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Background and Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the laxative effects of a standardized aqueous extract of Dendropanax morbiferus H. Lév. on two different constipation rat models. Materials and Methods: Animal studies were conducted with low-fiber diet-induced and loperamide-induced constipation animal models, and isolated colons were used in ex vivo analysis to determine the changes in colonic motility caused by D. morbiferus H. Lév. leaf extract (DPL). Results: The results showed that DPL administration significantly improved certain reduced fecal parameters (number, weight, and water content of the stools) in a both low-fiber diet and loperamide-induced constipation models without adverse effects of diarrhea. The laxative effect of DPL was confirmed to improve the charcoal excretion time upon DPL treatment in a low-fiber diet or loperamide induced constipation model through gastrointestinal (GI) motility evaluation using the charcoal meal test. In addition, when DPL was administered to RAW264.7 cells and loperamide-induced constipation model rats, the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) increased significantly in cells and tissue. Furthermore, DPL dose-dependently stimulated the spontaneous contractile amplitude and frequency of the isolated rat colon. Conclusion: Although our study did not provide information on the acute or chronic toxicity of DPL, our results demonstrated that DPL can effectively promote defecation frequency and rat colon contraction, providing scientific evidence to support the use of DPL as a therapeutic application. However, further toxicity studies of DPL are needed prior to the initiation of clinical trials and clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There have been reports of neurolytic transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block using different agents such as alcohol or phenol for the treatment of chronic abdominal pain caused by malignant abdominal wall invasion. However, to date, there have been no reports on neurolytic abdominal wall blocks for pain with non-cancer-related origin in cancer patients. Case: We performed subcostal TAP neurolysis using ethanol in a patient with esophageal cancer with constant pain at the site of gastrostomy. After neurolysis, the patient's overall pain decreased, with the exception of pain in the medial part of the gastrostomy site. We performed additional rectus sheath neurolysis using ethanol for the treatment of continuous pain at the medial site, and the effect of neurolysis has persisted for over 4 months. Conclusions: Alcohol-based TAP neurolysis and rectus sheath neurolysis provide effective pain control in a cancer patient with chronic treatment-related pain involving the abdominal wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of green or eco-friendly certificates and awards on consumers' perceived value within the hotel industry, and the roles of consumers' perceived value in predicting satisfaction, intention to revisit, and intention to pay a green premium. The results of partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis from a sample of 250 guests in Sri Lankan hotels showed that our unified model includes a satisfactory level of prediction power to test the hypothesized relationships. Green certificates and green awards positively affect consumers' perceived value within the hotel industry. The findings also supported the relationship between consumers' perceived value and satisfaction, intention to revisit, and intention to pay a green premium. The empirical findings in the context of Sri Lanka provide another important insight which confirms the positive effects of green certification and green awards on consumers' perceived value and behavioral intentions, such as their intention to revisit and to pay a premium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a comparative study which examined the electrical conduction mechanisms of (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 thin films on Pt and IrO...electrodes. Information on the electrical conduction properties of bulk perovskite oxides; Details on the study; Discussion on the study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by cognitive impairment and memory loss. Amyloid β1-42 (Aβ) and hyper-phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein tau have been considered as major histological features in AD. However, the mechanism of how Aβ induces the hyper-phosphorylation of tau remains to be clarified. In the present study, we investigated the underlying cellular mechanisms of Aβ with regard to the cell cycle regulatory protein-mediated phosphorylation of tau in promoting neuronal cell death. The oligomer Aβ (5 mM) significantly increased the level of caspase 3 cleavage and has the Ability to induce cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SK-N-MC cells. Aβ induced the degree of extracellular calcium influx via the L-type channel to facilitate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Aβ signaling through ROS production is uniquely mediated by the activation of PI3K/Akt, which is in turn required for mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) phosphorylation. mTORC1 activated by Aβ further increased the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), a binding protein (4E-BP1) and p70S6K1 to stimulate the HIF1a synthesis responsible for the induction of cyclinD1/cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and cyclinE/CDK2, whereas it significantly attenuated the activation of autophagy. Aβ distinctively induced the CDK2-mediated phosphorylation of tau, which is responsible for microtubule destabilization in promoting neuronal apoptosis. In mouse hippocampal primary neurons, the apoptotic cell death induced by Aβ is highly susceptible to the mTORC1 signaling pathway. These results demonstrate that Aβ efficiently stimulates the mTORC1 signaling pathway to facilitate HIF1a synthesis and autophagy inhibition to promote the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, during which CDK2 uniquely stimulates tau phosphorylation for microtubule destabilization-mediated neuronal apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a significant contributor to carbon emissions, global logistics companies are under scrutiny from various stakeholders, and respond by disclosing carbon-related information in the form of carbon reports. Carbon disclosure is, however, a mainly voluntary practice that allows for a broad range of interpretation from the management field, which leads to different approaches to the measurement and reporting of carbon-related information. From a theoretical perspective, these different carbon-disclosure approaches in global logistics companies can be attributed to the underlying construct of competing logics, namely the market and the sustainability logic. While competing logics are frequently discussed in the current literature, little is known about their influence on shaping carbon-disclosure practices. The aim of this paper is to examine the similarities and differences in the measurement and reporting of carbon-related information in order to capture the underlying logic that drives carbon-disclosure behaviour in the global logistics industry. We adopt an interpretative content analysis approach and examine the carbon-related information using the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reports of DHL, FDX and UPS. The analysis reveals significant differences in the applied carbon-disclosure strategies, as well as in the degree of transparency between the three companies. The results also indicate that the carbon-disclosure practices of FDX are dominated by a market logic that emphasizes the economic benefits of carbon reductions, while DHL and UPS have prioritized the sustainability logic to gain a competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the efficacy of portable microcurrent therapy device (PMTD) of the hip internal rotators in the treatment of in-toeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion in children over 8 years of age. Methods Eleven children (22 legs; 4 boys and 7 girls; mean age, 10.4±1.6 years) with in-toeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion were included in the present study. All children received 60 minutes of PMTD (intensity, 25 mA; frequency, 8 Hz) applied to the hip internal rotators daily for 4 weeks. Hip internal rotation (IR) angle, external rotation (ER) angle, and midmalleolar-second toe angle (MSTA) measurement during stance phase at transverse plane and Family Satisfaction Questionnaire, frequency of tripping and fatigue like pains about the PMTD were performed before treatment and at 4 weeks after initial PMTD treatment. Paired t-test and Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results Hip IR/ER/MSTA was 70.3°±5.4°/20.1°±5.5°/-11.4°±2.7°, and 55.7°±7.8°/33.6°±8.2°/-2.6°±3.8° before treatment and at 4 weeks after initial PMTD treatment, respectively (p<0.01). Ten of 11 (91%) children's family stated that they were generally satisfied with the PMTD treatment. The frequency of tripping and fatigue like pains was significantly lower at 4 weeks after PMTD treatment (p<0.05). Excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was observed for repeated MSTA measurements between the examiners (k=0.91-0.96 and k=0.93-0.99), respectively. Conclusion PMTD of the hip internal rotators can be effective in improving the gait pattern of children with intoeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare and analyze the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in two groups based on the peak respiratory exchange ratio (RERpeak) 1.1 values using the exercise tolerance test (ETT) results, and to investigate the reasons for early termination of ETT. Methods Patients with acute coronary syndrome who participated in CR exercise training were selected and all subjects underwent 6 weeks of CR exercise training. ETT was performed on a treadmill using a Modified Bruce Protocol before and after CR exercise training. According to the result of the first ETT, the subjects were divided into two groups: those with an RERpeak≥1.1 (n=33) and those with an RERpeak<1.1 (n=22). We investigated the reasons for ETT termination and compared the effect of CR between the groups. Results The reasons for the early termination of the first ETT in the RERpeak<1.1 group were subjective dyspnea, abnormal cardiovascular responses, leg fatigue and other problems. After a 6-week CR, the peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and ETT time increased, and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and RPP (rate pressure product) at stage 3 decreased in both the RERpeak<1.1 and RERpeak≥1.1 groups. Conclusion CR exercise training improved exercise capacity, not only in the RERpeak≥1.1 group, but also in the RERpeak<1.1 group. This means that patients with a lower exercise tolerance could also benefit from the effects of CR. Thoughtful consideration to identify the direct and indirect causes for the early termination of ETT would be necessary to improve the efficiency of CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, novel adsorbents having high adsorption capability and reusability were prepared using agricultural by-products: silk sericin and lignin. Silk sericin and lignin blend beads were successfully prepared using simple coagulation methods for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solution. A 1Mlithium chloride (LiCl)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent system successfully dissolved both sericin and lignin and had sufficient viscosity for bead preparation. Compared to the conventional sericin bead adsorbent, sericin/lignin blend beads showed higher Cr(VI) adsorption capacity. The amount of lignin added to the adsorbent greatly affected the adsorption capacity of the beads, and a 50:50 sericin/lignin blend ratio was optimal. Adsorption behavior followed the Freundlich isotherm, which means the adsorption of Cr(VI) occurred on the heterogeneous surface. Cr(VI) adsorption capability increased with temperature because of thermodynamic-kinetic effects. In addition, over 90% of Cr(VI) ions were recovered from the Cr(VI) adsorbed sericin/lignin beads in a 1 M NaOH solution. The adsorption-desorption recycling process was stable for more than seven cycles, and the recycling efficiency was 82%. It is expected that the sericin/lignin beads could be successfully applied in wastewater remediation especially for hazardous Cr(VI) ions in industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the efficacy of percutaneous adhesiolysis (PA) compared to fluoroscopy (FL)-guided transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) in patients with radicular pain caused by lumbar foraminal spinal stenosis (LFSS) by assessing pain relief and functional improvement at 4 and 12 weeks post-procedure. Methods This retrospective study included 45 patients who underwent PA or FL-guided TFSEI for radicular pain caused by LFSS of at least 3 months' duration. Outcomes were assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Verbal Numeric Pain Scale (VNS) before the procedure and at 4 and 12 weeks post-procedure. A successful outcome was defined by >50% improvement in the VNS score and >40% improvement in the ODI score. Results ODI and VNS scores improved 4 and 12 weeks post-procedure in both groups. Statistically significant differences between groups were observed in ODI and VNS at 12 weeks (p<0.05). The proportion of patients with successful outcomes was significantly different between the two groups only at the 12-week time point. Conclusion Our study suggests that PA is effective for pain reduction and functional improvement in patients with chronic radicular pain caused by LFSS. Therefore, PA can be considered for patients with previous ineffective responses to conservative treatment. Although PA seems to be more effective than TFEFI according to the results of our study, in order to fully elucidate the difference in effectiveness, a prospective study with a larger sample size is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the orbital fluctuations in the ferromagnetic-metallic phase of La2-2xSr1+2xMn2O7 near x = 0.4 by considering a two orbital model within a tight-binding description which reproduces the ARPES Fermi surface. We find strong antisymmetric transverse orbital fluctuations at wavevector (0.5π, 0.5π) resulting from the Fermi-surface nesting between the portions of bonding and antibonding bands instead of the widely believed nesting between the portions of bonding band despite their flat segments, which provide an insight into the origin of so called CE-type orbital fluctuations in the ferromagnetic-metallic phase. Subsequent renormalization of the phonons near wavevector (0.5π, 0.5π) and the behavior of the phonon linewidth as a function of momentum are in agreement with the inelastic neutron scattering experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of palonosetron combined with dexamethasone for the prevention of PONV compared to dexamethasone alone in women who received intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) using fentanyl. Methods: In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 204 healthy female patients who were scheduled to undergo elective surgery under general anesthesia followed by IV-PCA for postoperative pain control were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups: the PD group (palonosetron 0.075 mg and dexamethasone 5 mg IV; n = 102) and the D group (dexamethasone 5 mg IV; n = 102). The treatments were given after the induction of anesthesia. The incidence of nausea, vomiting, severity of nausea, and the use of rescue anti-emetics during the first 48 hours after surgery were evaluated. Results: The incidence of PONV was significantly lower in the PD group compared with the D group during the 0-24 hours (43 vs. 59%) and 0-48 hours after surgery (45 vs. 63%) (P < 0.05). The severity of nausea during the 6-24 hours after surgery was significantly less in the PD group compared with the D group (P < 0.05). The incidence of rescue antiemetic used was significantly lower in the PD group than in the D group during the 0-6 hours after surgery (13.1 vs. 24.5%) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Palonosetron combined with dexamethasone was more effective in preventing PONV compared to dexamethasone alone in women receiving IV-PCA using fentanyl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of hydrogen peroxide against Escherichia coli on surfaces based on concentration and time using response surface methodology was studied. Models for E. coli reduction were developed for stainless steel, ceramic, plastic, glass, rubber, and wood treated at 1,100 ppm for 5 min. Reduction values of E. coli were 1.68, 1.33, 1.31, 1.28, 1.24, and 1.14 log CFU/cm2. All models were significant (p<0.05). Lack-of-fit values were non-significant. r2 values were close to 1 with p<0.05. The effect was insufficient to meet guidelines. An increase in the concentration or the exposure time is needed to sanitize food contact surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, methylated silk sericin (MeSS) was prepared and a bead-type drug delivery carrier was formulated for the potent treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. Sericin was reacted with methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid as a catalyst under mild conditions to form an ester bond between the carboxyl group of sericin and the hydroxyl group of methanol. The methylation of silk sericin was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and point of zero charge (pHpzc) studies. The formulated MeSS beads swelled more under acidic conditions, which is below the pHpzc of the MeSS. The release behavior of the model drug from the MeSS beads in the medium was extremely phi-sensitive. These results suggest that the formulated MeSS beads have the potential to be an effective antimicrobial agent carrier for the treatment of H. pylori infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to wide use of XPath, the problem of efficiently processing XPath queries has recently received a lot of attention. In particular, a considerable effort has been devoted to minimizing XPath queries since the efficiency of query processing greatly depends on the size of the query. Research work in this area can be classified into two categories: constraint-independent minimization and constraint-dependent minimization. The former minimizes queries in the absence of integrity constraints while the latter in the presence of them. For a linear path query, which is an XPath query without branching predicates, existing constraint-independent minimization methods are generally known to be unable to minimize the query without processing the query itself. Most recently, however, by using the DataGuide, a representative structural summary of XML data, a constraint-independent method that minimizes linear path queries in a top-down fashion has been proposed. Nevertheless, this method can fail to find a minimal query since it minimizes a query by merely erasing labels from the original query whereas a minimal query could include labels that are not present in the original query. In this paper, we propose a bottom-up approach called XMin that guarantees finding a minimal query for a given tree pattern query by using the DataGuide without processing the query itself. For the linear path query, we first show that the sequence of labels occurring in the minimal query is a subsequence of every schema label sequence that matches the original query. Here, the schema label sequence for a node is the sequence of labels from the root of XML data to the node. We then propose iterative subsequence generation that iteratively generates subsequences from the shortest schema label sequence matching the original query in a bottom-up fashion and tests query equivalence. Using iterative subsequence generation, we can always find a minimal query and we formally prove this guarantee. We also propose an extended algorithm that guarantees the minimality for the tree pattern query, which is a linear path query with branching predicates. These methods have been prototyped in a full-fledged object-relational DBMS. The experimental results using real and synthetic data sets show the practicality of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

XML keyword search is a user-friendly way to query XML data using only keywords. In XML keyword search, to achieve high precision without sacrificing recall, it is important to remove spurious results not intended by the user. Efforts to eliminate spurious results have enjoyed some success using the concepts of LCA or its variants, SLCA and MLCA. However, existing methods still could find many spurious results. The fundamental cause for the occurrence of spurious results is that the existing methods try to eliminate spurious results locally without global examination of all the query results and, accordingly, some spurious results are not consistently eliminated. In this paper, we propose a novel keyword search method that removes spurious results consistently by exploiting the new concept of structural consistency. We define structural consistency as a property that is preserved if there is no query result having an ancestor-descendant relationship at the schema level with any other query results. A naive solution to obtain structural consistency would be to compute all the LCAs (or variants) and then to remove spurious results according to structural consistency. Obviously, this approach would always be slower than existing LCA-based ones. To speed up structural consistency checking, we must be able to examine the query results at the schema level without generating all the LCAs. However, this is a challenging problem since the schema-level query results do not homomorphically map to the instance-level query results, causing serious false dismissal. We present a comprehensive and practical solution to this problem and formally prove that this solution preserves structural consistency at the schema level without incurring false dismissal. We also propose a relevance-feedback-based solution for the problem where our method has low recall, which occurs when it is not the user’s intention to find more specific results. This solution has been prototyped in a full-fledged object-relational DBMS Odysseus developed at KAIST. Experimental results using real and synthetic data sets show that, compared with the state-of-the-art methods, our solution significantly (1) improves precision while providing comparable recall for most queries and (2) enhances the query performance by removing spurious results early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore and investigate the process of green management adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises. Design/methodology/approach - The study used the qualitative methods of case study, in-depth interviews and document analysis to collect data from two companies, one in the acoustic equipment, the other in the electronics industry. Findings - The paper finds that the extant literature in the field of business and management has largely ignored green management practices within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study finds that SMEs can make themselves greener by making strategic and organizational changes. For greener management, the factors of organizational structure, innovation capability, human resources, cost savings and competitive advantage can influence organizational change. The outcomes of the case studies confirmed this. The paper argues that further research is needed in order to identify how management practice might reduce negative sustainability impacts. The paper argues that such research can benefit from the methodological and theoretical insights of other disciplines. Originality/value - The paper is of benefit to academics and managers by providing a new way to consider green management and strategies of SMEs. Since green sustainability is obviously challenging to all companies, to increase understanding of how to cope with green management is necessary, but has been rarely researched in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of corporate social responsiveness by examining the relationship between corporate responsiveness strategy and stakeholders. Employing a case study method, an empirical analysis is carried out in 15 Korean electronics companies. Depending on top managers' understanding and commitment to stakeholders, four corporate social responsibility (CSR) responsive strategies are outlined and discussed. The study contributes to managerial decision making by identifying responsiveness strategies to counter corporate competitiveness threats and loss of stakeholder trust. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerated silk fibroin (SF) filaments could be prepared by wet spinning in common solvent/coagulation system. SF was directly dissolved in mixture solvent of phosphoric acid and formic acid (20/80–30/70 ratio) and coagulated in methanol bath. The concentration and stability of SF dope solution have been studied by varying the mixture ratios of these solvents in accordance with elucidating the role of formic acid in the mixture solvent system. Morphological structure as well as crystalline structure of the regenerated filament was examined using SEM and XRD analyses. As a result of tensile test, the regenerated SF filament, which was made by one‐step dissolution and coagulation process, had good mechanical properties, 2.3 gf/d tenacity and 18% breaking strain. In this study, a simple wet spinning method which enables to apply to practical production has been reported for the preparation of the regenerated SF filament. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current prescriptions for organisational eco-change, which are often driven by a desire to show companies the `right way forward', are often dominated by rhetoric and are reliant on the assumption that organisations will voluntarily become greener. There is little evidence to support any of these assumptions. Assuming that the primary motivating force for business corporations is the pursuit of organisational sustainability through the attainment of competitive advantage, corporate contributions to sustainability must stem from self-interest and survival instincts. This study seeks to develop a corporate understanding of emerging environmental concerns and their impacts on organisational survival and profitability. By focusing on the strategic assessment of change drivers-top management's commitment and strategic importance of green issues-this paper studies 15 companies in the Korean chemical industry and develops four strategic response models ranging from lagging to proactive catalyst This study finds that top management's commitment has a direct and indirect impact on corporate environmental responses and strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]