bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practice Prize Paper—Marketing's Profit Impact: Quantifying Online and Off-line Funnel Progression
Authors: Wiesel Thorsten , Pauwels Koen , Arts Joep
Published: December 2010

Inofec, a small- to medium-sized enterprise in the business-to-business sector, desired a more analytic approach to allocate marketing resources across communication activities and channels. We developed a conceptual framework and econometric model to empirically investigate (1) the marketing communication effects on off-line and online purchase funnel metrics and (2) the magnitude and timing of the profit impact of firm-initiated and customer-initiated contacts. We find evidence of many cross-channel effects, in particular, off-line marketing effects on online funnel metrics and online funnel metrics on off-line purchases. Moreover, marketing communication activities directly affect both early and later purchase funnel stages (website visits, online and off-line information, and quote requests). Finally, we find that online customer-initiated contacts have substantially higher profit impact than off-line firm-initiated contacts. Shifting marketing budgets toward these activities in a field experiment yielded net profit increases 14 times larger than those for the status quo allocation.
Tricked by Truncation: Spurious Duration Dependence and Social Contagion in Hazard Models
Authors: Van den Bulte Christophe , Iyengar Raghuram
Published: December 2010

We show both analytically and through Monte Carlo simulations that applying standard hazard models to right-truncated data, i.e., data from which all right-censored observations are omitted, induces spurious positive duration dependence and hence can trick researchers into believing to have found evidence of social contagion when there is none. Truncation also tends to deflate the effect of time-invariant covariates. These results imply that not accounting for right truncation can lead managers to rely too much on word of mouth in generating new product adoption and to poorly identify the customers most likely to adopt early. Not accounting for right truncation can also lead to suboptimal pricing decisions and to erroneous assessments of variations in customer lifetime value. We assess the effectiveness of four possible solutions to the problem and find that only using an analytically corrected likelihood function protects one against truncation artifacts inflating coefficients of contagion and attenuating coefficients of time-invariant covariates.
Intravenous N-Acetylcysteine in the Prevention of Contrast Media-Induced Nephropathy
Authors: Anderson Spencer M , Park Zoon H , Patel Ramesh V
Published: January 2011

Objective

Ti define the clinical role of intravenous N-acetylcysteine for prophylaxis of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN).

Data Sources:

Randomized controlled clinical trials were identified using a search of MEDLINE (1990-September 2010) with the search terms acetylcysteine, N-acetylcysteine, NAC, intravenous, IV, nephropathy, nephrotoxic, radiocontrast, contrast, and media. The search was limited to studies published in English. Additional pertinent literature was retrieved by reviewing references of the articles obtained in the initial search.

Data Synthesis:

N-Acetylcysteine is a vasodilator and antioxidant that has been investigated for the prevention of CIN. In the majority of clinical trials, neither oral nor intravenous N-acetyIcysteine has demonstrated clinical benefits at preventing CIN. The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of intravenous N-acetylcysteine are significantly different from those of the oral product in that intravenous administration bypasses extensive first-pass metabolism. Studies have suggested that N-acetylcysteine directly affects serum creatinine levels in a way that is not associated with improvement of kidney function. Only intravenous N-acetylcysteine doses that were higher than the oral doses showed potential benefits, but they were associated with significant adverse events. Furthermore, the study populations were heterogeneous, including patients with various levels of kidney function and other risk factors, and the clinical definition of CIN was not well established.

Conclusions:

NO conclusive evidence has shown that intravenous N-acetyl-cysteine is safe and effective in preventing CIN. Further clinical trials to define its role are warranted.
Preoperative Statins and Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery: Utilization of a Consensus Definition of Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Bolesta Scott , Uhrin Lindsey M , Guzek John R
Published: January 2011

Background

Previous trials investigating preoperative statin use for prevention of acute kidney injury following cardiovascular surgery were limited to patients undergoing a specific procedure and many used nonconsensus definitions of acute kidney injury.

Objective

To use a consensus definition of acute kidney injury for evaluating the association of preoperative statin use with the development of acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 667 patients ≥18 years who underwent any cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass between April 2007 and May 2009 at Mercy Hospital in Scranton, PA. Patients were excluded if they were receiving preoperative renal replacement therapy, had stage 5 chronic kidney disease, or did not have a postoperative serum creatinine level assessed. The primary outcome was the odds of developing acute kidney injury given the use of preoperative statins. Acute kidney injury was defined based on the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria as either an absolute increase in serum creatinine of ≥0.3 mg/dL or 1.5 times baseline, or the need for postoperative renal replacement therapy.

Results:

The final analysis included 563 patients; 356 were receiving preoperative statins. The incidence of acute kidney injury was 35.1% in the statin group and 26.1% in the non-statin group. On univariate analysis statins were associated with an increase in the odds of acute kidney injury (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.05 to 2.24). Multivariate logistic regression did not demonstrate an association of statins with acute kidney injury (OR 1.36; 95% CI 0.904 to 2.05). Repeating the analysis using 312 propensity score–matched patients also showed no association of statins with acute kidney injury (OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.715 to 1.93).

Conclusions:

Our findings do not support the hypothesis that preoperative statin use is associated with a decrease in the incidence of acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass.
Anacetrapib and Dalcetrapib: Two Novel Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Inhibitors
Authors: Miyares Marta A
Published: January 2011

Objective

To evaluate the role of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in the cholesterol transport system and review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetic properties, efficacy, and adverse effects of the CETP inhibitors, anacetrapib and dalcetrapib, for the treatment of dyslipidemia.

Data Sources:

A literature search was conducted in Ovid/MEDLINE (1950 to week 4 December 2010), PubMed/MEDLINE (up to December 2010). EMBASE (2000 to December 2010), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970 to December 2010) using the MeSH terms and key words anacetrapib, MK 0859, dalcetrapib, and JTT 705. The search was limited to publications in English.

Study Selection And Data Extraction:

Studies evaluating the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of anacetrapib and dalcetrapib for the treatment of dyslipidemia were included. Clinical reviews evaluating the characterization of CETP and its inhibition as a mechanism for reducing cardiovascular risk were also included.

Data Synthesis:

Anacetrapib and dalcetrapib represent a novel treatment option for patients who have dyslipidemia and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Anacetrapib and dalcetrapib increase HDL-C by inhibiting CETP-mediated transfer of cholesteryl ester and triglyceride. Studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of anacetrapib and dalcetrapib concluded that both agents safely and effectively augment HDL-C. Their mechanism of action, potential for significant raising of HDL-C, once-daily dosing regimen, and favorable lipid-altering effects when added to hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors are key elements, Anacetrapib and dalcetrapib are well tolerated, with mild gastrointestinal complaints reported more than with placebo, Although another CETP inhibitor, torcetrapib, was withdrawn from clinical development secondary to increased morbidity and mortality, neither anacetrapib nor dalcetrapib has demonstrated the adverse off-target effects portrayed with torcetrapib.

Conclusions:

Inhibition of CETP by anacetrapib and dalcetrapib represents an encouraging development in the management of dyslipidemia, particularly in patients with low HDL-C levels. Results of future trials are much anticipated, as these will clarify the role of anacetrapib and dalcetrapib in reduction of cardiovascular disease.
Fas/CD95 Regulatory Protein Faim2 Is Neuroprotective after Transient Brain Ischemia
Authors: Reich Arno , Spering Christopher , Gertz Karen , Harms Christoph , Gerhardt Ellen , Kronenberg Golo , Nave Klaus A. , Schwab Markus , Tauber Simone C. , Drinkut Anja , Harms Kristian , Beier Chrstioph P. , Voigt Aaron , Göbbels Sandra , Endres Matthias , Schulz Jörg B.
Published: January 2011

Death receptor (DR) signaling has a major impact on the outcome of numerous neurological diseases, including ischemic stroke. DRs mediate not only cell death signals, but also proinflammatory responses and cell proliferation. Identification of regulatory proteins that control the switch between apoptotic and alternative DR signaling opens new therapeutic opportunities. Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 (Faim2) is an evolutionary conserved, neuron-specific inhibitor of Fas/CD95-mediated apoptosis. To investigate its role during development and in disease models, we generated Faim2-deficient mice. The ubiquitous null mutation displayed a viable and fertile phenotype without overt deficiencies. However, lack of Faim2 caused an increase in susceptibility to combined oxygen–glucose deprivation in primary neuronsin vitroas well as in caspase-associated cell death, stroke volume, and neurological impairment after cerebral ischemiain vivo. These processes were rescued by lentiviral Faim2 gene transfer. In summary, we provide evidence that Faim2 is a novel neuroprotective molecule in the context of cerebral ischemia.
The Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Regulates Nitric Oxide-Mediated Apoptosis of Neurons Induced by Target Deprivation
Authors: Martin Lee J. , Adams Neal A. , Pan Yan , Price Ann , Wong Margaret
Published: January 2011

Ablation of mouse occipital cortex induces precisely timed and uniform p53-modulated and Bax-dependent apoptosis of thalamocortical projection neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) by 7 d after lesion. We tested the hypothesis that this neuronal apoptosis is initiated by oxidative stress and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Preapoptotic LGN neurons accumulate mitochondria, Zn2+and Ca2+, and generate higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide, nitric oxide (NO), and peroxynitrite, than LGN neurons with an intact cortical target. Preapoptosis of LGN neurons is associated with increased formation of protein carbonyls, protein nitration, and proteinS-nitrosylation. Genetic deletion of nitric oxide synthase 1 (nos1) and inhibition of NOS1 with nitroindazole protected LGN neurons from apoptosis, revealing NO as a mediator. Putative components of the mPTP are expressed in mouse LGN, including the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), and cyclophilin D (CyPD). Nitration of CyPD and ANT in LGN mitochondria occurs by 2 d after cortical injury. Chemical cross-linking showed that LGN neuron preapoptosis is associated with formation of CyPD and VDAC oligomers, consistent with mPTP formation. Mice without CyPD are rescued from neuron apoptosis as are mice treated with the mPTP inhibitors TRO-19622 (cholest-4-en-3-one oxime) and TAT-Bcl-XL-BH4. Manipulation of the mPTP markedly attenuated the early preapoptotic production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in target-deprived neurons. Our results demonstrate in adult mouse brain neurons that the mPTP functions to enhance ROS production and the mPTP and NO trigger apoptosis; thus, the mPTP is a target for neuroprotectionin vivo.
Mechanisms Underlying Referral of Thermal Sensations to Sites of Tactile Stimulation
Authors: Ho Hsin-Ni , Watanabe Junji , Ando Hideyuki , Kashino Makio
Published: January 2011

When three stimulators are simultaneously touched with the middle three fingers of one hand but only the outer two stimulators are cooled or heated, the central (neutral) stimulator is also perceived to be cold or warm. This phenomenon is known as thermal referral and it shares phenomenological similarities with filling-in, in which the discontinuity in the signals of interest can be compensated perceptually on the basis of the spatially adjacent context. Although the mechanisms underlying filling-in have been well substantiated, those underlying thermal referral are still poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the intensity perception of the sensation resulting from thermal referral with human participants. We found that the sensation was uniform among the three fingers, but its apparent intensity was always lower than the physical intensity applied to the outer two fingers. These results indicate that the thermal uniformity perceived under thermal referral is not created by the brain's interpolating the thermal changes applied to the outer two fingers, as one would expect for those induced by typical filling-in. Instead, the thermal changes applied to the outer two fingers are summated and redistributed to all the fingers in contact. Our findings suggest that thermal referral is mediated by two separate processes. One determines the apparent intensity from the physical intensity and the areal extent of the thermal stimulation; the other determines the localization of the resulting sensation from the apparent sites of tactile stimulation.
The Visual Word Form System in Context
Authors: Woodhead Zoe V. J. , Brownsett Sonia L. E. , Dhanjal Novraj S. , Beckmann Christian , Wise Richard J. S.
Published: January 2011

According to the “modular” hypothesis, reading is a serial feedforward process, with part of left ventral occipitotemporal cortex the earliest component tuned to familiar orthographic stimuli. Beyond this region, the model predicts no response to arrays of false font in reading-related neural pathways. An alternative “connectionist” hypothesis proposes that reading depends on interactions between feedforward projections from visual cortex and feedback projections from phonological and semantic systems, with no visual component exclusive to orthographic stimuli. This is compatible with automatic processing of false font throughout visual and heteromodal sensory pathways that support reading, in which responses to words may be greater than, but not exclusive of, responses to false font. This functional imaging study investigated these alternative hypotheses by using narrative texts and equivalent arrays of false font and varying the hemifield of presentation using rapid serial visual presentation. The “null” baseline comprised a decision on visually presented numbers. Preferential activity for narratives relative to false font, insensitive to hemifield of presentation, was distributed along the ventral left temporal lobe and along the extent of both superior temporal sulci. Throughout this system, activity during the false font conditions was significantly greater than during the number task, with activity specific to the number task confined to the intraparietal sulci. Therefore, both words and false font are extensively processed along the same temporal neocortical pathways, separate from the more dorsal pathways that process numbers. These results are incompatible with a serial, feedforward model of reading.
Neuronal Adaptation Effects in Decision Making
Authors: Theodoni Panagiota , Kovács Gyula , Greenlee Mark W. , Deco Gustavo
Published: January 2011

Recently, there has been an increased interest on the neural mechanisms underlying perceptual decision making. However, the effect of neuronal adaptation in this context has not yet been studied. We begin our study by investigating how adaptation can bias perceptual decisions. We considered behavioral data from an experiment on high-level adaptation-related aftereffects in a perceptual decision task with ambiguous stimuli on humans. To understand the driving force behind the perceptual decision process, a biologically inspired cortical network model was used. Two theoretical scenarios arose for explaining the perceptual switch from the category of the adaptor stimulus to the opposite, nonadapted one. One is noise-driven transition due to the probabilistic spike times of neurons and the other is adaptation-driven transition due to afterhyperpolarization currents. With increasing levels of neural adaptation, the system shifts from a noise-driven to an adaptation-driven modus. The behavioral results show that the underlying model is not just a bistable model, as usual in the decision-making modeling literature, but that neuronal adaptation is high and therefore the working point of the model is in the oscillatory regime. Using the same model parameters, we studied the effect of neural adaptation in a perceptual decision-making task where the same ambiguous stimulus was presented with and without a preceding adaptor stimulus. We find that for different levels of sensory evidence favoring one of the two interpretations of the ambiguous stimulus, higher levels of neural adaptation lead to quicker decisions contributing to a speed–accuracy trade off.
Contexts for Dopamine Specification by Calcium Spike Activity in the CNS
Authors: Velázquez-Ulloa Norma A. , Spitzer Nicholas C. , Dulcis Davide
Published: January 2011

Calcium-dependent electrical activity plays a significant role in neurotransmitter specification at early stages of development. To test the hypothesis that activity-dependent differentiation depends on molecular context, we investigated the development of dopaminergic neurons in the CNS of larvalXenopus laevis. We find that different dopaminergic nuclei respond to manipulation of this early electrical activity by ion channel misexpression with different increases and decreases in numbers of dopaminergic neurons. Focusing on the ventral suprachiasmatic nucleus and the spinal cord to gain insight into these differences, we identify distinct subpopulations of neurons that express characteristic combinations of GABA and neuropeptide Y as cotransmitters and Lim1,2 and Nurr1 transcription factors. We demonstrate that the developmental state of neurons identified by their spatial location and expression of these molecular markers is correlated with characteristic spontaneous calcium spike activity. Different subpopulations of dopaminergic neurons respond differently to manipulation of this early electrical activity. Moreover, retinohypothalamic circuit activation of the ventral suprachiasmatic nucleus recruits expression of dopamine selectively in reserve pool neurons that already express GABA and neuropeptide Y. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that spontaneously active neurons expressing GABA are most susceptible to activity-dependent expression of dopamine in both the spinal cord and brain. Because loss of dopaminergic neurons plays a role in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, understanding how subpopulations of neurons become dopaminergic may lead to protocols for differentiation of neuronsin vitroto replace those that have been lostin vivo.
Brain Bases for Auditory Stimulus-Driven Figure–Ground Segregation
Authors: Teki Sundeep , Chait Maria , Kumar Sukhbinder , von Kriegstein Katharina , Griffiths Timothy D.
Published: January 2011

Auditory figure–ground segregation, listeners' ability to selectively hear out a sound of interest from a background of competing sounds, is a fundamental aspect of scene analysis. In contrast to the disordered acoustic environment we experience during everyday listening, most studies of auditory segregation have used relatively simple, temporally regular signals. We developed a new figure–ground stimulus that incorporates stochastic variation of the figure and background that captures the rich spectrotemporal complexity of natural acoustic scenes. Figure and background signals overlap in spectrotemporal space, but vary in the statistics of fluctuation, such that the only way to extract the figure is by integrating the patterns over time and frequency. Our behavioral results demonstrate that human listeners are remarkably sensitive to the appearance of such figures.

In a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, aimed at investigating preattentive, stimulus-driven, auditory segregation mechanisms, naive subjects listened to these stimuli while performing an irrelevant task. Results demonstrate significant activations in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the superior temporal sulcus related to bottom-up, stimulus-driven figure–ground decomposition. We did not observe any significant activation in the primary auditory cortex. Our results support a role for automatic, bottom-up mechanisms in the IPS in mediating stimulus-driven, auditory figure–ground segregation, which is consistent with accumulating evidence implicating the IPS in structuring sensory input and perceptual organization.
Aberrant Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII) Activity Is Associated with Abnormal Dendritic Spine Morphology in theATRXMutant Mouse Brain
Authors: Shioda Norifumi , Beppu Hideyuki , Fukuda Takaichi , Li En , Kitajima Isao , Fukunaga Kohji
Published: January 2011

In humans, mutations in the gene encoding ATRX, a chromatin remodeling protein of the sucrose-nonfermenting 2 family, cause several mental retardation disorders, including α-thalassemia X-linked mental retardation syndrome. We generatedATRXmutant mice lacking exon 2 (ATRXΔE2mice), a mutation that mimics exon 2 mutations seen in human patients and associated with milder forms of retardation.ATRXΔE2mice exhibited abnormal dendritic spine formation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Consistent with other mouse models of mental retardation,ATRXΔE2mice exhibited longer and thinner dendritic spines compared with wild-type mice without changes in spine number. Interestingly, aberrant increased calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity was observed in the mPFC ofATRXΔE2mice. Increased CaMKII autophosphorylation and activity were associated with increased phosphorylation of the Rac1-guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) T-cell lymphoma invasion and metastasis 1 (Tiam1) and kalirin-7, known substrates of CaMKII. We confirmed increased phosphorylation of p21-activated kinases (PAKs) in mPFC extracts. Furthermore, reduced protein expression and activity of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) was evident in the mPFC ofATRXΔE2mice. In cultured cortical neurons, PP1 inhibition by okadaic acid increased CaMKII-dependent Tiam1 and kalirin-7 phosphorylation. Together, our data strongly suggest that aberrant CaMKII activation likely mediates abnormal spine formation in the mPFC. Such morphological changes plus elevated Rac1-GEF/PAK signaling seen inATRXΔE2mice may contribute to mental retardation syndromes seen in human patients.
Signaling Events in Axons and/or Dendrites Render Motor Neurons Vulnerable to Mutant Superoxide Dismutase Toxicity
Authors: Jeong Goo-Bo , Mojsilovic-Petrovic Jelena , Boccitto Marco , Kalb Robert
Published: January 2011

The survival of dorsal root ganglion and sympathetic neurons is promoted whether nerve growth factor (NGF) activates TrkA receptors on the cell body or the axon. Yet other aspects of neurotrophic factor actions (i.e., ability to promote axon growth, selection of neurochemical phenotype and engagement of signaling modules) differ as a function of the location of the ligand–receptor interaction. The extent to which these observations are relevant to CNS neurons is unknown. This may be particularly relevant to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, where beneficial axon–target interactions are disturbed early in the disease process. Here we characterize the growth of pure motor neurons in compartment cultures and show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulation of the cell body or axons/dendrites promotes survival. Expression of G37R mutant superoxide dismutase (SOD) in motor neurons will lead to death and this depends on BDNF activation of TrkB on axons and/or dendrites. BDNF action depends upon endocytosis of the BDNF–TrkB complex andde novoprotein synthesis. These results highlight the importance of signaling events occurring in axons/dendrites in mutant SOD toxicity.
Mutual Subject-Discovery in Syrian Encounters
Authors: Borneman John
Published: January 2011

For anthropologists who engage in encounter-based fieldwork, contact zones have a peculiar phenomenal quality that is often neglected by scholars from other disciplines who have taken up the fieldwork paradigm initially developed by ethnographers. In this paper, I want to elaborate how, in my most recent fieldwork in Syria, I experienced such zones, and I want to reflect on this experience and its relation to concepts and writing as it becomes knowledge. I define fieldwork as the registering of sensory impressions in a (temporal) process of mutual subject-discovery and critique, and anthropology as a mode of engagement in generating knowledge and social and political action that enables ongoing relationships (Borneman/Hammoudi 2009: 19). This picture of fieldwork and ethnography, in its stress on the author being in a zone of contact with the world he is depicting (Bakhtin 1981: 30), is at odds with understandings that focus on anthropology as a cultural critique of the West (Marcus/Fischer 1986), creative and usable mappings (Gupta/Ferguson 1997: 56), comparison of embedded concepts between societies (Asad 2003: 17), or interpretation of another culture (Geertz 1973).
Kontaktzonen im Museum. Kindergruppen in der Ausstellung Indianer Nordamerikas
Authors: Wagner Bernd
Published: January 2011

European ethnological museums usually administer not only exhibitions but also large archives. Visitors of the exhibitions generally do not get to know that the archived objects exist. As these objects are omitted and difficult to access they leave a blank position as Deborah Poole remarks. Decisions as to why objects are displayed or archived are an important matter in museum studies. James Clifford is challenging museums to integrate contact zones in their exhibitions. Ethnological museums contribute to intercultural encounter by allowing contact to their archives, opening exhibition spaces for performative play of children and reflecting collections and collectors in terms of postcolonial theory.
Polycythemia in the Newborn
Authors: Remon Juan I. , Raghavan Aarti , Maheshwari Akhil
Published: December 2010

Neonatal polycythemia, defined as a venous hematocrit ≥65% (0.65), is a common problem in newborns. Infants born postterm or small for gestational age, infants of diabetic mothers, recipient twins in twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and those who have chromosomal abnormalities are at higher risk. Although the cause of polycythemia is often multifactorial, most cases can be classified as having active (increased fetal erythropoiesis) or passive (erythrocyte transfusion) polycythemia. By increasing blood viscosity, polycythemia can impair microcirculatory flow in end organs and can present with neurologic, cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, and metabolic symptoms. In this article, we review the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of polycythemia in the newborn.
High‐luminance and luminous‐efficacy mercury‐free flat fluorescent lamp (MFFL) with local‐dimming functionality
Authors: Jung Jae‐Chul , Seo In Woo , Oh Byung Joo , Whang Ki‐Woong
Published: January 2011

Abstract— In order to realize high‐luminance and luminous‐efficacy mercury‐free flat fluorescent lamps (MFFLs) for LCD backlighting, the phosphor profile was optimized to enlarge the surface area. The proposed uneven profile of the rear phosphor increases the effective surface area of the phosphor, resulting in a wide luminance range from 3000 to 16,788 cd/m2 with a corresponding high luminous efficacy from 66 to 34.7 lm/W, respectively. Also, a dynamic operation method for an adaptive local‐dimming and scanning operation is proposed which can be used in a 32‐in. multi‐structured configuration having one inverter system. With the deployment of the bipolar drive scheme and dual auxiliary electrodes, a stable and selective diffuse glow discharge with high luminance is possible.
New structural constraints on the southern Provence thrust belt (France): evidences for an Eocene shortening event linked to the Corsica-Sardinia subduction
Authors: Andreani Louis , Loget Nicolas , Rangin Claude , Le Pichon Xavier
Published: January 2011

The Eocene shortening directions along the Southern Provence fold-and-thrust belt are commonly assumed to be N-S. We present here new observations and data that allow reinterpreting the structure of the La Nerthe range as a right-lateral transpressive flower structure. Structural data collected along the range argue for an Eocene N145o shortening event. The age of this shortening event is constrained by the fact that faulting and folding affect the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene continental deposits along the northern flank of the La Nerthe range and is sealed by the Miocene marine deposits. Moreover striated fault planes display both horizontal and vertical striae suggesting that they were reactivated during the Oligocene extensional event. We question here the shortening directions along the Southern Provence thrust belt. Structural data suggest both N-S and NNW-SSE shortening directions during the Eocene. During the Eocene the Provence area was in the foreland of a complex orogenic belt that extended from the Betic Cordillera to the Corsica-Sardinia block. This orogenic belt developed along the subduction linked to the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. Although the convergence vector was nearly N-S the NE-SW orientation of the trench may have led to a complex deformation pattern along the orogenic belt with NW-SE and N-S shortening directions that reflected both the along-trench compression and the regional convergence.
Social Justice is Not Spoken Here: Considering the Nexus of Knowledge, Power and the Education of Future Teachers in the United States
Authors: Juárez Brenda G. , Hayes Cleveland
Published: December 2010

Using the critical race theory methodology of counter-storytelling, the authors provide narratives of their experiences as teacher educators to consider why and how the racial power of Whiteness continues to derail teaching and learning for social justice in US teacher preparation programs, despite the democratic intentions, hard work and good will of many teacher educators. Contending that Whiteness serves as a hidden referent structuring interactions and activity within US teacher preparation programs, the authors draw on their narratives to highlight and analyze moments in time when teacher educators actively and fully participate in and enact the obstruction of social-justice-oriented educational endeavors, thus ensuring that future teachers will not be prepared to teach all students. The authors argue that for social justice to be realized in education, the racial power of Whiteness must be interrupted. Since individuals choose, whether consciously or not, to help recreate Whiteness as the normative standard in US teacher education programs, the authors posit that teacher educators and others can also choose differently; they can choose to act ways that challenge the historical privileging of White interests, values, and beliefs.
Opportunity and Aspiration, or the Great Deception? The Case of 14–19 Vocational Education
Authors: Atkins Liz
Published: December 2010

The policy discourse around those young people who are the focus of the 14–19 agenda in the United Kingdom is one of negativity which frames them as low achievers with low aspirations. In tension with this deficit model, policy offers these young people ‘opportunities' in the form of a vocational education which, according to the rhetoric, will lead to high-skill, high-paid work and a lifetime of opportunities. Drawing on original empirical research, this article contests the assumption that these young people have low aspirations, arguing that constrained by discourses of negativity and lacking the agency for change, their chances of achieving their aspirations are almost non-existent. Further, it suggests that the rhetoric of ‘opportunity’ is merely smoke and mirrors, a massive deception whereby young people are channelled into the low-pay, low-skill work market in readiness to fulfil economic demands for cheap labour as and when it is needed. It concludes with proposals for change in the 14–19 and post-compulsory education and training systems which could provide a more equitable and effective framework for young people to achieve their hopes and dreams.
Me, We: An Unconventional, Non-Linear and Sometimes Nonsensical Journey into the Literacy Experiences of a Wandering Mind
Authors: Siam Habib G.
Published: December 2010

The opposite of concrete. This article is partly an autobiographical reflection on the cultural, educational and linguistic influences that have shaped the author's understanding of literacy development and the ability of language to create normative ways of seeing the world. ‘How do words influence our ways of seeing, thinking and being?’ is a guiding question throughout the piece. Drawing from the work of Ivan Illich, Erving Goffman and Edgar Friedenberg, this article suggests that schools are more concerned with institutionalizing knowledge and reproducing the power structures that govern our social exchanges than they are with education. The writing style and tone differ in structure and timbre from what is considered to be traditional in most academic forums – and all that jazz.
Trusting Trust in the Context of Higher Education: The Potential Limits of the Trust Concept
Authors: Kovač Velibor Bobo , Kristiansen Aslaug
Published: December 2010

There is a convincing body of empirical evidence supporting the benefits of trust. A number of recent publications have paid a great deal of attention to possible negative consequences of the trusting process, but there has been little interdisciplinary focus on the potentially unconstructive aspects of the trusting process between learners and teaching authorities. The authors argue here that unmonitored student trust in a teacher's expertise in the context of higher education might sabotage the use and development of higher cognitive skills (for example, the ability for critical thinking), and that the direct consequence of this is a further amplification of the existing asymmetrical distribution of power which exists between students and teaching stuff. In the first part of the article, the authors briefly review the literature on trust and specifically focus on contributions emphasizing its potentially negative consequences. In the second part, the authors present arguments which support the idea that excessive trust limits students' abilities to think critically. The limitations of the present analysis are discussed and areas of potential future research on this topic are outlined. The article concludes by stating that there are sufficient grounds to pursue this idea further in terms of theoretical and empirical research.
Reform, Ideology and the Politics of Waiting for ‘Superman’
Authors: LeBlanc Robert
Published: December 2010

In the United States, charter schools have been proclaimed as the potential solution for a host of problems for inner-city education, particularly as a cure-all for marginal achievement scores on high-stakes standardized testing. Several US states and cities (most prominently Texas, New York, Atlanta and Washington, DC) have embraced this neo-liberal vision of educational reform as a ‘miracle’ panacea and injected business-derived principles into schools to much fanfare and few authentic positive results. This article focuses on the rhetoric of market-driven solutions for school reform as exemplified in Davis Guggenheim's 2010 documentary Waiting for ‘Superman’. Contextualizing the film within a milieu of recent reform and ‘miracle’ solutions, the article attempts to highlight the inherent narrative character of the educational reform movement in the United States and its perpetual willingness to ignore previous structural failures in search of new solutions which typically mirror previous innovations in their fictive type.
Drugs and Drugs Education Policy: What Counts as Evidence
Authors: Watts Michael F.
Published: December 2010

Drugs and drugs education policies are highly charged political topics. Despite its earlier commitment to evidence-based policy, in its final term of office the United Kingdom's former Labour government rejected evidence on the relative harm of some drugs and determined policy by dogma. This article provides an overview of these events and uses the work of Foucault and Baudrillard to consider them as instances of capricious government and of capricious perceptions of reality. It argues for the need to make explicit the truth claims of research if that research is to inform policy rather than be dismissed by policy makers. Although the arguments put forward here focus on drugs and drugs education policy, they are pertinent to all research engaging with the notions of power and education.
Development of the cardiac venous system in prenatal human life
Authors: Nowak Dariusz , Kozłowska Hanna , Żurada Anna , Gielecki Jerzy
Published: December 2010

The human coronary sinus is an evolutionary modification of the terminal part of the left sinus horn. Anatomically, the coronary sinus is a short, broad vessel that runs along the coronary groove situated on the diaphragmatic surface of the heart. This structure, which opens into the right atrium, collects blood from the great cardiac vein and from other veins of the heart as well. In this study, we assessed the growth and dimensions of the coronary sinus at the fourth and eighth months of fetal development from whole material received from the Nicolaus Copernicus University, Collegium Medicum, Department of Histology and Embryology in Bydgoszcz. A group of 219 specimens, 105 male and 114 female fetuses, presented no visible malformations or developmental abnormalities. The results of this study determined that the dimension of the coronary sinus during prenatal development is not sexually dimorphic. Furthermore, following a monthly period of rapid growth in length of this structure, there are no further increases in length after the six months gestation. Finally, we concluded that the dimensions of the coronary sinus obtained during autopsy are similar to those determined through intravital ultrasound examination. The diameter of the coronary sinus is the best parameter to monitoring the fetal age and the growing of the fetus. Accordingly, we suggest that the best way of estimate for proper blood drainage from heart veins is study of coronary sinus volume.
Morphological Variability of Plagiorhynchus (Prosthorhynchus) Cylindraceus (Acanthocephala, Plagiorhynchidae) and Its Importance in Assessment of Taxonomy Structure of the Subgenus
Authors: Lisitsyna O.
Published: December 2010

Morphological Variability ofPlagiorhynchus (Prosthorhynchus) Cylindraceus(Acanthocephala, Plagiorhynchidae) and Its Importance in Assessment of Taxonomy Structure of the Subgenus

Morphological variability in cystacanths and adults ofP. (P.) cylindraceus(Goeze, 1782) Schmidt et Kuntz, 1966, type material ofP. (P.) gallinagiSchachtachtinskaja, 1953 andP. (P.) gracilisPetrochenko, 1958 were studied. Data on intermediate hosts, definitive hosts and distribution of some species from the subgenusProsthorhynchuswere summarized. The taxonomy of the subgenus is discussed and namesP. (P.) formosusVan Cleave, 1918,P. (P.) genitopapillatusLundström, 1942,P. (P.) transversusRudolphi, 1819,P. (P.) gallinagiandP. (P.) gracilisare placed as synonyms ofP. (P.) cylindraceus.
The First Record of Asymphylodora Progenetica (Trematoda, Monorchiidae) in Ukraine
Authors: Kudlai O.
Published: December 2010

The First Record ofAsymphylodora Progenetica(Trematoda, Monorchiidae) in Ukraine

The trematodeAsymphylodora progeneticaSerkova et Bychovskii, 1940 was found in freshwater mollusksBithynia tentaculata(Linnaeus, 1758) collected from the Kalmius River (near the city of Donetsk) in Ukraine. This species was recorded for the first time in Ukraine. Previously unknown encysted metacercariae and all detected stages of development are described and figured.
Language Specifics of Writing a Paper in English
Authors: Vančíková Jana
Published: December 2010

Language Specifics of Writing a Paper in English

The paper aims to define the specifics of academic writing with focus on English language. It presents the linguistic features of academic text in comparison to the non-academic writing. Secondly, it provides the extended list of typical expressions used in different parts of academic paper. The paper gives many linguistic examples of expressions frequently used in the research and scientific papers.
The Effects of Test Translation on Young English Learners’ Mathematics Performance
Authors: Robinson Joseph P.
Published: December 2010

Using a nationally representative sample of kindergarteners and first graders, this study asks if native-language test translations help English language learners (ELLs) demonstrate their mathematics skills. ELLs frequently encounter testing hurdles because they are not proficient in English, the predominant language of assessments. Low scores on these assessments can limit ELLs’ academic opportunities through inappropriate track placements and decreased confidence. This study uses a rigorous quasi-experimental design (regression discontinuity design) and finds that Spanish-speaking ELLs perform significantly better on mathematics assessments when tested in Spanish (instead of English) in kindergarten and first grade (Cohen’s ds > 0.85). Because these and other findings suggest that test translations may provide ELLs with opportunities to demonstrate their mathematics knowledge, policy makers should consider adding translations to the list of available accommodations.
Attribution Error and the Quest for Teacher Quality
Authors: Kennedy Mary M.
Published: December 2010

Social psychologists are persuaded that researchers as well as laymen tend to overestimate the influence of personal traits and underestimate the influence of situations on observed behavior. The author of this article suggests that education researchers and policy makers may be overestimating the role of personal qualities in their quest to understand teaching quality. In their effort to understand classroom-to-classroom differences in student learning, they may focus too much on the characteristics of teachers themselves, overlooking situational factors that may have a strong bearing on the quality of the teaching practices we see. The author reviews some of these situational forces.
Determinants of Blood Pressure among Youth in Ajman, UAE
Authors: Sreedharan Jayadevan , Mathew Elsheba , Muttappallymyalil Jayakumary , Sharbatii Shatha Al , Shaikh Rizwana B , Basha Shaikh Altaf
Published: December 2010

BackgroundYouth is a vulnerable group for developing almost all life-style related diseases. The present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the determinants of blood pressure among entry year students in a medical university in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.Materials and Methods  One hundred and ten students from Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE participated in the study. A pretested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Predictive Analytic Software 17 was used for data analysis. Chi-square test, Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used.ResultsVariables such as tobacco use, duration of sleep, Body Mass Index and gender were considered to assess the association with blood pressure. The mean age of the students was 19 years with a SD of 1.9 years. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 113.5 (SD 12.0) and 73.7 (SD 11.2) respectively with mean BMI of 24.9 (SD 5.7). A statistically significant association was observed between gender and blood pressure (p<0.05). The crude Odds Ratio (OR) observed for sleep duration and blood pressure was found statistically significant (p<0.05), but the adjusted OR was not statistically significant. Of the participants who sleep for more than 6 hours, majority (70%) have normal blood pressure. Nearly half of the participants who slept for less than 6 hours have pre-hypertension and/ or hypertension. There was statistically significant (p<0.005) association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP). The mean BMI among those with normal BP was 23.25 kg/m2 with a SD of 4.6 and those with pre-hypertension and/ or hypertension was 27.6 kg/m2 with a SD of 6.5.ConclusionGender and BMI are the significant factors associated with Blood pressure. The findings may be used to create strategies to impart awareness of the dangers of increased blood pressure among obese and non obese students.Key Words: Body Mass Index; Blood Pressure; UAEDOI: 10.3126/nje.v1i1.4107Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2010;1 (1):17-21
Embryonal tumors with abundant neuropil and true rosettes: 2 illustrative cases and a review of the literature
Authors: Manjila Sunil , Ray Abhishek , Hu Yin , Cai Dan X. , Cohen Mark L. , Cohen Alan R.
Published: December 2010

Embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes (ETANTR) is a recently identified variant of primitive neuroectodermal tumor, with fewer than 50 cases reported in the literature to date. Histologically, this tumor has features of ependymoblastoma and neuroblastoma, demonstrating areas of fine fibrillary neuropil intermingled with ependymoblastic rosettes and zones of undifferentiated neuroepithelial cells. However, ETANTR is distinguished pathologically from other embryonal tumors by the striking abundance of neuropil. Clinically, ETANTRs have shown high malignant potential and poor clinical outcome despite aggressive treatment. The authors describe 2 illustrative surgical cases of ETANTR, one involving the longest reported survival in the literature to date. The other had a poor outcome despite high-dose adjuvant chemotherapy with sequential autologous hematopoietic stem cell rescue. The authors review the natural history and treatment strategies available for this unusual malignant pediatric brain tumor.