bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐Microbial Activity and Film Characterization of Thiazolidinone Derivatives of Chitosan
Authors: Kulkarni Anandrao R. , Kulkarni Venktrao H. , Keshavayya Jathi , Hukkeri Vijaykumar I. , Sung Hsing‐Wen
Published: June 2005

Communication: Thiazolidinone derivatives (TDCs) were prepared by converting chitosan into chitosan's Schiff's bases (CSBs), followed by treatment with mercaptoacetic acid. Both CSBs and TDCs were tested for antimicrobial activity against four different bacteria. All TDCs showed comparatively better anti‐microbial activity without much affecting basic physical properties of chitosan such as film‐forming capacity, tensile strength, etc. This indicates that chitosan derivatives with a thiazolidinone moiety might be a better material for wound dressing.

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Biosynthesis of an Elastin‐Mimetic Polypeptide with Two Different Chemical Functional Groups within the Repetitive Elastin Fragment
Authors: Junger Andreas , Kaufmann Doris , Scheibel Thomas , Weberskirch Ralf
Published: June 2005

Summary: A new protein engineering strategy was utilized to synthesize an elastin‐mimetic polypeptide. The primary structure represents an elastic motif composed of thirty amino acids with one lysine and one glutamic acid per repeat unit EMM = (VPGVG VPGKG VGPVG VPGVG VPGEG VPGIG). The gene was constructed using a Seamless Cloning method by generating three DNA cassettes which all encoded the EMM repeat unit, but with different flanking restriction recognition sites. The DNA cassettes were assembled to yield a gene that could be directly cloned into the multiple cloning site of pBluescript® II SK+. The resulting gene (EMM)7 with approximately 650 base pairs in length was further cloned into the expression vector pET‐28b. Protein biosynthesis in E. coli strain BLR(DE3) resulted in the 21.5 kDa repeating polypeptide His6‐(EMM)7 yielding up to 50 mg · L−1 of cell culture. Secondary structure analysis by far UV circular dichroism revealed a minimum at 197 nm and a shoulder at 218 nm indicative for a random coil with some type II β‐turn conformation content. Lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior strongly depends on salt and polypeptide concentration. Importantly, first cross‐linking experiments indicate successful hydrogel formation with a surface structure reminiscent to natural elastin as visualized by SEM micrographs.

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Ionic Liquids as Reaction Medium in Cellulose Functionalization
Authors: Heinze Thomas , Schwikal Katrin , Barthel Susann
Published: June 2005

Summary: The application of different ionic liquids (IL), namely 1‐N‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]+Cl−), 3‐methyl‐N‐butyl‐pyridinium chloride and benzyldimethyl(tetradecyl)ammonium chloride were investigated as solvents for cellulose. The ILs used have the ability to dissolve cellulose with a degree of polymerization in the range from 290 to 1 200 to a very high concentration. Using [C4mim]+Cl−, no degradation of the polymer appears. By 13C NMR measurement it was confirmed that this IL is a so‐called non‐derivatizing solvent. [C4mim]+Cl− can be applied as a reaction medium for the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose and cellulose acetate. Without using any catalyst, cellulose derivatives with high degree of substitution could be prepared.

13C NMR spectrum of cellulose dissolved in the IL [C4mim]+Cl− (top). The 13C NMR spectrum of cellulose dissolved in DMSO/tetrabutylammonium fluoride trihydrate is shown for comparison (bottom).

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13C NMR spectrum of cellulose dissolved in the IL [C4mim]+Cl− (top). The 13C NMR spectrum of cellulose dissolved in DMSO/tetrabutylammonium fluoride trihydrate is shown for comparison (bottom).
SANS Study of Coated Block Copolymer Micelles
Authors: Pleštil Josef , Kříž Jaroslav , Koňák Čestmír , Pospíšil Herman , Kadlec Petr , Sedláková Zdeňka , Grillo Isabelle , Cubitt Robert
Published: June 2005

Summary: Multishell particles were prepared by γ‐radiation‐induced polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in polystyrene‐block‐poly(methacrylic acid) (PS‐b‐PMA) aqueous micellar solution and their structure was studied by small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS). Before polymerization, almost all MMA molecules are distributed in aqueous phase and only 1% of MMA is accumulated inside the micelles. The newly formed polymer (PMMA) is deposited on the surface of PS cores of the original micelles. The effect of the MMA concentration, micelle concentration, absorbed radiation dose, and absorbed dose rate on the characteristics of the resulting particles was examined. The thickness of the PMMA shell (20–218 Å for the presented series of samples) can be easily controlled by variation of monomer and/or micelle concentration. Universal plots of the core volume (PS+PMMA) and SANS curve were presented. These plots facilitate choosing proper monomer and micelle concentrations and detecting possible irregularities in the parameters of the resulting particles.

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Novel High and Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Poly(propylene) Plastomers by Asymmetric Hafnocene Catalysts
Authors: Cobzaru Cecilia , Deisenhofer Sandra , Harley Andrew , Troll Carsten , Hild Sabine , Rieger Bernhard
Published: June 2005

Summary: The novel asymmetric ansa‐complexes [1‐(9‐η5‐fluorenyl)‐2‐(2,5,7‐trimethyl‐indenyl)ethane]hafnium dichloride (7a) and [1‐(9‐η5‐fluorenyl)‐2‐(2,4,6‐trimethyl‐indenyl)ethane]hafnium dichloride (7b) were prepared and used as catalysts for propylene homopolymerization reactions after in situ activation. The synthetic route allows to separate the 4,6‐ and 5,7‐substituted ligand isomers before the complexation step. The orientation of the methyl groups to the “front” (4,6) or to the “back” (5,7) of the tetrahedral hafnocene dichloride species influences their performances in polymerization reactions. Whereas hafnocene (7b) which bears trimethyl substitution at 2,4,6‐positions of the indenyl moiety exhibits only moderate activity, the 2,5,7‐trimethyl substituted structure (7a) produces isotactic poly(propylene)s with high molecular weights (up to $\overline M _{\rm w}$ = 9.0 × 105 g · mol−1) and high activities [up to 3.2 × 105 kg of PP (mol Hf × h)−1]. A comparative analysis of polymerization data and mechanical behavior of 7a, and previously reported 6,7‐indenyl substituted complex 6b are reported.

Typical stress‐strain curves of different types of poly(propylene)s.

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Typical stress‐strain curves of different types of poly(propylene)s.
Metallocenic Copolymers of Isotactic Propylene and 1‐Octadecene: Crystalline Structure and Mechanical Behavior
Authors: Palza Humberto , López‐Majada Juan M. , Quijada Raúl , Benavente Rosario , Pérez Ernesto , Cerrada María L.
Published: June 2005

Summary: A set of copolymers of isotactic propylene and 1‐octadecene (CiPOD) and the corresponding isotactic poly(propylene) homopolymer (iPP) have been synthesized using a metallocene catalyst. The influence of the incorporation of this long chain comonomer on the structure and final properties exhibited by iPP has been examined. Wide‐angle X ray diffraction and optical microscopy have been used to analyze the effect of introducing 1‐octadecene comonomer within the iPP backbone. The initial monoclinic crystal lattice with a well‐developed lamellar morphology is transformed into a mesomorphic modification showing very small entities. All these structural changes significantly influence the mechanical behavior of these copolymers. Thus, stiffness and microhardness are diminished and the brittle‐ductile transition can be observed by simply varying composition when deformation takes place at room temperature. On the other hand, the intensity of the process associated with cooperative movements within the amorphous phase (β relaxation) significantly goes up with the incorporation of 1‐octadecene and its location is shifted to lower temperature because of the decrease in the crystallinity content.

X‐ray diffraction patterns at room temperature, with increasing comonomer content.

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X‐ray diffraction patterns at room temperature, with increasing comonomer content.
Effect of [Pyridylmethanimine]/[CuI] Ratio, Ligand, Solvent and Temperature on the Activation Rate Constants in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Authors: Tang Wei , Nanda Ajaya Kumar , Matyjaszewski Krzysztof
Published: June 2005

Summary: The effect of [L]/[CuI] ratio, ligand, the choice of solvent and temperature on the activation rate constants in ATRP with catalyst complexes formed with two pyridylmethanimine ligands [PMI, i.e., N‐propyl‐pyridylmethanimine (NPPMI) and N‐octyl‐pyridylmethanimine (NOPMI)] were studied. Maximal values for the apparent rate constants were observed at an [L]/[CuI] ratio of ∼2/1 and 1/1 in polar and nonpolar solvents, respectively. This is similar to the results obtained with the CuI/bpy system and was attributed to the formation of [CuI/L2]+Br− and [CuI/L2]+CuIBr species. The CuI/NPPMI system was only soluble in polar reaction media; however, the CuI/NOPMI complex was soluble in both polar and less polar reaction media. The activation rate constants increased with increasing temperature and the value of activation energy (Ea) for CuI/NPPMI in the activation process was 58.1 kJ · M−1 · K−1.

Arrhenius plot of ln ka versus 1/T for the activation process for NPPMI and bpy in acetonitrile; [CuIBr/NPPMI2]0 ([CuIBr/bpy2]0)/[EtBriB]0/[TEMPO]0/[TCB]0 = 20/1/10/2 × 10−3 M.

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Arrhenius plot of ln ka versus 1/T for the activation process for NPPMI and bpy in acetonitrile; [CuIBr/NPPMI2]0 ([CuIBr/bpy2]0)/[EtBriB]0/[TEMPO]0/[TCB]0 = 20/1/10/2 × 10−3 M.
Synthesis of Poly[(ethylene terephthalate)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)]‐Poly(propylene oxide) Block Copolyester by Direct Polyesterification of Reactive Oligomers
Authors: Saint‐Loup René , Robin Jean‐Jacques
Published: June 2005

Summary: The objective of this study was to synthesize thermoplastic elastomers by the direct copolyesterification of reactive oligomers of poly[(ethylene terephthalate)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)] (PET) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO). The synthesis of hard segment oligomers was achieved in two steps. The first step consisted of the glycolysis of PET leading to α,ω‐hydroxyl functionalized oligomers. The second step corresponded to the ring opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone onto the hydroxyl end groups of the PET oligomers. Commercially available hydroxytelechelic poly(propylene oxide) was modified to obtain carboxytelechelic poly(propylene oxide). The chemical structure of the product was investigated by 1H NMR and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Multiblock poly(ester‐ether) was then synthesized by polyesterification of hydroxytelechelic poly[(ethylene terephthalate)‐co‐(ε‐caprolactone)] with carboxytelechelic poly(propylene oxide) oligomers, using different catalysts and reaction conditions. The best stoichiometric ratio for the reaction was determined in order to obtain the highest possible $\overline M _{\rm n}$. The chemical structure of the synthesized poly(ester‐ether) was investigated by size exclusion chromatography and 1H NMR. The thermal and thermomechanical behavior of the synthesized poly(ester‐ether) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis, which showed that the poly(ester‐ether) behaved as a thermoplastic elastomer. This product could also be an interesting way for chemical recycling of PET waste.

Synthesis of multiblock co‐poly(ester‐ether).

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Synthesis of multiblock co‐poly(ester‐ether).
Medium‐sized peptides as built in carriers for biologically active compounds
Authors: Hudecz Ferenc , Bánóczi Zoltán , Csík Gabriella
Published: June 2005

A growing number of oligopeptides of natural and/or synthetic origin have been described and considered as targeting structures for delivery bioactive compounds into various cell types. This review will outline the discovery of peptide sequences and the corresponding mid‐sized oligopeptides with membrane translocating properties and also summarizede novodesigned structures possessing similar features. Conjugates and chimera constructs derived from these sequences with covalently attached bioactive peptide, epitope, oligonucleotide, PNA, drug, reporter molecule will be reviewed. A brief note will refer to the present understanding on the uptake mechanism at the end of each section. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev
Morphine‐6‐glucuronide: Actions and mechanisms
Authors: Kilpatrick Gavin J. , Smith Terry W.
Published: June 2005

Morphine‐6‐glucuronide (M6G) appears to show equivalent analgesia to morphine but to have a superior side‐effect profile in terms of reduced liability to induce nausea and vomiting and respiratory depression. The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence behind this statement and to identify the possible reasons that may contribute to the profile of M6G. The vast majority of available data supports the notion that both M6G and morphine mediate their effects by activating the µ‐opioid receptor. The differences for which there is a reasonable consensus in the literature can be summarized as: (1) Morphine has a slightly higher affinity for the µ‐opioid receptor than M6G, (2) M6G shows a slightly higher efficacy at the µ‐opioid receptor, (3) M6G has a lower affinity for the κ‐opioid receptor than morphine, and (4) M6G has a very different absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) profile from morphine. However, none of these are adequate alone to explain the clinical differences between M6G and morphine. The ADME differences are perhaps most likely to explain some of the differences but seem unlikely to be the whole story. Further work is required to examine further the profile of M6G, notably whether M6G penetrates differentially to areas of the brain involved in pain and those involved in nausea, vomiting, and respiratory control or whether µ‐opioid receptors in these brain areas differ in either their regulation or pharmacology. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev
Calpain‐dependent α‐fodrin cleavage at the sarcolemma in muscle diseases
Authors: Takamure Miwa , Murata Ken‐Ya , Tamada Yoshiyuki , Azuma Mitsuyoshi , Ueno Satoshi
Published: June 2005

To clarify the involvement of calpains in sarcolemmal remodeling, we examined the expression of calpains and their substrate, α‐fodrin, in various disorders of muscle. Although immunohistological reactions for α‐fodrin and calpains were weak in normal control muscles, intense immunoreactivity for α‐fodrin at the sarcolemma and for calpains throughout the cytoplasm were detected in small muscle fibers from patients with inflammatory myositis (IM), rhabdomyolysis (Rhab), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Most of the calpain‐α‐fodrin double‐positive muscle fibers in IM and Rhab also expressed the developmental form of myosin heavy chain. The sarcolemma of these small muscle fibers reacted with an antibody that specifically recognizes the 150‐kDa fragments of α‐fodrin (SBDP 150s) cleaved by calpain, but not caspase 3. Western blot analysis confirmed these results. These observations indicate that calpain is activated and reacts with α‐fodrin as a substrate at the sarcolemma, and plays a key role in modulating sarcolemmal proteins to adapt to the specific conditions in each myopathy. Muscle Nerve, 2005
Combined femoral and obturator neuropathy caused by synovial cyst of the hip
Authors: Stuplich Moritz , Hottinger Andreas F. , Stoupis Christoforos , Sturzenegger Mathias
Published: June 2005

A 57‐year‐old man with a history of severe degenerative lumbar spine disease presented with painful proximal weakness of the right leg. Clinical examination suggested a femoral and obturator neuropathy with a palpable mass in the right groin. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging disclosed a large synovial cyst of the underlying hip joint in the extrapelvic part of the iliopsoas and external obturator muscles, with femoral and obturator nerve compression. This case highlights the importance of detailed clinical examination in patients with multiple joint disease, the need for considering space‐occupying cysts of degenerated joints as a potential cause of nerve damage in unusual locations, and the value of multiplanar MR imaging for proper diagnosis in such situations. Muscle Nerve, 2005
Adaptation of existing behaviour models to unsaturated states: application to CJS model
Authors: Pereira Jean‐Michel , Wong Henry , Dubujet Philippe , Dangla Patrick
Published: June 2005

This paper proposes a general formulation of an elastoplastic model adapted to unsaturated soils. This formulation enters within the framework of two independent state variables descriptions. The choice of a particular effective stress combined with suction is made. The definition of this effective stress is based on the formulation of an equivalent pore pressure which is an essential point of this type of models. It will be discussed in this paper.

This general formulation can be seen as a methodology allowing to adapt in a straightforward way most of elastoplastic behaviour models classically used in saturated soils mechanics to unsaturated states. It is shown that this synthesis can include most of recent models developed within the same framework.

The last part of this paper is devoted to the adaptation of an existing complex elastoplastic model (CJS model) to unsaturated states using the methodology previously exposed. The model thus obtained is validated on various loading paths including œdometric, isotropic or triaxial compressions and also wetting tests simulating collapse phenomenon.

This model extension shows the easiness introduced by the proposed methodology to adapt a given elastoplastic model to unsaturated states. Its validation illustrates by the way the abilities of the extended model to reproduce complex volumetric responses of an unsaturated soil. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MR properties of excised neural tissue following experimentally induced demyelination
Authors: Odrobina Ewa E. , Lam Toby Y. J. , Pun Teresa , Midha Rajiv , Stanisz Greg J.
Published: June 2005

Changes in the magnetic resonance (MR) parameters of demyelinated neural tissue were measured in vitro using an experimental animal model. A tellurium (Te) diet was applied to weanling rats to induce the demyelination process in the sciatic nerve. The quantitative MR parameters, such as T1, T2 relaxation time constants and magnetization transfer (MT) were measured each day after applying the Te diet (up to 7 days) and were found to be substantially different from those of normal nerves. An increase in the average T1 and T2 was observed along with a decrease in the MT ratio (MTR) and the quantitative MT parameter M0B, which describes the semisolid pool of protons. Most of the MR parameters correlated very well with the myelin fraction of neural tissue evaluated by quantitative histopathology. The T2 relaxation spectrum provided the most efficient quantitative assessment of changes in neural tissue microstructure and its analysis resulted in a powerful tool to distinguish the processes of demyelination and inflammation. In comparison, the MT measurements were less successful. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stem cell implantation in ischemic mouse heart: a high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging investigation
Authors: Küstermann Ekkehard , Roell Wilhelm , Breitbach Martin , Wecker Stefan , Wiedermann Dirk , Buehrle Christian , Welz Armin , Hescheler Juergen , Fleischmann Bernd K. , Hoehn Mathias
Published: June 2005

Advances in the biology of stem cells have evoked great interest in cell replacement therapies for the regeneration of heart tissue after myocardial infarction. However, results from human trials are controversial, since the destination of the injected cells, their engraftment and their long‐term fate have remained unclear. Here we investigate whether transplanted cells can be identified in the intact and lesioned murine myocardium employing high‐resolution MRI. Cardiac progenitor cells, expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), were labeled with ultra‐small paramagnetic iron‐oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles and transplanted into the intact or injured myocardium of mice. Their precise location was determined with high‐resolution MRI and compared with histological tissue sections, stained with Prussian blue for iron content. These experiments showed that iron nanoparticle‐loaded cells could be identified at high resolution in the mouse heart. However, ischemic myocardium (after cryoinjury or left coronary artery ligation) was characterized by a signal attenuation similar to that induced by USPIO‐labeled cells in T‐weighted MR images, making detection of labeled stem cells in this area by T‐sensitive contrast rather difficult. In animals with myocardial injury only, the signal attenuated areas were of the same size in proton density‐ and T‐weighted MR images. In injured animals also receiving labeled cells the lesioned area appeared larger in T‐ than in proton density‐weighted MR images. This sequence‐dependent lesion size change is due to the increased signal loss caused by the iron oxide nanoparticles, most sensitively detectable in the T‐sensitive images. Thus, using the novel combination of these two parameter weightings, USPIO‐labeled cells can be detected at high resolution in ischemic myocardium. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gauss legendre quadrature formulas over a tetrahedron
Authors: Rathod H. T. , Venkatesudu B. , Nagaraja K. V.
Published: June 2005

In this article we consider the Gauss Legendre Quadrature method for numerical integration over the standard tetrahedron: {(x, y, z)|0 ≤ x, y, z ≤ 1, x + y + z ≤ 1} in the Cartesian three‐dimensional (x, y, z) space. The mathematical transformation from the (x, y, z) space to (ξ, η, ζ) space is described to map the standard tetrahedron in (x, y, z) space to a standard 2‐cube: {(ξ, η, ζ)| − 1 ≤ ζ, η, ζ ≤ 1} in the (ξ, η, ζ) space. This overcomes the difficulties associated with the derivation of new weight coefficients and sampling points. The effectiveness of the formulas is demonstrated by applying them to the integration of three nonpolynomial, three polynomial functions and to the evaluation of integrals for element stiffness matrices in linear three‐dimensional elasticity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006
Radial basis function Hermite collocation approach for the numerical simulation of the effect of precipitation inhibitor on the crystallization process of an over‐saturated solution
Authors: Rosales A. Hernandez , La Rocca A. , Power H.
Published: June 2005

This work is concerned with the analysis of the effect of precipitation inhibitors on the growth of crystals from over‐saturated solutions, by the numerical simulation of the fundamental mechanisms of such crystallization process. The complete crystallization process in the presence of precipitation inhibitor is defined by a set of coupled partial differential equations that needs to be solved in a recursive manner, due to the inhibitor modification of the molar flux of the mineral at the crystal interface. This set of governing equations needs to satisfy the corresponding initial and boundary conditions of the problem where it is necessary to consider the additional unknown of a moving interface, i.e., the growing crystal surface. For the numerical solution of the proposed problem, we used a truly meshless numerical scheme based upon Hermite interpolation property of the radial basis functions. The use of a Hermitian meshless collocation numerical approach was selected in this work due to its flexibility on dealing with moving boundary problems and their high accuracy on predicting surface fluxes, which is a crucial part of the diffusion controlled crystallization process considered here. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006
Semi‐analytical integration of the 8‐node plane element stiffness matrix using symbolic computation
Authors: Lozada I. J. , Osorio J. C. , Griffiths D. V. , Cerrolaza M.
Published: June 2005

The semi‐analytical integration of an 8‐node plane strain finite element stiffness matrix is presented in this work. The element is assumed to be super‐parametric, having straight sides. Before carrying out the integration, the integral expressions are classified into several groups, thus avoiding duplication of calculations. Symbolic manipulation and integration is used to obtain the basic formulae to evaluate the stiffness matrix. Then, the resulting expressions are postprocessed, optimized, and simplified in order to reduce the computation time. Maple symbolic‐manipulation software was used to generate the closed expressions and to develop the corresponding Fortran code. Comparisons between semi‐analytical integration and numerical integration were made. It was demonstrated that semi‐analytical integration required less CPU time than conventional numerical integration (using Gaussian‐Legendre quadrature) to obtain the stiffness matrix. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006
Multiscale methods for elliptic homogenization problems
Authors: Chen Zhangxin
Published: June 2005

In this article we study two families of multiscale methods for numerically solving elliptic homogenization problems. The recently developed multiscale finite element method [Hou and Wu, J Comp Phys 134 (1997), 169–189] captures the effect of microscales on macroscales through modification of finite element basis functions. Here we reformulate this method that captures the same effect through modification of bilinear forms in the finite element formulation. This new formulation is a general approach that can handle a large variety of differential problems and numerical methods. It can be easily extended to nonlinear problems and mixed finite element methods, for example. The latter extension is carried out in this article. The recently introduced heterogeneous multiscale method [Engquist and Engquist, Comm Math Sci 1 (2003), 87–132] is designed for efficient numerical solution of problems with multiscales and multiphysics. In the second part of this article, we study this method in mixed form (we call it the mixed heterogeneous multiscale method). We present a detailed analysis for stability and convergence of this new method. Estimates are obtained for the error between the homogenized and numerical multiscale solutions. Strategies for retrieving the microstructural information from the numerical solution are provided and analyzed. Relationship between the multiscale finite element and heterogeneous multiscale methods is discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006
A robust video text extraction method for character recognition
Authors: Hori Osamu , Mita Takeshi
Published: June 2005

This paper proposes a method for extracting text portions occurring in video images with high accuracy for reading by OCR. Past studies have produced methods of extracting text in a video image from its background by binarization based on a threshold, utilizing the fact that the intensity of the text is higher than that of the background. One method for determining the threshold is Shio's application of Otsu's method, assuming the distribution of two intensities of the background and characters in local blocks. However, methods based on various intensities of the background such as those of video images have the problem of not yielding a good threshold due to assumptions that are not necessarily valid. In addition, in reality, they cannot extract characters with accuracy sufficient for OCR readability because the intensity around the characters is not necessarily high due to the effects of shadowing, edge elimination, and signal conversion processing. Thus, this paper proposes a method of extracting only the text portions by robustly estimating the intensity distribution of the text portions, initially extracting high‐reliability areas as text portions, and extending the areas based on the estimated distribution. Experimental results show that the proposed method extracts text portions with higher accuracy and better OCR readability than the conventional methods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 87–96, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10148
Enhancement of CAD system for breast cancers by improvement of classifiers
Authors: Hagihara Yoshihiro , Hagihara Yukari , Wei Jun
Published: June 2005

In this paper, we propose a method to improve the accuracy of classifiers by replacing the connection between the output layer and the immediately preceding hidden layer with an optimal linear transformer. This approach is intended to improve the performance of a breast cancer image diagnosis assistance system. The proposed classifier is composed of a three‐layer MLP (multilayer perceptron) and a Mahalanobis classifier. The MLP has only one output unit, and produces output for two categories. If it is assumed that the value from the hidden layer immediately preceding the output layer forms a multivariable normal distribution for each class, that is, a Gaussian distribution, then the optimal linear transformer is a classifier based on the generalized Mahalanobis distance. Thus, the optimal classification is realized in the MLP after learning in which the generalized Mahalanobis distance with the hidden layer immediately preceding the output layer as the input is examined, and classification is performed on the basis of the likelihood. The proposed breast cancer image diagnosis assistance system, the system using only the conventional Mahalanobis classifier, and the system using only the conventional MLP classifier are compared. The best results are given by the proposed method, and it is shown that the performance of the breast image diagnosis assistance system can be improved. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 65–76, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20173
Methods for detecting multiple small nodules from 3D chest X‐ray CT images
Authors: Hayase Yosuke , Mekada Yoshito , Mori Kensaku , Hasegawa Jun‐ichi , Toriwaki Jun‐ichiro , Mori Masaki , Natori Hiroshi
Published: June 2005

This paper describes a method for detecting small nodules from 3D X‐ray CT images, considering small nodules with CT values of at least −600 H.U. and diameters of at least 2 mm. The proposed method is largely composed of two stages. In the first stage, for the region obtained by the threshold processing, the shape feature parameters of the figure calculated from the distance values in the connected component are applied, and the initial nodule candidate regions are extracted by discriminating the nodule region and the vessel/bronchus region. In the second stage, a minimum directional difference filter in which the filter radius is adaptively adjusted according to the size of the initial nodule candidate region is applied in order to reduce the overextracted regions. The proposed method is applied to seven actual chest CT images (six pathological cases, including multiple nodules, and one normal case), and the result for 361 nodules with a CT value not less than −600 H.U. and diameter not less than 2 mm is that the number of overextracted regions per case is 7.4 on the average, when the detection rate is set as 71%. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 55–64, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20175
Development of an automated extraction method for liver tumors in three‐dimensional multiphase multislice images
Authors: Nakagawa Junya , Shimizu Akinobu , Kobatake Hidefumi
Published: June 2005

This paper proposes an automatic method for extracting liver tumors from three‐dimensional abdominal CT images of four phases (noncontrast, early phase, portal phase, late phase). In the proposed method, the liver region is extracted from the image of each phase. Enhancement process is applied to the region by using a three‐dimensional adaptive convergence index filter. The local maximum points are extracted from the enhanced image and the candidate regions for the liver tumor are extracted by applying the region‐growing process. Multiple features are derived from the extracted candidates and it is decided whether or not the candidate actually corresponds to a tumor, based on the Mahalanobis distance calculated from the features. The processing from the enhancement to the discrimination of the candidates is performed independently for each phase, and four processed images are generated. Finally, the resultant images are combined and output. The proposed method is applied to 40 three‐dimensional CT images of 10 patients taken by a multislice CT scanner. The result is promising, since all 8 existing tumors were detected, and the number of false‐positive regions per image was 0. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 43–54, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20179
Unsupervised speaker indexing of discussions using anchor models
Authors: Akita Yuya , Kawahara Tatsuya
Published: June 2005

We present unsupervised speaker indexing, combined with automatic speech recognition (ASR) for speech archives, such as discussions. Our proposed indexing method is based on anchor models, by which we define a feature vector based on the similarity with speakers of a large‐scale speech database. We introduce dimensional normalization and reduction on the vectors to improve discriminant ability. These vectors are then clustered and initial speaker labels are obtained. Using the initial labels, speaker models are constructed for respective clusters and the speakers are finally indexed with the speaker models. We perform ASR using the results of this indexing. We achieved a speaker indexing accuracy of 97% and a significant improvement in the ASR for real discussion data. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 25–33, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20215
Combination of statistical and neural classifiers for a high‐accuracy recognition of large character sets
Authors: Kimura Yoshimasa , Wakahara Toru , Tomono Akira
Published: June 2005

In this paper the authors propose a method for high‐accuracy recognition of large character sets using a new combination of a statistical method and neural networks. In their method, a hierarchical structure that has several neural networks arranged in a line after the statistical method is used. First, recognition using a statistical method is performed, and this represents the final result if the top candidate does not belong to a predefined set of similar characters. If it does, then the input character is discriminated in a neural network which designates the top candidate by determining the similar characters. The results are output as final results. The basic idea of this method is the functional division of a statistical method and neural networks, and the use of a neural network as determined by a statistical method. The results of recognizing 3201 character types including JIS‐1 Kanji showed an improvement in the correct recognition rate due to the combined use of a statistical method and neural networks, thereby demonstrating the validity of the authors' approach. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(9): 97–107, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20330
Antecedents, precursors, and concurrent concepts in the development of social justice attitudes and actions
Authors: Reason Robert D. , Davis Tracy L.
Published: June 2005

The authors explore the relationships between social justice attitudes and actions, the social construction of identity, and cognitive development.
Increasing men's development of social justice attitudes and actions
Authors: Davis Tracy L. , Wagner Rachel
Published: June 2005

This chapter explores obstacles to and strategies for developing social justice attitudes and actions with men.
Encouraging the development of racial justice allies
Authors: Reason Robert D. , Scales Tara C. , Roosa Millar Elizabeth A.
Published: June 2005

This chapter discusses the role of student affairs professionals in encouraging the development of racial justice allies through the exploration of whiteness.
Issues and strategies for social justice allies (and the student affairs professionals who hope to encourage them)
Authors: Reason Robert D. , Broido Ellen M.
Published: June 2005

This chapter discusses the difficulties associated with developing a social justice ally identity and provides practical suggestions to overcome them.
The teratogenic action of propylene glycol (propanediol‐1,2) and propanediol‐1,3 in the chick embryo
Authors: Gebhardt D. O. E.
Published: June 2005

When 0.05 ml propylene glycol or a related glycol was introduced into the air chamber during early development most chick embryos survived the treatment. When a glycol was injected on the second day of incubation or later the viability of the embryos was reduced. A maximal sensitivity towards glycols was observed on the fourth day of development, when 90% of the embryos died within two hours and 20% of the surviving embryos had asymmetric malformations of the limbs. Of all the compounds tested in the air chamber, only propanediol‐1,3 caused a specific type of malformation (micromelia) in a high percentage of the embryos.

When injections were made into the yolk sac it was found that the insertion of a needle prior to incubation caused a high mortality even in the controls. This sensitivity towards a mechanical disturbance diminished rapidly after 24 hours of incubation. With the exception of propanediol‐1,3 none of the glycols appeared to be teratogenic when injected into the yolk sac in amounts not exceeding 0.05 ml. When 0.2 ml propylene glycol was introduced into the yolk on the fourth day of incubation, a large liquid‐containing cyst was observed on the dorsal side of many of the embryos.

The high toxicity of glycols when injected into the air chamber on the fourth day may be attributed to their capacity of destroying the vascular system of the yolk sac.
Open‐field behavior and heart rate in prenatally X‐irradiated rats
Authors: Furchtgott Ernest , Tacker R. Stephen , Draper Douglas O.
Published: June 2005

Albino rats were exposed to X irradiation in utero on day 16 of gestation. In two separate experiments, animals that received 200 r, but not those that received 100 r, showed increased locomotor activity in an open‐field on three successive daily 3‐minute test sessions. In contrast to this hyperactivity, exploration measured by the duration of sniffing at novel objects was lower in irradiated animals on the first test day, but reached the level of the controls on the second test day. Animals with previous testing experience did not show increased locomotor activity at the age of one year. Measures of defecation did not discriminate as reliably as did locomotor activity. Animals that received 200 r also had a higher heart rate than a control group, with the difference decreasing over a 60‐minute testing period. The data would indicate that prenatally X‐irradiated rats show fearfulness when exposed to novel situations but with increased exposure to the testing situation or experience the animals' responses tend to approximate those of unexposed animals.
A histological and histochemical study of the development of the sternum in thalidomidetreated rats
Authors: Globus M. , Gibson M. A.
Published: June 2005

The development of the sternum was studied in normal and thalidomide‐treated rat embryos and fetuses. Morphologically, the sternal abnormalities included: crowding of the sternocostal articulations, absence of sternebrae, “scrambled” sternebrae, paired sternebrae, torsion of the sternum, partially cleft sternums, and completely bifurcated sternums. These malformations were related to an abnormal rib pattern and to a delayed growth rate of the ribs and sternebral primordia. Histochemically, the distribution and relative amounts of glycogen, alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and ribonucleic acid were studied. In cartilage the degradation of glycogen and the activity of alkaline phosphatase were influenced by thalidomide. This resulted in increased storage of glycogen and a reduction or absence of alkaline phosphatase activity. These changes were reflected in the rate of deposition of the cartilage matrix, and were most notable at the hypertrophic cartilage stage. Calcification of the cartilage was delayed, indicating the retardation in matrix deposition. No changes were observed in the staining pattern of ribonucleic acid. The deposition and calcification of endochondral bone was delayed, possibly caused by the delay in chondrification rather than by a direct effect on the ossification mechanism. No changes were observed in the development of the intramembranous, subperiosteal bone.
Inapparent maternal infection by Coxiella burnetii and fetal repercussions
Authors: Giroud A. , Giroud P. , Martinet M. , Deluchat Ch.
Published: June 2005

Infection of pregnant rats with Coxiella burnetii produced an inapparent disease, but nevertheless induced many resorptions and grave fetal alterations, especially of the eyes, such as cataract and degeneration of retina and optic nerve. Similar experimental and clinical results have been observed by ourselves and others following other inapparent infections. Further investigation of the role of such infections in the origin of prenatal problems thus seems warranted.
Normal and abnormal development of human embryos: First report of the analysis of 1,213 intact embryos
Authors: Nishimura Hideo , Takano Kiichi , Tanimura Takashi , Yasuda Mineo
Published: June 2005

This survey of the development of a large number of virtually unselected human embryos from healthy women allowed us to establish more reliable standards of normal development with respect to crown‐rump length, body weight, and external form than those usually cited. Remarkable variation was noted with regard to the relation between clinical age and these attributes and thus it is concluded that crown‐rump length and body weight are more reliable indicators of the general state of development than clinically established age.

Dead embryos occurred with a significantly greater frequency in women with a history of genital bleeding during pregnancy than in those without. Externally malformed embryos were found with increasing frequency with advancing developmental stage, with the maximum figure of 3.92% at horizons 19–23. Malformations observed included external defects such as exencephaly, cyclopia, myeloschisis, cleft lip, and several limb malformations. It is of considerable interest that the incidence of most of these defects was far higher than that observed in newborn infants.
The effect of 5‐fluorouracil on the development of tail vertebrae of mice in organ culture
Authors: Yoshihara Henry
Published: June 2005

After five days in organ culture, untreated fifteen‐day fetal mouse tails showed a gradient of decreasing developmental maturity from proximal to distal. Segments of the tail treated with 10 μg/ml 5‐fluorouracil (FU) for periods of one to eight hours showed a gradient of drug susceptibility increasing from proximal to distal. The extreme sensitivity of the distal third of the tail was illustrated by the fact that it was even affected by 1 minute exposure to the drug. Exogenous uracil (20 or 40 μg/ml) had no protective effect against the action of FU when administered with, before, or after FU.
A model in comparative teratogenesis: Dose response to 5‐fluoro‐2‐deoxycytidine (FCdR, Ro 5‐1090) in organogenesis of mice of strains C57BL/6JHanFfm and C57BL/10JFfm
Authors: Degenhardt K.‐H. , Fränz J. , Yamamura H.
Published: June 2005

The toxic and teratogenic dose‐response relations of 5‐fluoro‐2‐deoxycytidine (FCdR) were tested in strain C57BL/6JHanFfm at stage VIII of pregnancy, in substrain C57BL/10JFfm‐+ld at stage IX, and in strain C57BL/10JFfm at stage XI. Attention was focused on three regions of the skeletal system: skull, vertebral column, and limbs. The nonteratogenic range was nearly the same in all groups; differences were due only to the broadness of teratogenic range. This range was rather narrow at stage VIII in strain C57BL/6JHanFfm and quite broad at stage XI in strain C57BL/10JFfm.

Concerning teratogenicity, at stage VIII in strain C57BL/6JHanFfm there was a high amount of single regional defects in the vertebral column (VC) and multiple regional defects (m.r.d.) in the skull and VC; at stage IX in substrain C57BL/10JFfm‐+ld there was again a high rate of single regional defects in the VC, which were substituted by m.r.d. in all three parts of skeleton at higher doses of FCdR. At stage XI in strain C57BL/10JFfm the teratogenic effects started with single regional defects in the VC and continued with m.r.d. in VC and limbs; at the highest dose (20 mg/kg) it changed to m.r.d. of the three main regions of skeletal system.
Further studies on a cytoplasmically transmitted difference in response to the teratogen 6‐aminonicotinamide
Authors: Pollard D. R. , Fraser F. C.
Published: June 2005

It has previously been shown that mice of the C57BL/6J strain are more resistant to the cleft palate‐producing effect of 6‐aminonicotinamide when raised on Purina Lab Chow than when raised on Breeder Chow. No such difference was observed in the A/J strain. This effect of diet on resistance was present in the F1 offspring of C57BL/6J females mated to A/J males but not in the offspring of the reciprocal cross. When the two types of F1 females were backcrossed to A/J males the difference persisted only in the offspring of the F1 females with C57BL/6J mothers, suggesting that the factor conferring resistance was transmitted through the cytoplasm. In the present study the cytoplasmically transmitted factor conferring resistance did not persist in the second backcross. Neither did it appear to be transmitted through the sperm.
Responses to selection for plus and minus modifiers of some effects of Strong's luxoid gene on the mouse skeleton
Authors: Forsthoefel Paulinus F.
Published: June 2005

Selection increased the heterozygous expression of Strong's luxoid gene (hindfoot polydactyly) in a high line (SH) and lowered it in a low line (SL). The realized heritability in the SH line was 0.142 ± 0.029; in the SL line, 0.159 ± 0.010. SH homozygotes showed as indirect responses increased hindfoot polydactyly, reduction of tibia and pubis, while SL homozygotes showed opposite responses for tibia and pubis. Selection in a PF subline for forefoot polydactyly in heterozygotes induced severe radial reduction as an indirect response in homozygotes. Selection increased the expression of radial duplication in a high line (SHH) and lowered it in a low line (SHL). The realized heritability in the SHH line was 0.110 ± 0.061; in the SHL line, 0.326 ± 0.180. In both lines heterozygous sibs of homozygotes with high or low radial expression were chosen for breeding since homozygotes rarely reproduce. In the SHH line heterozygotes with high expression and in the SHL line heterozygotes with low expression of polydactyly were preferred for mating. SHL homozygotes showed indirect responses in their hindlimbs similar to those observed in SL homozygotes while SHH homozygotes showed a less marked tendency to follow the SH pattern. These results suggest that the effects of Strong's luxoid gene on distal and proximal parts of the limb have a reciprocal inverse relation.