bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Online gift-searching: gift-giving orientations and perceived benefits of searching
Authors: Jeng Shih-Ping 
Published: September 2013

Purpose
– The increasing number of people who search for and purchase gifts online underscores the need to better understand the process of searching for gifts online. This study explores online gift-searching with regard to the psychological characteristics of gift seekers and the benefits of searching. This study examines how gift-giving orientations (agape and reciprocity) influence the perceived benefits of searching (utilitarian and hedonic) in online gift-searching behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach
– The conceptual framework was tested using a survey. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings
– The results show that agape positively influences both utilitarian and hedonic benefits, which in turn increase online gift-searching. Reciprocity does not affect utilitarian benefits but decreases hedonic benefits and thus causes a reduction in online gift-searching. The perceived benefit of searching fully mediates the relationship between gift-giving orientations and online gift-searching. Utilitarian benefits are the primary benefits that are sought by consumers who search for gifts online.

Originality/value
– Previous research regarding online information searching has focused on searching for items for self-use. This study extends that research by focusing on gift giving. By analysing the mediating effects of both the utilitarian and hedonic benefits of searching, this study provides new insights into whether and how gift-giving orientations affect online gift-searching. Additionally this study offers guidelines for effectively managing online retail environments.
A study of the continuous usage intention of social software in the context of instant messaging
Authors: Hong Jinwon , (Daniel) Lee One-Ki , Suh Woojong 
Published: September 2013

Purpose– As social networking is becoming more popular, social software has achieved an important position in the internet business industry. For social software to be successful, it is crucial to understand how users form their continuous usage intentions toward social software. This paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Drawing upon socio-technical and social cognitive perspectives, this study proposes a theory-based model that investigates the interaction effects between social (i.e. perceived user base and relationship commitment) and technical (i.e. perceived system quality) factors of social software, in addition to their direct effects on continuous usage intentions. To empirically validate the proposed research model, a structural equation modelling technique was used.Findings– The results of our model test indicate that all relevant social and technical factors are significant determinants of continuous usage intention. Moreover relationship commitment exhibits a positive interaction effect with perceived system quality on continuous usage intention, while perceived user base does not.Practical implications– Service designers or providers of social software should make an effort to nurture social relationships among users, expand users' social networks, and reinforce users' relationship commitment to their friends.Originality/value– Given the lack of investigations into socio-technical interactions in prior social software studies, the theoretical perspectives and empirical findings of this study are useful to both academics and practitioners. The findings also raise new implications regarding the various types of interactions (e.g. enhancing or suppressing) between the social and technical factors around social software.
Web analytics of user path tracing and a novel algorithm for generating recommendations in Open Journal Systems
Authors: Taraghi Behnam , Grossegger Martin , Ebner Martin , Holzinger Andreas 
Published: September 2013

Purpose
– The use of articles from scientific journals is an important part of research-based teaching at universities. The selection of relevant work from among the increasing amount of scientific literature can be problematic; the challenge is to find relevant recommendations, especially when the related articles are not obviously linked. This paper seeks to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper focuses on the analysis of user activity traces in journals using the open source software “Open Journal Systems” (OJS). The research questions to what extent end users follow a certain link structure given within OJS or immediately select the articles according to their interests. In the latter case, the recorded data sets are used for creating further recommendations. The analysis is based on an article matrix, displaying the usage frequency of articles and their user selected successive articles within the OJS. Furthermore, the navigation paths are analysed.

Findings
– It was found that the users tend to follow a set navigation structure. Moreover, a hybrid recommendation system for OJS is described, which uses content based filtering as the basic system extended by the results of a collaborative filtering approach.

Originality/value
– The paper presents two original contributions: the analysis of user path tracing and a novel algorithm that allows smooth integration of new articles into the existing recommendations, due to the fact that scientific journals are published in a frequent and regular time sequence.
Psychosocial Benefits of Cross‐Ethnic Friendships in Urban Middle Schools
Authors: Graham Sandra , Munniksma Anke , Juvonen Jaana 
Published: September 2013

To examine the unique functions of same‐ and cross‐ethnic friendships, Latino (n = 536) and African American (n = 396) sixth‐grade students (Mage = 11.5 years) were recruited from 66 classrooms in 10 middle schools that varied in ethnic diversity. Participants reported on the number of same‐ and cross‐ethnic friends, perceived vulnerability, friendship quality, and the private regard dimension of ethnic identity. Whereas same‐ethnic friendships were uniquely associated with stronger private regard, more ethnic diversity and cross‐ethnic friendships were uniquely associated with less perceived vulnerability. Multilevel structural equation modeling tested whether cross‐ethnic friendships mediated the diversity‐vulnerability relation. Although cross‐ethnic friendships did not significantly mediate this relation at the classroom level, these friendships predicted less vulnerability at the individual student level.
Value of Serial Echo‐Guided Ramp Studies in a Patient with Suspicion of Device Thrombosis after Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
Authors: Kato Tomoko S. , Colombo Paolo C. , Nahumi Nadav , Kitada Shuichi , Takayama Hiroo , Naka Yoshifumi , Di Tullio Marco R. , Homma Shunichi , Mancini Donna , Jorde Ulrich P. , Uriel Nir 
Published: September 2013

Thrombus formation inside of the pump is a major cause for device malfunction following the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. We recently established a novel ramp test protocol facilitating continuous bedside echo monitoring to optimize LVAD function and diagnosing device malfunctions. We describe a case of 29‐year‐old woman undergoing HeartMate II LVAD implantation, in whom serial ramp studies were used to diagnose intra‐device thrombus after device implantation. The 1st ramp study at postoperative day (POD) 26 revealed adequate reduction in ventricular size according to the increase in LVAD speed (left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter [LVEDD] at minimum and maximum speeds, 68 and 37 mm, respectively). The patient was discharged home and received routine anticoagulation maintenance therapy. However, a 2nd ramp test was performed on POD 56 due to increased lactase dehydrogenase and brain natriuretic peptide levels and showed marked increase in left ventricle (LV) chamber size without adequate response to the LVAD speed changes (LVEDD at minimum and maximum speeds, 88 and 76 mm, respectively). Given the suspicion for partial pump thrombosis, the patient was immediately hospitalized and received intravenous heparin infusion. After the optimization of the intensive anticoagulation therapy, the patient underwent a 3rd ramp study, which showed a remarkable improvement of the adequate response to LVAD speed changes. The patients eventually underwent cardiac transplant successfully, and the partial clot was found inside of the pump. This case demonstrates the usefulness of serial ramp studies in patients who are suspected to have device thrombosis.
Loop Diuretic Absorption
Authors: Blake James , Devereux Richard B. 
Published: September 2013

Objectives. The present study was undertaken to determine if direct blockade of angiotensin II receptors by losartan potassium as compared to ACE inhibition might result in greater tolerability in patients with congestive heart failure in whom ACE inhibition resulted in hyperkalemia and azotemia.Background. Blockade of angiotensin II receptors by losartan potassium may produce similar benefits in congestive heart failure as ACE inhibition. However, some observations suggest losartan potassium may have different effects on renal function than ACE inhibition.Methods. Five consecutive patients with severe congestive heart failure were identified in whom treatment with ACE inhibition was complicated by hyperkalemia (K>5.7) and azotemia. In three of these patients losartan potassium was substituted for ACE inhibition while losartan potassium was added to treatment with ACE inhibition in the remaining two. The mean of four serial values of potassium, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine were compared before and after change in treatment using a two tailed t test.Results. The addition or substitution of losartan potassium resulted in statistically insignificant reductions in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine and a significant reduction in potassium from 5.7±0.1 to 4.9±0.3, p<0.03. Two patients who had required kayexalate were withdrawn. In all patients, hyperkalemia resolved and did not reoccur.Conclusions. There appear to be fundamental differences between the effects of losartan potassium and ACE inhibitors on potassium excretion in congestive heart failure patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency. Losartan potassium may also be associated with less azotemia in such patients. These differences may have important clinical implications, particularly in the subset of patients in whom ACE inhibition is poorly tolerated as a result of hyperkalemia and azotemia.
Is this my finger? Proprioceptive illusions of body ownership and representation
Authors: Héroux Martin E. , Walsh Lee D. , Butler Annie A. , Gandevia Simon C. 
Published: September 2013

Key points
The brain keeps a representation of which things are part of our body. This sense of ownership is easily manipulated using brushing of the skin or movement of a limb to create an illusion of ownership over an inanimate object, such as a rubber hand.
We induced a sense of ownership of an artificial finger using movement of the index finger without vision of the hands. As cutaneous receptors had been anaesthetised, this illusion depended on proprioceptive signals from muscle receptors.
In addition, we found a new grasp illusion in which perceived distance between the index fingers decreases when subjects hold an artificial finger.
These results increase understanding of how the brain generates our body representation and may help in understanding diseases in which the sense of ownership is disrupted.
Abstract  Body ‘ownership’ defines which things belong to us and can be manipulated by signals from cutaneous or muscle receptors. Whether signals from muscle proprioceptors on their own influence perceived ownership is unknown. We used finger‐joint movement to induce illusory ownership of an artificial finger without vision. We coupled the subject's index finger to an artificial finger 12 cm above it. The experimenter held the subject's other index finger and thumb on the artificial finger and passively moved them congruently or incongruently for 3 min with the index finger and the grasping index finger and thumb intact or anaesthetised. When intact, congruent movement (19 subjects) reduced perceived vertical distance between index fingers to 1.0 (0.0, 2.0) cm [median (IQR)] from 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) cm with incongruent movement (P < 0.01). Simply grasping the artificial finger reduced perceived spacing between the grasping and test index fingers from 6.0 (5.0, 9.0) cm to 3.0 (3.0, 6.0) cm (P < 0.01), a new grasp illusion. Digital anaesthesia eliminated this grasp effect, after which congruent movement still reduced the perceived spacing between the index fingers to 1.0 (0.0, 2.75) cm compared to 4.0 (3.25, 6.0) cm with incongruent movement (P < 0.001). Subjects more strongly agreed that they were holding their own finger after congruent but not incongruent movement (P < 0.01). We propose that the brain generates possible scenarios and tests them against available sensory information. This process can function without vision or motor commands, and with only one channel of somatic information.
Glucose utilization rates regulate intake levels of artificial sweeteners
Authors: Tellez Luis A. , Ren Xueying , Han Wenfei , Medina Sara , Ferreira Jozélia G. , Yeckel Catherine W. , de Araujo Ivan E. 
Published: September 2013

Key points
Much remains to be determined regarding the physiological signals and brain systems that mediate the attribution of greater reward to sugars compared to artificial sweeteners.
We show that disruption of glucose utilization in mice produces an enduring inhibitory effect on artificial sweetener intake.
Consistently, hungry mice shifted their preferences away from artificial sweeteners and in favour of glucose after experiencing glucose in a hungry state.
Disrupting glucose oxidation suppressed dorsal striatum dopamine efflux during sugar intake.
Glucose oxidation controls intake levels of sweet tastants by modulating extracellular dopamine levels in dorsal striatum.
Abstract  It is well established that animals including humans attribute greater reinforcing value to glucose‐containing sugars compared to their non‐caloric counterparts, generally termed ‘artificial sweeteners’. However, much remains to be determined regarding the physiological signals and brain systems mediating the attribution of greater reinforcing value to sweet solutions that contain glucose. Here we show that disruption of glucose utilization in mice produces an enduring inhibitory effect on artificial sweetener intake, an effect that did not depend on sweetness perception or aversion. Indeed, such an effect was not observed in mice presented with a less palatable, yet caloric, glucose solution. Consistently, hungry mice shifted their preferences away from artificial sweeteners and in favour of glucose after experiencing glucose in a hungry state. Glucose intake was found to produce significantly greater levels of dopamine efflux compared to artificial sweetener in dorsal striatum, whereas disrupting glucose oxidation suppressed dorsal striatum dopamine efflux. Conversely, inhibiting striatal dopamine receptor signalling during glucose intake in sweet‐naïve animals resulted in reduced, artificial sweetener‐like intake of glucose during subsequent gluco‐deprivation. Our results demonstrate that glucose oxidation controls intake levels of sweet tastants by modulating extracellular dopamine levels in dorsal striatum, and suggest that glucose utilization is one critical physiological signal involved in the control of goal‐directed sweetener intake.
Fluconazole Assists Berberine To Kill Fluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans
Authors: Li De-Dong , Xu Yi , Zhang Da-Zhi , Quan Hua , Mylonakis Eleftherios , Hu Dan-Dan , Li Ming-Bang , Zhao Lan-Xue , Zhu Liang-Hua , Wang Yan , Jiang Yuan-Ying 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

It was found in our previous study that berberine (BBR) and fluconazole (FLC) used concomitantly exhibited a synergism against FLC-resistant
Candida albicans
in vitro
. The aim of the present study was to clarify how BBR and FLC worked synergistically and the underlying mechanism. Antifungal time-kill curves indicated that the synergistic effect of the two drugs was BBR dose dependent rather than FLC dose dependent. In addition, we found that BBR accumulated in
C. albicans
cells, especially in the nucleus, and resulted in cell cycle arrest and significant change in the transcription of cell cycle-related genes. Besides BBR, other DNA intercalators, including methylene blue, sanguinarine, and acridine orange, were all found to synergize with FLC against FLC-resistant
C. albicans
. Detection of intracellular BBR accumulation by fluorescence measurement showed that FLC played a role in increasing intracellular BBR concentration, probably due to its effect in disrupting the fungal cell membrane. Similar to the case with FLC, other antifungal agents acting on the cell membrane were able to synergize with BBR. Interestingly, we found that the efflux of intracellular BBR was FLC independent but strongly glucose dependent and associated with the drug efflux pump Cdr2p. These results suggest that BBR plays a major antifungal role in the synergism of FLC and BBR, while FLC plays a role in increasing the intracellular BBR concentration.
A Cysteine Protease Inhibitor Rescues Mice from a Lethal Cryptosporidium parvum Infection
Authors: Ndao Momar , Nath-Chowdhury Milli , Sajid Mohammed , Marcus Victoria , Mashiyama Susan T. , Sakanari Judy , Chow Eric , Mackey Zachary , Land Kirkwood M. , Jacobson Matthew P. , Kalyanaraman Chakrapani , McKerrow James H. , Arrowood Michael J. , Caffrey Conor R. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Cryptosporidiosis, caused by the protozoan parasite
Cryptosporidium parvum
, can stunt infant growth and can be lethal in immunocompromised individuals. The most widely used drugs for treating cryptosporidiosis are nitazoxanide and paromomycin, although both exhibit limited efficacy. To investigate an alternative approach to therapy, we demonstrate that the clan CA cysteine protease inhibitor
N
-methyl piperazine-Phe-homoPhe-vinylsulfone phenyl (K11777) inhibits
C. parvum
growth in mammalian cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, using the C57BL/6 gamma interferon receptor knockout (IFN-γR-KO) mouse model, which is highly susceptible to
C. parvum
, oral or intraperitoneal treatment with K11777 for 10 days rescued mice from otherwise lethal infections. Histologic examination of untreated mice showed intestinal inflammation, villous blunting, and abundant intracellular parasite stages. In contrast, K11777-treated mice (210 mg/kg of body weight/day) showed only minimal inflammation and no epithelial changes. Three putative protease targets (termed cryptopains 1 to 3, or CpaCATL-1, -2, and -3) were identified in the
C. parvum
genome, but only two are transcribed in infected mammals. A homology model predicted that K11777 would bind to cryptopain 1. Recombinant enzymatically active cryptopain 1 was successfully targeted by K11777 in a competition assay with a labeled active-site-directed probe. K11777 exhibited no toxicity
in vitro
and
in vivo
, and surviving animals remained free of parasites 3 weeks after treatment. The discovery that a cysteine protease inhibitor provides potent anticryptosporidial activity in an animal model of infection encourages the investigation and development of this biocide class as a new, and urgently needed, chemotherapy for cryptosporidiosis.
Can Inhibitor-Resistant Substitutions in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis β-Lactamase BlaC Lead to Clavulanate Resistance?: a Biochemical Rationale for the Use of β-Lactam–β-Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations
Authors: Kurz Sebastian G. , Wolff Kerstin A. , Hazra Saugata , Bethel Christopher R. , Hujer Andrea M. , Smith Kerri M. , Xu Yan , Tremblay Lee W. , Blanchard John S. , Nguyen Liem , Bonomo Robert A. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTThe current emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis calls for novel treatment strategies. Recently, BlaC, the principal β-lactamase ofMycobacterium tuberculosis, was recognized as a potential therapeutic target. The combination of meropenem and clavulanic acid, which inhibits BlaC, was found to be effective against even extensively drug-resistantM. tuberculosisstrains when testedin vitro. Yet there is significant concern that drug resistance against this combination will also emerge. To investigate the potential of BlaC to evolve variants resistant to clavulanic acid, we introduced substitutions at important amino acid residues ofM. tuberculosisBlaC (R220, A244, S130, and T237). Whereas the substitutions clearly led toin vitroclavulanic acid resistance in enzymatic assays but at the expense of catalytic activity, transformation of variant BlaCs into anM. tuberculosisH37Rv background revealed that impaired inhibition of BlaC did not affect inhibition of growth in the presence of ampicillin and clavulanate. From these data we propose that resistance to β-lactam–β-lactamase inhibitor combinations will likely not arise from structural alteration of BlaC, therefore establishing confidence that this therapeutic modality can be part of a successful treatment regimen againstM. tuberculosis.
Anidulafungin and Micafungin MIC Breakpoints Are Superior to That of Caspofungin for Identifying
FKS
Mutant Candida glabrata Strains and Echinocandin Resistance
Authors: Shields Ryan K. , Nguyen M. Hong , Press Ellen G. , Updike Cassaundra L. , Clancy Cornelius J. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

By CLSI interpretive criteria, anidulafungin and micafungin MICs determined by various methods were sensitive (60 to 70%) and highly specific (94 to 100%) for identifying
FKS
mutations among 120
Candida glabrata
isolates. Anidulafungin and micafungin breakpoints were more specific than CLSI's caspofungin breakpoint in identifying
FKS
mutant strains and patients with invasive candidiasis who were likely to fail echinocandin treatment (
P
≤ 0.0001 for both). Echinocandin MICs were most useful clinically when interpreted in the context of prior echinocandin exposure.
In Vitro
Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to Trimethoprim and Sulfonamides in France
Authors: Ameen Sirwan Muhammed , Drancourt Michel 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Five type strains and 55
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex clinical isolates were found resistant to trimethoprim with a MIC of >200 mg/liter and susceptible to both sulfadiazine and cotrimoxazole with a MIC
90
of 10 mg/liter. Two
M. canettii
isolates uniquely yielded silent mutations C
156
→ T and G
238
→ C in the
folP1
gene. Combined with scarce published data, these data indicate that sulfamides could be considered alternative antituberculous antibiotics.