bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Technologies of Green High Speed Dry Cutting
Authors: Zhao Li , Guo Pei Quan , Cao Yan Ke , Wang Xiao Wei , Zhang Pu
Published: June 2012

As a new type of green manufacturing technology, high speed dry cutting technology to implement human sustainable development strategy has important significance. The research reviews the features and advantages of the high speed dry cutting technology, and analyzes the key technologies (including machine tools, cutting tool and coating technology to achieve high-speed dry cutting).
Experimental Studies on Machinability of 14 wt.% of SiC Particle Reinforced Aluminium Alloy Composites
Authors: Qin Sheng , Cai Xiao Jiang , Zhang Yu Sheng , An Qing Long , Chen Ming
Published: June 2012

Since metal matrix composites (MMCs) have increasing applications in industries, this paper presents an experimental investigation on machinability of SiCp reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites. 14 wt.% of SiCp reinforcement addition composite was studied in end milling using CVD coated carbide tools under different cutting parameters. By experimental results, the relationships of cutting force and surface roughness with cutting speed and feed were discussed. Some defects concerning surface topography such as ploughed furrow, pits, matrix tearing, etc. were examined by SEM.
Electromechanical Resonance in Magnetoelectric Composites: Direct and Inverse Effect
Authors: Bichurin Mirza I. , Petrov Vladimir M. , Petrov Roman V. , Priya Shashank
Published: June 2012

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in the composites is mediated by the mechanical stress and one would expect orders of magnitude stronger coupling when the frequency of the ac field is tuned to acoustic mode frequencies in the sample than at non-resonance frequencies. A model is presented for the increase in ME coupling in magnetostrictive-piezoelectric bilayers for the longitudinal, radial, and bending modes in the electromechanical resonance region. We solved the equation of medium motion taking into account the magnetostatic and elastostatic equations, constitutive equations, Hooke's law, and boundary conditions. We estimated the ME voltage coefficient for direct ME effect and ME susceptibility for inverse ME coupling. The frequency dependence of the ME voltage coefficient and ME susceptibility reveals a resonance character in the electromechanical resonance region. Then we considered ME interaction in the magneto-acoustic resonance region at the coincidence of electromechanical and magnetic resonance. Variation in the piezomagnetic coefficient with static magnetic field for magnetic layer results in a dependence of ME voltage on applied bias magnetic field. As an example, we considered specific cases of cobalt ferrite or yttrium-ferrum garnet - lead zirconate titanate and nickel/permendur - lead zirconate titanate bilayers. Estimated values of ME voltage coefficient versus frequency profiles are in agreement with data.
Disordered Multiferroics
Authors: Kleemann Wolfgang
Published: June 2012

Disordered multiferroic materials (type-III multiferroics) escape the conventional schematics oftype-Iandtype-IImultiferroics, where two types of ferroic long-range order are expected to coexist under different interdependences and promise to attain a maximized bilinear (αorEH)magnetoelectriceffect under special symmetry conditions. Nevertheless sizable higher orderMEresponse occurs also in disordered systems such as in the simultaneousdipolarandspin glasses(multiglass) Sr0.98Mn0.02TiO3and K0.94Mn0.03TaO3, thequantum paraelectric antiferromagnetEuTiO3, thespin glassandrelaxor ferroelectricPbFe0.5Nb0.5O3, and theantiferroelectric antiferromagnetic dipole glassCuCr1-xInxP2S6. They have in common to show large quadratic magneto-capacitance effects, ΔεH2, which are related to dominating third-orderE2H2terms in their free energies and do not require special symmetry conditions. The polarization controlled exchange coupling can achieve giant fluctuation-enhanced values in the vicinity of critical magnetic fields as observed,e.g., in EuTiO3. Exceptionally, even the first-orderEH-typemagnetoelectriceffect is observed whenever metastable homogeneous order parameters are induced by field cooling as in EuTiO3, or in the spin glass phase of the relaxor multiferroic Pb (Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3atT < Tg= 10.6 K.
Non-slice linear combinations of algebraic knots
Authors: Hedden Matthew , Kirk Paul , Livingston Charles
Published: June 2012

We show that the subgroup of the knot concordance group generated by links of isolated complex singularities intersects the subgroup of algebraically slice knots in an infinite rank subgroup.
Invariant weighted Wiener measures and almost sure global well-posedness for the periodic derivative NLS
Authors: Nahmod Andrea R. , Oh Tadahiro , Rey-Bellet Luc , Staffilani Gigliola
Published: June 2012

We construct an invariant weighted Wiener measure associated to the periodic derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation in one dimension and establish global well-posedness for data living in its support. In particular almost surely for data in a Fourier–Lebesgue space

{\mathcal F}L^{s,r}(\mathbb T)

with

s \ge \frac{1}{2}

,

2 < r < 4

,

(s-1)r <-1

and scaling like

H^{\frac{1}{2}-\epsilon}(\mathbb T),

for small

\epsilon >0

. We also show the invariance of this measure.
The Wage Premium of Foreign Ownership: Evidence from European Mergers and Acquisitions
Authors: Oberhofer Harald , Stöckl Matthias , Winner Hannes
Published: June 2012

The authors provide evidence on the impact of foreign ownership on labor market outcomes analyzing pay differences between foreign-acquired and domestically owned firms. For this purpose, they use firm-level data from 16 European countries over the time period 1999–2006. Combing propensity score matching techniques with difference-in-differences (DID) estimators the authors estimate positive wage premia of cross-border merger and acquisitions (M&As), suggesting that foreign-acquired firms exhibit higher short-run (postacquisition) wage growth than their domestic counterparts. The observed wage disparities are most pronounced for low paying firms (with average wages below the median) which are typically located in Eastern European transition economies.
The Influence of Cognitive Diversity on Group Problem Solving Strategy
Authors: Lamm Alexa J. , Roberts T. Grady , Irani Tracy A. , Snyder Lori J. Unruh , Brendemuhl Joel
Published: June 2012

Collaborative group problem solving allows students to wrestle with different interpretations and solutions brought forth by group members, enhancing both critical thinking and problem solving skills. Since problem solving in groups is a common practice in agricultural education, instructors are often put in the position of organizing student groups and facilitating group learning. Research has shown that the factors according to which teachers arrange groups hold great influence over the success experienced by a group. The purpose of this study was to examine how arranging groups by problem solving style influenced group problem solving processes. Groups made up of members with heterogeneous or homogenous problem solving styles were given a problem to solve as a class project. Focus groups were conducted with each group at the conclusion of the project to gain an understanding of how each group progressed through the problem solving process. Differences were found in how homogenous versus heterogeneous groups progressed through the problem solving process. With a greater understanding of how problem solving style influences group dynamics, agricultural educators can be more proactive when assigning student work groups, thereby enhancing students’ abilities to work interdependently when creating successful solutions.
Teacher Induction Programs in Agricultural Education: Description of the Role of AAAE Higher Education Teacher Preparation Programs
Authors: Franklin Edward A. , Molina Quintin F.
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this study is to report findings from a survey of AAAE-member colleges and universities' involvement in professional induction activities of agricultural education teachers. The basis for this research comes from five teacher induction program goals proposed by Johnston and Kay (1987) that serve as a context for presenting the data. Responses were obtained from 62 AAAE-member institutions representing Puerto Rico and 37 states. Beginning teacher induction activities are conducted by 66% of AAAE-teacher preparation institutions. The majority (73.3%) conduct workshops targeting beginning teachers. Slightly more than half (55.1 %) indicated that no other faculty besides agricultural education faculty are involved in induction activities, and 18.4% conduct induction activities as part of a formal agreement with school districts. The institutions participate through collaboration with state departments of education and state teachers associations; provide mentoring to new teachers, and consultation. Teacher induction is generally not counted in the faculty workload and is recognized as a service to the profession. Finally, the total number of student teachers prepared, the total number accepting teaching positions, participating in teacher induction activities and the number not returning after their first year is reported.
Different characteristics of new particle formation between urban and deciduous forest sites in Northern Japan during the summers of 2010–2011
Authors: Jung J. , Miyazaki Y. , Kawamura K.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. To investigate new particle formation (NPF) events in urban and forest environments, number size distributions of ultrafine particles were measured at an urban site and a deciduous forest site in Sapporo, Northern Japan, during the summers of 2011 and 2010, respectively. The burst of nucleation mode particles at the urban site typically started in the morning (7:00–11:30 local time, LT) with simultaneous increases in SO2 and O3 concentrations and the UV index under clear (sunny) weather conditions. The growth rates of nucleated particles at the urban site ranged from 5.0 to 7.8 nm h−1 with an average of 6.3 ± 1.1 nm h−1. NPF events at the urban site were separated into events with or without subsequent particle growth after the burst of nucleation mode particles. This division was related to prevailing wind direction as the subsequent growth of freshly nucleated particles typically occurred when wind direction shifted to northwesterly (from residential and public park areas), whereas it did not occur under southeasterly winds (from the downtown area). During the periods with NPF events, elevated concentrations of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were obtained under conditions of northwesterly winds when compared to southeasterly winds, whereas no difference in SO2 levels was recorded. These results suggest that variations in NMHC concentration may play an important role in the growth of freshly nucleated particles at the urban site. The burst of nucleation mode particles at the forest site typically started around noon (10:30–14:30 LT), which was 3–4 h later than that at the urban site. Interestingly, at the forest site the burst of nucleation mode particles usually started when air masses originating from urban Sapporo arrived at the forest site. The present study indicates that the inflow of these urban air masses acted as a trigger for the initiation of the burst of nucleation mode particles in the deciduous forest.
Maintaining consistent traceability in high precision isotope measurements of CO2: verifying atmospheric trends of δ13C
Authors: Huang L. , Chivulescu A. , Ernst D. , Zhang W. , Lee Y.-S.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Maintaining consistent traceability of high precision measurements of CO2 isotopes is critical in being able to observe accurate atmospheric trends of δ13C (CO2). Although a number of laboratories/organizations around the world have been involved in baseline measurements of atmospheric CO2 isotopes for several decades, the reports on their traceability measures are rare. In this paper, a principle and an approach for the traceability maintenance of high precision isotope measurements (δ13C and δ18O) in atmospheric CO2 is described. The uncertainties of the traceability have been estimated based on the history of annual calibrations over the last 10 yr. The overall uncertainties of CO2 isotope measurements for individual ambient samples carried out by our program at Environment Canada are estimated (excluding the uncertainty associated with the sampling). The values are 0.02‰ and 0.05‰ in δ13C and δ18O, respectively, close to the WMO targets for data compatibility. The annual rate of change in δ13C of the primary anchor used in our program (which is the laboratory standard linking ambient measurements back to the primary VPDB scale) is close to zero (−0.0016 ± 0.0012‰ per year) over the period of 10 yr (2001–2011). The average annual decreasing rate of δ13C in air CO2 measurements at Alert over the period from 1999 to 2010 has been confirmed and verified, which is −0.025 ± 0.003‰ per year. The total change of δ13C in the annual mean value during this period is ∼−0.27‰. The concept of "Big Delta" is introduced and its role in maintaining traceability of the isotope measurements is described and discussed extensively. Finally, the challenges and a strategy for maintaining traceability are also discussed and suggested.
Solar irradiance reduction to counteract radiative forcing from a quadrupling of CO2: climate responses simulated by four earth system models
Authors: Schmidt H. , Alterskjær K. , Bou Karam D. , Boucher O. , Jones A. , Kristjánsson J. E. , Niemeier U. , Schulz M. , Aaheim A. , Benduhn F. , Lawrence M. , Timmreck C.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. In this study we compare the response of four state-of-the-art Earth system models to climate engineering under scenario G1 of two model intercomparison projects: GeoMIP (Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project) and IMPLICC (EU project "Implications and risks of engineering solar radiation to limit climate change"). In G1, the radiative forcing from an instantaneous quadrupling of the CO2 concentration, starting from the preindustrial level, is balanced by a reduction of the solar constant. Model responses to the two counteracting forcings in G1 are compared to the preindustrial climate in terms of global means and regional patterns and their robustness. While the global mean surface air temperature in G1 remains almost unchanged compared to the control simulation, the meridional temperature gradient is reduced in all models. Another robust response is the global reduction of precipitation with strong effects in particular over North and South America and northern Eurasia. In comparison to the climate response to a quadrupling of CO2 alone, the temperature responses are small in experiment G1. Precipitation responses are, however, in many regions of comparable magnitude but globally of opposite sign.
Exploring the physical controls of regional patterns of flow duration curves – Part 2: Role of seasonality and associated process controls
Authors: Ye S. , Yaeger M. A. , Coopersmith E. , Cheng L. , Sivapalan M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The goal of this paper is to explore the process controls underpinning regional patterns of variations of runoff regime behavior, i.e., the mean seasonal variation of runoff within the year, across the continental United States. The ultimate motivation is to use the resulting process understanding to generate insights into the physical controls of Flow Duration Curves, in view of the close connection between these two alternative signatures of runoff variability. To achieve these aims a top-down modeling approach is adopted; we start with a simple two-stage bucket model, which is systematically enhanced through addition of new processes on the basis of model performance assessment in relation to observations, using rainfall-runoff data from 197 United States catchments belonging to the MOPEX dataset. Exploration of dominant processes and the determination of required model complexity are carried out through model-based sensitivity analyses, guided by a performance metric. Results indicated systematic regional trends in dominant processes: snowmelt was a key process control in cold mountainous catchments in the north and north-west, whereas snowmelt and vegetation cover dynamics were key controls in the north-east; seasonal vegetation cover dynamics (phenology and interception) were important along the Appalachian mountain range in the east. A simple two-bucket model (with no other additions) was found to be adequate in warm humid catchments along the west coast and in the south-east, with both regions exhibiting strong seasonality, whereas much more complex models are needed in the dry south and south-west. Agricultural catchments in the mid-west were found to be difficult to predict with the use of simple lumped models, due to the strong influence of human activities. Overall, these process controls arose from general east-west (seasonality) and north-south (aridity, temperature) trends in climate (with some exceptions), compounded by complex dynamics of vegetation cover and to a less extent by landscape factors (soils, geology and topography).
Exploring the physical controls of regional patterns of flow duration curves – Part 3: A catchment classification system based on seasonality and runoff regime
Authors: Coopersmith E. , Yaeger M. , Ye S. , Cheng L. , Sivapalan M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Predictions of hydrological responses in ungauged catchments can benefit from a classification scheme that can organize and pool together catchments that exhibit a level of hydrologic similarity, especially similarity in some key variable or signature of interest. Since catchments are complex systems with a level of self-organization arising from co-evolution of climate and landscape properties, including vegetation, there is much to be gained from developing a classification system based on a comparative study of a population of catchments across climatic and landscape gradients. The focus of this paper is on climate seasonality and seasonal runoff regime, as characterized by the ensemble mean of within-year variation of climate and runoff. The work on regime behavior is part of an overall study of the physical controls on regional patterns of Flow Duration Curves (FDCs), motivated by the fact that regime behavior leaves a major imprint upon the shape of FDCs, especially the slope of the FDCs. As an exercise in comparative hydrology, the paper seeks to assess the regime behavior of 428 catchments from the MOPEX database simultaneously, classifying and regionalizing them into homogeneous or hydrologically similar groups. A decision tree is developed on the basis of a metric chosen to characterize similarity of regime behavior, using a variant of the Iterative Dichotomiser (ID3) algorithm to form a classification tree and associated catchment classes. In this way, several classes of catchments are distinguished, in which the connection between the catchments' regime behavior and climate and catchment properties becomes self-evident. Only four similarity indices are entered into the algorithm, all of which are obtained from smoothed daily regime curves of climatic variables and runoff. Results demonstrate that climate seasonality plays the most significant role in the classification of US catchments, with rainfall timing and climatic aridity index playing somewhat secondary roles in the organization of the catchments. In spite of the tremendous heterogeneity of climate, topography, and runoff behavior across the continental US, 331 of the 428 catchments studied are seen to fall into only six dominant classes.
2012 State of the Water Industry Report—An industry at the crossroads
Authors: Murphy Maripat
Published: June 2012

Water professionals are striving to surmount the challenges they face, but without political will and public support, they may be at an impasse.
US Supreme Court Offers Clean Water Act Plaintiffs Their Day in Court
Authors: Duhy Tara , Hennessy Kevin
Published: June 2012

In Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [132 S.Ct. 1367 (2012)], decided by the U.S. Supreme Court Mar. 21, 2012, Justice Antonin Scalia introduced plaintiffs Chantell and Michael Sackett as “interested parties feeling their way” around Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction. In this latest opinion addressing the CWA, Scalia presented the quandary facing all who are touched by the regulatory regime of this act.
Minimum clinically important improvement and patient acceptable symptom state in pain and function in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, chronic back pain, hand osteoarthritis, and hip and knee osteoarthritis: Results from a prospective multinational study
Authors: Tubach F. , Ravaud P. , Martin‐Mola E. , Awada H. , Bellamy N. , Bombardier C. , Felson D. T. , Hajjaj‐Hassouni N. , Hochberg M. , Logeart I. , Matucci‐Cerinic M. , van de Laar M. , van der Heijde D. , Dougados M.
Published: June 2012

Objective

To estimate the minimum clinically important improvement (MCII) and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) values for 4 generic outcomes in 5 rheumatic diseases and 7 countries.

Methods

We conducted a multinational (Australia, France, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain, and The Netherlands) 4‐week cohort study involving 1,532 patients who were prescribed nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for ankylosing spondylitis, chronic back pain, hand osteoarthritis, hip and/or knee osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis. The MCII and PASS values were estimated with the 75th percentile approach for 4 generic outcomes: pain, patient global assessment, functional disability, and physician global assessment, all normalized to a 0–100 score.

Results

For the whole sample, the estimated MCII values for absolute change at 4 weeks were −17 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] −18, −15) for pain; −15 (95% CI −16, −14) for patient global assessment; −12 (95% CI −13, −11) for functional disability assessment; and −14 (95% CI −15, −14) for physician global assessment. For the whole sample, the estimated PASS values were 42 (95% CI 40, 44) for pain; 43 (95% CI 41, 45) for patient global assessment; 43 (95% CI 41, 44) for functional disability assessment; and 39 (95% CI 37, 40) for physician global assessment. Estimates were consistent across diseases and countries (for subgroups ≥20 patients).

Conclusion

This work allows for promoting the use of values of MCII (15 of 100 for absolute improvement, 20% for relative improvement) and PASS (40 of 100) in reporting the results of trials of any of the 5 involved rheumatic diseases with pain, patient global assessment, physical function, or physician global assessment used as outcome criteria.
Electroless nickel deposition of a palladium‐activated self‐assembled monolayer on polyester fabric
Authors: Guo R. H. , Jiang S. X. , Zheng Y. D. , Lan J. W.
Published: June 2012

In this study, an alternative Pd activation process was developed for electroless Ni plating on polyester fabric modified with a self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) of 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). The presence of a highly oriented amino‐terminated SAM and the formation of Pd‐activated APTMS were demonstrated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. After activation, electroless Ni plating was successfully initiated, and the Ni coating was deposited onto the surface of the polyester fibers. The resulting Ni coating was examined by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) and adhesive strength of the Ni‐plated polyester fabric were evaluated. On the basis of the experimental results, the Ni coating produced with a Pd‐activated SAM was uniform and dense. As the Ni weight on the treated fabric was 32 g/m2, the EMI SE of the Ni‐plated polyester fabric modified with APTMS obtained was more than 30 dB at frequencies that ranged from 2 to 18 GHz. Compared with the conventional two‐step activation method, Ni coating on the Pd‐activated polyester fabric modified with APTMS improved the coating adherence stability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Preparation of melting‐free poly(lactic acid) by amorphous and crystal crosslinking under UV irradiation
Authors: Koo Gwang‐Hoe , Jang Jinho
Published: June 2012

The poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with 3.6% mol of benzophenone (BP) per repeat unit of PLA can be crosslinked to a gel fraction of 98.5% at UV energy of 160 J/cm2. From NMR analysis, the photocrosslinking of PLA was attributed to the recombination of primary and tertiary carbon radicals in the repeating units which were generated by the hydrogen abstraction of BP. With increasing crosslinking, melting peak disappeared and glass transition temperature elevated with loss of crystallinity, indicating that the crosslinking occurred in the crystalline region as well as in the amorphous region. The thermal stability of the crosslinked PLA also improved as shown by higher onset temperature as much as 56°C and higher maximum decomposition temperature compared with the pristine PLA. The higher toughness of the crosslinked PLA film was obtained together with the improvement in tensile strength and modulus with increasing crosslinking density. In addition to photocrosslinking of amorphous region, the crosslinking of crystalline region can have significant influence in the improvement of thermal and mechanical properties. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Structure–property correlation of polyurethane nanocomposites: Influence of loading and nature of nanosilica and microstructure of hyperbranched polyol
Authors: Maji Pradip K. , Bhowmick Anil K.
Published: June 2012

New generation polyurethane nanocomposites based on toluene diisocyanate, poly(propylene glycol), hyperbranched polymers (HBPs), and nanosilica were synthesized with the aim of determining the effect of the loading and nature of nanosilica and the functionality of HBP on the structure and properties of polyurethane nanocomposites. Good dispersion of nanosilica at 4 wt % loading in the polymer was confirmed from atomic force microscopy. The properties of the polyurethane nanocomposites were a function of content and nature of the nanosilica in the matrix. The optimum silica loading was 4 wt %. At this loading, tensile strength and storage modulus at 25°C of the nanocomposites increased by 52 and 40%, respectively over the pristine polyurethane. Organo‐treated nanosilica exhibited higher physico‐mechanical properties than the untreated one. With the increase of functionality in the hyperbranched polyol, the tensile strength, thermal stability, and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites improved. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Synthesis and characterization of poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc for imaging‐guided drug delivery in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yuan Jianchao , Miao Chengping , Peng Fangyu , Zeng Xianwu , Guo Hongyun , Wang Xiaoqi , Liao Shiqi , Xie Xiaoli
Published: June 2012

To develop a theranostic agent for diagnostic imaging and treatment of  hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc (HPMA: N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylamide; APMA: N‐(3‐aminopropyl)methacrylamide; DTPA: diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and DTPA‐99mTc were synthesized and characterized, and their HCC targeting was tested by in vitro cellular uptake and in vivo tumor imaging in this study. Radioactivity of HCC cells incubated with poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc was significant higher (16.40%) than that of the cells incubated with DTPA‐99mTc (2.98%). Scintigraphic images of HCC in mice obtained at 8 h after injection of poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc showed increased radioactivity compared with that in mice injected with DTPA‐99mTc. The results of postmortem tissue radioactivity assay demonstrated higher radioactivity of HCC tumor tissues (2.69 ± 0.15% ID/g) from the tumor‐bearing mice injected with poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc compared with that of HCC tumor tissues in the tumor‐bearing mice injected with DTPA‐99mTc (0.83 ± 0.03 %ID/g), (P <0.001). These results first directly confirm the significant passive hepatocellular tumor targeting of HPMA copolymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Effect of chemical structure and preparation process on the aggregation structure and properties of polyimide film
Authors: Wang Ying , Yang Yang , Jia Zhenxing , Qin Jiaqiang , Gu Yi
Published: June 2012

In this article, polyimide (PI) films were fabricated via the three‐step method including the reactions of condensation polymerization, chemical imidization, and thermal imidization. In comparison with the conventional two‐step method to produce PI films, there was an additional step in the present method, i.e., chemical imidization. The aim of chemical imidization was to get PI intermediates with different pre‐imidization degree (pre‐ID). And PI component in PI intermediates acted as in‐situ rigid‐rod segments and induced orientation in the films of PI intermediates. Then the orientations of molecular chains were preserved in the following thermal imidization, and caused the difference in aggregation structure and property of the final PI films. The test results indicated that the orderly degree of molecular chains and mechanical properties of PI films increased with pre‐ID increasing. Furthermore, this tendency was much more obvious for more rigid backbone structure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
LePrEF: Learn to precompute evidence fusion for efficient query evaluation
Authors: da Costa Carvalho André L. , Rossi Cristian , de Moura Edleno S. , da Silva Altigran S. , Fernandes David
Published: June 2012

State‐of‐the‐art search engine ranking methods combine several distinct sources of relevance evidence to produce a high‐quality ranking of results for each query. The fusion of information is currently done at query‐processing time, which has a direct effect on the response time of search systems. Previous research also shows that an alternative to improve search efficiency in textual databases is to precompute term impacts at indexing time. In this article, we propose a novel alternative to precompute term impacts, providing a generic framework for combining any distinct set of sources of evidence by using a machine‐learning technique. This method retains the advantages of producing high‐quality results, but avoids the costs of combining evidence at query‐processing time. Our method, called Learn to Precompute Evidence Fusion (LePrEF), uses genetic programming to compute a unified precomputed impact value for each term found in each document prior to query processing, at indexing time. Compared with previous research on precomputing term impacts, our method offers the advantage of providing a generic framework to precompute impact using any set of relevance evidence at any text collection, whereas previous research articles do not. The precomputed impact values are indexed and used later for computing document ranking at query‐processing time. By doing so, our method effectively reduces the query processing to simple additions of such impacts. We show that this approach, while leading to results comparable to state‐of‐the‐art ranking methods, also can lead to a significant decrease in computational costs during query processing.
Distributed Tracking Control for Networked Mechanical Systems
Authors: Chen Gang , Lewis Frank L.
Published: June 2012

This paper investigates the distributed tracking control problems for a group of networked mechanical systems. We describe three scenarios that motivate these problems. Firstly, under the conditions that the desired time‐varying trajectory is available to a portion of the networked mechanical systems and that the available signals from the neighboring mechanical systems include the position and velocity information, a distributed tracking control strategy is proposed. Next, we remove the requirement for the neighboring mechanical system's velocity information and propose a control method so that the coupling signals among the networked mechanical systems can be only position information. In the third scenario, we assume that only positions are measured for each mechanical system. Distributed nonlinear observers are proposed to estimate the local mechanical system's velocity and acceleration. Based on the estimated states, the distributed controllers are designed to achieve the tracking control. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed control laws.
Effects of pulsed magnetic field treatment of soybean seeds on calli growth, cell damage, and biochemical changes under salt stress
Authors: Radhakrishnan Ramalingam , Leelapriya Thasari , Kumari Bollipo Diana Ranjitha
Published: June 2012

The effects of magnetic field (MF) treatments of soybean seeds on calli growth, cell damage, and biochemical changes under salt stress were investigated under controlled conditions. Soybean seeds were exposed to a 1.0 Hz sinusoidal uniform pulsed magnetic field (PMF) of 1.5 µT for 5 h/day for 20 days. Non‐treated seeds were considered as controls. For callus regeneration, the embryonic axis explants were taken from seeds and inoculated in a saline medium with a concentration of 10 mM NaCl for calli growth analysis and biochemical changes. The combined treatment of MF and salt stress was found to significantly increase calli fresh weight, total soluble sugar, total protein, and total phenol contents, but it decreased the ascorbic acid, lipid peroxidation, and catalase activity of calli from magnetically exposed seeds compared to the control calli. PMF treatment significantly improved calli tolerance to salt stress in terms of an increase in flavonoid, flavone, flavonole, alkaloid, saponin, total polyphenol, genistein, and daidzein contents under salt stress. The results suggest that PMF treatment of soybean seeds has the potential to counteract the adverse effects of salt stress on calli growth by improving primary and secondary metabolites under salt stress conditions. Bioelectromagnetics 33:670–681, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Resurrecting ancient animal genomes: The extinct moa and more
Authors: Huynen Leon , Millar Craig D. , Lambert David M.
Published: June 2012

Recently two developments have had a major impact on the field of ancient DNA (aDNA). First, new advances in DNA sequencing, in combination with improved capture/enrichment methods, have resulted in the recovery of orders of magnitude more DNA sequence data from ancient animals. Second, there has been an increase in the range of tissue types employed in aDNA. Hair in particular has proven to be very successful as a source of DNA because of its low levels of contamination and high level of ancient endogenous DNA. These developments have resulted in significant advances in our understanding of recently extinct animals: namely their evolutionary relationships, physiology, and even behaviour. Hair has been used to recover the first complete ancient nuclear genome, that of the extinct woolly mammoth, which then facilitated the expression and functional analysis of haemoglobins. Finally, we speculate on the consequences of these developments for the possibility of recreating extinct animals.
Systematic approaches to dissect biological processes in stem cells by image‐based screening
Authors: Erdmann Gerrit , Volz Christian , Boutros Michael
Published: June 2012

High‐throughput RNAi or small molecule screens have proven to be powerful methodologies for the systematic dissection of cellular processes. In model organisms and cell lines, large‐scale screens have identified key components of many cellular pathways and helped to identify novel targets in disease‐relevant pathways. Image‐based high‐content screening has become an increasingly important tool in high‐throughput screening, enabling changes in phenotype characteristics, such as cell morphology and cell differentiation, to be monitored. In this review, we discuss the use of image‐based screening approaches to explore the behavior of adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells. First, we review how current pluripotency and differentiation assays can be adapted to high‐throughput formats. We then describe general aspects of image‐based screening of cells and present an outlook on challenges for screening stem cells.
Environmental and Social Policy and Earning Persistence
Authors: Mahjoub Lassaad Ben , Khamoussi Halioui
Published: June 2012

In recent years, the effect of disclosure on environmental and social information has been the subject of much research in an Anglo‐Saxon context. The European field, and especially the French companies, have not been sufficiently discussed.

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between social and environmental disclosure and earning persistence (as a proxy of earning quality). We use the content analysis method with annual reports as a measure of social and environmental disclosure; the empirical validation is applied to the companies listed in the SBF 250 French stock market index over the 2005–2010 period. To measure earning persistence we opt for a regression of a time‐series model on panel data. The findings show that French companies are characterized by a high level of social and environmental reporting; this situation may affect positively the quality of earnings such as more persistent earnings. This means that companies with a higher level of social and environmental commitment are more likely to take benefits and to communicate more persistent earnings and be desirable to investors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
In Demand: Therapeutic Services for Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Sexual Abuse
Authors: Allnock Debra , Radford Lorraine , Bunting Lisa , Price Avril , Morgan‐Klein Natalie , Ellis Jane , Stafford Anne
Published: June 2012

This paper describes the key findings of an NSPCC study estimating need, in the UK, for therapeutic services for children who have experienced sexual abuse. This is based upon current estimates of the prevalence and impact of sexual abuse towards children and young people against the availability of therapeutic services in the UK. Data were collected on service location, availability, scope and coverage across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Researchers: (1) mapped 508 services; (2) collected data from 195 services via a structured questionnaire; (3) followed up 21 service managers and 11 service commissioners with a semi‐structured interview; and (4) carried out two focus groups with young people.

‘Data were collected on service location, availability, scope and coverage’

The overall level of specialist provision is low, with less than one service available per 10 000 children and young people in the UK. Calculations of need indicate that 57 156 children across the UK in the last year may have been unable to access a service. Findings from services support the view that need outstrips availability; that referral routes are limited, leaving few options for young people who have been raped or seriously sexually assaulted to directly access support; that significant waiting lists mean services must focus on reactive, rather than preventive, work; and that services are less accessible for certain groups, especially sexually abused teenagers, children with disabilities and those from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee backgrounds. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Messages

Relevant professionals must be adequately trained to talk to children about sexual abuse and to identify those vulnerable in order to identify need.

Expert specialist services are well placed to share learning on early help and identification with broader children's service providers.

Active steps need to be taken by commissioners in consultation with young people, voluntary sector and adult sexual violence service providers to meet the shortfall at the level of local authorities.
Synthesis and Fluorescent Property of Pyrazoline Derivatives
Authors: Lu Beiqiong , Zhang Jianming , Wang Mingjian , Zhou Yuanhai , Chen Xiaolei
Published: June 2012

A series of fluorinated pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of fluorinated chalcone with hydrazine ArNHNH2 (Ar=4‐BrC6F4, 4‐ClC6H4, C6H5, 4‐CH3C6H4 and 4‐CH3OC6H4). The structures of all these compounds were fully supported by their spectroscopic data and one of products was further confirmed by X‐ray single crystal diffraction analysis. The capability of fluorinated triaryl‐2‐pyrazolines to detect metal cations was investigated, by monitoring changes in their fluorescence spectra in the presence of Cd2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+.
Hydrophosphonylation of Aldimines under Catalysts‐Free Conditions
Authors: Cai Zhihua , Fan Yecheng , Du Guangfen , He Lin
Published: June 2012

Trimethylsilyl phosphite reacted with aldimines efficiently under catalysts‐free conditions, giving α‐aminophosphonates in good to excellent yields. Furthermore, the reaction can be scaled‐up easily and the high yield can be maintained.
A Liquid‐Liquid Interface Process for Fabricating TiO2 Nanofiber Membrane with High Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Zhu Lianwen , Ren Zhigang , Lang Jianping
Published: June 2012

A membrane consisting of TiO2 nanofibers was successfully fabricated through a simple solvothermal water/n‐hexane interface reaction of tetra‐n‐butyl titanate with NaOH followed by post treatments of acid washing and calcination. Tetra‐n‐butyl titanate reacts with NaOH at the interface to form high‐quality nanofibers with lateral dimensions below 200 nm and longitudinal dimensions of several tens of micrometers. The membrane is formed by the interpenetration and overlapping of the flexible nanofibers and distributed by holes with sizes ranging from several tens of nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers. Because of the porous structure, this nanofiber membrane exhibited a high efficiency in the photodecomposition of dyes in water.
Four New Limonoids from Aphanamixis grandifolia
Authors: Tong Lei , Zhang Yu , He Hongping , Hao Xiaojiang
Published: June 2012

Four new limonoids, named aphanagranins A–D (1–4), were isolated from the fruits of Aphanamixis grandifolia. The new structures were determined by spectroscopic methods especially 1D and 2D NMR analysis. Aphanagranin A (1) possessed a rare four membered oxygen heterocyclic ring and its absolute configurations were determined on the basis of the signal crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 2 showed weak activity toward brine shrimp (Artemia salina).
Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty Using Echocardiographic Intercommissural Diameter as Reference for Balloon Sizing: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sanati Hamid Reza , Zahedmehr Ali , Shakerian Farshad , Bakhshandeh Hooman , Firoozi Ata , Kiani Reza , Sadeghpour Anita , Asgharnedjad Einollah , Mikaelpour Akram , Nabati Maryam
Published: June 2012

Background:

Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty is the preferred therapeutic strategy in patients with mitral stenosis, but it has shortcomings in a subset of patients.

Hypothesis:

A new method of balloon sizing through echocardiographic measurement of the intercommissural diameter would be safe and effective and lead to better outcomes.

Methods:

Eighty‐six mitral‐stenosis patients were randomly assigned to undergo balloon mitral valvuloplasty either with height‐based balloon reference sizing (HBRS group, n = 43) or with balloons sized by the echocardiographic measurement of intercommissural diameter (EBRS group, n = 43). Postprocedural mitral valve area (MVA) and severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) were assessed via echocardiography and ventriculography. Intention‐to‐treat approach was applied for the statistical analysis.

Results:

Baseline characteristics were not different between the groups. The mean of the estimated balloon reference sizes was significantly higher in the HBRS patients than in the EBRS group (26.4 ± 0.92 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.2–26.6 vs 24.5 ± 1.03 mm, 95% CI: 24.2–24.7, respectively; P = 0.006). Final MVAs were significantly larger in the EBRS group (1.5 ± 0.2 cm2, 95% CI: 1.46–1.59 vs 1.4 ± 0.2 cm2, 95% CI: 1.35–1.47, respectively; P = 0.01). The occurrence of new or aggravated MR was significantly lower in the EBRS group as assessed both by echocardiography (P = 0.04) and ventriculography (P = 0.05). Mitral regurgitation was aggravated in 13 (29.3%) patients in the HBRS group and in 5 (11.5%) patients in the EBRS group.

Conclusions:

Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty via the Inoue technique using balloons sized by the echocardiographic measurement of the maximal commissural diameter is an effective and safe method that might lead to an acceptable increase in the MVA and significant decrease in the rate and severity of iatrogenic MR.

The results of this work were orally presented in part at EuroPCR, Paris, France, May 17‐20, 2011. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.
A phase 3 study of induction treatment with concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus chemotherapy before surgery in patients with pathologically confirmed N2 stage IIIA nonsmall cell lung cancer (WJTOG9903)
Authors: Katakami Nobuyuki , Tada Hirohito , Mitsudomi Tetsuya , Kudoh Shinzoh , Senba Hiroshi , Matsui Kaoru , Saka Hideo , Kurata Takayasu , Nishimura Yasumasa , Fukuoka Masahiro
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND:

This study sought to ascertain whether induction‐concurrent radiotherapy added to chemotherapy could improve the survival of patients undergoing surgery for stage IIIA N2 nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS:

Patients with pathologically proven N2 disease were randomized to receive either induction chemotherapy (docetaxel 60 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve] = 5 for 2 cycles) plus concurrent radiation therapy (40 Gy) followed by surgery (CRS arm) or induction chemotherapy followed by surgery (CS arm). They subsequently underwent pulmonary resection when possible.

RESULTS:

Sixty patients were randomly assigned between December 2000 and August 2005. The study was prematurely terminated in January 2006 because of slow accrual. The most common toxicity was grade 3 or 4 leukopenia in 92.9% of patients in the CRS arm and 46.4% in the CS arm. Induction therapy was generally well tolerated, and there were no treatment‐related deaths in either arm. Downstaging in the CS arm and CRS arm was 21% and 40%, respectively. The progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the CS arm were 9.7 months and 29.9 months (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.68, P = .187), and those in the CRS arm were 12.4 months and 39.6 months (OS, HR = 0.77, P = .397), respectively. The PFS with and without downstaging was 55.0 and 9.4 months, respectively (HR = 3.39, P = .001). The OS with and without downstaging was 63.3 and 29.5 months, respectively (HR = 2.62, P = .021).

CONCLUSIONS:

The addition of radiotherapy to induction chemotherapy conferred better local control without significant adverse events. Tumor downstaging is important for prolonging the OS in patients with stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.