bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anesthesiologists at work: an increase in pro‐inflammatory and Th2 cytokine production, and alterations in proliferative immune responses
Authors: Beilin B. , Greenfeld K. , Abiri N. , Yardeni I. Z. , Bessler H. , Ben‐Eliyahu S.
Published: October 2006

Background: Anesthesiologists are a population at high risk of alcohol and drug abuse, depression, suicide, and psychiatric hospitalization. The impact of their working milieu on specific immune indices has scarcely been studied, and it is assumed that immune perturbations may contribute to some of the above risks. This study took advantage of an unplanned, 3‐month long strike of anesthesiologists, and explored its relations to specific immune measures.

Methods: We assessed induced cytokine production and lymphocytes proliferative responses in blood samples taken from 10 anesthesiologists just before the strike and at its end, after a long period of markedly reduced workload.

Results: The results indicated that the proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) were significantly lower at the end of the strike. At this time point, we observed a significant decrease in the production of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), IL‐10 and IL1ra levels, and a significant increase in IL‐2 production. A strong trend towards a decline in tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) levels was evident, while levels of IL‐1β were unchanged.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the working conditions of anesthesiologists are associated with specific immune alterations, including a shift towards a Th2 cytokines’ dominance, and an elevated pro‐inflammatory cytokine response. A reduced Th1 profile has been related to increased susceptibility to infections, and high pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels were recently proposed as etiological factors in cardiovascular diseases and in depression.
In vitro activity of panomycocin, a novel exo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase isolated from Pichia anomala NCYC 434, against dermatophytes
Authors: İzgü Fatih , Altınbay Demet , Türeli Akif Emre
Published: October 2006

Killer proteins that are produced and secreted into the environment by certain yeast strains are considered as promising antifungal agents. In this study, in vitro activity of Pichia anomala NCYC 434 (K5) killer protein, panomycocin, which is a 49 kDa glycoprotein with an exo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase activity was tested against 41 isolates of dermatophytes. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by a broth microdilution method based on the reference document M38‐A of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI; formerly NCCLS). For panomycocin MIC determinations two end point criteria MIC‐2 (prominent growth inhibition) and MIC‐0 (complete growth inhibition) were recorded. All the tested isolates (Microsporum spp. and Trichophyton spp.) were found susceptible to panomycocin. The MIC‐2 values ranged from 0.25 to 2 μg ml−1 and MIC‐0 values ranged from 1 to 8 μg ml−1. These results showed that panomycocin is active in vitro against fungal strains that cause superficial infections and highlighted its probable use as a topical antifungal agent.
Systematic status and biogeography of the Javan and small Indian mongooses (Herpestidae, Carnivora)
Authors: Veron Geraldine , Patou Marie‐Lilith , Pothet Geraldine , Simberloff Daniel , Jennings Andrew P.
Published: October 2006

The Javan and small Indian mongooses, ranging from the Middle East to South‐east Asia, are considered as two species or as a single species, varying in size and colour from west to east. In order to clarify their systematic status and to define the limits of their ranges, Cytochrome b sequences were obtained from 27 specimens, and localities of 392 specimens from museum collections were determined. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the Javan and Small Indian mongooses grouped in two separate clades with their range limits located in Myanmar. The Javan mongoose is in fact closer to the grey mongoose than to the small Indian mongoose.
Workplace Familism and Psychological Contract Breach in the Philippines
Authors: Restubog Simon Lloyd D. , Bordia Prashant
Published: October 2006

Cette étude cherche à promouvoir des investigations à fondement théorique sur le vécu familial du travail. Elle apporte sa contribution en proposant et en évaluant la fonction régulatrice du vécu familial du travail en ce qui concerne aussi bien la rupture du contrat psychologique que le comportement civique. Nous avons enquêté auprès de 267 salariés à plein‐temps et avons mis en évidence des effets majeurs des deux sortes de vécu familial du travail (c’est‐à‐dire le vécu familial organisationnel et le vécu familial de la relation avec le supérieur hiérarchique) et de la rupture des obligations relationnelles sur les conduites civiques. Le vécu familial des rapports avec le supérieur intervient aussi dans la relation entre la rupture et le comportement civique, la relation négative entre ces deux termes étant plus affirmée quand le vécu familial vis‐à‐vis du chef est fort. On peut en conclure que les salariés vivant une étroite relation de type familial avec leur supérieur risquent de se sentir trahis et par suite de réagir plus négativement s’ils sont confrontés à une rupture de contrat. On analyse les retombées de ces travaux sur la pratique et les orientations des recherches à venir.

The present study addresses the call for theory‐based investigations on workplace familism. It contributes to the literature by proposing and testing the moderating role of workplace familism between psychological contract breach and civic virtue behaviour. We surveyed 267 full‐time employees and found main effects of both types of workplace familism (i.e. workplace organisational and workplace supervisor familism) and breach of relational obligations on civic virtue behaviour. Workplace supervisor familism also moderated the relationship between breach and civic virtue behaviour, with the negative relationship between breach and civic virtue behaviour stronger when workplace supervisor familism was high. This suggests that employees with a high level of workplace supervisor familism may feel a sense of betrayal and, therefore, respond more negatively to contract breach. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Credit Market Regulation and Labor Market Performance Around the World
Authors: Feldmann Horst
Published: October 2006

Using data from 74 industrial, developing and transition countries for the years 2000 to 2003, this paper empirically analyzes whether and to what extent credit market regulations affect the performance of the labor market. According to the regression results, anti‐competitive credit market regulations have an adverse, though generally modest, impact on the labor market. Specifically, restrictions on credit extended to the private sector, on the private ownership of banks, on competition from foreign banks, and on the free determination of interest rates appear to lower the level of employment and increase unemployment, particularly among young people.
More than a ‘blip’: The changed character of South‐East Asia’s engagement with the global economy in the post‐1997 period
Authors: Pritchard Bill
Published: October 2006

Abstract: Through reviewing South‐East Asia’s recent economic engagement with the global economy, this paper points to profound recent transformations in the scope and character of the region’s development. Foreign direct investment was the key driver of regional growth in the pre‐1997 period, yet currently, the region faces a more difficult and multifaceted economic arena from which to attract such funds. Foreign direct investment is more selective, both geographically and by sector, than was the case in that earlier period. This paper explains the confluence of economics, business practices and politics that are giving rise to these outcomes, and concludes from this that development trajectories in South‐East Asia will become more diverse between the countries of the region, with implications for how we understand regional economic performance.
The Special Education Referral and Decision-Making Process for English Language Learners: Child Study Team Meetings and Placement Conferences
Authors: Klingner Janette K. , Harry Beth
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the special education referral and decisionmaking process for English language learners (ELLs), with a focus on Child Study Team (CST) meetings and placement conferences/multidisciplinary team meetings. We wished to learn how school personnel determined if ELLs who were struggling had disabilities, to what extent those involved in the process understood second language acquisition, and whether language issues were considered when determining special education eligibility. We observed CST meetings and placement conferences for 19 students who were considered ELLs when they were referred. Findings revealed that in practice, only cursory attention was given to prereferral strategies. Most students were pushed toward testing, based on an assumption that poor academic performance or behavioral difficulties had their origin within the child and indicated a need for special education. Although some school personnel were quite knowledgeable about language issues, many were not. There was tremendous variation in the quality of what transpired during meetings. These differences were influenced by the intentions, knowledge, skills, and commitment of CST or multidisciplinary team members. All the factors we describe point to aspects of the process that should be improved.
Psychometric Issues in the ELL Assessment and Special Education Eligibility
Authors: Abedi Jamal
Published: October 2006

Assessments in English that are constructed for native English speakers may not provide valid inferences about the achievement of English language learners (ELLs). The linguistic complexity of the test items that are not related to the content of the assessment may increase the measurement error, thus reducing the reliability of the assessment. Language factors that are not relevant to the content being assessed may also be a source of construct-irrelevant variance and negatively impact the validity of the assessment. More important, the results of these tests used as the criteria for identification and classification of ELL students, particularly those at the lower end of the English proficiency spectrum, may be misleading. Caution must be exercised when the results of these tests are used for special education eligibility, particularly in placing ELL students with lower English language proficiency in the learning/reading disability category. This article discusses psychometric issues in the assessment of English language learners and examines the validity of classifying ELL students, with a focus on the possibility of misclassifying ELL students as students with learning disabilities.
How Language Proficiency Tests Mislead Us about Ability: Implications for English Language Learner Placement in Special Education
Authors: Macswan Jeff , Rolstad Kellie
Published: October 2006

The authors argue that English language learner (ELL) language assessment policy and poor language tests partly account for ELLs’ disproportionate representation in special education. Previous research indicates that many states routinely assess ELLs’ first language (L1) at initial enrollment and that ELLs identified as limited in both languages have relatively high rates of identification in special education. Two common tests, the Language Assessment Scales-Oral (LAS—O) Español and the Idea Proficiency Test I–Oral (IPT) Spanish, are shown to identify 74% and 90%, respectively, Spanish-background ELLs (N = 145) as limited L1 students, whereas a natural language measure found only 2% of participants to have unexpectedly high morphological error rates. Correlations are provided. The authors recommend changes in language testing policies and practices for ELLs.
‘The Phonetic Structure of a Cypriotic Dialect’: A Rediscovered Paper by J. R. Firth1
Authors: Coleman John
Published: October 2006

The Philological Society President and Secretary's Annual Report for 1937 (Braunholtz & Woodward 1938) reports that J. R. Firth read a paper on ‘The Phonetic Structure of a Cypriotic Dialect’ to the meeting of the Society on 29 May 1937. Firth's paper was never published, and its very existence was subsequently forgotten. Happily, a manuscript and handout for the lecture as well as copious background notes relating to the study have recently come to light at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Though somewhat incomplete, much of the content of the paper can be pieced together to yield a surprising new addition to the body of Firth's work.
A New Early Source of Basque: The Willughby Glossary of 1664
Authors: Trask R. L. , Coates Richard
Published: October 2006

We present a diplomatic edition of a seventeenth‐century English manuscript containing previously unpublished lexical material in Bizkaian Basque. We offer a linguistic analysis of this, and explain the significance of the manuscript and its content in the history of linguistics and Basque scholarship.
Why the WTO is Deadlocked: And What Can Be Done About It
Authors: Collier Paul
Published: October 2006

The GATT was hugely successful, yet its successor organisation is to date failing. This paper argues that the expansion in both scope and membership make it radically more difficult for a purely bargain‐based organisation to succeed. Three factors limit the scope for deals that would be recognised as mutually beneficial. Many developing countries are accustomed to transfers rather than bargains; the poorest countries have no basis for bargaining; and even where mutual advantage is possible it requires cross‐sectoral deals which are only feasible with new rules that are unattractive to many WTO members. The paper proposes solutions to these new problems. It proposes an explicit component of ‘transfer’ in the form of non‐reciprocated liberalisation. It proposes a plurilateral solution to the tension between rules and sovereignty. It links these through a ‘grand bargain’ that offers transfers in return for plurilateralism. For the marginalised countries it proposes time‐bound preferences in OECD markets along the lines of AGOA. Finally, to recreate for the larger developing countries similar incentives for liberalisation to those previously achieved for developed countries, it proposes a limited MFN, through which they could restrict their liberalisations to include only other developing countries.
Semiparametric Analysis of Case Series Data
Authors: Farrington C. P. , Whitaker H. J.
Published: October 2006

The case series model for estimating the association between an age-dependent exposure and an outcome event requires information only on cases and implicitly adjusts for all age-independent multiplicative confounders, while allowing for an age-dependent base-line incidence. In the paper the model is presented in greater generality than hitherto, including more general discussion of its derivation, underlying assumptions, applicability, limitations and efficiency. A semiparametric version of the model is developed, in which the age-specific relative incidence is left unspecified. Modelling covariate effects and testing assumptions are discussed. The small sample performance of this model is studied in simulations. The methods are illustrated with several examples from epidemiology.
A Local-Influence-Based Diagnostic Approach to a Speeded Item Response Theory Model
Authors: Goegebeur Yuri , De Boeck Paul , Molenberghs Geert , del Pino Guido
Published: October 2006

An item response theory model for dealing with omitted responses in a test is proposed. In this model formulation, non-response does not only depend on an examinee’s ability and on item difficulty, but additionally also on ‘test speededness’. Using a local-influence-based diagnostic approach, the sensitivity of the model regarding assumptions concerning the drop-out mechanism is explored. The methodology proposed is applied to the Chilean Sistema de Medición de la Calidad de la Educación mathematics test case-study.
Optimal manufacturer's pricing and lot‐sizing policies under trade credit financing
Authors: Teng Jinn‐Tsair , Ouyang Liang‐Yuh , Chen Liang‐Ho
Published: October 2006

In this paper, we extend Goyal's economic order quantity (EOQ) model to allow for the following four important facts: (1) the manufacturer's selling price per unit is necessarily higher than its unit cost, (2) the interest rate charged by a bank is not necessarily higher than the manufacturer's investment return rate, (3) the demand rate is a downward‐sloping function of the price, and (4) an economic production quantity (EPQ) model is a generalized EOQ model. We then establish an appropriate EPQ model accordingly, in which the manufacturer receives the supplier trade credit and provides the customer trade credit simultaneously. As a result, the proposed model is in a general framework that includes numerous previous models as special cases. Furthermore, we provide an easy‐to‐use closed‐form optimal solution to the problem for any given price. Finally, we develop an algorithm for the manufacturer to determine its optimal price and lot size simultaneously.
Establishment of an immunoglobulin A–deficient blood donor registry with a simple in‐house screening enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay
Authors: Thibault Louis , Beauséjour Annie , De Grandmont Marie Joëlle , Long Anne , Goldman Mindy , Chevrier Marie‐Claire
Published: October 2006

BACKGROUND: Transfusion of blood products to immunoglobulin A (IgA)–deficient patients who have developed IgA antibodies can result in serious adverse reactions. To prepare compatible blood components for these patients, blood centers usually maintain a list of IgA‐deficient blood donors. An in‐house enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to identify new IgA‐deficient blood donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An in‐house ELISA was used to screen blood samples. IgA‐deficient samples, defined as an IgA level below 0.05 mg per dL, were sent to the American Red Cross for confirmatory testing.

RESULTS: Seventy‐three confirmed IgA‐deficient blood donors were identified among 38,759 screened blood donor samples (frequency, 1:531). IgA antibodies were found in 39 of these 73 blood donors (53%), although only 9 donors had a history of adult IgA exposure (transfusion or pregnancy).

CONCLUSIONS: With a simple in‐house ELISA, 73 blood donors were identified as IgA‐deficient. From this number, 34 donors, without detectable anti‐IgA in their plasma, were added to our IgA‐deficient blood donor panel to maximize the management of our inventory of IgA‐deficient frozen blood components.
Friction Effect on Loading Process and Multiple Stable Flying States of Air Bearing Sliders
Authors: Zeng Qinghua , Huang Fu-Ying
Published: October 2006

Load∕unload (L∕UL) technology has been widely applied in hard disk drives for a long period of time. One main promise of this technology compared with the contact start-stop (CSS) technology was no damage from the friction and stiction between sliders and disks during power on and off that exists in CSS. However, the friction between sliders and disks can still occur and has a strong effect on the L∕UL process because sliders may contact disks during loading. When friction is large and the pitch static attitude (PSA) is not in the preferred range, the loading process might fail. In this paper, a new simplified friction model was proposed based on experimental observations. The model was implemented into a L∕UL simulation code. Two cases were studied: a 10,000rpm∕84mm server drive and a 3600rpm∕25.4mm microdrive. The PSA and friction force effects on the loading process were simulated. A large PSA results in slider loaded onto a second stable state with a very large flying pitch angle. In this paper, a third stable state, which results from a small or negative PSA and a sufficiently large friction force, was discovered and investigated. It was found that the friction effect was smaller in the server drive case, while it was dramatic in the microdrive case. In the third stable state, the slider had a negative pitch angle, and its leading edge continuously dragged on the disk. In this state, reading∕writing operation was not possible, and disks and sliders could be damaged.
Design Optimization of Ultra-Low Flying Head-Disk Interfaces Using an Improved Elastic-Plastic Rough Surface Model
Authors: Suh Allison Y. , Lee Sung-Chang , Polycarpou Andreas A.
Published: October 2006

Sub-5nm flying head-disk interfaces (HDIs) designed to attain extremely high areal recording densities of the order of Tbit∕in2 are susceptible to strong adhesive forces, which can lead to subsequent contact, bouncing vibration, and high friction. Accurate prediction of the relevant interfacial forces can help ensure successful implementation of ultra-low flying HDIs. In this study, an improved rough surface model is developed to estimate the adhesive, contact, and friction forces as well as the mean contact pressure relevant to sub-5nm HDIs. The improved model was applied to four different HDIs of varying roughness and contact conditions, and was compared to the sub-boundary lubrication rough surface model. It was found that the interfacial forces in HDIs undergoing primarily elastic-plastic and plastic contact are more accurately predicted with the improved model, while under predominantly elastic contact conditions, the two models give similar results. The improved model was then used to systematically investigate the effect of roughness parameters on the interfacial forces and mean contact pressure (response). The trends in the responses were investigated via a series of regression models using a full 33 factorial design. It was found that the adhesive and net normal interfacial forces increase with increasing mean radius R of asperities when the mean separation is small (≈0.5nm), i.e., pseudo-contacting interface, but it increases primarily with increasing root-mean-square (rms) surface height roughness between 2 and 4nm, i.e., pseudo-flying interface. Also, increasing rms roughness and decreasing R, increases the contact force and mean contact pressure, while the same design decreases the friction force. As the directions of optimization for minimizing the individual interfacial forces are not the same, simultaneous optimization is required for a successful ultra-low flying HDI design.
Visualization and Measurement of Contact Area by
Reflectivity
Authors: Diaconescu Emanuel , Glovnea Marilena
Published: October 2006

Surface deformations measured by laser profilometry in a contact model metal punch-sapphire window yield pressure distribution if the contact area is known. This paper advances a new method to assess this area by reflectivity. The contact model possesses higher reflectivity outside the contact area than inside, the step evidencing contact contour. A correction for interference effects is derived. Experimental results on circular Hertz contacts agree well with theoretical predictions.
Self-Preserving Mixing Properties of Steady Round Buoyant Turbulent Plumes in Uniform Crossflows
Authors: Diez F. J. , Bernal L. P. , Faeth G. M.
Published: October 2006

The self-preserving mixing properties of steady round buoyant turbulent plumes in uniform crossflows were investigated experimentally. The experiments involved salt water sources injected into fresh water crossflows within the windowed test section of a water channel. Mean and fluctuating concentrations of source fluid were measured over cross sections of the flow using planar-laser-induced fluorescence which involved seeding the source fluid with Rhodamine 6G dye and adding small concentrations of ethanol to the crossflowing fluid in order to match the refractive indices of the source flow and the crossflow. The self-preserving penetration properties of the flow were correlated successfully based on the scaling analysis of Diez, Bernal, and Faeth (2003, ASME J. Heat Transfer, 125, pp. 1046–1057) whereas the self-preserving structure properties of the flow were correlated successfully based on the scaling analysis of Fischer et al. (1979, Mixing in Inland and Coastal Waters, Academic Press, New York, pp. 315–389); both approaches involved assumptions of no-slip convection in the cross stream (horizontal) direction (parallel to the crossflow) and a self-preserving line thermal having a conserved source specific buoyancy flux per unit length that moves in the streamwise (vertical) direction (parallel to the direction of both the initial source flow and the gravity vector). The resulting self-preserving structure consisted of two counter-rotating vortices having their axes nearly aligned with the crossflow direction that move away from the source in the streamwise (vertical) direction due to the action of buoyancy. Present measurements extended up to 202 and 620 source diameters from the source in the streamwise and cross stream directions, respectively. The onset of self-preserving behavior required that the axes of the counter-rotating vortex system be nearly aligned with the crossflow direction. This alignment, in turn, was a strong function of the source/crossflow velocity ratio, uo∕v∞. The net result was that the onset of self-preserving behavior was observed at streamwise distances of 10–20 source diameters from the source for uo∕v∞=4 (the smallest value of uo∕v∞ considered), increasing to streamwise distances of 160–170 source diameters from the source for uo∕v∞=100 (the largest value of uo∕v∞ considered). Finally, the counter-rotating vortex system was responsible for substantial increases in the rate of mixing of the source fluid with the ambient fluid compared to axisymmetric round buoyant turbulent plumes in still environments, e.g., transverse dimensions in the presence of the self-preserving counter-rotating vortex system were 2–3 times larger than the transverse dimensions of self-preserving axisymmetric plumes at similar streamwise distances from the source.
Radiative Properties of Dense Fibrous Medium Containing Fibers in the Geometric Limit
Authors: Coquard R. , Baillis D.
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to investigate the dependent regime in dense fibrous materials with size parameters ranging in the geometric optics limit. We use a method based on a Monte Carlo procedure which permits one to identify the radiative properties of dispersed media. This method is applied to materials made of opaque or semitransparent randomly oriented long circular cylinders representing the fibers. The results permit us to investigate the limit of validity of independent scattering hypothesis and to analyze the evolution of the extinction coefficient, scattering albedo and phase function of the fibrous material with the porosity and the reflecting properties of the particles when the shadowing effect due to geometric sized objects is not negligible. We also propose a correlation to estimate the radiative properties in dependent regime from the results of the independent scattering hypothesis. Thereafter, the radiative characteristics obtained are compared to those predicted by previous authors.
Photon Monte Carlo Simulation for Radiative Transfer in Gaseous Media Represented by Discrete Particle Fields
Authors: Wang Anquan , Modest Michael F.
Published: October 2006

Monte Carlo ray-tracing schemes have been developed for the evaluation of radiative heat transfer for problems, in which the participating medium is represented by discrete point masses, such as the flow field and scalar fields in PDF Monte Carlo methods frequently used in combustion modeling. Photon ray tracing in such cases requires that an optical thickness is assigned to each of the point masses. Two approaches are discussed, the point particle model (PPM), in which the shape of particle is not specified, and the spherical particle model (SPM) in which particles are assumed to be spheres with specified radiation properties across their volumes. Another issue for ray tracing in particle fields is the influence region of a ray. Two ways of modeling a ray are proposed. In the first, each ray is treated as a standard volume-less line. In the other approach, the ray is assigned a small solid angle, and is thus treated as a cone with a decaying influence function away from its centerline. Based on these models, three different interaction schemes between rays and particles are proposed, i.e., line-SPM, cone-PPM and cone-SPM methods, and are compared employing several test problems.
Heat Transfer Correlations for Turbulent Mixed Convection in the Entrance Region of a Uniformly Heated Horizontal Tube
Authors: Grassi Walter , Testi Daniele
Published: October 2006

Flow of perfluorohexane in the entry region of a uniformly heated horizontal cylindrical duct was studied in a regime of weakly turbulent mixed convection. Heat transfer coefficients were measured at five cross sections along the heated length and various values of flow rate and heat flux were imposed. A different thermofluid-dynamic behavior was observed between the upper and lower sides of the pipe. Correlations of the Nusselt number for developed and developing flow were proposed, showing agreement with the experimental data within the 10% deviation band.
Effect of Resin Formulation on Thermoset Viscoelasticity
Authors: Jansen K. M. B.
Published: October 2006

Viscoelastic relaxation curves of thermoset resins may change considerably for relatively small changes in properties of the initial monomer mixture or final conversion level. In order to be able to predict the effect of such changes, a model is proposed which relates the properties of the initial monomer mixture such as the functionality, mixing ratio, and conversion level to changes in the relaxation curves. It basically consists of two parts. Firstly, the crosslink density is calculated based on the exact composition of the monomer mixture and, secondly, the effect of this crosslink density on the position of the glass transition and the rubbery modulus was calculated. The model was tested with a series of Novolac epoxies in which the functionality, mixing ratio, and conversion level were varied systematically. It turned out that changes in the relaxation curves due to variations in conversion level could be predicted quite accurately from the shape and shift factor of the fully cured mastercurve. The agreement between relaxation curve predictions for the series with changing functionality and mixing ratio was only moderate, which was ascribed to errors in the prediction of correct values for the crosslink density.
Large Strain Mechanical Behavior of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) Near the Glass Transition Temperature
Authors: Palm G. , Dupaix R. B. , Castro J.
Published: October 2006

The mechanical behavior of amorphous thermoplastics, such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), strongly depends on temperature and strain rate. Understanding these dependencies is critical for many polymer processing applications and, in particular, for those occurring near the glass transition temperature, such as hot embossing. In this study, the large strain mechanical behavior of PMMA is investigated using uniaxial compression tests at varying temperatures and strain rates. In this study we capture the temperature and rate of deformation dependence of PMMA, and results correlate well to previous experimental work found in the literature for similar temperatures and strain rates. A three-dimensional constitutive model previously used to describe the mechanical behavior of another amorphous polymer, poly(ethylene terephthalate)-glycol (PETG), is applied to model the observed behavior of PMMA. A comparison with the experimental results reveals that the model is able to successfully capture the observed stress-strain behavior of PMMA, including the initial elastic modulus, flow stress, initial strain hardening, and final dramatic strain hardening behavior in uniaxial compression near the glass transition temperature.
Nonlinear Viscoelastic Constitutive Model for Thermoset Polymers
Authors: Ellyin Fernand , Xia Zihui
Published: October 2006

A nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model, in differential form, is presented based on the deformation characteristics of thermoset polymers under complex loadings. This rheological model includes a criterion to delineate loading and unloading in multiaxial stress states, and different moduli for loading and unloading behaviors. The material constants and functions of this model are calibrated in accordance with a well-defined procedure. The model predictions are compared with the experimental data of an epoxy polymer subjected to uniaxial and biaxial stress states with monotonic and cyclic loading. The agreement is very good for various loading regimes. The constitutive model is further implemented in a finite element code and the residual stresses arising from the curing process of polymer reinforced composites is determined for two different epoxy resins.
Advanced Composite Panels for Seismic and Vibration Mitigation of Existing Structures
Authors: Aref Amjad J. , Jung Woo-Young
Published: October 2006

In this paper, a conceptual design, fabrication, and testing of advanced polymer matrix composite (PMC) infill system are addressed for seismic retrofitting of steel frames. Such a system is designed to have a multi-panel PMC infill system with passive energy mechanism. The basic configuration of this system is composed of two separate components—namely, an inner PMC sandwich panel and outer damping panels. The inner PMC sandwich infill consists of two fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates with Divincell® H core, and outer damping panels are made of FRP laminate plates and passive energy constrained damping layers—combining polymer honeycomb and 3M viscoelastic solid materials—at the interface between the laminates. The interactions of these two components produce considerable stiffness and enhanced damping properties in the structure following different drift level. Conceptually, the FRP outer damping panels are designed to produce the damping through the cyclic shear straining of the combined interface damping layers. Moreover, as the lateral drift increases, the inner PMC sandwich infill is designed to provide considerable lateral stiffness to resist severe earthquake excitation and avoid excessive relative floor displacements that cause both structural and non-structural damage. As part of this research, analytical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-infill panel concept. The prefabricated multi-panel PMC infill holds a great promise for enhanced damping performance, simplification of the construction process, and the reduction of time and cost when used for seismic retrofitting applications.
Constitutive Modeling of a Thermoplastic Olefin Over a Broad Range of Strain Rates
Authors: Wang Yan , Arruda Ellen M.
Published: October 2006

A microstructually motivated, three-dimensional, large deformation, strain rate dependent constitutive model has been developed for a semi-crystalline, blended, thermoplastic olefin (TPO) (Wang, Y., 2002, Ph.D. thesis, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI). Various experiments have been conducted to characterize the TPO and to verify the modeling approach (Wang, Y., 2002, Ph.D. thesis, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI). The model includes a quantitative rate-dependent Young’s modulus, a nonlinear viscoelastic response between initial linear elastic response and yield due to inherent microstructural irregularity, rate and temperature dependent yield with two distinctive yield mechanisms for low and high strain rates, temperature-dependent strain hardening, plastic deformation of crystalline regions, and adiabatic heating. It has been shown to accurately capture the observed TPO stress-strain behavior including the rate-dependent initial linear elastic response; temperature, strain rate, and deformation state-dependent yield; temperature and deformation state-dependent strain hardening; and pronounced thermal softening effects at high (impact) strain rates. The model has also been examined for its ability to predict the response in plane strain compression based on material parameters chosen to capture the uniaxial compression response. The model is predictive of the initial strain rate dependent stiffness, yield, and strain hardening responses in plane strain. Such predictive capability demonstrates the versatility with which this model captures the three-dimensional anisotropic nature of TPO stress-strain behavior.
LEVITATION FORCE BETWEEN A SHORT MAGNETIC BAR AND A SUPERCONDUCTING CYLINDER IN THE MEISSNER STATE
Authors: ALQADI M. K. , ALZOUBI F. Y. , AL-KHATEEB H. M. , AYOUB N. Y.
Published: October 2006

We have calculated the levitation force and interaction energy between a short magnetic bar and a superconducting cylinder in the Meissner state using the dipole–dipole interaction model. We derived analytical expression of the levitation force acting on the short magnet as a function of the orientation angle of magnetic dipole, and the physical dimensions of the magnet-superconductor system. The effects of the thickness of the superconductor and the length of the magnet on the levitation force were studied.
YOUNG CHILDREN'S UNDERSTANDING OF ANIMACY AND ENTERTAINMENT ROBOTS
Authors: OKITA SANDRA Y. , SCHWARTZ DANIEL L.
Published: October 2006

Complex interactions, biologically-inspired features and intelligence are increasingly seen in entertainment robots. Do these features affect how children interpret robots? Children have "animistic intuitions" that they use to attribute intelligence, biology, and agency to living things. Two studies explore whether young children also apply animistic intuitions to robotic animals, and whether attributes vary by the child's age, robot behavior and appearance. A total of ninety-three three- to five-year-olds participated in two experiments. They observed or interacted with robots that exhibited different behaviors and levels of responsiveness to their environment. They then answered simple questions that probed their attributions of biology, intelligence, and agency. The results indicated that regardless of the robots' look and behavior, younger children over-generalized their animistic intuitions about real animals and older children attributed some animistic qualities but not others. One implication is that young children's criteria and attributions do not depend on robot features that are important for older children and adults. Another implication is that children do not have a theory of aliveness, and they develop the category of robot slowly and piecemeal as they learn discrete facts about how technology differs from living things.
MULTIMODAL COMPLEX EMOTIONS: GESTURE EXPRESSIVITY AND BLENDED FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Authors: MARTIN JEAN-CLAUDE , NIEWIADOMSKI RADOSLAW , DEVILLERS LAURENCE , BUISINE STEPHANIE , PELACHAUD CATHERINE
Published: October 2006

One of the challenges of designing virtual humans is the definition of appropriate models of the relation between realistic emotions and the coordination of behaviors in several modalities. In this paper, we present the annotation, representation and modeling of multimodal visual behaviors occurring during complex emotions. We illustrate our work using a corpus of TV interviews. This corpus has been annotated at several levels of information: communicative acts, emotion labels, and multimodal signs. We have defined a copy-synthesis approach to drive an Embodied Conversational Agent from these different levels of information. The second part of our paper focuses on a model of complex (superposition and masking of) emotions in facial expressions of the agent. We explain how the complementary aspects of our work on corpus and computational model is used to specify complex emotional behaviors.
RIGID OBJECT TRACKING USING MEAN-SHIFT WITH ADAPTIVE KERNEL BANDWIDTH SELECTION
Authors: PU JIEXIN , PENG NINGSONG , HUANG XINHAN
Published: October 2006

The mean shift algorithm is an efficient way for object tracking. However, there is presently no clear mechanism for selecting kernel bandwidth while the object is changing in size. This paper presents a novel bandwidth selection method for mean shift based rigid object tracking. The kernel bandwidth is updated by discovering the scale parameters of the object's affine model that are estimated by using the correspondences between the corner object in two consecutive frames. The centroid of the object is registered by a special backward tracking method. Therefore, we can not only get translation parameter to simplify affine model but also improve the accuracy of finding corner correspondences. In addition, the M-estimate method is employed to reject mismatched pairs (outliers) so as to get better regression results. We have applied the proposed method to track vehicles changing in size with encouraging results.
DETECTING MOVING OBJECTS USING FUZZY INTEGRATION MOMENT
Authors: WU YOUFU
Published: October 2006

Moments are widely used in pattern recognition, image processing, computer vision and multi-resolution analysis. It can also be use to detect the moving objects. In this paper, we address the problems about detecting moving objects in a video stream obtained by a fixed camera. To detect the moving objects, a method is proposed using the fuzzy integrating moment that combines the 1st, 3rd and 5th order temporal orthogonal Gaussian-Hermite moments and it takes into account the non-symmetric membership function π. To evaluate the performances of moving detection, the performance comparisons of different methods are carried out. The experiment results show good performance of our method for detecting moving objects.
A NEW APPROACH FOR ADAPTIVE POLYNOMIAL BASED IMAGE INTERPOLATION
Authors: EL-KHAMY S. E. , HADHOUD M. M. , DESSOUKY M. I. , SALAM B. M. , ABD EL-SAMIE F. E.
Published: October 2006

In this paper, an adaptive algorithm is suggested for the implementation of polynomial based image interpolation techniques such as Bilinear, Bicubic, Cubic Spline and Cubic O-MOMS. This algorithm is based on the minimization of the squared estimation error at each pixel in the interpolated image by adaptively estimating the distance of the pixel to be estimated from its neighbors. The adaptation process at each pixel is performed iteratively to yield the best estimate of this pixel value. This adaptive interpolation algorithm takes into consideration the mathematical model by which a low resolution (LR) image is obtained from a high resolution (HR) image. This adaptive algorithm is compared to traditional polynomial based interpolation techniques and to the warped distance interpolation techniques. The performance of this algorithm is also compared to the performance of other algorithms used in commercial interpolation softwares such as the ACDSee and the Photopro programs. Results show that the suggested adaptive algorithm is superior from the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) point of view to other traditional techniques and it has a higher ability of edge preservation than traditional image techniques. The computational cost of the adaptive algorithm is studied and found to be moderate.
TRACKING THE BALL AND PLAYERS FROM MULTIPLE FOOTBALL VIDEOS
Authors: CHOI KYUHYOUNG , PARK BOOIL , LEE SUBIN , SEO YONGDUEK
Published: October 2006

This paper deals with tracking players and the ball in multiple soccer video sequences taken from fixed cameras located around the stadium. One of the major obstacle in player tracking occurs when occlusion between people results in insufficient observation information. If a player blob is not visible in some of the input videos due to occlusion, one solution is to check whether he is visible in others. This check is helped by the homography transformation induced by the play-ground because the players' positions can be represented on a virtual planar soccer field and can be mapped into any video image through a corresponding homography between the virtual field and the video image. Therefore, the position estimate of the player is exploited to predict and check the visibility in each of the video images. Measurements are taken from those visible images. On the other hand, before initiating tracking, we do a color correction in order to enhance the measurement and matching process because each of the video produces different RGB values for the same scene object due to different camera position and color sensor characteristics. After tracking players, ball tracking is carried out by eliminating the image blobs of players and accumulating the ideally ball-only images. We implemented our tracking algorithm, and experiments for sets of multiple real videos showed promising results.
TRACKING NON-RIGID OBJECTS IN VIDEO SEQUENCES
Authors: ZHOU HUIYU , LIU TANGWEI , ZHENG JEFFERY Z. J. , LIN FAQUAN , PANG YUSHENG , WU JI
Published: October 2006

The recently proposed color based tracking systems are unable to properly adapt the ellipse that represents an object to be tracked. This most likely leads to inaccurate descriptions of the object in the later application. This paper presents a Lagrangian based method in order to discover a regularizing component for the covariance matrix. Technically, we intend to reduce the residuals between the estimated probability distribution and the expected one. We argue that, by doing this, the shape of the ellipse can be properly adapted in the tracking stage. Experimental results show that the proposed method has favorable performance in shape adaption and object localization.
The prolyl hydroxylase oxygen-sensing pathway is cytoprotective and allows maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential during metabolic inhibition
Authors: Sridharan Vijayalakshmi , Guichard Jason , Bailey Rachel M. , Kasiganesan Harinath , Beeson Craig , Wright Gary L.
Published: October 2006

The cellular oxygen sensor is a family of oxygen-dependent proline hydroxylase domain (PHD)-containing enzymes, whose reduction of activity initiate a hypoxic signal cascade. In these studies, prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHIs) were used to activate the PHD-signaling pathway in cardiomyocytes. PHI-pretreatment led to the accumulation of glycogen and an increased maintenance of ATP levels in glucose-free medium containing cyanide. The addition of the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) caused a decline of ATP levels that was indistinguishable between control and PHI-treated myocytes. Despite the comparable levels of ATP depletion, PHI-preconditioned myocytes remained significantly protected. As expected, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨmito) collapses in control myocytes during cyanide and 2-DG treatment and it fails to completely recover upon washout. In contrast, ΔΨmito is partially maintained during metabolic inhibition and recovers completely on washout in PHI-preconditioned cells. Inclusion of rotenone, but not oligomycin, with cyanide and 2-DG was found to collapse ΔΨmito in PHI-pretreated myocytes. Thus, continued complex I activity was implicated in the maintenance of ΔΨmito in PHI-treated myocytes, whereas a role for the “reverse mode” operation of the F1F0-ATP synthase was ruled out. Further examination of mitochondrial function revealed that PHI treatment downregulated basal oxygen consumption to only ∼15% that of controls. Oxygen consumption rates, although initially lower in PHI-preconditioned myocytes, recovered completely upon removal of metabolic poisons, while reaching only 22% of preinsult levels in control myocytes. We conclude that PHD oxygen-sensing mechanism directs multiple compensatory changes in the cardiomyocyte, which include a low-respiring mitochondrial phenotype that is remarkably protected against metabolic insult.