bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of photocrosslinked alginate hydrogels for nucleus pulposus cell encapsulation
Authors: Chou Alice I. , Nicoll Steven B.
Published: September 2008

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant health concern in the USA. Tissue engineering strategies have the potential to provide a viable alternative to current treatments. Nevertheless, such approaches require a suitable biomaterial scaffold for IVD tissue regeneration. Calcium crosslinked alginate has traditionally been used for in vitro culture of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells of the IVD. However, such ionically crosslinked hydrogels lose structural integrity over time. Recently, various polymers have been modified with photopolymerizable functional groups to create covalently crosslinked hydrogels. This technology may be employed to maintain the structural and mechanical integrity of three‐dimensional alginate hydrogels. In this study, photocrosslinkable alginate was synthesized and evaluated for material properties and the ability to maintain the viability of encapsulated NP cells. Photocrosslinked alginate at varying percent modifications and weight/volume percentages displayed equilibrium swelling ratios and Young's moduli of 30.52 ± 1.782 to 43.50 ± 1.345 and 0.5850 ± 0.1701 to 8.824 ± 0.6014 kPa, respectively. The viability of encapsulated NP cells was highest in hydrogels at lower percent modifications, and decreased with time in culture. Taken together, this study is the first to demonstrate that photocrosslinked alginate can be used for cellular encapsulation and synthesized with tunable material properties that may be tailored for specific applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2009
Evidence‐based group psychotherapy: using AGPA's practice guidelines to enhance clinical effectiveness
Authors: Leszcz Molyn , Kobos Joseph C.
Published: September 2008

Practice guidelines represent a useful approach to facilitate the delivery of evidence‐based mental health care. In this article, we detail group psychotherapy practice guidelines developed by the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). Combining the research literature with expert consensus, the AGPA has created a resource that should prove useful for psychotherapists, administrators, and patients. We illustrate the guidelines through a series of clinical dilemmas and challenges. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 64: 1–23, 2008.
Using the CORE‐R battery in group psychotherapy
Authors: Strauss Bernhard , Burlingame Gary M. , Bormann Bianca
Published: September 2008

This article applies and illustrates the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) revised CORE battery to daily practice. The CORE can assist practitioners in periodically or continuously monitoring outcome and process factors to determine patient status (e.g., improved, deteriorated, or no change), and ruptures in the therapeutic relationships. The CORE‐R provides group therapists with a tool kit of measures for assessing the effectiveness of their groups and includes three classes of measures: selection, process, and outcome. We provide a summary of each class of measures along with specific instruments. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 64:1–13, 2008.
Application of negative ion MS/MS to the identification of N‐glycans released from carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1)
Authors: Harvey David J. , Baruah Kavitha , Scanlan Christopher N.
Published: September 2008

Structures of N‐glycans released from rat CEACAM1 expressed in human embryonic kidney cells were determined by MALDI and negative ion nanospray MS/MS techniques. The major carbohydrates were bi‐, tri‐ and tetra‐antennary complex glycans with and without sialic acid, fucose and bisecting GlcNAc residues. High‐mannose glycans, predominantly Man5GlcNAc2, were also found. The negative ion fragmentation technique easily identified the branching pattern of the triantennary glycans (mainly branched on the 6‐antenna) and the presence of ‘bisecting’ GlcNAc residues (attached to the 4‐position of the core mannose), features that are difficult to determine by traditional techniques. Sialic acids were in both α2–3 and α2–6 linkage as determined by MALDI‐TOF MS following linkage‐specific derivatization. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Potential plant growth promoting traits and bioacidulation of rock phosphate by thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria isolated from crop plants
Authors: Anandham R. , Gandhi P. Indira , Madhaiyan M. , Sa Tongmin
Published: September 2008

Thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria isolated from crop plants were tested for their traits related to plant growth promotion and their ability to solubilize Morocco rock phosphate (RP) through oxidation of thiosulfate to sulfuric acid. All the tested strains grew in Nfb medium (except Dyella ginsengisoli) and possessed β‐1,3 glucanase activity (except Burkholderia kururiensis). Of the fourteen tested strains, 2 were found positive for siderophore production, 3 each for phytohormones (IAA), and salicylic acid production. Based on qualitative and quantitative assays, 5 strains were found to efficiently solubilize tri‐calcium phosphate in Pikovskaya's medium. Nine strains exhibited ACC (1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate) deaminase activity. In gnotobiotic experiments, Pandoraea sputorum ATSB28 which possessed the lowest ACC deaminase (0.44 nM of α‐Keto butyrate formed min–1 mg of protein–1) activity increased the primary root length of canola by 166%. Inoculation of Pandoraea sp. strain ATSB30 in mixture containing RP and thiosulfate significantly enhanced the water extractable‐P (1147 μg P g RP–1) and bicarbonate extractable‐P (1144 μg P g RP–1) on day 45. Glucose amendment resulted in increased RP solubilization as compared to glucose unamended treatments. Thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria tested in this study possessed at least one or more plant growth promoting traits apart from thiosulfate oxidation and solubilized the RP. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Diversity studies of Azotobacter spp. from cotton‐wheat cropping systems of India
Authors: Bhatia Ranjana , Ruppel Silke , Narula Neeru
Published: September 2008

Azotobacter are the favored bioinoculants being promoted for cotton crop in India. In order to develop bioinoculants, both metabolic fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting have been used to study the diversity among Azotobacter spp. isolated from four different cotton‐wheat cropping regions of India. On the basis of acetylene reduction, indole acetic acid production and ammonia excretion, from 76 free‐living diazotrophs isolated from the rhizospheric soil of cotton, 20 efficient isolates were selected for further studies. Morphological characterization indicated a close resemblance of these isolates to Azotobacter spp. BIOLOG cataloguing divided them into two main groups, but amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis clustered the isolates from the four regions having different soil types into four separate sub‐clusters. Metabolic fingerprinting was not able to detect subtle differences among the isolates as achieved with genetic fingerprinting. However, 16S rRNA is a highly conserved locus. Variations observed could be due to domestication of the isolates in different agro‐ecological niches. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Characterization of metal‐resistant plant‐growth promoting Bacillus weihenstephanensis isolated from serpentine soil in Portugal
Authors: Rajkumar Mani , Ma Ying , Freitas Helena
Published: September 2008

A metal‐resistant bacterial strain SM3 isolated from a serpentine soil in the north‐east of Portugal was characterized as Bacillus weihenstephanensis based on the morphological and biochemical characteristics and on the comparative analysis of the partial 16S ribosomal DNA sequence. Bacillus weihenstephanensis SM3 showed a high degree of resistance to nickel (1500 mg l–1), copper (500 mg l–1) and zinc (700 mg l–1) and also to antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin, kanamycin and streptomycin). Strain SM3 has also exhibited the capability of solubilizing phosphate and producing indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) both in the absence and in the presence of metals (Ni, Cu and Zn). A pot experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of strain SM3 on plant growth and uptake of Ni, Cu or Zn by Helianthus annuus. Inoculation with strain SM3 increased the shoot and root biomass of H. annuus grown in both non‐contaminated and contaminated soil. Furthermore, strain SM3 increased the accumulation of Cu and Zn in the root and shoot systems. A batch experiment was also conducted to assess the metal mobilization potential of strain SM3 in soil. Inoculation with this strain increased the concentrations of water soluble Ni, Cu and Zn in soil. Metal solubilization by this bacterial strain may be an important process to promote the uptake of heavy metals by plants. This study elucidates the multifarious role of strain SM3 in plant growth promotion and its metal mobilizing potential. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Reassessing employer expectations of graduates in UK travel services
Authors: Major Bridget , Evans Nigel
Published: September 2008

This article sets out to ascertain travel and tourism industries employers' views on degrees. Research of this kind and on this scale has not previously been carried out and a large scale survey of industry views was conducted with key issues identified and discussed. These cover topics such as the employment of graduates within the UK travel services industry, views on their contribution and appropriateness, the types of skills that such degrees provide, salary scales and graduate training schemes. Current government policy on widening participation in higher education (HE) and its impact on industry skills is also evaluated. The issue of the provision of tourism curricula and their content has at the beginning of 2007 once again been pushed centre stage. This is as a result of the increasing scrutiny of the Sector Skills organisation People 1st and the launch of the government's new vocational diplomas in 2008. The findings in this article are pertinent for government bodies and educators alike and have previously been shared with the Sector Skills organisation and Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in addressing HE in tourism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Destination product characteristics as useful predictors for repeat visiting and recommendation segmentation variables in tourism: a CHAID exhaustive analysis
Authors: Vassiliadis Chris A.
Published: September 2008

The present paper constitutes a segmentation research with the use of the exhaustive chi‐squared automatic interaction detection tree analysis approach which, through the characteristics of a tourist destination, aims at the illustration of the English and German tourist groups and more specifically, (i) those who are repeat visitors of several tourist destinations and (ii) those who express a willingness to urge other people to visit geographic tourist destinations that the former have already visited. The results of the research help the tourism managers to apprehend the characteristics of the destination products that best describe the visitors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Perception of authenticity of tourist art among Native American artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Authors: Maruyama Naho U. , Yen Tsu‐Hong , Stronza Amanda
Published: September 2008

This study investigated the authenticity of tourist art from the perspectives of Native American artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In‐depth interviews with nine artists revealed that authenticity of art for the artists strongly relates to the traditional manufacturing process. Indeed, the artists alter their art piece's exterior to appeal to tourists while also adhering to the traditional process of manufacture. Rather than connoting a loss of authenticity, they identify the process as an “enlargement” of the culture. The challenge for the artists is to improve understanding of the significance of the manufacturing process among tourists and younger generations of artists. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Control of dynamic stability during gait termination on a slippery surface in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Oates Alison R. , Frank Jim S. , Patla Aftab E. , VanOoteghem Karen , Horak Fay B.
Published: September 2008

This study investigated how Parkinson's disease (PD) affects the ability to switch from locomotion to gait termination (GT) during planned and cued GT and examined the effect of PD on the integration of a reactive, balance maintenance strategy into voluntary GT. After a series of stops on a stable surface, eight participants with and 10 without PD stopped on a surface, which slid quickly and unexpectedly forward mimicking a slippery surface. PD caused instability during the completely voluntary nonslippery stops (P = 0.012) but not during the slippery stops, which required a reactive movement. The PD group walked slower [0.9–1.0 m/s vs. 1.3 m/s, respectively (P < 0.001)] with shorter steps during the first step of nonslippery GT (P = 0.016) and with wider steps during all steps of nonslippery GT (P ≤ 0.05). Similar to controls, the PD group increased lateral stability during planned GT compared to cued GT (P = 0.007). The timing of gait termination was similar between groups in all conditions. During the unexpected perturbation, both groups used a generalized slip response to regain balance after the perturbation. PD did not affect the ability to stop walking or to integrate a balance‐correcting response into GT but did affect movement speed, size, and stability of the voluntary movement. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Brain response to complex visual stimuli in Parkinson's patients with hallucinations: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Ramírez‐Ruiz Blanca , Martí María‐José , Tolosa Eduardo , Falcón Carlos , Bargalló Nuria , Valldeoriola Francesc , Junqué Carme
Published: September 2008

Visual hallucinations (VH) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been associated with gray matter reductions in visual associative areas and with abnormal patterns of brain activation in posterior and frontal regions. However, all previous fMRI studies have used simple visual stimuli. The objective of our study was, therefore, to compare the pattern of brain activation during a one‐back face detection task. We examined 10 PD patients with VH, 10 PD patients without VH, and 10 controls matched for age and education. The fMRI task consisted in three blocks of 21‐face stimuli (activation condition) and three blocks of 21‐colored mosaics (control condition). Subjects were asked to press a key when two identical stimuli were presented consecutively. During the face condition, compared with patients without VH, hallucinating PD patients showed significant reductions in the activation of several right prefrontal areas, such as the inferior (BA 10,47), superior (BA 6/8), middle frontal (BA 8), and anterior cingulate gyrus (BA 31/32). In the control condition, we found a hyperactivation in the hallucinating PD sample compared with the nonVH patients in the right inferior frontal gyrus. A dysfunction of the frontal areas associated with the control of attention could predispose to VH through an abnormal processing of relevant and irrelevant visual stimuli. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Clinical correlates of depressive symptoms in familial Parkinson's disease
Authors: Pankratz Nathan , Marder Karen S. , Halter Cheryl A. , Rudolph Alice , Shults Cliff W. , Nichols William C. , Foroud Tatiana
Published: September 2008

Depression is one of the most common nonmotor complications of Parkinson's disease (PD) and has a major impact on quality of life. Although several clinical factors have been associated with depression in PD, the relationship between depression and stage of illness as well as between depression and degree of disability remains controversial. We have collected clinical data on 1,378 PD cases from 632 families, using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Parts II (activities of daily living) & III (motor), the Mini‐Mental State Exam, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Blessed Functional Activity Scale (Blessed). Analyses were performed using the 840 individuals with verified PD and without evidence of cognitive decline. Logistic regression was used to identify study variables that individually and collectively best predicted the presence of depressive symptoms (GDS ≥ 10). After correcting for multiple tests, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with Hoehn and Yahr stage and other clinical measures but not with any genetic variant (parkin, LRRK2, APOE). The Blessed score, education, presence of a first degree relative with signs of depression, and UPDRS Part II were found to best predict depressive symptomatology (R2 = 0.33; P = 4 × 10−48). Contrary to several reports, the results from this large study indicate that stage of illness, motor impairment, and functional disability are strongly correlated with depressive symptoms. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Effects of contact location and voltage amplitude on speech and movement in bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation
Authors: Tripoliti Elina , Zrinzo Ludvic , Martinez‐Torres Irene , Tisch Stephen , Frost Eleanor , Borrell Ellie , Hariz Marwan I. , Limousin Patricia
Published: September 2008

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN‐DBS) is particularly effective in improving limb symptoms in Parkinson's disease. However, speech shows a variable response. Contact site and amplitude of stimulation have been suggested as possible factors influencing speech. In this double blind study, we assessed 14 patients post bilateral STN‐DBS, without medication. Six conditions were studied in random order as follows: stimulation inside the STN at low voltage (2 V) and at high voltage (4 V); above the STN at 2 V and at 4 V, at usual clinical parameters, and off‐stimulation. The site of stimulation was defined on the postoperative stereotactic MRI data. Speech protocol consisted of the assessment of intelligibility of the dysarthric speech, maximum sustained phonation, and a 1‐minute monologue. Movement was assessed using the UPDRS‐III. Stimulation at 4 V significantly reduced the speech intelligibility (P = 0.004) independently from the site of stimulation. Stimulation at 4 V significantly improved the motor function. Stimulation inside the nucleus was significantly more effective than outside the nucleus (P = 0.0006). The significant improvement in movement coupled with significant deterioration in speech intelligibility when patients are stimulated inside the nucleus at high voltage indicates a critical role for electrical stimulation parameters in speech motor control. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
A multiscale modeling of damage and time‐dependent behavior of cohesive rocks
Authors: Abou‐Chakra Guéry A. , Cormery F. , Shao J. F. , Kondo D.
Published: September 2008

The present paper deals with a micromechanical approach to modeling the time‐dependent mechanical behavior of a class of cohesive geomaterials. The considered material is Callovo‐Oxfordian argillite, which is mainly composed of three constituents: an elastoviscoplastic clay matrix, elastic quartz minerals, and elastic damaged calcite grains. The macroscopic constitutive law is obtained by adapting the incremental method proposed by Hill (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 1965; 13:89–101). Its unified formulation allows a description of not only the time‐dependent behavior of the argillite but also its elastoplastic damage response. The developed model is first validated by comparison with finite element solutions and then it is applied to the prediction of argillites' macroscopic responses in connection with their mineralogical compositions. The validity of the model is checked through comparisons between the model's predictions and experimental data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spinal pathological findings in ancient Egyptians of the Greco‐Roman period living in Bahriyah Oasis
Authors: Hussien F. H. , El‐Din A. M. Sarry , Kandeel W. A. El Samie , Banna R. A. E‐S. El
Published: September 2008

The spine can provide a large amount of information about an individual's physical condition and possible lifestyle through palaeopathological investigations. The aim of this research was to study spinal diseases among Greco‐Roman ancient Egyptians from Bahriyah Oasis, and to compare them with those from Giza of the Old Kingdom. The material used in the study included 809 single vertebrae and 77 adult sacra of ancient Egyptians from the Greco‐Roman period (332–30 BC) that were excavated from Bahriyah Oasis. The spinal elements were examined for pathological conditions, degenerative diseases, trauma, congenital abnormalities, infectious diseases and neoplasms. The most common lesions of the spine were those due to degenerative processes. The articular facets were more affected than the vertebral bodies. Compression fractures of the bodies, mostly due to osteoporosis, were found in 1.44% and 5.07% of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae respectively. The percentage of spina bifida occulta among ancient Egyptians from Bahriyah Oasis was 62.33%, while among those from Giza was only 3.33%. Few cases of lumbar spondylolysis and one case of DISH were recorded. No cases of infectious or neoplastic diseases were found. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metaplasia and somatic cell reprogramming
Authors: Slack JMW
Published: September 2008

The nature and occurrence of metaplasia is briefly reviewed. A theory of how metaplasia is initiated is presented, depending on the idea that it represents an alteration in the combination of developmental transcription factors that are expressed. Two examples of experimental metaplasia, provoked by over‐expression of specific transcription factors, are presented: the transformation of B lymphocytes to macrophages, and of pancreatic exocrine cells to hepatocytes. The formation of induced pluripotential stem cells (iPS cells) is considered an example of the same process, in which the destination state is the embryonic stem cell. It is noted that iPS cell production is a stochastic process, depending on selection to obtain the desired cell type. It is proposed that analogous technology, using the appropriate transcription factors, could be used to bring about transformation to cell types other than embryonic stem cells. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact damage detection and degradation monitoring of wet GFRP composites using noncontact ultrasonics
Authors: Berketis K. , Tzetzis D. , Hogg P.J.
Published: September 2008

Two different non‐crimp glass fabrics with a polyester resin were used to produce laminated plates that were subjected to low velocity impact testing using three impact energy levels. The plates were immersed in water at 65°C for up to 24 months. The effectiveness of a traditional water coupled and an air‐coupled ultrasonic C‐Scan system was assessed in terms of damage size evaluation at various time intervals. The conditioned impacted plates were retested statically in compression to determine the residual strength for evaluation of damage tolerance. Weight change measurements revealed an initial increase due to water diffusion, followed by an extended decrease due to matrix dissolution at long‐term immersion times. The use of water coupled pulse‐echo ultrasonics proved ineffective after long‐term water immersion as damaged areas became ultrasound‐invisible. The contrast between impact damaged areas and water diffused areas was restored with the air‐coupled C‐scan. The macroscopic damage size was not affected by the long‐term water immersion and the overall weight change while the residual compression strength was seemed to be dependent on the time of immersion and the size of the pre‐existing impact damage. Calibrating the air‐coupled system to a dry condition specimen, a good qualitative and quantitative indication of the degraded state of water immersed plates was obtained. This monitoring system for the degradation process seems to be very promising. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Dispersion of functionalized silver nanoparticles in polymer matrices: Stability, characterization, and physical properties
Authors: Chatterjee Uma , Jewrajka Suresh K. , Guha Suparna
Published: September 2008

Three types of silver/polymer nanocomposite films were prepared: (1) silver/polymethyl methacrylate, (2) silver/polystyrene, and (3) silver/polyt‐butyl methacrylate by mixing colloidal solution of functionalized Ag nanoparticles with solution of pre‐made polymers. The nanoparticles are randomly dispersed into the matrices. The desired surface functionality of Ag nanoparticle was achieved by using specific amphiphilic block copolymer (specific hydrophobic block part) as stabilizer. The stability of nanoparticles in these host hydrophobic polymer matrices was determined after annealing the nanocomposite films at high temperature. The nanoparticles remained stable and no agglomeration occurred upon annealing up to 120°C. Up to 20 wt% of block copolymer stabilized Ag nanoparticles (11% Ag) was successfully loaded in the polymer matrix. Such a dispersion of Ag nanoparticles into a hydrophobic polymer matrix significantly enhances the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films. The storage and loss modulus increase with increasing Ag nanoparticles content. Compared with a polymer matrix, the polymer/Ag nanocomposites film (containing 0.65% of Ag) prepared by this method displayed storage modulus that are up to 130% higher. This is attributed to the high surface area of the polymer coated Ag nanoparticles in the polymer matrix and van der Waal's attraction force between surface of Ag nanoparticles (polymer brush) and host polymer matrix. Comparison of thermal properties of polymer and polymer/Ag nanocomposite films showed that the thermal stability of nanocomposites increases by about 20°C. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Evaluation of embedded optical fiber sensors in composites: EFPI sensor fabrication and quasi‐static evaluation
Authors: Etches J.A. , Fernando G.F.
Published: September 2008

This article reports on the fabrication and evaluation of extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric (EFPI) sensors when embedded in fiber‐reinforced composites and tested under quasi‐static tensile and compressive mechanical loading. The EFPI strain sensors were embedded in carbon fiber composite test specimens, and their performance was compared against a surface‐mounted extensometer and electrical resistance strain gauges. When the composite was subjected to quasi‐static tensile loading, the sensors failed around a strain level of 0.5%; under compressive loading, the sensors survived until the failure of the composite at 1.1% strain. The EFPI sensors used in this study were fabricated in‐house and the issues relating to fabrication are discussed in the context of their performance when embedded in composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Synthesis and characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes‐polymethyl methacrylate composites prepared by in situ polymerization method
Authors: Pande Shailaja , Mathur R.B. , Singh B.P. , Dhami T.L.
Published: September 2008

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes‐polymethyl methacrylate composites (MWCNT‐PMMA) were prepared by an in situ polymerization method. The effect of nanotube content and their surface functionalization on the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites was investigated. The use of only 1.8 wt% functionalized tubes improved flexural modulus by about 43% and flexural strength by about 60%. In situ polymerization using functionalized tubes improved interfacial bonding strength due to a chemical interaction between carbon nanotubes and the growing PMMA, which resulted in improved load transfer mechanism. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Determination of mechanical properties of glass‐epoxy composites in high temperatures
Authors: Aktaş Mehmet , Karakuzu Ramazan
Published: September 2008

The objective of this study is to determine the tensile, compressive, and shear properties of unidirectional glass/epoxy composite plates under room (∼20°C) and high (40, 60, 80, and 100°C) temperatures. Mechanical properties were determined according to the ASTM standards. A hot lamination press was used for fabrication of composite plates. For curing process, laminated plates were retained at a constant pressure (250 kPa) and 120°C during 2 h. And then, composite plate is cooled to room temperature at the same pressure. The fiber volume fraction of laminated composite plate is measured as 65%. Experimental results show that the mechanical properties (except for the transverse tensile strength) of glass/epoxy composites are reduced by increasing temperature. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
On the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes in terms of hole fraction
Authors: Yahsi Ugur , Ulutas Kemal , Tav Cumali , Deger Deniz
Published: September 2008

A theoretical model to interpret the conductivity of ions through polymer electrolytes is established in terms of the temperature and pressure‐dependent hole fraction computed from Simha‐Somcynsky hole theory. The model successfully linearizes the logarithm of PPG and PEG conductivity data with NaCF3SO3 in a 20:1 ratio for a broad range of temperature and pressure. The conductivity parameter and transmission coefficient with an additive hole fraction constant are discussed and compared for both species. The derivative of the logarithm of conductivity with respect to the hole fraction decreases inversely with the hole fraction and saturates at about 0.08 and 0.12 hole fractions for PPG and PEG, respectively. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2249–2254, 2008
A prediction score model for risk factors of mortality in neonate with pulmonary hemorrhage: The experience of single neonatal intensive care unit in Southwest China
Authors: Li Luquan , Yu Jialin , Wang Jiarong , Zhang Xianhong , Shen Heping , Yuan Xiaoli , Zhang Huirong
Published: September 2008

Aim

To establish a prediction score model for mortality of neonates with pulmonary hemorrhage (PH).

Methods

Mortality risk factors of PH were analyzed by logistic regression analysis in 244 neonates retrospectively. A prediction score model was developed according to regression coefficients of risk factors. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was also constructed and the cutoff was determined.

Results

The overall mortality rate of PH was 74.59% (182/244). More patients from multiple pregnancies were found in the death group than in the survivor group (20.1% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.023). The survivor group infants had higher birth weight in average than death group infants (2,787 g vs. 2,339 g, P = 0.000). Significant differences were found between survivor and death groups in the rates of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (25.8% vs. 53.8%, P = 0.000), heart failure (22.6% vs. 48.9%, P = 0.000) and sepsis (3.2% vs. 16.5%, P = 0.008). Birth weight, IVH, heart failure and sepsis were identified as independent mortality risk factors by logistic regression analysis. A score model predicting death was developed according to the regression coefficients, with a sensitivity of 0.846, a specificity of 0.661, a positive predictive value of 0.88 and a negative predictive value of 0.594 at a cutoff of 9 points. The low risk group, with a score of 9 or less, had a lower mortality rate as compared with the high risk group (40.6% vs. 88%, P = 0.000).

Conclusions

Low birth weight, IVH, heart failure and sepsis were the risk factors for mortality of PH. Those infants with a predictive score of more than 9 were at high risk for death. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:997–1003. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
3‐D QSAR and Molecular Docking Studies on Aryl Benzofuran‐2‐yl Ketoxime Derivatives as Candida albicans N‐myristoyl transferase Inhibitors
Authors: Telvekar Vikas N. , Kundaikar Harish S. , Patel Kavit N. , Chaudhari Hemchandra K.
Published: September 2008

3‐D QSAR studies were performed on aryl benzofuran‐2‐yl ketoxime derivatives. Pharmacophore Alignment and Scoring Engine (PHASE) was used to develop predictive Common Pharmacophore Hypotheses (CPHs) which were further validated. The alignment thus obtained was used for Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA)/Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) model development. A structurally diverse set of 31 molecules was used of which 20 were grouped into training set to develop the model and the rest 11 molecules into test set to validate the CoMFA/CoMSIA models. The models so developed showed a good $\rm{ r_{{\rm{predictive}}}^{\rm{2}} }$ of 0.5973 for CoMFA and 0.5669 for CoMSIA. CoMFA and CoMSIA models had a Q2 (cross‐validated coefficient) of 0.518 and 0.460, respectively which showed high correlative and predictive abilities on both the test and training set. The 3‐D contour maps of CoMFA/CoMSIA provided interpretable explanation of SAR for the compounds and also permitted interesting conclusions about the substituent effects at different positions of the benzofuran‐2‐yl ketoximes derivatives. The docking studies were also carried out wherein the active and inactive molecules were docked into the active site of Candida albicans N‐myristoyl transferase (CaNMT) crystal structure to analyze the enzyme–inhibitor interactions. The results obtained from the present 3‐D QSAR and docking studies were used to design new predicted active molecules.
QSPR Prediction of pK for Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids and Anilines in Different Solvents
Authors: Jover Jesús , Bosque Ramón , Sales Joaquim
Published: September 2008

Computational Neural Network (CNN)‐based QSPR methodology is applied to predict the pKa of aliphatic carboxylic acids and pKb of anilines in protic and aprotic solvents. The proposed non‐linear models contain seven descriptors, five of them are of the usual molecular type corresponding to the solutes and the other two describe the solvent as a bulk. The descriptors of both models are similar, and comparable to those obtained in previous studies for phenols and benzoic acids. The statistical results of the correlations, for the training, prediction, and validation sets of the two families are very good, with R2≈0.98 and rms error ≈0.3 pK units. The information encoded in the descriptors allows an interpretation of the dissociation process studied based on the specific and non‐specific solute–solvent interactions.
A theoretical and experimental study on manipulating the structure and properties of carbon nanotubes using substitutional dopants
Authors: Sumpter Bobby G. , Huang Jingsong , Meunier Vincent , Romo‐Herrera Jose M. , Cruz‐Silva Eduardo , Terrones Humberto , Terrones Mauricio
Published: September 2008

We examine the possibility of controlling nanotube growth and simultaneously manipulating the nanotube properties by adding elements in minute amounts (such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur) that are different from carbon and the metal catalyst during the growth process. This procedure is shown to be capable of producing bamboo‐type morphologies, heterodoped carbon nanotubes, and Y‐junctions. This also represents a critical step toward tailoring properties and controlling nanotube architectures, thus promoting the development of novel materials with unusual electronic applications. The underlying formation mechanisms that lead to the observed structures and morphologies are elucidated using wide‐ranging electronic structure calculations that reveal the fundamentally different nature of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur during carbon nanotube growth. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Enacting classroom inquiry: Theorizing teachers' conceptions of science teaching
Authors: McDonald Scott , Songer Nancy Butler
Published: September 2008

Translating written curricular materials into rich, complex, learning environments is an undertheorized area in science education. This study examines two critical cases of teachers enacting a technology‐rich curriculum focused on the development of complex reasoning around biodiversity for fifth graders. Two elements emerged that significantly impact teacher enactment—their conceptions of authenticity (authentic learning/authentic science) and their view of science (descriptive/inferential). The results suggest that disentangling the common conflation of these two elements supports a broader definition of inquiry science teaching that is more sensitive to context and individual teacher enactment. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 92:973–993, 2008
Mainstreaming sustainable development in the OECD through indicators and peer reviews
Authors: Lehtonen Markku
Published: September 2008

The OECD sustainable development indicators are being used in the various OECD peer reviews so as to ‘mainstream’ sustainable development. This article examines the ways in which the sustainable development indicators in the OECD economic surveys and environmental performance reviews (EPRs) have been used, and the types of learning they have engendered in the reviewed countries. Largely because of the deficiencies in the process of designing the indicator framework, the sustainable development sections in the economic surveys in 2001–2004 failed to be sufficiently salient, credible and legitimate to the key stakeholders to have an appreciable impact. The EPRs have ‘empowered’ environmental authorities by legitimizing calls for stronger environmental policies, thereby generating government, social and policy learning. The EPRs will need to appeal to a broader range of stakeholders and thereby generate outside pressure. To do so, the EPRs should develop more standardized ‘process’ and ‘response’ indicators, allowing cross‐country comparisons. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Aggregate indicators in coastal policy making: potentials of the Trophic Index TRIX for sustainable considerations of eutrophication
Authors: Vascetta Manuela , Kauppila Pirkko , Furman Eeva
Published: September 2008

Sustainable development is one of the key concepts in coastal management, and indicators are widely considered to be suitable communicative and easy‐to‐use tools in providing environmental information for management. However, the applicability of aggregate indicators still needs examination and discussion. In this study the Trophic Index TRIX was applied in the northern Baltic Sea, an environment different from where it has been elaborated (the NW Adriatic Sea). The results of TRIX were in accordance with the general classification scheme of Finnish coastal waters. The results indicate that TRIX, like other aggregate indicators, is site dependent and needs to be calibrated to the conditions of the area in question. TRIX can provide useful information for decision‐making, but needs to be linked with other sources of information to draw a broader picture that is needed in adaptive management of coastal waters. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Assessing farm sustainability with the IDEA method – from the concept of agriculture sustainability to case studies on farms
Authors: Zahm Frédéric , Viaux Philippe , Vilain Lionel , Girardin Philippe , Mouchet Christian
Published: September 2008

The IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles or Farm Sustainability Indicators) is based on research work conducted since 1998 and is one way of giving practical expression to the concept of sustainable farms. Based on 41 sustainability indicators covering the three dimensions of sustainability, this method is designed as a self‐assessment tool not only for farmers but also for policy makers to support sustainable agriculture. The scientific approach is based on identifying three different scales of sustainability. The application of the IDEA method is illustrated using French case studies. Linking the IDEA method with the Farm Accounting Data Network is noted as an interesting possibility to assess the sustainability level of different farming systems. The conclusion is that there is not just one farm sustainability model, and therefore the indicators must be adapted to local farming before using the IDEA method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Platform‐independent profiling in a virtual execution environment
Authors: Binder Walter , Hulaas Jarle , Moret Philippe , Villazón Alex
Published: September 2008

Virtual execution environments, such as the Java virtual machine, promote platform‐independent software development. However, when it comes to analyzing algorithm complexity and performance bottlenecks, available tools focus on platform‐specific metrics, such as the CPU time consumption on a particular system. Other drawbacks of many prevailing profiling tools are high overhead, significant measurement perturbation, as well as reduced portability of profiling tools, which are often implemented in platform‐dependent native code. This article presents a novel profiling approach, which is entirely based on program transformation techniques, in order to build a profiling data structure that provides calling‐context‐sensitive program execution statistics. We explore the use of platform‐independent profiling metrics in order to make the instrumentation entirely portable and to generate reproducible profiles. We implemented these ideas within a Java‐based profiling tool called JP. A significant novelty is that this tool achieves complete bytecode coverage by statically instrumenting the core runtime libraries and dynamically instrumenting the rest of the code. JP provides a small and flexible API to write customized profiling agents in pure Java, which are periodically activated to process the collected profiling information. Performance measurements point out that, despite the presence of dynamic instrumentation, JP causes significantly less overhead than a prevailing tool for the profiling of Java code. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Designing electronic health records versus total digital health systems: A systemic analysis
Authors: Raghupathi Wullianallur , Kesh Someswar
Published: September 2008

To date, the digitization of health care typically has focussed simply and solely on electronic records for patients. Most systems are relational databases with a finite number of intra‐enterprise applications and are limited to in‐house use by health care facilities. Very few of these systems have realized fully functional, scalable, distribution capabilities, not to mention interoperability with external systems. This short‐sighted tendency to build large‐scale but restrictive automated systems that ignore the interactive nature of health care has resulted in limited operational success and acceptance. That said, this trend is not irreversible. Given the right circumstances, distributed, interoperable, digital health systems could emerge rapidly, offering both intra‐ and inter‐enterprise benefits. To succeed, the design of these so‐called total digital health systems (TDHSs) must be approached holistically, incorporating such properties of health care delivery systems as softness, openness, complexity, flexibility and generality. Because of the procedural nature of most electronic health record (EHR) applications now in use, traditional system approaches—such as the relational database model to application design—would be adequate for EHRs. This paper discusses the systemic nature of health care information systems and compares and contrasts the traditional EHR with TDHS. A soft systems methodology (SSM) is proposed for TDHS design. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Universal Architecture Description Framework
Authors: Grady Jeffrey O.
Published: September 2008

Currently software architecting commonly follows a pattern that is sufficiently different from the systems and hardware architecting pattern of work that it is unnecessarily difficult for management and system engineering people as well as hardware and software people to understand and correlate the two processes. This can lead to a frustrated acceptance on the part of management and systems people that the software people know what they are doing and can be left alone motivated by an inability to understand their methods. Obviously, the whole of the system must be brought under an effective integration, optimization, and management influence, not just the hardware aspects, especially since the hardware component is a decreasing subset in terms of cost and complexity. It is possible to reorder the software development pattern slightly to encourage improved hardware‐software integration and management visibility while simultaneously improving the software development process. A model is emerging from research and work activity that promises to supply system and software engineers with a complete model that will be comprehensively effective in transforming a problem space defined by a user community into a precise definition of the problem and solution spaces at the system level as well as throughout the lower tier levels, no matter the physical entities that the system solution will be composed of, including hardware, software, people and procedures, and facilities. In that there is no established name for the aggregate entity, the title Universal Architecting Description Framework has been selected to stretch across the application of the models in an integrated fashion as it could be applied on an unprecedented development program today. This paper offers one form combining unified modeling language (UML), system modeling language (SysML), and four artifacts from traditional structured analysis (TSA). Other UADF are possible and the author has covered two others in a new book by this title. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng
Enterprise scale portfolio analysis at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA)
Authors: Moynihan Richard A. , Reining Robert C. , Salamone Patricia P. , Schmidt Brian K.
Published: September 2008

This article describes an approach to modeling the value of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's investment options that was used to select portfolios of environmental observing systems that best satisfy NOAA's mission‐critical observing requirements at target budget constraints. We describe a portfolio analysis approach based on capability‐based performance measures that was developed to satisfy recent Government acquisition and planning regulations. The evaluation and selection methodology utilized a MITRE‐developed optimization tool called the Portfolio Analysis Machine or PALMA™. PALMA has been used at a variety of Government agencies to support selection of investment portfolios. Because of the detailed and extensive nature of the NOAA mission tree decomposition, we use a notional—and simpler—Search and Rescue mission to describe PALMA's capabilities in more detail. Finally, we provide some observations on results, including the impact on NOAA investment decisions, and lessons learned from the NOAA implementations of investment analysis and some future directions for this work. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng