bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of strain rate on mechanical properties of cold forming sheet metals
Authors: Durmuş A.
Published: September 2009

Tensile mechanical properties of DIN EN 10268–1999 cold forming sheet metals were investigated within a strain rate range from 1.10‐4 to 1.10‐1 s‐1 using conventional tensile testing machine. This investigation also examined the influence of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of this material. The specimens were initially austenitized at 930 oC for 40 min and then water quenched. After reheated to 890, 850 and 810 oC, these were hold for 60 min and then water quenched as intermediate heat treatment. Consequently, it was determined that the yield and ultimate strength were increased 21 % and 7 % for the maximum value of strain rate, respectively. However, the failure strains were not notable affected with strain rate. For the heat treated materials, the considerable changing in mechanical properties was obtained at the 810oC annealing temperature.
Explosive scarf welding of aluminum to copper plates and their interface properties
Authors: Ashani J. Z. , Bagheri S. M.
Published: September 2009

Explosive welding was used to produce scarf joint between aluminum and copper plates. This process is known as explosive scarf welding (ESW). In a scarf joint, the final bond interface is oblique. In this study, chamfered end of aluminum and copper plates were joined explosively and named scarf joint, employing changes in chamfered angle at different stand‐off distance and explosive loading. The geometry of scarf joint enables consideration of both flyer and base plate thickness and explosive loading and the effects on mechanical properties of interface such as bond shear strength and micro‐hardness can be investigated.

Mathematical models developed on the interface properties of scarf joint to make relationship between the bond shear strength and explosive loading ratio. To check the adequacy of developed models, mechanical properties of interface, such as bond shear strength was predicted and compared with actual values in explosive cladding process. The results show reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions.

Consequently, mathematical model which is based on scarf joints, can predict bond shear strength of cladding metals under desired explosive loading and flyer plate thickness.
Synthesis and characterization of novel biodegradable pentablock copolymers from L‐lactide, p‐dioxanone and poly (ethylene glycol)
Authors: Abdouss M. , Mehdi Hoseini S. , Mohammadi‐Rovshandeh J. , Javanbakht Mehran
Published: September 2009

ABCBA type pentablock copolymers, in which the A, B and C blocks are poly (p‐Dioxanone) (PPDO), poly (L‐Lactide) (PLLA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), respectively, were synthesized via a two‐step ring‐opening polymerization in bulk using stannous octoate as the catalyst. PLA‐b‐PEG‐b‐PLA Triblock copolymer was synthesized at first and then p‐Dioxanone monomers as the other blocks were added to it. In the first step, poly ethylene glycol and, in the second step, triblock copolymer acts as the macro initiator. The obtained copolymers were identified by ⊃1&/sup;H&/I;, ⊃13&/sup;CNMR&/I; and IR&/I; spectroscopy. The intrinsic viscosity of copolymers was measured in chloroform/phenol (3/1 v/w) solution. The thermal properties, such as melting point, melting enthalpy and crystallinity, were studied. From the results of differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, it was observed that the PPDO blocks show similar crystallization behavior like homopolymer and also melting temperature of two PPDO end blocks raise with an increase in DON content in copolymer.
Preparation of a silica nano–composite emulsion resin and study of properties and behaviors
Authors: Dashtizadeh A. , Abdouss M. , Tabarzadi M. , Rahimi A.
Published: September 2009

Nano‐composite particles were prepared by different methods and we used emulsion co‐polymerization of methyl methacrylate/butyl acrylate monomers mixture in the presence of well‐dispersed silica nano particles to improve physical properties of the base polymers or add proper functions to them. The size distribution and morphology of composite latex particles characterized by dynamic laserlight scattering, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Solid Electron Microscopy. The nano‐composites formed by using two nonionic and anionic surfactants and caused to making two acrylic resins which we studied the adhesion, surface hardness, flammability, gloss brightness and organic solvent resistance of samples. This nano‐composite acrylic resins were specially improved in the flame and solvent resistance. In our test results, we found that by increasing the silica content of nano‐composites, the properties consist of adhesion and gloss decreased, if solvent and flame resistance improved properly.
κ – Ein Maß für nicht kompatibles Werkstoffverhalten
Authors: el Dsoki C. , Nieslony A. , Kaufmann H. , Hanselka H. , Krug P.
Published: September 2009

Die weit verbreiteten Methoden zur Beschreibung des zyklischen Werkstoffverhaltens nach Ramberg‐Osgood und Manson‐Coffin‐Basquin sind schon mehrere Jahrzehnte alt. Für verschiedene Werkstoffe wird jedoch festgestellt, dass die sich laut Kompatibilitätstheorie [1, 2, 3] ergebenden Spannungs‐Dehnungs‐Kurven nicht mit den Versuchsergebnissen übereinstimmen. In früheren Arbeiten wurde eine laut Theorie notwendige Methode zur kompatiblen Auswertung vorgestellt [4] und κ als Maß für das inkompatible Werkstoffverhalten eingeführt [5]. In dieser Arbeit wird auf die Bedeutung von κ näher eingegangen und dem Ingenieur die Auswirkungen bei der Vernachlässigung dieser neuen Kenngröße verdeutlicht.
A new approach to the positive mean stress diagram in mechanical design
Authors: Sekercioglu T.
Published: September 2009

The Gerber, modified Goodman, Soderberg, Bagci, ASME‐elliptic and Clemson diagrams are proposed for estimating mechanical element fatigue strength under positive mean and alternating stresses. However, all of these diagrams are either conservative or have fields containing stress greater than yield strength of mechanical element materials. The aim of this study was to propose a new simple diagram with an exponential power k for various types of mechanical element materials. Exponential power k values of steel and Al‐alloy materials were about 0.80 and 0.45, respectively. The proposed diagram (Sekercioglu line) had a minimum average absolute deviation (Xm) of 8.56 %, lower than the Bagci, ASME‐elliptic and Clemson diagrams. The Sekercioglu line can be successfully used in fatigue design processes because of its simple structure and its less conservative nature.
Analyse der Wirkung von Kerben, Mittel‐ und Eigenspannungen auf die Schwingfestigkeit des hochumgeformten Werkstoffbereichs von Spaltprofilen
Authors: Landersheim V. , Eigenmann B. , el Dsoki C. , Bruder T. , Sonsino C. M. , Hanselka H.
Published: September 2009

Die Ergebnisse von Schwingfestigkeitsversuchen von Proben, die aus dem stark umgeformten Bereich von Spaltprofilen entnommen wurden, werden dargestellt. Im Fokus steht die Wirkung von Mittelspannungen und Kerben im Zusammenhang mit der vorhergegangenen Umformung. Der Eigenspannungszustand im Bauteil und in den untersuchten Proben wird beschrieben. Numerische Analysen der Schwingfestigkeitsversuche an den Proben unter Berücksichtigung des Eigenspannungszustands ermöglichen es, den Einfluss von Eigenspannungen auf die Versuchsergebnisse rechnerisch zu analysieren. Zur Übertragung der an ungekerbten Proben ermittelten Kennwerte auf gekerbte, bauteilähnlichere Proben wird das Weibullsche Fehlstellen‐Modell angewendet.
Design of a compact microstrip ultra‐wideband bandpass filter at P‐band
Authors: Guo Xubo , Cao Bisong , Zhang Xiaoping , Wei Bin , Peng Huili , Jin Shichao , Lu Xinxiang
Published: September 2009

This letter presents the accurate design of a compact ultra‐wideband bandpass filter with a bandwidth from 400 to 900 MHz. The measured results demonstrate an insertion loss of <0.98 dB and a return loss of 14.9 dB. Furthermore, the theoretical, simulated, and experimental performances are well matched. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2797–2799, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24743
Compact, tunable large group delay line
Authors: Tang Wenjia , Kim Hongjoon
Published: September 2009

In this paper, we present a compact, tunable delay line based on left‐handed nonlinear transmission line (LH NLTL). The widely tunable range of the large group delay is achieved by controlling a reverse bias voltage of series varactors in the LH NLTL. The proposed tunable delay line can be made in a very compact form because its size is dominated by the cascaded varactors. Our experiment shows that the fabricated prototype exhibits tunable group delay between 1.2 and 2.2 ns at a frequency of 1.42 GHz and good return loss. The circuit size is merely 1.6 cm in length. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2893–2895, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24747
Circularly polarized antenna for 2.3–2.7 GHz WiMax band
Authors: Chang The Nan
Published: September 2009

A novel circularly polarized antenna fed by a coplanar waveguide is presented. Center conductor of the transmission line is protruded to form a semi‐circular shape and two ground ports of the transmission line are extensively connected to form a closed loop. By tuning width of the closed loop, we can make the return loss and axial ratio bandwidth to cover 2.3–2.7 GHz WiMAX band. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2921–2923, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24749
A compact dual‐band bandstop filter
Authors: Wong Ka Wai , Chiu Leung , Xue Quan
Published: September 2009

A compact nonresonating, dual‐band bandstop filter is proposed. By connecting two transmission lines with proper characteristic impedances and phase delay (one is 90° and the other one is 450° in electrical length at center frequency), a dual stopband with two transmission zeros at each stopband is obtained. A prototype is demonstrated for 2.4/5.8‐GHz applications. The measured results show the dual fractional stopband bandwidths with 20‐dB signal attenuation are 25.2% and 12.4%. Also, the theoretical simulation, electromagnetic simulation, and the measured results show good agreement with this simple design. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2952–2954, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24753
Minimum loss condition of a bent rectangular hollow waveguide
Authors: Yamauchi J. , Harada S. , Nakano H.
Published: September 2009

The leakage loss of a hollow dielectric waveguide is analyzed analytically and numerically. A minimum loss condition of a bent rectangular hollow waveguide is derived in terms of the refractive index of the cladding using the perturbation method. The validity of the derived minimum loss condition is confirmed by the beam‐propagation method. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2901–2902, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24761
Compact transversal bandpass filter incorporating microstrip dual‐mode open‐loop resonator and slot line resonator with source‐load coupling
Authors: Zhou Mingqi , Tang Xiaohong , Xiao Fei
Published: September 2009

A novel transversal bandpass filter is proposed in this letter. Different from conventional two‐order planar transversal filter, the proposed filter is a three‐order planar transversal filter by incorporating microstrip dual‐mode open‐loop resonator and slot line resonator. Furthermore, by introducing source‐load capacitive coupling, three transmission zeros are created to improve the selectivity of the passband and reject the unwanted signal above the passband. The measured result agrees well with the simulation. The size of the proposed filter is less than 0.15λg × 0.2λg, where λg is the guided wavelength on the substrate. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2927–2929, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24765
Parallelized multilevel characteristic basis function method for solving electromagnetic scattering problems
Authors: Laviada Jaime , Pino Marcos R. , Mittra Raj , Las‐Heras Fernando
Published: September 2009

Parallel implementation of the multilevel characteristic basis function method is discussed in this article. The use of this method enables us to solve very large electromagnetic problems in a direct manner via a recursive application of the characteristic basis function method. Furthermore, we show that, unlike the iterative schemes, the present method is very well suited for parallelization. Examples are presented to show that upto one million unknown problems can be solved on a workstation using the present scheme, and that the results show very good agreement with those derived by using analytical or fast multipole methods. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2963–2969, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24767
Schemes of optical power splitter nodes for direct ONU–ONU intercommunication
Authors: Yan Minhui , Xu Qing‐Yang , Chen Chih‐Hung , Huan Wei‐Ping , Hong Xiaobin
Published: September 2009

In this study, two schemes of optical power splitter nodes to enable direct local intercommunications between optical network units (ONUs) in a passive optical network (PON) are proposed and analyzed. In comparison with the existing schemes, the new schemes dramatically increase the number of ONUs supported in a PON with the capability of direct local communication. Experimental demonstrations confirm that our proposed schemes can fit into gigabit PON standard by meeting its requirement on the power penalty. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51:2814–2817, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24771
Investigation of radiating jeans‐button antennas
Authors: Floc'h J. M. , Queudet F. , Rmili H. , Fourn E.
Published: September 2009

In this article, a study of radiation performances of standard jeans buttons based on antennas is presented. Few metallic buttons were used as three‐dimensional‐monopole antennas, which are fed by printed microstrip lines on metalized FR4 substrates. The surface‐mounted monopole antennas were simulated, realized, and characterized experimentally. The influence of the button's geometry on the impedance matching and radiation patterns is discussed. In addition, buttons with plastic parts are also studied, and it is found that this type of buttons may allow the antenna miniaturization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2820–2824, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24784
Two new ultra‐wideband antennas with 3.4/5.5 GHz dual band‐notched characteristics
Authors: Bi Dan‐Hong , Yu Zhi‐Yuan , Mo Shao‐Guo , Yin Xun‐Cai
Published: September 2009

This letter presents two ultra‐wideband (UWB) antennas with 3.4/5.5 GHz dual‐notched bands. The U‐ and V‐slots are used to reject the frequency band (3.3–4.2 GHz) limited by C‐band satellite communication and Wimax systems. Another rejection band (5.15–5.825 GHz), limited by IEEE 802.11b or HIPERLAN/2 system, is obtained by using the U/V‐slot defected ground structure. Experimental results indicate that these antennas cover the entire UWB for voltage standing wave radio <2, except two notched bands. Moreover, these antennas have omnidirectional radiation patterns in the H‐plane and good gain flatness. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2942–2945, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24792
1.8‐dB insertion‐loss planar UWB CMOS bandpass filter with suspended inductors
Authors: Lin Yo‐Sheng , Lu Li‐Chun , Chang Jin‐Fa , Huang Pen‐Li , Lu Shey‐Shi
Published: September 2009

This article demonstrates a low insertion‐loss ultra‐wideband (UWB) CMOS bandpass filter (BP‐filter). Low insertion‐loss was achieved by adopting microstrip‐line (MSL) with optimized ground‐plane pattern as the needed small‐inductance inductors. In addition, to reduce the substrate loss of the large‐inductance spiral inductors, the underneath silicon was removed with the CMOS‐compatible backside inductively coupled plasma deep trench technology. This filter achieved insertion‐loss (1/S21) lower than 3 dB over the frequency range of 4.3–11.2 GHz, stop‐band rejection better than 25 dB over the frequency range of 0–2.3 and 17.4–36.8 GHz, and input return loss (S11) better than −10 dB over the frequency range of 3.1–15.8 GHz. The minimum insertion‐loss was 1.8 dB at 7 GHz. To our knowledge, this is the best result ever reported for a CMOS BP‐filter with operation frequencies higher than 3 GHz. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2946–2948, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24806
eIF4E‐Binding proteins are differentially modified after ammonia versus intracellular calcium activation of sea urchin unfertilized eggs
Authors: Oulhen Nathalie , Mulner‐Lorillon Odile , Cormier Patrick
Published: September 2009

Fertilization of sea urchin eggs triggers a rise of protein synthesis mainly dependent on the cap‐binding protein eIF4E, which is released from its repressor 4E‐BP and associates with eIF4G. Association of eIF4G with eIF4E is a crucial event for the onset of the first mitotic division following fertilization. Artificial activation of unfertilized eggs with the calcium ionophore A23187 results in the activation of protein synthesis comparable to the one triggered by fertilization, while increasing the intracellular pH by ammonia treatment results in partial activation of protein synthesis. Nevertheless, artificial activation does not induce the mitotic division. Here we investigate the effect of calcium ionophore and ammonia treatment of unfertilized eggs on eIF4E and its two antagonist partners, 4E‐BP and eIF4G. We show that the addition of calcium ionophore to unfertilized eggs induces permanent dissociation between eIF4E and 4E‐BP, whereas a reversible dissociation of the complex occurs after ammonia treatment. The regulation of the complex correlates with permanent or reversible 4E‐BP disappearance depending on the treatment used to trigger artificial activation. Furthermore, while calcium ionophore treatment of unfertilized eggs induces eIF4G modifications comparable to those observed following fertilization, ammonia treatment does not. These results suggest that ionophore and ammonia treatments of unfertilized eggs induce differential protein synthesis activation by targeting eIF4E availability and specific regulation through its two partners 4E‐BP and eIF4G. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 83–91, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intravoxel water diffusion heterogeneity imaging of human high‐grade gliomas
Authors: Kwee Thomas C. , Galbán Craig J. , Tsien Christina , Junck Larry , Sundgren Pia C. , Ivancevic Marko K. , Johnson Timothy D. , Meyer Charles R. , Rehemtulla Alnawaz , Ross Brian D. , Chenevert Thomas L.
Published: September 2009

This study aimed to determine the potential value of intravoxel water diffusion heterogeneity imaging for brain tumor characterization and evaluation of high‐grade gliomas, by comparing an established heterogeneity index (α value) measured in human high‐grade gliomas to those of normal appearing white and grey matter landmarks. Twenty patients with high‐grade gliomas prospectively underwent diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging using multiple b‐values. The stretched‐exponential model was used to generate α and distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) maps. The α values and DDCs of the tumor and contralateral anatomic landmarks were measured in each patient. Differences between α values of tumors and landmark tissues were assessed using paired t‐tests. Correlation between tumor α and tumor DDC was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Mean α of tumors was significantly lower than that of contralateral frontal white matter (p = 0.0249), basal ganglia (p < 0.0001), cortical grey matter (p < 0.0001), and centrum semiovale (p = 0.0497). Correlation between tumor α and tumor DDC was strongly negative (Pearson correlation coefficient, −0.8493; p < 0.0001). The heterogeneity index α of human high‐grade gliomas is significantly different from those of normal brain structures, which potentially offers a new method for evaluating brain tumors. The observed negative correlation between tumor α and tumor DDC requires further investigation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproducibility of serial whole‐brain MR Spectroscopic Imaging
Authors: Maudsley A. A. , Domenig C. , Sheriff S.
Published: September 2009

The reproducibility of serial measurements using a volumetric proton MR Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) acquisition implemented at 3 Tesla and with lipid suppression by inversion‐recovery has been evaluated. Data were acquired from two subjects at five time points, and processed using fully‐automated procedures that included rigid registration between studies. These data were analyzed to determine coefficients of variance (COV) for each metabolite and for metabolite ratio images based on an individual voxel analysis, as well as for average and grey‐matter and white‐matter values from atlas‐defined brain regions. The volumetric MRSI acquisition was found to obtain data of sufficient quality for analysis over 70 ± 6% of the total brain volume, and spatial distributions of the resultant COV values were found to reflect the known distributions of susceptibility‐induced magnetic field inhomogeneity. Median values of the resultant voxel‐based COVs were 6.2%, 7.2%, and 9.7% for N–acetylaspartate, creatine, and choline respectively. The corresponding mean values obtained following averaging over lobar‐scale brain regions within the cerebrum were 3.5%, 3.7%, and 5.2%. These results indicate that longitudinal volumetric MRSI studies with post‐acquisition registration can provide an intra‐subject reproducibility for voxel‐based analyses that is comparable to previously‐reported single‐voxel MRS measurements, while additionally enabling increased sensitivity by averaging over larger tissue volumes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development and testing of an SNMP‐based integrated management system for heterogeneous power line communication networks
Authors: Park Chang‐Keun , Kang Joon‐Myung , Choi Mi‐Jung , Hong James Won‐Ki , Lim Yong‐Hun , Ju Seongho , Choi Moon‐Suk
Published: September 2009

Power line communication (PLC) is an evolving technology which uses existing power lines for data transmission. Like any other communication network, PLC networks need to be managed to ensure efficient use of resources and secure operations. Currently, major PLC chip vendors are trying to provide network management solutions based on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) by developing their own management systems, but they cannot manage heterogeneous PLC networks comprised of PLC devices from various PLC chip vendors. In this paper, we provide our experience of developing and testing an integrated management system for a heterogeneous PLC network based on SNMP. We present our approach for integrated management by defining the common PLC management information base (MIB) and an integrated PLC proxy agent for providing interoperability to legacy PLC devices which do not support the common PLC MIB. We also present the development of an integrated PLC network management system and its test in heterogeneous PLC networks deployed in South Korea. The contribution of our work is to provide a guideline for developing and testing integrated NMSs for any heterogeneous networks including PLC networks. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence and safety‐relevance of drug‐related problems in German community pharmacies
Authors: Lewinski Daniel , Wind Stefan , Belgardt Christian , Plate Vanessa , Behles Christian , Schweim Harald G.
Published: September 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess prevalence and characteristics, including safety‐relevance, of drug‐related problems (DRPs) detectable in community pharmacy routine service, and to investigate the influence of relevant risk factors.

Methods

Patients in 69 community pharmacies in Berlin were surveyed using a checklist for quality assurance of DRP detection in order to enable quantitative detection. An expert committee assessed the safety‐relevance of detected DRPs by use of an algorithm. Logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate the influence of different risk factors.

Results

Of the 3040 surveyed patients, 638 (21.0%) were affected by DRPs. Among these, 455 (71.3%) had problems of low, 170 (26.6%) of significant and 13 (2.0%) of high safety‐relevance. Significant risk factors identified were self‐medication and new medication, especially new prescriptions. Age, gender and the number of dispensed drugs had little influence on occurrence of DRPs. The two major groups of DRPs were therapeutic errors, often correlating with self‐medication, and information problems, often correlating with new medications. Drug classes most frequently associated with DRPs were analgesics/NSAID, antibiotics, nasal preparations and cough medications.

Conclusion

DRPs are frequent among patients in German community pharmacies. Advanced research in this field (DRP‐pharmacovigilance) and implementation of methods for quality assurance of pharmaceutical counselling, that is exhaustive DRP detection, may improve the safety of drug therapies significantly. In particular, pharmaceutical counselling is an important instrument for assuring treatment appropriateness and safety of OTC drugs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recent advancement on polybenzoxazine—A newly developed high performance thermoset
Authors: Yagci Yusuf , Kiskan Baris , Ghosh Narendra Nath
Published: September 2009

Polybenzoxazine is a newly developed addition polymerized phenolic system, having a wide range of interesting features and the capability to overcome several shortcomings of conventional novolac and resole type phenolic resins. They exhibit (i) near zero volumetric change upon curing, (ii) low water absorption, (iii) for some polybenzoxazines Tg much higher than cure temperature, (iv) high char yield, (v) no strong acid catalysts required for curing, (vi) release of no byproduct during curing and also possess thermal and flame retarding properties of phenolics along with the mechanical performance. Though benzoxazine based materials possess several advantages, they have not yet became very attractive to the industries. To improve the mechanical properties and processibility several strategies have been reported including (i) synthesis of benzoxazine monomers with additional functionality, (ii) incorporation of benzoxazine in polymer chain, and (iii) benzoxazine based composites or alloys. In this article, we have discussed about the recent development of benzoxazine chemistry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5565–5576, 2009
Cooperative and synergistic solvent effects in SET‐LRP of MA
Authors: Jiang Xuan , Fleischmann Sven , Nguyen Nga H. , Rosen Brad M. , Percec Virgil
Published: September 2009

SET‐LRP requires a combination of ligand and solvent that mediates the disproportionation of Cu(I)X into Cu(0) activator, and Cu(II) deactivator. The solvent also modulates the kinetics of the reaction. More polar solvents, including mixtures of water and organic solvents enhance the rate of polymerization in accord with the Dimroth‐Reichardt parameter. Here, it is demonstrated that a similar effect is observed in binary mixtures of organic solvents, wherein the addition of a more polar solvent to a less polar solvent provides a linear increase in the apparent rate constant of propagation, k. However, this linear relationship does not hold for the entire range of volume fraction for binary mixtures when ethylene carbonate (EC) or MeOH are one of the two components. Results herein, suggest that the kinetics of SET‐LRP in these solvent mixtures is cooperatively and synergistically determined by polarity, degree of disproportionation, and also by another parameter related to the ability of the solvent to stabilize colloidal Cu(0) and determine its particle size. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5591–5605, 2009
The link between nanoscale feature development in a negative resist and the Hansen solubility sphere
Authors: Olynick Deirdre L. , Ashby Paul D. , Lewis Mark D. , Jen Timothy , Lu Haoren , Liddle J. Alexander , Chao Weilun
Published: September 2009

By systematically studying development of a high resolution, negative electron beam resist, hexa‐methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene, we have elicited a more general understanding of the underlying development mechanisms for negative resists. Using the three dimensional Hansen solubility parameters for more than 40 solvents, we have constructed a Hansen solubility sphere (HSS). From this sphere, we have estimated the Flory Huggins interaction parameter for solvents with hexa‐methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene and found a correlation between resist development contrast, nanoscale patterned feature quality, and the polymer‐solvent solubility. Conducting Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in a liquid cell, we have measured swelling for hexa‐methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene in four solvents. The swelling measurements indicate that the HSS gives an indication of the Flory‐Huggins interaction parameter. These measurements provide new insights into the development behavior of nanoscale features – necessary for obtaining the ultimate lithographic resolution. In addition, it demonstrates a methodology for choosing appropriate polymer‐solvent combinations for nanoscience applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2091–2105, 2009
Quality of life of patients with ovarian cancer in Taiwan: validation and application of the Taiwan Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ‐OV28
Authors: Chie Wei‐Chu , Lan Chia‐Ying , Chiang Chieh , Chen Chi‐An
Published: September 2009

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Taiwan Chinese Version of the EORTC QLQ‐OV28.

Methods: The authors translated the questionnaire according to the guideline of the EORTC. A total of 96 patients with ovarian cancer in National Taiwan University Hospital were interviewed with the questionnaire and the EORTC QLQ‐C30 between September 2004 and September 2007. Answer distribution and psychometric properties of the EORTC QLQ‐OV28 were examined.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 54 (standard deviation 12 years). Most of the patients were in FIGO stages III or IV. Two thirds were on‐treatment (chemotherapy). Items for gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, menopausal symptoms, and sexuality showed more flooring effects than others. Missing values were frequent in further questions about sexual activity. After excluding conditional questions, the Cronbach's alpha coefficients of most scales were satisfactory (0.74–0.89), except other chemotherapy side effects (0.63) and menopausal symptoms (0.39). The item‐to‐own and item‐to‐other scales correlation showed satisfactory results. Patients who were on‐treatment had significantly poorer quality of life (QoL) scores in most symptom scales.

Conclusions: The EORTC QLQ‐OV28 is a valid instrument to assess QoL issues of patients with ovarian cancer in Taiwan, a country of a different culture. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Validity, reliability and clinical feasibility of a Needs Assessment Tool for people with progressive cancer
Authors: Waller Amy , Girgis Afaf , Lecathelinais Christophe , Scott Wendy , Foot Lorna , Sibbritt David , Currow David ,   on behalf of the Palliative Care Research Program team
Published: September 2009

Background: Needs assessment is a valuable approach for determining the way health and social services allocate resources to people with cancer and their caregivers.

Aim: To assess the reliability, validity and acceptability of a Needs Assessment Tool (NAT) in a palliative care clinical setting.

Methods: Psychometric properties of the NAT were initially explored in a pilot study involving filmed simulated advanced cancer patient and caregiver consultations. Further testing was undertaken in a clinical setting to determine the inter‐rater reliability, validity and feasibility of the NAT.

Results: The results of the pilot study suggested good reliability and acceptability in a simulated setting. Further testing indicated that the patient daily living item was positively correlated with the Resource Utilisation Groups—Activities of Daily Living (r=0.74) and negatively correlated with the Australian Karnofsky Performance Scale (r=−0.84). Prevalence‐ and bias‐adjusted kappa values also indicated adequate agreement between Palliative Care Problem Severity Score items and the patient physical item (0.48), psychological item (0.45) and caregiver well‐being item (0.42).

Conclusions: Needs assessment not only facilitates the identification of people who have specific concerns or are dissatisfied with some aspect of their care, but also determines the person's desire for assistance and involvement with services. The NAT is a highly acceptable and efficient tool that can be used by health professionals with a range of clinical expertise to identify individuals' needs, thereby enabling a better match of interventions of specialist services more closely linked to needs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stability of sol–gel derived glass coated Eu complex using deuterated methanol
Authors: Fukuda Takeshi , Yamauchi Shuhei , Honda Zentaro , Kamata Norihiko , Kijima Naoto
Published: September 2009

A high‐stability Eu complex has been achieved by coating with a silica glass via a low temperature sol–gel process using deuterated methanol. A three‐dimensional glass network protects the Eu complex from free oxygen and/or water to change the ligand structure. In addition, the chemical bond of the deuterated Eu complex is more stable than that of the conventional Eu complex. Therefore, we achieved a high‐thermal‐stability Eu complex encapsulated by a sol–gel derived silica glass using deuterated methanol instead of ethanol.

magnified image

(© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Addressing soil gas vapor intrusion using sustainable building solutions
Authors: Moyer Ellen , Lowe John , MacPhaul David , Etter Christy , Lund Loren
Published: September 2009

Soil gas vapor intrusion (VI) emerged in the 1990s as one of the most important problems in the investigation and cleanup of thousands of sites across the United States. A common practice for sites where VI has been determined to be a significant pathway is to implement interim building engineering controls to mitigate exposure of building occupants to VI while the source of contamination in underlying soil and groundwater is assessed and remediated. Engineering controls may include passive barriers, passive or active venting, subslab depressurization, building pressurization, and sealing the building envelope. Another recent trend is the emphasis on “green” building practices, which coincidentally incorporate some of these same engineering controls, as well as other measures such as increased ventilation and building commissioning for energy conservation and indoor air quality. These green building practices can also be used as components of VI solutions. This article evaluates the sustainability of engineering controls in solving VI problems, both in terms of long‐term effectiveness and “green” attributes. Long‐term effectiveness is inferred from extensive experience using similar engineering controls to mitigate intrusion of radon, moisture, mold, and methane into structures. Studies are needed to confirm that engineering controls to prevent VI can have similar long‐term effectiveness. This article demonstrates that using engineering controls to prevent VI is “green” in accelerating redevelopment of contaminated sites, improving indoor air quality, and minimizing material use, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation. It is anticipated that engineering controls can be used successfully as sustainable solutions to VI problems at some sites, such as those deemed technically impracticable to clean up, where remediation of underlying soil or groundwater contamination will not be completed in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, green buildings to be developed in areas of potential soil or groundwater contamination may be designed to incorporate engineering controls to prevent VI. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Remediation of chlorinated ethenes, ethanes, and methanes in groundwater using carbon‐ and iron‐based electron donor
Authors: Shetty Nanjun , Zenker Matthew , McKeon Joseph , Moreno Joanna
Published: September 2009

Field‐scale pilot tests were performed to evaluate enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) of dissolved chlorinated solvents at a former manufacturing facility located in western North Carolina (the site). Results of the site assessment indicated the presence of two separate chlorinated solvent–contaminated groundwater plumes, located in the northern and southern portions of the site. The key chlorinated solvents found at the site include 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane, trichloroethene, and chloroform. A special form of EHC® manufactured by Adventus Americas was used as an electron donor at this site. In this case, EHC is a pH‐buffering electron donor containing controlled release carbon and ZV Iron MicroSphere 200, a micronscale zero‐valent iron (ZVI) manufactured by BASF. Approximately 3,000 pounds of EHC were injected in two Geoprobe® boreholes in the saprolite zone (southern plume), and 3,500 pounds of EHC were injected at two locations in the partially weathered rock (PWR) zone (northern plume) using hydraulic fracturing techniques. Strong reducing conditions were established immediately after the EHC injection in nearby monitoring wells likely due to the reducing effects of ZV Microsphere 200. After approximately 26 months, the key chlorinated VOCs were reduced over 98 percent in one PWR well. Similarly, the key chlorinated solvent concentrations in the saprolite monitoring wells decreased 86 to 99 percent after initial increases in concentrations of the parent chlorinated solvents. The total organic carbon and metabolic acid concentrations indicated that the electron donor lasted over 26 months after injection in the saprolite aquifer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An evaluation of the performance of multiple passive diffusion devices for indoor air sampling of VOCs
Authors: Odencrantz Joseph E. , Thornley Steven C. , O'Neill Harry
Published: September 2009

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is considering recommending longer‐term sampling to achieve more accurate time‐weighted‐average detections for indoor air monitoring of volatile organic chemicals. The purpose of the research presented herein was to compare longer sampling times using passive diffusion samplers to the results from shorter‐term testing periods using sorbent tubes and low‐flow pumps (US EPA Method TO‐17) at great frequency for trichloroethene (TCE) in indoor air. A controlled release of TCE in a large room allowed for over two‐orders‐of‐magnitude daily concentration variability over the course of the two‐week monitoring event. The daily concentration measurements by US EPA Method TO‐17 and the passive diffusion samplers were performed in triplicate and had excellent reproducibility. The results of daily tests were averaged and compared with four passive diffusion devices exposed to indoor air for three, seven, ten, and fourteen days in accordance with ASTM D6196‐02. A specific uptake rate for each of the passive devices at the four different time intervals and the statistical significance of the time‐varying uptake rates were evaluated. The performance of each passive diffusion device was determined using a statistical performance criterion. The average concentration for all of the exposure periods could be reliably predicted using the established uptake rates for two of the four passive devices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
View planning and automated data acquisition for three‐dimensional modeling of complex sites
Authors: Blaer Paul S. , Allen Peter K.
Published: September 2009

Constructing highly detailed three‐dimensional (3‐D) models of large complex sites using range scanners can be a time‐consuming manual process. One of the main drawbacks is determining where to place the scanner to obtain complete coverage of a site. We have developed a system for automatic view planning called VuePlan. When combined with our mobile robot, AVENUE, we have a system that is capable of modeling large‐scale environments with minimal human intervention throughout both the planning and acquisition phases. The system proceeds in two distinct stages. In the initial phase, the system is given a two‐dimensional site footprint with which it plans a minimal set of sufficient and properly constrained covering views. We then use a 3‐D laser scanner to take scans at each of these views. When this planning system is combined with our mobile robot it automatically computes and executes a tour of these viewing locations and acquires them with the robot's onboard laser scanner. These initial scans serve as an approximate 3‐D model of the site. The planning software then enters a second phase in which it updates this model by using a voxel‐based occupancy procedure to plan the next best view (NBV). This NBV is acquired, and further NBVs are sequentially computed and acquired until an accurate and complete 3‐D model is obtained. A simulator tool that we developed has allowed us to test our entire view planning algorithm on simulated sites. We have also successfully used our two‐phase system to construct precise 3‐D models of real‐world sites located in New York City: Uris Hall on the campus of Columbia University and Fort Jay on Governors Island. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Parameters determining water temperature of a proglacial stream: The Phelan Creek and the Gulkana Glacier, Alaska
Authors: Chikita Kazuhisa A. , Kaminaga Ryo , Kudo Isao , Wada Tomoyuki , Kim Yongwon
Published: September 2009

The heat budget of a proglacial stream, Phelan Creek, from the Gulkana Glacier, Alaska, is estimated by using the hourly time series of stream water temperature, discharge and meteorology obtained in the summer of 2006. As an analytical result, the net shortwave radiation and bed friction occupied 32.1 and 38.2% of the total thermal input to the stream, respectively. The time series of the water temperature were simulated by a deterministic model with the coupling of the heat budget and the thermal advective diffusion equation. The simulated result is agreeable to the observed one with the Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (NASH) of 0.747 and the root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of 0.236°C over the observation period. However, under condition that the rainfall of more than 1 mm h−1 occurs continually for more than a day, the simulation was less reasonable with NASH = 0.225 and RMSE = 0.226°C. This is probably because the relatively warm subsurface flow input to the stream channel from the non‐glacial area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Applications of the ‘CATGIXRF’ computer program to the grazing incidence X‐ray fluorescence and X‐ray reflectivity characterization of thin films and surfaces
Authors: Tiwari M. K. , Lodha G. S. , Sawhney K. J. S.
Published: September 2009

Grazing incidence x‐ray fluorescence (GIXRF) analysis technique has the potential of being one of the most powerful and versatile methods for characterization of layered materials, as it combines features of both x‐ray reflectivity (XRR) and x‐ray fluorescence techniques. GIXRF technique allows non‐destructive evaluation of layer thickness, interface roughness, interlayer formation and depth profiling for an impurity element inside a layer medium or in the substrates. A computer program ‘CATGIXRF’, has been developed for GIXRF characterization of thin film and surfaces. Methodology of the program and its various features has been discussed in detail. The program offers analysis of GIXRF and XRR data simultaneously. The utility of the program has been demonstrated by example calculations and by providing a few examples of XRR and GIXRF characterization of a variety of thin‐layered materials. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Introduction to Special Issue on Social Ecological Approaches to Community Health Research and Action
Authors: Lounsbury David William , Mitchell Shannon Gwin
Published: September 2009

We have the potential to make new, substantive contributions to resolving our most pressing community health problems. However, to do so we must adopt a philosophy of science that is directed towards understanding the dynamic complexity and full contextual reality surrounding these issues. A social ecological approach to science is ideally suited to this challenge. This framework is systems‐oriented and defines research problems in terms of structures and processes, generating research outcomes that give insight into the dynamic interaction of individuals with their environment across time and space. Though community psychology is built upon social ecological principles, researchers from other disciplines have also noted its utility and implemented interventions based on this framework. In our introductory article to this special issue on social ecological approaches to community health research and action, we present a brief review of the theoretical foundations of the social ecological approach, present highlights from our selected manuscripts, and conclude with some reflections about the need to build further capacity to conduct effective social ecological research to foster community health and well‐being.
Self‐regulation of consumer decision making and behavior: The role of implementation intentions
Authors: Gollwitzer Peter M. , Sheeran Paschal
Published: September 2009

People may use the self‐regulatory strategy of forming implementation intentions (i.e., if‐then plans) to make better consumer decisions and facilitate the translation of those decisions into action. First, research on the mechanisms and effects of implementation intentions is reviewed. Second, we discuss how implementation intentions can be used to improve consumer decision making by promoting attention control and information elaboration, and overcoming disruptive influences. Third, we consider the various problems that militate against the enactment of one's decisions, and evidence is presented to show that implementation intentions are still effective even when goal attainment does not seem to be amenable to self‐regulation. Finally, potential moderators of implementation intention effects are discussed.
Multiplicity of solutions of Dirichlet problems associated with second-order equations in ℝ2
Authors: Dalbono F. , Rebelo C.
Published: September 2009

We study the existence of multiple solutions for a two-point boundary-value problem associated with a planar system of second-order ordinary differential equations by using a shooting technique. We consider asymptotically linear nonlinearities satisfying suitable sign conditions. Multiplicity is ensured by assumptions involving the Morse indices of the linearizations at zero and at infinity.