bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic extended pelvic lymph node dissection during radical cystectomy: technique and clinical outcomes
Authors: Shao Pengfei , Meng Xiaoxin , Li Jie , Lv Qiang , Zhang Wei , Xu Zhengquan , Yin Changjun
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series)  Level of Evidence 4

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is an obligatory step for radical cystectomy and it provides staging information and potential survival benefits.

This study shows extended PLND with proximal boundary of inferior mesentery artery is safe and feasible under laparoscopy. More positive nodes can be retrieved compared to standard template.

OBJECTIVE

• To study the surgical techniques and clinical results of laparoscopic extended pelvic lymph node dissection during radical cystectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• From July 2007 to October 2009, 43 patients with bladder carcinoma received laparoscopic radical cystectomy with extended pelvic lymphadenectomy and urinary diversion.

• Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) was first performed within extended template.

• The lower part of aorta and vena cava were isolated from the bifurcation of common iliac artery to the level of the inferior mesenteric artery.

• The standard template PLND was continued along the external iliac vessels, internal iliac vessels and obturator nerve. The bladder was then removed laparoscopically and urinary diversion was performed.

RESULTS

• All procedures were performed successfully and no open conversion occurred. The duration of the procedure for extended PLND was 90–185 min (mean 125 min) and total duration was 280–470 min (mean 329 min).

• Intra‐operative blood loss was 200–1500 mL (mean 325 mL) and eight cases received transfusion. Pathological study identified transitional cell carcinoma and a negative margin in all cases. A range of 19–53 lymph nodes were dissected in the patients with a mean of 31.3.

• In total, 17 positive nodes were confirmed in 11 cases. Postoperative complications included two cases of bowel obstruction, two cases of mild urine leakage and 17 cases of lymphatic leakage.

CONCLUSIONS

• Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with extended pelvic lymphadenectomy is indicated in selected patients with bladder cancer.

• It is safe, minimally invasive and more lymph nodes can be retrieved with a higher success rate by extended pelvic lymphadenectomy.
CLIO AND THE ECONOMIST: MAKING HISTORIANS COUNT
Authors: Greasley David , Oxley Les
Published: October 2010

Abstract Cliometrics reconnected economic history and economics in the 1960s. The deeper foundations of cliometrics research lie in the longer standing traditions of quantitative history and the contemporaneous growth of the social sciences and computing. Early cliometrics research reinterpreted economic history through the lens of neo‐classical economics. Over the past half century cliometrics has matured and now utilizes a broad array of theoretical perspectives and statistical methods to help understand the past. The papers introduced here illustrate the achievements of several key areas of cliometrics research and show how new theoretical perspectives, innovative data construction and sophisticated econometric methods are the hallmarks of the discipline.
Non‐invasive management of non‐melanoma skin cancer in patients with cancer predisposition genodermatosis: a role for confocal microscopy and photodynamic therapy
Authors: Segura S. , Puig S. , Carrera C. , Lecha M. , Borges V. , Malvehy J.
Published: October 2010

Background  Patients with genodermatosis such as Gorlin syndrome (GS) and Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) require a close follow‐up for early diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of methyl‐aminolevulinate (MAL) photodynamic therapy (PDT) in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) from patients with GS and XP, and to determine the utility of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in the diagnosis and the evaluation of therapeutic response.

Patients and methods  We included four patients with GS and two siblings with XP. Single or multiple lesions in localized areas were treated with 1–3 cycles of MAL PDT. RCM was performed before and 3 months after the treatment in target lesions in all the patients. Patients were followed up for 3 years.

Results  In XP patients, we treated 13 pigmented BCCs on the face. All the lesions responded to the treatment and six lesions showed a complete clinical clearing. In GS patients, facial or trunk areas with multiple BCCs were treated (up to 200). Complete clinical remission was obtained in 25–67% of the lesions. Some nodular and pigmented lesions failed to achieve a complete remission. RCM could identify already described confocal features for BCC. Tumour remissions could be assessed by this technique.

Conclusions  Methyl‐aminolevulinate PDT may be useful for the treatment of superficial BCC in GS and XP. In some nodular lesions, PDT may complement surgery reducing tumour size. RCM may be regarded in the future as a complementary technique in BCC for the diagnosis and post‐treatment assessment to non‐invasive therapeutic modalities.
Evolving between land and water: key questions on the emergence and history of the Hippopotamidae (Hippopotamoidea, Cetancodonta, Cetartiodactyla)
Authors: Boisserie Jean‐Renaud , Fisher Rebecca E. , Lihoreau Fabrice , Weston Eleanor M.
Published: October 2010

The fossil record of the Hippopotamidae can shed light on three major issues in mammalian evolution. First, as the Hippopotamidae are the extant sister group of Cetacea, gaining a better understanding of the origin of the Hippopotamidae and of their Paleogene ancestors will be instrumental in clarifying phylogenetic relationships within Cetartiodactyla. Unfortunately, the data relevant to hippopotamid origins have generally been ignored in phylogenetic analyses of cetartiodactyls. In order to obtain better resolution, future analyses should consider hypotheses of hippopotamid Paleogene relationships. Notably, an emergence of the Hippopotamidae from within anthracotheriids has received growing support, leading to reconciliation between genetic and morphological evidence for the clade Cetancodonta (Hippopotamidae + Cetacea). Secondly, full account needs to be taken of the Hippopotamidae when studying the impact of environmental change on faunal evolution. This group of semi‐aquatic large herbivores has a clear and distinct ecological role and a diverse and abundant fossil record, particularly in the African Neogene. We examine three major phases of hippopotamid evolution, namely the sudden appearance of hippopotamines in the late Miocene (the “Hippopotamine Event”), the subsequent rampant endemism in African basins, and the Pleistocene expansion ofHippopotamus. Each may have been influenced by multiple factors, including: late Miocene grass expansion, African hydrographical network disruption, and a unique set of adaptations that allowedHippopotamusto respond efficiently to early Pleistocene environmental change. Thirdly, the fossil record of the Hippopotamidae documents the independent emergence of adaptive character complexes in relation to semiaquatic habits and in response to insular isolation. The semiaquatic specializations of fossil hippopotamids are particularly useful in interpreting the functional morphology and ecology of other, extinct groups of large semiaquatic herbivores. Hippopotamids can also serve as models to elucidate the evolutionary dynamics of island mammals.
The musculus pterygoïdeus proprius: an in‐vivo approach with magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Snoeck Thyl , Provyn Steven , Balestra Costantino , Parlak Burak , Emonts Patrick , Sesbouë Bruno , Clarys Jan Pieter
Published: October 2010

There is a limited understanding of the normal function of the pterygoïdeus proprius muscle and the role that this muscle may have in temporomandibular disorders. Despite a well‐described anatomical in‐vitro approach to this muscle, there are still difficulties in investigating the fossa pterygopalatina. This study reveals an alternative in‐vivo approach by magnetic resonance imaging to visualise the muscle in the fossa pterygopalatina on 78 head halves, describe the connections with the musculus temporalis and pterygoïdeus lateralis as well as report the incidence without dealing with the known inconveniences of the dissection approach. The results show an incidence of 12.82% for the musculus pterygoïdeus proprius equally divided between both genders. Two different types of bridging between the musculus temporalis and musculus pterygoïdeus lateralis were also found: (i) ‘O’ shape (6.41%) and (ii) ‘Y’ shape (6.41%). This study suggests the use of magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the different connections between vascular and muscular structures in the fossa pterygopalatina. Further research with this approach to link the appearance of the muscle with neurovascular entrapment syndromes is warranted.
Impaired sodium levels in the suprachiasmatic nucleus are associated with the formation of cardiovascular deficiency in sleep‐deprived rats
Authors: Chang Hung‐Ming , Mai Fu‐Der , Lei Shiou‐Ling , Ling Yong‐Chien
Published: October 2010

Biological rhythms are a ubiquitous feature of all higher organisms. The rhythmic center of mammals is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which projects to a number of brainstem centers to exert diurnal control over many physiological processes, including cardiovascular regulation. Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is a harmful condition known to impair cardiovascular activity, but the molecular mechanisms are unknown. As the inward sodium current has long been suggested as playing an important role in driving the spontaneous firing of the SCN, the present study aimed to determine if changes in sodium expression, together with its molecular machinery (Na‐K ATPase) and rhythmic activity within the SCN, would occur during TSD. Adult rats subjected to different periods of TSD were processed for time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, Na‐K ATPase assay, and cytochrome oxidase (COX) (an endogenous bioenergetic marker for neuronal activity) histochemistry. Cardiovascular dysfunction was determined through analysis of heart rate and changes in mean arterial pressure. Results indicated that, in normal rats, strong sodium signals were expressed throughout the entire SCN. Enzymatic data corresponded well with spectrometric findings in which high levels of Na‐K ATPase and COX were observed in this nucleus. However, following TSD, all parameters including sodium imaging, sodium intensity as well as COX activities were drastically decreased. Na‐K ATPase showed an increase in responsiveness following TSD. Both heart rate and mean arterial pressure measurements indicated an exaggerated pressor effect following TSD treatment. As proper sodium levels are essential for SCN activation, reduced SCN sodium levels may interrupt the oscillatory control, which could serve as the underlying mechanism for the initiation or development of TSD‐related cardiovascular deficiency.
Che, Chevys, and Hemingway's Daiquiris: Cuban Tourism in a Time of Globalisation
Authors: BABB FLORENCE E.
Published: October 2010

In Cuba over the past two decades, diverse and apparently contradictory aspects of tourism have emerged along with state‐led development and market‐driven initiatives. This ethnographic account examines the complex ways in which Cubans and international visitors experience tourism as an economic and cultural force. Despite the unintended consequences of tourism, which has produced growing social inequality and illicit trade, tourism has met surprising success in appealing to desires for both pre‐revolutionary pleasures and enduring revolutionary culture and politics.
Nicotine and cotinine increases the brain penetration of saquinavir in rat
Authors: Manda Vamshi K. , Mittapalli Rajendar K. , Bohn Kaci A. , Adkins Chris E. , Lockman Paul R.
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)115,1495–1507.

Endothelial tight junctions and efflux transporters of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) significantly limit brain accumulation of many drugs, including protease inhibitors such as saquinavir. The cholinergic agonist nicotine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world and the incidence is even higher in the human immune deficiency virus population (∼70%). We examined the ability of nicotine and its primary metabolite cotinine to modify brain uptake of saquinavir in rats. Both nicotine and cotinine at pharmacological concentrations matching those in smokers, increased brain saquinavir uptake by two fold. Co‐perfusion with nicotinic receptor antagonists and passive permeability markers showed that the effect was not caused by receptor activation or BBB permeability disruption. Transport inhibition studies demonstrated that brain saquinavir uptake is limited by multiple efflux transporters, P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), breast cancer resistance protein and multidrug resistance‐associated protein.In situperfusion andin vitroexperiments using a classical P‐gp substrate rhodamine 123 linked the effect of nicotine to inhibition of BBB P‐gp transport. The effect was confirmedin vivoin chronic 14 day nicotine administration animals. These data suggest nicotine increases antiretroviral drug exposure to brain and may represent a significantin vivodrug–drug interaction at the BBB. Although this may slightly benefit CNS antiretroviral efficacy, it may also expose the brain to potential serious neurotoxicity.
Modulation of mitochondria in the axon and soma of retinal ganglion cells in a rat glaucoma model
Authors: Munemasa Yasunari , Kitaoka Yasushi , Kuribayashi Junko , Ueno Satoki
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1508–1519.

Mitochondrial abnormality has been implicated in various models of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration. We investigated modulation of mitochondrial membrane permeability and apoptosis‐inducing factor (AIF) translocation in a rat experimental glaucoma model. A decrease in MitoTracker‐labeled mitochondria around the lamina area of the optic nerve was observed in the glaucomatous eye. Immunoblot analysis for axonal motor proteins showed that a significant decrease in kinesin 1 and myosin Va levels in the glaucomatous optic nerve. A significant decrease in mitochondrial thioredoxin 2 (Trx2) level was observed in the optic nerve after intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. Translocation of AIF from the mitochondria to the axoplasm and nucleus was observed in the axon and cell body, respectively. Trx2 over‐expression in the mitochondrial membrane of RGC‐5 cells inhibited AIF translocation, resulting in cytoprotective effect against neurotoxicity induced by TNF‐α/buthionine sulfoximine treatment. In vivo transfection was performed with EGFP‐Trx2 plasmid and electroporation. Over‐expression of Trx2 in the retina and optic nerve indicated the protective effect against high IOP induced axonal degeneration. Thus, the decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and subsequent AIF translocation were involved in the glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Furthermore, modulation of mitochondria through the inhibition of AIF translocation may become a new treatment strategy for neurodegenerative disease, such as glaucoma.
N‐Methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors are required for synaptic targeting of Alzheimer’s toxic amyloid‐β peptide oligomers
Authors: Decker Helena , Jürgensen Sofia , Adrover Martin F. , Brito‐Moreira Jordano , Bomfim Theresa R. , Klein William L. , Epstein Alberto L. , De Felice Fernanda G. , Jerusalinsky Diana , Ferreira Sergio T.
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1520–1529.

Soluble amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) oligomers, known to accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease brains, target excitatory post‐synaptic terminals. This is thought to trigger synapse deterioration, a mechanism possibly underlying memory loss in early stage Alzheimer’s disease. A major unknown is the identity of the receptor(s) targeted by oligomers at synapses. Because oligomers have been shown to interfere with N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function and trafficking, we hypothesized that NMDARs might be required for oligomer binding to synapses. An amplicon vector was used to knock‐down NMDARs in mature hippocampal neurons in culture, yielding 90% reduction in dendritic NMDAR expression and blocking neuronal oxidative stress induced by Aβ oligomers, a pathological response that has been shown to be mediated by NMDARs. Remarkably, NMDAR knock‐down abolished oligomer binding to dendrites, indicating that NMDARs are required for synaptic targeting of oligomers. Nevertheless, oligomers do not appear to bind directly to NMDARs as indicated by the fact that both oligomer‐attacked and non‐attacked neurons exhibit similar surface levels of NMDARs. Furthermore, pre‐treatment of neurons with insulin down‐regulates oligomer‐binding sites in the absence of a parallel reduction in surface levels of NMDARs. Establishing that NMDARs are key components of the synaptic oligomer binding complex may illuminate the development of novel approaches to prevent synapse failure triggered by Aβ oligomers.
Performance of Garey–Johnson algorithm for pipelined typed tasks systems
Authors: Benabid A. , Hanen C.
Published: October 2010

This paper studies the generalization of the first Garey–Johnson algorithm, which minimizes the maximum lateness on two parallel processors to the case of unitary typed tasks systems with constant delays. The performance of the extended algorithm is evaluated through worst‐case analysis. If all the tasks have the same type and no delay is considered, then the upper bound obtained coincides with the upper bound for the Garey–Johnson algorithm on identical processors, which is one of the best known for the maximum lateness problem.
Interpreting Art through Metaphors
Authors: Parsons Michael
Published: October 2010

This article argues that much of the meaning of artworks comes through metaphors, though we do not always recognise them as such. The argument draws on the work of Lakoff & Johnson, who assert a similar claim about metaphors in general (especially in language). It analyses the notion of a visual metaphor, gives a number of illustrations and claims that, contrary to linguistic metaphors, there can usefully be more than one visual metaphor (‘mixed metaphors’) active in a visual image and that visual metaphors can be interpreted in both directions. Verticality is presented as one basic metaphor in visual images.
Creating the Urban Village: Teaching Pre‐Service Teachers about Sustainable Design in Architecture and Community Planning
Authors: Zande Robin Vande
Published: October 2010

Sustainable design is a philosophy adopted by people concerned with the health of society and the natural environment. The practice of sustainable design works toward the improvement of the quality of the built environment, while reducing or eradicating the negative impact on the natural environment (McLennan 2004). It is a philosophical approach that may be used in designing any type of built structure, to include architecture, public art, products and community planning. This article will describe concepts that may be addressed in art education about sustainable design to develop an environmental awareness through artistic activities. An approach to teaching sustainable design is explained with an example of a multi‐faceted project taught in a pre‐service secondary methods course of prospective art teachers.
Self‐Initiated Art Work and School Art
Authors: Haanstra Folkert
Published: October 2010

This article deals with the forms and contents of self‐initiated art works: the kind of learning that takes place in the production of self‐initiated art works as well as the relationships with school art. We interviewed 52 Dutch students (aged between 10 and 14) from different schools of primary and secondary education, and their art teachers. The students showed examples of their home art as well as their school art. Based on interviews and the works presented, four main categories of self‐initiated art works can be distinguished: applied art, popular culture, personal experience and traditional art. Learning outside school is partly incidental and informal (learning by doing, copying), but involves intentional learning as well. Students are aware of the differences in style, materials and themes between their spontaneous, self‐initiated art work and the work they are required to make in school. Moving the domain of self‐initiated art into schools may jeopardise it, but art teachers should neither ignore nor dismiss it. They should be aware of children's self‐initiated visual culture and relate to it in their lessons.
Experiencing Clay: Inquiry‐based Learning and Assessment for Learning
Authors: Mui Ma So
Published: October 2010

This article presents an examination of the effects of using an inquiry‐based learning pedagogy to teach ceramics to pre‐service teachers (my students) at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. At the beginning of the study the students were asked to conduct experiments on the properties of clay. The results indicate that half of them were able to transfer the knowledge and inquiry skills they had acquired from the experiments to their subsequent artwork production, but that the other half could not. I realised that the students needed more guidance to bridge the gap between their initial inquiries and their subsequent artistic creations. This could be done by explaining clearly the objectives of the inquiry‐based learning activities; employing strategies of assessment for learning: that is, setting explicit assessment criteria; involving the students in self‐assessments; and focusing more on methods of knowledge transfer and ways of bringing about improvements.
Fragmentation and Interrogation as an Approach to Integration
Authors: Wallick Karl , Zaretsky Michael
Published: October 2010

This article tracks the generative role of research and fragmentation as a means for integrating technology and form within an architecture technology lecture class and a co‐requisite design studio. The complexity of teaching building systems integration within a design studio context is achieved by removing any expectation of building design completion on a comprehensive scale. Typically, in a comprehensive studio, students will design an entire building at a general scale, but at the expense of detailed technical design. However, with use of building fragments, students will design a building corner or a structural bay in great detail while leaving the rest of the building less developed. With our approach, integration occurs through interrogation of case‐study buildings and student projects in the technical course which is complemented by a series of fragmental design studies in the studio. We propose that designing fragments encourages constructive thinking at multiple scales rather than design as a singular problem solving process. As a result, design is not seen as the creation of objects, but as the guidance of multiple, simultaneously acting forces into an integrated assembly. The co‐requisite technical course also embraces fragmentation for research purposes: three professors provide three different technical (structures, environment and construction) and conceptual viewpoints for three distinct building pairs. Various forces within those building pairs are compared to illuminate strategic thinking for comprehensive building design. The intense focus on selective technical systems within these building pairs is intended to support the same development of integrative strategic thinking in the studio.
Oesophageal varices in cirrhotic patients: from variceal screening to primary prophylaxis of the first oesophageal variceal bleeding
Authors: Zhang Chunqing , Thabut Dominique , Kamath Patrick S. , Shah Vijay H.
Published: October 2010

Bleeding from oesophageal varices is still a lethal complication in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. Approximately 5–10% of patients with cirrhosis will develop oesophageal varices per year, and about 25–30% of cirrhotic patients with oesophageal varices and without previous variceal haemorrhage will bleed from ruptured varices. To date, data on preventing the formation/growth of oesophageal varices (preprimary prophylaxis) are conflicting, with insufficient evidence to use β‐blockers. There is evidence for the need for primary prophylaxis, and both β‐blockers and endoscopic variceal ligation have shown the same efficacy in preventing first bleeding, but which one to prefer is still controversial. The present article reviews the established and potential therapeutic strategies for preventing the development and rupture of oesophageal varices.
Integumentary “rosette‐like structures” in Microcoryphia and Zygentoma (Insecta): SEM morphological and topographic surveys
Authors: MATUSHKINA Natalia A.
Published: October 2010

“Rosette‐like structures” (RS) were found previously on integument of different body regions of Microcoryphia and Zygentoma. Their putative functions, either as sensilla or as openings of epidermal glands, are still not clear. This study was carried out as the initial descriptive stage of a special investigation of RS. For the first time, the morphology and topography of RS in nine species of wingless insects, including enigmatic silverfish Tricholepidion gertschi, were examined specially by means of scanning electron microscopy. Rosette‐like structures were found in all studied species except for an atelurid Nipponatelura shirozui. They were numerous, mainly on the unscaled body appendages. Solitary RS were distributed randomly on most surfaces of the insect body, except for the antennal flagellum of all studied representatives and the caudalia of zygentomans where RS were arranged among rows of bristles and sensillae. Some of clustered RS were closely positioned to joints or articular membranes. The female genital appendages exhibited quite a peculiar pattern of RS distribution. The RS were tentatively categorized into five basic morphological types. There is considerable variation in morphology of RS among members of the Microcoryphia, which probably reflects functional heterogeneity of RS. On the contrary, RS of zygentomans mainly belong to one morphological type, whereas another one of RS‐types was found in T. gertschi only. The homologization between highly variable RS in Microcoryphia and morphologically uniform those in Zygentoma currently seems to be unfeasible.
Managing New Product Development Teams in a Globally Dispersed NPD Program
Authors: Salomo Sören , Keinschmidt Elko J. , De Brentani Ulrike
Published: October 2010

Globalization is a major market trend today, one characterized by both increased international competition as well as extensive opportunities for firms to expand their operations beyond current boundaries. Effectively dealing with this important change, however, makes the management of global new product development (NPD) a major concern. To ensure success in this complex and competitive endeavor, companies must rely on global NPD teams that make use of the talents and knowledge available in different parts of the global organization. Thus, cohesive and well‐functioning global NPD teams become a critical capability by which firms can effectively leverage this much more diverse set of perspectives, experiences, and cultural sensitivities for the global NPD effort. The present research addresses the global NPD team and its impact on performance from both an antecedent and a contingency perspective. Using the resource‐based view (RBV) as a theoretical framework, the study clarifies how the internal, or behavioral, environment of the firm—specifically, resource commitment and senior management involvement—and the global NPD team are interrelated and contribute to global NPD program performance. In addition, the proposed performance relationships are viewed as being contingent on certain explicit, or strategic, factors. In particular, the degree of global dispersion of the firm's NPD effort is seen as influencing the management approach and thus altering the relationships among company background resources, team, and performance. For the empirical analysis, data are collected through a survey of 467 corporate global new product programs (North America and Europe, business‐to‐business). A structural model testing for the hypothesized effects was substantially supported. The results show that creating and effectively managing global NPD teams offers opportunities for leveraging a diverse but unique combination of talents and knowledge‐based resources, thereby enhancing the firm's ability to achieve a sustained competitive advantage in international markets. To function effectively, the global NPD team must be nested in a corporate environment in which there is a commitment of sufficient resources and where senior management plays an active role in leading, championing, and coordinating the global NPD effort. This need for commitment and global team integration becomes even more important for success as the NPD effort becomes more globally dispersed.
Managing Innovation Champions: The Impact of Project Characteristics on the Direct Manager Role*
Authors: Kelley Donna , Lee Hyunsuk
Published: October 2010

A key challenge for organizations seeking to improve the management of innovation lies in determining when to lend direct managerial support, and how much support, to those championing such projects. This research provides insights into the connection between project characteristics and the type and frequency of direct manager involvement. As such, it addresses the following research question: how does the level of project innovativeness, strategic relatedness, and resource requirements impact the level of empowerment of innovation champions and the sponsor or supervisor role played by managers? The research method involves a survey of 89 project champions from four divisions of large, multinational Korean companies. The results show that when innovativeness was high but projects were strategically related, there was greater project champion empowerment but also a more frequent managerial sponsor role. This suggests it may be best to allow innovators, who are close to the project's markets, technologies, and industry conditions, to have greater freedom over objectives and decisions. Yet they may also need the advice and support of their managers to function optimally under the highly uncertain conditions that characterize innovative projects. This combination of empowerment and a sponsor role, though appropriate for highly innovative projects, may also require high strategic relatedness, however. On the other hand, when projects are less strategically related and when resource requirements are high, the analysis suggests managers are more likely to exert control. Managers may therefore need to become more closely involved in decision making for costly ventures representing new strategic directions for their organizations. Overall, this research suggests that both empowerment and manager roles are relevant to the management of innovation. These results offer academic value in recognizing the nature of the direct manager role under different innovation project conditions. It further reveals a need for academics to recognize both the supervisor and sponsor roles in the management of innovation. For managers, the findings suggest that for organizations to effectively develop and commercialize innovations managers need to recognize when certain projects call for different levels and types of involvement.
The Role of Value‐Informed Pricing in Market‐Oriented Product Innovation Management*
Authors: Ingenbleek Paul T. M. , Frambach Ruud T. , Verhallen Theo M. M.
Published: October 2010

Although the positive effect of a market orientation on new product success is widely accepted and the market orientation literature has increased its understanding of how a market orientation leads to performance, the extant literature has overlooked the role of value‐informed pricing in the relationship. Value‐informed pricing is a pricing practice in which the decision makers base the price of the new product on the customers' perceptions of the benefits that the product offers and how these benefits are traded by customers against the price (that has yet to be determined). Considering that pricing mistakes may hit hard on the profitability of product innovations, it is important to firms to have a good understanding of its role. This study develops a framework in which value‐informed pricing is integrated in the relationship between market orientation and new product performance. A distinction is made between customer and competitor orientations, and relative product advantage is also included in the conceptual model. The model is tested on data obtained from managers based on a cross sectional sample of 144 firms. The respondents were involved in a decision‐making process of the pricing of a new product. The model is tested using structural equations modeling. The results show that value‐informed pricing has a strong effect on new product performance. It also reveals that each component of a market orientation fulfills a specific role in a market‐oriented organization. Value‐informed pricing is found to have important mediating effects in the market orientation–new product performance relationship. Results show that firms with a strong customer orientation engage in value‐informed pricing and develop superior benefits to customers in an advantageous product. In turn, both value‐informed pricing and relative product advantage positively affect new product market performance. However, no significant effect of competitor orientation on value‐informed pricing is found. Combined with the finding that competitor orientation negatively affects relative product advantage, this suggests that competitor orientation may hurt new product performance when this orientation is not balanced with a strong customer orientation. The results also portray that value‐informed pricing leads to higher product advantage. Interestingly, this relation is contingent on the degree of interfunctional coordination within the firm. This suggests that the relationship between market orientation and new product performance is strongest if firms integrate value‐informed pricing in the new product development process. In this sense, a market‐oriented firm mirrors the customer value perception that makes a trade‐off between benefits and price.
Market Information Acquisition, Use, and New Venture Performance*
Authors: Parry Mark E. , Song Michael
Published: October 2010

A substantial body of existing research has linked firm performance to the acquisition and use of customer, competitor, and other market information. This paper examines the impact on new venture performance of formal processes for market information collection and use. This study hypothesizes that new venture performance will be an increasing function of both market information and use. Two moderator hypotheses are also tested. In particular, it is expected that the impact of formal market information processes will be greater in market‐driven new ventures than in technology‐driven new ventures. These hypotheses were tested using data collected from 222 Chinese new ventures. The empirical analysis confirms the positive role of formal processes in new venture performance. However, the analysis does not support the moderator hypotheses. This study finds that (1) formal processes for information acquisition are equally important in technology‐driven and market‐driven firms and (2) formal processes for information use have a greater impact on new venture performance in technology‐driven firms than in market‐driven firms.
Fragmented QRS Complex Has Poor Sensitivity in Detecting Myocardial Scar
Authors: Wang Dee Dee , Buerkel Daniel M. , Corbett James R. , Gurm Hitinder S.
Published: October 2010

Objective: To study the association of the fragmented QRS complex versus the Q wave with myocardial scar and viability.

Background: A prior study has suggested that the fragmented QRS complex on an electrocardiogram (ECG) is a highly sensitive and specific marker of myocardial scar as detected by regional perfusion abnormalities on a nuclear stress test. There is no external validation of this data.

Methods: We correlated the ECG and nuclear perfusion images of 460 consecutive patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. The presence of fragmented QRS or Q waves in two contiguous ECG leads was correlated with major coronary artery distributions on nuclear perfusion imaging.

Results: For the 1842 evaluated territories, the fragmented QRS complex was not superior to the Q wave in detecting fixed or mixed myocardial defects. The fragmented QRS complex was associated with worse sensitivity (1.7%) in comparison to the Q wave (31.7%) for identifying myocardial scar. The fragmented QRS complex carried a higher false positive rate in patients with normal perfusion scans (15.8%, 221 segments), in comparison to Q waves (1.4%, 17 segments).

Conclusion: In our study population, both the fragmented QRS and Q wave had poor sensitivity and specificity in detecting fixed or mixed myocardial scar. Larger studies are needed to evaluate fragmented QRS as a surrogate of myocardial scar before it can be incorporated into clinical practice.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2010;15(4):308‐314
Identification of Gender‐Related Normality Regions for T‐Wave Alternans
Authors: Burattini Laura , Zareba Wojciech , Burattini Roberto
Published: October 2010

Background:T‐wave alternans (TWA), a harbinger of sudden cardiac death, associates to a broad variety of pathologies. In a previous study, we observed the presence of unstable and low‐amplitude TWA also in healthy subjects, and considered it as “physiological TWA.” The possible existence of different TWA characteristics between males and female is investigated in the present work.

Methods:Resting ECG recordings from 142 control healthy subjects, 77 males and 65 females, were submitted to our adaptive match filter (AMF) based method for TWA detection and characterization in terms of duration, amplitude, and their product. The 99.5th percentile of these parameters distributions over the entire control population and over the male and female subgroups, were used to define thresholds which delimit a gender‐independent and male‐ and female‐related TWA normality regions, respectively, out of which abnormal TWA cases (TWA+) are expected to fall. Clinical usefulness of these regions was tested using a population of 151 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, divided into 128 males and 23 females.

Results:In our control‐female population, TWA duration was significantly longer than in control‐male population (65 ± 13 beat vs 52 ± 14 beat; P < 10−6). Our gender‐related normality regions allowed identification of 36 (23.8%) TWA+ cases among the CAD patients, 17 more than those obtained from a gender‐independent region. All these 17 patients were CAD males with over‐threshold TWA duration.

Conclusions:TWA is a gender‐related phenomenon. Definition of gender‐related TWA normality regions improves identification of patients at increased TWA stability (i.e., prolonged TWA duration) and, thus, at increased risk of arrhythmic events.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2010;15(4):328‐336
Comparison of the Acute Hemodynamic Effect of Right Ventricular Apex, Outflow Tract, and Dual‐Site Right Ventricular Pacing
Authors: Rubaj Andrzej , Rucinski Piotr , Sodolski Tomasz , Bilan Andrzej , Gulaj Marcin , Dabrowska‐Kugacka Alicja , Kutarski Andrzej
Published: October 2010

Background: We studied the acute effect of pacing at the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), right ventricular apex (RVA) and simultaneous RVA and RVOT—dual‐site right ventricular pacing (DuRV) in random order on systolic function using impedance cardiography.

Methods: Seventy‐three patients (46 males), aged 52–89 years (mean 71.4 years) subjected to routine dual chamber pacemaker implantation with symptomatic chronic II or atrioventricular block, were included to the study.

Results: DuRV pacing resulted in significantly higher cardiac index (CI) in comparison to RVOT and RVA and CI at RVOT was higher than at RVA pacing (2.46 vs 2.35 vs 2.28; P < 0.001). In patients with ejection fraction >50% significantly higher CI was observed during DuRV pacing when compared to RVOT and RVA pacing and there was no difference of CI between RVOT and RVA pacing (2.53 vs 2.41 vs 2.37; P < 0.001). In patients with ejection fraction <50%, DuRV and RVOT pacing resulted in significantly higher CI in comparison to RVA pacing while no difference in CI was observed between RVOT and DuRV pacing (2.28 vs 2.21 vs 2.09; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Dual‐site right ventricular pacing in comparison to RVA pacing improved cardiac systolic function. RVOT appeared to be more advantageous than RVA pacing in patients with impaired, but not in those with preserved left ventricular function. No clear hemodynamic benefit of DuRV in comparison to RVOT pacing in patients with impaired systolic function was observed.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2010;15(4):353‐359
Electrocardiographic Clues to Identify Nonresponders to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Authors: El Sabbagh Firas H. , Guzon Osler Jay J. , Alpert Martin A. , Flaker Greg C.
Published: October 2010

Background: The aim of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is to restore myocardial electromechanical synchrony. Achieving this in patients with chronic severe heart failure due to poor left ventricular (LV) systolic function and cardiac dyssynchrony on optimal medical therapy, is associated with improved clinical performance and outcomes. Up to one‐third of patients undergoing CRT do not benefit from implantation. Ensuring LV capture is essential and can be at times difficult to confirm.

Methods: Described herein, are six patients who underwent biventricular pacemaker implantation but failed to experience an improvement in LV systolic function or functional capacity.

Results: In each case, the 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was helpful in unmasking loss of LV capture in patients who were presumed to have biventricular pacing.

Conclusions: Despite the technical wizardry behind CRT and patient system analyzers, the surface ECG should continue to be an invaluable tool for evaluating patients who have undergone CRT.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2010;15(4):369‐377
Detection of Genotype Recycling Fraud in U.S. Immigrants*
Authors: Wenk Robert E.
Published: October 2010

Abstract:  Relationship testing laboratories provide genetic evidence to support or refute claims of kinship between U.S. citizen petitioners and potential immigrant beneficiaries. One female beneficiary presented a male amelogenin type and alleles at 15 autosomal loci that were identical to an alleged brother’s. Laboratory records showed that her alleged father had petitioned to have 15 children emigrate from Ghana. The petitioner’s 15 paternity indices exceeded 105, but the children shared only four short tandem repeat (STR) profiles, suggesting fraudulent reuse of genotypes in this alleged pedigree (AP). To determine the extent of this “genotype recycling,” I examined the laboratory’s 555 APs from Ghana and 532 control APs from Nigeria. Seventeen Ghanaian APs (3.1%) but no Nigerian APs showed genotype recycling. Of 90 tested people in the 17 APs, 56 shared identical STR profiles with others in their AP. Of these 56 people, 10 were petitioners with unexpectedly high parentage indices. Seven of 56 had amelogenin types that disagreed with their declared genders. Database searches for identical multilocus genotypes in allegedly different people would best detect this fraud.
Muscle Contraction During Electro‐muscular Incapacitation: A Comparison Between Square‐wave Pulses and the TASER® X26 Electronic Control Device*
Authors: Comeaux James A. , Jauchem James R. , Cox D. Duane , Crane Carrie C. , D’Andrea John A.
Published: October 2010

Abstract:  Electronic control devices (including the Advanced TASER® X26 model produced by TASER International) incapacitate individuals by causing muscle contractions. To provide information relevant to development of future potential devices, effects of monophasic square waves with different parameters were compared with those of the X26 electronic control device, using two animal models (frogs and swine). Pulse power, electrical pulse charge, pulse duration, and pulse repetition frequency affected muscle contraction. There was no difference in the charge required, between the square waveform and the X26 waveform, to cause approximately the same muscle‐contraction response (in terms of the strength‐duration curve). Thus, on the basis of these initial studies, the detailed shape of a waveform may not be important in terms of generating electro‐muscular incapacitation. More detailed studies, however, may be required to thoroughly test all potential waveforms to be considered for future use in ECDs.
Myocardial Hypertrophy Induces Carotid Body Hyperplasia
Authors: Sivridis Efthimios , Pavlidis Pavlos , Fiska Aliki , Pitsiava Dimitra , Giatromanolaki Alexandra
Published: October 2010

Abstract:  The carotid bodies tend to enlarge after long‐standing cardiopulmonary disease. Our objective was to investigate whether cardiac hypertrophy is associated with carotid body hyperplasia. Fifteen autopsy cases with combined left and right ventricular hypertrophy were examined and compared with two control groups (16 cases). The study involved a meticulous dissection of carotid bifurcations, thin serial sections, and morphometric analysis of carotid body volume and cell types (progenitor, dark, light, and sustentacular). There was a significant increase in sustentacular cells in all individuals with cardiac hypertrophy, which was not drug‐induced, and accompanied by a similar increase in carotid body volume. Dark or light cell accumulation was detected focally and only in three instances. It appears that the generalized sustentacular cell hyperplasia is the result of long‐standing hypoxia, while a superimposed focal prominence of dark or light cells may be proliferative or metaplastic in nature and attributed to short‐term hypoxia.
Clinical Effects and Lethal and Forensic Aspects of Propofol*
Authors: Levy Richard J.
Published: October 2010

Abstract:  Propofol is a potent intravenous anesthetic agent that rapidly induces sedation and unconsciousness. The potential for propofol dependency, recreational use, and abuse has only recently been recognized, and several cases of accidental overdose and suicide have emerged. In addition, the first documented case of murder using propofol was reported a few months ago, and a high profile case of suspected homicide with propofol is currently under investigation. A number of analytical methods have been employed to detect and quantify propofol concentrations in biological specimens. The reported propofol‐related deaths and postmortem blood and tissue levels are reviewed. Importantly, limitations of propofol detection are discussed, and future considerations are presented. Because propofol has the potential for diversion with lethal consequences, the forensic scientist must have a basic understanding of its clinical indications and uses, pharmacologic properties, and detection methods. In addition, medical institutions should develop systems to prevent and detect diversion of this potential drug of abuse.