bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical Simulation of Three-Dimensional Bristle Bending in Brush Seals
Authors: Guardino Cesare , Chew John W.
Published: June 2005

This paper presents a new method for predicting the three-dimensional (3D) bending behavior of bristles in brush seals. The model builds on and addresses shortcomings in an earlier two-dimensional bending model. The work was motivated by the need to develop a general 3D solid mechanical model that can ultimately be incorporated into CFD models of flow and heat transfer through brush seals. The iterative method considered here, which is based on linear beam-bending theory, allows relatively large numbers of bristles to be considered with arbitrary imposed aerodynamic forces. Bristle-to-bristle contacts and deflections are considered, as well as shaft and backing ring contacts. The method also allows arbitrary initial bristle packs and lay-angles to be considered, as well as periodic conditions so that the model represents a sector of a brush seal. Other physically important features, such as the so-called 3D-splay and inclined prop effects, are also taken into account. The method described here has been incorporated into a new computer code called SUBSIS (Surrey University Brush Seal Iterative Simulator). Example results from this code are presented that show the bending behavior of initially hexagonally packed brush seals under model imposed pressure loads acting on the bristle tips. The effects of rotor incursions into the bristle pack, increase of the pressure load, and changes in the lay-angle and Young’s modulus are also shown. The results illustrate the expected bending behavior observed in real brush seals. Procedures for coupling SUBSIS with CFD models are also currently under investigation.
INTERSECTING JONES PROJECTIONS
Authors: CARPI SEBASTIANO
Published: June 2005

Let M be a von Neumann algebra on a Hilbert space ℋ with a cyclic and separating unit vector Ω and let ω be the faithful normal state on M given by ω(·) = (Ω,·Ω). Moreover, let {Ni : i ∈ I} be a family of von Neumann subalgebras of M with faithful normal conditional expectations Ei of M onto Ni satisfying ω = ω ◦ Ei for all i ∈ I and let N = ∩i∈I Ni. We show that the projections ei, e of ℋ onto the closed subspaces [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] respectively satisfy e = ∧i∈I ei. This proves a conjecture of Jones and Xu in [1].
CHARACTERIZATIONS OF LIFTING MODULES IN TERMS OF COJECTIVE MODULES AND THE CLASS OF ℬ(M,X)
Authors: ORHAN NIL , TÜTÜNCÜ DERYA KESKIN
Published: June 2005

In this note, we introduce the (small, pseudo-)ℬ(M,X)-cojective modules and we generalize (small, pseudo-)cojective modules via the class ℬ(M,X). Let M = M1 ⊕ M2 be an X-amply supplemented module with the finite internal exchange property. Then for every decomposition of M = Mi ⊕ Mj, Mi is ℬ(Mj,X)-cojective for i ≠ j, M1 and M2 are X-lifting if and only if M is X-lifting. We also prove that for an X-amply supplemented module M = M1 ⊕ M2 such that M1 and M2 are indecomposable X-lifting modules, if M2 is ℬ(M1,X)-cojective and M1 is small-ℬ(M2,X)-cojective then M is X-lifting.
BORN-INFELD GRAVITY
Authors: COMELLI DENIS
Published: June 2005

We propose a generalization of gravitational interactions where the action contains, instead of the square root of the metric determinant, the square root of determinant of some other tensor field. We analyze the action [Formula: see text] as a possible alternative or addition to the Einstein gravity. Cosmological consequences of this hypothesis are briefly discussed.
COSMOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NONLINEAR ELECTRODYNAMICS
Authors: NOVELLO M.
Published: June 2005

We present some consequences induced by nonlinear electrodynamics on the global properties of the universe.
SELF-ACCELERATED UNIVERSE
Authors: KOSYAKOV B. P.
Published: June 2005

It is widely believed that the large redshifts for distant supernovae are due to the vacuum energy dominance, which is responsible for the anti-gravitation effect. A tacit assumption is that particles move along geodesics for the background metric. This is in the same spirit as the consensus regarding the uniform Galilean motion of a free electron. However, apart from the Galilean solution, there is a self-accelerated solution to the Lorentz–Dirac equation governing the behavior of a radiating electron. Likewise, a runaway solution to the entire system of equations, both gravitation and matter equations of motion including, may exist, which provides an alternative explanation for the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS: AN ALTERNATE APPROACH TOWARDS EXACT SOLUTIONS FOR AN FRW UNIVERSE
Authors: WILLIAMS F. L.
Published: June 2005

We show that the Einstein field equations for a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker(FRW) universe are completely equivalent to a generalized Ermakov-Milne-Pinney system. This extends recent work of R. Hawkins and J. Lidsey, and provides an alternate method for deriving exact solutions of the field equations.
HIERARCHICAL MODELING BASED ON MIXED PRINCIPLES: ASYMPTOTIC ERROR ESTIMATES
Authors: MADUREIRA ALEXANDRE L.
Published: June 2005

We analyze approximation properties of dimension reduction models that are based on mixed principles. The problems of interest are elliptic PDEs in thin domains. The goal is to obtain estimates that take into account both the thickness of the domain and the order of the model. The techniques involved do not require the models to be energy minimizers, and are based on asymptotic expansions for the exact and model solutions. We obtain estimates in several norms and semi-norms, and also interior estimates (which disregards boundary layers).
A STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF SPECULATIVE TRADE IN A TWO-SIDED ASSET MARKET WITH INFORMATION DIVERSITY
Authors: ROCKENBACH BETTINA
Published: June 2005

The impossibility of speculative trade result (Milgrom and Stokey, 1982) provokes the questions why traders care about their private information, if they cannot profit from it and how the aggregate information can then be reflected in REE prices. This paper answers these questions by analyzing a speculative market as a game, which has the advantage of making the equilibrium strategies explicit. We introduce the new equilibrium selection concept of best reply resistance, which singles out those equilibria that remain an equilibrium even if opponent(s) deviate to a best reply. In the unique best reply resistant equilibrium of the two-player game trade at the REE price occurs each time both traders receive contradicting private information.
EVOLUTION WITH ENDOGENOUS MUTATIONS
Authors: KOLSTAD IVAR
Published: June 2005

Bergin and Lipman (1996) prove that equilibrium selection in the evolutionary dynamics of Kandori et al. (1993) and Young (1993), is not robust to variations in mutation rates across states. Specifically, a risk dominant equilibrium can be selected against if mutation rates are higher in its basin of attraction than elsewhere. Van Damme and Weibull (1998) model mutations as a compromise between payoff losses and control costs, which implies lower mutation rates in the risk dominant equilibrium. This paper argues that this result is not driven by control costs, but by players focusing on payoff losses when choosing mutation rates.
ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGIES AND THE BODY
Authors: Hogle Linda F.
Published: June 2005

The technological ability to alter biology, along with the social conditions and cultural expectations that enable such transformations, is spawning a variety of techniques that augment bodily forms and functions. These techniques, collectively known as enhancement technologies, aim to improve human characteristics, including appearance and mental or physical functioning, often beyond what is ‘normal’ or necessary for life and well-being. Humans have always modified their bodies. What distinguishes these techniques is that bodies and selves become the objects of improvement work, unlike previous efforts in modernity to achieve progress through social and political institutions. There are profound effects on sociality and subjectivity. This chapter reviews analytical approaches through which researchers have attempted to illuminate the practices, moral and economic reasoning, cultural assumptions and institutional contexts constituting enhancements, framing the discussion by examining the concept of the normal body. Examples from cosmetic, neurological and genetic enhancements will illustrate.
IMMIGRANT RACIALIZATION AND THE NEW SAVAGE SLOT: Race, Migration, and Immigration in the New Europe
Authors: Silverstein Paul A.
Published: June 2005

This review explores contemporary processes through which immigrants are categorized into shifting racial landscapes in the new Europe. Tracing the racial genealogy of the immigrant through European and Europeanist migration studies, the successive construction of overlapping tropes of the nomad, the laborer, the uprooted victim, the hybrid cosmopolite, and the (Muslim) transmigrant are examined. This history points to the perduring problematization of the immigrant as the object of national integration. If migration studies have effectively tended to racialize migrants into a new savage slot, recent ethnographies of the immigrant experience in Europe point to ways in which immigrant and diasporic groups cross racial frontiers and enact solidarity across class and cultural lines.
LINGUISTIC, CULTURAL, AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Authors: Maffi Luisa
Published: June 2005

Over the past decade, the field of biocultural diversity has arisen as an area of transdisciplinary research concerned with investigating the links between the world's linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity as manifestations of the diversity of life. The impetus for the emergence of this field came from the observation that all three diversities are under threat by some of the same forces and from the perception that loss of diversity at all levels spells dramatic consequences for humanity and the earth. Accordingly, the field of biocultural diversity has developed with both a theoretical and a practical side, the latter focusing on on-the-ground work and policy, as well as with an ethics and human rights component. This review provides some background on the historical antecedents and beginnings of this field and on its philosophical and ethical underpinnings, and then surveys the key literature on biocultural diversity, concentrating on three main aspects: global and regional studies on the links between linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity; the measurement and assessment of biocultural diversity; and the protection and maintenance of biocultural diversity. The review concludes with some considerations about future prospects for this emerging field.
Adoption of Spironolactone Therapy for Older Patients With Heart Failure and Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in the United States, 1998–2001
Authors: Masoudi Frederick A. , Gross Cary P. , Wang Yongfei , Rathore Saif S. , Havranek Edward P. , Foody JoAnne Micale , Krumholz Harlan M.
Published: June 2005

Background—

Concerns have been raised about the appropriateness of spironolactone use in some patients with heart failure. We studied the adoption of spironolactone therapy after publication of the Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study (RALES) in national cohorts of older patients hospitalized for heart failure.

Methods and Results—

This is a study of serial cross-sectional samples of Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years old discharged after hospitalization for the primary diagnosis of heart failure and with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The first sample was discharged before (April 1998 to March 1999, n=9758) and the second sample after (July 2000 to June 2001, n=9468) publication of RALES in September 1999. We assessed spironolactone prescriptions at hospital discharge in patient groups defined by enrollment criteria for the trial. Using multivariable logistic regression, we identified factors independently associated with prescriptions not meeting these criteria. Spironolactone use increased >7-fold (3.0% to 21.3%
P
<0.0001) after RALES. Of patients meeting enrollment criteria, 24.1% received spironolactone, as compared with 17.4% of those not meeting the criteria. Of all prescriptions after RALES, 30.9% were provided to patients not meeting enrollment criteria. Spironolactone was prescribed to 22.8% of patients with a serum potassium value ≥5.0 mmol/L, to 14.1% with a serum creatinine value ≥2.5 mg/dL, and to 17.3% with severe renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL · min
−1
· 1.73 m
−
2
). In multivariable analyses, factors associated with prescriptions not meeting enrollment criteria included advanced age, noncardiovascular comorbidities, discharge to skilled nursing facilities, and care provided by physicians without board certification.

Conclusions—

Spironolactone prescriptions increased markedly after the publication of RALES, and many treated patients were at risk for hyperkalemia. Simultaneously, many patients who might have benefited were not treated. These findings demonstrate the importance of balancing efforts to enhance use among appropriate patients and minimizing use in patients at risk for adverse events.
The Effect of ENSO on Tibetan Plateau Snow Depth: A Stationary Wave Teleconnection Mechanism and Implications for the South Asian Monsoons
Authors: Shaman Jeffrey , Tziperman Eli
Published: June 2005

An atmospheric stationary wave teleconnection mechanism is proposed to explain how ENSO may affect the Tibetan Plateau snow depth and thereby the south Asian monsoons. Using statistical analysis, the short available record of satellite estimates of snow depth, and ray tracing, it is shown that wintertime ENSO conditions in the central Pacific may produce stationary barotropic Rossby waves in the troposphere with a northeastward group velocity. These waves reflect off the North American jet, turning equatorward, and enter the North African–Asian jet over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Once there, the waves move with the jet across North Africa, South Asia, the Himalayas, and China. Anomalous increases in upper-tropospheric potential vorticity and increased wintertime snowfall over the Tibetan Plateau are speculated to be associated with these Rossby waves. The increased snowfall produces a larger Tibetan Plateau snowpack, which persists through the spring and summer, and weakens the intensity of the south Asian summer monsoons.
The Modeling of Trapped-Fetch Waves with Tropical Cyclones—A Desktop Operational Model
Authors: MacAfee Allan W. , Bowyer Peter J.
Published: June 2005

The authors’ development of an underlying theory of trapped-fetch waves with tropical cyclones was presented in an earlier paper. Based on this work a simple, desktop Lagrangian-based trapped-fetch wave model was developed. Although initially a training tool, operational meteorologists recognized that the model could assist them in real-time assessment of trapped-fetch wave potential. Hence, the model was integrated into the Canadian Hurricane Centre’s operational prediction workstation. Because of this integration and the computational speed of the model, after reviewing the output from a full spectral wave model, the forecaster uses this simple model to assess, in more detail, trapped-fetch wave potential in various track prediction scenarios.

The trapped-fetch wave model and the ensemble of parametric hurricane wind models used to drive the model are outlined in this paper. A number of case studies are examined and additional applications suggested.
Transnational Migrations and Social Transformations: A Theoretical Perspective
Authors: Schuerkens Ulrike
Published: June 2005

In this article, the author tackles the combined effects of transnational migrations and social transformations. During the last few years, it has become more and more obvious that globalization characterizes more and more transnational migrations. New forms of interdependence, transnational societies, and regional cooperation transform the lives of millions of people, who are linking the future of states and societies. In the countries of the South, international migrations contribute to the development of these societies by remittances of migrants from the North to the South, which play an important role in national and even international development plans. World system theory considers international migrations as a structural consequence of the extension of markets into a global political-hierarchical system. With the extension of capitalism to ever greater parts of the world, increasing numbers of people are introduced into the global economy. International migrations followed the creation of global links between primary goods, labour and land. Some simple theses result from this: international migrations follow international capital movements, but in the opposite direction. The creation of ideological and material relations still completes these migration processes: colonialism, common languages, commerce, transport, mass media and travel link and have linked different regions of the world and cause international migration flows to develop. For many countries of the South, international migrations are one aspect of the social crisis that accompanies their integration into a global market, and their social and economic change. For several years, it appears that migrant communities create networks that link regions of origin and those of immigration. Today, these transnational links contribute to changes of economic, social, demographic and cultural structures, which put into question national identities. International migrations do not change just the migrants themselves, but whole societies and their relations with each other.
New Directions for Terrorism Research
Authors: Bergesen Albert J. , Han Yi
Published: June 2005

We propose two new directions for terrorism research. One is to adopt a comparative framework, as we note that there was another wave of terrorism between 1878 and 1914 that strongly resembles today’s 1968-present wave of international terrorism. The two should be compared, and at different levels of analysis from the individual terrorist incident through global spirals of terrorist waves. Second, we suggest that international terrorism is not an essentialist entity that can simply be contrasted with domestic terrorism. There is variation in degree of internationality. We propose a simple technique for measuring the different states of internationalness that transnational terrorism might take. In this regard, we analyze data on terrorist incidents between 1975 and 2004 to closely examine the unfolding of the proposed four stages in which terrorism internationalizes.
Resource Rents, Governance, and Conflict
Authors: Collier Paul , Hoeffler Anke
Published: June 2005

Case studies as well as cross-country studies suggest that countries with an abundance of natural resources are more prone to violent conflict. This collection of articles analyzes the link between natural resources and civil war in a number of different ways. So far the literature falls broadly into two camps. First, in the economics literature the well-documented “resource curse” leads to low-income growth rates and low levels of income. These in turn constitute low opportunity costs for rebellion and make civil war more likely. On the other hand, political science literature concentrates on the link between natural resources and weak institutions. States with natural resources often rely on a system of patronage and do not develop a democratic system based on electoral competition, scrutiny and civil rights. Based on further empirical evidence in this volume we conclude with a brief overview of current policy initiatives.
Switching Social Identities:
Authors: Richardson John D.
Published: June 2005

An experiment investigated the impact of editorial framing on readers’ political cognitions and affect toward a different racial group. Participants read mock newspaper editorials endorsing Grutter v. Bollinger, a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action in higher education. The editorials were systematically manipulated to present different frames in four randomly assigned versions: remedial action, diversity, combined (both frames), and control (neither frame). Frame inductions did not significantly influence support for affirmative action. However, exposure to editorials presenting the diversity frame moderated the relation between Whites’ pretested interracial attitudes (modern racism, White guilt, and belief in White privilege) and support for affirmative action. Editorials presenting the diversity frame also induced White participants to score higher on a measure of pro-Black affect. Overall, the results suggest that frames can activate distinct social identities within the minds of readers, priming their applicability to the task at hand.
Teacher Stress and Personal Values
Authors: Bachkirova Tatiana
Published: June 2005

This article presents the first stage of a small-scale research project into the relationship between teacher stress and personal values. It starts by outlining the problem of teacher stress and an overview of the literature investigating the sources of it. A particular combination of factors related to personal values that may increase vulnerability to stress is then suggested and a research project conducted to investigate this idea is described. The results of the research are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Finally a speculative interpretation of the results is presented together with some tentative recommendations in relation to stress for individual teachers.
Dialectics of Scale: Global Capital and Local Unions in Australia’s Iron Ore Industry
Authors: Ellem Bradon
Published: June 2005

For over five years, Western Australia’s Pilbara iron ore mining region has been the site of a series of intense struggles over worker representation. Thus far, unions have avoided a repeat of defeats suffered in the 1980s and 1990s. Indeed, new forms of local interaction have emerged alongside new kinds of union structures. To explain these developments, this article goes beyond mainstream industrial relations scholarship and draws from the work of human geographers. By focusing on the making of space, it is possible to make clear the meanings of these particular intersections of the local, State, national and global scales. In so doing, three dialectical tensions are addressed: those within the ‘local-global’ structuring of this productive space; those within the interplay of national and local union settings; and also between these processes. Neither scale nor space itself is hierarchical. No one scale - local or global - can be accorded priority. Nor can any one space - the workplace or the town - be thought of without the other.
Gender, Traditionalism, and Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence Within a Closed Community
Authors: Shoham Efrat
Published: June 2005

This research was aimed at examining the attitudes toward domestic violence of people living in communal secular and religious kibbutzim. The findings, disregarding gender or traditionalism, indicate that most of the kibbutz members examined view the kibbutz as almost totally lacking any problem of violence toward women by their partners. The belief that the kibbutz home is a secure place for women within the family framework appears, surprisingly, at a higher frequency among women than among men. There are two possible theoretical explanations for this finding. First, the kibbutz lifestyle has indeed brought about equal power relationships, which explains why domestic violence is not viewed as a social problem, mostly by secular women. Second, women, who play a relatively minor role in constructing the public agenda in the kibbutz, have not become aware of the existence of this issue in the closed community.
Psychotherapy, Politics and Trauma: Working with Survivors of Torture and Organized Violence
Authors: Blackwell Dick
Published: June 2005

Oppression can occur in the family, school workplace and cultural environment, and in the discourses of psychiatry and psychotherapy as well as under overtly repressive political regimes. Therapy with survivors of torture and organized violence is not a special case of therapy in a political context, nor of the need for politicized therapy. It is rather an example where these issues are writ large and where the place of psychotherapy in a general struggle for collective civilization, personal liberation and human rights can be given a particularly sharp focus. Group analysis provides a particularly valuable approach because it recognizes the dialectic between individual and group, and the resonance between different levels of context.
“No Way Out”
Authors: Crandall Marie , Senturia Kirsten , Sullivan Marianne , Shiu-Thornton Sharyne
Published: June 2005

This article explores the experience of domestic violence and utilization of domestic violence resources among immigrant women who were Russian speaking. Participants, many of whom came to the United States as so-called mail-order brides, reported diverse forms of abuse, including isolation and financial restrictions, and were reluctant to get outside help because of embarrassment about their circumstances. Survivors stressed the importance of language- and culture-appropriate outreach and services and urged that women receive information about domestic violence services and laws on immigration. Assistance with housing, child care, and job searches is integral to safe transitions out of abusive relationships.
Bargaining in Less-Democratic Newly Industrialized Countries
Authors: Yap O. Fiona
Published: June 2005

Do governments in less-democratic newly industrialized countries (NICs) bargain with their citizens? In this article we develop a game-theoretic model to show that the government may not be able to avoid bargaining in open economies such as the Asian NICs when economic conditions are less than optimal. The reason is that, in the absence of government bargaining, citizens acting rationally and strategically choose to withdraw resources such as labor or production investment from a weak economy. Under these circumstances, government bargaining to elicit resource investment is a sub-game perfect equilibrium outcome. To test the model, we analyze data on production investment in the Asian NICs of South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia from the 1960s to the 1990s. The analysis supports the prediction of the formal model and, hence, makes three contributions to the study of this topic. First, when we relax the assumption that citizens are naïve, governments in less-democratic open economies such as the Asian NICs may not be able to avoid bargaining with their citizens. Second, resource-withholding or withdrawal is an equilibrium strategy that convinces the government to bargain. Third, governments may bargain credibly even in the absence of formal constraints.
A Structural Equation Model of Predictors for Effective Online Learning
Authors: Marks Ronald B. , Sibley Stanley D. , Arbaugh J. B.
Published: June 2005

In studying online learning, researchers should examine three critical interactions: instructor-student, student-student, and student-content. Student-content interaction may include a wide variety of pedagogical tools (e.g., streaming media, PowerPoint, and hyperlinking). Other factors that can affect the perceived quality of online learning include distance education advantages (e.g., work and family flexibility) and antecedent personal characteristics (e.g., experience and gender). The study indicated that instructor-student interaction is most important, twice that of student-student interaction; that some student-content interaction is significantly related to perceived learning; that antecedent variables are not significant; and that distance education advantages/flexibility, although significant, are less important than other interactions.
The Private Sector and Privatization in Social Services
Authors: Mehrotra Santosh , Delamonica Enrique
Published: June 2005

One of the most significant developments in the 1990s in social policy in developing and transition countries has been the growth of privatization in health, education and water services - three basic services, which involve most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Welfare pluralism was very much a core element of the Washington Consensus. Despite the talk of the Washington Consensus being ‘dead for years’, the international financial institutions have pushed for welfare pluralism in social services since the 1990s. This article critically scrutinizes the arguments and evidence that have been made in favour of greater private sector participation in these services. The article addresses what role the private sector could or should play in these services and is, thus, driven by practical policy concerns. For reasons of space, this article does not address the non-profit or nongovernmental organization (NGO) provision of basic social services (which, in most countries, is quite small in size).
The Fairy Who Wouldn’t Fly: A story of subjection and agency
Authors: Davies Bronwyn
Published: June 2005

This article examines the discursive shifts in the story The Fairy Who Wouldn’t Fly, written and illustrated by Pixie O’Harris in 1945 and then retold by David Harris in 1974. The article examines the changes between the 1940s and the 1970s in the broader social world, in particular the ways the correction of children (or bringing children into the social) is understood. The concepts of subjection, governmentality and agency are used to inform this analysis. The aspect of becoming literate that involves learning how to comprehend oral stories and how to decode graphic signs is analysed as integral to children’s subjection in specific historical moments. The analysis provides an example of how teachers might analyse the texts they work with in order to make visible the forms of governmentality they are caught up in when teaching literacy.
Triad Tasks, a Multipurpose Tool to Elicit Similarity Judgments: The Case of Tzotzil Maya Plant Taxonomy
Authors: Ross Norbert , Barrientos Tomás , Esquit-Choy Alberto
Published: June 2005

The universality of multipurpose taxonomies has been widely established in folk biology. However, recent studies with nonprofessional fish experts in the United States as well as with tree experts in the Chicago area suggest that different goals can affect category organization of natural kinds. This article reports the results of a triad task study exploring specific aspects of the multipurpose plant taxonomy among the Tzotzil Maya of Zinacantán in the Highlands of Chiapas. Despite previously encountered differences with respect to saliency, no corresponding differences with respect to conceptual organization could be detected. A balanced incomplete block design was applied. Resolution was enhanced by allowing participants to judge the three items as either “too similar” or “too different” in addition to single out one item as different. Analyses explore (1) the pattern of informant agreement (as a precondition for), (2) the content of existing models, and (3) the saliency of responses.
Interior Thermal Insulation System Based on Hydrophilic Mineral Wool
Authors: Pavlík Zbyšek , Jiřičková Milena , Pavlík Jaroslav , Černý Robert
Published: June 2005

An interior thermal insulation system based on hydrophilic mineral wool is presented in this paper. Basic thermal and hygric parameters of the applied materials are given. The design and development of the thermal insulation system including its verification in semiscale experiments are described. Finally, an example of the application of the designed system in the reconstruction of a historical building in Prague is shown, and the results of in situ experiments are presented.
Influence of Langmuir–Blodgett nanolayers on microbial adhesion
Authors: Telegdi J. , Rigó T. , Beczner J. , Kálmán E.
Published: June 2005

Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) nanolayers of alkyl hydroxamic and phosphonic acids on glass, iron and copper surfaces were studied in the presence of different, corrosion relevant micro-organisms. The quality of monomolecular and multimolecular LB layers was characterised by dynamic contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy and the sum frequency vibration technique. The inhibition efficiency of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation, which was analysed by the surface visualising technique, epifluorescence microscopy and microbiological methods, increased with layer thickness. There were some differences in the blocking activity of the two amphiphiles (octadecylphosphonic acid C18P and octadecanoyl hydroxamic acid C18N) applied in LB films. Their repellent activity did not differ in cooling water but, in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, the C18N nanolayer inhibited the biofilm formation much better.
Optimisation of processing parameters on formation of silica coating on nickel substrates by sol–gel processing
Authors: Ghasemi A. , Ashrafizadeh F. , Golozar M. A.
Published: June 2005

A silica coating was deposited on the nickel substrate by the sol–gel process, and the structure and composition were evaluated. The sols were made from several acid catalysts, including HNO3–HCl, CH3COOH, HCl, a base catalyst (NH4OH, NH3) and two step catalysts such as CH3COOH–NH3. To produce adherent silica coatings on nickel, various additives such as surfactants, viscous additives and drying control chemical additives were introduced to the system, and appropriate drying and firing cycles were applied after dipping in solution. The structure and uniformity of the coatings were examined by SEM. Coating compositions were studied by glow discharge optical spectroscopy and EDAX microanalysis. The results indicate that a uniform coating of silica can be produced on a nickel substrate by optimising the composition of the sol and the process variables.
Laser cladding of Si on austenitic stainless steel
Authors: Jagdheesh R. , Kamachi Mudali U. , Sastikumar D. , Nath A. K.
Published: June 2005

Laser processed Si coatings with thickness in the range 100–150 μm were produced on AISI type 316L stainless steel substrate using a continuous wave CO2 laser. The experiments were done at a laser power between 1·5 kW and 1 kW, process speeds in the range 33·6–8·3 mm s−1, with a beam diameter of 1·6 mm. The microstructure of the laser processed coating consists of columnar dendrites and fine cellular structures. High temperature phases such as δ-ferrite and γ-austenite were found on the resolidified microstructure. The microanalysis technique demonstrated that the laser clad zone possessed a high concentration of Si. The crack free laser clad zone exhibited high hardness in the range 850–900 HV.
Expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: pattern of expression and correlation with clinical outcome
Authors: Wang Na , Wu Qiu-Liang , Fang Yan , Mai Hai-Qiang , Zeng Mu-Sheng , Shen Guo-Ping , Hou Jing-Hui , Zeng Yi-Xin
Published: June 2005

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor derived from epithelial cells and Epstein-Barr virus infection has been reported to be a cause of this disease. Chemokine receptor CXCR4 was found to be involved in HIV infection and was highly expressed in human malignant breast tumors and the ligand for CXCR4, CXCL12 (SDF-1), exhibited high expression in organs in which breast cancer metastases are often found. The metastatic pattern of NPC is quite similar to that of malignant breast tumors. In this study, we investigated the expression of CXCR4 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues by immunohistostaining. We found different staining patterns, which included localization in the nucleus, membrane, cytoplasm or a combination of them. The staining intensity was also variable among samples. The metastatic rates in patients with high compared to low or absent expression was 38.6% versus 19.8%, respectively (P = 0.004). High expression of CXCR4 was associated with poor overall survival (OS = 67.05% versus 82.08%, P = 0.0225). These results suggest that CXCR4 may be involved in the progression of NPC and that a high level of CXCR4 expression could be used as a prognostic factor.
Analytical tests for investigating the accuracy of lighting programs
Authors: Maamari F , Fontoynont M
Published: June 2005

To help potential users test and compare lighting computer programs, this paper defines some basic reference test cases with analytical solutions. These can be used to verify the accuracy and the capacity of lighting programs to correctly simulate different aspects of lighting calculations; daylight entry inside buildings, influence of incidence angle on glass transmittance, light distribution from luminaires having photometric files, inter-reflections between diffuse surfaces with influence of surface transmittance and finally daylight factor calculations under CIE overcast sky. To illustrate the use of these tests they were conducted with a software package available on the market, and the results compared with the analytical solutions. The tests demonstrate the software capabilities and limitations with regard to inter-reflection calculations, to simulation of luminaries and to daylight penetration through unglazed or glazed apertures.
Zebrafishpenner/lethal giant larvae 2functions in hemidesmosome formation, maintenance of cellular morphology and growth regulation in the developing basal epidermis
Authors: Sonawane Mahendra , Carpio Yamila , Geisler Robert , Schwarz Heinz , Maischein Hans-Martin , Nuesslein-Volhard Christiane
Published: June 2005

Epithelial cells are equipped with junctional complexes that are involved in maintaining tissue architecture, providing mechanical integrity and suppressing tumour formation as well as invasiveness. A strict spatial segregation of these junctional complexes leads to the polarisation of epithelial cells. In vertebrate epithelia, basally localised hemidesmosomes mediate stable adhesion between epithelial cells and the underlying basement membrane. Although components of hemidesmosomes are relatively well known, the molecular machinery involved in governing the formation of these robust junctions, remains elusive. Here, we have identified the first component of this machinery using a forward genetic approach in zebrafish as we show that the function of penner (pen)/lethal giant larvae 2(lgl2) is necessary for hemidesmosome formation and maintenance of the tissue integrity in the developing basal epidermis. Moreover, in pen/lgl2 mutant, basal epidermal cells hyper-proliferate and migrate to ectopic positions. Of the two vertebrate orthologues of the Drosophila tumour suppressor gene lethal giant larvae, the function of lgl2 in vertebrate development and organogenesis remained unclear so far. Here, we have unravelled an essential function of lgl2 during development of the epidermis in vertebrates.
The Hybridization of Layered Niobates with N,N′-Dimethylbipyridinium Ions by an Acid–Base Reaction
Authors: Hattori Takeshi , Sugito Yoshikazu , Yui Tatsuto , Takagi Katsuhiko
Published: June 2005

The hybridization of 1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dihydroxide [MV2+(OH−)2] into H4Nb6O17 was successfully carried out by a novel neutralization method. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the direct intercalation of the MV2+ ions into both of the two chemically different niobate layers in place of the alkylammonium–niobate composite as the precursor.
X-ray Crystallographic Characterization of Potassium Pentaphenyl[60]fullerene
Authors: Matsuo Yutaka , Tahara Kazukuni , Nakamura Eiichi
Published: June 2005

X-ray crystal structures of three differently solvated forms of potassium pentaphenyl[60]fullerene, K(C60Ph5)(thf)3, [K(thf)6][C60Ph5], and [K(18-crown-6)(dmf)][C60Ph5], indicate that the potassium cation and the fullerene cyclopentadienide become separated easily by cation solvation, and suggest that a solvent-separated ion pair is responsible for the formation of bilayer vesicles upon dissolution of KC60Ph5 in water.
Audit of treatment and contact-tracing rates in immediate (presumptive) versus delayed (polymerase chain reaction) diagnosis of chlamydial infection
Authors: Fernando I , Clutterbuck D J
Published: June 2005

An audit of all cases of chlamydial infection diagnosed in men at the Edinburgh genitourinary (GU) medicine clinic over a six-month period from January 2003 is reported. In all, 189 men identified as requiring treatment for possible chlamydial infection on first attendance (because of contact with a partner with chlamydia or the diagnosis of non-gonococcal urethritis [NGU] on microscopy), who later proved chlamydia-positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were compared with 83 men in whom infection was identified only on receipt of a PCR result. Treatment rates were 100% in the first group and 97.6% in the second group (χ2 0.046, P <0.05). In men presumptively diagnosed and treated, 88.6% of contacts identified were confirmed as traced, compared with 90% confirmed as traced in the group diagnosed by PCR alone. Our audit suggests that identifying men with chlamydial NGU by routine microscopy may carry a small but significant advantage in increasing treatment rates, but makes no difference to contact-tracing success rate.
The value of testing urine in non-gonococcal urethritis
Authors: Wasef W , Hughes S , Sugunendran H , Alawattegama A
Published: June 2005

This audit was conducted to look into the necessity of testing urine threads, in the diagnosis of non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). In a sample of 280 NGU cases, it was found that in 8.8% of cases there was a risk of the diagnosis being missed, should Gram-stained urethral smears be totally relied on. The study showed that examining urine threads is beneficial in diagnosing NGU, especially, in symptomatic men with negative Gram-stained urethral smears.

It should be noted, however, that in the group of patients studied for this audit, urine threads testing did not detect any chlamydia-positive NGU cases.
Correlates of sexually transmitted infections in young Australian women
Authors: Khan Asaduzzaman , Hussain Rafat , Schofield Margot
Published: June 2005

The study examined correlates of three common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Australian women. The sample comprised 9582 women aged 22–27 years who took part in the second postal survey in 2000, of the young cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Self-reported rates of diagnosis in past four years were: chlamydia 1.47%( n = 141), genital herpes 1.75% ( n = 168), and genital warts 3.45% ( n = 331). Multivariate analyses revealed that the odds of all three STIs increased with number of male sexual partners and illicit drug use. Younger and rural women had higher odds of being diagnosed with chlamydia. The odds of both genital herpes and genital warts were higher with longer oral contraceptive pill use and higher stress, while women who had experienced violence were found to have higher odds of herpes.

The identification of factors associated with common STIs among young Australian women will inform better-targeted health promotion and disease prevention programmes.
Vulval Crohn's disease – a multi-specialty approach
Authors: Bhaduri S , Jenkinson S , Lewis F
Published: June 2005

We report a case of Crohn's disease where the patient initially presented with vulval ulceration to the gynaecology unit. Initial investigations were planned jointly by both the gynaecology and genitourinary medicine staff. An examination under general anaesthetic by both teams was performed and biopsies taken. These showed a chronic inflammatory process with epithelioid granulomas. The teams then referred the case to the dermatology team who made the diagnosis of vulval Crohn's disease and initiated treatment with prednisolone and azathioprine. The case illustrates the need for a multi-speciality approach when dealing with such cases.
HIV/AIDS policy and policy evolution in China
Authors: Xue Bin
Published: June 2005

The early cases of HIV/AIDS in China were mostly foreign nationals. The Chinese government's response then was to stop and prevent HIV from entering China. However, the policy was not effective. From the middle 1990s, HIV/ AIDS spread all over China and all modes of transmission have been reported. By the end of 2003, China estimated that there were 840,000 cases of HIV/AIDS. China's HIV/AIDS policy has been changing along with its epidemic change. Based on an extensive document and literature review, I depict China's HIV/AIDS epidemic and policy and illustrate the main factors contributing to its policy evolution.
Seeing words that are not there: Detection biases in schizotypy
Authors: Tsakanikos Elias , Reed Phil
Published: June 2005

Objective. The present study introduced a novel word‐detection paradigm to examine detection biases as a function of different schizotypy dimensions in a sample of undergraduate students.

Method. The participants (N=80) were asked to detect fast moving (8 frames/second) words among simultaneously moving non‐words.

Results. Positive schizotypy was associated with a tendency to report words that never appeared in the trials. This effect was independent of task order, impulsivity and social desirability. None of the schizotypy measures were associated with correct words (detection accuracy).

Conclusions. A bias to report events in the absence of corresponding events may constitute a cross‐modal mechanism responsible for translating internally generated experiences into perceptual experiences.
Premorbid intelligence and brain injury
Authors: Morris Paul Graham , Wilson J. T. Lindsay , Dunn Laurence T. , Teasdale Graham M.
Published: June 2005

Objectives. To determine whether NART scores are associated with severity of brain injury and therefore presumably affected by brain injury. In addition, to compare the Cambridge Contextual Reading Test (CCRT) with injury severity in head‐injured individuals.

Design and methods. Participants were 55 survivors of traumatic head injury, who completed the NART and the CCRT. The scores on these premorbid measures were then compared with indices of injury severity from their initial neurosurgical admission.

Results. The NART was significantly correlated with Glasgow coma scale, with greater severity of injury associated with poorer performance. Poorer NART performance was also significantly more likely amongst those whose injury resulted in coma. The CCRT was preferred by patients, though it was also significantly associated with Glasgow coma scale and presence of coma.

Conclusions. The data suggest that performance on both the NART and the CCRT are affected by brain injury severity and thus may underestimate true premorbid ability in these individuals. Similar findings would be likely with the conceptually identical WTAR measure. These measures should be used with appropriate caution and may be usefully supplemented by predictions based on demographic information.
Stage-specific Expression of Dynein Light Chain-1 and Its Interacting Kinase, p21-activated Kinase-1, in Rodent Testes: Implications in Spermiogenesis
Authors: Wang Rui-An , Zhao Ming , Meistrich Marvin L. , Kumar Rakesh
Published: June 2005

Mammalian spermatogenesis is a complex process involving regulatory interactions of many gene products. In this study, we found that dynein light chain-1 (DLC1), a component of the dynein motor complex, is highly expressed in mouse and rat testes. Immunohistochemically detectable levels of DLC1 are observed specifically in spermatids in steps 9–16 in distinct subcellular compartments: in steps 9–11, DLC1 is predominantly localized in the nucleus; in steps 12 and 13, it is found in both nucleus and cytoplasm; and in step 14–16, it is present exclusively in the cytoplasm. In addition, we found p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1), a protein kinase that activates DLC1 by phosphorylating DLC1 at Serine 88, was also expressed during these stages of spermatogenesis. Pak1 was also expressed in Leydig cells, in preleptotene primary spermatocytes, and in round spermatids. The spermiogenic stage-specific expression of DLC1 suggests a role for DLC1 in chromatin condensation, spermatid shaping, and the final release of sperm from the spermatogenic epithelium. Further, Pak1 may also play a role in spermiogenesis by regulating DLC1 phosphorylation and, consequently, its function.