bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Outcome of nephron‐sparing surgery for T1b renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Joniau Steven , Eeckt Kathy Vander , Srirangam Shalom J. , Van Poppel Hein
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVE

To present our experience with nephron‐sparing surgery (NSS) for T1b renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a high‐volume tertiary referral centre. NSS for RCC of <4 cm (T1a) is increasingly accepted, although its role for RCC of 4–7 cm (T1b) remains controversial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The records of 67 consecutive patients who had NSS for RCC of 4–7 cm at our institution were reviewed retrospectively. Data were collected on surgical indications, tumour characteristics, complications, changes in serum creatinine level, time to recurrence and time to death. Clinical progression‐free survival (CPFS), overall survival (OS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS) rates were estimated statistically.

RESULTS

The mean patient age was 62 years. Surgical indications were absolute in 26 (39%) patients, relative in 11 (16%) and elective in 30 (45%). Two patients (3%) required postoperative embolization, and none developed a urinary fistula. Four patients (6%) had positive resection margins; none of these developed tumour recurrence. After a median (range) follow‐up of 40.1 (1–98.3) months, 10 patients (15%) had died, of whom only one death was related to NSS (postoperative hypovolaemic shock). The tumour recurred in seven patients (10%) all of whom were alive at the last follow‐up. Three patients (4%) developed a local recurrence and four (6%) developed locoregional or distant disease. The projected 5‐year CPFS, CSS and OS rates were 84%, 99% and 72%, respectively. Seven (10%) patients developed de novo renal insufficiency. Elective and relative indications were not associated with a significant change in serum creatinine level (P = 0.22 and 0.10, respectively); in the absolute category this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.005). The main limitation is that the study was uncontrolled and retrospective, with a medium‐term follow‐up.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed the excellent surgical feasibility and CSS for NSS in T1b RCC. Local cancer control was achieved in the large majority of patients, with preservation of renal function in those with elective indications. Absolute indications significantly correlated with loss of renal function.
Changing Vertical Integration Strategies under Pressure from Foreign Competition: The Case of US and German Multinationals
Authors: Hutzschenreuter Thomas , Gröne Florian
Published: November 2008

abstract

This study contributes to the emerging body of research into the influence of foreign competition on firm scope. Industrial organization economics, the resource‐based view of the firm, and transaction cost economics consistently predict vertical de‐integration in the face of intensifying pressure from imports and foreign direct investment. We show this was the case for 407 US firms between 1987 and 2003. Results for a panel of 95 German firms reveal a similar reaction to pressure from an increase in imports, but show no reaction to increased exposure to incoming foreign direct investment during the same time frame.
Infants use shared experience to interpret pointing gestures
Authors: Liebal Kristin , Behne Tanya , Carpenter Malinda , Tomasello Michael
Published: November 2008

We investigated whether 1‐year‐old infants use their shared experience with an adult to determine the meaning of a pointing gesture. In the first study, after two adults had each shared a different activity with the infant, one of the adults pointed to a target object. Eighteen‐ but not 14‐month‐olds responded appropriately to the pointing gesture based on the particular activity they had previously shared with that particular adult. In the second study, 14‐month‐olds were successful in a simpler procedure in which the pointing adult either had or had not shared a relevant activity with the infant prior to the pointing. Infants just beginning to learn language thus already show a complex understanding of the pragmatics of cooperative communication in which shared experience with particular individuals plays a crucial role.
More than just another face in the crowd: superior detection of threatening facial expressions in children and adults
Authors: LoBue Vanessa
Published: November 2008

Threatening facial expressions can signal the approach of someone or something potentially dangerous. Past research has established that adults have an attentional bias for angry faces, visually detecting their presence more quickly than happy or neutral faces. Two new findings are reported here. First, evidence is presented that young children share this attentional bias. In five experiments, young children and adults were asked to find a picture of a target face among an array of eight distracter faces. Both age groups detected threat‐relevant faces – angry and frightened – more rapidly than non‐threat‐relevant faces (happy and sad). Second, evidence is presented that both adults and children have an attentional bias for negative stimuli overall. All negative faces were detected more quickly than positive ones in both age groups. As the first evidence that young children exhibit the same superior detection of threatening facial expressions as adults, this research provides important support for the existence of an evolved attentional bias for threatening stimuli.
Labor Market Distortions in Côte d'Ivoire: Analyses of Employer‐Employee Data from the Manufacturing Sector*
Authors: Kristensen Nicolai , Verner Dorte
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  This paper investigates the extent and nature of distortions in the labor market in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire by using quantile regression analysis on employer‐employee data from the manufacturing sector. We found that the labor markets in Côte d'Ivoire do not seem to be much distorted. Unions may influence employment through tenure but do not seem to influence wages directly except for vulnerable minorities that seem protected by unions. Establishment‐size wage effects are pronounced and highest for white‐collar workers. This may be explained by the efficiency wage theory, so that, even in the absence of unions, segmentation and inefficiencies will still be present as long as firms seek to retain their employees by paying wages above the market clearing level. The inefficiency arising from establishment‐size wage effects can be mitigated by education. Furthermore, the premium to education is found highly significantly positive only for higher education, and not for basic education, indicating that educational policies should also focus on higher education.
Economic Liberalization and Conditional Volatility of Exchange Rate in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Asymmetric GARCH Analysis
Authors: Nandwa Boaz , Andoh Samuel K.
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  For small open economies, an understanding of movements in the exchange rate is imperative in analyzing trade and capital flows. In addition, reliable forecasting of exchange rate volatility is important in risk‐taking assessment and investment decision‐making, both of which are critical to long‐term growth. Using an asymmetric GARCH‐type approach, this paper examines the implications of economic liberalization on the stochastic behavior of the exchange rate series in a sample of sub‐Sahara African (SSA) countries over the 1970–2004 period. The results indicate that exchange rate volatility is variable, and is less volatile under fixed exchange rate regime (pre‐economic liberalization) and higher under flexible regime (post‐economic liberalization), that is, it is asymmetric. For most of the countries, the EGARCH and TGARCH models are robust to parameter stability and gives better forecasting performance compared to the standard GARCH model.
‘Our son Obama’: The US presidential election in Western Kenya
Authors: Madiega Philister Adhiambo , Chantler Tracey , Jones Gemma , Prince Ruth
Published: November 2008

Writing from the city of Kisumu located 60 kilometres from the birthplace of Barack Obama's father, the authors describe the Obama‐mania gripping Kenya and follow Kenyans’ debates, both light‐hearted and serious, concerning Obama's kinship ties to Kenya and the expectations these raise. They argue that Kenyan's hopes and fears surrounding the US elections should be understood in the context of the contested December 2007 Kenyan elections and the violence that shook Kenyan society in their aftermath; and they trace some of the faultines of race and class that came to the surface during the hightened emotions surrounding the US election and Obama's victory.
Email my heart: remediation and romantic break‐ups
Authors: Gershon Ilana
Published: November 2008

For the past year, I have been collecting people's stories about how they break‐up using new social technologies ‐ text‐messaging, instant messaging, Facebook, email, voicemail, and so on. These are narratives about how changes in media create new possibilities for disconnecting with others. In telling these stories, people are also being explicit about their media ideologies surrounding what constitutes proper and improper use of new technologies. They are also imagining anew how different and newly introduced media interact with each other, that is, they are re‐evaluating remediation. This article addresses the role media ideologies play in contemporary remediation.
Teaching Southeast Asia through fiction and memoirs
Authors: Keeler Ward
Published: November 2008

Since few undergraduates intend to major in anthropology, let alone go on to professional careers as anthropologists, I ask students to read materials that I think will most compellingly address the curiosity they have about Southeast Asians’ lives. This means drawing on the increasingly rich store of Southeast Asian fiction and memoirs available in English. These materials can be used to illuminate important topics in the study of Southeast Asia. Although my own field is anthropology, a similar strategy could be used to teach courses in other fields, such as history and sociology.
Intended and unintended consequences of student use of an online questioning environment
Authors: Ng'ambi Dick , Brown Irwin
Published: November 2008

While supplementation of face‐to‐face (F2F) teaching with online engagement is increasingly common, the educators' challenge of teaching F2F personalities and facilitating online personalities has not been widely explored. In this paper, we report on a project in which 1st‐year students attended F2F sessions and engaged with an anonymous online questioning environment. The differences between students' F2F and online behaviour led to intended and unintended consequences. The purpose of this paper is to explore these intended and unintended consequences of technology use. The project was undertaken over a 3‐year period, starting in 2004. In 2004, a pilot project was conducted based on a class of 35 students studying a 1st‐year programming course in information systems. The investigation was again conducted in 2005 for the same course, this time with 63 students. In 2006, the project was extended to a class of 610 1st‐year commerce students studying an introductory information systems course. In all cases, students met F2F and when online, engaged with an anonymous Web/SMS collaborative tool. The intended consequence was that a blending of F2F with online interaction extended student engagement beyond the limitation of a classroom and provided a forum for further collaboration and consultation. The intended outcome was achieved. An unintended consequence was that the tool provided the lecturer with diagnostic information that was used to impact on pedagogical designs. This was often a result of students taking on an online personality that would very often be extremely frank and honest about the manner in which the course was conducted, and how learning was taking place. The findings show that students used the tool in ways that exceeded the envisaged intention, and student use of the tool positively impacted on the curriculum, pedagogy and general running of the course. The paper concludes that integration of online engagement with F2F teaching adds value to the teaching and learning experience.
Creating a psychologically safe online space for a student‐generated questions learning activity via different identity revelation modes
Authors: Yu Fu‐Yun , Liu Yu‐Hsin
Published: November 2008

This study focuses on mitigating evaluation apprehension, which is usually unavoidable in identifiable social situations, via the constructive use of prominent features of networked technologies. Specifically, this study investigated learners' attitudes towards different user‐identity revelation modes, namely, real‐identity, anonymity and created‐identity, in an online question‐construction and peer‐assessment context. Forty university freshmen, taking a physics laboratory course, participated for one semester in 2007. A learning system called The Question Authoring and Reasoning Knowledge System which allowed students to contribute and benefit from cyclic process of constructing and reviewing questions, was devised. Analysis of the data gathered found that students reacted statistically differently to the modes of real name, anonymity and nickname. Furthermore, participating students adjusted their preferred mode in different roles and circumstances. The data obtained suggest that program developers should embed flexible and versatile capabilities of computer and communication technologies by allowing individuals the opportunity not to be identified or only be identified via a nickname of their choice, so as to help eliminate feelings of embarrassment and uneasiness, which are not psychologically sound and may hinder the learning process.
Optimising the use of note‐taking as an external cognitive aid for increasing learning
Authors: Makany Tamas , Kemp Jonathan , Dror Itiel E.
Published: November 2008

Taking notes is of uttermost importance in academic and commercial use and success. Different techniques for note‐taking utilise different cognitive processes and strategies. This experimental study examined ways to enhance cognitive performance via different note‐taking techniques. By comparing performances of traditional, linear style note‐taking with alternative non‐linear technique, we aimed to examine the efficiency and importance of different ways of taking notes. Twenty‐six volunteer adult learners from an information management course participated in this study. Cognitive performance scores from a traditional linear note‐taking group were compared with another group by using a commercially available non‐linear note‐taking technique. Both groups were tested in two settings: after a classroom lecture and a panel forum discussion. Tasks included measures on story comprehension, memory, complexity of mental representations and metacognitive skills. Data analysis revealed that the non‐linear note‐takers were significantly better than the linear group both in terms of the quantity and the quality of the learned material. This study demonstrates the importance of using cognitively compatible note‐taking techniques. It identifies the cognitive mechanisms behind effective note‐taking and knowledge representation. Using such techniques enables deeper understanding and more integrated knowledge management.
Out‐of‐Core and Dynamic Programming for Data Distribution on a Volume Visualization Cluster
Authors: Frank S. , Kaufman A.
Published: November 2008

Ray directed volume‐rendering algorithms are well suited for parallel implementation in a distributed cluster environment. For distributed ray casting, the scene must be partitioned between nodes for good load balancing, and a strict view‐dependent priority order is required for image composition. In this paper, we define the load balanced network distribution (LBND) problem and map it to the NP‐complete precedence constrained job‐shop scheduling problem. We introduce a kd‐tree solution and a dynamic programming solution. To process a massive data set, either a parallel or an out‐of‐core approach is required. Parallel preprocessing is performed by render nodes on data, which are allocated using a static data structure. Volumetric data sets often contain a large portion of voxels that will never be rendered, or empty space. Parallel preprocessing fails to take advantage of this. Our slab‐projection slice,introduced in this paper, tracks empty space across consecutive slices of data to reduce the amount of data distributed and rendered. It is used to facilitate out‐of‐core bricking and kd‐tree partitioning. Load balancing using each of our approaches is compared with traditional methods using several segmented regions of the Visible Korean data set.
Recalling a Witnessed Event Increases Eyewitness Suggestibility
Authors: Chan Jason C.K. , Thomas Ayanna K. , Bulevich John B.
Published: November 2008

People's later memory of an event can be altered by exposure to misinformation about that event. The typical misinformation paradigm, however, does not include a recall test prior to the introduction of misinformation, contrary to what real-life eyewitnesses encounter when they report to a 911 operator or crime-scene officer. Because retrieval is a powerful memory enhancer (the testing effect), recalling a witnessed event prior to receiving misinformation about it should reduce eyewitness suggestibility. We show, however, that immediate cued recall actually exacerbates the later misinformation effect for both younger and older adults. The reversed testing effect we observed was based on two mechanisms: First, immediate cued recall enhanced learning of the misinformation; second, the initially recalled details became particularly susceptible to interference from later misinformation, a finding suggesting that even human episodic memory may undergo a reconsolidation process. These results show that real-life eyewitness memory may be even more susceptible to misinformation than is currently envisioned.
Quasi‐maximum likelihood estimation of periodic GARCH and periodic ARMA‐GARCH processes
Authors: Aknouche Abdelhakim , Bibi Abdelouahab
Published: November 2008

Abstract.  This article establishes the strong consistency and asymptotic normality (CAN) of the quasi‐maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) for generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroscedastic (GARCH) and autoregressive moving‐average (ARMA)‐GARCH processes with periodically time‐varying parameters. We first give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a strictly periodically stationary solution of the periodic GARCH (PGARCH) equation. As a result, it is shown that the moment of some positive order of the PGARCH solution is finite, under which we prove the strong consistency and asymptotic normality of the QMLE for a PGARCH process without any condition on its moments and for a periodic ARMA‐GARCH (PARMA‐PGARCH) under mild conditions.
Time in Language, Situation Models, and Mental Simulations
Authors: Zwaan Rolf A.
Published: November 2008

The purpose of this article is to propose a view of language processing, and particularly the role of aspect therein, from a mental‐simulation perspective. I argue that situation model theories can account for the flow between and interconnectedness of event representations but that mental simulation theories are needed to account for the internal structure of event representations. The article concludes with some speculative thoughts on how simulation theories might accomplish this intellectual feat.
Processing Temporal Constraints: An ERP Study
Authors: Baggio Giosuè
Published: November 2008

This article investigates how linguistic expressions of time—in particular, temporal adverbs and verb tense morphemes—are used to establish temporal reference at the level of brain physiology. First, a formal semantic analysis of tense and temporal adverbs is outlined. It is argued that computing temporal reference amounts to solving a constraint satisfaction problem. Next, the results of an event‐related potential (ERP) study are presented, which suggest that violations of verb tense (“Last Sunday Vincent paints the window frames of his country house.”) evoke larger left‐anterior negativities (LANs) compared to sentences in which verb tense is correct. The semantic analysis is finally combined with a computational, unification‐based model of parsing to provide a functional account of the ERP data.
Time, Language, and Autobiographical Memory
Authors: Burt Christopher D. B.
Published: November 2008

Life themes, general events, and event‐specific episodes, together with autobiographical knowledge, form autobiographical memory. Each of these memory structures is described, and research that has investigated the storage and retrieval of temporal information for life events, such as place in time, duration, and order, is examined. The general conclusion across all autobiographical memory structures is that very little temporal information is stored in memory. Retrieval of temporal information generally involves constructive processes that use landmark events, distance‐based information, life scripts, and general event scripts. The link between these constructive processes and the use of language to express temporal information in autobiographical event narratives is discussed.
Neural Bases of Sequence Processing in Action and Language
Authors: Carota Francesca , Sirigu Angela
Published: November 2008

Real‐time estimation of what we will do next is a crucial prerequisite of purposive behavior. During the planning of goal‐oriented actions, for instance, the temporal and causal organization of upcoming subsequent moves needs to be predicted based on our knowledge of events. A forward computation of sequential structure is also essential for planning contiguous discourse segments and syntactic patterns in language. The neural encoding of sequential event knowledge and its domain dependency is a central issue in cognitive neuroscience. Converging evidence shows the involvement of a dedicated neural substrate, including the prefrontal cortex and Broca's area, in the representation and the processing of sequential event structure. After reviewing major representational models of sequential mechanisms in action and language, we discuss relevant neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings on the temporal organization of sequencing and sequence processing in both domains, suggesting that sequential event knowledge may be modularly organized through prefrontal and frontal subregions.
Parametric and Non‐parametric Encompassing Procedures*
Authors: Bontemps Christophe , Florens Jean‐Pierre , Richard Jean‐François
Published: November 2008

We study the asymptotic behaviour of encompassing statistics in general regression models. The theory for testing one parametric model against another parametric model is now well known, but the comparison of two non‐parametric models, or ‘crossed’ situations where a parametric model is tested against a non‐parametric one, has not been treated previously. The encompassing test statistics for the four cases presented here are based on an appropriately normalized difference between an estimator of parameters (eventually functional), and its pseudo‐true value under . The specification tests for non‐parametrically estimated models have meaning only when the smoothing parameter is not arbitrarily chosen, and so the window widths are calculated by an automatic empirical method (cross‐validation). As the window width determination is part of the estimation procedure, the pseudo‐true window width, associated with the pseudo‐true value, is defined.
Simulation Encompassing: Testing Non‐nested Hypotheses*
Authors: Lu Maozu , Mizon Grayham E. , Monfardini Chiara
Published: November 2008

This paper considers simulation‐based procedures to compute the Wald encompassing and the Cox test statistics for non‐nested models. These simulation estimation procedures are applied to both the encompassing contrast and its covariance matrix in the case of a Wald non‐nested test statistic, and both the numerator and the denominator in the Cox test statistic. The proposed procedures are illustrated by the example of comparing a linear with a log‐linear model. Monte Carlo studies are conducted for both examples and the results indicate that with simulated covariance matrices, the small sample behaviour of both test statistics is close to that of their asymptotic distributions.
Log Income vs. Linear Income: An Application of the Encompassing Principle*
Authors: Ermini Luigi , Hendry David F.
Published: November 2008

An open question in empirical economics is whether models should be estimated by using the actual, or linear, values of economic variables or their logarithms. This paper applies the principle of encompassing to suggest specification and mis‐specification tests of log vs. linear individual equations fitted toI(1) data, and illustrates the analysis for US quarterly disposable income. The finite‐sample properties of the encompassing tests are examined in a Monte Carlo experiment customized to the parameter values found in the empirical analysis.
Linear vs. Log‐linear Unit‐Root Specification: An Application of Mis‐specification Encompassing*
Authors: Spanos Aris , Hendry David F. , James Reade J.
Published: November 2008

The objective of this paper is to apply the mis‐specification (M‐S) encompassing perspective to the problem of choosing between linear and log‐linear unit‐root models. A simple M‐S encompassing test, based on an auxiliary regression stemming from the conditional second moment, is proposed and its empirical size and power are investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that by focusing on the conditional process the sampling distributions of the relevant statistics are well behaved under both the null and alternative hypotheses. The proposed M‐S encompassing test is illustrated using US total disposable income quarterly data.
The Fragility of Sensitivity Analysis: An Encompassing Perspective*
Authors: Ericsson Neil R.
Published: November 2008

Robustness and fragility in Leamer's sense are defined with respect to a particular coefficient over a class of models. This paper shows that inclusion of the data generation process in that class of models is neither necessary nor sufficient for robustness. This result holds even if the properly specified model has well‐determined, statistically significant coefficients. The encompassing principle explains how this result can occur. Encompassing also provides a link to a more common‐sense notion of robustness, which is still a desirable property empirically; and encompassing clarifies recent discussion on model averaging and the pooling of forecasts.
An Omnibus Test for Univariate and Multivariate Normality*
Authors: Doornik Jurgen A. , Hansen Henrik
Published: November 2008

We suggest a convenient version of the omnibus test for normality, using skewness and kurtosis based on Shenton and Bowman [Journal of the American Statistical Association (1977) Vol. 72, pp. 206–211], which controls well for size, for samples as low as 10 observations. A multivariate version is introduced. Size and power are investigated in comparison with four other tests for multivariate normality. The first power experiments consider the whole skewness–kurtosis plane; the second use a bivariate distribution which has normal marginals. It is concluded that the proposed test has the best size and power properties of the tests considered.
Microfinance at a Crossroads
Authors: Lanzi Diego
Published: November 2008

In this essay, we summarize the main features of Yunus' economic thought and discuss whether it is possible to conclude, as seems straightforward according to Yunus (1997), that microfinance is good for the poor and that it exemplifies a typical activity of social enterprise. To do this, we review some of the contents of the 2006 World Bank/Brookings Institution conference on microfinance as summarized by Barr et al. (2007).
On the Use of the Moving Average Trading Rule to Test for Weak Form Efficiency in Capital Markets
Authors: Milionis Alexandros E. , Papanagiotou Evangelia
Published: November 2008

The examination for the possible existence of predictive power in the moving average trading rule has been used extensively to test the hypothesis of weak form market efficiency in capital markets. This work focuses mainly on the study of the variation of the moving average (MA) trading rule performance as a function of the length of the longer MA. Empirical analysis of daily data from NYSE and the Athens Stock Exchange reveal high variability of the performance of the MA trading rule as a function of the MA length and on some occasions the series of successive trading rule total returns is non‐stationary. These findings have direct implications in weak form market efficiency testing. Indeed, given this high variability of the performance of the MA trading rule, by just finding out that trading rules with some specific combinations of MA lengths can or cannot beat the market, as is the case in most of the published work thus far, is not enough evidence for or against the existence of weak form market efficiency. Results also show that on average in about three out of four cases trading rule signals are false, a fact that leaves a lot of space for improved trading rule performance if trading rule signals are combined with other information (e.g. filters, or volume of trade). Finally, some evidence of enhanced trading rule performance for the shorter MA lengths was found. This enhanced performance is partly attributed to the higher probability that a trading rule signal is not a whipsaw, as well as to the larger number of days out‐of‐the‐market which are associated with shorter MA lengths.
Throbbing Pain is Related to Queckenstedt's Test Effect in Migraine Patients
Authors: Chou C-H , Fuh J-L , Hu H-H , Wu J-C , Wang S-J
Published: November 2008

The Queckenstedt's (Q)-est can aggravate headache intensity during migraine attacks (Q-test effect). The objective of this study was to delineate the Q-test effect in patients experiencing migraine attacks. We performed a 30-s Q- and a sham test on 39 patients with acute migraine attacks in both supine and sitting positions. Headache intensities during and 30 s after the Q- or sham tests were recorded on a 0–10 verbal scale. Brushing allodynia (BA) was recorded after using a gauze-brushing test over the patient's face and forearms. The Q- but not the sham test aggravated headache intensity in both sitting and supine positions. The presence of throbbing pain and higher pain intensities was associated with the Q-test effect in the supine position. However, the presence or absence of BA was not correlated. We concluded that the Q-test effect is likely to be related to peripheral sensitization of the meninges but not central sensitization. The Q-test effect may be used as an objective marker for peripheral sensitization.
Preattentive dysfunction in major depression: A magnetoencephalography study using auditory mismatch negativity
Authors: Takei Yuichi , Kumano Sumie , Hattori Suguru , Uehara Toru , Kawakubo Yuki , Kasai Kiyoto , Fukuda Masato , Mikuni Masahiko
Published: November 2008

Information processing deficits in major depressive disorder have been infrequently examined electrophysiologically. Its preattentive and sensory information processing was examined using mismatch field (MMNm) and P1m components, respectively, by magnetoencephalography. Fourteen major depressive disorder patients and 19 healthy volunteers participated in the study. MMNm was elicited in response to duration and frequency changes of pure‐tone stimuli and in response to a vowel across‐category change. The magnetic global field power (mGFP) of MMNm was significantly smaller in the major depressive disorder patients than in the healthy volunteers, although that of P1m did not differ between the two groups. Information processing at the preattentive level is impaired functionally in major depressive disorder, and this dysfunction is not due to the dysfunction at the lower level of information processing.
Use of the Emergency Department for Severe Headache. A Population‐Based Study
Authors: Friedman Benjamin W. , Serrano Daniel , Reed Michael , Diamond Merle , Lipton Richard B.
Published: November 2008

Background.— Although headache is a common emergency department (ED) chief complaint, the role of the ED in the management of primary headache disorders has rarely been assessed from a population perspective. We determined frequency of ED use and risk factors for use among patients suffering severe headache.

Methods.— As part of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention study, a validated self‐administered questionnaire was mailed to 24,000 severe headache sufferers, who were randomly drawn from a larger sample constructed to be sociodemographically representative of the US population. Participants were asked a series of questions on headache management, healthcare system use, sociodemographic features, and number of ED visits for management of headache in the previous 12 months. In keeping with the work of others, “frequent” ED use was defined as a particpant's report of 4 or more visits to the ED for treatment of a headache in the previous 12 months. Headaches were categorized into specific diagnoses using a validated methodology.

Results.— Of 24,000 surveys, 18,514 were returned, and 13,451 (56%) provided complete data on ED use. Sociodemographic characteristics did not differ substantially between responders and nonresponders. Among the 13,451 responders, over the course of the previous year, 12,592 (94%) did not visit the ED at all, 415 (3%) visited the ED once, and 444 (3%) visited the ED more than once. Patients with severe episodic tension‐type headache were less likely to use the ED than patients with severe episodic migraine (OR 0.4 [95% CI: 0.3, 0.6]). Frequent ED use was reported by 1% of the total sample or 19% (95% CI: 17%, 22%) of subjects who used the ED in the previous year, although frequent users accounted for 51% (95% CI: 49%, 53%) of all ED visits. Predictors of ED use included markers of disease severity, elevated depression scores, low socioeconomic status, and a predilection for ED use for conditions other than headache.

Conclusions.— Most individuals suffering severe headaches do not use the ED over the course of a single year. The majority of ED visits for severe headache are accounted for by a small subset of all ED users. Increasing disease severity and depression are the most readily addressable factors associated with ED use.
Role of Early Symptoms in Assessment of Syncope in Elderly People: Results from the Italian Group for the Study of Syncope in the Elderly
Authors: Galizia Galizia , Abete Pasquale , Mussi Chiara , Noro Gabriele , Morrione Alessandro , Langellotto Assunta , Landi Annalisa , Cacciatore Francesco , Masotti Giulio , Rengo Franco , Marchionni Niccolò , Ungar Andrea
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of specific early symptoms to predict cardiac and noncardiac syncope in elderly people.

DESIGN: Multicenter cross‐sectional observational study.

SETTING: Inpatient geriatric acute care departments and outpatient clinics.

PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred forty‐two patients with syncope (mean age 79±8) consecutively referred for evaluation of transient loss of consciousness to any of six clinical centers participating in the Italian Group for the Study of Syncope in the Elderly (GIS Study).

MEASUREMENTS: All patients were assessed according to European Society of Cardiology Syncope guidelines and interviewed about symptoms and signs present before syncope.

RESULTS: One hundred seventy‐four of 242 patients (75.4%) had noncardiac syncope, and 34 (14.7%) had cardiac syncope; 165 patients (71.1%) related symptoms before the loss of consciousness. When elderly patients with syncope were stratified for the presence and absence of symptoms, noncardiac syncope showed the highest prevalence of symptoms (75.3%, P<.01). Awareness of being about to faint, sweating, blurred vision, and nausea are more prevalent in noncardiac syncope. Dyspnea is more prevalent in cardiac syncope. All symptoms except awareness of being about to faint and weakness had good specificity, but sensitivity was low for all symptoms considered. Multivariate regression analysis adjusted for sex and age indicated that nausea (relative risk (RR)=3.7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.26–11.2), blurred vision (RR=3.5, 95% CI=1.34–9.59), and sweating (RR=2.8, 95% CI=.21–6.89) were predictive of noncardiac syncope. Dyspnea (RR=5.5, 95% CI=1.0–30.2) was the only symptom predictive of cardiac syncope.

CONCLUSION: The data show that symptoms such as nausea, blurred vision, and sweating are predictive of noncardiac syncope, whereas only dyspnea is predictive of cardiac syncope in elderly people.
Rejuvenation of stored human red blood cells reverses the renal microvascular oxygenation deficit in an isovolemic transfusion model in rats
Authors: Raat Nicolaas J.H. , Hilarius Petra M. , Johannes Tanja , De Korte Dirk , Ince Can , Verhoeven Arthur J.
Published: November 2008

BACKGROUND: Storage of red blood cells (RBCs) results in various biochemical changes, including a decrease in cellular adenosine triphosphate and 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate acid. Previously it was shown that stored human RBCs show a deficit in the oxygenation of the microcirculation in the gut of anesthetized rats. In this study, the effect of RBCs on rat kidney oxygenation and the effect of rejuvenation of stored RBCs on their ability to deliver oxygen were investigated.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Washed RBCs, derived from leukoreduced RBCs stored in saline‐adenine‐glucose‐mannitol, were tested in an isovolemic transfusion model in rats after hemodilution until 30 percent hematocrit (Hct). The cells were derived from RBCs stored for up 3 days or from RBCs stored for 5 to 6 weeks with or without incubation in Rejuvesol to rejuvenate the cells. Renal microvascular oxygen concentrations (µPO2) were determined by Pd‐porphyrin phosphorescence lifetime measurements.

RESULTS: Isovolemic transfusion exchange of 5‐ to 6‐week‐stored RBCs resulted in a significantly larger decrease in renal µPO2 than RBCs stored for up to 3 days: 16.1 ± 2.3 mmHg versus 7.1 ± 1.5 mmHg, respectively (n = 5). Rejuvenation of stored RBCs completely prevented this deficit in kidney oxygenation. The differences in oxygen delivery were not due to different recoveries of the human RBCs in the rat circulation.

CONCLUSION: This study shows that the storage‐induced deficit of human RBCs to oxygenate the rat kidney microcirculation at reduced Hct is completely reversible. Prevention of metabolic changes during storage is therefore a valid approach to prevent this deficit.
Murine monoclonal anti‐s and other anti‐glycophorin B antibodies resulting from immunizations with a GPB.s peptide
Authors: Halverson Gregory R. , Tossas Edith , Velliquette Randall W. , Lobo Cheryl , Reid Marion E. , Frame Tom , Castilho Lilian , Lee Agnes H. , Storry Jill R. , Grodecka Magdalena , Waśniowska Kazimiera , Duk Maria , Lisowska Elwira
Published: November 2008

BACKGROUND: The blood group antigens S and s are defined by amino acids Met or Thr at position 29, respectively, on glycophorin B (GPB). Commercial anti‐s reagents are expensive to produce because of the scarcity of human anti‐s serum. Our aim was to develop hybridoma cell lines that secrete reagent‐grade anti‐s monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to supplement the supply of human anti‐s reagents.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Mice were immunized with the GPBs peptide sequence TKSTISSQTNGETGQLVHRF. Hybridomas were produced by fusing mouse splenocytes with mouse myeloma cells (X63.Ag8.653). Screening for antibody production was done on microtiter plates by hemagglutination. Characterization of the MoAbs was done by hemagglutination, immunoblotting, and epitope mapping.

RESULTS: Eight immunoglobulin G MoAbs were identified. Five antibodies are specific by hemagglutination for s and two MoAbs, when diluted, are anti‐S–like, but additional analyses shows a broad range of reactivity for GPB. Typing red blood cells (RBCs) for s from 35 donors was concordant with molecular analyses as were tests on RBCs with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) from 15 patients. The anti‐s MoAbs are most reactive with peptides containing the 31QLVHRF36 motif, with 29Thr. By Pepscan analyses, the anti‐S–like MoAbs reacted within the same regions as did anti‐s, but independently of 29Met. One antibody was defined serologically as anti‐U; however, its epitope was identified as 21ISSQT25, a sequence common for both GPA and GPB.

CONCLUSION: In addition to their value as typing reagents, these MoAbs can be used to phenotype RBCs with a positive DAT without pre‐test chemical modification.
It's My Body and None of Your Business: Developmental Changes in Adolescents' Perceptions of Rights Concerning Health
Authors: Flanagan Constance A. , Stout Michael , Gallay Leslie S.
Published: November 2008

We examined developmental changes in adolescents' perceptions of an individual's right to engage in risky behaviors that could pose harm to health. The views of 563 early, 506 middle, and 467 late adolescents concerning the degree to which individuals have a right to engage in smoking, drinking, and drug use (private health beliefs) or whether the government has a right to impose constraints on individuals (public health beliefs) were surveyed over 3 years. Endorsements of individual rights increased between early and middle adolescence and remained stable into late adolescence. Endorsements of public health beliefs showed a curvilinear trend with middle adolescents less likely than early or late adolescents to endorse the government's right to constrain individual choices. Regardless of age, endorsements of public health were positively and individual rights were negatively related to an adolescent's belief that s/he had a right to intervene in a friend's risky choices.
How Adolescents in 27 Countries Understand, Support, and Practice Human Rights
Authors: Torney‐Purta Judith , Wilkenfeld Britt , Barber Carolyn
Published: November 2008

An understanding of human rights among young people forms a foundation for future support and practice of rights. We have used data from 88,000 14‐year‐olds surveyed in the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study to examine country differences in students' knowledge pertaining to human rights compared with other forms of civic knowledge, and in students' attitudes toward promoting and practicing human rights. A hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis examines student‐level predictors (e.g., gender and school experiences) and country‐level predictors (e.g., history of democracy) of rights‐related knowledge and attitudes. Countries with governments that pay more attention to human rights in intergovernmental discourse (i.e., dialogue between nations and international governing bodies) have students who perform better on human rights knowledge items. Students' experiences of democracy at school and with international issues have a positive association with their knowledge of human rights. Significant gender differences also exist. Looking at rights‐related attitudes, students with more knowledge of human rights, more frequent engagement with international topics, and more open class and school climates held stronger norms supporting social movement citizenship, had more positive attitudes toward immigrants' rights, and were more politically efficacious. Implications are drawn for psychologists and educators who wish to play a role in increasing adolescents' understanding, support, and practice of human rights.
Beyond Balancing: Toward an Integrated Approach to Children's Rights
Authors: Melton Gary B.
Published: November 2008

Discussions of children's rights often are framed in terms of balancing—balancing parents' and children's rights, balancing rights to autonomy and protection, balancing rights and responsibilities. By its nature, such a comparative inquiry pulls for relativist reasoning, but such an approach undermines the universalism that is at the root of the concept of human rights. Like the international human rights instruments that preceded it, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is based on “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.” Whether grounded in religious or secular ethical reasoning, human rights are directed toward a world in which the Golden Rule—a regime of mutual respect—serves as the guidepost for the social order. Building from that premise, recommendations are offered for social scientists' contributions to creation and preservation of such societies.
Examining the Nature and Magnitude of Intradistrict Resource Disparities in Mid‐Size School Districts
Authors: MILLER LARRY , RUBENSTEIN ROSS
Published: November 2008

While a growing research base has examined resource disparities across schools within large school districts, the literature has largely overlooked resource allocation in the mid‐size school districts that a large portion of the nation's children attend. In this paper, we measure disparities in teacher resources within four New York State districts and conclude that intradistrict equity is not just a big city problem. We also explore the budgeting processes and mechanisms leading to these disparities, including fund‐based budgeting, grant‐based allocation rules, class size formulae, and ad‐hoc mechanisms. We conclude with policy implications and recommendations for improving intradistrict resource equity.
State Infrastructure Banks and Intergovernmental Subsidies for Local Transportation Investment
Authors: YUSUF JUITA‐ELENA , LIU GAO
Published: November 2008

This study reviews State Infrastructure Banks (SIBs) as an innovative financing mechanism for federal and state governments to support transportation financing for local governments, and determines the cost savings realized by local governments from receiving SIB loans rather than financing through the municipal bond market. The study finds that SIBs provide a mechanism through which local governments receive subsidized loans for their transportation investments. With the Ohio SIB, localities realized average borrowing cost savings between 34 and 184 basis points. Under the worst‐ and best‐case scenarios, 83 and 98 percent of projects, respectively, benefited from lower borrowing costs.
The Effect of Nondipping Blood Pressure Patterns on Cardiac Structural Changes and Left Ventricular Diastolic Functions in Normotensives
Authors: Soylu Ahmet , Duzenli Mehmet Akif , Yazici Mehmet , Ozdemir Kurtulus , Tokac Mehmet , Gok Hasan
Published: November 2008

Background: Cardiac structural changes have been reported to be more prominent in nondipper normotensives than the dipper ones. But the influence of nondipping status on cardiac diastolic functions of normotensives has not been studied yet. In this study, we investigated the effect of nondipping status on both cardiac structural changes and left ventricular (LV) diastolic functions in normotensives. Methods: We performed ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM) and echocardiography in 62 normotensive subjects with the following criteria: (1) office BP < 140/90 mmHg; (2) average 24‐hour ambulatory BP < 130/80 mmHg. Results: In the evaluation by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), the early diastolic myocardial peak velocity (Em) and Em/late diastolic myocardial peak velocity (Am) ratio (Em/Am ratio) were lower in nondippers than those in dippers (P = 0.009 and P < 0.001, respectively). Isovolumic relaxation time (IRT) and myocardial performance index (MPI) were higher in nondippers than those in dippers (P = 0.036 and P = 0.026, respectively). Nondipping status, independent of other factors, was observed to cause both a decrease in the Em and Em/Am ratio and an increase in IRT. However, its effect on IRT was not statistically significant (coefficient =−0.27, P = 0.027; coefficient =−0.37, P = 0.002; coefficient = 0.20, P = 0.082, respectively). Conclusions: Nondipping of nocturnal BP seems to be a determinant of cardiac remodeling and LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and may result in a cardiovascular (CV) risk independent of the increase in LV mass (LVM) in normotensives.