bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transboundary Animal Diseases in Pakistan
Authors: Zahur A. B. , Irshad H. , Hussain M. , Anjum R. , Khan M. Q.
Published: November 2006

Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are highly contagious and have the potential to spread very rapidly irrespective of the national borders, causing serious economic losses. These diseases cause high morbidity and mortality in susceptible animal populations. Furthermore, the extent of their consequences may significantly affect the food security and national economics. In Pakistan, the main TADs include rinderpest, peste des petits ruminants, foot and mouth disease and avian influenza. In the present paper the status of these diseases in Pakistan is discussed.
Expression and promoter analysis of Xenopus DMRT1 and functional characterization of the transactivation property of its protein
Authors: Yoshimoto Shin , Okada Ema , Oishi Takafumi , Numagami Ruriko , Umemoto Hirohito , Tamura Kei , Kanda Hiromi , Shiba Tadayoshi , Takamatsu Nobuhiko , Ito Michihiko
Published: November 2006

The doublesex and mab‐3‐related transcription factor 1 (DMRT1) is involved in testis formation in a variety of vertebrates. In the teleost fish, Medaka, DMY/DMRT1Y on the Y chromosome, a duplicate of the autosomal DMRT1 gene, is characterized as a sex‐determining gene. We report here the characterization of the Xenopus DMRT1 genes. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis revealed that X. laevis DMRT1 was expressed throughout the embryo during early development and was restricted to the primordial gonads after embryogenesis. Whole‐mount in situ hybridization analysis of the gene confirmed its specific expression in the primordial gonads. To study the transcriptional control of DMRT1 gene expression, we isolated the predicted promoter region of X. tropicalis DMRT1 using databases for this species. Analysis of transgenic tadpoles with a green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter showed that approximately 3 kb of the 5′‐flanking sequence of the DMRT1 gene was implicated in DMRT1 expression in the primordial gonads. We also showed that the C‐terminal region of DMRT1 functioned as a transactivation domain in cultured cells, by a luciferase reporter assay using fusion proteins with the DNA‐binding domain of GAL4. These findings suggest that DMRT1 functions as an activator of one or more genes involved in sex determination or gonadal differentiation.
Clinical study of complicated urinary tract infection using ‘The UTI Criteria (Draft Fourth Edition)’: Measurement methods for pyuria
Authors: ARAKAWA SOICHI , NAKANO YUZO , MIURA TETSUYA , SHIGEMURA KATSUMI , TANAKA KAZUSHI , FUJISAWA MASATO
Published: November 2006

Objective: To evaluate the influences the change of the measurement method of pyuria from conventional centrifuged sediment to microchamber uncentrifuged urine for the results of evaluation of antimicrobial agents in clinical study against complicated urinary tract infections. From the viewpoint of international harmonization of judgement criteria, the recent method for counting white blood cells (WBC) in urine has changed from using uncentrifuged urine to using a microchamber in all countries.

Methods: Targeted diseases were non‐catheterized complicated urinary tract infection, and cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride or levofloxacin were used as antimicrobial drug. Pyuria was examined using the counting chamber method, a quantitative method using uncentrifuged urine with a microchamber, and the sedimentation method.

Results: Overall clinical efficacy in early evaluation by the two methods in measuring pyuria was evaluated as different in eight patients (7.3%). It was rated excellent in 63 (52.9%), moderate in 32 patients (26.9%) and poor in 24 (20.2%) with an efficacy rate of 79.8% using the counting chamber method, and excellent in 68 (57.1%), moderate in 27 (22.7%) and poor in 24 (20.2%) with an efficacy rate of 79.8% using the conventional sedimentation method

Conclusion: No significant difference was seen between the two methods of WBC count in urine.
Comparison of two‐port and four‐port irradiation in the bladder preservation therapy for locally invasive bladder cancer
Authors: SAWADA YOSHITOMO , TAKEUCHI YASUHARU , IWASAWA TOSHIHISA , KURODA KANAMI , MATSUSHIMA MASAHIRO , NAGAMOTO MASASHI , WAKAYAMA MEGUMI
Published: November 2006

Aim: To ascertain therapeutic effectiveness and adverse reactions with radiochemotherapy for locally invasive bladder cancer, comparison was made between two‐port and four‐port irradiation with intravenous cisplatin administration.

Methods: In 86 patients who were diagnosed with locally invasive bladder cancer on the basis of imaging and biopsy findings, transurethral tumor resection was carried out initially to minimize tumor volume, and then radiochemotherapy was done. From 1985 to 1997, bilateral two‐port irradiation was carried out, and after 1998, four‐port irradiation was done. In regards to chemotherapy, cisplatin was administered intravenously. Therapeutic effects were assessed 1 month after the end of therapy.

Results: Fifty‐five patients underwent two‐port irradiation; complete response (CR) was achieved in 26 and partial response (PR) in 29 patients. Thirty‐one patients underwent four‐port irradiation; CR was achieved in 20 patients and PR in 11 patients. The cause‐specific 5‐year survival rate did not differ significantly between two‐port and four‐port irradiation (74%vs 79%), but there was a significant difference of survival between CR and PR patients. In the two‐port irradiation group, 5‐year bladder preservation rate was 89% in CR patients and 52% in PR patients. In the four‐port irradiation group, 5‐year bladder preservation rate was 90% in CR patients and 46% in PR patients. Of the various adverse reactions, no significant differences in leukopenia, thrombocytopenia or bladder symptoms were observed between two‐port and four‐port irradiation, but the incidence and severity of loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea and dermatitis were significantly greater for two‐port irradiation.

Conclusion: Radiochemotherapy are considered to be modest effective in the bladder preservation therapy for locally invasive bladder cancer. The four‐port irradiation shows less adverse reactions than two‐port irradiation.
PRIZE FOR BEST PAPER VOLUME 28
Authors: Kida K. , Sato M. , Kitamura K.
Published: November 2006

Flaking failure caused by surface cracks of silicon nitride ceramic bearings has been investigated from the viewpoint of the ring crack model. However, the relation between surface and subsurface cracks under rolling contact fatigue is not fully understood. In this investigation subsurface cracks branching from an initial surface crack were observed in detail, and the process of flaking failure was investigated. The specimens were observed prior to the separation of the surface layers and it was found that the initial surface cracks grew vertically to the surfaces and did not curve as predicted by the ring crack model. Subsurface cracks branched from the single surface cracks and grew in a direction parallel to the surface. They grew in both the same and opposite directions to the ball movement, with small upward and downward branches. These subsurface cracks grew prior to the semi‐circular surface cracks. From these observations it was concluded that the flaking failures are not caused directly by surface cracks, but by subsurface cracks that branch from them.
Community Organizing and Employee Representation
Authors: Osterman Paul
Published: November 2006

The decline in the scope and power of American unions has led to a search for new strategies and new organizational forms to better succeed in representing the interests of employees in the labour market. This paper examines the role of community‐based organizations of the sort that proved so powerful during the Civil Rights Movement. The subject of the paper is a strong national network of community organizations that is neighbourhood‐based and draws heavily on churches and other community institutions. The organizations are put together in neighbourhoods, yet they also wield power at the city and state levels. The paper describes the organizations and examines and assesses their labour market policies. The second part of the paper takes up organizational issues and, in particular, describes how the structure and culture of these organizations enable them to avoid some of the organizational perils that have befallen unions and other social movement organizations. The paper concludes by comparing these organizations with traditional unions and by discussing their prospects for growth as well as their limitations.
Union Voice Effects in Mexico
Authors: Fairris David
Published: November 2006

This paper utilizes establishment survey data from Mexico to explore the impact of union voice on fringe benefits, turnover, job training and productivity. Mexican unions have a significant effect on these outcome measures for workers and firms. Unions increase both the value of fringe benefits per worker and the ratio of fringe benefits to total compensation, increase job training and raise productivity per worker. However, contrary to the broader literature on union voice effects, unionized establishments in Mexico appear to possess greater worker turnover.
A psychometric assessment of a Swedish translation of Shafer's personality scale
Authors: HOCHWÄLDER JACEK
Published: November 2006

The psychometric properties of a Swedish translation of Shafer's (1999a) Big Five Marker (BFM) scale were assessed. The assessment was based on self‐ratings on the BFM scale obtained from 694 subjects (82% women and 18% men) residing in Sweden. The following main results were obtained: (a) The factor structure was clear and simple. (b) The factor reliabilities were satisfactory. (c) The heterotrait‐heteromethod coefficients indicated construct validity for the scale. (d) The BFM scale showed similar psychometric properties for the older, employed, Swedish sample of the present study to those obtained for the younger, psychology undergraduate, USA sample in Shafer's study (1999a). The conclusion is that the BFM scale has satisfactory and stable psychometric properties and that due to its brevity and documented psychometric evaluation will facilitate research within the Big‐Five factor domain, not least in Sweden.
Child witnesses’ metamemory realism
Authors: ALLWOOD CARL MARTIN , GRANHAG PÄR ANDERS , JONSSON ANNA‐CARIN
Published: November 2006

This study investigated the degree of realism in the confidence judgments of 11 to 12‐year‐olds (41 girls and 40 boys) of their answers to questions relating to a short film clip showing a kidnapping event. Four different confidence scales were used: a numeric scale, a picture scale, a line scale and a written scale. The results demonstrated that the children showed a high level of overconfidence in their memories. However, no significant differences between the four confidence scales were found. Weak gender differences were found in that the girls were slightly, but significantly, better calibrated than the boys. In addition, although both boys and girls overestimated the total number of memory questions they had answered correctly, the boys gave higher estimates compared with the girls. In brief, the results indicate that, at least in the context investigated, 11–12 year‐old children's confidence in and estimations of their own event memory show poor realism (overconfidence and overestimation). A comparison with previous research on adults indicates that 11 to 12‐year‐old children show noticeably poorer realism.
Updating imagined translational movements
Authors: TLAUKA MICHAEL
Published: November 2006

The aim of this study was to examine the mental processes involved in changes that are the result of imagined translational movements. Participants were presented with a single view of a small spatial display. In a computer‐based reaction‐time task, spatial judgments were then made relative to four imagined headings that were either the study view or novel views that differed from the study view in terms of imagined rotational and/or translational movements. The main finding was that translational shifts detrimentally affected performance in the absence of concurrent rotations suggesting that imagined translations require additional processing time.
Structural equation models of memory performance across noise conditions and age groups
Authors: ENMARKER INGELA , BOMAN EVA , HYGGE STAFFAN
Published: November 2006

Competing models of declarative memory were tested with structural equation models to analyze whether a second‐order latent variable structure for episodic and semantic memory was invariant across age groups and across noise exposure conditions. Data were taken from three previous experimental noise studies that were performed with the same design, procedure, and dependent measures, and with participants from four age groups (13–14, 18–20, 35–45, and 55–65 years). Two noise conditions, road traffic noise and meaningful irrelevant speech, were compared to a quiet control group. The structural models put to the test were taken from Nyberg et al. (2003), which employed several memory tests that were the same as ours and studied age‐groups that partly overlapped with our groups. In addition we also varied noise exposure conditions. Our analyses replicated and supported the second‐order semantic‐episodic memory models in Nyberg et al. (2003). The latent variable structures were invariant across age groups, with the exception of our youngest group, which by itself showed a less clear latent structure. The obtained structures were also invariant across noise exposure conditions. We also noted that our text memory items, which did not have a counterpart in the study by Nyberg et al. (2003), tend to form a separate latent variable loading on episodic memory.
The Role of Training in Improving Community Care Staff Awareness of Mental Health Problems in People with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Costello Helen , Bouras Nick , Davis Hilton
Published: November 2006

Background  Care staff play a key role in identifying individuals with intellectual disabilities and additional mental health problems. Yet, few receive training in mental health, and evidence about the effectiveness of training is scant.

Materials and Methods  A pre–post study is reported, using a mental health screen and a self‐report questionnaire to examine staff awareness of mental health problems and to measure whether training improved knowledge of psychopathology, attitudes towards mental health services and referral decisions.

Results  Prior to training, deficits in awareness were evident. The Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS‐ADD) Checklist detected significant psychopathology in approximately one‐third of the individuals judged to have no mental health problems according to staff. Four months after the delivery of training, significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes and referral decisions were observed.

Conclusion  Brief training interventions may improve awareness of mental health problems, but further research is needed to understand the referral process and to demonstrate the role of training in influencing actual staff behaviour.
An Open‐Label Study of Risperidone in the Improvement of Quality of Life and Treatment of Symptoms of Violent and Self‐Injurious Behaviour in Adults with Intellectual Disability
Authors: Read Stephen G. , Rendall Maureen
Published: November 2006

Background  We examined the benefits of risperidone, including quality of life (QoL), in the treatment of violent and self‐injurious behaviour in adults with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability.

Methods  Twenty‐four participants received open‐label, oral, flexible‐dose risperidone of 0.5–6 mg/day for 12 weeks. Efficacy was measured primarily using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) and secondarily using validated measures of depression, autism, QoL and global condition. Safety and tolerability were also assessed.

Results  Total ABC significantly improved from baseline by week 1. This improvement was maintained throughout the study (final visit, P < 0.001). Secondary efficacy measures were also improved with risperidone, including QoL measures (final visit: home life, P < 0.001; activity, P = 0.002; skills, P = 0.014). Risperidone was generally well tolerated, with no unexpected adverse events.

Conclusions  In this open‐label trial, risperidone was efficacious and well tolerated for managing violent and self‐injurious behaviour and improving QoL in adults with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability.
Enhancement of cerebral blood flow and cognitive performance following pharmacological blood pressure elevation in chronic hypotension
Authors: Duschek Stefan , Hadjamu Miriam , Schandry Rainer
Published: November 2006

Previous research has demonstrated reduced cognitive performance and diminished cerebral blood flow in the case of chronic hypotension. We investigated whether these deficits can be reduced by pharmacological blood pressure elevation. Effects of the sympathomimetic midodrine were examined in 50 hypotensive individuals based on a randomized, placebo‐controlled double‐blind design. A paper–pencil test assessing performance in selective attention was presented. By means of transcranial Doppler sonography, blood flow velocities were recorded in both middle cerebral arteries at rest and during the execution of a cued reaction time task. The administration of midodrine led to an increase in blood flow velocities at rest as well as enhanced attentional performance. The degree of rise in flow velocities was positively correlated with performance enhancement. The increase in flow velocities observed during the execution of the reaction time task was stronger following drug administration.
A LONG‐BODIED LIZARD FROM THE LOWER CRETACEOUS OF JAPAN
Authors: EVANS SUSAN E. , MANABE MAKOTO , NORO MIYUKI , ISAJI SHINJI , YAMAGUCHI MIKIKO
Published: November 2006

Abstract:  Platynotan lizards underwent a dramatic Late Cretaceous radiation into marine habitats. Beginning with small‐bodied forms, the lineage culminated with the mosasaurs, large predatory lizards with a world‐wide distribution in the Santonian–Campanian. Moreover, the marine squamate radiations of the Cenomanian–Turonian are remarkable in having produced a range of long‐bodied, reduced‐limbed swimmers (dolichosaurs, adriosaurs, coniasaurs and limbed snakes) that seem to have thrived in the shallow coastal environments of the Western Tethys region. Until now, none of these long‐bodied aquatic squamates has been recorded prior to the Cenomanian, none has been recovered from a non‐marine locality and none is known from Asia. Here we describe a small, gracile, long‐bodied mosasauroid lizard from a swampy continental deposit in the Lower Cretaceous of Japan.
Exploring the Structure of Attitudes Toward Genetically Modified Food
Authors: Poortinga Wouter , Pidgeon Nick F.
Published: November 2006

Although it is often thought that the British public is opposed to genetically modified (GM) food, recent qualitative work suggests that most people are ambivalent about GM food and crops. In this article we explore the structure of attitudes in order to examine whether attitudinal ambivalence can be captured by more quantitative methods. Based on the finding that the perceived risks and benefits of GM food can be treated as independent dimensions, we propose a four‐way typology of attitudes, consisting of a positive, negative, indifferent, and ambivalent group. This study showed that the differences between the four groups could best be described by three main dimensions: (1) a general evaluative dimension, (2) an involvement dimension, and (3) an attitudinal certainty dimension. While these different attitudinal dimensions have generally been studied in isolation, we argue that they should be studied collectively.
Predicting Emergency Evacuation and Sheltering Behavior: A Structured Analytical Approach
Authors: Dombroski Matt , Fischhoff Baruch , Fischbeck Paul
Published: November 2006

We offer a general approach to predicting public compliance with emergency recommendations. It begins with a formal risk assessment of an anticipated emergency, whose parameters include factors potentially affecting and affected by behavior, as identified by social science research. Standard procedures are used to elicit scientific experts' judgments regarding these behaviors and dependencies, in the context of an emergency scenario. Their judgments are used to refine the model and scenario, enabling local emergency coordinators to predict the behavior of citizens in their area. The approach is illustrated with a case study involving a radiological dispersion device (RDD) exploded in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. Both groups of experts (national and local) predicted approximately 80–90% compliance with an order to evacuate workplaces and 60–70% compliance with an order to shelter in place at home. They predicted 10% lower compliance for people asked to shelter at the office or to evacuate their homes. They predicted 10% lower compliance should the media be skeptical, rather than supportive. They also identified preparatory policies that could improve public compliance by 20–30%. We consider the implications of these results for improving emergency risk assessment models and for anticipating and improving preparedness for disasters, using Hurricane Katrina as a further case in point.
A Risk Assessment Model for Campylobacter in Broiler Meat
Authors: Nauta Maarten J. , Jacobs‐Reitsma Wilma F. , Havelaar Arie H.
Published: November 2006

A quantitative microbiological risk assessment model describes the transmission of Campylobacter through the broiler meat production chain and at home, from entering the processing plant until consumption of a chicken breast fillet meal. The exposure model is linked to a dose‐response model to allow estimation of the incidence of human campylobacteriosis. The ultimate objective of the model is to serve as a tool to assess the effects of interventions to reduce campylobacteriosis in the Netherlands. The model describes some basic mechanistics of processing, including the nonlinear effects of cross‐contamination between carcasses and their leaking feces. Model input is based on the output of an accompanying farm model and Dutch count data of Campylobacters on the birds' exterior and in the feces. When processing data are lacking, expert judgment is used for model parameter estimation. The model shows that to accurately assess of the effects of interventions, numbers of Campylobacter have to be explicitly incorporated in the model in addition to the prevalence of contamination. Also, as count data usually vary by several orders of magnitude, variability in numbers within and especially between flocks has to be accounted for. Flocks with high concentrations of Campylobacter in the feces that leak from the carcasses during industrial processing seem to have a dominant impact on the human incidence. The uncertainty in the final risk estimate is large, due to a large uncertainty at several stages of the chain. Among others, more quantitative count data at several stages of the production chain are needed to decrease this uncertainty. However, this uncertainty is smaller when relative risks of interventions are calculated with the model. Hence, the model can be effectively used by risk management in deciding on strategies to reduce human campylobacteriosis.
Hispanic Intermarriage, Identification, and U.S. Latino Population Change*
Authors: Lee Sharon M. , Edmonston Barry
Published: November 2006

Objective.This article examines the neglected role of Hispanic intermarriage and identification on Hispanic population change and Hispanic ethnicity.

Methods.A trend analysis of Census data produced rates of Hispanic intermarriage and identification as Hispanic by children of intermarried Hispanics. These rates are applied to a projection model of Hispanic population change to 2025.

Results.Hispanic intermarriage has been fairly stable and high, at about 14 percent. Almost two‐thirds of children of intermarried Hispanics are identified as Hispanic. The Hispanic population in 2025 is larger by almost 1 million when Hispanic intermarriage and identification rates are included in population projections.

Conclusions.Failure to consider Hispanic intermarriage and identification may lead to erroneous conclusions about components of Hispanic population growth. Intermarriage and the propensity of “part‐Hispanics” to identify as Hispanic will be significant contributors to future Hispanic population growth, with implications for the meaning of Hispanic ethnicity and ethnic‐based public policies.
Health Insurance and Health‐Care Utilization of U.S.‐Born Mexican‐American Children*
Authors: Hamilton Erin R. , Hummer Robert A. , You Xiuhong H. , Padilla Yolanda C.
Published: November 2006

Objectives. We document and model health insurance coverage and health‐care utilization of very young, U.S.‐born Mexican‐American children relative to their non‐Hispanic white and black counterparts.

Methods. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and multivariate regression methods.

Results. Based on descriptive and multivariate analyses, the findings show that compared to non‐Hispanic white children, Mexican‐American children have lower rates of health insurance coverage and less health‐care utilization. Mexican‐American children born in the United States to foreign‐born mothers utilize health care the least and are much more likely to be fully uninsured compared to other children.

Conclusion. The early health advantage of Mexican‐origin children at birth runs the risk of being compromised by the time they reach age three as a result of poor access to healthcare. Greater health insurance coverage for Mexican‐American children and, in particular, Mexican‐American children of immigrants is needed.
Marginalized Models for Moderate to Long Series of Longitudinal Binary Response Data
Authors: Schildcrout Jonathan S. , Heagerty Patrick J.
Published: November 2006

SummaryMarginalized models (Heagerty, 1999,Biometrics55,688–698) permit likelihood‐based inference when interest lies in marginal regression models for longitudinal binary response data. Two such models are the marginalized transition and marginalized latent variable models. The former captures within‐subject serial dependence among repeated measurements with transition model terms while the latter assumes exchangeable or nondiminishing response dependence using random intercepts. In this article, we extend the class of marginalized models by proposing a single unifying model that describes both serial and long‐range dependence. This model will be particularly useful in longitudinal analyses with a moderate to large number of repeated measurements per subject, where both serial and exchangeable forms of response correlation can be identified. We describe maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches toward parameter estimation and inference, and we study the large sample operating characteristics under two types of dependence model misspecification. Data from the Madras Longitudinal Schizophrenia Study (Thara et al., 1994,Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica90,329–336) are analyzed.
Investigation of the functional variant c.‐169T > C of the Fc receptor‐like 3 (FCRL3) gene in alopecia areata
Authors: Schäfer N. , Blaumeiser B. , Becker T. , Freudenberg‐Hua Y. , Hanneken S. , Eigelshoven S. , Schmael C. , Lambert J. , De Weert J. , Kruse R. , Nöthen M. M. , Betz R. C.
Published: November 2006

A functional variant in the Fc receptor‐like 3 (FCRL3) gene has been implicated in susceptibility to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and autoimmune thyroid disease. Investigating a large case‐control sample of patients with alopecia areata (AA), we found no evidence for the involvement of FCRL3 in susceptibility to AA.
Utilization of Low‐Cost Waste Material Bagasse Fly Ash in Removing of Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+ from Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Taha G.M.
Published: November 2006

Bagasse fly ash, a waste material generated in the sugar industry, collected from a local sugar firm at Kom‐Umbo district (42 km to the north of the midcity of Aswan), Aswan Governorate, Egypt, was used as a low cost and effective adsorbing surface for the removal of Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+ from industrial waste water. The adsorption capacity was followed as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration, shaking time, and divers ions. Under the optimum conditions used, more than 95% of some of the ions under study were successfully removed. The data were fitted using both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms.
Optimum release times for biological control of the two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) by Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias‐Henriot (Acari: Phytoseidae) on the strawberry in greenhouses
Authors: KIM Yong‐Heon , PARK Sang‐Gu
Published: November 2006

The effectiveness of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias‐Henriot (Acari: Phytoseidae) in controlling the two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) was evaluated in commercial strawberry greenhouses in two areas of Korea. Optimum release times for P. persimilis were investigated by case studies. Control effects of the two‐spotted spider mite by release of the predatory mite were shown. There was mostly good control by the release of P. persimilis when there were fewer than 0.9 T. urticae per leaf. We recommend it would be ideal to release P. persimilis twice in December and once in February for very early strawberry harvest, and three times from February to March (after overwintering) for early harvest.
Application of Constraint Corrected J-R Curves to Fracture Analysis of Pipelines
Authors: Zhu Xian-Kui , Leis Brian N.
Published: November 2006

Fracture properties of an API X80 pipeline steel have been developed using a set of single edge notched bend (SENB) and single edge notched tension (SENT) specimens with shallow and deep cracks to generate different crack-tip constraint levels. The test data show that the J-R curves for the X80 pipeline steel are strongly constraint dependent. To facilitate transfer of the experimental J-R curves to those for actual cracked components, like flawed pipeline, constraint corrected J-R curves are developed. The two-parameter J-A2 formulation is adopted to quantify constraint effect on the crack-tip fields and the J-R curves. The constraint parameter A2 is extracted by matching the J-A2 solution with finite element results for a specific crack configuration. A constraint corrected J-R curve is then formulated as a function of the constraint parameter A2 and crack extension Δa. A general method and procedure to transfer the experimentalJ-R curves from laboratory to actual cracked components are proposed. Using the test data of J-R curves for the SENB specimens, a mathematical expression representing a family of the J-R curves is constructed for the X80. It is shown that the predicted J-R curves developed in this paper agree well with experimental data for both SENB and SENT specimens. To demonstrate its application in assessing flaw instability, a pipeline with an axial surface crack is considered. For a crack depth of 50% of the wall thickness, the predicted J-R curve is found to be higher than that for the SENB specimen with the same crack length to width ratio. From this predicted J-R curve and crack driving force obtained by finite element analysis, the failure pressures of the pipeline at the crack initiation and instability are determined and discussed.
Lattice Boltzmann Method Simulation of Backward-Facing Step Flow With Double Plates Aligned at Angle to Flow Direction
Authors: Chen Chao-Kuang , Yen Tzu-Shuang , Yang Yue-Tzu
Published: November 2006

This study applies the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate incompressible steady low Reynolds number backward-facing step flows. In order to restrict the simulations to two-dimensional flows, the investigated Reynolds number range is limited to a maximum value of Re=200. The field synergy principle is applied to demonstrate that the increased interruption within the fluid caused by the introduction of two inclined plates reduces the intersection angle between the velocity vector and the temperature gradient. The present results obtained for the velocity and temperature fields are found to be in good agreement with the published experimental and numerical results. Furthermore, the numerical results confirm the relationship between the velocity and temperature gradient predicted by the field synergy principle.
Effects of oxygen pressure on the microstructure of LaNiO3 conductive thin film monitored by in situ reflection high energy diffraction
Authors: Zhu Jun , Zheng Liang , Wei Xian Hua , Zhang Ying , Li Yan Rong
Published: November 2006

La Ni O 3 (LNO) conductive thin films with different thicknesses were deposited on SrTiO3 (100) substrates in different oxygen pressures. Effects of oxygen pressure on microstructure of LNO conductive film have been studied by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the relatively low oxygen pressure, LNO film displays spotty RHEED pattern. When the thickness increases up to a critical value, about 30nm, the spotty RHEED pattern gradually changes to streaky pattern, and the RHEED oscillation curve appears. The streaky RHEED pattern of LNO film deposited in the relatively high oxygen pressure can be observed at the initial growth. With pumping the oxygen pressure to a relatively low value, the RHEED pattern gradually changes to spotty one. When the oxygen pressure is increased back to a high value, the RHEED pattern changes to streaky one again. This RHEED pattern transformation induced by the oxygen pressure is reversible. Ex situ XPS results indicate that the element Ni of LNO film deposited in the relatively low oxygen pressure with a thickness below the critical value exists in the form as Ni2+ while as Ni3+ in the relatively high oxygen pressure. When the thickness increases to the critical value, the chemical valence of element Ni in the top layers of LNO film deposited in the relatively low oxygen pressure is +3. A mechanism of effects of oxygen pressure on microstructure of LaNiO3 conductive thin film is given. This sensitivity to oxygen for LNO thin film can be used in sensor devices.
Nitriding of AISI 4140 steel by a low energy broad ion source
Authors: Ochoa E. A. , Figueroa C. A. , Alvarez F.
Published: November 2006

A comprehensive study of the thermochemical nitriding process of steel AISI 4140 by low energy ion implantation (Kaufmann cell) is reported. Different times of implantation were employed and the studied samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, in situ photoemission electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and hardness (nanoindentation) measurements. The linear relationship between nitrogen content and hardness was verified. The structure of the nitrided layer was characterized yielding that the compound layer is formed by coarse precipitates, around small grains, constituted principally by ε-Fe2–3N and γ-Fe4N phases and the diffusion zone is formed by fine precipitates, around big grains of the original martensitic phase, constituted principally by γ-Fe4N phase. Finally, a diffusion model for multiphase systems was applied to determine effective diffusion coefficients of nitrogen in the different phases.
Reactive sputter-deposition of AlN films by dense plasma focus
Authors: Sadiq Mehboob , Ahmad S. , Shafiq M. , Zakaullah M. , Ahmad R. , Waheed A.
Published: November 2006

A low energy (1.45kJ) dense plasma focus device is used to deposit thin films of aluminum nitride (AlN) at room temperature on silicon substrates. For deposition of films, a conventional hollow copper anode is replaced with a solid aluminum anode and nitrogen is used as fill gas. The films are deposited using a multiple number of focus shots by placing the substrate in front of the anode. The deposited films are characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and a microhardness test. The XRD analysis of the films shows that the deposited films show strong c-axis alignment. The Raman spectra of the films indicate that the deposited films are under compressive stress and crystalline quality decreases with increasing number of focus shots. The microhardness results point toward the uniform deposition of hard AlN layers on silicon substrates.
Structural, electrical, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of thin titanium oxinitride films (TiO2−2xNx with 0⩽x⩽1)
Authors: Koslowski U. , Ellmer K. , Bogdanoff P. , Dittrich T. , Guminskaya T. , Tributsch H.
Published: November 2006

Nanocrystalline titanium oxinitride (TiO2−2xNx) thin films (0⩽x⩽1) were prepared by reactive dc magnetron sputtering from a titanium target in an argon-oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. By increasing the reactive gas component nitrogen the phases changed from TiO2 to TiO2−2xNx and finally to TiN. The reactively sputtered films were characterized by elastic recoil detection analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and resistivity measurements. The crystallographic structures of TiO2 were maintained up to a nitrogen concentration of about 20at.%; however, the crystallite size decreased significantly and a transition from the low-temperature anatase to the high-temperature rutile phase of TiO2 occurred. Optical transmission measurements revealed that the indirect energy band gap can be reduced from 3.2to2.6eV for nitrogen concentrations up to 20at.%. The film properties for photocatalytic water oxidation were investigated by differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy. While the photoactivity in the visible increases, the overall photoelectrochemical activity appears to be deteriorated significantly by nitrogen doping, most probably due to the formation of defect states near to the valence band of TiO2.
High-frequency channel characterization for M-ary frequency-shift-keying underwater acoustic communications
Authors: Yang Wen-Bin , Yang T. C.
Published: November 2006

Many (>100) packets of pseudo-random signals transmitted during the TREX04 experiments are analyzed in this paper to deduce the narrowband signal envelope amplitude statistics over a wide band (15–19kHz) of frequencies. The envelope amplitude statistics are found to be non-Rayleigh-type with a long-tail distribution at high amplitudes. Long-term and short-term fading statistics are deduced from the data, exhibiting near lognormal and Rayleigh distributions, respectively. The combined distribution is closely approximated by a K-distribution, which fits the measured amplitude distributions well over a wide band of frequencies.
Aerodynamically and acoustically driven modes of vibration in a physical model of the vocal folds
Authors: Zhang Zhaoyan , Neubauer Juergen , Berry David A.
Published: November 2006

In a single-layered, isotropic, physical model of the vocal folds, distinct phonation types were identified based on the medial surface dynamics of the vocal fold. For acoustically driven phonation, a single, in-phase, x-10 like eigenmode captured the essential dynamics, and coupled with one of the acoustic resonances of the subglottal tract. Thus, the fundamental frequency appeared to be determined primarily by a subglottal acoustic resonance. In contrast, aerodynamically driven phonation did not naturally appear in the single-layered model, but was facilitated by the introduction of a vertical constraint. For this phonation type, fundamental frequency was relatively independent of the acoustic resonances, and two eigenmodes were required to capture the essential dynamics of the vocal fold, including an out-of-phase x-11 like eigenmode and an in-phase x-10 like eigenmode, as described in earlier theoretical work. The two eigenmodes entrained to the same frequency, and were decoupled from subglottal acoustic resonances. With this independence from the acoustic resonances, vocal fold dynamics appeared to be determined primarily by near-field, fluid-structure interactions.
The mean matters: Effects of statistically defined nonspeech spectral distributions on speech categorization
Authors: Holt Lori L.
Published: November 2006

Adjacent speech, and even nonspeech, contexts influence phonetic categorization. Four experiments investigated how preceding sequences of sine-wave tones influence phonetic categorization. This experimental paradigm provides a means of investigating the statistical regularities of acoustic events that influence online speech categorization and, reciprocally, reveals regularities of the sound environment tracked by auditory processing. The tones comprising the sequences were drawn from distributions sampling different acoustic frequencies. Results indicate that whereas the mean of the distributions predicts contrastive shifts in speech categorization, variability of the distributions has little effect. Moreover, speech categorization is influenced by the global mean of the tone sequence, without significant influence of local statistical regularities within the tone sequence. Further arguing that the effect is strongly related to the average spectrum of the sequence, notched noise spectral complements of the tone sequences produce a complementary effect on speech categorization. Lastly, these effects are modulated by the number of tones in the acoustic history and the overall duration of the sequence, but not by the density with which the distribution defining the sequence is sampled. Results are discussed in light of stimulus-specific adaptation to statistical regularity in the acoustic input and a speculative link to talker normalization is postulated.
Using image processing to detect and classify narrow-band cricket and frog calls
Authors: Brandes T. Scott , Naskrecki Piotr , Figueroa Harold K.
Published: November 2006

An automatic call recognition (ACR) process is described that uses image processing techniques on spectrogram images to detect and classify constant-frequency cricket and frog calls recorded amidst a background of evening sounds found in a lowland Costa Rican rainforest. This process involves using image blur filters along with thresholding filters to isolate likely calling events. Features of these events, notably the event’s central frequency, duration and bandwidth, along with the type of blur filter applied, are used with a Bayesian classifier to make identifications of the different calls. Of the 22 distinct sonotypes (calls presumed to be species-specific) recorded in the study site, 17 of them were recorded in high enough numbers to both train and test the classifier. The classifier approaches 100% true-positive accuracy for these 17 sonotypes, but also has a high false-negative rate (over 50% for 4 sonotypes). The very high true-positive accuracy of this process enables its use for monitoring singing crickets (and some frog species) in tropical forests.
New speech harmonic structure measure and its applications to speech processing
Authors: Yu An-Tze , Wang Hsiao-Chuan
Published: November 2006

The harmonic structure can be easily recognized in time-frequency representation of speech signals in adverse environment. The harmonicity is a measure of the completeness of a harmonic structure. This paper presents a new harmonic structure measure that extends the conventional harmonicity to a set of harmonicities. They are expressed in terms of the grid harmonicity, the temporal harmonicity, the segment-spectral harmonicity, and the segmental harmonicity. The grid harmonicity measures the completeness of individual harmonics in each frame. The grid harmonicities in a frame are summed up to form a temporal harmonicity for representing the strength of harmonicity. The segment-spectral harmonicity, computed by summing specific grid harmonicity over a segment, evaluates the integrity of individual harmonics across a segment. The segmental harmonicity evaluates the total strength of harmonic structure within a segment. This set of harmonicities is available for a systematic analysis of the harmonic structure and effective to several speech processing tasks. The applications to speech distortion analysis, robust fundamental frequency estimation, robust voicing detection, and speech enhancement are demonstrated.
A Kernel Bears Fruit
Authors: Arendt Detlev
Published: November 2006

The Regulatory Genome
. Gene Regulatory Networks in Development and Evolution.
By Eric H. Davidson
. Academic Press (Elsevier), Burlington, MA, 2006. 301 pp. $69.95. ISBN 0-12-088563-8.

The author uses findings from a series of exemplary experiments to argue for the crucial importance of gene regulatory networks in development and evolution.
Naturally Occurring Anti-
Escherichia coli
Protein Antibodies in the Sera of Healthy Humans Cause Analytical Interference in a Recombinant Nucleocapsid Protein-Based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Serodiagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Authors: Yip Chi Wai , Hon Chung Chau , Zeng Fanya , Chow Ken Y. C. , Chan Kwok Hung , Peiris Joseph S. M. , Leung Frederick C. C.
Published: November 2006

We reported the analytical interference of anti-
Escherichia coli
protein (EP) antibodies in human sera and residual EP in a recombinant nucleocapsid protein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a possible source of false positives in severe acute respiratory syndrome serodiagnosis. The rate of false positives was significantly reduced by adding mouse anti-EP antiserum in the blocking step.
Genome Sequence of
Aeromonas hydrophila
ATCC 7966
T
: Jack of All Trades
Authors: Seshadri Rekha , Joseph Sam W. , Chopra Ashok K. , Sha Jian , Shaw Jonathan , Graf Joerg , Haft Daniel , Wu Martin , Ren Qinghu , Rosovitz M. J. , Madupu Ramana , Tallon Luke , Kim Mary , Jin Shaohua , Vuong Hue , Stine O. Colin , Ali Afsar , Horneman Amy J. , Heidelberg John F.
Published: November 2006

The complete genome of
Aeromonas hydrophila
ATCC 7966
T
was sequenced.
Aeromonas
, a ubiquitous waterborne bacterium, has been placed by the Environmental Protection Agency on the Contaminant Candidate List because of its potential to cause human disease. The 4.7-Mb genome of this emerging pathogen shows a physiologically adroit organism with broad metabolic capabilities and considerable virulence potential. A large array of virulence genes, including some identified in clinical isolates of
Aeromonas
spp. or
Vibrio
spp., may confer upon this organism the ability to infect a wide range of hosts. However, two recognized virulence markers, a type III secretion system and a lateral flagellum, that are reported in other
A. hydrophila
strains are not identified in the sequenced isolate, ATCC 7966
T
. Given the ubiquity and free-living lifestyle of this organism, there is relatively little evidence of fluidity in terms of mobile elements in the genome of this particular strain. Notable aspects of the metabolic repertoire of
A. hydrophila
include dissimilatory sulfate reduction and resistance mechanisms (such as thiopurine reductase, arsenate reductase, and phosphonate degradation enzymes) against toxic compounds encountered in polluted waters. These enzymes may have bioremediative as well as industrial potential. Thus, the
A. hydrophila
genome sequence provides valuable insights into its ability to flourish in both aquatic and host environments.