bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Both blastomeres of the mouse 2‐cell embryo contribute to the embryonic portion of the blastocyst
Authors: Chróścicka Anna , Komorowski S. , Maleszewski Marek
Published: April 2004

To track the lineage of both blastomeres of 2‐cell embryos during mouse preimplantation development, each cell was injected with dextran solutions conjugated with different fluorochromes. The fate of the progeny of the first two blastomeres was followed with confocal microscopy during cleavage and during the formation of the blastocyst. We observed that in most of cleaving embryos the cells derived from the two first blastomeres intermingled in both the trophectoderm and the inner cell mass (ICM) and did not form two discrete groups. We conclude that embryonic parts of blastocysts contain descendants of both blastomeres of 2‐cell embryo. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 68: 308–312, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The precise computation for wave propagation in stratified materials
Authors: Zhong W.‐X. , Lin J. H. , Gao Q.
Published: April 2004

The problem of random wave travelling along stratified materials is important for earthquake engineering. The soil is considered multi‐layered and located above the base‐rock, whose material property is assumed to be much stiffer than the soil, and the power spectrum density of the random excitation is given at the base rock. The soils can be arbitrarily anisotropic for each layer. The governing differential equations are derived in frequency and wavenumber domain and only a set of ordinary differential equations must then be solved. The eigensolution expansion method is used to solve for the responses of the layers. The precise integration algorithm in combination with the extended W–W algorithm is applied to obtain all the eigensolutions of the ODE (ordinary differential equation). Thereafter, the recently developed pseudo‐excitation method for structural random vibration is transplanted to the solution of the layered soil responses.

Numerical results are given and compared with some classical results. This shows the relevance of the presented method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive finite element analysis and modelling of solids and structures. Findings, problems and trends
Authors: Stein Erwin , Rüter Marcus , Ohnimus Stephan
Published: April 2004

The main purpose of this paper is two‐fold: first, to present a critical review of available error‐controlled adaptive finite element methods—with absolute global and goal‐oriented error estimates—for approximate solutions of a given mathematical model and the model error of the considered mathematical model and its dimensions, enhanced with our own recent results in fracture mechanics. The second related important matter is which physical/mathematical models—including various boundary layers and other disturbances—and which accuracy of the finite element solutions in which norm are prescribed and necessary for the safety and reliability of a certain engineering problem, e.g. in structural engineering, of course depending on materials, systems and the type as well as the magnitude of prescribed loadings (i.e. actions in a factorized concept) acting on a specific structure. It is hard to understand why the current regulations for structural engineering design in Europe—especially the European Standards (Eurocodes) and the relevant German DIN‐Codes (DIN: Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.)—do not lay out any rules or bounds for the prescribed accuracy of the material and structural resistance, i.e. the validity of mechanical modelling and the accuracy of associated numerical methods, usually today the finite element method. It can be observed that behind the existing codes there still lies the old thinking of, e.g., classical elastic beam theory of so‐called second order for stability problems and the corresponding elastic potential for plates and shells in buckling. Modern flexible finite element modelling by deriving theories in variational form for thin‐walled beams, plates and shells from rather general 3D theories, for both linear and non‐linear problems, capturing inelastic deformations and layer effects by material and dimensional expansions are not addressed in the Eurocodes for structural engineering. The necessary consequence is that joint work of computational mechanics specialists and structural engineers, working in national and international code‐committees, is absolutely necessary, in order to avoid a lot of costly troubles and dangers of today by improving and updating the codes. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variational time integrators
Authors: Lew A. , Marsden J. E. , Ortiz M. , West M.
Published: April 2004

The purpose of this paper is to review and further develop the subject of variational integration algorithms as it applies to mechanical systems of engineering interest. In particular, the conservation properties of both synchronous and asynchronous variational integrators (AVIs) are discussed in detail. We present selected numerical examples which demonstrate the excellent accuracy, conservation and convergence characteristics of AVIs. In these tests, AVIs are found to result in substantial speed‐ups, at equal accuracy, relative to explicit Newmark. A mathematical proof of convergence of the AVIs is also presented in this paper. Finally, we develop the subject of horizontal variations and configurational forces in discrete dynamics. This theory leads to exact path‐independent characterizations of the configurational forces acting on discrete systems. Notable examples are the configurational forces acting on material nodes in a finite element discretisation; and the J‐integral at the tip of a crack in a finite element mesh. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate copolymer crosslinking through ester–alkoxysilane exchange reaction catalyzed by dibutyltin oxide: mechanistic aspects investigated through model compounds by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Bounor‐Legaré Véronique , Monnet Christiane , Llauro Marie‐France , Michel Alain
Published: April 2004

It was shown that the crosslinking of ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer by a tetraalkoxysilane in molten state, in the temperature range 100–250 °C, was obtained only in the presence of dibutyltin oxide. At this temperature EVA pendant ester groups readily react with dibutyltin oxide to give a dimeric 1‐alkoxy‐3‐acetoxytetrabutyldistannoxane distributed along the polymer chains. The exact role of this tin compound in the ester–alkoxysilane reaction was elucidated through reactions of the tetraalkoxysilane with parent tin compounds: tributylethoxytin, dimeric diacyloxydistannoxane and finally a dimeric 1‐alkoxy‐3‐acyloxydistannoxane, obtained by reaction of the dibutyltin oxide with a model ester instead of the EVA‐ester pendant group. Ligand exchanges on tin atoms characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C and 119Sn) showed that substitutions were selective and concern only the exo‐cyclic tin ligand (OR or OCOR′) without alteration of the dimeric distannoxane structure. Furthermore, these ligand exchanges occurred at room temperature. This approach with model compounds gave evidence that the crosslinking occurred via an alkoxy‐Sn/alkoxy‐Si exchange on the exo‐cyclic sites of the distannoxane structure formed in situ. This distannoxane was shown to be an efficient catalyst of this transesterification. The temperature of formation of this catalytic species governed the temperature of the beginning of the crosslinking reaction. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
New thermoplastic vulcanizate, composed of polypropylene and ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer crosslinked by tetrapropoxysilane: evolution of the blend morphology with respect to the crosslinking reaction conversion
Authors: Verbois Agnès , Cassagnau Philippe , Michel Alain , Guillet Jacques , Raveyre Claude
Published: April 2004

A thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) is tailored by a dynamic vulcanization process. TPVs can be processed as thermoplastics and have properties similar to conventional vulcanized rubbers. The main objective of our recent works was to tailor, by using the reactive extrusion process, a new TPV composed of polypropylene homopolymer (PP) as thermoplastic phase and ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) as elastomer phase, which is crosslinked by tetrapropoxysilane (TPOS) as crosslinking agent in the presence of dibutyl tin oxide (DBTO) as catalyst. Crosslinking is carried out through a transesterification reaction between the ester groups of EVA and the alkoxysilane groups of TPOS. This exchange reaction is catalyzed by DBTO at temperatures above 100 °C. The main advantage of this chemistry that it is non‐radical, and so prevent the degradation of PP, in comparison with crosslinking reactions using peroxides as initiators.

Different reactive blends were prepared in the internal mixer of a Haake Plasticorder. In order to know how the crosslinking reaction has advanced, the EVA gel content and the volume swelling rate of the blend were measured. The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of the dispersion mechanism of EVA in the major phase during its dynamic vulcanization in the presence of PP in the minor phase. This paper deals with the correlation that exists between the evolution of the two‐phase blend morphology and the extent of the crosslinking reaction on the elastomer phase during the elaboration of a TPV. In particular, we showed that the correlation was almost the same for the elaboration of the TPV in the internal mixer of the Haake Plasticorder (discontinuous process) and in a twin‐screw extruder (continuous process). Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Addition–fragmentation chain transfer: Molecular weight distributions and retardation in the system methyl methacrylate/methyl α‐(bromomethyl)acrylate
Authors: Zetterlund Per B. , Miyake Kazuki , Goto Kunihiro , Yamada Bunichiro
Published: April 2004

A detailed investigation of addition–fragmentation chain transfer (AFCT) in the free‐radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of methyl α‐(bromomethyl)acrylate (MBMA) was carried out to elucidate mechanistic details with efficient macromonomer synthesis as an underlying goal. Advanced modeling techniques were used in connection with the experimental work. Curve fitting of simulated and experimental molecular weight distributions with respect to the rate coefficient for addition of propagating radicals to MBMA (kadd) over 60–120 °C resulted in Eadd = 21.7 kJ mol−1 and Aadd = 2.18 × 106 M−1 s−1 and a very weak temperature dependence of the chain‐transfer constant (Eadd ≈ Ep). The rate coefficient for fragmentation of adduct radicals at 60 °C was estimated as kf ≈ 39 s−1 on the basis of experimental data of the MMA conversion and the concentration of 2‐carbomethoxy‐2‐propenyl end groups. The approach developed is generic and can be applied to any AFCT system in which copolymerization does not occur and in which the resulting unsaturated end groups do not undergo further reactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2640–2650, 2004
Management of conversion reaction in five adolescent girls
Authors: Brooksbank Donald J.
Published: April 2004

Hysteria is a topic which has produced a plethora of articles on adults but, in comparison, there is a scarcity when it involves children and young adolescents. There is considerable confusion in definition, classification, incidence and management. More agreement seems to be found when conversion reactions are specifically considered.

This article attempts to present the dilemma that confronts the clinician when faced with an individual patient with a conversion reaction. This may especially apply to the present day practitioner who is likely not to have had much personal experience in managing this condition. Some of the relevant literature is summarized and the five patients are presented in tabular form and individually, together with their outcome at follow‐up. The findings are discussed and some conclusions are drawn.
Rapprochement in late adolescent separation‐individuation: a structural equations approach
Authors: Quintana Stephen M. , Lapsley Daniel K.
Published: April 2004

Adolescents' movements toward individuation are believed to be supported by secure attachments to parents. Previous research has found that individuation could be operationalized with indices of connectedness and separateness, but the relationship between these variables has not been fully explored. The present study demonstrated that attachment and differentiation variables were positively related using different and multiple operationalization procedures. Furthermore, a more comprehensive model of adolescent ego development was proposed which included parental control, individuation, and ego identity constructs. Results suggest parental control restricts successful individuation, but that adjustment on individuation indices predicts advanced identity development.
Loss & change: new directions in death education for adolescents
Authors: Hetzel Susan , Winn Victoria , Tolstoshev Helen
Published: April 2004

The subjects of this paper is Loss & change, a preventive health education school based program. The program has been developed, in conjunction with teachers, by a team of health workers from an Australian community health agency.

This program is generalist in nature. It explores the losses adolescents experience within the context of healthy adolescent development. Based on a primary prevention model, it has a strong focus on life, and, as such, is a death education program which is different from those which focus on suicide prevention or bereavement support.

The paper serves as an interim report on a program which is still developing, and which may provide some insight into a promising means of support for adolescent development.
Postvention after teenage suicide: an Australian experience
Authors: Hazell Philip
Published: April 2004

This paper describes interventions with students perceived to be at high risk for imitative suicidal behaviour in three secondary schools where there had been a completed suicide of a student. The method used to gain access to the students and the form of intervention used are discussed, as are the implications for the future evaluation of postvention techniques after adolescent suicide.
Rhetoric, Social History, and Contentious Politics: Reply to Critics
Authors: Tilly Charles
Published: April 2004

Aristotle's vigorous vindication of rhetoric pairs it with dialectic. Dialectic, for Aristotle, combines logical propositions with induction from rigorous evidence in an effort to prove a case beyond doubt. Rhetoric parallels dialectic, but combines arguments with examples in an effort to persuade. Neither one amounts to science, which for Aristotle requires irrefutable establishment of general principles.

political: arguing for or against a proposed course of action;

forensic: attacking or defending someone;

ceremonial: praising or condemning someone.
A restricted Principle of Sufficient Reason and the cosmological argument
Authors: PRUSS ALEXANDER R.
Published: April 2004

The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) says that, necessarily, every contingently true proposition has an explanation. The PSR is the most controversial premise in the cosmological argument for the existence of God. It is likely that one reason why a number of philosophers reject the PSR is that they think there are conceptual counter-examples to it. For instance, they may think, with Peter van Inwagen, that the conjunction of all contingent propositions cannot have an explanation, or they may believe that quantum mechanical phenomena cannot be explained. It may, however, be that these philosophers would be open to accepting a restricted version of the PSR as long as it was not ad hoc. I present a natural restricted version of the PSR that avoids all conceptual counter-examples, and yet that is strong enough to ground a cosmological argument. The restricted PSR says that all explainable true propositions have explanations.
Why the Eurocontrol Safety Regulation Commission Policy on Safety Nets and Risk Assessment is Wrong
Authors: Brooker Peter
Published: April 2004

Current Eurocontrol Safety Regulation Commission (SRC) policy says that the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system (including safety minima) must be demonstrated through risk assessments to meet the Target Level of Safety (TLS) without needing to take safety nets (such as Short Term Conflict Alert) into account. This policy is wrong. The policy is invalid because it does not build rationally and consistently from ATM's firm foundations of TLS and hazard analysis. The policy is bad because it would tend to retard safety improvements. Safety net policy must rest on a clear and rational treatment of integrated ATM system safety defences. A new safety net policy, appropriate to safe ATM system improvements, is needed, which recognizes that safety nets are an integrated part of ATM system defences. The effects of safety nets in reducing deaths from mid-air collisions should be fully included in hazard analysis and safety audits in the context of the TLS for total system design.
An application of XML to the creation of an interactive resource for authentic language learning tasks
Authors: MISHAN FREDA , STRUNZ BOB
Published: April 2004

There has of late been a call among language practitioners for the sophisticated new markup language XML to be used in
Web-based tools for language learning (Mills, 1999; Riley, 2001; Godwin-Jones, 2000). This paper describes just such an application:
the development of an interactive electronic resource book of learning tasks for English Language Teaching (ELT). The electronic
resource book incorporates an authenticity-centred approach to language learning materials design, viz language learning based on authentic
texts complemented by authentic tasks. The paper covers a general introduction to XML, describes the pedagogical model (i.e. the
authenticity-centred approach) that it was used to realise, and describes the development of the XML-based system operating the
electronic resource book. Among the conclusions of this paper are that this trial application reveals XML to be ideally suited to the
realisation of such pedagogical models and that its greatly enhanced information management and linking potential promises an
exciting future in the field of language teaching by providing the possibility for pedagogy-led technology rather than
technology-led pedagogy.
Zur Äquivalenz der Papier-Bleistift- und einer computergestützten Version des NEO-Fünf-Faktoren-Inventars (NEO-FFI)
Authors: Rammstedt Beatrice , Holzinger Barbara , Rammsayer Thomas
Published: April 2004

Zusammenfassung. Zur Überprüfung der Äquivalenz zwischen der computergestützten Version des NEO-Fünf-Faktoren-Inventars (NEO-FFI) im Hogrefe Testsystem und der Papier-Bleistift-Version wurden 220 Testpersonen mit beiden Verfahren mittels eines komplett balancierten Test-Retest-Versuchsplans im Abstand von vier bis sechs Wochen zweimal getestet. Die Äquivalenz der beiden Testversionen wurde sowohl erfahrungsbezogen als auch psychometrisch überprüft. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf eine hohe Vergleichbarkeit der Verfahren hin: Weder auf Item- noch auf Skalenebene ließen sich systematische Mittelwertdifferenzen identifizieren. Darüber hinaus ergaben sich zwischen den entsprechenden Items und Skalen der beiden Versionen hohe konvergente Korrelationen. Auch hinsichtlich der internen Konsistenzen, der Retest-Reliabilitäten und der faktoriellen Validität erwiesen sich beide Verfahren als gleichwertig. Insgesamt legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass im Falle des NEO-FFI von einer Äquivalenz zwischen der Papier-Bleistift- und der Computerversion ausgegangen werden kann.
Effect of trapped‐particle deficit and structure of localized electrostatic perturbations of different dimensionality
Authors: Krasovsky V. L. , Matsumoto H. , Omura Y.
Published: April 2004

The electrostatic pulses observed by satellites in space plasmas are analyzed using the concept of electron phase density holes. The main goal of the study is to clarify the qualitative differences between the actual three‐dimensional (3‐D) perturbations and the well‐known 1‐D Bernstein‐Greene‐Kruskal (BGK) modes of the electron hole type. The 3‐D analogues of the BGK holes in magnetoplasmas are discussed in the context of charged‐particle dynamics in the localized electrostatic field. It is shown that the anisotropy caused by the geomagnetic field is a decisive factor necessary for the existence of the localized structures observed in the magnetosphere. The possibility of hole‐like structures is closely connected with the quasi‐one‐dimensional nature of the electron motion, predominantly along the external magnetic field. A necessary condition for the existence of the 3‐D counterparts of the 1‐D BGK holes is deduced.
On radial evolution of stochastic acceleration in a dissipative solar wind turbulence with spatially distributed sources
Authors: Stawicki Olaf
Published: April 2004

The spatial behavior of stochastic acceleration of particles in the expanding solar wind plasma is considered. For this, a standard model is used representing a radially evolving, driven solar wind turbulence. On the basis of a turbulence correlation timescale approach, an analytical model is developed describing the radial dependence of the correlation length of the turbulence driven by stream interactions and the production of pickup ions. This analytical model, which might also be beneficial for other interesting problems such as solar modulation of cosmic rays, is used to consider the radial variation of Fermi‐II acceleration of pickup ions in a dissipative, fully driven solar wind turbulence on their way to the heliospheric termination shock. This might be of particular interest for the injection of pickup ions into the process of diffusive shock acceleration and their subsequent conversion to anomalous cosmic rays.
First‐order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams of elongated single‐domain grains at high and low temperatures
Authors: Carvallo C. , Özdemir Ö. , Dunlop D. J.
Published: April 2004

First‐order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams are a new technique for identifying magnetic minerals and characterizing their domain structures and interactions. FORC diagrams have potentially important applications for determining magnetic mineral compositions and grain sizes in paleomagnetism and environmental magnetism. However, the interpretation of the FORC parameters Hc and Hu as being equivalent to microcoercivity and particle interaction field, respectively, needs to be thoroughly tested in order to validate the FORC method. In order to test this interpretation, we measured FORC diagrams on elongated single‐domain particles at temperatures ranging from 20 to 853 K (580°C). The FORC distribution contracts significantly along both axes above 430°C, and the bulk coercive force decreases rapidly. The main causes of these features are decreasing spontaneous magnetization Ms(T) and increasing thermal activation of single‐domain moments pinned by shape anisotropy. A profile through the FORC peak along the Hc axis can be integrated to give a synthetic alternating field demagnetization curve or isothermal remanence curve. The synthesized curves match measured curves quite well at a variety of temperatures, and the FORC median Hc varies approximately in proportion to the bulk coercive force. A profile through the FORC peak parallel to the Hu axis contracts with heating approximately as Ms(T), and the half width of the distribution is similar to independent measures of local interaction fields Hi. These properties support the interpretation of the FORC variables Hc and Hu as being equivalent to microcoercivity Hc and interaction field Hi, respectively.
Comparison of heat and moisture fluxes from a modified soil‐plant‐atmosphere model with observations from BOREAS
Authors: Lee Young‐Hee , Mahrt L.
Published: April 2004

This study evaluates the prediction of heat and moisture fluxes from a new land surface scheme with eddy correlation data collected at the old aspen site during the Boreal Ecosystem‐Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) in 1994. The model used in this study couples a multilayer vegetation model with a soil model. Inclusion of organic material in the upper soil layer is required to adequately simulate exchange between the soil and subcanopy air. Comparisons between the model and observations are discussed to reveal model misrepresentation of some aspects of the diurnal variation of subcanopy processes.
Ionospheric structure effects on HF radio wave propagation for the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e‐POP) satellite mission
Authors: Wang L. , MacDougall J. W. , James H. G.
Published: April 2004

The Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e‐POP) payload will be launched on a small satellite in 2007 for exploring plasma and atmospheric outflow process in the polar region. The subject of this paper is whether one can determine the properties of large‐scale ionospheric structures by studying the perturbations that they cause on HF radio waves received at the e‐POP satellite from ground‐based transmitters such as the Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI). The perturbations on the received waves have been investigated using numerical ray‐tracing methods. These simulation results show that ionospheric irregular structures lead to a complex pattern of amplitude, propagation time delay, Doppler frequency, and direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) effects on the HF radio waves received at the satellite. The simulations also show that ionospheric density structure cannot be measured unambiguously using a single wave property. Therefore a “catalog” of HF signatures of typical ionospheric irregularities has been established in order to be able to interpret the e‐POP HF measurements in terms of ionospheric structures.
Development of effective and efficient rainfall‐runoff models using integration of deterministic, real‐coded genetic algorithms and artificial neural network techniques
Authors: Jain Ashu , Srinivasulu Sanaga
Published: April 2004

Many researchers have reported about the problems in modeling low‐magnitude flows while developing artificial neural network (ANN) rainfall‐runoff models trained using popular back propagation (BP) method and have suggested the use of alternative training methods. This paper presents the results of a new approach employing real‐coded genetic algorithms (GAs) to train ANN rainfall‐runoff models, which are able to overcome such problems. The paper also presents a new class of models termed gray box models that integrate deterministic and ANN techniques for hydrologic modeling. Daily rainfall and streamflow data from the Kentucky River watershed were employed to test the new approach. Many standard statistical measures were employed to assess and compare various models investigated. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that ANN rainfall‐runoff models trained using real‐coded GA are able to predict daily flow more accurately than the ANN rainfall‐runoff models trained using BP method. The proposed approach of training ANN models using real‐coded GA can significantly improve the estimation accuracy of the low‐magnitude flows. It was found that the gray box models that are capable of exploiting the advantages of both deterministic and ANN techniques perform better than the purely black box type ANN rainfall‐runoff models. A partitioning analysis of results is needed to evaluate the performance of various models in terms of their efficiency in modeling and effectiveness in accurately predicting varying magnitude flows (low, medium, and high flows).
Diagnostik fokaler Leberläsionen: CT, MRT, PET etc.
Authors: Helmberger T , Jakobs T F , Hoffmann R T , Schönberg S O , Reiser M
Published: April 2004

Fokale Leberläsionen sind unabhängig vom Vorhandensein eines Malignoms ein häufiger Befund. Für ein eventuelles therapeutisches Management ist es dabei erforderlich, die Läsionen eindeutig zu identifizieren und zu charakterisieren. Zur nicht-invasiven Diagnostik stehen die Sonographie, Computertomographie (CT), Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) und nuklearmedizinische Verfahren zur Verfügung. Die modernen chirurgischen wie auch minimalinvasiven ablativen Verfahren erfordern eine hohe diagnostische Präzision, die insbesondere von der CT und MRT gewährleistet wird. Darüber hinaus gewinnt die Positronenemissionstomographie (PET) gerade beim Staging und der Therapiekontrolle zunehmend an Bedeutung, was umso mehr für die kombinierten PET-CT Scanner gilt, die die hohe Sensitivität der PET mit der Ortsauflösung der CT vereinen.

Bei der Abklärung fokaler Leberläsionen müssen neben der Leistungsfähigkeit der einzelnen Untersuchungsmethoden das Spektrum möglicher Läsionen im Kontext der jeweiligen Grunderkrankung des Patienten berücksichtigt werden.
Do smoking intensity‐related differences in vigilance indicate altered glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity?
Authors: Reuter Martin , Hennig Juergen , Netter Petra
Published: April 2004

The relationship of critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) and a pharmacologically induced cortisol suppression by means of dexamethasone (DEX) and metyrapone (MET) was investigated during nicotine deprivation in a between‐subjects design in 60 male smokers divided into light, medium and heavy smokers. DEX reduced vigilance in medium smokers and improved it in heavy smokers compared to placebo, whereas MET was more detrimental in heavy smokers. The hypothesis was put forward that the intensity of nicotine consumption is related to differences in glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor sensitivity.
Book and Media Reviews
Authors: BALL DAVID
Published: April 2004

Book reviewed in this article:

Book reviews in this column will primarily be of titles focusing completely, or in part, on biological aspects of addiction. However, signi.cant titles of general relevance to the addictions field will also be included, even if they are not “biological”, as will titles of general methodological and clinical relevance, even if they are not on “addictions”. Similar considerations will apply to other media (software, audio tapes and CDs, videos, etc.). However, specific “addictions” software applications seem to be relatively uncommon and, as these items are rarely reviewed elsewhere, we will endeavour to include reviews of some of the older programmes that are still useful, as well as new titles that appear. I would appreciate suggestions of any items suitable for reviews, but especially software and other media of speci.c relevance to the addictions. Please contact: Dr David Ball, National Addiction Centre, 4 Windsor Walk, London SE5 8AF, UK. Email: media@addictionbiology.com

The Female Brain CYNTHIA L. DARLINGTON

Dual Diagnosis: Counselling the Mentally III Substance Abuser, 2nd edition KATIE EVANS & J. MICHAEL SULLIVAN

The Road of Excess MARCUS BOON
The polydisk nullstellensatz
Authors: Bridges Douglas , Mines Ray , Richman Fred , Schuster Peter
Published: April 2004

The Nullstellensatz for zeros in a closed polydisk of

C

n

\mathbf {C}^{n}

is proved constructively with no appeal to choice axioms.
Harmonic functions on Alexandrov spaces and their applications
Authors: Petrunin Anton
Published: April 2004

The main result can be stated roughly as follows: Let

M
M

be an Alexandrov space,

Ω
⊂
M

\Omega \subset M

an open domain and

f
:
Ω
→

R

f:\Omega \to \mathbb {R}

a harmonic function. Then

f
f

is Lipschitz on any compact subset of

Ω
\Omega

. Using this result I extend proofs of some classical theorems in Riemannian geometry to Alexandrov spaces.
Landing property of stretching rays for real cubic polynomials
Authors: Komori Yohei , Nakane Shizuo
Published: April 2004

The landing property of the stretching rays in the parameter space of bimodal real cubic polynomials is completely determined. Define the Böttcher vector by the difference of escaping two critical points in the logarithmic Böttcher coordinate. It is a stretching invariant in the real shift locus. We show that stretching rays with non-integral Böttcher vectors have non-trivial accumulation sets on the locus where a parabolic fixed point with multiplier one exists.
Networking in the Shadow of Hierarchy: Public Policy, the Administrative Presidency, and the Neoadministrative State
Authors: DURANT ROBERT F. , WARBER ADAM L.
Published: April 2004

This article argues that developments associated with governance reforms in the United States fundamentally have altered the administrative state and pose new and formidable challenges for the administrative presidency. Existing literature on the administrative presidency is limited in its ability to help conceptualize these changes, to understand the challenges that this “neoadministrative state” poses for presidents and political appointees, and to discern if and how they are coping or can cope with them. A review of the burgeoning and multidisciplinary management literature on executive leadership in the neoadministrative state suggests that presidents and scholars must reconceptualize the administrative presidency. They will have to rethink the strategy's ends (what presidents need to accomplish to advance their agendas), its focus (what its tools are and how to apply them), and its locus (where these tools are applied). To inform this effort, a second generation of research on the administrative presidency is needed.
The Law: The President and the Independent Counsel: Reflections on Prosecutors, Presidential Prerogatives, and Political Power
Authors: HARRIGER KATY J.
Published: April 2004

The Clinton scandal led to new interest in the lone dissent of Justice Antonin Scalia in the Morrison v. Olson decision upholding the independent counsel statute. His claims that the arrangement was a grave threat to presidential power seemed prophetic in the midst of the scandal. But the outcome of the scandal points to the opposite conclusion. The independent counsel's powers are no match for the president's political powers to influence the media coverage of events, mobilize public opinion on his behalf, and marshal support within Congress. The independent counsel lacked an institutional base of power and was constrained from mobilizing a counterresponse in the political realm by the rules of prosecution and the need to appear independent.
The Polls: Popular Views of the Vice President and Vice Presidential Favorability
Authors: COHEN JEFFREY E.
Published: April 2004

This article investigates public favorability toward the vice president, focusing on Al Gore's two terms. The database consists of all favorability questions asked by eight polling organizations from 1993 through the final administration in early 2000. Analysis finds that Vice President Gore, on average, was thought of more favorably than President Bill Clinton, but that Clinton's favorability with the public still influenced public attitudes toward the vice president. Moreover, other factors independent of the president also displayed an impact on public favorability of the vice president. Most intriguingly, once Gore announced his candidacy for the vice presidency, his favorability ratings declined.
George Washington, Presidential Term Limits, and the Problem of Reluctant Political Leadership
Authors: PEABODY BRUCE G.
Published: April 2004

The widespread view of the relationship between George Washington and the American custom of limited presidential service is misconceived. Conventional popular and scholarly accounts of the “two‐term tradition” confuse both Washington's position on presidential term limits and the historical contours of this custom. The American convention limiting the number of terms a president could serve emerged less from Washington's views about political service than from deep‐seated anxieties about centralized governing power (and specifically executive power). These concerns, along with an enduring American ambivalence about public service (reflected in Washington's retirement), continue to shape the character of both our political life and public discourse.
Almost Jeffersonian: U.S. Recognition Policy toward Latin America
Authors: WEEKS GREGORY
Published: April 2004

Since Latin American independence, U.S. presidents have consistently faced the issue of how to respond to domestic political conflict in the region. The purpose of this article is to examine U.S. recognition policy toward Latin American governments, to identify patterns in that policy, and to explain its decline. It might appear that the United States has come full circle and that we are currently seeing a return to Thomas Jefferson's de facto principle of recognition, wherein governments are recognized automatically regardless of their nature. Jefferson's policy was to avoid making political judgment on foreign governments. The current evolution (or devolution) of recognition policy, however, does not follow the tenet of nonjudgment.
Why Do Presidents Fail?
Authors: Pious Richard M.
Published: April 2004

As part of the future research agendaforpresidency scholars, this article deals with two distinct but related issues: the first involves failed presidential decision making, particularly in the employment of prerogative power; the second involves the failure ofinterbranch collaborative decision making. Such study offaikd presidential decision making is a topic of inquiry related to, but somewhat distinct from, the question of the “faikdpresidency” that has already engaged some presidency scholars. In some respects, presidential failures are the “black holes,” the singularities of presidential studies–the usuallaws of politics that apply to presidential “business as usual” seem not to apply inside the eventhorizon offiascoes. Such research might help us to explain the paradoxes of the postmodern presidency: with greater institutional resources, with more delegated powers from Congress, and with (presumably) more accumulated experience from presidency scholarship, one might expectfewer rather than more spectacular failures.
Source Material: Nixon's Ghost Haunts the Presidential Records Act: The Reagan and George W. Bush Administrations
Authors: Montgomery Bruce P.
Published: April 2004

Former president Nixon's legal campaign to reclaim ownership over Ms White House materials after they were seized by an act of Congress has profoundly influenced how the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations have attempted to exercise a maximum controlling interest in their own White House materials. In the 1977 case Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically rejected Nixon's constitutional claims of executive privilege con‐cerninghispresidentialmaterials. Nixon may have lost his bidfor ownership over his White House tapes and documents, but he neverthekss provided the rationale for subsequent Republican administrations to assert similar claims of executive privikge with the aim of nullifyingthe 1978 Presidential Records Act.
The effect of promethazine on postoperative pain: a comparison of preoperative, postoperative, and placebo administration in patients following total abdominal hysterectomy
Authors: Chia Y. Y. , Lo Y. , Liu K. , Tan P. H. , Chung N. C. , Ko N. H.
Published: April 2004

Background:  Histamine receptors are involved in the development of inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia, and the use of antihistamines is advocated as an alternative for pain therapy and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. We investigated the influence of timing of promethazine administration on postoperative pain outcomes.

Methods:  Ninety female patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy were randomly divided into three groups. All individuals received infusions of promethazine and normal saline before anaesthesia induction, and postoperatively the Pre group received promethazine 0.1 mg kg−1 before anaesthesia and saline postoperatively, and the Post group received saline before anaesthesia and promethazine 0.1 mg kg−1 postoperatively, while the Control group received two equivalent volumes of saline. Patients were treated using patient‐controlled intravenous analgesia (PCA). The primary endpoint was pain intensity and morphine consumption. The secondary endpoint was postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Results:  Postoperative morphine usage was significantly lower in the Pre group (24.1 ± 3.9 mg) relative to the Post (30.0 ± 4.6 mg) and Control groups (32.1 ± 4.8 mg) during the first 24 h postoperatively (P<0.05). The number and incidence of patients suffering from postoperative nausea in the first 24 h was six (21%), seven (23%), and 15 (47%) in the Pre, Post, and Control groups, respectively (P<0.05). The number and incidence of patients vomiting in the first 24 h was three (10%), two (7%), and 10 (32%) in the Pre, Post, and Control groups, respectively (P<0.05). The number of patients asking for rescue antiemetic in the first 24 h was one (3%), two (7%), and seven (22%) in the Pre, Post, and Control groups, respectively (P<0.05).

Conclusions:  Our results suggest that preoperative administration of promethazine 0.1 mg kg−1 reduces postoperative morphine consumption compared with postoperative and placebo administration, and that use of promethazine reduces PONV and the number of patients asking for rescue antiemetic in the first 24 h after surgery when compared with placebo.
Pulsed dye densitometry with two different sensor types for cardiac output measurement after cardiac surgery: a comparison with the thermodilution technique
Authors: Hofer C. K. , Bühlmann S. , Klaghofer R. , Genoni M. , Zollinger A.
Published: April 2004

Background:  Assessment of cardiac output (CO) by the indocyanine green (ICG) dye dilution technique (IDD) with transcutaneous signal detection may be a less invasive alternative to the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC). The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the DDG2001 analyzer (Nihon Kohden Corp, Tokyo, Japan) using a finger (IDDf) and a nose (IDDn) sensor as compared with the thermodilution technique by PAC.

Methods:  In 31 consecutive patients after routine cardiac surgery, CO measurements were performed by IDD compared with the thermodilution technique following postoperative haemodynamic stabilization in the intensive care unit. Repeated measurements were made at 30‐min intervals. CO was determined by iced water bolus (IWB: mean of three repeated injections) and IDDf or IDDn, respectively (mean of three repeated ICG injections).

Results:  Thirty‐three per cent of all measurements for IDDf and 9% for IDDn failed due to a missing signal detection. Mean bias for IDDf to IWB was −0.5 l min−1·m−2 (limits of agreement: −1.8/0.8 l min−1·m−2) and for IDDn to IWB was −0.1 l min−1·m−2 (limits of agreement: −1.6/1.5 l min−1·m−2). Correlation between IDDf and IWB (r = 0.2) was found to be inferior to the correlation between IDDn and IWB (r = 0.5).

Conclusion:  The IDD showed a systematic bias compared with the IWB and its performance was limited due to signal detection failure. Therefore, the DDG2001 analyzer cannot be recommended as a substitute for the PAC in routine monitoring of cardiac output after cardiac surgery.
The impact of international experience on student nurses’ personal and professional development
Authors: Lee N.‐J.
Published: April 2004

Background:  Many student nurses undertake international clinical experience during their education programmes, which raises the question ‘How do these experiences impact on students nurses’ personal and professional development?’

Method:  A case study was conducted in one School of Nursing in the United Kingdom. Student nurses participating in a new module, International Nursing and Health Care, which included clinical experience overseas, gave qualitative accounts of their international experiences and subsequent learning. Their accounts were also compared with the perceptions and expectations of the module facilitators.

Findings:  While there were some similarities in student experience and facilitator expectations, there were also notable differences. The students believed that their international experiences had a deep impact on their personal development, helping them make the transition from student to qualified nurse. The case study raised further questions about the acquisition of cultural knowledge and the facilitation and provision of learning from experience.
A comparison of education in Greek and English nurses
Authors: Bakalis N. A. , Bowman G. S. , Porock D.
Published: April 2004

Background:  Curriculum is an important component of nurse education and is thought to vary from country to country.

Aim:  To determine the level of cardiac knowledge in Greek and English final‐year student nurses.

Method:  Subjects were final‐year diploma and degree student nurses (n = 161) from Greece and England. Pictographs (testing knowledge in a pictorial form) were used as a method of data collection. Three anatomical cardiac diagrams were used. Students were asked to label 20 anatomical parts.

Results:  Final‐year English student nurses have better knowledge in the discrete area of cardiac anatomy and physiology (P < 0.05) than their Greek counterparts. Problems associated with translation and interpretation were avoided using pictographs and were shown to be useful measures for determining knowledge in nurses from different countries.

Conclusion:  The findings of the study are important because they show differences in anatomical knowledge levels between Greek and English students. More research is needed to explore further different levels of knowledge and education within the European Union and the consequences for nurse decision‐making and patient outcomes.
A Framework for the Dissemination and Utilization of Research for Health‐Care Policy and Practice
Authors: Dobbins Maureen , Ciliska Donna , Cockerill Rhonda , Barnsley Jan , DiCenso Alba
Published: April 2004

Purpose

(1) The purpose of this paper is to construct a comprehensive framework of research dissemination and utilization that is useful for both health policy and clinical decision‐making.

Organizing Construct

(2) The framework illustrates that the process of the adoption of research evidence into health‐care decisionmaking is influenced by a variety of characteristics related to the individual, organization, environment and innovation. The framework also demonstrates the complex interrelationships among these characteristics as progression through the five stages of innovation‐namely, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation‐ occurs. Finally, the framework integrates the concepts of research dissemination, evidence‐based decision‐making and research utilization within the diffusion of innovations theory.

Methods

(3) During the discussion of each stage of the innovation adoption process, relevant literature from the management field (i.e., diffusion of innovations, organizational management and decision‐making) and health‐care sector (i.e., research dissemination and utilization and evidence based practice) is summarized. Studies providing empirical data contributing to the development of the framework were assessed for methodological quality.

Conclusions

(4) The process of research dissemination and utilization is complex and determined by numerous intervening variables related to the innovation (research evidence), organization, environment and individual.
Rough Corporate Justice
Authors: Ayres Glenn R.
Published: April 2004

In the succession of a family business from one generation to the next, the corporation's ability to pay must be balanced with the needs of the individuals who own and operate it. Described here is an economic model and consulting tool for promoting a business-driven dialog that can result in the transferring of the business in a tax-advantageous manner while preserving the corporation's capital base.
The Significance of Family Business in the Netherlands
Authors: Flören Roberto H.
Published: April 2004

Until recently, limited research existed on family business in the Netherlands. This article presents research results from four original studies by the Nijenrode Family Business Program. It quantifies the impact of family business on the Dutch economy, leaving no doubt as to the importance of family business to general commerce and the economy. These results are put in an international context. Differences between family businesses and nonfamily businesses are also presented.