bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE CONDUCTIVITY OF A LONGITUDINAL-SHOCK-WAVE-COMPRESSED Nd2Fe14B HARD FERROMAGNETICS
Authors: TALANTSEV EVGUENI F. , SHKURATOV SERGEY I. , DICKENS JAMES C. , KRISTIANSEN MAGNE
Published: September 2002

The conductivity of Nd 2 Fe 14 B hard ferromagnetic subjected to compression by a longitudinal shock wave (the shock wave propagates along the magnetization vector M) with a pressure of 35 GPa is measured. The results of the experiments show that the conductivity of the longitudinal-shock-wave-compressed Nd 2 Fe 14 B is σsw = (2.83 ± 0.24) × 102 (Ω cm )-1, which is 22 times lower than the conductivity of Nd 2 Fe 14 B under normal conditions.
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MnSi1.7 THIN FILMS
Authors: WANG ZHIMIN , HOU QINGRUN , HE YUANJIN
Published: September 2002

MnSi 1.7 films were prepared by Solid Phase Reaction on Si(100) substrates under UHV conditions. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to study the composition and the structure of the MnSi x films. Compared with the reactive-deposited MnSi 1.7 films on silicon substrates, severe diffusion of manganese atoms into the silicon substrate during the thermal annealing process was observed. If the annealing process was not long enough, the phenomenon of coexistence of manganese-rich and silicon-rich silicides was found. The electrical resistivity of MnSi 1.7 films was measured in the temperature range of 30°C to 450°C. The resistivity increases gradually with temperature in the temperature range measured.
SOLVING THE MASTER EQUATION FOR AN ATTENUATED OR AMPLIFIED NONLINEAR OSCILLATOR VIA A SUPEROPERATOR METHOD
Authors: LU HUAI-XIN , CHEN ZENG-BING , ZHANG YONG-DE
Published: September 2002

Using the decomposition theorm of superoperators, an explicit solution of the master equation for an attenuated or amplified nonlinear oscillator is presented. It is found that the time evolution of the density operator can be easily obtained from an arbitary initial state using this method.
NANOSCALE MAGNETIC TRAPS
Authors: LYUKSYUTOV I. F.
Published: September 2002

We show that nanofabricated magnetic textures allow the trapping and manipulation of nanosize diamagnetic systems, such as carbon nanotubes, proteins and membranes as well as cold atoms. The latter can have temperatures as high as 1 K. Magnetic textures which can be used as traps, include films, dots and nanowires, both single and in arrays. Manipulation with trapped nanoparticles/atoms is possible by using external magnetic fields. We also briefly discuss prospects for magnetic traps at the micron scale.
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME COLOSSAL MAGNETO-RESISTANCE MATERIALS
Authors: RAJAKUMARI V. , PADMAVATHI K. , VITTAL M. , PRASAD V. , SUBRAHMANYAM S. V. , VENUGOPAL REDDY P.
Published: September 2002

A series of GMR materials with compositional formula Re 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3, where Re = La, Nd, Sm, Gd, Pr, etc. and their combinations were prepared by the solid state reaction method. All the samples were characterized by the powder X-ray diffraction method and the patterns show that the samples are single phase with orthorhombic structure. Resistivity measurements were also carried out by the four probe method in the temperature range 80–300 K and from these results, Metal–Insulator (M–I) transition temperatures of the samples were obtained. Finally, the magneto-resistance measurements were also carried out as a function of magnetic field and temperature over a temperature range 80–300 K. It has been observed that the magneto-resistance of Lanthanum-based mixed compositions is better than that of pure compositions.
FIRST- AND SECOND-ORDER CROSSOVERS OF SPIN TUNNELING IN Mn12-ACETATE MOLECULAR MAGNET WITH FOURTH-ORDER ANISOTROPY
Authors: PARK CHANG-SOO
Published: September 2002

We have studied the escape rate of spin tunneling in a molecular magnet with a fourfold easy axis, such as Mn 12-acetate, in the presence of an external field applied perpendicular to the easy axis. Both perturbation theory and numerical diagonalization have been used to investigate the type of quantum-classical crossover and the crossover temperature T c . We have observed that T c ~ 1.2 K which agrees with experimental results,9 and the first-order region increases due to the fourth-order transverse anisotropy. More interestingly, when the field is applied along the hard axis, first- and second-order regions alternate as the field increases.
STUDY OF FLUORINE ADDITION INFLUENCE IN THE DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON THIN FILM DEPOSITED BY REACTIVE SPUTTERING
Authors: TRIPPE S. C. , MANSANO R. D.
Published: September 2002

The hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) or DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) films are well known for exhibiting high electrical resistivity, low dielectric constant, high mechanical hardness, low friction coefficient, low superficial roughness and also for being inert. In this paper, we produced fluorinated DLC films (a-C:F), and studied the effect of adding CF 4 on the above-mentioned properties of DLC films. These films were produced by a reactive RF magnetron sputtering system using a target of pure carbon in stable graphite allotrope. We performed measurements of electrical characteristic curves of capacitance as a function of applied tension (C-V) and current as a function of the applied tension (I-V). We showed the dielectric constant (k) and the resistivity (ρ) as functions of the CF 4 concentration. On films with 65% CF 4, we found that k = 2.7, and on films with 70% CF 4, ρ = 12.3 × 1011 Ω cm. The value of the electrical breakdown field to films with 70% CF 4 is 5.3 × 106 V/cm.
BOTH COLOR AND GRAY SCALE SECRET IMAGES HIDING IN A COLOR IMAGE
Authors: LIN MIN-HUI , HU YU-CHEN , CHANG CHIN-CHEN
Published: September 2002

In the past, most image hiding techniques have been applied only to gray scale images. Now, many valuable images are color images. Thus, it has become important to be able to apply image-hiding techniques to hide color images. In this paper, our proposed scheme can not only be applied to "a color host image hiding a color secret image", but also to "a color host image hiding a gray scale secret image". Our scheme utilizes the rightmost 3, 2 and 3 bits of the R, G, B channels of every pixel in the host image to hide related information from the secret image. Meanwhile, we utilize the leftmost 5, 6, 5 bits of the R, G, B channels of every pixel in the host image and set the remaining bits as zero to generate a palette. We then use the palette to conduct color quantization on the secret image to convert its 24-bit pixels into pixels with 8-bit palette index values. DES encryption is then conducted on the index values before the secret image is embedded into the rightmost 3, 2, 3 bits of the R, G, B channels of every pixel in the host image.

The experimental results show that even under the worst case scenario our scheme guarantees an average host image PSNR value of 39.184 and an average PSNR value of 27.3415 for the retrieved secret image. In addition to the guarantee of the quality of host images and retrieved secret images, our scheme further strengthens the protection of the secret image by conducting color quantization and DES encryption on the secret image in advance. Therefore, our scheme not only expands the application area of image hiding, but is also practical and secure.
SYNTHESIS OF FUNCTION-DESCRIBED GRAPHS AND CLUSTERING OF ATTRIBUTED GRAPHS
Authors: SERRATOSA FRANCESC , ALQUÉZAR RENÉ , SANFELIU ALBERTO
Published: September 2002

Function-Described Graphs (FDGs) have been introduced by the authors as a representation of an ensemble of Attributed Graphs (AGs) for structural pattern recognition alternative to first-order random graphs. Both optimal and approximate algorithms for error-tolerant graph matching, which use a distance measure between AGs and FDGs, have been reported elsewhere. In this paper, both the supervised and the unsupervised synthesis of FDGs from a set of graphs is addressed. First, two procedures are described to synthesize an FDG from a set of commonly labeled AGs or FDGs, respectively. Then, the unsupervised synthesis of FDGs is studied in he context of clustering a set of AGs and obtaining an FDG model for each cluster. Two algorithms based on incremental and hierarchical clustering, respectively, are proposed, which are parameterized by a graph matching method. Some experimental results both on synthetic data and a real 3D-object recognition application show that the proposed algorithms are effective for clustering a set of AGs and synthesizing the FDGs that describe the classes. Moreover, the synthesized FDGs are shown to be useful for pattern recognition thanks to the distance measure and matching algorithm previously reported.
ADAPTIVE CLASSIFIER INTEGRATION FOR INVARIANT FACE RECOGNITION (ACIIFR)
Authors: KHUWAJA G. A. , LAGHARI M. S.
Published: September 2002

The integration of multiple classifiers promises higher classification accuracy and robustness than can be obtained with a single classifier. We address two problems: (a) automatic recognition of human faces using a novel fusion approach based on an adaptive LVQ network architecture, and (b) improve the face recognition up to 100% while maintaining the learning time per face image constant, which is an scalability issue. The learning time per face image of the recognition system remains constant irrespective of the data size. The integration of the system incorporates the "divide and conquer" modularity principles, i.e. divide the learning data into small modules, train individual modules separately using compact LVQ model structure and still encompass all the variance, and fuse trained modules to achieve recognition rate nearly 100%. The concept of Merged Classes (MCs) is introduced to enhance the accuracy rate. The proposed integrated architecture has shown its feasibility using a collection of 1130 face images of 158 subjects from three standard databases, ORL, PICS and KU. Empirical results yield an accuracy rate of 100% on the face recognition task for 40 subjects in 0.056 seconds per image. Thus, the system has shown potential to be adopted for real time application domains.
MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION OF A CHINESE CHARACTER AND ITS APPLICATIONS
Authors: SUN XINGMING , CHEN HUOWANG , YANG LIHUA , TANG Y. Y.
Published: September 2002

In this paper, a novel method to express Chinese characters mathematically is presented based on the knowledge of the structure of Chinese characters. Each Chinese character can be denoted by a mathematical expression in which the operands are components of Chinese characters and the operators are the location relations between the components. Five hundred five components are selected and 6 operators are defined to express all the Chinese characters successfully. These mathematical expressions of Chinese characters are simple, natural, and can be operated like the common mathematical expression of numbers. It makes Chinese information processing much simpler than before. This theory has been applied successfully in fonts automation, Chinese information transmission among different platforms and different operating systems on Internet, and knowledge discovery of the structure of Chinese characters. It can also be applied extensively to many areas such as typesetting, advertising, packing design, virtual library, network transmission, pattern recognition and Chinese mobile communication.
AN EVOLUTIONARY MULTIAGENT DIFFUSION APPROACH TO OPTIMIZATION
Authors: TSUI KWOK CHING , LIU JIMING
Published: September 2002

This article proposes a novel multiagent approach to optimization inspired by diffusion in nature called Evolutionary Multiagent Diffusion (EMD). Each agent in EMD makes the decision to diffuse based on the information shared between its parent and its siblings. The behavior of EMD is analyzed and its relation to similar search algorithms is discussed.
OBJECT-BASED IMAGE STEGANOGRAPHY USING AFFINE TRANSFORMATION
Authors: LEE YEUAN-KUEN , CHEN LING-HWEI
Published: September 2002

The typical model of steganography has led the prisoners' problem, in which two persons attempt to communicate covertly without alerting the warden. The general way to achieve this task is to embed the message in an innocuous-looking medium. In this paper, an object-based geometric embedding technique is proposed for solving the prisoners' problem. The main idea is to embed secret data through distorting a given object and the distorted object still looks natural. In the embedding process, the secret message is first converted into coefficients of an affine transformation. Then, the coordinates of each pixel of a selected object in the cover-image are recomputed by this affine transformation. Since these coefficients are restricted in a specific range, the transformed object looks natural. In the extracting process, a coarse-to-fine iterative search is proposed to accelerate the object location and the message extraction. Experimental results show that all transformed objects can be located precisely and the whole hidden message can be extracted correctly even if the stego-image is stored in various compression formats and rates. Furthermore, the embedded message is robust enough when the stego-image format is converted from GIF to JPEG, and vice versa.
A HYBRID POST-PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR HANDWRITTEN CHINESE CHARACTER RECOGNITION
Authors: XU RUIFENG , YEUNG DANIEL , SHU WENHAO , LIU JIAFENG
Published: September 2002

In this paper, a hybrid post-processing system for improving the performance of Handwritten Chinese Character Recognition is presented. In order to remove two kinds of frequently encountered errors in the recognition result, namely mis-recognized character and unrecognized character, both confusing character characteristics of the recognizer and the contextual linguistic information are utilized in our hybrid three-stage post-processing system. In the first stage, the confusing character set and a statistical Noisy-Channel model are employed to identify the most promising candidate character and append possible unrecognized similar-shaped characters into candidate character set when a candidate sequence is given. Secondly, dictionary-based approximate word matching is conducted to further append contextual linguistic-prone characters into candidate character set and bind the candidate characters into a word-lattice. Finally, a Chinese word BI-Gram Markov model is employed in the third stage to identify a most promising sentence by selecting plausible words from the word-lattice.

On the average, our system achieves a 5.1% recognition rate improvement for the first candidate when the original character recognition rate is 90% for the first candidate and 95% for the top-10 candidates by an online HCCR engine.
A REALIZATION OF DYNAMIC GROUP FOR AN ELECTRON IN A UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD
Authors: DONG SHISHAN , DONG SHI-HAI
Published: September 2002

The eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Schrödinger equation with a non-relativistic electron in a uniform magnetic field are presented. A realization of the creation and annihilation operators for the radial wave-functions is carried out. It is shown that these operators satisfy the commutation relations of an SU(1,1) group. Closed analytical expressions are evaluated for the matrix elements of different functions ρ2 and [Formula: see text].
VERTEX CORRECTIONS IN THE NUCLEAR SCHWINGER–DYSON FORMALISM
Authors: NAKANO MASAHIRO , MATSUURA HIROYUKI , NAGASAWA TAISUKE , MAKINO KEN-ICHI , NODA NOBUO , TUCHITANI KUNITO , SAKAMOTO KATSUAKI , KOUNO HIROAKI , HASEGAWA AKIRA
Published: September 2002

We develop the Nuclear Schwinger–Dyson (NSD) formalism to include the effects of ladder diagrams by modifying the vertex. In this extension, the NSD equation sums up both ring diagrams and ladder diagrams self-consistently. The results are compared with mean field theory, Hartree Fock and bare-vertex NSD calculations. It is shown that the vertex correction is important from the following viewpoints. First, the vertex correction greatly modifies the meson propagators, and we can avoid the ghost-pole from meson propagators in a self-consistent way. Secondly, it gives a large negative correlation-energy compared with the other calculations; as a result, it gives a softer equation of state which is preferable according to the experimental data.
LIFETIMES OF LEVELS IN 71Ge
Authors: KAKAVAND T. , SINGH K. P.
Published: September 2002

The low-lying states of 71Ge have been studied the via the 71Ga (p,n γ)71Ge reaction using proton beam energies of 2.5–4.3 MeV. The angular distributions have been used to assign the spins and the multipole mixing ratios using statistical theory for compound nuclear reactions. The ambiguity in the spin values for the various levels has been removed. The multipole mixing ratios for a few γ-transitions have been newly measured. The lifetimes of the levels at 747.0, 808.0, 831.1, 1377.8, 1406.6, 1414.4, 1422.1, 1558.8 and 1566.1 keV excitation energies have been measured for the first time using the Doppler shift attenuation method.
EIGENVALUE SPECTRUM FOR A SINGLE PARTICLE IN A SPHEROIDAL CAVITY: A SEMICLASSICAL APPROACH
Authors: MALIK SHAM S. , JAIN A. K. , JAIN S. R.
Published: September 2002

Following the semiclassical formalism of Strutinsky et al.,11 we have obtained the complete eigenvalue spectrum for a particle enclosed in an infinitely high spheroidal cavity. Our spheroidal trace formula also reproduces the results of a spherical billiard in the limit η → 1.0. Inclusion of repetition of each family of the orbits with reference to the largest one significantly improves the eigenvalues of the sphere and an exact comparison with the quantum mechanical results is observed up to the second decimal place for kR0 ≥ 7. The contributions of the equatorial, planar (in the axis of symmetry plane) and non-planar (three-dimensional) orbits are obtained from the same trace formula by using the appropriate conditions. The resulting eigenvalues compare very well with the quantum mechanical eigenvalues at normal deformation. It is interesting that the partial sum of equatorial orbits leads to eigenvalues with maximum angular momentum projection, while the summing of planar orbits leads to eigenvalues with Lz = 0 except for L = 1. The remaining quantum mechanical eigenvalues are observed to arise from the three-dimensional (3D) orbits. Very few spurious eigenvalues arise in these partial sums. This result establishes the important role of 3D orbits even at normal deformations.
EXACT SOLUTIONS TO THE DIRAC EQUATION FOR A COULOMB POTENTIAL IN D + 1 DIMENSIONS
Authors: GU XIAO-YAN , MA ZHONG-QI , DONG SHI-HAI
Published: September 2002

The Dirac equation is generalized to D + 1 space-time. The conserved angular momentum operators and their quantum numbers are discussed. The eigenfunctions of the total angular momenta are calculated for both odd D and even D cases. The radial equations for a spherically symmetric system are derived. The exact solutions for the system with a Coulomb potential are obtained analytically. The energy levels and the corresponding fine structure are also presented.
ELASTIC 12C–12C SCATTERING AT INTERMEDIATE ENERGIES
Authors: BEREZHNOY YU. A. , MIKHAILYUK V. P.
Published: September 2002

The differential cross-sections for elastic 12C–12C scattering at 2400 and 1449 MeV are calculated on the basis of the multiple diffraction scattering theory and α-cluster model with dispersion. At the energy 2400 MeV the calculations were performed by means of "effective" and "free" α–α amplitudes. It is shown that the results obtained differ significantly.
COMPOSITE PARTICLE FORMATION IN Au + Au REACTIONS AT 11.6A GeV/c: TOWARDS A NEW APPROACH
Authors: DE BHASKAR , BHATTACHARYYA S. , GUPTAROY P.
Published: September 2002

We deal with some of the main characteristics of proton and deuteron production in Au + Au reactions at 11.6A GeV/c with the help of a new approach. From the viewpoint of the combination of two models and an important phenomenological parametrization, we analyze both laboratory data and the model-constructs from which we finally summarize two crucial features: (i) nucleon–nucleon and nucleus–nucleus collisions could be treated on a unified footing; (ii) production of hadrons like pions, protons etc. and deuterons as well, could be studied in a somewhat similar way. Besides, it is also shown that the totality of the approach outlined and utilized here is quite capable of obtaining the physical projections based on the popular relativistic quantum molecular dynamic (RQMD) model, and can also accommodate some actual measurements already made in the past.
A NEW PROBE FOR COHERENT MANY-BODY DYNAMICS: NONERGODIC MOLECULES IN CONTINUUM
Authors: KUN S. YU. , VAGOV A. V. , CHADDERTON L. T. , GREINER W.
Published: September 2002

We present a simple physical explanation that measurements of the collision cross-sections with pure energy resolution can provide information on the reaction dynamics equivalent to that obtained using real-time methods of femtochemistry. For nuclear collisions, the method provides a time resolution of ~ 10-21 sec. The method is sensitive enough to distinguish between the different scenarios of rotational dephasing for the highly-excited nuclear molecules, with strongly overlapping resonances, formed in 12C + 24Mg scattering. We find that the dephasing is much slower than the intra-molecular energy redistribution. This reveals unusual states — nonergodic molecules in continuum. Anomalously long dephasing times observed in highly-excited polyatomic molecules may reflect this new type of nonergodicity.
DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL RELEASE TIME FOR SOFTWARE IN THE GEOMETRIC POISSON RELIABILITY MODEL
Authors: BOLAND PHILIP J. , SINGH HARSHINDER
Published: September 2002

The geometric Poisson model for software reliability and debugging was introduced by P. B. Moranda to deal with the situation when one is collecting grouped data on faults (say for example the number of faults detected weekly or monthly) in a new piece of software. In this model one assumes that the number of faults or bugs detected in subsequent intervals of equal length of time in testing a piece of software are independent Poisson random variables with respective Poisson parameters which form a decreasing geometric sequence. An important problem in software reliability testing is to decide when to stop testing and release software for commercial use. In this paper we determine the optimal time T* to release software under the geometric Poisson model with a cost structure for repairing or fixing faults by minimizing the expected cost. We consider both the situation where one is interested in the software performing well until some fixed software life-cycle time t, and for the case where we want the software to function well for an additional τ units of (mission) time after release. Solutions are obtained both when parameter estimates are available as well as in the Bayesian framework when prior information on these parameters is at hand.
A FUZZY SOFTWARE RELIABILITY MODEL WITH MULTIPLE-ERROR INTRODUCTION AND REMOVAL
Authors: UTKIN LEV V. , GUROV SERGEY V. , SHUBINSKY MAXIM I.
Published: September 2002

A fuzzy software reliability model is proposed where the time intervals between the software failures are taken as the fuzzy variables governed by a membership function. The model takes into account the following assumptions: new faults may be introduced into the software during debugging processes, the number of faults removed after a failure may be greater than one, and there is a growth of human experience during debugging. The model can be considered as an extension of the model developed by Cai, Wen and Zhang. An efficient algorithm is presented for estimating parameters of the model. The numerical examples validate the proposed model.
A RECURSIVE METHOD FOR COMPUTING THE RELIABILITY OF CIRCULAR CONSECUTIVE 2-OUT-OF-(m, n): F SYSTEM
Authors: HIGASHIYAMA YOICHI
Published: September 2002

A circular consecutive 2-out-of-(m, n): F system is considered. A recursive method for calculating the reliability of the system is presented. The method depends on the one-to-one correspondence relation of the systems and the class of 0–1 matrices having no two consecutive 1's at any row or column.
AN EFFICIENT MULTI-VARIABLE INVERSION ALGORITHM FOR RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS USING PATH SETS
Authors: CHATURVEDI S. K. , MISRA K. B.
Published: September 2002

Reliability evaluation of a large and complex system is quite an involved and time-consuming process and its state-of-art is far from being called as satisfactory. This is mainly due to the fact that unionizing path sets results in large number of terms in the reliability expression. Thereafter, the process of computing numerical value of system reliability from its expression is a task not free from the build up of round-off errors. The entire process also restricts the use of a low-end PC for computing system reliability of such systems.

In this paper, we propose an efficient methodology to evaluate reliability of large and complex systems based on minimal path sets; the path sets enumeration procedure used in this paper generates path sets in lexicographic and increasing order of cardinality — a condition, which is helpful in obtaining sum of disjoint products (SDP) of the system reliability expression in a compact form. Although we make use of the system connection matrix but no complicated matrix operations are performed to obtain the results.

The paper further presents an improved multi-variable inversion (MVI) algorithm to evaluate system reliability in a compact form. Our approach offers an extensive reduction in the number of mutually disjoint terms and provides a minimized and compact system reliability expression. The procedure not only results in substantial saving of CPU time but also can be run on a low-end PC. To demonstrate this capability, we solve several problems of varied complexities on a low-end PC and also provide a comparison of our approach with earlier techniques available for the purpose.
INTEGRATED PROCESS TARGETING AND PRODUCT UNIFORMITY MODEL FOR THREE-CLASS SCREENING
Authors: DUFFUAA SALIH O. , SIDDIQUI ATIQ W.
Published: September 2002

In this paper a process targeting model for three class screening problem is developed. The model developed, extends the work in the literature by incorporating product uniformity. The product uniformity is introduced via a Taguchi type quadratic loss function. Two cases for the process Targeting are considered. In addition, an illustrative example is presented. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted to study the effect of model parameters on expected profit and optimal process mean.
REDEFINING FAILURE RATE FUNCTION FOR DISCRETE DISTRIBUTIONS
Authors: XIE M. , GAUDOIN O. , BRACQUEMOND C.
Published: September 2002

For discrete distribution with reliability function R(k), k = 1, 2,…,[R(k - 1) - R(k)]/R(k - 1) has been used as the definition of the failure rate function in the literature. However, this is different from that of the continuous case. This discrete version has the interpretation of a probability while it is known that a failure rate is not a probability in the continuous case. This discrete failure rate is bounded, and hence cannot be convex, e.g., it cannot grow linearly. It is not additive for series system while the additivity for series system is a common understanding in practice. In the paper, another definition of discrete failure rate function as In[R(k - 1)/R(k)] is introduced, and the above-mentioned problems are resolved. On the other hand, it is shown that the two failure rate definitions have the same monotonicity property. That is, if one is increasing/decreasing, the other is also increasing/decreasing. For other aging concepts, the new failure rate definition is more appropriate. The failure rate functions according to this definition are given for a number of useful discrete reliability functions.
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE FLEXOR TENDON SYSTEM OF THE HAND
Authors: Bogumill George P.
Published: September 2002

The beautifully coordinated functions of the hand depend on the tendon apparatus acting on the articulated skeletal elements. The flexor muscles are situated on the antero-medial aspect of the forearm, with their tendons crossing the wrist and finger joints in a wonderfully arranged system to provide the infinite movements possible. The anatomical details of the extrinsic and intrinsic flexor apparatus are presented, with their functions described as anticipated by their origins, insertions, and the joints they cross and thus can act upon.
REHABILITATION AFTER TENDON INJURIES IN THE HAND
Authors: Skirven Terri M.
Published: September 2002

Tendon rehabilitation has evolved over the last several decades, and has been based on the evolving understanding of tendon nutrition and healing and the factors that influence it as well as on the development of surgical technique. This evolution is reflected in the progression in clinical practice from initial immobilisation of repaired tendons, to early controlled passive motion, to most recently, immediate active motion.
FLEXOR TENOLYSIS
Authors: Feldscher Sheri B. , Schneider Lawrence H.
Published: September 2002

Tenolysis is a well-established salvage procedure, which can be applied when non-gliding adhesions form along the surface of a tendon after injury or repair and prevent gliding of the tendon in the performance of its intended function.8,15,17,29,30,39,40,44,49Tendon adhesions will occur whenever the surface of a tendon is damaged either through the injury itself, be it laceration or crush, or by surgical manipulation.18At any point on the surface of a tendon where violation occurs, an adhesion will form in the healing period.20,26When these adhesions cannot be mobilised by an adequate course of hand therapy, tenolysis should be considered.

This procedure is as difficult or more so than tendon repair itself and should not be undertaken lightly. It represents another surgical incursion into an area of previous trauma and surgery. If the procedure is not successful, the patient's hand may show no improvement or even be worse. The risk of further decreasing the circulatory supply and innervation to an already deprived finger is a real one. Rupture of the lysed tendon, a disastrous complication, is the major hazard of tenolysis.
SPLINTING FLEXOR TENDON INJURIES
Authors: Fess Elaine Ewing
Published: September 2002

Frequently used zone 2 flexor tendon repair splints are reviewed and classified according to the Amercian Society of Hand Therapists' Splint Classification System. These splints both restrict and mobilise digital motion and fall into two main groups: (1) splints that incorporate the wrist and digital joints as primary joints to allow predetermined increments of early passive or active motion at both the wrist and digital joints; and (2) splints that include the wrist as a secondary joint and the digital joints as primary joints, allowing early passive or active motion at digital joints but not at the wrist.
FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY EVALUATION FOLLOWING FLEXOR TENDON INJURY
Authors: Schultz-Johnson Karen
Published: September 2002

This article describes the indications for and the purpose and performance of the upper limb functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for persons who have sustained flexor tendon injury. It begins with the essential foundation concepts such as the U.S. Department of Labor Physical Demand Characteristics of Labor that clinicians use worldwide. The article explains how the clinician forms the plan for each FCE and the essential components that each FCE includes. While variation in the impact of upper limb injury makes a set format for performing the upper limb FCE impossible, even with a specific diagnosis, a general FCE outline with multiple options is presented. A discussion about relevant modifications to maximise function follows the identification of the critical factors to evaluate with flexor tendon injury. Importantly, the article provides insight into controversial issues such as assessment of endurance and inconsistent or sub-maximum effort. It addresses the challenge of documentation and report writing, and concludes with the issue of FCE validity.
THE BACTERIAL COLONISATION OF SILICONE OIL USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF WOUNDS OF THE HANDS — A SOURCE OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION?
Authors: Thurston A. J. , McChesney A.
Published: September 2002

For 30 years, silicone oil has been used for the management and rehabilitation of the injured hand. Its benefits accrue from its providing a non-irritant, bland, air-free medium in which the hand can undergo early movement, which prevents drying out of the tissues and helps in the separation of necrotic and infected tissue. It has been reported, however, that the silicone oil might act as a reservoir for nosocomial infection after two patients developed epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (EMRSA) infections.

Since no firm guidelines exist with regard to open and/or infected wounds and the continued use of the same oil, a prospective study was set up to study the bacterial colonisation of the silicone oil. Thirty-five consecutive patients were entered into the study. The oil for each patient was changed each week but if any wound became clinically infected the oil was changed earlier. Treatment was continued until the wound was healed or until the treatment was stopped by the referring doctor.

Bacteriology swabs taken from the wound and the oil before each treatment and from the oil after each treatment were analysed for bacterial colonisation. The results indicated that while bacteria were transferred into the oil from the wound, the inoculum was small and had no effect on wound healing. There was no evidence that wounds were being re-infected from the oil. The conclusion was that silicone oil remains a safe medium in which to exercise injured hands.
DORSAL GANGLION OF THE WRIST: RESULTS OF TREATMENT BY ARTHROSCOPIC RESECTION
Authors: Shih Jui-Tien , Hung Sheng-Tsai , Lee Hung-Maan , Tan Chuan-Ming
Published: September 2002

Between September 1997 and September 2000, 32 patients (20 males and 12 females; average age 23.7 years) received arthroscopic surgery for dorsal wrist ganglion. Five of the patients (15.6%) experienced recurrences after open surgery. All patients complained of pain or a cosmetic problem due to the lump. Before the operation, they were all sonographically examined using a high-resolution 7.5 MHz real-time probe. After operation, they were followed-up by telephone after 15 to 37 months (mean 26.8 months). No recurrences occurred in our series. Arthroscopic resection is safe and addresses the anatomic pathology. Recurrences have been fewer than in the reported results of the open surgery. The approach is reasonable for operatively treating the dorsal ganglion.
PRIMARY CUTANEOUS NOCARDIOSIS OF THE HAND: A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Wang A. W. , D'Cruz M. , Leung M.
Published: September 2002

A case of primary Nocardial infection of the hand is presented. This case was notable for lymphocutaneous involvement, and the development of multiple ascending subcutaneous abscesses after healing of the primary lesion. This clinical entity is uncommon, and indicates an atypical infection. Prolonged cultures are required to isolate Nocardia. The infection resolved fully with multiple surgical debridements and prolonged antibiotic therapy.
FLEXOR TENDON AND PERIPHERAL NERVE REPAIR
Authors: Bell Krotoski Judith A.
Published: September 2002

Any restoration of hand function following tendon and nerve injury has to include the repair or replacement of the hand's ability to perform a great many tasks. It is hard at first to appreciate fully the loss that occurs with flexor tendon injury. With loss of flexor tendons operating at the fingers or thumb, they cannot be fully closed and the hand is impaired for grasp and release as it interfaces with objects. But, sensibility can also be compromised from tendon injury even without direct injury to nerve, as object recognition in the absence of vision requires finger movement. When peripheral nerve injury is combined with flexor tendon injury, sensibility is directly impaired. There is a loss in the sense of finger or thumb position, pain, temperature, and touch/pressure recognition, in addition to the tendon injury.
A LITERATURE REVIEW OF "FAILURES" OF THE SWANSON FINGER PROSTHESIS IN THE METACARPOPHALANGEAL JOINT
Authors: Joyce T. J. , Unsworth A.
Published: September 2002

This paper reviews the use of the Swanson finger prosthesis, concentrating on clinical results from the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint and modes of prosthetic "failure". While "failure" is generally associated with fracture, it is recognised that fracture does not always necessitate replacement of the Swanson prosthesis. Fracture tends to occur at the junction of the distal stem and hinge of the prosthesis. Initial improvements in ulnar deviation and range of motion (ROM) tend to be gradually reduced over the duration of implantation, and there is little evidence to suggest any long-term improvement in hand strength. Bone erosion and silicone synovitis have been seen but at a much lesser incidence than in other joints implanted with silicone spacers. An evaluation of retrieved Swanson prostheses, tied in with patient history and hand measurements might provide additional information to improve the design of the Swanson prosthesis itself and of other finger prostheses.
ENCHONDROMA IN THE HAND RETROSPECTIVE STUDY — RECURRENCE CASES
Authors: Montero Lidia Merida , Ikuta Yoshikazu , Ishida Osamu , Fujimoto Yoshinori , Nakamasu Masakazu
Published: September 2002

This is a retrospective analysis of 21 patients with documented enchondroma of the hand. They were operated on between 1980 to 2000 with conventional curettage nd bone grafting. The objective of this study is to analyse the chance of recurrence and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment.

One patient had recurrence after six years. Longer follow-up period is recommended as there is a possibility of recurrence even after five years. This study revealed that enchondroma of the hand is more common on the ulnar site.
IDIOPATHIC AVASCULAR NECROSIS OF THE CAPITATE — A CASE REPORT AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Authors: Niesten J. A. , Verhaar J. A. N.
Published: September 2002

Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the capitate is a rare condition. A case report is presented with a review of the literature.
PRELIMINARY STUDY FOR PREVENTION OF NEURAL ADHESION USING AN ABSORBABLE OXIDISED REGENERATED CELLULOSE SHEET
Authors: Ikeda Kazuo , Yamauchi Daisuke , Tomita Katsuro
Published: September 2002

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of an absorbable oxidised regenerated cellulose sheet (AORCS) for prevention of neural adhesion. Rabbit sciatic nerve was exposed at the middle of the thigh and the neural bed was coagulated by a bipolar coagulator to establish an adhesion model. Coagulation only was Group A (n = 8), coagulation and wrapping the sciatic nerve with an AORCS was Group B (n = 8), and an intact nerve was Group C (n = 16). Six weeks later, each group was estimated. Adhesion between the nerve and neural bed, and intraneural fibrosis were seen in Group A. However, there was little adhesion and fibrosis in Group B. Although the electrophysiological study showed a small significant difference, AORCS clearly prevented the adhesion in the histological study. Hence, AORCS might be useful as an additional treatment during nerve surgery.
DESMOID TUMOUR OF THE HAND
Authors: Goldwirth M. , Kollender Y. , Goodwin D. R. A.
Published: September 2002

A rare case of an extra-abdominal desmoid tumour in the hand is reported. Its treatment and a short survey of the literature is given.
DOUBLE MINI-FLAPS FROM FINGERS FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF DISTAL PORTION OF THUMB
Authors: Cao Xuecheng , Cai Jinfang
Published: September 2002

Amputation of distal portion of the thumb is a frequent trauma and more emphasis should be placed on this. Reconstruction of the distal thumb with two neurovascular mini-flaps harvested from the ulnar and radial sides of the index and middle fingers, respectively was carried out in five patients. The results showed that the patients were satisfied cosmetically and thumb length was maintained; grip strength increased with time though sensory misreference required further rehabilitation.
ACROMEGALIC ARTHROPATHY OF THE HAND WITH SESAMOID INVOLVEMENT: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Kocakoc Ercan , Kiris Adem , Ozgocmen Salih
Published: September 2002

Acromegalic arthropathy may affect the hand joints with characteristic radiological changes. Sesamoid involvement in the hand may be presented with unusual changes. A case of a female patient with characteristic hand joint and sesamoid bone osteophytic changes related to acromegalic arthropathy is presented.
ANEURSYMAL BONE CYST OF THE PROXIMAL PHALANX OF THE THUMB IN A CHILD
Authors: Sproule J. A. , Salmo E. , Mortimer G. , O'Sullivan M.
Published: September 2002

Aneursymal Bone Cysts (ABCs) involving the hand are a rare occurrence. We report a case of an ABC of the proximal phalanx of the thumb in a boy which was treated successfully with curettage and autologous bone grafting. When the diagnosis of ABC of the small bones of the hand is entertained, prompt therapeutic intervention is indicated because of the potential for aggressive local behaviour. In the paediatric patient, simple surgery to preserve the growth plate is recommended.
FLEXOR TENDON REPAIR, HEALING AND REHABILITATION: A BRIEF COMMENTARY
Authors: McAuliffe John A.
Published: September 2002

Twenty years ago, we concluded that it was useless to use suture material strong enough to allow early mobilisation, since material of this sort creates problems in the form of connective tissue reaction and even tendon necrosis. It is better to use what is called "the blocked suture", which abolishes muscle tension on the repair, and, therefore, makes it possible to bring the tendon ends accurately together by fine sutures too weak to resist any muscle fore.19

This statement, from Claude Verdan's Founders Lecture to the American Society for Society of the Hand only 30 years ago, highlights the dramatic rate of change in our understanding and clinical approach to flexor tendon repair. At the time these words were spoken, Verdan and some of his more adventurous contemporaries were challenging the currently accepted dictum that repair of flexor tendons divided in the digit should not be attempted. This early work on the primary repair of flexor tendons by Verdan,20Kleinert and associates,12and Kessler and Nissim,11among others, forever changed the landscape of Bunnell's "no man's land",and paved the way for the clinical advances and explosion of research into flexor tendon healing and repair that have occured in the last several decades.
FLEXOR TENDON SALVAGE AND FUNCTIONAL REDEMPTION USING THE HUNTER TENDON IMPLANT AND THE SUPERFICIALIS FINGER OPERATION
Authors: Hunter James M. , Blackmore Susan M. , Callahan Anne D.
Published: September 2002

Although this article was published over a decade ago, the methods presented then are still timely and make a positive and reliable result possible.

Superficialis finger function combined with the one-stage Hunter active tendon implant technique can produce a working hand with longevity of years. Active tendon implants have remained in place for as long as ten years to date, with continued restored function.
On the univalency for certain subclass of analyticfunctions involving Ruscheweyh derivatives
Authors: Mingsheng Liu
Published: September 2002

Let H
be the class of functions f(z) of the form , which are analytic in the unit disk U = {z; |z| < 1}. In this paper, we introduce a new subclass Bλ(μ, α, ρ) of H and study its inclusion relations, the condition of univalency, and covering theorem. The results obtained include the related results of some authors as their special case. We also get some new results.
Notes on Whitehead space of an algebra
Authors: Arian-Nejad M.
Published: September 2002

Let R be a ring, and denote by [R, R] the group generated additively by the additive commutators of R. When Rn = Mn(R) (the ring of n × n matrices over R), it is shown that [Rn, Rn] is the kernel of the regular trace function modulo
[R, R]. Then considering R as a simple left Artinian F‐central algebra which is algebraic over F with Char F = 0, it is shown that R can decompose over [R, R], as R = Fx + [R, R], for a fixed element x ∈ R. The space R/[R, R] over F is known as the Whitehead space of R. When R is a semisimple central F‐algebra, the dimension of its Whitehead space reveals
the number of simple components of R. More precisely, we show that when R is algebraic over F and Char F = 0, then the number of simple components of R is greater than or equal to dimF  R/[R, R], and when R is finite dimensional over F or is locally finite over F in the case of Char F = 0, then the number of simple components of R is equal to dimF  R/[R, R].
Conditions for convergence of the fundamental matrix of linear time‐invariant time‐delayed singular systems
Authors: Saric Branko
Published: September 2002

In the introductory part of this paper the so‐called general
Bromwich-Wagner′s theorem has been generalized.
Throughout the main part of the paper, an attempt has been made
to derive conditions for convergence of the fundamental matrix of
linear time‐invariant time‐delayed singular systems. The paper
ends with a counterexample pointing out the fact that certain
results of the theory of linear time‐invariant singular systems
are incorrect.
Generalized Hamiltonian biodynamics andtopology invariants of humanoid robots
Authors: Ivancevic Vladimir
Published: September 2002

Humanoid robots are anthropomorphic mechanisms with biodynamics
that resembles human musculo‐skeletal dynamics. This paper
proposes a new generalized (dissipative, muscle‐driven,
stochastic) Hamiltonian model of humanoid biodynamics. Also,
(co)homological analysis is performed on its Lie‐group based
configuration and momentum phase‐space manifolds.
A second‐order impulsive Cauchy problem
Authors: Morales Eduardo Hernández
Published: September 2002

We study the existence of mild and classical solutions for an
abstract second‐order impulsive Cauchy problem modeled in the form
where A is the infinitesimal generator of a strongly continuous cosine family of linear operators on a Banach space X
and ,
are appropriate continuous functions.
Powers of commutators as products of squares
Authors: Akhavan-Malayeri M.
Published: September 2002

Let F be a free group and x, y be two distinct elements of a free generating set, then [x,y] n is not a product of two squares in F, and it is the product of three squares. We give a
short combinatorial proof.
A note on computing the generalized inverse A T,S (2) of a matrix A
Authors: Li Xiezhang , Wei Yimin
Published: September 2002

The generalized inverse of a matrix A is a {2}‐inverse of A with the prescribed range T and null space S. A representation for the generalized inverse
has been recently developed with the condition
σ (GA| T) ⊂ (0, ∞), where G is a matrix with R(G) = T andN(G) = S. In this note, we remove the above condition. Three types of iterative methods for are presented if σ(GA|T) is a subset of the open right half‐plane and they are extensions of existing computational procedures of , including special cases such as the weighted Moore‐Penrose inverse and the Drazin inverse AD. Numerical examples are given to illustrate our results.
A generalization of the Itô formula
Authors: Ngobi Said
Published: September 2002

The classical Itô formula is generalized to some anticipating
processes. The processes we consider are in a Sobolev space which
is a subset of the space of square integrable functions over a
white noise space. The proof of the result uses white noise
techniques.