bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Path loss prediction model for the over‐rooftop propagation environment of microwave band in suburban areas
Authors: Kita Naoki , Yamada Wataru , Sato Akio
Published: September 2006

It is desirable that the method used for outdoor path loss estimation at microwave frequencies be one for which a worldwide consensus can be obtained through an ITU‐R international standard. In this paper, a path loss prediction model for over‐rooftop propagation environments is proposed for suburban areas. This model is based on the propagation mechanism explained by using the geometrical optics and consists of the direct wave region, the reflected wave region, and the diffracted wave region. The boundary points of these regions can be determined uniquely from the antenna height and building environment and all regions are continuously connected. Hence, high‐precision estimation of the path loss can be estimated from the short‐distance line‐of‐sight region to the far‐field non‐line‐of‐sight region. The proposed model is useful for channel design of microwave‐band wireless access systems. Further, the method contributes to the ITU‐R international standardization described above. Finally, it is shown that the measured path loss and the value estimated by the present model agree well at 2.2, 5.2, and 19.4 GHz. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 90(1): 13–24, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.20333
A MAC proposal to IEEE802.11n high‐throughput WLAN for 20/40 MHz coexistence
Authors: Utsunomiya Yoriko , Tandai Tomoya , Adachi Tomoko , Takagi Masahiro
Published: September 2006

IEEE802.11‐1999 Standard is widely known as a standard of WLAN and it has a number of amendments and supplements such as 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11i and also those under work in the current activities by the task groups (TGs). The one now attracting a great deal of attention is TGn, which is aimed at achieving high throughput. We are involved in this TGn standardization process. To achieve high throughput, MIMO technique is the main discussion point in the PHY layer in TGn. But another important point is the channel bundling method which extends the channel bandwidth from 20 MHz to 40‐MHz. By doubling the channel bandwidth, the data rate can be increased. But when this channel bundling method is introduced, the question of how to cope with the legacy 20‐MHz stations will arise. For this problem, we are proposing to control the 20‐MHz and 40‐MHz STAs by setting NAV to them in the MAC layer. This paper explains our coexistence proposal for the system where transmission in both 20‐MHz and 40‐MHz channel bandwidths is enabled. The performance is also examined to confirm the influence of applying our coexistence proposal. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 90(1): 1–12, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.20335
A distinct subset of intestinal dendritic cells responds selectively to oral TLR7/8 stimulation
Authors: Yrlid Ulf , Cerovic Vuk , Milling Simon , Jenkins Christopher D. , Klavinskis Linda S. , MacPherson G. Gordon
Published: September 2006

The intestinal innate immune system continually interacts with commensal bacteria, thus oral vaccines should induce extra/alternative activation of DC, potentially through TLR. To examine this we collected intestinal lymph DC (iL‐DC) under steady‐state conditions and after feeding resiquimod (R‐848), a synthetic TLR7/8 ligand, which we showed induces complete emptying of gut DC into lymph. iL‐DC are heterogeneous with subset‐specific functions. In this study we determined the kinetics of iL‐DC subset release, activation and cytokine secretion induced by R‐848. We show that L‐DC comprise three distinct subsets (CD172ahigh, CD172aint and CD172alow) present with similar frequencies in intestinal but not hepatic lymph. No iL‐DC express TLR7 mRNA, and only CD172a+ iL‐DC express TLR8. However, after oral R‐848 administration, output of all three subsets increases dramatically. CD172ahigh DC release precedes that of CD172alow DC, and the increased frequency of CD25high iL‐DC is restricted to the two CD172a+ subsets. After feeding R‐848 only CD172ahigh iL‐DC secrete IL‐6 and IL‐12p40. However, CD172aint and CD172ahigh DC secrete similar but markedly lower amounts when stimulated in vitro. These results highlight the importance of in vivo approaches to assess adjuvant effects on DC and give novel insights into the subset‐specific effects of an oral TLR ligand on intestinal DC.
Understanding complex environmental systems: a dual approach
Authors: Lin Zhulu , Beck M. Bruce
Published: September 2006

An approach to interpreting field data exploiting the duality of data‐ and theory‐based models, and their associated methods of system identification, is presented. This approach seeks to overcome the respective limitations of the two branches of the duality: that theory‐based models are not unambiguously identifiable from the observations, while a well‐identified data‐based model may not be capable of a satisfactory theoretical interpretation. The purpose of the approach is thereby to gain a deeper understanding of complex, poorly defined environmental systems. Recursive methods of time‐series analysis are used to identify the data‐based models (as transfer functions) and companion recursive methods, specifically the recursive prediction error (RPE) algorithm, are employed for structure identification and parameter estimation of the theory‐based models (in ordinary differential equation forms). The results of these identification exercises for the two classes of models can be compared in terms of the macro‐parameters of the studied system's time constant and steady‐state gain. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the overall performance of the dual‐thrust approach, on an activated sludge system and an aquaculture pond. It is found that: (1) as opposed to the exclusive use of either approach alone, more is to be gained through the joint application of the two classes of models, which historically have tended to reflect quite separate, unconnected approaches to interpreting environmental systems data; (2) to some extent, identifying the structure and estimating the parameters of one type of model can be readily improved by recourse to the corresponding results for the other; and (3) reconciliation of the results from identifying the two classes of model in the parameter space—of the time constant and steady‐state gain—has significant advantages over the more familiar process of evaluating a model's performance in the terms of its (observed) state‐space features. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantifying the amount of missing information in genetic association studies
Authors: Nicolae Dan L.
Published: September 2006

Many genetic analyses are done with incomplete information; for example, unknown phase in haplotype‐based association studies. Measures of the amount of available information can be used for efficient planning of studies and/or analyses. In particular, the linkage disequilibrium (LD) between two sets of markers can be interpreted as the amount of information one set of markers contains for testing allele frequency differences in the second set, and measuring LD can be viewed as quantifying information in a missing data problem. We introduce a framework for measuring the association between two sets of variables; for example, genotype data for two distinct groups of markers, or haplotype and genotype data for a given set of polymorphisms. The goal is to quantify how much information is in one data set, e.g. genotype data for a set of SNPs, for estimating parameters that are functions of frequencies in the second data set, e.g. haplotype frequencies, relative to the ideal case of actually observing the complete data, e.g. haplotypes. In the case of genotype data on two mutually exclusive sets of markers, the measure determines the amount of multi‐locus LD, and is equal to the classical measurer2, if the sets consist each of one bi‐allelic marker. In general, the measures are interpreted as the asymptotic ratio of sample sizes necessary to achieve the same power in case‐control testing. The focus of this paper is on case‐control allele/haplotype tests, but the framework can be extended easily to other settings like regressing quantitative traits on allele/haplotype counts, or tests on genotypes or diplotypes. We highlight applications of the approach, including tools for navigating the HapMap database [The International HapMap Consortium,2003], and genotyping strategies for positional cloning studies.Genet. Epidemiol.2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Testing Untyped Alleles (TUNA)—applications to genome‐wide association studies
Authors: Nicolae Dan L.
Published: September 2006

The large number of tests performed in analyzing data from genome‐wide association studies has a large impact on the power of detecting risk variants, and analytic strategies specifying the optimal set of hypotheses to be tested are necessary. We propose a genome‐wide strategy that is based on one degree of freedom tests for all the genotyped variants, and for all the untyped variants for which there is sufficient information in the observed data. The set of untyped variants to be tested is found using multi‐locus measures of linkage disequilibrium and haplotype frequencies from a reference database such as HapMap (The International HapMap Consortium [2003] Nature 426:789–796). We introduce a novel statistic for testing differences in allele frequencies for untyped variation that is based on linear combinations of estimable haplotype frequencies. Algorithms for finding the sets of genotyped markers to be used in testing an untyped allele, and ways of incorporating haplotypes observed in the study data but not in the reference database are also described. The proposed testing strategy can be used as the first step in the analysis of genome‐wide association data, and, because every performed test is directed to a marker, it can be used to specify the set of polymorphisms to genotype in follow‐up studies. The described methodology provides also a tool for joint analysis of data from studies done on different platforms. Genet. Epidemiol. 2006.© 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
1[alpha],25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3enhances annexin II dependent proliferation of osteoblasts
Authors: Maier S.M. , Scherer S.J. , Seifert M. , Hanselmann R.G. , Schleehuber Y. , Edelmann L. , Reichrath J. , Krohne G. , Rescher U. , Seidl W. , Mutschler W. , Claes L. , Welter C. , Schartl M.
Published: September 2006

Cells experience a variety of physiological and non‐physiological stresses and consequently have appropriate mechanisms to deal with such deviations from homeostasis. Particularly subject to mechanical stress and shear forces are the cells that make up the bones. Osteoblastic cells can interpret this stress as a stimulus for proliferation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. We have identified annexin II as being specifically upregulated in mechanically stressed osteoblasts and found that increased levels of this protein are necessary for 1[alpha],25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3mediated augmentation of the proliferative response of osteoblasts after mechanical stress. Our data demonstrate a novel interaction between 1[alpha],25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3and annexin II in the proliferative response of osteoblasts as well as a novel function for annexin II in the stress response. These findings may offer new therapeutic opportunities for conditions that require regenerative osteoblastic activity such as osteoporosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 679–692, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expanding role of the loss prevention professional: Past, present, and future
Authors: Hendershot Dennis C. , Murphy John F.
Published: September 2006

The forty years of the Loss Prevention Symposium has paralleled the careers of several of us in the loss prevention profession. During this time period, at the Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas, and many chemical companies, the role of the loss prevention professional (LPP) has expanded from a concern for fire protection engineering to a more proactive concern for process hazards and process safety management. The role of the LPP has changed primarily because of lessons learned from major chemical processing incidents that have occurred. The Loss Prevention Symposium has served as a forum for discussing these incidents and related process safety technology. For example, Flixborough (1974) demonstrated the concern for large quantities of flammable material in the process. Seveso (1976) demonstrated the necessity to review processes for reactive chemical potentials. Mexico City (1984) illustrated the hazard of large inventories of flammables, the consequences of inadequate separation distances, and the need for adequate firewater supply. Bhopal (1984) clearly emphasized the need to evaluate processes for large toxic inventories that could be released and cause harm to large populations. Pasadena (1989) reemphasized the hazards of large inventories of flammables. In 2003, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigated several serious dust explosion incidents that have awakened industry to the hazards of combustible dusts. The March 2005 Texas City refinery explosion has highlighted concerns for facility siting and the hazards of start‐up operations. Because the root causes of all these incidents were management system deficiencies, the current role of the LPP now focuses on the evaluation of process safety management systems as well as the evaluation of process hazards. The need for a positive safety culture to successfully implement process safety management systems has recently been recognized. This article will explore the effects of major chemical incidents on the role of the LPP past, present, and future. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2006
Phospho‐specific recognition by 14‐3‐3 proteins and antibodies monitored by a high throughput label‐free optical biosensor
Authors: Wu Meng , Coblitz Brian , Shikano Sojin , Long Shunyou , Spieker Matt , Frutos Anthony G. , Mukhopadhyay Sunil , Li Min
Published: September 2006

Label‐free detection of molecular interactions has considerable potential in facilitating assay development. When combined with high throughput capability, it may be applied to small molecule screens for drug candidates. Phosphorylation is a key posttranslational process that confers diverse regulation in biological systems involving specific protein–protein interactions recognizing the phosphorylated motifs. Using a resonant waveguide grating biosensor, the Epic™ System, we have developed a generic assay to quantitatively measure phospho‐specific interactions between a trafficking signal‐phosphorylated SWTY peptide and 14‐3‐3 proteins or anti‐phosphopeptide antibodies. Compared with a solution‐based fluorescence anisotropy assay, our results support that the high throughput resonant waveguide grating biosensor system has favorable technical profiles in detecting protein–protein interactions that recognize phosphorylated motifs. Hence it provides a new generic HTS platform for phospho‐detection.
Occurrence of A‐kinase anchor protein and associated cAMP‐dependent protein kinase in the inner compartment of mammalian mitochondria
Authors: Sardanelli Anna Maria , Signorile Anna , Nuzzi Rosanna , Rasmo Domenico De , Technikova-Dobrova Zuzana , Drahota Zdenek , Occhiello Antonella , Pica Alessandra , Papa Sergio
Published: September 2006

Evidence showing the existence in the inner compartment of rat‐heart mitochondria of AKAP121 and associated PKA is presented. Immunoblotting analysis and trypsin digestion pattern show that 90% or more of mitochondrial C‐PKA, R‐PKA and AKAP121 is localized in the inner mitochondrial compartment, when prepared both from isolated mitochondria or cardiomyocyte cultures. This localization is verified by measurement of the specific catalytic activity of PKA, radiolabelling of R‐PKA by 32P‐phosphorylated C‐PKA and of AKAP by 32P‐phosphorylated R‐PKA and electron microscopy of mitochondria exposed to gold‐conjugated AKAP121 antibody.
Holocene Paleoclimates of India
Authors: Prasad Sushma , Enzel Yehouda
Published: September 2006

We present a comprehensive summary of the available palaeoclimate records from India and compare the results from different proxies. The results indicate (i) fluctuating lake levels during the early Holocene. The period of relatively higher lake levels from increased precipitation efficiency was reached only ∼7.2–6.0 cal kyr BP, possibly due to increased contribution from winter rainfall; (ii) the onset of aridity in NW India could have begun as early as ∼5.3 cal kyr BP. Subsequently, there were multiple wet events but of shorter duration and smaller magnitude than during the mid Holocene; (iii) there is evidence of several short term climate events in the proxy record. However, in the absence of a rigorous chronological framework a detailed regional correlation is not possible at this stage. Finally, a comparison between marine and terrestrial records indicates that episodes of strongest and weakest monsoon winds were not always associated with wettest and driest episodes respectively in the NW Indian lakes.
Remoulding the Critical Junctures Approach
Authors: Hogan John
Published: September 2006

Abstract.This paper improves our understanding of critical junctures, a concept employed in historical institutionalism for exploring change. However, the concept lacks rigour, weakening our ability to define critical junctures. Of late, academics have utilized other mechanisms to identify change in historical institutionalism. Thus, it is within this context that the critical junctures approach is remoulded through the specification of standards, hence reducing uncertainty as to what constitutes a critical juncture. The remoulded approach is employed here in examining change in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' (ICTU) influence over public policy in 1987.

Résumé.Cet article permet de mieux comprendre le concept de conjoncture critique, qui est utilisé en institutionnalisme historique pour explorer le changement. Ce concept, en effet, manque de rigueur, si bien qu'il est difficile de définir les conjonctures critiques. Récemment, les théoriciens de l'institutionnalisme historique ont eu recours à d'autres mécanismes pour cerner le changement. C'est dans ce contexte que nous remanions la méthode des conjonctures critiques en établissant des normes de manière à pouvoir déterminer avec plus de certitude ce qui constitue une conjoncture critique. Nous employons cette méthode remaniée pour examiner l'évolution de l'influence de l'Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) sur les politiques publiques en 1987.
The Governor General and the Prime Ministers: The Making and
Unmaking of Governments
Authors: Messamore Barbara J.
Published: September 2006

The Governor General and the Prime Ministers: The Making and
Unmaking of Governments, Edward McWhinney, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press;
2005, pp. 193.

The political drama surrounding Paul Martin's minority government
awakened media observers to the significance of the governor general, an
office long dismissed as a ceremonial vestige of colonialism. There are
remarkably few works that might enlighten them about the role. In general,
one must seek for such understanding piecemeal through historical studies.
This lays a heavy burden of responsibility on any new work purporting to,
as Edward McWhinney puts it, define “contemporary ground rules for
the exercise of the reserve, discretionary powers of the office”
(19). In this not-so-crowded field, a work by a political scientist of
McWhinney's considerable reputation could well emerge as the
authoritative work on the subject. McWhinney offers it in this spirit,
even appending some “Rules of Constitutional Prudence for a
Contemporary Governor General.” But a note of caution is in
order.
L'islam politique au sud du Sahara—identités,
discours et enjeux.
Authors: Ndiaye Papa Samba
Published: September 2006

L'islam politique au sud du Sahara—identités,
discours et enjeux., Muriel Gomez-Perez (sous la direction de),,
Karthala, 2005, 643p.

Cet ouvrage collectif se propose de présenter le
phénomène de l'islamisme au sud du Sahara. Les
contributions sont le fruit de recherches de terrain et se basent sur
l'analyse de sources écrites. Certaines des contributions ont
été sélectionnées suite à un colloque
international organisé en octobre 2002 à
l'Université Paris 7-Denis-Diderot, sous l'égide
du laboratoire de recherches Sociétés en
développement dans l'espace et dans le temps (SEDET). Le livre
est divisé en quatre parties.
Terrorisme international et marchés de violence.
Authors: Guy Jean-Philip
Published: September 2006

Terrorisme international et marchés de violence.,
Kalulambi Pongo, Martin et Landry, Tristan, Québec : Les Presses de
l'Université Laval, Collection Nord-Sud, 2005, 144 p.

La science politique : cette locution semble parfois prendre des
allures d'oxymore. Dans le contexte actuel, la recherche et les
écrits sur le terrorisme sont parfois plus politiques que
scientifiques. Le problème est important : comment étudier
scientifiquement, cette catégorie si polémique de “
terroriste ”? Martin Kalulambi Pongo et Tristan Landry
s'intéressent pourtant au “ scientifique ” de la
question. Dans Terrorisme international et marchés de
violence, Kalulambi, professeur associé au département
d'histoire de l'Université Nationale de Colombie à
Bogota, et Landry, professionnel de recherche à
l'Université Laval, tentent d'atteindre deux objectifs.
Premièrement, ils dégagent des constantes dans les diverses
guerres civiles à l'aide de la théorie des “
marchés de violence ”. Deuxièmement, ce qu'ils
ont découvert les aide à montrer les failles tant dans
l'étude de ces conflits, que dans la lutte contre-terroriste
elle-même. Leur analyse démontre qu'au-delà des
diverses motivations idéologiques, ces conflits perdurent
grâce à une logistique rationnelle centrée sur les
intérêts des acteurs en place. Les auteurs montrent en outre
que ces conflits sont aussi des moteurs du terrorisme international.
Negotiating Citizenship: Migrant Women in Canada and the Global
System
Authors: Soares Judith
Published: September 2006

Negotiating Citizenship: Migrant Women in Canada and the Global
System, Daiva K. Stasiulis and Abigail B. Bakan, Toronto: University
of Toronto Press, 2005, pp. 233.

Negotiating Citizenship is a thoughtful, well-researched and
insightful book concerned with the topical issue of citizenship and
contesting citizenship rights within the context of global capitalism. It
is a timely and comprehensive piece that interrogates and dissects
traditional theories of citizenship, and offers an alternative theoretical
perspective on the basis of examining the status and condition of foreign
domestic workers and nurses who migrate to Canada from two similar but
different regions of the world: the Caribbean and the Phillipines. In
creating the context for discussion, the work takes the reader on the
journey of these migrant women workers from their home countries in the
“Third World” where national labour markets are becoming
increasingly unable to absorb surplus labour and where they have been
adversely affected by the anti-social structural adjustment policies of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to the more economically developed
Canada where the state encourages them to work without providing them with
citizenship rights. By so doing, as the text points out, the Canadian
state, which still has primacy under globalization, reinforces the
vulnerability of an already vulnerable social group for which migration is
a survival strategy.
Canadian Newspaper Ownership in the Era of Convergence
Authors: Winseck Dwayne
Published: September 2006

Canadian Newspaper Ownership in the Era of Convergence,
Walter C. Soderlund and Kai Hildebrandt, Edmonton, Alberta: University of
Alberta, 2005, pp. 194.

This timely book contributes to ongoing debates in Canada about media
ownership. The opening chapters summarize government responses to
concentrated media ownership since the 1970s and survey some
academic studies on the issue. The study's carefully compiled data on
the influence of changes in ownership on content poses a strong challenge
to those who see media moguls as using the media to pursue their own
ideological and corporate agendas. Journalistic values, organizational
realities and the relentless challenge of new technologies severely
constrain such action, claim Soderlund, Hildebrandt and two others who
contribute to this volume, Ron Wagenberg and Walt Romanow. Perhaps the
best chapters in the book are those dealing with the creation by CanWest,
one of Canada's largest media organizations, of its ill-fated
National Editorial Policy and the dismissal of Ottawa Citizen
publisher Russell Mills.
Redrawing Local Government Boundaries: An International Study of
Politics, Procedures, and Decisions
Authors: Urbaniak Tom
Published: September 2006

Redrawing Local Government Boundaries: An International Study of
Politics, Procedures, and Decisions, John Meligrana, ed., Vancouver:
University of British Columbia Press, 2004, pp. 246.

Canadian readers will appreciate this book because it shows us that we
are not alone. Our perennial obsession with adjusting, sometimes
completely redrawing, local-government boundaries has its counterparts
near and far. There is a trajectory and a pattern: Senior levels of
government generally want to see local governments with larger
territories. However, the decision-making and implementation processes,
and the results of those processes, have scarcely been examined or
compared from an international perspective. Even policy makers often have
been in the dark about others' best (or worst) practices. This book
is therefore very useful.
Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War
Authors: Kinsella David
Published: September 2006

Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War, Edward
D. Mansfield and Jack Snyder, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2005, pp. x,
300.

Research by political scientists has established, fairly conclusively,
that democratically governed states rarely go to war against each other.
There is also evidence to suggest that democracies tend not to become
embroiled in militarized disputes short of war. The policy implications of
this body of scholarly research seem clear: one path to a more peaceful
world is by encouraging, pressuring, even forcing autocratic governments
to embrace democracy. Not so fast, say Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder in
Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War, for a
glaring exception to the “democratic peace” is their finding
that societies undergoing democratic transitions may in fact be rather
warlike.
Reply to Wyller
Authors: Hyman John
Published: September 2006

In my article ‘Pains and Places’ (Philosophy 78 (2003)), I argue, first, that sensations, such as aches and pains, are generally in the places where we say they are; and second, that sensations are states or modes of the sensitive parts of the bodies of sentient animals. Here I reply to Trus Wyller’s criticism of my views, in his article ‘The Place of Pain in Life’ (Philosophy 80 (2005)), and I comment on Kant’s claim, in his Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, that ‘I am as immediately in my finger-tip as I am in my head’.
Crossing enemy boundaries: al-Buhturī's ode on the ruins of Ctesiphon re-read in the light of Virgil and Wilfred Owen
Authors: SPERL STEFAN
Published: September 2006

This article seeks to gain a better understanding of a famous ode by the ‘Abbāsid court poet al-Buhturī (d. 897) by comparing it with two other works which exhibit a similar thematic development. One is an extract from The Aeneid by Virgil (d. 19 BC), the other a poem by Wilfred Owen (d. 1918). The three texts emanate from imperial identities (Roman, Arab and British) in a state of crisis, which in turn paves the way for cathartic encounters with an alien other that each involves an act of recognition. The comparison uncovers certain similarities in the psychological impact of this encounter and thereby throws a new light on the carefully crafted structure of al-Buhturī's ode. The experience described by the three texts emerges as an expression of man's universal quest for his lost self, and its recovery—however momentarily—in the very heart of his supposed foe.
Negation and the causative verb shi in Han period Chinese
Authors: MEISTERERNST BARBARA
Published: September 2006

In this paper, a synchronic study of the syntax and the semantics of the causative verb shi in Han period Chinese, particularly in combination with negatives, is at issue. Two different structures involving negation of this verb exist in Han period Chinese: first, (NP1) NEGshi NP2 V2P and second (NP1) shi NP2NEG V2P. A thorough analysis of the first structure ‘(NP1) NEGshi NP2 V2P' shows that two different semantic interpretations are required to account for the syntactic differences between the two structures. The article proposes that the first structure has to be analysed as an analytic causative construction with a visible causative verb which, in its negated form, contrasts with an affirmative causative construction. The negative has scope over the entire causative construction including V1 and V2P, whereas in the second structure the negative has only scope over V2P
Balancing evidence and public opinion in health technology assessments: The case of leukoreduction
Authors: Cleemput Irina , Leys Mark , Ramaekers Dirk , Bonneux Luc
Published: September 2006

Leukoreduction, filtering white blood cells from transfusion blood, effectively avoids leukocyte-related complications of blood transfusion. The technology has proven its relative cost-effectiveness for specific patient populations. With the advent of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a transmittable spongiform encephalopathy caused by mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), the hard hit United Kingdom introduced universal leukoreduction for all patients as a precaution for transmission of prions in 1999. This costly policy was followed by many other countries, in the absence of much evidence of an actual health problem or of a more than presumed effectiveness of leukoreduction in preventing prion transmission. The core problem proved to be legal. The blood banks are legally accountable for blood safety. This accountability is absolute, based on avoidance of all possible risks, regardless of costs. This strategy leads to inefficiencies in health care: (i) blood safety management is guided by available rather than cost-effective technology, and (ii) private insurance premiums for civil liability are sharply increasing, while they are in no way related to the expected returns and the high and increasing blood safety. A rational safety policy is to be optimal, taking into account costs and effects of the safety procedures. This issue will need an open discussion with the general public of the real risks and a clear and unambiguous definition of proportionality in the precautionary principle, based on the European law.
Need for high-quality studies in health technology assessments: The case of a systematic review of treatment for retinoblastoma
Authors: Mc Daid Catriona M. , Hartley Suzanne , Bagnall Anne-Marie , Ritchie Gill , Light Kate , Riemsma Robert P.
Published: September 2006

Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the evidence for treatments for retinoblastoma in children.

Methods: Seventeen electronic databases were searched. Two reviewers independently selected studies. Studies of participants diagnosed with childhood retinoblastoma, any interventions, and all clinical outcomes were eligible. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials and cohort studies with clear comparisons between treatment groups were included. Methodological quality was assessed.

Results: Thirty-one observational comparative studies were included, of which twenty-seven were retrospective. The methodological quality was generally poor, with a high risk of selection bias in all studies. Although there were high levels of treatment success in many of the studies, due to the limitations of the evidence identified, it was not possible to make meaningful and robust conclusions about the relative effectiveness of different treatment approaches for retinoblastoma in children.

Conclusions: Good quality randomized controlled trials are required. Where controlled trials are not feasible, only high quality prospective, nonrandomized studies should be given consideration, due to the generally higher risk of bias in retrospective studies.
Cost-effectiveness of self-management in asthma: A systematic review of peak flow monitoring interventions
Authors: Willems Daniëlle C. M. , Joore Manuela A. , Hendriks Johannes J. E. , Wouters Emiel F. M. , Severens Johan L.
Published: September 2006

Objectives: It is generally accepted that home peak flow monitoring increases patients' self-management and could lead to cost savings. The aim of this review was to analyze costs and the cost-effectiveness of self-management based on peak flow monitoring interventions in asthma.

Methods: Twenty-one studies were included in this review. Data were extracted, and methodological and economic quality were assessed. These studies presented economic information regarding self-management interventions based on peak flow monitoring in asthmatics. The mean methodological quality was 4.6 (maximum 8), and the mean economic quality was 12.0 (maximum 15).

Results: In eighteen studies, the interventions led to net savings compared with usual care or less intensive intervention. Only three studies found the total costs to be higher in the intervention group. In thirteen of the seventeen studies that analyzed health outcomes, at least one of the reported health outcomes improved statistically significantly after the intervention. However, the methods of economic evaluation differed among the studies and were not always in line with the standard methodology.

Conclusions: The interventions, costs, and outcomes were very diverse. The results emphasize the need for guidelines to increase the comparability of cost-effectiveness evaluations relating to asthma. Only then will it be possible to conclude whether interventions for asthmatics, such as self-management based on peak flow monitoring interventions, are cost-effective.
Methodological approach for assessing the cost-effectiveness of treatments using longitudinal observational data: The SOHO study
Authors: Windmeijer Frank , Kontodimas Stathis , Knapp Martin , Brown Jacqueline , Haro Josep Maria
Published: September 2006

Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop a method to allocate treatment effects when patients switch medication frequently in longitudinal observational studies and apply the approach to assess the cost-effectiveness of treatments in the Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study.

Methods: Data were collected on patients at entry to the SOHO study at 3, 6, and 12 months. The 12-month follow-up period was considered as three epochs: 0–3 months, 3–6 months, and 6–12 months. Patients who switched treatment at 3 months had their new treatment considered as a new baseline observation, as these two 3-month observations provide two sets of information on the cost-effectiveness of a drug in the first 3 months after initiation. Multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for baseline covariates. The model allowed for flexible functional forms, and the cost data were modeled using an exponential mean function. Bootstrapping assessed the uncertainty of the estimated parameters and incremental cost-effectiveness analysis decision rule.

Results and Conclusions: We show the feasibility of the epoch analysis approach using data from the SOHO study comparing two antipsychotics. Estimates for the incremental cost and effectiveness per epoch over the full 12-month period are presented. Using the estimates of 200 bootstrap samples, we demonstrate how one drug is cost-effective compared with another.
Summaries of selected publications from the Health Evidence Network of World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
Authors: Eklund Leena
Published: September 2006

The Health Evidence Network (HEN) was established approximately 3 years ago as a service to the health policy makers in the fifty-two member states of World Health Organization (WHO) Europe. The objective of the HEN is to (i) make it easier for policy makers to access evidence-based studies in the field of health, and to (ii) provide synthesis of available evidence around specific policy issues in health.
Analysis of the pharmaceuticals market and its technological development in Turkey
Authors: Kisa Adnan
Published: September 2006

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to analyze the current structure of the Turkish pharmaceuticals market to explain the latest developments and to offer some insight into the likely policy issues that this sector will face.

Methods: Systematic searches of the relevant Turkish and English research literature were made, using electronic databases in addition to written reports.

Results: The pharmaceutical industry in Turkey currently has eighty-seven manufacturing firms, eleven raw material manufacturers and thirty-eight importing firms. These add up to a total of 136 firms, 35 of which are driven by foreign capital, with 8 of these foreign-run firms having their own plants in Turkey. The industry employs approximately 19,000 personnel. In terms of growth, the value of pharmaceutical products in Turkey recently has exceeded that in Europe. In addition, per capita drug consumption levels are quite low compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and European Union countries. Major international players in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical products sector have also been opening offices in Turkey to reap the benefits of this rapidly evolving market.

Conclusions: The pharmaceutical industry in Turkey is quite advanced and diverse, with high quality, generic pharmaceutical products being manufactured as well as poor quality copies that have not been appropriately tested in terms of bioequivalence and bioavailability. The country faces a low level of drug consumption due to economic and cultural constraints compared with Western countries. Governmental control and regulations are key issues because the majority of drug purchases (70–80 percent) throughout the country are currently reimbursable through public sector agencies such as the Pension Fund and the Social Insurance Organization.
Phagocytosis of PLGA Microparticles in Rat Peritoneal Exudate Cells: A Time-Dependent Study
Authors: Gomes Anderson de Jesus , Lunardi Claure Nain , Caetano Flávio Henrique , Lunardi Laurelúcia Orive , Machado Antonio Eduardo da Hora
Published: September 2006

With the purpose of enhancing the efficacy of microparticle-encapsulated therapeutic agents, in this study we evaluated the phagocytic ability of rat peritoneal exudate cells and the preferential location of poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles inside these cells. The microparticles used were produced by a solvent evaporation method and were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Size distribution analysis using DLS and SEM showed that the particles were spherical, with diameters falling between 0.5 and 1.5 μm. Results from cell adhesion by SEM assay, indicated that the PLGA microparticles are not toxic to cells and do not cause any distinct damage to them as confirmed by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Among the large variety of cell populations found in the peritoneal exudates (neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages), TEM showed that only the latter phagocytosed PLGA microparticles, in a time-dependent manner. The results obtained indicate that the microparticles studied show merits as possible carriers of drugs for intracellular delivery.
Spatially Resolved Energy Electron Loss Spectroscopy Studies of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Jasinski Jacek , Pinkerton Kent E. , Kennedy I.M. , Leppert Valerie J.
Published: September 2006

The oxidation state of iron oxide nanoparticles co-generated with soot during a combustion process was studied using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Spatially resolved EELS spectra in the scanning transmission electron microscopy mode were collected to detect changes in the oxidation state between the cores and surfaces of the particles. Quantification of the intensity ratio of the white lines of the ironL-ionization edge was used to measure the iron oxidation state. Quantitative results obtained from Pearson's method, which can be directly compared with the literature data, indicated that theL3/L2-intensity ratio for these particles changes from 5.5 ± 0.3 in the particles' cores to 4.4 ± 0.3 at their surfaces. This change can be directly related to the reduction of the iron oxidation state at the surface of the particles. Experimental results indicate that the cores of the particles are composed of γ-Fe2O3, which seems to be reduced to FeO at their surfaces. These results were also supported by the fine structure of the oxygenK-edge and by the significant chemical shift of the ironL-edge.
EELS Investigations of Different Niobium Oxide Phases
Authors: Bach D. , Störmer H. , Schneider R. , Gerthsen D. , Verbeeck J.
Published: September 2006

Electron energy loss spectra in conjunction with near-edge fine
structures of purely stoichiometric niobium monoxide (NbO) and niobium
pentoxide (Nb2O5) reference materials were recorded.
The structures of the niobium oxide reference materials were checked by
selected area electron diffraction to ensure a proper assignment of the
fine structures. NbO and Nb2O5 show clearly
different energy loss near-edge fine structures of the Nb-M4,5
and -M2,3 edges and of the O-K edge, reflecting the specific
local environments of the ionized atoms. To distinguish the two oxides in
a quantitative manner, the intensities under the Nb-M4,5 as
well as Nb-M2,3 edges and the O-K edge were measured and their
ratios calculated. k-factors were also derived from these
measurements.
Species‐specific responses of calcifying algae to changing seawater carbonate chemistry
Authors: Langer Gerald , Geisen Markus , Baumann Karl‐Heinz , Kläs Jessica , Riebesell Ulf , Thoms Silke , Young Jeremy R.
Published: September 2006

Uptake of half of the fossil fuel CO2 into the ocean causes gradual seawater acidification. This has been shown to slow down calcification of major calcifying groups, such as corals, foraminifera, and coccolithophores. Here we show that two of the most productive marine calcifying species, the coccolithophores Coccolithus pelagicus and Calcidiscus leptoporus, do not follow the CO2‐related calcification response previously found. In batch culture experiments, particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) of C. leptoporus changes with increasing CO2 concentration in a nonlinear relationship. A PIC optimum curve is obtained, with a maximum value at present‐day surface ocean pCO2 levels (∼360 ppm CO2). With particulate organic carbon (POC) remaining constant over the range of CO2 concentrations, the PIC/POC ratio also shows an optimum curve. In the C. pelagicus cultures, neither PIC nor POC changes significantly over the CO2 range tested, yielding a stable PIC/POC ratio. Since growth rate in both species did not change with pCO2, POC and PIC production show the same pattern as POC and PIC. The two investigated species respond differently to changes in the seawater carbonate chemistry, highlighting the need to consider species‐specific effects when evaluating whole ecosystem responses. Changes of calcification rate (PIC production) were highly correlated to changes in coccolith morphology. Since our experimental results suggest altered coccolith morphology (at least in the case of C. leptoporus) in the geological past, coccoliths originating from sedimentary records of periods with different CO2 levels were analyzed. Analysis of sediment samples was performed on six cores obtained from locations well above the lysocline and covering a range of latitudes throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Scanning electron micrograph analysis of coccolith morphologies did not reveal any evidence for significant numbers of incomplete or malformed coccoliths of C. pelagicus and C. leptoporus in last glacial maximum and Holocene sediments. The discrepancy between experimental and geological results might be explained by adaptation to changing carbonate chemistry.
Origin of heavy ions in upstream events near the Earth's bow shock
Authors: Desai M. I. , Mason G. M. , Mazur J. E. , Dwyer J. R.
Published: September 2006

We have surveyed the ∼20–160 keV/nucleon heavy ion composition of 2102 upstream events observed by the Wind/STEP instrument near the Earth's bow shock over a complete solar cycle from day 325, 1994 through day 90, 2006. Our main results are: (1) During solar minimum conditions, both the C/O and Fe/O ratios are similar to the corresponding values measured in the solar wind and/or CIRs. (2) During solar maximum conditions, the C/O ratio is similar to that measured in SEP and CME‐driven IP shock events, while the Fe/O ratio lies between the values measured in IP shock and SEP events. We conclude that the source material for upstream events near the Earth's bow shock originates from a dynamic suprathermal ion population that is dominated by ions accelerated in SEP events during solar maximum conditions and by suprathermal solar wind ions and/or those accelerated in CIRs during solar minimum conditions.
Temperature and density dependence of the light and heavy water ultraviolet absorption edge
Authors: Marin Timothy W. , Takahashi Kenji , Bartels David M.
Published: September 2006

Characteristics of the ultraviolet absorption band edge of high-pressure light and heavy water are reported over the temperature range of 25-400°C, extending into the supercritical regime. A gradual redshift in the absorption band edge of ∼0.6eV is observed with increasing temperature. This shift cannot be explained by vibrational hot band growth or changes in the degree of Rayleigh scattering with increasing temperature, and is ascribed to a shift of the electronic transition energy. The density dependence for the absorption edge in 400°C supercritical water was also examined, and showed a suprising ∼0.1eV blueshift over a factor of 3.5 decrease in density. This shift may be due to a narrowing of the absorption spectrum with decreasing density. It is proposed that the previously reported “red tail” of the water absorption extending into the near ultraviolet and visible could be attributed to preresonant Rayleigh scattering, and that the true onset of liquid water absorption is approximately 5.8eV at 25°C.
Vibration-free cryostat for low-noise applications of a pulse tube cryocooler
Authors: Caparrelli S. , Majorana E. , Moscatelli V. , Pascucci E. , Perciballi M. , Puppo P. , Rapagnani P. , Ricci F.
Published: September 2006

A new generation of gravitational wave interferometers is under study with the main goal to significantly improve the sensitivity of the detectors presently taking data. Two of the dominant noises which limit the present sensitivity of the interferometers are the thermal noise of the suspended optics and the thermal lensing process. At low temperature it is possible to reduce both these effects. Pulse tube cryocooler technology is a quite promising in this field, but it vibrates and it implies a mechanical link between the cooling element (cold finger) and the thermal load. We developed a vibration-free cryostat equipped with soft mechanical links to attenuate the transmission of cold finger vibration whose amplitude is attenuated by more than two orders of magnitude by means of an active system.