bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films by sulfurization of co‐electroplated Cu‐Zn‐Sn precursors
Authors: Araki Hideaki , Kubo Yuki , Jimbo Kazuo , Maw Win Shwe , Katagiri Hironori , Yamazaki Makoto , Oishi Koichiro , Takeuchi Akiko
Published: February 2009

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were prepared by sulfurization of electrodeposited Cu‐Zn‐Sn precursors. The Cu‐Zn‐Sn precursors were deposited on Mo‐coated glass substrates in a one‐step process from an electrolyte containing copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate, zinc sulfate heptahydrate, tin (II) chloride dehydrate and tri‐sodium citrate dehydrate. The precursors were sulfurized by annealing with sulfur at temperatures of 580 °C and 600 °C in an N2 atmosphere. X‐ray diffraction peaks attributable to CZTS were detected in the sulfurized films. Photovoltaic cells with the structure glass/Mo/CZTS/ CdS/ZnO:Al/Al were fabricated using the CZTS films by sulfurizing the electrodeposited precursors. The best photovoltaic cell performance was obtained with Zn‐rich samples. An open‐circuit voltage of 540 mV, a short‐circuit current of 12.6 mA/cm2 and an efficiency of 3.16% were achieved. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Chevron‐like twin pattern in crystals of solid oxide electrolytes
Authors: Tataryn T. , Savytskii D. , Vasylechko L. , Paulmann C. , Bismayer U. , Boysen H.
Published: February 2009

A chevron‐like configuration of ferroelastic domain structure was observed in rhombohedral ZrO2:Sc2O3 (10 mol%) and orthorhombic La0.95Sr0.05Ga0.9Mg0.1O3‐δ crystals using the Laue method. In the first case it was formed by the intersection of W‐type domain walls (100)c, (001)c and (101)c. In the second case it was formed by the intersection of W‐type domain walls (01$ \bar 1 $)o, (21$ \bar 1 $)o and (2$ \bar 1 $1)o. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Single crystal X‐ray study of the modulated structure in Ga2XTe3 with the defect zinc‐blende structure
Authors: Kashida S. , Otaki Y. , Yanadori Y. , Seki Y. , Tadano M.
Published: February 2009

Ga2Te3 crystallizes into the zinc‐blende structure, where one third of the cation sites is vacant. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies on quenched and annealed Ga2Te3 and CuGaTe2 crystals are reported. The obtained diffraction maps show, other than the zinc‐blende type main reflections, satellite reflections at q1∼1/17[110]c in quenched Ga2Te3 crystals and q2∼1/20[210]c in annealed Ga2Te3 crystals, where the subscript c means the cubic sub‐lattice. The analysis of the satellite reflections shows that the modulation is two dimensional, and is ascribed to a coupled mode of the amplitude type modulation caused by Ga vacancies and the displacive modulation of surrounding Te atoms, which has the polarization vector along the <001>c direction. The nature of the atomic modulations is discussed and the origin of the modulation is ascribed to Jahn‐Teller type distortions around Ga vacancies. The experiments done on CuGaTe2 crystals indicate that the cation disorder compound sphalerite type CuGaTe2 contain the same modulated structure as Ga2Te3 crystals, but the cation ordered compound chalcopyrite type CuGaTe2 does not show the modulation. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effect of co‐doping of rare earth and transition metal ions on the photoluminescence in ZnGa2S4:Mn2+
Authors: Hidaka Chiharu , Hodotsuka Jun , Takizawa Takeo
Published: February 2009

The photoluminescence spectra of Mn2+ in ZnGa2S4 codoped with rare earth elements (REE) and transition metals have been investigated, respectively. First a La co‐doped sample is examined to find that it has the most enhanced effect on the Mn red‐emission. The effect of Mn and La concentrations on it is also investigated. When Mn or La concentration is varied, while the partner concentration is fixed, the red‐emission from the co‐doped sample has a peak at 2.0 mol% for both Mn and La cases. However, the peak shifts to the low energy side as Mn concentration increases though it stays constant when La concentration is varied. Next we have also measured PL spectra due to Mn2+ in the same compounds codoped with transition metals (TE: Ti,Cu,Cr,Fe,Co,Ni). It is found that these metals work as killers to the Mn red‐emission. We will discuss the role of REE and TE on the enhancement of the Mn red‐emission in ZnGa2S4. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Role of rare earth elements as co‐activators on both PL and afterglow of CaGa2S4:Eu
Authors: Hidaka Chiharu , Shiino Masaaki , Takizawa Takeo
Published: February 2009

Photoluminescence and afterglow spectra of Eu and rare earth elements (REE) doped CaGa2S4 have been measured. Nd, Dy and Ho ions are selected as sensitizers to make the afterglow (Eu green‐emission) long. The longest afterglow is observed at Eu and Ho co‐doping. We have also measured the dependence of the afterglow on Eu concentration. As Eu concentration decreases, the decay time is longer in the cases of Nd, Dy and Ho co‐doping. This is explained by the decrease in the probability of the life time of electrons in the electron reservoirs, as the distances between Eu and REE (Nd,Dy,Ho) ions are far from each other. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Neutron powder diffraction study of the anion‐deficient La0.70Sr0.30MnO3.00‐γ manganites
Authors: Trukhanov S. V. , Lobanovski L. S. , Trukhanov A. V. , Zemskova S. G. , Beskrovniy A. I.
Published: February 2009

Using powder neutron diffraction method the magnetic structure of the anion‐deficient La0.70Sr0.30MnO3.00‐γ (γ = 0, 0.15; 0.20) solid solutions at different temperatures has been defined. It is established that the magnetic structure changes with oxygen vacancies concentration. For the investigated samples the structural phase transitions have not been detected. The obtained data confirm the conception of the magnetic phase state forming for the Sr‐doped anion‐deficient manganites. In according to this conception in case of orbital ordering absence the lowering of the coordination of the magnetic ion results to change of the indirect superexchange interactions Mn3+‐O‐Mn3+ sign from positive to negative. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
CuInSe2 solar cells by sequential absorber layer processing
Authors: Oertel Michael , Hahn Thomas , Metzner Heinrich , Witthuhn Wolfgang
Published: February 2009

In this article, we investigate the production of pure CuInSe2 in a sequential process for solar cells. A focus is laid on the adherence of CuInSe2 on the molybdenum back contact which is improved both by a new configuration of the back contact and by an optimization of the CuIn precursors. We also show some results of structural and electrical characterization of the produced CuInSe2 thin films and solar cells. The investigations of the structural properties of the different layers were performed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x‐ray diffraction (XRD). An energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDX) system was used to control their stochiometry. Using processed solar cells, the j‐U‐curves and the external quantum efficiencies (EQE) were measured. With our experimental configuration we achieve best results close to 8% solar cell efficiency in only five minutes of tempering the metallic precursor in elemental selenium vapour at 550 °C. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Mathematical modelling of test limits and guardbands
Authors: Healy Sandra , Wallace Michael , Murphy Eamonn
Published: February 2009

To gain market share on product performance, suppliers will routinely specify product datasheet (DS) performance to tighter than six sigma specifications. To maintain quality levels in this instance, the product must be 100% tested in production to screen out parts that are outside specification. Because of test measurement error and temperature drift, the test limits (TLs) used must be guardbanded tighter than the DS limit to ensure that the shipped product meets the parts per million requirement. These guardbands are protection zones that protect the customer from receiving parts that are outside specification. A review of current guardbanding techniques finds that they are conservative in nature. New guardbanding models are presented, which calculate the limit sets required for production test, quality assurance test and DS limit specifications. These models account for both test measurement error and temperature drift. Model results show that the guardband required varies with Cpk of the TL, test measurement error and temperature correlation coefficient. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of strategic and market complementarity on acquisition performance: evidence from the U.S. commercial banking industry, 1989–2001
Authors: (Jay) Kim Ji‐Yub , Finkelstein Sydney
Published: February 2009

Most traditional research on mergers and acquisitions tends to focus on the role of similarity in explaining acquisition performance. While scholars have recently begun to examine acquisition complementarity, there is still little evidence concerning how complementarity influences acquisition performance. Further, previous research has not drawn the connections between related contexts and the potential benefits from complementarity. In this article, we move the study of acquisition complementarity forward by investigating the effects of strategic and market complementarity on acquisition performance in the context of related horizontal acquisitions. We also propose that two key attributes of acquirers—strategic focus and out‐of‐market acquisition experience—will moderate this relationship. We investigate our research questions in the context of all 2,204 acquisitions made by publicly traded U.S. commercial banks during the 12‐year period from 1989 to 2001. Our findings are generally supportive, suggesting complementarity is an important antecedent of acquisition performance, and raising important issues on the nature of acquisition research in general. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Photoreversible Fluorescent Modulation of Nanoparticles via One‐Step Miniemulsion Polymerization
Authors: Chen Jian , Zeng Fang , Wu Shuizhu , Su Junhua , Tong Zhen
Published: February 2009

A nitrobenzoxadiazolyl(NBD)‐based fluorescent dye and a photochromic spiropyran derivative are incorporated into polymeric nanoparticles via a one‐step miniemulsion polymerization. The diameter of the nanoparticles can be varied from approximately 40 nm to 80 nm by adjusting the polymerization conditions. The prepared nanoparticles exhibit the spectral properties of both NBD dye and spiropyran, indicating that the two chromophores are incorporated into the nanoparticles. The determined amount of NBD and spiropyran in the nanoparticles are about ≈85–90% of the feed amount, while the determined weight ratios of spiropyran to NBD in nanoparticles are very close to that of feed ratios, suggesting the miniemulsion polymerization is a suitable approach for incorporating multiple chromophores into individual nanoparticles with controlled amounts (content) and ratio. UV and visible light can be applied to modulate the fluorescence emission of NBD dye in nanoparticles. Upon UV irradiation, the spiropyran moieties in nanoparticles are converted to the open‐ring (McH form) structure and upon visible‐light irradiation they return to the closed‐ring (SP form) structure; as a result, the fluorescence of NBD can be reversibly “switched off” and “switched on”. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer from the excited NBD dye molecules to the McH form of the spiropyran moieties is the drives the fluorescence modulation. The nanoparticles display fairly good photoreversibility, photostability, and relatively fast photoresponsivity upon alternate UV/Vis irradiation. This class of photoresponsive nanoparticles may find applications in biological fields, such as labeling and imaging, as well as in optical fields, for example, individually light‐addressable nanoscale devices.
Fabrication and Characterization of Graphitic Carbon Nanostructures with Controllable Size, Shape, and Position
Authors: Du Rongbing , Ssenyange Solomon , Aktary Mirwais , McDermott Mark T.
Published: February 2009

The incorporation of carbon materials in micro‐ and nanoscale devices is being widely investigated due to the promise of enhanced functionality. Challenges in the positioning and addressability of carbon nanotubes provide the motivation for the development of new processes to produce nanoscale carbon materials. Here, the fabrication of conducting, nanometer‐sized carbon structures using a combination of electron beam lithography (EBL) and carbonisation is reported. EBL is used to directly write predefined nanometer‐sized patterns in a thin layer of negative resist in controllable locations. Careful heat treatment results in carbon nanostructures with the size, shape, and location originally defined by EBL. The pyrolysis process results in significant shrinkage of the structures in the vertical direction and minimal loss in the horizontal direction. Characterization of the carbonized material indicates a structure consisting of both amorphous and graphitized carbon with low levels of oxygen. The resistivity of the material is similar to other disordered carbon materials and the resistivity is maintained from the bulk to the nanoscale. This is demonstrated by fabricating a nanoscale structure with predictable resistance. The ability to fabricate these conductive structures with known dimensions and in predefined locations can be exploited for a number of applications. Their use as nanoband electrodes is also demonstrated.
Factors of production: Historical theories and new developments
Authors: Xu Bin , Chaudhry Sohail S. , Li Yanfang
Published: February 2009

In this paper, we present the main viewpoints of some historical schools related with the theories on factors of production. Also, we analyse the problems associated with the present theories related to the factors of production and then, introduce some new developments. These new developments which are associated with the theory connected to the six forces of factor of production are described. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CD30 Expression Reveals that Culture Adaptation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Can Occur Through Differing Routes
Authors: Harrison Neil J. , Barnes James , Jones Mark , Baker Duncan , Gokhale Paul J. , Andrews Peter W.
Published: February 2009

Human embryonic stem cells undergo adaptive changes that can increase their growth capacity upon prolonged culture in vitro. This is frequently associated with nonrandom karyotypic changes, commonly involving amplification of genetic material from chromosomes 12, 17, and X. A recent study suggested that the karyotypically abnormal cells can be identified by their expression of CD30, which confers resistance to apoptosis. We have now investigated CD30 expression and apoptosis in karyotypically normal and abnormal sublines of the human ES cell line, H7, but our results were contrary to those previously observed. In this cell line, CD30 expression did not segregate the normal and abnormal cells, and abnormal cells were not protected from apoptosis. These data suggest that culture adaptation can occur through a variety of mechanisms.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Applying a “Double-Feature” Promoter to Identify Cardiomyocytes Differentiated from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Following Transposon-Based Gene Delivery
Authors: Orbán Tamás I. , Apáti Ágota , Németh Andrea , Varga Nóra , Krizsik Virág , Schamberger Anita , Szebényi Kornélia , Erdei Zsuzsa , Várady György , Karászi Éva , Homolya László , Német Katalin , Gócza Elen , Miskey Csaba , Mátés Lajos , Ivics Zoltán , Izsvák Zsuzsanna , Sarkadi Balázs
Published: February 2009

Human embryonic stem (HuES) cells represent a new potential tool for cell-therapy and gene-therapy applications. However, these approaches require the development of efficient, stable gene delivery, and proper progenitor cell and tissue separation methods. In HuES cell lines, we have generated stable, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing clones using a transposon-based (Sleeping Beauty) system. This method yielded high percentage of transgene integration and expression. Similarly to a lentiviral expression system, both the undifferentiated state and the differentiation pattern of the HuES cells were preserved. By using the CAG promoter, in contrast to several other constitutive promoter sequences (such as CMV, elongation factor 1α, or phosphoglycerate kinase), an exceptionally high EGFP expression was observed in differentiated cardiomyocytes. This phenomenon was independent of the transgene sequence, methods of gene delivery, copy number, and the integration sites. This “double-feature” promoter behavior, that is providing a selectable marker for transgene expressing undifferentiated stem cells, and also specifically labeling differentiated cardiomyocytes, was assessed by transcriptional profiling. We found a positive correlation between CAG promoter-driven EGFP transcription and expression of cardiomyocyte-specific genes. Our experiments indicate an efficient applicability of transposon-based gene delivery into HuES cells and provide a novel approach to identify differentiated tissues by exploiting a nontypical behavior of a constitutively active promoter, thereby avoiding invasive drug selection methods.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
An approximate analysis of combined system of framed tube, shear core and belt truss in high‐rise buildings
Authors: Rahgozar Reza , Sharifi Yasser
Published: February 2009

In this paper a mathematical model for the combined system of framed tube, shear core and belt truss is developed with the objective of determining the optimum location of belt truss along the height of the building. The effect of belt truss and shear core on a framed tube is considered as a concentrated moment at the belt truss location. This concentrated moment acts in a direction opposite to rotation due to lateral loads. The axial deformation functions for web and flange of the frames are considered to be quadratic and cubic functions, respectively; developing their stress relations and minimizing the total potential energy of the structure with respect to the lateral deflection (u), rotation of the plane section (ϕ) and unknown coefficients of shear lag (α1, α2, β1 and β2), the mathematical model is developed. This model yields the displacement, axial stress distribution and bending stiffness as a function of the height of the combined system. The range application and validity of the proposed model is demonstrated by several numerical examples (30‐, 40‐ and 50‐storey buildings). The effects of belt truss position on lateral displacement and stress distribution are investigated and the optimum location for belt truss is obtained. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A stochastic dynamic controller for random early detection queues using a Kalman filter algorithm
Authors: Alazemi Hamed M. K. , Hassan Mohamed F. , Zribi Mohamed
Published: February 2009

The stabilizing random early detection (RED) congestion control algorithm in transmission control protocol (TCP)/IP networks is a control theory problem. Significant attention has been drawn to this problem in the networking and control theory research communities. In this paper, we use a nonlinear dynamic model of the TCP RED congestion control algorithm to analyze and design active queue management (AQM) control systems. A linearized model of RED behavior around its nominal operating point which implicitly includes the delay in the control signal is derived. It is assumed that the system model is corrupted at the input and output by zero mean white Gaussian noise signals. An optimal state feedback stochastic controller is designed for the linearized model of the system in conjunction with a Kalman filter for state estimation. To illustrate the proposed design methodology, simulations results are presented and discussed. The proposed stochastic controller is applied to the nonlinear model of the system; Simulation results indicate that the proposed controller keeps the queue length bounded in an appropriate stochastic sense. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trace element profiling of gunshot residues by PIXE and SEM‐EDS: a feasibility study
Authors: Bailey M. J. , Kirkby K. J. , Jeynes C.
Published: February 2009

A feasibility study was carried out into the use of particle‐induced x‐ray emission (PIXE) on the ion microprobe for the characterisation of gunshot residues (GSR). We compare these results with the conventional technique, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS). Samples of gunshot residue from four different sources were collected. Individual particles of GSR were analysed by SEM‐EDS using a 30‐keV electron beam focussed to ∼10 nm, and PIXE using a 2.5‐MeV proton beam focussed to ∼4 µm. PIXE revealed trace or minor elements undetectable by SEM‐EDS, thereby strengthening the discrimination between different types of GSR. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemical speciation of sulfur in activated carbon by wavelength‐dispersive PIXE technique
Authors: Tada T. , Fukuda H. , Hasegawa J. , Oguri Y. , Tsuji M.
Published: February 2009

The chemical speciation of sulfur in activated carbon has been performed by analyzing Kα1 x‐ray spectra of sulfur recorded with a home‐made wavelength‐dispersive, particle‐induced x‐ray emission spectrometry system (WD‐PIXE). MoS2, S, Na2SO3, and (NH4)2SO4 were used as reference materials to determine the chemical shift of sulfur Kα1 x‐ray energy. The energy resolution defined by the full width at the half maximum was 0.6 eV or 0.03% for sulfur Kα1 x‐ray. This was sufficiently high for speciation of sulfur in solid materials. The chemical shift of sulfur in activated carbon clearly showed that sulfur resides as elemental sulfur. This new speciation technique for solid materials successfully demonstrated that sulfate ions in aqueous solution was reduced to form elemental sulfur on an activated carbon under low applied voltage of < 5 V and current of < 1 mA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
H1loc‐stress and strain regularity in Cosserat plasticity
Authors: Chełmiński K. , Neff P.
Published: February 2009

We show H1loc‐regularity of the Cauchy stress tensor and H1loc‐regularity of the infinitesimal strain tensor and the plastic strain tensor in infinitesimal Cosserat plasticity with monotone flow rule. We use energy estimates for difference quotients.
Configurational forces on point defects in ferroelectric materials
Authors: Goy O. , Mueller R. , Gross D.
Published: February 2009

The interaction of point defects in piezoelectric materials is studied with specific regard to their capability to migrate and to agglomerate into clusters. For this purpose the basic solution for a point defect is constructed by applying Radon transform which subsequently is used within the concept of configurational forces. At the simple example of two interacting defects the defect behavior and its dependence on the material parameters and the defect configuration with respect to the poling direction is discussed.
On constitutive and configurational aspects of models for gradient continua with microstructure
Authors: Svendsen B. , Neff P. , Menzel A.
Published: February 2009

The purpose of this work is the investigation of some constitutive and configurational aspects of phenomenological model formulations for a class of materials with history‐dependent gradient microstructure. The assumption that the behavior of a material point is affected by history‐dependent processes in a finite neighbor of this point yields an extended continuum characterized by non‐simple material behavior and by additional degrees‐of‐freedom. This includes both standard micromorphic materials as well as inelastic gradient materials as special cases. As in the case of simple materials, the corresponding constitutive relations are subject to restrictions imposed by material frame‐indifference and material symmetry. In the latter case, both direct and differential restrictions are obtained in the case of assuming that the free energy density is an isotropic function of its arguments. In addtion, the concept of material isomorphism is shown to extend to inelastic gradient continua, resulting in a gradient generalization of the well‐known elastoplastic multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient. Finally, we examine the consequences of gradient extension for the formulation of configurational field and balance relations, and in particular for the Eshelby stress. This is carried out with the help of an incremental stress potential formulation as based on a continuum thermodynamic approach to the coupled field problem involved.
Clinical Benefits After the Implementation of a Protocol of Restricted Perioperative Intravenous Crystalloid Fluids in Major Abdominal Operations
Authors: de Aguilar‐Nascimento José E. , Diniz Breno N. , do Carmo Aracelle V. , Silveira Eryka A. O. , Silva Raquel M.
Published: February 2009

Background

Perioperative fluid replacement is a challenging issue in surgical care. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of two different perioperative hydration protocols on the outcome in patients undergoing major abdominal operations.

Methods

This was a prospective study involving 61 patients (42 men/19 women; mean age: 52 years; age range: 18–81 years) who underwent major abdominal operations. The study had two distinct phases: before (conventional group; administered 30–50 ml/kg per day of crystalloid fluids; n = 33) and after the implementation of a protocol of restricted use of intravenous fluids (restricted group; administered less than 30 ml/kg per day of crystalloid fluids; n = 28). The total volume of intravenous crystalloid fluids infused was recorded until postoperative day (POD) 4. Morbidity, mortality, and the length of postoperative hospital stay were the main clinical variables.

Results

Mortality was 4.9% (p > 0.05 between groups). Intravenous therapy in the restricted group was terminated earlier (p < 0.001) and the patients received 2.4 l less crystalloid fluid than did those in the conventional group from POD 1 through POD 4 (p < 0.001). The adoption of the restricted protocol shortened the postoperative hospital stay by 2 days (p = 0.02) and diminished the morbidity by 25% (p = 0.04).

Conclusions

Restriction of perioperative intravenous crystalloid fluid is associated with reductions in morbidity and length of postoperative hospital stay after major abdominal operations.
Role of Fibrin Glue in the Prevention of Cervical Leakage and Strictures After Esophageal Reconstruction of Caustic Injury
Authors: Saldaña‐Cortés Julián Alberto , Larios‐Arceo Francisco , Prieto‐Díaz‐Chávez Emilio , De Buen Eliseo Portilla , González‐Mercado Salvador , Alvarez‐Villaseñor Andrea Socorro , Prieto‐Aldape Manuel Rodrigo , Fuentes‐Orozco Clotilde , González‐Ojeda Alejandro
Published: February 2009

Background

The colon is the organ most commonly used for esophageal reconstruction after severe caustic injury. Complications of cervical anastomosis are very common. Fibrin sealant may reduce the incidence of complications in this high‐risk anastomosis. The purpose of the present study was to assess the role of fibrin glue in the prevention of leakage and stricture at cervical coloesophageal anastomoses in children treated with esophageal reconstruction after caustic injury.

Methods

This was a case–control study of children with caustic esophageal injury treated surgically with esophageal reconstruction over a 10‐year period. In the study group 3–4 ml of fibrin glue was placed over the anastomosis. The following variables were assessed: age, sex, weight, leakage or stricture at the cervical anastomosis, morbidity, and mortality.

Results

The study group included 14 children, and the control group included 24 children. There were no differences in the distributions of sex, age, anthropometric variables, or preoperative laboratory test results. All children underwent esophageal replacement with colon substitution through the retrosternal space. Dehiscence and leakage at the cervical anastomosis were observed in 50% of children in the control group and 28.5% of children in the study group (P = 0.17). Strictures were observed in 7.15% of the study group and 20.8% of the control group, and 5 and 17 children, respectively, developed cervical complications (P = 0.03). There were no differences in major complications, and mortality was similar in the two groups (P = 0.60).

Conclusions

Fibrin glue, when used as a sealant for cervical coloesophageal anastomosis, can reduce the risk of leakage and stricture.
Disorders of biopterin metabolism
Authors: Longo Nicola
Published: February 2009

Defects in the metabolism or regeneration of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) were initially discovered in patients with hyperphenylalaninaemia who had progressive neurological deterioration despite optimal metabolic control (malignant hyperphenylalaninaemia). BH4 is an essential cofactor not only for phenylalanine hydroxylase, but also for tyrosine and two tryptophan hydroxylases, three nitric oxide synthases, and glyceryl‐ether monooxygenase. Defective activity of tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases explains the neurological deterioration in patients with BH4 deficiency with progressive mental and physical retardation, central hypotonia and peripheral spasticity, seizures and microcephaly. Five separate genetic conditions affect BH4 synthesis or regeneration: deficiency of GTP cyclohydrolase I, 6‐pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin synthase, sepiapterin reductase, dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) and pterin‐4α‐carbinolamine dehydratase. Only the latter of these conditions is relatively benign and is associated with transient hyperphenylalaninaemia. All these conditions can be identified in newborns by an elevated phenylalanine, with the exception of sepiapterin reductase and the dominant form of GTP cyclohydrolase I deficiency that results in biopterin deficiency/insufficiency only in the brain. Diagnosis relies on the measurement of pterin metabolites in urine, dihydropteridine reductase in blood spots, neurotransmitters and pterins in the CSF and on the demonstration of reduced enzyme activity (red blood cells or fibroblasts) or causative mutations in the relative genes. The outcome of BH4 deficiency is no longer malignant if therapy is promptly initiated to reduce plasma phenylalanine levels and replace missing neurotransmitters. This is accomplished by a special diet and/or BH4 supplements and administration of l‐dopa, carbidopa, 5‐hydroxytryptophan, and, in certain cases, a MAO‐B inhibitor. Patients with DHPR deficiency also require folinic acid supplements, since DHPR may help in maintaining folate in the tetrahydro form. Several patients with BH4 deficiency treated since the newborn period have reached adult age with good outcome.
Can Population‐Based Carrier Screening Be Left to the Community?
Authors: Raz Aviad E.
Published: February 2009

As more genes and mutations are identified in diseases for which particular populations are at increased risk, it is becoming more important to address the social interface between communities and carrier screening. While disproportionately targeted in genetic research, the Orthodox Jewish community often shies away, due to social and religious constraints, from genetic testing and counseling offered by the public health system. The solution is provided by Dor Yeshorim—a program which has become for many a prototype for the successful merging of modern reprogenetic screening and traditional communities. My commentary focuses on the gaps between the rationale and practice of Dor Yeshorim, and the implications of these gaps regarding the trade‐off involved in leaving carrier screening to the community. I conclude with a set of questions raised by the implications of the unintended consequences of community genetics.
The Carotid Artery Plaque Size and Echogenicity are Related to Different Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Elderly
Authors: Andersson Jessika , Sundström Johan , Kurland Lisa , Gustavsson Thomas , Hulthe Johannes , Elmgren Anders , Zilmer Kersti , Zilmer Mihkel , Lind Lars
Published: February 2009

Carotid plaques can be characterised by ultrasound by size and echogenicity. Both size and echogenicity are predictors of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine whether traditional risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidation were associated with plaque size and echogenicity. Computerised analysis of carotid plaque size and echogenicity (grey scale median, GSM) were performed by ultrasound in a population‐based health survey in 1,016 subjects aged 70 years (PIVUS study). Information on cardiovascular risk factors was collected, together with markers of inflammation and oxidation. Increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, higher BMI and decreased HDL, lower glutathione levels were related to echolucent plaques. Previous or present smoking was common with significantly more pack‐years related to the echorich plaques. Plaque size was associated with increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose levels, smoking, ApoB/A1 ratio, OxLDL, TNF alpha, HOMA insulin resistance, leucocyte count, decreased BCD‐LDL and low levels of l‐selectin. Low HDL, increased BMI and decreased glutathione levels were associated with the echolucency of carotid plaques, implying metabolic factors to play a role for plaque composition. Markers of inflammation were related to plaque size alone, implying inflammation to be predominantly associated with the amount of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that plaque size and echogenicity are influenced by different risk factors.
Critical Theory, Historical Materialism, and the Ostensible End of Marxism: The Poverty of Theory Revisited
Authors: Palmer Bryan D.
Published: February 2009

This essay notes the extent to which poststructuralism/postmodernism have generally espoused hostility to historical materialism, surveys some representative examples of historical writing that have gravitated toward the new critical theory in opposition to Marxism, and closes with a discussion of the ironic evolution of a poststructurally inclined, anti-Marxist historiography. Counter to the prevailing ideological consensus that Marxism has been brought to its interpretive knees by a series of analytic challenges and the political collapse of the world's ostensibly “socialist” states, this essay argues that historical materialism has lost neither its power to interpret the past nor its relevance to the contemporary intellectual terrain.
Popular Bases of the International Labor Movement in the United States and Britain, 1939–1949
Authors: Silverman Victor
Published: February 2009

This paper examines the working class in the United States and Britain in order to find a new perspective on the origins and break-up of the World Federation of Trade Unions. While most previous works have focused on the roles of institutions and leaders, this research uncovers the important role played by the thoughts, actions, and inactions of average workers in international affairs. American and British workers, as key constituents of two of the most important organizations making up the WFTU, were not passive observers of world events. Rather, they were critical not only of how the world union movement functioned, but also of the process which came to be termed the Cold War.
“Three Days Down the Pit and Three Days Play”: Underemployment in the East Midland Coalfields between the Wars
Authors: Griffin Colin P.
Published: February 2009

Conflicting interpretations of economic and social conditions in inter-war Britain are a staple diet of the historiography of the period. Can it be best characterized as one of social deprivation and economic decay or of social and economic improvement? The level of unemployment and its effects on those who experienced it is a critical element in the debate and this study will contribute to it in a number of ways. It will, through a case study of the East Midland coalfields, emphasize that underemployment (or short-time working) has been comparatively neglected in accounts of unemployment and the “real” incidence of the latter therefore underestimated. Moreover, the effects of underemployment were no less real in terms of depressing living standards than more permanent forms of unemployment. The traditional view of the relatively prosperous underemployed East Midlands' miner compared to his fully employed Durham or South Wales counterpart is, therefore, no longer tenable, The view, popularized recently by Benjamin and Kochin, that this form of unemployment was voluntary in nature will also be questioned as will the generalization that miners' trade unions preferred wage maintenance to maximising employment levels in their industrial relations strategies. Trade union officers gave a high priority to achieving an employment situation which combined work spreading and the receipt of statutory unemployment benefit by their members. The partial failure of these endeavours to mitigate the full impact of short-time working on miners' income is further evidence of the need to qualify the “optimistic” interpretation of living standards in inter-war Britain.
The Transforming Impact of Collective Action: Belgium, 1886
Authors: Deneckere Gita
Published: February 2009

This article illuminates the transforming impact of collective action in the light of the industrial jacquerie of 1886 in Belgium. This important episode of popular struggle fuelled a dialectical process of change which was marked by a fundamental shift in both social policy and in repertoires of collective action. In 1886 workers still drew on an old repertoire of collective action. Their struggle had such a disruptive force that it forced the state to intervene in labour conflicts. The conservative political élite responded with conciliatory gestures that foreshadowed a legislative programme of social reform. In the changed political climate the position of progressive wings in the two conservative parties was enhanced as the growing strength of the labour movement became more apparent. The industrial jacquerie functioned as a catalyst in the transition from old to new repertoires of collective action. In the aftermath of the revolt, mass collective action quickly, and extensively, came under the control of the Parti Ouvrier Belge (POB).
Comparative Historical Research: German Examples
Authors: Kocka Jürgen
Published: February 2009

Systematic comparison was alien to the historicist paradigm which dominated historical research and literature in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly in Germany. Anyone aiming to reconstruct historical phenomena as individual events, study them under the aspect of ”development” and understand them in their context would not be interested in systematic identification of similarities and differences or in their explanation. Narrative and comparison were and are opposites. Without conceptual explanation and theoretical input, historical comparison is not possible. Because German historians were strongly influenced by the historicist paradigm until well into the second third of the twentieth century, systematic comparison did not play a major role in their work. In essence it was left to important outsiders like Otto Hintze and historically oriented sociologists like Max Weber.
Divisions of Labor: The Splintered Geography of Labor Markets and Movements in Industrializing America, 1790–1930
Authors: Earle Carville
Published: February 2009

Among the various methodological prescriptions of Anthony Giddens, perhaps the most useful for labor history are his advisories on social change, on the anxieties and tensions attending a society's transition from one geographical scale to another. Labor's experience in the United States offers a case in point. The nation's transformation from a preindustrial to an industrial society entailed, in addition to the inexorables of accelerated urbanization, industrial expansion, and market extension, certain fundamental changes in the conditions of labor. Industrialization restructured the geography of labor markets, revised principles of wage determination, fomented sectarian division in the ranks of labor, and soured the relations between labor and capital. These structural changes led, in turn, to the inevitable responses of, among others, worker combination, protest, industrial violence, and a splintering in the ranks of labor.
Polymorphous Synchrony: German Industrial Workers and the Politics of Everyday Life
Authors: Lüdtke Alf , Templer William
Published: February 2009

In West Germany during the 1950s, the social history of modernity was initiated by raising a series of questions probing the “internal structure” (inneres Gefüge) of industrial society. The predominant conception was of a self-contained era, shaped by a small number of structural elements. In such a perspective centered on static formations, little attention was given to internal ruptures and dynamic processes. This structuralist approach was in fact the linear continuation of a view of the social order which had been developed in the 1930s and '40s by Otto Brunner, one of its chief proponents, in his studies exploring, the way “land and power” were constituted during the early modern period.
Gender and Labor History: The nineteenth-century legacy
Authors: Rose Sonya O.
Published: February 2009

All disciplines and sub-disciplines are defined through a series of inclusions and exclusions. They are based on specific assumptions and conventions that delineate their appropriate objects and methods of study. Historians, like scholars in other fields, including the so-called “natural sciences”, do not simply record some objective reality that exists independently of their taken-for-granted ideas about the nature of that reality. Rather, their decisions as to which subjects and events will be objects of study and how they will be conceptualized are shaped both by widely accepted philosophical tenets and common-sense understandings of the nature of human society.
The Rhetoric of Community and the Business of Pleasure: the San Sebastián Waiters' Strike of 1920
Authors: Walton John K. , Smith Jenny
Published: February 2009

Health and pleasure resorts constitute a distinctive, numerous and important kind of industrial town. But they, and the service industries which are central to their economies, have hardly been studied from a social conflict and industrial relations perspective. This paper opens out this theme by analysing a strike in the catering trades in San Sebastián, at the time Spain's largest and most prestigious seaside resort, at the height of the holiday season in August. The course of the strike is charted in its economic and political context, and the reasons for its outbreak, and for an ensuing attempt to escalate it into a local general strike, are analysed. Particular attention is paid to the status in the labour market of the camareros or hotel, restaurant and café waiters who withdrew their labour, and to reactions to the strike among local media who were deeply conscious of the importance to San Sebastián's staple industry of sustaining a carefully-constructed image of tranquillity and security. Comparisons are made with British resort experiences in the turbulent years between 1916 and 1921, and further work on this theme is urged, especially for this important period.
“Freedom and Friendship to Ireland”: Ribbonism in Early Nineteenth-Century Liverpool
Authors: Belchem John
Published: February 2009

The paper examines the role of “nationalist” secret societies among the rapidly growing Irish community in Britain in the 1830s and 1840s. The main port of entry, Liverpool occupied a pivotal role as the two main “Ribbon” societies developed secret networks to provide migrant members with political sanctuary and a range of “tramping” benefits. Through its welfare provision, offered irrespective of skill or trade, Ribbonism engendered a sense of identity wider than that of the familial and regional affiliations through which chain migration typically operated. A proactive influence among immigrant Irish Catholic workers, Ribbonism helped to construct a national or ethnic awareness, initiating the process by which ethnic-sectarian formations came to dominate popular politics in nineteenth-century Liverpool, the nation's second city. This ethnic associational culture was at least as functional, popular and inclusive as the class-based movements and party structures privileged in conventional British historiography.
Guild or Union? A Case Study of Rural Dutch Weavers, 1682–1750
Authors: Mastboom Joyce M.
Published: February 2009

This article discusses the defensive actions taken by a group of weavers in the rural eastern Netherlands in response to changing economic conditions; in particular, how they successfully re-established their weavers' guild to protect them against aggressive local merchants who were out to lower payments for woven cloth. A guild, by organizing many individuals into a group, could wield much more power than separate weavers on their own. But that was not all. Local weavers were aware that economic circumstances had changed, and that a new charter would have to be adapted so that it addressed the problems they faced. Hence, the charter they drafted provided for a guild that had the outward appearance of the old form of craft organization. However, in addition to the usual regulations it contains clauses that are more reminiscent of a trade union than a guild. The result was an organization that the weavers could use effectively to fend off their growing dependence on and subordination to merchants.
Russian “Official Antisemitism” Reconsidered: Socio-Economic Aspects of Tsarist Jewish Policy, 1881–1905
Authors: Gutwein Daniel
Published: February 2009

The respective Jewish policies of Tsarist ministers Witte and Plehve are re-examined through the perspective of their opposing socio-economic policies. The two ministers' rivalry over Jewish policy is considered not to be a reflection of “antisemitic” or “pro-Jewish” sympathies, as that would leave major elements of these policies unexplained; rather, analysis shows it to be a means in their struggle to gain supremacy for their own respective policies regarding the nature and pace of Russia's industrialization. The Russian policy-makers perceived the Jews not only as a religious group; they saw them as a non-monolithic economic entity, and differentiated among the various strata of Jewish society in accordance with the respective influence of each stratum's economic activities on Russian society and economy. Accordingly, the two ministers formulated opposing differential Jewish policies to fit their respective all-Russian socio-economic policies.
Some Observations on Unfree Labour, Capitalist Restructuring, and Deproletarianization
Authors: Brass Tom
Published: February 2009

Both historically and actually, there is a complex interrelationship between the existence of unfree labour and the process of class formation and struggle in the course of agrarian transformation. However, much current writing about rural labour in the Third World is based on three interrelated assumptions. First, that labour market imperfections are always the fault of peasants resisting the attempts of capital to proletarianize them; second, that capitalist penetration of agriculture always transforms peasants into proletarians, in the full meaning of the latter term; and third, that where these exist (non-urban contexts, backward agriculture, and/or underdeveloped countries), unfree relations are always unproblematically pre-capitalist forms of production destined to be eliminated in the course of this process. In the marxist approach which follows, it will be argued that each of these three assumptions is wrong.