bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differences in telomerase expression by the CD1a+ cells in Langerhans cell histiocytosis reflect the diverse clinical presentation of the disease
Authors: da Costa CET , Egeler RM , Hoogeboom M , Szuhai K , Forsyth RG , Niesters M , de Krijger RR , Tazi A , Hogendoorn PCW , Annels NE
Published: April 2007

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a disease characterized by an uncontrolled clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, whose aetiology is still unclear. The clonal nature of LCH could support the hypothesis that it is a neoplastic disease with unlimited growth potential. One requirement for unlimited proliferation is the maintenance of telomere length. In a group of 70 patients, we set out to investigate whether a telomere maintenance mechanism is indeed active in LCH cells. This work showed that LCH cells from all restricted skin LCH lesions (6/6) expressed telomerase as assessed by human telomere reverse transcriptase (hTERT) immunohistochemistry, whereas LCH cells from the majority of the bone lesions analysed did not express hTERT (26/34). Interestingly, in contrast to the solitary bone lesions, LCH cells from lesions of multi‐system patients always expressed telomerase (11/11), regardless of the lesional site. In situ telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assays performed on different lesional sites showed that this telomerase was active. In addition, the telomere length of LCH cells from a hTERT‐positive skin multi‐system lesion was long and homogeneous when compared to that in the LCH cells from hTERT‐negative bone single‐system LCH lesions, which was heterogeneous in length. No evidence for an alternative lengthening of telomeres mechanism was found in hTERT‐negative lesions. The difference in telomerase expression and telomere length at the different lesional sites and in biopsies from patients with solitary versus multi‐system disease appears to reflect the diverse clinical presentation and course of this disease. The results from this study have important implications for understanding the nature of this disease. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are psychotropics drugs used in pregnancy?
Authors: De las Cuevas Carlos , de la Rosa M Álvarez , Troyano J. M. , Sanz E. J.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

To assess the prevalence and characteristics of psychiatric drug use in pregnancy.

Methods

A prospective observational study was performed on a total of 1332 consecutive women admitted for delivery, during a 3 months period, in the public obstetric services of Tenerife Island (covering a population of 1 000 000 inhabitants).

Results

Less than 4% (3.6%) of the women recognised having a psychiatric disorder, and only 2.5% were receiving psychiatric drug treatment at the moment they knew they were pregnant; of those, 68.7% introduced substantial modifications in their treatment at that moment, 47.9% did not report any change with respect to the period before pregnancy and 35.4% recognised that their mood was worse than previously. Although patients affected by a psychiatric disorder registered a higher rate of abdominal delivery, no differences in delivery or obstetric complications were found between women with and without psychiatric illness or in relation to psychiatric drug treatment.

Conclusions

Compared to the literature, the studied population shows a lower rate of psychiatric problems and pharmacological treatment. This might reflect underrecognition or undertreatment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The study skills center
Authors: Veits Earl E.
Published: April 2007

There is an alternative to failing for many students who are unable to achieve in the classroom of Washington High School. The Study Skills Center has provided instruction for these students of a level of which they can achieve through the use of programmed instruction. Each student receives an individualized educational program in nearly any subject in a laboratory which is available both during and after school. A similar program could easily be provided of any school for as little as $250.00 worth of programmed materials. What follows is a desciption of the project design, the results of four years of study in the effectiveness of programmed instruction; and the hope that other schools or districts may implement a few ideas presented herein.
Effect of interface on thermodynamic behavior of liquid crystalline type amphiphilic di‐block copolymers
Authors: Boyer Séverine A. E. , Grolier Jean‐Pierre E. , Yoshida Hirohisa , Iyoda Tomokazu
Published: April 2007

In PEOm‐b‐PMA(Az)n amphiphilic diblock copolymers, nanoscale structures exhibit an hexagonal‐packed PEOm cylinders arrangement. To precisely investigate the role of interfacial interactions between hydrophilic PEOm and hydrophobic PMA(Az)n including mesogene sequences in the side chains, at the isotropic transition, polymer systems are submitted to thermal and barometric effects under hydrostatic pressure. The thermodynamic investigation is based on the original coupled calorimetric‐PVT technique, yielding scanning transitiometry. Three phase diagrams can be represented versus pressure: (1) isotropic temperature described by Clapeyron equation (Tiso vs. P), (2) change of volume of the system (ΔViso vs. P), (3) entropy of the system (ΔSiso vs. P). In presence of mercury as pressure transmitting fluid, (dTiso/dP) as well as ΔViso and ΔSiso are larger for a PMA(Az)n homopolymer compared to those for the investigated copolymer. Additional calculations of ΔSiso using thermal and mechanical effects give consistent results. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1354–1364, 2007
Interplay of fractionated crystallization and morphology in polypropylene/poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) blends
Authors: Balsamo Vittoria , Gouveia Laura M.
Published: April 2007

The thermal behavior of melt‐mixed polypropylene (PP)/poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) blends was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, and it was quantitatively related to the morphology observed through scanning electron microscopy. The PP/PCL blends were immiscible in the whole composition range; however, some interesting phenomena were found. Blends with low PP contents crystallized in a fractionated fashion. By applying a self‐nucleation procedure, we demonstrated that this occurred because of a lack of highly active heterogeneities within the confined PP domains. On the other hand, PP acted as a nucleating agent for PCL, and when the PP content was reduced, the higher surface/volume ratio increased its nucleating activity. The nucleating effect was improved when the PP was self‐nucleated because of the better nucleating effect of PP annealed crystals. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1365–1379, 2007
Identification of HLA‐DRB1*1501‐restricted T‐cell epitopes from human prostatic acid phosphatase
Authors: Klyushnenkova Elena N. , Kouiavskaia Diana V. , Kodak James A. , Vandenbark Arthur A. , Alexander Richard B.
Published: April 2007

BACKGROUND

The crucial role of CD4 T‐cells in anti‐tumor immune response is widely recognized, yet the identification of HLA class II‐restricted epitopes derived from tumor antigens has lagged behind compared to class I epitopes. This is particularly true for prostate cancer. Based on the hypothesis that successful cancer immunotherapy will likely resemble autoimmunity, we searched for the CD4 T‐cell epitopes derived from prostatic proteins that are restricted by human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DRB1*1501, an allele associated with granulomatous prostatitis (GP), a disease that may have an autoimmune etiology. One of the antigens implicated in the development of autoimmunity in the prostate is prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), which is also considered a promising target for prostate cancer immunotherapy.

METHODS

We immunized transgenic (tg) mice engineered to express HLA‐DRB1*1501 with human PAP. A library of overlapping 20‐mer peptides spanning the entire human PAP sequence was screened in vitro for T‐cell recognition by proliferative and interferon (IFN)‐γ enzyme‐linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assays.

RESULTS

We identified two 20‐mer peptides, PAP (133–152), and PAP (173–192), that were immunogenic and naturally processed from whole PAP in HLA‐DRB1*1501 tg mice. These peptides were also capable of stimulating CD4 T lymphocytes from HLA‐DRB1*1501‐positive patients with GP and normal donors.

CONCLUSIONS

These peptides can be used for the design of a new generation of peptide‐based vaccines against prostate cancer. The study can also be helpful in understanding the role of autoimmunity in the development of some forms of chronic prostatitis. Prostate 67: 1019–1028, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cytochrome P450 2B6 is a growth‐inhibitory and prognostic factor for prostate cancer
Authors: Kumagai Jinpei , Fujimura Tetsuya , Takahashi Satoru , Urano Tomohiko , Ogushi Tetsuo , Horie‐Inoue Kuniko , Ouchi Yasuyoshi , Kitamura Tadaichi , Muramatsu Masami , Blumberg Bruce , Inoue Satoshi
Published: April 2007

BACKGROUND

Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) influence the biological effects of carcinogens, drugs and hormones including testosterones. Among them, Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) plays a critical role in the deactivation of testosterone. In the present study, we examined CYP2B6 expression in human prostate tissues and prostate cancer.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in 98 benign and 106 malignant prostate tissues and patients' charts were reviewed for clinical, pathologic and survival data. We also investigated whether stable expression of CYP2B6 in LNCaP (human prostate cancer cell line) influences cellular proliferation.

RESULTS

CYP2B6 was abundantly expressed in the normal epithelial cells compared to the prostate cancer cells. Significant immunostaining of CYP2B6 was found in 75 of 106 samples (71%), in the cytoplasm of cancerous tissue samples. CYP2B6 immunoreactivity was inversely correlated with high Gleason score (P < 0.001). Decreased immunoreactivity of CYP2B6 significantly correlated with poor prognosis (P < 0.0001). Univariate and multivariate hazard analyses revealed a significant correlation of decreased CYP2B6 expression with poor cancer‐specific survival (P = 0.0028 and 0.0142, respectively). Furthermore, overexpression of CYP2B6 in LNCaP cells significantly decreased testosterone‐induced proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrated that decreased expression of CYP2B6 might play a role in the development of prostate cancer, and be useful as the prognostic predictor for human prostate cancer. Prostate 67: 1029–1037, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Magnetic field orientation effect on specific heat in a p‐wave superconductor
Authors: Litak Grzegorz , Wysokiński Karol I.
Published: April 2007

The effect of magnetic field on specific heat of a p‐wave spin triplet superconductor has been analyzed. To describe superconductivity we used a single band model with various realizations of p‐wave order parameter and analyzed the effect of a Doppler shift in different temperatures. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
On the Coulomb pseudopotential for Al and Pb superconductors
Authors: Szczȩs̀niak R.
Published: April 2007

We have obtained by high precision numerical calculations, that the value of the Coulomb pseudopotential μ * for Al and Pb differs from the value of μ * calculated from the Allen–Dynes formula. The Allen–Dynes method predicts [μ *]Al = 0.1472 and [μ *]Pb = 0.1446. In our case [μ *]Al = 0.1804 and [μ *]Pb = 0.1295. We have calculated also the ratio of the order parameter at the zero temperature to the critical temperature [R (0)] and the wave function renormalization factor at the critical temperature. We have predicted that [R (0)]Al ≃ 3.5393 and [R (0)]Pb ≃ 4.5301. The wave function renormalization factor is equal to 1.46 for Al and 2.84 for Pb. The presented theoretical results agree with the experimental data and with results obtained from other theoretical approaches. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Influence of the correlation effects on charge transport through quantum dots
Authors: Domański T. , Donabidowicz A. , Wysokiński K. I.
Published: April 2007

We study the effect of the Coulomb interactions on a charge transport through a single level quantum dot. The excitation spectrum is at low temperatures characterized by a narrow Kondo resonance (the low energy feature) formed on top of the line broadening (high energy part of the spectrum). We investigate mutual interplay between these low and high energy parts and discuss their influence on the transport phenomena for a semi‐equilibrium situation. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Ultraviolet luminescence from hexagonal boron nitride heteroepitaxial layers on Ni(111) grown by flow‐rate modulation epitaxy
Authors: Kobayashi Y. , Nakamura T. , Akasaka T. , Makimoto T. , Matsumoto N.
Published: April 2007

We report room‐temperature (RT) observation of near‐band‐gap ultraviolet luminescence at a wavelength of 227 nm in cathodoluminescence from h‐BN heteroepitaxial layers. The h‐BN layers were grown on single crystal Ni(111) substrates by flow‐rate modulation epitaxy (FME), which is based on the alternate supply of triethylboron and ammonia. The h‐BN layers grown with longer NH3 supply time exhibit stronger intensity and narrower full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the near‐band‐gap luminescence. X‐ray diffraction measurements reveal that the FWHM of (0002) h‐BN X‐ray rocking curves decreases with increasing NH3 supply time. The reduction of lattice defects in h‐BN grown by FME with longer NH3 supply time could be the reason for the improved near‐band‐gap ultraviolet luminescence at RT. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Crystallographic polarity and crystallinity characterization of polar and nonpolar GaN epitaxial films by X‐ray diffraction analyses
Authors: Inaba Katsuhiko , Amano Hiroshi
Published: April 2007

We have succeeded in fabricating a prototype of a new X‐ray diffraction (XRD) system that enables both conventional high resolution XRD (HR‐XRD) and crystallographic polarity characterization in the laboratory. By applying a polarity characterization with XRD to a polar GaN epitaxial film, it was determined that a polar GaN film grows in the Ga‐polar direction. On studying a nonpolar GaN film it was revealed that the polar direction lying in the surface plane of the film can be identified by analyzing the asymmetric lattice planes. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Development of natural habit of large free‐nucleated AlN single crystals
Authors: Epelbaum B. M. , Nagata S. , Bickermann M. , Heimann P. , Winnacker A.
Published: April 2007

Well‐shaped freestanding crystals of aluminum nitride up to 25 mm in length have been grown in tungsten crucibles using physical vapor transport (PVT) method. The platelet crystals exhibit characteristic asymmetric habit with largest flat being a pseudo‐facet build by alternating (10$ \bar 1 $0) facets. Pronounced true facets are Al‐terminated (0001) and adjacent {10$ \bar 1 $2} facets, with one of them growing much larger than others. The analysis of formation history of freestanding AlN crystals made it possible to explain their habit, very unusual for wurtzite‐type structure. Growth of freestanding AlN starts from a long needle formed along the [11$ \bar 2 $0] direction at lower temperature of 1900–2000 °C and continues by needle expansion and thickening along mainly [0001] direction, leading to asymmetric platelet. In such geometry only one extended (10$ \bar 1 $2) facet can be developed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Recent developments in the III‐nitride materials
Authors: Monemar B. , Paskov P. P. , Bergman J. P. , Toropov A. A. , Shubina T. V.
Published: April 2007

We review a selection of recent research work on III‐nitride materials, limiting the scope to bulk properties and quantum well structures. The different stages of development of the compounds AlN, GaN and InN are illustrated, with reference to the electronic properties demonstrated so far. The important alloy systems Alx Ga1–x N and Inx Ga1–x N have quite different properties, still not understood in detail for high Al and In contents, respectively. Some important unresolved issues are highlighted, and possible future directions of the materials development are indicated. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Epitaxial growth of aligned GaN nanowires and nanobridges
Authors: Kim Kyungkon , Henry Tania , Cui George , Han Jung , Song Yoon‐Kyu , Nurmikko Arto V. , Tang Hong
Published: April 2007

Homo‐epitaxialy grown aligned GaN nanowires were prepared on crystalline GaN mesas. The GaN nanowires showed preferential growth along the 〈10$ \bar 1 $0〉 direction (m‐axis direction). By using selectively positioned and crystallographically well defined GaN epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) mesas as substrate, we obtained horizontally aligned GaN nanowires, in comb‐like arrays and hexagonal network interconnecting the ELO mesas. Preliminary testing of the nanomechanical behavior of horizontal nanowires is reported. Combination of ELO with nanowire synthesis is expected to provide a new paradigm for nano‐electronic and electromechanical devices. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Preparation of extended microtunnels in GaN by wet chemical etching
Authors: Huang Hsin‐Hsiung , Zeng Hung‐Yu , Lee Wei‐I
Published: April 2007

Extended microtunnels with triangular cross sections are demonstrated in GaN layers on sapphire substrates. The depths of the tunnels can easily reach several hundred micrometers by using wet chemical etching. To obtain this result, patterned growth of specially designed GaN layers is carried out on sapphire substrates with metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and subsequently hydride vapor‐phase epitaxy techniques. The prepared samples are then chemically etched in molten potassium hydroxide, and microtunnels with triangularly etched cross sections are formed. The planes of the triangular bevels belong to the {11$ \bar 2 $2} family. The etch rate of the tunnel can be as high as 10 μm/min under proper etching conditions. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Application of Atomic Force Microscopy on Observing the Ultra‐Fine Structure of the Neoproterozoic Microfossils from China
Authors: Chi Huimei , Xiao Zhongdang , Chen Junyuan , Lu Zuhong
Published: April 2007

Phosphatic microfossils from the Doushantuo Formation, Guizhou, China, have been reported with preserved cellular structure or even sub‐cellular structure in micron scale. However, more details in sub‐micro scale have not been reported as having been found. The Fossil embryos from the acid residue of the phosphorite rocks of the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation in south China have been studied with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Some ultra‐structures in sub‐micro scale have been found by AFM on the surface of the fossil embryos. There are four types of structures found on the surface of the selected fossil embryos, the sizes of which vary from 30 to 645 nm in diameter under our AFM. One of the structures is composed of several big sub‐units integrated with each other, and the size of the big sub‐units is from 250 to 645 nm. Meanwhile, we also found an ultra‐layer structure on the surface of the big sub‐units, the thickness of which was about 10 nm. Thus we speculate that it could most probably be of biological origin. Therefore, AFM provides a new method for direct observation of the ultra‐structure of the Doushantuo fossils in the sub‐micro scale.
Mistakes Encountered during Automatic Peak Identification in Low Beam Energy X‐ray Microanalysis
Authors: Newbury Dale E.
Published: April 2007

Automated peak identification in electron beam excited X‐ray microanalysis with energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS) is subject to occasional mistakes even on well‐separated, high‐intensity peaks arising from major constituents. The problem is exacerbated when analysis conditions are restricted to operation in the “low beam energy scanning electron microscopy” (i.e. “low voltage scanning electron microscopy” or LVSEM) regime where the incident beam energy is 5 keV or less. These low beam energy microanalysis conditions force the analyst to use low fluorescence yield L‐shell and M‐shell peaks rather than higher yield K‐shell and L‐shell peaks typically selected for elements of intermediate and high atomic number under conventional high beam energy (>10 keV) conditions. Misidentifications can arise in automated peak identification procedures when only a single energy channel is used to characterize an EDS peak. The effect of the EDS measurement process is to convolve the closely spaced Lα‐Lβ and Mα‐Mβ peaks into a single peak with a peak channel shift of 20 eV or more from the Lα or Mα value, which is typically sought in an X‐ray database. An extensive list of problem situations encountered in low beam energy microanalysis is presented based upon observed peak identification mistakes as well as likely troublesome situations based upon proximity in peak energy. Robust automatic peak identification requires implementation of peak fitting that utilizes the full peak shape.SCANNING 29: 000–000, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Color temperature estimation of scene illumination by the sensor correlation method
Authors: Tominaga Shoji , Ishida Atsushi , Wandell Brian a.
Published: April 2007

In many fields, including computer vision and image understanding, it is important to obtain knowledge about the illuminating light source from color images. This paper presents an algorithm which improves the sensor correlation method used to classify the source illuminating an imaged scene, and also presents an application. First, we wish to derive a perceptually uniform illumination classification as an alternative to the conventional physical light source classification based on the color temperature scale. For this purpose, the inverse (reciprocal) color temperature scale called mired is used. Second, we calculate the correlation, not between the pixels and the source color region (illuminant gamut), but between the image gamut and the illuminant gamut. Third, a scaling operation for the image is introduced so that the illuminant gamut can be determined by adjusting the intensity difference between images. The validity of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in detail by using an actual image database. Then the proposed source classification method is applied to color compensation. When the color temperature of the source is estimated, the image obtained when the same scene is illuminated by a different source can be predicted. It is shown that color compensation based on the relation between the sensor output and the color temperature is useful in such an application. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 95–108, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10372
Support for document revision in an organization using the association rule
Authors: Ueda Yoshihiro , Furukawa Shinji , Kato Naotaka , Hayashi Katsuaki , Kimura Haruhiko
Published: April 2007

The association rule is applied to revision data attained through the document revision process in an organization, and rules for document revision are extracted. Information characteristic of the organization is intrinsic to this revision data and, therefore, the authors believe that revision support based on organizational information, as well as at the notational and grammatical level, will become possible with the extracted rules. The proposed technique generates revision data from the differences in a document file before and after revision, and then mines revision rules from this data. At this time, an index called adaptive degree is introduced in order that important rules are not overlooked even if the frequency of those revisions is low. Furthermore, using a document which has been completely revised, the adaptive degree is changed according to the domain of the document. The experiment provided the following results relating to the effectiveness of the proposed technique. (1) It was possible to mine rules expressing revisions at the notational, grammatical, and semantic level and revisions based on organizational information. (2) It was presumed from the percentage of terminology included in the rules that the change in the adaptive degree of a rule according to the domain was performed appropriately. (3) Eighty percent of the revisions by a reviser could be made with rules; and the rate of the revising error could be reduced by setting the threshold value of the adaptive degree to an appropriate value. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 84– 94, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10411
Determining bidding strategies in sequential auctions: Quasi‐linear utility and budget constraints
Authors: Hattori Hiromitsu , Yokoo Makoto , Sakurai Yuko , Shintani Toramatsu
Published: April 2007

A great deal of research is actively being conducted concerning Internet auctions. A method has previously been proposed for obtaining the optimal bidding strategy by using dynamic programming in a sequential auction, which is one form of auction. However, the conventional method assumes that the utility of an agent who is bidding takes a general additive form, and the remaining endowment of money during bidding has to be represented in each of the various states that are taken into consideration in the dynamic programming procedure. As a result, when the initial endowment of moneymis large, the number of states that have to be taken into consideration becomes extremely large. In this paper, by assuming that the utility of an agent takes a quasi‐linear form, which is a type of additive form, the authors show that the optimal strategy using dynamic programming is obtained since the number of states is reduced to 1/mtimes the number obtained when the utility takes a general additive form. However, when the agent utility is assumed to take a quasi‐linear form, it is impossible to represent budget constraints. Therefore, in this paper, the authors propose a method of quickly obtaining a quasi‐optimal strategy when budget constraints exist by modifying the strategy that is obtained when quasi‐linear utility is assumed and show the effectiveness of the proposed method through experimental evaluations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 72– 83, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10465
Multiple‐valued image‐contour extraction method using a Laplacian– Gaussian filter
Authors: Muranaka Noriaki , Kudoh Shinya , Ashida Takanori , Tokumaru Masataka , Imanishi Shigeru
Published: April 2007

As a preparation for image recognition and character recognition in image processing, it is often necessary to separate the target region from other regions. To extract the edges of an object, binarization with a Laplacian filter or a Laplacian– Gaussian filter has been widely used. Such a method has problems, however: for example, the extraction of noise rather than the real edges of an object; failure to extract parts of a visually noticeable edge; and difficulty in setting thresholds for edge extraction. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a multiple‐valued image‐contour extraction method using a 3‐valued L‐G filter or a 5‐valued full‐color extraction method. The effectiveness of the proposed method and the realization of a multiple‐valued logic circuit are examined. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 61– 71, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10467
Nonbinary single‐symbol error correcting, adjacent two‐symbol transposition error correcting codes over integer rings
Authors: Namba Kazuteru , Fujiwara Eiji
Published: April 2007

Nonbinary information (m‐ary symbol information) is often used in information input systems based on character recognition or keyboard entry. It is known that single‐symbol errors and adjacent two‐symbol transposition errors occur in such systems. This paper proposes a code construction method that can correct nonbinary single‐symbol errors and also adjacent two‐symbol transposition errors. The codes proposed in this paper consist of check symbols on integer rings and prime fields. These check symbols are converted to m‐ary symbols and the code word is constructed by adding the result to the information symbol. The proposed code is better than the conventional code in terms of code length. When m=10, for example, the code length is more than twice that of the conventional code. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 54– 60, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10516 Copyright © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rendering intricately‐shaped objects using view‐dependent microfacets
Authors: Yamazaki Shuntaro , Sagawa Ryusuke , Kawasaki Hiroshi , Ikeuchi Katsushi , Sakauchi Masao
Published: April 2007

When a real object is displayed in a virtual space by using computer graphics, the general approach is to draw the image on the basis of the geometrical information and the texture information about the object. However, when the object has a complex and fine structure, it is difficult to draw the object image precisely without a decrease in realism, since the geometrical model cannot be determined precisely. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes the following method. Small faces (microfacets) are generated according to the drawing viewpoint to form layers which are always perpendicular to the view line. Then view‐dependent texture mapping is applied to each microfacet and drawing with greater realism is achieved. These processes can be implemented efficiently on an ordinary PC by using programmable graphic hardware. It is shown that view‐dependent detail‐level control can be realized in this method, so that complicated objects and scenes can be drawn at interactive speed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 44– 53, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10703
Hierarchical face cluster partitioning of polygonal surfaces and high‐speed rendering
Authors: Tsuji Tokuo , Zha Hongbin , Hasegawa Tsutomu , Kurazume Ryo
Published: April 2007

A computer's rendering capacity cannot handle the increased amount of data when rendering high‐quality, three‐dimensional computer graphic images. This results in problems such as rendering not being possible depending on the subject image, or the rendering speed dropping too far. To resolve these problems, we propose a method for generating a new hierarchical three‐dimensional data structure based on recursive face cluster partitioning, and a high‐speed rendering data extraction algorithm using that data structure. In the proposed algorithm, local resolution control using the approximating polygon of a face cluster, and precise invisible surface culling using the bounding volume of the face cluster can be executed in parallel. High‐speed rendering can be performed with little deterioration in quality, even for a large amount of data. The effectiveness of this algorithm was confirmed with a local resolution control experiment and a large‐scale three‐dimensional model rendering experiment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 32– 43, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20581
A study on decision‐making and institutional design in recycling system: An analysis of the market for collecting used units
Authors: Nishino Nariaki , Oda Sobei H. , Ueda Kanji
Published: April 2007

This paper presents a specific examination of decision‐making of economic agents in a recycling system and analyzes recycling as a social system. A market model for collecting used products is constructed based on market microstructure theory. In addition to the theoretical analyses, we examine the behavior of each decision‐maker and the overall recycling system using the multiagent system that comprises both human subjects and computerized agents. Results show that the theoretically best case is not good in experiments. Moreover, this paper also presents discussion of institutional design by comparing experimental results with current institutions using real‐world data for several types of products. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 20–31, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20622
Development of knowledge‐filtering agent along with user context in ubiquitous environment
Authors: Takenouchi Takao , Okamoto Naoyuki , Kawamura Takahiro , Ohsuga Akihiko , Maekawa Mamoru
Published: April 2007

In this paper, we propose a combination of Ubiquitous Computing and Semantic Web. Data and services will be annotated even in the ubiquitous devices, and should be connected to the web of semantics in the near future. We call this Ubiquitous Semantics, in which we find a huge amount of knowledge information, but also find most information transitively along with the user context. Therefore, in order for an agent to satisfy a user's real‐time query, it is required to efficiently retrieve timely and useful pieces of the knowledge from the Ubiquitous Semantics. Thus, this paper describes a knowledge‐filtering agent which quickly responds to queries by dynamic classification of the necessary information along with the user context changing in the real world. Further, to evaluate our approach, we validate the performance of an application: a Recipe Recommendation Agent. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 11– 19, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20626 Copyright © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New excitation codebook search methods to reduce perceptual degradation of CELP
Authors: Yamaura Tadashi , Tasaki Hirohisa , Takahashi Shinya
Published: April 2007

In this paper, the authors propose three new excitation codebook search methods for suppressing the selection of an excitation code vector that has a high likelihood of producing pulse‐like degraded sound in a low‐bit‐rate CELP coder that uses a pulse‐like excitation code vector. The proposed methods are (1) adaptive weighting for coding distortion based on the state of the input speech, (2) weighting for coding distortion due to amplitude distribution distortion in the time direction, and (3) setting an upper limit for the coding distortion rate for pulse‐like excitation codebook searches. Although an excitation code vector with large coding distortion is selected if these proposed methods are set from the coding distortion minimization standard that is used in a conventional CELP excitation code vector search, there is an improvement in the quality that is perceived by the sense of hearing. The authors applied the proposed methods to a 4‐kbps CELP coder to verify their effectiveness according to subjective quality evaluation experiments. The results verified the effectiveness of the proposed methods by showing that the introduction of the proposed methods improved the MOS value by approximately 0.3 for clean speech and by approximately 0.4 for noise‐added speech. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(8): 1–10, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20739
TOF‐SIMS characterization of an aluminovanadate oxide catalyst
Authors: Chenakin S. P. , Silvy R. Prada , Kruse N.
Published: April 2007

Time‐of‐flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) has been employed to characterize the surface physical and chemical state of aluminovanadate oxide catalyst precursors (‘VAlO’) precipitated at different pH values in the range of 5.5…10. The reference oxide V2O5 has also been studied for comparison purposes. It is shown that the analysis of molecular ion emission yields valuable information on the surface elemental and phase composition. Increasing pH values while precipitating from aqueous precursor solutions are found to result in a monotonic variation of the surface composition, in a progressive hydroxylation of aluminium and vanadium and in an increasing dispersion of vanadium oxide species. SIMS data evaluated on the basis of Plog's valence model of molecular ion emission reveal reduced V4+ states, the fraction of which is dependent on the pH value. The SIMS results are supported by XPS data. The enhancement of the catalytic activity in oxidative propane dehydrogenation over VAlO prepared at high precipitation pH is in good correlation with the measured surface characteristics. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An approach to differentiating between multi‐ and monolayers using MALDI‐TOF MS
Authors: Quiñones Rosalynn , Raman Aparna , Gawalt Ellen S.
Published: April 2007

Analysis and confirmation of monolayer film thickness on metal oxide surfaces has proven to be challenging. XPS and AFM have been used to investigate the monolayer formation. However, these techniques are difficult to access and/or determine the composition of the organic molecules on the surfaces. Here we demonstrate the ability of MALDI‐TOF to characterize long alkyl chain phosphonic acid molecules in thin films on titanium, iron and stainless steel. These systems are known to be stable, strongly adhered films. The thin films were characterized by IR, AFM, contact angle measurements and the results were confirmed by MALDI‐TOF. Moreover, the MALDI‐TOF was used to differentiate between mono‐ and multilayers on planar surfaces. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probing the modifications of polystyrene surface properties after incubation with the Shewanella putrefaciens bacteria at two pH values (4, 10) by atomic force microscopy
Authors: Gaboriaud Fabien , Bailet Sidney , Dague Etienne , Jorand Frédéric
Published: April 2007

The local surface properties of polystyrene (PS) dishes incubated for 14 h with gram‐negative cells (Shewanella putrefaciens) were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in aqueous solutions at two pH values (4 and 10). The AFM images and force curves revealed the presence of a polymeric layer adsorbed onto the PS surfaces in acid media. In contrast, no evolution was observed in the case of basic media. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of different mammographic radiation exposures on predicted benefits of screening for breast cancer
Authors: Dubin Neil
Published: April 2007

The benefits and risks of screening for breast cancer, including both mammographic and clinical examinations, are analysed by means of a probabilistic model. The model, applied to previously unpublished data provided by the HIP (Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York) breast cancer screening project, permits more precise stratification by age than previous analyses and allows for incorporation of oncogenic risks due to mammography. It is assumed that, from the tenth year of screening onward, radiation induces 6 cases of breast cancer per year per million women screened per rad delivered to the breast tissue per exam.

The predicted pattern of breast cancer cases and deaths is commensurate with that actually observed in the first nine years of the HIP study. In extrapolation to lifetime experience, the model predicts an ultimate decrease in the probability of dying of breast cancer only for women over age fifty at initial screening and an increase in life expectancy for the entire screened group, at an exposure level of three rads per exam. Had radiation dosage been one rad or less per exam, which is within the range now possible with modern equipment and procedures, the radiation risk would not offset even a modest benefit such as is predicted for the younger women, either in number of deaths or years of life expectancy.
On choosing the number of interim analyses in clinical trials
Authors: McPherson Klim
Published: April 2007

Small but important therapeutic effects of new treatments can be most efficiently detected through the study of large randomized prospective series of patients. Such large scale clinical trials are nowadays commonplace. The alternative is years of polemic and debate surrounding several trials each too small to detect plausible differences with any certainty. Such trials produce equivocal and contradictory results, which could be predicted from power calculations based upon sensible pre‐trial estimates of treatment differences. Unfortunately such calculations often lead to sample sizes of several thousands.

It is not surprising that investigators tend to be over‐optimistic in their estimation of treatment effects (which are necessarily uncertain) especially when the sample size requirements are so stark. In this paper a method is outlined for incorporating into the sample size calculations the uncertainty of the estimate made at the design stage of a clinical trial. In particular a formal scheme is described for deciding how many interim analyses should be performed to satisfy ethical and pragmatic requirements of large clinical trial design. Although the argument will be ‘Bayesian’, the criteria for assessment and comparison will be strictly of a Neyman‐Pearson (i.e. significance testing) kind.
The logistic function as an aid in the detection of acute coronary disease in emergency patients (A case study)
Authors: D'Agostino Ralph B. , Pozen Michael W.
Published: April 2007

We empirically developed a logistic function to predict acute coronary heart disease (ACHD) and then tested it to determine its usefulness to emergency room physicians in diagnosis and admission of patients with suspected ACHD to the coronary care unit. The function was based on nine clinical, historical and electrocardiographic variables from a set of 105 variables collected on 643 patients with suspected ACHD. In the second phase of the study, we provide the probabilities generated by the function to emergency room physicians during alternate months as a supplement to existing diagnostic modalities. Use of the probability of ACHD (401 patients with probabilities versus 455 patients without probabilities) resulted in statistically significant improvement in diagnostic rates and reduction in the number of inappropriate admissions to the coronary care unit.
Measuring the correlation between time series of hormonal data
Authors: Marks Ronald G.
Published: April 2007

Several biomedical experiments have as their objective the determination of a relationship between a pair of time series. Often, the investigator wishes to discover if one series has a lagged dependence on the other. The analysis required in such an experiment involves a three step approach utilizing both multiple regression and time series techniques. This paper presents an example of this type of experiment and describes the steps to be followed in analysing the results.
Statistics in medical journals
Authors: Altman Douglas G.
Published: April 2007

The general standard of statistics in medical journals is poor. This paper considers the reasons for this with illustrations of the types of error that are common. The consequences of incorrect statistics in published papers are discussed; these involve scientific and ethical issues. Suggestions are made about ways in which the standard of statistics may be improved. Particular emphasis is given to the necessity for medical journals to have proper statistical refereeing of submitted papers.
A distribution‐free test for paired growth curve analyses with application to an animal tumour immunotherapy experiment
Authors: Koziol James A. , Maxwell Donna A.
Published: April 2007

We describe distribution‐free statistical methodology for assessing the equivalence of paired growth curves. This procedure may be used with incomplete observations, and in situations where parametric models for growth are inappropriate. We present data from an experiment investigating an immunotherapy regimen in a murine tumour system and which we have analysed with this technique.
Long term survival analysis: The curability of breast cancer
Authors: Pocock Stuart J. , Gore Sheila M. , Kerr Gillian R.
Published: April 2007

Methods of survival analysis for long‐term follow‐up studies are illustrated by a study of mortality in 3878 breast cancer patients in Edinburgh followed for up to 20 years. The problems of life tables, advantages of hazard plots and difficulties in statistical modelling are demonstrated by studying the relationship between survival and both clinical stage and initial menopausal status at diagnosis.

To assess the ‘curability’ of breast cancer, mortality by year of follow‐up is compared with expected mortality using Scottish age‐specific death rates. Techniques for analysing such relative survival data include age‐corrected life tables, ratio of observed to expected deaths and excess death rates. Finally, an additive hazard model is developed to incorporate covariates in the analysis of relative survival and curability.
Third variable analysis: Application to causal sequences among nutrient intake, maternal weight, birthweight, placental weight, and gestation
Authors: Susser Mervyn , Stein Zena
Published: April 2007

We applied a set of procedures, aimed at enhancing the strengh of inferences about the direcion of causal paths among variables measured at the same time, to foetal and maternal indices recorded at birth and collected for study of the Dutch famine of 1944/5. The analysis of three‐variable sets yielded strong inferences about the relations among caloric intake, maternal weight, birthweight, placental weight, and length of gestation. These procedures constitute not only a useful preliminary to the construction of multivariate path models, but produce useful results in their own right.
Tables of the number of patients required in clinical trials using the logrank test
Authors: Freedman L. S.
Published: April 2007

The logrank test is commonly used in the analysis of clinical trials in chronic diseases such as cancer. Existing tables for the number of patients required in such trials are based on the direct comparison of two proportions. This paper presents tables of numbers required in clinical trials using the logrank test and describes their use. The numbers required are considerably smaller than those in existing tables when the event‐free proportions are small, but otherwise comparable.
Use of a designed experiment for the study of muscle fibre size
Authors: Morton R. Hugh
Published: April 2007

Malignant Hyperpyrexia (MH) is the manifestation of an underlying muscle disease. In routine clinical examination of muscle biopsy tissue it had been noted that muscle fibre sizes appeared to differ between MH‐susceptible individuals and non‐susceptible individuals. A designed experiment was required to utilize data from the muscle samples at hand and to form the basis for a more general investigative study. The experiment and ensuing analysis are described and the results and their implications are discussed.
Severity measurement in multiple trauma by use of ICDA conditions
Authors: Levy Paul S. , Goldberg Jack , Hui Siu , Rothrock Janet , Iverson Norman , Hosmer Trina
Published: April 2007

We report here the results of a study of grading injury severity for patients with multiple traumatic injuries from ICDA codes listed on the face sheets of hospital medical records. We developed a method of scoring the severity of individual ICDA traumatic injuries with use of data from the NCHS Hospital Discharge Survey. When tested on a set of patients having multiple trauma conditions (also from the NCHS Hospital Discharge Survey), these scores had a strong relationship with fatality. The development of an injury severity index based on ICDA codes has considerable impact on the feasibility of conducting studies involving large numbers of patients hospitalized with traumatic injuries.