bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review Article: “American Religious Thought of the 18th and 19th Centuries”
Authors: Noll Mark A.
Published: April 2006

Perry Miller, with characteristic lése majesté, told readers of his New England Mind that, if they wanted to see his footnotes, they would have to make a pilgrimage to the Harvard College Library (The Seventeenth Century [New York, 1939], p. ix). Times have changed, and at least some scholars have become more accommodating. Bruce Kuklick, for example, not only provided notes for his “New England Mind”—the superb recent study Churchmen and Philosophers from Jonathan Edwards to John Dewey (New Haven, 1985)—but now, through the good offices of Garland Publishing, has made available many of the sources to which those notes refer in American Religious Thought of the 18th and 19th Centuries: A Thirty-two Volume Set Reprinting the Works of Leading American Theologians from Jonathan Edwards to John Dewey and including Recent Dissertations (New York: Garland Publishing, 1988), $2,290. Kuklick and Garland deserve highest commendation for rescuing from unwarranted obscurity the authors and works reprinted here. The set's title may be inaccurate, and one may quibble about the exact lineup of books and articles included, but these volumes remain a magnificent achievement.
Cooperation, Not Conflict: Curés and Primary School Inspectors in July Monarchy France, 1833–1848
Authors: Koepke Robert L.
Published: April 2006

The struggle between village priest and schoolteacher in France over education, the struggle for the minds of the young, has a long history. Although it reached its peak in the Third Republic, it developed throughout the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, evidence is heavily anecdotal, so we do not actually know how extensive or intensive it was, and thus how significant for the history of France.
The Historiography of Canadian Evangelicalism: A Time to Reflect
Authors: Stackhouse John G.
Published: April 2006

Once in a while, an occasion turns out to be historic, historical, and historiographical. Such an occasion was the conference on the Canadian Evangelical Experience held at Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, early in May 1995. This four-day conference devoted to the history of evangelicalism in Canada (thus “historical”) was the first of its kind in this country, and marked the emergence of a critical mass of scholarship in this field (thus “historic”). It has become a considerable enough mass, in fact, that this review will confine itself to published books and particularly those published in the last ten years. It is a “critical” mass, furthermore, in that the conference raised explicitly and implicitly serious questions about the writing of Canadian evangelical history, some of which this essay will discuss (thus “historiographical”).
The Deadliest Sin: Warnings against Avarice and Usury on Romanesque Capitals in Auvergne
Authors: Baumann Priscilla
Published: April 2006

Clustered around the episcopal center of Clermont, in that least accessible French province of Auvergne, a series of romanesque churches built between the end of the eleventh and first half of the twelfth centuries harbor sculptured capitals which repeatedly treat the themes of avarice and usury. Although the virtues and vices provided a popular and graphic subject for sculptors throughout France during this period, only in Auvergne do we discover such a specific emphasis on the sins of avarice and usury. In some cases the subject is treated to the exclusion of all others, and every example has been placed in a predominant and highly visible location within the church.
Interpreting Seventeenth-Century English Religion as Movements
Authors: Sommerville C. John
Published: April 2006

A number of historians have indicated, perhaps unconsciously, that the concept of religious movement would be useful in reference to seventeenth-century English religious history. But while some have used the term “movement” in describing some religious initiatives, no one has explored the implications of that concept for understanding either religious life or the England of that day. Rather, we continue to force things into the terms of “church” and “sect,” with apologies for a loose fit. And yet a disestablished Catholicism, as well as Puritanism, Quakerism, and an emerging ideological “Anglicanism,” are transformed when understood as movements.
Remembering Poemen Remembering: The Desert Fathers and the Spirituality of Memory
Authors: Harmless William
Published: April 2006

In 407, a tribe of barbarian raiders known as Mazices came sweeping off the Libyan desert and devastated one of the first great centers of Christian monasticism, the settlement of Scetis. Scetis was located in a remote desert valley west of the Nile and had been founded around 330 by one of the pioneers of the monastic movement, Macarius the Egyptian (d. 390). Before the attack, it had enjoyed an international reputation for its ascetic rigor and incisive wisdom. Word of the devastation spread rapidly, even to the Latin West. Augustine knew of it and counted it among the great disasters of the time.2 And when the sack of Rome took place a couple of years later, in 410, one of Scetis's survivors, Abba Arsenius, would link the two events: “The world has lost Rome and the monks have lost Scetis.” Scetis's destruction marked a turning point in the history of early Christian monasticism. The site would be resettled a few years later, and in fact would suffer other barbarian raids, notably in 434, 444, and 570. But after this first one, many of its leading monks dispersed and never returned.
Two Schools of Desire: Nature and Marriage in Seventeenth-Century Puritanism
Authors: Lane Belden C.
Published: April 2006

In Milton's description of the marriage of Adam and Eve inParadise Lost, the entire Garden of Eden is seen to participate in the celebration of their union. Spousal and nature imagery are woven together, beauty and desire joined in the mystery of Adam's amazement at this gift of his “other self” newly received from God's hand. Says Adam of his wife,

To the nuptial bower

I led her blushing like the morn: all heaven,

And happy constellations on that hour

Shed their selectest influence; the earth

Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill;

Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs

Whispered it to the woods, and from their wings

Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub,

Disporting, till the amorous bird of night

Sung spousal, and bid haste the evening star

On his hill top, to light the bridal lamp.

Joyous birds, whispering breezes, welcoming stars—they all share in the couple's holy delight in each other and in God.
“God's Representative in Our Midst”: Toward a History of the Catholic Diocesan Clergy in the United States
Authors: Tentler Leslie Woodcock
Published: April 2006

From a historian's point of view, the Catholic diocesan clergy in the United States look rather like forgotten men. As a group, they have never figured prominently in the scholarly literature. American Catholic history may have had an emphatically clerical bias as late as the 1950s, but the focus then was mainly on the chancery. The parish clergy were almost as neglected as the famously docile laity. The laity have moved in recent years to the forefront of Catholic historical consciousness, and won for themselves a less docile image in the process. But priests have not enjoyed equivalent attention—indeed, in the eyes of at least some practitioners, priests are today mildly suspect as subjects of research. We do not, after all, want a return to the bad old days of “clerical” history. The predictable consequence is a major hole in our church-historical knowledge. Despite the new vitality in American Catholic historical scholarship, we know very little about the history of diocesan priests in the United States—who they were, how they lived and worked, what they thought about their ministry or the people they served.
The Spirituality of Reform in the Late Medieval Church: The Example of Nicolas de Clamanges
Authors: Bellitto Christopher M.
Published: April 2006

For the Parisian humanist and Avignon papal secretary Nicolas de Clamanges, reform of the late medieval church began notin capitebut with personal reform grounded in a spirituality that was itself built on patristic principles. His colleagues, including Jean Gerson and Pierre d'Ailly at the Council of Constance, first located reform institutionallyin capiteand expected it to trickle down in membris. Clamanges by contrast applied the fathers' emphasis on individual spiritual growth to the late medieval church: a preparatory and indispensable reformatio personalis must constantly be at work in order for broader reform to succeed. He particularly contended that God would grant each Christian guidance and lead his spiritual progress through purgative suffering in fear, humility, and solitude that followed Christ's example. Only by this path could the entire church—member by member—return to union, peace, and purity. In this way Clamanges married the patristic goal of personal reform to the prevailing interior spirituality of his age with its focus on the humanity and suffering of Christ. Clamanges's important religious ideas have frequently been overlooked, however, by the high-profile careers of his close friends d'Ailly and Gerson as well as by Clamanges's own role in French humanism. By looking at his reform thought we will take one step toward identifying Clamanges as far more than an elegant writer while we use his ideas to explore how individual spirituality and personal reform were closely aligned in the troubled church of the late Middle Ages.
Seeing and Believing in the Commentaries on John by Martin Bucer and John Calvin
Authors: Pitkin Barbara
Published: April 2006

John Eck's allegation that those advancing justification by faith alone were themselves finding it necessary to distinguish different types of faith describes accurately the reality in the evangelical movement in the 1530s–1550s. The Reformers' initial clarity and optimism about saving faith is seen, for example, in Article 20 of the Augsburg Confession (1530), which describes the scriptural view of faith as a confidence in God and a certain assurance of God's grace. Moreover, the Confession carefully distinguishes this true faith from both mere knowledge of historical events concerning Christ and from virtuous actions that spring from faith, and does not deign to designate these latter legitimate types of faith. However, subsequent dissension within the Protestant camp over the Law (Johann Agricola, for example), justification (Andreas Osiander, for example), and the sacraments, combined with the continued criticism of those Catholic opponents designated by Eck as “the faithful,” forced the magisterial Reformers to defend and, in some cases, refine their understandings of faith. Missing from Eck's assessment, however, is an indication of how exegetical activity in addition to polemical exchanges might attest and even contribute to this reevaluation. In this regard, the Gospel of John constitutes an especially important area for investigation. Protestant understandings of faith were drawn from and bolstered by Pauline texts, especially Rom. 1:17, 3:28, 4:3–9, and 10:17; Gal. 4:6; and Heb.
Images of Intolerance: John Calvin in Nineteenth-Century History Textbooks
Authors: Davis Thomas J.
Published: April 2006

The name “John Calvin” and the movement associated with him, Calvinism, serve as rhetorical negatives in the popular language of American culture. In a society often regarded as the most ahistorical in the Western world—an important American proclaimed that “history is bunk”—the name of Calvin, the sixteenth-century Protestant reformer who worked mostly in Geneva, is common enough coinage to show up in a variety of contexts. One can read newspaper stories on baseball, and Calvin is there. Or one can look at a popular book on the drug Prozac and there read about “pharmacological Calvinism.” A moving analysis of the AIDS crisis in the New York Times mentions Calvin. All of the references carry negative connotations of fatalism, guilt, and so on. The word “Calvin” seems to be shorthand for a range of negative thoughts and feelings in the American cultural consciousness.
Forging Papal Authority: Charters from the Monastery of Montier-en-Der
Authors: Bouchard Constance B.
Published: April 2006

“We confirm with all our authority, to the abbot of that house, everything that our predecessors as popes granted them in writing, as well as everything in the letters of our beloved son Charlemagne … that all the possessions of the monastery be under the protection and defense of inviolable apostolic privilege, that is everything that has been or will be given to that church.” Thus read a papal privilege created in the second half of the eleventh century at the Benedictine monastery of Montier-en-Der, a privilege that purported to have been given to the monks three centuries earlier. By forging papal documents in a time of difficulties, the monks sought to demonstrate that they had powerful allies, who would help them even if the local counts and bishops did not.
“Touch No Unclean Thing”: Apocalyptic Expressions of Ascetic Spirituality in the Early Middle Ages
Authors: Lumsden Douglas W.
Published: April 2006

The earliest Latin commentaries on the Apocalypse of John interpret this strange and powerful text as a revelation of the Christian community's drama as it fulfills the conditions leading to its glorious triumph in the final chapter of God's temporal plan. According to early Latin exegetes, one event—the opening of the seven seals, described in Apocalypse 6:1 through 8:1—represents a microcosm of the whole, revealing the entire purpose for the church's historical development. Throughout the first millennium of Christian history, biblical authorities analyzing the account of the seven seals for its underlying message concluded that God causes history to unfold and mature in order to allow the assembly of the elect to separate itself from its false brethren within the church. Processed and purified by history, the elect will exist in a state of readiness for their ascension into eternity.
Dominican Friar, Lay Saint: The Case of Marcolino of Forlì
Authors: Bornstein Daniel
Published: April 2006

The years surrounding the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) witnessed a historiographical revolution that transformed the study of medieval Christianity. One might say that both a new Vatican ecclesiology and the new religious history sprang from the same conceptual root. Even as the Council articulated a definition of the Catholic Church as the people of God rather than simply a hierarchical institution, a number of important scholars were rediscovering the religious history of the Christian people. Shifting their focus away from the traditional monastic treatises on the contemplative life, scholars argued that all believers, and not just clerical specialists in the sacred, had a spiritual life that constituted a proper object for historical study. This new understanding of the history of Christian spirituality rapidly proved enormously fecund, opening as it did novel and exciting prospects for the study of popular religion.
The Representation of Mary in the Architecture of Le Corbusier's Chapel at Ronchamp
Authors: Samuel Flora
Published: April 2006

In the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris there is a little guide for pilgrims that was given to the architect when he began work on the pilgrimage chapel of Notre Dame du Haut Ronchamp (1955), probably the most influential yet contentious building of the twentieth century (fig. 1). Within the guide, the section on the cult of Mary has been heavily underlined and in the margin is the word “feminism,” written by Le Corbusier, a very unusual departure for a man of his times. In this article I will examine the role of Mary in the work of Le Corbusier and discuss the way in which she is interpreted in the architecture of Ronchamp.
The Role of Godly Magistrates in the Church: Melanchthon as Luther's Interpreter and Collaborator
Authors: Estes James M.
Published: April 2006

Our knowledge of Melanchthon's thought on the role of godly magistrates in the church is surprisingly incomplete, despite the generally acknowledged importance of that thought. Most Reformation scholars are familiar with Melanchthon's argument that the Christian magistrate is, as custodian of both tables of the Law and as foremost member of the church, the incumbent of an office established for the sake of the church and thus burdened with responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of true religion. Most know too that this argument became the standard Lutheran justification for what is called the cura religionis of the magistrate. Few, however, are aware that it took Melanchthon a good decade to arrive at that doctrine, that he spent a further decade or so refining and developing it, and that during all that time there was an intimate connection between the content of his thought and the course of public events. The reason for this gap in our knowledge is that the history of the development of Melanchthon's thought on the religious duties of secular rulers has not yet been written.
Theology as Entertainment: Oral Debate in American Religion
Authors: Holifield E. Brooks
Published: April 2006

In a 1959 survey of 2,706 ministers of the Churches of Christ, an American denomination that grew out of the nineteenth-century reform movement of Alexander Campbell, the rhetorician James Swinney discovered 215 preachers who said that they had conducted public oral debates as a way of attracting converts and defending their tradition. During the previous half-century, they had held around 4,400 debates, each lasting from one to fourteen days, mainly in the rural areas and small towns of the South and lower Midwest. Another student of Campbell's movement has compiled a list of more than 9,000 such debates, around 500 in the nineteenth century and more than 8,500 in the twentieth. The forensic superstars included regional celebrities like J. D. Tant of Texas, who held more than 350 such contests between 1885 and 1941 and who argued that four people would attend a debate for every one who attended a worship service. His assertion calls for qualification, but it reminds us of a practice that once attracted widespread attention and that has continued to flourish in parts of American Protestantism.
Mechanical and tribological properties of PA66/PPS blend. II. Filled with PTFE
Authors: Chen Zhaobin , Liu Xujun , Li Tongsheng , Lü Renguo
Published: April 2006

The mechanical and tribological properties of 70 vol % PA66/30 vol % PPS blend filled with different content of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were studied in this paper. It was found that the addition of PTFE impairs the mechanical properties of PA66/PPS blend, but greatly increases the wear resistance and decreases the friction coefficient. When PTFE content exceeds 20 vol %, the friction coefficient of composite is minimum (0.15) and lower than that of pure PTFE under the same conditions (0.22). The lowest wear volume (0.44 mm3) is obtained with PA66/PPS/30 vol % PTFE composite, which decreased by 91% compared with unfilled PA66/PPS blend (4.99 mm3). The topography of transfer film and the elemental distribution were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), respectively. Because of the characteristic crystalline structure, PTFE preferentially transferred to the steel ring surface and formed a thin, uniform and firmly adhered transfer layer, which reduced the ability of PA66/PPS blend to transfer and prevent the adhesion between the sample and the couterface. In addition, the superior lubrication of PTFE inhibited the frictional heat melting during sliding. All these aspects are close related to the friction and wear behavior of PA66/PPS/PTFE composite. Upon the addition of PTFE, thermal control of friction regime is not applicable to the PA66/PPS blend. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 969–977, 2006
Optimization of PE/binder/PA extrusion blow‐molded films. II. Adhesion properties improvement using binder/EVA blends
Authors: Poisson C. , Hervais V. , Lacrampe M. F. , Krawczak P.
Published: April 2006

The second part of this series shows that the incorporation of EVA in the tie layer of extrusion blow‐molded three‐layer (PE/binder/PA) improves the adhesion properties, while reducing the film cost by 6% and preserving the performances previously (Part I) obtained by addition of EVA in the PE layer only, such as optimal improved seal ability, optical properties, and satisfactory mechanical properties. The improvement of adhesion between the binder and the PA layers could be related to a modification of the type and the density of the intermolecular interactions between binder, PA, and EVA. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2006
Water treeing, AC breakdown, and dielectric loss characteristics of EVA‐OH as a function of conversion rate
Authors: Ko Jung Woo , Suh Kwang S. , Lee Seung Hyung
Published: April 2006

Four kinds of ethylene–vinyl acetate–vinyl alcohol (EVA–OH) terpolymers containing different contents of hydroxyl groups were prepared using the transesterification reaction between a ethylene–vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer and alcohol. Structural and thermal analyses of the EVA‐OH produced were performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Electrical properties such as water treeing, AC breakdown, and dielectric loss characteristics were investigated. It was found that both water tree length and the probability of water tree generation decreased as a function of hydroxyl group content. AC breakdown characteristics such as average breakdown strength and characteristic breakdown strength (breakdown probability = 63.2%) of EVA improved as a function of the conversion rate of EVA‐OH from acetate to hydroxyl groups. Dielectric loss increased with hydroxyl group content in the low‐frequency range. In contrast, it was observed that dielectric loss decreased with hydroxyl group content in the high‐frequency range. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 420–424, 2006
Solution thermodynamics of poly(ethylene glycol)/water systems
Authors: Özdemir Cemile , Güner Ali
Published: April 2006

The unperturbed molecular dimensions of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) samples (of different molecular weights) have been evaluated in aqueous solutions from viscosity measurements at 25, 30, 35, and 40°C. The unperturbed dimension, Kθ, has been determined from extrapolation methods, i.e., Kurata–Stockmayer–Fixman (KSF), Inagaki–Suzuki–Kurata (ISK), and Berry equations. The hydrodynamic expansion factor, αη, as well as the unperturbed root‐mean‐square end‐to‐end distance, 〈r2〉, found for the system indicated that the polymer coils contract as the temperature is raised from 25 to 40°C. The long‐range interaction (excluded volume) parameter, B, was also evaluated and a significant decrease was found for the PEG/water system between 25 and 40°C. The theta temperatures, θ, were obtained from the temperature dependence of (1/2 − χ) and the second virial coefficient was detected in the temperature interval of 25–40°C for the system and quite a good agreement with the calculated values evaluated via extrapolation and interpolation methods was observed. The thermodynamic interaction parameter χ was evaluated through the sum of the individual values of enthalpy and entropy dilution parameters, χH and χS, for PEG samples. All the unperturbed molecular dimensions of PEG/water system were calculated and compared according to Mw and Mn values of PEG samples. Calculated values were interpreted mainly on the basis of hydrogen‐bond formation between polymer segments and PEG‐water molecules in solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 203–216, 2006
Correlating miscibility of PVC/PMMA blend with polymer chain orientation
Authors: Deshpande V. D. , Singh Umesh
Published: April 2006

Blends of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with varying concentrations of the polymers were prepared in a film form by standard solution casting method, using methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) as a common solvent. The miscibility of the blend was studied by dynamic mechanical analysis. The chain orientation behaviors of PVC and PMMA in the stretched blend films were studied by infrared dichroism method. Up to 60 wt % PVC concentration in the blend, PVC showed negative values for orientation function whereas PMMA showed independent positive values for its orientation function. On further increasing PVC concentration in the blend, the orientation function of PVC flipped to positive values, and both PVC and PMMA showed same magnitude and trend in orientation behavior. The chain orientation behavior of individual polymers in the immiscible compositions of the blend was observed to be independent, while there was a high degree of cooperation for chain orientation in the miscible composition. Change in the miscibility of the blend was simultaneously accompanied by conformational changes in PVC. The change in orientation behavior is interpreted in terms of curling of polymer chains in the immiscible phase. The polymer chain curling hypothesis used here is applicable independent of the type of polymers in the blend. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 624–630, 2006
Preparation of porous thin films of a partially aliphatic polyimide
Authors: Chung Chan‐Moon , Lee Ju‐Ho , Cho Sung‐Youl , Kim Joong‐Gon , Moon Sung‐Yun
Published: April 2006

A thermally labile polymer, poly(propylene glycol), was modified to obtain PPG having an amino end group. PPG was incorporated into a partially aliphatic polyimide based on an alicyclic dianhydride, and this afforded triblock copolymers containing various amounts of PPG blocks. The thermal properties of the copolymers were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal decomposition of the PPG block in the copolymers was carried out at 240°C under various pressures to obtain porous polyimide films. The pores remained during the thermolysis under a reduced pressure of 710 mmHg, whereas they collapsed under (near) atmospheric pressure. The pore size increased as the amount of the PPG block in the copolymers increased. The dielectric constants of the porous polyimides varied from 2.60 to 2.42 with the original copolymer composition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 532–538, 2006
Orientation and property correlations for LLDPE blown films
Authors: Chen H. Y. , Bishop M. T. , Landes B. G. , Chum S. P.
Published: April 2006

The orientation and property correlations of biaxially oriented polyethylene (PE) blown films have been studied. A linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) (DOWLEX™2045A) was used to fabricate films at different conditions with blow up ratio, die gap, and frost line height as the variables. The White‐Spruiell orientation factors of crystal unit cells, amorphous chains, and Herman's orientation factors of lamellae were determined from wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction pole figure, birefringence, and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). A general orientation pattern with the crystal unit cella‐axis preferentially oriented to MD,b‐axis to TD, lamellae stacking along the MD, and amorphous chains preferentially to the MD has been found for all films in this study. A correlation between the orientation of each element of the morphology hierarchy has been revealed. Key mechanical properties including dart impact and Elmendorf tear strength in both MD and TD have been determined. Good correlation has been found among these properties. Most importantly, these properties have excellent correlation to the orientation. These correlations have been linked to underlying morphology and microdeformation mechanisms. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 898–907, 2006
Crosslinked poly(glycidyl methacrylate)‐based resin for removal of mercury from aqueous solutions
Authors: Şenkal B. Filiz , Yavuz Erdem
Published: April 2006

Glycidyl methacrylate–based resin crosslinked beads with acetamide functions were demonstrated to be efficient in the removal of mercury. Beaded polymer supports were prepared by suspension polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (0.9 mol) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (0.1 mol). The resulting copolymer beads were modified through epoxy functions in two steps: (1) by treatment with excess dibutyl amine and (2) by subsequent reaction with chloroacetamide. The resulting polymer resin, which had a chloroacetamide content of 2.5 mmol/g, was effective in extracting mercury from aqueous solutions. The mercury sorption capacity was around 2.2 mmol/g in nonbuffered conditions. Experiments performed in identical conditions with several metal ions revealed that Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), and Fe(III) ions also were extractable in low quantities (0.2–0.8 mmol/g). The sorbed mercury could be eluted by repeated treatment with hot acetic acid without hydrolysis of the amide groups. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 348–352, 2006
Reactive processing and evaluation of butadiene–styrene copolymer/polyaniline conductive blends
Authors: Martins Cristiane Reis , Faez Roselena , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira , De Paoli Marco A.
Published: April 2006

Blending is an important way to obtain materials based on intrinsically conductive polymers and conventional plastics and rubber materials. Much research has been carried out to determine the best performance of materials be used for electrostatic dissipation and electromagnetic interference shielding. Mechanical mixing, codissolution, and in situ polymerization have been used to prepare these materials. The method used depends on the host polymer and its thermal stability and acid attack resistance. Homogeneity and miscibility are properties that should be controlled during blend preparation. In this study, we prepared a conductive thermoplastic elastomer material based on butadiene–styrene copolymer (SBR) and polyaniline (PANI) doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS). PSS also acted as compatibilizer between PANI and SBR. PANI was doped by reactive processing with DBSA and PSS to produce the conductive complex PANI–DBSA–PSS. This complex was mixed with 90, 70, and 50% (w/w) SBR in a counterrotatory internal mixer. Conductivity tests, swelling studies, thermal analysis, and mechanical property and reflectivity testing were done, and the results show a strong dependence on PANI concentration and the ratio between PANI–DBSA and PSS. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 681–685, 2006
Gas permeability and permselectivity of plasma‐treated polyethylene membranes
Authors: Nakata M. , Kumazawa H.
Published: April 2006

The effects of NH3‐plasma and N2‐plasma treatments on rubbery polyethylene (PE) membranes on the permeation behavior for carbon dioxide (CO2), O2, and N2 were investigated with permeability measurements. The NH3‐plasma and N2‐plasma treatments on PE membranes increased both the permeation coefficient for CO2 and the ideal separation factor for CO2 with respect to N2. For O2 transport, both the permeation coefficient for O2 and the ideal separation factor for O2 with respect to N2 were increased. NH3‐plasma and N2‐plasma treatments on polymer membranes possibly bring about an augmentation of permeability and permselectivity simultaneously. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 383–387, 2006
Low‐density polyethylene/plasticized tapioca starch blends with the low‐density polyethylene functionalized with maleate ester: Mechanical and thermal properties
Authors: Girija B. G. , Sailaja R. R. N.
Published: April 2006

In this study, the mechanical and thermal properties of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE)/thermoplastic tapioca starch blends were determined with LDPE‐g‐dibutyl maleate as the compatibilizer. Mechanical testing for the evaluation of the impact strength and tensile properties was carried our as per standard ASTM methods. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were also used to assess the thermal degradation of the blends. Scanning electron micrographs were used to analyze fracture and blend morphologies. The results show significant improvement in the mechanical properties due to the addition of the compatibilizer, which effectively linked the two immiscible blend components. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1109–1120, 2006
Dynamic mold surface temperature control using induction heating and its effects on the surface appearance of weld line
Authors: Chen Shia‐Chung , Jong Wen‐Ren , Chang Jen‐An
Published: April 2006

Electromagnetic induction heating combined with coolant cooling is used to achieve dynamic mold surface temperature control. A simulation tool was also developed by integration of both thermal and electromagnetic analysis modules of ANSYS, and capability and accuracy were verified experimentally. To evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of induction heating on the mold surface temperature control, a mold plate (roughly about an inset size of cellular phone housing) with four cooling channels was utilized for two demo experiments with varying mold surface temperature between 110 and 180°C, and 110 and 200°C, respectively. During induction heating/cooling, it takes 4 s to increase mold surface temperature from 110 to 200°C and 21 s for mold surface to return to 110°C. The mold plate surface temperature can be raised at about 22.5°C and cooled down at 4.3°C/s within the aforementioned temperature range. Mold plate temperature distribution exhibits good uniformity as well in all stages of the heating/cooling process. Finally, mold surface temperature of a double‐gated tensile test part mold was induction heated to above glass transition temperature for few seconds prior to melt injection. The surface mark of weld line was eliminated, and the associated weld line strength enhanced. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1174–1180, 2006
Electrodes with High Power and High Capacity for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries.
Authors: Kang Kisuk , Meng Ying Shirley , Breger Julien , Grey Clare P. , Ceder Gerbrand
Published: April 2006

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.
Microwave‐Assisted, Solvent‐Free Bischler Indole Synthesis.
Authors: Sridharan Vellaisamy , Perumal Subbu , Avendano Carmen , Menendez J. Carlos
Published: April 2006

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.
Is long‐term humoral immunity in the mucosa provided by long‐lived plasma cells? A question still open
Authors: Hiepe Falk , Radbruch Andreas
Published: April 2006

The biology of antibody‐secreting cells is still a matter of controversial discussion. One of the key questions is how the migration and lifespan of antibody‐secreting cells is linked to their generation. A paper in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology provides further information on the generation of long‐term mucosal immune responses; however, the study leaves many questions unanswered as discussed in this brief Commentary.

See accompanying article http://dx.doi.ORG/10.1002/eji.200535493
Setting the context: The climate of university teaching and learning
Authors: Kreber Carolin
Published: April 2006

Growing student access and factors associated with globalization affect higher education's organization, purpose, and delivery.
Regulation of osteoclastogenesis by gap junction communication
Authors: Matemba Stephen F. , Lie Anita , Ransjö Maria
Published: April 2006

Receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL) is crucial in osteoclastogenesis but signaling events involved in osteoclast differentiation are far from complete and other signals may play a role in osteoclastogenesis. A more direct pathway for cellular crosstalk is provided by gap junction intercellular channel, which allows adjacent cells to exchange second messengers, ions, and cellular metabolites. Here we have investigated the role of gap junction communication in osteoclastogenesis in mouse bone marrow cultures. Immunoreactive sites for the gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) were detected in the marrow stromal cells and in mature osteoclasts. Carbenoxolone (CBX) functionally blocked gap junction communication as demonstrated by a scrape loading Lucifer Yellow dye transfer technique. CBX caused a dose‐dependent inhibition (significant ≥ 90 µM) of the number of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)‐positive multinucleated cells formed in 7‐ to 8‐day marrow cultures stimulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH; 10 nM) or forskolin (FSK; 1 µM). Furthermore, CBX (100 µM) significantly inhibited prostaglandin E2 (PGE2; 10 µM) and 1,25(OH)2‐vitamin D3 stimulated osteoclast differentiation in the mouse bone marrow cultures. Consequently, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis demonstrated that CBX downregulated the expression of osteoclast phenotypic markers, but without having any significant effects on RANK, RANKL, and osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA expression. However, the results demonstrated that CBX significantly inhibits RANKL‐stimulated (100 ng/ml) osteoclastogenesis in the mouse bone marrow cultures. Taken together, our results suggests that gap junctional diffusion of messenger molecules interacts with signaling pathways downstream RANKL in osteoclast differentiation. Further studies are required to define the precise mechanisms and molecular targets involved. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 528–537, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pathology of lumbar nerve root compression: Parts 1 and 2
Authors: Kobayashi Shigeru , Yoshizawa Hidezo , Yamada Shuuichi
Published: April 2006

The original articles to which this Erratum refers were published in Journal of Orthopaedic Research 22, 2004, 170–179 and 180–188 by Elsevier Ltd.
Reduced expression of the Connexin26 gene and its aberrant DNA methylation in rat lung adenocarcinomas induced by N‐nitrosobis(2‐Hydroxypropyl)amine
Authors: Shimizu Kyoko , Shimoichi Yozo , Hinotsume Daisei , Itsuzaki Yumi , Fujii Hiromasa , Honoki Kanya , Tsujiuchi Toshifumi
Published: April 2006

Gap junctions are mediated by intercellular channels that connect adjacent cells and are composed of Connexin (Cx) proteins. A member of the Cx family, Cx26 is considered a potential tumor suppressor in several cancers. The expression of Cx26 gene and its methylation status in rat lung adenocarcinomas induced by N‐nitrosobis(2‐hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP) were investigated. Six‐wk‐old male Wistar rats were given 2,000 ppm BHP in their drinking water for 12 wk and maintained without further treatment until they were sacrificed at 25 wk. A total of nine lung adenocarcinomas were obtained and total RNA was extracted to assess expression by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription (RT)‐polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Five out of nine adenocarcinomas showed reduced expression compared with normal lung tissue. We next performed a bisulfite sequence analysis to measure the methylation status of the 5′ upstream region of the Cx26 gene in two normal lung tissues and five lung adenocarcinomas that showed reduced expression of Cx26. All five adenocarcinomas were highly methylated in the 5′ upstream region, while the two normal lung tissues were unmethylated. This suggests that aberrant methylation of the Cx26 gene may be involved in the development of lung adenocarcinomas induced by BHP in rats. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prostate cancer chemoprevention by silibinin: Bench to bedside
Authors: Singh Rana P. , Agarwal Rajesh
Published: April 2006

Prostate cancer (PCA) is the most invasive malignancy and second leading cause of cancer deaths in American males. One approach to reduce PCA incidence, growth and metastasis is prevention and intervention targeted towards mitogenic and survival signaling and cell‐cycle regulation. This approach is based on the rationale that overexpression of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and/or non‐receptor tyrosine kinases leads to persistent autocrine stimulation of malignant cells for deregulated cell‐cycle progression and uncontrolled growth. PCA progression has also been associated with transition from a paracrine to an autocrine relationship between receptors and growth ligands as this malignancy progresses to an advanced androgen‐independent aggressive stage. Together, these studies suggest that targeting RTK‐mediated signaling pathways along with cell‐cycle regulators could be a practical and translational approach for PCA prevention and intervention. Here, we provide evidence that a naturally occurring nontoxic flavanoid, silibinin, targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) and NF‐κB (nuclear factor‐kappa B) pathways in PCA. Furthermore, it modulates cell‐cycle regulators, including cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs), Cip/Kip and cyclins for its anticancer efficacy against PCA. Silibinin inhibits growth of PCA cells from human, mouse, and rat origins, and also suppresses human prostate tumor xenograft growth in nude mice. Silibinin also inhibits PCA growth in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) mouse model. Now, silibinin has been entered into phase I/II clinical trials in human PCA patients where preliminary observations were suggestive of its further study in a larger base of the patient population. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
External urethral sphincter activity in a rat model of pudendal nerve injury
Authors: Peng Chih‐Wei , Chen Jia‐Jin Jason , Chang Hui‐Yi , de Groat William C. , Cheng Chen‐Li
Published: April 2006

Aims

Pudendal nerve injury in the rat has been a useful animal model for studying stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, the effect of pudendal nerve injury on activity of the external urethral sphincter (EUS) is relatively unexplored. The aims of this study were to examine voiding and the EUS electromyogram (EMG) in a durable SUI model in rats with bilateral or unilateral pudendal nerve transections. In addition, the effects of denervation on urethral anatomy were investigated.

Methods

A leak point pressure (LPP) test was first used to demonstrate that pudendal nerve transection induced SUI. Cystometry exhibited changes in voiding function and EUS‐EMG measurements provided a quantitative evaluation of EUS activity during voiding. The morphological changes in sections through the mid‐urethra were assessed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.

Results

A significant decrease in average LPP was detected in rats 6 weeks after bilateral pudendal nerve transection (BPNT). Abnormal urodynamic measurements including a decrease in contraction amplitude and voided volume as well as an increase in contraction duration, and residual volume all indicated inefficient voiding. In addition EUS‐EMG silent periods were reduced and the frequency of EUS‐EMG bursting during voiding was increased. Atrophy of striated muscle in the EUS was also detected in rats with pudendal nerve transection(s).

Conclusions

Our results indicate that pudendal nerve transection in rats decreases urethral outlet resistance and causes striated muscle atrophy in the EUS, EUS‐EMG abnormalities and inefficient voiding. The results demonstrate that BPNT is a durable model for SUI. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rezeptor‐vermittelte Parkinson‐Therapeutika. Konkurrenz für den “Goldstandard” L‐DOPA?
Authors: Böckler Frank
Published: April 2006

Seit der ersten Anwendung vonL‐DOPA an Parkinson‐Patienten in den 1960er Jahren hat sichL‐DOPA als “Goldstandard” für die Therapie von MP etabliert. Vor allem die im Laufe der Langzeittherapie auftretenden Dyskinesien und die verminderte Wirksamkeit limitieren die Anwendbarkeit vonL‐DOPA jedoch ganz erheblich. Im Bereich der Rezeptor‐vermittelten Parkinson‐Therapeutika eignen sich besonders einige Dopamin‐Agonisten wie z.B. Pramipexol, Ropinirol oder die Ergolinderivate als Therapeutika im Frühstadium, um den Einsatz vonL‐DOPA so lange wie möglich hinauszuzögern. Auch im fortgeschrittenen Stadium kann die Kombination von Dopaminrezeptor‐Agonisten mitL‐DOPA dabei helfen die notwendigen Dosen vonL‐DOPA zu reduzieren. Anticholinergika und NMDA‐Antagonisten sind vor allem zur Therapie von leichteren Fällen und besonderen Symptomausprägungen geeignet. Die kommenden Jahre werden zeigen, ob es auch gelingt dieL‐DOPA‐induzierten Dyskinesien direkt zu therapieren.
Retinazellen gegen Morbus Parkinson
Authors: Stark Holger
Published: April 2006

In einer Studie bei sechs Probanden mit fortgeschrittener idiopathischer Morbus‐Parkinson‐Erkrankung haben US‐Wissenschaftler humane retinale Pigmentepithelzellen in die Basalganglien der Patienten verpflanzt. Diese Zellen waren aus post mortalem Augengewebe von Organspendern gewonnen und kultiviert worden und waren in der Lage, L‐DOPA zu produzieren.
Quantitative analysis of polymeric proanthocyanidins in birch leaves with normal‐phase HPLC
Authors: Karonen Maarit , Ossipov Vladimir , Sinkkonen Jari , Loponen Jyrki , Haukioja Erkki , Pihlaja Kalevi
Published: April 2006

The proanthocyanidin composition and content in the leaves of nine birch species (Betula albosinensis, B. ermanii, B. maximowicziana, B. nana, B. papyrifera, B. pendula, B. platyphylla, B. pubescens, and B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) were studied with different methods including colorimetric assay, HPLC coupled with PAD or ESI/MS and NMR. Total proanthocyanidin content was determined using the acid butanol assay. A normal phase‐HPLC method was applied for the analysis of polymeric proanthocyanidins. The content of polymeric proanthocyanidins was estimated from a late eluting peak in the chromatogram. With this HPLC method, quantitative analysis of polymeric proanthocyanidins could be performed directly from leaf extracts: no additional purification or preparation steps were required. It was shown that birch leaves contained mainly polymeric proanthocyanidins with a degree of polymerisation greater than 10. Total proanthocyanidin content (expressed as dry weight) was found to vary from 44 mg/g (B. papyrifera) to 145 mg/g (B. nana), and polymeric proanthocyanidin content from 39 mg/g (B. pendula) to 119 mg/g (B. nana). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On Different Approaches to Estimate the Mass Fractal Dimension of Coal Aggregates
Authors: Liao Jimmy Y. H. , Selomulya Cordelia , Bushell Graeme , Bickert Götz , Amal Rose
Published: April 2006

Several methods to measure the structures of coal aggregates are compared. Loose and compact coal aggregates were generated through flocculation of ultrafine coal particles (mean volume diameter of 12 μm) under specific shearing conditions. Aggregate structure in terms of mass fractal dimension, Df, was determined using various methods; namely 2D and 3D image analysis, interpretation of intensity patterns from small angle light scattering, changes in aggregation state through light obscuration, and settling behavior. In this study, the measured values of Df ranged from 1.84–2.19 for coal aggregates with more open structures, and around 2.27–2.66 for the compact ones. All of these approaches could distinguish structural differences between aggregates, albeit with variation in Df values estimated by the different techniques. The discrepancy in the absolute values for fractal dimension is due to the different physical properties measured by each approach, depending on the assumptions used to infer Df from measurable parameters. In addition, image analysis and settling techniques are based on the examination of individual aggregates, such that a large number of data points are required to yield statistically representative estimations. Light scattering and obscuration measure the aggregates collectively to give average Df values of the particulate systems; consequently ignoring any structural variation between the aggregates, and leaving possible small contaminations undetected (e.g. by dust particles or air bubbles). Appropriate utilization of a particular method is thus largely determined by system properties and required data quality.