Purpose The aim of this paper is to analyse the marketing strategy in China of the furnishing retailer IKEA in the context of standardisation and adaptation of marketing activities. IKEA’s strategy in China is compared to its corporate strategy throughout the rest of the world. Design/methodology/approach The four P classifications are used as a framework to compare the central marketing strateg

Cerebral ischemia results in enhanced expression of smooth muscle cell endothelin and angiotensin receptors in cerebral arteries. We hypothesise that this phenomenon may be detrimental and that acute treatment with a combined non-hypotensive dose of the angiotensin AT, receptor inhibitor candesartan and the endothelin ETA receptor antagonist ZD 1611 reduces the infarct in experimental ischemic str

Previous studies have shown increased cardiovascular mortality as late side effects in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. This study identifies stratifying risk factors for surveillance and defines concepts for a clinical feasible and noninvasive prospective protocol for intervention of cardiovascular side effects. HL patients diagnosed between 1965 and 1995 (n = 6.946) and their first-degree relativ

Proline/arginine-rich end leucine-rich repeat protein (PRELP) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)- and collagen-binding anchor protein highly expressed in cartilage, basement membranes, and developing bone. We observed that PRELP inhibited in vitro and in vivo mouse osteoclastogenesis through its GAG-binding domain ((PRELP)-P-hbd), involving (a) cell internalization through a chondroitin sulfate-and anne

This study investigates the establishment of alternative cell fates during embryoid body differentiation when ES cells diverge into two epithelia simulating the pre-gastrulation endoderm and ectoderm. We report that endoderm differentiation and endoderm-specitic gene expression, such as expression of laminin 1 subunits, is controlled by GATA6 induced by FGF. Subsequently, differentiation of the no

In order to study the metabolic fate of chlorinated fatty acids in fish, goldfish were fed either 9,10-dichlorostearic acid or oleic acid, chosen as the unchlorinated analogue, both radiolabelled at either the carboxyl (1st) or the terminal (18th) carbon of the fatty acid chain. By keeping the fish in hermetically closed aquaria, all the respired, assimilated and excreted radioactivity could be ac

The reaction center protein D1 in photosystem II shows a high turnover during illumination. The degradation of the DI protein is preceded by photoinhibition of the electron transport in photosystem II. There are two distinct mechanisms for this: acceptor-side- and donor-side-induced photoinhibition. Here, donor-side-induced photoinhibition was studied in photosystem II membranes after Cl- depletio

We report on magnetoresistance (MR) studies on Co/AlOX/Au and Co/AlOX/Ni/Au magnetic tunnel junctions. In spite of the fact that the difference between the two samples is merely a 3 nm thick Ni layer, there is a sharp contrast in MR behavior indicating that the electronic structure at the interface between the ferromagnetic electrodes and the insulating barrier dominates the MR signal. The former

Objective: To examine the possible relationships of breast cancer risk to prediagnostic plasma levels of insulin; insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I); and IGF-binding proteins -1, -2, and -3. Methods: Within two prospective cohorts in Umea and Malmo we measured plasma concentrations of insulin, IGF-I, and IGFBPs for a total of 513 incident breast cancer cases and 987 matched controls. Results: Gl

We have observed radiation from highly charged molybdenum ions in the JET tokamak plasmas. Spectra were recorded in the wavelength range 70-110 Angstrom, resulting in the classification of 15 new n = 3. Deltan = 0 transitions in Mo XXIV-Mo XXVIII.

Software engineering is not only about technical solutions. It is to a large extent also concerned with organizational issues, project management and human behaviour. For a discipline like software engineering, empirical methods are crucial, since they allow for incorporating human behaviour into the research approach taken. Empirical methods are common practice in many other disciplines. This cha

While bringing considerable flexibility and extending the horizons of mobile computing, mobile code raises major security issues. Hence, mobile code, such as Java applets, needs to be analyzed before execution. The byte-code verifier checks low-level security properties that ensure that the downloaded code cannot bypass the virtual machine's security mechanisms. One of the statically ensured prope

The influence of shock waves, driven by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), on laser-accelerated proton beams is investigated. A local deformation, produced by a cold shock wave launched by the ablation pressure of the ASE pedestal, can under oblique laser irradiation significantly direct the proton beam toward the laser axis. This can be understood in the frame of target normal sheath accelerat

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dose on lesion detection and characterization in breast tomosynthesis (BT), using human breast specimens. Images of 27 lesions in breast specimens were acquired on a BT prototype based on a Mammomat Novation (Siemens) full-field digital mammography (FFDM) system. Two detector modes - binned (2x1 in the scan direction) and full resolution -

A new limonoid, 3,7-dideacetyl-6 alpha-hydroxykhivorin, together with khivorin, 3-deacetylkhivorin, 7-deacetoxy-3-deacetyi-7-oxokhivorin, and 6-deoxydestigloylswietenine acetate have been isolated from,the seeds of Khaya senegatensis. Their structures were established by analysis of the high-field NMR and MS data.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is thought to positively regulate mast cell activation, implying a role in allergic responses. We have compared acute and late phase allergic airway reactions in mice lacking either Btk or interleukin-2-inducible T cell kinase (Itk), another Tec kinase expressed in mast cells. Btk(-/-) mice showed minor protection against allergic symptoms when challenged with allerg