bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some design guidelines for an information center to support office information systems
Authors: Lederer Albert L. , Sethi Vijay
Published: June 2007

An Information Center can promote more effective Office Information Systems. A division of a large, eastern U.S. corporation designed an Information Center to support Office Information Systems. A detailed account of the Information Center Implementation, growth, and expansion is provided. A number of recommendations regarding Information Center hardware, software, structure, consultant characteristics, user assistance, and justification method are proposed.
Patterns in office information systems research increasing complexity and integration
Authors: Treu Sig
Published: June 2007

Research in office information systems has been characterized as entailing a considerable variety of important topics. A review of the major OIS publications indicates patterns of topical areas that have gained primary attention. In attempting to draw a composite picture of the current definition and constituency of OIS research, it appears that progress is being made especially toward the design of increasingly complex, integrative, and interdisciplinary systems.
Lessons from corporate America applied to training in computer ethics
Authors: Harrington Susan J. , McCollum Rebecca L.
Published: June 2007

As publicity related to computer abuse becomes commonplace, Information Systems (IS) managers are becoming aware of the vulnerability of computer systems. Much can be learned from established corporate-wide programs which have attempted to integrate ethics into decision-making. By establishing ethics codes, providing mechanisms for reporting problems, and using ethics training, corporations are attempting to alter the ethical climate of their businesses. IS can benefit by utilizing some of the same approaches. This article examines the current state of the objectives, extent, and content of ethics training and applies it to the IS environment.
Identity verification (authentication) working group
Authors: Berson Tom , Capek P. , Schweitzer J. , Weissman C.
Published: June 2007

Every reader of this report has at some time verified his or her identity to a computer system. Entry of a userid and password in response to computer prompting is the almost universal model for this simple but essential act.
Biological versus computer viruses
Authors: Guinier D.
Published: June 2007

To understand biological viruses
, some notions of the fundamental knowledge of the structure of DNA, the genetic code, the biosynthesis of proteins, the transcription, replication and transfer processes,... are presented so as to give an idea as to how the genetic information is decrypted by biological mechanisms and consequently, how viruses work.
A computer "virus"
can be defined as a piece of code with a self-reproducing mechanism riding on other programs which cannot exist by itself. In contrast, a worm can exist independently. A computer "virus" can be considered as another category of computer user, the problem of protection against such a "virus" can be reduced to the problem of protection against users.The choice of the term
Self-Reproducing Program (SRP)
appears to be unambiguous in comparison to the word "virus". After having created the computer in 1948,
John Von Neumann
said in 1949 that it must be possible to imagine logical or mechanical engines that would be able to be self-reproducing. We propose that
"good" SRP's should be useful
for the automatic maintenance of software, by infection of old versions by the most recent version in the form of such an SRP.
Protection
is possible by a
better understanding of computer systems
and their mechanisms of exchange of data and processes. Such a study is presented for the DOS which should be protected by a watchdog system and suggests the need for a real-time analysis on the most vulnerable points. Security models including Cryptography should offer preventive solutions and "vaccines", the treatment of minor troubles...while
prevention
requires a
better understanding of men and their ambiguities.
The idea that there is a need for a better knowledge of
SRP's, Worms, Trojan horses
...justifies a
call for the constitution of a special database
concerning them.
Scripting applications in the public administration domain
Authors: Kappel Gerti , Vitek Jan , Nierstrasz Oscar m. , Junod Betty , Stadelmann Marc
Published: June 2007

Scripting is an approach for constructing open applications from prepackaged software components. A scripting model characterizes and standardizes the interconnection interfaces of software components appropriate to an application domain. We present a scripting model for the domain of public administration applications, and we provide a scenario of scripting applications in this domain. This scripting model is being incorporated into a prototype visual scripting tool which provides a graphical editing facility for interactively scripting applications.
Controlling end-user computing: an analytical framework
Authors: Sato O.
Published: June 2007

The emergence of Microcomputer, off the shelf software such as spreadsheet, telecommunication, and improvement of user-interface of them make End-User Computing (EUC) as a important application of computer technology in business. EUC growth rate is sky-rocketing now (Sprague R. H. Jr., and B. C. McNurlin (1986)). Every office use many microcomputers. Everyone uses it personally for his/her business. Moreover, many critical decision are made through microcomputers or by using information from microcomputers. DDS (Decision Support Systems) and ESS (Executive Support System) are examples (Rockart, J. F. and D. W. DeLong (1988)). But the more the number of user of microcomputers, the control of EUC becomes more important.
A computational model for organizations of cooperating intelligent agents
Authors: Bond A. H.
Published: June 2007

A computational model is developed, which captures properties of relationship and organization in sets of distributed intelligent agents. The model is inspired by sociological theory, and uses centrally a concept of commitment. Symbolic interactionist concepts in sociology are reviewed from the perspective of Distributed Artificial Intelligence. This includes the work of Anselm Strauss and Elihu Gerson.

A formulation of the concept of commitment is proposed. The concept is propagated into notions of agent and organization. A formulation and computational model of the basic notion of commitment is given, which represents commitments as mutually agreed constraints on action, belief and world state. The issues of agent integrity, plans and resources, and their representation, are then discussed, and computational mechanisms defined. An organization is defined as a set of agents with consistent mutual commitments. A mechanism is defined to check and enforce the consistency of these commitments.
Using latent semantic indexing for information filtering
Authors: Foltz P. W.
Published: June 2007

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is an information retrieval method that organizes information into a semantic structure that takes advantage of some of the implicit higher-order associations of words with text objects. The resulting structure reflects the major associative patterns in the data while ignoring some of the smaller variations that may be due to idiosyncrasies in the word usage of individual documents. This permits retrieval based on the “latent” semantic content of the documents rather than just on keyword matches. This paper evaluates using LSI for filtering information such as Netnews articles based on a model of user preferences for articles. Users judged articles on how interesting they were and based on these judgements, LSI predicted whether new articles would be judged interesting. LSI improved prediction performance over keyword matching an average of 13% and showed a 26% improvement in precision over presenting articles in the order received. The results indicate that user preferences for articles tend to cluster based on the semantic similarities between articles.
HyperMail: treating electronic mail as literature
Authors: Belew R. K. , Rentzepis J.
Published: June 2007

The huge flux of electronic information surrounding the modern researcher requires new tools for its management. HyperMail is a simple tool built on the HyperCard environment for use as a retrospective aid, for relatively stable collections of Email messages concerning a relatively focused topic. By allowing users to swiftly locate, examine and compare messages across authors and across time, the original conversation can become a rich source of subsequent study. Our goal is to treat Email as a form of
literature
, worthy of the same preservation and augmentation that is typical of traditional printed media.
SACT: a tool for automating semi-structured organizational communication
Authors: Woo C. C.
Published: June 2007

To cope with a highly specialized environment, organizational workers specialize in different areas of knowledge (e.g., taxation). Communication plays a very important role in performing organizational tasks that require multiple specializations. In fact, research data shows that managers and professionals spend about 70-80% of their time in communication. To alleviate the time organizational workers spend in communication, some of their communication should be automated. In this paper, we propose a communication tool for this purpose. This tool can be used essentially in the same way that an expert system shell is used.

The function of this tool is to collect data needed for performing a task in an open system. In order to do so, the two communicating parties must understand what each other wants. The speech act taxonomy developed by Searle, then modified by Reiss, is useful for this purpose. However, their taxonomy is intended for general communication. We have to select the appropriate subset of it that is suitable for automating organizational communication and have to operationalize the theory behind it into a computer-based communication tool.
A conversation model for resolving conflicts among distributed office activities
Authors: vov Martial F.
Published: June 2007

In many cases, office workers perform their tasks based on certain plans. In a cooperative environment, where many individuals establish their plans, conflicts between these plans will inevitably arise. A reason for conflicts between different plans is, for instance, the competition for shared resources such as special equipment or a reservation for a meeting room. In such cases, plans may prevent each other from being executed as intended, which reduces the overall performance of an organization. There are two main problems tackled by our approach: First, to detect potential conflicts between several individual plans as early as possible and, second, to relieve the actors in an organization as much as possible from their burden to settle conflicts. In our approach, conflicts are settled by an agreement among agents in conflict. The agreement is reached by a computer-mediated conversation (negotiation) between the agents. One key factor for the detection of conflicts among individually created plans and for guiding the conflict resolution process are the temporal relationships between actions in conflict. The role of temporal constraints for coordinating distributed activities will be described in detail.
Support of cooperative work by electronic circulation folders
Authors: Karbe B. , Ramsperger N. , Weiss P.
Published: June 2007

ProMInanD's migration system deals with cooperative office work on different types of office tasks which consist of steps to be carried out by person playing office roles. This typical kind of cooperation is supported by ProMInanD's Electronic Circulation Folders (ECF). Instantiations of task related types of ECF's migrate automatically through an office organization. In the contents of an ECF the office workers' contribution to a task are kept as arbitrary kinds of documents. The migration specification of an ECF describes the steps to be performed, their possible sequences and the roles which have to be played for their performance. However, in many cases neither the number of steps nor the persons involved in an office task are in advance. Often, there is a need for deviations from predefined migration routes and for exception handling. Also, there are tasks which ask for completely unformalized migrations. Moreover, in all these cases, non-deterministic human behavior has to be taken into account. These problems are all solved by ECF's. In this paper their design, processing and implementation are considered.
Design and implementation of a shared workspace by integrating individual workspaces
Authors: Ohkubo M. , Ishii H.
Published: June 2007

This paper proposes “TeamWorkStation” (TWS) as an approach to an effective shared workspace for the support of remote collaboration. There are three key design objectives in TWS: integration of virtual and actual workspaces, a simultaneously-accessible shared drawing surface, and smooth transition between individual workspaces and shared workspace. To achieve these objectives, images of computers and/or paper are overlaid so that information and images from both are effectively combined and distributed to the group members.
Toward a definition of voice documents
Authors: Muller M. J. , Daniel J. E.
Published: June 2007

This paper develops a definition of a
voice document
as a combination of
information, structure
, and
affordances
(or user-executable actions or utterances) for use in a voice-I/O hypermedia system. Voice documents in our experimental prototype environment, HyperPhone, are finely-grained hypermedia objects with rich interconnections of literal and virtual links, and with certain well-defined local structures. We explore issues related to navigating, managing, and authoring such documents, and outline a set of questions for further work.
A micro-organizational model for supporting knowledge migration
Authors: Lochovsky F. H. , Woo C. C. , Williams L. J.
Published: June 2007

One of an organization's assets is the knowledge it has for carrying out its activities in an acceptable way. However, due to the constantly changing environment in which it operates, its knowledge must evolve in order for it to survive and to stay competitive. For this reason, it is inappropriate to hard-code organizational knowledge into a computer-based organizational support system. Supporting the evolution of organizational knowledge, in general, is a very difficult problem because the domain knowledge needed to support it is open-ended. However, certain forms of organizational knowledge evolution, where the knowledge needed for the evolution already exists in some form in the organization, can be supported. We call this type of knowledge evolution
knowledge migration
. To evolve, in this case, is to recognize the need for change, and to rearrange or acquire the knowledge (possibly located in several different locations). In this paper, we discuss an approach for supporting this type of knowledge evolution.
SaTellite: a visualization and navigation tool for hypermedia
Authors: Pintado X. , Tsichritzis D.
Published: June 2007

SaTellite is a visualization and navigation tool for a hypermedia system. It is based on the concept of
affinity
between objects; that is, a relationship with an associated intensity. The user is presented with a two dimensional map that provides a view of the hypermedia environment where objects lying close together have a greater affinity than those lying further apart. The system provides different views by allowing modification of the underlying measure of affinity. The system is also able to track dynamically the evolution of the objects' relationships.

Based on the affinity concept, we develop new dynamic presentation techniques that do not depend on the explicit display of links between the nodes of the graph. The dynamic layout algorithm that we present at the end of the paper is based on these techniques and it allows for the display of rapidly changing relationships between objects.
Quilt: a collaborative tool for cooperative writing
Authors: Fish Robert S. , Kraut Robert E. , Leland Mary D. P.
Published: June 2007

Quilt is a computer-based tool for collaborative writing, which provides annotation, messaging, computer conferencing, and notification facilities to support communication and information sharing among the collaborators on a document. In addition, extensible sets of social roles and communication types are used to provide views of a document tailored to individual collaborators or to other users of the document based upon their position in a permission hierarchy. This paper describes the rationale for and design of Quilt.
Using a planner to support office work
Authors: Croft W. B. , Lefkowitz L. S.
Published: June 2007

Supporting a wide range of activities in offices has been a major objective for designers of office systems. The complex nature of office work and the fact that there are no simple limits on the amount of domain knowledge required to do this work have made the achievement of this objective very difficult. Planning and representation techniques from artificial intelligence appear to have some advantages for this task in terms of flexibility and adaptability. In this paper we describe the POLYMER planning system and representation language. In particular, we point out the system components that are required to make planning useful in real environments. The operation of the system is illustrated using an example activity.
Customizing cooperative office procedures by planning
Authors: Lutze Rainer
Published: June 2007

Cooperative office procedures coordinate the flow of information in complex distributed work, in which several office workers are involved. An approach for planning cooperative office procedures is presented, focussing on the requirements, possibilities and limitations of planning activities. Special attention is given to the elaboration of a suitable office knowledge representation and a maintainable structure of the knowledge base, the electronic organization handbook (ELO).
AMS: a knowledge-based approach to task representation, organization and coordination
Authors: Tueni Michel , Li Jianzhong , Fares Pascal
Published: June 2007

Applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the study of Office Information Systems (OIS) remains a challenging area. In this paper, we will present a Knowledge Based approach to modelling office activities. We will focus both on the declarative representation of the office concepts and their relationships, and on the organization of office knowledge in abstract packets, at different levels of generalization. This organization will allow abstract knowledge to be reusable in different situations, and to process and construct concrete structures at different levels. The control structure that should model the behavior of office workers is also discussed
.
Shared books: collaborative publication management for an office information system
Authors: Lewis Brian T. , Hodges Jeffrey D.
Published: June 2007

A
Shared Book
helps the users of an office information system create a multiple-part publication and manage it throughout its life cycle. The Shared Book supports simultaneous collaboration both by allowing different workers to work on different parts at the same time and by ensuring that workers use the current revision of each part. It protects publication information by providing locking and access control. The Shared Book communicates the publication's current state to each worker through a What-You-See-Is-What-I-See (WYSIWIS) display. Early users report that the Shared Books application has improved their productivity by simplifying their file management and by helping them track the production status of their publications. Shared Books will be part of the next release of the Xerox ViewPoint document processing system. In this paper we present the results of our study of publication management needs and describe how Shared Books supports them. We also describe some interesting aspects of its user interface and implementation.
Object flavor evolution in an object-oriented database system
Authors: Li Qing , McLeod Dennis
Published: June 2007

The ability to gracefully accommodate dynamic evolution is essential in data-intensive office information systems. Among the wide spectrum of kinds of conceptual database modification, there is an important subkind which involves changes to the fundamental semantics of objects, vis-a-vis their nature as symbolic, abstract, type (set), relationship (mapping), or behavioral (procedure). This kind of change is termed “object flavor evolution”. For example, a real-world concept modelled in a database as a symbolic object (e.g., a string denoting the name of a person) may later evolve to or be alternatively viewed as an abstract object (e.g., a person entity). This paper examines object flavor evolution in the context of a simple, extensible object-oriented database model; this model is the kernel of an experimental prototype system termed PKM (for “personal knowledge manager”) currently under development. The PKM object-oriented modelling constructs and operations are presented, along with a description and analysis of specific kinds of object flavor evolution.
Task support in an office system
Authors: Croft W. Bruce , Lefkowitz Lawrence S.
Published: June 2007

The tools in current office systems are designed to carry out simple tasks that are common to most offices. For example, tasks such as communication, time management and document production are supported by the electronic mail, calendar and text editor tools. It has been pointed out that this level of task support is only of limited effectiveness in addressing the problem of office productivity [HAMM79,HAMM80]. A more effective system would support higher-level tasks that are directly related to the goals or functions of the office. This type of task often involves decision-making, complex sequences of actions, and interaction with a number of other people. The crucial feature of these tasks is that, unlike the simple tasks mentioned previously, tasks that more closely implement a particular office's functions must be very office-specific. It will not be possible to provide a generic set of tools to directly support all office tasks. However, it should be possible to “customize” an office system by providing a means of describing the high-level tasks and how they can be supported with the existing set of tools.

Descriptions of office tasks are usually called office procedures. Although the name implies that the activities described are very routine and structured, office procedures can also be used to describe more unstructured, management-level tasks. Office procedure formalisms have been used to define and analyse offices [ELLI80,BAIL83], and to automate office tasks [ZISM77]. A description of a task using a procedure formalism is subject to change and represents only a standard or typical way of carrying out that task. A system that uses office procedures to support tasks must provide mechanisms to deal with these limitations of procedures [FIKE80].
Office automation
Authors: Sumner Mary
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study is to describe the process of office technology growth within sixteen companies. This growth process involves not only the expansion of office technologies and applications but also the process of organizational learning. In this study, the evolution of office automation is depicted using an analysis of technology benchmarks, applications portfolio, organizational strategies for systems development and operations support, and planning and control activities.

The analysis of firms experiencing office technology growth reveals certain stage characteristics similar to those reported in previous research by Nolan and Zisman. Office technologies, initially introduced to mechanize tasks, rapidly proliferate and drive a process of experimentation monitored by analysts representing a central MIS organization. At initial phases the role of data processing is in establishing guidelines for technology acquisition and in establishing standards for an information technology architecture which will support office applications on both centralized and decentralized systems. After gaining experience in designing office applications, organizations in more mature stages of development decentralize the responsibility for systems development, while maintaining centralized control over hardware operations and systems support.
An actor-based programming system
Authors: Byrd Roy J. , Smith Stephen E. , deJong S. Peter
Published: June 2007

A programming system is described with which applications are built by defining collections of communicating objects, called actors. The actor programming system provides a uniform environment in which distributed applications can be automated in a highly modular and efficient manner. The system's design is based on the formal theory of actors, with certain modifications made for the sake of efficiency. We describe our view of the actor system, and an implementation of that view. We also discuss applications built on, and contemplated for, the actor system.
Perspectives in innate and acquired cardioprotection: cardioprotection acquired through exercise
Authors: Brown David A. , Moore Russell L.
Published: June 2007

Emerging evidence indicates that exercise training can provide significant protection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this brief review, we provide a synthesis of current literature in the field and summarize the findings to date. Our intent is to identify the unique elements of cardioprotection acquired by exercise, and to illustrate what distinguishes this physiological acquisition of cardioprotection from all other known types of acquired cardioprotection. Finally, we point to future directions for research in this exciting area.
Adaptation of Voluntary Saccades, But Not of Reactive Saccades, Transfers to Hand Pointing Movements
Authors: Cotti Julien , Guillaume Alain , Alahyane Nadia , Pelisson Denis , Vercher Jean-Louis
Published: June 2007

Studying the transfer of visuomotor adaptation from a given effector (e.g., the eye) to another (e.g., the hand) allows us to question whether sensorimotor processes influenced by adaptation are common to both effector control systems and thus to address the level where adaptation takes place. Previous studies have shown only very weak transfer of the amplitude adaptation of reactive saccades—i.e., produced automatically in response to the sudden appearance of visual targets—to hand pointing movements. Here we compared the amplitude of hand pointing movements recorded before and after adaptation of either reactive or voluntary saccades, produced either in a saccade sequence task or in a single saccade task. No transfer to hand pointing movements was found after adaptation of reactive saccades. In contrast, a substantial transfer to the hand was obtained following adaptation of voluntary saccades produced in sequence. Large amounts of transfer between the two saccade types were also found. These results demonstrate that the visuomotor processes influenced by saccadic adaptation depend on the type of saccades and that, in the case of voluntary saccades, they are shared by hand pointing movements. Implications for the neurophysiological substrates of the adaptation of reactive and voluntary saccades are discussed.
Incompressible Turbulent Flow Simulation Using theκ-ɛModel and Upwind Schemes
Authors: Ferreira V. G. , Brandi A. C. , Kurokawa F. A. , Seleghim Jr. P. , Castelo A. , Cuminato J. A.
Published: June 2007

In the computation of turbulent flows via turbulence modeling, the treatment of the convective terms is a key issue. In the present work, we present a numerical technique for simulating two-dimensional incompressible turbulent flows. In particular, the performance of the high Reynoldsκ-ɛmodel and a new high-order upwind scheme (adaptative QUICKEST by Kaibara et al. (2005)) is assessed for 2D confined and free-surface incompressible turbulent flows. The model equations are solved with the fractional-step projection method in primitive variables. Solutions are obtained by using an adaptation of the front tracking GENSMAC (Tomé and McKee (1994)) methodology for calculating fluid flows at high Reynolds numbers. The calculations are performed by using the 2D version of theFreeflowsimulation system (Castello et al. (2000)). A specific way of implementing wall functions is also tested and assessed. The numerical procedure is tested by solving three fluid flow problems, namely, turbulent flow over a backward-facing step, turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate under zero-pressure gradients, and a turbulent free jet impinging onto a flat surface. The numerical method is then applied to solve the flow of a horizontal jet penetrating a quiescent fluid from an entry port beneath the free surface.
Best Simultaneous Approximation in Orlicz Spaces
Authors: Khandaqji M. , Al-Sharif Sh.
Published: June 2007

LetXbe a Banach space and letLΦ(I,X)denote the space of OrliczX-valued integrable functions on the unit intervalIequipped with the Luxemburg norm. In this paper, we present a distance formula dist(f1,f2,LΦ(I,G))Φ, whereGis a closed subspace ofX, andf1,f2∈LΦ(I,X). Moreover, some related results concerning best simultaneous approximation inLΦ(I,X)are presented.
Navier-Stokes Equations with Potentials
Authors: Lefter Adriana-Ioana
Published: June 2007

We study Navier-Stokes equations perturbed with a maximal monotone operator, in a bounded domain, in 2D and 3D. Using the theory of nonlinear semigroups, we prove existence results for strong and weak solutions. Examples are also provided.
Effects of Place of Articulation and Aspiration on Voice Onset Time in Mandarin Esophageal Speech
Authors: Liu Hanjun , Ng Manwa L. , Wan Mingxi , Wang Supin , Zhang Yi
Published: June 2007

The ability of Mandarin esophageal speakers to distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated stops, and to distinguish between different places of articulation of stops were examined. Aspirated and unaspirated voiceless stops produced by normal laryngeal (NL) and standard esophageal (SE) speakers were studied. VOT values of the five different stops (/ph, th, kh, p, t/) of Mandarin followed by the vowel /a/ produced by NL and SE speakers were compared. Results from the perceptual experiment indicated that, while voiceless unaspirated stops produced by SE speakers were not signaled with a high level of accuracy, voiceless aspirated stops were perceived correctly by the listeners. Acoustic analysis showed that SE speakers consistently produced shorter VOT than NL speakers. Velar stops were associated with significantly longer VOT values than bilabial and alveolar stops in NL speakers. It was also found that, with the use of the PE segment, SE speakers were still able to use VOT to distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated stops, but they were unable to distinguish between bilabial, alveolar, and velar places of articulation.
The Effects of Chronic Cadmium Toxicity on the Hemostatic System
Authors: Koçak Mehtap , Akçıl Ethem
Published: June 2007

Cadmium, a highly toxic heavy metal, is distributed widely in the general environment. The characteristic clinical manifestations of chronic cadmium intoxication include renal proximal tubular dysfunction, osteomalacia and anemia. Accumulating evidence suggests that cadmium toxicity may also affect various organs such as the liver, lung, testis and hematopoietic system. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chronic cadmium exposure on the anticoagulant system in rats. Fourty-five adult Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into 2 groups. While the control group was given tap water, the animals in the cadmium group were treated with 15 ppm CdCl2 for 4 weeks. Blood cadmium concentration, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, plasma protein C and antithrombin activity, and platelet count were determined in the rats. Blood cadmium concentrations increased in the experiment group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Results also show that cadmium exposure shortened prothrombin time (p < 0.05) and activated partial thromboplastin time (p < 0.01) in rats. Protein C (p < 0.001) and antithrombin (p < 0.001) decreased to statistically significantly lower levels in rat plasma after cadmium exposure when compared to the control group. When the number of thrombocytes was compared between 2 groups, a decrease was observed in the group treated with CdCl2, which was, however, not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, when the parameters of the hemolytic system are considered, the decrease in protein C and antithrombin activities and the shortening of prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time suggests the presence of a hypercoagulable state during chronic cadmium intoxication. Therefore, it may be stated that chronic cadmium toxicity sets the stage for hypercoagulation and hence increases the risk of thrombosis.
Association between AMPD1 Gene Polymorphism and Coagulation Factors in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Agewall S. , Norman B.
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the C34T and G468T variations in the adenosine monophosphate deaminase-1 (AMPD1) gene were associated with intima-media thickness of the carotid and brachial artery, endothelial function of the brachial artery, glucose metabolism, haemostatic variables and cardiac hypertrophy in patients (n = 109) with coronary heart disease. The plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity and the von Willebrand factor were higher in the CC homozygote group compared to the CT/TT group (p < 0.05). There were no differences between the groups regarding intima-media complex of the carotid and brachial artery, presence of plaque in the carotid region, flow-mediated dilatation, ejection fraction or dimensions of the heart. In conclusion, there were no differences between the mutant AMPD1 allele carriers and CC homozygotes regarding surrogate values for atherosclerosis, endothelial function, dimensions and ejection fraction of the heart, glucose tolerance and other well-known cardiovascular risk factors, whereas plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity and von Willebrand levels were lower in the mutant AMPD1 allele carriers.
Frequency of Anti-Heparin-PF4 Complex Antibodies (HIT Antibodies) in Uremic Patients on Chronic Intermittent Hemodialysis
Authors: Matsuo Takefumi , Kobayashi Hiroko , Matsuo Miyako , Wanaka Keiko , Nakamoto Hidetomo , Matsushima Hiroyuki , Sakai Rumi
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of heparin/platelet factor (PF) 4 complex antibodies in 305 uremic patients treated with chronic intermittent hemodialysis using unfractionated heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin for 3 months. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibodies were detected by ELISA in 7 patients (2.3%) who had no history of HIT. Two patients abruptly developed HIT associated with the formation of clots in the extracorporeal circuit after they were found to be carrying HIT antibodies. These patients were suspected to have a similar trigger: an increased dose of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). The drug might induce parallel changes in hematocrit (Ht) levels and platelet counts until the onset of HIT. After the onset of HIT, a parallel phenomenon between Ht and platelet counts was not found because of the thrombocytopenia due to HIT. Although HIT onset has been reported during the initial phase of dialysis sessions, there have been few reports on the onset of HIT in uremic patients on dialysis with long-term heparin anticoagulation. In this study, HIT was observed in 2 uremic patients on chronic dialysis with intermittent use of heparin. In some patients on chronic intermittent dialysis carrying HIT antibodies, HIT may occur following rHuEPO treatment. The presence of HIT should be borne in mind in chronic dialysis patients carrying HIT antibodies for 3 months or more.
Relationship between Hemostatic Markers and Platelet Indices in Patients with Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Ihara Akihiro , Matsumoto Kengo , Kawamoto Toshiharu , Shouno Saburou , Kawamoto Jun , Katayama Akira , Yoshitatsu Masao , Izutani Hironori
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether platelet indices [platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) and platelet distribution width (PDW)] could serve as diagnostic tools to evaluate the potential significance of platelet heterogeneity on thrombus formation in patients with aortic aneurysm (AA). Blood samples were obtained from 54 patients with AA (mean age 73 years; 40 males and 14 females), and from 120 age-matched controls (AC; mean age 74 years; 61 males and 59 females). Blood platelet indices were measured using an automated counter for all AC (n = 120) and AA (n = 54). Plasma thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), α2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complex (PIC), D-dimer, von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were also measured in part of AC and AA. In AA patients, TAT, PIC, D-dimer, vWF:Ag and IL-6 levels were significantly (p ≤0.0005) higher than in AC. In the patients, TAT was significantly inversely correlated with platelet count (ρ = –0.302, p = 0.038, n = 48), and significantly positively correlated with MPV (ρ = 0.329, p = 0.0373, n = 48), P-LCR (ρ = 0.361, p = 0.0134, n = 48) and PDW (ρ = 0.315, p = 0.0466, n = 48). PIC was negatively correlated with platelet count and inversely correlated with MPV, P-LCR and PDW. vWF:Ag was not correlated with platelet count, and inversely correlated with MPV, P-LCR and PDW in the patients. IL-6 was positively correlated with platelet count, and significantly inversely correlated with MPV, P-LCR and PDW in the patients. In AC, vWF:Ag was inversely correlated with platelet count and significantly positively correlated with MPV, P-LCR and PDW. However, PIC, TAT and IL-6 were not correlated with platelet indices in AC. D-dimer was not at all correlated with platelet indices both in AA and AC. In conclusion, the correlation between platelet indices and plasma hemostatic factor levels, e.g. TAT, PIC, D-dimer, vWF:Ag and IL-6, will be important factors for the understanding of platelet heterogeneity in patients with AA.
Minocycline Blocks Acute Bilirubin-Induced Neurological Dysfunction in Jaundiced Gunn Rats
Authors: Geiger Angela S. , Rice Ann C. , Shapiro Steven M.
Published: June 2007

Background: Extreme hyperbilirubinemia is treated with double volume exchange transfusion, which may take hours to commence. A neuroprotective agent that could be administered immediately might be clinically useful. Minocycline, an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic semisynthetic tetracycline, prevents hyperbilirubinemia-induced cerebellar hypoplasia in Gunn rats. Acute brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) abnormalities occur after giving sulfadimethoxine to 16-day-old jaundiced Gunn rats to displace bilirubin into tissue including brain. Objective: To assess whether minocycline is neuroprotective in this model of acute bilirubin encephalopathy. Methods: We recorded BAEPs at baseline and 6 h after injecting sulfadimethoxine. Minocycline 0.5 mg/kg (n = 4), 5 mg/kg (n = 9), 50 mg/kg (n = 9) or 500 mg/kg (n = 3, all died) was administered 15 min before sulfadimethoxine (0 h). Controls received saline followed by either sulfadimethoxine (n = 13) or saline (n = 7). Results: At 6 h total plasma bilirubin decreased from 10.84 ± 0.88 mg/dl (mean ± SD) to 0.70 ± 0.35 mg/dl (p <10–9) in all sulfadimethoxine-injected groups. At 6 h, there was complete protection against decreased amplitudes of BAEP waves II and III and increased I-II and I-III interwave intervals (brainstem conduction times corresponding to I–III and I–V in humans) with 50 mg/kg minocycline, and partial protection with lower doses. Conclusions: Minocycline 50 mg/kg 15 min prior to an intervention that normally produces acute bilirubin neurotoxicity is neuroprotective in jaundiced Gunn rat pups. Further studies are needed to investigate the temporal course and mechanism of neuroprotection. Minocycline, administered immediately, may be clinically useful in treating extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and preventing kernicterus. We believe our model provides an efficient in vivomodel to screen and evaluate new agents that are neuroprotective against bilirubin toxicity and kernicterus.
Prolactin Response to Formalin Is Related to the Acute Nociceptive Response and It Is Attenuated by Combined Application of Different Stressors
Authors: Mravec Boris , Bodnár Ibolya , Tillinger Andrej , Uhereczky Gabriella , Kvetnansky Richard , Palkovits Miklós , Nagy György M.
Published: June 2007

Subcutaneous injection of diluted formalin (0.2 ml of 4% solution/100 g BW) can influence the increase of plasma epinephrine levels in rats exposed to exteroceptive (handling, immobilization), as well as to interoceptive stressors (insulin-induced hypoglycemia), without having any effect on norepinephrine release. In the present studies, the effect of the above-mentioned stressors has been investigated on formalin-induced prolactin (PRL) and corticosterone secretion. Administrations of formalin via chronically implanted subcutaneous cannula into the hind limb without handling induce an immediate increase in both plasma PRL and corticosterone levels. While PRL concentration reaches its peak value within 5 min then returns to the basal level by the end of the 30th min, corticosterone level also starts to rise immediately after formalin administration reaching its highest concentration within 15–30 min, but it remains at this high level during the next 60 min, then it declines and returns to the pre-injection level. Application of formalin to animals exposed to different heterotypic stressors (like handling or insulin-induced hypoglycemia) produces an attenuated PRL response, while plasma corticosterone levels induced by the same nociceptive component remained unchanged. Combinations of formalin injection with immobilization also show an attenuated PRL response. The present data indicate that plasma PRL response to formalin is related to its acute nociceptive phase, and application of different stressors prior to formalin injection significantly attenuate plasma PRL levels, while it does not influence corticosterone responses.
Role of the Extrinsic Pathway of Blood Coagulation in Hemostasis and Thrombosis
Authors: Mackman Nigel , Tilley Rachel E. , Key Nigel S.
Published: June 2007

Hemostasis requires both platelets and the coagulation system. At sites of vessel injury, bleeding is minimized by the formation of a hemostatic plug consisting of platelets and fibrin. The traditional view of the regulation of blood coagulation is that the initiation phase is triggered by the extrinsic pathway, whereas amplification requires the intrinsic pathway. The extrinsic pathway consists of the transmembrane receptor tissue factor (TF) and plasma factor VII/VIIa (FVII/FVIIa), and the intrinsic pathway consists of plasma FXI, FIX, and FVIII. Under physiological conditions, TF is constitutively expressed by adventitial cells surrounding blood vessels and initiates clotting. In addition so-called blood-borne TF in the form of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) and TF expression within platelets suggests that TF may play a role in the amplification phase of the coagulation cascade. Under pathologic conditions, TF is expressed by monocytes, neutrophils, endothelial cells, and platelets, which results in an elevation of the levels of circulating TF-positive MPs. TF expression within the vasculature likely contributes to thrombosis in a variety of diseases. Understanding how the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation contributes to hemostasis and thrombosis may lead to the development of safe and effective hemostatic agents and antithrombotic drugs.
Yin Yang-1 Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Growth and Intimal Thickening by Repressing p21
WAF1/Cip1
Transcription and p21
WAF1/Cip1
-Cdk4-Cyclin D1 Assembly
Authors: Santiago Fernando S. , Ishii Hideto , Shafi Shahida , Khurana Rohit , Kanellakis Peter , Bhindi Ravinay , Ramirez Manfred J. , Bobik Alexander , Martin John F. , Chesterman Colin N. , Zachary Ian C. , Khachigian Levon M.
Published: June 2007

Vascular injury initiates a cascade of phenotype-altering molecular events. Transcription factor function in this process, particularly that of negative regulators, is poorly understood. We demonstrate here that the forced expression of the injury-inducible GLI-Krüppel zinc finger protein Yin Yang-1 (YY1) inhibits neointima formation in human, rabbit and rat blood vessels. YY1 inhibits p21
WAF1/Cip1
transcription, prevents assembly of a p21
WAF1/Cip1
-cdk4-cyclin D1 complex, and blocks downstream pRb
Ser249/Thr252
phosphorylation and expression of PCNA and TK-1. Conversely, suppression of endogenous YY1 elevates levels of p21
WAF1/Cip1
, PCNA, pRb
Ser249/Thr252
and TK-1, and increases intimal thickening. YY1 binds Sp1 and prevents its occupancy of a distinct element in the p21
WAF1/Cip1
promoter without YY1 itself binding the promoter. Additionally, YY1 induces ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation of p53, decreasing p53 immunoreactivity in the artery wall. These findings define a new role for YY1 as both an inducer of p53 instability in smooth muscle cells, and an indirect repressor of p21
WAF1/Cip1
transcription, p21
WAF1/Cip1
-cdk4-cyclin D1 assembly and intimal thickening.
Psychiatric Day Care: the Users' Perspective
Authors: Holloway Frank
Published: June 2007

The literature on consumer opinion about psychiatric day care is reviewed and a study of the views of day care attenders living in an inner city catchment area who are in prolonged contact with psychiatric services is presented. Attenders were broadly satisfied with their care. Analysis of their verbatim comments suggested that attenders perceived the value of attendance at a day unit in social rather than therapeutic terms. The implications of this finding are discussed.
Parental Communication and Psychological Distress in Children of Holocaust Survivors: a Comparison Between the U.S. and Israel
Authors: Okner Debra F. , Flaherty Joseph
Published: June 2007

To determine how the children of Holocaust survivors in Israel and the U.S. differ on measures of parental communication and psychological distress, we performed a comparative study on 140 subjects in the U.S. and 54 in Israel using a written questionnaire. Respondents in Israel reported more communication by their parents, but also a higher level of demoralization; this may be due to more demoralization among the general population. In both populations, parents' general communication correlated negatively with anxiety, depression and demoralization and positively with guilt. Parents' Holocaust communication resulted in similar findings; however, in Israel only a negative correlation with demoralization reached significance. Parental communication about the Holocaust thus seems to be of less importance in Israel in determining the children's psychological outcome. This may be due to a greater role by Israeli society in forming children's perception of the Holocaust.
Consultation Liaison Psychiatry in a Kuwaiti General Hospital
Authors: Fido Abdullah A. , Mughaiseeb AL
Published: June 2007

The authors analysed the psychiatric profile of 208 general hospital patients referred for psychiatric consultation, about half of these patients presented with parasuicidal behaviour. The diagnoses of depression and adjustment disorders predominated. Characteristics of the referred patients, source of referral and main forms of psychiatric intervention are documented. Means to promote good relationships between psychiatrists and physicians are suggested. The need for a better liaison psychiatric service is emphasised.