bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phase 1B, randomized, double-blind, dose-escalation trial of CPG 10101 in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus
Authors: McHutchison John G. , Bacon Bruce R. , Gordon Stuart C. , Lawitz Eric , Shiffman Mitchell , Afdhal Nezam H. , Jacobson Ira M. , Muir Andrew , Al-Adhami Mohammed , Morris Mary L. , Lekstrom-Himes Julie A. , Efler Susan M. , Davis Heather L.
Published: October 2007

CPG 10101, a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), is a toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist with antiviral and immunomodulatory properties that could potentially influence chronic infection with HCV. In this multicenter Phase 1b trial, 60 HCV-positive patients (50 genotype 1 HCV) were randomized and received either placebo or CPG 10101 at 0.25, 1, 4, 10, or 20 mg subcutaneously (SC) twice weekly for 4 weeks or at 0.5 or 0.75 mg/kg SC once weekly for 4 weeks. Dose-dependent cytokine induction was observed after administration of CPG 10101. At 24 hours after administering the highest dose of 0.75 mg/kg CPG 10101, interferon (IFN)-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) had a mean increase over baseline levels (±SD) of 15,057 (±9769) pg/ml (

P

< 0.01, compared to placebo); IFN-α had a 106 (±63.3) pg/ml increase (

P

< 0.01); and 2′5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) had a 163 (±120.6) pmol/dl increase (

P

< 0.01). Decreases in HCV RNA also were dose-dependent, with the greatest group geometric mean maximum reduction of 1.69 ± 0.618 log10 (

P

< 0.05) observed in the 0.75 mg/kg dose group. Decreases ≥1 log10 were seen in 22 of 40 patients who received ≥1 mg CPG 10101, with 3 patients exceeding a 2.5-log10 reduction. CPG 10101 was well tolerated, and adverse events were consistent with CPG 10101's mechanism of action.

Conclusion:

In this Phase 1 study, CPG 10101 was associated with dose-dependent increases in markers of immune activation and decreases in HCV RNA levels. The data support further clinical studies of CPG 10101 for treating chronic HCV infection.
Survival after liver transplantation: Is racial disparity inevitable?
Authors: Lee Tae Hoon , Shah Nilay , Pedersen Rachel A. , Kremers Walter K. , Rosen Charles B. , Klintmalm Goran B. , Kim Ray W.
Published: October 2007

Previous analyses have reported that minority patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have poorer survival than Caucasian recipients. The reason for this disparity is unclear. We examined whether racial differences in survival exist at select academic OLT centers. OLT recipients from 4 academic centers were prospectively enrolled in 2 multicenter databases. Data including demographics, liver disease diagnosis, and post-OLT follow-up were obtained for 2823 (135 African, 2448 Caucasian, and 240 other race) adult patients undergoing primary OLT between 1985 and 2000. The survival of patients and grafts after OLT was compared across race. The Kaplan-Meier estimates for 1-year recipient survival were 90.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 86.0–95.9] for African Americans, 86.5% (95% CI: 85.1–87.9) for Caucasians, and 84.4% (95% CI: 79.8–89.2) for other races. The 5-year recipient survival probability was 69.2% (95% CI: 60.1–79.7) for African Americans, 72.2% (95% CI: 70.1–74.4) for Caucasians, and 67.5% (95% CI: 60.5–75.3) for other races. The 10-year recipient survival probability for African Americans was 54.4% (95% CI: 41.1–72.1), for Caucasians 50.7% (95% CI: 46.4–55.3), and for other races 55.7% (95% CI: 41.5–74.8). There was no difference in patient survival (

P

= 0.162) or graft survival (

P

= 0.582) among racial groups. A multivariable proportional hazards model confirmed the absence of an association between race and post-OLT survival after adjustments for age, gender, total bilirubin, creatinine, prothrombin time, and diagnosis.

Conclusion:

These data demonstrate that as a proof of principle, minority OLT recipients should not necessarily expect an OLT outcome inferior to that of Caucasians.
Lipid-induced oxidative stress causes steatohepatitis in mice fed an atherogenic diet
Authors: Matsuzawa Naoto , Takamura Toshinari , Kurita Seiichiro , Misu Hirofumi , Ota Tsuguhito , Ando Hitoshi , Yokoyama Masayoshi , Honda Masao , Zen Yoh , Nakanuma Yasuni , Miyamoto Ken-ichi , Kaneko Shuichi
Published: October 2007

Recently, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) was found to be correlated with cardiovascular disease events independently of the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an atherogenic (Ath) diet induces the pathology of steatohepatitis necessary for the diagnosis of human NASH and how cholesterol and triglyceride alter the hepatic gene expression profiles responsible for oxidative stress. We investigated the liver pathology and plasma and hepatic lipids of mice fed the Ath diet. The hepatic gene expression profile was examined with microarrays and real-time polymerase chain reactions. The Ath diet induced dyslipidemia, lipid peroxidation, and stellate cell activation in the liver and finally caused precirrhotic steatohepatitis after 24 weeks. Cellular ballooning, a necessary histological feature defining human NASH, was observed in contrast to existing animal models. The addition of a high-fat component to the Ath diet caused hepatic insulin resistance and further accelerated the pathology of steatohepatitis. A global gene expression analysis revealed that the Ath diet up-regulated the hepatic expression levels of genes for fatty acid synthesis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrogenesis, which were further accelerated by the addition of a high-fat component. Conversely, the high-fat component down-regulated the hepatic gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and might have increased oxidative stress.

Conclusion:

The Ath diet induces oxidative stress and steatohepatitis with cellular ballooning. The high-fat component induces insulin resistance, down-regulates genes for antioxidant enzymes, and further aggravates the steatohepatitis. This model suggests the critical role of lipids in causing oxidative stress and insulin resistance leading to steatohepatitis.
Sinusoidal endothelial cell repopulation following ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat liver transplantation
Authors: Stolz Donna Beer , Ross Mark A. , Ikeda Atsushi , Tomiyama Koji , Kaizu Takashi , Geller David A. , Murase Noriko
Published: October 2007

We evaluated the kinetics by which rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are repopulated in the reperfused transplanted liver after 18 hours of cold ischemic storage. We found that the majority of LSECs in livers cold-stored for 18 hours in University of Wisconsin solution are seriously compromised and often are retracted before transplantation. Sinusoids rapidly re-endothelialize within 48 hours of transplantation, and repopulation is coincident with up-regulation of hepatocyte vascular endothelial growth factor expression and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 expression on large vessel endothelial cells and repopulating LSECs. Although re-endothelialization occurs rapidly, we show here, using several high-resolution imaging techniques and 2 different rat liver transplantation models, that engraftment of bone marrow–derived cells into functioning LSECs is routinely between 1% and 5%.

Conclusion:

Bone marrow plays a measurable but surprisingly limited role in the rapid repopulation and functional engraftment of bone marrow–derived LSECs after cold ischemia and warm reperfusion.
Decreased white matter lesion volume and improved cognitive function after liver transplantation
Authors: Rovira Alex , Mínguez Beatriz , Aymerich Xavier F. , Jacas Carlos , Huerga Elena , Córdoba Juan , Alonso Juli
Published: October 2007

Focal T2-weighted white matter lesions (WML) on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), mimicking those seen in cerebrovascular small-vessel disease described in patients with persistent hepatic encephalopathy, decreased in volume with the improvement of hepatic encephalopathy. This outcome has been interpreted as a decrease in the edema that it is proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. We designed a study to further investigate potential changes in focal WML in the brains of patients with cirrhosis following liver transplantation and to study the relationship between these changes and overall cognitive function. We used MRI to measure the volume of supratentorial focal WML and a neuropsychological examination to assess cognitive function before and after liver transplantation in 27 patients with cirrhosis without signs of overt hepatic encephalopathy. Baseline MRI identified focal T2-weighted lesions in 19 patients (70.3%). The presence of WML was associated with older age but not with vascular risk factors, severity of liver function, or psychometric tests. A significant reduction in lesion volume was observed after liver transplantation (from a median of 1.306 cm3 to 0.671 cm3,

P

= 0.001). This decrease correlated with an improvement in an index of global cognitive function (

r

= −0.663;

P

< 0.001). This evolution indicates that lesion volume is partially related to a reversible type of tissue damage, which is compatible with brain edema.

Conclusion:

Focal WML probably induced by age-related microvascular injury can decrease their volume with liver transplantation. The associated improvement of cognitive function supports a relationship between brain edema and minimal hepatic encephalopathy.
Study on color space selection for detecting cast shadows in video surveillance
Authors: Benedek Csaba , Szirányi Tamás
Published: October 2007

In this article, the authors address the color modeling problem of cast shadows in video sequences. It is illustrated that the performance of shadow detection can be improved significantly through appropriate color space selection, if for practical purposes, the number of free parameters of the method should be kept low. Hence, the authors compare several well known color spaces with a six‐parameter shadow model embedded into a globally optimal MRF framework. Experimental results are shown regarding the following questions: (1) What is the gain of using color images instead of grayscale ones? (2) What is the gain of using uncorrelated spaces instead of the standard RGB? (3) Chrominance (illumination invariant), luminance, or mixed spaces are more effective? (4) In which scenes are the differences significant? The authors qualified the metrics both in color based clustering of the individual pixels and in the case of Bayesian foreground‐background‐shadow segmentation. Experimental results on real‐life videos show that CIE L*u*v* color space is the most efficient. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 17, 190–201, 2007
Serine racemase suppresses chondrogenic differentiation in cartilage in a Sox9‐dependent manner
Authors: Takarada Takeshi , Hinoi Eiichi , Takahata Yoshifumi , Yoneda Yukio
Published: October 2007

Serine racemase (SR) is responsible for the biosynthesis of D‐serine (D‐Ser), an endogenous co‐agonist for N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors, from L‐serine (L‐Ser) in the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the role of SR in the regulation of chondrogenic differentiation in cartilage. On in situ hybridization analysis of tibia from neonatal rats, SR mRNA was ubiquitously expressed in all cell layers of proliferating to hypertrophic chondrocytes. In the pre‐chondrogenic cell line ATDC5 cells, mRNA expression was seen with SR irrespective of the cellular maturity, with no mRNA expression of the NR1 subunit essential for the heteromeric assembly of functional NMDA receptor channels. In ATDC5 cells stably overexpressing SR, significant inhibition was found with the maturation‐dependent temporal increases in Alcian blue staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mRNA expression of type II and type X collagens. Stable overexpression of SR significantly impaired the sry‐type HMG box 9 (Sox9) transcriptinal activity in ATDC5 cells, while Sox9 transcriptional activity was significantly inhibited in COS7 cells with co‐introduction of SR and Sox9. However, no significant inhibition was seen with Sox9 transcriptional activity in COS7 cells co‐introduced of either SRK56G defective of D‐Ser formation ability or 3‐phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase essential for D‐Ser biosynthesis. The co‐introduction of SR with Sox9 significantly decreased the Sox9 protein level with that of Sox9 mRNA being unchanged. These results suggest that SR may negatively regulate cellular differentiation through the inhibition of Sox9 transcriptional activity in chondrocytes. J. Cell. Physiol. 215: 320–328, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Equine umbilical cord blood contains a population of stem cells that express Oct4 and differentiate into mesodermal and endodermal cell types
Authors: Reed Sarah A. , Johnson Sally E.
Published: October 2007

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer promise as therapeutic aids in the repair of tendon, ligament, and bone damage suffered by sport horses. The objective of the study was to identify and characterize stem‐like cells from newborn foal umbilical cord blood (UCB). UCB was collected and MSC isolated using human reagents. The cells exhibit a fibroblast‐like morphology and express the stem cell markers Oct4, SSEA‐1, Tra1‐60 and Tra1‐81. Culture of the cells in tissue‐specific differentiation media leads to the formation of cell types characteristic of mesodermal and endodermal origins. Chondrogenic differentiation reveals proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan synthesis as measured histochemically and Sox9 and collagen 2A1 gene transcription. Osteocytes capable of mineral deposition, osteonectin and Runx2 transcription were evident. Hepatogenic cells formed from UCBs express albumin and cytokeratin 18. Multinucleated myofibers that express desmin were observed indicating partial differentiation into mature muscle cells. Interestingly, conventional human protocols for UCB differentiation into adipocytes were unsuccessful in foal UCB and adult horse adipose‐derived MSC. These results demonstrate that equine UCB can be induced to form multiple cell types that underlie their value for regenerative medicine in injured horses. In addition, this work suggests that subtle differences exist between equine and human UCB stem cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 215: 329–336, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Resveratrol and quercetin, two natural polyphenols, reduce apoptotic neuronal cell death induced by neuroinflammation
Authors: Bureau Genevieve , Longpré Fanny , Martinoli M.‐G.
Published: October 2007

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a movement disorder characterized by a progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Microglia activation and neuroinflammation have been associated with the pathogenesis of PD. Indeed, cytokines have been proposed as candidates that mediate the apoptotic cell death of dopaminergic neurons seen in PD. In this study, we investigated the effect of two natural polyphenols, resveratrol and quercetin, on neuroinflammation. For glial cells, we observed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced mRNA levels of two proinflammatory genes, interleukin 1‐α and tumor necrosis factor‐α, are strongly decreased by treatments with resveratrol or quercetin. We also undertook microglial‐neuronal coculture to examine the influence of resveratrol and quercetin on dopaminergic neuronal cell death evoked by LPS‐activated microglia. Cytotoxicity assays were performed to evaluate the percentage of cell death, with apoptotic cells identified by both the TdT‐mediated dUTP nick end labeling technique and the detection of cleaved caspase‐3. We report that treatment of N9 microglial cells with resveratrol or quercetin successfully reduced the inflammation‐mediated apoptotic death of neuronal cells in our coculture system. Altogether our results demonstrate that resveratrol and quercetin diminished apoptotic neuronal cell death induced by microglial activation and suggest that these two phytoestrogens may be potent antiinflammatory compounds. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Up‐regulated neuronal COX‐2 expression after cortical spreading depression is involved in non‐REM sleep induction in rats
Authors: Cui Yilong , Kataoka Yosky , Inui Takashi , Mochizuki Takatoshi , Onoe Hirotaka , Matsumura Kiyoshi , Urade Yoshihiro , Yamada Hisao , Watanabe Yasuyoshi
Published: October 2007

Cortical spreading depression is an excitatory wave of depolarization spreading throughout cerebral cortex at a rate of 2–5 mm/min and has been implicated in various neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, migraine aura, and trauma. Although sleepiness or sleep is often induced by these neurological disorders, the cellular and molecular mechanism has remained unclear. To investigate whether and how the sleep‐wake behavior is altered by such aberrant brain activity, we induced cortical spreading depression in freely moving rats, monitoring REM and non‐REM (NREM) sleep and sleep‐associated changes in cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 and prostaglandins (PGs). In such a model for aberrant neuronal excitation in the cerebral cortex, the amount of NREM sleep, but not of REM sleep, increased subsequently for several hours, with an up‐regulated expression of COX‐2 in cortical neurons and considerable production of PGs. A specific inhibitor of COX‐2 completely arrested the increase in NREM sleep. These results indicate that up‐regulated neuronal COX‐2 would be involved in aberrant brain excitation‐induced NREM sleep via production of PGs. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of catechol‐thioether‐induced apoptosis in human SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Mosca Luciana , Tempera Italo , Lendaro Eugenio , Di Francesco Laura , d'Erme Maria
Published: October 2007

Recent work has highlighted the involvement of a dopamine derivative, 5‐S‐cysteinyl‐dopamine (CysDA), in neurodegeneration and apoptotic cell death. In this paper we study in further detail the apoptotic process activated by this catechol‐thioether derivative of dopamine in SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. CysDA activates a cascade of events by an initial perturbation of Calcium homeostasis in the cell. Cell treatment with the catechol‐thioether induces an immediate rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, as demonstrated by a shift in the indo‐1 dye emission spectrum, and a sustained high calcium concentration at long times of incubation. Fluorescence microscopy data show that the treatment of cells induces mitochondrial transmembrane potential depolarization, a clear evidence of the onset of apoptotic process. Programmed cell death activation is also demonstrated by cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, by an increased activity of both caspase‐8 and ‐9 and by the poly(ADP‐ribose)polymerase (PARP‐1) cleavage, yielding the typical 86 kDa fragment due to caspase‐3 activity. Overall, our data support the hypothesis that CysDA may induce apoptotic death in neuronal cells, via an initial perturbation of calcium homeostasis in the cytosol. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relative populations and toxin production by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides in artificially inoculated corn at various stages of development under field conditions
Authors: Zorzete Patricia , Castro Rosimar S , Pozzi Claudia R , Israel Ana Lia M , Fonseca Homero , Yanaguibashi Gianni , Corrêa Benedito
Published: October 2007

The presence, development and production of mycotoxins by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides were studied in corn ears under field conditions after artificial contamination of corn silks. The planted area was divided into five treatments: T1, inoculated with A. flavus solution containing 1 × 108 spores, ears covered; T2, inoculated with F. verticillioides solution containing 1 × 108 spores, ears covered; T3, inoculated with F. verticillioides plus A. flavus solution containing 1 × 108 spores of each, ears covered; T4, sprayed with sterile phosphate‐buffered saline, ears covered; T5, non‐sprayed silks, uncovered ears. Soil and air samples were also collected and analysed for the occurrence of fungi. Water activity, relative air humidity, rainfall and temperature were determined to assess the correlation between abiotic factors and the presence of fungi in the samples. Contamination with the inoculated fungus predominated in T1 and T2. In the other treatments, F. verticillioides was the most frequently isolated contaminant irrespective of treatment. Considering the production of mycotoxins, a positive relation between the production of fumonisins B1 and B2 and the frequency of F. verticillioides was statistically verified in all treatments. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
The fate of Cry1Ac Bt toxin during oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivation on transgenic Bt cottonseed hulls
Authors: Jiang Linjian , Tian Xiaoli , Duan Liusheng , Li Zhaohu
Published: October 2007

BACKGROUND: In China, mushrooms are often cultivated on cottonseed hulls, and spent substrates from their cultivation are used as cattle feed. As the area planted to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in China increases, hulls from transgenic Bt cottonseed are being increasingly used as a substrate for edible mushroom cultivation. The objective of this research was to determine whether Bt toxin was transmitted to mushrooms cultivated on transgenic Bt cottonseed hulls or retained in the spent substrate.

RESULTS: Bt toxin was still present in transgenic Bt cottonseed hulls after chemical (carbendazol) treatment but not after heat (100 °C) treatment before mushroom fungus inoculation. When mushroom was cultivated on carbendazol‐treated substrates, Bt toxin level in the substrates fell below the detection limit (1.5 ng Cry1Ac per g fresh weight) in 15 days.

CONCLUSION: Bt toxin was not transmitted to mushrooms during cultivation on transgenic Bt cottonseed hulls. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
A Prospective longitudinal evaluation of quality of life after abdominoperineal resection
Authors: Gervaz Pascal , Bucher Pascal , Konrad Béatrice , Morel Philippe , Beyeler Sonia , Lataillade Laurence , Allal Abdelkarim
Published: October 2007

Objective

Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is a disfiguring procedure, frequently associated with significant urogenital dysfunction. The aim of this prospective study was to repeatedly assess quality of life (QoL) 1, 6, and 12 months after APR.

Methods

Twenty patients who underwent APR between June 2002 and September 2005 were considered for analysis. QoL was assessed using two self‐rating validated questionnaires developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

Results

All patients were free of recurrence at time of last interview. At 1‐year follow‐up patients reported significant improvement in global QoL [scores: 53 ± 23 (1 month) vs. 70 ± 15 (1 year), P = 0.01], and physical function (74 ± 16 vs. 91 ± 12, P = 0.001). Patients also reported significant improvement in symptoms such as fatigue (39 ± 30 vs. 15 ± 19, P = 0.01); and pain (33 ± 31 vs. 10 ± 14, P = 0.01). By contrast, there was no improvement at 1 year for the following items: body image (75 ± 33 vs. 75 ± 30, P = 0.99), sexual dysfunction (10 ± 21 vs. 21 ± 27, P = 0.40); and stoma‐related problems (19 ± 14 vs. 11 ± 28, P = 0.34).

Conclusion

One year after APR, patients demonstrated significant improvement in global QoL and tumor‐related symptoms, while body image remained significantly altered. Similarly, treatment‐related side effects did not improve over the time period considered. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;97:14–19. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analytical strategies to determine antibiotic residues in fish
Authors: Samanidou Victoria F. , Evaggelopoulou Evaggelia N.
Published: October 2007

The accelerated growth of aquaculture has resulted in a series of harmful effects to human health. The widespread and unrestricted use of antibiotics in this industry, to prevent bacterial infections, leads to remaining amounts in the aquatic environment. This has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria in aquaculture environments, in the increase in antibiotic resistance in fish pathogens as well as in the transfer of these resistance determinants to human pathogens. Moreover, the use of large amounts of antibiotics may lead to the presence of residual antibiotics in fish tissue and fish products. Fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, penicillins, sulphonamides and other antibiotics, exhibiting activity against both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, are widely used for the treatment and prevention of diseases in fish. An extended and comprehensive review on the recent analytical methodologies concerning antibiotic residues in fish reported in the literature is provided in the present article. Emphasis is given on sample preparation regarding isolation and purification, chromatographic conditions and method validation according to legislation. Results of published assays are comparatively presented and criticised.
Simultaneous LC‐MS/MS quantitation of a highly hydrophobic pharmaceutical compound and its metabolite in urine using online monolithic phase‐based extraction
Authors: Xu Raymond Naxing , Boyd Brian , Rieser Matthew J. , El‐Shourbagy Tawakol A.
Published: October 2007

This article describes the use of monolithic material as extraction support in simultaneous LC‐MS/MS quantitation of a highly hydrophobic pharmaceutical compound and its hydroxylated metabolite in urinary matrix. DMSO was added to urine samples to aid the solubilization of analytes during storage and transfer. Samples were then diluted and injected onto an online extraction system for high‐throughput analysis in an automated fashion. A linear range of 1.03–103 ng/mL was validated for the parent compound and 7.02–1400 ng/mL for the metabolite. The accuracy (%bias) at the lower LOQ (LLOQ) for the parent compound was –2.9% and the precision (%CV) at the LLOQ was 5.4%, while the accuracy at LLOQ for the metabolite was 6.3% and the precision at LLOQ was 5.5%. The results show that quantitative LC‐MS/MS analysis by online extraction using the monolithic support is reproducible, sensitive, and accurate enough to satisfy bioanalytical testing requirements in a good laboratory practice (GLP) regulated environment. Monolithic phase based online extraction provided efficient sample cleanup, which was evidenced in matrix effect testing against multiple lots of urinary matrix. The method described within can be a generic approach for quantitative analysis of analytes with poor solubility in aqueous matrix.
Evaporation Structures of Solvent Drops Evaporating from Polymer Surfaces: Influence of Molar Mass
Authors: Li Guangfen , Graf Karlheinz , Bonaccurso Elmar , Golovko Dmytro S. , Best Andreas , Butt Hans‐Jürgen
Published: October 2007

When a solvent drop evaporates from a polymer surface, a characteristic structure remains. To analyze the structure formation during evaporation we deposited microdrops of ethyl acetate on planar PEMA and toluene on PS. The shape of the evaporation structures depends on the molar mass of the polymer, the number of droplets deposited, and the specific polymer/solvent combination. Crater‐like structures with a flat bottom were observed for PEMA. With PS, dot‐like protrusions were observed for low and intermediate molar masses; for $\overline M _{\rm w}z$ ≥ 210 kDa, crater‐like rims with a depression in the center were formed. These structures are interpreted based on four different processes occurring during evaporation.

magnified image
Retail prices during a change in monetary regimes: evidence from Sears, Roebuck catalogs, 1938–1951
Authors: Young Andrew T. , Blue Alexander K.
Published: October 2007

We present microeconomic evidence on US pricing dynamics pre and post‐establishment of the Bretton Woods (BW) monetary regime. We track prices of 49 goods (1172 observations) in 1938–1951 Sears, Roebuck catalogs. The average length between (nominal) price changes was over 2 years. The average was higher (2.05 years) in the pre‐BW period than in the later (2.01 years). We find that prices of brand name goods were relatively rigid; three never changed price. Price changes were larger during the 1945–1951 period than pre‐BW by between 0.60 and 1.83%. Price changes displayed a higher correlation with inflation pre‐BW. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Small price changes and menu costs
Authors: Lach Saul , Tsiddon Daniel
Published: October 2007

We find that while some individual price changes are indeed ‘small’, the average price change of different products within a store in any given month is not. Moreover, the smaller the price change of an individual product, the larger the average price change of the remaining products sold by the store. We argue that these findings are consistent with extensions of menu cost models of price‐setting behavior to multiproduct firms when these firms have high average costs and low marginal costs of changing prices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Historiography of information science
Authors: Rayward W. Boyd , Buckland Michael K. , Warner Julian , Bowker Geoffrey C.
Published: October 2007

This panel is concerned with the historiography of information science, from related, but also contrasting, perspectives. Papers explore the interaction between specific historical events and broader historical developments and the understanding of those events and developments.

Themes of collective memory and forgetting relate the presentations to one another. They are concerned with the diffusion of ideas and events over time and across intellectual space. The diffusion of technologies is another theme, with information technology itself acting as a communicator across otherwise separate thought communities.

In relation to the specific conference themes, the presentations explore the ways in which information technologies are revolutionary in terms of human creativity and thought, and, by revisiting the unknown past, explore the possibilities of shaping of the future information world.
Questioning LibQUAL+: Critiquing its Assessment of Academic Library Effectiveness
Authors: Edgar Bill
Published: October 2007

Advertised as a total market survey of an academic library's users, LibQUAL+ has risen to prominence in recent years as a means of assessing academic library effectiveness. In light of this, this conceptual paper raises and addresses four questions arising from its survey instrument. Doing so reveals that LibQUAL+ only partially conceptualizes a library's operations. Furthermore, it emphasizes users' eventual outcomes, such as improved grades, but does not explicitly conceptualize users' more immediate need for epistemological value in the form of information, education, or persuasion. Finally, LibQUAL+'s survey correctly emphasizes the role of user self‐reliance and satisfaction, but it unduly deemphasizes users' need for professional information assistance and their actual experience of quality library service.
Music and video downloading among undergraduate students: Information needs, access and seeking behaviors
Authors: Kim Kyunghye , Burnett Gary D. , Ding Na
Published: October 2007

According to a 2005 survey on music and video file downloading undertaken as part of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 35 million Americans (or 27% of Internet users) who are 18 and older have downloaded music or video files. Often regarded as the most active group, undergraduate students are known to get involved with all types of online file sharing activities. The Pew survey also reported that “In all, 48 % of current downloaders have used sources other than peer‐to‐peer networks or paid music and video services to get music or video files. Beyond MP3 Players, email and instant messaging, these alternatives sources include music and video websites, blogs and online review sites.” Given the scale of such activities, there is need for research that investigates what motivates students' downloading behaviors, how students find information and sources for downloading, and whether and how they communicate their knowledge with each other.
Managing scientific data for long‐term access and use
Authors: Cragin Melissa H. , MacMullen W. John , Wallis Jillian , Zimmerman Ann , Gold Anna
Published: October 2007

Preservation of data for long‐term use will require data management strategies that include curation and preservation planning and implementation. While data management and curatorial activities have been an integral part of some scientific domains for years (see for example, high energy particle physics), these are new concepts in other areas of science. Concepts such as provenance, representation for re‐use, and work‐flow capture are rarely understood, let alone addressed. By bringing together theories and best practices from archives, museum studies, and library and information science (LIS), it is possible to address these problems.

on current research into scientific data management problems, this panel will consider questions about sharing and re‐use of data, curation and preservation, and the intersection of scientific production and scholarly communication. Our research explores information work and problems across a range of scientific areas in the life and physical sciences, including genomics, neuroscience, ecology, and earth science. As more scientific work products are shifted to open or shared data collections (including archives, repositories and databases), we will need to understand how these systems are implemented and used to support collaboration and discovery, as well as scholarly and scientific communication.
Authenticity revisited: The cultural implications of a digital reality
Authors: Mak Bonnie , MacNeil Heather , Douglas Jennifer
Published: October 2007

UNESCO's “Memory of the World” and Google Print are just two of the many projects that seek to digitize our cultural record. The duplication, preservation, and dissemination of these sources with digital technology, however, come at a cost. The panel will explore the cultural implications of transferring and re‐rendering our historical, cultural, and intellectual legacy in a new medium.

In addition to exploring the idioms of digitized informational realities, the panel will also investigate how, recursively, these spaces are effecting change in the analogue world. The re‐appearance of historical artifacts as digitized entities, as well as the emergence of born‐digital entities, has forced us to question our traditional ideas about what constitutes an original or a copy, and what we mean by the term ‘authentic’.

Inspired by the success of last year's session, “Authenticity: New Personas for Digital Media,” the panel for 2006 will take a more comprehensive look at the concept of authenticity in both analogue and digital environments. This interdisciplinary panel of established and junior scholars from the humanities and the social sciences will suggest new ways of approaching and understanding emergent informational realities.
Personal Email Management on the University Digital Desktop: User Behaviors vs. Archival Best Practices
Authors: Winget Megan A. , Chang Kimberly , Tibbo Helen
Published: October 2007

This paper will review findings from an extensive user study which seeks to understand the ways in which individuals currently manage, interact with, and think about electronic files, particularly email. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), we web‐surveyed nearly 3000 faculty, staff, and administrators; and conducted personal follow‐up interviews with 100 people across two universities: one public, one private. Our findings indicate that users and archivists have competing concerns. User concerns revolve around the volume of files with which they are forced to contend, leading to wasted time, improperly deleted files, confusion, and general dissatisfaction with the networked environment. Archivists, on the other hand, concerned with the preservation of digital materials, are focused on organizational issues that are often at odds with users' daily practice.
Retrieving e‐Health Research: The Challenge of Accessing the Knowledge
Authors: Davis Richard , Lustria Mia Liza A. , Brown Linda Lockett
Published: October 2007

The Internet has increasingly become a viable tool for delivering interventions to promote better health behaviors and manage diseases. As an information and communication tool, it leverages the broad reach of mass media with the interactive features of interpersonal channels. As such, the past 10 years has seen a proliferation of pilot studies, evaluative studies and randomized controlled trials designed to test the efficacy of web‐based interventions on health outcomes. These efficacy studies look at a variety of ways Internet‐based interventions (e‐health) can be used across a number of health conditions and in different contexts. In particular, the last two to three years has seen a significant increase in efficacy studies of web‐based interventions published in the literature across different disciplines. The challenge of this from a scholarly perspective is that the sheer number of different ways the literature has been described and indexed has made it increasingly difficult for scholars to locate relevant articles and draw clear conclusions about the efficacy of web‐based interventions across disparate fields of interest.

This study explores how this field of inquiry has grown and matured in the past 10 years by examining the growth of the literature specific to Internet‐based health interventions and to explore the changes in terminologies used to describe this field. A frequency analysis of keywords used to describe web‐based health intervention studies was conducted on over 150 peer‐reviewed journal articles and a listing of high‐value keywords were generated. A large number of unique keywords were discovered to be associated with the body of publications located according to the methodology described.

The results of this study will be of specific use to researchers interested in web‐based health interventions and will be of practical value in aiding their literature searches. This keyword analysis also reveals interesting insights into the development of an emerging interdisciplinary field of inquiry based on how scholarly activities are being described and/or represented across disciplines and specializations.
Experimental Comparison of 2D and 3D Technology Mediated Paramedic‐Physician Collaboration in Remote Emergency Medical Situations
Authors: Sonnenwald Diane H. , Maurin Hanna , Cairns Bruce , Manning James E. , Freid Eugene B. , Welch Greg , Fuchs Henry
Published: October 2007

We are investigating the potential of 3D telepresence technology to support collaboration among geographically separated medical personnel in trauma emergency care situations. 3D telepresence technology has the potential to provide richer visual information than current 2D video conferencing techniques. This may be of benefit in diagnosing and treating patients in emergency situations where specialized medical expertise is not locally available. We conducted an experimental evaluation, simulating an emergency medical situation and examining the interaction between the attending paramedic and remote, consulting physician. Post‐questionnaire data illustrate that the information provided by the consulting physician was perceived to be more useful by the paramedic in the 3D condition than the 2D condition. However, the data pertaining to the quality of interaction and trust between the consulting physician and paramedic showed mixed results. The implications of these results are discussed.
The reality of the global, digital workplace: Innovation in knowledge management
Authors: Edgar William B. , Chapman Matt , Moulton Mary E. , Rogers Anne E , Dobbins James H.
Published: October 2007

The use of knowledge management tools enabling distributed collaboration and information sharing supports, and indeed shapes, how work is done in industry today. The panel chosen, all having extensive international experience, reflects directly the realities of a digital, global workforce and the new opportunities for information technology to support it. Starting off the panel will be a consultant from one of the leading providers of tools and research on innovation, who will outline the latest thinking on what is necessary for effective innovation in the workplace, with a focus on how this is enabled by knowledge management tools. The changing role of the information professional is illustrated clearly by the three following panelists, all from various industrial sectors, who will share some of the groundbreaking changes in knowledge management in industry. From digital idea management and use of taxonomies as a collaborative means to enable innovation to an innovative look at managing the virtual organization, all four panelists will provide some thought provoking examples of how innovation in knowledge management is changing how work is done.
Health Information Services Available for People Living With HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of Library and Information Professionals
Authors: Mehra Bharat , Albright Kendra S.
Published: October 2007

There is an urgent need for availability of life‐saving health information services as well as adequate marketing, advertising, and dissemination strategies to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and to the broader public at large, especially in the context of a recent UNAIDS estimation that the number of people living with HIV in the United States, at the end of 2003, exceeded one million for the first time. This study explores the HIV/AIDS health information services that are available within the local community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and presents focus group perspectives of nine library and information professionals about awareness and use of these services by PLWHAs. The study forms part of a larger plan to apply a community informatics (CI) approach to examine the provision of health information services for PLWHAs in terms of how PLWHAs and other stakeholders including health care service providers, academic community at the University of Tennessee, community leaders and activists, and faith‐based organizations, use and apply information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower and enable PLWHAs to meet their information needs, goals, and aspirations. Here we report findings from the project's first phase of documenting perspectives of library and information professionals about existing HIV/AIDS information services, users of these services, barriers and challenges to effective use, and the role of health information professionals in the context of developing ideal information support services for PLWHAs.
A New Framework for the Citation Indexing Paradigm
Authors: Dervos Dimitris A. , Samaras Nikolaos , Evangelidis Georgios , Folias Theodore
Published: October 2007

A new citation indexing paradigm is proposed: the cascading citation indexing framework (c2IF, for short). It improves the way research publications are assessed for their impact in promoting science and technology. Given a collection of articles and their citation graph, citations are considered at the (article, author) level. Each one article is uniquely identified by means of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI,http://www.doi.org). To identify each one author uniquely, a Universal Author Identifier (UAI) scheme is established. In addition to the citations directly made to a given (article, author) pair, citation paths that target each one citing article are also considered. The granularity of the paradigm is further increased by introducing the concept of the chord, whereby a citation path of length one co‐exists with paths of length two or higher, involving the same source‐and target‐articles. The c2IF output emerges in the form of a medal standings table, analogous to the one that ranks teams at athletic events: when two (article, author) pairs receive the same number of (direct) citations, the one that is cited by more popular articles (i.e. articles that comprise targets to a larger number of paths in the citation graph), is assigned a higher rank value.
Access to scientific data: The Social and Technical Challenges and strategies
Authors: D'Ignazio John , Qin Jian , Braunstein Yale M. , Whitbeck Caroline , Parsons Mark , Eastman Timothy E. , Xie Sherry
Published: October 2007

The practice of science has changed in the last three decades due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies and massive increases in computing capacity, made manifest by the Internet. As the International Council for Science (ICSU) describes in its recently released five‐year strategic plan, there is now more scientific data and information that is freely and openly available. This environment enables scientists around the world access to the most up‐to‐date data and information from his or her desktop. “Secondary analyses of data, and the combining of data from multiple sources, are opening up exciting new scientific horizons. Scientific publication practices are changing rapidly.” (ICSU, 2005, 16‐17) These revolutionary changes in the creation, management, and use of scientific data and information have significant economic and social implications. First among them are the economic and legal aspects provoked by open sharing versus intellectual property protection of scientific data. In addition to the impact of these issues, there are technical challenges in managing the life cycle of scientific data. Long‐term preservation strategies are evolving to ensure that the authenticity of scientific data can be verified, and to enable knowledge discovery and interoperability via metadata representations of the data collections.

To maximize the impact of scientific data, the information community needs to promote new thinking and structures in society to properly collect, preserve and distribute this resource. In response to the issues and challenges in access to scientific data and information, we have arranged for a comprehensive session that examines the topic from a holistic view. For full coverage, two panels are required: one that covers the current social and policy contexts and one that covers the system developments being driven by these broader issues. The experts on both panels will contribute their experience from conducting social, economic, and technical research of scientific data and information and invite the ASIS&T annual meeting attendees to join them in discussion.
Force feedback textual and graphic displays for the blind
Authors: Jeong Wooseob
Published: October 2007

Using the force feedback technology, which has been used in video games for years, prototypes of touchable online Braille generator and touchable online graphical display have been developed for visually impaired or blind users. Without expensive devices, these prototypes let blind people access information on the web by touching the output Braille displays or by scrolling over tactile graphical displays with a force feedback mouse. User studies have been conducted with visually impaired people and the data collected provide valuable information about the optimal conditions for these prototype force feedback displays, such as how strong the force should be and how big the Braille dots should appear. The end product of this research will enable visually impaired people to enjoy information on the web, including images, more freely.