bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasticity of Prefrontal Attention Circuitry: Upregulated Muscarinic Excitability in Response to Decreased Nicotinic Signaling Following Deletion of α5 or β2 Subunits
Authors: Tian Michael K. , Bailey Craig D. C. , De Biasi Mariella , Picciotto Marina R. , Lambe Evelyn K.
Published: November 2011

Attention depends on cholinergic stimulation of nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex. Pyramidal neurons in layer VI of this region express cholinergic receptors of both families and play an important role in attention through their feedback projections to the thalamus. Here, we investigate how nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors affect the excitability of these neurons using whole-cell recordings in acute brain slices of prefrontal cortex. Since attention deficits have been documented in both rodents and humans having genetic abnormalities in nicotinic receptors, we focus in particular on how the cholinergic excitation of layer VI neurons is altered by genetic deletion of either of two key nicotinic receptor subunits, the accessory α5 subunit or the ligand-binding β2 subunit. We find that the cholinergic excitation of layer VI neurons is dominated by nicotinic receptors in wild-type mice and that the reduction or loss of this nicotinic stimulation is accompanied by a surprising degree of plasticity in excitatory muscarinic receptors. These findings suggest that disrupting nicotinic receptors fundamentally alters the mechanisms and timing of excitation in prefrontal attentional circuitry.
Integrins Modulate Relapse to Cocaine-Seeking
Authors: Wiggins Armina , Smith Rachel J. , Shen Hao-Wei , Kalivas Peter W.
Published: November 2011

Relapse to cocaine-seeking involves impairments in plasticity at glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens. Integrins are cell adhesion molecules that bind to the extracellular matrix and regulate aspects of synaptic plasticity, including glutamate receptor trafficking. To determine a role for integrins in cocaine-seeking, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine, the operant response extinguished, and cocaine-seeking induced by a conditioned cue or noncontingent cocaine injection. This cocaine self-administration protocol reduced the content of the β3 integrin subunit in postsynaptic density of the accumbens core at 24 h after the last self-administration session. However, after 3 weeks of forced abstinence plus extinction training, the level of β3 was elevated and was further regulated over 120 min during cocaine-induced drug-seeking. A small peptide ligand [arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)] that mimics extracellular matrix protein binding to integrins was microinjected into the accumbens core during self-administration or extinction training, or just before cocaine-reinstated drug seeking. The daily RGD injections during self-administration or just before a reinstatement session inhibited cocaine-induced drug-seeking, while RGD microinjection during extinction training was without consequence on reinstated cocaine-seeking. Daily RGD during self-administration also prevented the enduring changes in β3 levels. Finally, reduced surface expression of the GluR2 subunit of the AMPA receptor is associated with cocaine-seeking, and daily RGD microinjections during self-administration training normalized the surface expression of GluR2. Together, these data indicate that the regulation integrins may contribute to cocaine-reinstated drug-seeking, in part by promoting reduced GluR2 surface expression.
Measuring the Quality of Neuronal Identification in Ensemble Recordings
Authors: Neymotin Samuel A. , Lytton William W. , Olypher Andrey V. , Fenton André A.
Published: November 2011

Technological advances in electrode construction and digital signal processing now allow recording simultaneous extracellular action potential discharges from many single neurons, with the potential to revolutionize understanding of the neural codes for sensory, motor, and cognitive variables. Such studies have revealed the importance of ensemble neural codes, encoding information in the dynamic relationships among the action potential spike trains of multiple single neurons. Although the success of this research depends on the accurate classification of extracellular action potentials to individual neurons, there are no widely used quantitative methods for assessing the quality of the classifications. Here we describe information theoretic measures of action potential waveform isolation applicable to any dataset that have an intuitive, universal interpretation, that are not dependent on the methods or choice of parameters for single-unit isolation, and that have been validated using a dataset of simultaneous intracellular and extracellular neuronal recordings from Sprague Dawley rats.
Local RNA Translation at the Synapse and in Disease: Figure 1.
Authors: Liu-Yesucevitz Liqun , Bassell Gary J. , Gitler Aaron D. , Hart Anne C. , Klann Eric , Richter Joel D. , Warren Stephen T. , Wolozin Benjamin
Published: November 2011

Local regulation of protein synthesis in neurons has emerged as a leading research focus because of its importance in synaptic plasticity and neurological diseases. The complexity of neuronal subcellular domains and their distance from the soma demand local spatial and temporal control of protein synthesis. Synthesis of many synaptic proteins, such as GluR and PSD-95, is under local control. mRNA binding proteins (RBPs), such as FMRP, function as key regulators of local RNA translation, and the mTORC1 pathway acts as a primary signaling cascade for regulation of these proteins. Much of the regulation occurs through structures termed RNA granules, which are based on reversible aggregation of the RBPs, some of which have aggregation prone domains with sequence features similar to yeast prion proteins. Mutations in many of these RBPs are associated with neurological diseases, including FMRP in fragile X syndrome; TDP-43, FUS (fused in sarcoma), angiogenin, and ataxin-2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ataxin-2 in spinocerebellar ataxia; and SMN (survival of motor neuron protein) in spinal muscular atrophy.
The Role of Microglia in the Healthy Brain: Figure 1.
Authors: Tremblay Marie-Ève , Stevens Beth , Sierra Amanda , Wake Hiroaki , Bessis Alain , Nimmerjahn Axel
Published: November 2011

Microglia were recently shown to play unexpected roles in normal brain development and adult physiology. This has begun to dramatically change our view of these resident “immune” cells. Here, we briefly review topics covered in our 2011 Society for Neuroscience minisymposium “The Role of Microglia in the Healthy Brain.” This summary is not meant to be a comprehensive review of microglia physiology, but rather to share new results and stimulate further research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which microglia influence postnatal development, adult neuronal plasticity, and circuit function.
Estrogen receptor (ER) expression and function in the pregnant human myometrium: estradiol via ERα activates ERK1/2 signaling in term myometrium
Authors: Welsh Toni , Johnson Matrika , Yi Lijuan , Tan Huiqing , Rahman Roksana , Merlino Amy , Zakar Tamas , Mesiano Sam
Published: November 2011

Estrogens are thought to promote labor by increasing the expression of pro-contraction genes in myometrial cells. The specific estrogen receptors ((ERs: ERα and ERβ (also known as ESR1 and ESR2)) and G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30; also known as G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1)) and signaling pathways that mediate these actions are not clearly understood. In this study, we identified the ERs expressed in the pregnant human myometrium and determined a key extranuclear signaling pathway through which estradiol (E2) modulates expression of the gene encoding the oxytocin receptor (OXTR), a major pro-contraction protein. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we found thatERαandGPR30mRNAs were expressed in the human pregnant myometrium whileERβmRNA was virtually undetectable. While mRNA encoding ERα was the predominant ER transcript in the pregnant myometrium, ERα protein was largely undetectable in myometrial tissue by immunoblotting. Pharmacological inhibition of 26S proteasome activity increased ERα protein abundance to detectable levels in term myometrial explants, however, indicating rapid turnover of ERα protein by proteasomal processing in the pregnant myometrium. E2stimulated rapid extranuclear signaling in myometrial explants, as evidenced by increased extracellularly regulated kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation within 10 min. This effect was inhibited by pre-treatment with an ER antagonist, ICI 182 780, indicating the involvement of ERα. Inhibition of ERK signaling abrogated the ability of E2to stimulateOXTRgene expression in myometrial explants. We conclude that estrogenic actions in the human myometrium during pregnancy, including the stimulation of contraction-associated gene expression, can be mediated by extranuclear signaling through ERα via activation of the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
Sustentabilidade: da evolução dos conceitos à implementação como estratégia nas organizações
Authors: Oliveira Lucas Rebello de , Medeiros Raffaela Martins , Terra Pedro de Bragança , Quelhas Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves
Published: November 2011

Este trabalho apresenta uma contextualização acerca da literatura e das diferentes abordagens sobre sustentabilidade nas organizações, relacionando-a com o planejamento estratégico. O estudo enquadra-se na Engenharia da Sustentabilidade, uma das áreas do conhecimento definida pela ABEPRO para a Engenharia de Produção. Adaptando os conceitos do Balanced Scorecard (BSC), são propostas diretrizes de gestão, que promovem o alinhamento entre a sustentabilidade e a estratégia, denominada Matriz de Alinhamento Estratégico Sustentável (MAES). Para avaliar a aplicabilidade, foi realizado estudo de caso em uma fabricante de cosméticos. A avaliação da aplicação das diretrizes propostas foi feita a partir da análise das práticas de gestão na organização estudada. Algumas considerações foram feitas acerca dos resultados encontrados, especialmente no que tange ao grau de desenvolvimento ambiental inerente aos processos internos, e são apontadas algumas sugestões de melhoria, no que se refere ao aprimoramento do binômio entre aprendizado e crescimento e o pilar social da sustentabilidade.
A integração do cliente no processo de desenvolvimento de produto: revisão bibliográfica sistemática e temas para pesquisa
Authors: González Mario Orestes Aguirre , Toledo José Carlos de
Published: November 2011

Este artigo apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática e aponta direções de pesquisa para o tema integração do cliente (IC) no processo de desenvolvimento de produto. Esse tema é considerado relevante na bibliografia das áreas de marketing, qualidade, inovação tecnológica e estratégia competitiva por permitir às empresas conhecerem melhor as reais necessidades do mercado, contribuir para o desenvolvimento de produtos mais adequados ao mercado e usar o conhecimento acumulado pelos clientes. Foram levantados 72 artigos que abordam esse tema no período de 1980 a 2008. O interesse pelo tema, no meio acadêmico, tem aumentado significativamente desde 2002, o que se constata pelo aumento no número de artigos publicados e pela incorporação do tema a capítulos de livros sobre gestão de desenvolvimento de produto. Identificaram-se as seguintes dimensões que compreendem o tema e que predominam nas pesquisas relatadas nos artigos analisados: fundamentos para a integração do cliente no processo de desenvolvimento do produto, critérios para seleção de clientes, tipos de interação entre a empresa e seus clientes e benefícios obtidos com a integração do cliente (IC). Para futuras pesquisas, recomenda-se aprofundar, por meio de estudo de casos e de survey, a compreensão que as empresas têm sobre o tema, as práticas adotadas e as relações e sinergia entre as dimensões, bem como as relações de causa e efeito entre as práticas e o desempenho do processo de desenvolvimento de produto.
Bens de consumo e insegurança alimentar: diferenças de gênero, cor de pele autorreferida e condição socioeconômica
Authors: Marin-Leon Leticia , Francisco Priscila Maria Stolses Bergamo , Segall-Corrêa Ana Maria , Panigassi Giseli
Published: November 2011

OBJETIVO: Com base nos dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD, 2004), foram comparadas as diferenças na prevalência de insegurança moderada/grave em relação à segurança alimentar, e insegurança leve quanto à posse de bens de consumo e outras condições socioeconômicas e demográficas. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados os domicílios particulares permanentes, com rendimento domiciliar per capita de até um salário mínimo, utilizando-se a Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar respondida por morador do domicílio (n=51.357). A associação entre as variáveis e a variável dependente (segurança alimentar) foi verificada pelo teste do Χ2 com nível de significância de 5%. Foram calculadas razões de prevalência brutas e intervalos de confiança de 95% e a análise ajustada foi conduzida por meio de regressão múltipla de Poisson, utilizando Stata 8.0, que incorpora as ponderações do desenho amostral com delineamento complexo. RESULTADOS: A renda domiciliar mensal per capita foi a variável com maior força de associação com a segurança alimentar. Tanto em áreas urbanas quanto rurais, foram encontradas elevadas razões de prevalência para insegurança alimentar moderada ou grave nos domicílios chefiados por mulheres, de cor negra, presença no domicílio de seis ou mais moradores, localização metropolitana e com ausência de alguns bens específicos (fogão, filtro, geladeira, freezer, máquina de lavar roupa e telefone celular). Em modelo que incluiu, entre os bens, apenas a posse de geladeira, a maior razão de prevalência ocorreu na renda de até ¼ de salário mínimo, seguindo-se a ausência de posse de geladeira, tanto nos domicílios chefiados por homens brancos, como por negros e mulheres brancas ou negras. Embora os domicílios chefiados por mulheres e por negros apresentem maior insegurança alimentar, as diferenças intragrupais foram maiores em domicílios chefiados por homens brancos e menores nos de mulheres negras. CONCLUSÃO: Em nível nacional e em domicílios com renda de até um salário mínimo, condições socioeconômicas mais precárias estão associadas à insegurança alimentar, sendo a situação agravada naqueles chefiados por mulheres e onde residem pessoas de cor autorreferida como negra. A ausência de bens identifica, entre os pobres, a população mais vulnerável à insegurança alimentar e pode se constituir em indicador complementar, sobretudo em estudos locais, onde há escassez de recursos técnicos para coleta de dados e análises mais sofisticadas.
Internações no sistema de serviços hospitalares, SUS e não SUS: Brasil, 2006
Authors: Moreira Marizélia Leão , DutilhNovaes Hillegonda Maria
Published: November 2011

O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever as admissões, SUS e não SUS, no Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil no ano de 2006, adotando o indivíduo internado como unidade de análise. As fontes dos dados foram o Sistema de Informação Hospitalar (SIH/SUS) e de Comunicação de Internação Hospitalar (CIH) referentes a 2006 e 2007. A identificação do indivíduo foi feita pelo método probabilístico de associações de registros (linkage) e para a composição dos dados da internação aplicaram-se algoritmos de composição nos registros de cobranças e de comunicações das internações. Foram analisadas 12.391.990 internações com ao menos um dia de duração no ano de 2006. A natureza do método probabilístico que encerra certo grau de imprecisão, a adoção de parâmetros conservadores a fim de evitar a inclusão de falsos positivos, tanto quanto a subnotificação da CIH representam as possíveis limitações do estudo. O Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil apresentou taxa de hospitalização de 5,6%, sendo 5,0% SUS e 1,6% não SUS, diferenciando-se segundo Unidade da Federação de ocorrência. Os dados das internações não financiadas pelo SUS coletados pela CIH agregam informações importantes para a análise da assistência hospitalar no país. Os dados administrativos do SUS são válidos para análises de internações e os algoritmos de composição dos dados de internação, a partir da cobrança, aprimoram a análise do Sistema de Serviços Hospitalares no Brasil.
Prevalência de abandono do tratamento da tuberculose e fatores associados no município de Sapucaia do Sul (RS), Brasil, 2000-2008
Authors: Heck Maria Antonia , Costa Juvenal Soares Dias da , Nunes Marcelo Felipe
Published: November 2011

OBJETIVO: Estabelecer a prevalência de abandono do tratamento da tuberculose e fatores associados nos pacientes que ingressaram no Programa de Controle de Tuberculose do município de Sapucaia do Sul (RS), entre 2000 e 2008. MÉTODO: Foi realizado estudo transversal com base em dados notificados no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde . RESULTADOS: Dos 632 casos incluídos no estudo, 65 (10,3%; IC 95% 7,9-12,7) foram classificados como abandono do tratamento. Entre 2000 e 2004, a prevalência de abandono foi de 12,7% (IC 95% 9,1-16,2) e no período de 2005 a 2008 diminuiu para 7,0% (IC 95% 4,0-9,9). A análise bruta mostrou associação com sexo, idade e presença de AIDS. A análise ajustada, através da regressão de Poisson, não mostrou diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as variáveis independentes. CONCLUSÕES: A análise mostrou uma redução das prevalências de abandono do tratamento a partir da criação do Programa Municipal de Controle da Tuberculose, a partir de 2005, embora os intervalos de confiança tenham apresentado superposição. Ainda assim, a prevalência de abandono foi considerada alta e situou-se acima da meta de 5%, pactuada entre os níveis de governo.
Infecção tuberculosa latente em profissionais contatos e não contatos de detentos de duas penitenciárias do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, 2008
Authors: Nogueira Péricles Alves , Abrahão Regina Maura Cabral de Melo , Galesi Vera Maria Neder
Published: November 2011

INTRODUÇÃO: Para grupos de pessoas que permanecem confinadas, principalmente em presídios, a tuberculose sempre foi um grave problema de saúde, devido a sua transmissão respiratória, colocando em risco os profissionais que trabalham no sistema prisional, especialmente os contatos de detentos. OBJETIVO: Conhecer a prevalência de infecção pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis entre os profissionais contatos e não contatos de detentos de duas penitenciárias do Estado de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Este estudo consistiu na aplicação de um questionário individual; aplicação e leitura da prova tuberculínica; baciloscopia e cultura dos escarros, com posterior identificação e teste de sensibilidade às drogas antituberculose das cepas isoladas, no período de março a junho de 2008. RESULTADOS: Foram examinados 277 (48,3%) profissionais dos 574 existentes. Foram aplicados e lidos 248 (89,5%) testes tuberculínicos (PPD-RT23 - 2TU/0,1 mL), sendo que 194 foram em profissionais que trabalhavam diretamente com os detentos, ou seja, eram contatos e 54, em não contatos. Entre os contatos, 62,4% apresentaram enduração maior que 10 mm e entre os não contatos, 38,9% foram reatores ao teste tuberculínico. Não houve exame de escarro positivo na baciloscopia e na cultura, ou seja, não foi identificado nenhum caso de tuberculose doença entre os profissionais, no momento da pesquisa. CONCLUSÃO: Este estudo sugere que os profissionais que têm contato direto com os detentos, têm um risco maior de se infectar pelo M. tuberculosis e adoecer por tuberculose.
Estudo de base populacional sobre as condições periodontais e determinantes socioeconômicos em adultos residentes no município de Guarulhos (SP), Brasil, 2006
Authors: Frias Antônio Carlos , Antunes José Leopoldo Ferreira , Fratucci Maristela Vilas Boas , Zilbovicius Celso , Junqueira Simone Rennó , Souza Silvia Ferreira de , Yassui Érika Miti
Published: November 2011

OBJETIVO: Este estudo descreveu a prevalência de condições periodontais e sua associação com variáveis demográficas, socioeconômicas e comportamentais em adultos de 35 a 44 anos residentes no município de Guarulhos, São Paulo, 2006. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo transversal de base populacional com delineamento amostral por conglomerados. Os inquéritos e os exames foram realizados nos domicílios sorteados. Para avaliação da condição periodontal foi utilizado o índice Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Os dados foram apurados pelo programas EPIINFO 6 e STATA 10. Para o modelo de associação empregou-se a razão de prevalências (RP), calculada por meio de análise de regressão de Poisson, com correção para delineamento de amostras complexas e ponderação pelo peso populacional. RESULTADOS: Foram examinadas 263 pessoas em 237 domicílios. No estudo multivariado, com modelo ajustado para amostras complexas e ponderação populacional, a prevalência de sangramento gengival e cálculo dentário esteve associada significativamente ao fato de ser homem (RP=1,12, p=0,04), fumante (RP=1,11, p=0,01), ter menos de oito anos de estudo (RP=1,14, p=0,01) e não visitar o cirurgião-dentista (CD) há mais de dois anos (RP=1,19, p=0,00). Para a presença de bolsa periodontal, houve associação com adultos que relataram o hábito de fumar (RP=1,71, p=0,02) e apresentavam mais de dois anos sem frequentar o CD (RP=1,97, p=0,03). CONCLUSÃO: Houve maior prevalência (62,7%) de indivíduos com sangramento gengival e cálculo dentário em relação à presença de bolsas periodontais rasas ou profundas (26,6%); as primeiras, reversíveis, têm possibilidades de resolução por meio de procedimentos de atenção básica em saúde bucal.
A inserção do Brasil na política internacional de direitos humanos da pessoa idosa
Authors: Notari Maria Helena de Aguiar , Fragoso Maria Helena J. M. de Macedo
Published: November 2011

Este artigo propõe-se a estudar a evolução da proteção internacional dos direitos humanos da pessoa idosa e a posição do Brasil nas discussões sub-regionais, regionais e multilaterais que ocorrem na atualidade, considerando O presente contexto mundial de envelhecimento da população e os novos desafios que essa realidade implica.
Briefing: Embodied energy and emissions
Authors: Rennie Alastair
Published: November 2011

This paper discusses the concepts of embodied energy and embodied greenhouse gas emissions. It looks at aspects of their development and evaluation, as well as the issues in defining design options and presenting the results of analysis. It is mainly focused on life cycle issues but also on how impacts are valued. It therefore highlights the links and differences between embodied energy and emissions and differences in their treatment for different purposes.
Conceptual Environmental Justice Model for Evaluating Chemical Pathways of Exposure in Low-Income, Minority, Native American, and Other Unique Exposure Populations
Authors: Burger Joanna , Gochfeld Michael
Published: November 2011

Risk assessment determines pathways, and exposures that lead to poor health. For exposures that fall disproportionately on urban low-income communities, minorities, and Native Americans, these pathways are often more common than in the general population.

Although risk assessors often evaluate these pathways on an ad hoc basis, a more formal way of addressing these nonstandard pathways is needed to adequately inform public health policy.

A conceptual model is presented for evaluating nonstandard, unique, or excessive exposures, particularly for environmental justice communities that have an exposure matrix of inhalation, dermal, ingestion, and injection. Risk assessment can be improved by including nonstandard and unique exposure pathways as described in this conceptual model.
Assessing the Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Retention of Undergraduate Students after Controlling for Motivation
Authors: Terrion Jenepher Lennox , Daoust Jean-Luc
Published: November 2011

The University of Ottawa (UofO) in Ottawa, Canada offers a formal supplemental instruction program, called the residence study group program (RSGP), to residence students registered in first year courses that are associated with a high degree of failure or attrition. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of this program by comparing a sample of first year residence students who participated in the RSGP with a sample who did not participate. The study compared final grades of students in these courses after controlling for personal motivation and found that while those who participated in the RSGP did not receive higher final grades than non-participants, they were more likely to persist in their studies. It appears that the RSGP contributes in many important ways to the academic and social integration of first year students and these are critical to persistence beyond the first year.
Development of Fetal Intestinal Length during 2nd-Trimester in Normal and Pathologic Pregnancies
Authors: Marnerides Andreas , Ghazi Sam , Sundberg Anders , Papadogiannakis Nikos
Published: November 2011

Linear growth of the human fetal gastrointestinal tract is not often discussed in the literature, and little is known about the effects of chromosomal abnormalities and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) on intestinal length, especially during the 2nd trimester. Accurate evaluation of intestinal length and knowledge of normal and reference values are of clinical importance. For example, intestinal resection may be necessary in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis or mid-gut volvulus, and the surgeon should use data to be judicious in the amount removed. Linear measurements are essential in evaluating fetal development ultrasonographically and are an integral part of the postmortem examination. The intestinal lengths of 203 2nd-trimester fetuses and premature infants were measured. Small intestine length (SIL), colon length (CL), total bowel length (TBL; TBL = SIL + CL), and the length of the appendix (AL) increased with gestational age. No differences between the genders were observed. Colon length increased secondary to maceration, but no such effects were shown on SIL, TBL, or AL. No differences were shown in relation to IUGR. Small intestine length, CL, and TBL, but not AL, were shorter in fetuses with trisomy 21. Appendix length was not affected by any of the studied factors. We propose that the measurement of the length of the appendix may be used as an additional parameter for the postmortem evaluation of gestational age. Furthermore, its assessment may have potential as an ultrasonographic indicator of gestational age, particularly for the 2nd trimester.
Time dependent magnetically induced variations in optical transmission of magnetite nanoparticle aqueous suspension
Authors: Malynych Serhiy , Moroz Iryna
Published: November 2011

We observe time dependent variations in the light intensity transmitted through an aqueous suspension of Fe3O4 nanoparticles caused by applied DC magnetic field. Two types of variations can be distinguished. Fast response takes less than 1ms while slow variations occur at the time interval fromseconds to hundreds of minutes. Possible mechanisms of these variations are discussed. Formation of chain-like structures consisted from iron oxide nanoparticles is responsible for the slow variations. It is also accompanied by a diffraction pattern when the magnetic field is orthogonal to the light beam. Fast variations are due to particle rotation and reorientation of the magnetic moment inside a nanoparticle.
On auto-calibration algorithms for a forest growth simulation model
Authors: Jia Man , Tian Shiying , Zheng Gaolin
Published: November 2011

Forest growth simulation models are useful in evaluating the effects of management practices and climate changes in terrestrial ecosystems, however their successful application requires accurate calibration of model parameters. We have implemented here a stepwise line search (SLS), Gibbs sampling (GS) and preclustering based strength Pareto algorithm (K-SPEA2) to find an optimal set of parameters.
Fiscal Policy in Poland in the Times of Crisis - Origins and Consequences
Authors: Krajewski Stefan , Krajewska Anna
Published: November 2011

The present crisis has forced almost all countries to introduce an active economic policy. A lot of attention has been paid to fiscal policy and taxes in Poland. The measures taken in Poland differ considerably from global standards and decisions concerning taxes have been generally political in nature. The paper presents solutions in fiscal policy applied in Poland and explains the specificity of Poland's economy and its anti-crisis policy.
Combined Chemical-Biological Treatment of Effluents from Soil Remediation Processes by Surfactants Solutions Flushing
Authors: Hallmann Elżbieta , Tomczak-Wandzel Renata , Mędrzycka Krystyna
Published: November 2011

Combined Chemical-Biological Treatment of Effluents from Soil Remediation Processes by Surfactants Solutions Flushing

In recent years combined chemical-biological wastewater treatment processes have received increasing interest. In the present study wastewater from soil remediation processes were treated by means of 1-step processes like Fenton, aerobic degradation and 2-steps combined method. The effluents resulting from soil remediation processes consist of high surfactant concentration solutions, mobilized oils and oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions. The effectiveness of wastewater treatment was evaluated by COD reduction and surfactant removal. The application of Fenton process alone showed around 80% of COD and surfactant removal, and in case of aerobic process only 60% of COD and 50% of surfactant removal was accomplished. However, the maximum COD reduction and surfactant removal from wastewater samples, above 90%, was obtained in aerobic degradation with Fenton process as pretreatment. Thus, the Fenton process could be effectively applied as a pretreatment step to improve the reduction of both COD and surfactant from wastewater resulting from soil remediation.
Galvanic Wastewater Treatment by Means of Anionic Polymer Enhanced Ultrafiltration
Authors: Korus Irena
Published: November 2011

Galvanic Wastewater Treatment by Means of Anionic Polymer Enhanced Ultrafiltration

This work is focused on polyelectrolyte enhanced ultrafiltration as an effective heavy metal separation technique. Three types of effluents, containing Zn(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions, were subjected to the separation process. Poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) - PSSS, a water soluble anionic polyelectrolyte was used as a metal binding agent. Two Sepa® CF (Osmonics) membranes: EW, made of polysulfone and a modified polyacrylonitrile membrane MW, were used in the ultrafiltration process. The preliminary UF tests were carried out on model solutions with target metal ion concentrations of 10, 100 and 250 mg dm-3. The main parameters affecting the metal retention (the polyelectrolyte quantity and solution pH) were examined. The values of pH 6 and polymer : metal concentration ratio CPSSS : CM = 7.5 : 1 (mol of mer unit per mol of metal) were selected to perform the galvanic wastewater ultrafiltration-concentration tests. Three types of wastewater containing Zn(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions within the concentration range of 30÷70 mg dm-3 were used in the investigations. Very high metal retention coefficients, up to > 99%, were achieved. The retentates obtained were subjected to the decomplexation-ultrafiltration (pH = 1) and subsequent diafiltration step, which enabled partial recovery of concentrated metal ions and the polyelectrolyte. The recovered polyelectrolyte was reused toward Ni(II) ions and the high effectiveness of metal separation has been achieved.
Wet Oxidation of Dairy Sewage
Authors: Piotrowska Klara , Imbierowicz Mirosław , Chacuk Andrzej
Published: November 2011

Wet Oxidation of Dairy Sewage

Results of kinetic studies on the process of wet oxidation of dairy sewage are presented. Experiments were carried out in a stirred batch tank reactor at the oxygen partial pressure equal to 1 MPa and at temperature ranging from 473 to 523 K. Dairy sewage was subjected to oxidation at a natural pH close to 4. The efficiency of decomposition of organic compounds was estimated on the basis of TOC measurement. The highest TOC reduction rate reached 79.6%. A kinetic model of the process was proposed and its parameters were determined experimentally. Good agreement of the experimental and calculated results was obtained.
Towards quantitative accuracy in first-principles transport calculations: The GW method applied to alkane/gold junctions
Authors: Strange Mikkel , Thygesen Kristian S
Published: November 2011

The calculation of the electronic conductance of nanoscale junctions from first principles is a long-standing problem in the field of charge transport. Here we demonstrate excellent agreement with experiments for the transport properties of the gold/alkanediamine benchmark system when electron–electron interactions are described by the many-body GW approximation. The conductance follows an exponential length dependence:Gn=Gcexp(−βn). The main difference from standard density functional theory (DFT) calculations is a significant reduction of the contact conductance,Gc, due to an improved alignment of the molecular energy levels with the metal Fermi energy. The molecular orbitals involved in the tunneling process comprise states delocalized over the carbon backbone and states localized on the amine end groups. We find that dynamic screening effects renormalize the two types of states in qualitatively different ways when the molecule is inserted in the junction. Consequently, the GW transport results cannot be mimicked by DFT calculations employing a simple scissors operator.
Ratiometric fluorescent probe for enantioselective detection of D-cysteine in aqueous solution
Authors: Zhou Xiao-bo , Chan Wing-Hong , Lee Albert W M , Yeung Chi-Chung
Published: November 2011

A ratiometric fluorescent probe based on a Cd2+–ACAQ complex was designed and demonstrated for the chemo- and enantioselective detection of cysteine in 99:1 buffered HEPES:ACN solutions. Under the measuring conditions, the sensor demonstrates high selectivity toward Cys against Hcy and GSH, and an enantioselectivity of 3.35 can be achieved for antipodal forms of Cys.
Principles for the Analysis of Large Complex Secondary Databases in Educational Settings
Authors: To Yen , Burley Hansel
Published: November 2011

A primary feature of institutional research work is prediction. When statistics are used as the primary analysis tool, much of this work depends upon ordinary least squares regression, which assumes that data have one level. However, much of the data in educational research, in general, and in higher education research, in particular, is multilevel or nested. This chapter explores multilevel data analysis, with a focus on exploring issues associated with sampling, weighting, design effects, and analysis of data. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of considering contextual effects using as a reference large secondary datasets. The chapter will also explore opportunities and challenges presented by these types of data.
A Million Ghosts
Authors: Baggett Aaron R.
Published: November 2011

On the surface, West Point’s long line of cadet moral development may not seem obvious. Perhaps notable alumni, its history in educating engineers, or maybe even its architecture are commonly thought of first. However, upon closer examination and consideration of the Academy’s dynamic curricular and extracurricular structure we find, throughout its history, that the moral and character education and development of its cadets is the foundation upon which engineers are taught and buildings are constructed.
The National Research University
Authors: Valle Fernando , Jacob Stacy A. , He Zhaomin
Published: November 2011

Higher education administrators constantly face tough decisions when assessing the feasibility of university programs. In fiscally responsive environments, programming traditions, university culture, and institutional practices along with the strategic missions of the university are constantly and carefully cross examined. National Research University represents any major university, and the players contained in this case study are modeled after real administrators and students. You are challenged to bring these participants to life by expanding upon the presented material. Please bring an assessment mindset to the problems as you align your informed decision making to the University mission. By utilizing questions included in the case study and examining the lessons learned, you are challenged to project the possibilities of synergistic endeavors that will support students while satisfying fiscal, programmatic, and personnel issues.
Collaboration in Student Assessment Research
Authors: Capt Robin , Taylor Heidi , Kelley Gary , Cuevas Mo
Published: November 2011

Institutional Research (IR) professionals have diverse roles and responsibilities in universities across the country. The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at Small State University has evolved from an Office of Planning and Analysis whose primary responsibility was for collecting and reporting descriptive statistics to an OIR with growing responsibilities for outcomes research. In this chapter, the authors describe the transition of the OIR to provide more support to outcomes research and program/project evaluation. A particular case related to the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and First Year Experience (FYE) efforts is described. For many universities, the primary and sometimes only outcome measure being assessed related to the First Year Experience is the Fall to Fall retention rate of students. At Small State University, faculty were interested in understanding more about how a particular FYE course and its learning community contributed to student success indicators beyond retention rates. Through collaboration between the OIR, the Associate Provost (AP), and the Associate Vice President for Learning Assessment (AVPLA), data regarding FYE courses and learning communities was assessed. The findings supported the skills learned through the FYE course and learning communities are mechanisms through which at-risk students can improve overall GPA and retention. This collaboration between the OIR, the AP, and the AVPLA provided a foundation upon which focused studies of student characteristics and outcomes assessment can proceed in the future. A framework for organizing the work of institutional research and learning assessment is proposed.
A Case Study
Authors: Elliott Robert
Published: November 2011

We know that a nationwide shortage of highly qualified teachers exists, and not enough people are becoming teachers. We also know there are increasing demands for institutions to demonstrate a system of accountability through program assessment. As stated by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (2005), “The National Commission on Accountability in Higher Education believes improved accountability for better results is imperative, but how to improve accountability in higher education is not so obvious” (p. 4). Also, many teacher preparation programs are not accredited, and of the 1,300 teacher preparation programs that existed in 1999, only 38 percent were accredited through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) (The CEO Forum on Education & Technology, 2000, p. 3). While examining the effectiveness of the Teacher Education program assessment at the case institution, three convergent themes emerged.
Distributed Multiresolution Transform Based Framework for Watermarking
Authors: Bhatnagar Gaurav , Wu Jonathan , Raman Balasubramanian
Published: November 2011

In this chapter, a robust watermarking technique based on distributive multiresolution transforms (DMT) and singular value decomposition is presented to improve the protection of the images. First, the watermark image is mapped to another form to get reference watermark which is secret and only known to the owner/creator. In order to map watermark image into reference form, chaotic maps are used. The core idea of the proposed technique is to decompose host image via DMT followed by reference watermark embedding in DMT coefficients by modifying the singular values. After embedding, inverse transform is performed to get watermarked image. Two new different distributive multiresolution transforms, namely distributive multiresolution Fourier and distributive multiresolution cosine transform, are explored and used. The feasibility of the proposed method and its robustness against different kind of attacks are verified by computer simulations, and superiority is carried out by the comparisons with the existing methods.
Masking Models and Watermarking
Authors: Lobina Mirko Luca , Giusto Daniele D. , Mula Davide
Published: November 2011

Many audio watermarking techniques, presented in the last years, make use of masking and psychological models derived from signal processing. Such a basic idea is winning because it guarantees a high level of robustness and bandwidth of the watermark as well as fidelity of the watermarked signal. This work first describes the relationship between Digital Right Management, Intellectual Property, and use of watermarking techniques. Then, the crossing use of watermarking and Masking Models is detailed, providing schemes, examples, and references. Finally, the authors present two strategies that make use of a Masking Model, applied to a classic watermarking technique. The joint use of classic frameworks and Masking Models seems to be one of the trends for the future of research in watermarking. Several tests on the proposed strategies with the state of the art are also offered to give an idea of how to assess the effectiveness of a watermarking technique.
Advancement on Damage-Less Watermark Extraction Using Non-Linear Feature Extraction Scheme Trained on Frequency Domain
Authors: Naoe Kensuke , Takefuji Yoshiyasu
Published: November 2011

The proposed method contributes to secure image digital watermarking for content identification without damaging or losing any detailed data of visual images. The features of our proposed method employ an application to authenticate multimedia, similarity comparison, verification of image integrity and copyright protection of multimedia contents.
Managing Collective Intelligence in Semantic Communities of Interest
Authors: Montanelli Stefano , Castano Silvana , Ferrara Alfio , Varese Gaia
Published: November 2011

In this paper, the authors present a reference P2P architecture based on autonomous, self-emerging semantic communities of interest (CoIs) for collective intelligence creation and management. An approach for enabling knowledge organization and management at the level of a single peer is presented in the paper, as well as techniques for supporting a peer to participate to the construction of a shared community vocabulary, according to the terminological preferences automatically extracted from its personal knowledge. Furthermore, an application example in the e-health domain is presented in the framework of the iCoord system for P2P semantic coordination to show the use of a manifesto-based collective intelligence for enforcing effective collaboration in a real case study.
A Social Bookmarking-Based People Search Service
Authors: Huang Jeff J.S. , Yang Stephen J.H. , Chen Jeng C.C , Li Irene Y.S. , Hsiao Indy Y.T.
Published: November 2011

The emergence of Web 2.0 has brought along the trend of community. It is also the trend that contributes to socialization of the Internet. The essence of Web 2.0 is creation and sharing which give rise to social networking communities such as Blog, Wikipedia and Facebook. Through Wikipedia, Blogs, Facebook and other kinds of social networking websites, interactive relationship and bridge of knowledge sharing have been built up successfully. This paper attempts to propose an effective way to locate people with shared interests. By using Internet resources bookmarked by the users, the similarity of interests between them can be analyzed. Based on this relationship, people could build communities. Also, through community activities, the innovation and exchange of collective intelligence are accomplished.
Marketing Libraries
Authors: Solomon Ajigboye Olamidipupo
Published: November 2011

Library marketing is a relatively new concept in Librarianship in this part of the globe; therefore, this chapter looks at what librarians think about Library marketing in terms of the new terminology, such as the use of customers instead of patrons to address their user; by explaining the paradigm shift from the orthodox librarianship to the modern one. The chapter explains in detail what library marketing is all about, what the library should market, the types of marketing strategies that can be employed in the library, and finally maps out all the marketing styles that can be adopted for a successful library marketing mission.
Libraries and Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge in Developing Countries
Authors: Isah Abdulmumin , Bashorun M. T. , Omopupa K. T.
Published: November 2011

This chapter traces the role of libraries in the preservation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in developing countries. It also highlights the nature of indigenous knowledge and the traditional role of libraries at preserving it for posterity; it discusses current issues surrounding the management of IK in libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions. It examines the various use of indigenous knowledge by array of information users within and outside the libraries. It x-rayed the traditional library services of identifying, acquiring, organizing, and presentation of IK to the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies. It concludes with the challenges in IK preservation and suggests measures that can be taken to alleviate the challenges.
An Assessment of the Perception of Library School Students towards Librarianship at the University of Ilorin
Authors: Issa Abdulwahab Olanrewaju
Published: November 2011

This is a pilot study, which investigated the perception of the University of Ilorin library school students towards librarianship. It was aimed at examining the characteristics of the students and how they got admitted into the Department. It adopted the survey research design where the entire 90 students (100 and 200 levels) constituted its population, while the 74 that were available during the data collection exercise represented the sample. Questionnaire and structured interview were employed for data collection. The results revealed that 75.7% in 100 and 24.3% of 200 levels came in through the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Examinations and direct admission/transfer, respectively. Their subject backgrounds include Arts (36.5%), Science (28.4%), and Commercial (23.0%); a majority had a SSSC (45.9%) result with the mean scores of 219 from JAMB and 59.69% from post-JAMB, respectively. The majority (87.8%) did not choose LIS originally, and 67.6% claimed to be initially uninterested, against the current positive perception (66.2%). Hypotheses tests showed no significant difference in subject background and current perception of students who chose and those who did not choose LIS as a first choice. It concluded that the peculiar situation under which many of the pioneering students came into the Department (i.e. transfer), was undesirable given the prevalent negative perception of librarianship. Appropriate recommendations were made.