bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative BOLD responses to epileptic spikes
Authors: Kobayashi Eliane , Bagshaw Andrew P. , Grova Christophe , Dubeau François , Gotman Jean
Published: September 2005

Simultaneous electroencephalogram/functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG‐fMRI) during interictal epileptiform discharges can result in positive (activation) and negative (deactivation) changes in the blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) signal. Activation probably reflects increased neuronal activity and energy demand, but deactivation is more difficult to explain. Our objective was to evaluate the occurrence and significance of deactivations related to epileptiform discharges in epilepsy. We reviewed all EEG‐fMRI studies from our database, identified those with robust responses (P= 0.01, with ≥5 contiguous voxels with a |t| > 3.1, including ≥1 voxel at |t| > 5.0), and divided them into three groups: activation (A = 8), deactivation (D = 9), and both responses (AD = 43). We correlated responses with discharge type and location and evaluated their spatial relationship with regions involved in the “default” brain state (Raichle et al. [2001]: Proc Natl Acad Sci 98:676–682]. Deactivations were seen in 52/60 studies (AD+D): 26 related to focal discharges, 12 bilateral, and 14 generalized. Deactivations were usually distant from anatomical areas related to the discharges and more frequently related to polyspike‐ and spike‐and‐slow waves than to spikes. The “default” pattern occurred in 10/43 AD studies, often associated with bursts of generalized discharges. In conclusion, deactivations are frequent, mostly with concomitant activation, for focal and generalized discharges. Discharges followed by a slow wave are more likely to result in deactivation, suggesting neuronal inhibition as the underlying phenomenon. Involvement of the “default” areas, related to bursts of generalized discharges, provides evidence of a subclinical effect of the discharges, temporarily suspending normal brain function in the resting state. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of Monodisperse Polymer Microspheres with Mercapto Groups and Their Application as a Stabilizer for Gold Metallic Colloid
Authors: Li Shuning , Yang Xinlin , Huang Wenqiang
Published: September 2005

Summary: Monodisperse polymer microspheres with functional mercapto groups on the surface were prepared from poly[(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)], poly(EGDMA‐co‐HEMA), microspheres successively through esterification of the active hydroxyl groups with acryloyl chloride to introduce carbon‐carbon double bonds and then the addition reaction of hydrogen sulfide to the double bond at pH 10–11. All of the polymer microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FT‐IR spectra. The mercapto‐functionalized polymer microspheres were utilized as a stabilizer for gold metallic colloids through coordination of the mercapto group on the polymer with gold metallic nanoparticles, which were prepared by the reduction of gold chloride trihydrate with sodium borohydride as the reductant. The size and morphology of the gold on the microspheres were determined to be of narrow dispersity (in the range 4–8 nm) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Preparation of mercapto‐modified polymer microspheres and their application as a stabilizer for gold metallic colloids.

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Preparation of mercapto‐modified polymer microspheres and their application as a stabilizer for gold metallic colloids.
Fluorinated Aromatic Polyamides and Poly(amide‐imide)s: Synthesis and Properties
Authors: Yang Chin‐Ping , Su Yu‐Yang
Published: September 2005

Summary: A CF3‐containing diamine, 4,4′‐bis(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)biphenyl (I), was synthesized from 4,4′‐biphenol and 2‐chloro‐5‐nitrobenzotrifluoride. The imide‐containing diacids (Va‐b and VIa‐l) were prepared by condensation reaction of amino acids, aromatic diamines and trimellitic anhydride. Then, a series of soluble aromatic polyamides (VIIa‐f) and poly(amide‐imide)s (VIIIa‐b and IXa‐l) were synthesized from diamine I with various aromatic diacids (IIa‐f) and the imide‐containing diacids (Va‐b and VIa‐l) via direct polycondensation with triphenyl phosphate and pyridine. Aromatic polyamides and poly(amide‐imide)s had inherent viscosities of 0.60–0.85 dL/g and 0.52–1.44 dL/g, respectively. All synthesized polymers showed excellent solubility in amide‐type solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N‐dimethylforamide and afford transparent and tough films by DMAc solvent casting. These polymer films had tensile strengths of 87–135 MPa, elongations to break of 8–22%, and initial moduli of 2.0–3.0 GPa. Glass transition temperature of these polymers were in the range of 259–317 °C, and the poly(amide‐imide)s had better thermal stability than aromatic polyamides. In comparison with the isomeric X series, the IX series exhibited less coloring and showed a lower b* (yellowness index) values than the corresponding IX series.

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Formation of Thermoresponsive Gold Nanoparticle/PNIPAAm Hybrids by Surface‐Initiated, Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in Aqueous Media
Authors: Kim Dong Jin , Kang Sung Min , Kong Bokyung , Kim Wan‐Joong , Paik Hyun‐jong , Choi Hyeon , Choi Insung S.
Published: September 2005

Summary: We investigated the formation of thermoresponsive gold nanoparticle/poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (AuNP/PNIPAAm) core/shell hybrid structures by surface‐initiated, atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP) in aqueous media and the effect of cross‐linking on the thermoresponsiveness of the AuNP/PNIPAAm hybrids. The disulfide containing an ATRP initiator was attached onto AuNPs and the monomer, NIPAAm, was polymerized from the surface of AuNPs in the absence or presence of a cross‐linker, ethylene diacrylate, in aqueous media at room temperature. The resulting brush‐type and cross‐linked AuNP/PNIPAAm hybrids were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and variable temperature dynamic light scattering.

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Surface Modification of Ceramic‐Supported Polyethersulfone Membranes by Interfacial Polymerization for Reduced Membrane Fouling
Authors: Chu Liang‐Yin , Wang Shu , Chen Wen‐Mei
Published: September 2005

Summary: This study reports a simple and effective route for the hydrophilic surface modification of ceramic‐supported polyethersulfone membranes by synthesizing a poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyamide composite thin surface layer with an interfacial polymerization method. The fabricated membranes were characterized with XPS, SEM, and contact angle measurements, and the effects of hydrophilic surface modification on the membrane flux and oil rejection in the treatment of oil‐in‐water (O/W) microemulsions were experimentally studied. All the characterizations and filtration results showed that, the hydrophilic surface modification was achieved successfully and consequently reduced the membrane fouling effectively. The presented route is valuable for developing robust membranes with a low level of membrane fouling in the separation of O/W microemulsions.

Hydrophilic surface modification resulted in enhanced membrane performance.

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Hydrophilic surface modification resulted in enhanced membrane performance.
The role of information in Uganda's reduction of HIV/AIDS prevalence: The Rakai Project and World Vision cases
Authors: Albright Kendra S. , Kawooya Dick
Published: September 2005

The spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa over the last two decades has seriously impaired the continent's health care services and overall welfare. Unlike other African nations, however, Uganda developed and implemented a unique approach to combating this problem, reducing HIV/AIDS infection rates from 18.5% in 1995 to 6.1% in 2000. In response to the AIDS pandemic, national policies were developed for an Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) strategy. This strategy provides goals for the dissemination of information from numerous partners of multisectoral organizations including government at all levels, non‐governmental organizations, including those that are faith‐based, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and others. This paper presents a case study of two organizations in the Rakai District of southwestern Uganda whose goal is to provide information and education, research, and services to communities with a large HIV/AIDS population. The Rakai Project and World Vision have contributed toward the establishment of a community network that interfaces with the District government in order to facilitate the flow of both internal and external information to the organizations. This provides a conduit for current information to reach those most affected, which is believed to be one factor in the overall success of Ugandan HIV/AIDS intervention policy.
Contribution of information professionals in the multidisciplinary world of web information systems (WIS)
Authors: Dufour Christine , Bergeron Pierrette
Published: September 2005

This paper presents the results from an analysis of the tasks of information professionals pertaining to Web information systems (WIS). This research was based on information professionals working in seven departments of the Canadian federal government. This study offers a better understanding of the information professionals' role in WIS, in the context of an organization heading toward becoming “digital”. A qualitative content analysis was completed on the basis of 32 interviews conducted with information professionals involved in WIS. The results indicate that information professionals are performing tasks that can be grouped in four categories–content, technology, users, graphic interface. The predominant tasks are those related to the content, although the technological tasks and the WIS management task are also very present. Three factors were identified that have an impact on the involvement of information professionals in WIS: (1) the types of WIS, (2) the organizational levels represented by WIS, and (3) the types of positions filled by the information professionals.
The UNDP: From a hierarchy to an information based network organization
Authors: Holohan Anne
Published: September 2005

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has, since 1999, been undergoing a restructuring and a transformation from a hierarchical bureaucratic organization to a flatter, more flexible, information based network organization. A Business Re‐engineering Team has been established, which is overseeing three organization‐wide information technology based projects. One of these is a Portal, an electronic gateway to all the information within the UNDP, which had its initial ‘roll‐out’ in June 2002. This paper examines the facilitating and obstructing factors to the success of this project. By extension, I illuminate the facilitating and obstructing factors to the ongoing transformation to a network organization of the UNDP, and indeed the United Nations as a whole.
Information in the Namibian national liberation struggle (1966–1989): Applying a model
Authors: Sturges Paul
Published: September 2005

The Namibian liberation struggle against South African rule, 1966–1990, can be looked at as an information war rather than a military conflict. The author has previous elaborated a model that incorporates information and communication activity by both contestants in such struggles, at their command centres, in the field and in the media. Here, the Namibian struggle is used to examine the capacity of the model to assist in explaining the outcomes of the conflict. Using published sources and printed archive material, the range of information inputs, the incidence of suppression of information and information outputs are set out in the pattern provided by the model. This shows how both sides used covert intelligence gathering, secret communication, propaganda and disinformation, accompanied by censorship and the suppression of critical comment by force to further their political/military aims. The liberation movement won the information and communication struggle and was, in consequence, ultimately victorious despite South Africa's military superiority. The model exposes the way in which this came about with particular clarity.
Evaluation of a statewide collaborative chat‐based reference service: Approaches and directions
Authors: Pomerantz Jeffrey , McClure Charles R.
Published: September 2005

The State Library of North Carolina recently launched an 18‐month pilot of a collaborative statewide chat‐based virtual reference service, for which the authors have been contracted as program evaluators. The primary evaluation question motivating this pilot program is: “Is collaborative virtual reference an effective way to meet the information needs of North Carolinians?” This paper describes the evaluation plan, the methodologies, and the data analyses that will be employed to answer the evaluation question. The paper also describes some preliminary findings from one of the libraries participating in the service and currently offering chat‐based virtual reference service.
The institutional dimension of document quality judgments
Authors: Bai Bing , Ng Kwong Bor , Sun Ying , Kantor Paul , Strzalkowski Tomek
Published: September 2005

In addition to relevance, there are other factors that contribute to the utility of a document. For examples, content properties likedepth of analysisandmultiplicity of viewpoints, and presentational properties likereadabilityandverbosity, all will affect the usefulness of a document. These kinds of relevance‐independent properties are difficult to determine, as their estimations are more likely to be affected by personal aspects of one's knowledge structure. Reliability of judgments on those properties may decrease when one moves from the personal level to the global level. In this paper, we report several experiments on document qualities. In our experiments, we explore the correlation of judgments on nine different document qualities to see if we can generate fewer dimensions underlying the judgments. We also investigate the issue of reliability of the judgments and discuss its theoretical implications. We find that, between the global level of agreement of judgment and the inter‐personal level of agreement of judgment, there is an intermediate level of agreement, which can be characterized as an inter‐institutional level.
Relevance judges' understanding of topical relevance types: An explication of an enriched concept of topical relevance
Authors: Huang Xiaoli , Soergel Dagobert
Published: September 2005

Despite the centrality of topical relevance in information retrieval system design and evaluation, understanding and implementation of it is usually limited to “direct overall topical matching” between the subject of the query and the subject of the document. The underlying assumption is that only a single type of topical relationship is involved. In related work, a relevance judgment instrument was developed for the Multilingual Access to Large Spoken ArCHives project (MALACH). It incorporates the five topical relevance types (direct relevance, indirect/circumstantial relevance, context relevance, comparison relevance, and pointer relevance) and was applied by four judges to items in the MALACH test collection in Summer 2003. This paper reports on the experiences and perceptions of the judges making more nuanced judgments about topical relevance. The results suggest that more than only one variable/dimension, “whether it is on topic” as usually referred to, contributes to topical relevance, and more than a single topical relationship type, “direct matching” as generally assumed, play an important role in topical relevance.
Effect of task on time spent reading as an implicit measure of interest
Authors: Kellar Melanie , Watters Carolyn , Duffy Jack , Shepherd Michael
Published: September 2005

Information Filtering systems learn user preferences either through explicit or implicit feedback. However, requiring users to explicitly rate items as part of the interface interaction can place a large burden on the user. Implicit feedback removes the burden of explicit user ratings by transparently monitoring user behavior such as time spent reading, mouse movements and scrolling behavior. Previous research has shown that task may have an impact on the effectiveness of some implicit measures. In this work we report both qualitative and quantitative results of an initial study examining the relationship between user time spent reading and relevance for three web search tasks: relevance judgment, simple question answering and complex question answering. This study indicates that the usefulness of time spent as a measure of user interest is related to task and is more useful for more complex web search tasks. Future directions for this research are presented.
The cultural influences of information flow at work: Manager information behavior documented
Authors: Mackenzie Maureen L.
Published: September 2005

This empirical study is the third in a series and builds on the results of two previous studies presented at the 2002 and 2003 ASIST Annual Meetings. It focuses on the information behaviors of line‐managers. One‐on‐one interviews were conducted with practicing line‐managers from a senior leadership team. Content analysis was used to draw the themes from the interview data. The results revealed that the internal information network was comprised of individual managers who served as information sources for each other. Reciprocity was the norm and power was the reward. Overall, the results of this study offer a different perspective of the social and cultural politics of information flow. Also information theorists and organizational leadership may gain a broader perspective of how closely integrated the flow of information is with the relationships among interacting managers.
Measuring the affective information environment of web searchers
Authors: Nahl Diane
Published: September 2005

Information seeking research and theory is focusing increasingly on the role of affect in information behavior and how it influences cognitive operations. Affective variables that have been explored include need, preference, attitude, task motivation, expected and felt effort, uncertainty, self‐efficacy, optimism, relevance, satisfaction, and acceptance of or loyalty to the system. This study gives operational definitions for measuring several affective variables in the form of rating scales filled out by college students at the beginning and end of weekly Web search sessions throughout a semester. Intercorrelations and ANOVA analyses showed that there is a dynamic and coherent interaction among these affective variables. It is shown that the affective environment of searchers can be monitored objectively and continuously by means of such measures. A new concept termed “affective load” is introduced and defined, along with “user coping skills” which can counteract and reduce the negative effects of uncertainty, frustration, anxiety, irritation and rage during searching.
Survey of learners' knowledge structures: Rationales, methods and instruments
Authors: Wang Peiling , Bales Stephen , Rieger Jason , Zhang Yan
Published: September 2005

How human beings organize knowledge and to what extent individuals' organizational structures overlap are important research questions in cognitive science (Lakoff, 1987) as well as in information science (Ingwersen, 1992). Effective IR principles can be derived from the understanding of human knowledge organizational structures. This project explores a field study design to observe learners' organization of concepts of a subject domain during a course of learning. The purpose of the study is two‐fold: (1) to investigate how learners build and organize concepts learned along the process and (2) to design data collection methods and instruments. The project is carried out in two introductory information science courses as two studies. The ultimate goal is also two‐fold: (1) to facilitate learning in introductory courses by adopting metacognitive tools and (2) to advance information retrieval by incorporating effective knowledge structures into IR systems.
A learning approach to the database selection problem in the presence of dynamic user interests and database contents
Authors: Bajracharya Pooja , Mukhopadhyay Snehasis
Published: September 2005

Database Selection is the problem of choosing, from a finite number of databases, the one that contains the most relevant information pertaining to a query. Previous approaches to this problem consisted of deterministic search techniques in conjunction with efficient pruning of search spaces, based on vector space model and ranking. In this article, we propose a new probabilistic search method, based on a reinforcement learning algorithm, to solve the database selection problem, where an agent learns to map situations to action by means of receiving reward and penalties for the action taken and trying to maximize its rewards. We use reinforcement algorithm with user feedback to learn a policy, which maps a particular topic or particular interest to a set of databases. Reinforcement learning is an attractive approach to this problem due to its ability to generate optimal solutions for both stationary and non‐stationary/dynamically changing environments(queries). Experiments with simple queries show that reinforcement learning has potential to be considered as an efficient approach for database selection.
How can IR help mechanisms be more helpful to users?
Authors: Cool Colleen , Xie Hong (Iris)
Published: September 2005

The Help system is often the only resource that users can consult when they are faced with problems associated with the use of IR systems of all types, including web search engines, digital libraries, online databases, and other systems. Despite the importance of Help systems in interactive IR, people use this resource infrequently, for a variety of reasons that are not fully understood. In this paper we report results of a study designed to investigate users' perceptions of the overall importance of IR Help systems; the frequency with which they use them; evaluations of the helpfulness of various Help functions; and reasons for not using Help systems at all. Fifty participants completed a self‐administered questionnaire which contained structured and open‐ended questions about IR Help systems, along with other background questions about the respondents.

Results of this study reveal that respondents perceive IR Help systems to be important; yet, they use them rarely or infrequently. Many of the Help mechanisms are not very useful in enabling users to effectively interact with IR systems. Based upon an analysis of the open‐ended answers to questions about why help systems are helpful or not, we identify major areas in which Help systems need improvement if they are to improve IR interaction.
An approach to document clustering based on system relevance
Authors: Desai Monica , Spink Amanda
Published: September 2005

Search engines fail to make a clear distinction between items of varying relevance when presenting search results to users. Instead, they rely on the user of the system to estimate which items are relevant, partially relevant, or not relevant. The user of the system is given the tedious task of distinguishing between documents that are relevant to different degrees. This often hinders the accessibility of relevant or partially relevant documents, particularly when the results set is large and many non‐relevant documents are scattered throughout the set. In this paper, we present the results of a clustering scheme that groups documents within relevant, partially relevant, and not relevant clusters for a given search. A ranking algorithm accomplishes the task of clustering the documents based on system relevance. Data was collected from end‐users issuing categorical, interval, and descriptive relevance judgments. The degree of overlap between users and the system for each of the clustered regions was measured. This research showed that clustering documents on the Web by regions of relevance is quite feasible.
The visual indexing vocabulary: Developing a thesaurus for indexing images across diverse domains
Authors: Jörgensen Corinne
Published: September 2005

This paper reports progress in developing a thesaurus for indexing images from diverse domains using non‐specialist terminology. The foundation for the vocabulary is a series of research inquiries into user description of images in relation to different tasks. It discusses problems with current thesauri for indexing visual materials and the evolution of the vocabulary from a class project to a tool for annotation for the purpose of performing ground‐truth judgments in a benchmarking system. Methods for adding terminology and structuring the thesaurus are discussed, as are considerations that relate to term specificity, and the size and structure of the thesaurus. Unique aspects of visual indexing include problems of scale in relation to meaning and the unbounded nature of visual ontology, requiring a flexible approach to developing a visual indexing vocabulary (VIV).
Implementing an ontology‐based knowledge management system in the Korean financial firm environment
Authors: Kim Hyun Hee , Young Rieh Soo , Ahn Tae Kyoung , Chang Woo Kwon
Published: September 2005

This paper reports one part of a larger research project that designs and implements an ontology‐based knowledge management system which makes knowledge assets intelligently accessible to Korean financial firms. The research develops an ontology model consisting of an information ontology, a competency ontology, a product ontology, and a knowledge map. This paper introduces the ontology model by illustrating the four components and reports on the implementation and evaluation of the information ontology for the searching of web resources. Based on the content analysis of eight international bank web sites, a pilot system of information ontology for web resources consisting of Publication, Project, Member, Person, and Organization was constructed. The pilot system includes databases and ontology‐based search engines. To evaluate the pilot system, a comparative experiment was conducted in which the performance of an ontology‐based system was compared with that of web search engines. The results indicate that the ontology‐based system can be used not only to improve precision but also to reduce search time.
Neural network applications for automatic new topic identification on excite web search engine data logs
Authors: Özmutlu H. Cenk , Çavdur Fatih , Özmutlu Seda , Spink Amanda
Published: September 2005

The analysis of contextual information in search engine query logs is an important, yet difficult task. Users submit few queries, and search multiple topics sometimes with closely related context. Identification of topic changes within a search session is an important branch of contextual information analysis. The purpose of this study is to propose a topic identification algorithm using neural networks. A sample from the Excite data log is selected to train the neural network and then the neural network is used to identify topic changes in the data log. As a result, 76% of topic shifts and 92% of topic continuations are identified correctly.
Bringing together children and books: An initial descriptive study of children's book searching and selection behavior in a digital library
Authors: Reuter Kara , Druin Allison
Published: September 2005

This study describes how elementary school students search for and select books using a digital library. This work was done as part of the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) project in order to explore and discover new directions for the development of digital library interfaces for children ages 3–13. Children used two versions of the ICDL software to search for, select, and read books. We performed a frequency analysis of the number of queries run, books selected, and books opened, and compared book selection rates and book opening rates. Popular query categories and titles selected are tallied. We found differences in book searching and selection behavior, query category preferences, and titles accessed by gender and age and no differences by software version.
Adjectives as indicators of subjectivity in documents
Authors: Rittman Robert , Wacholder Nina , Kantor Paul , Ng Kwong Bor , Strzalkowski Tomek , Sun Ying
Published: September 2005

The goal of this research is to automatically predict human judgments of document qualities such as subjectivity, verbosity and depth. In this paper, we explore the behavior of adjectives as indicators of subjectivity in documents. Specifically, we test whether a subset of automatically derived subjective adjectives (Wiebe, 2000b), selected a priori, behaves differently than other adjectives. 3,200 documents were ranked by 100 subjects as being high or low in nine document qualities (Tang, Ng, Strzalkowski, & Kantor, 2003). We report a statistically significant correlation between the occurrence of adjectives in documents and human judgments of subjectivity. More importantly, we find that the subset of subjective adjectives is more strongly correlated with subjectivity than adjectives in general. These results can be used to identify document qualities for use in information retrieval and question‐answering systems.
Free sorting of images: Attributes used for categorization
Authors: Rorissa Abebe , Hastings Samantha K.
Published: September 2005

Categorization is crucial to human perception and cognition. Without the abilities to categorize, people would not be able to deal with the multitude of things they perceive daily. Past research has shown that categorization also facilitates effective and efficient browsing of both text and image documents especially when users have no specific document in mind but only some idea of what they are looking for. However, the question of what types of attributes should be used to index categories/groupings of images is not fully answered. Knowledge about how people categorize images and assign names to categories may provide some clues to help answer this question. Results of this free sorting study, as well as other research on the nature of categorization and search requests by image users, point to the fact that interpretive attributes are better candidates than perceptual attributes for indexing categories/groupings of images.
Issues in the development of a thesaurus for patients' chief complaints in the emergency department
Authors: Haas Stephanie W. , Travers Debbie A.
Published: September 2005

When a patient visits the Emergency Department (ED), the reason the patient is seeking care is recorded as the Chief Complaint (CC). Beyond its role in the patient's care, there is interest in the CC for secondary uses. Clinicians and epidemiologists can use CC for research. ED clinicians and administrators incorporate CC data into quality monitoring and improvement efforts. Public health officials can use it as data for health surveillance. But there is no controlled vocabulary for recording CC, or standard for a CC component in the patient record. Travers (2003) completed a crucial first step toward the creation of a thesaurus for CC by analyzing a corpus of CCs to determine the nature of the language used by triage nurses, and the concepts that were expressed. Her analysis also illuminated many issues concerning the content and structure of a CC thesaurus that must be discussed before the thesaurus can be developed. Using Cimino's 1998 article, “Desiderata for Controlled Medical Vocabularies in the Twenty‐First Century”, as a framework, we discuss these issues and the resulting decisions that the thesaurus development team, along with other stakeholders, will encounter.
Integrating log‐based and text‐based methods towards automatic web thesaurus construction
Authors: Pu Hsiao‐Tieh , Chien Lee‐Feng
Published: September 2005

This paper presents an approach to investigating the possibility for constructing an automatic and scalable thesaurus based on Web users' vocabularies with search interests. The proposed approach mainly includes two techniques, namely, relevant term extraction and concept ciustering. The former combines query‐session‐based and text‐based methods to extract relevant terms for a given search term; and the latter organizes these relevant terms into concept classes based on the search results from search engines. Some initial experiments have been conducted to test feasibility of the proposed approach to organizing Web users' vocabularies. The obtained results show that relevant terms could be extracted efficiently and concept classes be more well organized. The approach has a great potential to benefit the automatic construction of a (arge scale thesaurus for future Web IR applications.
Social informatics: A rubric with an identity crisis?
Authors: Cronin Blaise , Blair David , Day Ron , Davenport Elisabeth , Eschenfelder Kristin
Published: September 2005

“A serviceable working conception of social informatics is that it identifies a body of research that examines the social aspects of computerization. A more formal definition is “the interdisciplinary study of the design, uses and consequences of information technologies that takes into account their interaction with institutional and cultural contexts” (Kling, 1999).
Scattering relations for point‐source excitation in chiral media
Authors: Athanasiadis Christodoulos , Berketis Nikolaos
Published: September 2005

A spherical electromagnetic wave propagating in a chiral medium is scattered by a bounded chiral obstacle which can have any of the usual properties. Reciprocity and general scattering theorems, relating the scattered fields due to scattering of waves from a point source put in any two different locations are established. Applying the general scattering theorem for appropriate locations and polarizations of the point source we prove an associated forward scattering theorem. Mixed scattering relations, relating the scattered fields due to a plane wave and the far‐field patterns due to a spherical wave, are also established. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Frequency of high‐risk use of QT‐prolonging medications
Authors: Allen LaPointe Nancy M. , Curtis Lesley H. , Chan K. Arnold , Kramer Judith M. , Lafata Jennifer Elston , Gurwitz Jerry H. , Raebel Marsha A. , Platt Richard
Published: September 2005

Purpose

Prolongation of the QT interval has been associated with increased risk of torsades de pointes and death. Concurrent use of more than one QT‐prolonging drug or a QT‐prolonging drug with a drug that alters its pharmacokinetic profile is an important risk factor for adverse outcomes.

Methods

Using a representative sample of 2 million health plan members from 10 health maintenance organizations with pharmacy benefits between January 1999 and July 2001, we identified potential drug interactions involving QT‐prolonging medications. Prescription claims overlapping by at least 7 days for either 2 or more QT‐prolonging drugs or a QT‐prolonging drug with a drug that alters its clearance were considered potential drug interactions. We determined the number of drug interactions overall and the number of these interactions involving patients with other risk factors for torsades de pointes.

Results

A total of 48 465 potential drug interactions were identified in 10 415 (4.6%) of the 228 550 patients with at least one prescription for a QT‐prolonging drug. Amitriptyline was involved in 37 859 (78.1%) of the drug interactions. Of all potential drug interactions, 43 689 (90.1%) occurred in patients with at least one other risk factor for torsades de pointes, and 1053 (2.2%) were listed as a contraindicated combination in product labeling.

Conclusion

Potential drug interactions involving currently marketed QT‐prolonging drugs occurred in 4.6% of patients who had a prescription for a QT‐prolonging medication. The findings suggest several areas for targeted interventions to decrease the potential risk from QT‐prolonging medications. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive amphiphilic block copolymers incorporating a poly(ethylene oxide‐stat‐propylene oxide) block
Authors: Aubrecht Katherine B. , Grubbs Robert B.
Published: September 2005

Amphiphilic BuO‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐block‐PLA‐OH diblock and MeO‐PEO‐block‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐block‐PLA‐OH triblock copolymers incorporating thermoresponsive poly(ethylene oxide‐stat‐propylene oxide) (PEO‐stat‐PPO) blocks were prepared by ring‐opening polymerization of lactide (LA) initiated by macroinitiators formed from treating BuO‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐OH and MeO‐PEO‐block‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐OH with AlEt3. MeO‐PEO‐block‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐OH was prepared by coupling MeO‐PEO‐OH and HO‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐OH, followed by chromatographic purification. The cloud points of 0.2% aqueous solutions are between 36 and 46 °C for the diblock copolymers that contain a 50 wt % EO thermoresponsive block and 78 °C for the triblock copolymer that contains a 75 wt % EO thermoresponsive block. Variable temperature 1H NMR spectra recorded on D2O solutions of the diblock copolymers display no PLA resonances below the cloud point and fairly sharp PLA resonances above the cloud point, suggesting that desolvation of the thermoresponsive block increases the miscibility of the two blocks. Preliminary characterization of the micelles formed in aqueous solutions of BuO‐(PEO‐stat‐PPO)‐block‐PLA‐OH conducted using laser scanning confocal microscopy and pulsed gradient spin echo NMR point to significant changes in the size of the micellar aggregates as a function of temperature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5156–5167, 2005
Inelastic light scattering of hydrogen containing open‐cage fullerene ATOCF
Authors: Rafailov P. M. , Thomsen C. , Bassil A. , Komatsu K. , Bacsa W.
Published: September 2005

The cover picture of the current issue refers to the Rapid Research Letter by Rafailov et al. [1]. The article presents Raman measurements on Aza‐Thia Open‐Cage Fullerene (ATOCF) containing hydrogen molecules. The authors analyze the spectral bands of empty and H2‐filled ATOCF and compare them with Raman spectra of pristine C60. The picture shows a C60‐derived open‐cage fullerene hosting an H2 molecule.

The first author Peter Rafailov works on Raman spectroscopy of C60 crystals and intercalated compounds as well as on carbon nanotubes. He focuses on spectroelectrochemistry and on electron–phonon coupling. He holds a permanent position at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Analysis of acetylcholine and choline in microdialysis samples by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Uutela Päivi , Reinilä Ruut , Piepponen Petteri , Ketola Raimo A. , Kostiainen Risto
Published: September 2005

A sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI‐MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of acetylcholine and choline in microdialysis samples. A Ringer's solution that contains high (150 mM) concentrations of inorganic salts was used to extract acetylcholine and choline from a rat or mouse brain. The separation of acetylcholine, choline, an internal standard acetyl‐β‐methylcholine, endogenous compounds and inorganic cations was achieved with hydrophilic interaction chromatography using a diol column. The eluent consisted of 20 mM ammonium formate (pH 3.3) and acetonitrile (20:80) which is favourable for the ESI process. Limits of detection (signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio = 3) of 0.02 nM (0.2 fmol) for acetylcholine and 1 nM (10 fmol) for choline were observed using standards diluted in Ringer's solution. A good linearity was obtained from the limit of quantitation: 0.1 nM (S/N ratio = 10) to 50 nM (r = 0.999) for acetylcholine and within the concentration range of 100–3500 nM (r = 0.998) for choline. The between‐day repeatability of the method was good; RSD was 3.1% at 1 nM level of acetylcholine and 3.5% at 1000 nM level of choline. The recoveries for addition of 1 or 2.5 nM acetylcholine and 0.2 or 1 µM choline in microdialysis balancing samples were between 93 and 101% indicating that no suppressing endogenous compounds were co‐eluting with acetylcholine or choline. The developed method was applied to the analysis of microdialysis balancing samples collected from rat and mouse brains. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Behavioral profiles of the captive juvenile whooping crane as an indicator of post‐release survival
Authors: Kreger Michael D. , Hatfield Jeff S. , Estevez Inma , Gee George F. , Clugston David A.
Published: September 2005

Predation by bobcats (Lynx rufus) is the major cause of mortality in captive‐reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) released into the wild to establish a nonmigratory flock in Florida. This study investigated whether rearing methods (parent‐rearing, hand‐rearing, or hand‐rearing with exercise) of cranes, and behaviors observed in birds either before or shortly after release in the wild, are associated with survival after release. Rearing methods did not affect survival first year post‐release, which was 55 ±8% in 2 yr (1999 and 2000). Logistic regression revealed, however, that foraging bouts (+), walking bouts (−), and body weight (−) before release, and nonvigilant bouts (−) after release were significantly associated with survival. These results suggest that post‐release survival of whooping cranes might be increased by rearing techniques that promote foraging. Zoo Biol 0:1–14, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Verification of a sliding window protocol in
μ
CRL and PVS
Authors: Badban Bahareh , Fokkink Wan , Groote Jan Friso , Pang Jun , Pol Jaco van de
Published: September 2005

We prove the correctness of a sliding window protocol with an arbitrary finite window size
n
and sequence numbers modulo 2
n
. The correctness consists of showing that the sliding window protocol is branching bisimilar to a queue of capacity 2
n
. The proof is given entirely on the basis of an axiomatic theory, and has been checked in the theorem prover PVS.
Effects of the ecological conditions on morphological variations of the green toad, Bufo viridis, in Turkey
Authors: Kutrup Bilal , Bulbul Ufuk , Yilmaz Nurhayat
Published: September 2005

Ten populations of the green toad, Bufo viridis, from three areas having different climatic regimes were compared. Multivariate analyses of morphological characteristics revealed three distinct populations of green toads: the first group inhabiting the lowland and humid localities was characterized by a small body size, the second group occurred at higher altitudes and in desert areas had a significantly larger body size, while the third group from the Mediterranean localities was characterized by a large tympanum, a longer tarsus and short first toes. Interestingly, the specimens from Giresun Island were clustered with the second group with a similar pattern of body size. Differences in the morphological characteristics among populations were positively associated with ecological conditions, and not with geographic distance. Some characteristics previously used for taxonomic purposes in B. viridis were shown to be associated with local climatic conditions.
Delinquency in male adolescents: The role of alexithymia and family structure
Authors: Zimmermann Grégoire
Published: September 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine the linkages between alexithymia and delinquency in male adolescents (age ranging from 14 to 18 years), and to investigate whether alexithymia was a good discriminatory factor for juvenile delinquency. Thirty‐six offender adolescents and 46 non‐offender control adolescents participated in the study and completed the 20‐item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‐20) (alexithymia), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (R‐CMAS) (anxiety), the Liste d’Adjectifs Bipolaires et en Echelles de Likert (LABEL) (personality—Big Five) and demographic data. Findings revealed that the adolescents of the offender group scored high on alexithymia and that proportion of disrupted family structure in the offender group is higher than in the control group. Logistic regressions confirmed that alexithymia and family structure are the strongest discriminatory factors for juvenile delinquency. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.
Effect of different ventilation regimens on ewes' milk and Canestrato Pugliese cheese quality in summer
Authors: Albenzio Marzia , Santillo Antonella , Caroprese Mariangela , Marino Rosaria , Centoducati Pasquale , Sevi Agostino
Published: September 2005

The influence of three different ventilation regimens on air pollution in sheep houses and on the quality of ewe milk and of Canestrato Pugliese cheese was investigated during the summer season. The experimental treatments were low ventilation regimen (VR=35 m3/h per ewe) split in 30-min ventilation cycles (LOV-30); moderate ventilation regimen (VR=70 m3/h per ewe) split in 30-min ventilation cycles (MOV-30); moderate ventilation regimen (VR=70 m3/h per ewe) split in 60-min ventilation cycles (MOV-60). The LOV-30 milk had higher microbial load and bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) and resulted in a weaker casein matrix in the curd compared with the MOV-30 and MOV-60 treatments. At 45 d of ripening, the LOV-30 cheeses had a lower casein content and higher non-casein nitrogen (NCN) and water-soluble nitrogen (WSN) contents than the MOV-30 and MOV-60 cheeses. Urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (urea-PAGE) of the pH 4·6-soluble N extract showed that the MOV-60 cheeses had fewer bands derived from casein (CN) hydrolysis than the LOV-30 or MOV-30 cheeses, despite its having exhibited the highest plasmin (PL) activity levels. Our results suggest that the ventilation regimen is critical in dairy sheep housing for optimizing the hygienic quality of ewe milk and the proteolytic processes occurring in Canestrato Pugliese cheese during ripening.
Calcium-enriched casein phosphopeptide stimulates release of IL-6 cytokine in human epithelial intestinal cell line
Authors: Kitts David D , Nakamura Soichiro
Published: September 2005

Phosphopeptides derived from digests of milk casein possess bioactive properties with gastrointestinal, immunological, vasoregulatory and nutritional activities (Clare & Swaisgood, 2000; Kitts & Weiler, 2003). Products of tryptic digestion of casein, yielding caseinphosphopeptides (CPP), bind to divalent minerals such as iron and calcium by ionic interactions that involve phosphoseryl residues (Kitts & Yuan, 1992; Aìt-Oukhartar, 2000). Distribution of phosphoserine moieties varies with the individual native caseinates, and the extent of phosphorylation directly influences CPP mineral binding affinity (e.g. αs2>, αs1>β-caseins). The anionic pentapeptide (SerP-SerP-SerP-Glu-Glu) is the distinctive feature for the major fractions of casein phosphopeptides (CPP) characterized both in vitro and in vivo. Common CPP derived from tryptic digests of whole bovine casein in vitro include, β-casein-4P (1–25), αs1-casein-5P (59–79), αs2-casein-4P (1–21) and αs2-casein-4P (46–70) (Kitts & Kwong, 2004).
A SspI PCR-RFLP detecting a silent allele at the goat CSN2 locus
Authors: Cosenza Gianfranco , Pauciullo Alfredo , Gallo Daniela , Berardino Dino Di , Ramunno Luigi
Published: September 2005

The goat calcium-sensitive caseins (αs1, β and αs2) represent, over many years, an excellent model for demonstrating that the major part of the variability observed in the content of these proteins in goat milk is mostly due to the presence of autosomal alleles at single structural loci (CSN1S1, CSN2 and CSN1S2 respectively) clustered on a 200 kb segment of chromosome 6; furthermore, CSN1S1 and CSN2 are convergently transcribed and are only 12 kb apart (Rijnkels, 2002).