bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Industrial Product Performance: The Effects of Market Characteristics and Strategy*
Authors: Yoon Eunsang , Lilien Gary L.
Published: September 2003

There's no need to state again the complexity of the problem of achieving high performance in the new product process. What we do need is a framework to help sort out the complexity, and that is what Eunsang Yoon and Gary Lilien provide in this article. They first differentiate between original and reformulated new products. Then they examine how patterns of R&D and marketing activities determine short and long‐run success.
Problems in Demand Estimation For a New Technology
Authors: Thomas Robert J.
Published: September 2003

It is difficult to estimate demand for a new product or service when a prelaunch test market is not practical. This is often the case for products that incorporate advanced technology. In this article, Robert Thomas reviews 29 different research methodologies used to measure demand for a new telecommunications service. He found several problems in how the research was designed and executed and offers a number of suggestions for improving the accuracy of demand estimates.
Strategic Alternatives in Emerging Industries
Authors: Macdonald Roderick J.
Published: September 2003

Managers of firms in emerging industries face major challenges in coping with the day‐to‐day crises that arise from constantly changing operating conditions. But they also face more subtle strategic challenges that have to be addressed successfully if the firm is ultimately to survive. Rod Macdonald says there are three basic strategic options for these firms, and in this article he provides the analysis to help managers think their way through the difficult choices.
Beyond the Life Cycle: Organizational and Technological Design. I. An Alternative Perspective
Authors: DeBresson Chris , Lampel Joseph
Published: September 2003

The life cycle model has become part of the everyday vocabulary of management and is used as a rough simplification of rather complex phenomena. Chris DeBresson and Joseph Lampel have undertaken a thorough re‐examination of the underlying assumptions of the model and propose a reformulation that they believe gives a better approximation of the dynamics of technological and organizational change. The basis for their reformulation is a survey of 4000 British and Canadian innovations in many industries over some 30 years.

In a companion article immediately following this one, the authors illustrate their reformulation by a detailed analysis of one firm in one industry.
Beyond the Life Cycle. II. An Illustration
Authors: DeBresson Chris , Lampel Joseph
Published: September 2003

In the preceding article, Chris DeBresson and Joseph Lampel propose a new, nonlinear view of technological evolution. In this article, they use their new model to take us through the changes in one firm over a period of more than 50 years. Their model emerges as less constraining in strategic options than in the traditional view, and richer in its representation of technological change.
Guidelines for Corporate Trademark Licensing
Authors: Meyer Thomas A. , Tinney Cathie H. , Tinney Terry J.
Published: September 2003

Licensing a trademark in many firms, if it occurs at all, is an incidental ad hoc arrangement. An unorganized approach can mean trouble. It can also mean the firm is losing an opportunity to exploit fully a valuable asset. Tom Meyer, Cathie Tinney, and Terry Tinney argue that trademark licensing is deserving of careful attention and planning.
Barriers to Innovation: Intraorganizational Dislocations
Authors: More Roger A.
Published: September 2003

In this editorial PERSPECTIVE, Roger More asks that researchers and managers address explicitly some of the barriers to innovation that we build into the innovation process by the way we organize and manage new product development. He calls these barriers “dislocations” and suggests that they need to be recognized explicitly and addressed by a fundamental restructuring of our human systems.
Improving the Strategy‐Innovation Link
Authors: Ramanujam Vasudevan , Mensch Gerhard O.
Published: September 2003

In spite of the tremendous impact that new technology has had on every aspect of business operations, we have yet to develop a satisfactory way of incorporating innovation in our strategic thinking processes. However, we are making progress. A further step in our understanding is provided in this article by Gerhard Mensch, the recent winner of the Humboldt prize for his creative work in economics, and Vasudevan Ramanujam. They collaborate in developing a model that links strategy and innovation by relating innovation activities to strategic goals of the firm and the external pressures that are perceived by management.
Sources of Competitive Rivalry in Japan
Authors: Campbell Nigel
Published: September 2003

The fact of the Japanese competitive success on a world scale is well established and we have been offered many reasons for that success. But we know much less about their competitiveness on their domestic markets. And we know even less of the underlying sources of their competitive behavior. Nigel Campbell has studied many facets of Japanese life—the history and culture, the geography and economic structure, the present‐day patterns of thinking—and draws for us the structure of the rivalry that we see expressed in global competition. His article is a useful background for any manager seeking a competitive advantage.
A New Positioning Typology
Authors: Crawford C. Merle
Published: September 2003

When Merle Crawford set out to document the actual positioning practices of firms selling products and services in consumer and industrial markets, he had in mind the development of a straightforward typological description. He didn't expect to turn up a surprising new strategy category. What he found was that in addition to using product attributes as devices for differentiating their products from competitors', businesses frequently use one of several approaches that are substitutes for attribute positioning. He calls the new category “surrogate” positioning. Dr. Crawford says that surrogates permit a seller to communicate product attributes without having to describe them, and at the same time permit the description to be tailor‐made to each individual who reads the advertisement.
Creating Brand Names That Work
Authors: Opatow Lorna
Published: September 2003

When it comes to brands, what's in a name is everything—a product is not a brand until you name it. What you call your product makes a difference. In addition to making the product yours and no one else's, a good brand name can create a competitive edge by being memorable, by communicating the special qualities of the product, and by setting the stage for a line of future products. Lorna Opatow brings practical experience to this article in which she identifies the problems and the promises in choosing brand names, and then provides guidelines for creating, developing, and evaluating them prior to testing for market acceptance.
Get Ready for Innovation by Invasion
Authors: Mensch Gerhard O.
Published: September 2003

From many years of field research in West Germany and the United States, and especially from a recent study of relatively mature firms in Ohio, Gerhard Mensch has become aware of the disruption caused by the invasion of industries by new technologies from the outside. He sees the frequency of these invasions increasing in coming years for reasons that go beyond technological matters to the pressures for change coming from the capital markets. In this Perspective, he suggests the invasions can be countered and the capital markets satisfied by giving a more prominent role to the innovation manager in the strategy development process.
The Need for a Field of Study of Implementation of Innovations
Authors: Voss C. A.
Published: September 2003

The study of innovation has been approached from many disciplines and from the point of view of different real life problems. As a result, we have a series of clusters of knowledge that are related but seldom integrated. Chris Voss suggests it is time we closed at least one of these gaps. He suggests there should be a field of study should be established that will build a bridge between work on the process of innovation and work on the diffusion of innovation. He presents a starting point for the new field of study.
Fear of pregnancy and childbirth
Authors: Hofberg K , Ward M R
Published: September 2003

Pregnancy is a major life event for all women. However, when a psychiatric disorder is added to or exacerbated by the pregnancy then the problem requires expert knowledge from more than one area of medicine. This paper looks at pregnancy and the relationship with depression, eating disorders, and pathological fear of childbirth or tokophobia. It also examines the outcome for these women and their babies. Mental illness is a serious concern. It is now recognised that death from suicide is the leading cause of maternal death overall. Research in these areas is relatively sparse but an attempt is made to collate what is known.
Sarcoidosis and HIV infection: a case report and a review of the literature
Authors: Trevenzoli M , Cattelan A M , Marino F , Marchioro U , Cadrobbi P
Published: September 2003

Sarcoidosis occurring in patients with AIDS is rare. This infrequent association has been attributed to the impairment of the immune system that may interfere with the granuloma formation in HIV infected patients. However, the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has brought about a substantial and sustained increase in CD4+ T lymphocyte cells, and has consequently led to the development of the so called “immune restoration disease”.

The case of an HIV infected man who developed sarcoidosis after the initiation of HAART is described. Skin nodule images and histological specimens are reported. The association between sarcoidosis and HIV infection is also reviewed.
On the Moduli of a Quantized Elastica in ℙ and KdV Flows: Study of Hyperelliptic Curves as an Extension of Euler's Perspective of Elastica I
Authors: Matsutani Shigeki , Ônishi Yoshihiro
Published: September 2003

Quantization needs evaluation of all of states of a quantized object rather than its stationary states with respect to its energy. In this paper, we have investigated moduli [Formula: see text] of a quantized elastica, a quantized loop with an energy functional associated with the Schwarz derivative, on a Riemann sphere ℙ. Then it is proved that its moduli space is decomposed to a set of equivalent classes determined by flows obeying the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) hierarchy which conserve the energy. Since the flow obeying the KdV hierarchy has a natural topology, it induces topology in the moduli space [Formula: see text]. Using the topology, [Formula: see text] is classified.

Studies on a loop space in the category of topological spaces Top are well-established and its cohomological properties are well-known. As the moduli space of a quantized elastica can be regarded as a loop space in the category of differential geometry DGeom, we also proved an existence of a functor between a triangle category related to a loop space in Top and that in DGeom using the induced topology.

As Euler investigated the elliptic integrals and its moduli by observing a shape of classical elastica on [Formula: see text], this paper devotes relations between hyperelliptic curves and a quantized elastica on ℙ as an extension of Euler's perspective of elastica.
Generation of Terahertz Emission Based on Intersubband Transitions
Authors: Hu Qing
Published: September 2003

In this chapter, we present our work on the development of coherent THz sources based on intersubband transition in quantum-well structures. The main focus is on electrically pumped or quantum-cascade structures, which have been quite successful in generating coherent radiation at mid-infrared frequencies. Relevant issues, such as various depopulation intersubband scattering rates, the role of complex phonon spectra, and coherent vs. incoherent tunneling are discussed in details. Optically pumped sources, including optical parametric amplifiers, and both intersubband and interband pumped THz emitters, are also investigated for their feasibility in generating coherent THz radiations.
ADVANCES IN QUANTUM-DOT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY: THE PATH TO APPLICATION IN BIOLOGY
Authors: STROSCIO M. A. , DUTTA M.
Published: September 2003

This account presents a survey of recent advances in quantum-dot research and technology and highlights trends of key significance as they relate to the emerging applications of quantum-dot technology in biology.
CARRIER CAPTURE AND TRANSPORT WITHIN TUNNEL INJECTION LASERS: A QUANTUM TRANSPORT ANALYSIS
Authors: REGISTER LEONARD F. , CHEN WANQIANG , ZHENG XIN , STROSCIO MICHAEL
Published: September 2003

Hot electron distributions within the active region of quantum well lasers lead to gain suppression, reduced quantum efficiency, and increased diffusion capacitance, greater low-frequency roll-off and high-frequency chirp. Recently, "tunnel injection lasers" have been developed to minimize electron heating within the active quantum well region by direct injection of cool electrons from the separate confinement region into the lasing subband(s) through a tunneling barrier. Tunnel injection lasers, however, also present a rich physics of transport and scattering, and a correspondingly rich set of challenges to simulation and device optimization. In this work, some of the fundamental physics of carrier capture and transport that should be addressed for optimization of such lasers is elucidated using Schrödinger Equation Monte Carlo (SEMC) based quantum transport simulation. In the process, qualitative limitations of the Golden-Rule of scattering in this application are pointed out by comparison. Specifically, a Golden-Rule-based analysis of the carrier injection into the active region of the ideal tunnel injection laser would suggest approximately uniform injection of electrons among the nominally degenerate quantum well states from the separate confinement region states. However, such an analysis ignores (via a random-phase approximation among the final states) the basic real-space transport requirement that injected carriers still must pass through the wells sequentially, coherently or otherwise, with an associated attenuation of the injected current into each subsequent well due to electron-hole recombination in the prior well. Transport among the wells then can be either thermionic, or, of theoretically increasing importance for low temperature carriers, via tunneling. Coherent resonant tunneling between wells, however, is sensitive to the potential drops between wells that split the energies of the lasing subbands and (further) localozes the electron states to individual wells. In this work such transport issues are elucidated using Schrödinger Equation Monte Carlo (SEMC) based quantum transport simulation.
Trapping Microparticles with Strongly Inhomogeneous Magnetic Fields
Authors: Lyuksyutov I. F. , Lyuksyutova A. , Naugle D. G. , Rathnayaka K. D. D.
Published: September 2003

By using micron size permanent magnets we have trapped directly single diamagnetic micron size polystyrene microspheres inside a buffer solution with a magnetic field and demonstrated self-assembly of several hundred microns long chains of microspheres in magnetic traps.
Do All Securities Class Actions Have the Same Merit? A Stock Market Perspective
Authors: Loh Charmen , Rathinasamy R. S.
Published: September 2003

Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10(b)-5 makes it unlawful for companies to make misleading statements about their prospects or to omit the disclosure of negative information. Our examination of 290 Rule 10(b)-5 lawsuits filed in the 1996–1998 period yielded two important results. First, stocks of the defendant companies, in the aggregate, experience significant declines around the time of the first filing of lawsuits. Second, not all cases have the same merit, for among the reasons that prompted the filing of class-action litigation, only four groups — those that involve accounting irregularities, fraud, making overly optimistic statements, and failure to disclose negative news — result in the most significant filing-date stock declines.
Study on the Non-Random and Chaotic Behavior of Chinese Equities Market
Authors: Chu Patrick K. K.
Published: September 2003

After the stock market crash of October 19, 1987, interest in nonlinear dynamics and chaotic dynamics have increased in the field of financial analysis. The extent that the daily return data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Index exhibit non-random, nonlinear and chaotic characteristics are investigated by employing various tests from chaos theory. The Hurst exponent in R/S analysis rejects the hypothesis that the index return series are random, independent and identically distributed. The BDS test provides evidence for nonlinearity. The estimated correlation dimensions provide evidence for deterministic chaotic behaviors.
Risk under "One Country and Two Systems": Evidence from Class A, B and H Shares of Chinese Listed Companies
Authors: Zhang Yimin , Zhao Ronald
Published: September 2003

Chinese listed companies issue Class A, B and H shares to Chinese, foreign and Hong Kong investors, respectively. Entitled to exactly the same rights and obligations, the three classes of shares are, however, traded at significantly different prices. The valuation differential is attributable to the different responses to the country-specific risk related to the emerging Chinese stock market by the three categories of investors. The country risk of China can be decomposed into political risk, exchange rate risk, interest rate risk and market risk. Empirical tests provide strong evidence to support the decomposition model. Compared with Chinese investors of A-shares, foreign investors would require a higher rate of return for B-shares to adjust for the political risk of China, reflecting a differential in the risk premium required on the world capital market. In comparison, the Hong Kong investors, who have greater tolerance of the political risk involved in H-shares as a result of the increasing integration between the Hong Kong and Chinese markets under "one country and two systems", are willing to pay a higher price for H-shares relative to B-shares.
ADVERTISING GOD: NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN VIDEO-FILMS AND THE POWER OF CONSUMER CULTURE
Authors: Ukah Asonzeh
Published: September 2003

Pentecostalism in Nigeria is increasingly altering the way that those who are attracted in large numbers by its practices and resources perceive their relationship with local culture and material goods. One of the practices of Pentecostalism that has captured popular imagination is the production of Christian video-films. This paper discusses how these popular narratives negotiate both the local worldview and the cultural marketplace. It argues that the rhetoric of Pentecostalism as portrayed in locally produced video-films is implicated in changing consumer tastes and behaviour. Although this type of Pentecostalism speaks the language of traditional worldviews in terms of the emphasis on occultism, it is harnessed to a project of westernised system of commodity consumption.
Variability of FVC and FEV1 due to technician, team, device and subject in an eight centre study: three quality control studies in SAPALDIA. Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Disease in Adults
Authors: Kunzli N , Ackermann-Liebrich U , Keller R , Perruchoud AP , Schindler C
Published: September 2003

Lung function testing of a random population sample in the eight SAPALDIA (Swiss study on air pollution and lung diseases in adults) centres had to be performed simultaneously, within one year, by eight teams and 23 technicians. We conducted quality control studies to test for technician, team and device related systematic measurement errors. To assess technician effects, each centre conducted a study involving 12-19 subjects. Two studies with 13 participants each addressed team and device effects. In all studies, volunteers repeatedly performed spirometry with different technicians or devices. Effects due to technician, team or device were estimated (analysis of variance). Neither "technician" within any of eight teams nor "team" accounted for significant differences of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). The Device Effect Study revealed 10% lower FVC values for device No. 1 due to a technical problem occurring during the test day but not in the main SAPALDIA study. Further investigations revealed potential hardware and software sources of error which are not recognizable by trained technicians. These studies gave no evidence for systematic errors due to technician, team or device during the main SAPALDIA study. However, they revealed potential sources of error in modern devices, which function as "black boxes". Manufacturers should improve spirometry software to further enhance the technicians' attempts at accurate assessment.
Latent pulmonary function abnormalities in children with Crohn's disease
Authors: Munck A , Murciano D , Pariente R , Cezard JP , Navarro J
Published: September 2003

Recently, latent pulmonary involvement has been described in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease. It is unknown, however, whether this also occurs in children, and whether the pulmonary abnormalities differ between the acute phase and remission. The incidence of pulmonary abnormalities has been investigated in 26 children with acute or quiescent Crohn's disease in terms of the following parameters: clinical pulmonary symptoms, chest roentgenograms and pulmonary function tests, including lung transfer factor for carbon monoxide (TLCO). One child had a severe digital clubbing. Chest radiographs were normal in all subjects. No significant differences were found between acute and quiescent phase for pulmonary volumes and expiratory flows, but TLCO (% predicted) was significantly decreased during the active phase of the disease as compared to remission (53 +/- 15 vs 81 +/- 19% predicted). These data suggest that latent pulmonary involvement is also present in a paediatric population with active Crohn's disease, despite a short disease history and absence of smoking. Although the nature of this abnormality remains unclear, this extradigestive epiphenomenon should be taken into account with respect to the aetiopathogenesis of Crohn's disease.
Efficacy of a three day course of azithromycin in moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Rizzato G , Montemurro L , Fraioli P , Montanari G , Fanti D , Pozzoli R , Magliano E
Published: September 2003

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a 3 day course of azithromycin in low to moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia. Forty patients with low to moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia (29 males, 11 females, mean age 46 +/- 17 yrs; 20 pretreated with betalactams for 2-10 days with no results before admission to hospital; 18 with evidence of co-morbidity) were enrolled in an open, randomized study with azithromycin, 500 mg q.d. oral therapy for 3 days, versus clarithromycin, 250 mg b.i.d. oral therapy for 10 +/- 2 days. The aetiology of pneumonia was identified in 18 patients by serology (nine Mycoplasma pneumoniae, four Chlamydia pneumoniae, five Legionella pneumophila; one patient with chlamydial infection also had Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemia). A presumptive aetiological diagnosis was obtained with sputum culture in three other patients (one Haemophilus influenzae, two Haemophilus parainfluenzae), all strains were sole isolates with 10(8) Colony forming units (CFU), and with Gram stain in one patient with Streptococcus pneumoniae. All patients in the azithromycin group (one after a second 3 day course), and all but two (of those available for evaluation) of the clarithromycin group were cured. Defervescence occurred after 2.6 +/- 1.6 days, and chest roentgenogram cleared after 8.9 +/- 3.3 days, with no difference between the two groups. Tolerance was good, and there were no withdrawals from therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lung surfactant protein-A and carcinoembryonic antigen in pleural effusions due to lung adenocarcinoma and malignant mesothelioma
Authors: Shijubo N , Honda Y , Fujishima T , Takahashi H , Kodama T , Kuroki Y , Akino T , Abe S
Published: September 2003

Lung surfactant protein-A (SP-A) is a major phospholipid-associated glycoprotein in surfactant, and is a useful immunohistochemical marker for lung adenocarcinoma. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has not been immunohistochemically detected in mesothelioma. In pleural effusions due to malignant mesothelioma, very low concentrations of SP-A and CEA can be expected. We studied the value of combined determinations of CEA and SP-A in pleural fluid to distinguish between lung adenocarcinoma and mesothelioma. SP-A and CEA concentrations were measured in pleural effusions from 78 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and 10 with malignant mesothelioma. SP-A concentrations in pleural effusions due to lung adenocarcinoma and mesothelioma were 516 +/- 140 and 16.9 +/- 3.6 ng.ml-1 (mean +/- SEM), respectively. CEA concentrations in pleural effusions due to lung adenocarcinoma and mesothelioma were 239 +/- 92.4 and 1.7 +/- 0.3 ng.ml-1, respectively. SP-A values did not exceed 100 ng.ml-1 in any of 10 mesotheliomas, whilst in 37 of 78 lung adenocarcinomas they did. CEA values did not exceed 10 ng.ml-1 in any of 10 mesotheliomas, whilst in 53 of 78 lung adenocarcinomas they did. Increased values of SP-A and/or CEA were found in pleural effusions from 67 of 78 lung adenocarcinomas. It is concluded that a combination of CEA and SP-A assays in pleural effusions will be helpful for discriminating lung adenocarcinoma from mesothelioma.
Lung elastic recoil in normal young adult Chinese compared with Caucasians
Authors: Chan CC , Cheong TH , Poh SC , Wang YT
Published: September 2003

Chinese people have smaller total lung capacity (TLC) compared with Caucasians of similar age, sex and height. One possible reason would be a higher lung elastic recoil in Chinese. Most published values for lung elastic recoil viz static lung compliance (CLst), shape constant K, and maximal static transpulmonary pressure (PLmax) have been from Caucasian subjects. The aim of our study was to obtain values for lung elastic recoil in normal young adult Chinese subjects. Static expiratory pressure-volume (P-V) curves were studied in 22 healthy Chinese subjects (12 males and 10 females). The P-V curve was fitted using an iterative least mean squares regression on a computer, according to an exponential equation: V = A-Be-KP, where V is lung volume, P is transpulmonary pressure, and A, B and K are constants. Mean values +/- SD for K, CLst and PLmax were 0.12 +/- 0.04, 230 +/- 103 ml.cmH2O-1 and 27.5 +/- 7.5 cmH2O, respectively. The values of CLst and K were similar to that of normal Caucasian subjects, whereas values of PLmax were lower. We attributed the lower PLmax partly to weaker inspiratory muscles in Chinese compared with Caucasians. We conclude that lung elastic recoil in normal young adult Chinese is similar to that of healthy young adult Caucasians. Hence, lung elasticity is unlikely to explain the racial differences in static lung volumes.
Biochemical characteristics of lungs in senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM)
Authors: Teramoto S , Fukuchi Y , Uejima Y , Teramoto K , Orimo H
Published: September 2003

This study examined age-related biochemical changes of the lung in an animal model of senile lung, senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed on two strains of SAM, the senescence-prone strain (SAM P2) and the senescence-resistant strain (SAM R1), as well as on normal ageing C57 black mice (C57BL), aged 1-24 months. Elastase-like and elastase inhibitory activity of BAL fluid (BALF), glutathione (GSH) and oxidized GSH (GSSG) content both of BALF and lung tissue, and oxygen radical generation of free lung cells obtained by BAL were examined in the three strains of mice. Cell populations did not change throughout the life in SAM strains and C57BL. The elastolytic activity in SAM was greater than in C57BL, but there was no change with age. Both a decreased content of GSH and an increased oxidation of the GSH in BALF were markedly observed with ageing in SAM P2. In the lung tissue, the GSSG/GSH ratio in SAM strains was consistently greater than that in C57BL, suggesting that the GSH redox cycle of the lung may be impaired in SAM strains. The oxygen radical generation by free lung cells increased with age in all three strains, but the increase was earlier and more pronounced in SAM P2 than in the other two strains. In conclusion, an impaired GSH redox cycle and an increased formation of oxygen radicals are observed in the lungs of SAM with increasing age.
Estimation of Activation Energy of Desorption of n-Hexanol from Activated Carbons by the TPD Technique
Authors: Li Zhong , Wang Hongjuan , Xi Hongxia , Xia Qibin , Han Jinglei , Luo Lingai
Published: September 2003

Activated carbon and five kinds of metal-ion-substituted activated carbons, viz. Ag+-activated carbon, Cu2+-activated carbon, Fe3+-activated carbon, Ba2+-activated carbon and Ca2+-activated carbon, were prepared. A model for estimating the activation energy of desorption was established. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments were conducted to measure the TPD curves of n-hexanol and hence estimate the activation energy for n-hexanol desorption from the various activated carbons. The results showed that the activation energies for n-hexanol desorption from the Ag+-activated carbon, the Cu2+-activated carbon and the Fe3+-activated carbon were higher than those from the unsubstituted activated carbon, the Ca2+-activated carbon and the Ba2+-activated carbon.
Adsorption of Organic Compounds on to Bentonites Modified with Single or Dual Quaternary Ammonium Cations
Authors: Gönülşen R. , Yıldız N. , Çalımlı A.
Published: September 2003

The adsorption of benzoic acid, hydroquinone and toluene on to bentonites modified with single or dual quaternary ammonium cations was studied. Thus, the mineral surface of the bentonite was modified by replacing the inorganic ions with four quaternary ammonium cations, i.e. tetramethylammonium (TMA), benzyltriethylammonium (BTEA), hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) and octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA). The inorganic cations on the bentonite were exchanged with the quaternary ammonium cations to the respective extent of ca. 35% TMA, 75% BTEA, 83% HDTMA, 90% ODTMA, 35% TMA/54% HDTMA, 35% TMA/58% ODTMA and 75% BTEA/12% HDTMA of the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of the bentonite, resulting in a change in the surface properties from hydrophilic to organophilic.

The experimental results obtained indicated that the adsorption affinity on dual-modified bentonites was generally lower than that on single-modified bentonites. It was concluded that this resulted from two different adsorption mechanisms and the competitive adsorption of binary solutes.
Fixed-Bed Adsorption for the Removal of Iron and Manganese onto Palm Fruit Bunch and Maize Cob
Authors: Nassar Mamdouh M. , Awida Kamal T. , Ebrahiem Ebrahiem E. , Magdy Yehia H. , Mehaedi Mansour H.
Published: September 2003

The sorption of iron and manganese onto palm fruit bunch and maize cob in a fixed-bed column was studied. The influence of process variables such as the bed height, the solution flow rate and the percentage breakthrough were investigated. The experimental results showed that the adsorbents used removed the studied metal ions effectively. The Bed Depth Service Time Model (BDST) was used to analyse the experimental data and identify design correlations. The Empty Bed Residence Time (EBRT) model, used for optimising the adsorbent exhaustion rate and the time required for influent to fill the column, was also considered.
Adsorption of Pollutants from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated and Non-Activated Oak Shells: Parametric and Fractional Factorial Design Study. Part II. Removal of Phenol and Dyes
Authors: Al-Asheh Sameer , Banat Fawzi , Saeidi Rana , Zaid Salam Abu
Published: September 2003

As in Part I, non-activated (natural) and chemically activated oak shells were evaluated for their ability to remove phenol and Methylene Blue (as a typical dye component) from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of contact time, sorbent concentration, phenol concentration and the pH of the solution on the sorption process.

Activated oak shells adsorbed more phenol than natural oak shells under the same conditions. A decrease in sorbent concentration or an increase in phenol concentration or solution pH resulted in an increase in phenol uptake by the oak shells. The uptake of Methylene Blue increased with decreasing sorbent concentration and with an increase in the dye concentration, but decreased significantly with solution pH.

According to the fractional factorial design technique, the sorbent type employed (natural or activated) had the most significant influence on phenol or Methylene Blue uptake followed by sorbent concentration and then sorbate concentration. Interaction amongst the different operating variables played an important role in the uptake of phenol or Methylene Blue dye by the adsorbent considered.
A New Elastoplastic Kinematic Hardening and Softening Model for Concrete
Authors: Liu Xila , Wen B. , Xu J. F.
Published: September 2003

On the basis of experimental results already reported by others, a new kinematic-hardening and softening model is proposed for plain concrete. The contribution of the paper is that the loading surface here was calibrated at six control points derived from four traditional types of material test. By abandoning the conventional non-associated flow rule, the new proposed model can justify the validity and applicability of the associated flow rule and gives a good prediction on the behaviour of concrete not only in the proportional loading of tension, shear, and compression tests, but also in cyclic loading cases. The model can also predict the softening behaviour of concrete without transferring the loading surface from stress-space to strain-space. Since the associated flow rule can be successfully used, the derived stiffness matrices are symmetrical, thus easing the computation requirement and saving much computer time and cost. Good agreement with a wide range of experimental data has generally been observed.
The Transverse Stresses in Thin-Walled Beams and its Effect on Strength and Stability
Authors: Tong Gengshu , Zhang Lei
Published: September 2003

The transverse stresses are studied in thin-walled mono-symmetrical steel I beams. Equations are obtained to calculate these stresses in the three plates of the beam. The effect of these stresses on the beam strength has been analyzed. It is found that these transverse stresses in the flanges need to be considered carefully in strength checks at the supports and at the sections where concentrated loads act if the contact widths at the supports or at the loaded points are small.

There are two theories available at present for the stability of thin-walled beams. One is traditional, the other is a more recently presented newer theory. They give quite different buckling moments for mono-symmetrical simply supported beams under transverse loads. This paper presents a newly formulated buckling theory of thin-walled beams based on the general variational principle for stability of solid structures and the plate buckling theory in which the effect of the transverse stresses on the beam stability has been included. This new theory confirmed the traditional formula of the critical moment, but not the more recently presented newer one. The buckling analysis using ANSYS confirmed also the new theory presented in this paper.
Selective processing of negative emotional information in children and adolescents with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Taghavi Mohammad R. , Dalgleish Tim , Moradi Ali R. , Neshat‐Doost Hamid T. , Yule William
Published: September 2003

Objectives: Research investigating attentional bias for emotional information using the modified Stroop task in younger anxious populations has produced equivocal results. The present data investigated the replicability in younger participants of the prototypical adult finding of Mathews and MacLeod (1985) with patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Method: A sample of 19 child and adolescent patients with GAD and 19 controls completed the modified Stroop paradigm with threat, depression‐related, positive and neutral words.

Results: The data revealed a selective Stroop interference effect for negative emotional information in the GAD patients, relative to the performance of the controls.

Conclusions: The results provide evidence of a modified Stroop effect for negative emotional material in children and adolescents with GAD, suggesting that modified Stroop processing in younger generally anxious populations broadly mirrors the profile of results in adults.
Feigned intellectual deficits on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Revised
Authors: Johnstone Lorraine , Cooke David J.
Published: September 2003

Objectives: To examine whether individuals instructed to fake intellectual impairment on the WAIS‐R employed common faking tactics and to assess the accuracy of detection of faking tactics employed.

Method:Two groups of participants were instructed to fake ‘mental handicap’ on the WAIS‐R. The first group included incarcerated young offenders and the second group included postgraduate students and research fellows from a university psychology department.

Results:Both groups produced faked mean IQ scores within the ‘mental retardation’ range. There were, however, unusual features in the answers of both groups, including unusual error types. The faking tactics employed were readily detected.

Conclusions:The results suggest that an individual's WAIS‐R performance should be interpreted with due consideration given to both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of their presentation.
Inpatient hospital care for work‐related injuries and illnesses
Authors: Dembe Allard E. , Mastroberti Martha A. , Fox Sharon E. , Bigelow Carole , Banks Steven M.
Published: September 2003

Background

The aim of this study was to compile nationally representative statistics describing inpatient hospital care for patients with work‐related injuries and illnesses covered under workers' compensation (WC) insurance in the United States.

Methods

Three years of data (1997–1999) from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were used to describe WC inpatient stays with respect to patient and hospital characteristics, principal diagnoses, number and type of procedures provided, total charges, length of stay, and time from admission to administering of the principal procedure.

Results

Approximately 209,139 WC hospitalizations occurred annually, representing 0.62% of all inpatient admissions. The average total charge per WC hospitalization was $14,966. After adjusting for the type of diagnosis and other factors, WC hospital care was found to involve 13–24% more procedures, have a slightly longer (4%) length of stay, and take 23–54% less time from admission to the principal procedure than inpatient care for comparable diagnoses paid by other sources. Inpatient care for disc and spinal disorders paid by WC had 16% higher charges than similar non‐WC cases. Three‐year trends showed a steady decline in the number of WC hospitalizations between 1997 and 1999 but a sharp 16% rise in total charges per WC stay.

Conclusions

This research provides an initial foundation for understanding the extent and nature of hospitalized care for injured workers in the US and identifying significant trends in the delivery of care. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:331–342, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spirometric function in non‐smoking workers exposed to aluminum
Authors: Abbate C. , Giorgianni C. , Brecciaroli R. , Tringali M.A. , D'Arrigo G.
Published: September 2003

Background

Exposure to aluminum (Al) causes the onset of respiratory disorders. This study is aimed at providing further information on how occupational exposure to Al affects the respiratory apparatus in healthy non‐smokers, with particular attention to respiratory function.

Methods

A group of 50 male shipyard workers who were exposed to Al underwent medical examination, standard chest X‐rays and spirometry in accordance with the C.E.C.A. protocol. The data were compared with those of a homogeneous group of controls, all with blood aluminum (AlB) levels below 7.5 ng/ml. Statistical analysis was performed on the following spirometric parameters: vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), maximum forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and mean forced expiratory flow during mid‐half of FVC (FEF25–75%). Environmental Al levels were also measured at the various workstations.

Results

Fifty male workers with an average age 31.82 ± 5.05 years, occupational exposure of 11.81 ± 3.71 years, presented with average AlB levels of 32.64 ± 8.69 ng/ml. Environmental monitoring displayed Al levels higher than TLV TWA for all the workstations studied. None of the sample displayed significant pathological conditions. Statistical comparison of the spirometric parameters showed a decrease in the examined values in exposed workers. This decrease was found to be directly proportional to the AlB level.

Conclusion

The authors conclude that Al affects respiratory function and that limit values should be reassessed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:400–404, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Work organization and patient care staff injuries: The impact of different care models for “alternate level of care” patients
Authors: Ostry Aleck S. , Yassi A. , Ratner P.A. , Park I. , Tate R. , Kidd C.
Published: September 2003

Background

The number of elderly patients who do not have acute‐care needs has increased in many North American hospitals. These alternate level care (ALC) patients are often cognitively impaired or physically dependent. The physical and psychosocial demands on caregivers may be growing with the increased presence of ALC patients leading to greater risk for injury among staff.

Methods

This prospective cohort study characterized several models for ALC care in four acute‐care hospitals in British Columbia, Canada. A cohort of 2,854 patient care staff was identified and followed for 6 months. The association between ALC model of care and type and severity of injury was examined using multinomial and ordinal logistic regression.

Results

Regression models demonstrated that the workers on ALC/medical nursing units with “high” ALC patient loads and specialized geriatric assessment units had the greatest risk for injury and the greatest risk for incurring serious injury. Among staff caring for ALC patients, those on dedicated ALC units had the least risk for injury and the least risk for incurring serious injury.

Conclusions

The way in which ALC care is organized in hospitals affects the risk and severity of injuries among patient care staff. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:392–399, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Work‐related amputations in Michigan, 1997
Authors: Stanbury Martha , Reilly Mary Jo , Rosenman Kenneth D.
Published: September 2003

Background

Work‐related amputations are of concern in Michigan and nationally. This study reports on 1 year of data on work‐related amputations, which were treated in Michigan hospital emergency departments (ED) or as in‐patients in Michigan.

Methods

Michigan hospitals provided face sheets and discharge summaries of in‐patient and ED visits for work‐related amputations that occurred in 1997. Information was also obtained about worksite inspections associated with reported amputations from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act (MIOSHA) program. Data from this study and from Michigan workers compensation were used to generate an estimate of the true numbers of work‐related amputations in Michigan in 1997.

Results

Three hundred thirty‐nine work‐related amputations were identified by hospitals. Powered saws and power presses were the leading sources of injury. MIOSHA completed 30 enforcement inspections related to these amputations. Our best estimate of the total numbers of work‐related amputations in 1997 for Michigan was 693, of which 562 resulted in hospitalization or ED treatment.

Conclusions

In‐patient and ED records provided information for identifying high risk groups and problem worksites in Michigan. Estimates generated from these data underscore that data on work‐related amputations released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reported 440 amputations in 1997, are a significant undercount—only 64%—of the true number of cases. Better integration of public health data into OSHA enforcement activity is needed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:359–367, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cognitive effects of chronic exposure to lead and solvents
Authors: Fiedler Nancy , Weisel Clifford , Lynch Richard , Kelly‐McNeil Kathie , Wedeen Richard , Jones Keith , Udasin Iris , Ohman‐Strickland Pamela , Gochfeld Michael
Published: September 2003

Background

Occupational exposure to lead and solvents has declined steadily over the past 20 years, however, construction workers continue to be exposed to these neurotoxicants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive effects of chronic occupational exposure to lead and solvents.

Method

Based on K‐XRF of tibial bone lead and occupational history of solvent exposure, subjects were classified into four exposure groups: lead (N = 40), solvent (N = 39), lead/solvent (N = 45), and control (N = 33). All subjects completed tests to assess concentration, motor skills, memory, and mood.

Results

Relative to controls, the lead, solvent, and lead/solvent groups performed significantly more poorly on a test of verbal memory, while the lead and lead/solvent groups were slower than the solvent and control groups on a task of processing speed. Bone lead was a significant predictor of information processing speed and latency of response while solvent exposure was a significant predictor of verbal learning and memory.

Conclusions

Bone lead was associated with slower speed of processing while exposure to lead and/or solvents reduced efficiency of verbal learning. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:413–423, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nested case‐control study of external ionizing radiation dose and mortality from dementia within a pooled cohort of female nuclear weapons workers
Authors: Sibley Ralph F. , Moscato Beth S. , Wilkinson Gregg S. , Natarajan Nachimuthu
Published: September 2003

Background

A prior investigation of this cohort of female nuclear workers found increased deaths from mental disorders, including dementia. The present study estimates the effect of workplace exposures to ionizing radiations and other hazards on mortality from dementia.

Methods

A nested case‐control study within a pooled cohort of 67,976 female nuclear workers compared 91 cases of death from dementia with 910 controls. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were employed to estimate the effects of maximum annual and total lifetime radiation doses on the occurrence of dementia in 168 monitored workers.

Results

Both maximum annual (OR = 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.98, 4.40) and total lifetime radiation doses (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.02, 4.29) were associated with death from dementia. Significant dose‐response trends were present for both exposures.

Conclusions

Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) may be associated with increased risk of death from dementia in female workers. Since these findings are based on a small number of cases, replication with a larger case sample should be pursued. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:351–358, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.