bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevention of Second Primary Tumors by an Acyclic Retinoid in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Takai Koji , Okuno Masataka , Yasuda Ichiro , Matsushima-Nishiwaki Rie , Uematsu Takahiro , Tsurumi Hisashi , Shiratori Yoshimune , Muto Yasutoshi , Moriwaki Hisataka
Published: March 2005

Oral administration with acyclic retinoid, a synthetic vitamin A analog, for a limited period of 12 months (48 weeks) prevented the development of second primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and also improved the survival of patients who underwent curative treatments of the initial tumor. Following that randomized controlled study reported in 1996 and 1999, we have continued to follow up the patients by medical imaging and blood chemical analyses, and found that the preventive effect of acyclic retinoid lasted up to 199 weeks after randomization (or 151 weeks after completion of retinoid administration). The retinoid’s effect was not mediated by reduction in hepatic necro-inflammation since no significant decrease in serum aminotransferase activity was seen in the retinoid group. Such observation seems quite distinct from the cancer-preventive mechanism of interferon, a potent immunopreventive agent for HCC. We have also shown here the reduction by the retinoid in serum levels of lectin-reactive α-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), both of which indicate the presence of latent HCC cells. These results suggest that acyclic retinoid may delete such malignant clones before they expand to clinically detectable tumors and thereby inhibited second primary HCC. Once such latent clones are eradicated, it may well take at least several years for the next cancer clone to arise clinically. This may possibly explain a reason for the long-term effect of the retinoid even after the limited period of administration.
Prediction of Efficacy of Interferon Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C and Occurrence of HCC after Interferon Treatment by a New Classification
Authors: Kim Ke Ih , Sasase Noriko , Taniguchi Miyuki , Mita Keiji , Kim Soo Ryang , Tanaka Kazuhiko , Hayashi Yoshitake
Published: March 2005

One hundred and twenty-one chronic hepatitis C patients were administered interferon (IFN) and divided into two groups: 31 complete responders (CR) with prolonged HCV-RNA negative 1 year after treatment and 90 non-complete responders (non-CR), including partial responders (PR) with transiently negative HCV-RNA and non-responders (NR) with continuously positive HCV-RNA. Liver biopsy specimens were classified into four grades and stages according to the degree of severity and the extent of fibrosis, respectively. No correlation was observed between the rate of IFN efficacy and grading. By staging, however, a difference in the efficacy of IFN was observed between F1 or F2 and F3 (0.05 < p < 0.1 and 0.01 < p < 0.025, respectively). Of the CR, 0% (0/5) were at F0 and 27.9% (24/86) at F1, 42.9% (6/14) at F2, and 6.3% (1/16) at F3. Another group of 118 chronic hepatitis patients (31 CR, 41 PR and 46 NR) followed up for over 2 years after IFN treatment were analyzed. By staging, 7 cases were at F0, 76 at F1, 18 at F2, and 17 at F3. HCC occurred in 1 of the 31 CR cases (representing an annual incidence rate of 1.21%), in 4 of the 41 PR cases (4.08%), and in 4 of the 46 NR cases (3.55%). HCC did not occur in any of the 7 cases at F0 (representing an annual incidence rate of 0%); it occurred in 2 of the 76 cases at F1 (1.01%), in 1 of the 18 cases at F2 (2.28%), and in 6 of the 17 cases at F3 (16.57%). These results suggest that the new classification would be conducive to roughly predicting the efficacy of IFN treatment and the occurrence of HCC after IFN treatment.
Low-Dose, Long-Term, Intermittent Interferon-alpha-2b Therapy after Radical Treatment by Radiofrequency Ablation Delays Clinical Recurrence in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Sakaguchi Yasuhiro , Kudo Masatoshi , Fukunaga Toyokazu , Minami Yasunori , Chung Hobyung , Kawasaki Toshihiko
Published: March 2005

Objective: To assess whether or not interferon (IFN) therapy prevents recurrence, and eventually improves the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after completion of radical radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy. Methods: Included as the IFN group in this study were 24 patients in total, who received radical RFA therapy first, followed by medication with IFN-α2b at such a low dose of 3 MIU × 2/week for as long as possible. On the other hand, the control group comprised 33 patients in total, who received radical RFA therapy without subsequent treatment with IFN. The control group was matched to the IFN group in age, platelet counts and size of nodules. Results: Of the 24 patients treated with IFN, only one patient showed sustained virologic response. The median tumor-free period until the first recurrence after radical RFA therapy was 3.4 years in the IFN group and 1.4 years in the control group (p = 0.02). During the first 3 years after commencement of IFN administration, the cumulative recurrence rate in the IFN group was found to be lower than in the control group (p = 0.01); however, with the lapse of time over 3 years, the recurrence rate in the IFN group increased. There was no difference in the cumulative survival rates between the IFN group and the control group (p = 0.25). Conclusion: Subsequently after radical RFA therapy, long-term, low-dose, intermittent IFN therapy successfully delayed clinical recurrence of HCC.
Reliability of Omani Women’s Self-Reporting of Gynaecologic Morbidities
Authors: Al Riyami Asya , Afifi Mustafa , Fathalla Mohamed M.F.
Published: March 2005

Objectives: To assess the agreement of women’s self-reports of gynaecologic morbidities (reproductive tract infections, RTIs; genital prolapse, and urinary tract infections, UTIs), physician’s observations and the final diagnosis of these conditions. Subjects and Methods: A nationally representative sample of 1,662 Omani women selected by a multi-stage, stratified probability-sampling procedure was included in the study. A questionnaire interview, physical and gynaecologic examination, and laboratory investigations were used. Results: A total of 1,364 women completed all forms. The agreement between women’s report of vaginal discharge and the diagnosis of RTI was poor. The sensitivity but not the specificity improved when the women were asked about specific discharge questions that upset them or are medically suspicious. Sensitivity of self-report in the diagnosis of genital prolapse and UTI from self-report was high but specificity was low. Conclusions: Self-report of vaginal discharge, coupled with clinical examination, can be used in community diagnosis of RTI. Self-report of symptoms of vaginal prolapse can also be used for community diagnosis of genital prolapse. A urinary culture should supplement self-reports of UTI to enhance specificity, although the presence of a positive culture in the absence of symptoms is of no clinical significance in non-pregnant women or women without renal disease.
Double-Catheter Technique for the Proper Insertion of Umbilical Venous Catheters in Newborns
Authors: Al-Essa Mazen , Rashwan Nabil , Devarajan L.V.
Published: March 2005

Objectives: To document the usefulness and safety of inserting a second umbilical venous catheter in ill neonates, while a previously misplaced first catheter was still in its place. Subjects and Methods:The case series involved 25 newborn babies who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Maternity Hospital, Kuwait, over a 3-year period from 1999 to 2002. The umbilical venous catheter of the babies was misplaced and diverted to the liver, necessitating insertion of a second catheter while the previous one was still in place. The characteristics of the babies and possible catheter-related complications were recorded. Results:Of the 25 babies, 19 had the second catheter properly placed in the right atrium, while in the remaining 6 neonates, the catheter was still misplaced. Misplacement occurred mostly in full-term babies or the catheter was inserted at a later stage. No life-threatening complication was observed during the procedure. Conclusion:Insertion of a second umbilical venous catheter with the misplaced first catheter in situ is a useful and safe procedure.
Renography within 1 Hour of Renal Transplantation: Technical Feasibility and Clinical Utility
Authors: Omar Abdel Moneim , Al-Saeed Tahani , Gawish Alaa-Eldin , Tailji Sameera , Ibrahim Ali Khalaf , Collier B. David , Elgazzar Abdelhamid H.
Published: March 2005

Objective: Renographies obtained within 1 h of renal transplantation were studied prospectively to evaluate their technical feasibility and potential clinical impact on successful treatment of immediate posttransplantation complications such as arterial or venous thrombosis, which require prompt diagnosis and management. Subjects and Methods: During December 1996 to December 1998, 127 renal transplants were performed. Ninety-four patients had complete renographic studies within 1 h of surgery. It was not possible to perform renography on 26 patients who were not sent to the Department of Nuclear Medicine within 1 h of transplant and 7 other patients who could not undergo a complete renogram because of their postoperative condition. Results: There was no complication attributed to transporting patients to the Department of Nuclear Medicine for these studies so soon after surgery. Of the 94 renographies obtained immediately following transplant surgery 46 were abnormal. However, when compared with the usual policy of obtaining baseline renograms between 12 and 72 h after surgery, treatment was changed for only 2 patients. Radionuclide renography within 1 h of transplant surgery was technically feasible. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study the clinical utility of obtaining renography within 1 h posttransplant was minimal and hence we recommended that it should not be performed routinely but could be used on an individual basis when imminent intervention is highly likely.
Glucocorticoid Replacement in Panhypopituitarism Complicated by Myelinolysis
Authors: Lasheen Ibrahim , Doi Suhail A.R. , Al-Shoumer Kamal A.S.
Published: March 2005

Objective: To report a case of glucocorticoid substitution in panhypopituitarism that can lead to uncontrolled rise in serum sodium and myelinolysis. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 42-year-old man presented with disturbed conscious level and hyponatremia. Initial data suggested glucocorticoid deficiency. Later, hormonal levels indicated panhypopituitarism. MRI of the brain led to the diagnosis of a pituitary macroadenoma. Glucocorticoid substitution was initiated immediately after admission, and possible myelinolysis subsequently became a complication. We report this case to illustrate the fact that glucocorticoid substitution can lead to rapid rise in serum sodium and myelinolysis in panhypopituitarism. Conclusion: This case illustrated the need to use minimum doses of glucocortcoids with close monitoring of serum sodium, in order to avoid this complication.
Loss of Cholinergic Pathways in Vascular Dementia of the Binswanger Type
Authors: Tomimoto Hidekazu , Ohtani Ryo , Shibata Masunari , Nakamura Noriko , Ihara Masafumi
Published: March 2005

We sought to determine the changes in the cholinergic pathways, which project from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nBM) and travel in the subinsular region, in vascular dementia of the Binswanger type (VDBT) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The subinsular regions were examined in 6 autopsied brains with VDBT, 5 brains with AD and 4 control brains without any neurologic diseases. The cholinergic pathway was labeled either by histochemistry for acetylcholine esterase (AChE), a degradatory enzyme of ACh, or by immunohistochemistry for choline acetyltransferase, its synthetic enzyme. The numerical density of nBM neurons did not differ significantly between these groups (163 ± 49 in the VDBT, 105 ± 82 in the AD and 198 ± 76 in the control groups), but with a tendency towards a decrease in the AD group. The subinsular cholinergic fibers were impaired, with relative preservation of the nBM neurons in VDBT, whereas both the subinsular cholinergic fibers and the nBM neurons were degraded in AD. These results indicate that the cholinergic pathway is damaged not only in AD, but also in VDBT, and may further provide a pharmacological basis for treatment with AChE inhibitors in VDBT.
Everyday Memory Impairment of Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Kazui Hiroaki , Matsuda Akemi , Hirono Nobutsugu , Mori Etsuro , Miyoshi Noriko , Ogino Atsushi , Tokunaga Hiromasa , Ikejiri Yoshitaka , Takeda Masatoshi
Published: March 2005

We evaluated everyday memory impairment in 24 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT) and compared the scores with those of 48 age-, sex- and education-matched normal controls (NC) and 48 age-, sex- and education-matched Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Overall everyday memory was impaired in MCI patients but the severity was milder than that in AD patients. The MCI patients showed impairment of everyday memory tasks requiring delayed recall. But they could normally perform tasks immediately after memorizing, except for recalling and retracing a simple new route. The total Profile score correctly classified 100% of the MCI patients and 91.7% of NC, thus demonstrating the usefulness of the RBMT for diagnosing MCI patients. Prospective memory tasks were not useful for detecting the patients with MCI.
MR-Pathologic Comparison of the Upper Spinal Cord in Different Motor Neuron Diseases
Authors: Sperfeld Anne-Dorte , Bretschneider Volker , Flaith Leonie , Unrath Alexander , Hanemann C. Oliver , Ludolph Albert C. , Kassubek Jan
Published: March 2005

This MRI study was performed to evaluate in vivo alterations of the spinal cord in defined subgroups of motor neuron diseases. Standard MRI examinations of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; n = 39), sporadic lower motor neuron disease (LMND; n = 19), Kennedy’s disease (KD; n = 19) and a control group (n = 96) were analyzed with respect to spinal cord signal changes and the thickness of the spinal cord. No significant changes in thickness or signal alterations were observed when comparing ALS, LMND and control groups with one another. However, in KD patients significant upper spinal cord atrophy was detected at the cervical level as compared with all other groups. At the thoracic level, KD patients had significant upper cord atrophy as compared with controls and LMND. Marked atrophy of the upper spinal cord seems to be a feature of the KD-associated central-peripheral distal axonopathy.
Protective Effect of L-Arginine Intake on the Impaired Renal Vascular Responses in the Gentamicin-Treated Rats
Authors: Seçilmiş M. Ata , Karataş Yusuf , Yorulmaz Özlem , Büyükafşar Kansu , Şingirik Ergin , Doran Figen , Inal Tamer C. , Dikmen Atilla
Published: March 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day, i.p.) treatment on endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation in isolated perfused rat kidney, and the effect of amino acid L-arginine (in the drinking water, 2.25 g/l) on renal dysfunction induced by gentamicin. When gentamicin-treated groups were compared with the control group, it was observed that BUN and creatinine levels increased significantly. Also, the relaxant responses induced by acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside and pinacidil decreased. Histopathological examination indicated acute tubular necrosis in this group. In animals treated with gentamicin together with L-arginine, there was a significant amelioration in the BUN and creatinine levels. The vasodilator responses were similar to those of the control group. Histopathological examination indicated only hydropic degeneration in tubular epithelium of kidney. Co-administration of L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (112.5 mg/l), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, and L-arginine to rats treated with gentamicin did not change the protective effect of L-arginine. In rats receiving L-NAME alone, the level of BUN and creatinine and vasodilation to acetylcholine were not significantly different when compared to those of the control group, while relaxant responses to sodium nitroprusside and pinacidil were increased. These results suggest that gentamicin leads to an impairment in vascular smooth muscle relaxation in addition to acute tubular necrosis in the rat kidney. Supplementation of L-arginine has an important protective effect on gentamicin-induced nephropathy.
A Model Study of the Spectral Structure of Boundary-Driven Rossby Waves and Related Altimetric Implications
Authors: Pierini Stefano
Published: March 2005

A two-layer primitive equation box model of the North Pacific Ocean is used to highlight and analyze some general aspects of the linear large-scale boundary-driven oceanic variability that are detectable through altimeter observations. The model is forced by a white-noise wind, and a spectral analysis of the zonal and meridional, barotropic and baroclinic velocity components is carried out. Several dynamical features are identified in terms of boundary-driven Rossby waves, and their spatial structure and frequency dependence are examined theoretically and discussed in connection with recent studies based on altimeter data. In particular, the following aspects of the variability are analyzed: 1) beta-refracted baroclinic Rossby waves, which are found to be generated along the eastern boundary of the ocean by the passage of coastal Kelvin waves originating from the equatorial waveguide, and 2) westward-intensified barotropic Rossby waves, which originate from the western boundary of the ocean after reflection of longer waves generated in midocean. In the discussion the stress is put on dynamical aspects not yet fully understood and on the possibility that altimetry can provide further insight into their functioning.
Teachers’ Personal and Team Empowerment and Their Relations to Organizational Outcomes: Contradictory or Compatible Constructs?
Authors: Somech Anit
Published: March 2005

To date most models of empowerment have focused on teachers’ personal empowerment, which is defined as intrinsic task motivation reflecting an employee’s orientation to his or her work role. Interestingly, little scholarly attention has been turned to the interaction of empowerment and work-team membership, that is, to empowerment acquired from work in an empowered team. The study reported here juxtaposed these two forms of empowerment—personal and team—in an integrated model of organizational outputs (performance, organizational commitment, and professional commitment). The results from a sample of 983 teachers at 25 middle schools and 27 high schools indicated that teachers’ performance benefited most from the joint effect of high personal empowerment and team empowerment. Organizational commitment gained from high personal empowerment and team empowerment, as well as from low/high interaction; and professional commitment benefited most from high personal empowerment/low team empowerment or low personal empowerment/high team empowerment.
Managing Community: Professional Community in Charter Schools Operated by Educational Management Organizations
Authors: Bulkley Katrina E. , Hicks Jennifer
Published: March 2005

This article examines ways in which entities external to schools, in this case for-profit educational management organizations (EMOs), can influence development of school professional community. Drawing on case studies of six charter schools operated by three EMOs, we examine the five elements of professional community described by Kruse, Louis, and Bryk; supports and barriers to development of professional community; and the role of EMOs in influencing supports and barriers. We found that in these cases, EMO staff influenced professional community in important ways through the design of their programs (including structures they set up for use of time and staffing) and their informal relationships with schools (including their roles as “cheerleaders,” constructive critics, flexible keepers of the model, and reliable managers). The findings of this exploratory study provide a basis for future research on how external entities such as EMOs can influence professional community.
Teacher Recruitment in a School Reform State: Factors That Influence Applicant Attraction to Teaching Vacancies
Authors: Winter Paul A. , Melloy Samuel H.
Published: March 2005

This study addressed applicant reactions to teaching positions announced in recruitment media. The independent variables were school classification based on standardized student achievement tests (in need of assistance, progressing, meets goal), signing bonus (10% initial signing bonus, no bonus), and teaching experience (experienced, inexperienced). The dependent variable was applicant rating of the job. The design was a 2 × 2 × ( 3 × S) split-plot ANOVA. Applicants rated jobs at in-need-of-assistance schools lower than jobs at progressing schools and meets-goal schools, and progressing schools were rated lower than meets-goal schools (ω = .52). Inexperienced teachers rated jobs more favorably than experienced teachers, holding all other factors constant (ω = .113). There was also a significant school classification by signing bonus interaction (ω = .02). Results affect teacher recruitment practice and future research.
Fracture and Failure of Al-SiCpComposites at Different Temperatures and Conditions
Authors: Ozdemir I. , Toparli M. , Onel K. , Tsunekawa Y.
Published: March 2005

The fracture and failure behavior of extruded aluminum-silicon matrix alloy Al-7%Si-0.7%Mg (AlSi7) and composites reinforced with 10 and 20 vol.% SiC particles are investigated. The matrix alloy and composite samples are subjected to high-temperature tensile and thermal cycling tests above the temperature range from 25 to 430°C. At room temperature, the fracture surfaces reveal that failure modes consist of particle fracture, interface debonding, and void formation in the matrix within clusters of smaller particles oriented in the direction of extrusion. The evaluation of the microstructure shows that particle cracking-induced cavitation plays a more important role in the fracture of the composites at elevated temperatures than that at both room temperature and in thermal cycling tests. Scanning electron micrographs indicate that cracks are present in the composite samples under repeated action of the thermal cycling process. The failure mode of the thermally cycled composites is dominated by the presence of widespread cavitations and cracks (in the matrix), in a direction transverse to the applied stress, developed during extensive elongations. These are seen not only in the vicinity of the fracture surface but also in the regions far below the fracture tip of the sample.
Reinforcement of Metallic Plates with Composite Materials
Authors: Shokrieh Mahmood M. , Omidi Majid J.
Published: March 2005

The main aim of this research is to study the reinforcement of cracked metallic plates with carbon/epoxy composite materials. In order to simulate the mechanical behavior of the cracked aluminum plate, a closed-form solution and MSC/Nastran finite element package is used. Considering the size and position of the crack, the number of layers and the fiber orientation for each layer of the composite material patch are obtained. Also, the suitable area of the patch for reinforcement of the cracked plate is studied.

The results of the analysis show that the magnitude of stresses in the cracked area after reinforcement decreases dramatically. Therefore, the cracked plate is successfully reinforced by using composite patches. The strength of the aluminum plate reinforced with composite patch under static loading condition is studied. To evaluate the results of the analysis, an experimental program is conducted. The results of experiments show a very good agreement with the results obtained by the closed-form solution and the finite element analysis.

The aluminum plate is reinforced on one side. Therefore an unsymmetrical reinforcement is obtained. This type of reinforcement is applicable for plates having only one side available for repair. In order to avoid galvanic corrosion between the carbon/epoxy composite and the aluminum plate, one layer of glass/epoxy composite is used as the first layer.
In the Club: Ecstasy Use and Supply in a London Nightclub
Authors: Sanders Bill
Published: March 2005

Every weekend in the UK millions of young people attend nightclubs and many of them will use ‘dance’ drugs such as ecstasy. Drawing from ethnographic data generated from working as a club security guard and in-depth interview material with other security guards and a club manager, this article describes and analyses the use and supply of ecstasy within a large London nightclub. The analyses are centred on the normalized character of ecstasy within this club, the efforts of several security guards to control the supply of ecstasy and how this setting was home to a lively drug culture complete with a prosperous and somewhat protected drug economy.
Profiling the Personal: Configuration of Teenage Biographies to Employment Norms
Authors: Cremin Colin S.
Published: March 2005

Schoolchildren at the ages of 15 and 16 routinely complete documents called Records of Achievement (ROA) that can be used for reference purposes and presented/adapted to potential employers. This article examines the content of the personal statements of these documents to illustrate the way personal qualities, lifestyles and experiences are reflected upon, adapted and marketed in the current employment setting. The value of exercises such as ROAs is questioned, not in terms of whom they exclude, but for the underlying rationale of self-objectification as a means to remain competitive/’employable’.The elaborate ways that students highlight the value of their experiences is presented through different categories of identification with and orientation to an employment market characterized by an ‘enterprise culture’ and neo-liberal socio-economic framework.
Cure Characteristics and Dielectric Properties of Magnetic Composites Containing Strontium Ferrite
Authors: Soloman M. A. , Kurian Philip , Anantharaman M. R. , Joy P. A.
Published: March 2005

Hexagonal strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) powders were synthesized by the conventional ceramic techniques. They were then characterized by the X-ray diffraction method and incorporated in the natural rubber matrix according to a specific recipe for various loadings of ferrite to produce rubber ferrite composites (RFCs). The processability of these compounds was determined by evaluating the cure characteristics namely, scorch time, cure time, minimum and maximum torque. The evaluation of the dielectric properties of ceramic strontium ferrite (SrF), natural rubber gum vulcanizate, and RFCs were done with the help of a Hewlett Packard (HP) impedance analyzer. The magnetic properties of these composites were studied using a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The effect of carbon black on the processability, and the magnetic and dielectric properties were also studied by the incorporation of carbon black into these composites. It has been found that the addition of these ferrites and carbon black does not affect the processability of these composites, whereas the physical properties are found to be modified. From the magnetic and dielectric measurements it has been found that flexible magnets having appropriate dielectric strength can be prepared by the incorporation of appropriate amount of SrF and carbon black in the natural rubber matrix.
Rheological Behavior of Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE)- Polydimethylsiloxane Rubber (PDMS) Blends
Authors: Jana R. N. , Nando G. B.
Published: March 2005

The rheological behavior of different blends of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polydimethylsiloxane rubber (PDMS) has been investigated at different temperatures (160, 180, and 200 C) and shear rates (61.3-613.1 s 1) with varying proportions of ethylene methylacrylate copolymer (EMA) and silica filler loading by using a Monsanto Processability Tester (MPT). The EMA copolymer is used as a chemical compatibilizer for the blend systems. The melt viscosity increases with the increase in the PDMS proportion and the filler loading but decreases with the increasing proportion of the EMA. The melts of all the blends are pseudoplastic in nature. The flow behavior index (n)of the blends decreases with the increase in the PDMS proportion and the silica filler loading but increases with the increase in the EMA proportion and the temperature. The activation energy of flow for the blends decreases with an increase in the PDMS proportion and the silica filler loading. But it decreases initially with an increasing proportion of EMA, reaches a minimum value at 6 wt% and then increases. The die swell increases with an increase in the shear rate but decreases continuously with an increase in the PDMS proportion and the silica filler loading. But it becomes the maximum at 6 wt% of EMA for the compatibilized blends. The phase morphology studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows an improved dispersion for a 50/50 blend of LDPE-PDMS and it further improves with the incorporation of 6 wt% of EMA as well as the blend containing 10 wt% of silica filler loading. The surface finish of the extrudate for the blend containing 10 wt% of silica filler is better compared to that with 20 wt% of silica filler.
Novel Reinforcing Filler: Application to Natural Rubber (NR) System
Authors: Jincheng Wang , Yuehui Chen , Jihu Wang
Published: March 2005

The application of a novel kaoline in the natural rubber (NR) system is studied. First, the cure properties are tested; second, the mechanical properties of the novel kaoline-filled system are studied; third, its replacement of carbon black in NR system is compared; meanwhile, the application of the novel kaoline into white rubber overshoes system is researched; last, the mechanism for its excellent reinforcing property is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and chemical analysis. Results show that fineness, chemical structure, and surface modification are the most important factors that can influence the reinforcing ability of the novel kaoline.
Owner-manager Gender, Financial Performance and Business Growth amongst SMEs from Australia’s Business Longitudinal Survey
Authors: Johnsen Goril J. , McMahon Richard G. P.
Published: March 2005

The principal objective of this article is to ascertain the extent to which owner-manager gender appears to influence the financial performance and business growth of over 2000 SMEs taken from the Australian federal government’s Business Longitudinal Survey (BLS) for three financial years from 1995-6 to 1997-8. The research findings reported in the article provide substantial empirical evidence that consistent statistically significant differences in financial performance and business growth do not exist between female and male owner-managed concerns once appropriate demographic and other relevant controlling influences are taken into account. The scholarly and policy implications of this result are briefly considered.
Why the Deuteronomist Told about the Sacrifice of Jephthah’s Daughter
Authors: Janzen David
Published: March 2005

In response to Thomas Römer’s assertion that the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is a Hellenistic insertion into the Deuteronomistic History, this articleargues that the presence of the story is best explained as an original part of the history. The portrayal of the sacrifice fits the pattern of moral decline in the book of Judges, and it forms an integral and interconnected part of thestory of Jephthah as a whole. Moreover, as part of this whole it reflects animportant theme stressed elsewhere by the history: when Israel sacrificeslike foreigners do, it will act like foreigners, as well. This is why the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is followed immediately by the story of the tribe of Ephraim, which acts just like the Ammonites, the foreign nation in thisaccount, by invading Gilead.
Evolgate Fixation of Doubled Flexor Graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Biomechanical Evaluation with Cyclic Loading
Authors: Ferretti Andrea , Conteduca Fabio , Labianca Luca , Monaco Edoardo , De Carli Angelo
Published: March 2005

Background

The weakest points in hamstrings anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are its points of fixation, especially on the tibial side. Methods for graft fixation to bone should be strong enough to avoid failure, stiff enough to restore load-displacement response, and secure enough to resist slippage under cyclic loading.

Hypothesis

Biomechanical properties of the interference screw can be improved by reinforcing the walls of the tunnel with a metal spiral (Evolgate fixation).

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Three paired tests were performed using common digital extensor bovine tendons fixed to porcine tibias with interference screw, Intrafix, and Evolgate; critical graft fixation conditions were simulated by applying subsequent cycles to the graft before loading the graft until failure.

Results

The strength, stiffness, and resistance to slippage of the Evolgate were significantly higher than those of the interference screw; the ultimate failure load of the Evolgate was significantly higher than that of the Intrafix (1058 ± 130 N and 832 ± 156 N, respectively; P =. 02). No statistically significant differences were found between Evolgate and Intrafix regarding the stiffness and slippage under cyclic load.

Conclusion

Evolgate fixation seems to be stronger, stiffer, and more resistant to slippage than is interference screw fixation of similar length, and it is stronger but not stiffer than Intrafix.

Clinical Relevance

The Evolgate provides structural properties that seem to be appropriate for an intensive rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a doubled semitendinosus and gracilis graft.
Elastic-Plastic Stress Analysis and Plastic Region Expansion of Transversely Distributed Loaded Aluminum Metal-Matrix-laminated Plates with a Square Hole
Authors: Aktas Alaattin
Published: March 2005

In this study, an elastic-plastic analysis and expansion of plastic region are carried out on symmetric and antisymmetric metal-matrix-laminated plates with a square hole. The plates are assumed to be clamped and subjected to transversely distributed loads. Loading is gradually increased from the yield point of the plate by 0.0001 MPa at each load step. Load step numbers are chosen as 300, 500, and 700. Residual stress components and the propagation of the plastic region are obtained for small deformations on the upper and lower surfaces by using the finite element method (FEM). Results show that the plastic regions at the plate edges expand in the direction of the fibers. But, the plastic regions at the border of the hole expand toward the diagonal of the square hole, which makes acute angle with the fiber direction, due to stress concentration.
Progressive Failure Analysis of Laminated Unstiffened and Stiffened Composite Panels
Authors: Prusty B. Gangadhara
Published: March 2005

Progressive failure analysis of laminated unstiffened and stiffened composite panels has been carried out in the present investigation. The laminated panels under transverse static loadings in the linear elastic range have been investigated using the finite element method. In the finite element analysis of stiffened panels, eight-noded isoparametric quadratic elements in association with the three-noded curved beam elements have been considered and the first-order shear deformation theory is utilized. An iterative method has been adopted using the various failure theories to predict the first-ply failure load. After the first-ply failure, the stiffness of the failed lamina has been totally discarded from the laminate and the remaining laminae were considered for further analysis. The progressive failure analysis using the Tsai-Wu failure criterion has been implemented into a general-purpose finite element code to predict the failure loading from the initial to the final stage.
Numerical Simulation of Elastic-Plastic Behavior of Thermoplastic Composites
Authors: Ding S. R. , Tong J. W. , Shen M.
Published: March 2005

In this paper, a one-parameter plasticity model is used for characterizing the plastic behavior of AS4-PEEK thermoplastic composites. Using the finite element automatic generating system (FEPG), a three-dimensional one-parameter plasticity model which is not presented in the commercial codes is introduced into this system. Taking the unidirectional composite as an example, computing is carried out using a procedure developed. By comparing the numerical simulating results with the experimental ones, it can be found that the three-dimensional plasticity model introduced can simulate the nonlinear behavior of AS4-PEEK well. Furthermore, the precision of this procedure is confirmed. This achievement has laid the foundation for the analysis of inter-laminar stresses and strains of the three-dimensional elastic-plastic PEEK composite laminates.
Research in Activity:
Authors: Witte Stephen P. , Haas Christina
Published: March 2005

This article traces the historical and conceptual development of what is known as activity theory, from Vygotsky and Luria, to A. N. Leont’ev, to Engeström, in order to illustrate what I see as two problems with the activity theoretic approach, especially as manifest in the work of Leont’ev and Engeström: what I call the boundary and/or focus problem and the unit-of-analysis problem. In the second half of the article, I explore the social semiotic of an everyday artifact, the “speed bump,” and introduce a discovery heuristic for examining how this artifact functions mediationally in human activity. In so doing, I have tried to discover activity through principled analysis, rather than assuming activity or activity system a priori.
Writing for a Living
Authors: Brandt Deborah
Published: March 2005

This article seeks to explore the influence of the knowledge economy on the status of writing and literacy. It inquires into what happens to writers and their writing when texts serve as the chief commercial products of an organization—when such high-stakes factors as corporate reputation, client base, licensing, competitive advantage, growth, and profit rely on what and how people write. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 12 individuals employed in writing-intensive positions, it examines the organization of workplaces for the production of texts, the work of writers as mediational means within the workplace, the growing presence of regulatory controls on the production of writing, and the ways that demands for innovation and change affect writers and their writing. This is an exploratory installment in a larger project that seeks to situate the rise of mass writing in the United States, since about 1960, not only as an economic phenomenon but as a new development in the history of literacy with serious cultural, political, social, and personal implications.
NCTE/CCCC’s Recent War on Scholarship
Authors: Haswell Richard H.
Published: March 2005

This article documents aspects of the history of support for scholarship by two professional organizations involved with teaching composition at the postsecondary level: the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). Evidence is found that for the past two decades, the two organizations have substantially withdrawn their sponsorship of one kind of scholarship. That scholarship is defined as RAD: replicable, aggregable, and data supported. The history of RAD scholarship as published in NCTE and CCCC books and journals, compared to that published elsewhere, is traced from 1940 to 1999 in three areas: teaching of the research paper, gain in writing skills during a writing course, and methods of peer critique. The history of NCTE and CCCC attempts at scholarly bibliography is also traced. Implications are considered for the future of the study of college composition as an academic discipline.
Bone In-growth Induced by Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Ceramic in Femoral Defect of Dogs
Authors: Manjubala I. , Sastry T. P. , Kumar R. V. Suresh
Published: March 2005

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics consisting of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) has been used as a bone graft material during the last decade. In this paper, we report the bone in-growth induced by BCP ceramic in the experimentally created circular defects in the femur of dogs. This BCP ceramic consists of 55% hydroxyapatite (HA) and 45% b-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) prepared in situ by the microwave method. The defects were created as 4-mm holes on the lateral aspect of the femur of dogs and the holes were packed with the implant material. The defective sites were radiographed at a period of 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. The radiographical results showed that the process of ossification started after 4 weeks and the defect was completely filled with new woven bone after 12 weeks. Histological examination of the tissue showed the formation of osteoblast inducing the osteogenesis in the defect. The collageneous fibrous matrix and the complete Haversian system were observed after 12 weeks. The blood serum was collected postoperatively and biochemical assays for alkaline phosphatase activity were carried out. The measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity levels also correlated with the formation of osteoblast-like cells. This microwave-prepared BCP ceramic has proved to be a good biocompatible implant as well as osteoconductive and osteoinductive materials to fill bone defects.
Family CEOs
Authors: Medved Caryn E. , Kirby Erika L.
Published: March 2005

Women construct their identities amidst contradictory and competing societal expectations about career success and motherhood. Due to the enormous value society places on our organizational lives and to the contradictory rhetoric on women’s roles today, the ability of stay-at-home mothers to construct their identities is argued to be in crisis. The purpose of this feminist critical-interpretive study is to interrogate corporate discourse as a new linguistic frame for defining mothering identity. Through textual analysis of online support Web sites and self-help books or guidebooks, four subject positions of stay-at-home mothers as professionals, managers, productive citizens, and irreplaceable workers are articulated and problematized. Corporate mothering is then further deconstructed in relation to historical ideologies of mothering, contemporary organizational privilege, feminist and postfeminist debates on women’s roles today, and raced and classed ideologies of mothering. Finally, implications for feminist praxis and organizational communication scholarship are addressed.
Easy Targets and the Timing of Conflict
Authors: Bester Helmut , Konrad Kai A.
Published: March 2005

Contestants have to choose whether to initiate a contest or war, or whether to remain peaceful for another period. We find that agents wait and initiate the contest once their rival is sufficiently weak to be an easy target.
When poacher turns gamekeper
Authors: Maguire Kevin
Published: March 2005

The Associate Editor (Politics) of the Daily Mirror writes: Should the good people of Surrey Heath decide at the coming general election that Michael Gove in the man for them, The Times writer and executive will join an entire newsroom sitting on the green benches of the House of Commons. Peering down from the press gallery to take notes or commentating from a distance proved insufficiently satisfying for some hacks. Instead of watching politics, they wanted to be players on the stage. The third and fourth estates have long been locked in a tussle for supremacy, drinking and dining in the same restaurants with briefer and briefed at times difficult to distinguish. But wild talk of the fourth estate's victory in the historic battle ? the emergence of what has been termed a "mediaocracy" in Britain ? is challenged by the number of hacks swapping pens and notebooks for political parties and order papers.
The public is sick of us both
Authors: Soley Clive
Published: March 2005

The issues facing our society and indeed the future of this planet are so important that both press and politicians need to take a long hard look at the way we discuss the complex issues facing everyone, writes Clive Soley MP. The public may be more impressed with us both if we could be seen and heard discussing the policy options, instead of some of the more trivial issues ? often concerning personal behaviour ? that fill so much editorial space. Democracy is profoundly important. To make it function properly, press and politicians need to review the way they work ? and to do it now.
The moral reason never to tell
Authors: Coulter John
Published: March 2005

The prickly subject of source protection took centre stage once more towards the end of last year in the United States when a slew of court actions demanding that reporters reveal sources saw journalists awarded jail sentences and, subsequently, the introduction of a federal "shield" law that would provide "absolute protection" for confidential sources. Democrat senator Christopher Dodd's "Free Speech Protection Act of 2004" is designed to prevent the compelled disclosure of sources ? "regardless of whether or not the source was promised confidentiality". Source protection remains a dilemma throughout journalism and if print journalism is to survive as a truly free press in the third millennium, it will have to re-define the extent to which it can genuinely protect those on the cutting edge of serious investigative research. A starting point to establishing the rights of the investigative reporter is a workable policy on source protection and the acknowledgement of the need to protect genuine confidential sources...whatever the price
A Response to Jürgen Moltmann’s ‘Blessing of Hope’
Authors: Lee Ki
Published: March 2005

This article responds from a ‘Full Gospel’ perspective to Moltmann's critical-constructive dialogue with the ‘Full Gospel Theology’ of Dr Yonggi Cho. Moltmann's emphasis on the resurrection of Christ as the inexhaustible source of the Gospel, his eschatological orientation, as well as the wide horizon of his theological reflection—including individual and communal dimensions of humanity, nature and universe, and all dimensions of time—are affirmed, while some distinct differences are uplifted concerning pneumatology and the understanding of time and hope. An especially strong objection is raised to the element of universalism in Moltmann’s perspective.
‘Left Behind’—Fact or Fiction: Ecumenical Dilemmas of the Fundamentalist Millenarian Tensions within Pentecostalism
Authors: Althouse Peter
Published: March 2005

Is the fundamentalist dispensationalism as represented in the Left Behind novels with its anti-Catholic rhetoric compatible with Pentecostalism? If so, what does this mean for the ongoing Pentecostal-Roman Catholic ecumenical dialogue? In order to probe these questions, this essay will first offer a critique of the Left Behind novels, suggesting that their appeal lies in hegemonic protest, but that their dispensational eschatology is based in a problematic literalistic hermeneutic. Secondly, an investigation of early Pentecostalism will suggest that its eschatology was not as fundamentalist as is assumed, but more in keeping with a covenantal eschatology, articulated as the ‘latter rain’ outpouring of the Spirit. Finally, I will propose a revision of Pentecostal eschatology that is conceived in terms of proleptic anticipation of the kingdom, already here but awaiting its final revelation. Proleptic anticipation is faithful to the Pentecostal tradition and better able to open up avenues for ecumenical discussion.