bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Renal Cell Carcinomas With Intratumoral Fat and Concomitant Angiomyolipoma
Authors: Aron Manju , Aydin Hakan , Sercia Linda , Magi-Galluzzi Cristina , Zhou Ming
Published: October 2010

Intratumoral fat and angiomyolipomas (AMLs) occurring within renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) have rarely been reported but may be mistaken for tumor invasion into perinephric or renal sinus fat or misdiagnosed as tumor exhibiting sarcomatoid differentiation. We report 16 such cases. In 14 RCC cases, there was intratumoral fat, 9 of which had fat located peripherally near the capsule (n = 6), renal sinus (n = 1), or both (n = 2). Inflammatory infiltrates and osseous metaplasia were identified in the intratumoral fat in 7 and 8 cases, respectively. Two cases had intratumoral AML foci located at the periphery of RCC. Intratumoral fat or AML at the periphery of RCC simulated the invasion into the fat, while the smooth muscle component of AML resembled spindle cell, or sarcomatoid, differentiation. Our study highlights the potential pitfalls in staging and diagnosis when intratumoral fat or AML is found within RCC.
Characteristics of Hepatic IGF-II Expression and Monitored Levels of Circulating IGF-II mRNA in Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Qian Jing , Yao Dengfu , Dong Zhizhen , Wu Wei , Qiu Liwei , Yao Ninghua , Li Shanshan , Bian Yinzhu , Wang Zhiwei , Shi Gongsheng
Published: October 2010

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains dismal. Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), a fetal growth factor, is highly expressed during HCC development. We examined serum IGF-II levels and circulating IGF-II messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics in patients with liver diseases. The higher IGF-II level in the serum of patients with HCC could be correlated with hepatitis B virus infection but not with patient sex, age, tumor size, or α-fetoprotein (AFP) level. Total RNAs were extracted from liver tissues or peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and IGF-II complementary DNA (cDNA) and AFP cDNA were synthesized through random primers and reverse transcriptase; gene fragments were amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by sequencing. The incidence of the hepatic IGF-II gene was 100% in HCC, 54.3% in paracancerous tissues, and none in noncancerous tissues. The incidence rates for circulating IGF-II and AFP genes were 34.3% and 52.7%, respectively, and for both, 61.6% in patients with HCC. They were 100% in cases with extrahepatic metastasis. The IGF-II abnormality associates with HCC, and circulating IGF-II and IGF-II mRNA are useful molecular markers for HCC differential diagnosis and hematogenous metastasis.
Effects of Dietary Fiber and Low Glycemic Index Diet on Glucose Control in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Bajorek Sarah A , Morello Candis M
Published: October 2010

Objective:

To review the effects of dietary fiber and a low glycemic index diet on glycemic risk factors in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or T2DM and dyslipidemia.

Data Sources:

Literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, The Natural Standard, and The Natural Medicines through July 2010 using the terms type 2 diabetes mellitus, dietary fiber, psyllium, and glycemic index.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

Articles included were randomized controlled studies or meta-analyses examining the effects of dietary interventions (dietary fiber, low glycemic index diet, or psyllium) on glycemic risk factors (glycosylated hemoglobin A1c [A1C] or postprandial plasma glucose [PPG] concentrations) in subjects with T2DM or T2DM and dyslipidemia

Data Synthesis:

Both psyllium supplementation and low glycemic index diets have been studied as monotherapy in the treatment of T2DM. Seven studies were reviewed (3 randomized crossover studies, 1 randomized parallel study, 3 randomized blinded parallel studies). Individually, psyllium supplementation and a low glycemic index diet improved glycemic risk factors. PPG and A1C decreased with psyllium 10.2 g per day, while A1C decreased with a low glycemic index diet (average glycemic index 59). However, the results for the low glycemic index diet are controversial. One study was underpowered to detect changes in A1C, while another study had psyllium fiber as a confounding variable.

Conclusions:

Psyllium supplementation might be an additional therapeutic option for people with T2DM who are already receiving diabetes medication and who still experience elevated PPG concentrations. Further well-designed clinical trials and adjustment for confounding variables are needed to determine the role of a low glycemic index diet in the treatment of T2DM.
A simple and effective decision rule for choosing a significance test to protect against non‐normality
Authors: Zimmerman Donald W.
Published: October 2010

There is no formal and generally accepted procedure for choosing an appropriate significance test for sample data when the assumption of normality is doubtful. Various tests of normality that have been proposed over the years have been found to have limited usefulness, and sometimes a preliminary test makes the situation worse. The present paper investigates a specific and easily applied rule for choosing between a parametric and non‐parametric test, the Student t test and the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, that does not require a preliminary significance test of normality. Simulations reveal that the rule, which can be applied to sample data automatically by computer software, protects the Type I error rate and increases power for various sample sizes, significance levels, and non‐normal distribution shapes. Limitations of the procedure in the case of heterogeneity of variance are discussed.
Application of proteomics to prenatal screening and diagnosis for aneuploidies
Authors: Cho Chan-Kyung J. , Diamandis Eleftherios P.
Published: October 2010

Current screening for fetal aneuploidies relies on biochemical and ultrasound measurements, and the sensitivity and specificity needs to be improved to reduce the number of pregnant women subjected to invasive diagnostic procedures, such as amniocentesis. Proteomic technologies enable new strategies for discovering biomarkers from complex biological fluids in a high-throughput and sensitive manner. Since mass spectrometry-based techniques allow for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of a given proteome, they have been widely used to resolve and compare the proteome of maternal plasma, serum, urine, cervical-vaginal fluid, and amniotic fluid. Comparisons of proteomes of normal fluids with those from aneuploidy pregnancies have revealed a host of candidate markers that still need to be verified. In parallel with proteomics, there is interest in other emerging techniques, such as RNA-SNP analysis or quantitation of fetal DNA by shotgun sequencing. Although these genomic techniques hold much promise, discovery of additional markers via quantitative proteomic comparisons could drastically improve current conventional screening at reasonable cost. Proteomics-based biomarker discovery is applicable to detection of not just aneuploidies, but also other pregnancy-related diseases.
An inverse nodal problem for integro-differential operators
Authors: Kuryshova Yulia V. , Shieh Chung-Tsun
Published: October 2010

The inverse nodal problem of recovering integral-differential operators with the Sturm–Liouville differential part and the integral part of Volterra type is studied. We reconstruct the potential and the boundary conditions provided the kernel of integral perturbation is known. We prove a uniqueness theorem and provide reconstruction formulae for the potential and parameters of the boundary conditions.
Restoration of tape matrices with the help of the spectral date
Authors: Kanguzhin B. E.
Published: October 2010

In this work the possibility of restoration of real symmetrical five diagonal final matrices using four numerically sequences is studied. Three from these four numerically sequences are interpreted as sets of eigenvalues of the considered matrix and else of two matrices, obtained from considered matrix deleting some diagonal elements. The concrete formulas of construction of matrix elements using four sets of eigenvalues are obtained.
Discrepancy principle for generalized GN iterations combined with the reverse connection control
Authors: Bakushinsky Anatoly , Smirnova Alexandra
Published: October 2010

In this paper we investigate the generalized Gauss–Newton method in the following form

x

n+1 = ξn
– θ(F′*(xn
)F′(xn
), τn
)F′*(xn
){(F(xn
) – ƒ
δ
) – F′(xn
)(xn
– ξn
)}, x
0, ξn
∈ 𝒟 ⊂ H
1.

The modified source condition

which depends on the current iteration point xn
, is used. We call this inclusion the undetermined reverse connection. The new source condition leads to a much larger set of admissible control elements ξn
as compared to the previously studied versions, where ξn
= ξ. The process is combined with a novel a posteriori stopping rule, where is the number of the first transition of ‖F(xn
) – ƒ
δ
‖ through the given level δω
, 0, < ω < 1, i.e.,

The convergence analysis of the proposed algorithm is given.
Recovering memory kernels in parabolic transmission problems in infinite time intervals: the non-accessible case
Authors: Janno Jaan , Lorenzi Alfredo
Published: October 2010

In this paper we study two problems concerned with recovering memory kernels related to two sub-bodies Ω1and Ω2of an open thermal bodyunder the assumptions thatandis not accessible for the measurements. Additional measurements of temperature gradient or flux type are provided on∂Ω. In the first problem the memory kernel related to Ω1is unknown and a single measurement is given. In the second problem both kernels are to be determined from two measurements on∂Ω. Making use of Laplace transforms, we prove the uniqueness for these identification problems in the infinite time interval (0, ∞).
Prefrontal Dynamics Underlying Rapid Instructed Task Learning Reverse with Practice
Authors: Cole Michael W. , Bagic Anto , Kass Robert , Schneider Walter
Published: October 2010

The ability to rapidly reconfigure our minds to perform novel tasks is important for adapting to an ever-changing world, yet little is understood about its basis in the brain. Furthermore, it is unclear how this kind of task preparation changes with practice. Previous research suggests that prefrontal cortex (PFC) is essential when preparing to perform either novel or practiced tasks. Building upon recent evidence that PFC is organized in an anterior-to-posterior hierarchy, we postulated that novel and practiced task preparation would differentiate hierarchically distinct regions within PFC across time. Specifically, we hypothesized and confirmed using functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography with humans that novel task preparation is a bottom-up process that involves lower-level rule representations in dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) before a higher-level rule-integrating task representation in anterior PFC (aPFC). In contrast, we identified a complete reversal of this activity pattern during practiced task preparation. Specifically, we found that practiced task preparation is a top-down process that involves a higher-level rule-integrating task representation (recalled from long-term memory) in aPFC before lower-level rule representations in DLPFC. These findings reveal two distinct yet highly inter-related mechanisms for task preparation, one involving task set formation from instructions during rapid instructed task learning and the other involving task set retrieval from long-term memory to facilitate familiar task performance. These two mechanisms demonstrate the exceptional flexibility of human PFC as it rapidly reconfigures cognitive brain networks to implement a wide variety of possible tasks.
Regulation of Synaptic Rac1 Activity, Long-Term Potentiation Maintenance, and Learning and Memory by BCR and ABR Rac GTPase-Activating Proteins
Authors: Oh Daeyoung , Han Seungnam , Seo Jinsoo , Lee Jae-Ran , Choi Jeonghoon , Groffen John , Kim Karam , Cho Yi Sul , Choi Han-Saem , Shin Hyewon , Woo Jooyeon , Won Hyejung , Park Soon Kwon , Kim Soo-Young , Jo Jihoon , Whitcomb Daniel J. , Cho Kwangwook , Kim Hyun , Bae Yong Chul , Heisterkamp Nora , Choi Se-Young , Kim Eunjoon
Published: October 2010

Rho family small GTPases are important regulators of neuronal development. Defective Rho regulation causes nervous system dysfunctions including mental retardation and Alzheimer's disease. Rac1, a member of the Rho family, regulates dendritic spines and excitatory synapses, but relatively little is known about how synaptic Rac1 is negatively regulated. Breakpoint cluster region (BCR) is a Rac GTPase-activating protein known to form a fusion protein with the c-Abl tyrosine kinase in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. Despite the fact that BCR mRNAs are abundantly expressed in the brain, the neural functions of BCR protein have remained obscure. We report here that BCR and its close relative active BCR-related (ABR) localize at excitatory synapses and directly interact with PSD-95, an abundant postsynaptic scaffolding protein. Mice deficient for BCR or ABR show enhanced basal Rac1 activity but only a small increase in spine density. Importantly, mice lacking BCR or ABR exhibit a marked decrease in the maintenance, but not induction, of long-term potentiation, and show impaired spatial and object recognition memory. These results suggest that BCR and ABR have novel roles in the regulation of synaptic Rac1 signaling, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory, and that excessive Rac1 activity negatively affects synaptic and cognitive functions.
Pyramidal Cells in Piriform Cortex Receive Convergent Input from Distinct Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli
Authors: Apicella Alfonso , Yuan Qi , Scanziani Massimo , Isaacson Jeffry S.
Published: October 2010

Pyramidal cells in piriform cortex integrate sensory information from multiple olfactory bulb mitral and tufted (M/T) cells. However, whether M/T cells belonging to different olfactory bulb glomeruli converge onto individual cortical cells is unclear. Here we use calcium imaging in an olfactory bulb–cortex slice preparation to provide direct evidence that neurons in piriform cortex receive convergent synaptic input from different glomeruli. We show that the combined activity of distinct glomerular pathways recruits ensembles of pyramidal cells that are not activated by the individual pathways alone. This cooperative recruitment of cortical neurons only occurs over a narrow time window and is a feature intrinsic to the olfactory cortex that can be explained by the integration of converging, subthreshold synaptic input. Cooperative recruitment enhances the differences between cortical representations of partially overlapping input patterns and may contribute to the initial steps of olfactory discrimination.
Separate Valuation Subsystems for Delay and Effort Decision Costs
Authors: Prévost Charlotte , Pessiglione Mathias , Météreau Elise , Cléry-Melin Marie-Laure , Dreher Jean-Claude
Published: October 2010

Decision making consists of choosing among available options on the basis of a valuation of their potential costs and benefits. Most theoretical models of decision making in behavioral economics, psychology, and computer science propose that the desirability of outcomes expected from alternative options can be quantified by utility functions. These utility functions allow a decision maker to assign subjective values to each option under consideration by weighting the likely benefits and costs resulting from an action and to select the one with the highest subjective value. Here, we used model-based neuroimaging to test whether the human brain uses separate valuation systems for rewards (erotic stimuli) associated with different types of costs, namely, delay and effort. We show that humans devalue rewards associated with physical effort in a strikingly similar fashion to those they devalue that are associated with delays, and that a single computational model derived from economics theory can account for the behavior observed in both delay discounting and effort discounting. However, our neuroimaging data reveal that the human brain uses distinct valuation subsystems for different types of costs, reflecting in opposite fashion delayed reward and future energetic expenses. The ventral striatum and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex represent the increasing subjective value of delayed rewards, whereas a distinct network, composed of the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula, represent the decreasing value of the effortful option, coding the expected expense of energy. Together, these data demonstrate that the valuation processes underlying different types of costs can be fractionated at the cerebral level.
The Neural Fate of Task-Irrelevant Features in Object-Based Processing
Authors: Xu Yaoda
Published: October 2010

Objects are one of the most fundamental units in visual attentional selection and information processing. Studies have shown that, during object-based processing, all features of an attended object may be encoded together, even when these features are task irrelevant. Some recent studies, however, have failed to find this effect. What determines when object-based processing may or may not occur? In three experiments, observers were asked to encode object colors and the processing of task-irrelevant object shapes was evaluated by measuring functional magnetic resonance imaging responses from a brain area involved in shape representation. Whereas object-based task-irrelevant shape processing was present at low color-encoding load, it was attenuated or even suppressed at high color-encoding load. Moreover, such object-based processing was short-lived and was not sustained over a long delay period. Object-based processing for task-irrelevant features of attended objects thus does exist, as reported previously; but it is transient and its magnitude is determined by the encoding demand of the task-relevant feature.
The Locus of Motor Activity in the Superior Colliculus of the Rhesus Monkey Is Unaltered during Saccadic Adaptation
Authors: Quessy Stephan , Quinet Julie , Freedman Edward G.
Published: October 2010

The location of motor-related activity in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus (SC) is thought to generate a desired displacement command specifying the amplitude and direction of saccadic eye movements. However, the amplitude of saccadic eye movements made to visual targets can be systematically altered by surreptitiously moving the target location after the saccade has been initiated. Depending on whether the target is moved closer to or further from the fixation location, adaptation of saccade amplitude results in movements that are either smaller or larger than control movements. It remains an open question whether the SC specifies the desired movement to the original target location or whether SC activity specifies the vector of the amplitude-altered movement that is observed as adaptation progresses. We investigated this question by recording the activity of saccade-related burst neurons in the SC of head-restrained rhesus monkeys during both backward and forward saccadic adaptation. During adaptation in each direction, we find no evidence that is consistent with a change in the locus of SC activity despite changes in saccade amplitude; the location of SC motor-related activity does not appear to be remapped during either forward or backward saccadic adaptation. These data are inconsistent with hypotheses that propose a key role for the SC in mediating the changes in saccade amplitude observed during adaptation.
Differential Effects of GABABReceptor Subtypes, γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid, and Baclofen on EEG Activity and Sleep Regulation
Authors: Vienne Julie , Bettler Bernhard , Franken Paul , Tafti Mehdi
Published: October 2010

The role of GABABreceptors in sleep is still poorly understood. GHB (γ-hydroxybutyric acid) targets these receptors and is the only drug approved to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy. GABABreceptors are obligate dimers comprised of the GABAB2subunit and either one of the two GABAB1subunit isoforms, GABAB1aand GABAB1b. To better understand the role of GABABreceptors in sleep regulation, we performed electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings in mice devoid of functional GABABreceptors (1−/−and2−/−) or lacking one of the subunit 1 isoforms (1a−/−and1b−/−). The distribution of sleep over the day was profoundly altered in1−/−and2−/−mice, suggesting a role for GABABreceptors in the circadian organization of sleep. Several other sleep and EEG phenotypes pointed to a more prominent role for GABAB1acompared with the GABAB1bisoform. Moreover, we found that GABAB1aprotects against the spontaneous seizure activity observed in1−/−and2−/−mice. We also evaluated the effects of the GHB-prodrug GBL (γ-butyrolactone) and of baclofen (BAC), a high-affinity GABABreceptor agonist. Both drugs induced a state distinct from physiological sleep that was not observed in1−/−and2−/−mice. Subsequent sleep was not affected by GBL whereas BAC was followed by a delayed hypersomnia even in1−/−and2−/−mice. The differential effects of GBL and BAC might be attributed to differences in GABAB-receptor affinity. These results also indicate that all GBL effects are mediated through GABABreceptors, although these receptors do not seem to be involved in mediating the BAC-induced hypersomnia.
Neural Coding of Interaural Time Differences with Bilateral Cochlear Implants: Effects of Congenital Deafness
Authors: Hancock Kenneth E. , Noel Victor , Ryugo David K. , Delgutte Bertrand
Published: October 2010

Human bilateral cochlear implant users do poorly on tasks involving interaural time differences (ITD), a cue that provides important benefits to the normal hearing, especially in challenging acoustic environments, yet the precision of neural ITD coding in acutely deafened, bilaterally implanted cats is essentially normal (Smith and Delgutte, 2007a). One explanation for this discrepancy is that the extended periods of binaural deprivation typically experienced by cochlear implant users degrades neural ITD sensitivity, by either impeding normal maturation of the neural circuitry or altering it later in life. To test this hypothesis, we recorded from single units in inferior colliculus of two groups of bilaterally implanted, anesthetized cats that contrast maximally in binaural experience: acutely deafened cats, which had normal binaural hearing until experimentation, and congenitally deaf white cats, which received no auditory inputs until the experiment. Rate responses of only half as many neurons showed significant ITD sensitivity to low-rate pulse trains in congenitally deaf cats compared with acutely deafened cats. For neurons that were ITD sensitive, ITD tuning was broader and best ITDs were more variable in congenitally deaf cats, leading to poorer ITD coding within the naturally occurring range. A signal detection model constrained by the observed physiology supports the idea that the degraded neural ITD coding resulting from deprivation of binaural experience contributes to poor ITD discrimination by human implantees.
Consolidating the Effects of Waking and Sleep on Motor-Sequence Learning
Authors: Brawn Timothy P. , Fenn Kimberly M. , Nusbaum Howard C. , Margoliash Daniel
Published: October 2010

Sleep is widely believed to play a critical role in memory consolidation. Sleep-dependent consolidation has been studied extensively in humans using an explicit motor-sequence learning paradigm. In this task, performance has been reported to remain stable across wakefulness and improve significantly after sleep, making motor-sequence learning the definitive example of sleep-dependent enhancement. Recent work, however, has shown that enhancement disappears when the task is modified to reduce task-related inhibition that develops over a training session, thus questioning whether sleep actively consolidates motor learning. Here we use the same motor-sequence task to demonstrate sleep-dependent consolidation for motor-sequence learning and explain the discrepancies in results across studies. We show that when training begins in the morning, motor-sequence performance deteriorates across wakefulness and recovers after sleep, whereas performance remains stable across both sleep and subsequent waking with evening training. This pattern of results challenges an influential model of memory consolidation defined by a time-dependent stabilization phase and a sleep-dependent enhancement phase. Moreover, the present results support a new account of the behavioral effects of waking and sleep on explicit motor-sequence learning that is consistent across a wide range of tasks. These observations indicate that current theories of memory consolidation that have been formulated to explain sleep-dependent performance enhancements are insufficient to explain the range of behavioral changes associated with sleep.
14-3-3 Proteins Regulate Protein Kinase A Activity to Modulate Growth Cone Turning Responses
Authors: Kent Christopher B. , Shimada Tadayuki , Ferraro Gino B. , Ritter Brigitte , Yam Patricia T. , McPherson Peter S. , Charron Frédéric , Kennedy Timothy E. , Fournier Alyson E.
Published: October 2010

Growth cones regulate the speed and direction of neuronal outgrowth during development and regeneration. How the growth cone spatially and temporally regulates signals from guidance cues is poorly understood. Through a proteomic analysis of purified growth cones we identified isoforms of the 14-3-3 family of adaptor proteins as major constituents of the growth cone. Disruption of 14-3-3 via the R18 antagonist or knockdown of individual 14-3-3 isoforms switches nerve growth factor- and myelin-associated glycoprotein-dependent repulsion to attraction in embryonic day 13 chick and postnatal day 5 rat DRG neurons. These effects are reminiscent of switching responses observed in response to elevated cAMP. Intriguingly, R18-dependent switching is blocked by inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA), suggesting that 14-3-3 proteins regulate PKA. Consistently, 14-3-3 proteins interact with PKA and R18 activates PKA by dissociating its regulatory and catalytic subunits. Thus, 14-3-3 heterodimers regulate the PKA holoenzyme and this activity plays a critical role in modulating neuronal responses to repellent cues.
Wenn Roboter nach dem Weg fragen
Authors: Mühlbauer Quirin , Xu Tingting , Bauer Andrea , Klasing Klaas , Lidoris Georgios , Rohrmüller Florian , Sosnowski Stefan , Kühnlenz Kolja , Wollherr Dirk , Buss Martin
Published: October 2010

Im Rahmen des “Autonomous City Explorer (ACE)” Projektes wurde ein Roboter entwickelt, der sich ohne die Verwendung von GPS oder vorherigem Kartenwissen in unbekannten Umgebungen zurechtfindet, indem er ähnlich wie ein Tourist Passanten nach dem Weg fragt. Während eines Experimentes legte ACE erfolgreich die 1,5 km lange Strecke vom Campus der Technische Universität München zum Marienplatz im Zentrum von München zurück. Dieses Pilotprojekt ist ein erster Schritt in Richtung Wissensbildung durch Mensch-Roboter-Interaktion zukünftiger humanoider Roboter.
New ICE highways design and management manual due early 2011
Authors: Walsh Ian
Published: October 2010

IEC will publish a comprehensive new manual on highways design, maintenance and management early in 2011. Editor Ian walsh of Road Consultants explains the background and how it differs from other current UK guidance.
Structural health monitoring: a Canadian perspective
Authors: Kim Yail J. , Murison Evangeline , Mufti Aftab
Published: October 2010

This paper presents an overview of structural-health-monitoring technologies for constructed structures, based on six field demonstration projects in Canada. The principle of fibre-optic sensors is discussed, including the fibre Bragg grating, Fabry–Perot and long-gauge sensors together with their positive and negative aspects. Site applications of these technologies include a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, prestressed concrete girder bridges, structural beams in a cemetery, a hollow bronze sculpture and substructures of a steel-plate girder bridge.
Generic Advertising, Brand Advertising and Price Competition: An Analysis of Free-Riding Effects and Coordination Mechanisms
Authors: Roma Paolo , Perrone Giovanni
Published: October 2010

The main purpose of generic advertising is to enlarge the total market demand rather than capturing further slices from competitors. Several studies point out emergence of free-riding behavior under independent contribution and suggest use of coordination mechanism. However, existing literature does not shed light on the conditions under which generic advertising can be detrimental (beneficial) to stronger firms weakening (strengthening) their competitive advantage. Also, under a setting including both price and brand advertising competition, coordination in generic advertising has not been unraveled. In order to deal with such issues, we consider a one-stage duopoly game in which two firms jointly spend in generic advertising and, simultaneously, compete by setting price and brand advertising. Under independent contribution, we show that when generic advertising effectiveness is high or differences between firms are overall small, weaker firms free-riding lowers the profit difference between the two firms and, sometimes, leads the stronger firm to make even lower profit. On the other hand, in presence of low generic advertising effectiveness or high asymmetries between firms, the stronger firm takes more advantage from generic advertising and increases the profit gap. Under coordination we consider two commonly used mechanisms to share generic advertising expenditure, i.e. fixed percentage (FP) mechanism and sales-proportional (SP) mechanism. We discover that neither mechanism is always dominant in terms of industry profit. In fact, under symmetry, SP mechanism always drives firms to spend more in generic advertising. However, this will result in a higher industry profit if either price or brand advertising competition is fierce or generic advertising effectiveness is low. On the other hand, FP mechanism can guarantee a bigger pie when both price and brand advertising competition is mild and generic advertising is highly effective. Numerical analysis under asymmetry seems to confirm our findings.
Same sex families and children
Authors: Mrsevic Zorica
Published: October 2010

Introduction comprises the information on two main forms of same sex families, civic partnership (same sex partnership) and same sex marriage. Countries and various status modalities of legal regulations are mentioned. The main part of the text is dedicated to presentation of the findings of the most recent research on various aspects regarding children of same sex partnerships. It comprises presentations grouped in four main chapters: acceptance of same sex partnerships, acceptance of legal recognition of the same sex partnerships, family plans of homosexual teenagers, and raising children within and by the same sex partners. Also the real life cases mirroring legal changes through their life destinies are presented, such is e.g. the Irish way to legalization of the same sex partnerships. In addition, a love story of two women crowned by giving birth of their four children is mentioned. Reasons against and negative reactions the author puts under the title Homophobia. In the Concluding remarks, the author presents the most recent examples of legal changes happened in Norway, Ecuador, and in the American states of California and Connecticut. It was also stated that in European countries of low birth rate, the same sex families are inevitably identified as one of demographically valuable source of creating and raising children, which is worthy to be supported, rather than being hindered without reason and discriminated. Although different than a model of heterosexual family, same sex partnerships neither are harrowing to traditional family values, nor reflex of any kind of promiscuous, antisocial behavior, avoidance of parenthood, and negation of family. Quite opposite, these families are an outcome of endeavors of homosexuals not to be deprived of family, parenthood and all of other values of stabile, monogamous, emotional/sexual socially accepted and legally recognized and regulated conventional family. .
Daycare as an entitlement and as a service in the social welfare system
Authors: Matkovic Gordana
Published: October 2010

The social welfare reform recognizes the further development and expansion of daycare center services as an important precondition for deinstitutionalization as one of the key objectives of the reform. Decreasing the number of children and adults in residential institutions, their return to their natural families and preventing institutionalization depend primarily on the support provided at local level to the family for taking care of their family members. Today in Serbia there are 49 daycare centers with 1400 children and persons with disability as beneficiaries. Between 2000 and 2007, thirty seven new daycare centers were established, the total number of beneficiaries more than tripled and the NGO sector became equal with the government sector in service provision. Yet, daycare center services are still not sufficiently developed. In 123 municipalities there are no daycare center services at all and overall these services are significantly less accessible than residential services. Daycare center services consist of both well established and sustainable daycare with significant capacity and also of small, project-based daycare centers that provide services for a few hours and have an uncertain future. The second group consists mostly of daycare centers organized by the NGO sector. The monthly costs of daycare center services per beneficiary in 2007 amounted to 13.750 diners on average. According to the survey findings, for example, the annual costs for running a daycare center service for 20 beneficiaries are between 2 and 6 million dinars depending on the complexity of the provided services and programs. The costs of residential placement are on average higher than the costs in daycare centers. Further development of daycare center services in Serbia requires additional and focused efforts at central level in terms of formulating special financial incentives for underdeveloped municipalities, developing professional capacity at local level, educating local governments, conceptualizing and establishing regulatory mechanisms, exchanging good practice examples, etc. Still, placing non-residential services at the heart of the social welfare system can be expected only after undertaking more profound legislative changes. .
Effects of the war in Croatia 1991-1995 on changes in the share of ethnic Serbs in the ethnic composition of Slavonia
Authors: Lajic Ivan , Bara Mario
Published: October 2010

The subject of this paper are the ethno-demographical changes in the area of Slavonia during the last decade of the twentieth century. Focus is primarily turned to negative influences (direct and indirect) of socio-political changes on the mechanical movement of population. Especially, the influence of war on the movement of Serbian and Slavonic population in general is apostrophized. Leading hypothesis is that the peaceful reintegration of East Slavonia, Srem and Baranja caused less demographic shifts then the military operation 'Flash' in West Slavonia. Used methodology consists of statistical analysis and interpretation of data collected from censuses and other secondary publications that featured data relevant to the subject of this research. The authors show the afore mentioned changes in ethnic composition of the population on several different levels (city level, municipality level and county level) following the modern day administrative distribution of counties in the Republic of Croatia to ensure comparability of two most recent population censuses (1991 - 2001). Contemporary demographic structure of Slavonia is formed by inherited negative trends in population movements from previous periods in history and a considerably strong mechanical drain of autochthonous population and the influx of new one from neighboring countries in the 1990s. Political and territorial changes as well as war conflicts that followed the collapse of the Yugoslav Federation carried with them clear characteristics of ethnic conflict, making the consequences particularly noticeable through selective war mortality, forced and impelled migrations and changes in the ethnic composition of certain areas. Population census in 2001. registered the absolute and relative decrease in population of Serbian nationality in Slavonia, or to be more accurate decrease of the population of Serbian nationality from 167,094 or 17.1% of the total population in 1991, to 78,085 or 8.8% in 2001. It can be concluded that the impaired sex-age structure of the Serbian population, along with the absence of a larger number of returnees of a younger fertile demographical profile from surrounding countries, predominantly from Serbia, will further influence the demographic aging of the observed populations, and therefore the decline of their share in certain areas along with increased ethnic homogenization of parts of Slavonia, i.e. Croatia. Somewhat more favorable demographic structure of the Serbian population is kept in Eastern Slavonia, where there were no mass emigrations. .
Affine Baire functions on Choquet simplices
Authors: Kačena Miroslav , Spurný Jiří
Published: October 2010

We construct a metrizable simplex X such that for each n ɛ ℕ there exists a bounded function f on ext X of Baire class n that cannot be extended to a strongly affine function of Baire class n. We show that such an example cannot be constructed via the space of harmonic functions.
Exploring L1 Transfer in German Learners of English: High Front Vowels, High Back Vowels and the BED/BAD Distinction
Authors: Kautzsch Alexander
Published: October 2010

Since the vowel systems of German and English are similar to some extent, German learners of English can be expected to transfer a considerable part of their German vowels to their L2 English. This paper traces the extent and source of positive and negative L1 transfer in two groups of university students from different German L1 backgrounds. To this end, acoustical analyses of three areas of vowel space are provided: high front vowels, high back vowels and mid/low front vowels. While positive transfer widely persists with high front vowels, learners refrain from consistently transferring high back vowels, probably owing to variability both in L1 German and in L2 English. In the case of mid/low front vowels negative transfer is reduced due to exposure to native English, and even more so due to formal instruction, which appears to accelerate the acquisition process
Age and Accent - Changes in a Southern Welsh English Accent
Authors: Podhovnik Edith
Published: October 2010

This paper describes the accent of Neath (South Wales) from a socio-dialectological perspective and deals with changes in the accent which are due to the non-linguistic factor age. In a direct interview with indirect questioning, 27 informants from Neath were recorded for the investigation of the English spoken in Neath. Based on the life-stage approach, the 27 informants are divided into three age-groups, representing adolescents, younger adults, and older adults respectively. The data is described using Well's lexical sets and analysed statistically to show correlations between age and linguistic variants. The percentage with which some variants are realised in the key-words varies by up to 60 per cent. The realisations of STRUT, BATH and START, FACE/STAY, GOAT/SNOW, NEAR, CURE, PLAYER, emPLOYER, FIRE, POWER, and the consonants /r/, /l/, and word final  in participles and gerunds have changed throughout age.
The Effect of IP Constituent Position and Foot Complexity on Timing in Polish Learner's English Pronunciation
Authors: Porzuczek Andrzej
Published: October 2010

This paper focuses on the effect of prominence level and stress distribution on timing in read English speech of Polish learners. We have measured and analysed the length of IP units distinguished by the traditional British School prosodic description, i.e. preheads, heads and nuclei, as well as stress feet, further divided into stressed and unstressed syllables. A comparison of native and Polish learners' performance shows similar durations of stressed and pitch accented syllables. The unstressed syllables and syllable clusters, on the other hand, are significantly longer in non-native speech, and the discrepancies increase at lower phrasal prominence levels, especially in the preheads. Similar results for both groups have been obtained with respect to the number of consecutive unstressed syllables (foot complexity). The same test repeated after seven months of pronunciation training reveals a considerable tendency towards native speech timing, although the differences concerning low prominence levels remain significant.
Forming New Vowel Categories in Second Language Speech: The Case of Polish Learners' Production of English /I/ and /e/
Authors: Rojczyk Arkadiusz
Published: October 2010

The paper concentrates on formation of L2 English vowel categories in the speech of Polish learners. More specifically, it compares distribution of two English categories - /I/ and /e/ relative to neighbouring Polish vowels. 43 participants recorded Polish and English vowels in a /bVt/ context. First two formants were measured at a vowel midpoint and plotted on a vowel plane. The results reveal that while a separate /I/ category is formed fairly effectively in Polish learners pronunciation of English, a category of /e/ is almost completely subsumed by a Polish vowel /ϵ/
Rhythm and Vowel Quality in Accents of English
Authors: Schwartz Geoff
Published: October 2010

This paper will examine rhythmic differences among native and non-native accents of English, and report on a pilot experiment investigating a hypothesized interaction between rhythm and vowel quality. A new metric, % SteadyState, an acoustic measure that quantifies the purity of vowels, appears to capture rhythmic differences that have been reported among various native and non-native accents of English. In the tradition of other recently developed rhythm metrics, these findings suggest a link between rhythm and segmental phonology. Additionally, the perspective gained from this study may be beneficial to learners whose goal is native-like vowel quality, offering an understanding of the dynamic properties of English vowels.
The growth of the small and medium-sized enterprises in the Polish economy and their influence on the labour market
Authors: Kwiatkowska Walentyna
Published: October 2010

The small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employment significantly contribute to pro-employment growth in the economy. The main aim of the paper is to describe the determinants of development of SME sector in Poland and to show its significance as a generator of jobs. The article has been structure as follows. Section 2 provides the characteristics and importance of the small and medium-sized enterprises. Section 3 outlines the main provisions of the European Charter for Small Enterprises. Section 4 presents data illustrating SMEs’ growth trends and significance in Poland in the years 2003-2007 by the type of an enterprise, employment, and the share in GDP, foreign trade and investment. Section 5 discusses government’s policies towards utilising the sector’s growth potential for Poland. Section 6 presents major conclusions derived from the earlier discussion.
NewConnect - an alternative platform for new innovative companies
Authors: Lewandowska Lucyna
Published: October 2010

The article discusses the attributes of innovation in the context of creating a knowledge-based economy and presents the alternative stock market NewConnect where the small and medium-sized firms may seek funds to finance their innovative projects. NewConnect's functions and goals are shown with respect to capital circulation, stock market training, education and promotion of SMEs aspiring to enter the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the future, as well as the expansion of the financial infrastructure in Poland and the EU.
Models of Russia's Macroeconomic Policy at the Turn of the 21st Century
Authors: Stolbov Vyacheslav
Published: October 2010

At present the modelling of macroeconomic processes appears to hold theoretical as well as applied interest. Hence, in the present article this method is used with regard to the Russian economy, presenting its actual economic practice in the last decade of the 20th and at the beginning of the 21st century. The author describes three macroeconomic models, taking into consideration the fact that the country is being profoundly influenced by the global financial crisis. The discussed models are: transition economy model, economic growth model and crisis-management model.
The impact of health on professionally active people's incomes in Poland. Microeconometric analysis
Authors: Laskowska Iwona
Published: October 2010

In contemporary world human capital is one of the basic elements of development. In a broad understanding it means “the resource of knowledge, skills, health and stamina in the society” (Domański, 1993). Health, besides education, is one of the determinants of its quality. It determines work efficiency, physical and intellectual development, and conditions the average lifespan. It is the resource influencing the functioning of individuals, enterprises - having a connection with their competitiveness - and the whole economy. The impact of health on economic processes may be observed both on macroscale level and on the level of individuals. In the presented research an attempt was made to verify the hypothesis that the state of health is one of the factors determining professionally active people’s incomes. It was assumed, that there is a possibility of the health state impact on decreasing incomes, not only on their complete loss. In the analysis the micro data gathered in the research “Social Diagnosis 2009” were used. The function was estimated basing on Mincerian wage equation with the logarithm of personal income as a dependent variable and respondents characteristics (gender, work experience, practiced profession) as independent variables. Above all, however, variables connected with respondents health were included in the model. The outcome of the research confirms the occurrence of positive interaction between professionally active people’s incomes and the self-assessed state of health. People declaring a bad state of health have incomes by 20% on average lower than people who enjoy good health (assuming that the remaining characteristics of the surveyed person are the same). In case of men, the impact of health state on incomes is slightly greater than in case of women.
Procedural Pain Management for Children Receiving Physiotherapy
Authors: von Baeyer Carl L. , Tupper Susan M.
Published: October 2010

Purpose: This article provides an overview of literature relevant to the prevention and relief of pain and distress during physiotherapy procedures, with guidance for physiotherapists treating children.

Summary of key points: Physiotherapists are generally well trained in assessing and managing pain as a symptom of injury or disease, but there is a need to improve the identification and management of pain produced by physiotherapy procedures such as stretching and splinting. In contrast to physiotherapy, other health care disciplines, such as dentistry, nursing, paediatrics, emergency medicine, and paediatric psychology, produce extensive literature on painful procedures. Procedural pain in children is particularly important because it can lead to later fear and avoidance of necessary medical care.

Recommendations: We emphasize the need for physiotherapists to recognize procedural pain and fear in the course of treatment using verbal, nonverbal, and contextual cues. We present many methods that physiotherapists can use to prevent or relieve procedural pain and fear in paediatric patients and provide an example of a simple, integrated plan for prevention and relief of distress induced by painful procedures.