bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Twice‐daily dosing of a repaglinide/metformin fixed‐dose combination tablet provides glycaemic control comparable to rosiglitazone/metformin tablet
Authors: Raskin P. , Lewin A. , Reinhardt R. , Lyness W. ,   for the Repaglinide/Metformin Fixed‐Dose Combination Study Group
Published: May 2009

Aim: To assess the use of a new repaglinide/metformin fixed‐dose combination (FDC) tablet for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.Methods: In this 26‐week, multicentre, open‐label, parallel‐group trial, subjects poorly controlled with mono‐ or dual‐oral antidiabetic therapy were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to receive a repaglinide/metformin FDC tablet either two times daily (BID) or three times daily (TID) or a rosiglitazone/metformin FDC tablet BID. The primary objective comprised two hypotheses tested in a hierarchical order: (i) that treatment with the repaglinide/metformin FDC BID is non‐inferior to that of a rosiglitazone/metformin FDC tablet BID as measured by changes in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (results presented here) and (ii) if true, that treatment with the repaglinide/metformin FDC BID was non‐inferior to that of the repaglinide/metformin FDC TID as measured by changes in HbA1c (results presented in a companion paper). Additional efficacy and safety end‐points were also assessed.Results: Of the 561 subjects randomized, 383 completed the study. Reductions in HbA1c values became apparent at earlier times for repaglinide/metformin FDC BID treatment than rosiglitazone/metformin FDC BID, and final changes in HbA1c were not significantly different between treatment arms (p = 0.8186); thus, the predefined statistical criterion for non‐inferiority was met. Overall adverse event profiles were comparable between treatment groups, and no major hypoglycaemic episodes were reported during the study.Conclusions: The repaglinide/metformin FDC BID regimen showed efficacy that was non‐inferior to that of the rosiglitazone/metformin FDC BID regimen currently in clinical use and a more rapid reduction of HbA1c values. Thus, repaglinide/metformin FDC BID is a clinically feasible alternative to rosiglitazone/metformin FDC BID.
Spatial Topology and its Structural Analysis based on the Concept of Simplicial Complex
Authors: Jiang Bin , Omer Itzhak 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThis paper introduces a model that identifies spatial relationships for structural analysis based on the concept of simplicial complex. The spatial relationships are identified through overlapping two map layers, namely a primary layer and a contextual layer. The identified spatial relationships are represented as a simplical complex, in which simplices and vertices, respectively, represent two layers of objects. The model relies on the simplical complex for structural representation and analysis. To quantify structural properties of individual primary objects (or equivalently simplices), and the simplicial complex as a whole, we define a set of centrality measures by considering multidimensional chains of connectivity, i.e. the number of contextual objects shared by a pair of primary objects. With the model, the interaction and relationships with a geographic system are modeled from both local and global perspectives. The structural properties and modeling capabilities are illustrated by a simple example and a case study applied to the structural analysis of an urban system.
Changing Art: SoHo, Chelsea and the Dynamic Geography of Galleries in New York City
Authors: MOLOTCH HARVEY , TRESKON MARK 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWe examine New York's SoHo and Chelsea districts for evidence of how art and place interact over time. More specifically, we trace the decline of New York's SoHo as a gallery district and the concomitant rise of nearby Chelsea, concluding that such a transition cannot simply be explained, as it usually is, by rises in property rents that ‘force out’ the art. Of equal significance, and following a different trajectory, is the change in art prices — particularly for the kind of art with which these places have been in reciprocal relation. A final factor in determining neighborhood fates is how difficult or easy it is to reassemble social scenes from one place to another. We show how artifact specifics, including their shape, form and aesthetic appeal, conjoin with property markets and scene sociality to affect urban morphology.RésuméDans le cadre des recherches consacrées aux liens entre économie créative et processus urbains, cet article s'intéresse à la manière dont art et lieu interagissent sur le long terme dans les quartiers new‐yorkais de Soho et Chelsea. Plus précisément, il retrace le déclin de Soho en tant que haut‐lieu des galeries et l'ascension simultanée du quartier voisin de Chelsea devenu un marché d'art. On ne peut se contenter de l'explication habituelle de cette transition, selon laquelle l'augmentation des loyers a ‘expulsé’ l'art. Sur un même plan, quoique sur un axe différent, se trouve l'évolution du prix des œuvres – en particulier dans le type d'art auquel ces lieux ont été associés réciproquement –, évolution qui se reflète sur l'occupation des terrains. Ce qui influe également sur le destin de ces quartiers est la plus ou moins grande difficultéà reconstituer les scènes sociales d'un lieu à l'autre. L'article montre comment les spécificités des objets d'art, qu'il s'agisse de leur valeur financière ou de leur forme, se combinent aux marchés immobiliers et à la nature sociale des scènes pour modifier la morphologie urbaine.
The alkaline pH‐adapted skin barrier is disrupted severely by SLS‐induced irritation
Authors: Kim E. , Kim S. , Nam G. W. , Lee H. , Moon S. , Chang I. 
Published: May 2009

SynopsisThe pH of the healthy skin is 5.5 and maintained by many regulatory mechanisms. The pH of the skin care product we use on a daily basis can have an influence on the skin properties. To investigate how the physical properties of skin change after the alkaline or acidic pH of the skin care products are applied on the skin for a long term, we adjusted the pH of the skin care products to 3, 5 and 8 (A, B, C), with glycolic acid and triethanolamine. For 5 weeks the skin care products were applied on 20 healthy subjects’ ventral forearm and the skin physical properties were measured. After 5 weeks, skin responses to the external stress of 1% (w/v) SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate) irritation and erythema by UV were measured. Skin colour and skin UV response were not altered by the pH. However, on the C‐applied site (pH 8) the transepidermal water loss of stratum corneum (SC) increased significantly, the water content increased and desquamation decreased, respectively, and the SLS significantly impaired the skin barrier in comparison with other sites. The alkaline skin care product impaired the skin barrier after repeated application over 5‐week period and the skin barrier was disrupted severely by 1% SLS exposure because SC was already impaired by alkaline pH and sensitive to external stress. This suggests that the pH of daily skin care products is very important for skin barrier homeostasis.
Determination of tocopheryl acetate and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate in cosmetic formulations by HPLC
Authors: Almeida M. M. , Alves J. M. P. , Patto D. C. S. , Lima C. R. R. C. , Quenca‐Guillen J. S. , Santoro M. I. R. M. , Kedor‐Hackmann E. R. M. 
Published: May 2009

SynopsisA rapid HPLC method was developed for the assay of tocopheryl acetate and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate in cosmetic formulations. The validated method was applied for quantitative determination of these vitamins in simulated emulsion formulation. Samples were analysed directly on a RP‐18 reverse phase column with UV detection at 222 nm. A mixture of methanol and isopropanol (25 : 75 v/v) was used as mobile phase. The retention time of tocopheryl acetate and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate were 3.0 min and 5.9 min, respectively. Recovery was between 95% and 104%. In addition, the excipients did not interfere in the analysis. The method is simple, reproducible, selective and is suitable for routine analyses of commercial products.
Improvement of facial skin characteristics using copper oxide containing pillowcases: a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel, randomized study
Authors: Borkow G. , Gabbay J. , Lyakhovitsky A. , Huszar M. 
Published: May 2009

SynopsisCopper plays a key role in several processes of skin formation and regeneration. Copper has been shown to be absorbed through intact skin. We hypothesized that sleeping on fabrics containing copper‐impregnated fibres would have a positive cosmetic effect on the skin. The aim of this study was to confirm our hypothesis. A 4‐week, double blind, parallel, randomized study was carried out in which 57 volunteers aged 40–60 years used either copper oxide containing pillowcases (0.4% weight/weight) or control pillowcases not containing copper. Photographs were taken by a professional photographer of each participant at the beginning of the study and at 2 and 4 weeks after the commencement of the study. Two expert graders (a dermatologist and a cosmetologist) evaluated the pictures for the effect on several cosmetic facial skin characteristics. The copper‐containing pillowcases had a positive effect for the following facial characteristics: reduction of wrinkles (P < 0.001) and crow’s feet/fine lines (P < 0.001) and improvement of general appearance (P < 0.001) at both 2 and 4 weeks. The differences were statistically significant (Wilcoxon scores and chi‐squared tests). Consistent sleeping for 4 weeks on copper oxide containing pillowcases caused a significant reduction in the appearance of facial wrinkles and crow’s feet/fine lines and significant improvement in the appearance of facial skin. In most trial participants, this effect was already noticeable within 2 weeks of using the copper oxide containing pillowcases.
The right to be heard and to be understood: a conceptual framework for consumer protection in emerging economies
Authors: Donoghue Suné , De Klerk Helena M. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIn many emerging economies and developing countries, comprising consumers from different cultures and with varying degrees of sophistication (knowledge and skill) concerning consumer protection, the promotion of consumers' rights to develop a consumer‐oriented culture remains a very big challenge. One way of protecting the consumer, especially the consumer that has not been fully socialized to execute informed decisions when purchasing expensive durables, is by establishing a redress environment that would ensure fair redress as well as an understanding and appreciation of the consumer. Manufacturers and retailers are often not aware of the performance failures that consumers experience concerning their products because many people do not communicate their dissatisfactions to them. However, unless and until manufacturers and retailers fully comprehend their customers' complaint behaviour, their reasons for engaging in specific complaint behaviour and the reasoning (cognitive processes) and emotional processes behind their behaviour, they will not recognize the link between complaint handling and customer loyalty and profits.The purpose of this paper was to develop a theoretical conceptual framework that would enable consumer scientists, consumer consultants, consumer behaviour researchers and those with the responsibility of handling consumer complaints to explore and understand consumer complaint behaviour in its entirety. We argue that, to be able to establish and manage a redress environment that is characterized by an understanding of the specific consumer as well as by effective complaint behaviour handling, it is of the utmost importance that the manufacturer, retailer, consumer consultant and all those that work with consumers' complaints understand the entire complaint process, including the underlying cognitive and emotional processes as well as the consumer's post‐complaint perception of justice and his/her satisfaction with the complaint handling. It is also important to understand the role that consumer‐, product‐ and redress environment‐related variables play in consumer complaint behaviour. The consumer who blames the retailer for the problem and who probably feels angry about the situation and decides to complain will expect redress. From a consumer's viewpoint, complaint‐related justice is, however, not only a matter of economic calculus but also a matter of procedure and interaction. We therefore argue for a holistic approach where consumer complaint behaviour is addressed in its entirety. Practical suggestions that could enhance customer satisfaction are given for manufacturers, retailers and those who deal with consumers' complaints.
Fostering nursing students’ use of ethical theory and decision‐making models: teaching strategies
Authors: Garity Joan 
Published: May 2009

AbstractNurses, including students, continue to report moral distress when facing ethical dilemmas in the clinical setting. Some nurses have even expressed wanting to leave the profession because of their frustration, fatigue and lack of power in this area. One of the possible reasons for this may lie in the type of educational preparation they have received to confidently analyse and successfully resolve ethical dilemmas. This manuscript describes the ethics content of an integrated ethics, legal and health policy course in the nursing curriculum of a large urban university. Teaching strategies such as discussion questions, case studies, ethical decision‐making models and debate will be illustrated. Data from student course evaluations are provided. The influence of external agencies such as the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing on the development of ethical content in nursing curriculums is discussed. Future research directions are suggested.
Between ideology and social representations: Four theses plus (a new) one on the relevance and the meaning of the political left and right
Authors: CORBETTA PIERGIORGIO , CAVAZZA NICOLETTA , ROCCATO MICHELE 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThis study analyses the relevance and the meaning given by Italians to the political labels ‘left’ and ‘right’ between 1975 and 2006. Based on responses to the open‐ended question ‘What do you mean by “left/right” in politics?’, the study compares five alternative hypotheses on the meaning of the left‐right axis and show that, despite the alleged end of ideologies, the relevance of the axis has increased over time. A core of abstract meanings persists throughout the thirty‐year period considered. As the importance of abstract meanings has increased over time, reference to more concrete contents (such as ‘parties’ and ‘leaders’) has decreased. The findings thus support the hypothesis that the left‐right axis has the functional characteristics of social representations.
Party government in Europe? Parliamentary and semi‐presidential democracies compared
Authors: SCHLEITER PETRA , MORGAN‐JONES EDWARD 
Published: May 2009

AbstractControl over government portfolios is the key to power over policy and patronage, and it is commonly understood to lie with parties in European democracies. However, since the democratic transitions of the 1990s, Europe has had nearly equal numbers of parliamentary and semi‐presidential regimes, and there is evidence that the ability of parties to control government posts in these two regime types differs. As yet, political scientists have a limited understanding of the scale and causes of these differences. In this article a principal‐agent theoretical explanation is proposed. Data are examined on 28 parliamentary and semi‐presidential democracies in Europe that shows that differences in party control over government portfolios cannot be understood without reference to the underlying principal‐agent relationships between voters, elected politicians and governments that characterise Europe's semi‐presidential and parliamentary regimes.
Actor alignments in the European Union before and after enlargement
Authors: THOMSON ROBERT 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWhat impact has the 2004 enlargement had on legislative decision making in the European Union (EU)? This study answers this question by examining the controversies raised by a broad selection of legislative proposals from before and after the 2004 enlargement. The analyses focus on the alignments of decision‐making actors found on those controversies. Member State representatives, the European Commission and the European Parliament vary considerably in the positions they take on controversial issues before and after enlargement. Consistent patterns in actor alignments are found for only a minority of controversial issues. To the extent that consistent patterns are found, the most common involve differences in the positions of Northern and Southern Member States and old and new Member States. The North‐South alignment was more common in the EU‐15 and reflected Northern Member States' preference for low levels of regulatory intervention. The new‐old alignment that has been evident in the post‐2004 EU reflects new Member States' preference for higher levels of financial subsidies. This study argues that the persistent diversity in actor alignments contributes to the EU's capacity to cope with enlargement.
Spheres of trust: An empirical analysis of the foundations of particularised and generalised trust
Authors: FREITAG MARKUS , TRAUNMÜLLER RICHARD 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWhile the literature on trust has produced various conceptual models, there is also some confusion concerning different types of trust and their formation. In this article, three contested points are empirically clarified. First, are there really different forms of trust as much of the literature suggests? Second, if so, then how are these different types of trust related to each other? Third, what are the foundations of these different forms of trust? Relying on data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel, it is concluded that two types of trust can be empirically identified: an intimate trust in people close to the truster, as well as an abstract trust in people in general. Although these types of trust constitute separate dimensions, they are positively related to each other. Furthermore, this article challenges the widely held assumption that experiences are most relevant for particularised trust, while generalised trust is based on psychological predispositions. It is argued instead for a sphere‐specific logic of trust formation: It is the radius of experiences and predispositions that matters for the radius of trust. Finally, the analysis goes beyond the existing research by highlighting hitherto unknown conditions under which trust in familiar domains is more or less likely to extend to generalised trust.
Immune mechanisms in heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia: no evidence for immunoglobulin M anti‐idiotype antibodies
Authors: Selleng Kathleen , Warkentin Theodore E. , Sheppard Jo‐Ann I. , Greinacher Andreas 
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), which is caused by platelet (PLT)‐activating immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibodies against platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin complexes, differs from other immune responses seen in immunohematology: IgG antibodies are formed as early as 5 days even without previous heparin exposure; antibodies are remarkably transient (<100 days); HIT is more frequent in postsurgery patients compared with medical patients despite administering the same type and dose of heparin; and increasing evidence implicates autoantibody‐like reactivity of anti‐PF4/heparin antibodies. We hypothesized that these unusual features could be caused by loss of regulatory anti‐idiotype IgM antibodies due to disturbance (e.g., by surgery) of an idiotype–anti‐idiotype network.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Sera were obtained prospectively before heparin administration and during the immunization phase of HIT and also from patients with previous HIT after waning of antibodies to nondetectable levels. To detect inhibitory IgM anti‐idiotype antibodies, we performed serum coincubation experiments and IgG purification by protein G and size filtration to exclude coprecipitating IgM. Sera (n = 3) containing known anti‐PF4/heparin IgG or IgM antibodies and normal sera (n = 20) were processed as controls.RESULTS: Fifteen preimmune response sera (seroconverting in the PF4/heparin‐IgG enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay only [n = 4] or additionally in a PLT activation assay [n = 5] or in both assays plus thrombosis [n = 6]) and four sera of previously immunized patients were included. Neither did the neat sera inhibit binding of anti‐PF4/heparin antibodies nor did the purified IgG fractions show enhanced binding to PF4/heparin complexes.CONCLUSION: The atypical immunologic features of HIT do not appear to be caused by disruption of an idiotype (IgG)–anti‐idiotype (IgM) network.
Sterilization of platelet concentrates at production scale by irradiation with short‐wave ultraviolet light
Authors: Mohr Harald , Gravemann Ute , Bayer Anette , Müller Thomas H. 
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: Bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates (PCs) is recognized as a serious threat to transfusion safety. We developed a simple method for sterilization of PCs with short‐wave ultraviolet light (UVC). The effects of treatment on the sterility of contaminated PCs and in vitro platelet (PLT) variables were evaluated.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Plasma‐reduced PCs were prepared from pools of five buffy coats. Irradiation with UVC (wavelength, 254 nm) under vigorous agitation was from both sides of the irradiation bags. Kinetics of the inactivation of Bacillus cereus, Propionibacterium acnes, and Staphylococcus epidermidis were determined. PCs spiked with approximately 10 to 100 colony‐forming units (CFUs)/mL of 10 bacteria species (n = 12/species) were irradiated with UVC doses between 0.25 and 0.4 J/cm2 and tested for sterility by a commercially available bacterial detection system (BacT/ALERT, bioMérieux) after storage at 22°C for 3 or 6 days. The influence of a dose of 0.3 J/cm2 on PLT variables was investigated on Days 1, 4, and 6 after irradiation.RESULTS: At 0.3 J/cm2 all bacteria species tested were inactivated by more than 4 log. At this dose the influence of UVC on in vitro PLT variables was marginal; the storage stability for up to 6 days after treatment was maintained. PCs spiked with approximately 10 to 100 CFUs/mL were reproducibly sterilized in the dose range tested. In individual experiments with the spore former B. cereus, PCs were, however, unsterile after treatment.CONCLUSION: Irradiation at UVC doses not detrimental to in vitro PLT variables sterilizes PCs contaminated with a wide range of different bacteria species.