1,462 research outputs found

    I \u3cem\u3eSee\u3c/em\u3e What You\u27re Saying : Trademarked Terms and Symbols as Protected Consumer Commentary in Consumer Opinion Websites

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    Although there are a wide array of unresolved trademark issues with regard to the Internet, this Comment will not address disputes involving anything beyond the visible content of an individual\u27s website. Domain name and meta-tag issues, though often referenced in order to demonstrate trends in analysis, are not the subjects of this inquiry. Rather, this Comment will focus on the triumvirate of claims most frequently asserted against individual web masters in the battle over the propriety of consumer commentary: trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution. A recent court decision, Bally Total Fitness v. Faber, provides an example of the analysis a court should engage in when considering whether or not a consumer opinion website violates the rights of a trademark owner. Section III of this Comment will describe this analysis in an overview of Bally. Section IV will discuss the Lanham Act\u27s use in commerce requirement, scrutinizing recent approaches to this inquiry and illustrating how a broad interpretation of use in commerce and the tendency of courts to treat trademarks as property harms an individual\u27s ability to engage in a dialog about products and services. Finally, section V will demonstrate why consumer opinion websites, even if held to be subject to suit, should not be enjoined from using trademarks. An examination of the statutory requirements demonstrates that such sites do not constitute infringement, dilution, or unfair competition

    I \u3cem\u3eSee\u3c/em\u3e What You\u27re Saying : Trademarked Terms and Symbols as Protected Consumer Commentary in Consumer Opinion Websites

    Get PDF
    Although there are a wide array of unresolved trademark issues with regard to the Internet, this Comment will not address disputes involving anything beyond the visible content of an individual\u27s website. Domain name and meta-tag issues, though often referenced in order to demonstrate trends in analysis, are not the subjects of this inquiry. Rather, this Comment will focus on the triumvirate of claims most frequently asserted against individual web masters in the battle over the propriety of consumer commentary: trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution. A recent court decision, Bally Total Fitness v. Faber, provides an example of the analysis a court should engage in when considering whether or not a consumer opinion website violates the rights of a trademark owner. Section III of this Comment will describe this analysis in an overview of Bally. Section IV will discuss the Lanham Act\u27s use in commerce requirement, scrutinizing recent approaches to this inquiry and illustrating how a broad interpretation of use in commerce and the tendency of courts to treat trademarks as property harms an individual\u27s ability to engage in a dialog about products and services. Finally, section V will demonstrate why consumer opinion websites, even if held to be subject to suit, should not be enjoined from using trademarks. An examination of the statutory requirements demonstrates that such sites do not constitute infringement, dilution, or unfair competition

    Caffeine Consumption in Switzerland: Results from the First National Nutrition Survey MenuCH.

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    Caffeine is a natural psychostimulant with a potentially positive impact on health when consumed in moderation and a negative impact at high dose (> 400 mg/day). So far, no study has examined self-reported caffeine consumption in Switzerland. Our objectives were to determine 1) the caffeine consumption per adult, 2) the main sources of caffeine intake in the Swiss diet, and 3) the timing of caffeine consumption during the day. We used data from the 2014-2015 national nutrition survey menuCH (adults aged 18 to 75 years old, n = 2057, weighted n = 4,627,878), consisting of two 24-hour dietary recalls. Caffeine content in consumed foods was systematically assessed using laboratory analyses in samples of Swiss caffeinated beverages, information from food composition databases, and estimations from standard recipes. Mean (± SD) daily caffeine consumption per person and percentile 95 were 191 mg/day (± 129) and 426 mg/day, respectively. We observed differences in mean caffeine consumption across age groups (18-34 y: 140 mg/day; 50-64 y: 228 mg/day), linguistic regions (German-speaking: 204 mg/day; French-speaking: 170 mg/day, Italian-speaking: 136 mg/day), and smoking status (never smokers: 171 mg/day; current smokers: 228 mg/day). The three main sources of caffeine intake were 1) coffee (83% of total caffeine intake), 2) tea (9%) and 3) soft drinks (4%). Caffeine consumption was highest between 06:00 and 09:00 (29%) and the circadian rhythm slightly differed across linguistic regions and age groups. The mean caffeine consumption in the Swiss adult population was similar to that reported in neighbouring countries

    Risk factors for vulnerable youth in urban townships in South Africa: the potential contribution of reactive attachment disorder

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    Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a psychiatric disorder developing in early or middle childhood as a consequence of significant failures in the caregiving environment. RAD results in children failing to relate socially, either by exhibiting markedly inhibited behaviour or by indiscriminate social behaviour and is associated with significant socio-behavioural problems in the longer term. This study examined RAD in South Africa, a setting with high environmental risks. We recruited a sub-sample of 40 10-year-old children from a cohort enrolled during pregnancy for whom early attachment status was known. Children were purposefully selected to represent the four attachment categories using the data available on the strange situation procedure (SSP) at 18 months. The Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) assessed current attachment and RAD was diagnosed using a standardised assessment package. A high proportion of the children (5/40% or 12.5%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for RAD; all were boys and were displaying the disinhibited type. SSP classification at 18 months was not significantly associated with RAD symptoms at age of 10 years, while current MCAST classifications were. This suggests that children in this sample are at much higher risk of RAD than in high-income populations, and despite a fairly typical attachment distribution in this population at 18 months, RAD was evidenced in later childhood and associated with current attachment disorganisation. The strengths of this research include its longitudinal nature and use of diagnostic assessments. Given increasing evidence that RAD is relatively stable over time and introduces longer term socio-behavioural risks; the high rate of RAD in this sample (12.5%) highlights potential developmental threats to children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our results should be interpreted with caution given sample size and risk of selection bias. Further research is needed to confirm these findings

    High-performance laser-pumped rubidium frequency standard for satellite navigation

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    Heart rate variability in association with frequent use of household sprays and scented products in SAPALDIA

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    Background: Household cleaning products are associated with adverse respiratory health outcomes, but the cardiovascular health effects are largely unknown.Objective: We determined if long-term use of household sprays and scented products at home was associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of autonomic cardiac dysfunction.Methods: We recorded 24-hr electrocardiograms in a cross-sectional survey of 581 Swiss adults, 1, 1-3, or 4-7 days/week, unexposed (reference)] of using cleaning sprays, air freshening sprays, and scented products.Results: Decreases in 24-hr SDNN and TP were observed with frequent use of all product types, but the strongest reductions were associated with air freshening sprays. Compared with unexposed participants, we found that using air freshening sprays 4-7 days/week was associated with 11% [95% confidence interval (CI): -20%, -2%] and 29% (95% CI: -46%, -8%) decreases in 24-hr SDNN and TP, respectively. Inverse associations of 24-SDNN and TP with increased use of cleaning sprays, air freshening sprays, and scented products were observed mainly in participants with obstructive lung disease (p > 0.05 for interactions).Conclusions: In predominantly older adult women, long-term frequent use of household spray and scented products was associated with reduced HRV, which suggests an increased risk of cardiovascular health hazards. People with preexisting pulmonary conditions may be more susceptibl

    Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Viral Infections and Acute Graft Rejection in Lung Transplant Recipients

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    Background. Lung transplant recipients are frequently exposed to respiratory viruses and are particularly at risk for severe complications. The aim of this study was to assess the association among the presence of a respiratory virus detected by molecular assays in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, respiratory symptoms, and acute rejection in adult lung transplant recipients. Methods. Upper (nasopharyngeal swab) and lower (BAL) respiratory tract specimens from 77 lung transplant recipients enrolled in a cohort study and undergoing bronchoscopy with BAL and transbronchial biopsies were screened using 17 different polymerase chain reaction—based assays. Results. BAL fluid and biopsy specimens from 343 bronchoscopic procedures performed in 77 patients were analyzed. We also compared paired nasopharyngeal and BAL fluid specimens collected in a subgroup of 283 cases. The overall viral positivity rate was 29.3% in the upper respiratory tract specimens and 17.2% in the BAL samples (P < .001). We observed a significant association between the presence of respiratory symptoms and positive viral detection in the lower respiratory tract (P = .012). Conversely, acute rejection was not associated with the presence of viral infection (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.88). The recovery of lung function was significantly slower when acute rejection and viral infection were both present. Conclusions. A temporal relationship exists between acute respiratory symptoms and positive viral nucleic acid detection in BAL fluid from lung transplant recipients. We provide evidence suggesting that respiratory viruses are not associated with acute graft rejection during the acute phase of infectio

    Quality care in vesico-vaginal obstetric fistula: case series report from the regional hospital of Maroua-Cameroon

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    The World Health Organization (WHO) proposes a successful closure rate for first repair of vesico-vaginal obstetric fistula to be at 85% in each facility, with the continence achievement among the closed cases at 90 %. We are reporting the vesico-vaginal obstetric fistula outcome at the provincial hospital of Maroua- Cameroon from 2005 to August 2007. Among the overall 32 patients with vesico-vaginal fistula operated, 25 patients were at their first operation. The complete closure of vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) was 23/25 (92%) and among the 23 patients with complete closure 17(74%) had good continence. When we consider only the 25 patients who were at their first operation, the overall closure of VVF was 23/25 (92%) and among them 17/23 (74%) were continent. Large lesion, bladder neck lesions, vaginal adherence and rigid margin are associated with failure/incontinence. These factors must be taken into consideration when preparing patients for surgery or when assigning them to a surgeon within the surgical team
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