bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the use and effectiveness of modern management practices
Authors: Wood S.J. , Stride C.B. , Wall T.D. , Clegg C.W.
Published: September 2004

A survey of UK manufacturing companies in 1996 (Waterson et al., 1999) found modest levels of use and success of modern management practices, such as total quality management, just‐in‐time, teamworking, and empowerment. However, the large majority of companies planned increased use of the practices. In this paper we report the results of a follow‐up survey conducted 4 years later. The aim was to assess whether the use of these practices had indeed increased within manufacturing by revisiting a sample of firms from the original study. In addition, data were collected from a sample of service companies to assess the extent to which the practices extend beyond manufacturing. The findings show that both the use and success of the modern management practices in manufacturing companies increased substantially between 1996 and 2000, and the practices are not limited to manufacturing. Service companies made equal use of total quality management and human resource practices, though they made less use of operational practices such as just‐in‐time. There are only minor differences between sectors in the reported success of the practices, with manufacturing companies tending to report greater success with operational practices. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 14: 415–432, 2004.
Item recognition is less impaired than recall and associative recognition in a patient with selective hippocampal damage
Authors: Holdstock J.S. , Mayes A.R. , Gong Q.Y. , Roberts N. , Kapur N.
Published: September 2004

This article explores the recall, item recognition, and associative recognition memory of patient B.E., whose pattern of retrograde amnesia was reported by Kapur and Brooks (1999; Hippocampus 9:1–8). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown that B.E. has bilateral damage restricted to the hippocampus. The structural damage he had sustained was accompanied by bilateral hypoperfusion of the temporal lobe, revealed by positron emission tomography (PET), and which single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) suggested was greater in the left than the right temporal lobe. B.E. showed a global anterograde amnesia for verbal material, but he displayed some sparing of nonverbal item recognition relative to nonverbal recall and associative recognition. His performance on an item recognition task that used the remember/know procedure and another that involved repetition of the test phase, to reduce the difference between the familiarity of the targets and foils, suggested that his relatively spared nonverbal item recognition may have been mainly supported by familiarity. This finding is consistent with the view that the anterior temporal lobe, including the perirhinal cortex, can support familiarity‐based memory judgments (Brown and Bashir, 2002; Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 357:1083–1095). B.E.'s data also highlight the importance of functional as well as structural scan information for interpreting the pattern of memory deficits shown by patients with selective hippocampal structural lesions. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The development of a multirater instrument for assessing employee problem‐solving skill
Authors: Lohman Margaret C.
Published: September 2004

This study was an exploratory investigation of the development of a multirater instrument to measure employee problem‐solving skill. The instrument consisted of two parallel forms: an employee self‐assessment and a supervisory assessment. For the self‐assessment, twenty employees rated the degree to which they engage in activities commonly associated with seven stages of effective problem solving: (1) problem identification, (2) goal selection, (3) generation of alternative solutions, (4) consideration of consequences associated with alternative solutions, (5) approach to decision making, (6) implementation of solutions, and (7) evaluation of solutions. For the supervisory assessment, each employee's supervisor rated the employee on the same activities.

Analysis of the data found that supervisors rated their employees significantly lower than the employees rated themselves on three of the seven problem‐solving stages (problem identification, goal selection, and consideration of consequences). In addition, an examination of the paired scores for each employee and his or her supervisor found significant differences for eleven of the twenty employee‐supervisor pairs on one or more of the seven problem‐solving stages. Analysis of the data also found that the ratings of supervisors were more stable than the self‐ratings of employees. Possible explanations for these findings and their implications for HRD theory, practice, and research are discussed.
Frequent downregulation of the runt domain transcription factors RUNX1, RUNX3 and their cofactor CBFB in gastric cancer
Authors: Sakakura Chouhei , Hagiwara Akeo , Miyagawa Koji , Nakashima Susumu , Yoshikawa Tetsuji , Kin Shuichi , Nakase Yuenn , Ito Kosei , Yamagishi Hisakazu , Yazumi Shujiro , Chiba Tsutomu , Ito Yoshiaki
Published: September 2004

Our previous studies suggest that lack of RUNX3 function is causally related to the genesis and progression of human gastric cancer, but potential roles of other members of the RUNX family genes have not yet been reported. We examined the expression of 3 Runt‐related (RUNX) genes, RUNX1, RUNX2 and CBFB, in gastric cancer cell lines and primary gastric cancer specimens and compared them to those of RUNX3 reported earlier in conjunction with clinicopathologic factors. Expression of RUNX family genes in 9 gastric cancer cell lines, 56 primary gastric cancer specimens and surrounding normal gastric mucosa were estimated by Northern blot analysis, quantitative RT‐PCR and in situ hybridization. Northern blot analysis in gastric cancer cell lines showed downregulation of RUNX1 and RUNX3 in 67% and 78% of the cell lines tested, respectively. The ratio of the average RUNX mRNA/β‐actin mRNA ratio (×103) for RUNX1 was 48.0 ± 21.1 vs. 21.4 ± 8.1; RUNX2, 1.1 ± 0.3 vs. 1.0 ± 0.2; RUNX3, 9.2 ± 6.3 vs. 3.1 ± 1.3 and CBFB, 42.0 ± 19.4 vs. 21.0 ± 8.4 (normal vs. tumor, respectively, average ±SD). The basal RUNX2 expression was very weak, and there was no significant change in gastric cancers. Both RUNX1 and RUNX3 showed remarkable downregulation in 62% and 69%, respectively, of surgically resected specimens compared to surrounding mucosa analyzed by quantitative RT‐PCR (p < 0.01). Furthermore, CBFB, the gene encoding the cofactor of RUNX1, ‐2, ‐3, was also downregulated in significant fraction (32%, p < 0.05). The percentage of downregulation of RUNX1, RUNX3 and CBFB increased as the cancer stage progressed. Tricostatin A and 5′‐azacitidin reactivate RUNX3 expression, but they could not reactivate expression of RUNX1 and CBFB in gastric cancer cells, suggesting that the downregulation was due to mechanisms other than methylation of the promoter region. These findings suggest that RUNX1 and CBFB in addition to RUNX3 play some roles in gastric cancers and that roles of RUNX gene family in gastric cancer are more widespread and complex than previously realized.
Community outreach for children exposed to violence
Authors: Osofsky Joy D.
Published: September 2004

Children are traumatized by community and domestic‐violence exposure as victims and witnesses. Being exposed to violence and being abused also can doubly traumatize them. Information on the effects of violence exposure on children is presented in this article, including developmental implications, resultant behaviors, and the most extreme reaction, posttraumatic stress disorder. Parental and caregiver traumatization also are discussed. Prevention and early intervention are very important both to reduce exposure to violence and to reach children shortly after exposure. An innovative program, the Violence Intervention Program for Children and Families, which is designed to work with police officers as first responders as a way to reach traumatized children earlier, is presented. The importance of community outreach for better prevention and intervention is emphasized. The conclusion stresses that, for infants and toddlers who may not have language to express how they are feeling, it is important to be sensitive to the unique experience and meaning of violence exposure for that child.
College and character: Insights from the national survey of student engagement
Authors: Kuh George D. , Umbach Paul D.
Published: September 2004

The authors examine the college conditions that contribute to character development, using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
The DePaul values project: An ongoing assessment of students' perceptions of a private university's core mission and values
Authors: Filkins Joseph W. , Ferrari Joseph R.
Published: September 2004

Findings from a universitywide values research project connects students' attitudes and behaviors about institutional mission and values to their perceived impact.
Assessing outcomes of character‐building programs: Problems and prospects
Authors: Russell Terrence R.
Published: September 2004

This concluding chapter reviews some of the methodological issues that analysts need to consider when evaluating the success of character‐development programs.
New scaffold for recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2
Authors: Kamakura S. , Nakajo S. , Suzuki O. , Sasano Y.
Published: September 2004

A bioactive and resorbable scaffold is necessary to exhibit the osteoinductive potency of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2). In a previous study, we found that synthetic octacalcium phosphate (OCP) enhances bone regeneration and is replaced by newly formed bone after it is resorbed. We hypothesized that OCP may be useful as an effective scaffold for rhBMP‐2 to enhance bone regeneration. To test this hypothesis, the present study was designed to investigate whether an OCP/BMP composite implant could more effectively enhance bone regeneration. A critical‐sized defect was made in a rat calvarium and 1. 15 mg of OCP combined with 10 μg of rhBMP‐2 (OCP/BMP 10 μg), 2. 15 mg of OCP combined with 1 μg of rhBMP‐2 (OCP/BMP 1 μg), or 3. OCP (OCP alone) was implanted into the defect and fixed at 4 or 8 weeks after implantation. The percentage of newly formed bone (n‐Bone%) in the defect was determined by a histomorphometrical analysis. A statistical analysis showed that n‐Bone% with OCP/BMP was significantly higher than that with OCP at both time points, whereas the difference in n‐Bone% between OCP/BMP 10 μg and OCP/BMP 1 μg was not significant. The present results suggest that OCP can be used as an effective scaffold for rhBMP‐2 and this OCP delivery system may be able to reduce the standard effective dose of rhBMP‐2, which would be beneficial because low doses (<100 μg/g OCP) of rhBMP‐2 enhance bone regeneration. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 71A: 299–307, 2004
Biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels crosslinked with genipin for tissue engineering applications
Authors: Moffat Kristen L. , Marra Kacey G.
Published: September 2004

In this study amino‐terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG‐diamine) hydrogels were crosslinked with genipin, a chemical naturally derived from the gardenia fruit. Dissolution, swelling, and PEG–genipin release properties were determined. The dissolution studies indicated that the hydrogels are water soluble, and that the dissolution rate was concentration, mass, and temperature dependent. The dissolution rates are easily tailored from 3 min to >100 days. The PEG–genipin release study indicated that the greatest release occurs within the first 24 h of immersion in water, and that incubation at 37 °C elicits a greater initial release than samples incubated at room temperature for all genipin concentrations. Through scanning electron microscopy it was observed that the hydrogels are porous, and surface morphology changes before and after swelling. Furthermore, smooth muscle cell (SMC) adhesion studies indicated that the PEG–genipin hydrogel is a suitable substrate for SMC seeding. Overall, the results of these studies indicate that PEG–genipin hydrogels may provide potential scaffolding for a variety of tissue engineering applications. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 71B: 181–187, 2004
Statins inhibit in vitro calcification of human vascular smooth muscle cells induced by inflammatory mediators
Authors: Kizu Akane , Shioi Atsushi , Jono Shuichi , Koyama Hidenori , Okuno Yasuhisa , Nishizawa Yoshiki
Published: September 2004

Although lipid‐lowering therapy with 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) decreases the progression of coronary artery and aortic valve calcification, the mechanism of action of these drugs to inhibit the calcification process remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of statins such as cerivastatin and atorvastatin on vascular calcification by utilizing an in vitro model of inflammatory vascular calcification. Cerivastatin and atorvastatin dose‐dependently inhibited in vitro calcification of human vascular smooth muscle cells (HVSMCs) induced by the following inflammatory mediators (IM): interferon‐γ, 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and oncostatin M. These statins also depressed expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in HVSMCs induced by these factors. Mevalonate and geranylgeranylpyrophosphate reversed the inhibitory effect of cerivastatin on ALP expression in HVSMCs, while farnesylpyrophosphate showed no effect on the ALP activities inhibited by this drug, suggesting that inhibition of Rho and its downstream target, Rho kinase may mediate the inhibitory effect of cerivastatin. Cerivastatin prevented RhoA activation in HVSMCs induced by the IM. A specific inhibitor of Rho kinase (Y‐27632) inhibited in vitro calcification and induction of ALP in HVSMCs. These findings provide a possible mechanism of statins to prevent the progression of calcification in inflammatory vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and cardiac valvular calcification. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression profiling of genes and proteins in HaCaT keratinocytes: Proliferating versus differentiated state
Authors: Lemaître Gilles , Lamartine Jérôme , Pitaval Amandine , Vaigot Pierre , Garin Jérôme , Bouet Stephan , Petat Cyrille , Soularue Pascal , Gidrol Xavier , Martin Michèle T. , Waksman Gilles
Published: September 2004

The knowledge of the mechanism of keratinocyte differentiation in culture is still uncompleted. The emergence of new technologies, such as cDNA microarrays or 2D electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis, has allowed the identification of genes and proteins expressed in biological processes in keratinocytes. Here, we report a genome wide analysis of proliferating versus differentiated human HaCaT keratinocytes. We found that genes and proteins which take part in the cell cycle control, carbohydrate metabolism, cell auto‐immunity, adhesion and cytokine signal transduction pathways were regulated in differentiated HaCaT keratinocytes. In addition, we identified seven proteins and 33 transcripts that had not been previously described as differentially expressed in proliferating versus differentiated HaCaT cells. Furthermore, some of these transcripts or proteins were similarly regulated in human primary keratinocytes and in human epidermis. The present study opens new areas of investigation in the comprehension of keratinocyte differentiation. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Overlapping expression of Runx1(Cbfa2) and Runx2(Cbfa1) transcription factors supports cooperative induction of skeletal development
Authors: Smith Nathan , Dong Yufeng , Lian Jane B. , Pratap Jitesh , Kingsley Paul D. , van Wijnen Andre J. , Stein Janet L. , Schwarz Edward M. , O'Keefe Regis J. , Stein Gary S. , Drissi M. Hicham
Published: September 2004

Identifying the genetic pathways that regulate skeletal development is necessary to correct a variety of cartilage and bone abnormalities. The Runx family of transcription factors play a fundamental role in organ development and cell differentiation. Initial studies have shown that both Runx1 and Runx2 are expressed in pre‐chondrogenic mesenchyme of the developing embryo at E12.5. Abrogation of the Runx2 gene completely inhibits bone formation yet the cartilage anlagen in these mice is fully formed. In the present study, we hypothesized that Runx1 may compensate for the lack of Runx2 in vivo to induce the early stages of skeletal formation and development. Histologic β‐gal stained sections using the Runx1+/−‐Lac‐Z mice demonstrate Runx1 promoter activity in pre‐chondrocytic cell populations. In situ hybridization using Runx1 and Runx2 specific probes indicate that both factors are expressed in mesenchymal stem cell progenitors during early embryonic development. During later stages of mouse skeletal formation, Runx1 is excluded from the hypertrophic cartilage while Runx2 is present in these matured chondrocyte populations. Quantification of Runx expression by real time RT‐PCR and Western blot analyses reveals that Runx1 and Runx2 are differentially modulated during embryogenesis suggesting a temporal role for each of these transcriptional regulators during skeletal formation. We provide evidence that haploinsufficiency results in normal appearing embryo skeletons of heterozygote Runx2 and Runx1 mutant mouse models; however, a delay in bone formation was identified in the calvarium. In summary, our results support a function for Runx1 and Runx2 during skeletal development with a possible role for Runx1 in mediating early events of endochondral and intramembranous bone formation, while Runx2 is a potent inducer of late stages of chondrocyte and osteoblast differentiation. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intratesticular arterial resistance and testicular volume in infertile men with subclinical varicocele
Authors: Akcar Nevbahar , Turgut Mehmet , Adapınar Baki , Ozkan I. Ragıp
Published: September 2004

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether intratesticular arterial resistance and testicular volume differed between infertile men with subclinical varicoceles and infertile men without varicoceles.

Materials and Methods

Fifty‐eight infertile men were examined by gray‐scale and color Doppler sonography for presence of varicocele, testicular volume, and arterial resistance. For men in the study group, mean testicular volume and resistance index (RI) in testes with varicoceles were compared with those in the contralateral testis by the paired t‐test; statistical analyses between the study and control groups were performed by independent t‐tests.

Results

Twenty‐seven men had left‐sided varicoceles (96% of which were subclinical), and 31 infertile men without varicoceles served as controls. Mean volumes of the right and left testes of study subjects were 14.8 ml and 14.6 ml, respectively, and in controls were 14.2 ml and 13.6 ml, respectively. Mean RI values for the right and left testes of study subjects were 0.61 and 0.58, respectively, and in controls were 0.61 and 0.58, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in volume or RI, either between the right and left testes within patient groups or between the control and study groups' combined mean values. While the mean intertesticular volume differences for the study and control groups were 2.2 ml and 3.4 ml, respectively, the mean intertesticular RI differences were 0.04 and 0.07, respectively. These values also did not differ significantly between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

Subclinical varicocele is not associated with ipsilateral testicular atrophy, and does not affect the intratesticular arterial RI. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 32:389–393, 2004
A new role for chondrocytes as non‐professional phagocytes. An in vitro study
Authors: Castillo Elena Cristina González , Kourí Juan B.
Published: September 2004

Chondrocytes are capable of engulfing latex particles, cell detritus, and necrotic and apoptotic remains in vitro. It is conceivable that chondrocytes might be involved in the clearance by phagocytosis of different materials within the cartilage. In fact, so far there is no evidence for the presence of “professional phagocytes” (macrophages and neutrophils) in this tissue. Chondrocyte suspensions obtained from rat knees and hips were cultured to assess phagocytosis of latex particles (1 μm), articular cartilage detritus, and necrotic and apoptotic chondrocyte remains (induced by VP‐16 1 mM). We observed that chondrocytes phagocytosed latex particles as evaluated by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. In addition, we observed that chondrocytes phagocytosed articular cartilage detritus and necrotic and apoptotic VP‐16 induced‐chondrocytes, as observed by bright field microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Microsc. Res. Tech. 64:269–278, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Peptide and protein characterization by high‐rate electron capture dissociation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. J. Mass Spectrom. 2004; 39(7): 719–729
Authors: Tsybin Youri O. , Ramström Margareta , Witt Matthias , Baykut Gökhan , Håkansson Per
Published: September 2004

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Journal of Mass Spectrometry 39 (7) 2004; 719–729. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the combination of the method of auxiliary sources with reaction matching for the analysis of thin cylindrical antennas
Authors: Papakanellos Panagiotis J. , Capsalis Christos N.
Published: September 2004

In the present paper, a combination of the method of auxiliary sources (MAS) with the reaction matching (RM) technique is investigated for the treatment of thin wire antennas. The influence of the use of additional monopole terminal sources on the numerical stability and the accuracy of the solution is thoroughly studied for both scattering and radiating antennas. Although the proposed method (MAS–RM) is somehow similar to the method of moments (MoM) with sinusoidal basis and testing functions, it possesses substantial advantages against the MoM with regard to the numerical stability of the current distribution and the behaviour of the boundary condition error. Several examples are presented for both the scattering and radiating case in order to illustrate the features and capabilities of the proposed method. Finally, a few concluding remarks are discussed and the advantages of the proposed method over the MoM are outlined. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role of the temperature distribution on the PN junction behaviour in the electro‐thermal simulation
Authors: Garrab Hatem , Allard Bruno , Morel Hervé , Ghedira Sami , Besbes Kamel
Published: September 2004

Electro‐thermal simulations of a PIN‐diode based on the finite‐element method, show a non‐uniform temperature distribution inside the device during switching transients. Hence, the implicit assumption of a uniform temperature distribution when coupling an analytical electrical model and a thermal model yields inaccurate electro‐thermal behaviour of the PIN‐diode so far. The idea of including non‐uniform temperature distribution into power semiconductor device models is not new, as accurate electro‐thermal simulations are required for designing compact power electronic systems (as IC or MCM). Instead of using a one‐dimensional finite difference or element method, the bond graphs and the hydrodynamic method are utilized to build an electro‐thermal model of the PIN‐diode. The results obtained by this original technique are compared with those obtained by a commercial finite‐element simulator. The results are similar but the computation effort of the proposed technique is a fraction of that required by finite‐element simulators. Moreover, the proposed technique may be applied easily to other power semiconductor devices. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Odour of cooked silurus (Silurus glanis) flesh: evaluation by sensory analysis and comparison of collection methods to assess the odour representativeness of extracts obtained by dynamic headspace
Authors: Hallier Arnaud , Serot Thierry , Prost Carole
Published: September 2004

The odour of silurus (Silurus glanis) coming from two types of rearing environment developed in France was studied. Odour sensory analysis was performed on cooked fillets of silurus. The odour representativeness of extracts obtained by dynamic headspace was assessed. Two methods of extract collection were compared. Rearing environment had an effect on the odour of cooked fillets of silurus. Silurus reared in outdoor ponds for 2 years with no renewal of water had a stronger odour of hay, cut grass and hot milk and a weaker odour of mouldy, hard‐boiled egg and cooked cabbage than silurus reared in indoor concrete ponds for 1 year with renewed geothermal water. Odour extracts collected with the Teflon bag method were more representative of the odour of cooked fillets of silurus than those collected with the glass flask method. Teflon bags showed the relevance of dynamic headspace extraction to analyse the odour of cooked fillets of silurus. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Optimization of extraction of phenolic antioxidants from peanut skins
Authors: Nepote Valeria , Grosso Nelson R , Guzmán Carlos A
Published: September 2004

This work was conducted to optimize the extraction conditions for the best recovery of antioxidant compounds from peanut skins. The extracts from the peanut skins were obtained by different extraction methods. The extraction conditions were: different ethanol proportions as the solvent (0, 30, 50, 70 and 96% v/v in distilled water), different peanut skin particle sizes (0–1, 1–2 and 2–10 mm and non‐crushed skins), different proportions of solvent/skins (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 ml g−1), different extraction times (by maceration and shaking) and different numbers of extractions. The different extracts obtained under different extraction conditions were compared with special regard to yield, total phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the best delivery of phenolic compounds was reached using 70% ethanol, non‐crushed peanut skins, ratio of solvent/solid of 20 ml g−1, at 10 min shaking and three extractions. The maximum yield of 0.118 g g−1 was recorded for phenolic compounds when extracted at the optimum conditions. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of high‐pressure processing on the migration of antioxidant Irganox 1076 from polypropylene film into a food simulant
Authors: Caner Cengiz , Harte Bruce
Published: September 2004

The effect of high‐pressure processing (HPP) on the migration behaviour of a typical antioxidant, Irganox 1076, from polypropylene (PP) flexible structures was studied. Initial concentrations of Irganox 1076 in polypropylene (PP) were 2.0 and 5.0 mg g−1. The migration experiments were carried out on high‐pressure treated and non‐treated polypropylene pouches containing either 95 or 10% ethanol aqueous food simulating liquids (FSL) for 20 days at 40 and 60 °C. After the contact period, concentrations of Irganox in PP and FSL were measured to determine migration behaviour. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the concentration of Irganox 1076 migrating from PP, and into the FSL for pressure‐treated vs non‐treated samples. No significant concentration differences were found in non‐treated (control) samples and those treated for 5 and 10 min. However, there was a storage time effect on the migration level. There was also a significant migration effect on the migration of Irganox between the two different food simulants, and an increase in the HPP temperature increased the rate of migration. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Gain enhancement in partial double-pass L-band EDFA system
using a band-pass filter
Authors: Harun S W , Md Samsuri N , Ahmad H
Published: September 2004

The partial double-pass L-band erbium-doped fiber
amplifier with enhanced gain characteristic is demonstrated using
a band pass filter (BPF). The BPF is incorporated in the
double-pass route to suppress the amplified spontaneous emission
from the single-pass output for gain enhancing. The gain of
51.5 dB is obtained for the proposed amplifier at input signal
power of -40 dBm, which is approximately 5.2 dB higher compared
with the system without the BPF. However, the insertion loss of
the BPF contributes to a small noise figure penalty in the system.
This amplifier can be easily modified to support dense wavelength
division multiplexing system application by using multiple channel
BPFs or interleaver.
Polymer Morphology: A Guide to Macromolecular Self‐Organization
Authors: Bassett D.C.
Published: September 2004

The study of polymer morphology continues to be the principal means of acquiring knowledge and understanding of macromolecular self‐organization. Longstanding problems of the nature of melt‐crystallized lamellae and spherulitic growth have been resolved, bringing understanding of how characteristic properties such as a broad melting range and spatially‐varying mechanical response are inherent in spherulitic morphologies. This reflects the distinctive features of the crystallization of long molecules, i.e. that they impede each other and, for faster growth, form rough basal surfaces. Knowledge of morphology is an essential accompaniment to the informed development of advanced polymeric materials and a full understanding of their structure/property relations.
Environmental Stress Cracking of Polymers Monitored by Fatigue Crack Growth Experiments
Authors: Altstaedt Volker , Keiter Sven , Renner Michael , Schlarb Alois
Published: September 2004

This article describes fatigue crack growth experiments to investigate the degradation of the durability of polymers due to fluid environments. The degrading effect of media causing stress cracking can be observed on the fracture surfaces of tested samples by scanning electron microscopy. Strategies to improve environmental stress cracking like changes in molecular weight, orientation, toughening with rubber particles of different sizes are discussed. Fatigue crack growth experiments can be employed as a very fast and effective screening method.
Toughness Enhancement of Nanostructured Amorphous and Semicrystalline Polymers
Authors: Michler Goerg H. , Adhikari Rameshwar , Henning Sven
Published: September 2004

An overview is given of different micromechanical deformation processes leading to an enhancement of toughness in heterophase polymers. The well‐known mechanism of rubber or particle toughening of semicrystalline polymers was studied in HDPE and PP blends. In particular, the micromechanical processes in the semicrystalline polymer strands between modifier particles were investigated in detail, revealing processes of separation, yielding, breaking and twisting of lamellae. These processes are compared with lamellae forming amorphous SBS block copolymers with alternating soft (polybutadiene) and hard (polystyrene) layers. Depending on the deformation direction, the mechanism of thin layer yielding or chevron formation appears. In both polymeric systems, the initial stage of deformation is characterized by a plastic yielding of the soft phase with a reorganization of the hard (glassy or crystalline) lamellae. The second stage is determined by the alignment of the hard phase towards the deformation direction and the plastic yielding. Detailed comparison of these similar mechanisms in very different polymers with similar nanostructured morphology should help to improve toughening of amorphous as well as semicrystalline polymers.
Use of the Surfmer 11‐(Methacryloyloxy) undecanylsulfate MET as a Comonomer in Polystyrene and Poly(methyl methacrylate)
Authors: Hartmann P.C. , Pienaar A. , Pasch H. , Sanderson R.D.
Published: September 2004

The polymerizable surfactant sodium 11‐(methacryloyloxy) undecanylsulfate (MET) has been synthesized with high purity, and its thermal stability and phase transitions have been studied by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. MET has been copolymerized in solution with methylmethacrylate (MMA) or styrene (S), initiated by azo‐bis‐isobutyronitrile (AIBN). The copolymers thus obtained have been studied by Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and DSC. Due to the incompatibility between the polar head of the MET units and the non polar S or MMA units, MET units organize in the amorphous polymer matrix and arrange in lamellar structures.
Influence of Reactive Compatibilization on the Morphology of Polypropylene/Polystyrene Blends
Authors: Pionteck J. , Pötschke P. , Schulze U. , Proske N. , Kaya A. , Zhao H. , Malz H.
Published: September 2004

To study the efficiency of different mechanisms for reactive compatibilization of polypropylene/polystyrene blends (PP/PS blends), main chain or terminal‐functionalized PP and terminal‐functionalized PS have been synthesized by different methods. While the in‐situ block and graft copolymer formation results in finer phase morphologies compared to the corresponding non‐reactive blends, the morphology development in the ternary blend system PP/PS + HBP (hyperbranched polymer) is a very complex process. HBP with carboxylic acid end groups reacts preferably with the reactive sites of the oxazoline functionalized PS (PS‐Ox) and locates mainly within the dispersed PS‐Ox phase. A bimodal size distribution of the PS‐Ox particles within the oxazoline modified PP (PP‐Ox) matrix phase is observed with big PS‐Ox particles (containing the HBP as dispersed phase) and small PS‐Ox particles similar in size to the unimodal distributed particles in the non‐reactive PP‐Ox/PS‐Ox blends. Factors influencing the morphology are discussed.
Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of Novel Poly(Ester‐Amide‐Urethane)s
Authors: Mehdipour‐Ataei Shahram , Einollahy Parvin
Published: September 2004

A diacid (TOBA) containing an ester group was synthesized by reaction of terephthaloyl chloride with 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid. Reaction of the obtained diacid with thionyl chloride resulted in preparation of the related diacid chloride (TOBC). Nucleophilic substitution reaction of 4‐aminophenol and also 5‐amino‐l‐naphthol with the prepared diacid chloride afforded two aromatic diols containing ester and amide groups, respectively. Aromatic and semi‐aromatic poly(ester‐amide‐urethane)s were prepared via addition polymerization of different diisocyanates with novel diols. The prepared polyurethanes showed improved thermal stability.
Self‐Diffusion of PEO‐Modified Paclitaxel in Aqueous Solution: Hydrodynamic Properties
Authors: Hess Michael , Zähres Manfred , Jo Byung‐Wook
Published: September 2004

The anti‐cancer drug Paclitaxel has been hydrophilized by coupling with poly(ethylene oxide) through a self‐immolating linker to the polymer. The mobility of the functionalized polymer and of the amphiphilic drug‐modified polymer in D2O was studied by the temperature and concentration dependence of the long‐time self‐diffusion coefficients of the components. The technique applied was pulse‐gradient field NMR spectroscopy. The diffusivity of the molecules can be described in terms of the Einstein‐Sutherland and the Stokes‐Einstein equations. First results indicate that combining the drug with the polymer rather influences the rigidity parameter and the pair‐interaction in solution than the shape and the hydrodynamic radius of the polymer coil. Unexpectedly, micelle‐formation, although highly probable, was not observed within the concentration range investigated here.
Allowable tolerances in the position of antenna elements in an array amenable to adaptive processing
Authors: Hwang Seunghyeon , Sarkar Tapan. K.
Published: September 2004

The equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) degradation due to random position errors in the location of the antenna elements in an array is derived through the expected value and standard deviation of the EIRP. The expressions are derived for a linear and a semicircular array (SCA). The minimum tolerance of the array elements is presented by means of the relationship between the EIRP degradation and a standard deviation or the uniform bound of the probability distribution. Using this tolerance, the output signal to interference and noise ratio (OSINR) is examined in the framework of adaptive processing using the direct data‐domain least‐squares (D3LS) approach. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 215–221, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20423
A fully integrated 5.2‐GHz single‐ended‐in and single‐ended‐out 0.18‐μm CMOS Gilbert upconverter
Authors: Meng C. C. , Lin M. Q. , Huang G. W.
Published: September 2004

A monolithic 5.2‐GHz single‐ended‐in and single‐ended‐out Gilbert upconverter with balanced operation is demonstrated using 0.18‐μm deep n‐well CMOS technology. The fully matched Gilbert upconverter has conversion gain of −11.5 dB and OP1dBof −19 dBm when input IF = 300 MHz, LO = 4.9 GHz, and output RF = 5.2 GHz. The IF input return loss is better than 14 dB for frequencies up to 7 GHz, while RF output return loss is 15 dB at 5.2 GHz. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 240–242, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20430
Characterization of periodic microstrip‐line EBG structures with improved bandstop behaviors
Authors: Wang Hang , Zhu Lei
Published: September 2004

Periodic microstrip‐line electromagnetic band‐gap (EBG) structures with improved bandstop behaviors are constituted by adding the backside aperture and widening the strip conductor regarding to the low‐ and high‐impedance microstrip‐line sections, respectively. Its characteristics are studied by using the finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) method. After our FDTD‐derived results are independently verified by those from ADS for an initial EBG structure, extensive work is done to investigate the concerned bandstop behaviors versus strip/aperture widths and lengths in order to achieve a broadened and deepened frequency stopband. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 242–244, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20431
Developmental regression in autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Rogers Sally J.
Published: September 2004

The occurrence of developmental regression in autism is one of the more puzzling features of this disorder. Although several studies have documented the validity of parental reports of regression using home videos, accumulating data suggest that most children who demonstrate regression also demonstrated previous, subtle, developmental differences. Counter to clinical intuition, the earlier development of social, language, and attachment behaviors followed by regression does not seem to support later recovery of skills or better developmental outcomes compared to children who never had speech or typical social responsivity. In fact, this regressive group may have somewhat greater developmental impairment than the nonregressive group, though the two groups do not appear to present different behavioral phenotypes. Although autism is not the only condition in which regression occurs, it appears to be the most frequent condition. Other disorders that demonstrate an early regression with no known etiology include total blindness from birth and childhood disintegrative disorder, both of which demonstrate behavioral relations to autism. In addition, two biological conditions with known etiologies also involve regression with some behaviors resembling autism behavioral phenotype: Rett syndrome (a genetic disorder; see Glaze, this issue) and Landau–Kleffner syndrome (see McVicar and Shinnar, this issue), which involves a seizure disorder. MRDD Research Reviews 2004;10:139–143. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pubo‐fascial versus vaginal sling operation for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence: A prospective study
Authors: Rodrigues Paulo , Hering Flávio , Meler Alex , Campagnari João Carlos , D'Império Márcio
Published: September 2004

Aims

To compare the long‐term results of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treatment involving the fascial or vaginal sling operations.

Material and Methods

Two‐hundred‐thirty‐two women were consecutively submitted to fascial or vaginal sling operations due to urodynamic proven SUI. The fascial group had a median age of 47.3 years with a parity of 2.2 and 1.8 surgeries/patient, while the vaginal group demonstrated a median age of 48.5 years with a median parity of 3.1 and 2.2 anterior surgeries/patient. The results were subjectively classified as cured—no further pads, greatly improved—very rare dribbling, improved—eventual dribbling necessitating one pad, no cure—with no urine loss change and worse. The number of pads/day, the presence of urgency or urge‐incontinence episodes were all measured. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test was employed.

Results

The patients were followed up for an average time of 70.3 and 44.9 months, in the fascial and vaginal sling group respectively. Subjective clinical success rate was 93.7% for the fascial sling group and 79.8% for the vaginal one, however, the stratification of the results favored the fascial sling group mostly with 74.4% (94 cases) of the cases with total urinary control and no voiding dysfunctions. Only two cases (1.6%) in this group classified themselves as worsened. On the other hand, the vaginal sling subset revealed cure with total clinical satisfaction and no urinary complaint in 61.5% (62 females) (P > 0.05). Thirteen cases (12.5%) reported recurrence of the urine loss under stress and these constituted the failure group. The average number of pads diminished from 3.3 (±0.8) to 0.2 (±0.2) and from 3.2 (±0.7) to 0.6 (±0.5) after the surgery, for the fascial and vaginal sling operations respectively. Return to daily activities occurred after 9.3 days (±1.2, max: 33, min: 2) for the fascial slings and 5.3 days (±0.2, max: 17, min: 2) in the vaginal group. Surgical complications were compared between the groups. Time to urethral voiding varied according to expertise, demonstrating a diminishing tendency after the initial 20 cases. Female obstruction was observed in 11.1% of the fascial slings and 8.6% after vaginal approach, but none in the vaginal group required urethrolysis. Looking individually, the FS group migrated to the worse results while the VWS group started to lose the efficiency after 6 months.

Conclusions

Sling operations are a safe and efficacious option to treat SUI, however, the results can vary according to the technique employed. Shorter efficacy and fewer complications are observed in vaginal wall sling operations, while durable results, but with a higher rate of voiding dysfunctions compromising the long‐term clinical satisfaction may be observed after excessive urethral suspensions, as in fascial sling suspension. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pad tests and self‐reports of continence in men awaiting radical prostatectomy: Establishing baseline norms for males
Authors: Moore Katherine , Allen Marion , Voaklander Donald C.
Published: September 2004

Aims

In this study, we report normal pad weight gain in a group self‐reported continent men and compare the self‐report data with the 24‐hr pad test and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS).

Materials and Methods

Subjects awaiting radical prostatectomy were consecutively recruited. Exclusion criteria were a previous history of urologic surgery, reported urinary incontinence, or a medical problem which could affect bladder function.

Results

Two hundred forty five men were enrolled. All were Caucasian, mean age 62.7 years, mean Gleason score 6.5, and mean PSA 8.3. At initial interview, all described themselves as continent of urine and 26 declined the 24‐hr pad test because they were emphatic that they were continent. Of the 220 remaining, mean pad weight gain was 4.0 g on 24‐hr pad test (SD 3.8; range 0–35.0 g), mean IPSS score was 7.23; 95 subjects scored  ≥8 (moderate), 13 scored  ≥20 (severe). The IPSS single Quality of Life (QOL) question and the 24 hr pad weight were not correlated; the summary IPSS score and pad weight had a correlation of 0.16 (P = 0.02) and the QOL question and the summary IPSS score had a correlation of 0.63 (P < 0.001). IPSS QOL scores were worse for those recording  ≥8 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The range of weight gain between 0 and 35 g suggests that self‐report alone of urinary continence is an inaccurate measure of continence for research purposes. We propose that a pad weight gain of 8 g or less is indicative of urinary continence in men. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Maturation of escape circuit function during the early adulthood of cockroaches Periplaneta americana
Authors: Libersat Frederic , Leung Vicky , Mizrahi Adi , Mathenia Nick , Comer Christopher
Published: September 2004

During postembryonic development of insects, sensorimotor pathways, which generate specific behaviors, undergo maturational changes. It is less clear whether such pathways are typically stable, or undergo further maturation, during the adult stage. In the present study, we have examined this issue by multilevel analysis of a simple model system, the escape behavior of the cockroach, from identified synapses to behavior. We show that the escape system is highly responsive immediately after the molt to adulthood, but that the latency of escape responses was not at its typical value immediately after the molt to adult. The latency of escape behavior increased over the first 30 days of adult life, perhaps indicating maturational adjustments of the escape sensorimotor pathway. The first station in the escape circuitry is the synaptic connections between the cercal wind receptors and the giant interneurons. We measured unitary excitatory synaptic potentials between single sensory neurons and an identified giant interneuron (GI2). We found a decrease in the synaptic strength between identified cercal hairs from a single column and GI2 over the first month after the adult molt. Consequently, the latency and the number of action potentials of GI2 in response to natural stimuli increased and decreased respectively during this time. Thus, we show that both behavioral performance and the wind sensitivity of GI2 decreased over the first month after molt. We conclude that the cockroach escape system undergoes further sensorimotor maturation over a period of 1 month, and that cellular changes correlate with, or predict, some changes in behavioral performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005
A Galerkin formulation for shear deformable plate bending dynamics
Authors: Pérez‐Gavilán J. J. , Aliabadi M. H.
Published: September 2004

A Galerkin boundary element formulation for shear deformable plate bending dynamics is developed. The formulation makes use of the static fundamental solutions for the weighted residual integral equations. The domain integrals carrying the inertia terms and generic static loads are considered as body forces and approximated with boundary values using the dual reciprocity method. The load is modelled as a series of impact loads of time varying intensity and moving in space in a predetermined path. The formulation was implemented and tested solving a benchmark problem. The results are compared with finite element solutions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.