bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transnational Corporations, Global Production Networks, and Urban and Regional Development: A Geographer's Perspective onMultinational Enterprises and the Global Economy
Authors: YEUNG HENRY WAI‐CHUNG 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper offers an economic‐geographical interpretation of the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in urban and regional development that is grounded inDunning and Lundan's (2008)Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy. I argue that TNCs and their activity are indisputably one of the keys to understanding urban and regional development in today's globalizing world economy. To support this perspective, I will deploy the recently developed analytical framework of global production networks (GPNs) to unpack the complex and mutually dependent relationships between TNCs and urban and regional development. The paper first provides a critique of several recent influential theories of urban and regional growth and identifies the omitted components in such important actors as TNCs. It then offers an analysis of TNCs as key agents of urban and regional development on the basis of ideas on TNC strategies, networks, and regional institutions expressed inMultinational Enterprises. Finally, I draw upon a relational view of TNCs in GPNs to illustrate how urban and regional development is increasingly a “globalizing” phenomenon. Situated in recent work in economic geography, I elaborate on the concept of strategic coupling as an interfacing mechanism bringing together TNCs and development at the urban and regional scales.
Knowledge Networks in an Uncompetitive Region: SME Innovation and Growth
Authors: HUGGINS ROBERT , JOHNSTON ANDREW 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTKnowledge networks are now recognised as a crucial element underlying the economic success and competitiveness of geographic locations, in particular regions. The aim of this paper is to assess the types of knowledge networks utilised and formed by knowledge‐based small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the relatively uncompetitive regional setting of Yorkshire and Humberside in the UK. It explores the relationship between knowledge networking activity and the levels of innovation and growth achieved by these SMEs. It is found that SMEs tend to utilise and value more knowledge networks with actors outside the region. However, more innovative SMEs possess a balance of inside and outside the region knowledge networks. Knowledge networking activity is sometimes negatively associated with growth, suggesting that networks with certain actors, such as public sector support agencies, may be formed by SMEs when they are facing competitive pressures. In terms of policy implications, the paper recommends a shift from the cluster policies implemented by many regional authorities to a regional innovation systems approach, focusing equally on the regional and more global dimensions of knowledge networks. It is concluded that regional public policy makers need to renew their efforts to support SMEs in creating and sustaining their knowledge networks.
NAFTA or Nada? Trade's Impact on U.S. Border Retailers
Authors: FORD TIMOTHY C. , LOGAN BRIAN , LOGAN JENNIFER 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThe extensive debate over trade liberalization policies in the United States holds a general consensus that some industries will benefit while others will not. This paper explores the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on U.S. retailers in states located along the border with Mexico. Overall, the impact of trade on U.S. border retailers has been beneficial. However, the results demonstrate that retailers in the region are vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations and other macroeconomic influences that change the relative price ratio between the United States and Mexico. Furthermore, retailers in metropolitan statistical areas that have a relatively high concentration of retail sector employment are more susceptible to these changes.
Changing Noise Levels and Housing Prices Near the Atlanta Airport
Authors: COHEN JEFFREY P. , COUGHLIN CLETUS C. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTUsing hedonic models, we analyze the effects of proximity and noise on housing prices in neighborhoods near Hartsfield‐Jackson Atlanta International Airport during 1995–2002. Proximity to the airport is related positively to housing prices. We address complications caused by changes over time in the levels and geographic distribution of noise and by the fact that noise contours are measured infrequently. A general decline in noise boosted housing prices during 1995–2002. After accounting for proximity, house characteristics, and demographic variables, houses in noisier areas sold for less than houses subjected to less noise. Also, the noise discount is larger during 2000–2002 than 1995–1999.
Discrimination against children with disability in China
Authors: Shang Xiaoyuan , Fisher Karen R. , Xie Jiawen 
Published: June 2009

Shang X, Fisher KR, Xie J. Discrimination against children with disability in ChinaInt J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 298–308 © 2009 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.Families' experiences in connection with having a child with disability have been little researched in China. This study applies a child‐based human rights framework to analyse families' experiences of children's disability rights and their experience of discrimination. It applies the framework to families in a disadvantaged, rural case‐study community in China. It finds that children and their families experience significant discrimination in the four child disability domains of rights to care and protection, economic security, developmental support and social participation. The impact is both direct in terms of poor support for the children and their families, and indirect in terms of cumulative pressure on the family, which accentuated the poor social development of the child. The research contributes to understanding child disability rights in China and social policy responses, and raises questions for further research.
Effects of family structure and socialization on materialism: a life course study in Thailand
Authors: Nguyen Hung Vu , Moschis George P. , Shannon Randall 
Published: June 2009

AbstractConsumer researchers have long been interested in understanding the development of materialistic attitudes and values in different cultural settings. The life course approach, which has developed recently as an interdisciplinary programme for studying various aspects of behaviour, was used as an overarching framework for studying the development of materialism in Thailand. Specifically, the paper first presents the general conceptual framework that serves as a blueprint for discussing theoretical perspectives. Next, hypotheses derived from life course perspectives are formulated, and a survey of young adults (ages 20 to 32) is used to test them. We found that family disruption influences materialism only among those young adults from lower social classes. Findings of this paper have implications for theory development and suggest directions for future research.
Consumer credit card ownership and usage practices: empirical evidence from Sri Lanka
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala , Gurugamage Anurudh 
Published: June 2009

AbstractKnowledge that has been accumulated through research efforts concerning credit card ownership and usage behaviour has been confined to Western societies. Given the importance of cross‐national application of consumer marketing concepts and propositions for academic and practical reasons, investigations are needed to test whether consumer credit card usage patterns that are assumed to exist in the West also exist in non‐Western parts of the world, especially in Asia. Therefore, objectives of this research were to explore credit card ownership and usage practices in Sri Lanka, and to explore the relationship between credit card ownership and usage practices, and demographic and socio‐economic characteristics of credit card users. The findings offer implications for researchers and practitioners.
Loosening the belt: on the effects of goal‐conflict situations on regular savings
Authors: Loibl Cäzilia 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of implementation intentions on consumers' success in pursuing conflicting saving–spending goals. Surveys of participants in a community‐based savings programme were conducted to test whether the forming of implementation intentions in specific action plans facilitate the pursuit of the focal savings goal. The intervention had no effect in facilitating the savings goal, suggesting that goal conflict undermines goal commitment above and beyond the influence of commitment mechanisms. Inquiring into the reasons for not saving within the implementation intention group, we found that conflict with spending goals emerged as a partial mediator explaining subjects' failure to enact their savings intentions. Implications for community‐based savings programmes are also discussed.
Effect of eslicarbazepine acetate on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin in healthy subjects
Authors: Vaz da Silva Manuel , Costa Raquel , Soares Eva , Maia Joana , Falcão Amílcar , Almeida Luis , Soares da Silva Patrício 
Published: June 2009

AbstractEslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a new‐generation voltage‐gated sodium channel blocker, which has been demonstrated to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of epilepsy. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ESL on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin. This study was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, two‐way crossover study of 12 healthy subjects (six men and six women). The study included two 8‐day treatment periods with a washout of ≥10 days. In each period, subjects received either ESL 1200 mg once‐daily or placebo, concomitantly with a loading oral dose of digoxin 0.5 mg on days 1 and 2, followed by a once‐daily maintenance dose of 0.25 mg on days 3–8. Maximum serum digoxin plasma concentrations (Cmax) were reached (tmax) at 0.5–2.0 h post‐dose (median = 1.0 h) and at 0.5–4.0 h post‐dose (median = 1.0 h) with Reference (digoxin plus placebo) and Test (digoxin plus ESL) treatments, respectively. The Test/Reference digoxin geometric mean ratios and 90% confidence intervals (90% CI) were 0.96 and 0.90–1.03 for the area under the plasma concentration–time curve over the dosing interval (AUC0–24) and 0.85 and 0.68–1.07 for Cmax. The 90% CI was within the bioequivalence range (0.80–1.25) for AUC0–24, thus demonstrating bioequivalence. The 90% CI was outside the 0.80–1.25 range for digoxin Cmax, but it appeared to be caused by a higher variability in digoxin Cmax following co‐administration of digoxin with placebo than with ESL. Co‐administration of ESL and digoxin was well tolerated. Concomitant administration of ESL has no clinically relevant effect in the systemic exposure to digoxin.
Ethical considerations in cardiovascular prevention
Authors: Follath F. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe fundamental values in medical ethics include the following aspects of professional conduct: (i) actions in the best interest of patients; (ii) first, do no harm; (iii) patients’ right to refuse or choose treatments; (iv) fairness and equality in the distribution of healthcare resources; and (v) truthfulness and honesty (informed consent). These values have to be considered in all diagnostic steps and therapeutic decisions. They should also form the basis for discussions of potential conflicts of interest among patients, doctors, healthcare financers and politicians. Cardiovascular (CV) diseases represent the most frequent cause of death and a major healthcare problem in most regions of the world. CV prevention is therefore an important task both in individual subjects and as a means to improve health in the general population. While the merits of treatment in patients with established CV diseases, i.e. secondary prevention, are widely accepted and regarded as necessary, primary prevention with drugs in apparently healthy individuals at an increased risk of future CV events is not free of controversies. The different types of prevention envisaged also give rise to ethical questions: Should all the growing number of classical and newly recognised CV risk markers be a reason for intervention or should they be preferably used for calculating a total risk score? What are the compelling or only relative indications for anti‐hypertensive, cholesterol‐lowering, anti‐diabetic or platelet‐inhibiting drugs? Are pre‐hypertension, pre‐diabetes and marginally elevated cholesterol levels early diseases justifying drug treatment, regardless of the possibility that some prophylactic interventions may be associated with adverse events? Discussions also often arise concerning the role of age, gender and of non‐CV co‐morbidities for decisions about long‐term prevention with drugs. How reliable and applicable are ‘evidence‐based’ guidelines derived from trials in highly selected patients and healthy subjects for the general population seen in everyday practice? Increasingly, the economic aspects of long‐term prevention and problems of a fair allocation of limited healthcare resources are also important issues giving rise to contrasting views among patients, doctors, insurance providers and politicians. What are the priorities and who should decide? Ethical considerations relating to the above questions in CV prevention are discussed in this article.
Aggressive chronic platelet inhibition with prasugrel and increased cancer risks: revising oral antiplatelet regimens?
Authors: Serebruany Victor L. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe TRITON‐TIMI 38 was a head‐to‐head trial to assess the efficacy and safety of the experimental antiplatelet agent prasugrel vs. standard care with clopidogrel on top of aspirin. Besides some ischemic protection at expense of overwhelming bleeding disadvantage, prasugrel treated patients experienced three times higher rate of colonic neoplasms then after clopidogrel, and this difference was significant. Importantly, known gastrointestinal bleeding preceded the diagnosis of colonic neoplasms only in half of the patients. Three potential mechanisms responsible for such harmful association are reviewed, namely: (i) direct hazard of the experimental drug on cancer occurrence and progression; (ii) indirect modulation of tumor growth; and (iii) enhanced metastatic dissemination due to instability of platelet‐tumor cell aggregates, or/and inability to keep the disease locally due by much more potent long‐term platelet inhibition should be considered. Significant excess of cancer after prasugrel is alarming, and can be reasonably explained, with critical clinical implications not only for prasugrel further development, but also for existing and future chronic antiplatelet strategies. If the hypothesis that oral aggressive platelet inhibition cause higher cancer risks will turn out to be true, then intensity of platelet inhibition, and especially duration of chronic antiplatelet therapy should be reconsidered. More delicate platelet inhibition, and shorter exposure to oral antiplatelet agents will prevail.
Experiential placements and scaffolding for reflection
Authors: Owen Susanne M. , Stupans Ieva 
Published: June 2009

AbstractReflection is a cognitive process for organizing ideas and building theory from observations and experiences. Learning within work‐integrated and clinical placements is increasingly required for professional accreditation approval of allied health and other university programmes. Through clinical placements students can develop the knowledge and the practical skills and personal attributes needed for entry into their professions. Relevant to communities of practice, in experiential placements learners actively build on their own life experiences within realistic work‐oriented contexts. Supervising practitioner feedback and guidance potentially accelerate the learning through a process of feedback and skilful questioning to encourage deep reflection. However, there has been little research into the role of reflection within experiential placements, particularly with respect to the preparation of students for the Australian pharmacy profession.A 2007 Australian Learning and Teaching Council‐funded research study was conducted regarding pharmacy experiential placements. The purpose was to map Australian university programmes, analyse handbooks and also consult with about 250 stakeholders from a range of backgrounds in relation to issues and quality indicators.This paper focuses on reflection as one aspect of the Australian pharmacy experiential placement research. It highlights the importance of more comprehensively planned approaches to learning and reflection within experiential placements. This includes university and clinical educator scaffolding and feedback at the pre‐placement, during placement and post‐placement stages.
Paracoccygeal Corkscrew Approach to Ganglion Impar Injections for Tailbone Pain
Authors: Foye Patrick M. , Patel Shounuck I. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA new technique for performing nerve blocks of the ganglion impar (ganglion Walther) is presented. These injections have been reported to relieve coccydynia (tailbone pain), as well as other malignant and nonmalignant pelvic pain syndromes. A variety of techniques have been previously described for blocking this sympathetic nerve ganglion, which is located in the retrorectal space just anterior to the upper coccygeal segments. Prior techniques have included approaches through the anococcygeal ligament, through the sacrococcygeal joint, and through intracoccygeal joint spaces. This article presents a new, paracoccygeal approach whereby the needle is inserted alongside the coccyx and the needle is guided through three discrete steps with a rotating or corkscrew trajectory. Compared with some of the previously published techniques, this paracoccygeal corkscrew approach has multiple potential benefits, including ease of fluoroscopic guidance using the lateral view, ability to easily use a stylet for the spinal needle, and use of a shorter, thinner needle. While no single technique works best for all patients and each technique has potential advantages and disadvantages, this new technique adds to the available options.
The new platelet alloantigen Caba: a single point mutation Gln716His on the α2 integrin
Authors: Bertrand Gerald , Jallu Vincent , Saillant Dominique , Kervran Dominique , Martageix Corinne , Kaplan Cecile 
Published: June 2009

BACKGROUND: Fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is caused by maternal alloimmunization against fetal platelet (PLT) antigens, inherited from the father and absent from maternal PLTs.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A 29‐year‐old mother gave birth to a severely thrombocytopenic newborn (16 × 109 PLTs/L) leading to PLT transfusion therapy associated with intravenous immunoglobulins. The outcome was uneventful. Maternal serum showed a specific positive reaction with the antigen‐capture assay (monoclonal antibody [MoAb]‐specific immobilization of PLT antigens) only when it was tested with the paternal PLTs and a panel of MoAbs against glycoprotein (GP)Ia‐IIa (α2β1 integrin) suggesting the implication of a new PLT antigen.RESULTS: Nucleotide sequence analysis of GPIa cDNA of the father and newborn showed a nucleotide substitution at position 2235 (2235G > T according to the international nomenclature). This substitution induces a Q716H amino acid change in the GPIa mature protein, located outside the I domain involved in cell adhesion for collagen. In vitro analysis of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing wild‐type or mutant (Q716H) human GPIa allowed us to demonstrate that this single amino acid substitution is responsible and sufficient for inducing Caba antigen expression. Adhesion of CHO cells to collagen was not modified by the Cab polymorphism, nor by the maternal anti‐Caba alloantibodies, indicating that the mutation does not affect the function of integrin α2β1. In a Caucasian population study, none of the 104 unrelated blood donors was found to be Caba(+).CONCLUSION: We describe here a new PLT alloantigen Caba involved in a severe case of FNAIT. Laboratory investigation for the “common” PLT alloantigens is no longer sufficient to evaluate neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia in suspected cases.
Erythrocytic precursor cells show potent shear stress resistant adhesion and home to hematopoietic tissue in vivo
Authors: Hintze Christian , Ströbele Christine , Rüster Brigitte , Göttig Stephan , Bugert Peter , Seifried Erhard , Henschler Reinhard 
Published: June 2009

BACKGROUND: Transfusion of erythropoietic precursor cells has been suggested as an alternative to conventional red blood cells. However, little is known about the fate of transfused erythrocytic precursors after they enter the bloodstream.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Erythrocytic precursors were classified by flow cytometry into different maturation stages. Precursors were enriched using cell surface expression of CD71 and Ter119 antigens and analyzed under shear stress in a parallel plate flow chamber and after fluorescence tagging with PKH and transfusion into anemic mice.RESULTS: We found that at all maturation stages, erythrocytic precursors expressed the adhesion receptor very late antigen (VLA)‐4 with a frequency decreasing from 90% to approximately 60% during maturation. In contrast, expression of the β2‐integrins LFA‐1 and Mac‐1 and the rolling receptor P‐selectin glycoprotein ligand‐1 increased from 10% to 20% to approximately 50% during erythrocytic maturation. The chemokine receptor CXCR4 was expressed at low levels during differentiation stages. In vitro shear stress adhesion analysis showed that erythrocytic precursors can efficiently activate VLA‐4 such that it binds its cognate ligand, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)‐1. The coimmobilization of stromal cell–derived factor‐1α with VCAM‐1 strengthened this adhesion. Transfusion of primitive (CD71+) or more mature (Ter119+) erythrocytic precursors into mice showed that both populations selectively and efficiently home to hematopoietic tissues.CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that erythrocytic precursor cells of different maturation stages are capable of homing to hematopoietic organs. This work has implications for the development of transfusion protocols that use ex vivo expanded, but not fully matured, erythrocytic precursors from cultured stem cell populations.