bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HOW DIFFERENT ARE ACTIVITIES WHILE COMMUTING BY TRAIN? A CASE IN TOKYO
Authors: OHMORI NOBUAKI , HARATA NOBORU
Published: January 2009

Generally, travel is considered a demand derived from the desire to engage in activities at destinations and travel time is also considered a wasteful time. However, if people can engage in activities while travelling, travel time is not just a wasteful time but could be a productive time. In recent years, ICTs provide travellers with various activity opportunities while travelling. This paper examined what activities train commuters were engaging in while travelling and what factors of travel environment and passengers’ characteristics caused the difference in activities conducted and desired. Through on‐board observation and questionnaire surveys, we found that difference in travelling mode (standing, sitting in normal/high‐grade/extra‐high‐grade trains), the length of in‐vehicle time and type of work hours affected the participation rate of different types of activities. Train environment with wider personal space and more secure privacy would induce activities restricted in the current travel environment and some commuters prefer to pay extra money to obtain it.
CHOICE, CONFUSION AND COMPETITION IN THE MARKET FOR MARKETS: AIMING FOR AIM IN THREE JUNIOR ASIAN STOCK EXCHANGES
Authors: Mizuno Mitsuru , Tabner Isaac T.
Published: January 2009

Abstract.  A review of literature on the theory of stock exchange competition provides the basis for a template model of a successful stock exchange. Three junior stock exchanges in East Asia which stated their ambitions to become a regional exchange for emerging firms are compared with the template and with the AIM section of the London Stock Exchange; the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers, Hong Kong Stock Exchange Growth Enterprise Market and the Singapore Exchange Catalist. Our analysis indicates that the AIM and Catalist markets have the closest fit to our template model, while the GEM and Mothers show material departures from it.
ECONOMIC NETWORKING AND STABILITY
Authors: Yao Shuntian , Li Ke
Published: January 2009

Abstract.  In this paper we discuss finite economies with the presence of transaction costs and with decreasing, constant or increasing returns. In general such an economy may have no general equilibrium existence and may even have an empty core. We analyse the trading networks of such an economy, introducing the concepts of locally stable network structure, un‐dominated locally stable network structures and most stable network structures. We point out that the set of most stable network structures could be treated as a solution concept for the empty core economies both in theoretical analysis and in application.
EQUILIBRIUM SELECTION IN THE YANO MODEL OF PRICE LEADERSHIP
Authors: Komatsubara Takashi
Published: January 2009

Abstract.  A number of studies have provided a theoretical explanation for the fact that the technologically superior firm becomes a price leader in a duopoly market for a homogeneous product. While previous studies show that the state in which the technologically superior firm becomes a price leader is a Nash equilibrium (superior leader equilibrium), they do not eliminate the possibility that the state in which the technologically inferior firm becomes a price leader is also a Nash equilibrium (inferior leader equilibrium). We demonstrate that an inferior leader equilibrium can be eliminated by the iterative elimination of weakly dominated strategies.
EXAMINING THE ASYMMETRIC BEHAVIOUR OF MACROECONOMIC AGGREGATES IN ASIAN ECONOMIES
Authors: Narayan Paresh Kumar , Narayan Seema
Published: January 2009

Abstract.  The goal of this paper is to test for asymmetric behaviour of macroeconomic aggregates for three Asian economies; namely, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Korea. Whether macroeconomic aggregates can be characterised as asymmetric has important implications for policy‐making and econometric modelling including forecasting. We examine two forms of asymmetries; specifically deepness, which arises when a detrended time series contains an asymmetric distribution, and steepness, which arises when the first difference of a series contains an asymmetric distribution. Overall, our findings suggest that for all three countries, the bulk of the series display asymmetry behaviour.
DO PERMANENT SHOCKS EXPLAIN INCOME LEVELS? A COMMON CYCLE–COMMON TREND ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL INCOME LEVELS FOR CHINA
Authors: Narayan Paresh Kumar , Narayan Seema
Published: January 2009

Abstract.  In this paper, we analyse per capita income levels of China's three main regions: the western region, the eastern region and the central region using common cycle and common trend tests. Our main contribution is that we impose the common cycle and common trend restrictions in decomposing shocks into permanent and transitory components. We find that: (i) there is evidence for two cointegrating relationships and one common cycle; and (ii) the variance decomposition analysis of shocks provides evidence that over short horizons, permanent shocks play a large role in explaining variations in regional per capita incomes.
Virtue Versus ‘Schwärmerei’ in Lessing'sEmilia Galotti
Authors: Robertson Ritchie
Published: January 2009

‘Tugend’ (virtue) is a complex concept with both classical and Christian sources. It often means a virtuous disposition which is prior to the exercise of specific virtues. In many eighteenth‐century contexts its meaning shifts from a cognitive concept to an emotional one, dependent on what Shaftesbury called the ‘moral sense’. InEmilia Galotti, Odoardo and Appiani consider themselves and each other highly virtuous, yet their virtue seems strangely empty, the expression respectively of a choleric and a melancholy temperament. As for Emilia, though commentators have found her ‘suicide’ hard to understand, it can best be understood as the result of an uncontrolled sensuality which has in fact been hinted at earlier in the play, and which is bound up with her extreme and specifically Catholic piety. Lessing's portrayal of her illustrates the Enlightenment critique of religious visionary experience, especially by nuns, as the product of excessive imagination and displaced sensuality. Odoardo, Appiani and Emilia represent different versions of ‘Schwärmerei’. A brief comparison with Kleist'sDie Marquise von O… suggests that Lessing depicts the Galottis as a dysfunctional family, and that Kleist was developing some of Lessing's implications. The Galottis' dysfunctionality is masked by their obsession with ‘Tugend’.
J. Cosmet. Sci., 59, 33–40 (January/February 2008) Isolation and characterization of Streptomyces hiroshimensis strain TI‐C3 with anti‐tyrosinase activity
Authors: Chang T.‐S. , Tseng M. , Ding H. S.‐Y. , Tai S. S.‐K.
Published: January 2009

Synopsis

A bacterial strain, TI‐C3, was isolated and verified to display 498 U mL‐1 of anti‐tyrosinase activity. Based on morphological, physiological, and chemical analysis, gyr B sequences, and DNA‐DNA hybridization analysis, the strain TI‐C3 was identified as a strain of Streptomyces hiroshimensis. The anti‐tyrosinase activity of the strain was improved to 905 U mL‐1 under cultivation, using glucose and malt extract as the sole carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively.
Vol. 42, No. 1, pp.1‐6, 2008 Overview of cosmetic dermatological approach for photoaging
Authors: Funasaka Y.
Published: January 2009

Photoaging could be induced by accumulated DNA damage on skin cells. Photoaged skin has such characteristics as a nodular leathery surface with fine and coarse wrinkles, blotches and yellowing, dryness, and teleangiectasia, and finally skin cancer formation. For this condition, chemical peeling, iontophoresis, laser and phototherapy are used with some improvement, especially in wrinkles and pigmentary uniformity. Now the mechanisms of these treatments on photoaging have been studied. Glycolic acid may act on skin cells via keratinocytes and activate the cytokine network, which results in the remodeling of tissue construct and elimination of pigment. Heat generated by non‐ablative laser or phototherapy might induce heat shock proteins which induce new collagen formation, and eliminate oxidized abnormal materials. This type of research is expected to disclose the cellular and molecular mechanisms of photoaging, and to lead to the establishment of further effective photoaging treatment.

Keywords: photoaging, cosmetic dermatology, chemical peeling, glycolic acid, skin rejuvenation, non‐ablative laser, Intense pulsed light (IPL), heat shock protein (hsp), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), thermal stimulation, advanced glycation end products (AGE), oxidative stress
Vol. 42, No. 1, pp.7‐15, 2008 Self‐aggregates of hydrophobic phospholipid polymer as a novel material in hair treatment
Authors: Yamamoto N. , Fukui H. , Yamagishi T.‐A. , Nakamoto Y.
Published: January 2009

In this study, a hydrophobic phospholipid polymer nano‐dispersion was formed by self‐aggregating poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine‐co‐stearyl methacrylate) (PMS). Self‐aggregation was carried out by diluting a PMS/polyol solution with hot water. The zeta potential of the PMS particles was changed by complexation with anionic or cationic surfactants, the addition of which did not affect the average diameter of the PMS particles, which was always less than 50 nm. The cationized PMS nano‐dispersion was used for treating artificially damaged hair. An X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis showed uniform adsorption of the PMS onto the surface of the hair specimens. The PMS nano‐dispersion was not only adsorbed on the surface but also permeated into the hair, as shown by a fluorescence microscopic observation of the damaged hair treated with the PMS nano‐dispersion that also contained Nile Red. From a scanning electron microscope observation, the PMS was also found to suppress the lift‐ups of the hair cuticle. The surface of damaged hair was hydrophilic, whereas the one treated with PMS was hydrophobic, like healthy hair. PMS treatment has decreased the surface friction and electrostatic decay of damaged hair, and also prevented the discoloration of colored hair.

Keywords: 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, phospholipid polymer, intercellular lipid, nano‐dispersion, self‐aggregation, zeta potential, damaged hair, surface friction, electrostatic decay, discoloration
New‐Onset Epilepsy Risk Factors in Older Veterans
Authors: Pugh Mary Jo V. , Knoefel Janice E. , Mortensen Eric M. , Amuan Megan E. , Berlowitz Dan R. , Van Cott Anne C.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors for new‐onset geriatric epilepsy that may trigger clinicians to consider a differential diagnosis of epilepsy at symptom onset.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: National Veterans Affairs (VA) databases.

PARTICIPANTS: Veterans aged 66 and older in fiscal year 2000 (FY00) who received VA care in FY99 and FY00. Individuals with new‐onset epilepsy based on a validated algorithm constituted the epilepsy cohort (n=1,843), and individuals without epilepsy constituted the geriatric cohort (n=1,023,376).

MEASUREMENTS: Age, sex, and race were derived from VA databases. Clinical conditions associated with new‐onset geriatric epilepsy (e.g., cerebrovascular disease, dementia, brain tumor) and stroke risk‐factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease) were identified using validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, codes before epilepsy onset (epilepsy cohort) and in FY00 (geriatric cohort).

RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that patients with cerebrovascular disease (odds ratio (OR)=3.50, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.13–3.91), cerebrovascular disease and dementia (OR=4.14, 95% CI=3.46–4.96), brain tumor (OR=2.14, 95% CI=1.46–3.13), head injury (OR=2.11, 95% CI=1.41–3.14), and other central nervous system (CNS) conditions (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.32–1.88) were more likely to experience new‐onset epilepsy. Statin prescription (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.56–0.73), older age (≥85 vs 66–74, OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.50–0.87), obesity (OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.62–0.87), and hypercholesterolemia (OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.76–0.98) were associated with a lower likelihood of epilepsy.

CONCLUSION: These data suggest greater epilepsy risk for older individuals with CNS insult and an additive effect of cerebrovascular disease and dementia. The statin finding requires further exploration but points to a possible target for prevention of geriatric epilepsy.
Association Between Anticholinergic Drugs and Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 Allele and Poorer Cognitive Function in Older Cardiovascular Patients: A Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Uusvaara Juho , Pitkala Kaisu H. , Tienari Pentti J. , Kautiainen Hannu , Tilvis Reijo S. , Strandberg Timo E.
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVES:To clarify the association between anticholinergic drugs and apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele carrier status (APOE4) and cognitive dysfunction.

DESIGN:Cross‐sectional analyses of current drug use and cognitive functioning according to the baseline assessments of the Drugs and Evidence‐Based Medicine in the Elderly Study.

SETTING:Helsinki, Finland.

PARTICIPANTS:Four hundred community‐dwelling people aged 75 to 90 without clinical dementia but with a history of stable atherosclerotic disease.

MEASUREMENTS:Cognitive function according to the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Participants' use of anticholinergic drugs was estimated using definitions from previous scientific literature.APOEalleles determined from peripheral blood leukocyte deoxyribonucleic acid using standard polymerase chain reaction–based methods.

RESULTS:There was an association between anticholinergic drugs and lower MMSE scores (Pfor trend <.001). The higher the number of anticholinergic drugs, the lower the MMSE score. Subjects with theAPOE4allele and using drugs with anticholinergic properties had the lowest median MMSE score (26), whereas those without theAPOE4allele and not using drugs with anticholinergic properties had the highest median MMSE score (28). When adjusted for age, sex, and education, the difference between the groups remained significant. The finding was similar for CDR scores.

CONCLUSION:Use of drugs with anticholinergic properties was associated with lower cognitive function irrespective ofAPOE4carrier status. Having lower cognitive function as a group,APOE4carriers may be more vulnerable to this undesirable effect, but a follow‐up study is needed to demonstrate this.
Relationship between Autonomic Innervation in Crista Terminalis and Atrial Arrhythmia
Authors: ZHAO QING‐YAN , HUANG HE , TANG YAN‐HONG , WANG XI , OKELLO EMMY , LIANG JIN‐JUN , JIANG HONG , HUANG CONG‐XIN
Published: January 2009

Background:The crista terminalis (CT) is known to initiate and maintain atrial arrhythmia, and is affected by autonomic tone, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study sought to study the relation between autonomic innervation in CT and atrial arrhythmia.

Methods:Thirty adult canines were used in the present study. Tissues of the CT and the pectinate muscles (PM) were obtained from 10 dogs for electrophysiology studies. Furthermore, tissues of the superior CT, the inferior CT, and the PM were obtained from 10 dogs for immunohistochemistrical studies. Anti‐growth‐associated protein 43 (GAP43), anti‐tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) antibodies for immunocytochemical staining of cardiac nerves were performed to test the densities of autonomic nerve. Densities of IK,AChin the superior CT, the inferior CT, and the PM cells were measured by patch clamp in the other 10 dogs.

Results:With the pacing cycle length decreased, the amplitude of delayed after depolarization (DAD) increased and DAD‐induced triggered activity was induced in the CT but not in PM with norepinephrine administration. GAP‐43 and TH‐positive nerves in the superior CT and the inferior CT were all significantly higher than in the PM (GAP‐43: 6,250 ± 1,928 vs 1,247 ± 747, 2,855 ± 1,579 vs 1,247 ± 747; TH: 3,140 ± 1,240 vs 690 ± 720, 1,210 ± 980 vs 690 ± 720; P < 0.01). Furthermore, the GAP‐43 and TH‐positive nerves in the superior CT were higher than in the inferior CT. However, there were no significant differences in ChAT‐positive nerves and IK,AChin the superior CT, the inferior CT, and the PM.

Conclusions:The higher densities of adrenergic nerve in the CT play an important role in the genesis of atrial arrhythmia.
Efficacy of Additional Ablation of Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms for Catheter Ablation of Nonparoxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: LIN YENN‐JIANG , TAI CHING‐TAI , CHANG SHIH‐LIN , LO LI‐WEI , TUAN TA‐CHUAN , WONGCHAROEN WANWARANG , UDYAVAR AMEYA R. , HU YU‐FENG , CHANG CHIEN‐JUNG , TSAI WEN‐CHIN , KAO TSAIR , HIGA SATOSHI , CHEN SHIH‐ANN
Published: January 2009

Background: The efficacy of ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFEs) in the single ablation procedure for nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is not well demonstrated. The aim of this study was to compare the ablation strategies of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) plus linear ablation with and without additional ablation of CFEs in these patients.

Methods: Consecutive 60 patients (49 ± 11 years old, 50 male, 10 female) with nonparoxysmal AF underwent catheter ablation guided by a NavX mapping system. A stepwise approach included a circumferential PVI and left atrial (LA) linear ablation followed by either the additional ablation of continuous CFEs in the LA/coronary sinus (the first 30 patients) or not (the second 30 patients), detected by an automatic algorithm.

Results: There was no difference in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Complete PVI eliminated some continuous CFEs and altered the distribution of CFEs. Following PVI and linear ablation, the remaining continuous CFEs were identified in 7.9 ± 10% mapping sites of the LA and CS, and were ablated successfully with a procedural AF termination rate of 53%. With a follow‐up of 19 ± 11 months, a Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the patients with additional ablation of the CFEs had a higher rate of sinus rhythm maintenance. Multivariate analysis showed the single procedure success could be predicted by the procedural AF termination and the additional ablation of continuous CFEs in the LA/CS.

Conclusions: Ablation of continuous CFEs after PVI and LA linear ablation had a better long‐term efficacy based on the results of single‐ablation procedure.
Surface Enthalpy, Enthalpy of Water Adsorption, and Phase Stability in Nanocrystalline Monoclinic Zirconia
Authors: Radha A. V. , Bomati‐Miguel Oscar , Ushakov Sergey V. , Navrotsky Alexandra , Tartaj Pedro
Published: January 2009

A fundamental issue that remains to be solved when approaching the nanoscale is how the size induces transformation among different polymorphic structures. Understanding the size‐induced transformation among the different polymorphic structures is essential for widespread use of nanostructured materials in technological applications. Herein, we report water adsorption and high‐temperature solution calorimetry experiments on a set of samples of single‐phase monoclinic zirconia with different surface areas. Essential to the success of the study has been the use of a new ternary water‐in‐oil/water liquid solvothermal method that allows the preparation of monoclinic zirconia nanoparticles with a broad range of (BET) Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area values. Thus, the surface enthalpy for anhydrous monoclinic zirconia is reported for the first time, while that for the hydrous surface is a significant improvement over the previously reported value. Combining these data with previously published surface enthalpy for nanocrystalline tetragonal zirconia, we have calculated the stability crossovers between monoclinic and tetragonal phases to take place at a particle size of 28 ± 6 nm for hydrous zirconia and 34 ± 5 nm for anhydrous zirconia. Below these particle sizes, tetragonal hydrous and anhydrous phases of zirconia become thermodynamically stable. These results are within the margin of the theoretical estimation and confirm the importance of the presence of water vapor on the transformation of nanostructured materials.
Hydrolysis and Dispersion Properties of Aqueous Y2Si2O7 Suspensions
Authors: Sun Ziqi , Zhu Xinwen , Li Meishuan , Zhou Yanchun , Sakka Yoshio
Published: January 2009

The dispersion of aqueous γ‐Y2Si2O7 suspensions, which contain only one component but have a complex ion environment, was studied by the introduction of two different polymer dispersants, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyacrylic acid (PAA). The suspension without any dispersant remains stable in the pH range of 9–11.5 because of electrostatic repulsion, while it is flocculated upon stirring due to the readsorption of hydrolyzed ions on the colloid surface. However, suspensions with 1 dwb% PEI exhibit greater stability in the pH range of 4–11.5. The addition of PEI shifts the isoelectric point (IEP) of the suspensions from pH 5.8 to 10.8. Near the IEP (pHIEP=10.8), the stability of the suspensions with PEI is dominated by the steric effect. When the pH is decreased to acid direction, the stabilization mechanism is changed from steric hindrance to an electrosteric effect little by little. PAA also has the effect of reducing the hydrolysis speed via a “buffer effect” in the basic pH range, but the lack of adsorption between the highly ionized anionic polymer molecules and the negative colloid particle surfaces shows no positive effect on hydrolysis of colloids and on the stabilization of Y2Si2O7 suspensions.
Hollow Alumina Microsphere Chain Networks
Authors: Yang Weiyou , Gao Fengmei , Wang Huatao , Cheng Xiaomin , Xie Zhipeng , Xing Feng , An Linan
Published: January 2009

Hollow Al2O3 microsphere chain networks have been synthesized via a simple two‐staged pyrolysis of a precursor using active carbon powders as the template. The obtained networks are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The chain networks are formed by subsequent aggregation of the prior formed hollow Al2O3 microspheres. The obtained chain networks are promising for the applications in catalyst support, filtration, and other applications due to their lightweight and highly porous nature.
Searching for the ‘You’ in ‘YouTube’: An Analysis of Online Response Ability
Authors: LANGE PATRICIA G.
Published: January 2009

Enthusiasm for adding sociality to Web sites is mounting. Yet, the YouTube experience shows that participation in social networking sites is complex and potentially contentious. Meaningful participation in part depends upon participants' ability to respond to others and contribute to a site. While some participants demand more active involvement from administrators to create a safe and encouraging environment, others view intensive regulation as impairing their individual response ability to communicate with others and contribute. Discussions about adequate participation inevitably lead to a consideration of administrators' responsibility for creating an environment that provides sufficient opportunities for widespread and diverse participation. Before embarking on creating a community or adding intensive social networking components that may be monetized to a site, administrators should think carefully about the challenges that will likely ensue as participants become more passionate about the community and consequently make demands that seek contradictory optimal participatory environments.
The Built Environment: Exploration toward a New Paradigm
Authors: DEASY DOROTHY , LUCKEN ERIK , DOWELL WILLIAM , GSCHEIDLE GRETCHEN , LEENHOUTS LAURA
Published: January 2009

For most businesses, group work is the way in which ideas are given voice. In this study, ethnographic research was conducted to explore group work and the environments in which it occurs. The research provides context for architects and designers who are conceiving improvements or reinventing the ways the built environment (e.g., furnishings, décor and architecture) influences the outcome of group activities. The research took place in two phases; phase one sought to develop a set of observable hypotheses and phase two sought to validate the hypotheses through observation. In the first phase “embedded reporters” were recruited from Herman Miller and Gensler staff to serve as observers of their own group work and to report on idea flow, knowledge transfer, size of groups, reasons for working together, stage of process, etc. During the second phase of the study, an ethnographic researcher shadowed a “hub” person skilled in group work for 1–3 days and observed group work behaviors. A second researcher with architectural experience documented the spaces where the observations took place. Same time / same place interactions are most important when meetings are highly staged or highly urgent. The intangible aspects of communication such as emotional comfort and group dynamics add value that is integral in these situations.
Numbers may speak louder than words, but is anyone listening? The rhythmscape and sales pipeline management
Authors: CEFKIN MELISSA
Published: January 2009

In this paper I explore the often fleeting, seemingly constrained arts of expression performed through participation in everyday, routinized actions and practices. The vehicle I use for this exploration is the tools, processes and practices sales professionals use to manage the list of possible sales opportunities, or sales pipeline. I give particular attention to the meetings in which sales professionals and their managers discuss the pipeline. The element of talk, with its potential for unruliness, plays a central role in this otherwise hyper‐rationalized activity focused around numbers, accounting and calculability. I suggest that to understand such signification processes and the forms of meaning that emerge through them we must look beyond the content of enunciated statements to consider the forms they take over time. I propose that participation in the sales pipeline process, particularly the meetings, forms a part of sales‐people's rhythmscape of work. By situating sites of expression in the notion of a rhythmscape, I point to the broader performance landscape in which employees participate in and experience their organization and in the market more broadly. By doing so, we are reminded to recognize the multiple levels of meaning and signification embedded in ordinary workplace tools and practices, including those intended for other uses, when considering recommendations to and designs for tools, processes and interventions that support them. The paper also suggests the need for a theory of sensation of late capitalist market production.
Harmonizing Human Eyes with Digital Sensors
Authors: TAMURAR HIROSHI , SUGASAKA TAMAMI
Published: January 2009

In this article we report on our research that focused on enhancing shopping experiences by introducing new media services in the physical environment of grocery shopping. Since we were interested in situated shopper's experiences we conducted fieldwork. In particular, we paid attention to the holistic grocery shopping process because a shopping experience is, as we suggest, more than a composition of discrete actions and/ or feelings towards a shopping arena. Rather it is a type of narrative featuring various vignettes. In addition to pure ethnographic observation, digital sensors were used as a complementary means to observe shopper's experiences, since digital‐sensor observation enabled us to record shopper's entire moment‐to‐moment behaviors with unified metrics, i.e. digital sensors served to complement our perceptions that turned out to be less reliable in terms of consistency; under these conditions of time‐space transition, observers face difficulties to become aware of subtle changes or differences concerning informant's behaviors and emotions yet sometimes these come to be valuable resources for our critical insights. By combining these two means constitutive insights into grocery shoppers could be obtained We propose an exploratory process for the most important process that we called “Three‐Phase Model,” which was applied to successfully develop new media services.
Listening with indifference
Authors: TAYLOR ALEX S. , SWAN LAUREL , RANDALL DAVE
Published: January 2009

In the following, we suggest that the product of ethnographies undertaken for commercial and industrial purposes is under threat of losing its integrity. The sorts of results furnished through ‘applied ethnography’ and those resulting from methods like focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, etc. appear largely of the same kind; they describe and codify the members of a setting and their behaviours, and differ, if at all, in terms of depth and detail. In short, it is not easy to distinguish between the product of applied ethnography and that produced from the many other methods available. This apparent dissolution begs the question ‘what's left’ for applied ethnography and, indeed, for its practitioners? We report on our efforts to take this question seriously and reflect on how ‘the ethnomethodological policy of indifference’ has offered a useful starling point. Having situated this policy in a disciplinary context, we offer brief examples of how its insistence on a distinct analytic sensibility has directed us to see and hear, as best we can, from the ‘local's viewpoint’. It is the strong commitment to this, then, that we conclude may offer applied ethnography one opportunity to distinguish itself.
Hand instrumentation versus ultrasonic debridement in the treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized clinical and microbiological trial
Authors: Ioannou Ioannis , Dimitriadis Nikolaos , Papadimitriou Konstantinos , Sakellari Dimitra , Vouros Ioannis , Konstantinidis Antonis
Published: January 2009

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of scaling and root planing (SRP) with the use of hand instruments to that of non‐surgical treatment with the use of an ultrasonic device, using clinical and microbiological criteria.

Material and Methods: Thirty‐three patients with chronic periodontitis participated in this randomized‐controlled clinical trial divided into two groups. Patients in the control group received SRP with hand instruments, whereas patients in the test group received ultrasonic debridement (UD). Clinical recordings concerning probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, plaque index and gingival bleeding index were performed at baseline, 3 and 6 months after baseline. Subgingival samples were analysed using the “checkerboard” DNA–DNA hybridization technique for Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola.

Results: Both treatments resulted in a significant improvement in all clinical recordings. Three months after treatment, a numerical decrease was observed for P. gingivalis, T. forsythia and T. denticola in both groups, which was statistically significant only for P. gingivalis (p<0.05). Inter‐group differences were observed at 6 months for T. forsythia and T. denticola (p<0.05), favouring SRP.

Conclusions: Both treatment modalities provided comparable clinical results in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.
Hematologic, biochemical, and cardiopulmonary effects of l‐arginine supplementation or phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition in patients with sickle cell disease who are on hydroxyurea therapy
Authors: Little Jane A. , Hauser Kristine Partovi , Martyr Sabrina E. , Harris Amy , Maric Irina , Morris Claudia R. , Suh Jung H. , Taylor James , Castro Oswaldo , Machado Roberto , Kato Gregory , Gladwin Mark T.
Published: January 2009

Objectives:  Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction involves NO‐cGMP signaling pathways. l‐arginine, an NO precursor, and the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitor sildenafil, which potentiates cGMP, were studied in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) who were stably on HU.

Methods:  Twenty four courses of l‐arginine (0.1–0.2 g/kg divided TID) or sildenafil (25–100 mg TID), assigned based on gender due to concerns about sildenafil‐related priapism, were successfully completed. Biochemical assays, pulmonary pressures, and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity are reported from patients in whom serial values are available. Hematologic responses are reported in 14 subjects with HbSS who had stable baseline HbF levels.

Results:  l‐arginine increased plasma arginine and ornithine, but not citrulline, suggesting diversion by plasma arginase from NO, and citrulline, generation. Glutathione increased only in patients on l‐arginine. Sildenafil increased plasma cGMP and citrulline, but not other amino acids. Pulmonary pressures and 6‐min walk distances improved only in patients on sildenafil. In subjects with stable baseline HbF levels, HbF levels changed little from a normalized baseline on l‐arginine, decreasing by 2.9 ± 16.1%, n = 6; P = n.s., but increased on sildenafil, by 7.5 ± 11.7%, n = 8, P < 0.05. Absolute reticulocyte counts initially decreased in patients on sildenafil.

Conclusions:  l‐arginine, at doses that increase plasma arginine levels, altered redox potential in red cells. The lack of clinically detectable efficacy of l‐arginine may be due to increased arginine metabolism in SCD patients. In vivo augmentation of the cyclic nucleotide pathway by PDE inhibition may induce HbF slightly, but strikingly improves hemodynamic and functional status in SCD.
Clinical analysis of 52 patients with granular lymphocyte proliferative disorder (GLPD) showed frequent anemia in indolent T‐cell GLPD in Japan
Authors: Kawahara Shimpei , Sasaki Makoto , Isobe Yasushi , Ando Jun , Noguchi Masaaki , Koike Michiaki , Hirano Takao , Oshimi Kazuo , Sugimoto Koichi
Published: January 2009

We present here clinical and hematological findings of 52 cases of granular lymphocyte‐proliferative disorder (GLPD), which contained 35 indolent T‐cell lineage granular lymphocyte‐proliferative disorder (T‐GLPD), two atypical T‐GLPD, 12 chronic NK‐cell lymphocytosis (CNKL), and three aggressive NK‐cell leukemia (ANKL). The median period of follow up was 24 months. Hemoglobin level <8.0 g/dL was recognized in 21 cases of indolent T‐GLPD (60%), among which 15 patients met the criteria of pure red cell aplasia. Neutrophil counts <500/μL occurred only in two cases of T‐GLPD (6%). Although the median age and male‐to‐female distribution were similar, very frequent anemia and rare neutrocytopenia in indolent T‐GLPD in the present study keenly contrasted with previous reports. CD56 was positive in three of 29 indolent T‐GLPD cases with CD4−CD8+ phenotype, in three of four CD4+CD8−, and in none of two CD4−CD8− cases. Therefore, although two atypical T‐GLPD cases were CD56‐positive, CD56 should not be a specific marker for aggressive T‐GLPD. All CNKL patients had a chronic course with a stable granular lymphocyte count. All three ANKL patients presented high fever and hepatosplenomegaly, barely responded to chemotherapies and died within 6 months. The present analysis of 52 cases of GLPD in Japan showed that Japanese and Western cases of indolent T‐GLPD clearly differ in their hematological complications.
Imizamo Yethu: a Case Study of Community Resilience to Fire Hazard in an Informal Settlement Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: HARTE E. WENDY , CHILDS IRAPHNE R.W. , HASTINGS PETER A.
Published: January 2009

Imizamo Yethu, in Cape Town, is one of the many informal settlements in South Africa's post‐Apartheid urban landscape. Residents live in abject poverty and are potentially vulnerable to a range of environmental hazards, of which fire hazard is one of the most common. A major fire, on the 8 February 2004, caused significant damage to housing and infrastructure, resulting in widespread homelessness and loss of personal possessions. Despite this, there was minimal loss of life and few major injuries. The community re‐grouped after the fire and Imizamo Yethu has remained viable as a community to the present day. Contemporary geographical research on hazards emphasises aspects of community vulnerability and resilience. The present paper identifies and examines factors that enhance community resilience in the informal settlement of Imizamo Yethu, particularly in response and recovery to fire events. A survey completed in the aftermath of the 2004 fire found that social networks, some formal community institutions that foster community participation and the resourcefulness of individuals were the most important factors underpinning resilience.
Anemia Is Associated with Decreased Survival Time in Dogs with Lymphoma
Authors: Miller A.G. , Morley P.S. , Rao S. , Avery A.C. , Lana S.E. , Olver C.S.
Published: January 2009

Background:Anemia is a common complication in human patients with neoplasia and has been associated with decreased survival time and a poorer quality of life.

Hypothesis:The presence of anemia at diagnosis is negatively associated with survival and remission times in dogs with lymphoma, but not in dogs with osteosarcoma.

Animals:Eighty‐four dogs with lymphoma and 91 dogs with osteosarcoma that presented for treatment at the Animal Cancer Center, Colorado State University.

Methods:Retrospective, case‐control study. Medical records were reviewed to determine the presence or absence of anemia (PCV < 40) at initial presentation. Median survival and remission times were identified by the Kaplan‐Meier product limit method and the association between anemia and survival was determined by a multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis.

Results:Cancer‐related anemia is more frequent in dogs with lymphoma than in control dogs or dogs with osteosarcoma. Dogs with lymphoma and anemia had a significantly decreased survival time compared with dogs without anemia. There was no effect of anemia on remission time in dogs with lymphoma. Anemic dogs with osteosarcoma did not have decreased survival or remission time compared with nonanemic dogs with osteosarcoma.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance:Shortened survival time in dogs with lymphoma and anemia at initial presentation has important prognostic significance. Understanding cancer‐related anemia in dogs might offer new opportunities to improve quality of life and survival times in these patients.
Dual Chamber Pacemaker Implantation in Dogs with Atrioventricular Block
Authors: Hildebrandt N. , Stertmann W.A. , Wehner M. , Schneider I. , Neu H. , Schneider M.
Published: January 2009

Background: Pacemaker implantation is the treatment of choice for symptomatic bradyarrhythmias. In dogs, a single chamber system is commonly used. In human patients with high‐grade 2nd‐ or 3rd‐degree atrioventricular (AV) block, physiologic pacing is recommended, because it improves cardiac output, blood pressure, exercise tolerance, and quality of life. In dogs, this type of pacing is seldom used.

Hypothesis: The implantation of a dual chamber pacemaker in dogs with AV block is a feasible procedure for restoring AV synchrony.

Animals: Thirty‐three privately owned dogs with high‐grade 2nd‐ or 3rd‐degree AV block were included.

Methods: Patient data of all dogs with AV block presented for pacemaker implantation between December 1997 and November 2004 were reviewed.

Results: Dual chamber pacemaker implantation with AV synchronous stimulation was successfully performed in 33/33 dogs (100%). In 9/33 (27%) major and in 12/33 (36%) minor complications were observed. Mean survival time for the patients discharged from hospital (n = 32) was 33.6 ± 20.4 months (range, 3.9–83.5 months).

Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Dual chamber pacing is a feasible procedure in dogs with 2nd‐ or 3rd‐degree AV block and is not associated with a higher complication rate compared with single chamber pacemaker systems. A major advantage over ventricular demand pacemaker systems is the restoration of AV synchrony for a substantial period of time.
Endoscopic‐Assisted Intracranial Tumor Removal in Dogs and Cats: Long‐Term Outcome of 39 Cases
Authors: Klopp L.S. , Rao S.
Published: January 2009

Background: The benefits of endoscopic assistance to remove intracranial tumors in small animals are not described.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic‐assisted intracranial tumor removal in dogs and cats.

Animals: Thirty‐three dogs and 6 cats with intracranial tumors.

Methods: Retrospective study. CBC, serum chemistry profile, coagulation testing, blood typing, and systemic tumor staging, which included 3‐view thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasound examination, were performed to detect other significant underlying disease in preparation of the animal for surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging was used in 37/39 cases to image the brain tumor. Surgical approach was dictated by the location of the tumor. Histopathologic examination of the tumor tissue was performed in all cases. Animals were followed throughout their postoperative course for complications and survival times. Statistical analysis (Kaplan‐Meier curves) was performed to obtain median survival times in dogs with meningiomas.

Results: Use of an endoscope resulted in visualization of residual tumor and potentially more complete removal of the brain tumors. There were no clinically important complications associated with the use of the endoscope. Median survival time was 2,104 days for dogs with forebrain meningiomas surgically removed with endoscopic assistance and 702 days for dogs with caudal brain meningiomas.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance: These results demonstrate that the use of an endoscope to assist in brain tumor removal is apparently safe and might result in improved survival times.
Ki‐67 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Intracranial Meningiomas in Dogs
Authors: Matiasek L.A. , Platt S.R. , Adams V. , Scase T.J. , Keys D. , Miller J. , Adamo F. , Long S. , Matiasek K.
Published: January 2009

Background:Tumor proliferation in human intracranial meningiomas can be defined by the reactivity of the monoclonal antibody MIB‐1 to the Ki‐67 antigen. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a pro‐angiogenic factor, is a predictive marker for survival of dogs with intracranial meningiomas.

Hypothesis:Ki‐67 is expressed in canine intracranial meningiomas and is associated with VEGF expression. Ki‐67 expression is a prognostic marker for patient outcome.

Animals:Seventy client‐owned dogs with WHO grade I intracranial meningiomas.

Methods:Retrospective study assessing the degree of immunostaining for Ki‐67 by MIB‐1 and VEGF expression in intracranial meningioma tissue from dogs. MIB‐1 Labeling Index (LI) was calculated with Image J NIH‐software. Extent, intensity, and distribution of VEGF‐expression was assessed semiquantitatively. Cross tabulations with Fisher's exact tests and nonparametric Spearman's rank correlations were performed to identify associations between VEGF expression and MIB‐1 LI. Fifteen dogs underwent postsurgical radiotherapy and were included in survival analysis. The effect of MIB‐1 LI on survival was examined by Kaplan‐Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression procedures.

Results:Ki‐67 staining was positive in 91% (64/70) and VEGF expression was detected in 96% (67/70). There was no significant association between VEGF expression and MIB‐1 LI. MIB‐1 LI was not associated with survival.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance:MIB‐1 antibody can be used to document cell proliferation in intracranial meningiomas in dogs, but does not predict outcome. No association between VEGF as a marker of angiogenesis and tumor proliferation was found. Angiogenesis might be a more important predictor of meningioma activity in dogs than is Ki‐67.
Contrary roles of kainate receptors in transmitter release at corticothalamic synapses onto thalamic relay and reticular neurons
Authors: Miyata Mariko , Imoto Keiji
Published: January 2009

Corticothalamic fibres, which originate from layer VI pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex, provide excitatory synaptic inputs to both thalamic relay neurons and reticular neurons; reticular neurons in turn supply inhibitory inputs to thalamic relay neurons. Pyramidal cells in layer VI in the mouse somatosensory cortex highly express mRNA encoding kainate receptors, which facilitate or depress transmitter release at several synapses in the central nervous system. We report here that contrary modulation of transmitter release from corticothalamic fibres onto thalamic relay and reticular neurons is mediated by activation of kainate receptors in mouse thalamic ventrobasal complex and thalamic reticular nucleus. Exogenous kainate presynaptically depresses the synaptic transmission at corticothalamic synapses onto thalamic relay neurons, but facilitates it at corticothalamic synapses onto reticular neurons. Meanwhile, the lemniscal synaptic transmission, which sends primary somatosensory inputs to relay neurons, is not affected by kainate. In addition, GluR5‐containing kainate receptors are involved in the depression of corticothalamic synaptic transmission onto relay neurons, but not onto reticular neurons. Furthermore, synaptically activated kainate receptors mimic these effects; high‐frequency stimulation of corticothalamic fibres depresses synaptic transmission onto relay neurons, but facilitates it onto reticular neurons. Our results suggest that the opposite sensitivity of kainate receptors at the two corticothalamic synapses is governed by cortical activity and regulates the balance of excitatory and inhibitory inputs to thalamic relay neurons and therefore their excitability.
Natural Convection Reduction in a Composite Air/Porous Annular Region With Horizontal Orientation
Authors: Ait saada M. , Chikh S. , Campo A.
Published: January 2009

This paper deals with a numerical investigation on natural convection heat transfer in a long horizontal annular region formed with a heated inner cylinder and a cooled outer cylinder. Identifying the annular region geometrically by its radius ratio, it is divided into two subregions: a thicker outer subregion is filled with a porous material saturated by air, whereas a thinner inner subregion is clear. Based on the general Darcy–Brinkman–Forchheimer model for flow in porous media, numerical calculations with the control volume method produce the velocity and temperature fields of the air motion in the two subregions. The baseline case corresponds to an annular region of same dimensions, but filled completely with a porous material saturated by air. Upon articulating the physical properties of a porous material with the clear gap size, the analyst will be able to tune those conditions that are conducive to heat transfer reduction across the concentric two-cylinder configuration. The outcome of this paper is equivalent to the determination of superior thermal insulation performance using lesser porous material. In other words, this paper boils down to beneficial energy conservation together with money savings in the purchase of the thermal insulation.
Air-Side Heat Transfer and Friction Correlations for Flat-Tube Louver-Fin Heat Exchangers
Authors: Park Young-Gil , Jacobi Anthony M.
Published: January 2009

The objective of this study is to develop an accurate, reliable, and updated predictive model for the air-side performance of flat-tube louver-fin heat exchangers. Using the most comprehensive experimental database to date—consisting of 1030 heat-transfer and 1270 pressure-drop measurements, from nine independent laboratories for 126 sample heat exchangers—j- and f-factor correlations are developed to predict the air-side performance of heat exchangers. The database is analyzed, the form of the curve fits is explored, and the predictive performance of the correlations is evaluated. The j- and f-factor correlations predict the experimental data with rms errors of 11.5% and 16.1%, respectively. Multiple regressions for a locally linearized data model were used to estimate the confidence intervals and covariances of the regression constants. A comparison to prior correlations shows the proposed correlations to provide more accurate predictions and to span a much broader parameter space than prior work. Practical utility in design and optimization, and unavoidable limitations in developing such correlations are discussed.