bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Korea's Trade Intensity with Her Major Trading Countries in the Manufacturing Sector: Its Changes over the Last Decade
Authors: Kim Seung Jin
Published: January 2012

It was found that Korea's trade intensity with the USA decreased from 2.87 in 1993 to 2.39 in 2004 due to decrease in Korea's special country bias with the USA from 3.06 in 1993 to 2.26 in 2004 even if Korea's trade complementarity with the USA increased from 0.94 in 1993 to 1.06 in 2004. Therefore Korea's special country bias with the USA should be enhanced by increasing capital movements and reducing discriminatory tariffs and other import restrictions between Korea and the USA.

Korea's trade intensity with Japan was found to have decreased from 8.37 in 1993 to 8.11 in 2004 due to decrease in Korea's trade complementarity with Japan from 1.05 in 1993 to 0.88 in 2004 even if Korea's special country bias with Japan increased from 7.95 in 1993 to 9.20 in 2004. Therefore Korea's special country bias with Japan should be enhanced further by increasing capital movements and reducing discriminatory tariffs and other import restrictions between Korea and Japan.

It was also found that Korea's trade intensity with China increased from 5.96 in 1993 to 10.39 in 2004 due to (a) increase in Korea's special country bias with China from 6.99 in 1993 to 9.58 in 2004 and (b) increase in Korea's trade complementarity with China from 0.85 in 1993 to 1.08 in 2004. Therefore Korea's special country bias with China should be enhanced further by increasing capital movements and reducing discriminatory tariffs and other import restrictions between Korea and China.
Europeanism and Atlantism in the Italian Foreign Policy: Focused on Continuity and Change
Authors: Lee Sonphil
Published: January 2012

This paper will try to examine the significance, role and co-relations of Europeanism and Atlantism that has been two axes of the Italian foreign policy from the end of the 2nd World War to the present. Through the research, this paper will make clear that Europeanism and Atlantism were in complimentary relations and were good instruments to achieve national interest, a substantial goal of Italian foreign policy. Europeanism and Atlantism have been preserved with continuity in Italian foreign policy. Even after the Cold war, they merely had changes in the style of conducting the center-right and center-left governments. As for the co-relations between Europeanism and Atlantism, the two orientations have been supplementary in pursuing national interests of the country.
Economic Transformation in the Russian Far East
Authors: Hong Sungwon
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this paper is to study the prospect of economic development of the Russian Far East on the basis of the analysis of the present condition of the Russian Far East economy. The study will focus on various macroeconomic indicators of the Russian Far East regions and provide an economic diagnosis on the socio-economic conditions of the Russian Far East. This paper also shows that factors such as perception and will of economic actors who directly or indirectly participate in the RFE economy and the correlation between economic actors can be considered as an important barometer that demonstrates the prospect of economic development in the RFE. The study will also provide some implications on the economic development of the Russian Far East.
Korea as Described in History Textbooks Used at Polish Universities
Authors: Kim Yong-deog
Published: January 2012

This paper was written in order that Polish academics could gain in this way more reliable information about problems, which have until now not been entirely correctly understood, at least in the area of history. I therefore hope relations between Korea and Poland, based on mutual and profound understanding may gain an even more solid foundation. The basis of the present paper comes from history textbooks used in Polish universities. Ten were chosen among them according to historical period. These periods include ancient times, the middle ages (up to the 15th century), the 19th century, the inter-war period (1919–1939), as well as the postwar and modern day periods.
The Russia's Strategy and Foreign Policy
Authors: Park Sang-nam
Published: January 2012

The Eurasian vector, have been actively conducted by the Putin's government. With the axis of Moscow, Beijing and Delhi, these three countries seek not only to block the eastward policy of ‘global NATO’ but ultimately shift from ‘one-polar’ system with USA as the central figure to ‘multi-polar’ one. So doing, they intend to consolidate the ‘democratization of the international order’ against the US-led ‘enlargement of democracy’. Entering the 21st century, the new normative political context constructed in Eurasia is characterized as the tendency to keep the status-quo and protect national sovereignty from the international intervention (namely, U.S.).
Review on Market Power of the Australian Agricultural Chain
Authors: Shin Bong-Sup
Published: January 2012

This paper reviews the market power gleaned from economic theory in the Australian agricultural chain. Despite the general analyses on agricultural supply chain, it will allow development of the institutional detail sufficient to reveal the nature and significance of market power in agricultural chains and how and why it ebbs and flows over time. The implications of this reviews are that attention should be focused on the supplier side, especially the distribution sector in the chain, not on the consumer side of the market. Future studies into market power issue in the Australian agricultural market should be analysed in the form of intensive case studies.
An Evaluation of the US Monetary Policy since Mid-80s
Authors: Kim Jangryoul , Lim Gieyoung
Published: January 2012

We investigate the role of housing price in the conduct of monetary policy for the US economy. Since 1986, we construct an empirical model, simulate the estimated model with a set of alternative monetary policy rules, and compare the stabilization performances of the rules. Our findings are: i) there is plenty of room for further stabilization of inflation and output, if the Fed shifts from the historical monetary policy rule to the optimal counterpart; ii) the optimal rule improves upon the historical one not because the former takes into account additional policy indicators such as movements in housing prices, but because it takes a quite different reaction scheme reacts toward the historical policy indicators, and iii) as long as the Fed maintains appropriate reactions to the historical policy indicators, housing price inflation does not contain much extra information for further stabilization.
Industrialization through FDI, Displacement and Development: POSCO-India Project in Orissa
Authors: Panda Hrushikesh , Park Jongsoo , Kong Duk-Am
Published: January 2012

Development projects often entail displacement of people. In India there have been large protests against industrial projects involving both domestic and foreign capital. POSCO of South Korea plans to invest in a steel plant in Orissa, the second poorest state in India. There had been strong protests against the project. POSCO has been unable to acquire land so far. We argue that considering the opportunity cost of resources the project proposes to use and the tax revenue earnings and employment generation from the project, it is pertinent that the project comes up. However, the compensation to the potential displaced persons is plausibly inadequate and both POSCO and government must try and see that the livelihood of people is not adversely affected.
A Framework for the Choice of Compensation Types in Foreign Knowledge Acquisition through Strategic Alliances between Firms
Authors: Ra Wonchan
Published: January 2012

Knowledge transfer through international inter-firm strategic alliances has recently become an essential source of competitive advantages of firms in the world economy. Existing studies on knowledge transfer have focused on the formal aspects such as the choice between equity and non-equity modes, failing to correctly capture the deeper and complex process in knowledge transfer, which is critical for the successful transfer. This paper analyzed the properties and characteristics of knowledge and various types of compensation for the transferred knowledge and the major processual issues regarding knowledge transfer from the perspectives of agency theory and the relation view of knowledge transfer. It also proposed a framework to guide the knowledge recipient's decision in choosing appropriate compensation types.
Theoretical Approach to Define Emerging Markets and Emerging Market Global Companies: Double Triangle Model
Authors: Kim Zukweon , Jung Moosup
Published: January 2012

Many institutions and researchers in international economics and business have studied the characteristics, trends, and sources of the competitive advantages of emerging markets (EMs) and/or emerging markets global companies (EMGCs) compared to those of other markets and companies because of the growing importance of EMs and EMGCs in the world economy. However, there are no clear-cut definitions of EMs and EMGCs. Therefore, this study is trying to develop a theoretical model called as ‘Double Triangle Model’ to define EMs and EMGCs who have sustainable competitive advantages. Based on the Double Triangle Model, this study defines EMs as countries whose competitive advantages measured by the shares of GDP, exports, and outward foreign direct investment in the world are higher than the average competitiveness advantages of all countries except developed countries. Also, EMGCs are defined as companies whose competitive advantages measured by trans-national, growth, and profitability indices are higher than the average competitiveness advantages of all companies from EMs.
Development and Prospect of the CRTA in WTO system
Authors: Kim Bongchul
Published: January 2012

RTAs represent both a challenge and an opportunity for the WTO system. Many issues are emerging regarding the linkages or the conflicts between RTAs and the WTO in different legal aspects. Furthermore, RTAs and the WTO rules have reciprocal influence on each other in various ways. Therefore, it is required to harmonise RTAs and WTO rules. The main objective of this paper is related to these issues. It researches the development of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) and detects the problems of the RTAs regulations by the CRTA.

The inability of the CRTA of the WTO to come to decisions on whether RTAs satisfy Article XXIV of the GATT is a problem in the first place. In the absence of such determination, transparency is important, as this helps mobilise domestic and regional groups who are negatively affected by RTA policies. Although it is not perfect, the improvement of the Transparency Mechanism with Doha Round negotiations made important progress in multilateral surveillance of the WTO on RTAs.
The European Public's Decision on the War in Iraq: Differences among the EU Member States
Authors: Jun Hae-Won
Published: January 2012

Military intervention in foreign countries tends to put people in the situation where they mainly rely on their values and world views to form their opinions. Because the consequences of the military action are unknown, the public finds it difficult to form opinions based on clear sense of costs and benefits. Why does public opinion on military intervention in certain country vary across national borders? This paper attempts to answer this question in the case of the formation of European public views on the war in Iraq in 2003. It finds that the public conceptualize the given policy issue differently leading to national differences on foreign affairs.
An Analysis of China's Shifting Development Paradigm: Increasing Disparity, Social Unrests, and the CPC's Survival
Authors: Lee Ji-Yong
Published: January 2012

China's development-paradigm is transforming from Xianfu lun (getting rich first) toward Xiaokang Shehui (well-off society). Building Hexie Shehui (harmonious society) is the key subject of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan of China. Behind the ambitious Eleventh Five-Year Plan, there is a serious problem that China is one of the worst countries in terms of Gini coefficient. Aware of the seriousness of the problem for both social security and regime legitimacy, Chinese leadership has addressed it by adopting a new doctrine of ‘harmonious society’. Despite the new slogan of building “Hexie Shehui,” the gap between the have and the have-not rather continues to grow. This paper traces domestic policy changes since Deng's economic reform. It examines the effects of policy changes on rising disparity and its social consequences. It finally suggests a policy implication.
External-Internal Nexus for the Sources of Insecurity in the Third World
Authors: Kim Taekyoon
Published: January 2012

The focal point of this essay aims to challenge the dominant accounts for the origins of insecurity in the Third World, which have mostly rested upon the contingent effects of the external factor, particularly the end of the Cold War. By emphasizing the importance of both external and internal sources of insecurity alike, the essay suggests two fronts of linking the internal and the external in order to depict the whole shape of insecurity that failed states face. The two linkage solutions include (1) the promotion of democratic, economic, and institutional capacities; and (2) the proactive consideration of local conditions and cultural differences, all of which external interventions need to pay more attention to when they proceed in the targeted countries.
Trends and Perspectives of PRC's Energy Policy Making Institutions and Policies
Authors: Lee Chulwon
Published: January 2012

The future direction of China's approach to energy policy making is, of course, difficult to predict. This is due not only to the opaque and fragmented nature of Chinese energy policy decision-making, but also to the fact that energy policy is a new topic for China's leaders and the individuals they rely on for advice to master that impinges on the interests of actors throughout the Chinese bureaucracy. The wide range of participants in the energy policy debate indicates that more diversified views on it probably reach the top leadership. The impact of the multiplicity of opinions is two-fold. It can result in more informed decision-making, but it can also delay the process as decision makers must assess a larger number of competing and sometimes contradictory views.
China's Pursuit of Peaceful Power Transition
Authors: Han Sukhee
Published: January 2012

Since the beginning of the new millennium, China's rise has been a key phenomenon in the international relations community. Many scholars, pundits, and policy makers have tended to analyze the issue of China's rise by the application of the power transition theory. Given the theoretical proposition that war is most likely when a dissatisfied challenger increases its power as strong as the dominant power and begins to overtake it, the power transition theory is worth applying to the current situation between the US and China. The major objective of this paper is to analyze the possibility of power transition from the US to China. In particular, two sub-issues, including whether China has strategic intention to overtake the US, and whether China's power transition would be peaceful. As a way to prove it, this paper takes a case that China wants to promote its own created the 3rdgeneration Information and Communication Technology standard, TD-SCDMA, into a global standard. Although China initiated to create its own ICT standard mostly for reducing the royalties paid to foreign companies, it has later utilized TD-SCDMA as a symbol that China wants to participate in the global standard making. As a conclusion, this paper proved that China has an intention to the power transition from the US, but that China's power transition will be peaceful, in contrast to the proposition of the power transition theorists that the challenger tend to be violent in the process of power transition.
Market Efficiency and Price Forecast of Individual Shares
Authors: Liu Tianshu
Published: January 2012

‘Beat the Market’ is the desire of people. It is also momentum of the development of economics and finance theories. China stock market is an emerging market and size development before 2000 is very fast. Whether China stock market is weak-form has not been drawn one consistent conclusion. Purpose of this study is to explore price movement characters of an individual share and how to use ultra-high frequency data to model share price movement. This study proposes an approach to transit ultra-high frequency data into high frequency data. Then, high frequency data is used to conduct region and whole term analysis. Study shows that region analysis reveals share price movement characteristic further and prediction power of a model in different regions is different. This study proposes a region analysis and selection forecast approach.
The Role of India in the Korean War
Authors: ChanWahn Kim
Published: January 2012

The role of India in the Korean War is relatively little known either in Korea or India. For a student of Indian Studies in Korea and a student of Korean Studies in India of our time, a study of the role of India in the Korean War might provide one more useful perspective to understand the relations between Korea and India. So, it is worthwhile to analyze the subject, especially on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War and suggest that India needs to provide its disinterested objective vision as it did during the Korean War, and help in resolving the complex issues of the Korean peninsula such as North Korea's nuclear proliferation problem etc. Even before the Korean War India played a crucial role for the independence of the whole of Korea, and after the War it provided medical assistance on humanitarian grounds instead of sending its armed force to South Korea under the UN command. Later it sent the Indian Custodian Force as the Chairman of NNRC, which initially was resented by South Korea but whose task was later appreciated by it.
Memory Politics and International Relations in East Asia
Authors: Eun-Mi Choi
Published: January 2012

In the globalizing society, it is inevitable to have good relations with neighboring countries. After WW II, global areas have been formed differently by America. In other words, America had set multilateralism system in Europe, in contrast to bilateralism system in East Asia. So, East Asian countries couldn't communicate and exchange without America for a long time. However, in the Post-Cold War, though this mood was dissolved, it is still difficult to say East Asian countries have good relationship one another. In this paper, I argue that the reason is unsolved problems, the emotional matters among the nations. Unlike Europe, it occurred past problems in East Asia repeatedly and continuously. Then, it makes hard to cooperate the nations. On the basis of Constructivism perspective, this paper takes an example, Korea-Japan relations, which has some unsolved past problems. In Korea-Japan relations, there are many tries and efforts to have a good relation politically and socially. Yet, it comes to nothing whenever past problems happened between two nations. In the political part, we can find it by examining the change of policies toward the nation before and after occurring past problems. Likewise, in the social part, as one of evidences, the change rate of number of tourists coming and going to the countries proves it. Irrational factors can affect relations between nations.
EU Competition Policy via Controlling State Aid
Authors: Choi Yo Sop
Published: January 2012

The European Commission has controlled State aid that would distort competition and affect trade between Member States. The State aid control is, in fact, one of the most important provisions of EU law, aiming at ensuring the process of competition and the integrated internal market. However, its State aid control does not seem very successful, since the current data indicate that the number of unlawful State aid is still significant, although the overall amount of granted aid has not increased considerably despite the current financial crisis in the EU. In particular, it does not give an impression that there are proper guidelines of the State aid exemption to a certain sector, such as R&D. This article discusses about its control of State aid for R&D that can cause incentive loss of the R&D investments due to its comparative advantage. Even though the Commission stresses that State aid for R&D should serve as an incentive for firms to commence R&D activities, it is still difficult to decide which R&D aid can encourage them to carry out R&D efforts effectively. When the Commission lacks the legal techniques to implement an adequate balance test of positive and negative effects of State aid, its State aid policy will fail to contribute to achieving social and pro-competitive goals of the EU.
Dato Onn Bin Jaafar's and Tunku Abdul Rahman's Visions: Ideology and Nation-Building in Malaya, 1948–1957
Authors: Soh Byungkuk
Published: January 2012

This study aims to understand hidden dynamics behind the Malay struggle for independence, largely concerned with the ideological warfare of the two preeminent Malay national leaders, both within Malay society and against the British from 1948 to 1957. With this aim in view, first of all, this paper examines Dato Onn bin Jaafar's vision and his struggle for independence. Secondly, it examines Tunku Abdul Rahman's vision and his struggle for independence. Based upon this paper shows that independent Malaya was a great masterpiece skillfully molded by the two preeminent Malay leaders who had personified Malay aspirations for political freedom, which had gradually developed within Malay society since the 1920s.
Central Asia at the Heart of Russian and Chinese issues
Authors: Thomas Pourcelot
Published: January 2012

Central Asia has become with the end of the Cold War a new playground for great powers, including automatically the two giants as Russia and China. Between strategic military, energy and political issues, these direct neighbors of Central Asia are using that central area as a tampon for their own security. It appears that China and Russia have some identical both interests and threats. Does it mean a next or future alliance between the two countries? Not necessary.
Watch Out, Ministers! You are Not Immune under the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
Authors: Choi Young-Ran
Published: January 2012

Recently the United State Supreme Court made a decision on whether the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) should apply to a foreign official. In a U.S court, a civil action was brought by some victims of human rights violations, such as torture and extrajudicial killings in Somalia, commanded by a former Somalian government official who was Defense Minister at the time of such violations. The foreign official claimed immunity from the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts under the FSIA which grants immunity, with exceptions, to a foreign state including “agency or instrumentality of a foreign state.”

He contended that since he was a high-ranking government official, he could be categorized as an “agency or instrumentality of a foreign state,” and subsequently, he is immune as a foreign state The Supreme Court rejected his claim, denying the application of the FSIA to the immunity of foreign officials. The Court's main argument is that an “agency or instrumentality” under the FSIA means an “entity” which includes a legal person, not a natural person.

Thus, the immunity issue of a foreign official cannot be analyzed by the FSIA, but by the common law such as case laws.

This decision is quite meaningful since it clearly sets up the scope of the FSIA by distinguishing immunity for a foreign state from that for foreign officials. With this new decision, the Court abrogated precedents of lower courts which have allowed or discussed immunity of foreign officials under the FSIA. Although this decision left open some important questions, such as whether a former foreign official can be immune if he acted within his official capacity, whether human right violations can be regarded as acts committed within or outside the scope of official capacity, whether such human right violations may be subject to exceptions to immunity, etc., the decision at least primarily may prevent a foreign official from simply raising his immunity defense under the FSIA. Consequently, it is expected that immunity of foreign officials will be scrutinized, by applying the well-recognized common law including international law.

This paper takes a glance at the FSIA from its legislative history to rules on immunity for a foreign state to find out whether the FSIA may apply to foreign officials, and then reviews backgrounds and discussions of this case from lower courts to the Supreme Court.
Collective Memory and Commemorative Space: Reflections on Korean Modernity and the Kyŏngbok Palace Reconstruction 1865–2010
Authors: Kim Michael
Published: January 2012

The Kyŏngbok Palace has been the site of continual reconstruction ever since the Taewŏn'gun's efforts in 1865 to the recent unveiling of the new Kwanghwamun in August 2010. No other location in Seoul has undergone so much intense reconstruction efforts at such a prohibitive cost. This study examines the 150 year history of this reconstruction effort and focuses on two key themes that have not been fully examined in previous works on this topic. The first is the interplay between the palace grounds and Korea's encounter with modernity. Korea's modern transformation has reconfigured this site multiple times, and there is a need to explore the multiple ways that modernity has imparted visual symbolic significance to this location. The second is the intensity of public debate over this urban site, which heralds the gradual historical emergence of a public culture of commemorations. From this perspective, the palace reconstruction can reveal far more than an effort to display Korean nationalism and past traditions. For the site can offer some important insights into the development of modern Korea's civil society and public culture.
Telecommunication, Transportation, and Trade in the Pacific Basin Community
Authors: Choi Young , Ahn Minho
Published: January 2012

This paper examines the telecommunication, transportation, and trade networks and tests structural relationships among the countries in the Pacific basin community. An attempt is made to show that the relations or locations of nations in the Pacific Rim could be meaningfully conceptualized as flows of transactions between countries and subjected to systematic empirical analysis. In sum, the various indicators, such as system density, connectedness, number of links, integrativeness, from NEGOPY network analysis reveal a similar structure for the telecommunication, the transportation, and the trade networks. There is one group with some of the advanced industrialized countries such as Japan and the United States at the center for all three networks, confirming the replication of inequalities in political and economic area. The telephone is one of the “space-adjusting” technologies that change the distance among countries and allows for higher degrees of accessibility to remote locations. No nation is identified as an isolate in the telecommunication network, whereas four nations are identified as isolates in the transportation network. Geographical distance may affect the transportation network. The results of correspondence analysis reveal that the transportation and the trade network show a similar pattern of radial structure, although the radial structure of the trade network is weaker than that of the transportation network. Each arm in the both networks is composed of regional neighbor nations. This suggests that both networks in the Pacific basin community are, in part, organized by physical location. This is also shown in the telecommunication network.
A Study on Major Types of Foreign Direct Investment in China and Legal Considerations of Joint Venture Contracts
Authors: Yu Seon Bong
Published: January 2012

Since 1979 when the process of economic reforms started, foreign direct investment in China has increased dramatically as substantial legal and economic reforms have made foreign direct investment more predictable and more profitable. It is very crucial for foreign investors to select a proper type of foreign direct investment to be successful in China. Although there are a number of types of foreign investment, including companies limited by shares, most foreign investment enterprises have taken the form of joint ventures. In practice, a major consideration that most foreign investors face is how to successfully conclude a joint venture contract in conjunction particularly with antitrust issues and laws governing joint ventures. Thus, this paper examines major types of foreign direct investment, focusing on joint ventures, and also analyzes legal considerations of joint venture contracts, emphasizing their significance in foreign direct investment.
Equity and Ideology in the International Law of Development: The “New International Economic Order” Revisited
Authors: Lee Chulwoo
Published: January 2012

This study reviews the initiative for a New International Economic Order (NIEO) and its implications in the discourse of international law. The NIEO enterprise, a product of the international political economy of the 1970s, has come to a stalemate. Yet international forums have continued to articulate many of its messages. In addition to its political and economic effects, the NIEO initiative has contributed to the development of jurisprudence and legal philosophy by stimulating a rethinking and elaboration of the notion of justice in international law and by rekindling the question of what law is in international law. This study canvasses how the NIEO enterprise has unfolded itself through various international forums, particularly the United Nations General Assembly, and the major issues raised in the NIEO-related resolutions, analyses the politico-ideological implications of various NIEO-related arguments, explores the debates on the nature and status of the NIEO principles in international law, and addresses the inherent conflict between the state-centred notion of the world order and the supranational, global approach which has straddled the NIEO discussions.
Malay Society under Japanese Occupation, 1942–45
Authors: Soh Byungkuk
Published: January 2012

This study aims to understand how Malay national awareness matured during the wartime period, and is primarily concerned with the exact nature of the impact of the three and a half years of Japanese rule on the political, economic, and social aspects of Malay society. With this aim in view, first of all, this paper examines the historiography of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, focusing on “interruption” and “transformation” arguments. Secondly, this study considers Japan's objectives in invading Malaya. Thirdly, this work examines the development of Malay national awareness under Japanese rule, highlighting the hidden dynamics behind the Malay struggle for the development. Based upon this investigation, this paper shows that Malay national awareness was consolidated mainly by the creative adaptation of the Malays to the new circumstances, not as a result of the deliberate intentions of the Japanese as the “interruption” school argues.
Communitarianism and Civic Education
Authors: Kim Yong Min
Published: January 2012

Nowadays, there is a serious confrontation between liberalism and communitarianism. Civic education based on liberalism considers freedom as the educational goal, while civic education based on communitarianism considers virtue as the educational goal. Freedom and virtue are compatible in the common life. But in a case where priority is required, the emphasis must be laid on virtue. Love and friendship are the means to overcome excessive individualism. Individuality and community must be dialectically balanced to produce a good polity. Communitarian civic education can approximate to the ideal polity. Returning to Aristotle's friendship and Rousseau' love may invoke the sentiment of oneness from the heart of our species.
Conjugation of lymphoma idiotype to CD40 antibody enhances lymphoma vaccine immunogenicity and antitumor effects in mice
Authors: Carlring Jennifer , Szabo Marika J. , Dickinson Robert , De Leenheer Evy , Heath Andrew W.
Published: January 2012

Personalized immunotherapy of lymphoma based on tumor idiotype (Id) has shown anti-idiotype humoral immune responses in 40%-50% and cellular immune responses in 50%-75% of follicular lymphoma patients, indicating that this therapy can be clinically successful. We have developed a novel vaccine against lymphoma consisting of an anti-CD40 Ab (ADX40) chemically conjugated to the tumor idiotype A20 and tested it in a murine lymphoma model. BALB/c mice were immunized with 2 doses of immunogen alone or in conjunction with additional adjuvants before tumor challenge. ADX40-Id vaccination resulted in significantly retarded tumor growth and reduced mouse morbidity. Moreover, similar mouse survival was obtained with 2 injections of ADX40-Id as with 8 injections using the standard therapy of keyhole limpet hemocyanin Id + GM-CSF. Co-administration of ADX40-Id with 3-O-deacyl-4′-monophosphoryl lipid A further significantly enhanced vaccine efficacy, resulting in an increased overall survival. Anti-Id–specific Abs were detected at elevated levels after ADX40-Id immunization; however, in vivo depletion of CD4 and/or CD8 T cells before challenge showed that CD8 effector T cells were the major mediators of tumor protection. The results of the present study show that the ADX40-Id conjugate vaccine is a potential candidate as a stand-alone vaccine or in combination with currently licensed adjuvants for lymphoma immunotherapy.
Romiplostim administration shows reduced megakaryocyte response-capacity and increased myelofibrosis in a mouse model of MYH9-RD
Authors: Léon Catherine , Evert Katja , Dombrowski Frank , Pertuy Fabien , Eckly Anita , Laeuffer Patricia , Gachet Christian , Greinacher Andreas
Published: January 2012

Macrothrombocytopenia in MYH9-related disease (MYH9-RD) results from defects in nonmuscular myosin-IIA function. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (eltrombopag; romiplostim) seem to improve hemostasis, but little is known about their biologic effects in MYH9-RD. We administered romiplostim to Myh9−/− mice (100 μg/kg, every 3 days, during 1 month). MKs increased to similar numbers in Myh9−/− and wild-type (WT) mice (with an increase in immature MKs), but Myh9−/− platelet count response was much less (2.5-fold vs 8-fold increase). A strong increase in MK nuclei emboli in the lung, in WT and Myh9−/− mice, indicates increased transmigration of MKs from the BM. Prolonged (but not acute) treatment with romiplostim decreased expression of GPIb-IX-V complex and GPVI, but not of GPIIbIIIa, and bleeding time increased in WT mice. Microcirculation was not altered by the increased number of large platelets in any of the assessed organs, but in Myh9−/− mice a much stronger increase in BM reticulin fibers was present after 4 weeks of romiplostim treatment vs WT mice. These data further encourage short-term use of thrombopoietic agents in patients with MYH9-RDs; however, myelofibrosis has to be considered as a potential severe adverse effect during longer treatment. Reduction of GPIbIX/GPVI expression by romiplostim requires further studies.
Mobile Medical Education (MoMEd) - how mobile information resources contribute to learning for undergraduate clinical students - a mixed methods study
Authors: Davies Bethany S , Rafique Jethin , Vincent Tim R , Fairclough Jil , Packer Mark H , Vincent Richard , Haq Inam
Published: January 2012

Background

Mobile technology is increasingly being used by clinicians to access up-to-date information for patient care. These offer learning opportunities in the clinical setting for medical students but the underlying pedagogic theories are not clear. A conceptual framework is needed to understand these further. Our initial questions were how the medical students used the technology, how it enabled them to learn and what theoretical underpinning supported the learning.

Methods

387 medical students were provided with a personal digital assistant (PDA) loaded with medical resources for the duration of their clinical studies. Outcomes were assessed by a mixed-methods triangulation approach using qualitative and quantitative analysis of surveys, focus groups and usage tracking data.

Results

Learning occurred in context with timely access to key facts and through consolidation of knowledge via repetition. The PDA was an important addition to the learning ecology rather than a replacement. Contextual factors impacted on use both positively and negatively. Barriers included concerns of interrupting the clinical interaction and of negative responses from teachers and patients. Students preferred a future involving smartphone platforms.

Conclusions

This is the first study to describe the learning ecology and pedagogic basis behind the use of mobile learning technologies in a large cohort of undergraduate medical students in the clinical environment. We have developed a model for mobile learning in the clinical setting that shows how different theories contribute to its use taking into account positive and negative contextual factors.

The lessons from this study are transferable internationally, to other health care professions and to the development of similar initiatives with newer technology such as smartphones or tablet computers.
Interactions between prostaglandins, leukotrienes and HIV-1: Possible implications for the central nervous system
Authors: Bertin Jonathan , Barat Corinne , Méthot Sylvie , Tremblay Michel J
Published: January 2012

In HIV-1-infected individuals, there is often discordance between viremia in peripheral blood and viral load found in the central nervous system (CNS). Although the viral burden is often lower in the CNS compartment than in the plasma, neuroinflammation is present in most infected individuals, albeit attenuated by the current combined antiretroviral therapy. The HIV-1-associated neurological complications are thought to result not only from direct viral replication, but also from the subsequent neuroinflammatory processes. The eicosanoids - prostanoids and leukotrienes - are known as potent inflammatory lipid mediators. They are often present in neuroinflammatory diseases, notably HIV-1 infection. Their exact modulatory role in HIV-1 infection is, however, still poorly understood, especially in the CNS compartment. Nonetheless, a handful of studies have provided evidence as to how these lipid mediators can modulate HIV-1 infection. This review summarizes findings indicating how eicosanoids may influence the progression of neuroAIDS.
Retracted: Comparison of Central versus Peripheral Delivery of Pregabalin in Neuropathic Pain States
Authors: Martinez Jose A , Kasamatsu Manami , Rosales-Hernandez Alma , Hanson Leah R , Frey William H , Toth Cory C
Published: January 2012

Background:

Although pregabalin therapy is beneficial for neuropathic pain (NeP) by targeting the CaVα2δ-1 subunit, its site of action is uncertain. Direct targeting of the central nervous system may be beneficial for the avoidance of systemic side effects.

Results:

We used intranasal, intrathecal, and near-nerve chamber forms of delivery of varying concentrations of pregabalin or saline delivered over 14 days in rat models of experimental diabetic peripheral neuropathy and spinal nerve ligation. As well, radiolabelled pregabalin was administered to determine localization with different deliveries. We evaluated tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia at multiple time points, and then analyzed harvested nervous system tissues for molecular and immunohistochemical changes in CaVα2δ-1 protein expression. Both intrathecal and intranasal pregabalin administration at high concentrations relieved NeP behaviors, while near-nerve pregabalin delivery had no effect. NeP was associated with upregulation of CACNA2D1 mRNA and CaVα2δ-1 protein within peripheral nerve, dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and dorsal spinal cord, but not brain. Pregabalin's effect was limited to suppression of CaVα2δ-1 protein (but not CACNA2D1 mRNA) expression at the spinal dorsal horn in neuropathic pain states. Dorsal root ligation prevented CaVα2δ-1 protein trafficking anterograde from the dorsal root ganglia to the dorsal horn after neuropathic pain initiation.

Conclusions:

Either intranasal or intrathecal pregabalin relieves neuropathic pain behaviours, perhaps due to pregabalin's effect upon anterograde CaVα2δ-1 protein trafficking from the DRG to the dorsal horn. Intranasal delivery of agents such as pregabalin may be an attractive alternative to systemic therapy for management of neuropathic pain states.
Local knowledge and socio-economic determinants of traditional medicines' utilization in livestock health management in Southwest Nigeria
Authors: Mafimisebi Taiwo E , Oguntade Adegboyega E , Fajemisin Adebowale N , Aiyelari Olaiya P
Published: January 2012

Smallholder livestock farmers in Nigeria utilize traditional medicines derived from medicinal plants (PMs) for the maintenance of their animals' health. This study was designed to determine the PMs used in the study area and their level of utilization by livestock farmers, compare the level of utilization of PMs across the three states surveyed and identify the socio-economic factors influencing farmer's utilization of PMs. Thirty-five PMs were identified. Farmers had considerable knowledge about the identified PMs but about 80.0% of them used the PMs to poor/moderate extent. There were statistical differences in the utilization level of PMs among the three states. Six socio-economic variables were found to be statistically significant in influencing PMs' utilization. Farmer's age, household size, distance to the nearest veterinary hospital/clinic and extent of travels, had positive effects while negative effects were exhibited by farm income and number of heads of livestock. It was concluded that there was considerable knowledge about PMs and that utilization of PMs varied between the three states. It was recommended that local knowledge of PMs be preserved in the study area through screening and documentation.
Retarded Onchocerca volvulus L1 to L3 larval development in the Simulium damnosum vector after anti-wolbachial treatment of the human host
Authors: Albers Anna , Esum Mathias Eyong , Tendongfor Nicholas , Enyong Peter , Klarmann Ute , Wanji Samuel , Hoerauf Achim , Pfarr Kenneth
Published: January 2012

Background

The human parasite Onchocerca volvulus harbours Wolbachia endosymbionts essential for worm embryogenesis, larval development and adult survival. In this study, the development of Wolbachia-depleted microfilariae (first stage larvae) to infective third stage larvae (L3) in the insect vector Simulium damnosum was analysed.

Methods

Infected volunteers in Cameroon were randomly and blindly allocated into doxycycline (200 mg/day for 6 weeks) or placebo treatment groups. After treatment, blackflies were allowed to take a blood meal on the volunteers, captured and dissected for larval counting and DNA extraction for quantitative real-time PCR analysis.

Results

PCR results showed a clear reduction in Wolbachia DNA after doxycycline treatment in microfilariae from human skin biopsies with > 50% reduction at one month post-treatment, eventually reaching a reduction of > 80%. Larval stages recovered from the insect vector had similar levels of reduction of endosymbiotic bacteria. Larval recoveries were analysed longitudinally after treatment to follow the kinetics of larval development. Beginning at three months post-treatment, significantly fewer L3 were seen in the blackflies that had fed on doxycycline treated volunteers. Concomitant with this, the proportion of second stage larvae (L2) was significantly increased in this group.

Conclusions

Doxycycline treatment and the resulting decline of Wolbachia endobacteria from the microfilaria resulted in retarded development of larvae in the insect vector. Thus, anti-wolbachial treatment could have an additive effect for interrupting transmission by reducing the number of L3 that can be transmitted by blackflies.
Integrated seismic-electromagnetic workflow for sub-basalt exploration in northwest Saudi Arabia
Authors: Colombo Daniele , Keho Tim , McNeice Gary
Published: January 2012

A project involving magnetotellurics, shallow EM and gravity acquisition was carried out in northwest Saudi Arabia to improve the imaging of a basalt-covered section of the Al Jawf graben where seismic is particularly noisy. The Al Jawf graben extends from Jordan to Saudi Arabia. Mesozoic and Paleozoic sections contained within the structure have the potential to host multiple oil reservoirs. The lack of reliable seismic data in this area motivated the use of a multi-geophysics exploration approach. Electromagnetic (EM) techniques were identified as the optimal complementary geophysical data set. In fact, the EM signal propagates through the resistive basalt cover with minimal attenuation, providing information about the underlying conductive sedimentary section. A combination of active-source time-domain EM (TDEM) and broadband magnetotelluric (MT) techniques imaged the base of the shallow basalt cover and its internal variations as well as larger-scale faults that control the graben structure. Integration of the broadband EM and gravity data with seismic was achieved through simultaneous joint inversion (SJI) to derive an integrated velocity model that was subsequently used to reprocess the seismic data in the time and depth domains. Seismic reprocessing resulted in a substantial improvement in the seismic imaging of deep structures predicted by the structural model but not imaged by the previous seismic processing.
Focus on land seismic technology: The near-surface challenge
Authors: Keho Timothy H. , Kelamis Panos G.
Published: January 2012

A new era in land seismic is at hand. Growing energy demand will spur greater efforts in exploration and development into regions of the world where hydrocarbons occur in land environments. Interpreters will require accurate near-surface solutions for mapping low-relief structures and stratigraphic traps, and to improve data quality for placing horizontal wells. This will require solutions to near-surface challenges, such as energy penetration, scattering, source-generated noise, surface-generated multiples, statics, and source and receiver coupling. Solutions to these problems will become possible due to advances in seismic acquisition, including simultaneous source acquisition and wireless seismic-driven ultrahigh channel systems. Additionally, advances in seismic processing technology for processing the resulting huge data volumes will be made possible by continual growth in computational capability. These advances will for the first time allow acquisition of true 3D seismic data. This will not only result in better imaging of the subsurface, but also will allow the near surface to be addressed as an imaging problem with better description of velocities and suppression of surface-related noise.