Electronic business (e-business) brings many new opportunities as well as several challenges to business organizations. Many organizations have turned to customer relationship management (CRM) to leverage their market orientation, customiz e their products and services, and build loyalty programs. However, capitalizing on the opportunities will require organizational investments in information ...

Refractive and absorptive optical nonlinearity can be distinguished using a pump-probe interferometric technique with picosecond time resolution. The method is applied to both resonant and nonresonant nonlinearities in optical fibers and reveals marked differences between the relaxation behavior of the refractive and absorptive nonlinearity in certain cases. A monomode fiber doped with CdS(x)Se...

BACKGROUND Intestinal morphology and function vary geographically. AIMS These functions were assessed in asymptomatic volunteers in European, North American, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, and Caribbean countries. METHODS Five hour urine collections were obtained from each subject following ingestion of a 100 ml iso-osmolar test solution containing 3-0-methyl-D-glucose, D-xylose, L-rhamnos...

The pre-absorptive cephalic phase of insulin secretion is elicited during the first ten min of a meal and before glucose levels rise. Its importance for insulin release during the post-absorptive phase has been well documented in animals but its presence or importance in man has become increasingly controversial. We here examined the presence of an early cephalic phase of insulin release in 31 ...

Plant roots typically vary along a dominant ecological axis, the root economics spectrum, depicting a tradeoff between resource acquisition and conservation. For absorptive roots, which are mainly responsible for resource acquisition, we hypothesized that root economic strategies differ with increasing root diameter. To test this hypothesis, we used seven plant species (a fern, a conifer, and f...

After massive small bowel resection (MSBR), the remnant small intestine adapts to restore Na absorptive function. The possibility that this occurs through increases in cellular Na absorptive capacity was examined by assessing the regional effects of 50% proximal MSBR on the function and expression of the apical membrane Na/H exchangers (NHEs) NHE2 and NHE3. Morphometric analysis confirmed adapt...