change in seizure activity in dogs with refractory epilepsy that are receiving appropriate doses of phenobarbitone and/or potassium bromide, when gabapentin is added to the therapeutic regimen.

DesignA prospective study of 17 dogs with a refractory seizure disorder, 16 of which have idiopathic epilepsy.

ProcedurePatients were stabilised using phenobarbitone and/or potassium bromide to produce tolerable therapeutic serum concentrations and dosed additionally with gabapentin at 35 to 50 mg/kg/d (divided twice or three times daily) for 4 months. Owners recorded seizure activity and side effects during this period in a standardised diary. Patients underwent monthly physical examinations and venepuncture to assess selected serum biochemical analytes, as well as phenobarbitone and bromide concentrations. Patients were further monitored for long‐term response to adjunctive gabapentin therapy.

ResultsThere was no significant decrease in the number of seizures over the study period for the entire cohort, however three dogs stopped seizuring completely. There was a significant increase in the number of patients who showed an increase in the interictal period (P < 0.001). Serum alkaline phosphatase activity and triglyceride concentrations were elevated at baseline. There were no significant changes in biochemical analytes during the course of the study period. Side effects observed initially on addition of gabapentin included sedation and hind limb ataxia. The former resolved spontaneously after a few days; the latter after a slight reduction in bromide dose. Long‐term, a further two patients became seizure free and ten patients remained on gabapentin indefinitely. No long‐term side effects have become apparent.

ConclusionAddition of gabapentin to phenobarbitone and/or potassium bromide increased the interictal period and shortened the post‐seizure recovery in some canine epileptics. In some dogs, seizures were prevented completely, while in others there was an increase in interictal period. The short‐half life of gabapentin has advantages for seizure control, however its present high cost may prohibit therapy in large dogs.
Lymphoma(s) showing epitheliotropism and diffuse skeletal muscle involvement presenting as a polymyopathy in a young dog
Authors: BENNETT SL , SLOCOMBE RF , HOLLOWAY SA , CHARLES JA , SANDY JR
Published: March 2008

A 3‐year‐old dog presented with a severe polymyopathy and subsequently developed nodular skin lesions. The disease in this dog was caused by lymphoma, showing cutaneous epitheliotropism as well as infiltration of skeletal muscle in conjunction with polymyositis.
Recent veterinary graduates over the last five decades: initial career experiences
Authors: HEATH TJ
Published: March 2008

Objective To describe changes in the initial work experiences of veterinary graduates over the last 50 years.

Design A questionnaire, sent by mail.

Procedure A questionnaire seeking information on work experience as a recent graduate was sent to about 100 veterinarians who graduated in or about each of 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000, and 68% responded. Data were entered onto an Excel spreadsheet, and analysed with the SAS System 8 for Windows.

Results The first veterinary position for about half the graduates of 1950 and 1960 was in government service. Since then an increasing percentage have started in small animal practice; the rest in mixed practice. Many earlier graduates worked alone and for long hours, with little or no respite after hours. Since 1950, the average recent graduate in private practice has worked progressively fewer hours with less after hours duty, and has worked with progressively more other veterinarians. Cattle were almost half the cases seen by graduates of 1950 and 1960. Dogs and cats were about 20% of the cases seen by those graduates, but this percentage ncreased progressively and was 77% of the cases seen by the graduates of 2000. Distemper was the most common transmissible disease of dogs seen by graduates of1950ndash;1970, but by few since then. Graduates of 1980 saw parvovirus most commonly; those of 2000 saw parvovirus and kennel/canine cough in about equal numbers. Two other major changes in canine cases seen by recent graduates have involved skin conditions, which increased progressively between 1950 and 2000, and trauma, mainly involving vehicles, which decreased as dogs have been restrained more effectively. Fracture repair was the most common surgical procedure performed by recent graduates between 1950 and 1970, but with decreasing incidence of trauma this has been overtaken by the removal of lumps and repair of lacerations. Barbiturates were used extensively by recent graduates for both induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, but with increasing use of anaesthetic machines from 1960 onwards, halothane and more recently isoflurane have largely taken their place for the maintenance of anaesthesia.

Conclusions Over the last five decades, the average recent graduate has had progressively more opportunity for support and advice from other veterinarians, to work more sociable hours, and to work with a narrower range of species, especially dogs and cats.
Owner‐reported equine health disorders: results of an Australia‐wide postal survey
Authors: COLE FL , HODGSON DR , REID SWJ , MELLOR DJ
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveTo establish the prevalence of health disorders reported by horse owners registered with veterinary practices in Australia.

Design and method

Mailed questionnaire‐based study of horse owners in Australia conducted in 2001.

Results

Data were obtained for 3901 horses belonging to 621 owners. The most prevalent health disorders were non‐laminitic lameness (13.0%), skin disorders (6.1%) and behavioural disorders (4.5%). Prevalence of health disorders varied among different age, breed and sex categories within the study population, and disorders were more prevalent in male and older horses.

Conclusion

The most frequent disorders reported by owners were lameness, skin disorders and behavioural disorders. The disease profile was similar to that described in other owner reported studies conducted in the UK and USA.
Haematological values of young male rusa deer (Cervus timorensis)
Authors: TOMKINS NW , JONSSON NN
Published: March 2008

Objective To measure haematological values of clinical significance for rusa deer and provide reference data for farmed animals.

Design

Blood samples were collected regularly from eight male rusa deer from 14 days to 27 months old.

Procedure

Blood samples, collected by venipuncture, were analysed within 6 hours of collection for red cell count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, plasma glucose, white cell count and differentials.

Results

Haemoglobin concentrations appeared to increase with age and ranged from 6.0 to 20.9 g/dL. Packed cell volume and plasma glucose concentration did not appear to vary with age. White cell counts ranged from 6.3 to 7.0 × 109/L and differential counts indicated neutrophils > lymphocytes > monocytes > eosinophils > basophils. In general, the values for packed cell volume, red cell count, mean cell volumes and mean cell haemoglobin concentrations were within ranges previously reported for captive or sedated rusa deer.

Conclusions

Physical restraint and resultant stress was sufficient to generate some of the effects previously reported for physically immobilised or agitated deer. The values reported here do not differ greatly from those previously reported for rusa deer and can be used as reference values for clinically healthy young farmed male rusa deer.
Effect of plasma transfusion on neutrophil function in healthy and septic foals
Authors: MCTAGGART C , PENHALE J , RAIDAL SL
Published: March 2008

Objective To evaluate the effect of plasma transfusion on phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity of peripheral blood neutrophils from healthy and septic equine neonates with sub‐optimal passive transfer of maternal immunity.

Animals

Nine healthy and seven septic foals with suboptimal passive transfer of maternal immunity (serum IgG < 8 g/L) presented to participating veterinary hospitals for plasma transfusion, and seven healthy foals less than 7 days of age and with circulating IgG concentrations ≥ 8 g/L.

Procedure

Foals with serum IgG concentrations < 8 g/L were assessed as healthy or septic. Sepsis was recognised by positive bacterial cultures and/or sepsis scores of ≥ 11. All foals received between 1 and 3 L of plasma to boost circulating IgG concentrations to ≥ 8 g/L. Serum IgG concentrations were determined before and following transfusion by glutaraldehyde coagulation test and confirmed by single radial immunodiffusion assays. Neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity were determined before plasma transfusion and at 0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 5 d following treatment. Neutrophil function from seven healthy foals less than 7 d of age and with circulating IgG concentrations of ≥ 8 g/L was similarly evaluated on a single occasion.

Results

Plasma treatment significantly increased circulating IgG concentrations for healthy and septic foals. Oxidative burst activity of neutrophils from septic foals was significantly increased 5 days following treatment, relative to 0 h post treatment. Other differences were not significant but suggested a transient decrease in phagocytosis by neutrophils from healthy foals and increased phagocytosis by neutrophils from septic foals immediately following transfusion. Oxidative burst activity of neutrophils from septic foals tended to be less than that of healthy foals at all sampling times. Serum IgG concentrations were not correlated with neutrophil phagocytosis, but were correlated with oxidative burst activity.

Conclusions

Plasma transfusion did not improve neutrophil function of healthy foals, suggesting that such treatment may be of equivocal benefit for healthy neonates. Conversely, improved neutrophil function was observed following treatment of septic foals, suggesting that plasma transfusion was beneficial for these foals. Oxidative burst activity of neutrophils from septic foals was lower than that of neutrophils from healthy foals and was significantly improved 5 days post treatment, when compared with values obtained immediately following treatment.
Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis vaccine development
Authors: McCONNEL CS , HOUSE JK
Published: March 2008

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis is a common and highly contagious ocular disease affecting cattle worldwide. The tremendous economic losses attributable to this disease warrant continued investigation into methods of prevention. Multiple virulence factors have been linked to the primary aetiologic agent,Moraxella bovis.Efforts to develop an efficacious vaccine have primarily focused upon the use of surface pili or cytolysin to stimulate host immunity; however,M bovispossesses other virulence determinants that include proteases, fibrinolysins, phospholipases and other cell surface components such as outer membrane proteins. These potentially conserved antigens provide additional possibilities for vaccine development. Examination of appropriate antigen presentation is necessary to attain an adequate immune response. Further, the potential for antigenic diversity as well as epitope conversion requires continuous epidemiological surveillance of isolates recovered from outbreaks. Current work targeting conserved immunogens provides hope for efficacious vaccines that when used in tandem with proper management may control, if not prevent, infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis.
Public managers and policy communities: learning to meet new challenges
Authors: Lindquist Evert A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Comprehending external environments is an increasingly important facet of the work of senior public servants. The purpose of this paper is to introduce concepts that will help practitioners and academic observers to describe and analyse the structure and dynamics of policy communities. The paper first draws from the political science literature to identify different networks in policy communities, considering how the role of public managers changes from network to network, and then models policy communities as “learning” entities consisting of advocacy coalitions responding to policy challenges in competitive and cooperative interactions. The paper concludes that public managers have a special stewardship function in facilitating more productive learning within policy communities.

Sommaire: Dans le cadre du travail des fonctionnaires supérieurs, il devient de plus en plus important de bien comprendre l'environnement extérieur. Le présent exposé vise à présenter des concepts qui aideront les professionnels du métier et les théoriciens à décrire et à analyser la structure et les dynamiques des communautés qui formulent les politiques. L'exposé se fonde d'abord sur la littérature dans le domaine des sciences politiques pour identifier divers réseaux'au sein de ces communautés, en tenant compte de l'évolution du rôle du gestionnaire public d'un réseau à l'autre, puis il présente un modèle de ces communautés en tant qu'ensembles «d'apprentissage» composés de coalitions qui militent en faveur d'un certain objectif et qui interagissent de façon concurrentielle et coopérative aux défis que posent les politiques. Selon la conclusion de l'exposé, les gestionnaires publics ont un rôle‐clé dans la facilitation d'un apprentissage plus productif au sein des communautés qui décident des politiques.
The policy process: an institutionalist perspective
Authors: Peters B. Guy.
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The stages model of the policy process constitutes the conventional wisdom about the policy‐making for much of political science and public administration. That model has performed a number of important tasks for these disciplines, but also contains a number of fundamental weaknesses. These include its assumptions concerning linearity and the temporal ordering of the stages, and the difficulty of the model in coping with policy change. Further, outcomes of the stages model tend to be determined by the environment of politics, rather than by the actors and institutions within government. The analysis presented in this article attempts to restore institutions (including the public bureaucracy) to a more appropriate central position in the formulation and determination of policy choices. The use of institutional analysis not only reflects more clearly the complex reality of policy‐making and the interaction of organizations within the public sector, but it restores value concerns to a central place in the analysis and interpretation of public policy.

Sommaire: Le modèle d'étapes utilisé dans le processus d'élaboration des politiques constitue le modèle conventionnel par excellence pour une bonne partie des sciences politiques et de l'administration publique. Bien que ce modèle ait permis de mener à bien des tâches importantes dans ces disciplines, il fait preuve de faiblesse sur certains points fondamentaux. Mentionnons notamment ses hypothèses sur la linéarité et l'ordonnancement temporel des étapes, ainsi que ses difficultés à tenir compte des changements de politiques. De plus, les résultats obtenus avec ce modèle tendent àêtre déterminés par l'environnement des politiques, plutôt que par les intervenants et les institutions au sein du gouvernement. L'analyse présentée dans cet article tente de redonner aux institutions (dont la bureaucratie publique) la place plus centrale qu'elles méritent dans l'élaboration et la détermination des politiques. Le recours à une analyse institutionnelle ne se contente pas de refléter plus clairement la réalité complexe de l'élaboration des politiques et l'interaction des organisations au sein du secteur public, mais il redonne une place essentielle aux questions de valeurs dans l'analyse et l'interprétation des politiques publiques.
Reforming the electoral system of Metropolitan Toronto: doing away with dual representation
Authors: Mellon Hugh
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Since its creation in the mid‐1950s, the elected council of Metropolitan Toronto was composed of politicians who had first been directly elected in their home municipalities (Scarborough, North York, etc.)‐ Over the years, various observers had noted the representational weaknesses of this arrangement, but little had changed by the mid‐1980s. Metro concerns often appeared to be overlooked in the interest of local concerns, and lines of accountability from Metro to the public were weak. During the period 1986–88 a provincial government initiative led to a joint review of Metro's electoral arrangements and to enactment of major procedural reforms. By the 1988 Ontario municipal elections a system for direct election of the Metro council was in place. The provincial government's approach to reform, a provincial‐municipal task force, merits examination, for the municipal affairs ministry was able to bring reforms forward despite opposition from certain local government leaders. Reviewing this experience sheds light on some of the complexities involved in analysing representational options as well as in assessing the provincial relationship with Metro issues. Study of the reform process utilized here illustrates the ability of a committed provincial government to place discussion of Metro change firmly on the political agenda. Reflection on the procedures and representation issues of the mid‐1980s is now timely as the Ontario government is developing a yet larger entity, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which encompasses about 40 per cent of the province's population.

Sommaire: Depuis son etablissement vers le milieu des annees 1950, le conseil elu du Toronto metropolitain etait compose de politiciens qui avaient d'abord ete elus directement dans leur propre municipality (Scarborough, North York, etc.). Au fil des annees, divers observateurs ont note les faiblesses de ce systeme de representation, mais tres peu changea jusqu'au milieu des annees 1980. Les preoccupations de
Canada's interests in North American economic integration
Authors: Globerman Steven
Published: March 2008

Abstract: The current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) promises to have relatively modest short‐run economic impacts on the Canadian economy, reflecting existing limited trade and investment flows between Canada and Mexico and relatively low tariff barriers on many products. In the longer run, opportunities exist for increased trade in services, primarily through the establishment of affiliates within the partner country. The liberalization of Mexico's investment regime in a number of service areas therefore represents a significant potential economic opportunity for Canadian firms. Other arguable benefits for Canada include an expedited dispute resolution process, clearer rules‐of‐origin, and constraints on adverse intrusion of regulatory processes as they affect Canadian‐owned businesses. These gains come at comparatively low cost, most notably a higher domestic content requirement for motor vehicles.

Sommaire: On prevoit que l'actuel Accord nord‐americain sur le libre‐echange (NAFTA) aura, a court terme, des repercussions economiques relativement faibles, sur l'economie canadienne, ce qui reflete l'etendue actuellement limitee des echanges commerciaux et d'investissement entre le Canada et le Mexique ainsi que les barrieres tarifaires relativement basses existant pour de nombreux produits. A plus long terme, il y aura des possibilites d'echanges commerciaux accrus dans le domaine des services, surtout par l'entremise de succursales etablies dans le pays partenaire. La liberalisation du regime d'investissement au Mexique dans un certain nombre de secteurs de services represente done une possibility economique importante pour les entreprises canadiennes. Les autres avantages eventuels pour le Canada pourraient comprendre une procedure plus rapide pour le reglement des differends, des regies d'origine plus claire et des contraintes sur l'exercise nefaste du pouvoir de reglementation touchant les entreprises appartenant aux Canadiens. Ces gains sont accompagnes d'un cout relativement faible, particulierement en ce qui concerne l'exigence d'un contenu national plus eleve pour les vehicules a moteur.
Kinetic Study of Dissociation of a Copper(II) Complex of A 14-Membered Tetraaza-Macrocyclic Ligand Containing Pyridine and Pendant N-Carboxymethyl Arms
Authors: Lubal Přemysl , Albrecht-Gary Anne-Marie , Blanc Sylvie , Costa Judite , Delgado Rita
Published: March 2008

The kinetics of acid-catalyzed dissociation of the copper(II) complex with 7-methyl-3,7,11,17-tetraazabicyclo[11.3.1]heptadeca-1(17),13,15-triene-3,11-diacetic acid (ac2Me[14]pyN4) at [H+] = 0.05-0.25 mol l-1, I = 0.25 mol l-1 (Na, H)ClO4, and T = 298.16 K was studied with conventional and stopped-flow UV/VIS spectroscopy. Three steps of consecutive complex reaction were observed. The very fast first and second steps characterized by k1 = 70 ± 10 and k2 = 0.23 ± 0.01 l mol-1 s-1 depend on the H+ concentration. The third step is very slow, k3 = (1.08 ± 0.03) × 10-3 s-1, and does not depend on the H+ concentration. Latter rate-determining step involves an isomerisation process forcing the copper(II) ion to leave rapidly the macrocyclic cavity. The reaction mechanism of the complex dissociation has been proposed, taking into account the results obtained for related systems by independent methods: potentiometry, UV/VIS and EPR spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction analysis, and molecular mechanics calculations.
COLD BLACK HOLES AND CONFORMAL CONTINUATIONS
Authors: BRONNIKOV K. A. , CHERNAKOVA M. S. , FABRIS J. C. , PINTO-NETO N. , RODRIGUES M. E.
Published: March 2008

We study Einstein gravity minimally coupled to a scalar field in a static, spherically symmetric space–time in four dimensions. Black hole solutions are shown to exist for a phantom scalar field whose kinetic energy is negative. These "scalar black holes" have an infinite horizon area and zero Hawking temperature and are termed "cold black holes" (CBHs). The relevant explicit solutions are well known in the massless case (the so-called anti-Fisher solution), and we have found a particular example of a CBH with a nonzero potential V(ϕ). All CBHs with V(ϕ) ≢ 0 are shown to behave near the horizon, quite similarly to those with a massless field. The above solutions can be converted by a conformal transformation to Jordan frames of a general class of scalar–tensor theories of gravity, but CBH horizons in one frame are in many cases converted to singularities in the other, which gives rise to a new type of conformal continuation.
BUCHDAHL-LIKE TRANSFORMATIONS FOR PERFECT FLUID SPHERES
Authors: BOONSERM PETARPA , VISSER MATT
Published: March 2008

In two previous articles [Phys. Rev. D71 (2005) 124307 (gr-qc/0503007) and Phys. Rev. D76 (2006) 0440241 (gr-qc/0607001)] we have discussed several "algorithmic" techniques that permit one (in a purely mechanical way) to generate large classes of general-relativistic static perfect fluid spheres. Working in Schwarzschild curvature coordinates, we used these algorithmic ideas to prove several "solution-generating theorems" of varying levels of complexity. In the present article we consider the situation in other coordinate systems. In particular, in general diagonal coordinates we shall generalize our previous theorems, in isotropic coordinates we shall encounter a variant of the so-called "Buchdahl transformation," and in other coordinate systems (such as Gaussian polar coordinates, Synge isothermal coordinates, and Buchdahl coordinates) we shall find a number of more complex "Buchdahl-like transformations" and "solution-generating theorems" that may be used to investigate and classify the general-relativistic static perfect fluid sphere. Finally, by returning to general diagonal coordinates and making a suitable ansatz for the functional form of the metric components, we place the Buchdahl transformation in its most general possible setting.
Interhemispheric Transfer Deficit in Alexithymia: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Authors: Romei Vincenzo , De Gennaro Luigi , Fratello Fabiana , Curcio Giuseppe , Ferrara Michele , Pascual-Leone Alvaro , Bertini Mario
Published: March 2008

Background: A deficit in interhemispheric transfer was hypothesized in alexithymia more than 30 years ago, following the observation that split-brain patients manifest certain alexithymic characteristics. However, direct evidence of interhemispheric transfer deficit has never been provided. This study investigated the hypothesis of a transcallosal interhemispheric transfer deficit in alexithymia by means of paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation. Methods: A random sample of 300 students was screened for alexithymia using the Italian version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Eight right-handed males and eight females with high alexithymic scores and an age- and gender-matched group with low alexithymic scores were selected. A first (conditioning) magnetic stimulus was delivered to one motor cortex followed by a second (test) stimulus to the opposite hemisphere at different interstimulus intervals for both motor cortices. Motor evoked responses were recorded from the abductor digit minimi muscles. Results: High alexithymic subjects showed reduced transcallosal inhibition as compared to low alexithymic subjects at interstimulus intervals of 10, 12 and 14 ms in the left-to-right and right-to-left interhemispheric transfer directions. Conclusions: Results point to functional differences in transcallosal interactions in high alexithymic as compared to low alexithymic subjects, supporting the hypothesis of an interhemispheric transfer deficit in alexithymia.
Alexithymia and Cognitive Dysfunctions in Patients with Panic Disorder
Authors: Galderisi Silvana , Mancuso Francesco , Mucci Armida , Garramone Stefania , Zamboli Rosita , Maj Mario
Published: March 2008

Background: In patients with panic disorder (PD), the difficulty to identify and manage emotional experience might contribute to the enduring vulnerability to panic attacks. Such a difficulty might reflect a dysfunction of fronto-temporo-limbic circuits. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that drug-free patients with PD, as compared with healthy subjects (HS), show a higher prevalence of alexithymia, greater difficulty in emotional stimuli processing and poorer performance on neuropsychological tests exploring the activity of fronto-temporo-limbic circuits. Methods: Alexithymia, general cognitive abilities, focused and sustained attention, working memory, secondary memory, incidental learning, susceptibility to interference from both cognitive and emotional stimuli, and ability to recognize facial emotional expressions were assessed in 32 drug-free patients with PD and 32 HS. Results: Alexithymia was more frequent in patients with PD than in HS. Patients with PD, as compared to HS, had lower verbal cognitive abilities and more difficulty to inhibit interference from nonverbal stimuli and from panic-related words; they performed better than HS on the test assessing spatial incidental learning. Anxiety, panic symptomatology and verbal cognitive abilities (VIQ) were associated with alexithymia. Conclusions: Findings are compatible with a dysfunction of frontolimbic circuits, in particular orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. A reduction in verbal cognitive abilities was also observed, which might suggest reduced abstraction and symbolization in these patients.
Severe Drug Hypersensitivity Reaction in a Young Woman Treated with Doxycycline
Authors: Robles David T. , Leonard Jennifer L. , Compton Nicholas , Waghmare Alpana , McDonough Karen A. , George Evan , Wolgamot Greg , Fleckman Philip
Published: March 2008

Doxycycline is a commonly prescribed medication for the management of acne vulgaris. Severe adverse reactions to this medication are uncommon. We describe an unusual case of a 20-year-old female who experienced a life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction, including fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatitis, nephritis and severe pneumonitis with respiratory failure following oral administration of doxycycline for facial acne.
Salvage Chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Epirubicin for Advanced/Metastatic Gastric Cancer
Authors: Lim Jae Yun , Cho Jae Yong , Paik Yong Han , Lee Dong Ki , Lee Sang In , Park Hyo Jin , Lee Se Joon , Lee Kwan Sik , Yoon Dong Sup , Choi Seung Ho
Published: March 2008

Background: We conducted a phase II study to assess the efficacy and tolerability of docetaxel and epirubicin as salvage chemotherapy in advanced/metastatic gastric cancer patients with documented progression after 5-fluorouracil/platinum-based combination chemotherapy. Methods: Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 and epirubicin 50 mg/m2 were administered on days 1 and 2, respectively, every 3 weeks. Treatment continued until progression of disease or until a life-threatening adverse event occurred. The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety profile and response rate to this treatment regimen. Results: Thirty-four patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty-six patients had locally advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, and 8 patients had recurrent disease after surgical resection of the primary tumor. A total of 157 chemotherapy cycles were administered. Seven (21.8%) patients had a partial response and 12 (37.5%) patients had stable disease. The median time to progression and overall survival were 4.1 and 13.4 months, respectively. Grade III/IV hematologic toxicities included neutropenia in 16 patients (47%) and febrile neutropenia in 8 patients (24%). Nonhematologic toxicities were rare. Conclusion: A combination of chemotherapy with docetaxel and epirubicin showed moderate activity as salvage treatment in advanced/metastatic gastric cancer, especially in patients who had responded to prior chemotherapy.
A Spoken Genre Gets Written
Authors: Pérez-Sabater Carmen , Peña-Martínez Gemma , Turney Ed , Montero-Fleta Begoña
Published: March 2008

Many recent studies on computer-mediated communication (CMC) have addressed the question of orality and literacy. This article examines a relatively recent subgenre of CMC, that of written online sports commentary, that provides us with written CMC that is clearly based on firmly established oral genres, those of radio and television sports commentary. The examples analyzed are from two English, two French, and two Spanish online football (soccer) commentaries. The purpose of the study is to examine oral traits and genre mixing in online football commentaries in the three languages and carryover from the spoken genres of radio and television commentaries to this developing genre, following Ferguson. Special attention is paid to Web page design. The study reveals that form and content of online football commentaries are strongly affected by the style of the online newspaper.
Spiritual Care Perspectives of Danish Registered Nurses
Authors: Christensen Kirsten Haugaard , Turner de Sales
Published: March 2008

A Gadamerian hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was selected to explicate the essence of spiritual care with six registered nurses working within hospital settings. Findings revealed that deep knowing of the patient was essential before registered nurses would engage in spiritual care. Furthermore, spirituality was understood as a private matter, with chaplains being seen as the most appropriate providers of such care. These findings suggest that within the culture of Danish nursing, a mandate to incorporate spiritual care into everyday nursing practice may be somewhat problematic.
The Influence of Positive Experiences on Depression and Quality of Life in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Phillips Lorraine J. , Stuifbergen Alexa K.
Published: March 2008

Purpose: This correlational study determined the extent to which positive, rather than negative, experiences influence depressive symptoms and quality of life in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method: Data collected during the 7th year of an ongoing longitudinal study of quality of life in community-dwelling persons with MS were used for this analysis. Findings: Higher number of positive experiences was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, less functional limitations, and better quality of life. Using hierarchical multiple regression, age, education, functional limitations, and positive experiences accounted for 21.7% of the variance in depressive symptoms, and functional limitations, positive experiences, and depressive symptoms explained 58% of the variance in quality of life. Conclusions: Higher number of positive experiences predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms, even while taking disease-related functional limitations into account. Incorporating positive experiences into daily life may improve quality of life, even when battling depression and substantial limitations in functioning.
FEMA Nurses Face “Mission Impossible”
Authors: Miller M.J. , Dowd Thérèse
Published: March 2008

Dowd, a faculty member, is a strong proponent for nurses sharing their stories. Miller's story about her volunteer experience was so compelling that Dowd challenged her to share it with the nursing community. This story is a demonstration of how a nurse can bring leadership, sensitive interpersonal skills, and a sense of humor to help forge a cohesive and outward looking temporary community. Nurses naturally interact from a paradigm of care and comfort. Miller makes this interaction explicit. The outcome of the journey was a memorable lived experience that brought caring, healing, and comfort to a situation of devastation. It is hoped this nursing story will inspire the reader to try a similar new role or to tell their story.
The Use of Puppetry for Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Among Mi'Kmaq Youth
Authors: Jacono John , Jacono Brenda
Published: March 2008

Purpose: North American aboriginal youth have been shown to exhibit some of the highest suicide rates in the world. In this article, the authors examine the main factors related to suicide among aboriginal youth and ways to redress what many consider the most important factor. Main Factor: While many factors contribute to suicide plans, the literature would suggest “discontinuity” with heritage to have a particularly negative impact that needs priority redress. Strategy: A group of Mi'Kmaq elders and an interdisciplinary group of academicians blended traditional Mi'Kmaq knowledge and Western Science knowledge to develop a strategy to address such discontinuity. It involved using puppets made from natural forest materials to promote culture, language, and history. This article describes the strategy, its rationale, as well as its relevance for, and application to, holistic nursing.
Distinguishing Nursing Art: Patient, Researcher, and Student Views: Justine's Story of Nursing Art
Authors: Gramling Kathryn Louise
Published: March 2008

This patient's story was constructed from a study designed to describe how the art of nursing was perceived and understood by patients during a critical illness. Two in-depth interviews were conducted during the recovery phase of this person's illness to answer the question, “When is nursing (considered) art?” The initial lead-in to the discussion was, “Tell me a story about a nursing situation that really stood out in your mind—one that was significant and meaningful.” The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, condensed into a short story and shared with the participant. The researcher, also, composed a response to the person's story that personally expressed what the story triggered for her. Undergraduate nursing students were invited to reflect and respond to the “aesthetic face” of nursing from the perspective of a person who was nursed while critically ill. An example of a student response is included.
Women's health priorities: cultural perspectives on illness in rural Bangladesh
Authors: Ross James L. , Laston Sandra L. , Nahar Kamrun , Muna Lazeena , Nahar Papreen , Pelto Pertti J.
Published: March 2008

Qualitative research was conducted in rural Bangladesh to identify salient illness categories and perceptions of illness severity among women. Data were gathered using the techniques of free listing, pile sorting, and severity ratings. In-depth interviews were also employed for collecting examples of illness episodes and delineating explanatory models. Women's reproductive tract illnesses were among the more salient and serious health problems for which care is sought. Data gathered through pile sorting demonstrate that women in this rural community have clear conceptions of illness groups, with different strategies of treatment for various categories. This analysis suggests that new initiatives concerning women's reproductive health are needed in this rural region.
Housing Characteristics and Indoor Concentrations of Selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Quebec City, Canada
Authors: Héroux Marie-Ève , Gauvin Denis , Gilbert Nicolas L. , Guay Mireille , Dupuis Geneviève , Legris Michel , Lévesque Benoît
Published: March 2008

Concentrations of 26 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured continuously for 7 days during winter in 96 homes in Quebec City, Canada. Characteristics of the houses and activities of the occupants were documented through detailed questionnaires filled out by one adult per household. VOCs were sampled using passive monitors and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass selective detector (GC-MSD). Results indicate contributions to indoor levels of some VOCs from combustion sources and recent renovation activities. Negative associations were seen between certain VOCs and the presence of carpets and furniture. In general, higher VOCs concentrations were found in newer houses. No association was found between individual VOCs and air change rate. Results suggest that multiple indoor sources contribute to occupants' exposure to VOCs during winter in Quebec City homes.
Natural Ventilation Efficiency in a Bedroom with a Central-Pivoting Window
Authors: Chou Po-Cheng , Chiang Che-Ming , Li Yen-Yi , Lee Chia-Yen , Chang Kuei-Feng
Published: March 2008

This study analyzes the ventilation efficiency of a bedroom with a wall-mounted center-pivoting window. Numerical simulations and experiments were performed to investigate the airflow and the pollutant distribution in the bedroom. The air exchange rate and the carbon dioxide concentration profiles were investigated for various window opening angles and inlet wind velocities. The computational fluid dynamics analysis and experimental results presented provide a comprehensive understanding of the typical natural ventilation characteristics of a wall-mounted center-pivoting window in a bedroom of a typical home in Taiwan.
Individual Differences and Intervention Flaws
Authors: Igo L. Brent , Kiewra Kenneth A. , Bruning Roger
Published: March 2008

In this study, qualitative themes and quantitative findings from previous research were used to justify the exploration of four experimental, note-taking conditions and the impact of those conditions on student learning from Web-based text. However, puzzling results obtained from dependent measures of student learning were quite inconsistent with the previous research. With no adequate theoretical explanation for these results, a follow-up explanations phase of qualitative investigation was conducted. Analyses of interview data indicated that certain experimental conditions imposed upon students an unexpected distraction. Furthermore, quantitizing students' note-taking documents showed that many students in this study used a more effective note-taking strategy than did students in a similar condition in previous research.
Photography as Critical Idiom and Intermedial Criticism
Authors: Louvel Liliane
Published: March 2008

Although numerous studies have been devoted to the relations between painting and literature, surprisingly few have focused on the photography/text relationship. Photography-in-text is a hybrid product that gives rise to a hybrid textual genre and so renews the iconotext. The specific characteristics of photography have left their mark upon fiction: they have generated new ways of seeing and, consequently, of reading. This essay explores how photography has renewed fiction and continues to do so through its specific properties. In addition, its particular position within word and image studies is examined. As a result, one can envisage a poetics of the photographic visual and, conversely, lay the foundations for a critical idiom: a metatextual practice and intermedial criticism resting on the image as a means whereby to study fiction through the lens of what may be called the “pictorial third.”
Imaginary Encounters: Walter Benjamin and the Aura of Photography
Authors: Duttlinger Carolin
Published: March 2008

This article explores Walter Benjamin's famous concept of the aura in relation to his writings on photography. Although Benjamin's “Artwork” essay charges photography with the decline of the aura of the traditional artwork, his essay on photography complicates this historical narrative, associating aura with early portrait photography but also with its successor, the commercial studio portrait. The childhood photograph of Franz Kafka, whose melancholy air serves Benjamin as an example of a paradoxical, post-auratic aura, recurs in his childhood memoirs, where the narrator projects himself into this picture. Benjamin's writings on photography thus develop an alternative concept of aura, one which transcends fixed historical or technological categories through the model of an imaginary encounter between viewer and image. This conception has far-reaching consequences not only for the theory of photography but also for its role within literature, as is suggested by Benjamin's empathetic engagement with the Kafka photograph and its incorporation into his own life story.
Documents, Photography, Postmemory: Alexander Kluge, W. G. Sebald, and the German Family
Authors: Anderson Mark M.
Published: March 2008

The article examines two major German writers of documentary fiction, Alexander Kluge and W. G. Sebald, who incorporate photographs into their work as part of a complex strategy of realism. Both authors are strongly marked by the legacy of Nazi propaganda and its manipulation of photographic images; both authors reflect on the relationship between trauma, war, memory, and representation, especially with regard to family histories. Kluge's emotionally flat documentary account of the Allied bombing of his hometown reveals a problematic deadening of personal and familial relations. Sebald's semiautobiographical fictions, whose German narrators are riven by their disrupted family histories, can only be partially understood through Marianne Hirsch's notion of “postmemory.” Despite common political and stylistic traits, the writings of Kluge and Sebald ultimately forge quite different literary esthetics.
Documenting the Fictions of Reality
Authors: Pedri Nancy
Published: March 2008

An examination of the use of photography in Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes sheds light on how the photographic documentary is secured in life writing. I argue that photographs in life writing invite readers to look beyond what is imaged to their own private experiences rather than to some sort of universal reality. When photographs are reproduced in literature, the subjective and not the objective is paramount in determining their evidential value. In other words, the photograph's evidential value is secured through a transformative process that is put into play by an active engagement, a stepping into the visual, on the part of the reader.
Photographs on the Walls of the House of Fiction
Authors: Adams Timothy Dow
Published: March 2008

This essay considers the history of photography in fiction, concentrating on issues of genre. Starting with a survey of nineteenth-century novels which included physical photographs, the essay moves to twentieth-century novels, discussing ways in which the generic rules of written narratives influence the relationship between word and image and the fictiveness of photographs within novels. Unlike earlier writers, who used photographs for illustration of place, postmodern novelists frequently use photographs as documentation, both in support of and in opposition to the written narrative. The last section of the essay uses W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants, an especially complicated novel which combines fiction and nonfiction, biography and autobiography, as a case study.
Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye on Titania Nanotube Array Film
Authors: Wu Xiaomeng , Ling Yunhan , Sun Jianteng , Zhi Xin , Huang Zhaohui
Published: March 2008

TiO2 nanotube array was fabricated via anodization, and the resulting film was investigated by XRD and SEM. The degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye demonstrated its superior photoelectrochemical activity. By comparison of photocatalysis (PC) and photoelectroncatalysis (PEC), it was found that PEC oxidation was a convenient and effective process to mineralize the organic matters. In addition, the excellent capability of adsorption derived from nanoporous configuration on such electrode also plays an important role in accelerating the degradation process.
Synthesis of a Sulfur-bridged Diphosphine Ligand and Its Unique Complexation Properties toward Palladium(II) Ion
Authors: Morohashi Naoya , Akahira Yuki , Tanaka Shinya , Nishiyama Kensuke , Kajiwara Takashi , Hattori Tetsutaro
Published: March 2008

Sulfur-bridged phenol dimer 32 is converted into P–S–P ligand 5, mono- and dinuclear palladium complexes of which are selectively synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography.
C
2-Symmetric Chiral Malonamides for Asymmetric Michael Reaction
Authors: Kim Sung-Ji , Lee Kyoungyim , Jew Sang-sup , Park Hyeung-geun , Jeong Byeong-Seon
Published: March 2008

Described is the design and preparation of chiral C2-symmetric malonamides and their application to asymmetric conjugate addition to enone. The mechanism of partial racemization observed in the course of hydrolysis–decarboxylation step is also elucidated.
A Recognition-functionalized Gold-nanoparticle-attached Electrode Applied in the Detection of Dopamine
Authors: Zuo Fang , Luo Chunhua , Zheng Zhaohui , Ding Xiaobin , Peng Yuxing
Published: March 2008

A kind of recognition-functionalized electrode which combined the advantages of two kinds of functional materials (gold nanoparticles and β-CD) was prepared and used for sensitive and selective detection of dopamine.
Electronically Modified Polymer-supported Cinchona Phase-transfer Catalysts for Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Alkyl-α-amino Acid Derivatives
Authors: Shi Qinghua , Lee Yeon-Ju , Song Hongrui , Cheng Maosheng , Jew Sang-sup , Park Hyeung-geun , Jeong Byeong-Seon
Published: March 2008

Merrifield resin-supported hydrocinchonidinium salts containing particular functional groups that can participate in hydrogen bonding were prepared and evaluated as chiral phase-transfer catalysts using the asymmetric benzylation of glycine imine ester. These electronically modified Merrifield resin-supported phase-transfer catalysts generally provided better enantioselectivities compared to the unmodified ones.
Elimination Filter for Verotoxins —Highly Adsorbing by Glycoconjugate Polymer—
Authors: Miyagawa Atsushi , Kasuya Maria Carmelita Z , Hatanaka Kenichi
Published: March 2008

Glycoconjugate polymer having globotriose, which is a ligand for Verotoxins (VTs: VT1 and VT2), was immobilized to the filter paper. By flowing VTs solution through the filter paper, the elimination ability of the filter paper for VT1 and VT2 was evaluated. The globotriose-immobilizing filter effectively diluted the starting concentration of VT1 (1 μg/mL) and VT2 (1 μg/mL) to about one hundred thousandth and about one thousandth parts of the starting concentration, respectively.