bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preferences and practices among renters regarding smoking restrictions in apartment buildings
Authors: Hennrikus D , Pentel P R , Sandell S D 
Published: May 2003

Objective:This study assessed renters’ preferences for official smoking policies in their buildings and their practices concerning restricting tobacco smoking in their apartments.Design:Renters (n = 301) living in large apartment complexes in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, completed a mail survey.Main outcome measures:The survey asked about the official smoking policies in place in their apartment buildings, their preferences for policies, whether they had smelled tobacco smoke coming into their apartments from without, and, if so, what they had done about it.Results:The majority of non-smokers (79%) preferred that their building be smoke-free. When asked to identify the current smoking policy in their buildings, residents disagreed substantially. Most renters (60%) reported smoke-free policies in their own apartments and another significant proportion (23%) restricted smoking to certain areas or occasions or persons. 75% thought that enforcing a smoke-free policy for guests would not be difficult. 53% of those in non-smoking households had smelled tobacco smoke in their apartments; most of these reported being bothered by it. However, very few complained to the building owner or manager (15.5%) or to the smoker (6.9%).Conclusions:The majority of non-smokers preferred that their buildings be smoke-free. A failure to report problems to apartment managers might be an impediment to instituting smoke-free policies in apartment buildings. The considerable disagreement among residents within apartment complexes about the current official smoking policy in their buildings suggests that policies are lacking or are not well communicated.
From adversary to target market: the ACT-UP boycott of Philip Morris
Authors: Offen N , Smith E A , Malone R E 
Published: May 2003

Background:In 1990, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) sparked a year long boycott of Philip Morris’s Marlboro cigarettes and Miller beer. The boycott protested the company’s support of Senator Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), a leading opponent of AIDS funding and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. ACT-UP demanded that Philip Morris sever its ties with Helms and acknowledge its responsibility to the LGBT community and to people with AIDS.Objective:To assess the impact of the boycott on the LGBT community, the tobacco industry, and the tobacco control movement; and to determine what lessons tobacco control advocates can extract from this case.Data sources:Internal tobacco industry documents and newspaper archives.Methods:Search of tobacco industry documents websites using “boycott”, “ACT-UP”, “gay”, and other terms.Results:Philip Morris used the boycott to its own advantage. It exploited differences within the community and settled the boycott by pledging large donations to combat AIDS. Through corporate philanthropy, Philip Morris gained entrée to the LGBT market without appearing gay friendly. Many LGBT organisations, thirsty for recognition and funding from mainstream corporations, welcomed Philip Morris’s overtures without considering the health hazards of tobacco.Conclusions:Unless the goal of a boycott is to convince the tobacco industry to abandon tobacco altogether, such actions invite the industry to expand its marketing under the guise of philanthropy. Tobacco control advocates should be clear about goals and acceptable settlement terms before participating in a boycott of a tobacco company.
Thinking the “unthinkable”: why Philip Morris considered quitting: Figure 1
Authors: Smith E A , Malone R E 
Published: May 2003

Objective:To investigate the genesis and development of tobacco company Philip Morris’s recent image enhancement strategies and analyse their significance.Data sources:Internal Philip Morris documents, made available by the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco companies and the attorneys general of 46 states, and secondary newspaper sources.Study selection:Searches of the Philip Morris documents website (www.pmdocs.com) beginning with terms such as “image management” and “identity” and expanding as relevant new terms (consultant names, project names, and dates), were identified, using a “snowball” sampling strategy.Findings and conclusions:In the early 1990s, Philip Morris, faced with increasing pressures generated both externally, from the non-smokers’ rights and public health communities, and internally, from the conflicts among its varied operating companies, seriously considered leaving the tobacco business. Discussions of this option, which occurred at the highest levels of management, focused on the changing social climate regarding tobacco and smoking that the tobacco control movement had effected. However, this option was rejected in favour of the image enhancement strategy that culminated with the recent “Altria” name change. This analysis suggests that advocacy efforts have the potential to significantly denormalise tobacco as a corporate enterprise.
HARMONIC MORPHISMS FROM EINSTEIN 4-MANIFOLDS TO RIEMANN SURFACES
Authors: VILLE MARINA 
Published: May 2003

If M and N are Riemannian manifolds, a harmonic morphism f : M → N is a map which pulls back local harmonic functions on N to local harmonic functions on M. If M is an Einstein 4-manifold and N is a Riemann surface, John Wood showed that such an f is holomorphic w.r.t. some integrable complex Hermitian structure defined on M away from the singular points of f. In this paper we extend this complex structure to the entire manifold M. It follows that there are no non-constant harmonic morphisms from [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] to a Riemann surface. The proof relies heavily on the real analyticity of the whole situation. We conclude by an example of a non-constant harmonic morphism from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text].
REPRESENTING AND SOLVING ASYMMETRIC DECISION PROBLEMS
Authors: NIELSEN THOMAS D. , JENSEN FINN V. 
Published: May 2003

This paper deals with the representation and solution of asymmetric Bayesian decision problems. We present a formal framework, termed asymmetric influence diagrams. The framework is based on the syntax and semantics of the traditional influence diagram, and allows an efficient representation of asymmetric decision problems. As opposed to existing frameworks, the asymmetric influence diagram primarily encodes asymmetry at the qualitative level and it can therefore be read directly from the model. We give an algorithm for solving asymmetric influence diagrams. The algorithm initially decomposes the asymmetric decision problem into a structure of symmetric subproblems organized as a tree. A solution to the decision problem can then be found by propagating from the leaves towards the root using existing evaluation methods to solve the subproblems.
GLOBAL CONVERGENCE IN PARTIALLY FULLY CONNECTED NETWORKS (PFCN) WITH LIMITED RELAYS
Authors: AZADMANESH AZAD , KRINGS AXEL W. , GHAHRAMANI BAHADOR 
Published: May 2003

In a distributed system, it is often necessary for nodes to agree on a particular event or to coordinate their activities. Applications of distributed agreement are many, such as Commit Protocols in distributed database systems, selection of a monitor node in a distributed system, detecting an intruder, or agreeing on the malicious behavior of a node. Among many forms of Distributed Agreement, one form is called Approximate Agreement (AA), in which the nodes, by exchanging their local values with other nodes, need to agree on values which are approximately equal to each other. Research on AA for fully connected networks is relatively mature. In contrast, the study of AA in partially connected networks has been very limited. More specifically, no general solution to the AA problem exists for such networks. This research solves the AA problem for a specific, scalable, partially connected network with limited relays. The research considers the worst failure mode of nodes, called Byzantine, and hybrid failure modes. The results show low communication cost in comparison to fully connected networks. The network is designed to take advantage of the results available for fully connected networks. Thus, the analysis for obtaining the expressions for Convergence Rate and Fault Tolerance becomes relatively easy.
Modulation of Interleukin-1 Receptors Followed by Endotoxin Lipopolysaccharide Treatment in the Mouse AtT-20 Pituitary Tumor Cell Line
Authors: Kumagai Chizuru , Takao Toshihiro , Matsumoto Reiko , Asaba Koichi , Hashimoto Kozo 
Published: May 2003

<i>Objective:</i> We have previously reported the characterization and regulation of interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptors utilizing [<sup>125</sup>I]IL-1 binding assay in male C57BL/6 mice and the mouse AtT-20 pituitary tumor cells. In the present study, we examine IL-1 receptors using an immunoblotting method to further characterize the mechanisms regulating the interactions of IL-1 receptors with endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). <i>Methods:</i> We established Western blotting for IL-1 receptors using AtT-20 mouse pituitary tumor cells. <i>Results:</i> Several bands were seen; however, only the 105-kD band was neutralized with a 5-fold excess of IL-1 receptor- blocking peptides, suggesting that this band is specific for IL-1 receptors. Next, we investigated the effect of LPS and IL-1β on IL-1 receptors. Treatment of AtT-20 cells with 0.01 µg/ml of LPS did not affect IL-1 receptors. In contrast, 1 µg/ml of LPS significantly increased IL-1 receptors in AtT-20 cells compared with the control group. In addition, [<sup>125</sup>I]IL-1β binding was markedly increased followed by 1 µg/ml of LPS. In contrast, 1 n<i>M</i> recombinant human IL-1β significantly decreased IL-1 receptors in AtT-20 cells compared with the control group although treatment of AtT-20 cells with 0.01 n<i>M</i> IL-1β did not affect IL-1 receptors. LPS (0.1 and 1 µg/ml) did not affect IL-1β concentrations in the medium of AtT-20 cell culture. IL-1β concentrations in the homogenates from AtT-20 cells were significantly decreased after 1 µg/ml of LPS treatment but not after 0.01 µg/ml LPS. <i>Conclusions:</i> These data demonstrate that LPS and IL-1β differentially modulate IL-1 receptors in AtT-20 cells and LPS-induced modulation of IL-1 receptors may provide a novel mechanism for the actions of LPS to alter pituitary function during endotoxemia. Additional in vivo studies are necessary to determine the physiological relevance of this in vitro phenomenon.
Transcranial Color Duplex Sonography in Cerebrovascular Disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Baumgartner Ralf W. 
Published: May 2003

Transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCS) enables the reliable assessment of intracranial stenoses (sensitivity 94–100%, specificity 99–100%), occlusions (middle cerebral artery: sensitivity 93–100%, specificity 98–100%) and cross-flow through the anterior (sensitivity 98%, specificity 100%) and posterior (sensitivity 84%, specificity 94%) communicating arteries without using potentially dangerous compression tests, as well as the midline shift in hemispheric infarcts. Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) increase the number of conclusive TCCS studies and allow the definite evaluation of intracranial arteries in most patients. TCCS is also useful for diagnosis and monitoring of vasospasm and detection of supratentorial hematomas (sensitivity 94%, specificity 95%) and aneurysms (sensitivity per patient 40–78%, specificity 90–91%), and may identify arteriovenous malformations. New developments are (1) UCAs that may increase the number of conclusive TCCS studies, (2) cerebral perfusion assessment, (3) measurement of arteriovenous cerebral transit time, which might enable the detection of small-vessel disease, and (4) site-targeted UCAs that may improve diagnosis and local drug delivery.
Cyclophosphamide Pulse Therapy in Advanced Progressive IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Rasche Franz Maximilian , Klotz Christoph Hubert , Czock David , Karges Wolfram , Muche Rainer , Jehle Peter Michael , Mertz Andreas , Keller Frieder 
Published: May 2003

For advanced progressive primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) no established therapy exists. We conducted a prospective, uncontrolled trial to evaluate the effect of intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse (CyP) therapy on the course of advanced progressive IgAN. Twenty-one patients (mean age 52 ± 10 years; male/female 20/1) with biopsy-proven IgAN without crescentic extracapillary proliferation and a serum creatinine of more than 2.0 mg/dl and/or an increase more than 25% in the previous 3 months were included. Patients were treated with CyP (750 mg/m<sup>2 </sup>body surface area) every 4 weeks for 6 months and low dose oral prednisolone. The loss of renal function per year was significantly reduced from 16% before therapy to 4% after therapy (p < 0.001). A further increase >25% of serum creatinine after therapy was observed in 8 patients after 0.7 years (range 0.3–3.0 years), and 3 of these patients developed end-stage renal disease. Proteinuria decreased significantly during CyP therapy. A low nadir of white blood cell and platelet count was associated with a better renal outcome (p = 0.025). In conclusion, CyP therapy and low dose oral prednisolone is effective in preserving renal function in a subgroup of patients with advanced progressive IgAN.
Mechanisms of Down-Regulation of the Renal Parathyroid Hormone Receptor in Rats with Chronic Renal Failure
Authors: Josifovska Tatjana , Nonoguchi Hiroshi , Machida Kenji , Tomita Kimio 
Published: May 2003

Hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and resistance to the action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) are well-characterized features in advanced chronic renal failure (CRF). Their pathogenesis has been attributed to both PTH receptor (PTH-R) down-regulation and postreceptor abnormalities. In this study, we examined the renal expression of the PTH-R mRNA in CRF (5/6 nephrectomy) rats. Experiments were also performed to determine whether an acidic condition and PTH itself influence PTH-R mRNA expression. RT-competitive PCR was used to examine mRNA expression, and polyclonal antibody against PTH-R was used for Western blot. PTH-R mRNA expression was abundant in glomeruli, proximal convoluted and straight tubules (PCT, PST), small in medullary and cortical thick ascending limbs, and cortical collecting ducts and not detectable in outer and inner medullary collecting ducts. The expression was significantly decreased in PCT and PST in CRF rats. Decrease in PTH-R mRNA expression was observed 1 week after the induction of CRF. PTH-R protein was decreased at 2 (–23%) and 4 (–45%) weeks in renal cortex, but not in medulla in CRF rats. PTH-R mRNA expression in PST was decreased by low pH (7.1 or 6.7) incubation compared with that at pH 7.4. PTH(1–34) (10<sup>–9</sup> <i>M</i>) increased PTH-R mRNA expression in PST from control rats by 250%. The stimulatory effect of PTH on PTH-R mRNA expression was decreased by the incubation at low pH medium. In summary, renal PTH-R is down-regulated in CRF rats. The decrease in mRNA expression in PCT and PST causes the decrease in PTH-R protein. Metabolic acidosis may participate in the down-regulation of PTH-R in early stage of CRF. This abnormality could be important in the pathogenesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism of CRF.
Radiation Treatment for Aggressive Fibromatosis: Findings from Observed Patterns of Local Failure
Authors: Park Hee Chul , Pyo Hong Ryull , Shin Kyoo-Ho , Suh Chang Ok 
Published: May 2003

<i>Purpose:</i> We retrospectively evaluated the outcome of patients treated with radiotherapy, with or without surgery, for aggressive fibromatosis. The patterns of local failure were analyzed to determine the optimum radiation dose and volume for irradiation. <i>Patients and Methods: </i>Twenty-four patients with histologically confirmed aggressive fibromatosis were treated with radiation therapy at the Yonsei Cancer Center between 1990 and 1998. The radiation dose per patient ranged from 39.6 to 59.4 Gy (mean: 49.4 Gy). The entire operative bed, with a generous margin, was included in the radiotherapy volume. Patients were considered as locally controlled if there was no evidence of the disease during their follow-up period, and if the tumors were stable for more than 2 years. The minimum duration of the follow-up period was 26 months, with a median of 69 months. <i>Results:</i> The actuarial 10-year recurrence-free and overall survival were 88.5 and 100%, respectively. Patients who had a recurrence were salvaged by combined surgery and re-irradiation. Recurrences developed only in patients who had a recurrent disease after surgery and were treated with an inadequate radiation volume. In 9 patients with a gross measurable disease, there were no in-field failures; these had been treated with a median of 50.4 Gy (range: 40–60 Gy) of radiation. Eight patients with a microscopic residual disease were also locally controlled with 41.4–59.4 Gy (median: 45 Gy) of radiation. No patient has developed either secondary malignancy or any serious radiation complications. <i>Conclusion:</i> Radiotherapy for aggressive fibromatosis can be an effective treatment option for maintaining a disease-free status. As fibromatosis, with either a microscopic, or a gross residual disease, can be controlled with a moderate dose of radiation, adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy following surgical excision is recommended with the least sufficient margin to preserve good function and cosmesis. The geographic relationship may require a more precise definition; in addition, regardless of the existence of neighborhood normal tissue barriers, a wide coverage of the radiation volume may be needed.
Proliferation and Hepatic Differentiation of Adult-Derived Progenitor Cells
Authors: Wang Jian , Clark J. Brian , Rhee Gyu-Seek , Fair Jeff H. , Reid Lola M. , Gerber David A. 
Published: May 2003

Hepatic progenitor cells, capable of maturing into hepatocytes and biliary cells, are hypothesized to be involved in all forms of liver regeneration and may prove clinically useful at reconstituting damaged livers. A murine hepatic progenitor cell population from young adult liver tissue has been isolated and characterized to establish a model for the development of liver cell therapies and for analysis of immune responses after transplantation. Hepatic progenitor cells were isolated from 3- to 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice using modifications of a two-stage liver perfusion technique followed by low speed centrifugation. Cellular analysis by phase contrast, fluorescent and confocal microscopy demonstrated that the hepatic progenitors (1) formed ex vivo colonies with a morphological appearance similar to committed hepatocytic progenitors isolated from embryonic mice and rats; (2) they are smaller than mature hepatocytes; (3) in culture they demonstrated peak expression of an oval cell marker at day 14, whereas albumin expression continued to increase beyond day 21 of culture, and (4) a subset of the progenitors phenotypically differentiated into mature hepatocytes or biliary cells. The unique antigenic profile of these hepatic progenitor cells and their ability to differentiate suggests that purification of the cells should allow for their potential use in transplantation.
The Nonionic Radiocontrast Medium Iopromide Does Not Release Endothelin-1 or Activate Cardiac Mast Cells during Coronary Angiography
Authors: Simon Michael R. , Reher Randall L. , Long P. Michael , Yellayi Kalyani 
Published: May 2003

<i>Background:</i> High osmolal ionic radiocontrast media (RCM) cause vascular release of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and activate mast cells. Iomeprol, a nonionic RCM, has recently been reported not to activate cardiac mast cells. This coronary angiography study was performed to extend those findings using another nonionic RCM, iopromide, and to further determine whether iopromide causes release of ET-1. <i>Methods:</i> Pulmonary artery plasma ET-1, histamine and serum tryptase were determined before and 30 min following angiography with iopromide in 11 subjects. ET-1, histamine and tryptase were measured using immunoassays. <i>Results:</i> The concentrations of ET-1 (1.36 ± 0.66 pg/ml), histamine (2.63 ± 1.15 n<i>M</i>), and β (<1 µg/l) as well as total tryptase (8.25 ± 4.63 µg/l) in the preangiography samples were within the normal range. Following angiography, the concentrations of ET-1 (0.95 ± 0.80 pg/ml), histamine (3.08 ± 1.06 n<i>M</i>), and β (<1 µg/l) and total tryptase (7.00 ± 5.56 µg/l) were not significantly different. None of the subjects demonstrated a postangiography increase in mediator concentration. <i>Conclusions:</i> This study demonstrates the lack of release of ET-1 by iopromide. The lack of cardiac mast cell activation by iopromide is consistent with the report that iomeprol also does not activate cardiac mast cells.
Study of Nocturnal Sleep and the Carryover Effects of Triazolam and Brotizolam Using Neurophysiological and Subjective Methods
Authors: Suzuki Hideaki , Yamadera Hiroshi , Asayama Kentaro , Kudo Yoshihisa , Ito Takao , Tamura Yoshiatsu , Endo Shunkichi 
Published: May 2003

In the present study, the effects of short-acting benzodiazepines on nocturnal sleep and the carryover effects of these drugs were studied. The study involved 10 young, healthy male subjects who had given their written informed consent to participate. Either a placebo (PLA), 0.125 mg triazolam (TRZ), 0.25 mg TRZ or 0.25 mg brotizolam (BRZ) was administered to the subjects in a double-blind crossover design by randomized allocation with a single oral administration at 23.00 h. A polysomnography (PSG) was recorded for each subject from 23.00 to 07.00 h the following day. Then, the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and Kwansei Gakuin Sleepiness Scale (KSS) were checked between 07.55 and 08.00 h, and the sleep latency test (SLT) was performed between 08.00 and 08.20 h. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were then recorded with an oddball paradigm; the reaction time (RT) was measured simultaneously. According to the PSG, treatment with 0.25 mg TRZ resulted in a statistically significant increase in the percentage of stage 2 sleep (p < 0.05) and a reduction in the percentage of rapid eye movement sleep (p < 0.05) compared with PLA. None of the drugs had any effect on the percentage of slow-wave sleep compared with PLA. With regard to carryover effects, although none of the drugs had any effect on SSS, KSS, RT or ERPs, BRZ did cause a statistically significant decrease in sleep latency (p < 0.05) compared with PLA. TRZ (0.125 and 0.25 mg) and 0.25 mg BRZ exerted different effects on SLT. We suggest that these different effects are attributable to differences in the half-life of these hypnotics.