bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bilateral adrenal gland enlargement secondary to histoplasmosis mimicking adrenal metastases: Diagnosis with EUS‐guided FNA
Authors: Eloubeidi Mohamad A. , Luz Leticia P. , Crowe David R. , Snowden Cindi , Morgan Desiree E. , Arnoletti Pablo J.
Published: November 2009

While adrenal gland histoplasmosis has been previously diagnosed by fine needle aspiration utilizing the percutaneous approach, EUS‐FNA has not been employed in the diagnosis of this infection affecting both adrenal glands. We report a patient with massive bilateral adrenal enlargement due to histoplasmosis that was diagnosed by EUS‐FNA. Trans‐duodenal and trans‐gastric fine needle aspiration biopsy of both adrenal glands was performed. Rapid onsite cytopathologic evaluation (ROSE) revealed epithelioid histiocytes, singly and in clusters consistent with granulomas. Apparent intracytoplasmic inclusions suggestive of organisms were visible. A Gomori Methenamine Silver stain (GMS) revealed abundant small intracellular budding yeasts, morphologically consistent with Histoplasma; the patient was admitted for amphotericin B intravenous infusion. His fever abated on the second day after amphotericin B was started. His urine Histoplasma antigen was positive. Fungal cultures from both adrenal EUS‐FNA samples grew Histoplasma capsulatum. After a one week hospital stay, he was discharged home on itraconazole 200 mg po bid for one year. Four months after initiation of treatment, his urine Histoplasma antigen was undetectable. Nine months after initial diagnosis, the patient regained his energy level, and returned to work with complete resolution of his initial symptoms. This case highlights that EUS‐FNA with ROSE can be a highly effective tool in the diagnosis of uncommon infections of the adrenal glands. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Combining fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and high‐resolution melt analysis to reduce diagnostic delay in mycobacterial lymphadenitis
Authors: Wright Colleen A. , Hoek Kim G. P. , Marais Ben J. , van Helden Paul , Warren Rob M.
Published: November 2009

Tuberculous lymphadenitis is the most common cause of extra‐pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries. Lymphadenitis caused by non‐tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) requires consideration, particularly in immunocompromised patients and children in developed countries. Fine‐Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) offers a valuable specimen collection technique, but culture confirmation, mycobacterial speciation and drug resistance testing (if indicated) is often unavailable in TB endemic areas and result in unacceptable diagnostic delay.

We evaluated the diagnostic value of high‐resolution DNA melting (HRM) analysis in the diagnosis of mycobacterial lymphadenopathy using FNAB and an inexpensive transport medium. Specimens were collected from patients referred to the FNAB Clinic at Tygerberg Hospital (June 2007–May 2008) with clinical mycobacterial lymphadenitis. Cytology, culture, and HRM were performed on all specimens. The reference standard for disease was defined as positive cytology (morphological evidence plus mycobacterial visualization) and/or a positive culture.

Specimens were collected from 104 patients and mycobacterial disease was confirmed in 54 (51.9%); 52 Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 1 Mycobacterium Bovis BCG and 1 NTM. Cytology was positive in 83.3% (45/54) and culture in 72.2% (39/54) of patients. HRM identified 57.4% (31/54) of cases. By using the defined reference standard, we recorded 94.0% specificity and 51.9% sensitivity (positive predictive value 90.3%) with HRM analysis.

HRM analysis allowed rapid and species specific diagnosis of mycobacterial lymph adenitis in the majority of patients, permitting early institution of appropriate therapy. Optimization of this technique requires further study. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cancer nucleus: Morphology and beyond
Authors: Dey Pranab
Published: November 2009

There are many significant morphological alterations of a nucleus of cancer cell that are detectable by light microscopy on routine staining. These changes are often associated with deranged cellular functions of cancer cell. It is difficult to understand the exact relationship between nuclear morphology and alteration of nuclear structural organization in cancer. Herein, the salient visual and subvisual morphological changes of cancer nuclei and their possible etiology and significance have been reviewed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Highly Selective Synthesis of [(Z)‐3‐Chloro‐2‐(phenylselanyl)‐1‐alkenyl]phosphonates and 2‐Ethoxy‐4‐(phenylselanyl)‐2,5‐dihydro‐1,2‐oxaphosphole 2‐Oxides by Electrophilic Reaction of 1,2‐Alkadienylphosphonates with PhSeCl
Authors: He Guangke , Yu Yihua , Fu Chunling , Ma Shengming
Published: November 2009

The reactions of monosubstituted 1,2‐alkadienylphosphonates with PhSeCl in THF or dioxane/H2O (10:1) at 70 °C afforded the selenochlorination products [(Z)‐3‐chloro‐2‐(phenylselanyl)‐1‐alkenyl]phosphonates with very high chemo‐ and stereoselectivity, whereas the same reaction with di‐ and trisubstituted allenylphosphonates afforded 2‐ethoxy‐4‐(phenylselanyl)‐2,5‐dihydro‐1,2‐oxaphosphole 2‐oxides exclusively. It was interesting to note that the stereoselctivity for the selenochlorination reaction is opposite to that of the iodo‐ and selenohydroxylation reactions of (allenyl)diphenylphosphane oxides with Cl– acting as the nucleophile. The stereoselectivity of the cyclization reaction is clearly different from that of the selenochlorination reaction.
Drug effect on EEG connectivity assessed by linear and nonlinear couplings
Authors: Alonso Joan F. , Mañanas Miguel A. , Romero Sergio , Hoyer Dirk , Riba Jordi , Barbanoj Manel J.
Published: November 2009

Quantitative analysis of human electroencephalogram (EEG) is a valuable method for evaluating psychopharmacological agents. Although the effects of different drug classes on EEG spectra are already known, interactions between brain locations remain unclear. In this work, cross mutual information function and appropriate surrogate data were applied to assess linear and nonlinear couplings between EEG signals. The main goal was to evaluate the pharmacological effects of alprazolam on brain connectivity during wakefulness in healthy volunteers using a cross‐over, placebo‐controlled design. Eighty‐five pairs of EEG leads were selected for the analysis, and connectivity was evaluated inside anterior, central, and posterior zones of the scalp. Connectivity between these zones and interhemispheric connectivity were also measured. Results showed that alprazolam induced significant changes in EEG connectivity in terms of information transfer in comparison with placebo. Trends were opposite depending on the statistical characteristics: decreases in linear connectivity and increases in nonlinear couplings. These effects were generally spread over the entire scalp. Linear changes were negatively correlated, and nonlinear changes were positively correlated with drug plasma concentrations; the latter showed higher correlation coefficients. The use of both linear and nonlinear approaches revealed the importance of assessing changes in EEG connectivity as this can provide interesting information about psychopharmacological effects. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Catchment transit times and landscape controls—does scale matter?
Authors: Hrachowitz M. , Soulsby C. , Tetzlaff D. , Speed M.
Published: November 2009

Mean transit times (MTTs) can give useful insights into the internal processes of hydrological systems. However, our understanding of how they vary and scale remains unclear. We used MTT estimates obtained from δ18O data from 20, mostly nested, contrasting catchments in North East Scotland, ranging from 1 to 1700 km2. The estimated MTTs ranged between 270 and 1170 days and were used to test a previously developed multiple linear regression (MLR) model for MTT prediction based on metrics of soil cover, landscape organization and climate. We show that the controls on MTT identified by the MLR model hold with the independent data from these 20 sites and that the MLR can be used to predict MTT in ungauged montane catchments. The dominant controls also remain unchanged over four orders of magnitude of catchment size, suggesting no major change of dominant flow paths and mixing processes at larger scales. This is consistent with the fact that only the variance of MTT, rather than MTT, showed a scaling relationship. MTTs appeared to converge with increasing catchment scale, apparently due to the integration of heterogeneous headwater responses in larger downstream catchments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Millimetre‐wave polarization‐dependant monopulse printed Fresnel reflector
Authors: Nguyen Truc Phong , Pichot Christian , Migliaccio Claire
Published: November 2009

This article describes the principle of combining circular or annular patches with C‐patches on a Fresnel reflector that introduces radiation pattern diversity according to the polarization. Patches were designed to perform a 180° phase difference of the reflection phase between two orthogonal polarizations for a monopulse antenna purpose. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 25–28, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24822
Compact rat‐race ring coupler with capacitor loading
Authors: Shao Wei , He Jun , Wang Bing‐Zhong
Published: November 2009

A simple compact microstrip rat‐race ring coupler with capacitor loading is presented in this letter. The new coupler not only effectively reduces the occupied area to 15% of the conventional one at 1.0 GHz, but also has high harmonic suppression performance over a wide band. Furthermore, the new structure has only two variable parameters and can be easily designed. The design is validated both by simulation and measurement. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 7–9, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24823
An efficient iterative method for analysis of a substrate integrated waveguide structures
Authors: Zairi Hassen , Baudrand Henri , Gharsallah Ali , Hafidh Gharbi A.
Published: November 2009

The article presents an efficient method for characterization of substrate integrated waveguide structures. Substrate integrated circuits are considered as an ensemble of conducting vias placed in a parallel‐plate waveguide. The analysis is based on the wave concept formulation and the iterative resolution of two relationships between incident and reflected volume‐waves. The reflection operator is expressed using Hankel functions and computed by considering the scattering from the ensemble of conducting posts. Numerical results have been obtained for substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) structures already presented in literature. Simulations obtained are compared with recent published results. A good agreement is achieved together with significant improvements both in computational time and memory requirements. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 45–48, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24825
Adaptive‐network‐based fuzzy inference system models for computing the characteristic impedances of air‐suspended trapezoidal and rectangular‐shaped microshield lines
Authors: Turkmen Mustafa , Yildiz Celal , Guney Kerim , Kaya Sabri
Published: November 2009

In this article, adaptive‐network‐based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models are proposed to compute the characteristic impedances of air‐suspended trapezoidal‐shaped microshield lines (AS‐TSMLs) and air‐suspended rectangular‐shaped microshield lines (AS‐RSMLs). The ANFIS is a fuzzy inference system implemented within the architecture and optimization procedure of adaptive networks. Four optimization algorithms, hybrid learning, simulated annealing, genetic, and least‐squares, are used to determine optimally the design parameters of ANFIS. The characteristic impedance results of ANFIS models are in very good agreement with the results available in the literature. When the performances of ANFIS models are compared with each other, the best results are obtained from the ANFIS model trained by the hybrid learning algorithm. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 20–24, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24829
Bandwidth enhancement of rectangular monopole antenna using modified semi‐elliptical ground plane and slots
Authors: Kimouche H. , Abed D. , Atrouz B. , Aksas R.
Published: November 2009

This article presents an optimized design for a novel printed monopole antenna, with a notched semi‐elliptical ground plane. A parametric study of the antenna parameters and their effects is given. The monopole antenna with the proposed bandwidth enhancement technique covers the band 3.1–10.6 GHz, which has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission as a commercial band for ultra‐wideband communication systems, with a measured return loss bandwidth of 7.9 GHz (2.9–10.8 GHz). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 54–58, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24830
Isolation improvement of 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN internal laptop computer antennas using dual‐band strip resonator as a wavetrap
Authors: Kang Ting‐Wei , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: November 2009

A high‐isolation two‐antenna structure comprising two small‐size uniplanar WLAN antennas and a dual‐band strip resonator embedded in‐between for laptop computer application is presented. The proposed design occupies a small planar size of 9 × 50 mm2when mounted above the top edge of the large supporting metal frame of the laptop display. The two WLAN antennas are coupled‐fed printed PIFAs capable of covering 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz band operation, each occupying a size of 9 × 13 mm2and both facing to each other back‐to‐back with a spacing of 24 mm (that is, the total length of the proposed two‐antenna structure is 50 mm). The embedded strip resonator functions as a dual‐band wavetrap over the 2.4 and 5.2/5.8 GHz bands to trap the antenna's near‐field radiation between the two antennas, which effectively reduces the mutual coupling between the two antennas. Good measured isolation (S21< −18 dB) over the 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz bands is obtained, which is acceptable for practical laptop computer applications. The proposed design works for the large ground plane condition in the laptop computer, different from many of the reported two‐antenna designs working for the relatively much smaller ground plane conditions such as in the mobile phones and PC cards. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 58–64, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24831
Microstrip rat‐race couplers with predetermined miniaturization and harmonic suppression
Authors: Velidi Vamsi Krishna , Pandey Dharmendra Kumar , Sanyal Subrata
Published: November 2009

In this letter, design of compact size rat‐race coupler (RRC), based on impedance‐controlled simple transmission line structure is proposed for predetermined harmonic suppression. The present approach has the advantage that within the fabrication limit of high‐impedance lines, a large number of harmonics are suppressed. Design guidelines are provided. Theoretical predictions are verified by implementing a prototype microstrip RRC, with upto twelfth harmonic of the operating frequency suppressed along with 75% size reduction compared with the conventional RRC. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 30–34, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24832
Ultra‐wideband planar monopole antenna with dual stopbands
Authors: Fan Fangfang , Yan Zehong , Zhang Tianling , Song Yue
Published: November 2009

A novel compact ultra‐wideband (UWB) microstrip‐fed planar monopole antenna with dual stopbands is presented. The proposed antenna achieved an impedance bandwidth of 3.1–10.6 GHz with VSWR <2, except the bandwidths of 3.3–3.8 GHz for WiMAX and 5.1–5.9 GHz for WLAN application. By etching four u‐shaped slots with different dimension in the radiating patch, the dual stopbands for WiMAX and WLAN application can be obtained. And the stopband bandwidth for WLAN can be controlled by adjusting the three u‐slots dimension. The fabricated antenna shows the broadband impedance‐matching, good group delay, stable gain, and near omnidirectional radiation patterns. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 138–141, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24842
A novel ultra‐wideband frequency planar notch‐filter antenna
Authors: Gómez‐Calero C. , TahaAhmed B. , Martínez R.
Published: November 2009

Many research works have emerged for ultra‐wideband (UWB) systems. One important issue is the antenna design to cover all frequency bands (3.1–10.6 GHz). In most applications, a reduced compact antenna is needed but with several requirements. In this paper, a novel triangle–semicircular planar monopole UWB antenna is presented with a notch filter to avoid the undesirable interferences in ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band at 5.3 GHz. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 213–216, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24845
A fast IE‐FFT solution of 3D coating scatterers
Authors: Yin Jiliang , Hu Jun , Que Xiaofeng , Nie Zaiping
Published: November 2009

In this paper, the integral equation fast Fourier transform (IE‐FFT) is implemented to solve the 3D full and partial coating scatterers. The real boundary condition is approximated by impedance boundary condition. The IE‐FFT is utilized to accelerate the matrix‐vector multiplication in the conjugate gradient (CG) iterative solver. And the Mesh Neighbor preconditioner is used to improve the iterative convergence of the CG solver. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 241–244, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24846
Design and development of a dual‐mode corrugated horn for an offset reflector antenna
Authors: Sharma S. B. , Pujara Dhaval , Chakrabarty S. B.
Published: November 2009

This article presents the design and radiation characteristics of a dual‐mode corrugated matched feed horn. This type of feed eliminates the unwanted high cross‐polarization of an offset parabolic reflector antenna and improves the overall performance of the antenna sub‐system. In a cylindrical corrugated structure, higher order HE21 mode is added with the fundamental HE11 mode to configure a dual‐mode corrugated horn. For the proposed horn, the return‐loss characteristics and the far‐field radiation patterns were measured and the results are compared with the simulated results. The horn has been used as a primary feed device to illuminate a linearly polarized offset parabolic reflector antenna and the improvement in the cross‐polarization has been estimated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 113–116, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24852
A novel planar UWB monopole antenna with variable frequency band‐notch function based on etched slot‐type ELC on the patch
Authors: Movahedinia R. , Azarmanesh M. N.
Published: November 2009

A novel planar ultra‐wideband (UWB) monopole antenna with variable frequency band‐notch characteristic is proposed and investigated for UWB communication applications. The complementary electric‐LC (CELC) resonator is etched inside the circular patch of the monopole antenna to achieve notch frequency band. The designed antenna satisfies the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) requirement of less than 2.0 in the frequency band between 2.8 and 12.6 GHz, while showing the WLAN band notched in the frequency band of 5–5.9 GHz. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 229–232, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24853
Compact single feed circularly polarized fractal boundary microstrip antenna
Authors: Rao P. Nageswara , Sarma N. V. S. N.
Published: November 2009

Compact circularly polarized single feed microstrip antenna using fractal curve as boundary is presented. It is shown that by using fractal curve as boundary to the square patch the size can be reduced by more than 50% without much reduction in gain of the antenna. The antenna gives a good circular polarization with minimum axial ratio close to 0 dB at the center frequency of 2234 MHz. Three decibel axial ratio bandwidth of about 0.81% and 10 dB impedance bandwidth of about 3.25% are obtained with the proposed antenna. The antenna provides almost constant gain of about 4 dBi over the frequency band of operation. Measurement results are compared with simulated results and a very good agreement is obtained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 141–147, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24854
Target localization and measured scattered field pre‐processing using spectral bandwidth minimization for shallowly buried target problems
Authors: Eyraud Christelle , Geffrin Jean‐Michel , Lewyllie Peter , Franchois Ann , Dubois Anthony
Published: November 2009

In this article, a fast and efficient method to detect and localize shallow buried targets is presented. This technique, based on the electromagnetic scattering measurements, takes profit of the spectral bandwidth properties of the scattered field to pre‐process the measured fields to extract the contribution of the target. It can also provide a quick estimation of the localization of the target under test. Experimental results in the context of rebar detection in concrete are presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 147–151, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24855
The battery effect in mobile antenna design
Authors: Liang Xu
Published: November 2009

The battery pack is a necessary component of mobile phones and is located in close vicinity of the integrated antenna modules. The battery influence with different ground connection points was investigated for both dual‐band and tri‐band integrated mobile antennas. Experimental results are presented to show this. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 120–122, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24860
Comments on solution of electromagnetic scattering problems by transformation into high order impedance boundary condition
Authors: Yapar Ali , Akduman Ibrahim
Published: November 2009

In an recent article by Tezel (Microwave and Optical Technology Letters 50 (2008), 831–836), it is claimed that a new method is derived for the scattering of electromagnetic waves from cylindrical objects having standard impedance boundary condition on its boundary. This article has two fundamental flaws: First, the approach that the author tries to apply is not new; Second, as we prove below the formulation, consequently, the numerical results are completely incorrect. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 244–245, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24861
Experimental comparison of Raman gain efficiency of a dispersion compensating fiber in C and O‐bands
Authors: Saito Lucia A. M. , de Freitas Joao F. L. , de Matos Christiano J. S. , Gomes Anderson S. L. , De Souza Eunezio A.
Published: November 2009

We measured the Raman gain efficiency (RGE) of a dispersion compensating fiber in the C (1530–1565 nm) and O‐bands (1260–1360 nm) and the results revealed that the RGE reaches its maximum value inside the O‐band. The spectral analysis of the fiber loss and Raman efficiency shows that the increase in Raman gain efficiency toward short wavelengths is balanced by the increasing of the fiber attenuation which leads the RGE to be maximum around 1310 nm. In addition, we characterized the gain of a Raman amplifier in the O‐band with a moderate pump power and a few kilometers of fiber. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 151–154, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24865
Study of broadband printed dipole antennas
Authors: Jian‐Ying Li , Khiang Tan Peng
Published: November 2009

A broadband microstrip‐fed printed antenna is proposed in this article. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that this structure exhibits a 36% impedance bandwidth with VSWR below 2:1. Antenna geometry and measured antenna characteristics are presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 184–187, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24867
Multitunable microwave system for touchless heartbeat detection and heart rate variability extraction
Authors: Obeid Dany , Sadek Sawsan , Zaharia Gheorghe , El Zein Ghaïs
Published: November 2009

This work proposes a contactless multitunable microwave measurement scheme for heartbeat detection. Our system is based on simplicity and the ability of tuning two parameters: frequency and power. Measurements are performed at 2.4, 5.8, 10, 16, and 60 GHz. Operating at 2.4 GHz, the heartbeat signal is detected at different output power levels (from −2 down to −27 dBm). The heart rate variability is extracted for all the measurements. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 192–198, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24877
A compact modified monopole type internal antenna for wireless USB dongle application
Authors: Yu Yeonsik , Choi Jaehoon
Published: November 2009

Proposed within this document is a compact internal antenna intended for multiband operation. The antenna consists of two‐pronged elements with two stubs and has a comparatively small volume of 16 mm × 5 mm × 1 mm. The measured return loss of the designed antennas was >10 dB for wireless broadband (WiBro), wireless local area network (WLAN), world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and satellite digital multimedia broadcast (S‐DMB) frequency bands. A high‐quality radiation pattern and a reasonable antenna efficiency were obtained within the desired frequency band. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 198–201, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24878
Output characteristics measurement of a single‐mode fiber Fabry‐Perot resonator at 1.55 μm
Authors: Chen Haiyan
Published: November 2009

The output characteristics of a single‐mode fiber Fabry‐Perot resonator at 1.55 μm operation is experimentally studied with a continuous‐wave laser and pulse light input. In the case of pulse light input, two aspects, considering and no considering birefringence, are discussed. The results obtained are very important for the application of single‐mode fiber Fabry‐Perot resonator. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 101–103, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24881
Comment on: On the inapplicability of a negative‐phase‐velocity condition as a negative refraction condition for active materials
Authors: Kinsler Paul
Published: November 2009

I comment on a recent usage of a common negative‐phase‐velocity condition. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 247, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24891
UV accelerated aging and aging resistance of dihydroxy poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) fibers
Authors: Zhang Tao , Jin Junhong , Yang Shenglin , Li Guang , Jiang Jianming
Published: November 2009

By introducing binary hydroxyl groups into poly(p‐phenylene benzoxazole) (PBO) macromolecular chains, we synthesized dihydroxy poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (DHPBO) polymers and then prepared DHPBO fibers by dry‐jet wet‐spinning. Comparative studies were performed between intrinsic PBO fibers and DHPBO fibers. The effects of hydroxyl polar groups on improving the UV aging resistance of PBO fibers were investigated. With the introduction of hydroxyl groups, substantial changes in the chemical structures and surface morphologies of DHPBO fibers were observed. As proved by tensile testing and intrinsic viscosity measurement, the UV resistance of DHPBO fibers is obviously improved compared to that of intrinsic PBO fibers. XRD results indicate that the UV aging of these fibers occurs mainly on the surfaces of fibers. Based on these results, the mechanism of UV aging of PBO fibers was discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sequence analysis of glycolide and p‐dioxanone copolymers
Authors: Rodríguez‐galán A. , Franco L. , Puiggalí J.
Published: November 2009

Low and medium molecular weight copolymers constituted by glycolide and p‐dioxanone units have been synthesized by a ring‐opening polymerization. The p‐dioxanone monomer was obtained from (2‐hydroxyethoxy)acetate or by thermal depolymerization of poly(p‐dioxanone). 1H and 13C NMR spectra were highly sensitive to the chemical sequences, which were effectively assigned by considering the data from samples with different compositions, and the acquisition of heteronuclear 1H and 13C NMR‐correlated spectra. End groups were also identified, allowing methylene protons of sequences involving up to two glycolide units to be distinguished. These data seem basic to analyze degradation products or the influence of thermal treatments in chain microstructure. Glycolide/p‐dioxanone copolymers are an interesting system because changes on chemical sequences can easily occur due to a depolymerization reaction that eliminates p‐dioxanone residues. Furthermore, depending on the polymerization conditions, the occurrence of transesterification reactions may be highly significant. These reactions have a great impact in properties such as the melting temperature and can be easily quantified by NMR spectroscopy because of the occurrence of a new chemical sequence. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Study of amino ligands fixation to macroporous supports and their influence on albumin adsorption
Authors: Gomez Cesar G. , Strumia Miriam C.
Published: November 2009

Heterogeneous networks of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate [poly(EGDMA‐co‐HEMA)] were synthesized by suspension polymerization using different EGDMA contents and agitation speeds. The networks were actived with epichlorhydrine (Ech) or 1,4‐butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDGE), and then hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) or ethylenediamine (EDA) were conjugated to the support by coupling reaction. Here, a higher alkyldiamine concentration and temperature, and a longer reaction time led to higher yields. Amino ligands of the support III were used to analyze their adsorption performance of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from the adsorption kinetic. A more external location of HMDA amino ligands into network led to get the maximum adsorption in a time shorter than that with EDA. Due to its bigger size, the HMDA molecule was attached mostly to the network surface between larger pores, which favored a faster protein adsorption. When derivatives containing BDGE were compared, the EDA ligand displayed a BSA retention higher than that with HMDA, because a shorter separation between the ammonium groups along the spacer arm yielded a stronger electrostatic attraction on the protein. Clearly, the balance obtained between the pores system and the reagents molecular structure used in the formation of Ech‐HMDA generated the most efficient BSA adsorption. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Synthesis and kinetic analysis of DPE controlled radical polymerization of MMA
Authors: Luo Ying‐Da , Chiu Wen‐Yen
Published: November 2009

The 1,1‐diphenylethene (DPE) controlled radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate was performed at 80 °C by using AIBN as an initiator and DPE as a control agent. It was found that the molecular weight of polymer remained constant with monomer conversion throughout the polymerization regardless of the amounts of DPE and initiator in formulation. To understand the result of constant molecular weight of living polymers in DPE controlled radical polymerization, a living kinetic model was established in this research to evaluate all the rate constants involved in the DPE mechanism. The rate constant k2, corresponding to the reactivation reaction of the DPE capped dormant chains, was found to be very small at 80 °C (1 × 10−5 s−1), that accounted for the result of constant molecular weight of polymers throughout the polymerization, analogous to a traditional free radical polymerization system that polymer chains were terminated by chain transfer. The polydispersity index (PDI) of living polymers was well controlled <1.5. The low PDI of obtained living polymers was due to the fact that the rate of growing chains capped by DPE was comparable with the rate of propagation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Functional and tuneable amino acid polymers prepared by RAFT polymerization
Authors: Evans Amanda C. , Skey Jared , Wright Megan , Qu Wenjun , Ondeck Courtney , Longbottom Deborah A. , O'Reilly Rachel K.
Published: November 2009

We report the application of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization using a novel chain transfer agent toward the synthesis of a variety of copolymers containing proline‐derived monomeric units. This methodology enables ready access to a number of polymeric species with narrow molecular weight distributions, reliable functional unit incorporations, and high conversions. The methodology is also a facile approach to novel copolymeric species incorporating amino acids, which possess unique material properties and the potential for further organocatalytic application. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Synthesis of thermo‐responsive 4‐arm star‐shaped porphyrin‐centered poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization
Authors: Yusa Shin‐Ichi , Endo Tastuya , Ito Masanori
Published: November 2009

Tetrafunctional porphyrins‐containing trithiocarbonate groups were synthesized by an ordinary esterification method. This tetrafunctional porphyrin (TPP‐CTA) could be used as a chain transfer agent in a controlled reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization to prepare well‐defined 4‐arm star‐shaped polymers. N,N‐Diethylacrylamide was polymerized using TPP‐CTA in 1,4‐dioxane. Poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) is known to be a thermo‐responsive polymer, and exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water. The star‐shaped PDEA polymer (TPP‐PDEA) was therefore also thermo‐responsive, as expected. The LCST of this polymer depended on its concentration in water, as confirmed by turbidity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), static light scattering (SLS), and 1H NMR measurements. The porphyrin cores were compartmentalized in PDEA shells in aqueous media. Below the LCST, the fluorescence intensity of TPP‐PDEA was about six times larger than that of a water‐soluble low molecular weight porphyrin compound (TSPP), whose fluorescence intensity was independent of temperature. Above the LCST, the fluorescence intensity of TPP‐PDEA decreased, while the intensity was about three times higher than that of TSPP. These observations suggested that interpolymer aggregation occurred due to the hydrophobic interactions of the dehydrated PDEA arm chains above the LCST, with self‐quenching of the porphyrin moieties arising from these interactions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Synthesis of hyperbranched degradable polymers by atom transfer radical (Co)polymerization of inimers with ester or disulfide groups
Authors: Tsarevsky Nicolay V. , Huang Jinyu , Matyjaszewski Krzysztof
Published: November 2009

Degradable hyperbranched polymers with multiple alkyl halide chain ends were synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization of inimers containing ester (2‐(2′‐bromopropionyloxy)ethyl acrylate) or disulfide (2‐(2′‐bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl 2′′‐methacryloyloxyethyl disulfide) groups. Both the homo‐ and copolymerizations (with styrene in the former case and methyl methacrylate in the latter) were studied. The hyperbranched polymers derived from the ester‐type inimer were hydrolytically degradable under basic conditions, whereas those derived from the disulfide‐containing inimer could be efficiently degraded in the presence of reducing agents such as tributylphosphine. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Organic–inorganic hybrid brushes consisting of macrocyclic oligomeric silsesquioxane and poly(ε‐caprolactone): Synthesis, characterization, and supramolecular inclusion complexation with α‐cyclodextrin
Authors: Han Jin , Zheng Sixun
Published: November 2009

Organic–inorganic hybrid brushes comprised of macrocyclic oligomeric silsesquioxane (MOSS) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) were synthesized via the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL) with cis‐hexa[(phenyl) (2‐hydroxyethylthioethyldimethylsiloxy)]cyclohexasiloxane as the initiator. The MOSS macromer bearing hydroxyl groups was synthesized via the thiol‐ene radical addition reaction between cis‐hexa[(phenyl)(vinyldimethylsiloxy)]cyclohexasiloxane and β‐mercaptoethanol. The organic–inorganic PCL cyclic brushes were characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). These MOSS–PCL brushes were then used to prepare the supramolecular inclusion complexes with α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD). The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that the organic–inorganic inclusion complexes (ICs) have a channel‐type crystalline structure. It is noted that the molar ratios of CL unit to α‐CD for the organic–inorganic ICs are quite dependent on the lengths of the PCL chains bonded to the silsesquioxane macrocycle. While the PCL chains were short, the efficiency of inclusion complexation was significantly decreased. The decreased efficiency could be attributed to the repulsion of the adjacent PCL chains bonded to the silsesquioxane macrocycle and the restriction of the bulky silsesquioxane macrocycle on the motion of PCL chains; this effect is pronounced with decreasing the length of the PCL chains. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009
Importance measures for modular software with uncertain parameters
Authors: Fiondella Lance N. , Gokhale Swapna S.
Published: November 2009

Importance measures provide a sense of the relative priorities of components and can be used to guide the allocation of resources for cost‐effective improvement of system reliability starting from the early phases. Uncertainties in model parameters, prevalent in the early phases, can introduce errors into these measures, and hence, importance assessment must account for these parametric uncertainties. In this paper, a framework for importance assessment of a software system within the context of its architecture is proposed. The framework includes two methods; the first one systematically quantifies the confidence intervals in the model parameters, and the second one offers an analytical approach for importance analysis. The two methods in conjunction address the issue of importance assessment in the face of parametric uncertainties. Illustration of the framework using a banking application demonstrates the value and benefits of the methodology. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does the prospect theory also hold for power traders? Empirical evidence from a Swiss energy company
Authors: Kalayci Erkan , Basdas Ulkem
Published: November 2009

Currently, a great deal of empirical research has been done to test and verify Kahneman and Tversky's (1979) prospect theory. Nevertheless, the research only addresses private or institutional investors in the financial industry and has neglected specific tests in the real sector. In this paper, our goal is to examine whether the implications of prospect theory and the house money effect also hold for the power traders in the energy sector. The results show that the reflection and house money effects do not hold. Our results indicate the possible influence of the recent global crisis on prospect theory.
ON LEGENDRE CURVES IN CONTACT PSEUDO-HERMITIAN 3-MANIFOLDS
Authors: LEE JI-EUN
Published: November 2009

We find necessary and sufficient conditions for a Legendre curve in a Sasakian manifold to have: (i) a pseudo-Hermitian parallel mean curvature vector field; (ii) a pseudo-Hermitian proper mean curvature vector field in the normal bundle.
Effect of dark chocolate on plasma epicatechin levels, DNA resistance to oxidative stress and total antioxidant activity in healthy subjects
Authors: Spadafranca A. , Martinez Conesa C. , Sirini S. , Testolin G.
Published: November 2009

Dark chocolate (DC) may be cardioprotective by antioxidant properties of flavonoids. We investigated the effect of DC (860 mg polyphenols, of which 58 mg epicatechin) compared with white chocolate (WC; 5 mg polyphenols, undetectable epicatechin) on plasma epicatechin levels, mononuclear blood cells (MNBC) DNA damage and plasma total antioxidant activity (TAA). Twenty healthy subjects followed a balanced diet (55 % of energy from carbohydrates, 30 % from fat and 1 g protein/kg body weight) for 4 weeks. Since the 14th day until the 27th day, they introduced daily 45 g of either WC (n10) or DC (n10). Whole experimental period was standardised in antioxidant intake. Blood samples were collected at T0, after 2 weeks (T14), 2 h and 22 h after the first chocolate intake (T14+2 hand T14+22 h), and at 27th day, before chocolate intake (T27), 2 h and 22 h after (T27+2 hand T27+22 h). Samples, except for T14+2 hand T27+2 h, were fasting collected. Detectable epicatechin levels were observed exclusively 2 h after DC intake (T14+2 h = 0·362 (se0·052) μmol/l and T27+2 h = 0·369 (se0·041) μmol/l); at the same times corresponded lower MNBC DNA damages (T14+2 h = − 19·4 (se3·4) %v.T14,P < 0·05; T27+2 h = − 24 (se7·4) %v.T27,P < 0·05; T14+2 hv.T27+2 h,P = 0·7). Both effects were no longer evident after 22 h. No effect was observed on TAA. WC did not affect any variable. DC may transiently improve DNA resistance to oxidative stress, probably for flavonoid kinetics.
Changing the zinc:iron ratio in a cereal-based nutritional supplement has no effect on percent absorption of iron and zinc in Sri Lankan children
Authors: Hettiarachchi Manjula , Liyanage Chandrani , Hilmers David , Griffin Ian , Abrams Steven A.
Published: November 2009

The Thriposha programme is a community-level nutrition intervention in Sri Lanka that provides a combination of energy, protein and micronutrients as a ‘ready-to-eat’ cereal-based food. We measured the bioavailability of Fe and Zn from Thriposha formula at two different molar ratios of Zn:Fe in order to determine the effect on Fe and Zn absorption. Children 4–7 years (n53) were given a meal prepared with 50 g Thriposha containing 1·5 mg Zn as zinc sulphate and either 9 mg (high Fe concentration (HiFe)) or 4·5 mg (low Fe concentration (LoFe)) Fe as ferrous fumarate. Zn and Fe percent absorption were measured using stable isotopes by tracer:tracee ratio and by incorporation of erythrocytes, respectively. Percent Fe absorption from the two meals was similar (6·6 % (4·8)v. 4·8 % (2·6);P = 0·15), but total Fe absorption was significantly higher from the HiFe meal (0·59 (0·43) mg) than the LoFe meal (0·20 (0·12) mg;P = 0·01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in Zn absorption (10·7 % (0·9)v. 8·8 % (1·4),P = 0·13, respectively). Decreasing the amount of Fe in Thriposha did not cause a significant change in the percent absorption of Fe and Zn, but significantly lowered the total amount of absorbed Fe. These results demonstrate the utility of maintaining a higher Fe content in this supplement. Further studies to increase Zn content are warranted while maintaining a HiFe.
Divergence at the casein haplotypes in dairy and meat goat breeds
Authors: Küpper Julia , Chessa Stefania , Rignanese Daniela , Caroli Anna , Erhardt Georg
Published: November 2009

Casein genes have been proved to have an influence on milk properties, and are in addition appropriate for phylogeny studies. A large number of casein polymorphisms exist in goats, making their analysis quite complex. The four casein loci were analyzed by molecular techniques for genetic polymorphism detection in the two dairy goat breeds Bunte Deutsche Edelziege (BDE;n=96), Weiße Deutsche Edelziege (WDE;n=91), and the meat goat breed Buren (n=75). Of the 35 analyzed alleles, 18 were found in BDE, and 17 in Buren goats and WDE. In addition, a new allele was identified at theCSN1S1locus in the BDE, showing a frequency of 0·05. This variant, namedCSN1S1*A′, is characterized by a t→c transversion in intron 9. Linkage disequilibrium was found at the casein haplotype in all three breeds. A total of 30 haplotypes showed frequencies higher than 0·01. In the Buren breed only one haplotype showed a frequency higher than 0·1. The ancestral haplotypeB-A-A-B(in the order:CSN1S1-CSN2-CSN1S2-CSN3) occurred in all three breeds, showing a very high frequency (>0·8) in the Buren.
Coupling of phytoplankton community structure to nutrients, ciliates and copepods in the Gulf of Gabès (south Ionian Sea, Tunisia)
Authors: Drira Zaher , Hamza Asma , Bel Hassen Malika , Ayadi Habib , Bouain Abderrahmen , Aleya Lotfi
Published: November 2009

The summer spatial distribution of the phytoplankton community in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, eastern Mediterranean Sea), together with environmental factors, were studied during a preliminary study conducted in July 2005 aboard the RV ‘Hannibal’. The phytoplankton community, which showed a decrease in concentration along a coastal–open sea gradient, was dominated by Dictyochophyceae (41%) followed by Dinophyceae (25%), Bacillariophyceae (16%), Cyanobacteriae (17%) and Euglenophyceae (1%). The phytoplankton found along the coast was dominated by opportunistic species (e.g.Dictyocha fibula) associated with high nutrient availability. In the open sea, phytoplankton development seemed influenced by Atlantic hydrodynamics. In addition, the Gulf of Gabès is characterized by an oligotrophic status with a summer stratification that impacted on species composition especially in off-shore areas. The coupling of phytoplankton dynamics to nutrients, ciliates and copepods showed the potential role played by ciliates not only as predators of phytoplankton but also as prey for filter-feeding copepods accounting for the increased fisheries productivity of the Gulf of Gabès.
A PICTURE OF STOCK–FLOW UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Authors: Coles Melvyn G. , Jones Paul , Smith Eric
Published: November 2009

Stock–flow job matching implies that there are two types of job seekers—those on the short side of their occupations who can easily find work, and those on the long side who expect extended unemployment spells. Using matching data and information on completed and uncompleted unemployment spells for England and Wales, this paper uses the stock–flow matching hypothesis to identify the fraction (incidence) of laid off workers who find themselves on the long side of the market and, conditional on being on the long side, their expected unemployment duration. The average incidence is around one-half and increases significantly in recessions. The expected duration is also strongly countercyclical—peaking at 15 months in the 1990–1992 recession and falling to a more modest 9 months by January 1999. Cross-section estimates also identify a North–South divide and a large city effect—the unemployed in large cities and in the North experience longer spells.