bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Miniature, high performance, low-cost fiber optic microphone
Authors: Bucaro Joseph A. , Lagakos Nicholas , Houston Brian H. , Jarzynski Jacek , Zalalutdinov Maxim
Published: September 2005

A small, high performance fiber optic microphone has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The device builds on a previous design utilizing a thin, seven-fiber optical probe, but now adds a micromachined 1.5μm thick silicon diaphragm active element. The resulting sensor head is thin (several millimeters) and light, and the overall microphone system is less expensive than conventional microphones with comparable performance. Measurements in the laboratory using a standard free-field technique at high frequencies, an enclosed calibrator at lower frequencies, and pseudostatic pressure changes demonstrate uniform broadband response from near dc (0.01 Hz) up to near 20 kHz. The measured microphone internal noise is nearly flat over this band and does not exhibit noticeable levels of 1∕f noise. Over the audible portion of this band, the minimum detectable pressure is determined to be 680μPa per root Hz with further reductions possible using lower noise∕higher power light sources and∕or improvements in the diaphragm. In contrast to conventional high-performance microphones, there is no need for preamplifier packages close to the relatively small sensor head resulting in much lower acoustic scattering cross sections. This attribute, together with high performance, low cost, and immunity to emi, makes the microphone ideal for multielement array applications.
Statistical description of matched field processing ambiguity surfaces
Authors: Tracey Brian H.
Published: September 2005

The relationship between array design and ambiguity surface characteristics is not straightforward for matched field processing (MFP). Because MFP makes use of multipath propagation, ambiguities are a function of the environment as well as the array. This paper develops a statistical approach that seeks to provide an analytic link between array design and metrics describing the MFP output. Approximate expressions are derived for the probability distribution of power output across conventional MFP ambiguity surfaces. The validity of the expressions is examined through numerical simulation. This approach can be used as a design tool for comparing the expected performance of different array geometries.
Release from informational masking by time reversal of native and non-native interfering speech
Authors: Rhebergen Koenraad S. , Versfeld Niek J. , Dreschler Wouter. A.
Published: September 2005

In many studies, the influence of intelligibility of the interfering speech is avoided by reversing it in time. Usually, intelligibility with time-reversed interfering speech indeed is higher compared to that with normal interfering speech. However, due to the nature of speech, reversed speech also gives rise to increased forward masking. The latter will result in a decrease in intelligibility. Thus, differences in intelligibility as a consequence of reversing speech in time are due to two opposite effects. This paper describes a speech reception threshold (SRT) test with intelligible and unintelligible interfering speech played normally and time-reversed. With Dutch listeners, Swedish reversed interfering speech gave a rise in SRT of 2.3 dB compared with the Swedish interfering speech (played normally). The difference can be attributed to differences in forward masking. Dutch time-reversed interfering speech gave a decrease in SRT of 4.3 dB compared to (intelligible) Dutch interfering speech. The latter is the result of both a release from informational masking and an increase in forward masking. Therefore, the amount of informational masking is larger than 4.3 dB and, if one assumes similar differences in forward masking for Dutch and Swedish speech, may amount to 6.6 dB.
Otoacoustic emission latency, cochlear tuning, and hearing functionality in neonates
Authors: Moleti Arturo , Sisto Renata , Tognola Gabriella , Parazzini Marta , Ravazzani Paolo , Grandori Ferdinando
Published: September 2005

Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions of a large population of neonates (466 ears) are analyzed, with the aim of establishing if a significant latency difference can be observed between “pass” (333) and “fail” (133) ears, discriminated with a screening protocol based on band and global reproducibility. The ears that did not pass the test in at least one frequency band are named “fail,” for simplicity, but they should be more appropriately defined as “partial pass.” In a previous study, significantly different average latencies had been observed in adult subjects, comparing normal hearing and hearing impaired ears [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 297–308 (2002)], but no similar study has been conducted on neonates yet. An improved wavelet technique was applied to transient evoked otoacoustic emission data, to get accurate experimental measurements of the otoacoustic emission latency. The results show statistically significant differences between the latency distributions of the “pass” and “fail” populations, with the “fail” latencies longer. However, non-Gaussianity of the distributions and systematic errors associated with low reproducibility levels suggested using a conservative approach in the data analysis and interpretation. New otoacoustic estimates of cochlear tuning in neonates are also provided.
Phase of neural excitation relative to basilar membrane motion in the organ of Corti: Theoretical considerations
Authors: Andoh Masayoshi , Nakajima Chihiro , Wada Hiroshi
Published: September 2005

Although the auditory transduction process is dependent on neural excitation of the auditory nerve in relation to motion of the basilar membrane (BM) in the organ of Corti (OC), specifics of this process are unclear. In this study, therefore, an attempt was made to estimate the phase of the neural excitation relative to the BM motion using a finite-element model of the OC at the basal turn of the gerbil, including the fluid-structure interaction with the lymph fluid. It was found that neural excitation occurs when the BM exhibits a maximum velocity toward the scala vestibuli at 10 Hz and shows a phase delay relative to the BM motion with increasing frequency up to 800 Hz. It then shows a phase advance until the frequency reaches 2 kHz. From 2 kHz, neural excitation again shows a phase delay with increasing frequency. From 800 Hz up to 2 kHz, the phase advances because the dominant force exerted on the hair bundle shifts from a velocity-dependent Couette flow-induced force to a displacement-dependent force induced by the pressure difference. The phase delay that occurs from 2 kHz is caused by the resonance process of the hair bundle of the IHC.
Adapting a randomized beam-axis-tracing algorithm to modeling of coupled rooms via late-part ray tracing
Authors: Summers Jason E. , Torres Rendell R. , Shimizu Y. , Dalenbäck Bengt-Inge L.
Published: September 2005

The ability of computational geometrical acoustics to accurately model energy decay in systems of coupled rooms is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Unlike single-volume rooms, coupled rooms have reflection density that is not described by a single quadratic function of time. It is shown that tail-correction procedures used by beam-axis-tracing algorithms, which assume quadratic growth of reflection density, can lead to inaccurate predictions in coupled rooms. Further, beam-axis tracing implemented as ray tracing with a growing detection sphere is susceptible to error in coupled rooms when the detection sphere extends into adjacent subrooms. Marked error is anticipated in those cases for which the source and receiver are in the less reverberant of two rooms and is expected to be most severe for (1) small coupling apertures and (2) receiver positions near boundaries between subrooms. Errors are demonstrated by comparison of computational geometrical acoustics predictions with scale-model measurements made in a two-room coupled system. A revised beam-axis∕ray-tracing algorithm is investigated that circumvents possible error mechanisms by switching to ray tracing for the late part of the decay. Comparisons with scale-model measurements indicate that the revised algorithm is able to predict energy decay accurately in coupled rooms.
Acoustic characteristics of the vowel systems of six regional varieties of American English
Authors: Clopper Cynthia G. , Pisoni David B. , de Jong Kenneth
Published: September 2005

Previous research by speech scientists on the acoustic characteristics of American English vowel systems has typically focused on a single regional variety, despite decades of sociolinguistic research demonstrating the extent of regional phonological variation in the United States. In the present study, acoustic measures of duration and first and second formant frequencies were obtained from five repetitions of 11 different vowels produced by 48 talkers representing both genders and six regional varieties of American English. Results revealed consistent variation due to region of origin, particularly with respect to the production of low vowels and high back vowels. The Northern talkers produced shifted low vowels consistent with the Northern Cities Chain Shift, the Southern talkers produced fronted back vowels consistent with the Southern Vowel Shift, and the New England, Midland, and Western talkers produced the low back vowel merger. These findings indicate that the vowel systems of American English are better characterized in terms of the region of origin of the talkers than in terms of a single set of idealized acoustic-phonetic baselines of “General” American English and provide benchmark data for six regional varieties.
Effects of speaking rate on the single/geminate stop distinction in Japanese
Authors: Hirata Yukari , Whiton Jacob
Published: September 2005

This study addressed an issue in the theory of acoustic invariance. The question was whether an invariant acoustic property exists for distinguishing Japanese single and geminate voiceless stops across rates and speakers. Four native Japanese speakers produced disyllabic words with single and geminate stops (e.g., /kako/ and /kak:o/) spoken in a carrier sentence at three speaking rates. Durations of sentences, words, stop closures, vowels preceding the contrasting stops, and voice onset times were measured. Ratios of geminate to single stop closures, geminate words to singleton words, closures to preceding vowels, and closures to words were calculated. The effect of rate on closure duration was to yield overlap between the singleton and geminate categories, and to lengthen geminate closures more than single closures as rate decreased. However, the ratio of geminate to single closure duration was unaffected by rate. Furthermore, the ratio of closure to word duration (0.35 as an optimal boundary) best classified all singleton and geminate tokens with 95.7%–98% accuracy. Thus, in spite of overlap in absolute closure duration between single and geminate voiceless stops, there is a relationally invariant measure that divides the two phonemic categories across rates and speakers, supporting the theory of relational acoustic invariance.
Time-lapse travel time change of multiply scattered acoustic waves
Authors: Pacheco Carlos , Snieder Roel
Published: September 2005

Existing techniques in correlation spectroscopy, such as coda wave interferometry and diffusing acoustic wave spectroscopy, determine the average motion of scatterers or change in the propagation velocity from the temporal change of multiply scattered sound. However, neither of them gives an indication of the spatial extent of the change in the medium. This study is an extension of the technique coda wave interferometry, where multiply scattered waves are used to determine the change in the wave field due to a localized perturbation in the propagation velocity. Here, the propagation of multiply scattered sound is described using the diffusion approximation, which allows the cross-correlation function of the unperturbed and perturbed wave fields to be related to the localized change in the propagation velocity. The technique is tested numerically for two-dimensional (2D) acoustic waves using synthetic seismograms calculated using finite-differences before and after a small perturbation in the propagation velocity has been introduced. Despite the relatively small size and magnitude of the change, multiple scattering greatly amplifies small perturbations, making changes in the phase or travel time of the wave field visible in the later-arriving waveforms. Potential applications of this technique include nondestructive evaluation of inhomogeneous materials and time-lapse monitoring of volcanoes and highly heterogeneous reservoirs.
Acoustic emissions of digital data video projectors— Investigating noise sources and their change during product aging
Authors: White Michael Shane
Published: September 2005

Acoustic emission testing continues to be a growing part of IT and telecommunication product design, as product noise is increasingly becoming a differentiator in the marketplace. This is especially true for digital/video display companies, such as InFocus Corporation, considering the market shift of these products to the home entertainment consumer as retail prices drop and performance factors increase. Projectors and displays using Digital Light Processing(tm) [DLP(tm)] technology incorporate a device known as a ColorWheel(tm) to generate the colors displayed at each pixel in the image. These ColorWheel(tm) devices spin at very high speeds and can generate high-frequency tones not typically heard in liquid crystal displays and other display technologies. Also, acoustic emission testing typically occurs at the beginning of product life and is a measure of acoustic energy emitted at this point in the lifecycle. Since the product is designed to be used over a long period of time, there is concern as to whether the acoustic emissions change over the lifecycle of the product, whether these changes will result in a level of nuisance to the average customer, and does this nuisance begin to develop prior to the intended lifetime of the product.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF FORECAST DRIVEN VENDOR MANAGED INVENTORY SYSTEM
Authors: NACHIAPPAN SP. , JAWAHAR N. , PARTHIBARAJ S. CALWIN , BRUCELEE B.
Published: September 2005

Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is a centralized link between suppliers and customers that enables faster, less complex transactions without creating individual lines of communication for every business relationship. The current scenario necessitates the effective integration of forecasting with VMI to maintain its efficient inventory level with less safety stock. Concerning the above, this paper proposes a Forecast Driven Vendor Managed Inventory Model (FDVMI) in which a suitable forecasting model, which has minimum error and which satisfies Tracking Signal, is selected to predict the demand. The operational control and performance parameters are estimated for the partners under VMI mode of operation. The proposed model is analyzed with a case problem of M/s Nerolac stock point, Madurai with all performance parameters. The analysis reveals that the adaptation of FDVMI guarantees tangible benefits such as increase in buyer profit, vendor profit, decrease in sales price and contract price and intangible benefits such as reduced inventory, replenishments and stock outs. However, the validity of the results depends on the various factors such as sales-demand relationship, order and carrying costs of vendor and buyer in the Existing Operation (EO), combined order and carrying costs of vendor in VMI system and so on.
PERMANENT RAPID PROTOTYPED MOLDS FOR THIN WALL MAGNESIUM CASTING
Authors: GILLOT F. , MOGNOL P. , FURET B. , HASCOET J. Y.
Published: September 2005

Rapid tooling processes are now well known and largely implemented in the plastic injection industries. Harsh conditions related to metal casting or injection do not allow such rapid tooling processes to be directly applicable. This paper focuses on magnesium alloy casting in rapid prototyped mold with thin walls created by Direct Metal Laser Sintering. Such molds are anisotropic, due to special laser exposure between their skin and core. Hence, experimental results from casting are described and analyzed. The results can help companies improve their rapid prototyping means in the field of magnesium casting of precise parts in permanent molds.
MAGNETIC ABRASIVE FINISHING PROCESS — A PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
Authors: JAYSWAL S. C. , JAIN V. K. , DIXIT P. M.
Published: September 2005

Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF) is one of the non-conventional finishing processes, which produces a high level of surface quality and is primarily controlled by magnetic field. In MAF, workpiece is kept between the two poles (N and S) of a magnet. The working gap between the workpiece and the magnet is filled with magnetic abrasive particles. A magnetic abrasive flexible brush (MAFB) is formed, acting as a multipoint cutting tool, due to the effect of magnetic field in the working gap. This paper deals with theoretical investigations of the plane MAF process to know the effect of the process parameters on the surface quality produced. The magnetic field is simulated using finite element model of the process. The magnetic field is also measured experimentally to validate the theoretical results. A series of numerical experiments are performed using the finite element and surface roughness models of the process to study the effect of flux density, height of working gap, size of magnetic abrasive particles and slots (size and location) in the magnetic pole on the surface quality. Based on the results, it is concluded that surface roughness value (R max ) of the workpiece decreases with increase in flux density and size of magnetic abrasive particles. Surface roughness value (R max ) decreases with decrease in working gap. R max value also decreases when the magnet has a slot as compared to the magnet having no slot. Present study would help in understanding the effect of the various parameters on surface roughness value without doing a number of real-life experiments.
VOLUME SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS FOR MANUFACTURING CELLS: A GENETIC ALGORITHM APPROACH
Authors: RAJAGOPALAN RAVISHANKAR , FONSECA DANIEL J.
Published: September 2005

The machine cell formation is the first major step in the design of Cellular Manufacturing Systems (CMS). Several production data such as production volume, operation sequences, and processing times have been found to influence machine cell formation. Of particular interest is the production volume of components, the most unpredictable of such factors. Production volume has been proven to influence the machine cells and component groups formed significantly. Machine cells designed for a particular production volume may not be appropriate for others. This paper discusses the development of a Volume Sensitivity Model (VSM) which generates the upper and the lower volume limits of production volume within which a designed cell performs satisfactorily. Knowledge about such limits is critical for decision making on layouts and process routings.
ON SUMS OF THREE SQUARES
Authors: CHOI S. K. K. , KUMCHEV A. V. , OSBURN R.
Published: September 2005

Let r3(n) be the number of representations of a positive integer n as a sum of three squares of integers. We give two alternative proofs of a conjecture of Wagon concerning the asymptotic value of the mean square of r3(n).
THE CONVOLUTION SUM $\sum\limits_{m<n/9}\sigma(m)\sigma(n-9m)$
Authors: WILLIAMS KENNETH S.
Published: September 2005

The evaluation of the sum ∑m<n/9σ(m)σ(n - 9m) is carried out for all positive integers n. This evaluation is used to detemine the number of solutions to [Formula: see text] in integers x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7, x8.
HIGHER MOMENTS OF PRIMES IN SHORT INTERVALS II
Authors: CHAN TSZ HO
Published: September 2005

Given good knowledge on the even moments, we derive asymptotic formulas for λth moments of primes in short intervals and prove "equivalence" result on odd moments. We also provide numerical evidence in support of these results.
Future Directions in Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Authors: Child J. Anthony , Russell Nigel , Sonneveld Pieter , Schey Steve
Published: September 2005

Future therapy options for multiple myeloma may be directed at asymptomatic disease, as only symptomatic myeloma is treated currently. Additional genetic information from gene array analysis will mean that the identification of cases with poor prognosis will become more sophisticated. New markers are being discovered constantly, and these continuously change the picture regarding prognostic factors. More intensive treatment options increase the depth of remissions, thereby improving outcomes. In pilot studies, cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone (CTD) was a highly effective, well-tolerated regimen for patients refractory to initial therapy with VAD or with relapsed disease. It is being further evaluated as induction therapy in the current MRC Myeloma IX trial. Also under investigation is a small molecule derivative of thalidomide, CC-4047 (Actimid). It has between 1,000 and 10,000 times more potent antitumour necrosis factor alpha activity, with an additional immunomodulatory effect. It has been shown to be between 50 and 2,000 times more potent in the stimulation of T-cell proliferation and 50–100 times more potent in augmenting interleukin-2 and interferon-γ production. With many possible approaches to study and work through, future strategies will revolve around exploration of the effectiveness of combinations that incorporate new agents in various disease and treatment settings. The use of genetic profiles to further delineate groups for different treatment approaches should enable the introduction of patient-specific treatment programmes in the future.
Relationship between Filtration Coefficients of Microvasculature and Levels of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide or Echocardiographic Measurements
Authors: Yashiro M. , Watanabe H. , Tomita M. , Yamadori N. , Muso E.
Published: September 2005

Background/Aims: Assessing the volume status of hemodialysis (HD) patients and determining their adequate dry weight (DW) present great challenges for physicians involved in HD. In this study the relationship between standardized filtration coefficients of microvasculature (Lpst) and the plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels or echocardiographic measurements (UCGm) were clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of utilizing Lpst as one of the tools for assessing volume status of patients undergoing HD. Methods: 52 patients on maintenance HD were examined. Lpst was calculated by utilizing continuous measurements of blood volume during HD by means of monitoring changes of hematocrit with CRIT-LINETM. Plasma ANP levels were measured shortly after HD. Plasma ANP levels were elevated beyond the normal limit in 32 patients (Hi group) and were within the normal range in the remaining 20 patients (Lo group). UCGm were performed within 1 month prior to the study. Inferior vena cava diameters in quiet expiration (IVCe) were dilated in 21 patients (Hivc group) and were within the normal range in the remaining 31 patients (Livc group). Lpst was compared with plasma ANP level and UCGm. Results: Lpst in Lo group were significantly lower than those in the Hi group (0.83 ± 0.19 vs. 2.64 ± 2.73 ml/mm Hg/min; p < 0.001). Lpst correlated significantly with plasma ANP levels (r = 0.613; p < 0.001). Lpst in the Livc group were significantly lower than those in the Hivc group (1.33± 1.61 vs. 2.85 ± 2.88 ml/mm Hg/min; p < 0.001). Lpst also correlated with IVCe (r = 0.630; p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for high plasma ANP level and for dilated IVCe were significant for Lpst. Area under the ROC curve for elevated ANP was 0.909 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.834–0.985) and for dilated IVCe was 0.833 (95% CI 0.724–0.941). Conclusion: We conclude that there exists a significant association between Lpst and plasma ANP levels at the end of a dialysis session. There is a possibility that high plasma ANP levels cause elevation of Lpst. Besides ANP, Lpst significantly correlated with IVCe. These results suggested that Lpst can be utilized as one of the tools for assessing volume status of patients undergoing HD.
Screening for Cognitive Impairment: A Triage for Outpatient Care
Authors: Beinhoff Ulrike , Hilbert Verena , Bittner Daniel , Grön Georg , Riepe Matthias W.
Published: September 2005

The current increase in aged individuals in number and proportionof the general population warrants dependable strategies to improve early detection of cognitive impairment. It was the goal of the present study to develop a triage for bedside testing and outpatient ser vices. In a prospective clinical cohort study at the outpatient Memory Clinic, University of Ulm, Germany, 232 subjects were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease [AD; NINCDS-ADRDA criteria; n = 66; age 65.9 ± 7.3 years (mean ± SD); Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score 23.4 ± 4.1], mild cognitive impairment (MCI; criteria of Petersen et al.; n = 48; age 66.4 ± 7.1 years; MMSE score 28.3 ± 1.5), and major depressive disorder (DSM-IV criteria; n = 61; age 63.4 ± 8.0 years; MMSE score 28.6 ± 1.6). Diagnosis was secured with extensive neuropsychological, clinical, radiological, and laboratory investigations. Six brief screening tests including the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS), Letter Sorting Test (LST), Verbal Fluency (VF), and Clock Drawing Test (CDT) were assessed independently from the diagnostic procedure. We compared single items and composite scores. LST yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 0.81 and 0.62 for AD and MCI patients versus controls, respectively. With the MIS, diagnostic accuracy was 0.89 and 0.71, respectively. With a combination of LST, MIS, VF, and CDT, a sensitivity for AD and MCI patients of 1.00 and 0.83 was achieved. Thus, single-item screening (e.g. LST, VF) taking little more than 1 min and suitable for bedside testing or brief screening in the general practitioner’s office yields diagnostic accuracy comparable to standard laboratory tests for other diseases. A composite of screening tests suitable for application in general outpatient care in neurological and psychiatric services reliably detects patients with AD and MCI.
Exercise Duration and Peak Systolic Blood Pressure Are Predictive of Mortality in Ambulatory Patients with Mild-Moderate Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Williams Simon G. , Jackson Mark , Ng Leong L. , Barker Diane , Patwala Ashish , Tan Lip-Bun
Published: September 2005

Background and Aims: It is a prevailing concept in chronic heart failure (CHF) that ventricular remodelling (evaluated via imaging) and neurohormonal activation (via biomarkers) exert major influences, such that the need to subject patients to haemodynamic evaluations and exercise testing has been questioned. We sought to investigate whether exercise and haemodynamic parameters lack independent prognostic value in a cohort of unselected ambulatory patients with mild-moderate CHF. Methods: Eighty-five consecutive patients with stable CHF in New York Heart Association functional classes I–IV, aged 55 ± 12 years, 84% males, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 37 ± 15%, participated in this study. Survivors were followed for a median of 5.08 years. All subjects underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to measure standard parameters including peak oxygen consumption, exercise duration and blood pressure. A sample of venous blood was taken to determine the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP) level. Echocardiography was performed at rest to measure LVEF. Predictors of mortality were sought using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: All-cause mortality was 19% (16 deaths, 95% CI 11–29%). Age and LVEF did not independently predict mortality. Although various parameters including New York Heart Association class, peak oxygen consumption and N-BNP level were all predictive of outcome on univariate analysis, multivariate analysis identified reduced exercise duration and peak systolic blood pressure (SBP) to be the only independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Hazard ratios of 0.78 (95% CI 0.65–0.93, p = 0.007) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.66–0.95, p = 0.01) were associated with an increase in exercise duration of 1 min and 10 mm Hg peak SBP, respectively. Conclusions: Two simple parameters (exercise duration and peak SBP) that are easily measured by standard exercise testing are the strongest independent predictors of mortality which outperform LVEF and N-BNP in ambulatory patients with mild-moderate CHF.
Inhibition of Tumor-Necrosis-Factor-αDELETEInduced Endothelial Cell Activation by a New Class of PPAR-γ Agonists
Authors: Calabrò Paolo , Samudio Ismael , Safe Stephen H. , Willerson James T. , Yeh Edward T.H.
Published: September 2005

Proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules expressed by endothelial cells (ECs) play a critical role in initiating and promoting atherosclerosis. Agents that oppose these inflammatory effects in vascular cells include peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) ligands, including 15-deoxy-δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and synthetic thiazolidinediones. Recently, a new structural class of potent PPAR-γ agonists, 1,1-bis(3′-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl) methanes, has been characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of two PPAR-γ-active members of this class, 1,1-bis(3′-indolyl)-1-(p-t-butylphenyl)methane (DIM-C-pPhtBu) and 1,1-bis(3′-indolyl)-1-(p-biphenyl)methane (DIM-C-pPhC6H5), in ECs in vitro. Pretreatment of ECs with DIM-C-pPhC6H5, DIM-C- pPhtBu, or 15d-PGJ2 decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 expression in a concentration-dependent manner. At a concentration of 10 µM, DIM-C-pPhtBu and DIM-C-pPhC6H5 decreased ICAM-1 expression by 77.5 and 71.3%, respectively, and comparable inhibition (84.4%) was observed for 10 µM 15d-PGJ2 (p < 0.05). In contrast, 10 µM ciglitazone and DIM-C-pPhCH3, which exhibits low PPAR-γ agonist activity, were inactive. The two new PPAR-γ agonists and 15d-PGJ2 also inhibited TNF-α-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production in supernatants of TNF-α-stimulated ECs, whereas ciglitazone and DIM-C-pPhCH3 did not decrease TNF-α-induced expression of these two proteins. This new structural class of PPAR-γ agonists inhibited the expression of ICAM-1 and the production of IL-6 and MCP-1 in TNF-α-activated ECs at lower concentrations than other synthetic PPAR-γ agonists, suggesting the potential clinical utility of 1,1-bis(3′-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl) methanes for decreasing endothelial inflammation.
Cardiovascular Effects of Low-Dose Dexamethasone in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates with Refractory Hypotension
Authors: Noori Shahab , Siassi Bijan , Durand Manuel , Acherman Ruben , Sardesai Smeeta , Ramanathan Rangasamy
Published: September 2005

Background: Administration of hydrocortisone and relatively high doses of dexamethasone increase blood pressure in volume- and pressor-resistant hypotensive preterm infants. However, little is known about the temporal relationship of dexamethasone administration and the improvement in blood pressure and the weaning of pressors/inotropes. Furthermore, there are no sufficient data available on whether a smaller dose of dexamethasone would also be effective in treating refractory hypotension. Objective: To study the cardiovascular responses to low-dose dexamethasone in very low birth weight neonates with volume- and pressor-resistant hypotension. Methods: Retrospective database review. Twenty-four preterm neonates (gestational age 26 (23–34) weeks; birth weight 801 (457–1,180) g; postnatal age 2 (1–24) days, medians (ranges)) who remained hypotensive despite volume administration and combined dopamine and dobutamine treatment at ≧30 µg/kg/min received dexamethasone 0.1 mg/kg followed by 0.05 mg/kg intravenously every 12 h for 5 additional doses if still on pressors ≧8 µg/kg/min. Results: Two hours after the first dose of dexamethasone the mean blood pressure increased from 30 ± 5 to 34 ± 6 mm Hg (p < 0.001) and remained elevated at 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after treatment was started (p < 0.001). Six hours after the initial dose of dexamethasone the pressor/inotrope requirement decreased from 34 ± 9 to 24 ± 13 µg/kg/min (p = 0.001) and continued to decrease at 12 and 24 h (p < 0.001). Urine output also increased significantly during the first 6 h after dexamethasone (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Low-dose dexamethasone rapidly increases blood pressure and decreases pressor requirements in very low birth weight neonates with volume- and pressor-resistant hypotension.
Victory Has Many Friends: U.S. Public Opinion and the Use of Military Force, 1981–2005
Authors: Eichenberg Richard C.
Published: September 2005

Although previous studies have examined U.S. public support for the use of military force in particular historical cases, and have even made limited comparisons among cases, a full comparison of a large number of historical episodes in which the United States contemplated, threatened, or actually used military force has been missing. An analysis of U.S. public support for the use of military force in twenty-two historical episodes from the early 1980s through the Iraq war and occupation (2003-05) underscores the continuing relevance of Bruce Jentleson's principal policy objectives framework: the objective for which military force is used is an important determinant of the base level of public support. The U.S. public supports restraining aggressive adversaries, but it is leery of involvement in civil-war situations. Although the objective of the mission strongly conditions this base level of support, the public is also sensitive to the relative risk of different military actions; to the prospect of civilian or military casualties; to multilateral participation in the mission; and to the likelihood of success or failure of the mission. These results suggest that support for U.S. military involvement in Iraq is unlikely to increase; indeed, given the ongoing civil strife in Iraq, continuing casualties, and substantial disagreement about the prospects for success, the public's support is likely to remain low or even decline.
Soft Balancing in the Age of U.S. Primacy
Authors: Paul T.V.
Published: September 2005

Analysts have argued that balance of power theory has become irrelevant to understanding state behavior in the post-Cold War international system dominated by the United States. Second-tier major powers (such as China, France, and Russia) and emerging powers (such as Germany and India) have refrained from undertaking traditional hard balancing through the formation of alliances or arms buildups. None of these states fears a loss of its sovereign existence as a result of increasing U.S. power. Nevertheless, some of these same states have engaged in soft-balancing strategies, including the formation of temporary coalitions and institutional bargaining, mainly within the United Nations, to constrain the power as well as the threatening behavior of the United States. Actions taken by others in response to U.S. military intervention in the Kosovo confiict of 1999 and the Iraq war of 2003 offer examples of soft balancing against the United States.
What Can a Farm Animal Biography Accomplish? The Case of Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf
Authors: Tsovel Ariel
Published: September 2005

Agricultural reports and guides, nonhuman animal welfare studies, and animal rights reports attempt to document and convey the condition of nonhuman animals in agriculture. These disciplines tend to resist a prolonged and methodically versatile examination of individual animals. In his pioneer work, Lovenheim (2002), The author produced such a biographical documentation of calves in the dairy and meat industries. He provided an exceptionally prolonged and detailed tracing of their lives as individuals, establishing an emotional attachment in both documenter and reader. Yet, sentiments for the farmers, typical urban conceptions of communication with nonhuman animals, and difficulties in obtaining the relevant information limit Lovenheim's success and imply similar difficulties in other cases.
Changing Perspectives on Wildlife in Southern Africa, C.1840 to C.1914
Authors: Carruthers Jane
Published: September 2005

This article analyzes how a number of writers in English articulated their attitudes toward southern Africa's indigenous mammal megafauna from c.1840 to just before the First World War. In changing contexts of declining wild animal numbers, it examines how attitudes and the expression of those attitudes—together with developments in biology—altered with the modernization of government and the economy. To some extent, it also explores the human and other values placed on certain species of animals, including ideas about extinction, notions of what constitutes "vermin," and evolving opinions on nature and environmental conservation. Some of the concerns discussed here include lines of thinking that continue, albeit much altered, into our own time.
Pigs and People: Sociological Perspectives on the Discipline of Nonhuman Animals in Intensive Confinement
Authors: Novek Joel
Published: September 2005

Highly concentrated intensive confinement systems have become the norm in agriculture concerning nonhuman animals. These systems have provoked a lively debate from an animal welfare perspective. Sociologists can contribute to this debate by drawing parallels between the institutional regulation of human beings and of animals under confinement. Results of research on the transformation of Canadian hog production from the 1950s to the present—based on the evolution of plans for sow housing produced by the Canada Plan Service—showed a much tighter compression of hog bodies and reproduction in space and time. The prevalence of behavioral stereotypes, however, indicates imperfect animal socialization and reconfiguration. The concept of discipline is a useful perspective that could bridge the gap between the regulations of humans in industrial societies and of pigs in intensive confinement. This concept derived from elements of labor process and Foucauldian and post-humanist theories.
Validity of a Social Capital Measurement Tool in Vietnam
Authors: Thuy Huong Van Thi , Dewitt Darin , Harpham Trudy , Thu Huong Nguyen , Thap Long Tran , Thi Van Ha Nguyen , Tuan Tran , De Silva Mary
Published: September 2005

Although there are now several instruments available to measure social capital in a quantitative manner, very few of them have been validated, and no published study has examined respondents' interpretation of the meaning of the questions. This article represents one of the first attempts to measure the validity of a quantitative social capital instrument. Young Lives is a study that includes quantitative measures of caregivers' social capital using the Short Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (Short A-SCAT). Vietnamese respondents' interpretations of questions on social capital were compared to the original intended meaning of the questions and to fieldworkers' interpretations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two interpreters who were involved in translating the original questionnaire from English to Vietnamese, two supervisors and six interviewers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 female caregivers similar to the original respondents. Key concepts in social capital, like trust and sense of belonging, were interpreted similarly by all actors. Support was perceived narrowly by caregivers (limited to money and goods). Most problems arose from changes originating from translation from English to Vietnamese and by the changing nature of local political structures and how one refers to them. Overall validity appeared fairly high with a "correct interpretation" rate of 77 percent. There is now a valid tool for quickly and cheaply assessing social capital in a quantitative manner in Vietnam.
Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Malaysia: The Construction of the "Others" in a Multi-Ethnic Context
Authors: Dannecker Petra
Published: September 2005

This article concerns a dilemma that can be observed world-wide: nation-states are seeking to maximize the opportunities from economic globalization processes and transnational cooperation, and are simultaneously closing their doors to the forms of migration that these economic shifts have stimulated. In Malaysia, for example, migrant workers have contributed to the remarkable economic success, but are hardly ever mentioned in analyses of this "miracle economy". Due to economic restructuring and the economic downturns, migrants are increasingly treated as scapegoats for all kinds of problems Malaysia is facing. By analyzing the "Othering" of the Bangladeshi migrant community in Malaysia within this transformation process, it will be shown how through the interlocking aspects of movement and industrial growth concepts like national identity, citizenship and culture are getting challenged and renegotiated.
The Impossible Return? The Post-Migration Narratives of Young Women in Rural Java
Authors: Koning Juliette
Published: September 2005

In this article, I discuss how young women in a Javanese village try to incorporate the impact of their experiences as circular labour migrants in Jakarta into their rural life worlds. I try to develop a better understanding of how these young daughters combine, in their daily lives as in their aspired futures, the often quite divergent values of their "home-village" and those of their temporary urban work sphere on such issues as marriage and family life. During and after their migration experiences, these young women express that they feel caught between two worlds: between village and city; between childhood and adulthood; between expectation and reality; and between their own aspirations and what their parents expect of them. It is argued that there is a close connection between the changing context in which these young villagers live while in "the urban", and their subsequent frames of reference for managing such situations directly impinging on questions of identity. These frames of reference have become so dissimilar compared to those of their parents that tensions and conflicts between the generations arise over ideas and ideals on personal and family life. It is also argued that these generational conflicts have a gender component to themas daughters are more bound to existing local gender values (concerning marriage and motherhood) while at the same time, these migrating daughters become the agents through which certain gender ideologies are questioned. Based on fieldwork in Java and the post-migration narratives of migrating daughters, the case of these young rural women is explicated to show that gendered labour migration leads to changes in the socioeconomic and socio-cultural environments of personal, family and village life, such as the shift from intergenerational to intragenerational relationships.
No Exit: Levinas' Aporetic Account of Transcendence
Authors: Bernasconi Robert
Published: September 2005

In this paper I present Levinas' account of excendence in On Escape and Existence and Existents and show its continuity with his subsequent discussions of transcendence in Time and the Other, Totality and Infinity, and Otherwise than Being. I argue that Levinas' critique of the traditional idea of identity plays a decisive role in establishing the continuity between these various accounts as it provides the key to unlocking his account of transcendence as a formal structure. However, the meaning of trascendence lies not in the structure but in its concretization. Although Levinas initially presents fecundity as the concretization of transcendence, he ultimately identifies it as ethics. This development explains why Levinas himself preferred to think of himself as a thinker of transcendence or the holy rather than to be identified with ethics.
Asymmetry and Transcendence: On Scepticism and First Philosophy
Authors: Davies Paul
Published: September 2005

In attempting to re-think the notion of asymmetry and its relations with 'first philosophy' and to see how that notion is tracked by the provocation of scepticism, the paper demonstrates something about the implications of Levinas' ethical asymmetry. The paper considers Levinas' tendency to introduce the topic of scepticism when confronted by the logical and textual difficulties that necessarily befall his account of the ethical relation. It argues that such an introduction commits Levinas to the claim: first philosophy entails a fundamental (first person) asymmetry and its attendant scepticism. If, for Levinas, scepticism and first person asymmetry are implicated in all attempts at first philosophy, the paper suggests that an intriguing place to set it to work is those pages of Being and Time which prioritize being-towards-death, the polemical focus of Levinas' being-for-beyond-my-death.
On the Lineage of Oblivion: Heidegger, Blanchot, and the Fragmentation of Truth
Authors: Winfree Jason Kemp
Published: September 2005

This paper traces the (de)formative force of Heidegger's thought on Blanchot's writing. In the paper, I attempt to show how the question of nihilism and the question of truth in the work of Heidegger impose on Blanchot what he calls the exigency of the fragment. This exigency arises more specifically from an affinity and attunement in Blanchot's work to Heidegger's sense of Aus-setzen, on the one hand, and a resistance in Blanchot's work to Heidegger's sense of Ent-wurf, on the other. Fragmentation responds to the risk of ex-posure in a way that withdraws the horizon against which something like Entwurf might be "measured." This response can be characterized as a renewed atentiveness to the relation of errancy and withdrawal.
A Present Folded Back on the Past (Bergson)
Authors: Bernet Rudolf
Published: September 2005

In Matter and Memory, Bergson examines the relationship between perception and memory, the status of consciousness in its relation to the brain, and more generally, a possible conjunction of matter and mind. Our reading focuses in particular on his understanding of the evanescent presence of the present and of its debt vis-à-vis the "unconscious" consciousness of a "virtual" past. We wish to show that the Bergsonian version of a critique of "the metaphysics of presence" is, for all that, an offshoot of a Platonic type of metaphysics. It is true that Bergson departs from traditional standpoints on the side of a self-sufficient and original present and a form of presence to which the transparency of consciousness would confer the character of immediate evidence. All the same, it can hardly be claimed that his rehabilitation of the past and the unconscious opens up new perspectives on how forgetting and death are bound up with the work of memory.
Heidegger and Terrorism
Authors: Mitchell Andrew
Published: September 2005

Terrorism is a metaphysical problem that concerns the presence of beings today. Heidegger's own thinking of being makes possible a confrontation with terrorism on four fronts: 1) Heidegger's conception of war in the age of technological replacement goes beyond the Clausewitzian model of war and all its modernist-subjectivist presuppositions, 2) Heidegger thinks "terror" (Erschrecken) as the fundamental mood of our time, 3) Heideggerian thinking is attuned to the nature of the terrorist "threat" and the "danger" that we face today, 4) Heidegger rethinks the notion of "security" in a manner that alerts us to the oxymoronic character of "homeland security." The epoch of terrorism is likewise the era of political transformation that Heidegger identifies with "Americanism." In this essay an effort is made to think terrorism qua metaphysical problem and to inquire into the perhaps privileged role of America for the thinking of terrorism today.