bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a variant in the transcription factor 7‐like 2 (TCF7L2) gene and prostate cancer risk in a population‐based study
Authors: Agalliu Ilir , Suuriniemi Miia , Prokunina‐Olsson Ludmila , Johanneson Bo , Collins Francis S. , Stanford Janet L. , Ostrander Elaine A.
Published: February 2008

Background

Transcription factor 7‐like 2 (TCF7L2) is a high mobility group‐box containing protein that is a critical member of the Wnt/β‐catenin canonical signaling pathway. In addition to its recently recognized role in diabetes, aberrant TCF7L2 expression has been implicated in cancer through regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis by c‐MYC and cyclin D. It has been hypothesized that germline variants within the TCF7L2 gene previously associated with diabetes may affect cancer risk through the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway. Specifically, the same risk allele of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12255372 that is associated with diabetes (T allele) has recently been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Methods

Here, we investigated associations between rs12255372 and prostate cancer risk among 1,457 cases and 1,351 controls from a population‐based study.

Results

The variant TT genotype was not associated with overall prostate cancer risk. However, there was evidence that men homozygous for the variant T allele had an elevated relative risk of more aggressive prostate cancer, as defined by high Gleason score (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0–2.8) or regional/distant stage (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1–2.6) disease.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that this variant in the TCF7L2 gene may be associated with risk of developing more clinically significant disease. These results need to be confirmed, but provide initial evidence that the TCF7L2 gene may alter risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. Prostate 68: 740–747, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis, characterization, and magnetic properties of flower‐like nickel materials
Authors: Zhou W. , Guo L. , He L. , Chen C. P.
Published: February 2008

Flower‐like Ni particles about 1 µm in diameter have been synthesized by means of a mild chemical solution method with a soft template of hexadecyltrimethy‐lammonium bromide (CTAB). Analysis of the structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveal that they are composed of particles with an average diameter of 250 nm. The particles are composed of grains 20–30 nm in size. Based on a series of experiments, the growing process of the flower‐like structure is described briefly. The coercivity of the as‐grown product at 300 K is about 90 Oe. It is small in comparison with that of the reported flower‐like microstructure composed of nickel nanotips, ∼232 Oe. This is attributed to its shape anisotropy and polycrystalline structure. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Ambipolar charge carrier transport in organic semiconductor blends of phthalocyanine and fullerene
Authors: Bronner Markus , Opitz Andreas , Brütting Wolfgang
Published: February 2008

Ambipolar charge carrier transport is realised in organic field‐effect transistors using mixtures of p‐conductive copper‐phthalocyanine and n‐conductive buckminster fullerene as active layer. These blends are model systems for ambipolar transport with adjustable field‐effect mobilities for electrons and holes by variation of the mixing ratio. Thereby balanced mobilities for both charge‐carrier types are possible.

In this paper we discuss the variation of mobility, threshold voltage and electronic energy levels with the mixing ratio. The charge carrier mobilities are strongly reduced upon dilution of the respective conducting phase by the other species. This shows that transport of each carrier species occurs by percolation through the respective phase in the blend. A strong correlation between contact resistance and mobility indicates that carrier injection is diffusion limited. A charge redistribution in the copper‐phthalocyanine causes a hole accumulation at the organic/organic interface and affects thereby the threshold voltage for holes. By analysing the electronic structure using photoelectron spectroscopy no charge transfer was found in the ground state. The common work function of these blends changes linearly between the work functions of the neat materials. Thus a constant ionisation potential for the highest occupied molecular orbitals of the two materials is obtained.

Furthermore we have fabricated ambipolar inverters using mixed organic semiconductor layers and compare their behaviour to complementary inverters consisting of discrete p‐ and n‐channel transistors. The experimental findings and concomitant simulations demonstrate the need for balanced elec‐ tron and hole mobilities in order to achieve symmetric inverter characteristics. However, they also reveal the superior performance of true complementary logic inverters towards their ambipolar pendants. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Influence of top layer geometries on the electronic properties of pentacene and diindenoperylene thin films
Authors: Scharnberg M. , Adelung R. , Faupel F.
Published: February 2008

Top layers have a pronounced influence on the electronic properties of molecular organic thin films. Here, we report about the changes induced by metallic and polymeric top layers and contacts. As test structures, model systems of diindenoperylene and pentacene crystalline molecular organic thin films are used. A very sensitive radiotracer technique is introduced to study the details of metal penetration during top contact formation. The influence of temperature, evaporation time, adhesion promoter and grain size of the organic film were examined. The electric currents passing through metal top contacts were found to vary by more than a factor of three, depending on the preparation conditions of the metal contact. Furthermore, the series resistance of chemically identical contacts that only differed in the morphology of the interface were found to show pronounced asymmetric conductivity behaviour. We also show that with the help of electret top layers, based on the Teflon‐AF fluropolymer, the threshold voltage of an organic field effect transistor can be tuned by several volts. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Potentiometry on pentacene OFETs: Charge carrier mobilities and injection barriers in bottom and top contact configurations
Authors: Scholz R. , Lehmann D. , Müller A.‐D. , Müller F. , Zahn D. R. T.
Published: February 2008

In a combination of experimental techniques including electrical probes, potentiometry, and charge transient spectroscopy (QTS), we develop concepts how to quantify the potential drops at the contacts, the mobility in the channel region, and the density of states of deep traps in pentacene OFETs. For OFETs grown from unpurified pentacene on pre‐patterned Au bottom contacts, a comparison between potentiometry and two‐dimensional device simulations determines an injection barrier of 0.73 eV at the source contact and a hole mobility of 0.014 cm2 V–1 s–1 in the pentacene channel. Temperature‐dependent QTS data reveal a trap level at about 125 meV from the hole transport band, indicating a relatively high density of unintentional dopants and therefore a high background density of majority charge carriers. In OFETs grown from purified pentacene onto a SiO2 gate dielectric and Au top contacts evaporated onto the pentacene channel without breaking the vacuum, potentiometry reveals a nearly perfect alignment of the metal work function with the hole transport level in the organic layer. The much lower density of deep traps in these samples raises the hole mobility to the range 0.1–0.2 cm2 V–1 s–1. A further improvement of the hole mobility and the resulting device performance can be achieved by a chemical treatment of the gate oxide with n‐octadecytrichlorosilane (OTS). (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Electronic states at the dielectric/semiconductor interface in organic field effect transistors
Authors: Benson Niels , Melzer Christian , Schmechel Roland , Seggern Heinz von
Published: February 2008

Electronic trap states at the interface of the gate insulator and the organic semiconductor play a decisive role for the current–voltage characteristic of organic field effect transistors. In this article two techniques will be introduced which eliminate and generate those trap states on SiO2 as well as polymer dielectric interfaces, respectively. Employing these interface modifications, p‐ and n‐type pentacene field‐effect transistors as well as an organic CMOS inverter with a single organic semiconductor and a single type of source–drain metallization were engineered. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
X‐ray structural and crystallinity studies of low and high molecular weight poly(3‐hexylthiophene)
Authors: Joshi S. , Grigorian S. , Pietsch U.
Published: February 2008

X‐ray diffraction studies were performed in order to understand the crystallinity, the molecular orientation and the nanoscale morphology of a low‐(LMW) and a high molecular weight (HMW) fractions of Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films. The thickness of films was found to be in the range between 10 nm and 200 nm. Further structural information was obtained using X‐ray grazing incidence in‐plane and out‐of‐plane diffraction using synchrotron radiation. The X‐ray analysis reveals that the films are mainly amorphous and contain randomly oriented nanocrystallites with the best match for a monoclinic unit cell. Additionally, polymorphism was found for ∼200 nm thick films of LMW fraction. Interestingly, the film morphology varies as a function of the film thickness. For LMW material the random orientation of nanocrystallites changes to preferential orientation of lamellae along the surface normal when the size of crystallites become of the order of film thickness, i.e. below 20 nm. For the HMW fraction we found an increase of lamellar ordering at about 60 K below the melting point of the material. Temperature‐resolved measurements reveal a thickness dependence of crystallinity. For the LMW fraction the character of the phase transition changes from continuous drop of intensity (for thick films) to sharp drop of intensity for extremely thin films, which is a hint for the importance of the film to substrate interaction. The figure shows the proposed monoclinic unit cell of the P3HT low molecular weight fraction. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Organic field‐effect transistors for spin‐polarized transport
Authors: Michelfeit M. , Schmidt G. , Geurts J. , Molenkamp L. W.
Published: February 2008

In order to combine the merits of the rapidly developing fields of spintronics and organic electronics, we present a concept of an organic field‐effect transistor (OFET) for spin‐polarized transport, enabling a non‐volatile activation and deactivation by magnetic field pulses. This new steering parameter in addition to the usual steering by the electrical gate voltage opens the path toward programmable logics. In our concept, the magnetic‐field sensitivity is achieved by the employment of ferromagnetic source and drain contacts with different coercive field strength. This enables a separate switching of its magnetization directions. The resulting parallel or anti‐parallel orientation of the magnetization of source and drain corresponds to a low or high channel resistance for the spin‐polarized electrons. On the route towards the experimental realization of this device, we present a working OFET, based on dihexylquaterthiophene (DH4T), with ferromagnetic FeCoB stripes as source and drain contacts. Besides, the ability of a separate switching of the contact stripe magnetizations is demonstrated. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Aluminum oxide film as gate dielectric for organic FETs: Anodization and characterization
Authors: Dang X.‐D. , Plieth W. , Richter S. , Plötner M. , Fischer W.‐J.
Published: February 2008

The influences of the preparation conditions on the properties of anodic aluminium oxide films were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A two‐layer model of the film, consisting of barrier and porous layers was used to analyze the impedance data. The thickness of the barrier layer was calculated from the capacitance values. The total thickness of the aluminium oxide film was determined by cross‐section SEM micrographs. Thus, anodic aluminium oxide films were prepared showing dielectric properties comparable to that of silicon dioxide films. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A study of magnetic properties in CoFeSiB amorphous thin films submitted to furnace annealing
Authors: Celegato F. , Coïsson M. , Olivetti E. , Tiberto P. , Vinai F.
Published: February 2008

Co67Fe4Si14.5B14.5 amorphous thin films have been produced by rf sputtering with thickness varying from 30 nm to 90 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction have been employed to reveal a predominant amorphous phase in the as‐prepared samples, although a small crystalline fraction cannot be excluded. Selected specimens have been submitted to furnace annealing in vacuum with and without the application of an in‐plane magnetic field with an intensity of 100 Oe. At temperatures ≥550 °C the thin films develop a significant crystalline fraction responsible of the large increase of the coercivity of their magnetic hysteresis loops. Thicker films develop larger coercivities upon crystallization. Field annealing below the Curie temperature of the alloy results in the induction of a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (rectangular hysteresis loop along the easy axis, almost linear loops along the hard axis). Sample thickness and annealing time affect the development of the uniaxial anisotropy and the remanence to saturation ratio. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Organic transistors utilising highly soluble swivel‐cruciform oligothiophenes
Authors: Zen Achmad , Pingel Patrick , Neher Dieter , Scherf Ullrich
Published: February 2008

A series of soluble swivel‐cruciform oligothiophene dimers with increasing chain length – bis(terthiophene) (BT3), bis(pentathiophene) (BT5) and bis(heptathiophene) (BT7) – was used as semiconductor in organic field‐effect transistors. A field‐effect mobility of 3.7 × 10–5 cm2/Vs and a current on/off ratio of >103 was obtained with dimer BT5. The attachment of terminal n‐hexyls to BT5 provides a swivel‐cruciform α,α′‐dihexylpentathiophene dimer (DHPT‐SC) with increased solubility. XRD and AFM analysis of the resulting thin films reveals that they are highly crystalline. Using the DHPT‐SC swivel cruciform in solution‐processed organic field‐effect transistors, we obtained a field‐effect mobility of 0.012 cm2/Vs and a current on/off ratio of >105, which is among the highest values reported to date for wet‐processed OFETs utilizing oligothiophenes. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Influence of Alq3 and/or Al2O3 layers at the C60/aluminum interface on the I –V characteristics of CuPc/C60‐based solar cells
Authors: Morsli M. , Berredjem Y. , Drici A. , Kouskoussa B. , Boulmokh A. , Bernède J. C.
Published: February 2008

The electrical properties of organic solar cells based on the couple copper phthalocyanine/fullerene (CuPc/C60) have been studied as a function of the interface fullerene/aluminum (C60/Al). It is shown that, in the case of direct contact, the cells properties depend on the ageing of the cells. Indeed, when the cell is in contact for 5 min with air before encapsulation, i.e. when a thin natural alumina (Al2O3) layer is present between the C60 and Al there is an increase of the open‐circuit voltage, which is attributed to an increase of the shunt resistance. When a tris(8‐hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) thin film is introduced between the C60 and the Al, ageing of the devices, that is to say the contact or not for 5 min with air before encapsulation, does not strongly modify the cells properties. The presence of such exciton blocking film improves the cell performance. It is shown that in the presence of Alq3 the forward bias adhered qualitatively to expectations for p–n junctions at the CuPc/C60 interface. Without this blocking exciton film, the analysis of the variation of the current with the forward bias shows that it fails to behave like a p–n junction. In this case it is shown that the current flow can be seen as nearly ohmic at low fields and close to space‐charge limited at higher fields. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Inner‐shell photoabsorption spectroscopy of push–pull nitroanilines—Theoretical and experimental studies at N 1s region
Authors: Guerra Antonio C. O. , Ferreira Glaucio B. , Machado Sérgio P. , Turci Cássia C.
Published: February 2008

Oscillator strengths for N 1s excitation spectra of the gas‐phase aniline and nitrobenzene, and the solid‐phase meta‐ and para‐nitroanilines have been derived from the total electron yield and total ion yield spectra acquired by tunable synchrotron radiation. Ab initio calculations carried out within the improved virtual orbital method and equivalent ionic core virtual orbital model have been used to aid spectral interpretation. The Rydberg‐valency mixture has also been evaluated for all compounds. These results are compared to those acquired with the extended hückel molecular orbital method [Goeta et al., Chem Mater, 2000, 12, 3342]. The building block model has been used to simulate the nitroanilines spectra. The sensitivity of core excitation spectroscopy to intramolecular nitroanilines charge transfer and the N 1s → π* spectral features dependence upon the substitution pattern (meta or para) have been confirmed, as already verified for the gas‐phase inner‐shell energy loss spectra for the same molecules [Turci et al., Can J Chem, 1996, 74, 851]. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008
Stabilities, electronic properties of exohedral fluorine and trifluoromethyl derivatives for Td C28 fullerene C28F4–n(CF3)n (n = 0,1,2,3,4)
Authors: Tang Shu‐Wei , Chang Ying‐Fei , Sun Li‐Li , Sun Hao , Su Zhong‐Min , Wang Rong‐Shun
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT:

Stability and electronic property calculations are performed systematically based on density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level for Td C28 fullerene and exohedral fluorine and trifluoromethyl derivatives C28F4–n(CF3)n (n = 0,1,2,3,4). All the exohedral derivatives that are on the potential energy surfaces are kinetically stable with large HOMO‐LUMO gaps. Further investigations show that binding energies of C28F4–n(CF3)n (n = 0,1,2,3,4) molecules are positive, suggesting they are thermodynamically stable. An analysis of the π‐orbital axis vector indicates the high strain in Td C28 cage could be greatly released by fluorine and trifluoromethyl decorations. Mulliken charge analysis reveals that adding different electron groups to the Td C28 cage can cause remarkably different charge populations. In addition, from the ionization potential and electron affinity investigations, the C28F4–n(CF3)n (n = 0,1,2,3,4) molecules manifest weak redox properties. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008
Oxygen plasma‐induced conversion of polysiloxane into hydrophilic and smooth SiOx surfaces
Authors: Satriano Cristina , Marletta Giovanni , Kasemo Bengt
Published: February 2008

Atomically flat films of poly(hydroxymethyl)siloxane (PHMS) were modified at surfaces by oxygen‐plasma treatments and characterized by several surface sensitive techniques. The purpose was to develop well‐characterized films with SiOx surface properties for various applications.

The unmodified and plasma‐treated PHMS films were investigated by angular resolved XPS (ARXPS in situ in the plasma equipment), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle (CA) measurements. The surface chemical composition and wettability underwent pronounced changes upon plasma treatment, while there was no significant change of the original flatness, and both pristine and plasma‐treated surfaces exhibited average roughness values below 0.5 nm.

The pristine PHMS surface, having a pronounced hydrophobic character, due to the predominance of methyl groups at the surface‐air interface, became progressively more hydrophilic for increasing O2‐plasma treatment times, due to the formation of SiOxCy(x → 2, y → 0) phases, resulting in a wetting angle of 20° for the longer plasma‐treatment times (60–600 s). The observed wetting angle character was correlated with the carbon (C) and oxygen (O) content at the polymer surface. Aging of the plasma‐treated surfaces was done in air and water, which produced quite different stable wetting angles. After a sufficiently long plasma‐treatment time (≥60 s) a stable wetting angle of 20° –25° was measured, nearly the same as on the freshly plasma‐oxidized surfaces. In contrast, storage in pure water, after the same plasma treatment, gave stable contact angles of 5° or lower. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Do managerial ties in China always produce value? Competition, uncertainty, and domestic vs. foreign firms
Authors: Li Julie Juan , Poppo Laura , Zhou Kevin Zheng
Published: February 2008

While most advocate that foreign firms should utilize managerial ties to conduct business in China, recent literature cautions that such ties may offer only conditional value. This study examines three sources of heterogeneity that may condition the value of ties: firm ownership (foreign vs. domestic), competition, and structural uncertainty. Results from a survey of 280 firms in China indicate that though foreign and domestic firms utilize ties at a similar level, their performance gains from tie utilization differ. Managerial ties have a monotonic, positive effect on performance for domestic firms, whereas the effect is curvilinear (i.e., inverted U‐shaped) for foreign firms. Therefore, compared with domestic firms, foreign firms have a competitive disadvantage from tie utilization. Furthermore, managerial ties are less effective for fostering performance when competition becomes more intense. However, ties lead to higher levels of firm performance when structural uncertainty increases. Overall, these results support the contingency view of managerial ties and caution companies about the unconditional use of ties as the market becomes more heterogeneous. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corruption and market attractiveness influences on different types of FDI
Authors: Brouthers Lance Eliot , Gao Yan , McNicol Jason Patrick
Published: February 2008

Previous studies have proposed that a compensatory model predicts the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) in a country; FDI levels are a result of ‘trade‐offs’ between the positive effect of market attractiveness and the negative influence of corruption. In contrast, we hypothesize and find that the compensatory relationship only holds for market‐seeking investment; for resource‐seeking FDI the model appears to be noncompensatory. Greater market attractiveness mitigates the negative impact of corruption on market‐seeking investment, but the ability of market attractiveness to mitigate the negative impact of corruption on resource‐seeking FDI quickly disappears as corruption levels increase. Implications and future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spillovers and competition among foreign and local firms in China
Authors: Chang Sea Jin , Xu Dean
Published: February 2008

Combining the FDI spillover literature with a competitor analysis framework, we examine the relative size of spillover and competition effects in China between foreign entrants and local firms, among foreign entrants, and among local firms. Our results show that the increased presence of foreign entrants has generally benefited local firms nationally, but has negatively affected the survival rates of local firms in regional markets. Surprisingly, foreign entrants are crowded out not only by their peers, but also by reformed local firms at both the national and regional levels. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanisms by which amphetamine redistributes dopamine out of vesicles: A computational study
Authors: Wallace Lane J. , Connell Laura E.
Published: February 2008

Computer simulations of dopamine (DA) and amphetamine interactions associated with dopaminergic storage vesicles were developed in order to better explain how amphetamine causes redistribution of DA out of the vesicles. In the model, DA can be transported into vesicles via the vesicular monoamine transporter. Amphetamine competitively inhibits DA uptake either as a substrate for the transporter or by interference with DA binding to the transporter. Both of the amines can passively diffuse across the membrane in both directions, but only the neutral species can cross the membrane in this manner. The abundance of neutral and positive moieties of the amines is governed by the Henderson‐Hasselbalch equation. The model reproduces experimentally observed steady‐state DA levels in vesicles, vesicles emptying faster after a change of pH inside the vesicle than after a change in access of DA for the vesicular monoamine transporter, and the impact of amphetamine on DA uptake and efflux in a variety of experimental paradigms. The simulations indicate that a small percentage of DA is constantly diffusing out of vesicles and is replaced by DA entering the vesicle by the vesicular monoamine transporter. Low doses of amphetamine cause DA redistribution out of vesicles primarily by inhibiting DA storage while an enhancement of efflux rates as a result of a change in vesicle pH is added at higher concentrations of amphetamine. Synapse 62:370–378, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Blockade of globus pallidus adenosine A2A receptors displays antiparkinsonian activity in 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned rats treated with D1 or D2 dopamine receptor agonists
Authors: Simola Nicola , Fenu Sandro , Baraldi Pier G. , Tabrizi Mojgan Aghazadeh , Morelli Micaela
Published: February 2008

We have recently demonstrated how antagonism of adenosine A2A receptors within the globus pallidus (GP) ipsilateral to dopaminergic denervation potentiates contralateral rotational behavior induced by the dopamine precursor L‐DOPA in 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned hemiparkinsonian rats. To further characterize the influence of pallidal A2A receptor blockade on the motor stimulant effects elicited by dopamine receptor activation, hemiparkinsonian rats were infused with the water‐soluble A2A antagonist SCH BT2 in the GP, alone or in combination with systemic administration of either SKF 38393 or quinpirole, to stimulate dopamine D1 or D2 receptors, respectively. SCH BT2 alone (5 μg/1 μl) neither altered motor behavior nor produced postural asymmetry. In contrast, the contralateral rotations elicited by SKF 38393 (1.5 mg/kg) as well as quinpirole (0.05 mg/kg) were potentiated by the concomitant intrapallidal infusion of SCH BT2. The results of this study demonstrate that blockade of pallidal A2A receptors exerts a facilitatory influence on the motor effects produced by the selective stimulation of either D1 or D2 dopamine receptors in hemiparkinsonian rats and suggest an involvement of GP in the antiparkinsonian activity of A2A receptor antagonists. Synapse 62:345–351, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Increase of dopamine D2Highreceptors in the striatum of rats sensitized to caffeine motor effects
Authors: Simola Nicola , Morelli Micaela , Seeman Philip
Published: February 2008

It has been previously demonstrated how rats can develop behavioral dopamine supersensitivity after long‐term administration of caffeine. Since behavioral dopamine supersensitivity in rats is usually accompanied by an elevation in striatal dopamine D2Highreceptors, we examined whether alterations in D2Highreceptors occurred in the striatum of rats administered caffeine according to a regimen capable of eliciting behavioral dopamine supersensitivity (15 mg/kg i.p. every other day for 14 days). An increase of 126% in striatal D2Highreceptors was found in caffeine‐sensitized rats. This marked elevation in D2Highreceptors may account for the caffeine‐induced behavioral dopamine supersensitivity and may help elucidate the interactions between caffeine and dopamine neurotransmission. Synapse 62:394–397, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Energy‐saving Technologies for Automobiles
Authors: Teratani Tatsuo , Mizutani Ryoji , Yamamoto Keiichi , Anegawa Takafumi
Published: February 2008

Since entering the 21st century, we have been facing a globally urgent need for all nations, without exception, to deal with environmental concerns such as global warming and energy issues arising from the depletion of fossil fuels. As a countermeasure, next‐generation vehicles for a recycling‐based society that are energy‐efficient, compact, light, low‐cost and reliable need to spread in the society. In this study, we will explain the basic philosophy of how to approach next‐generation energy‐saving technologies for automobiles, the current status and technological issues of internal combustion engines (ICE), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) with the latest examples. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Environmentally‐friendly Aspects and Innovative Lightweight Traction System Technologies of the Shinkansen High‐speed EMUs
Authors: Hagiwara Yoshiyasu
Published: February 2008

In 1964, the Tokaido Shinkansen marked the start of the world's first commercial service high‐speed railway that operates at over 200 km/h. Since then, the Tokaido Shinkansen has demonstrated successful business and technological advancement. With the speeding‐up of the Shinkansen, environmental matters such as noise and vibration have become critical issues. Measures taken to counter noise and vibration—such as weight reduction and aerodynamics—also effect global environmental measures to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission. With the introduction of the Series 300, there was a system change of applying an AC drive system, and the lightweight body realized performance improvement over the earlier Series 0.

The high‐speed EMUs have readily taken advantage of technological innovation such as those achieved in electronics technology. In particular, an innovative AC drive system comprising a power converter with a GTO thyristor and asynchronous motors realized a high‐performance and lightweight traction system for high‐speed EMUs in the 1990s. Furthermore, recent innovations in electronics technology, such as low switching loss power devices and high‐power permanent magnets, have improved the AC drive systems of the high‐speed EMUs of the 21st century.

This article starts out by introducing environmentally friendliness of the Shinkansen trains in terms of low energy consumption by means of traction system change, and then proceeds to describe the recent technological innovations that have given birth to lightweight traction systems, such as the Permanent Magnet Synchronous traction Motor (PMSM) and power converters with train‐draft‐cooling systems. The article concludes by summing up the environmentally friendly aspects of the Tokaido Shinkansen. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Energy‐Saving Technologies for Inverter Air Conditioners
Authors: Ohyama Kazunobu , Kondo Toshinari
Published: February 2008

Almost all residential air conditioners in Japan are inverter air conditioners in which a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is driven by a PWM inverter. The inverter technology can reduce the energy consumption to less than half that of air conditioners driven by a constant‐speed induction motor (IM). This paper reviews the trends and the latest energy‐efficient technologies for the motor and the power converter that achieve considerable energy saving. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Association Rule Mining for Continuous Attributes using Genetic Network Programming
Authors: Taboada Karla , Gonzales Eloy , Shimada Kaoru , Mabu Shingo , Hirasawa Kotaro , Hu Jinglu
Published: February 2008

Most of the existing association rule mining algorithms are able to extract knowledge from databases with attributes of binary values. However, in real‐world applications, databases are usually composed of continuous values such as height, length or weight. If the attributes are continuous, the algorithms are commonly integrated with a discretization method that transforms them into discrete attributes. Discretization is a process of transforming a continuous attribute value into a finite number of intervals and assigning each interval into a discrete numerical value. However, the user most often must specify the number of intervals, or provide some heuristic rules to be used while discretization, and then it is difficult to get the highest attribute interdependency and at the same time get the lowest number of intervals. In this paper we present an association rule mining algorithm that is suited for continuous valued attributes commonly found in scientific and statistical databases. We propose a method using a new graph‐based evolutionary algorithm named ‘genetic network programming (GNP)’ that can deal with continuous values directly, that is, without using any discretization method as a preprocessing step. GNP represents its individuals using graph structures and evolves them in order to find a solution; this feature contributes to creating very compact programs and implicitly memorizing past action sequences. In the proposed method using GNP, the significance of the extracted association rules is measured by the use of χ2test, and only important association rules are stored in a pool all together through generations. Results of experiments conducted on a real‐life database suggest that the proposed method provides an effective technique for handling continuous attributes. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hydrogen‐Gas Detection System and its Functions to Make Each Sensor Wireless
Authors: Yokosawa Koichi , Nakano Sadaki , Goto Yasushi , Saitoh Kazuo , Tsukada Keiji
Published: February 2008

A prototype system for detecting hydrogen‐gas leaks in hydrogen filling stations was fabricated. The prototype is composed of a wireless network with 10 sensor nodes for monitoring the spatial distribution of hydrogen‐gas concentration. To make each sensor node to be driven by a battery, field‐effect transistor (FET) sensors and a microprocessor with low power consumption were used. Additionally, two functions were devised and implemented in the microprocessor in each node: one reduces the power consumption of each sensor node and the other controls the transmission to avoid communication congestion when a gas leak occurs. The use of batteries and wireless communications enables the nodes to be placed at optimal sensing locations without regard to the wiring needed with existing gas sensors. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Determination of Activation Energies and Electric Dipole Moment of In‐Plane Highly Electrically Conductive Hetero‐C12TCNQ/C20 LB Films Using Thermally Stimulated Current
Authors: Kushida Masahito , Imaizumi Yoshiaki , Sakayori Ayako , Totsuka Megumi
Published: February 2008

The activation energies of in‐plane highly electrically conductive 2‐dodecyl‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (C12 TCNQ)/arachidic acid (C20) hetero‐LB films and C12TCNQ homo‐LB films were determined by thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurement. The TSC curves for the upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/C20/lower Al electrode were nearly of the same shape as those for the upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/lower Al electrode. The activation energies of the upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/C20/lower Al electrode and upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/lower Al electrode were 0.9–1.3 eV at 55–80°C and 1.6–1.8 eV at 105–120°C, respectively. The TSC curves for the upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/C20/lower Al electrode and upper Al electrode/C12TCNQ/lower Al electrode had two peaks at 55–80°C owing to the depolarization of the electric dipole and two peaks at 105–120°C owing to the movement of space charges in the C12TCNQ molecule. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Generation of Anode Spot in Low‐Current DC Vacuum Arcs by the Effect of Embedded Magnet in the Anode
Authors: Kobayashi Kazuki , Wanninayake W. M. R. R. , Yanagidaira Takeshi , Sato Naoyuki , Tsuruta Koichi
Published: February 2008

Experiments were conducted with the aim of keeping low‐current DC vacuum arcs stable. A permanent columnar magnet was embedded in the anode and a permanent disk‐shaped magnet was arranged behind the anode. As result, the arc plasma is strongly constricted to a column and a light emitting point appeared on the anode surface. Generation of the anode spot was confirmed by detecting anode metal vapor and ions using mass and spectroscopic analyses under low‐current arcs of less than 20 A. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Youth‐Adult Partnerships in Decision Making: Disseminating and Implementing an Innovative Idea into Established Organizations and Communities
Authors: Zeldin Shepherd , Petrokubi Julie , MacNeil Carole
Published: February 2008

The principles and processes for engaging youth‐adult partnerships (Y‐AP) in organizational and community decision making have often been articulated from developmental and social justice perspectives. A broad empirical foundation for Y‐AP has been established. Y‐AP remains an innovative idea in the United States, however. The belief that youth and adults can, and should, collaborate on issues of importance runs counter to prevailing policies, institutional structures, and community norms. 4‐H Youth Development is one public system that is actively seeking to disseminate and implement Y‐AP. 4‐H Youth Development seeks to integrate Y‐AP into its own governance structures as well as those of local government and community coalitions. Through qualitative analysis of the efforts in one Midwestern state, this study examines the contextual challenges faced by county staff—the providers of program support within 4‐H Youth Development—and the ways in which county staff respond to these obstacles. This project identifies the goals, leverage points, and strategies through which county staff seek to integrate Y‐AP into established forums of decision making. Implications for the dissemination and implementation of principle and process‐based innovation are offered, with special attention to the role of the program support system.
Bridging Science to Practice: Achieving Prevention Program Implementation Fidelity in the Community Youth Development Study
Authors: Fagan Abigail A. , Hanson Koren , Hawkins J. David , Arthur Michael W.
Published: February 2008

This paper describes the development, application, and results of an implementation monitoring component of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention framework used in the Community Youth Development Study (CYDS) to ensure high‐fidelity prevention program implementation. This system was created based on research that community‐based implementation of evidence‐based prevention programs often includes adaptations in program design, content, or manner of delivery (Gottfredson and Gottfredson, Journal of research in crime and delinquency, 39, 3–35, 2002; Hallfors and Godette, Health Education Research, 17, 461–470, 2002; Wandersman and Florin, American Psychologist, 58, 441–448, 2003). A lack of fidelity to the implementation standards delineated by program designers is one indicator of a gap between prevention science and practice which can lessen the likelihood that communities will realize the positive participant effects demonstrated in research trials. By using the CTC model to select and monitor the quality of prevention activities, the 12 CYDS communities replicated 13 prevention programs with high rates of adherence to the programs' core components and in accordance with dosage requirements regarding the number, length, and frequency of sessions. This success indicates the potential of the CTC program implementation monitoring system to enhance community Prevention Delivery Systems (Wandersman et al. American Journal of Community Psychology, this issue) and improve the likelihood of desired participant changes.
Role of physical activity in the prevention of falls and their consequences in the elderly
Authors: Pereira Catarina L. N. , Vogelaere Peter , Baptista Fátima
Published: February 2008

This work aims to provide an inventory of the risk factors and consequences of falling in the elderly, namely fractures, and to identify strategies to prevent falls and minimise their effects. Falls in elderly people are a major cause of injuries, leading to a general fear of falling, poorer quality of life and even death. The increase in life expectancy brought by developments in the medical and health sciences has not always brought enhanced quality of life. More elderly people live with reduced functional capacities resulting in a higher prevalence of falls and associated problems for themselves and for society. Risk factors for falling, commonly resulting from normal aging processes, have already been identified through multiple studies. Exercise may play an important role in fall prevention and their consequences. Although, effective strategies are usually multi-disciplinary and focus simultaneously on several risk factors. However, only large-scale prevention programmes can have significant effective social impact. To minimise occurrence and consequences of falls, policies to systematically implement prevention programmes should be established.
The ethical taboos and the expressions of affection between man and wife in the poems in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties
Authors: Jianxun GUO
Published: February 2008

Due to the marriage ethic that has been emphasized repeatedly by the rulers in the Han Dynasty and the influence of various annotations on The Book of Poetry done from the perspective of Confucian classics, the marital love and the harmonious sex life give way to friendly ties between the couple and a harmonious family life. The ethical taboos for the married couple and the collective unconsciousness that characterizes the whole age caused the poets during the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties to disregard the husband-wife relationship. During this period of time, the poems concerned with the married couple can be divided into two categories according to different ways of expression. Some poems are the self-expressions by heroes or heroines and others are written by the outsiders. In spite of the different perspectives, the loyalty and unyielding love between couples and boudoir complaints remain the most common themes for these poems, which reflect the influence of both the marriage ethic and male dominating social patterns.
Literary families and family literature of the Song Dynasty
Authors: Jian ZHANG , Xiaohuan LÜ
Published: February 2008

Families of literary fame in the Song Dynasty grew out of the economically or politically unprivileged or deprived families. Their ethical training by the family tradition made it a necessity for the literati to put moral integrity and ritual formality prior to everything else. Their education, which held book collecting and erudition in great importance, became resources that contributed a lot to the literary prosperity of the Song Dynasty. Both similarity and variation are found with the family literature of the Song Dynasty. Their similarity is reflected in the inheritance of and identification with the ancestral style of writing by later generations. But variation was also a norm, considering the difference of personal character and life experiences of a writer from those of his ancestors. Variation was also caused within familial literature by a liberal conception of literature and the freedom of writing at the time. In spite of that, the literature of different families had one thing in common—a great reverence for their ancestry and a sense of kinship.
Sagittal balance in scoliosis associated with Marfan syndrome: A stereoradiographic three-dimensional analysis
Authors: Glard Yann , Pomero Vincent , Collignon Patrick , Skalli Wafa , Jouve Jean-Luc , Bollini Gérard
Published: February 2008

Purpose

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a genetic disease often marked by the presence of scoliosis. There is no three-dimensional analysis of the deformity in the literature. Our aim was to determine what kind of sagittal balance defines scoliosis associated with MFS, namely a flexion deformity, as it is in scoliosis associated with Chiari I or an extension deformity, as in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). To address this issue, we compared the presence or absence of a thoracic scoliosis with the presence or absence of a segment in extension in the thoracic spine.

Methods

In our series, 30 patients diagnosed with Marfan syndrome were prospectively included. In each patient, personalized three-dimensional reconstruction from T1 to L5 of the spine was made using stereoradiography. The patients were first separated based on the presence or absence of thoracic scoliosis, in order to compare this with the presence or absence of a segment in extension in the thoracic spine. They were then classified into two groups based on the presence or absence of the segment in extension (meaning containing negative values of inter-vertebral sagittal rotation) in the thoracic spine.

Results

Among scoliotic patients with a thoracic scoliosis (17 cases), there were 13 (76.5% cases) with a segment in extension in the thoracic spine and 4 with no segment in extension.

Conclusions

Our results showed that scoliosis associated with MFS is somehow original, demonstrating a sagittal balance in extension (as AIS) in about 80% of thoracic curves, but without this characteristic feature in about 20%.
Correlation between posteromedial or posterolateral displacement and cubitus varus deformity in supracondylar humerus fractures in children
Authors: Eren Abdullah , Güven Melih , Erol Bülent , Akman Budak , Õzkan Korhan
Published: February 2008

Purpose

Cubitus varus deformity is one of the most common complications after displaced supracondylar humeral fractures in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the fracture displacement and cubitus varus deformity in displaced supracondylar humerus fractures.

Methods

Seventeen patients (11 males/6 females; mean age 7 years) with cubitus varus deformities occurring after Gartland type III posteromedial or posterolateral displaced supracondylar humerus fractures were evaluated with clinical and serial radiographic examinations. All patients had been treated surgically by open reduction through a medial approach and percutaneous cross-pinning. All fractures were reduced anatomically. Ten of the patients were operated within the first 24 h. The time interval between the initial injury and the surgical procedure for the remaining seven patients was 5.3 days on average (range 2–10 days). The carrying angle and range of motion of the elbow were measured throughout the follow-up period. The mean follow-up time was 3.7 years (range 2–12 years).

Results

Five patients with type III-B fractures had a mean carrying angle loss of 8.8° (range 6–10°), whereas for the remaining 12 type III-A patients the mean loss was 15° (range 6–29°) ( P = 0.019). None of the patients in this study demonstrated limited elbow motion. According to the Flynn criteria, the results were good in five type III-B patients. There was no statistically significant relationship between the loss of carrying angle and the delay before the surgical procedure ( P = 0.615 in type III-A, P = 0.096 in type III-B).

Conclusions

The carrying angle loss was more significant in type III-A fractures compared with type III-B in this series. These results suggest that although anatomic reduction has been achieved by surgical treatment without loss of reduction, there is still a risk for cubitus varus deformity for type III-A fractures due to the initial compression of the medial column or, in other words, physeal injury.