bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE INCOMPETENT CROWD
Authors: Ali Abbas J.
Published: May 2008

In a recent interview in the Harvard Business Review. Peter Drucker argues that the best criteria for evaluating employees in Post‐Capitalism is competency. Self‐knowledge, empathy, and the ability to absorb information are the major qualities of a competent person. Competent people are scarce commodities. Firms wanting to achieve a competitive place in the marketplace, must attract competent employees and nurture tendencies toward self‐knowledge. In a post‐capitalist era, this is no longer a luxury; rather, it is the only way to ensure survival.
INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY: A THIRD VIEW
Authors: Keilany Ziad , Helms Marilyn
Published: May 2008

During the early 1970s, Allied‐Signal of New Jersey developed high tech materials referred to as amorphous metals. These metals have exceptional electrical and magnetic properties and are used in recording heads in video and audio recorders. Additionally, they are used extensively by the electric‐power industry. Japanese power companies have always been interested in amorphous metals. In fact, if these companies had used amorphous metals, they would have saved one billion dollars per year in electricity cost alone (The Economist, 1990). However, these businesses were cajoled by Japanese officials into waiting for the American patents to expire so they could use a homemade version. As the end of the patents approached in 1993, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) announced a catch up program involving thirty‐four Japanese companies to develop the know‐how for making amorphous metals themselves. The Japanese ministry used its influence to persuade Japanese power companies not to order amorphous transformers until Japanese manufacturers were ready to supply them. Thus, the market for American high‐tech products estimated at $100 million per year has been practically eliminated (The Economist, 1990).
MARKETING TO A KEIRETSU
Authors: Genestre Alain , Herbig Paul , Shao Alan T.
Published: May 2008

As the Japanese economy has become increasingly international, the issue of keiretsu relations has become a focus of attention. Keiretsu is an indigenous feature of Japan's production and distribution systems that some say leads to unfair competitive practices, triggering intense discussions from the United States government. American businesses realize that a major reason for their failures in the Japanese market lies in the nature of Japanese business practices, as exemplified by exclusive keiretsu relations. However, like it or not, keiretsu related firms dominate Japanese economic life. If U.S. firms are to penetrate the market in the “land of the rising sun,” they must learn to successfully market to keiretsu‐member Japanese firms. This paper shows how the present keiretsu system can be traced back to the culture of ancient Japan and is itself a revival of the modern zaibatsu system of business organizations which, for all practical purposes, it replaced after World War II and, paradoxically, while the occupation and restructuring of the country incumbed to its victorious foe, the United States.
INTEGRATION IN EUROPE (1992): A SCENARIO FOR THE GLOBAL STABILITY OR INSTABILITY
Authors: Monshipouri M. , Motameni R.
Published: May 2008

To investigate the dynamics of the Europe ‘92 project, we have applied Johan Arndt's Political Economy Paradigm, four dimension of which are: external, internal, polity, and economy. These will provide us with an extensive domain of interactive and interrelated components. Our analysis of the so‐called Internal Market supports the notion that Europe '92 will be a new actor, on the global scene. This will have far‐reaching and pronounced effects on the political dynamics of the new global security system characteristics of the post‐hegemonic multipolar structures. Our arguments suggest that the long term implications of Europe '92 may well indicate cross‐border interactions among states of the magnitude that can and should integrate the U.S. and Japanese economies. Furthermore, no hegemonic power is certain to emerge from such a complex international political economy, for in a not too distant future all nations will likely have developed interests in some type of cooperation. The logical progression of this trajectory points to further predictability in and global stability for the interstate relations.
SOME ISSUES MAQUILADORAS MUST FACE IN MEXICO IN ORDER TO CONTINUE FUTURE HEALTHY GROWTH
Authors: Greene Walter E. , de los Santos Gilberto
Published: May 2008

Although maquiladoras create needed jobs in Mexico which help the country economically, they also appear to create problems in terms of the infrastructure, waste pollution, and Mexican family traditional roles. Unless addressed, these problems wilt continue to grow, and might eventually curtail the expansion of maquilas in Mexico. There are important lessons to be learned from these issues. Maquiladoras managers would be wise to promote the orderly planning and development of the infrastructure in the cities in which they operate, they would be wise to dispose properly of their waste materials, and they would be wise to study the changes they are creating among Mexican family traditions.
CHALLENGES IN INTERNATIONAL RETAILING: COMPARISON OF POLICY PREFERENCES OF FUTURE BUSINESS PERSONNEL
Authors: Burns David J. , Brady John
Published: May 2008

Cross‐cultural variations in the international ethical environment has the potential to hamper the international activities of the unwary international retailer. This study investigated differences in preferences for policies addressing potentially ethically troublesome retail sales situations among future business personnel from two differing cultures. The results suggest the existence of cultural differences in such preferences. Implications are discussed.
American History Reference Sources, 1985
Authors: Burroughs Carol , Barber Gary D.
Published: May 2008

This, the ninth annual survey of American history reference sources, comprises reviews of twenty 1985 imprints. The largest categories are bibliographies and encyclopedias (in which there are, respectively, five and four entries), followed by atlases, collective biographies, and dictionaries (two each), and one each of the following: a chronology, a directory, a document collection, a reference guide, and a statistical compendium.
Comparison of Meeting Indexes
Authors: Whitley Katherine M.
Published: May 2008

Conferences, symposiums, and other meetings offer the promise of current information in changing fields, but it is sometimes difficult to learn when and where they will take place, and what their participants discuss. Two types of reference sources that facilitate access to such information are calendar indexes of forthcoming meetings, and indexes to the published proceedings of meetings. This paper focuses on three calendar indexes to scientific and technological meetings—Scientific Meetings, MInd: The Meetings Index, and World Meetings. These compilations of meeting calendars offer researchers and librarians important guides for planning and for keeping up to date in specific subject areas. (Wolman [1983] suggests that users of chemical information consult World Meetings to keep abreast of meetings in that field.) Meeting calendar indexes also serve as important retrospective reference aids in verifying, for example, the occurrence of past meetings, or in confirming whether proceedings were, to be published. Guides to scientific, medical, and technologic information, and guides to reference sources, list the index features briefly (for example, Roper and Boorkman 1980, 89–92); however, no previous evaluative comparisons of the three indexes were found in the literature.
A Brief General History of the UK Paint Industry
Authors: Roon Hannah
Published: May 2008

The divinity involved in the outcome of any materialistic pursuit, must essentially consist of the human beings who have been progressively involved in it. The products, of course, are of critical importance but, again in the last analysis, their form and quality are wholly dependent on people. While all human beings and races are of honourable estate, some are indisputably better equipped to create wealth, just as others are better equipped to create great works of art‐painting, writing and the making of music. So far as proof of the former ability is concerned, we need look no further than Germany or Japan. Crippled after World War 2 they were, in hardly any time at all, out in front of those nations untouched by the conflict, to say nothing of the successful commercial fight they wage against the victors. Why should this be?
Training for Competence — The Nature and Assessment of the Beast
Authors: Christie Rob
Published: May 2008

It is too often too easy to become involved in the intricacies of how to make assessments of training to the neglect of a good understanding of how profoundly the techniques of asessment are affected by what it is which is being assessed and the equally profound influence that this has on the nature and appropriateness of the assessment techniques used and the information produced by them.
Library economy writers: The contemporary scene
Authors: Berwick Sayers W.C.
Published: May 2008

No attempt to survey the scene would be within miles of success which did not contemplate the almost revolutionary effect of the coming of the county library service. A few of its pioneers foresaw the possibilities of the service which took practical shape, after much private but necessarily limited experiment, with the publication of the Adams Report. With it has come a large amount of journalistic writing and some important books. The earliest book was Duncan Gray's County Library Systems, 1922, which was followed almost immediately by Robert D. Macleod's County Rural Libraries, 1923. They are pioneer books on the technique of the new job, and Macleod goes well into its social and educational problems and results as he, the first librarian to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, saw them in the birth and infancy of the scheme. Both are distinctive men in quite different ways: Macleod is clearly a Scot and, if Burns is to be trusted, the other is or ought to have been!
Portrait of an England
Authors: Esdaile Arundell
Published: May 2008

Some fourteen years ago Lord David Cecil published a penetra‐ting study of the greater English novelists of the mid‐nineteenth century. That was a period of our literature which in one way was the converse of that in which we are living. Today we have a con‐siderable number of competent and more than respectable novelists of the second class, but surely none who is indisputably of the first. In the first half of Queen Victoria's reign there were five or six of the first class, and best sellers at that, and after them almost nothing in front of a great crowd of also‐rans.
The inevitability of outcome management: How should QALYs be used?
Authors: Mynard Alan
Published: May 2008

During the last two or three years, economists in Britain have advocated the use of cost‐effectiveness criteria to determine National Health Service (NHS) allocation decisions and, in particular, they have provided estimates of the costs of achieving particular outcomes from alternative therapies, especially an additional year of life of full quality (or a quality adjusted life year (QALY)) (eg, Maynard (1987), Akehurst and Drummond (1987)). In North America, similar arguments and comparable cost‐QALY estimates are being produced by a variety of researchers using a range of estimation techniques (for a summary see Torrance (1986)).
Abortion or child destruction? The case of C v S and the legal meaning of ‘born alive’
Authors: Magrath Paul
Published: May 2008

The case of C v S made legal history, in more ways than one. Less than a week passed between the opening of the plaintiff's case before the judge at first instance and the final dismissal of the plaintiff's appeal by the House of Lords — probably the shortest time a case has ever travelled through the UK judicial system. This was due, notwithstanding the complexity of the medical and legal issues involved, to the extreme urgency of the application. For this was the case in which the putative father of an 18‐week foetus applied for an injunction to restrain the mother, and the health authority concerned, from proceeding with an abortion. He did not succeed. Had he done so, however, the effect might have been catastrophic, since it would effectively place anyone involved in the administration of abortion under the threat of prosecution for a criminal offence (child destruction) carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Beating the Offside Trap: Developing a Regional Approach to Clinical Audit
Authors: Black Nick
Published: May 2008

The introduction of clinical audit systems is likely to provoke considerable debate in health services, located as they are at the crucial interface between clinicians and managers. The development phase of a long‐term regional project to introduce audit systems is described. The factors that facilitated the project are identified, as are the problems, some of which remain unresolved.
Management of the Danish Programme on Prevention and Control of HIV and AIDS
Authors: de NeergaardD Lone
Published: May 2008

After a brief description of the major Danish political discussions on the AIDS problem, the basic steps in setting up a major informational activity as the AIDS campaign are described. A number of positive and negative lessons have been learned, which can be used in health education and health promotion in general. The most important are: It is possible to achieve changes in awareness, knowledge and attitudes by adopting the methods of modern marketing to the special needs and demands of health education and health promotion. Behavioural changes can be achieved by supplementary activities with a direct approach and dialogue. However, it is a long and difficult process and continuous and consistent plans including resource allocation for at least two to three years have to be made ‐ and kept to. Close co‐operation between central and local initiatives is necessary and sufficient attention should be given to establishing and securing the organisation, the co‐operative network, the distribution of material etc. Certain groups of health personnel, the press and local personalities are crucial to the effect of the campaign. Special information and motivation of these groups early in the programme is necessary. Finally attention should be paid to the prevention of general problems in health education and health promotion: the short attention span of the public, together with the fact that long lasting results do not occur for years, so that the need to continue the effort seems to disappear ‐ as do the resources.
General Practice Budgets — Opportunities and Responsibilities
Authors: Bull Adrian
Published: May 2008

This paper supports the desire of the UK Government to introduce to the National Health Service the concept of accountability for expenditure. General practice budgets will, for the first time, allow GPs, as purchasers of care, to define the needs of their patients and to arrange for those needs to be met, circumventing the arbitrary limits imposed on providers of care under the present arrangements. Should overspending of budgets occur, other doctors will review the decisions made. If the decisions are supported then it will be clear that the budget was insufficient rather than that the practitioner was profligate. The reverse might apply, but such peer review should not be unwelcome. Budgetary control will allow greater choice for the GP of the nature of 2° care provided for his patients. Trust between doctor and patient need not be undermined — indeed, patients may be more confident that they will not be exposed to inappropriate medical intervention. The responsibilities conferred by GP budgets should be accepted, the opportunities welcomed.
Supporting Frail Elderly People at Home Comparative Study of Two Domiciliary Care Services
Authors: Stone M. , Barton A. , Coles O. , Dodds M. , Smith J.
Published: May 2008

This study compares and contrasts the clients of two domiciliary care services delivered to elderly people in Darlington, Durham, UK, in terms of their living circumstances, dependency levels and the service inputs they receive. The two services are the Home Help Service managed by the local authority social services department and a Home Care Service managed by the Darlington Health Authority which offers an alternative to long‐stay hospital care for elderly people. The study examined only a sample of the most dependent home help clients and all of the home care clients. The instruments used to measure dependency were found to be limited in their ability to detect crucial differences in the two client groups and suggestions are made about how these might be improved. The main distinguishing characteristics of the Home Care Service clients were that they were, on average, younger and frailer than the home help clients and were far more likely to need help with toiletting, dressing, getting in/out of bed, walkng and making hot drinks. In contrast the main predictor of Home Help Service membership was living alone. It was concluded that although some home help clients were as incapacitated as home care ones, the latter scheme was far more consistently targetted on very frail, and often ill, people.
Implementing Care Management
Authors: Higgins Ray , Richardson Ann
Published: May 2008

Care management is the cornerstone of recent community care reforms. Such an approach emphasizes the importance of user involvement and inter‐agency working. Examines the experience of the Wakefield Case Management Project, which was an early pioneer of such an approach. It was disbanded in 1992 after three years owing to its failure to resettle people with learning disabilities from a long‐stay hospital. Care management may be ill‐suited to the complex task of resettlement, unless a number of key issues are addressed at the outset.
Comment
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: May 2008

The LA Council Meeting of November 17 began with discussion of a paper presented by the Honorary Treasurer, Peter Labdon, on the future financing policy of the association. It was primarily concerned with membership and emphasised that the most important issue facing the association now is how to attract and keep in membership sufficient of the shrinking number of those educated and/or working in the field of information to ensure the future of the Association. It was a frank examination of the subscription profile, methods of collection of subscriptions, the costs of registration, and, above all, the benefits of membership as perceived by the members themselves.
Back burner
Authors: Place Hillary
Published: May 2008

It's a man's life in the Medical Library. So what am I doing here? (I hear the wits ask). Never mind, just listen (or read, if you only get the hard‐copy version of the Newsletter), and I'll let you in on one of librarianship's best‐kept secrets.
Novel Pathway for Catabolism of the Organic Sulfur Compound 3,3′-Dithiodipropionic Acid via 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid and 3-Sulfinopropionic Acid to Propionyl-Coenzyme A by the Aerobic Bacterium
Tetrathiobacter mimigardefordensis
Strain DPN7
Authors: Wübbeler Jan Hendrik , Bruland Nadine , Kretschmer Kornelia , Steinbüchel Alexander
Published: May 2008

The hitherto unstudied microbial degradation of the organic disulfide 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid (DTDP) was investigated with the recently described bacterium
Tetrathiobacter mimigardefordensis
strain DPN7
T
(DSM 17166
T
; LMG 22922
T
), which is able to use DTDP as the sole carbon source for growth. 3-Mercaptopropionic acid (3MP) and 3-sulfinopropionic acid (3SP) were detected in the growth medium and occurred as intermediates during DTDP degradation. To identify genes coding for enzymes of DTDP catabolism, Tn
5
::
mob
-induced mutants of
T. mimigardefordensis
were generated. Screening of transposon mutant libraries yielded many mutants fully or partially impaired in utilizing DTDP as a carbon source. Mapping of the insertion loci in some mutants identified four disrupted open reading frames (ORFs) with putative metabolic functions. The ORFs were assigned function on the basis of homologies with
lpdA
(EC 1.8.1.4),
cdo
(EC 1.13.11.20),
sucCD
(EC 6.2.1.5), and
acnB
(EC 4.2.1.3). Tn
5
::
mob
insertions occurred additionally in the vicinity of heat shock protein-encoding genes. The predicted function of the LpdA homologue in
T. mimigardefordensis
is cleavage of the disulfide bond of DTDP to form two molecules of 3MP. Cdo catalyzes the conversion of the sulfhydryl group of 3MP, yielding the corresponding sulfinic acid, 3SP. SucCD exhibits thiokinase activity, ligating coenzyme A (CoA) with 3SP to form 3SP-CoA. Afterwards, an elimination of sulfite via a putative desulfinase is expected.
acnB
encodes a putative 2-methylisocitrate dehydratase. Therefore, a new pathway is proposed for the catabolism of DTDP via 3MP, 3SP, and 3SP-CoA toward propionyl-CoA, which is then further catabolized via the 2-methylcitric acid cycle in
T. mimigardefordensis
.
Partial and total factors of safety in anchored sheet pile design
Authors: Valsangkar A. J. , Schriver A. B.
Published: May 2008

Recently, the limit states design approach has been recommended in geotechnical design. The Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual (1985) details the new approach for design of foundations, slopes, and retaining structures. Some recent research has indicated that the use of the limit states design approach leads to conservative designs when compared with conventional methods of design. Results of a parametric study are presented in this paper. The study investigated the influence of sheet pile wall geometry, type of water-pressure distribution considered, and different methods of analysis on the required depth of penetration of an anchored sheet pile wall. Modifications are suggested to make the new design method compatible with the conventional methods of design. Key words: factor of safety, working stress design, ultimate limit states design, anchored sheet pile wall.
Adjoint sensitivity theory for a pack ice momentum model
Authors: Sykes J. F. , Miller-Cushon J. D.
Published: May 2008

The adjoint sensitivity method is applied to a pack ice motion model based on the solution of the two-dimensional momentum equations for a floating ice cover. The equations were solved using the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. Adjoint sensitivity theory is used to efficiently calculate the rate of change of a model performance measure with respect to any model parameter. The sensitivities are shown to be functions of the solution of the ice-motion model, called the primary problem, and the solution of an adjoint problem obtained from the primary problem through suitable transformation. Adjoint sensitivity theory is applied to both the continuum and discretized forms of the primary problem to generate corresponding adjoint and sensitivity equations. Single solutions of the primary equation and the adjoint form are sufficient to calculate total sensitivity with respect to any model parameter as well as showing the spatial variation of sensitivity contributions for a distributed parameter. Adjoint sensitivity theory may be more computationally efficient than sampling-based techniques. The application of the finite element forms of the primary problem and adjoint sensitivity calculations are demonstrated. Key words : ice mechanics, ice parameters, sensitivity theory, finite elements, adjoint method.
On the development of a model of coupled heat and moisture transfer in unsaturated soil
Authors: Thomas H. R.
Published: May 2008

The salient characteristics of a model of coupled heat and mass transfer in unsaturated soil are presented as a subset of a more complex model of the thermal–hydraulic–mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soil currently under development. Liquid and vapour flow continuity are considered separately before combining the two into a conservation of mass equation. Heat transfer by means of conduction, latent heat of vaporisation effects, and sensible heat transfer are included. A numerical simulation of the complete formulation is achieved via the use of the finite element method for spatial discretisation, with the time varying behaviour accommodated by a finite difference technique. An application of the model to the simulation of well-controlled laboratory experiments of heat and mass transfer in nondeforming medium sand is presented. Good correlation is obtained. Confidence in the approach developed is therefore achieved before proceeding to simulate the combination of the above flow processes with the deformation of engineered clay barriers. Key words : temperature, heat transfer, moisture flow, unsaturated soil, numerical model, experimental results, numerical simulation.
Seismic-induced permanent displacement of geosynthetic-reinforced segmental retaining walls
Authors: Cai Z , Bathurst R J
Published: May 2008

This paper describes the application of conventional displacement methods to estimate seismic-induced permanent displacements of geosynthetic-reinforced segmental retaining walls constructed on firm foundations. Permanent displacements associated with three sliding mechanisms are investigated: (1) external sliding along the base of the total wall structure; (2) internal sliding along a reinforcement layer and through the facing column; and (3) block interface shear between facing column units. A pseudostatic method based on the Mononobe-Okabe earth pressure theory is used to determine the value of critical acceleration associated with each potential failure mechanism. Newmark's sliding block displacement method and a number of emperical methods are briefly summarized and can be used to estimate the permanent displacements of segmental retaining walls. An example is given to illustrate the application of the methods presented.

Key words: segmental retaining walls, geosynthetics, seismic, Newmark, sliding block, displacement methods.
Errors in estimates of void ratio of laboratory sand specimens
Authors: Vaid Y P , Sivathayalan S
Published: May 2008

Serious errors in assigning void ratio to a laboratory sand specimen can occur due to poor resolutions in the measurement of its physical dimensions. The extent of these errors for given resolutions in the measurements of specimen diameter and (or) height is discussed, and their implications in estimates of undrained residual strength are pointed out in the steady-state analysis of sand structures that could be susceptible to flow slides. Alternatives for a more confident and consistent assignment of void ratio are proposed that circumvent the generally low resolutions in measurements of specimen diameter and height and utilize only the high-resolution mass measurements.

Key words: measurement resolution, void ratio error, sand, liquefaction, residual strength, flow slide.
Differential tolerance of coniferous species to the microbially produced herbicide bialaphos. II. Metabolic effects
Authors: Sy Mikaĭlou , Margolis Hank , Yue De , Jobidon Robert , Vézina Louis-P.
Published: May 2008

The effect of the microbially produced herbicide bialaphos on ammonium accumulation and photosynthesis of white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) and red pine (Pinusresinosa Ait.) seedlings was studied under controlled environmental conditions. Ammonium accumulation increased markedly during the first 48 h for seedlings treated in June and was greater in red pine than in white spruce. Ammonium accumulation also increased with higher doses of bialaphos. In contrast, the accumulation of ammonium following bialaphos application in August was minimal for both species and for doses up to an equivalent of 3.0 kg active ingredient (bialaphos) per hectare. Continuous measurements of photosynthesis for the first 12 h following bialaphos application showed a slight negative effect of the herbicide on photosynthetic activity within 2 h of treatment. The decrease was greater for red pine than for white spruce. Photosynthesis measurements taken under three different levels of photosynthetic photon flux density 24 h after bialaphos application showed a greater decline with increasing photosynthetic photon flux density and with higher doses of bialaphos. Furthermore, the decline was greater in red pine than it was in white spruce. When photosynthesis was followed over a 7-day period, a large decrease was observed during the first 24 h, after which time photosynthesis stayed relatively constant. The decrease was greater with higher doses and was greater for red pine than for white spruce. There was a strong negative correlation between photosynthetic rate at day 7 and both the dose of bialaphos and the development of chlorotic foliage. These results help provide a physiological basis for understanding previously reported morphological and growth responses.
The historical reconstruction of growth efficiency and its relationship to tree mortality in balsam fir ecosystems affected by spruce budworm
Authors: Coyea Marie R. , Margolis Hank A.
Published: May 2008

The growth efficiencies (E; stemwood growth per unit leaf area) of balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.) trees from 20 stands were reconstructed over the 30-year period from 1960 to 1989 in order to determine if E could be used to predict tree mortality occurring during and after an epidemic of eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneurafumiferana (Clem.)). Growth efficiencies were reconstructed based on the relationship between age and the number of annual growth rings in the cross-sectional area of heartwood at breast height (R2 = 0.97) and on the previously demonstrated relationship between sapwood area and leaf area of balsam fir across a wide geographic area. Profile and logistic regression analyses demonstrated that apparent E (i.e., the historically reconstructed E) of surviving trees was greater than that of dead trees for every year of the 30-year analysis period. For trees in the 25- to 35-year age-class in 1960, apparent E was the only variable measured prior to the epidemic that was significantly related to balsam fir mortality. For all trees (aged 11 to 46 years in 1960), both tree age and apparent E were significant factors prior to the epidemic. During and following the epidemic, several of the more standard mensurational variables (e.g., diameter and basal area growth) were also significantly associated with balsam fir mortality, but apparent E had the highest levels of significance. Using logistical regression, critical E values below which trees would be predicted to die were calculated as 5-year running averages for the period prior to the epidemic (1960–1968). These were stable at around 0.17 × 10−4 m2 basal area growth•(m2 leaf area)−1•year−1. Following the epidemic, critical E values were again stable but at a lower level of around 0.07. There was a negative exponential relationship between apparent E and leaf area. Furthermore, for the same level of leaf area, surviving trees had a higher apparent E than trees that died, up to approximately 30 m2 of leaf area. These results suggest that growth efficiency should be considered as part of standard forest inventories in the balsam fir zone because of its ease of measure and its apparent ability to provide a sensitive, physiologically based index of forest health. Furthermore, the technique of historically reconstructing E demonstrated in this study may be of interest for other types of dendrochronological research.
Population variation in wood structure of white fir
Authors: Dodd Richard S. , Power Ariel B.
Published: May 2008

Wood X-ray densitometry (inter- and intra-ring wood density, ring width) and measurements of tracheid length were used to evaluate wood structural variability in 93 trees from 33 populations of white fir (Abiesconcolor (Gord. et Glend.) Lindl.). Individuals from populations representing the geographic range of the species had been growing for 24 years in a plantation near Placerville, California. Growth ring widths showed a clinal increase from northern Oregon to southern Californian populations, due mostly to variations in width of the earlywood. Rates of change from pith to bark in tracheid lengths and earlywood density decreased from northern Oregon to southern California, with the highest rates of change being among Utah populations. Slower rates of change in tracheid length and wood density would contribute to more uniform wood structure in these southern populations. Multivariate analyses confirmed the separation of regional groups within white fir. Results indicated that there is a differentiation between northern and southern Californian white fir, consistent with the former being ascribed to A. concolor var. lowiana and the latter to A. concolor var. concolor. Arizonan populations were grouped with southern Californian white fir.
Two hundred year variation of southern red spruce radial growth as estimate by spectral analysis: Reply
Authors: Reams Gregory A. , Nicholas N.S. , Zedaker S.M.
Published: May 2008

not available
TWO TEMPERATURE DESCRIPTION OF RNA-LIKE POLYMER
Authors: SARGSYAN K. G.
Published: May 2008

The two-temperature description of the RNA-like molecule is invented. Instead of equilibrium treatment of the polymer state, the steady state viewpoint is proposed. The molecule is considered as being in an adiabatic steady state, which is a non-equilibrium one. The general approach to the molecule in such a steady state is discussed and the simple model with saturating bonds is considered. The relation between mean square end-to-end distance and the number of monomers is derived for the simple system under condition T>Θ. The obtained relation depends on additional so-called disorder temperature.
BURIED PLANAR WAVEGUIDE IN KTiOPO4 FORMED BY Cs+ ION EXCHANGE AND Si+ ION IMPLANTATION
Authors: ZHANG RUIFENG , LU FEI , LIAN JIE , LIU XIANGZHI , LIU HANPING , LU QINGMING
Published: May 2008

Buried planar waveguide was produced by Cs +– K + ion exchange and Si + ion implantation in z-cut KTiOPO 4 (KTP) single domain crystals. The dark mode spectra of the waveguide were obtained by the prism-coupling method. The refractive index profiles of the Cs +– K + ion exchanged sample were reconstructed using the inverse Wenzel–Kramers–Brillouin (iWKB) method and the analysis of the refractive index profile has shown an exponential distribution in the exchange layer. The Si + ions implanted into the Cs +– K + exchange sample with the energy of 550 keV at a dose of 1.0×1015 ions/cm2 at room temperature to form a buried planar waveguide structure. The program code TRIM'98 (transport of ions in matter) is used to simulate the implantation process. The near field patterns of propagation light in buried waveguide was studied by the end-coupling method.
RANDOM WALK IN SHORTCUT MODELS
Authors: SHANKER O.
Published: May 2008

Earlier studies of a parametrized class of models whose fractal dimension transitions from one to two indicated that the transition occurs infinitely sharply at the parameter value p=0, as the system size increases to infinity. We study a random walk process which is sensitive to dimension, and we find the same sharp transition at p=0. We use the tool of rescaled range analysis to analyze the drift velocity of the random walk process.
AC CONDUCTIVITY AND DIELECTRIC STUDIES ON Sr0.6Na0.2Nd0.2Bi4Ti4O15 CERAMIC
Authors: RIZWANA  , KRISHNA T. RADHA , SARAH P.
Published: May 2008

Sr 0.6 Na 0.2 Nd 0.2 Bi 4 Ti 4 O 15 ceramic is prepared by mixed oxide method. Lattice parameters for this ceramic are calculated from the X-ray diffraction data. Dielectric studies as a function of temperature and frequency are done. To understand the process of conduction involved in the material prepared, frequency and temperature dependency of AC conductivity studies are carried out. The two-term power relation is used to characterize the frequency dependence of AC conductivity. The parameters s1, s2 (low and high frequency slopes) are calculated from the AC conductivity plots at different temperatures to get more information about the conduction mechanism. Conduction is explained based on hopping mechanism occuring via polarons.
SCHEME TO IMPLEMENT THE OPTIMAL ASYMMETRIC ECONOMICAL 1 → 2 PHASE-COVARIANT TELECLONING VIA CAVITY-QED
Authors: YANG ZHEN , ZHANG WEN-HAI , YE LIU
Published: May 2008

We propose an experimentally feasible scheme to implement the optimal asymmetric economical 1 → 2 phase-covariant telecloning, which works without ancilla, based on Cavity-QED. Our scheme is insensitive to the cavity field states and cavity decay. During the telecloning process, the cavity is only virtually excited, thus it greatly prolongs the efficient decoherent time. Therefore, the scheme can be experimentally realized in the range of current cavity QED techniques.
ENTANGLEMENT DISTRIBUTION AND STATE DISCRIMINATION IN TRIPARTITE QUBIT SYSTEMS
Authors: BATLE J. , CASAS M.
Published: May 2008

This work reviews and extends recent results concerning the distribution of entanglement, as well as nonlocality (in terms of inequality violations) in tripartite qubit systems. With recourse to a Monte Carlo generation of pure and mixed states of three-qubits, we explore several features related to the distribution of entanglement (expressed in the form of different measures of multiqubit entanglement based upon bipartitions). Also, special interest is paid to maximally entangled states (such as the GHZ for three-qubits) and W states. This study also sheds some light on the interesting relation existing between some entanglement measures and perfect state discrimination in LOCC measurements relevant to cryptographic protocols. We round off the results by studying the distribution of entanglement between Alice and Bob in a modified teleportation protocol toy model over three-qubit states.
The genetic contribution to heart rate and heart rate variability in quiescent mice
Authors: Howden Reuben , Liu Eric , Miller-DeGraff Laura , Keener Heather L. , Walker Christopher , Clark James A. , Myers Page H. , Rouse D. Clay , Wiltshire Tim , Kleeberger Steven R.
Published: May 2008

Recent studies have suggested a genetic component to heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV). However, a systematic examination of the genetic contribution to the variation in HR and HRV has not been performed. This study investigated the genetic contribution to HR and HRV using a wide range of inbred and recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains. Electrocardiogram data were recorded from 30 strains of inbred mice and 29 RI strains. Significant differences in mean HR and total power (TP) HRV were identified between inbred strains and RI strains. Multiple significant differences within the strain sets in mean low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) power were also found. No statistically significant concordance was found between strain distribution patterns for HR and HRV phenotypes. Genomewide interval mapping identified a significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) for HR [LOD (likelihood of the odds) score = 3.763] on chromosome 6 [peak at 53.69 megabases (Mb); designated HR 1 ( Hr1)]. Suggestive QTLs for TP were found on chromosomes 2, 4, 5, 6, and 14. A suggestive QTL for LF was found on chromosome 16; for HF, we found one significant QTL on chromosome 5 (LOD score = 3.107) [peak at 53.56 Mb; designated HRV-high-frequency 1 ( Hrvhf1)] and three suggestive QTLs on chromosomes 2, 11 and 15. In conclusion, the results demonstrate a strong genetic component in the regulation of resting HR and HRV evidenced by the significant differences between strains. A lack of correlation between HR and HRV phenotypes in some inbred strains suggests that different sets of genes control the phenotypes. Furthermore, QTLs were found that will provide important insight to the genetic regulation of HR and HRV at rest.
Chronic insulin treatment amplifies PDGF-induced motility in differentiated aortic smooth muscle cells by suppressing the expression and function of PTP1B
Authors: Zhuang Daming , Pu Qinghua , Ceacareanu Bogdan , Chang Yingzi , Dixit Madhulika , Hassid Aviv
Published: May 2008

Hyperinsulinemia plays a major role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease. Restenosis occurs at an accelerated rate in hyperinsulinemia and is dependent on increased vascular smooth muscle cell movement from media to neointima. PDGF plays a critical role in mediating neointima formation in models of vascular injury. We have reported that PDGF increases the levels of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B and that PTP1B suppresses PDGF-induced motility in cultured cells and that it attenuates neointima formation in injured carotid arteries. Others have reported that insulin enhances the mitogenic and motogenic effects of PDGF in cultured smooth muscle cells and that hyperinsulinemia promotes vascular remodeling. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that insulin amplifies PDGF-induced cell motility by suppressing the expression and function of PTP1B. We found that chronic but not acute treatment of cells with insulin enhances PDGF-induced motility in differentiated cultured primary rat aortic smooth muscle cells and that it suppresses PDGF-induced upregulation of PTP1B protein. Moreover, insulin suppresses PDGF-induced upregulation of PTP1B mRNA levels, PTP1B enzyme activity, and binding of PTP1B to the PDGF receptor-β, and it enhances PDGF-induced PDGF receptor phosphotyrosylation. Treatment with insulin induces time-dependent upregulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase)-δ and activation of Akt, an enzyme downstream of PI3-kinase. Finally, inhibition of PI3-kinase activity, or its function, by pharmacological or genetic means rescues PTP1B activity in insulin-treated cells. These observations uncover novel mechanisms that explain how insulin amplifies the motogenic capacity of the pivotal growth factor PDGF.
Fractal scaling properties of heart rate dynamics following resistance exercise training
Authors: Heffernan Kevin S. , Sosnoff Jacob J. , Fahs Christopher A. , Shinsako Kevin K. , Jae Sae Young , Fernhall Bo
Published: May 2008

With aging and disease, there is a breakdown of the natural fractal-like organization of heart rate (HR). Fractal-like correlation properties of HR can be assessed with detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). A short-time scaling exponent (αs) value of 1 is associated with healthy HR dynamics, whereas values that deviate away from 1, in either direction, indicate fractal collapse. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of resistance exercise training (RT) on fractal correlation properties of HR dynamics. Resting ECG was collected at baseline, following a 4-wk time control period and 6 wk of RT (3 days per wk) in 34 men (23 ± 1 years of age). Fractal properties of HR were assessed with DFA. There was no change in αsfollowing either the time control period or RT (1.01 ± 0.06 to 0.98 ± 0.06 to 0.93 ± 0.04, P > 0.05). Given the potential bidirectional nature of fractal collapse, subjects were retrospectively separated into two groups (higher αsand lower αs) on the basis of the initial αsby using cluster analysis. An interaction was detected for αsfollowing RT ( P < 0.05). There was no change in αsin either group following the time control, but αsincreased following RT in the lower αsgroup ( n = 18; 0.73 ± 0.04 to 0.69 ± 0.04 to 0.88 ± 0.04) and αsdecreased following RT in the higher αsgroup ( n = 16; 1.20 ± 0.04 to 1.24 ± 0.04 to 0.98 ± 0.04). In conclusion, RT improves fractal properties of HR dynamics.
Platelet Protein Interactions
Authors: Dittrich Marcus , Birschmann Ingvild , Mietner Silke , Sickmann Albert , Walter Ulrich , Dandekar Thomas
Published: May 2008

Objectives—

Assembly of a comprehensive proteome and transcriptome database of human platelets, derivation of a model of the platelet-specific interactome, and generation of a functional interaction map of platelet phosphorylations and kinases.

Methods and Results—

Interactions are derived from literature-curated data from HPRD and yeast two hybrid (Y2H) and mapped to platelet-specific expression data (SAGE or proteome). From this a cell-type specific model of platelet proteins and protein–protein interactions is derived. The obtained inventory of platelet-specific proteins includes key domains, protein GO annotations, and receptors. Collected interactions point to new platelet signaling components, actin remodeling processes, and pharmacological targets and offer incentives for further studies (eg, on the IPP complex). Integration of platelet-specific phosphoproteins and the characterization of the platelet kinase repertoire sketch a first outline of kinase signaling in human platelets.

Conclusions—

A first view of the platelet interactome, platelet phosphorylation, and platelet kinome is available from the in silico data.
Reduction in the Recurrence of Stroke by Eicosapentaenoic Acid for Hypercholesterolemic Patients
Authors: Tanaka Kortaro , Ishikawa Yuichi , Yokoyama Mitsuhiro , Origasa Hideki , Matsuzaki Masunori , Saito Yasushi , Matsuzawa Yuji , Sasaki Jun , Oikawa Shinichi , Hishida Hitoshi , Itakura Hiroshige , Kita Toru , Kitabatake Akira , Nakaya Noriaki , Sakata Toshiie , Shimada Kazuyuki , Shirato Kunio
Published: May 2008

Background and Purpose—

The JELIS trial examined the preventive effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) against coronary artery diseases. Hypercholesterolemic patients received statin only (no EPA group: n=9319) or statin with EPA (EPA group: n=9326) for around 5 years. EPA significantly suppressed the incidence of coronary events in previous analysis. Herein, we investigated the effects of EPA on the primary and secondary prevention of stroke.

Methods—

We conducted a subanalysis of JELIS with respect to stroke incidence in the primary and secondary prevention subgroups defined as those without and with a prior history of stroke using Cox proportional hazard ratios, adjusted for baseline risk factor levels.

Results—

As for primary prevention of stroke, this occurred in 114 (1.3%) of 8862 no EPA group and in 133 (1.5%) of 8841 EPA group. No statistically significant difference in total stroke incidence (Hazard Ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.22) was observed between the no EPA and the EPA groups. In the secondary prevention subgroup, stroke occurred in 48 (10.5%) of 457 no EPA group and in 33 (6.8%) of 485 EPA group, showing a 20% relative reduction in recurrent stroke in the EPA group (Hazard Ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.997).

Conclusions—

Administration of highly purified EPA appeared to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in a Japanese population of hypercholesterolemic patients receiving low-dose statin therapy. Further research is needed to determine whether similar benefits are found in other populations with lower levels of fish intake. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT00231738).
Increase in the Vascular Residence Time of Propranolol-Loaded Nanoparticles Coated with Heparin
Authors: Socha Marie , Lamprecht Alf , El Ghazouani Fatima , Emond Emeric , Maincent Philippe , Barré Jérôme , Hoffman Maurice , Ubrich Nathalie
Published: May 2008

Propranolol-HCl incorporated nanoparticles prepared with a blend of a polyester and a polycationic polymer and coated or not with a low molecular weight heparin by electrostatic interactions were prepared by emulsification followed by solvent evaporation. The mean diameter was 388 and
357nm for coated and uncoated nanoparticles, respectively, and the entrapment efficiency ranged from 20 to 32%. Coated nanoparticles were negatively-charged, whereas uncoated nanoparticles displayed a positive zeta potential (+30 mV). After intravenous administration to rabbits of propranolol-HCl
solution and propranolol-loaded nanoparticles coated or not with heparin, pharmacokinetic data revealed that coated nanoparticles exhibited a prolonged blood residence time. It can be concluded that the hydrophilic layer of heparin at the surface of nanoparticles conferred stealth properties
which probably reduce the phagocytosis process and avoid immediate uptake by the mononuclear phagocytic system.