bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unusual MRI findings of dural arteriovenous fistula: Isolated perfusion lesions mimicking TIA
Authors: Kim Yong-Won , Kang Dong-Hun , Hwang Yang-Ha , Park Sung-Pa
Published: August 2012

Background

The diagnosis of transient ischemic attack (TIA) based on clinical history and objective findings, even including multiparametric MRI, can be misleading. We report two patients who presented with TIA-like deficits with isolated perfusion lesions in corresponding areas but were finally diagnosed as transient neurological symptoms associated with dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF).

Case presentation

Two patients presented with transient focal neurological symptoms lasting less than one hour. An isolated perfusion deficit with no diffusion change in the clinically relevant area was shown on brain MRI, indicating transient ischemia as the most plausible cause of neurological symptoms. However, cerebral angiography let to diagnosis of dAVF in both cases. Intracerebral hemorrhage occurred after the initial diagnosis of TIA in one patient, and the small area of perfusion abnormality accompanied by the enlarged cortical vein in the other case helped to identify the dAVF through the further investigation. The pattern of perfusion-weighted imaging in both cases revealed increase of mean transit time and relative cerebral blood volume denoting the venous congestion in a clinically corresponding area.

Conclusion

Reported cases are uncommon clinical presentation of a dAVF, which can be misdiagnosed as TIA on clinical grounds. In rare cases, the isolated perfusion deficits could be attributable to venous congestion, despite the similar pattern of clinical presentation, such as with TIA.
Effect of artesunate-mefloquine fixed-dose combination in malaria transmission in amazon basin communities
Authors: Santelli Ana C , Ribeiro Isabela , Daher André , Boulos Marcos , Marchesini Paola B , dos Santos Roseli La Corte , Lucena Marize BF , Magalhães Izanelda , Leon Antonio P , Junger Washington , Ladislau José LB
Published: August 2012

Background

Studies in South-East Asia have suggested that early diagnosis and treatment with artesunate (AS) and mefloquine (MQ) combination therapy may reduce the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria and the progression of MQ resistance.

Methods

The effectiveness of a fixed-dose combination of AS and MQ (ASMQ) in reducing malaria transmission was tested in isolated communities of the Juruá valley in the Amazon region.

Priority municipalities within the Brazilian Legal Amazon area were selected according to pre-specified criteria. Routine national malaria control programmatic procedures were followed. Existing health structures were reinforced and health care workers were trained to treat with ASMQ all confirmed falciparum malaria cases that match inclusion criteria. A local pharmacovigilance structure was implemented. Incidence of malaria and hospitalizations were recorded two years before, during, and after the fixed-dose ASMQ intervention. In total, between July 2006 and December 2008, 23,845 patients received ASMQ. Two statistical modelling approaches were applied to monthly time series of P. falciparum malaria incidence rates, P. falciparum/Plasmodium vivax infection ratio, and malaria hospital admissions rates. All the time series ranged from January 2004 to December 2008, whilst the intervention period span from July 2006 to December 2008.

Results

The ASMQ intervention had a highly significant impact on the mean level of each time series, adjusted for trend and season, of 0.34 (95%CI 0.20 – 0.58) for the P. falciparum malaria incidence rates, 0.67 (95%CI 0.50 – 0.89) for the P. falciparum/P. vivax infection ratio, and 0.53 (95%CI 0.41 – 0.69) for the hospital admission rates. There was also a significant change in the seasonal (or monthly) pattern of the time series before and after intervention, with the elimination of the malaria seasonal peak in the rainy months of the years following the introduction of ASMQ. No serious adverse events relating to the use of fixed-dose ASMQ were reported.

Conclusions

In the remote region of the Juruá valley, the early detection of malaria by health care workers and treatment with fixed-dose ASMQ was feasible and efficacious, and significantly reduced the incidence and morbidity of P. falciparum malaria.
Tea and coffee consumption in relation to vitamin D and calcium levels in Saudi adolescents
Authors: Al-Othman Abdulaziz , Al-Musharaf Sara , Al-Daghri Nasser M , Yakout Sobhy , Alkharfy Khalid M , Al-Saleh Yousef , Al-Attas Omar S , Alokail Majed S , Moharram Osama , Sabico Shaun , Kumar Sudhesh , Chrousos George P
Published: August 2012

Background

Coffee and tea consumption was hypothesized to interact with variants of vitamin D-receptor polymorphisms, but limited evidence exists. Here we determine for the first time whether increased coffee and tea consumption affects circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a cohort of Saudi adolescents.

Methods

A total of 330 randomly selected Saudi adolescents were included. Anthropometrics were recorded and fasting blood samples were analyzed for routine analysis of fasting glucose, lipid levels, calcium, albumin and phosphorous. Frequency of coffee and tea intake was noted. 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Results

Improved lipid profiles were observed in both boys and girls, as demonstrated by increased levels of HDL-cholesterol, even after controlling for age and BMI, among those consuming 9–12 cups of coffee/week. Vitamin D levels were significantly highest among those consuming 9–12 cups of tea/week in all subjects (p-value 0.009) independent of age, gender, BMI, physical activity and sun exposure.

Conclusion

This study suggests a link between tea consumption and vitamin D levels in a cohort of Saudi adolescents, independent of age, BMI, gender, physical activity and sun exposure. These findings should be confirmed prospectively.
Human giant congenital melanocytic nevus exhibits potential proteomic alterations leading to melanotumorigenesis
Authors: Kim Hyoung Kyu , Kim Yong Kyu , Song In-Sung , Lee Sung-Ryul , Jeong Seung Hun , Kim Min Hee , Seo Dae Yun , Kim Nari , Rhee Byoung Doo , Ko Kyoung Soo , Tark Kwan Chul , Park Chul Gyoo , Cho Je-Yoel , Han Jin
Published: August 2012

Background

A giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN) is a malformation of the pigment cells. It is a distress to the patients for two reasons: one is disfigurement, and the other is the possibility of malignant changes. However, the underlying mechanisms of the development of GCMN and melanotumorigenesis in GCMN are unknown. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify the proteomic alterations and associated functional pathways in GCMN.

Results

Proteomic differences between GCMN (n = 3) and normal skin samples (n = 3) were analyzed by one-dimensional-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry Relative levels of the selected proteins were validated using western blot analysis. The biological processes associated with the abundance modified proteins were analyzed using bioinformatic tools. Among the 46 abundance modified proteins, expression of 4 proteins was significantly downregulated and expression of 42 proteins was significantly upregulated in GCMN compared to normal skin samples (p < 0.05). More importantly, 31% of the upregulated proteins were implicated in various cancers, with five proteins being specifically related with melanoma. The abundance modified proteins in GCMN were involved in the biological processes of neurotrophin signaling, melanosome, and downregulated of MTA-3 in ER-negative breast tumors. In particular, an increase in the expression of the 14-3-3 protein family members appeared to be associated with key cellular biological functions in GCMN. Western blot analysis confirmed the upregulation of 14-3-3epsilon, 14-3-3 tau, and prohibitin in GCMN.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that GCMN exhibits potential proteomic alterations, which may play a role in melanotumorigenesis, and the significant alteration of 14-3-3 family proteins could be a key regulator of the biological pathway remodeling in GCMN.
Two cases of gastrointestinal perforation after radiotherapy in patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor for advanced renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Inoue Takaaki , Kinoshita Hidefumi , Komai Yoshihiro , Kawabata Takashi , Kawa Gen , Uemura Yoshiko , Matsuda Tadashi
Published: August 2012

We report two cases of gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) after radiotherapy in patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Case 1 was a 61-year-old woman with lung metastases after a radical nephrectomy for a right RCC (cT3aN0M0) treated with interferon-alpha (OIF, 5 MIU, three times per week). She developed lytic metastases of the left femur and the left acetabulum. She was treated with palliative radiotherapy to the metastatic portion (3 Gy × 10 fractions), and 400 mg sorafenib twice per day plus continuing interferon alpha. She experienced sudden left lower abdominal pain after four weeks of treatment, and was diagnosed with a perforation of the sigmoid colon with fecal peritonitis. Case 2 was a 48-year-old man with lung, lymph node, and bone metastases after a radical nephrectomy for a right RCC (cT2N0M0), and was treated with 400 mg sorafenib twice per day. He developed lytic bone metastases of the lumbar vertebrae, which was treated with palliative radiotherapy to L2-4 (3 Gy × 10 fractions). He experienced sudden abdominal pain after two months of radiation treatment, and was diagnosed with a perforation of the sigmoid colon with fecal peritonitis. These cases underwent radiotherapy, and therefore this may be related to the radiosensitivity of TKI.
Brighter-colored paper wasps (Polistes dominula) have larger poison glands
Authors: Vidal-Cordero J Manuel , Moreno-Rueda Gregorio , López-Orta Antonio , Marfil-Daza Carlos , Ros-Santaella José L , Ortiz-Sánchez F Javier
Published: August 2012

Introduction

Aposematism is a defense system against predators consisting of the toxicity warning using conspicuous coloration. If the toxin production and aposematic coloration is costly, only individuals in good physical condition could simultaneously produce abundant poison and striking coloration. In such cases, the aposematic coloration not only indicates that the animal is toxic, but also the toxicity level of individuals. The costs associated with the production of aposematic coloration would ensure that individuals honestly indicate their toxicity levels. In the present study, we examine the hypothesis that a positive correlation exists between the brightness of warning coloration and toxicity level using as a model the paper wasp (Polistes dominula).

Results

We collected wasps from 30 different nests and photographed them to measure the brightness of warning coloration in the abdomen. We also measured the volume of the poison gland, as well as the length, and the width of the abdomen. The results show a positive relationship between brightness and poison-gland size, which remained positive even after controlling for the body size and abdomen width.

Conclusion

The results suggest that the coloration pattern of these wasps is a true sign of toxicity level: wasps with brighter colors are more poisonous (they have larger poison glands).
First report of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in two threatened carnivores: the Marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna and the European mink, Mustela lutreola (Mammalia: Mustelidae)
Authors: Gherman Călin M , Sándor Attila D , Kalmár Zsuzsa , Marinov Mihai , Mihalca Andrei D
Published: August 2012

Background

Lyme disease is a widespread cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by species belonging to the genus Borrelia. It is transmitted from animal reservoir hosts to humans through hard - ticks of genus Ixodes which are vectors of the disease.

Case presentation

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection was identified in a marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna, and two European minks, Mustela lutreola, from Romania, by PCR. RFLP revealed the presence of a single genospecies, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.

Conclusions

This is the first report of the Lyme disease spirochetes in the two mentioned hosts.
Effect of preceding exercise on cerebral and splanchnic vascular responses to mental task
Authors: Someya Nami , Ikemura Tsukasa , Hayashi Naoyuki
Published: August 2012

Background

To investigate the effect of preceding acute exercise on the peripheral vascular response to a mental task, we measured splanchnic and cerebral blood flow responses to performing a mental task after exercise and resting.

Methods

In the exercise trial, 11 males exercised for 30 min on a cycle ergometer with a workload set at 70% of the age-predicted maximal heart rate for each individual. After a 15-min recovery period, the subjects rested for 5 min for pre-task baseline measurement and then performed mental arithmetic for 5 min followed by 5 min of post-task measurement. In the resting trial, they rested for 45 min and pre-task baseline data was obtained for 5 min. Then mental arithmetic was performed for 5 min followed by post-task measurement. We measured the mean blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery and superior mesenteric artery and the mean arterial pressure.

Results

Mean arterial pressure and mean blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery were significantly higher than the baseline during mental arithmetic in both exercise and resting trials. Mean blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery during mental arithmetic was greater in the control trial than the exercise trial. Mean blood velocity in the superior mesenteric artery showed no significant change during mental arithmetic from baseline in both trials.

Conclusion

These results suggest that acute exercise can moderate the increase in cerebral blood flow induced by a mental task.
Puzzles: Noisy Prisoners, Manhattan Locations, and More
Authors: Nalebuff Barry
Published: August 2012

Each “Puzzles” will begin with a few speed problems. These puzzles have answers provided in the same issue. Puzzles 1 and 2 will give you a chance to get up to speed. Then, we continue with longer puzzles taken from two very broadly defined categories: strategy puzzles and theory puzzles. Strategy puzzles will give the readers an opportunity to compete against each other in problems of coordination and competition. The third puzzle, a noisy prisoner's dilemma tournament, falls dead center in this category. Theory puzzles are meant to offer mathematical problems that have an economic interpretation. The fourth puzzle, an optimal location problem, is in this category.
Symposium on Tax Reform
Authors: Aaron Henry J
Published: August 2012

The papers in this symposium are a representative sample of the diverse views economists hold on the political and economic advantages and disadvantages of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Cost of Capital
Authors: Auerbach Alan J
Published: August 2012

The broad outlines of the recently passed Tax Reform Act of 1986 suggest a shift in the tax burden toward business. Over the five-year period 1987-1991, corporate tax revenues are projected to increase by $120.3 billion with individual tax revenues declining by $121.9 billion. It is natural to conclude that business investment in plant and equipment will be discouraged by this shift. Yet the relationship between tax revenues and investment incentives is a complicated one, particularly when the change in business tax revenues is accompanied by a major change in the tax structure producing these revenues. This paper's primary aim is to discuss the channels through which this major change in the tax structure will affect the incentives for business investment. Among the related questions discussed are the law's impact on the efficiency of capital allocation; corporate debt-equity ratios; corporate mergers and takeovers; tax shelter activity and the nonpayment of taxes by individuals and corporations; the strength of foreign investment in the United States; and the market value of the equity shares of U.S. corporations.
Information and the Coase Theorem
Authors: Farrell Joseph
Published: August 2012

Some economists think the Coase theorem implies a lot about the proper scope of government intervention in the economy and about the welfare consequences of laissez-faire. Others see it as a mere tautology: that if people negotiate efficiently then every outcome will be efficient. The Coase theorem is important only if we believe that efficient negotiation is likely. Of course we can attribute inefficiencies to “bargaining imperfection,” but it may not be useful to do so. Such attitudes sometimes seem to depend more on ideology than on reason. This article gives one economist's reasoned view. It discusses the Coase Theorem as a decentralization result and why decentralization results are interesting. It considers mechanism design for revealing private information, and describes the problems of centralization. Should the Coase theorem should be viewed as a second-best result—property rights are more efficient than some reasonable alternative? Does the Coase theorem recommend an institution or make institutions unnecessary?
Is Free Trade Passé?
Authors: Krugman Paul R
Published: August 2012

If there were an Economist's Creed, it would surely contain the affirmations “I understand the Principle of Comparative Advantage” and “I advocate Free Trade.” Yet the case for free trade is currently more in doubt than at any time since the 1817 publication of Ricardo's Principles of Political Economy, and this is due to changes that have recently taken place in the theory of international trade. While new developments in international trade theory may not yet be familiar to the profession at large, they have been substantial and radical. In the last ten years the traditional constant returns, perfect competition models of international trade have been supplemented and to some extent supplanted by a new breed of models that emphasizes increasing returns and imperfect competition. These new models call into doubt the extent to which actual trade can be explained by comparative advantage; they also open the possibility that government intervention in trade via import restrictions, export subsidies, and so on may under some circumstances be in the national interest after all. To preview this paper's conclusion: free trade is not passé, but it is an idea that has irretrievably lost its innocence. Its status has shifted from optimum to reasonable rule of thumb. There is still a case for free trade as a good policy, and as a useful target in the practical world of politics, but it can never again be asserted as the policy that economic theory tells us is always right.
The Making of an Economist
Authors: Colander David , Klamer Arjo
Published: August 2012

As economists, we have an interest in and individual knowledge of the initiation process that turns students into professional economists. However, other than anecdotal evidence, very little in the way of data exists. This paper is a step toward providing insight into that process. We obtained our data from questionnaires distributed to graduate students at six top-ranking graduate economic programs -- University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Yale University -- exploring who current graduate students are and what they think about economics, the economy, and graduate school. The 212 respondents were relatively equally divided by year of study. We followed up our survey with a series of interviews. Certain results seem unambiguous and worth repeating. Specifically, there is a significant variety of opinions among graduate economics students and among the schools in the survey, and there definitely seems to be a Chicago school of economics. There are also tensions between the emphasis on techniques and the desire to do policy-oriented work. Students believe that what leads to success in graduate school is techniques; that success has little to do with understanding the economy, nor does it have much to do with economic literature. We hope that this information leads to discussion within the profession of whether this focus is good or bad.
Influence of aneurysm wall stiffness and the presence of intraluminal thrombus on the wall movement of an aneurysm – an in vitro study
Authors: Bosman W M P F , Hinnen J W , Kopp W H , van der Steenhoven T J , Kaptein B L , Koning O H J , Hamming J F
Published: August 2012

The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the influence of aneurysm wall stiffness and of the presence of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) on aneurysm wall movement. Three latex aneurysms were used with different wall stiffness. The aneurysms, equipped with 20 tantalum markers, were attached to an in vitro circulation model. Fluoroscopic roentgenographic stereo photogrammetric analysis was used to measure marker movement during six cardiac cycles at three different systemic pressures. To investigate the influence of ILT on wall movement, we repeated the same experiment with one of the aneurysms. The aneurysm sac was then filled with one of two E-moduli differing thrombus analogues (Novalyse 8 and 20) or with perfusate as a control. It was noted that the amplitude of the wall movement (mm) increased significantly ( P < 0.05) as the compliance of the wall increased. The mean amplitude of the wall movement decreased ( P < 0.05) as the stiffness ( E-modulus) of the ILT increased. In conclusion, ILT has a ‘cushioning effect’. Wall movement (and theoretically wall stress) diminishes when the stiffness of the ILT increases. Compliance of the aneurysm wall influences wall movement. When the stiffness of the wall increases, the wall movement diminishes.
Determining the Spectral Resolution of a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Raman Instrument
Authors: Liu Chuan , Berg Rolf W.
Published: August 2012

A new method based on dispersion equations is described to express the spectral resolution of an applied charge-coupled device (CCD) Czerny-Turner Raman instrument entirely by means of one equation and principal factors determined by the actual setup. The factors involved are usual quantities such as wavenumber values for the laser and the Raman band, the diffraction grating groove density, the second focal length, the angle between the incident and the diffracted light, and the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of the signal on the detector. A basic formula is derived to estimate the spectral resolution of the Raman instrument. An essential feature of the new method is a proposed way to compensate for non-ideality (diffractions, aberrations, etc.) by use of a hyperbola model function to describe the relationship between the width of the entrance slit and the image signal width on the CCD. The model depends on the spectrometer magnification and a diffraction and aberration compensation factor denoted as A. A could be approximated as a constant that can be determined by the experimental method. The validity of the new expression has been examined by measuring the band width of the 1332.4 cm−1 diamond Raman fundamental band, excited with two quite different wavelengths (a deep ultraviolet 257.3 nm laser line and a visible green 514.5 nm line). A low pressure mercury line at 265.2042 nm also was applied to give further verification of the given expression. A useful method to find true Raman band widths is also provided. A final finding was that the known significant changes in spectral resolution along the Raman shift axis make static recording and synchronous (extended) scanning modes differ significantly with respect to their resolution properties; this feature has been often overlooked in many contemporary works reporting Raman spectra. A reason for this is that many Raman bands are too wide to show the effect.
Deep-Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Excitation Profiles of NH4NO3, PETN, TNT, HMX, and RDX
Authors: Ghosh Manash , Wang Luling , Asher Sanford A.
Published: August 2012

We measured the dispersion of the absolute-differential Raman crosssections of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), trinitrotoluene (TNT), nitroamine (HMX), and cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine (RDX) in acetonitrile and water solutions between 204 and 257 nm. The ultraviolet (UV) resonance Raman/differential Raman cross-sections of NH4NO3, PETN, TNT, HMX, and RDX dramatically increase as the excitation wavelength decreases deep into the UV to 204 nm. NH4NO3, PETN, and RDX are best resonance-enhanced by the 204 nm excitation used here, while the optimum excitation wavelength for TNT and HMX is ~230 nm. The excitation profile of TNT roughly follows its absorption band shape. The excitation profiles for the different Raman bands of each explosive molecule differ, indicating that multiple-excitation wavelength spectra are not redundant and can offer additional information on the species present. We see no evidence of any nonlinear spectral response or sample degradation at the fluences and spectral accumulation times used here. However, we previously observed such phenomena at longer spectral accumulation times and higher fluences. These results are promising for the development of standoff deep-UV Raman methods for explosive molecule determinations.
Determination of Mercury (II) Ion Concentrations in Human Serum Albumin Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Multivariate Regression Analysis
Authors: Fakayode Sayo O. , Taylor Austria , Taylor Ashley M. , Myers Casey
Published: August 2012

Human serum albumin (HSA) is a protein responsible for the transportation and delivery of drug molecules, fatty acids, and metabolites to various targets and the removal of waste products from the body. However, the binding of heavy metal ions, including mercury (II) (Hg(II)), can adversely affect HSA physiological properties with deleterious health consequences. The volatility of Hg at room temperature precludes the use of conventional flame, graphite furnace, or inductively couple atomic absorption spectroscopy for routine analysis of Hg in most research and medical laboratories. This study reports the first potential utility of fluorescence spectroscopy and multivariate regression analysis for the determination of Hg(II) concentration in HSA samples. The results of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated the binding of Hg(II) at HSA amide I and amide II sites. Also, the binding of Hg(II) with HSA resulted in a decreased HSA ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption and dramatic quenching of HSA fluorescence emission. The developed multivariate partial least squares regression (PLSR) model from Hg(II)–HSA fluorescence emission data was able to predict the Hg(II) concentration in HSA samples, with a root mean square percent relative error of prediction of 6.59%. The simplicity, low cost, and robustness of this method makes it a promising alternative method for rapid determination of Hg(II) concentration in biological specimens.
Cheap laughs: The mass-production of low-budget Chinese comedies from Feng kuang de shi tou/Crazy Stone (Ning Hao, 2006) to Gao Xing (Agan, 2009)
Authors: Berra John , Yang Liu
Published: August 2012

This article will focus on the burgeoning production of low-budget feature film comedies in Mainland China. A number of these productions have achieved considerable success at the local box office since 2006. The popularity of these swiftly-produced features is the result of rapid industrialization
and the increasing emphasis on genre in the Mainland China market. It also suggests a worrying trend in terms of the mass-production of films for local audiences; these films are manufactured in a rough manner with little regard for aesthetic quality or tonal consistency, leading to concerns
about malformed genre product. This article outlines the definition, origins and variations of the low-budget comedies produced in China. Based on data gathered through several large-scale industry studies of the local audience, it will show that a relationship exists between the cultural
mind-set of young cinemagoers and the styles of low-budget comedy films. To chart the success of this genre, and its evolution from low-budget production to mid-budget production due to consistent box office returns, the article will examine two industrially significant examples: Crazy Stone
and Gao Xing. The former arguably started the genre, leading to a host of imitators, of which the latter has been particularly well-attended, despite evidencing a decline in quality as satirical humour is replaced by vulgarity. In this respect, it will be argued that the Mainland China production
cycle of the low-budget comedy is an example of 'ShanZhai' culture as this is a form of commercial film-making that is largely based on imitation.
Representations of a colonial past in contemporary Korean cinema
Authors: Childs Cynthia
Published: August 2012

This article discusses the possibility for film to do history, the ways in which films might do history differently than written history, and how a film depicting history might be speaking of the present - as these issues apply to three contemporary Korean films set in the early twentieth-century
Korean colonial period and which represent a recent radical shift in the portrayal of this particular era. Of particular interest is how modernity and colonization are depicted in the three films.
(Hot) Dogs: Of fast food and companion species
Authors: Thomson Claire
Published: August 2012

The encounter between dog and (potential) owner is the catalyst for Natan's interrogation of the human/animal binary. Drawing on Haraway's concept of 'companion species', the article explores the film's critique of a double commodification of animals: as pets, and in agribusiness, via
Viggo's kebab-shop chain and consumption of meat.
Slow/motion: Time and space in Natan
Authors: Quigley Paula
Published: August 2012

Art cinema is often celebrated for its commitment to duration. Genre film, on the other hand, tends to articulate time in terms of narrative momentum. Natan offers an opportunity to explore the tension between these contestatory temporal registers in film through its economy of narrative,
character and style.
Fetch! Go away! Sit! - Feeling at home in contemporary Sweden
Authors: Marklund Anders
Published: August 2012

This article analyses Natan against the background of an increasingly mobile world where social relations and practices have become disembedded and social capital decreases. Natan outlines an inability to feel at home in modern society, and counters this experience by restoring a nostalgic
home for a seemingly homeless man.
The Cage: Libidinal economy and cinematic space
Authors: Andreescu Florentina , Shapiro Michael J.
Published: August 2012

This article looks at how the family's libidinal economy gets deployed in cinematically rendered practices of space. It identifies the balcony as a space of release from fraught interactions within the family and the cage as an intrusion within the strictly surveyed space of the household,
as a small heterotopia within the affectually dystopic family space.
Chaotic confinements: Interrogating linearity, multiplicity and modernity through Adrian Sitaru's The Cage
Authors: Galow Timothy W.
Published: August 2012

'Chaotic Confinements' explores modes of irresolution in The Cage. The film's unconventional editing, overtly limited point of view, and tense closing moments open up a disconcerting range of interpretive possibilities that complicate the film's seemingly linear narrative and problematize
traditional ways of conceptualizing narrative.
The Cage: Framing dad
Authors: Kau Edvin Vestergaard
Published: August 2012

Unfolding his story very gradually and arousing the viewer's curiosity, Sitaru invites the audience to investigate the parents' and the boy's mutual positions in their small flat and the various layers of their conversations, through such means as framing, editing style and the use
of everyday quarrels.
Simulation of Electromigration Effects on Voids in Monocrystalline Ag
Authors: Latz Andreas , Wolf Dietrich E.
Published: August 2012

Understanding electromigration effects in monocrystalline metal becomes of increasing interest with decreasing width and thickness of interconnects. Using a three-dimensional, atomistic model based on the Kinetic Monte Carlo method, we investigate voids in monocrystalline silver. Subject to electromigration, voids begin to drift. We show that the drift velocity not only depends on the void size, but also on the electromigration force direction, with respect to the crystallographic orientation.
Solution Growth and Optical Characterization of Thin Films with ZnO1-xSx and ZnO Nanorods in Core-Shell like Nanostructure for Solar Cell Application
Authors: Thankalekshmi Ratheesh R. , Rastogi A. C.
Published: August 2012

ZnO films with a nanostructure dominated by 150-200 nm size highly c-axis oriented nanorod arrays were deposited by hydrothermal synthesis over surface activated quartz substrates. Sulfur infiltration and growth of ZnO1-xSx over ZnO nanorods was carried out by chemiplating process using slow hydrolysis of thiourea solution at 95°C. Formation of ZnO1-xSx nanocrystals of 20-30 nm size over (0001) facets of the ZnO rods is shown. With progressive growth of ZnO1-xSx nanocrystal and full ZnO nanorod coverage, the formation ZnO/ZnO1-xSx core –shell nanostructure is realized. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows chemical shifts in O1s and S2p spectra confirming the formation of ZnO1-xSx (0.1≤x≤0.2) nanocrystal shell. Reduction in optical band gap from a 3.24 eV for ZnO nanorod core to 2.78 eV for the ZnO1-xSx shell is consistent with the band gap bowing effect due to sulfur addition over the ZnO nanorod surface.
Selecting next speaker in the second language classroom
Authors: Mortensen Kristian
Published: August 2012

This article analyses how second language teachers and students interactionally negotiate turn-allocation in the classroom. Relying on Conversation Analysis (CA), I analyse how teachers find and select a next speaker (i.e. a student) in what Gourlay (2005) describes as checking episodes, i.e., ‘episodes structured around the outcomes of previously enacted activities, in which teacher and students go through the outcomes of activities in whole-class mode’ (Gourlay 2005: 407). The article describes how this is done on the basis of detailed interactional work between teacher and students. The article thus describes a specific social practice in the second language classroom and the intrinsic relation between the classroom organization and the emerging social practices that are made relevant through the unfolding interaction.
Nonformal institutional interaction in a conversation club
Authors: Hauser Eric
Published: August 2012

The data analyzed in this paper come from audio-recorded interaction among first and second language speakers of English at a conversation club sponsored by an English language school. As the analysis shows, the interaction in the conversation club can be understood as a type of non-formal institutional interaction. The analysis focuses on the questions asked by the first language speakers, or conversation partners. In particular, it focuses on the questioning styles of serial-questioning and pivoting. In addition, the conversation partners tend to assume a discourse identity as primary participant within the participation framework, a discourse identity that they work to maintain and, when necessary, re-establish. As non-formal institutional interaction, it does not involve turn pre-allocation or restrictions on the type of turn that participants may take. It is, though, oriented toward the fulfilment of institutionally relevant goals.
Turn-taking practices in multi-party EFL oral proficiency tests
Authors: Greer Tim , Potter Hitomi
Published: August 2012

This study focuses on multi-party talk among EFL learners during peer-to-peer interaction in oral proficiency tests. We conduct a micro-analysis of the way test-takers in small groups use questions like ‘How about you?’ to manage turn-taking when speaking in rounds or through a pivot. We find that these deceptively simple questions have both an indexical referential element and an addressee-determining element that is used in conjunction with bodily conduct to select next-speaker, making them in fact a sophisticated interactional achievement. The study concludes by discussing how turn-taking practices in multi-party speaking tests can help make visible novice language users’ orientations to learning.
Características fenológicas e físicas e perfil de ácidos graxos em oliveiras no sul de Minas Gerais
Authors: Oliveira Marcelo Caetano de , Ramos José Darlan , Pio Rafael , Cardoso Maria das Graças
Published: August 2012

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características fenológicas e físicas, o teor lipídico e o perfil de ácidos graxos dos frutos de cultivares de oliveira, da Serra da Mantiqueira, sul do Estado de Minas Gerais. Foram avaliadas as cultivares Alto D'Ouro, Arbequina, Galega, Grappolo 541, Grappolo 561, Grappolo 575, Negroa, Penafiel, Ropades 392 e Santa Catalina, nos anos agrícolas 2008/2009, 2009/2010 e 2010/2011. Extraiu-se o óleo bruto das cultivares ricas em lipídeos, para a avaliação do perfil de ácidos graxos. O florescimento ocorre de julho a outubro, e a colheita de janeiro a março. A cultivar mais precoce é a Arbequina, e as mais tardias são Galega, Grappolo 575 e Santa Catalina. 'Grappolo 561' apresenta frutos de maior diâmetro transversal, e 'Grappolo 541' frutos de maior massa total. 'Arbequina' e 'Grappolo 561' apresentam maior teor de lipídeos.
Dermatoglyphic Features in Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate Patients and Their Parents in China
Authors: Ma Hongfang , Qiu Ye , Zhu Wenchao , Chao Haotian , Shi Bing
Published: August 2012

Objective

To test the hypothesis that indicators and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) on fingers and palms in nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and their parents were affected by developmental instability and to investigate a potential way for prenatal diagnosis of NSCL/P.

Design

Case-control study.

Setting

West China College of Stomatology and Chengdu Children's Hospital, Chengdu, China.

Participants

Three hundred sixty NSCL/P patients and their 720 unaffected parents were collected. Two hundred ninety normal children and their 580 parents were selected as the control.

Main outcome measures

Total ridge counts, atd angle, fingerprints pattern types, a-b ridge count, and true pattern (TP) on palm were determined. For each indicator, asymmetry between hands was defined. Pattern types and asymmetries were statistically compared among groups.

Result

Compared with the control, NSCL/P patients had significantly greater a-b ridge count for both hands ( P < .001), decreased TP in the left thenar area (TA) as well as in the hypothenar area (HA) and interdigital third area (13) (all P < .05), and increased FA in HA and 13 (both P < .05), while their parents had greater a-b ridge counts ( P < .001). NSCL/P patients possessed more slowly developing patterns and higher levels of FA on their palms, followed by their parents and then the controls.

Conclusion

A-b ridge count could be a potential prenatal indicator in people without family history that are at increased risk of having a child with NSCL/P. The increased tendency for slower development of patterns and higher levels of FA indirectly support the possibility that the developmental sequence of ridges in NSCL/P is retarded. However, further work is still needed.
Comparative Study of Nasoalveolar Molding Methods: Nasal Elevator plus DynaCleft® Versus NAM-Grayson in Patients with Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate
Authors: Monasterio Luis , Ford Alison , Gutiérrez Carolina , Tastets María Eugenia , García Jacqueline
Published: August 2012

Objective

To compare nasoalveolar molding (NAM) effect employing a nasal elevator plus DynaCleft® and NAM-Grayson system in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Method

Prospective study in two groups. Group A included 20 consecutive patients treated with DynaCleft® and a nasal elevator before lip surgery. Group B included 20 patients treated with NAM-Grayson system. Maxillary casts and standard view photographs were done before and after treatment. Columella deviation angle, soft tissue distance of the cleft, intercommisural distance, and nostril height and width were traced and measured on the printed photos; a ratio was obtained and compared before and after treatment. Cleft width, anterior width, and anteroposterior distances were measured on the maxillary cast.

Results

Group A began treatment at an average age of 14.3 days and group B at an average age of 16.9 days; no complications were observed. For group A, the initial average alveolar cleft within the cast was 10.7 mm, and after treatment it was 6.6 mm. For group B, pretreatment width was 11.2 mm, and after treatment it was 5.9 mm. No differences were found on the anterior and posterior width, and A-P distance of both groups. The initial mean columellar angle in group A was 38.1°, and after treatment it was 61.5°; for group B the initial mean columellar angle was 33.6°, and after treatment it was 59.5°. Results of Mann-Whitney U and Student's t tests showed no differences (P > .05). Width and height dimensions of the nostril showed minor differences.

Conclusions

Both methods significantly reduced the cleft width and improved the nasal asymmetry. Our findings show that both methods produced similar results.
Customer Lifetime Value: A Review
Authors: Chang Wen , Chang Chen , Li Qianpin
Published: August 2012

The concept of regarding customers as assets that should be managed and whose value should be measured is now accepted and recognized by academics and practitioners. This focus on customer relationship management makes it extremely important to understand customer lifetime value (CLV)
because CLV models are an efficient and effective way to evaluate a firm's relationship with its customers. Assessment of CLV is especially important for firms in implementing customer-oriented services. In this paper we provide a critical review of the literature on the development process
and applications of CLV.
Leisure Motivation: An Integrative Review
Authors: Chen Meiai , Pang Xuequan
Published: August 2012

In this article we reviewed research on leisure motivation. We started with a brief review of the history of leisure motivation and then reviewed research on leisure motivation scales and leisure constraints negotiation. Next, we considered the relationship between leisure motivation
and culture in terms of cultural, self-construals, and cross-cultural factors. In this review we found that, developmentally, the study of leisure motivation is at a point of coming of age. Finally, we highlighted critical challenges future researchers will face, including understanding leisure
motivation within the context of an individual's experience, investigating the complex relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and studying the relationships between leisure motivation and other factors that affect participation.
Knowledge Sharing and Work Performance: A Network Perspective
Authors: Wu Wei-Li , Yeh Ryh-Song , Hung Hao-Kai
Published: August 2012

Based on a network perspective, in this study we argue that employees can improve their work performance if they occupy central network positions within a company where they can take advantage of knowledge made available by colleagues. We reasoned that the likelihood of knowledge sharing
would be increased when employees were perceived to be trustworthy. Participants were 170 employees from 4 companies in Taiwan, and it was found that in-degree and in-closeness centralities within a knowledge-sharing network had significant and positive effects on work performance, and that
employees with higher levels of perceived trust were more likely than others to experience an in-degree centrality of knowledge sharing. Our results indicate that the network perspective is a promising approach to the research issue of knowledge sharing.
The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Information Competency in Korean and American Students
Authors: Song Hana , Kwon Nahyun
Published: August 2012

We examined differences between Korean and American cultures in terms of the relationships between Big Five personality traits (McCrae & Costa, 1990) and information competency. Korean (n = 245) and American (n = 185) college students completed the NEO-Five Factor
Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and the Information Competency Scale (Kwon, 2010). Results showed both similarities and differences between the 2 culture groups. Conscientiousness and openness to experience significantly predicted information competency in both Korean and American students.
However, the influence of extraversion was significant only for American students. This result may be because of the high value placed on extraversion in American culture.
A Comparison of Probabilistic Prize Promotion Schemes
Authors: Chen Rong , Huang Jinsong , Su Song , He Feng
Published: August 2012

Based on the rank-dependent expected utility model (Quiggin, 1991), hypotheses are formed in this study regarding optimal prize promotion structure with reference to associated probabilistic aspects. Referencing both modeling works and related behavioral theories, we compared several
design schemes. Using purchase scenarios of a low-value product (bread) and a high-value product (cell phone) we determined the optimal design among promotion schemes that differ by winning probability, prize amount, and number of prize value levels. We found that a promotion offering a combination
of high-value prizes plus some low-value prizes was invariably preferred over a promotion offering only high- or low-value prizes. We also explored whether these high- or low-value prizes should be in a series of ascending value or prizes at each value level should be of the same value and
whether or not some moderately valuable prizes should also be included.
Interpersonal Rejection Experiences and Shame as Predictors of Susceptibility to Peer Pressure Among Korean Children
Authors: Han Sae-Young , Kim Yeon-Hwa
Published: August 2012

We examined the relationships among parental and peer rejection, shame, and susceptibility to peer pressure during late childhood. A sample of 610 boys and 575 girls from Korea filled out questionnaires and nominated 3 classmates to measure peer rejection. The results showed that shame
is the strongest predictor of susceptibility to peer pressure, and shame provided a pathway by which interpersonal rejection was related to susceptibility to peer pressure. The findings also highlighted the moderating effect of gender with regard to susceptibility to peer pressure. The implications
of the effect of interpersonal rejection relationships and shame are discussed in relation to the internal working model perspective.
Effects of Rest Interval Length on Rating of Perceived Exertion during a Multiple-Set Resistance Exercise
Authors: Farah Breno Q. , Lima Aluísio H. R. A. , Lins-Filho Ozéas L. , Souza Diogo J. C. A. , Silva Gleyson Q. M. , Robertson Robert J. , Cyrino Edilson S. , Ritti-Dias Raphael M.
Published: August 2012

This investigation analyzed the effect of rest interval length on the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during a resistance exercise session. Nineteen males performed two experimental sessions: resistance exercise with 30-sec. rest intervals (E30) and 90-sec. rest intervals (E90). In both sessions, five exercises (bench press, knee extension, seated row, knee curl, and frontal rise) were performed at 50% 1RM in three sets of 12, 9, and 6 repetitions, respectively. In the E30 session, the RPE increased between sets in all exercises, while in the E90 session, the RPE increased from the first set to the second set in three exercises. RPE in the E30 session was higher than that in the E90 session in the third set. The results suggest that RPE increases for shorter rest intervals than for longer rest intervals. Therefore, the RPE could be considered an indicator of muscle recovery during resistance exercise.