bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Five Years and Change with the TEAM: Moving Fast Past the Apocalypse
Authors: Chavkin Rachel
Published: November 2010

Carol Martin and Rachel Chavkin discuss the intellectual formation and working methods of the young American theatre company, the TEAM—Theatre of the Emerging American Moment.
The Most American Thing in New York City: The Historiography of the National Theater of the United States of America
Authors: Del Vecchio Jessica
Published: November 2010

New York City-based NTUSA uses a census-based creation process to develop vaudevillian spectacles that investigate the construction of local and national histories. Their performances expose tensions between art as a commercial enterprise and a community-building effort, testing the boundary between esoteric avantgarde and purely entertaining, popular performance.
Discovering What We Don't Know: An Interview with Steve Cosson of the Civilians
Authors: Kozinn Sarah
Published: November 2010

Since 2001 the Civilians, a small but prolific New York-based company best known for its investigative theatre, has been creating shows on an array of topics such as the culture of the evangelical church, divorce, the porn industry, and ecological disaster. Under the artistic direction of Steve Cosson, the Civilians challenge what audiences have come to know as documentary theatre.
“Ta daaaa”: Presenting Pig Iron Theatre Company
Authors: Salvato Nick
Published: November 2010

If the recent attention given to Pig Iron Theatre Company is any indication, 2010 may be the year of the pig. Although the group's founders met 20 years ago, it was their 2003 show James Joyce Is Dead and So Is Paris: The Lucia Joyce Cabaret and the 2010 production of Chekhov Lizardbrain that landed the Philadelphia group in the New York theatre scene. Pig Iron's abiding investment in adaptation's possibilities and continued commitment to physically intricate performance is now being passed on through their latest venture: a training program in physical theatre.
The Relationship Between Citizen Perceptions of Collective Efficacy and Neighborhood Violent Crime
Authors: Armstrong Todd A. , Katz Charles M. , Schnebly Stephen M.
Published: November 2010

The current work assesses the relationship between respondent perceptions of collective efficacy and neighborhood violence. Data used in the analysis combined a community survey from Mesa, Arizona, with census data. Factor analysis provided mixed evidence regarding the factor structure of collective efficacy; therefore, separate regression models were used to test the influence of collective efficacy, social cohesion, and willingness to intervene on levels of neighborhood violence. Analyses found that community structural characteristics including concentrated disadvantage and residential instability significantly predicted perceptions of collective efficacy, social cohesion, and willingness to intervene. In turn each of these variables was related to violent crime after controlling for levels of concentrated disadvantage, residential instability, and individual demographic characteristics. When social cohesion and willingness to intervene were included in a single regression model, only social cohesion was predictive of neighborhood violence. Social cohesion and violent crime had reciprocal effects that were both negative and statistically significant.
Policing After 9/11: Community Policing in an Age of Homeland Security
Authors: Vaughn Lee Jason
Published: November 2010

This article examines the relevance of community oriented policing (COP) in an age of increased prioritization of homeland security planning among U.S. police departments. The current study utilizes 2003 multi-wave survey data drawn from a random sample of 281 municipal police departments serving populations of 25,000+ in 47 states. Ordered logistic regression revealed police departments that give higher prioritization to homeland security planning (e.g. hazard mitigation) are associated with less officers devoted solely to community policing and smaller or static departmental budgets. Homeland security planning was also positively associated with community policing programs and activities. Research and policy implications are discussed.
Gender differences in the quality of life and coping patterns after discharge in patients recovering from burns in China
Authors: Ying Wang Lin , Pertrini Marcia A. , Xin Liao Li
Published: November 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in quality of life and coping patterns after discharge for patients with burns in China. Cross-sectional survey research design and purposive sampling were used in this study, for which 92 subjects, including 56 males and 36 females, were recruited from a medical centre in central China. Quality of life was measured by the burn-specific health scale-brief (BSHS-B) and coping patterns were measured with the coping with burns questionnaire (CBQ), while demographic data was collected using a demographic questionnaire. An independent t-test and bivariate correlate were employed to analyse the data. The study results showed significant differences in quality of life between genders and coping patterns. There was a statistically significant gender difference in the sub-domain of the BSHS-B score for affect and relations, p < 0.05, and for coping patterns: emotion support, p < 0.05. The findings indicated that optimism/problem solving, revolution/adjustment and avoidance were the most commonly used coping patterns for males and females. The rank orders were same. The study indicated that women are more sensitive to relationships with family after discharge and tend to exhibit depressive symptoms. For women, emotional support is more important than it is for men. A number of significant positive and negative correlations were found among the variables.
First-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia
Authors: O'Dwyer Michael
Published: November 2010

Since the introduction of imatinib just over a decade ago, there has been a dramatic change in the treatment and prognosis of early chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). This review article focuses on recent advances, culminating in the approval of nilotinib by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed CML in the chronic phase.
Travel and migration associated infectious diseases morbidity in Europe, 2008
Authors: Field Vanessa , Gautret Philippe , Schlagenhauf Patricia , Burchard Gerd-Dieter , Caumes Eric , Jensenius Mogens , Castelli Francesco , Gkrania-Klotsas Effrossyni , Weld Leisa , Lopez-Velez Rogelio , de Vries Peter , von Sonnenburg Frank , Loutan Louis , Parola Philippe ,   the EuroTravNet network
Published: November 2010

Background

Europeans represent the majority of international travellers and clinicians encountering returned patients have an essential role in recognizing, and communicating travel-associated public health risks.

Methods

To investigate the morbidity of travel associated infectious diseases in European travellers, we analysed diagnoses with demographic, clinical and travel-related predictors of disease, in 6957 ill returned travellers who presented in 2008 to EuroTravNet centres with a presumed travel associated condition.

Results

Gastro-intestinal (GI) diseases accounted for 33% of illnesses, followed by febrile systemic illnesses (20%), dermatological conditions (12%) and respiratory illnesses (8%). There were 3 deaths recorded; a sepsis caused by Escherichia coli pyelonephritis, a dengue shock syndrome and a Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

GI conditions included bacterial acute diarrhea (6.9%), as well as giardiasis and amebasis (2.3%). Among febrile systemic illnesses with identified pathogens, malaria (5.4%) accounted for most cases followed by dengue (1.9%) and others including chikungunya, rickettsial diseases, leptospirosis, brucellosis, Epstein Barr virus infections, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and viral hepatitis. Dermatological conditions were dominated by bacterial infections, arthropod bites, cutaneous larva migrans and animal bites requiring rabies post-exposure prophylaxis and also leishmaniasis, myasis, tungiasis and one case of leprosy. Respiratory illness included 112 cases of tuberculosis including cases of multi-drug resistant or extensively drug resistant tuberculosis, 104 cases of influenza like illness, and 5 cases of Legionnaires disease. Sexually transmitted infections (STI) accounted for 0.6% of total diagnoses and included HIV infection and syphilis. A total of 165 cases of potentially vaccine preventable diseases were reported. Purpose of travel and destination specific risk factors was identified for several diagnoses such as Chagas disease in immigrant travellers from South America and P. falciparum malaria in immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Travel within Europe was also associated with health risks with distinctive profiles for Eastern and Western Europe.

Conclusions

In 2008, a broad spectrum of travel associated diseases were diagnosed at EuroTravNet core sites. Diagnoses varied according to regions visited by ill travellers. The spectrum of travel associated morbidity also shows that there is a need to dispel the misconception that travel, close to home, in Europe, is without significant health risk.
The PstI/RsaI and DraI polymorphisms of CYP2E1and head and neck cancer risk: a meta-analysis based on 21 case-control studies
Authors: Tang Kefu , Li Yang , Zhang Zhao , Gu Yunmin , Xiong Yuyu , Feng Guoyin , He Lin , Qin Shengying
Published: November 2010

Background

CYP2E1 encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes which play a central role in activating and detoxifying many carcinogens and endogenous compounds thought to be involved in the development of cancer. The PstI/RsaI and DraI polymorphism are two of the most commonly studied polymorphisms of the gene for their association with risk of head and neck cancer, but the results are conflicting.

Methods

We performed a meta-analysis using 21 eligible case-control studies with a total of 4,951 patients and 6,071 controls to summarize the data on the association between the CYP2E1 PstI/RsaI and DraI polymorphism and head and neck cancer risk, especially by interacting with smoking or alcohol.

Results

Compared with the wild genotype, the OR was 1.96 (95% CI: 1.33-2.90) for PstI/RsaI and 1.56 (95% CI: 1.06-2.27) for DraI polymorphism respectively. When stratified according to ethnicity, the OR increased in the Asians for both polymorphisms (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.32-3.15 for PstI/RsaI; OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.27-3.29 for DraI), suggesting that the risk is more pronounced in Asians.

Conclusion

Our meta-analysis suggests that individuals with the homozygote genotypes of PstI/RsaI or DraI polymorphism might be associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer, especially in Asians.
A survey of core and support activities of communicable disease surveillance systems at operating-level CDCs in China
Authors: Xiong Weiyi , Lv Jun , Li Liming
Published: November 2010

Background

In recent years, problems like insufficient coordination, low efficiency, and heavy working load in national communicable disease surveillance systems in China have been pointed out by many researchers. To strengthen the national communicable disease surveillance systems becomes an immediate concern. Since the World Health Organization has recommended that a structured approach to strengthen national communicable disease surveillance must include an evaluation to existing systems which usually begins with a systematic description, we conducted the first survey for communicable disease surveillance systems in China, in order to understand the situation of core and support surveillance activities at province-level and county-level centers for disease control and prevention (CDCs).

Methods

A nationwide survey was conducted by mail between May and October 2006 to investigate the implementation of core and support activities of the Notifiable Disease Reporting System (NDRS) and disease-specific surveillance systems in all of the 31 province-level and selected 14 county-level CDCs in Mainland China The comments on the performance of communicable disease surveillance systems were also collected from the directors of CDCs in this survey.

Results

The core activities of NDRS such as confirmation, reporting and analysis and some support activities such as supervision and staff training were found sufficient in both province-level and county-level surveyed CDCs, but other support activities including information feedback, equipment and financial support need to be strengthened in most of the investigated CDCs. A total of 47 communicable diseases or syndromes were under surveillance at province level, and 20 diseases or syndromes at county level. The activities among different disease-specific surveillance systems varied widely. Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), measles and tuberculosis (TB) surveillance systems got relatively high recognition both at province level and county level.

Conclusions

China has already established a national communicable disease surveillance framework that combines NDRS and disease-specific surveillance systems. The core and support activities of NDRS were found sufficient, while the implementation of those activities varied among different disease-specific surveillance systems.
Ambulatory health services utilization in patients with dementia - Is there an urban-rural difference?
Authors: Koller Daniela , Eisele Marion , Kaduszkiewicz Hanna , Schön Gerhard , Steinmann Susanne , Wiese Birgitt , Glaeske Gerd , van den Bussche Hendrik
Published: November 2010

Background

Due to demographic changes and an un-equal distribution of physicians, regional analyses of service utilization of elderly patients are crucial, especially for diseases with an impact like dementia. This paper focuses on dementia patients. The aim of the study is to identify differences in service utilization of incident dementia patients in urban and rural areas.

Methods

Basis for the analysis were all insured persons of a German Health Insurance fund (the GEK) aged 65 years and older living in rural and urban areas. We focussed on physician contacts in the outpatient sector during the first year after an incidence diagnosis of dementia. Special attention was given to contacts with primary care physicians and neurologists/psychiatrists. The dementia cohort was analyzed together with a non-dementia control group drawn according to age, gender and amount of physician contacts. Uni- and bivariate as well as multivariate analysis were performed to estimate the influences on service utilization.

Results

Results show that the provision of primary care seems to be equally given in urban and rural areas. For specialists contacts however, rural patients are less likely to consult neurologists or psychiatrists. This trend can already be seen before the incident diagnosis of dementia. All consultations rise in the quarter of the incident dementia diagnosis compared to the control group. The results were also tested in a linear and a logistic regression, showing a higher chance for persons living in urban areas to visit a specialist and an overall higher rate in service utilization for dementia patients.

Conclusions

Because of a probable increase in the number of dementia patients, service provision has to be accessible even in rural areas. Due to this and the fact that demographic change is happening at different paces in different regions, regional variations have to be considered to ensure the future service provision.
Skin prick testing does not reflect the presence of IgE against food allergens in adult eosinophilic esophagitis patients: a case study
Authors: Kamdar Toral A , Ditto Anne M , Bryce Paul J
Published: November 2010

Skin prick testing is widely used to predict the presence of allergen-specific IgE. In eosinophilic esophagitis patients, who frequently exhibit polysensitization and broad reactivity upon skin prick testing, this is commonly used to aid avoidance recommendations in the clinical management of their disease. We present here the predictive value of skin prick testing for the presence of allergen-specific IgE, in 12 patients, determined by immunoblot against the allergen extracts using individual-matched serum. Our results demonstrate a high degree of predictive value for aeroallergens but a poor predictive value for food allergens. This suggests that skin prick testing likely identifies IgE reactivity towards aeroallergens in adult eosinophilic esophagitis but this is not true for foods. Consequently, IgE immunoblotting might be required for determining food avoidance in these patients.
Patients with ovarian carcinoma excrete different altered levels of urine CD59, kininogen-1 and fragments of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 and albumin
Authors: Abdullah-Soheimi Siti S , Lim Boon-Kiong , Hashim Onn H , Shuib Adawiyah S
Published: November 2010

Background

Diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma is in urgent need for new complementary biomarkers for early stage detection. Proteins that are aberrantly excreted in the urine of cancer patients are excellent biomarker candidates for development of new noninvasive protocol for early diagnosis and screening purposes. In the present study, urine samples from patients with ovarian carcinoma were analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the profiles generated were compared to those similarly obtained from age-matched cancer negative women.

Results

Significant reduced levels of CD59, kininogen-1 and a 39 kDa fragment of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (ITIH4), and enhanced excretion of a 19 kDa fragment of albumin, were detected in the urine of patients with ovarian carcinoma compared to the control subjects. The different altered levels of the proteins were confirmed by Western blotting using antisera and a lectin that bind to the respective proteins.

Conclusion

CD59, kininogen-1 and fragments of ITIH4 and albumin may be used as complementary biomarkers in the development of new noninvasive protocols for diagnosis and screening of ovarian carcinoma.
Prevalence of hepatitis delta virus infection among hepatitis b virus surface antigen positive patients circulating in the largest province of pakistan
Authors: Zaidi Gulshan , Idrees Muhammad , Malik Fayyaz Ahmed , Amin Irum , Shahid Muhammad , Younas Saima , Hussain Rashid , Awan Zunaira , Tariq Aaliyah , Parveen Khalida
Published: November 2010

Background

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection is well known to induce a spectrum of acute and chronic liver diseases which further advance to cirrhosis, fulminant hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Aim

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis D virus super-infection among hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive individuals in the highly populated province of Pakistan which is not well known.

Methods

Sera samples were subjected to HBsAg and anti-HDV screening and finally anti-HDV and HBsAg positive coinfected samples were used for HDV active RNA confirmation using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results

Out of total 200 HBsAg positive samples by rapid device, 96 (48%) were also found reactive for HBsAg using enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Out of these HBsAg ELISA positive samples, 80 (88.8%) were anti-HDV ELISA positive which were then subjected to PCR. The amplification results further confirmed 24 (30%) samples to be HDV RNA positive. HDV super-infection was more common in male patients than female patients (81% VS 19%).

Conclusion

The current study shows a high prevalence rate of HDV-HBV co-infection in Pakistan that tends to increase over time.
The relevance of traditional knowledge systems for ethnopharmacological research: theoretical and methodological contributions
Authors: Reyes-García Victoria
Published: November 2010

Background

Ethnopharmacology is at the intersection of the medical, natural, and social sciences. Despite its interdisciplinary nature, most ethnopharmacological research has been based on the combination of the chemical, biological, and pharmacological sciences. Far less attention has been given to the social sciences, including anthropology and the study of traditional knowledge systems.

Methods

I reviewed the literature on traditional knowledge systems highlighting its potential theoretical and methodological contributions to ethnopharmacology.

Results

I discuss three potential theoretical contributions of traditional knowledge systems to ethnopharmacological research. First, while many plants used in indigenous pharmacopoeias have active compounds, those compounds do not always act alone in indigenous healing systems. Research highlights the holistic nature of traditional knowledge systems and helps understand plant's efficacy in its cultural context. Second, research on traditional knowledge systems can improve our understanding of how ethnopharmacological knowledge is distributed in a society, and who benefits from it. Third, research on traditional knowledge systems can enhance the study of the social relations that enable the generation, maintenance, spread, and devolution of cultural traits and innovations, including ethnopharmacological knowledge.

At a methodological level, some ethnopharmacologists have used anthropological tools to understand the context of plant use and local meanings of health and disease.

I discuss two more potential methodological contributions of research on traditional knowledge systems to ethnopharmacological research. First, traditional knowledge systems research has developed methods that would help ethnopharmacologists understand how people classify illnesses and remedies, a fundamental aspect of folk medicinal plant selection criteria. Second, ethnopharmacologists could also borrow methods derived from cultural consensus theory to have a broader look at intracultural variation and at the analysis of transmission and loss of traditional ethnopharmacological knowledge.

Conclusions

Ethical considerations in the ethnopharmacology of the 21st century should go beyond the recognition of the Intellectual Property Rights or the acquisition of research permits, to include considerations on the healthcare of the original holders of ethnopharmacological knowledge. Ethnopharmacology can do more than speed up to recover the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples to make it available for the development of new drugs. Ethnopharmacologists can work with health care providers in the developing world for the local implementation of ethnopharmacological research results.
Is mitral valve repair superior to replacement for chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation with left ventricular dysfunction?
Authors: Qiu Zhibing , Chen Xin , Xu Ming , Jiang Yingshuo , Xiao Liqiong , Liu LeLe , Wang Liming
Published: November 2010

Background

This study was undertaken to compare mitral valve repair and replacement as treatments for ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Specifically, we sought to determine whether the choice of mitral valve procedure affected survival, and discover which patients were predicted to benefit from mitral valve repair and which from replacement.

Methods

A total of 218 consecutive patients underwent either mitral valve repair (MVP, n = 112) or mitral valve replacement (MVR, n = 106). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical material, operation methods, echocardiography check during operation and follow-up. Patients details and follow-up outcomes were compared using multivariate and Kaplan-Meier analyses.

Results

No statistical difference was found between the two groups in term of intraoperative data. Early mortality was 3.2% (MVP 2.7% and MVR 3.8%). At discharge, Left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were improved more in the MVP group than MVR group (P < 0.05), however, in follow-up no statistically significant difference was observed between the MVR and MVP group (P > 0.05). Follow-up mitral regurgitation grade was significantly improved in the MVR group compared with the MVP group (P < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival estimates at 1, 3, and 5 years were simlar between MVP and MVR group. Logistic regression revealed poor survival was associated with old age(#75), preoperative renal insufficiency and low left ventricular ejection fraction (< 30%).

Conclusion

Mitral valve repair is the procedure of choice in the majority of patients having surgery for severe ischemic mitral regurgitation with left ventricular dysfunction. Early results of MVP treatment seem to be satisfactory, but several lines of data indicate that mitral valve repair provided less long-term benefit than mitral valve replacement in the LVD patients.
Thoracoscopic-assisted repair of a bochdalek hernia in an adult: a case report
Authors: Tokumoto Noriaki , Tanabe Kazuaki , Yamamoto Hideki , Suzuki Takahisa , Miyata Yoshihiro , Ohdan Hideki
Published: November 2010

Introduction

Bochdalek hernia is a congenital defect of the diaphragm that usually presents in the neonatal period with life-threatening cardiorespiratory distress. It is rare for Bochdalek hernias to remain silent until adulthood. Once a Bochdalek hernia has been diagnosed, surgical treatment is necessary to avoid complications such as perforation and necrosis.

Case presentation

We present a 17-year-old Japanese boy with left-upper-quadrant pain for two months. Chest radiography showed an elevated left hemidiaphragm. Computed tomography revealed a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The spleen and left colon had been displaced into the left thoracic cavity through a left posterior diaphragmatic defect. We diagnosed a Bochdalek hernia. Surgical treatment was performed via a thoracoscopic approach. The boy was placed in the reverse Trendelenburg position and intrathoracic pressure was increased by CO2gas insufflations. This is a very useful procedure for reducing herniated contents and we were able to place the herniated organs safely back in the peritoneal cavity. The diaphragmatic defect was too large to close with thoracoscopic surgery alone. Small incision thoracotomy was required and primary closure was performed. His postoperative course was uneventful and there has been no recurrence of the diaphragmatic hernia to date.

Conclusion

Thoracoscopic surgery, performed with the boy in the reverse Trendelenburg position and using CO2gas insufflations in the thoracic cavity, was shown to be useful for Bochdalek hernia repair.
Procalcitonin reflects bacteremia and bacterial load in urosepsis syndrome: a prospective observational study
Authors: van Nieuwkoop Cees , Bonten Tobias N , van't Wout Jan W , Kuijper Ed J , Groeneveld Geert H , Becker Martin J , Koster Ted , Wattel-Louis G Hanke , Delfos Nathalie M , Ablij Hans C , Leyten Eliane MS , van Dissel Jaap T
Published: November 2010

Introduction

Guidelines recommend that two blood cultures be performed in patients with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI), to detect bacteremia and help diagnose urosepsis. The usefulness and cost-effectiveness of this practice have been criticized. This study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and the biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) as an aid in predicting bacteremia.

Methods

A prospective observational multicenter cohort study included consecutive adults with febrile UTI in 35 primary care units and 8 emergency departments of 7 regional hospitals. Clinical and microbiological data were collected and PCT and time to positivity (TTP) of blood culture were measured.

Results

Of 581 evaluable patients, 136 (23%) had bacteremia. The median age was 66 years (interquartile range 46 to 78 years) and 219 (38%) were male. We evaluated three different models: a clinical model including seven bed-side characteristics, the clinical model plus PCT, and a PCT only model. The diagnostic abilities of these models as reflected by area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic were 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66 to 0.76), 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75 to 0.83) and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.68 to 0.77) respectively. Calculating corresponding sensitivity and specificity for the presence of bacteremia after each step of adding a significant predictor in the model yielded that the PCT > 0.25 μg/l only model had the best diagnostic performance (sensitivity 0.95; 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.98, specificity 0.50; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.55). Using PCT as a single decision tool, this would result in 40% fewer blood cultures being taken, while still identifying 94 to 99% of patients with bacteremia.

The TTP of E. coli positive blood cultures was linearly correlated with the PCT log value; the higher the PCT the shorter the TTP (R2 = 0.278, P = 0.007).

Conclusions

PCT accurately predicts the presence of bacteremia and bacterial load in patients with febrile UTI. This may be a helpful biomarker to limit use of blood culture resources.
When Transmission Fails
Authors: Tucker Christopher
Published: November 2010

The Neo-Moorean Deduction (I have a hand, so I am not a brain-in-a-vat) and the Zebra Deduction (the creature is a zebra, so it isn't a cleverly disguised mule) are notorious. Crispin Wright, Martin Davies, Fred Dretske, and Brian McLaughlin, among others, argue that these deductions are instances of transmission failure. That is, they argue that these deductions cannot transmit justification to their conclusions. This essay contends, however, that the notoriety of these deductions is undeserved. Its strategy is to clarify, attack, defend, and apply. The essay clarifies what transmission and transmission failure really are, thereby exposing two questionable but quotidian assumptions. It attacks existing views of transmission failure, especially those of Crispin Wright. It defends a permissive view of transmission failure, one holding that deductions of a certain kind fail to transmit only because of premise circularity. Finally, it applies this account to the Neo-Moorean and Zebra Deductions and shows that, given the essay's permissive view, these deductions transmit in an intuitively acceptable way—at least if either a certain type of circularity is benign or a certain view of perceptual justification is false.
Theories About Consciousness in Spinoza'sEthics
Authors: LeBuffe Michael
Published: November 2010

Spinoza's remarks about consciousness in the Ethics constitute two theories about conscious experience and knowledge. Several remarks, including 3p9 and 4p8, make the point that self knowledge—an especially valuable good for Spinoza—is not available to introspection. We are, as a matter of course, conscious of ourselves, but we do not, as a matter of course, know ourselves. A second group of remarks, all of which occur in part 5 of the Ethics, emphasizes a different point about consciousness and knowledge: the knowledge that distinguishes the minds of the most powerful or virtuous people is conscious. The characterization of human consciousness that underlies both theories is best understood as one on which a wide variety of ideas in human minds are conscious, and the intensity or degree of consciousness of a given idea is a function of its power. For human minds, because the power of any idea derives from the power of its causes and because many ideas have external causes, there are no grounds for taking the intensity of conscious experience to track a mind's power closely. Rather, as the second group of remarks suggests, power in a human mind tracks the degree to which knowledge characterizes a mind's conscious states.
James Blundell MD Edin FRCP (1790–1877): pioneer of blood transfusion
Authors: Welck Matthew , Borg Philip , Ellis Harold
Published: November 2010

James Blundell was an obstetrician, surgeon, physiologist and teacher. He is best known as the first to perform a successful human-to-human blood transfusion. However, he can also be accredited for significant advances in surgery and obstetrics. After a distinguished career at The United Hospitals of St Thomas and Guy's, he retired early and ended his years in relative obscurity.
From alpaca to zebrafish: Hammerhead ribozymes wherever you look
Authors: Seehafer Carsten , Kalweit Anne , Steger Gerhard , Gräf Stefan , Hammann Christian
Published: November 2010

The hammerhead ribozyme was originally discovered in subviral plant pathogens and was subsequently also found in a few other genomic locations. Using a secondary structure–based descriptor, we have searched publicly accessible sequence databases for new examples of type III hammerhead ribozymes. The more than 60,000 entries fulfilling the descriptor were filtered with respect to folding and stability parameters that were experimentally validated. This resulted in a set of 284 unique motifs, of which 124 represent database entries of known hammerhead ribozymes from subviral plant pathogens and A. thaliana. The remainder are 160 novel ribozyme candidates in 50 different eukaryotic genomes. With a few exceptions, the ribozymes were found either in repetitive DNA sequences or in introns of protein coding genes. Our data, which is complementary to a study by De la Peña and García-Robles in 2010, indicate that the hammerhead is the most abundant small endonucleolytic ribozyme, which, in view of no sequence conservation beyond the essential nucleotides, likely has evolved independently in different organisms.
Price-Framing Effects on the Purchase of Hedonic and Utilitarian Bundles
Authors: Khan Uzma , Dhar Ravi
Published: November 2010

Marketers are increasingly offering bundles that combine cross-category, seemingly unrelated items. This article examines the conditions under which framing a discount as savings on certain items of cross-category bundles is more effective for increasing bundle purchase. Three experiments show that the purchase of a cross-category bundle is more likely when the discount is framed as savings on the relatively hedonic component rather than as savings on the utilitarian component or on the total bundle. The authors explain the findings based on the notion that a discount provides a justification that increases the likelihood of hedonic purchases but has little impact on utilitarian consumption. The article concludes with a discussion of managerial implications of the findings.
Do Digital Video Recorders Influence Sales?
Authors: Bronnenberg Bart J. , Dubé Jean-Pierre , Mela Carl F.
Published: November 2010

The authors analyze a multimillion dollar, three-year field study sponsored by five firms to assess whether enabling skipping of advertisements using digital video recorders (DVRs) affects consumers’ shopping behavior for advertised and private label goods. A large sample of households received an offer for a free DVR and service, and close to 20% accepted. Each household's shopping history is observed for 48 consumer packaged goods categories during the 13 months before and the 26 months after the DVR offer. The authors fail to reject the null hypothesis of no DVR treatment effect on household spending on advertised branded or private label goods, either one or two years after the DVRs are shipped. The predicted DVR effect is tightly centered around 0, suggesting that the data have sufficient power to identify a true null effect. Using advertising exposure information for seven of the brands in the study, the authors offer suggestive evidence that ad skipping occurs for a relatively small fraction of the total television content viewed. The authors also discuss other potential explanations for the lack of a DVR effect.
The Selectivity of Neurons in the Macaque Fundus of the Superior Temporal Area for Three-Dimensional Structure from Motion
Authors: Mysore Santosh G. , Vogels Rufin , Raiguel Steven E. , Todd James T. , Orban Guy A.
Published: November 2010

Motion is a potent cue for the perception of three-dimensional (3D) shape in primates, but little is known about its underlying neural mechanisms. Guided by recent functional magnetic resonance imaging results, we tested neurons in the fundus of the superior temporal sulcus (FST) area of two macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta, one male) using motion-defined surface patches with various 3D shapes such as slanted planes, saddles, or cylinders. The majority of the FST neurons (>80%) were selective for stimuli depicting specific shapes, and all the surfaces tested were represented among the selective FST neurons. Importantly, this selectivity tolerated changes in speed, position, size, or between binocular and monocular presentations. This tolerance demonstrates that the 3D structure-from-motion (3D-SFM) selectivity of FST neurons is a higher-order selectivity, which cannot be reduced to a lower-order speed selectivity. The 3D-SFM selectivity of FST neurons was unaffected by removal of the opposed-motion cue that supplemented the speed gradient cue in the standard stimuli. When tested with the same standard stimuli, fewer neurons in the middle temporal/visual 5 (MT/V5) area were selective than FST neurons. In addition, selective MT/V5 neurons represented fewer types of surfaces and were less tolerant of stimulus changes than FST neurons. Overall, these results indicate that FST neurons code motion-defined 3D shape fragments, underscoring the central role of FST in processing 3D-SFM.
EAAC1 Gene Deletion Alters Zinc Homeostasis and Exacerbates Neuronal Injury after Transient Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Won Seok Joon , Yoo Byung Hoon , Brennan Angela M. , Shin Byung Seop , Kauppinen Tiina M. , Berman Ari E. , Swanson Raymond A. , Suh Sang Won
Published: November 2010

EAAC1 is a neuronal glutamate and cysteine transporter. EAAC1 uptake of cysteine provides substrate for neuronal glutathione synthesis, which plays a key role in both antioxidant defenses and intracellular zinc binding. Here we evaluated the role of EAAC1 in neuronal resistance to ischemia.EAAC1−/−mice subjected to transient cerebral ischemia exhibited twice as much hippocampal neuronal death as wild-type mice and a corresponding increase in microglial activation.EAAC1−/−mice also had elevated vesicular and cytosolic zinc concentrations in hippocampal CA1 neurons and an increased zinc translocation to postsynaptic neurons after ischemia. Treatment of theEAAC1−/−mice withN-acetyl cysteine restored neuronal glutathione concentrations and normalized basal zinc levels in theEAAC1−/−mice. Treatment of theEAAC1−/−mice with eitherN-acetyl cysteine or with zinc chelators reduced ischemia-induced zinc translocation, superoxide production, and neuron death. These findings suggest that cysteine uptake by EAAC1 is important for zinc homeostasis and neuronal antioxidant function under ischemic conditions.
Motor and Dorsal Root Ganglion Axons Serve as Choice Points for the Ipsilateral Turning of dI3 Axons
Authors: Avraham Oshri , Hadas Yoav , Vald Lilach , Hong Seulgi , Song Mi-Ryoung , Klar Avihu
Published: November 2010

The axons of the spinal intersegmental interneurons are projected longitudinally along various funiculi arrayed along the dorsal–ventral axis of the spinal cord. The roof plate and the floor plate have a profound role in patterning their initial axonal trajectory. However, other positional cues may guide the final architecture of interneuron tracks in the spinal cord. To gain more insight into the organization of specific axonal tracks in the spinal cord, we focused on the trajectory pattern of a genetically defined neuronal population, dI3 neurons, in the chick spinal cord. Exploitation of newly characterized enhancer elements allowed specific labeling of dI3 neurons and axons. dI3 axons are projected ipsilaterally along two longitudinal fascicules at the ventral lateral funiculus (VLF) and the dorsal funiculus (DF). dI3 axons change their trajectory plane from the transverse to the longitudinal axis at two novel checkpoints. The axons that elongate at the DF turn at the dorsal root entry zone, along the axons of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, and the axons that elongate at the VLF turn along the axons of motor neurons. Loss and gain of function of the Lim-HD protein Isl1 demonstrate that Isl1 is not required for dI3 cell fate. However, Isl1 is sufficient to impose ipsilateral turning along the motor axons when expressed ectopically in the commissural dI1 neurons. The axonal patterning of dI3 neurons, revealed in this study, highlights the role of established axonal cues—the DRG and motor axons—as intermediate guidepost cues for dI3 axons.
Field Potential Signature of Distinct Multicellular Activity Patterns in the Mouse Hippocampus
Authors: Reichinnek Susanne , Künsting Thomas , Draguhn Andreas , Both Martin
Published: November 2010

Cognitive functions go along with complex patterns of distributed activity in neuronal networks, thereby forming assemblies of selected neurons. To support memory processes, such assemblies have to be stabilized and reactivated in a highly reproducible way. The rodent hippocampus provides a well studied model system for network mechanisms underlying spatial memory formation. Assemblies of place-encoding cells are repeatedly activated during sleep-associated network states called sharp wave–ripple complexes (SPW-Rs). Behavioral studies suggest that at any time the hippocampus harbors a limited number of different assemblies that are transiently stabilized for memory consolidation. We hypothesized that the corresponding field potentials (sharp wave–ripple complexes) contain a specific signature of the underlying neuronal activity patterns. Hence, they should fall into a limited number of different waveforms. Application of unbiased sorting algorithms to sharp wave–ripple complexes in mouse hippocampal slices did indeed reveal the reliable recurrence of defined waveforms that were robust over prolonged recording periods. Single-unit discharges tended to fire selectively with certain SPW-R classes and were coupled above chance level. Thus, field SPW-Rs of different waveforms are directly related to the underlying multicellular activity patterns that recur with high fidelity. This direct relationship between the coordinated activity of distinct groups of neurons and macroscopic electrographic signals may be important for cognition-related physiological studies in humans and behaving animals.
Exploiting Development to Evaluate Auditory Encoding of Amplitude Modulation
Authors: Rosen Merri J. , Semple Malcolm N. , Sanes Dan H.
Published: November 2010

During development, detection for many percepts matures gradually. This provides a natural system in which to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying performance differences: those aspects of neural activity that mature in conjunction with behavioral performance are more likely to subserve detection. In principle, the limitations on performance could be attributable to either immature sensory encoding mechanisms or an immature decoding of an already-mature sensory representation. To evaluate these alternatives in awake gerbil auditory cortex, we measured neural detection of sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (sAM) stimuli, for which behavioral detection thresholds display a prolonged maturation. A comparison of single-unit responses in juveniles and adults revealed that encoding of static tones was adult like in juveniles, but responses to sAM depth were immature. Since perceptual performance may reflect the activity of an animal's most sensitive neurons, we analyzed the d prime curves of single neurons and found an equivalent percentage with highly sensitive thresholds in juvenile and adult animals. In contrast, perceptual performance may reflect the pooling of information from neurons with a range of sensitivities. We evaluated a pooling model that assumes convergence of a population of inputs at a downstream target neuron and found poorer sAM detection thresholds for juveniles. Thus, if sAM detection is based on the most sensitive neurons, then immature behavioral performance is best explained by an immature decoding mechanism. However, if sAM detection is based on a population response, then immature detection thresholds are more likely caused by an inadequate sensory representation.
Local Li Cation Coordination and Dynamics in Novel Solid Electrolytes
Authors: van Wüllen Leo , Echelmeyer Thomas , Voigt Nadine , Köster Thomas K.-J. , Schiffmann Gerrit
Published: November 2010

Research on solid ionic conductors for use as electrolytes in all solid state batteries still constitutes a rather vivid branch of today´s materials science. Despite enormous efforts, neither the development of a solid electrolyte fulfilling the key requirements such as mechanical stability and high ionic conductivity at ambient temperature has been successful nor has an extended understanding of the local Li coordination motifs in the often amorphous systems been obtained. In this contribution, recent progress both in the development of novel solid state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and mechanical stability and in the characterization of the local Li coordination motifs in these electrolytes from our laboratory is presented. The work was performed as a project within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 458 “Ionic Motion in Materials with Disordered Structures — From Elementary Steps to Macroscopic Transport”. Results will be given for polymer electrolytes based on polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyphosphazene (PPZ) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with various Li salts, nano-composites of these polymer electrolytes and Al2O3 as a ceramic filler, novel inorganic/organic hybrid electrolytes, in which a mixture of an ionic liquid and Li salt is confined within the pore system of a SiO2 glass, and a crystalline electrolyte, Li5La3Nb2O12. Employing a range of advanced solid state NMR methodologies including dipolar based NMR techniques and pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR and impedance spectroscopy we were able to obtain a detailed knowledge about the local Li cation coordination motifs and the mechanism of Li transport in these electrolytes. Especially the hybrid electrolytes and the salt rich PAN based polymer electrolytes were identified as rather promising materials which combine a high ionic conductivity and mechanical stability.
Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation of Chloramphenicol — an Antibiotic Drug by Diperiodatocuprate(III) in Aqueous Alkaline Medium
Authors: Hosahalli Rajeshwari V. , Byadagi Kirthi S. , Nandibewoor Sharanappa T. , Chimatadar Shivamurti A.
Published: November 2010

The kinetics of oxidation of chloramphenicol (CHP) by diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) in aqueous alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.10 mol dm-3 was studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction between DPC and CHP in alkaline medium exhibits 1:2 stoichiometry (CHP: DPC). The main oxidation products were identified by spot test, IR, NMR and GCMS spectral studies. The reaction is of first order in DPC and CHP concentrations. As the alkali concentration increases the rate of reaction increases with fractional order dependence on alkali concentration. Increase in periodate concentration decreases the rate. A suitable mechanism is proposed. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanism were calculated. The activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanism are computed and discussed. Thermodynamic quantities are also determined.