bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microcrystalline silicon‐carbon alloys as anti‐reflection window layers in high efficiency thin film silicon solar cells
Authors: Chen Tao , Huang Yuelong , Yang Deren , Carius Reinhard , Finger Friedhelm
Published: June 2008

Microcrystalline silicon‐carbide (μc‐SiC:H) films were prepared using hot wire chemical vapor deposition at low substrate temperature. The μc‐SiC:H films were employed as window layers in microcrystalline silicon (μc‐Si:H) solar cells. The short‐circuit current density (JSC) in these n‐side illuminated n–i–p cells increases with increasing the deposition time tW of the μc‐SiC:H window layer from 5 min to 60 min. The enhanced JSC is attributed to both the high transparency and an anti‐reflection effect of the μc‐SiC:H window layer. Using these favourable optical properties of the μc‐SiC:H window layer in μc‐Si:H solar cells, a JSC value of 23.8 mA/cm2 and cell efficiencies above 8.0% were achieved with an absorber layer thickness of 1 μm and a Ag back reflector. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Nitric acid oxidation on carbon dispersion and suspension stability
Authors: Zhang Ning , Wang Liu‐yan , Liu Hao , Cai Qing‐Kui
Published: June 2008

In this study, we have investigated the effect of nitric acid oxidation on the dispersion and suspension stability of activated carbon powder. We treated activated carbon powder with nitric acid at different concentrations. We measured the content of functional groups, the zeta potential and the powder particle size of the activated carbon powder with the Boehm titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a zeta potential analyzer, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that with the increase of nitric acid molar concentration, the content of acid functional groups increased, whereas the content of alkali functional groups decreased. At a nitric acid concentration of 10 mol/l, the surface‐modified activated carbon powder displays features such as the highest functional group content and zeta potential value, the smallest particle size, and the best dispersion and suspension stability in the solution. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Orientation‐dependent surface composition of in situ annealed strontium titanate
Authors: Zagonel Luiz F. , Barrett Nicholas , Renault Olivier , Bailly Aude , Bäurer Michael , Hoffmann Michael , Shih Shao‐Ju , Cockayne David
Published: June 2008

The surface composition of polycrystalline niobium‐doped strontium titanate (SrTiO3: Nb) is studied using X‐ray photoelectron emission microscopy (XPEEM) for many grain orientations in order to characterise the surface chemistry with high spatial resolution. The surface sensitivity is maximised by the use of soft X‐ray synchrotron radiation (SR). The grain orientation is determined by electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD). Stereographic plots are used to show the correlation between surface composition and orientation for several grains. Predominant surface terminations are assigned to major orientations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface characteristic of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) fibers with oxygen plasma treatment
Authors: Wang Jing , Chen Ping , Li Hong , Li Wei , Wang Baichen , Zhang Chengshuang , Ni Ren
Published: June 2008

Oxygen plasma is widely employed for modification of polymer surfaces. Plasma treatment process is a convenient procedure that is also environmentally friendly. This study reports the effects of oxygen plasma treatment on the surface properties of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers. The surface characteristics before and after oxygen plasma treatment were analyzed by XPS, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic contact angle analysis (DCAA). It was found that oxygen plasma treatment introduced some new polar groups (OCO) on the fiber surface, increased the fiber surface roughness and changed the surface morphologies obviously by plasma etching and oxidative reactions. It is also shown that the fiber surface wettability was improved significantly by oxygen plasma treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microstructural characteristics of Ce conversion coatings on Cf/Al composite or NiP plated Cf/Al composite
Authors: Wang Chunyu , Xiu Ziyang , Zhang Qiang , Wu Gaohui
Published: June 2008

The microstructural characteristics of Ce conversion coatings on carbon fiber reinforced Al matrix (Cf/Al) composites and Ce conversion coatings on NiP plated Cf/Al composites were studied by SEM, AFM, TEM and XPS. The Ce conversion coating on the NiP plated composite does not have obvious microcracks, which can be found easily in Ce conversion coatings. The Ce conversion coating on NiP plated composite has a lower surface roughness profile arithmetic mean deviation (Ra) than Ce conversion coating, as seen by AFM. Because of the inhomogeneity of the material surface and the different levels of deposition of Ce conversion coatings at the different sites, nonhomogeneous sites would promote microcrack formation of the Ce conversion coatings. The Cf/Al composite surface has lessuniformity than NiP plated composite, leading to more prominent microcracks. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns of Ce conversion coating could not be indexed nor matched closely to any of the oxides (Ce2O3, Ce7O12, Ce6O11) or hydroxides (Ce(OH)3) that are listed in the Powder Diffraction File maintained by Diffraction Data, but for Ce conversion coating on the NiP plated composite the data matched closely with that of CeO2 or Ce6O11. The XPS results showed that the Ce conversion coating mainly contained both Ce3+ and Ce4+ species, but Ce4+ species were the dominant oxidation state on NiP coating with Ce conversion deposition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Aromaticity and the π‐Conjugated Framework in Multiporphyrinic Systems as Single‐Molecule Switches
Authors: Lee Sang Uck , Belosludov Rodion V. , Mizuseki Hiroshi , Kawazoe Yoshiyuki
Published: June 2008

A systematic analysis of electron‐transport characteristics for monomer, dimer, and tetramer multiporphyrinic systems is presented, to provide a thorough understanding of the structural dependence of electron transport related to the aromatic nature of the contact structure. Theoretical investigation shows that the electron‐transport characteristics can be controlled by manipulating the π‐conjugated framework in the multiporphyrinic systems through the arrangement of the inner hydrogen atoms. The designed π‐conjugated framework assigns the distinct aromaticity on the contact structure, and the large aromatic nature of the contact structure increases conductivity. The feature emerging from this study is that the aromaticity and π‐conjugated framework are important factors that control the electron‐transport characteristics in molecular‐scale electronic devices, such as single‐molecule switches.
Soap films and some fundamentals of thin‐liquid films
Authors: Mysels Karol J.
Published: June 2008

A brief summary of recent results of research on the thinning, equilibria, and bursting of soap films is given along with a proposal for the nomenclature of systems involving adsorption.
Gas chromatographic‐mass spectrometric analysis of isoprenoid hydrocarbons and fatty acids in shark liver oil products
Authors: Gelpi E. , Oro’ J.
Published: June 2008

The liver oil from the South American Basking shark has been fractionated by silica gel chromatography and analyzed by the new method of combined gas‐chromatography mass spectrometry. The major compounds of the nonsaponifiable fraction are pristane and squalene, which account for 7.6 and 31.3% of the oil. The saponifiable fraction contains normal fatty acids from C14 to C22; the four major components are palmitic, oleic, and the monounsaturated eicosenoic and docosenoic acids. No correlation was observed between the hydrocarbons (essentially all isoprenoid derivatives) and the fatty acids (essentially all normal) of this oil.

The same treatment was applied to a sample of commercial pristane which was obtained from Basking shark liver oil. It was found to contain about 1% phytane and small amounts of octadecane, nonadecane, and methyl and ethyl palmitates. Mass spectral data for squalene are presented for the first time along with the low electron energy‐mass spectra for pristane and phytane.
Preparation and evaluation of surface‐active brassylic acid‐ethylene oxide adducts
Authors: Miwa Thomas K. , Madrigal Richard V. , Tallent William H. , Wolff Ivan A.
Published: June 2008

Both liquid and solid surface‐active adducts of brassylic (tridecanedioic) acid were prepared by potassium hydroxide‐catalyzed addition of ethylene oxide gas to the molten acid. The number‐average molecular weights of the adducts ranged from 500 to 3,000. These adducts cover a wide span in the ratios of hydrophilic to lipophilic portions of the molecule. They are unique in that hydrophilic end‐groups sandwich a rather long chain of lipophilic methylene units. Treatment of some adducts with hot, saturated, aqueous sodium chloride induced transesterification and produced hydroxyl‐terminated, multi‐brassylic, poly(ethylene glycol) esters of MWn 1,000 to 4,000, all of which were efficient surface‐active agents.

Average degrees of polymerization of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains were determined by a) functional group analysis, b) weight increase, and c) methanolysis of the products, followed by gas‐chromatographic analysis of the isolated poly(ethylene glycol) fraction. Surface tension, critical micelle concentration, emulsion stability, and efficiency as an emulsifying agent in the aqueous polymerization of vinyl acetate were measured to evaluate surfactant properties of products in which the degrees of polymerization of the PEO chains ranged from 1.4 to 44.
Isomerization during hydrogenation of soap. I. Potassium oleate
Authors: Raju D. S. , Subbaram M. R. , Achaya K. T.
Published: June 2008

Potassium oleate in slightly alkaline solution was hydrogenated for up to 7 hr with Rufert nickel catalyst at 150C and 20 kg/sq cm pressure. With 1% catalyst, the iodine value dropped by 12 units in the first hour, and only slightly thereafter. With 2% catalyst there was a drop of 24 units in iodine value in the first hour, a steady state for the next 3 hr, and a second sharp drop of 30 units prior to the seventh hour. Samples of fat hydrogenated over 1% catalyst for 3 hr and 7 hr respectively were analyzed by gas‐liquid chromatography, thecis andtrans monoenes were separated by argentation thin‐layer chromatography, and the positional isomers in each were determined by oxidation of the total fraction to dicarboxylic acids, which were then estimated by GLC.

Apart from double‐bond saturation during the first 3 hr of hydrogenation, extensive double‐bond migration yielded 23.5% oftrans 8‐ to 13‐monoene, accompanied by small amounts only of positionalcis monoenes other than the starting material. After 7 hr of hydrogenation, extensivecis tocis isomerization occurs, accompanied by lesscis totrans shift; thecis:trans ratio for each monoene consequently tended toward 1:1. The results are explained on the sorption mechanism of hydrogenation and suggest that soap hydrogenation, involving catalyst poisoning, may represent a magnified version of normal fat hydrogenation.
New process for the production of better‐quality rapeseed oil and meal. I. Effect of heat treatments on enzyme destruction and color of rapeseed oil
Authors: Eapen K. E. , Tape N. W. , Sims R. P. A.
Published: June 2008

The thioglucosides (which are precursors of toxic principles) and the fibrous hulls of rapeseed are the two major factors which limit the utilization of rapeseed meal as a protein supplement in human foods. In commercial practice the enzyme responsible for the liberation of toxic principles from thioglucosides is destroyed by a dry‐heat treatment, but no attempt is made to remove the thioglucosides or the fibrous matter from the meal. The new wet‐heat method of processing to inactivate myrosinase also results in the production of an improved quality of oil. In this paper the advantages of a wet‐heat treatment in processing rapeseed are discussed.
Selective hydrogenation of soybean oil. III. Copper‐exchanged molecular sieves and other supported catalysts
Authors: Koritala Sambasivarao
Published: June 2008

Copper‐chromium catalysts promote selective reduction of linolenyl groups in soybean oil. Since commercially available catalysts possess only moderate activity, more active catalysts were sought. Copper was dispersed on high‐surface‐area supports, such as silica, alumina, and molecular sieves. These catalysts had varying activities. Precipitation of copper on Cab‐O‐Sil, a pure form of silica with a large external surface area, gave the most active catalyst. Selectivity ratios (KLe/KLo) for the hydrogenation of soybean oil with these catalysts varied from 4 to 16; a copper‐on‐Cab‐O‐Sil catalyst exhibited the greatest selectivity. Improved selectivity and activity were observed when some supports were treated with hydrochloric acid. For example, with a copper‐on‐Celite catalyst, soybean oil was hydrogenated in 165 min and gave a selectivity ratio of 5.9. Hydrochloric acid treatment of Celite improved the selectivity to 9.9 and reduced hydrogenation time to 54 min. To ensure maximum activity of some of these catalysts, soybean oil should be more thoroughly bleached than is customarily done for nickel hydrogenation. A commercially refined and bleached soybean oil was hydrogenated with a copper‐on‐Cab‐O‐Sil catalyst in 18 min. The same oil, re‐refined in the laboratory, was reduced in 11.5 min and had the same selectivity ratio of 15.
Outcome Analysis of Blood Product Transfusion in Trauma Patients: A Prospective, Risk‐Adjusted Study
Authors: Bochicchio Grant V. , Napolitano Lena , Joshi Manjari , Bochicchio Kelly , Meyer Walter , Scalea Thomas M.
Published: June 2008

Background

Studies have confirmed adverse outcome associated with transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) in trauma; however, little data are available regarding other blood product transfusion, such as fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and platelets. The objective of this study was to examine risk‐adjusted outcome in trauma with stratification by blood product type.

Methods

Prospective data were collected daily for 1,172 consecutive trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) during a 2‐year period, including transfusion rates of blood products (PRBCs, FFP, platelets). Outcome assessment included infection rate, ventilator days (Vdays), ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), and mortality.

Results

Blood products were transfused in 786 (67%) patients. The study cohort had a mean age of 43 ± 21 years and Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 24 ± 13. Although the majority of patients were men, women were more likely to be transfused (p < 0.001). Mean transfusion rates of PRBCs (5.5 ± 9.6 U), FFP (5.4 ± 11.4), and platelets (3.7 ± 11.1) were high. Univariate analysis identified that blood product transfusion (any type) was associated with a significantly greater infection rate (34% vs. 9.4%; p < 0.001), hospital LOS (18.6 vs. 9 days; p < 0.001), ICU LOS (13.7 vs. 7.4 days; p < 0.001), Vdays (12.9 vs. 6.3 days; p < 0.001), and mortality (19% vs. 8.3%; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis (risk‐adjusted for severity of injury by ISS, age, sex, and race, and stratified by blood product type) confirmed that risk of infection increased by 5%, and hospital LOS, ICU LOS, and Vdays increased by 0.64, 0.42, and 0.47 days, respectively, for every unit of PRBCs given. Risk of death increased by 3.5% for every unit of FFP transfused.

Conclusion

There is a dose‐dependent correlation between blood product transfusion and adverse outcome (increased mortality and infection) in trauma patients.
The role of Orii's flying‐fox (Pteropus dasymallus inopinatus) as a pollinator and a seed disperser on Okinawa‐jima Island, the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan
Authors: Nakamoto Atsushi , Kinjo Kazumitsu , Izawa Masako
Published: June 2008

The role of the Orii's flying‐fox (Pteropus dasymallus inopinatus) as a pollinator and a seed disperser on Okinawa‐jima Island was investigated by direct observations and radio‐tracking from October 2001 until January 2006. We found that Orii's flying‐fox potentially pollinated seven native plant species. Its feeding behavior and plant morphological traits suggested that this species is an important pollinator ofSchima wallichii liukiuensisandMucuna macrocarpa. The flying‐fox also dispersed the seeds of 20 native plant species. The seeds of all plants eaten by the flying‐fox were usually dropped beneath the parent tree, although large fruits of four plant species were occasionally brought to the feeding roosts in the mouth, with the maximum dispersal distance—forTerminalia catappa—estimated to be 126 m. Small seeds of 11 species (mostlyFicusspecies) were dispersed around other trees, during the subsequent feeding session, through the digestive tracts, with the mean dispersal distance for ingested seeds estimated at 150 ± 230.3 m (±SD); the maximum dispersal distance was 1833 m. A comparison of the seed dispersal of available fruits according to the size of flying‐foxes and other frugivores suggested that the seed dispersal of eight plant species producing large fruits mostly depended on Orii's flying‐fox. On Okinawa‐jima Island, the Orii's flying‐fox plays an important role as a pollinator of two native plants and as a long‐distance seed disperser ofFicusspecies, and it functions as a limited agent of seed dispersal for plants producing large fruits on Okinawa‐jima Island.
Facile Phosphine-Free Synthesis of CdSe/ZnS Core/Shell Nanocrystals Without Precursor Injection
Authors: Zhu Chang-Qing , Wang Peng , Wang Xin , Li Yan
Published: June 2008

A new simple method for synthesis of core/shell CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) is present. By adapting the use of cadmium stearate, oleylamine, and paraffin liquid to a non-injection synthesis and by applying a subsequent ZnS shelling procedure to CdSe NCs cores using Zinc acetate dihydrate and sulfur powder, luminescent CdSe/ZnS NCs with quantum yields of up to 36% (FWHM 42–43 nm) were obtained. A seeding-growth technique was first applied to the controlled synthesis of ZnS shell. This method has several attractive features, such as the usage of low-cost, green, and environmentally friendlier reagents and elimination of the need for air-sensitive, toxic, and expensive phosphines solvent. Furthermore, due to one-pot synthetic route for CdSe/ZnS NCs, the approach presented herein is accessible to a mass production of these NCs.
Calcium‐Independent Phospholipase A2 in Rabbit Ventricular Myocytes
Authors: Beckett Caroline S. , McHowat Jane
Published: June 2008

We have previously reported that the majority of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity in rabbit ventricular myocytes is membrane‐associated, calcium‐independent (iPLA2), selective for arachidonylated plasmalogen phospholipids and inhibited by the iPLA2‐selective inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL). Here, we identified the presence of iPLA2 in rabbit ventricular myocytes, determined the full length sequences for rabbit iPLA2β and iPLA2γ and compared their homology to the human isoforms. Rabbit iPLA2β encoded a protein with a predicated molecular mass of 74 kDa that is 91% identical to the human iPLA2β short isoform. Full length iPLA2γ protein has a predicated molecular mass of 88 kDa and is 88% identical to the human isoform. Immunoblot analysis of iPLA2β and γ in membrane and cytosolic fractions from rabbit and human cardiac myocytes demonstrated a similar pattern of distribution with both isoforms present in the membrane fraction, but no detectable protein in the cytosol. Membrane‐associated iPLA2 activity was inhibited preferentially by the R enantiomer of bromoenol lactone [(R)‐BEL], indicating that the majority of activity is due to iPLA2γ.
Conjugate and cut loci of a two-sphere of revolution with application to optimal control
Authors: Sinclair Robert , Tanaka Minoru , Bonnard Bernard , Caillau Jean-Baptiste
Published: June 2008

The objective of this article is to present a sharp result to determine when the cut locus for a class of metrics on a two-sphere of revolution is reduced to a single branch. This work is motivated by optimal control problems in space and quantum dynamics and gives global optimal results in orbital transfer and for Lindblad equations in quantum control.

Le but de cet article est de présenter une condition suffisante permettant de garantir que le lieu de coupure d'une classe de métriques sur la 2-sphère de révolution est réduit à une branche simple. Ce travail est motivé par des problèmes de contrôle optimal en mécanique spatiale et mécanique quantique. Des résultats globaux d'optimalité sont obtenus en transfert orbital ainsi que dans le cas des équations de Lindblad en contrôle quantique.
Associations of low back pain with neck pain: A study of industrial employees with 5‐, 10‐, and 28‐year follow‐ups
Authors: Kääriä Sanna , Solovieva Svetlana , Leino‐Arjas Päivi
Published: June 2008

Low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are common among the adult population but relatively few reports exist on the associations between these. We examined cross‐sectional and prospective relationships of LBP with NP in an employee cohort studied repeatedly over 28 years. Locally perceived pain was studied separately from pain with a radiating component. At baseline, adjusted for age, gender, and occupational class, the prevalence ratio (PR) of local NP for those with local LBP was 1.93 (95% CI 1.47–2.54), and for those with radiating LBP 2.16 (1.59–2.94), while the PR of radiating NP for those with local LBP was 1.51 (0.97–2.35) and for those with radiating LBP 3.24 (2.25–4.65). These associations remained stable at the 5‐, 10‐, and 28‐year follow‐ups. Both local and radiating LBP at baseline predicted new cases of radiating NP at the 5‐ and 10‐year follow‐ups, but not at the 28‐year follow‐up. In analyses stratified by gender, both the cross‐sectional and prospective associations were more pronounced in men. In conclusion, the study showed a clear association of LBP with NP that persisted on a similar level irrespective of the aging of the cohort. Particularly, radiating LBP was associated with radiating NP. The prospective associations of LBP at baseline with new reports of radiating NP decreased as the length of follow‐up increased.
Modest alterations in patterns of motor neuron dendrite morphology in the Fmr1 knockout mouse model for fragile X
Authors: Thomas Christina C. , Combe Crescent L. , Dyar Kenneth A. , Inglis Fiona M.
Published: June 2008

Fragile X, an inheritable form of mental retardation, is caused by the inactivation of a gene on the X chromosome, FMR1 which codes for an RNA binding protein, fragile X mental retardation protein. Loss of this protein is associated with reduced complexities of neuronal dendrites and alterations in spine morphology in a number of cortical brain regions, and these deficits may underlie the cognitive impairment observed in fragile X patients. Among the many symptoms of fragile X are altered motor functions, although the neuronal basis for these remains unclear. In this study we investigated whether knockout of Fmr1 in the mouse model of fragile X altered dendrite morphology in developing spinal cord motor neurons. We find that Fmr1 knockout leads to modest alterations in the distribution of dendritic arbor across the span of the motor neuron dendritic tree in 2‐ and 4‐week‐old mice, compared to wild‐type controls, consistent with slower rates of extension and abnormal pruning of intermediate dendritic segments. These studies suggest that some motor deficits in fragile X patients may be due to abnormal maturation of dendritic patterning within spinal motor neurons, and suggest that strategies aimed at preventing motor impairment in fragile X patients may be targeted at motor functions during early development.
Exon 2 deletion splice variant of γ‐glutamyl carboxylase causes des‐γ‐carboxy prothrombin production in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines
Authors: Ueda Naoki , Shiraha Hidenori , Fujikawa Tatsuya , Takaoka Nobuyuki , Nakanishi Yutaka , Suzuki Mayumi , Matsuo Noriyuki , Tanaka Shigetomi , Nishina Shin-ichi , Uemura Masayuki , Takaki Akinobu , Shiratori Yasushi , Yamamoto Kazuhide
Published: June 2008

Using GGCX gene‐specific real‐time PCR, exon 2 deletion splice variant of vitamin K‐dependent γ‐glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) mRNA was identified in HCC cell lines. Expressions of wild type and exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX were analyzed with relevance to DCP production in HCC cell lines. Hep3B, HepG2, HuH1, HuH7, and PLC/PRF/5 produced DCP, while SK‐Hep‐1, HLE, HLF, and JHH1 produced no detectable level of DCP. DCP‐producing cells expressed exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX mRNA and protein, while DCP‐negative cells expressed no detectable level of exon 2 deletion variant of GGCX. These results suggest that exon 2 deletion splice variant of GGCX causes dysfunction of GGCX enzyme activity resulting in DCP production in HCC cell lines.
The acute impact of ingestion of breads of varying composition on blood glucose, insulin and incretins following first and second meals
Authors: Najjar Anita Mofidi , Parsons Patricia M. , Duncan Alison M. , Robinson Lindsay E. , Yada Rickey Y. , Graham Terry E.
Published: June 2008

Structural characteristics and baking conditions influence the metabolic responses to carbohydrate-containing foods. We hypothesized that consumption of whole wheat or sourdough breads would have a favourable effect on biomarkers of glucose homeostasis after first and second meals, compared with those for white bread. Ten overweight volunteers consumed 50 g available carbohydrate of each of the four breads (white, whole wheat, sourdough, whole wheat barley) followed 3 h later by a standard second meal. Blood was sampled for 3 h following bread ingestion and a further 2 h after the second meal for determination of glucose, insulin, paracetamol (indirect marker of gastric emptying), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Glucose and GLP-1 responses to sourdough bread were lower (P < 0·05) than whole wheat and whole wheat barley breads. Glucose area under the curve (AUC) for sourdough bread was lower than those for whole wheat (P < 0·005) and whole wheat barley (P < 0·03) breads for the entire study. GIP AUC after sourdough bread ingestion was lower compared to white (P < 0·004) and whole wheat barley (P < 0·002) breads following the second meal. There were no significant differences in insulin and paracetamol concentrations among the test breads. Ultra-fine grind whole wheat breads did not result in postprandial responses that were lower than those of white bread, but sourdough bread resulted in lower glucose and GLP-1 responses compared to those of these whole wheat breads following both meals.
Exercise of low energy expenditure along with mild energy intake restriction acutely reduces fasting and postprandial triacylglycerolaemia in young women
Authors: Maraki Maria , Christodoulou Nektarios , Aggelopoulou Niki , Magkos Faidon , Skenderi Katerina P. , Panagiotakos Demosthenes , Kavouras Stavros A. , Sidossis Labros S.
Published: June 2008

A single bout of prolonged, moderate-intensity endurance exercise lowers fasting and postprandial TAG concentrations the next day. However, the TAG-lowering effect of exercise is dose-dependent and does not manifest after light exercise of low energy cost ( < 2 MJ). We aimed to investigate whether superimposing mild energy intake restriction to such exercise, in order to augment total energy deficit, potentiates the hypotriacylglycerolaemic effect. Eight healthy, sedentary, premenopausal women (age 27·1 (sem1·3) years; BMI 21·8 (sem0·9) kg/m2) performed two oral fat tolerance tests in the morning on two different occasions: once after a single bout of light exercise (100 min at 30 % of peak oxygen consumption; net energy expenditure 1·04 (sem0·01) MJ) coupled with mild energy intake restriction (1·39 (sem0·22) MJ) on the preceding day, and once after resting coupled with isoenergetic feeding on the preceding day (control). Fasting plasma TAG, TAG in the TAG-rich lipoproteins (TRL-TAG) and serum insulin concentrations were 18, 34 and 30 % lower, respectively, after exercise plus diet compared with the control trial (P < 0·05). Postprandial concentrations of plasma TAG and TRL-TAG were 19 and 27 % lower after exercise plus diet compared with the control condition (P < 0·01), whereas postprandial insulin concentrations were not different. It is concluded that a combination of light exercise along with mild hypoenergetic diet may be a practical and feasible intervention to attenuate fasting and postprandial triacylglycerolaemia, especially for people who cannot exercise for prolonged periods of time at moderate-to-high intensities, such as many sedentary individuals.
Vitamin E supplementation may transiently increase tuberculosis risk in males who smoke heavily and have high dietary vitamin C intake – comments by Hernández-Garduño
Authors: Hernández-Garduño Eduardo
Published: June 2008

Hemilä & Kaprio(1) found a 72 % increase in the risk of tuberculosis (TB) in males taking vitamin E supplements and having high dietary vitamin C intake; the effect was restricted to heavy smokers as part of the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study.
Genistein protects against polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced oxidative DNA damage in non-cancerous breast cells MCF-10A
Authors: Leung Hau Y. , Yung Lai Hang , Poon Ching Ho , Shi Guoli , Lu A.-Lien , Leung Lai K.
Published: June 2008

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are established cancer initiators that can be found in our food and environment. Some dietary phytochemicals are strong inhibitors of PAH-induced mutagenesis. The soya isoflavone genistein has been shown previously in our laboratory to be an inhibitor of PAH metabolite binding to DNA. In the present study, we investigated the effect of genistein on oxidative DNA damage induced by PAH in the non-tumorigenic breast cell line MCF10A. 7,12-Dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) can induce expressions ofCYP1A1andCYP1B1which are known to be responsive to PAH. These enzymes, in turn, will metabolise the PAH into their ultimate carcinogenic forms. Genistein can significantly suppress the expressions within 5 μm. The comet assay indicated that DMBA introduced DNA damage to these cells, and co-treatment with genistein at 5 or 10 μmcould alleviate the damage. In addition to the chelation of DMBA metabolites to DNA, flow cytometry results revealed that oxidation was also a factor of DNA damage. The oxidative DNA damage could be removed by co-treating with 10 μm-genistein. Because no increased oxidative DNA repair was observed, suppression on the cytochrome enzymes appeared to be the underlying mechanism.
Metamorphic rocks in the Antarctic Peninsula region
Authors: WENDT ANKE S. , VAUGHAN ALAN P. M. , TATE ALEXANDER
Published: June 2008

The distribution of metamorphic rocks in the Antarctic Peninsula region, new quantitative peak pressure–temperature data along the Antarctic Peninsula, and a literature review on the current knowledge of metamorphic conditions in the Antarctic Peninsula region have been compiled into a single metamorphic map. The pressure–temperature data for the Antarctic Peninsula indicate (1) burial of supracrustal rocks to low to mid-crustal depth along the eastern and western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and on some islands adjacent to the western side of the peninsula; (2) uplift of lower- to mid-crustal metamorphic rocks along major shear and fault zones; and (3) a reversed succession of metamorphic grades for the western domain of the Antarctic Peninsula region compared to the eastern domain along the Eastern Palmer Land Shear Zone (EPLSZ) of the Antarctic Peninsula. The metamorphic data are consistent with oblique convergence between Alexander Island (the Western Domain), Palmer Land (Central Domain) and the Gondwana margin (the Eastern Domain), supporting a model of (1) exhumation and shearing of the higher pressure rocks from central western (up to 9.4 kbar) and from northeast (7 kbar to 9 kbar) Palmer Land, (2) the exhumation and shearing of low to medium pressure rocks in western Palmer Land and along the Eastern Palmer Land Shear Zone, and (3) shallow burial and subsequent exhumation of sediments of the Gondwana margin along the Eastern Palmer Land Shear Zone. Based on the high-amphibolite grade rocks exposed in central western Palmer Land, our data also support earlier suggestions that the Eastern Palmer Land Shear Zone is the surface expression of a northwest- to west-dipping, deep-level, high-temperature crustal shear zone extending below the western part of the Central Domain of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Adiabatic effects of electrons and ions on electro-acoustic solitary waves in an adiabatic dusty plasma
Authors: TANJIA FATEMA , MAMUN A. A.
Published: June 2008

A dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged cold dust, adiabatic hot ions, and inertia-less adiabatic hot electrons has been considered. The adiabatic effects of electrons and ions on the basic properties of electro-acoustic solitary waves associated with different types of electro-acoustic (viz. ion-acoustic (IA), dust ion-acoustic (DIA), and dust acoustic (DA)) waves are thoroughly investigated by the reductive perturbation method. It is found that the basic properties of the IA, DIA, and DA waves are significantly modified by the adiabatic effects of ions and inertia-less electrons. The implications of our results in space and laboratory dusty plasmas are briefly discussed.
Physical activity and risk of neurodegenerative disease: a systematic review of prospective evidence
Authors: Hamer M. , Chida Y.
Published: June 2008

Background

The association between physical activity and risk of neurodegenerative diseases is not well established. We therefore aimed to quantify this association using meta-analytical techniques.

Method

We searched Medline, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Web of Science databases from 1990 to 2007 for prospective epidemiological studies of physical activity and incident dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. We excluded studies of physical activity and cognitive decline without diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. Information on study design, participant characteristics, measurement of exposure and outcome variables, adjustment for potential confounding, and estimates of associations was abstracted independently by the two investigators.

Results

We included 16 prospective studies in the overall analysis, which incorporated 163797 non-demented participants at baseline with 3219 cases at follow-up. We calculated pooled relative risk (RR) using a random effects model. The RR of dementia in the highest physical activity category compared with the lowest was 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60–0.86, p<0.001], for Alzheimer's, 0.55 (95% CI 0.36–0.84, p=0.006), and for Parkinson's 0.82 (95% CI 0.57–1.18, p=0.28).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that physical activity is inversely associated with risk of dementia. Future studies should examine the optimal dose of physical activity to induce protection, which presently remains unclear.
Is the relationship between syndromes of depression and dementia temporal? The MRC-ALPHA and Hefei-China studies
Authors: Chen R. , Hu Z. , Wei L. , Qin X. , Copeland J. R.
Published: June 2008

Background

Recent studies have shown a temporal association between depressive symptoms and cognitive decline. However, the relationship between syndromes of depression and dementia is unknown.

Method

A total of 1736 people aged ⩾65 years in China and 5222 older people in the UK were interviewed using the Geriatric Mental State Examination (GMS) and reinterviewed at follow-up. Five levels of syndromes of depression and dementia were diagnosed using the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy (AGECAT).

Results

Although there were fewer depressive syndromes in Chinese than British participants, both populations showed a similarly high level of syndromes of dementia (organic disorder) (20% for women, 14% for men). There was a significant cross-sectional correlation between syndrome levels of depression and dementia (correlation coefficients: 0.141–0.248 for Chinese, 0.168–0.248 for British). This was maintained for different age, gender and people with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). The relationship between syndromes of baseline depression and follow-up dementia was less substantial: the correlation coefficient was 0.075 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.021–0.128] for the Chinese sample at the 1-year follow-up, and 0.093 (95% CI 0.061–0.125) for the British at the 2-year follow-up and 0.093 (95% CI 0.049–0.130) at the 4-year follow-up. This relationship disappeared in participants without baseline organic syndromes. In a multiple adjusted logistic regression analysis, an increased risk of organic syndromes seemed to be associated with baseline, mainly in the highest level of, depressive syndromes.

Conclusions

The relationship between syndromes of depression and dementia might be temporal. The lack of an obvious dose–response relationship between baseline depressive syndromes and follow-up dementia syndromes suggests that the causal relationship between depression and dementia needs further investigation.
Minimality and ergodicity of a generic analytic foliation of ℂ2
Authors: GOLENISHCHEVA-KUTUZOVA T. , KLEPTSYN V.
Published: June 2008

It is well known that a generic polynomial foliation of ℂ2 is minimal and ergodic. In this paper we prove an analogous result for analytic foliations.
A class of pairwise-independent joinings
Authors: JANVRESSE ÉLISE , DE LA RUE THIERRY
Published: June 2008

We introduce a special class of pairwise-independent self-joinings for a stationary process: those for which one coordinate is a continuous function of the two others. We investigate which properties on the process the existence of such a joining entails. In particular, we prove that if the process is aperiodic, then it has positive entropy. Our other results suggest that such pairwise independent, non-independent self-joinings exist only in very specific situations: essentially when the process is a subshift of finite type topologically conjugate to a full-shift. This provides an argument in favor of the conjecture that two-fold mixing implies three-fold-mixing.
Numerical methods based controller design for mobile robots
Authors: Scaglia Gustavo , Montoya Lucía Quintero , Mut Vicente , di Sciascio Fernando
Published: June 2008

This paper presents the design of four controllers for a mobile robot such that the system may follow a preestablished trajectory. To reach this aim, the kinematic model of a mobile robot is approximated using numerical methods. Then, from such approximation, the control actions to get a minimal tracking error are calculated. Both simulation and experimental results on a PIONEER 2DX mobile robot are presented, showing a good performance of the four proposed mobile robot controllers. Also, an application of the proposed controllers to a leader robot following problem is shown; in it, the relative position between robots is obtained through a laser.
Smart wheelchair perception using odometry, ultrasound sensors, and camera
Authors: Horn O. , Kreutner M.
Published: June 2008

This paper deals with the perception mode of smart wheelchairs. First we evoke the many mobility aid prototypes developed in rehabilitation robotics by considering the point of view of perception. Then we describe the localization mode of the VAHM**. We show how the odometric, ultrasound, and vision sensors are used in a complementary way in order to locate the wheelchair in its known environment. The mode of adjustment of the odometric position by the least-squared method using ultrasonic measurements is detailed. Then the use of vision to perceive the vertical segments of the environment so as to refine the orientation is presented. The results of the tests carried out on the wheelchair are given and commented.
NONPARAMETRIC ESTIMATION OF VARYING COEFFICIENT DYNAMIC PANEL DATA MODELS
Authors: Cai Zongwu , Li Qi
Published: June 2008

We suggest using a class of semiparametric dynamic panel data models to capture individual variations in panel data. The model assumes linearity in some continuous/discrete variables that can be exogenous/endogenous and allows for nonlinearity in other weakly exogenous variables. We propose a nonparametric generalized method of moments (NPGMM) procedure to estimate the functional coefficients, and we establish the consistency and asymptotic normality of the resulting estimators.
ESTIMATION RISK IN GARCH VaR AND ES ESTIMATES
Authors: Gao Feng , Song Fengming
Published: June 2008

Value-at-risk (VaR) and expected shortfall (ES) are now both widely used risk measures. However, users have not paid much attention to the estimation risk issues, especially in the case of heteroskedastic financial time series. The key challenge arises from the fact that the estimated generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) innovations are not the true independent innovations. The purpose of this work is to provide an analytical method to assess the precision of conditional VaR and ES in the GARCH model estimated by the filtered historical simulation (FHS) method based on the asymptotic behavior of the residual empirical distribution function in GARCH processes. The proposed method is evaluated by simulation and proved valid.
The Social and Attitudinal Basis of Political Parties: Cleavage Politics Revisited
Authors: Enyedi Zsolt
Published: June 2008

As a result of various political and non-political developments, the socio-culturally anchored and well structured character of European party systems has come under strain. This article assesses the overall social embeddedness of modern party politics and identifies newly emerging conflict-lines. It draws attention to phenomena that do not fit into the trend of dealignment, and discusses the relationship between group-based politics and democratic representation.
Promising Parties: Can Parties in Government still Deliver?
Authors: Gray Mark M.
Published: June 2008

The ability of political parties in advanced industrial democracies to maintain the traditional linkage between voters and their governments by making and attempting to fulfill policy promises is potentially being challenged by emerging social, political, and economic forces of the 21st century. Parties may become less meaningful to the electorate as they deal with the cross-pressures created by the forces of Europeanization, globalization, localism, and the increasing independence of central banks. These factors have the potential to make parties in government, at the national-level, marginally less able to fulfill the promises they make to voters. The review of literature presented here regarding these challenges indicates that although the risks to parties are very real, the effects of these emerging forces have yet to substantially diminish the primary roles and functioning of national parties in government. Those most at risk of being affected in the future are parties who rely strongly on economic appeals and promises.
Here to Stay? Populism as a New Party Type
Authors: Zaslove Andrej
Published: June 2008

This article addresses the sudden and somewhat unexpected rise of populist parties in West, Central, and Eastern Europe. The first section highlights the core characteristics of populism through the construction of an ideal type. Subsequently, the focus is on the opportunity structures that give rise to populism, emphasizing the end of the post-war settlement, post-industrialism, the gradual erosion of party politics, and frustrations emanating from the consolidation of liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The final section examines three distinct forms of populism, focusing on radical-right populism (parties such as the French National Front, the Austrian Freedom Party), center-right populism (Forza Italia), and left populism (the German Party of Democratic Socialism).
State Intervention in Party Politics: The Public Funding and Regulation of Political Parties
Authors: Van Biezen Ingrid
Published: June 2008

This article is concerned with a closer investigation of the growing tendency for the state to intervene in contemporary party politics. It examines two trends. First, it looks more closely at the increased levels of regulation of party activity and behaviour in European democracies, discussing the empirical practice as well as the underlying normative paradigms of party regulation. Second, it examines the increased availability of public funding to political parties from a comparative perspective, while also exploring the motivations for its introduction in light of particular understandings of party democracy. It is argued that both dimensions constitute part of the way in which parties have strengthened their linkages with the state in recent years, and that parties, as a result of the increased involvement of the state in their internal affairs and external behaviour, have become increasingly defined as public utilities or semi-state agencies.
Party Patronage in Contemporary Europe
Authors: Kopecký Petr , Scherlis Gerardo
Published: June 2008

Party patronage is generally associated with social, economic and political underdevelopment, and is hence seen as largely irrelevant in the context of contemporary European politics. In this article, we argue to the contrary, proposing that patronage reappears on the stage of European politics as a critical organizational and governmental resource employed by political parties to enhance their standing as semi-state agencies of government. In order to illustrate our main contention, we first define party patronage, disentangling it from other notions of political particularism that are often used synonymously in the literature. Second, we provide a brief overview of the literature on the past and present of patronage practices in Europe, arguing that rather than declining, patronage is still likely to be a relevant feature of contemporary party politics in Europe. Finally, we analyse the role of party patronage in the light of recent developments in several European countries, identifying three distinct patterns of patronage practices in the region.
European Values – and Others. Europe’s Shared Values: Towards an ever-closer Union?
Authors: Hermerén Göran
Published: June 2008

The purpose of this paper is (a) to point out some difficulties in the notion of European values, (b) nevertheless to present some ideas on what might be at least part of specific European traditions in bioethics, and (c) to outline a conceptual framework for further conceptual and empirical studies in this area. In European declarations and conventions, a number of important values are enshrined, including human dignity, integrity, freedoms, autonomy, health, safety and security, justice, prosperity, equity and equality, as well as solidarity. Since almost all of these values are also referred to in many other declarations, the notion of European values is problematic. Moreover, Europe is becoming increasingly multicultural due to immigration. If there is a particular European approach to ethics, based on European values, two possibilities suggest themselves. First, although the same terms referring to basic values also appear in, for instance, various UN declarations, these terms are interpreted in a particular way in Europe. Secondly, the difference lies in the ranking order between the values. In this paper, the second of these possibilities is explored. However, the notion of a ranking order can be interpreted in several ways, which are also discussed in the paper. The paper concludes with some remarks on the necessity of a global dialogue on ethical issues.