bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
U.S. Sourcing from Low‐Cost Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Supplier Performance
Authors: Ruamsook Kusumal , Russell Dawn , Thomchick Evelyn 
Published: October 2007

SUMMARYGiven the increase in sourcing from low‐cost countries (LCCs), it is important to assess relative supplier performance across these regions. This work investigates the comparative performance of LCC suppliers on 14 operational indicators of international sourcing and supply chain performance. Using survey methods, the study addresses these two questions: (1) How do the LCC regions of Asia, the Western Hemisphere and Europe compare in terms of the 14 operational indicators?; and (2) How do LCC nations within these three regions compare with regard to the 14 operational indicators? Perceived differences exist among the regions of Asia, the Western Hemisphere and Europe, as well as among the LCC nations of these three regions. However, no one region outperforms the others, and no one nation outperforms the others, on all 14 operational indicators investigated. Accordingly, this study also identifies the key areas of comparative advantage and disadvantage that each LCC region and each LCC nation presents in its relationship with U.S. buying firms.
E‐Reverse Auctions Revisited: An Analysis of Context, Buyer–Supplier Relations and Information Behavior
Authors: Lösch Andrea , Lambert J. Siân 
Published: October 2007

SUMMARYThis study investigates context, information behavior and buyer–supplier relationships in e‐reverse auctions (e‐RAs). Following a grounded theory approach, a comprehensive online questionnaire was developed and sent to both users and nonusers of e‐RAs. Usable responses were received from 89 buyers and 54 suppliers that were analyzed taking into account both the size and consistency of effects obtained from the Mann–Whitney U‐test and Kendall's tau (τ) statistic. The results not only show that e‐RAs have fewer negative effects on buyer–supplier relationships than currently assumed but also that the management of e‐RAs (particularly a high valuation of types and sources of information combined with a high quality of information exchange and communication) has a positive impact on the buyer–supplier relationship.
Conservation rates: the best ‘new’ source of urban water during drought
Authors: Smith William James , Wang Young‐Doo 
Published: October 2007

AbstractIn the United States, water conservation‐oriented rates (WCOR) are an increasingly vital tool for promoting water conservation and mitigating urban drought. Our models prove that one type of WCOR, drought demand rates (DDR), can produce with minimal regulation the quadruple objectives of conservation rates: (1) improving efficiency; (2) providing revenue neutrality; (3) assuring distributional equity and (4) guaranteeing the conservation of water. We demonstrate that such rates can also reduce days that urban streams drop below ‘critical flow’ levels, providing a voice for nature. Our study is situated in northern New Castle County (NCC), Delaware (DE), USA, and the lessons garnered have relevance for industrialized communities seeking a ‘soft‐path’ to drought mitigation.
The Hebrew Bible and the Quran: The Problem of the Jewish ‘Influence’ on Islam
Authors: Pregill Michael E. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe biblical tradition is manifest in the Quran in many different ways. Similarly, scholars have adopted a number of different approaches to the phenomenon of the biblical ‘borrowings’ found in the Quran. Since the foundation of the modern discipline of Islamic studies in the nineteenth century until very recently, scholars have often seen the appearance of biblical stories in the Quran, often in significantly altered, distorted, or amplified form, as reflecting Muhammad's dependence upon Jewish teachers and thus an overarching Jewish influence on Islam. In point of fact, this approach to the biblical tradition in the Quran has significant roots in medieval Christian polemic against Islam. In recent years, a few scholars have sought to develop more constructive approaches to this material and to Quranic narrative in general; nevertheless, a full‐scale reconsideration of the basic problem is still lacking, and the legacy of medieval polemic in the early Orientalist tradition, as well as its modern implications, has yet to be widely recognized.
Simulation as a Social Process in Organizations
Authors: Hoffman Steve G. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAn emergent research literature is starting to cohere on simulation as a sociological process within organizations. This paper shines a spotlight on this scholarship, and offers new ways to think about the dizzying array of simulation we encounter in our organizational, institutional, and everyday lives. I define simulation as an empirical social process and show how they vary in consequence by their experiential modality, their referential frame, and their perceived realism. I then document three conceptual trends in the literature: (i) treating simulation as an organizational technique for risk management; (ii) a focus on virtual reality, video games, and moral ambiguity; and (iii) studies of the impact of computer simulation on scientific knowledge production and the reorganization of some technical fields, such as weapons research, artificial intelligence, and meteorology. Organizational uncertainty tends to coalesce around disputes about the appropriate qualities and functions of a given simulation technique or technology. I conclude the paper by identifying how the sociology of simulation can connect with more established areas of contemporary research within organizations, work and occupations, and institutional sociology.
Effect of MG132 on proteasome activity and prooxidant/antioxidant status of rat liver subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Alexandrova Albena , Petrov Lubomir , Georgieva Almira , Kessiova Mila , Tzvetanova Elina , Kirkova Margarita , Kukan Marian 
Published: October 2007

Aim: Previous studies have shown that proteasome inhibitors exerted protective effects against ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) of brain, heart, kidney and intestine. The aim of the present study was to investigate: (i) whether the proteasome inhibitor MG132 protects rat liver against IRI; and (ii) whether MG132 modulates prooxidant/antioxidant status of rat liver subjected to warm IRI.Methods: The left lateral and medial lobes (approximately 70% of the total liver volume) of livers of male Wistar rats were subjected to 30‐min ischemia followed by 60‐min reperfusion. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were measured in the plasma. Proteasome chymotryptic‐like (ChT‐L) activity, levels of thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (PC) and glutathione (GSH), as well as superoxidase dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathionine peroxidase and glutathionine reductase activities were measured in liver fractions.Results: Thirty‐min ischemia followed by 60‐min reperfusion increased liver TBARS and PC, CAT and SOD activities, but decreased GSH level. Ischemia/reperfusion‐induced oxidative stress was exacerbated in mitochondria, indicating that these organelles are the preferential target of IRI. Plasma LDH and AST levels were decreased by MG132 during both ischemia and reperfusion, while ALT values were decreased only after 30 min of reperfusion. MG132 did not significantly affect liver TBARS and GSH levels, but it increased PC and decreased ChT‐L activity; the activities of CAT and SOD were also decreased.Conclusions: MG132 exerts a protective effect during the early phase of reperfusion and it modulates prooxidant/antioxidant status of rat liver subjected to warm IRI.
Accordion Index: A new tool for the prediction of the efficacy of peg‐interferon‐α‐2b and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Satoh Takeaki , Masumoto Akihide 
Published: October 2007

Aim:  An optimal treatment regimen based on individual virological response is essential to maximize the efficiency of interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C.Methods:  Using indicators of the virological response and the treatment intensity, we developed the Accordion Index as a new tool for the efficacy prediction of peg‐IFN and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. For the Accordion Index, the IFN‐AC ratio and RBV‐AC ratio were defined as follows: IFN‐AC ratio = (total IFN dose given during the entire treatment period)/(total IFN dose required to achieve hepatitis C virus [HCV]–RNA negativity), RBV‐AC ratio = (total RBV dose given during the entire treatment period)/(total RBV dose required to achieve HCV–RNA negativity).Results:  The analysis of the association between the Accordion Index and the sustained virological response (SVR)revealed that of 25 patients who had HCV–RNA negativity during treatment, all 10 patients with an IFN‐AC ratio and RBV‐AC ratio of at least 4.0 achieved SVR, while only four of 15 patients with an IFN‐AC ratio or RBV‐AC ratio of less than 4.0 achieved SVR. With the cut‐off value for both the IFN‐AC ratio and RBV‐AC ratio at 4.0 or higher, the quality of SVR prediction was as follows: the positive predictive value was 100%, the negative predictive value was 73.3%, and accuracy was 84.0%.Conclusion:  The Accordion Index will thus be a useful tool for planning optimal treatment regimens for individual patients.
Triflusal Posttreatment Inhibits Glial Nuclear Factor-κB, Downregulates the Glial Response, and Is Neuroprotective in an Excitotoxic Injury Model in Postnatal Brain
Authors: Acarin Laia , González Berta , Castellano Bernardo 
Published: October 2007

Background and Purpose—Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are important transcription factors regulating inflammatory mechanisms and the glial response to neural injury, determining lesion outcome. In this study we evaluate the ability of triflusal (2-acetoxy-4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid), an antiplatelet agent inhibitor of NF-κB activation, to improve lesion outcome after excitotoxic damage to the immature brain.Methods—Postnatal day 9 rats received an intracortical injection of the excitotoxinN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and oral administration of triflusal (30 mg/kg) either as 3 doses before NMDA injection (pretreatment) or as a single dose 8 hours after NMDA injection (posttreatment). After survival times of 10 and 24 hours, brains were processed for toluidine blue staining, tomato lectin histochemistry, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, NF-κB, and STAT3 immunocytochemistry.Results—NMDA-lesioned animals that were not treated with triflusal showed activation of NF-κB in neuronal cells at first and in glial cells subsequently. Animals that received pretreatment with triflusal showed a strong downregulation of neuronal and glial NF-κB but a similar development of the glial response and an equivalent lesion volume compared with nontreated animals. In contrast, animals receiving triflusal posttreatment showed increased early neuronal NF-κB but a reduction in the subsequent glial NF-κB, accompanied by important downregulation of the microglial and astroglial response and a drastic reduction in the lesion size. STAT3 activation was not affected by triflusal treatment.Conclusions—Triflusal posttreatment diminishes glial NF-κB, downregulates the glial response, and improves the lesion outcome, suggesting a neuroprotective role of this compound against excitotoxic injury in the immature brain.
Disciplined analyses in clinical trials: the dark heart of the matter
Authors: Moyé Lemuel A 
Published: October 2007

Clinical research analyses must balance the desire to `learn all that is learnable' from the database with the observation that sample-based data commonly lead to conclusions that are perfectly correct for the sample, but wholly incorrect for the population from which the data were based. Investigators who defend exploratory analyses as reliable, misuse important tools that have taken over three hundred years to develop. Statistical estimators in clinical trials function appropriately when they incorporate random data that is gathered in response to a “xed research question. Their prediction ability degrades rapidly when the selection of the research question is itself random, that is, left to the data. Operating like blind guides, these estimators mislead the medical community about what it would see in the population, based on sample observations. The result is a wavering research focus, leaping from one provocative but misleading “nding to the next on the powerful waves of sampling error. Therefore, a primary purpose of the prospective design is to “x the research questions prospectively, thereby anchoring the analysis plan. Prospective statements of the research questions and rejection of tempting databased changes to the protocol preserve the best estimates of effect sizes, standard errors, con“dence intervals and p-values. Embracing these principles promotes the prosecution of a successful research program, that is, the construction and protection of a research environment that permits an objective assessment of the therapy or exposure being studied. If there is any “xed star in the research constellation, it is that sample-based research must be hypothesis-driven and concordantly executed to have real meaning for both the scienti“c community and the patient populations that we serve.
Biomarkers in newly diagnosed pediatric-extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease: a report from the Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Fujii Hisaki , Cuvelier Geoff , She Kevin , Aslanian Soudabeh , Shimizu Hiromi , Kariminia Amina , Krailo Mark , Chen Zhengjia , McMaster Rob , Bergman Axel , Goldman Frederick , Grupp Stephen A. , Wall Donna A. , Gilman Andrew L. , Schultz Kirk R. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractNumerous chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) biomarkers have been identified in limited, single-institution studies without validation. We hypothesized that plasma-derived biomarkers could diagnose, classify, and evaluate response in children with cGVHD. We performed a concomitant analysis of a number of known and predicted peripheral blood cGVHD biomarkers from a Children's Oncology Group (COG) phase 3 cGVHD therapeutic trial. A total of 52 newly diagnosed patients with extensive cGVHD were compared for time of onset after blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) (early, 3-8 months; late, ≥ 9 months) with 28 time-matched controls with no cGVHD (early, 6 months after BMT; late, 12 months after BMT). Soluble B-cell activation factor (sBAFF), anti-dsDNA antibody, soluble IL-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Rα), and soluble CD13 (sCD13) were elevated in patients with early-onset cGVHD compared with controls. sBAFF and anti-dsDNA were elevated in patients with late-onset cGVHD. Some of the biomarkers correlated with specific organ involvement and with therapeutic response. These 4 biomarkers had high specificity with higher sensitivity in combination. Changes in biomarker concentrations with immune reconstitution after transplantation significantly affected interpretation of results. The identified biomarkers have the potential for improved classification, early response evaluation, and direction of cGVHD treatment, but require validation in larger studies. This study is registered at www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials as no. COG-ASCT0031.
Inhibition of neutrophil activity improves cardiac function after cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Abdel-Rahman Ulf , Margraf Stefan , Aybek Tayfun , Lögters Tim , Bitu-Moreno José , Francischetti Ieda , Kranert Tilmann , Grünwald Frank , Windolf Joachim , Moritz Anton , Scholz Martin 
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
The arterial in line application of the leukocyte inhibition module (LIM) in the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) limits overshooting leukocyte activity during cardiac surgery. We studied in a porcine model whether LIM may have beneficial effects on cardiac function after CPB.

Methods
German landrace pigs underwent CPB (60 min myocardial ischemia; 30 min reperfusion) without (group I; n = 6) or with LIM (group II; n = 6). The cardiac indices (CI) and cardiac function were analyzed pre and post CPB with a Swan-Ganz catheter and the cardiac function analyzer. Neutrophil labeling with technetium, scintigraphy, and histological analyses were done to track activated neutrophils within the organs.

Results
LIM prevented CPB-associated increase of neutrophil counts in peripheral blood. In group I, the CI significantly declined post CPB (post: 3.26 ± 0.31; pre: 4.05 ± 0.45 l/min/m2; p < 0.01). In group II, the CI was only slightly reduced (post: 3.86 ± 0.49; pre 4.21 ± 1.32 l/min/m2; p = 0.23). Post CPB, the intergroup difference showed significantly higher CI values in the LIM group (p < 0.05) which was in conjunction with higher pre-load independent endsystolic pressure volume relationship (ESPVR) values (group I: 1.57 ± 0.18; group II: 1.93 ± 0.16; p < 0.001). Moreover, the systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance were lower in the LIM group. LIM appeared to accelerate the sequestration of hyperactivated neutrophils in the spleen and to reduce neutrophil infiltration of heart and lung.

Conclusion
Our data provides strong evidence that LIM improves perioperative hemodynamics and cardiac function after CPB by limiting neutrophil activity and inducing accelerated sequestration of neutrophils in the spleen.
Resveratrol potently reduces prostaglandin E2production and free radical formation in lipopolysaccharide-activated primary rat microglia
Authors: Candelario-Jalil Eduardo , de Oliveira Antonio C Pinheiro , Gräf Sybille , Bhatia Harsharan S , Hüll Michael , Muñoz Eduardo , Fiebich Bernd L 
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
Neuroinflammatory responses are triggered by diverse ethiologies and can provide either beneficial or harmful results. Microglial cells are the major cell type involved in neuroinflammation, releasing several mediators, which contribute to the neuronal demise in several diseases including cerebral ischemia and neurodegenerative disorders. Attenuation of microglial activation has been shown to confer protection against different types of brain injury. Recent evidence suggests that resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and potent antioxidant properties. It has been also shown that resveratrol is a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 activity. Previous findings have demonstrated that this compound is able to reduce neuronal injury in different models, both in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to examine whether resveratrol is able to reduce prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated primary rat microglia.

Methods
Primary microglial cell cultures were prepared from cerebral cortices of neonatal rats. Microglial cells were stimulated with 10 ng/ml of LPS in the presence or absence of different concentrations of resveratrol (1–50 μM). After 24 h incubation, culture media were collected to measure the production of PGE2 and 8-iso-PGF2α using enzyme immunoassays. Protein levels of COX-1, COX-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) were studied by Western blotting after 24 h of incubation with LPS. Expression of mPGES-1 at the mRNA level was investigated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis.

Results
Our results indicate that resveratrol potently reduced LPS-induced PGE2 synthesis and the formation of 8-iso-PGF2α, a measure of free radical production. Interestingly, resveratrol dose-dependently reduced the expression (mRNA and protein) of mPGES-1, which is a key enzyme responsible for the synthesis of PGE2 by activated microglia, whereas resveratrol did not affect the expression of COX-2. Resveratrol is therefore the first known inhibitor which specifically prevents mPGES-1 expression without affecting COX-2 levels. Another important observation of the present study is that other COX-1 selective inhibitors (SC-560 and Valeroyl Salicylate) potently reduced PGE2 and 8-iso-PGF2α production by LPS-activated microglia.

Conclusion
These findings suggest that the naturally occurring polyphenol resveratrol is able to reduce microglial activation, an effect that might help to explain its neuroprotective effects in several in vivo models of brain injury.
Downregulation of CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptors on CD8+T cells in HIV infection is more pronounced in subjects with detected viral load than in their aviraemic counterparts
Authors: Zeddou Mustapha , Rahmouni Souad , Vandamme Arnaud , Jacobs Nathalie , Frippiat Frédéric , Leonard Philippe , Schaaf-Lafontaine Nicole , Vaira Dolores , Boniver Jacques , Moutschen Michel 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe CD94/NKG2A heterodimer is a natural killer receptor (NKR), which inhibits cell-mediated cytotoxicity upon interaction with MHC class I gene products. It is expressed by NK cells and by a small fraction of activated CD8+T lymphocytes. Abnormal upregulation of the CD94/NKG2A inhibitory NKR on cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) could be responsible for a failure of immunosurveillance in cancer or HIV infection. In this study, CD94/NKG2A receptor expression on CD8+T lymphocytes and NK cells was assessed in 46 HIV-1-infected patients (24 viraemic, 22 aviraemic) and 10 healthy volunteers. The percentage of CD8+T lymphocytes expressing the CD94/NKG2A inhibitory heterodimer was very significantly decreased in HIV-1-infected patients in comparison with non-infected controls. Within the HIV infected patients, the proportion of CD8+T lymphocytes and NK cells expressing CD94/NKG2A was higher in subjects with undetectable viral loads in comparison with their viraemic counterparts. No significant difference was detected in the proportion of CD8+T lymphocytes expressing the activatory CD94/NKG2C heterodimer between the HIV-1 infected patients and the healthy donors, nor between the vireamic and avireamic HIV-1 infected patients. In conclusion, chronic stimulation with HIV antigens in viraemic patients leads to a decreased rather than increased CD94/NKG2A expression on CD8+T lymphocytes and NK cells.
Amyloglucosidase enzymatic reactivity inside lipid vesicles
Authors: Li Mian , Hanford Michael J , Kim Jin-Woo , Peeples Tonya L 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
Efficient functioning of enzymes inside liposomes would open new avenues for applications in biocatalysis and bioanalytical tools. In this study, the entrapment of amyloglucosidase (AMG) (EC 3.2.1.3) from Aspergillus niger into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) was investigated. Negative-stain, freeze-fracture, and cryo-transmission electron microscopy images verified vesicle formation in the presence of AMG. Vesicles with entrapped AMG were isolated from the solution by centrifugation, and vesicle lamellarity was identified using fluorescence laser confocal microscopy. The kinetics of starch hydrolysis by AMG was modeled for two different systems, free enzyme in aqueous solution and entrapped enzyme within vesicles in aqueous suspension. For the free enzyme system, intrinsic kinetics were described by a Michaelis-Menten kinetic model with product inhibition. The kinetic constants, V

max
and K

m
, were determined by initial velocity measurements, and K

i
was obtained by fitting the model to experimental data of glucose concentration-time curves. Predicted concentration-time curves using these kinetic constants were in good agreement with experimental measurements. In the case of the vesicles, the time-dependence of product (glucose) formation was experimentally determined and simulated by considering the kinetic behavior of the enzyme and the permeation of substrate into the vesicle. Experimental results demonstrated that entrapped enzymes were much more stable than free enyzme. The entrapped enzyme could be recycled with retention of 60% activity after 3 cycles. These methodologies can be useful in evaluating other liposomal catalysis operations.