bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organosilicon ion‐exchange and complexing adsorbents
Authors: Voronkov M. , Vlasova N. , Pozhidaev Yu. , Belousova L. , Grigoryeva O.
Published: September 2006

Long and systematic investigations of the present authors in the creation of organosilicon adsorbents, ion‐exchange and complexing agents are summarized. A wide series of such adsorption materials were synthesized by hydrolytic polycondensation and oxidizing hydrolytic polycondensation of organosilicon monomers of general formula X3SiQY and X3SiQZQSiX3, where X = Cl, AlkO; Q = alkylene C1–C3, phenylene; Y and Z = carbofunctional ionic and complexing groups. In this way, it was possible to obtain polyorganylsilsesquioxanes with carbofunctional groups such as Y = SH, SO3H, S(CH2)2NH2, SCH2COOH, NHC(O)CH3, NHC(S)CH3, NHC(NH)NH2, NHC(NH)NHC(NH)NH2, Z=S, SS, S(CH2)2S, NHC(O)NH, NHC(S)NH, NHSSNH, NHS(O)NH, NHS(O2)NH, NHC(SO2)NH, NHC(NH)NH, NHC(S)S− · NH3+, etc., which turned out to be very effective ion‐exchange and complexing adsorbents. These adsorbents have a crosslinked silsesquioxane structure. The three‐dimensional structure of the polyorganylsilsesquioxane skeleton of these adsorbents provides for their high thermal and chemical stability. They are stable up to 230–270°C and do not lose their adsorption activity in 10–18 mol/l H2SO4 at 100°C and in boiling concentrated HCl. The ion‐exchange and complexing properties of organosilicon adsorbents were studied on 50 elements of the Periodical system. Effective adsorbents toward noble metals, rare, rare‐earth and toxic elements have been found. The practical application of organosilicon adsorbents is described. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of polymerizable amphiphiles with critical packing parameters systematically varied
Authors: Li M. H. , Yang W. L. , Qian J. , Wang C. C. , Fu S. K.
Published: September 2006

In this paper the design and synthesis of a group of polymerizable amphiphiles with different ratios of the number of hydrophilic heads and the number of hydrophobic tails are reported. The head/tail number ratio could be viewed as an approximate equivalent of the critical packing parameter. The synthetic procedure was optimized to be extendable. The design is expected to furnish a robust library of polymerizable amphiphiles for formation and immobilization of surfactant phases. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lightly crosslinked, mesomorphic networks obtained through the reaction of dimeric, liquid‐crystalline epoxy–imine monomers and heptanedioic acid
Authors: Ribera David , Giamberini Marta , Serra Angels , Mantecón Ana
Published: September 2006

We reacted various dimeric, liquid‐crystalline epoxy–imine monomers, differing in the length of the central aliphatic spacer or the dipolar moments, with heptanedioic acid. The resulting systems showed a liquid‐crystalline phase in some cases, depending on the dimer and on the reaction conditions. The systems were characterized with respect to their mesomorphic properties and then were submitted to dynamic mechanical thermal analysis in both fixed‐frequency and frequency‐sweep modes in the shear sandwich configuration. The arrangement in the liquid‐crystalline phase seemed to be mainly affected both by the polarization of the mesogen and by the reaction temperature, which favored the liquid‐crystalline arrangement when it was lying in the range of stability of the dimer mesophase. In agreement with other recent literature data, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis results suggested that the presence of the mesogen directly incorporated into the main chain increased the lifetimes of the elastic modes both in the isotropic phase and in the liquid‐crystalline phase with respect to side‐chain liquid‐crystalline elastomers and that the time–temperature superposition principle did not hold through the liquid‐crystalline‐to‐isotropic transition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44:6270–6286, 2006
Synthesis, characterization, and electrical properties of polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites
Authors: Wu Tzong‐Ming , Lin Shih‐Hsiang
Published: September 2006

Size‐controllable polypyrrole (PPy)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites have been synthesized by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization directed by various concentrations of cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Raman spectra, FTIR, SEM, and TEM were used to characterize their structure and morphology. These results showed that the composites are core (MWCNT)–shell (PPy) tubular structures with the thickness of the PPy layer in the range of 20–40 nm, depending on the concentration of CTAB. Raman and FTIR spectra of the composites are almost identical to those of PPy alone. The electrical conductivities of these composites are 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those of PPy without MWCNTs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6449–6457, 2006
Synthesis of novel boron‐containing epoxy–novolac resins and properties of cured products
Authors: Martín C. , Lligadas G. , Ronda J. C. , Galià M. , Cádiz V.
Published: September 2006

Epoxy–novolac resins were synthesized by modifying a commercial novolac resin with epichlorohydrin. These epoxy–novolac resins were characterized and further modified with different contents of bis(benzo‐1,3,2‐dioxa‐borolanyl)oxide or bis(4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxa‐borolanyl)oxide. The boron‐containing epoxy–novolac resins were autocatalytically crosslinked or crosslinked with BF3MEA and their thermal stability and flame retardancy were determined by thermogravimetric analysis and limiting oxygen index (LOI) values. These LOI values for the bis(benzo‐1,3,2‐dioxa‐borolanyl)oxide derivatives were higher than the boron‐free novolac resins, which shows the benefit of the presence of boron. To test the role of boron in the enhancement of flammability, scanning electronic microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy images were made. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6332–6344, 2006
A3‐type star polymers via click chemistry
Authors: Altintas O. , Yankul B. , Hizal G. , Tunca U.
Published: September 2006

We report a simple preparation of three‐armed (A3‐type) star polymers based on the arm‐first technique, using a click‐reaction strategy between a well‐defined azide‐end‐functionalized polystyrene, poly(tert‐butyl acrylate), or poly(ethylene glycol) precursor and a trisalkyne‐functional initiator, 1,1,1‐tris[4‐(2‐propynyloxy)phenyl]ethane. The click‐reaction efficiency for A3‐type star formation has been investigated with gel permeation chromatography measurements (refractive‐index detector). The gel permeation chromatography curves have been split with the deconvolution method (Gaussian area), and the efficiency of A3‐type star formation has been found to be 87%. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6458–6465, 2006
Amphiphilic conetworks. II. Novel two‐step synthesis of poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]–polyisobutylene, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)–polyisobutylene, and poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide)–polyisobutylene hydrogels
Authors: Toman Luděk , Janata Miroslav , Spěváček Jiří , Brus Jiří , Sikora Antonín , Látalová Petra , Holler Petr , Vlček Petr , Dvořánková Barbora
Published: September 2006

Amphiphilic polymer conetworks consisting of hydrophilic poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), or poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) and hydrophobic polyisobutylene chains were synthesized with a novel two‐step procedure. In the first step, a methacrylate‐multifunctional polyisobutylene crosslinker was prepared by the cationic copolymerization of isobutylene with 3‐isopropenyl‐α,α‐dimethylbenzyl isocyanate. In the second step, the methacrylate‐multifunctional polyisobutylene crosslinker, with a number‐average molecular weight of 8200 and an average functionality of approximately 4 per chain, was copolymerized radically with 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, N‐isopropylacrylamide, or N,N‐dimethylacrylamide into transparent amphiphilic conetworks containing 42–47 mol % hydrophilic monomer. The synthesized conetworks were characterized with solid‐state 13C NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The amphiphilic nature of the conetworks was proved by swelling in both water and n‐heptane. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6378–6384, 2006
Synthesis and properties of noncoplanar rigid‐rod aromatic polyhydrazides and poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazole)s containing phenyl or naphthyl substituents
Authors: Liou Guey‐Sheng , Hsiao Sheng‐Huei , Fang Yi‐Kai
Published: September 2006

Two new phenyl‐ and naphthyl‐substituted rigid‐rod aromatic dicarboxylic acid monomers, 2,2′‐diphenylbiphenyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid (4) and 2,2′‐di(1‐naphthyl)biphenyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid (5), were synthesized by the Suzuki coupling reaction of 2,2′‐diiodobiphenyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester with benzeneboronic acid and naphthaleneboronic acid, respectively, followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the ester groups. Four new polyhydrazides were prepared from the dicarboxylic acids 4 and 5 with terephthalic dihydrazide (TPH) and isophthalic dihydrazide (IPH), respectively, via the Yamazaki phosphorylation reaction. These polyhydrazides were amorphous and readily soluble in many organic solvents. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that these hydrazide polymers had glass transition temperatures in the range of 187–234 °C and could be thermally cyclodehydrated into the corresponding oxadiazole polymers in the range of 300–400 °C. The resulting poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazole)s exhibited Tg's in the range of 252–283 °C, 10% weight‐loss temperature in excess of 470 °C, and char yield at 800 °C in nitrogen higher than 54%. These organo‐soluble polyhydrazides and poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazole)s exhibited UV–Vis absorption maximum at 262–296 and 264–342 nm in NMP solution, and their photoluminescence spectra showed maximum bands around 414–445 and 404–453 nm, respectively, with quantum yield up to 38%. The electron‐transporting properties were examined by electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of the poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazole) films cast onto an indium‐tin oxide (ITO)‐coated glass substrate exhibited reversible reduction redox with Eonset at −1.37 to −1.57 V versus Ag/AgCl in dry N,N‐dimethylformamide solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6466–6483, 2006
Characteristic properties of film prepared from poly(L‐lactide)‐grafted dextran of a relatively high sugar unit content as a degradable biomaterial
Authors: Ouchi Tatsuro , Kontani Tomohiro , Aoki Rie , Saito Toshifumi , Ohya Yuichi
Published: September 2006

To develop novel biomedical soft materials with degradability, amphiphilic poly(L‐lactide)‐grafted dextrans (Dex‐g‐PLLAs) of relatively high sugar unit contents were synthesized with the trimethylsilyl protection method. The characteristic properties of solution‐cast films prepared from the obtained Dex‐g‐PLLAs were investigated. The water absorption and degradation rate of the Dex‐g‐PLLA films increased with increasing sugar unit content. The morphology of the bulk phase and top surface of the Dex‐g‐PLLA films was evaluated with transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The bulk phase of the Dex‐g‐PLLA films with a sugar unit content of 16–25 wt % was found by transmission electron microscopy to form a lamellar type of phase‐separated structure composed of approximately 80–100‐nm‐wide nanodomains because of their amphiphilic and branched structures. The hydrophobic top surface for a Dex‐g‐PLLA film with a sugar unit content of 25 wt % covered with PLLA segments was confirmed by atomic force microscopy phase images to be easily converted to a wettable top surface covered with hydrophilic dextran aggregates showing an 8–10‐nm‐wide honeycomb pattern by means of annealing in water. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6402–6409, 2006
Experimental and theoretical investigation of anomalous sorption kinetics in the methanol vapor–poly(methyl methacrylate) system at 35 °C
Authors: Dimos V. , Sanopoulou M.
Published: September 2006

Non‐Fickian sorption kinetics of methanol vapor in a poly(methyl methacrylate) film of 8 μm, at 35 °C, are presented. The behavior of the system was studied in series of interval absorption runs. The relevant diffusion and viscous relaxation processes were studied by kinetic analysis of the sorption kinetic curves, using the relaxation‐dependent solubility model. The sorption isotherm concaves upward at high activities, typical to Florry–Huggins behavior, while it exhibits a convex‐upward curvature at low methanol vapor activities, indicating sorption in the excess free volume of the polymer matrix. Thermodynamic diffusivity presents a complex functional dependence on the concentration, while relaxation rate is found to be a function of concentration as well as of concentration interval. Relaxation rate becomes increasingly concentration‐dependent as the effective glass transition of the system is approached. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3173–3184, 2006
Rheological study on structural transition in polyethersulfone‐modified bismaleimide resin during isothermal curing
Authors: Liu Xiaoyun , Zhan Guozhu , Yu Yingfeng , Li Shanjun
Published: September 2006

The structural transition in the polyethersulfone (PES)‐modified bismaleimide resin, 4,4′‐bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BDM), during isothermal curing was studied by using rheological technique, different scanning calorimetry (DSC), and time resolved light scattering (TRLS). Comparing with the cure of neat bismaleimide, two separate tan δ crossover points were observed because of the phase separation during curing the blends of PES/BDM. These two structural transitions stemmed from the fixing of phase structure of the system and the chemical crosslinking of bismaleimide, respectively. The effect of curing temperature and the PES content on structural transition was discussed and found that the occurrence of two structural transition exhibited the different dependency of curing temperature and PES content. The relaxation exponent n and gel strength S were also found to be temperature‐dependent and composition‐dependent. Moreover, the relaxation exponent n of the second structural transition is much lower than that of the first structural transition in the PES/bismaleimide blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3102–3108, 2006
Assessment of thermal expansion coefficient of methylsilsesquioxane thin film
Authors: Kim B. R. , Son J. M. , Ko M. J.
Published: September 2006

For the methylsilsesquioxane film whose optical birefringence is almost zero, it was recently reported that its vertical thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) was approximately one order of magnitude larger than the lateral CTE. Though the birefringence is not an absolute predictor of anisotropic behavior, the discrepancy in both the CTEs was so remarkable that it was essential to investigate whether the anisotropy was intrinsic property or not. If the effect of Poisson's ratio is considered in the calculation of the vertical CTE and when elastic modulus measured by surface acoustic wave spectroscopy is used in the assessment of the lateral CTE, both the CTEs are coincident with each other. Therefore, it can be concluded that the discrepancy in the CTEs can be attributed to a higher in‐plane polymer chain orientation but it can also arise from the misleadingly assumed modulus and Poisson's ratio. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3109–3120, 2006
Polyaniline/iron nanocomposites prepared by cryomilling
Authors: Zhu Y. G. , Li Z. Q. , Gu J. J. , Zhang D. , Tanimoto T.
Published: September 2006

The polyaniline/iron nanocomposites with both conducting and magnetic properties have been prepared by cryomilling (high‐energy ball milling under cryogenic temperature), in which the average size of iron grains attains 20 nm. Enhanced coercivity of 206 Oe and decreased conductivity of 0.1 S cm−1 at room temperature have been obtained for the nanocomposites containing 10% volume fraction of iron in polyaniline after cryomilling for 20 h. The high value of the coercivity could be considered due to the presence of a fraction of single‐domain particles in the nanocomposites. The low value of the conductivity could be considered due to the dedoping of conducting polyaniline with the cryomilling time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3157–3164, 2006
Structure, thermal stability, and photocrosslinking characterization of HDPE/LDH nanocomposites synthesized by melt‐intercalation
Authors: Ding Peng , Qu Baojun
Published: September 2006

Structure, thermal properties, and influence of layered double hydroxide (LDH) fillers on photocrosslinking behavior of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/LDH nanocomposites have been studied in the present article. The X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis demonstrate that the completely exfoliated HDPE/LDH nanocomposites can be obtained by controlling the organomodified LDH loading via melt‐intercalation. The data from the thermogravimetric analysis show that the HDPE/LDH nanocomposites have much higher thermal stability than HDPE sample. When the 50% weight loss was selected as a comparison point, the decomposition temperature of HDPE/LDH sample with 5 wt % LDH loading is ∼40 °C higher than that of HDPE sample. The effects of UV‐irradiation on the HDPE/LDH nanocomposites show that the photoinitiated crosslinking can destroy the completely exfoliated structure to form the partially exfoliated structure, which decreased the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. However, the thermal stability of photocrosslinked samples can increase with increasing the UV‐irradiation time. The effect of LDH loading on the gel content of UV‐irradiated nanocomposites shows that the LDH materials can greatly absorb the UV irradiation and thus decrease the crosslinking efficiency. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3165–3172, 2006
Swelling behavior and solubility parameter of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)
Authors: Wu Han‐Lang , Ma Chen‐Chi M. , Li Chia‐Hsun , Chen Chih‐Yuan
Published: September 2006

The solubility parameter of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) was investigated. SPEEK exhibited two solubility parameters, 26.4 and 35.7 J1/2 cm−3/2, and was similar in that respect to Nafion, which has two cohesive energy densities. The theoretical solubility parameter of SPEEK, 26.1 J1/2 cm−3/2, was determined with van Krevelen's method and corresponded to the experimental value. The theoretical volume fraction of SPEEK in the solvent was determined with Flory's equation. The trend of the theoretical volume fraction of SPEEK fit quite well with the experimental results when the solubility parameter of the solvent was lower than 35 J1/2 cm−3/2. A significant deviation of the experimental volume fraction of SPEEK with the high solubility parameter resulted from the presence of sulfonic acid groups. SPEEK in the sodium form exhibited similar solvent absorption in comparison with SPEEK in the acid form. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3128–3134, 2006
Stress and coping in hospice nursing staff. The impact of attachment styles
Authors: Hawkins Andrew C. , Howard Ruth A. , Oyebode Jan R.
Published: September 2006

Previous research suggests that the attachment style developed during childhood informs adult attachment styles, which in turn affects adult relationships and responses to stress. This study considers the sources of stress in hospice nurses and addresses the potential impact of their attachment styles on stress and coping experiences. Adult attachment style, stress and coping were measured in 84 nurses recruited from five hospices.

The results supported previous research regarding the most common sources of stress in this nursing group. The study found partial support for the hypothesis that nurses with insecure attachment styles experience more stress than securely attached nurses. Hospice nurses with a fearful or dismissing attachment style were found to be less likely to seek emotional social support as a means of coping with stress than hospice nurses with a secure or preoccupied attachment style.

Supervision, support and career‐long training for nurses in hospices are recommended. Further research is needed to clarify the involvement of attachment style in hospice nurse stress and coping experiences. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SPINFAST: Using structure alignment profiles to enhance the accuracy and assess the reliability of protein side‐chain modeling
Authors: Poleksic Aleksandar , Danzer Joseph F. , Palmer Brian A. , Olafson Barry D. , Debe Derek A.
Published: September 2006

We present a novel, knowledge‐based method for the side‐chain addition step in protein structure modeling. The foundation of the method is a conditional probability equation, which specifies the probability that a side‐chain will occupy a specific rotamer state, given a set of evidence about the rotamer states adopted by the side‐chains at aligned positions in structurally homologous crystal structures. We demonstrate that our method increases the accuracy of homology model side‐chain addition when compared with the widely employed practice of preserving the side‐chain conformation from the homology template to the target at conserved residue positions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our method accurately estimates the probability that the correct rotamer state has been selected. This interesting result implies that our method can be used to understand the reliability of each and every side‐chain in a protein homology model. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immunopathology of RSV infection: prospects for developing vaccines without this complication
Authors: Littel‐van den Hurk S. van Drunen , Mapletoft J. W. , Arsic N. , Kovacs‐Nolan J.
Published: September 2006

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. RSV clinical disease varies from rhinitis and otitis media to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. An increased incidence of asthma later in life has been associated with the more severe lower respiratory tract infections. Despite its importance as a pathogen, there is no licensed vaccine against RSV. This is due to a number of factors complicating the development of an effective and safe vaccine. The immunity to natural RSV infection is incomplete as re‐infections occur in all age groups, which makes it challenging to design a protective vaccine. Second, the primary target population is the newborn infant, which has a relatively immature immune system and maternal antibodies that can interfere with vaccination. Finally, some vaccines have resulted in a predisposition for exacerbated pulmonary disease in infants, which was attributed to an imbalanced Th2‐biased immune response, although the exact cause has not been elucidated. This makes it difficult to proceed with vaccine testing in infants. It is likely that an effective and safe vaccine needs to elicit a balanced immune response, including RSV‐specific neutralising antibodies, CD8 T‐cells, Th1/Th2 CD4 T‐cells and preferably secretory IgA. Subunit vaccines formulated with appropriate adjuvants may be adequate for previously exposed individuals. However, intranasally delivered genetically engineered attenuated or vectored vaccines are currently most promising for newborns, as they are expected to induce a balanced immune response similar to that elicited to natural infection and not be subject to interference from maternal antibodies. Maternal vaccination may be the optimal strategy to protect the very young infants. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Required limiting impedance and capacity of fault current limiter installed in customer system with synchronous generator
Authors: Iioka Daisuke , Yokomizu Yasunobu , Goto Masuo , Matsumura Toshiro , Shimizu Hirotaka
Published: September 2006

We investigated the required limiting impedance and capacity of a fault current limiter (FCL) installed at an incoming feeder of a customer system with a synchronous generator in a utility distribution system. It was assumed that two types of FCL were installed, i.e. a resistive type (R‐type) FCL and an inductive type (L‐type) FCL. A fault current out of the customer system and a voltage in the customer system were calculated following a three‐phase, short‐circuit fault occurrence. It was found that the required type of FCL and the required limiting impedance depended on the rated capacity of the generator in order to obtain the suppression of the fault current under 0.1 kASand to maintain of customer voltage between 85 and 100% of the nominal voltage (6.6 kV). The capacity of FCL consisting of the smallest limiting impedance is discussed. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Integrated method of determining transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations
Authors: Hayashi Yasuhiro , Takano Hirotaka , Matsuki Junya
Published: September 2006

In Japan, the secondary transmission system (66 kV, 77 kV) and distribution system (6.6 kV) with loop structures are operated using the radial configuration. The transmission and distribution network configurations must be determined so as to keep the radial configuration and satisfy the operational constraints such as line capacity, voltage drop, and so on. However, the configuration candidates are too many, and it is not easy to determine transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations comprehensively. In this paper, the authors propose an integrated method of determining the transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations under the operational constraints within practical computation time. In order to check the validity of the proposed method of determination, numerical simulations using the proposed method are carried out for a real‐scale Japanese transmission and distribution network model with 22098configuration candidates. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Comparisons between impulse voltage calibrators and digitizers
Authors: Wakimoto Takayuki , Ishii Masaru , Li Yi , Ik‐Soo Kim
Published: September 2006

Impulse voltage calibrators are important instruments for the calibration of impulse voltage digitizers and other measurement devices. The impulse digitizers, on the other hand, are often sufficiently accurate for checking the performance of impulse voltage calibrators. Comparisons between impulse calibrators and digitizers are useful in determining the uncertainties of the instruments, especially when multiple devices are being cross compared.

In this paper, comparisons among calibrators and digitizers from Nippon Institute of Technology (NIT), Japan, National Measurement Institute (NMI), Australia, and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), Korea, are reported. Comparisons of full lightning impulse and switching impulse waveforms were performed. The results of the comparisons are reported with an analysis of the sources of the uncertainties. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A study of autonomous reactive power control method for distributed power generators to maintain power quality of the grid
Authors: Hatta Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Hiromu
Published: September 2006

Distributed power generators, such as cogenerators and renewable energy systems, have continued to advance and their penetration capacity is increasing. However, they may cause power quality problems in voltage regulation because of the reverse power flow. At present, when the distribution line voltage exceeds the limit value, distributed generators control reactive power to reduce the voltage, and if the reactive power output is not enough, they reduce the active power output. Therefore, an imbalance of active power output between distributed generators may occur because the voltage of generators varies by location and generators at lower voltage locations do not control the reactive power. A power control method for distributed generators needs to be established to solve these problems. In this study, an autonomous reactive power control method of sharing reactive power between distributed generators is proposed. The availability of this method is discussed experimentally and its applicability area is considered analytically by use of a model distribution system. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A new lightning protection system for wind turbines using two ring‐shaped electrodes
Authors: Yoh Yasuda
Published: September 2006

Wind turbines are often struck by lightning because of their special shape, their tall structure and their being placed in the open air. Besides seriously damaging the blades, lightning results in accidents in which low‐voltage and control circuit breakdowns frequently occur in many wind farms worldwide. Although some reports, such as IEC TR61400‐24 and NREL SR‐500‐31115, have indicated a methodology for protection against such accidents, a standard solution to these problems remains to be established.

The author, focusing on a method for protection of low‐voltage and control circuits in a wind tower, proposed a new lightning protection system with two ring‐shaped electrodes attached to the wind turbine. The proposed system has two ring‐shaped electrodes of several meters diameter, one vertically attached to the nose cone and the other laterally placed at the top of the wind tower lying just below the nacelle. The pair of rings is arranged with a narrow gap of no more than 1 m in order to avoid mechanical friction during rotation of the blades and the nacelle's circling. When lightning strikes a blade, the current reaches the upper ring from a receptor through a conductive wire. Then, the electric field between the two rings becomes high and finally sparks over and the lightning current flows downwards. The current propagates along the lower ring and the grounding wire, which is arranged outside of the wind tower rather than inside, and is safely led to a grounding electrode placed far enough away from the tower's grounding system.

In this paper, the author describes a basic experiment using a 1/100 downsized model, and also discusses the concept behind the present system. The result of the downsized experiment provides evidence of an effective advantage for lightning protection. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Lessons Learned from Initial Experience with Peritonectomy and Intra‐peritoneal Chemotherapy Infusion
Authors: Teo M. , Foo K.F. , Koo W.H. , Wong L.T. , Soo K.C.
Published: September 2006

Introduction

Patients diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatous usually survive for less than 6 months. Cytoreductive surgery allows relief of the obstruction and improvement in functional status, while intraperitoneal chemotherapy infusion provides high local concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents. Our institutional experience is reviewed to assess the selection criteria, peri‐operative complications, and outcomes.

Materials and Methods

We carried out a retrospective review of nine patients who had undergone aggressive cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra‐ and early post‐operative chemotherapy by a single surgeon between April 2000 and October 2004. The inclusion criteria were: (1) a demonstrated absence of extra‐peritoneal and hepatic spread, (2) fitness of the patient and ability to tolerate cytoreductive surgery and intra‐operative chemotherapy, and (3) the presence of a primary tumor originating form the gastro‐intestinal tract (colonic, appendiceal, and gastric primaries).

Results

Seven women and two men, with a median age of 55 years, were treated. The median duration of the operation was 12 hours and 55 minutes. Seven of the nine patients required the insertion of at least one chest tube. All patients were monitored in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) for a median of 1 day, started on feeds after a median of 6 days, and were hospitalized for a median of 16 days (range:11–18 days). There was no peri‐operative mortality and only one major peri‐operative complication (11.1%). At the time of analysis, the median follow‐up was 16 months (range: 2–40 months), and the median disease‐free survival was 8 months, with four of the nine patients showing no evidence of recurrence. To date, all of the patients are still alive. A 1‐year survival rate of 100% is also documented.

Conclusions

This article describes our initial experience with peritonectomy and intra‐operative, intra‐peritoneal chemotherapy infusion. Our initial problems included difficulty with leakage of the chemotherapeutic agents into the thoracic cavity that had to be overcome by the early insertion of chest‐tubes. With appropriate patient selection, cytoreductive surgery with the infusion of intra‐operative chemotherapy can be considered to be a therapeutic option for some patients with diffuse peritoneal metastases, and good disease‐free and overall survival can be achieved with minimal morbidity.
Subtotal Thyroidectomy: A Reliable Method to Achieve Euthyroidism in Graves’ Disease. Prognostic Factors
Authors: Moreno Pablo , Gómez José M. , Gómez Núria , Francos José M. , Ramos Emilio , Rafecas Antonio , Jaurrieta E.
Published: September 2006

Background

Subtotal thyroidectomy is a widely accepted surgical procedure for Graves’ disease. The purpose of this work is to evaluate functional long‐term results and determine predictive prognostic factors of postoperative thyroid function.

Study design

This is a retrospective study conducted on 202 patients with Graves’ disease undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy during the period 1979–2002. Predictive prognostic factors of final thyroid status were investigated by logistic ordinal regression, and probability of hypothyroidism during the years of follow‐up was obtained by the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Surgery controlled hyperthyroidism in 196 out of 202 patients (97%). The probability of hypo‐, eu‐, and hyperthyroidism at 5 years was 62.1%, 35.5%, and 2.4%, respectively. No statistical change in thyroid function occurred in the follow‐up after 60 months.

Multivariate analysis by a logistic ordinal regression analysis showed that weight of the remnant, age, and gender seemed to influence long‐term thyroid function. The higher rates of euthyroidism were obtained when the remnant weight was between 6 and 8 g. No recurrence or persistence of hyperthyroidism occurred with remnant weights under 5 g.

Conclusions

Subtotal thyroidectomy controlled hyperfunction symptoms in 97% of our patients. Cure (euthyroidism) of Graves’ disease patients should be attempted by leaving a thyroid tissue remnant between 6 and 8 g. Even more significant, our results suggest that euthyroidism rates could be improved by leaving a smaller remnant in elderly women and greater remnants in young men.
Pancreatoduodenectomy for Distal Cholangiocarcinoma: Prognostic Impact of Lymph Node Metastasis
Authors: Murakami Yoshiaki , Uemura Kenichiro , Hayashidani Yasuo , Sudo Takeshi , Ohge Hiroki , Sueda Taijiro
Published: September 2006

Background

The aim of this study was to identify useful prognostic factors in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma.

Methods

The records of 36 patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Potential clinicopathological prognostic factors that may affect survival were examined by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

There was no mortality. Overall survival rates were 75%, 54%, and 50% for 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively (median survival time, 26 months). Univariate analysis found that age (≧ 65 years), pancreatic invasion, duodenal invasion, lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion and a positive surgical margin were significant predictors of poor prognosis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, lymph node metastasis was found to be a significant independent predictor of poor prognosis by multivariate analysis (P = 0.043). Moreover, there were significant differences in the 5‐year survival between patients with 2 or less involved lymph nodes and those with 3 or more positive nodes (P < 0.001). There were no 2‐year survivors of the group of patients with 3 or more positive nodes.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the presence and number of lymph nodes exhibiting metastatic disease might be useful in predicting the postsurgical outcome in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma.
Manageability, vulnerability and interaction: A qualitative analysis of acute myocardial infarction patients’ conceptions of the event
Authors: Johansson Ingela , Swahn Eva , Strömberg Anna
Published: September 2006

Background

Delay in seeking care remains a problem for many patients with myocardial infarction. There is a great deal of knowledge available about clinical factors contributing to this delay, while studies focusing on the patients’ own experiences are few.

Aim

Describe variations in how individuals perceived suffering symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction.

Design

A qualitative method using phenomenographic design was applied. Interviews were conducted with 15 strategically selected patients with myocardial infarction.

Findings

Eight sub-categories in the pre-hospital phase were summarised into three categories: manageability, vulnerability, and interaction. To manage their situation, patients expressed a need to understand it and to have a similar situation to compare with. They also described coping with the arising threat to their lives by self-medication or denying their symptoms. Patients expressed vulnerability, with feelings of anxiety, both as triggers and barriers to seeking medical care. In interaction with others, psychosocial support and guidance from the environment, was fundamental in helping the patients to manage the situation.

Conclusions

There were large variations in myocardial infarction patients’ conceptions of the event. To improve disease management in the pre-hospital phase, the awareness of this large variation in conceptions about suffering symptoms of an myocardial infarction could be used in the dialogue between patients and health care professionals, in cardiac prevention programmes, as well as in health care education.
Differential regulation of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase in the superior colliculus and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the adult rat brain following eye enucleation
Authors: Chacur Marucia , Matos Rhowena J.B. , Batista Samuel S. , Kihara Alexandre H. , Britto Luiz R.G.
Published: September 2006

Nitric oxide has been shown to play various physiological and pathological roles in the visual system. We studied here the expression of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase in the rat superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus after unilateral enucleation, by means of immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and real‐time PCR. Immunohistochemistry revealed an increase of nitric oxide synthase‐positive neurons in specific layers of the superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus between 1 and 30 days post‐lesion. Immunoblotting analyses confirmed that the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase is upregulated in the superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus after retinal removal. Diaminofluorescein histochemistry suggested that nitric oxide production was increased in both deafferented retinorecipient areas. Our real‐time PCR results indicated that nitric oxide synthase transcript levels in the superior colliculus were not significantly altered after monocular enucleation, although an upregulation of the enzyme transcription was detected into the deafferented dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. These findings indicated that neuronal nitric oxide synthase may undergo different forms of regulation in the adult deafferented visual system.
Levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine system vs. transcervical endometrial resection for dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Authors: Gupta B. , Mittal S. , Misra R. , Deka D. , Dadhwal V.
Published: September 2006

Objective: To compare the acceptability, efficacy, adverse effects, and user satisfaction of a levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS) and transcervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE) for the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

Method: Of 50 women with a pictoral blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) score of 100 or greater, 25 had a LNG‐IUS inserted (Mirena; Schering, Berlin, Germany) and 25 underwent TCRE. Procedure‐related complications, PBAC score, hemoglobin levels, adverse effects, and rates of acceptability and satisfaction were recorded at 3‐month intervals for a period of 12 months.

Results: At the end of 1 year there were a 97% and a 94% reduction in menstrual blood loss in the LNG‐IUS and TCRE groups, respectively, and hemoglobin concentration had increased by 5.5% in the LNG‐IUS group and 5.2% in the TCRE group. Adverse effects were similar in both groups except for systemic effects, which were seen only in the LNG‐IUS group. Satisfaction rates were about 80% in the 2 groups.

Conclusion: Both treatments were found to be equally effective but LNG‐IUS placement requires less operator skill and entails no operative hazards, and the device provides effective contraception.
Ethical issues in transnational “mail order” oocyte donation
Authors: Heng B.C.
Published: September 2006

The rising demand for donor oocytes in developed countries has led to what is referred to as transnational or international oocyte donation, or the outsourcing of oocyte donation to poorer countries. In a further twist, frozen sperm from a recipient's partner can also be mailed to a foreign clinic to fertilize donor oocytes, and the resulting embryos are mailed back, cryopreserved, for transfer to the recipient. Among the numerous ethical concerns raised by this practice of mail order oocyte donation, the most obvious are that underprivileged women from poorer countries are often exploited; fertility physicians from richer counties abdicate responsibility for the welfare of donors; and responsibility could become an issue of contention if transmission of disease to the oocyte recipient or congenital defects in offspring born from such oocyte donation were to occur. Moreover, savings from utilizing donors from poorer countries ought to be shared with oocyte recipients.
The potential for expropriation through joint ventures
Authors: Case Spencer A. , Lee D. Scott , Martin John D.
Published: September 2006

We examine the potential expropriation of a firm's intellectual capital that results from joint venture agreements when a firm's joint venture partner becomes the target of an acquisition attempt. We find that: (1) non‐targeted joint venture partners often suffer losses in value upon the announcement of the acquisition; (2) the magnitude of the loss increases with the R&D intensity of the non‐targeted joint venture partner; and (3) average bidder returns are less negative for acquirers if the affected joint venture partners report R&D spending and are in the same line of business as the acquirer. Our estimate of the average loss is $843 million per firm, roughly 3% of the non‐targeted firm's pre‐announcement equity value. Our evidence suggests a previously unrecognized merger motive in that joint ventures expose a firm's intellectual capital to the risk of expropriation.
DOMITIAN THE SECOND?
Authors: MORGAN LLEWELYN
Published: September 2006

The historicity of the ‘Gallic Emperor' Domitianus has long been disputed, but two quite separate events in 2003 have now provided incontrovertible confirmation of his existence. The first was the rediscovery in the collections of the Musée Dobrée in Nantes of what had been for a century the only known coin carrying the obverse legend IMP(ERATOR) C DOMITIANUS P(IUS) F(ELIX) AUG(USTUS), discovered in a coin hoard at the villa of Cléons at Haute-Goulaine near Nantes in 1900, but mislaid at some point after its arrival in the museum in 1929. Its reappearance in turn allowed Sylviane Estiot to disprove conclusively the aspersions cast on its authenticity by various influential scholars during the twentieth century. In addition, however, and with a serendipity which for most scholars is the stuff of dreams, a coin hoard containing a second coin of Domitianus, minted from the same dies as the first, was discovered in farmland at Chalgrove near Oxford. This numismatic evidence, combined with the failure of Domitianus' regime to show up in the historical record—aside from Zosimus' brief notice (1.49.2) of three rebellions against Aurelian early in his reign, by ‘Septiminus, Urbanus and Domitianus', the latter presumably referring to the same man—suggests that this usurper occupied a position of power very briefly indeed, but did occupy a position of power. Not only was Domitianus capable of issuing official coinage, albeit in extremely small quantities (his absence from all but two of the numerous coin hoards from this turbulent period is telling), but also, as Estiot's research reveals, he would appear to have combined the two hitherto separate mints that produced the coinage of the Gallic Empire—the feat of a man who exerted real control over significant elements of the Gallo-Roman state machinery, however momentarily.
THE MAKING OF THE SHIELD:INSPIRATION AND REPRESSION IN THE AENEID
Authors: CASALI SERGIO
Published: September 2006

The shield of Aeneas at the end of Book 8 is the culmination of the poem's ‘propaganda', the political climax of the Aeneid. We can read the ecphrasis in optimistic mode, as Hardie and Binder did, for example; or like Gurval and Putnam we can try to cast a pessimistic light even on this passage that is so obviously encomiastic and ‘ideologically sound'. However, what I shall be concerned with in this paper is not so much the shield itself as what Vergil has to say on his own composition of the shield, on the motivation of the artist in writing this encomiastic passage, on his ‘inspiration', or (if you prefer) on the ‘constraints' which compel him to deliver the ecphrasis. In my view Vergil gives us not only the ‘propaganda' of the shield, its mannered distortion of history, its praise of those in power, together with the critical reactions to that ‘propaganda' made out by pessimistic critics; he gives us also some metapropagandistic reflections on his writing of the shield as a piece of ‘propaganda' and encomium, an illustration of the forces that drive an artist to write a piece of this sort (that is, his ‘inspiration'), and he gives us some thoughts on the nature of the distortion and repression that are in operation here.
GREEKS, BARBARIANS AND AESCHYLUS' SUPPLIANTS
Authors: MITCHELL LYNETTE G.
Published: September 2006

Ten years after producing the Persians in 472 BC, in which Greeks and barbarians are locked in conflict with each other, Aeschylus in the Suppliants explores the inextricable intertwining of Greekness and barbarity. While even in the Persians Aeschylus recognizes the ultimate ‘kinship' between Greek and barbarian (the women of Atossa's dream – one wearing Persian robes, the other Dorian – are described as ‘sisters of one race': Aesch. Pers. 180–7), in the Suppliants the poet develops this theme and casts it in sharper relief. In this later play, now generally accepted (despite archaic or archaizing elements) to have been produced in the late 460s, Aeschylus is more actively interested in the ways in which kinship both intersects with and is complicated by cultural polarity, and at the same time undercuts and complicates ‘Otherness'.