The team’s work focused on a neurotransmitter that typically plays an important role in communication among nerve cells in the brain and fosters learning and memory. This glutamate neurotransmitter opens the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, allowing the entry of calcium into the nerve cells.

Under normal conditions, the activity of the NMDA receptors is tightly regulated to prevent nerve cells from becoming overloaded with calcium. During a stroke, however, that process of regulation breaks down. The excessive influx of calcium through NMDA receptors kills the nerve cells and can cause severe brain damage.

Striving to prevent such calcium overloads, the research team discovered that an enzyme, DAPK1 (Death-Associated Protein Kinase 1), binds to a portion of the NMDA receptor and acts as a “cell death signal” during strokes.

Researchers hypothesized that by preventing DAPK1 from binding with the NMDA receptors, they could prevent the calcium overloads and cell deaths. They developed a potent compound to test their theory and found that the compound blocked DAPK1, protecting brain cells against stroke injury, and did not affect the beneficial physiological functions of the receptors.

The findings appear in the Jan. 22 issue of Cell, one of the leading journals in the field.

“It is conceivable that this study not only provides new insights into the cellular and molecular basis responsible for stroke damage, but also provides a therapeutic target for stroke therapy,” said Youming Lu, the LSU professor who led the team of scientists.

The findings also may have significant implications for developing therapeutic drugs to treat other neurodegenerative diseases, said UCF Assistant Professor Sic Chan, a study collaborator who has done extensive research on the role of calcium in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“Anytime we gain an increased understanding of the molecular mechanism of neurodegeneration, that enhances our ability to make better drugs,” he said.

To date, all stroke clinical trials targeting glutamate receptors have failed, largely because of their side effects, an inefficient delivery of compounds from the blood to the brain or the length of time it takes for the drugs to work effectively.

A career in Animation and Visual effects is for those who have a creative mind and a soaring imagination. Besides being creative, one needs a professional degree in 3D Animation and Visual Effects. Courses are available world wide to pursue masters in this.

Some of the disciplines in this profession are visual effects artist, texture artist, technical director, lighting artist, pre-visualisation artist, character animator and modeller. Whatever area one chooses to pursue, knowledge in traditional arts and animation skills on computer is the foundation. So, one begins with these courses.

Professionals in 3D Animation and Visual Effects can find work in video game design, motion picture
effects, DVD production, internet site design as well as ad design, television broadcast animation, and for entertainment like music concerts, comedy shows, and amusement rides that requires animation.

There will also be plenty of openings for education, corporate, health care, and governmental operations, including office training films, trade shows, and flight training video, and college course animations broadcast in the classroom or through web streaming video. This certainly does reflect the massive demand for 3d artists and animators in a variety of field.

Some of the top schools providing professional degree and hands on training in 3D Animation and Visual Effects are

National Institute of Design – Ahmedabad, India
E-dutainment Unlimited-Mumbai, India
Nanyang Tecnological University-Singapore
Hongik University, Korea
Gnomon Institute of visual effects, USA
Vancouver Film School, Canada
California Institute of the Arts, USA
School of Visual Arts, USA
University of The Arts, USA
Rhode Island School of design, USA
Royal College of Art, UK
National Film and Television School, UK
Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany
THE COLE NATIONALE SUPRIEURE DES ARTS DCORATIFS (ENSAD), France

Some of the graduates from these schools work in Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks skg, Blue Sky Studio and Nickelodeon. These the best places to end up after the formal training in 3D Animation and Visual Effects.

There are plenty of job opportunities if you hold a professional degree in Animation and Visual Effects. You can find work any where in the world.

Seems to me what the President needs to do more of is “explain the why.” Explaining the why is one of the leader’s most valuable tools in the citizen or employee engagement game. Explaining the why pulls people in, creates a common understanding of the situation or crisis, and helps everyone absorb how the change relates to them. Sometimes there’s no real need to explain the why – it’s either plainly obvious why we all need to pitch in (disaster in Haiti) or the call to action is logical and produces a “of course we’re with you” type of response (creating a set of core values for the company).

But President Obama (and you, perhaps) often face more cloudy motivational issues. Here’s just a few of the topics that the administration is dealing with that could use a health dose of “why” – Afghanistan, health care, the financial system bailout, and, coming soon (gulp), probable tax increases. Given his oratory skills, it’s surprising that Obama hasn’t taken his case for each of these changes directly to the American people in plain, easy to digest language (I’ll never understand why Presidents don’t literally hold a monthly “all hands meeting” with 300 million of their closest friends to say “here’s what we accomplished this month, here’s why we worked on that, and here’s what we’re going to work on next month” – why would that be so hard?). Seems like you become President and you forget Rule # 1 of being a leader – communicate, constantly!

Jack Welch used to talk about the need for leaders to be relentless and boring – to repeat, repeat, repeat the message until it resonated, helping people make sense of what was going on, how they fit in, and why it mattered. That’s it, really – here’s what we need to do, here’s why, and here’s what it means to you. How hard is that? Yet most leaders completely under-leverage this communication trifecta – they may be relatively clear about what needs to be done, but they definitely don’t stress the why or the “what’s in it for you” nearly enough.

It’s easy to see where Obama could be explaining the why more often, but what about you? What are you trying to rally your people around that could use more explanation? Why are you asking them to change, work harder, squeeze costs, etc.? What’s that getting you (and them)? It might even be 2 or 3 layers deep – we have to do this, to get to here, which is important for achieving this goal, etc.

Start thinking more about “explaining the why” – it’s a powerful communications technique that never goes out of style. Every time (yes, every time) you communicate something, add the why; notice the difference in how the message is received. You can do this – it takes a little extra preparation, but the returns are worth it. And if you can’t figure out the why, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it (which is part of the problem with health care reform – average American’s can’t tell why Washington wants to change the status quo).

Let me leave you with this – leading is a lot like parenting, yes? You explain the why to your kids when they’re young, right (don’t touch the stove, because…)? Same thing with your employees. Help them understand why you’re asking them to do certain things… it helps them understand. Just don’t fall back on that old parenting standby (“because I said so!”) – that won’t go over too well with your team!

A list of cities where TOEFL iBT is being introduced is posted in the Learners and Test Takers section of this Web site. This list is updated every week.

TOEFL iBT introduction dates have not yet been set for some countries (PDF). When these countries are ready to implement TOEFL iBT, a message will be posted on this Web site. To provide continued access for TOEFL and TSE test takers in these areas, ETS will offer the paper-based TOEFL test and the TSE test until TOEFL iBT can be delivered.

What Is Happening To The Current TOEFL Tests? The computer- and paper-based (CBT, PBT) versions of the TOEFL test will be given at a particular location until the Internet-based version is implemented.

TOEFL-iBit
The TOEFL® Internet-based test emphasizes integrated skills and measures all four language skills, including speaking. The content on the test is authentic, and the language is consistent with that used in everyday, real academic settings.

The test has four sections

Reading measures the ability to understand academic reading matter.
Listening measures the ability to understand English as it is used in colleges and universities.
Speaking measures the ability to speak English.
Writing measures the ability to write in a way that is appropriate for college and university course work.

Test content is based on a “corpus,” or database, of spoken and written language that currently contains more than 2.7 million words, collected from educational institutions throughout the United States.

The spoken language in the database was collected from
lectures and interactive classes
labs
office hours
study groups

everyday service interactions (for example, at the bookstore or registrar’s office). The written language was collected from sources, such as textbooks and course materials.

Listening and reading texts in the test conform to the characteristics of the language in the database.

Internet-Based Testing
Your TOEFL test payment entitles you to

one printed and one online examinee score record up to four official score reports that ETS will send directly to the institutions or agencies you designate when registering for the test Score recipients can be added or deleted online up until 10:00 p.m. (local test center time) on the day prior to the test date. ETS will send an examinee score record to you and official score reports to institutions 15 business days after you take the test. The printed score report that is mailed to you will contain all of the final section scores as well as your total score.

In addition to numeric scores, your examinee score record also includes performance feedback that indicates your performance level and a description of the kinds of tasks that test takers within the reported range can typically do. Your scores are based on your performance on the questions in the test. You must answer at least one question in each Reading and Listening section, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score report.
. TOEFL score is valid for two years.
. You can take TOEFL once in a month.
.You can request paper for writing section, but it may delay your score report.
. TOEFL may not be required by students of those countries whose native language is English .

OLD TOEFL Test: CBT Structure and Scoring
Section Questions Duration
Listening 30/49 15/25
Structure 20 15
Reading 44 70
Writing 1 essay 30

Location: Madrid, Spain

Program:
Global MBA
Rankings: #4 by Forbes, #8 by Financial Times, #9 by The Economist (#2 for Distance Learning).
Description: IE offers a 16-month Global MBA program for English and Spanish speakers. The program allows students to connect to the virtual classroom from anywhere in the world. In addition to virtual lectures and videoconferences, students are required to participate in two short residence sessions in Madrid. Each session lasts 5 days and take place during different years.
Networking Opportunities: Students from 48 countries with background and expertise in a diverse variety of fields including financial markets, banking, marketing, and technology.
Gained Skills: Strategy, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Information Systems, Intercultural Skills.
Tuition: € 36,100 (approx. $56,000 USD)
Website: http://www.gmba-eng.ie.edu/

2. Thunderbird School of Global Management
Location: Arizona, USA

Program:
Global MBA
Rankings: #1 in International Programs by U.S. News & World Report, # 1 in International Business by Financial Times, # 1 in International Business by The Wall Street Journal.
Description: Thunderbird offers a 19-month global MBA program where students participate through virtual classrooms and on-site seminars in the USA, China and Switzerland.
Networking Opportunities: Students have lived and worked in over 16 different countries with backgrounds in a wide variety of companies ranging from Coca Cola to Boeing to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Gained Skills: Cross-Cultural Communications, Global Political Economy, Global Finance, Global Operations, Global Marketing, Global Negotiations, Global Leadership, Global Strategy.
Tuition: $61,650 USD (includes on-site costs for international study trips except airfare)
Website: http://www.thunderbird.edu/

3. Manchester Business School

Location: Manchester, UK

Program:
Distance Learning MBA
Rankings: # 15 by MBA Career Guide Survey, #22 by Financial Times.
Description: This flexible 2-year program combines self-study with face-to-face workshops in one of six destinations worldwide – UK, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Malaysia and Jamaica.
Networking Opportunities: Students are located in over 90 countries worldwide and possess years of work experience in industries such as construction, engineering, and finance.
Gained Skills: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Managerial Economics, Quantitative Methods, Corporate Strategy.
Tuition: £19,200 (approximately $37,914 USD)
Website: http://www.mbs-worldwide.ac.uk/

4. Duke University

Location: North Carolina, USA

Program:
Cross-Continental MBA
Rankings: # 9 by BusinessWeek, #14 by U.S. News & World Report, # 28 by Financial Times.
Description: The program lasts 20 months blending Internet-enabled distance learning with 9 one-week residential sessions that take place in North Carolina, Europe and Asia.
Networking Opportunities: Students from 23 countries average 3 to 9 years of experience and are currently employed full-time in a variety of industries.
Gained Skills: Finance, Accounting, Decision Models, Cross-Cultural Communications, Marketing, Strategy, Global Financial Management, Global Economics.
Tuition: $101,900 USD
Website: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/mba/executive/cc/

5. Warwick Business School

Location: Coventry, UK

Program:
Warwick MBA Distance Learning
Rankings: #3 (Distance Learning) by The Economist, #29 by Financial Times.
Description: The Warwick MBA consists of 3 parts that can be completed in 3 years (one part/year) or extended up to 8 years. The program uses a variety of delivery methods including print materials, online resources, virtual study groups and a compulsory September Seminar at Warwick each year.
Networking Opportunities: Participants include students from more than 90 countries with an average of 10 years of experience. Many students are in middle-management and upper-management positions.
Gained Skills: Strategic Advantage, Finance, Accounting, Modelling and Analysis, Economics, Market Analysis, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior.
Tuition: Approximately £15,500 for 3 years. (approximately $30,259 USD)
Website: http://www.wbs.ac.uk/students/mba/learn/dl.cfm

6. University of Florida

Location: Gainesville, Florida – USA

Program:
Internet MBA
Rankings: #1 (Distance Learning) by The Economist, #6 by The Wall Street Journal, #34 by U.S. News & World Report.
Description: The Internet MBA program at the University of Florida provides students with two options: The Two-Year MBA and the One-Year MBA option. The Two-Year MBA program starts in February, offers a 27-month curriculum and requires 8 weekend campus visits at the end of each term. The One-Year MBA option is provided for students with a business degree and 2 to 7 years of work experience. It starts in January, offers a 16-month curriculum and requires 5 weekend campus visits at the end of each term.
Networking Opportunities: Students in these programs average 6 years of work experience in a variety of industries such as telecommunications, banking, and international trade.
Gained Skills: Personal Finance, Corporate Finance, Accounting, Marketing Management, Professional Writing, Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce, Brand Equity, Business Policy, Business Law.
Tuition: $36,000 USD for the One-Year MBA option; $41,000 USD for the Two-Year MBA option.
Website: http://www.floridamba.ufl.edu/

7. Indiana University

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana – USA

Program:
Master of Business Administration (Kelley Direct)
Rankings: #18 by BusinessWeek, #23 by U.S. News & World Report, #61 by Financial Times.
Description: This flexible program can be completed in 2 to 5 years. It focuses on general administration, but can be tailored to meet the needs of individual students. The program is offered almost exclusively over the Web with two in-residence clinics that last one week in Indiana.
Networking Opportunities: Students in the program come from almost every state in the USA as well as over 20 countries from around the world. Almost all students have several years of corporate or military experience.
Gained Skills: Accounting, Finance, Economics, Quantitative Analysis, Project Management, Strategic Marketing, Human Resources, Global Business, Business Law, Strategic Capabilities.
Tuition: $48,195 USD
Website: http://kd.iu.edu

8. Pennsylvania State University

Location: University Park, Pennsylvania – USA

Program:
Penn State’s Online MBA
Rankings: #40 by U.S. News & World Report, #58 by Financial Times, U.S. Second Tier Programs by BusinessWeek.
Description: This 2-year program combines online courses with 2 residency experiences – the first one at a U.S. company (anywhere in the USA) and the second one at Penn State’s University Park campus.
Networking Opportunities: Penn State iMBA students represent employers from 37 states and 5 countries.
Gained Skills: Finance, Accounting, Organizational Behavior and Change, Data Analysis, Decision Making, Marketing, Corporate Strategies, Global Operations, Global Management.
Tuition: $49,000 USD
Website: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/iMBA_Home.shtml

9. Babson College

Location: Boston, Massachusetts – USA

Program:
Fast Track MBA
Rankings: #1 in Entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report, # 1 in Entrepreneurship by Financial Times, #48 Overall MBA by U.S. News & World Report, # 84 Overall MBA by Financial Times.
Description: This 24-month program combines face-to-face learning, web-based learning, and field-based projects. Face-to-face instruction is based on two-day sessions that are held at Babson or in Portland, Oregon approximately every six weeks – all day on Fridays and Saturdays.
Networking Opportunities: Students in this program average 10 years of work experience and come from almost every state in the US and approximately 10 countries.
Gained Skills: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Creativity, Human Behavior, Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Ethics and Law.
Tuition: $50,766 USD
Website: http://cmweb.babson.edu/mba/

10. University of Massachusetts – Amherst

Location: Amherst, Massachusetts – USA

Program:
Online MBA
Rankings: #2 Best Overall Academic Experience by Princeton Review, #4 Best Professors.
Description: The entire 37-credit degree program can be completed online. No campus residencies are required. The program can be completed in 2 years.
Networking Opportunities: Students in the program are from the 50 US States and 15 countries and have experience in a variety of industries.
Gained Skills: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Organizational Behavior, Business Data Analysis, Independent Research.
Tuition: $24,790 USD.
Website: http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/MBA