bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Activated sludge process monitoring through in situ near-infrared spectral analysis
Authors: Dias A. M. A. , Moita I. , Alves M. M. , Ferreira E. C. , Páscoa R. , Lopes J. A.
Published: June 2008

The application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for industrial process monitoring is achieving increasing importance over the last twenty years. In fact, the real time monitoring capacity of NIR spectroscopy is a very important feature for process monitoring, prediction and control as it allows a fast evaluation of the state of the process. However, the application of NIR spectroscopy in wastewater treatment processes is still to be explored. Although some applications of the technique for wastewater monitoring have been reported in the literature, there is still a need for more investigation related with applications, limitations and advantages of the technique when compared with other methods.

An activated sludge reactor for aerobic treatment of a complex medium was monitored in situ with a NIR transflectance probe and traditional chemical parameters analysed off-line. NIR spectrophotometric data measured at the feed, reactor and settler were coupled to principal component analysis (PCA) to infer about the ability of this monitoring system to detect changes in the feed influent. The analysis of the score plots resulting from PCA permitted to identify the moments at which the perturbations occurred and to follow the consequent instability induced in the reactor till the day where the system is recuperated. The promising results obtained, suggest the interest in more detailed studies on the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy as an alternative method for monitoring and control of wastewater treatment processes.
Development of a open-vessel single-stage respirometer
Authors: Marsili-Libelli S. , D'Ardes V. , Bondi C.
Published: June 2008

This paper describes the development and accuracy analysis of a single-stage respirometer which can be used both in the laboratory for wastewater characterization and in the plant as a process instrument. It is based on an accurate model of parasitic aeration, making the two-stage assumption unnecessary. Its operation is supervised by a real-time software, written in Lab View, managing the various measurement procedures and estimating the wastewater characteristics. Its accuracy is assessed through sensitivity and error propagation analysis, proving superior to the conventional model. A laboratory implementation of the instrument was tested with readily degradable substrate, yielding consistent and accurate respirograms.
Nitrogen speciation in wastewater treatment plant influents and effluents—the US and Polish case studies
Authors: Pagilla K. R. , Urgun-Demirtas M. , Czerwionka K. , Makinia J.
Published: June 2008

The fate of N species, particularly dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), through process trains of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was investigated. In this study, three fully nitrifying plants in Illinois, USA and biological nutrient removal (BNR) plants in northern Poland were sampled for N characterization in the primary and secondary effluents as a function of the particle size distribution. The correlations between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations were examined. The key findings are that DON becomes significant portion (about 20%) of the effluent N, reaching up to 50% of effluent total N in one of the Polish plants. The DON constituted 56–95% of total ON (TON) in the secondary effluents, whereas in the Polish plants the DON contribution was substantially lower (19–62%) and in one case (Gdansk WWTP) colloidal ON was the dominating fraction (62% of TON). The DOC to DON ratio in the US plants is significantly lower than that in the receiving waters indicating potential for deterioration of receiving water quality. In Polish plants, the influent and effluent C:N ratios are similar, but not in the US plants.
Runoff characteristics of highway pollutants based on a long-term survey through a year
Authors: Ichiki A. , Ido F. , Minami T.
Published: June 2008

Highway pollutants generated mainly from traffics are repeating accumulation, raise, drift and move on the highways. Some of them are removed by road cleanings done regularly, the others are flushed by stormwater into receiving water. The objectives of this study are to survey characteristics of the highway pollutants, and to quantify their behavior on the highways. The study area is a part of Meishin Expressway running through the main island of Japan. Surveys on pollutant runoff from the highway were done for all storm events through one year from December 2004 to November 2005. For the surveys, samples were collected by continuous water sampling during storm events. And chemical substances in each sample such as SS, TOC, TN, TP, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for each class of particle size were measured. Using the results of the survey, characteristics of pollutant runoff during storm events were examined. And it cleared the basic unit loads for the highway pollutants throughout a year. As a result, some significant knowledge for the environmental management of highway pollution has been obtained.
Sorption and high dynamics of micropollutants in sewers
Authors: Ort C. , Gujer W.
Published: June 2008

Down-the-drain household chemicals are mostly discharged intermittently (i.e. with water pulses, e.g. pharmaceuticals from toilet flushing) and well soluble micropollutants can, therefore, be subject to significantly high short-term fluctuations. It is not known how these fluctuations are attenuated by sorption to sewer sediments or biofilm. First, we investigated in this paper the effect of sorption for substances with high, medium and low affinity to particulate matter based on computational experiments. For substances with high Koc we found that the additional attenuation of a load pattern due to sorption is in the same order of magnitude as caused by dispersion in a typical main sewer. The mass flux between wastewater and the first biofilm layer was identified as the most sensitive parameter. Furthermore, the interplay of systematic, slow diurnal variations does not affect short-term fluctuations. Second, during rain events partial erosion of the biofilm can lead to increased micropollutant loads for substances with high Koc. This increase is in the same order of magnitude as diurnal variations of the loads in the liquid phase and the TSS.
Biomedical Applications of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Cheah Emily L.-C. , Koh Hwee-Ling
Published: June 2008

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has emerged as an important analytical tool in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Its sensitivity (up to attomole, 10-18 levels), precision, low sample requirements and the ability to trace a biomarker over a prolonged period of time are valuable attributes. Metabolomic, kinetic, toxicokinetic and dosimetric studies of various chemical molecules, at environmental exposure levels and physiologically relevant doses, using radioisotopes (e.g. 14C, 3H, 26Al and 41Ca) are possible. AMS has contributed significantly to the understanding of DNA-adduct formation in carcinogenesis and is finding new uses in the changing drug development paradigm where more researchers are turning to biomarkers to predict functional and clinical outcomes in patients. Microdosing and first-in-human studies are also breakthroughs spearheaded by the innovative use of AMS. Recent advances see AMS driven into fields of phytochemical and nutritional research as well as clinical diagnosis and disease state monitoring. As a result of the high initial costs and forbidding size, developments in equipment miniaturization and enhanced sample throughput seek to overcome these barriers. AMS is expected to present new and exciting opportunities in biomedical research as its breadth of applications continues to expand. This article provides an insight into the pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of AMS.
Electrochemical Reduction of NAP on the Glassy Carbon Electrodes Modified with Aromatic Diazonium Salts
Authors: Sadikoglu Murat , Solak Ali O. , Isiklan Muhammet , Kilic Zeynel
Published: June 2008

The electrochemical reduction of 4-{[(1E)-(2-hydroxynaphthyl)methylidene]amino}-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl- 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-one (NAP) was studied by using cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile media at a glassy carbon (GC) and modified GC electrodes. The GC electrodes were grafted by electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts of various organic molecules. GC surfaces modified with anthraquinone, p-nitrophenyl, p-aminophenyl, p-amino-N,Ndimethylphenyl and p-methoxyphenyl radicals were used to investigate the reduction behaviors of NAP. The effect of the modified glassy carbon electrodes on the reduction of NAP was studied as being related to the role of the electron donor or the electron acceptor groups on the phenyl ring attached to the surface. The compound NAP shows two reduction peaks in a cyclic voltammogram. These peaks were observed at – 2.1 V and – 2.7 V on the GC electrode surface. Also, the reduction peaks of NAP were obtained for all the modified electrodes studied. The p-methoxyphenyl modified GC electrode showed a significant increase in the rate of electron transfer at the reduction of NAP. The kinetics and the mechanism of the electrode process were simulated and some parameters were calculated using BAS Digi-Sim® software.
Experimental Design Techniques for Optimization of Analytical Methods.Part II: Spectroscopic and Electroanalytical Techniques
Authors: Bianchi Federica , Careri Maria
Published: June 2008

A review is presented on recent applications of experimental design and optimization techniques for the analysis of compounds of food, biomedical, toxicological and environmental concern. The main features and the significant advantages of chemometric approaches are discussed. Examples related to the determination of substances like xenobiotics, naturally occurring compounds and metals using different analytical techniques like inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources, voltammetry and other techniques are provided in this Part. The use of experimental design techniques for optimization of extraction techniques is also emphasized. This survey will attempt to cover the state-of-the-art from 2004 to 2006.
Visual identification of underwater objects using a ROV-type vehicle: "Graf Zeppelin" wreck investigation
Authors: Olejnik Commander
Published: June 2008

Visual identification of underwater objects using a ROV-type vehicle: "Graf Zeppelin" wreck investigation

The article presents a method of visual identification of underwater objects using a remotely controlled underwater ROV-type vehicle. The method was developed in the Department of Diving Technology and Underwater Activities, Polish Naval Academy, and was positively verified when identifying wrecks of such vessels as "General von Steuben", "Fryderyk Engels" and "Graf Zeppelin". The article gives a description of the method, illustrated by samples of its use for investigating the wreck of "Graf Zeppelin"
Classification of the underwater diving equipment
Authors: Kłos Ryszard
Published: June 2008

Classification of the underwater diving equipment

In this paper was presented, innovative in preparation of the diving apparatuses classification method, depend on three criteria: the kind of the breathing gas, the operational depth range of the diving apparatus, and the principle of operation. The breathing gas used is the most important criterion. The other basic classification criteria follow from the first one; therefore it should be treated as the one criterion. Such approach to the problem has never been presented before, however it seems to be correct method of the diving apparatuses division.
Laplace Expansion
Authors: Pak Karol , Trybulec Andrzej
Published: June 2008

Laplace Expansion

In the article the formula for Laplace expansion is proved.
Neutron Bragg Diffraction on a Bent Silicon Single Crystal Excited by Ultrasound
Authors: Raitman E. , Gavrilov V. , Brezgunov M. , Mjasiscev D.
Published: June 2008

Neutron Bragg Diffraction on a Bent Silicon Single Crystal Excited by Ultrasound

The neutron Bragg diffraction on a bent silicon monocrystal excited by ultrasound was investigated. It is shown that for perfect crystal the relative diffraction intensity is proportional to the acoustic wave amplitudew.The calibration parameters between the generator voltage and acoustic wave amplitude were derived assumingw= (2.3±0.3)·10-2Å/V. To explain the results, a modified Penning—Polder—Kato model was applied. In a bent crystal, owing to ultrasound, transitions between the sheets of a dispersion surface take place. This leads to various manifestations of the behaviour of the integral scattering intensity, which drastically differs from the case of a perfect crystal. The observed effects may be used for creating new types of neutron monochromators and choppers governed by the ultrasound wave amplitude as well as by the length and bending radius of the crystal.
Mid-Diaphyseal Fibular Fractures with Syndesmotic Disruption: Should We Plate the Fibula?
Authors: Ho Jason Y. , Ren Yupeng , Kelikian Armen , Aminian Arash , Charnley Iain , Zhang Li-Qun
Published: June 2008

Background: The treatment of mid-diaphyseal fibula fractures with syndesmotic disruption is controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of 2 fixation constructs. Materials and Methods: Eight pairs of human cadaveric legs were divided into two groups, both of which had midshaft fibular osteotomies and disruption of all ligamentous support up to the osteotomy level. In Group I, the left legs were fixed with only a 3.5-mm tricortical syndesmotic screw. In Group II, the right legs received this syndesmotic fixation in addition to plating of the fibula. Rotational stability was tested on each ankle in the intact, repaired, and post-cyclical load conditions. Each specimen was ultimately tested to failure in external rotation. Results: The rotational stability, load to failure, and stiffness were all found to be significantly higher with the plate and syndesmotic fixation repair technique (Group II) than with the syndesmotic fixation only technique (Group I). Furthermore, fixation in Group II improved rotational stability both before and after cyclic loading. Conclusion: Improved biomechanical properties were found with fibular plating in addition to a syndesmotic screw in a midshaft fibular fracture model with syndesmotic and deltoid injury. Clinical Relevance: This information may be helpful in the decision-making process to optimally treat patients with this fracture pattern.
Resisting Fortress Europe
Authors: Zontini Elisabetta
Published: June 2008

This article considers the political engagement used by Moroccan and Filipino women in Southern Europe. It argues that immigrant women should be seen as active subjects rather than passive victims who accept subordinate roles both in their families and in the societies where they have settled. In order to appreciate the kind of political agency migrant women deploy, the article suggests two preliminary steps: extending the definition of the political so as to incorporate power and inequalities beyond political institutions, and adopting a transnational perspective so as to include the social fields encompassing more than one country in which these women operate. The article goes on to describe the different ways in which the two groups of women negotiate their citizenship rights in Southern Europe, focusing especially on how they negotiate entrance and rights to settle and how they try to improve their living and working conditions.
A clash of histories
Authors: Leach Belinda
Published: June 2008

This article considers the confrontations between immigrant and non-immigrant workers in the workplace and the implications of these confrontations for workplace unity and class formation. Contributing to scholarship at the intersection of history, class, and migration, the article argues that workers bring to work histories that are constructed as oppositional. The roots of these oppositions lie in shared but different histories of dispossession and migration, masked by dominant cultural and class narratives, which privilege non-immigrant histories that are class-based, masculinist, and nationalist, and subordinate those of immigrants. In the process, neo-liberal agendas are bolstered. Questions of how such processes take place are important for understanding class formation within societies with large immigrant populations.
Migrants, mobilization, and the making of neo-liberal citizens in contemporary France
Authors: Lem Winnie
Published: June 2008

This article explores the implications of a neo-liberal transition to political activism among immigrants with small businesses. It focuses specifically on Chinese migrants in Paris who generally pursue livelihoods based on petty capitalism and who eschewed the mobilizations in France in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006. Drawing on Bourdieu's idea of habitus, the political and economic forces that influence the possibilities for contentiousness and compliance among different classes of French citizens are examined as they confront changes in citizenship regimes that accompany the transition to neo-liberalism. It is suggested that the ideologies of entrepreneurship and its practices are fostered by neo-liberal regimes as a means of integrating and creating model citizens, who accept rather than challenge the prevailing political order.
Neo-liberalism
Authors: Smith Neil
Published: June 2008

Some years ago Jürgen Habermas (1991) diagnosed modernism as dominant but dead. Neo- liberalism may still be in its youth, having come to fruition only after the 1970s, but it seems reasonable to conclude that neo-liberalism too is “dominant but dead.” The ferment of new ideas, however much they were simultaneously recycled axia from the earlier liberal tradition, reached its peak in the 1980s.
Power, politics, and places
Authors: Clarke John
Published: June 2008

I am delighted by the generous and critical engagement that Peter Little, Don Nonini, and Neil Smith have brought to my uneven and unsteady thoughts about neo-liberalism. I hope that this response maintains the tone and style of their thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. They all make examining the times and places of neoliberalism a central concern.
Development between nuance and neo-liberalism
Authors: Büscher Bram
Published: June 2008

David Mosse, Cultivating development: An ethnography of aid policy and practice. London: Pluto Press, 2005, 315 pp., 0-7453-1798-7.

Tania M. Li, The will to improve: Governmentality, development, and the practice of politics. Dur- ham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007, 374 pp., 0-8223-4027-0 (paperback).

Richard Sandbrook, Marc Edelman, Patrick Heller and Judith Teichman, Social democracy in the global periphery: Origins, challenges, prospects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007, 289 pp., 0-521-68687-7 (paperback).
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND HISTORY
Authors: Forrester John
Published: June 2008

For this journal, the question of the relation of psychoanalysis as a theory and practice to any theory and practice of history is of obvious interest. Is psychoanalysis a part of history, broadly construed? After all, Freud declared in 1901 that a goal of treatment, and also an index of its success, is the production of ‘an intelligible, consistent, and unbroken case history’. Can psychoanalysis ever be separated off from the requirements every historical enquiry must recognize and obey? In the first article in this issue, ‘Freud and history before 1905: from defending to questioning the theory of a glorious past’, Patricia Cotti undertakes a delicate and careful enquiry into the unintentionally concealed theme of Geschichte in Freud's early work. She allows the terms ‘story’, ‘history’, ‘case history’ and their relatives to become animated and destabilized in Freud's enquiry; she situates his historical project in the context of two different models of history influencing him: that of Schliemann and his archaeological digging and that of Burckhardt with his vision of cultural history.
1919: PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS, CAMBRIDGE AND LONDON — MYERS, JONES AND MACCURDY
Authors: Forrester John
Published: June 2008

Viewing the reception of psychoanalysis in Britain from Cambridge, the paper examines the intertwining histories of the post-War British Psychological Society and the founding of the British Psycho-Analytical Society, following the initiatives of the two principal psychological entrepreneurs of the era, Charles Myers and Ernest Jones. Reforms in Cambridge in which psychoanalysis played a significant part are analysed, including the foundation of a Clinic for Nervous Diseases and the establishment of a separate Department of Experimental Psychology. The career of J.T. MacCurdy, Jones's student and Lecturer in Psychopathology at Cambridge, is discussed.
Global Citizenship as the Completion of Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Cabrera Luis
Published: June 2008

A conception of global citizenship should not be viewed as separate from, or synonymous with, the cosmopolitan moral orientation, but as a primary component of it. Global citizenship is fundamentally concerned with individual moral requirements in the global frame. Such requirements, framed here as belonging to the category of individual cosmopolitanism, offer guidelines on right action in the context of global human community. They are complementary to the principles of moral cosmopolitanism — those to be used in assessing the justice of global institutions and practices — that have been emphasised by cosmopolitan political theorists. Considering principles of individual and moral cosmopolitanism together can help to provide greater clarity concerning individual duties in the absence of fully global institutions, as well as clarity on individual obligations of justice in relation to emerging and still-developing trans-state institutions.
The New Utopianism: Liberalism, American Foreign Policy, and the War in Iraq
Authors: Heinze Eric A.
Published: June 2008

This article explores the extent to which the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 coheres with the normative precepts of liberalism as an international political theory. Beginning with a Lockean liberal theory of the state, this article first examines the evolution of international liberalism in order to identify the fundamental normative postulates of liberal theory as it pertains to international relations, especially regarding the use of military force. The article then advances two interrelated arguments: First, that the underpinnings of the decision to invade Iraq embodied in the Bush Doctrine draw heavily from the liberal tradition, though still depart from it in important ways. Second, that the Bush Doctrine as manifested in the Iraq war reflects in many ways the liberal thinking that prevailed during the interwar years and is therefore susceptible to a similar charge of ‘utopianism’ that was leveled against interwar liberalism by E. H. Carr in his Twenty Years' Crisis.
Time-Dependent Effects on Coronary Remodeling and Epicardial Conductance after Intracoronary Injection of Enriched Hematopoietic Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Patients with Previous Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Vanderheyden Marc , Vercauteren Steven , Mansour Samer , Delrue Leen , Vandekerckhove Bart , Heyndrickx Guy R. , Van Haute Inge , De Bruyne Bernard , Timmermans Frank , Wijns William , Bartunek Jozef
Published: June 2008

Bone marrow (BM) cells may interact with coronary endothelium and modulate coronary atherosclerosis. We investigated the time course of coronary luminal loss and changes in conductance after intracoronary injection of enriched hematopoietic BM stem cells in patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI). Among 24 patients with acute MI, 13 were randomized to early (<7 days) and 11 to late (4 months) intracoronary injection of CD133+ cells after the infarction. Segmental quantitative coronary angiography and fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements of the infarct-related (IR) artery (A) and contralateral artery (control) were performed. In the early group, at 4 months, cumulative luminal loss (LL) of the minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of the IRA distal to the stented segment was −0.39 (−0.51−0.10) mm (p < 0.05 vs. control). There was no further change in LL between 4 and 8 months [−0.09 (−0.26−0.15) mm]. In parallel, FFR decreased at 4 months [−0.16 (−0.26−0.001), p < 0.05 vs. control] but slightly increased from 4 to 8 months follow-up [+0.05 (−0.10−0.09)]. In the late group, LL of the MLD of the IRA distal to the stented segments was −0.12 (—0.47−0.07) mm (NS vs. control) at 4 months and further −0.07 (−0.25−0.05) mm (NS) between 4 and 8 months. At 8 months, the total LL of the MLD in the early and late group was only slightly higher compared to control [−0.34 (−0.48—0.16), −0.36 (−0.69—0.09), and −0.12 (−0.39−0.05) mm, respectively, NS]. Early intracoronary administration of hematopoietic BM stem cells in patients with previous MI is associated with accelerated luminal loss and reduced conductance of the infarct-related artery.
Erythropoiesis stimulating agents are associated with reduced survival in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Katodritou Eirini , Verrou Evgenia , Hadjiaggelidou Christina , Gastari Vassiliki , Laschos Konstantinos , Kontovinis Loukas , Kapetanos Dimitrios , Constantinou Nikos , Terpos Evangelos , Zervas Konstantinos
Published: June 2008

The impact of erythropoiesis‐stimulating agent (ESA) on cancer patients' survival has recently become a matter of extensive discussion. Studies in solid tumors demonstrated that ESA adversely affects survival. This issue has not been sufficiently studied in patients with multiple myeloma. In this study, which included 323 multiple myeloma patients followed in our Institution between 1988 and 2007, we demonstrated by using a proportional hazards model including multiple covariates (age, LDH, Hb, platelets, serum creatinine, ISS score, β2 microglobulin, and ESA administration) that ESA administration is associated with reduced survival (hazards ratio: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.28–2.77). Anemia, which is considered a predictor for survival, platelets, serum creatinine, ISS score, and LDH, were not significant, whereas, age and β2 microglobulin confirmed their predicting value in the multivariate analysis. With a median follow‐up of 31 months (range 1–238), the median survival of patients in the ESA group was 31 months (95% CI: 25–37), whereas in the group without ESA administration it was 67 months (95% CI: 55–79) (P < 0.001). The median progression‐free survival for patients in the ESA group was 14 months (95% CI: 12–16), and for the group without ESA it was 30 months (95% CI: 24–36) (P < 0.001). These results indicate that ESA may have a detrimental impact on MM patients' outcomes and, thus, in this context, they should be used with rigorous criteria. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Am. J. Hematol., 2008.
Population growth and mass mortality of an estuarine fish, Acanthopagrus butcheri, unlawfully introduced into an inland lake
Authors: Smith Kimberley , Norriss Jeff , Brown Joshua
Published: June 2008

In 2006, two periods of hypoxia resulted in the death of approximately 35 tonnes of black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) in Lake Indoon, a small inland lake in Western Australia.

Acanthopagrus butcheri was the first fish species to be recorded in this lake, along with the mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) which was also observed during sampling in 2006. Acanthopagrus butcheri appears to have been introduced to Lake Indoon between 1998 and 2003 and formed a self‐sustaining population. It is believed to have been deliberately introduced for the purpose of creating a recreational fishery, despite the existence of substantial penalties for illegal translocation of fish in Western Australia.

Recent human‐induced environmental changes, including rising groundwater and salinization, have probably aided the establishment of both species in Lake Indoon. The importance of salinity to recruitment success by A. butcheri was indicated by the presence of only two age classes in 2006, with estimated recruitment dates coinciding with the years of highest recorded salinity in the lake.

The ‘fish kills’ provided an opportunity to examine aspects of A. butcheri biology in a relatively low salinity environment which is atypical for this estuarine species. In particular, the recruitment period in Lake Indoon was delayed until autumn/winter, rather than spring/summer as seen in other populations. Biological responses in Lake Indoon have implications for natural populations living in estuaries with modified salinity regimes.

The ecological, social and economic impacts potentially arising from the introduction of fish to Lake Indoon, which is an important migratory bird habitat and a recreational amenity for local residents and tourists, illustrate the complexities of fish translocation and the need for rigorous assessment before stocking to identify potential costs and benefits.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gradient climbing in formation via extremum seeking and passivity‐based coordination rules
Authors: Bıyık Emrah , Arcak Murat
Published: June 2008

We consider a gradient climbing problem where the objective is to steer a group of vehicles to the extrema of an unknown scalar field distribution while keeping a prescribed formation. We address this problem by developing a scheme in which the leader performs extremum seeking for the minima or maxima of the field, and other vehicles follow according to passivity‐based coordination rules. The extremum‐seeking approach generates approximate gradients of the field locally by “dithering” sensor positions. We show that if there is sufficient time‐scale separation between the fast dither and slow gradient motions of the leader vehicle, the followers only respond to the gradient motion, and filter out the dither component. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
Distributed dynamic control for leaderless multi‐agent consensus with star‐like topology
Authors: Hu Jiangping , Hong Yiguang , Feng Gang
Published: June 2008

In this paper, we consider a consensus problem of a group of mobile agents interconnected by a star‐like topology. Not all the state variables of the agent in the center of the group are available for its neighbors. A distributed controller together with a local state‐estimation rule is given for each agent who has to estimate the unmeasurable velocity. Then, with help of virtual equivalent agents, we prove that, with the proposed control scheme, the group of agents can reach its consensus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
The χ‐consensus problem of high‐order multi‐agent systems with fixed and switching topologies
Authors: Jiang Fangcui , Xie Guangming , Wang Long , Chen Xiaojie
Published: June 2008

In this paper, the χ‐consensus problems for multiple high‐order dynamical agents within fixed and switching topologies are investigated. A linear protocol is established to globally asymptotically solve χ‐consensus problem for such systems. Moreover, the decision value may be determined by the feedback gains and the initial states of agents. Based on spectral analysis of system's coefficient matrix some conditions are presented for solving the consensus problem with fixed topologies. In the switching topologies case solving the consensus problem is proved by the asymptotical stability analysis regarding to the origin of its disagreement dynamics through Lyapunov approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
Meta-analysis of the need for nasogastric or nasojejunal decompression after gastrectomy for gastric cancer
Authors: Yang Z , Zheng Q , Wang Z
Published: June 2008

Background

Nasogastric or nasojejunal decompression has been used routinely to prevent anastomotic leakage, hasten the return of bowel function and shorten hospital stay after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. This meta-analysis evaluates the necessity for such routine decompression.

Methods

Medline, Embase and The Cochrane Library were searched. Only prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared individuals with and without nasogastric or nasojejunal decompression after gastrectomy for gastric cancer were included. Outcomes evaluated were time to flatus, time to starting oral diet, anastomotic leakage, pulmonary complications, length of hospital stay, and morbidity and mortality.

Results

Of 717 patients in five RCTs, 361 were allocated to nasogastric or nasojejunal decompression and 356 to no decompression. Time to oral diet was significantly shorter in the latter group (weighted mean difference 0·43 (95 per cent confidence interval 0·23 to 0·62) days; P < 0·001). Time to flatus, anastomotic leakage, pulmonary complications, length of hospital stay, morbidity and mortality were similar in both groups.

Conclusion

Routine nasogastric or nasojejunal decompression is unnecessary after gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Formation of Highly Substituted Naphthalenes from Arene and Alkyne Hydrocarbons
Authors: Wu Yao‐Ting , Huang Ke‐Hsin , Shin Chien‐Chueh , Wu Tsun‐Cheng
Published: June 2008

Several highly substituted naphthalenes 3 have been synthesized in a one‐pot reaction by treatment of arenes 1 with alkynes 2 in the presence of palladium acetate and silver acetate. In this Pd‐catalyzed protocol, an arene provides a benzo source for the construction of a naphthalene core through twofold aryl CH bond activation. Reaction of triphenylphosphine with diphenylethyne (2 a) under the catalysis of PdIV complexes produced 1,2,3,4‐tetraphenylnaphthalene (3 ba) in 62 % yield. Here, triphenylphosphine undergoes one aryl CP bond cleavage and one aryl CH bond activation to serve as a benzo moiety. Crystal structures of cycloadducts 3 ea, 3 ga, and 3 ac have been analyzed. The twisted naphthalenes arise not only from the overcrowded substituents but also from the contribution of the CH3–π interaction.
Distribution of Wfs1 protein in the central nervous system of the mouse and its relation to clinical symptoms of the Wolfram syndrome
Authors: Luuk Hendrik , Koks Sulev , Plaas Mario , Hannibal Jens , Rehfeld Jens F. , Vasar Eero
Published: June 2008

Mutations in the coding region of the WFS1 gene cause Wolfram syndrome, a rare multisystem neurodegenerative disorder of autosomal recessive inheritance. Patients with Wolfram syndrome display considerable clinical pleiomorphism, and symptoms such as neurological complications and psychiatric disorders are common. In the present study we have characterized Wfs1 expression pattern in the mouse central nervous system by using a combination of immunohistochemistry on wild‐type mice and X‐Gal staining of Wfs1 knockout mice with targeted insertion of the lacZ reporter. We identified a robust enrichment of Wfs1 protein in the central extended amygdala and ventral striatum. Prominent Wfs1 expression was seen in the hippocampal CA1 region, parasubiculum, superficial part of the second and third layers of the prefrontal cortex and proisocortical areas, hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory system, and central auditory pathway. Wfs1 expression was also detected in numerous brainstem nuclei and in laminae VIII and IX of the spinal cord. Wfs1‐positive nerve fibers were found in the medial forebrain bundle, reticular part of the substantia nigra, globus pallidus, posterior caudate putamen, lateral lemniscus, alveus, fimbria, dorsal hippocampal commissure, subiculum, and to a lesser extent in the central sublenticular extended amygdala, compact part of substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area. The neuroanatomical findings suggest that the lack of Wfs1 protein function can be related to several neurological and psychiatric symptoms found in Wolfram syndrome. Enrichment of Wfs1 protein in the central extended amygdala suggests a role in the modulation of anxiety and fear. J. Comp. Neurol. 509:642–660, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Design of IIR linear‐phase nonuniform‐division filter banks with signed powers‐of‐two coefficients
Authors: Lee Ju‐Hong , Cheng Tsai‐Hsu , Chen Hung‐Chi
Published: June 2008

This paper deals with the minimax design of two‐channel linear‐phase (LP) nonuniform‐division filter (NDF) banks using infinite impulse response (IIR) digital all‐pass filters (DAFs) with signed powers‐of‐two (SPT) coefficients. Based on the theory of two‐channel NDF banks using two IIR DAFs, the design problem is appropriately formulated to result in an appropriate Chebyshev approximation for the desired phase responses of the IIR DAFs. Through a frequency sampling and iterative approximation method, the optimization problem for finding the SPT coefficients for the IIR DAFs can be solved by utilizing a weighted least‐squares approach in conjunction with a coordinate rotational digital computer (CORDIC) algorithm. The resulting two‐channel SPT coefficient NDF banks can possess approximately LP response without magnitude distortion. Several simulation examples are presented for illustration and comparison. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chronic social stress in adolescence influenced both amphetamine conditioned place preference and locomotor sensitization
Authors: Mathews I. Z. , Mills R. G. , McCormick C. M.
Published: June 2008

We previously reported that chronic social stress (SS) in adolescence, but not in adulthood, increased the locomotor‐activating effects of nicotine in females, and not males, when tested in adulthood. However, SS rats had decreased locomotor response to nicotine when tested in adolescence. Here, we investigated age‐related changes in the effects of SS on both conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor sensitization to amphetamine. In the CPP experiment, SS females tested in adolescence had increased preference for the 1.0 mg/kg dose of amphetamine, whereas SS rats of both sexes showed a decrease in CPP for the 0.5 mg/kg dose when tested as adults. Irrespective of time of testing, SS males and females had enhanced locomotor sensitization compared to controls. Thus, adolescent SS produced both immediate and enduring effects on behavioral responses to amphetamine, likely by altering the development of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, which holds implications for vulnerability to addiction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 451–459, 2008.
Cortisol and externalizing behavior in children and adolescents: Mixed meta‐analytic evidence for the inverse relation of basal cortisol and cortisol reactivity with externalizing behavior
Authors: Alink Lenneke R.A. , van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Bakermans‐Kranenburg Marian J. , Mesman Judi , Juffer Femmie , Koot Hans M.
Published: June 2008

An inverse relation between cortisol (re)activity and externalizing behavior has been hypothesized, but research findings seem equivocal. We tested this hypo(re)activity hypothesis in two meta‐analyses, one for basal cortisol (k = 72 studies,N = 5,480) and one for cortisol reactivity to a stressor (k = 29 studies,N = 2,601). No association was found between cortisol reactivity and externalizing behaviors (r = −.04, 95% CI = −.11, .02). However, the relation between basal cortisol and externalizing behavior was significant but small (r = −.05, 95% CI = −.10, −.002). The age of the children significantly moderated this relation: Externalizing behavior was associated withhigherbasal cortisol (hyperactivity) in preschoolers (r = .09, 95% CI = .002, .17), and withlowerbasal cortisol (hypoactivity) in elementary school‐aged children (r = −.14, 95% CI = −.19, −.08). There was no significant relation between cortisol and externalizing behavior in adolescents. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 427–450, 2008.
Fetal sensory‐elicited body movements differ in breech compared to cephalic position
Authors: Van der Meulen J.A. , Davies G.A.L. , Kisilevsky B.S.
Published: June 2008

Behavior was examined in 28 near term fetuses in the breech versus cephalic position. Breech fetuses had fewer body movements to a vibroacoustic stimulus and more to an airborne sound. These findings raise the possibility of differential perceptual experience before birth. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 530–534, 2008.
From the reaching behavior at 5 months of age to hand preference at preschool age
Authors: Marschik Peter B. , Einspieler Christa , Strohmeier Andrea , Plienegger Johann , Garzarolli Bettina , Prechtl Heinz F.R.
Published: June 2008

The aim of the study was to examine the reaching behavior at the age of 5 months, and to determine whether and to what extent there is a relationship between hand use at this age and manual laterality at preschool age. 20 participants (13 girls and 7 boys) were investigated on two occasions: At the age of 5 months we assessed the hand use for reaching for four different objects placed at the infant's body midline or in their right or left hemispaces, respectively. At the age of 5 years and 7 months, we assessed the hand use for 22 motor tasks. The handedness status was calculated in order to reflect the sinistrality‐dextrality continuum. All but one infant were unimanual reachers at 5 months of age. Preferential reaching was space dependent rather than object dependent at this stage. Children reaching for objects in the right hemispace predominantly with their right hand showed a significantly greater right hand laterality at late preschool age than children who at the age of 5 months had shown inconsistent hand use (p < .05). Children who at the age of 5 months had reached for objects in the left hemispace with their left hand proved to be less lateralized in their right hand use approximately 5 years later (p < .05). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 511–518, 2008.
Stimulus contingency and the malleability of species‐typical auditory preferences in Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) hatchlings
Authors: Harshaw Christopher , Tourgeman Isaac P. , Lickliter Robert
Published: June 2008

Precocial avian hatchlings are typically highly social and show strong species‐typical preferences for the maternal calls of their own species. The influence of social contingencies on the acquisition of species‐specific preferences has, however, largely been neglected. We found that exposing bobwhite (BW) quail chicks to a Japanese quail (JQ) call contingent on their own vocalizations for 5 min was sufficient to eliminate their species‐typical preference for the BW maternal call. Yoked, noncontingent exposure had no such effect. The introduction of variability to the contingency, but not a lengthening of the training session, was found to engender even higher preferences for the JQ call. Chicks provided with contingent exposure to the JQ call on a variable ratio schedule showed a significant preference for the JQ over the BW maternal call, whereas chicks provided with equivalent fixed ratio exposure did not. These results highlight the role that social interaction and contingency can play in the acquisition and maintenance of species‐specific auditory preferences in precocial avian species. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 460–472, 2008.
Relation of stable hand‐use preferences to the development of skill for managing multiple objects from 7 to 13 months of age
Authors: Kotwica Kathleen A. , Ferre Claudio L. , Michel George F.
Published: June 2008

Expression of multiple object management skills (manual acquisition and storage of objects) was examined longitudinally at 7, 9, 11, and 13 months for 38 infants (19 females) whose hand use preference was either stable (consistently right or left across the ages) or nonstable (either no hand‐use preference exhibited or inconsistent preference across the ages). Four separate sets of four distinctive objects each were presented singly to the infant's right and left side, with the presentation of each subsequent object contingent on the infant manipulating the previous object. Expression of multiple object management skills significantly increased with age. Infants with stable hand‐use preferences produced more object acquisition and storage acts than those without a stable hand‐use preference. Older infants with stable hand‐use preferences exhibited more “sophisticated” sequences of multiple object management acts than those without. The role of stable hand‐use preference in the development of manual skill and cognition is discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 519–529, 2008.
Eigenvalue estimation of dominant electromechanical modes based on synchronous measurement and generator grouping technique
Authors: Hiraiwa Hisayuki , Saitoh Hiroumi , Tsukada Eiichi , Minazawa Kazuo , Toyoda Junichi
Published: June 2008

The authors have been studying a new approach for modal analysis of large power systems that utilizes GPS‐based synchronous measurement technology. The approach is based on the identification of a linearized multi‐input multi‐output model of power system. Since the identified model expresses approximately the electromechanical dynamics of an actual power system, modal frequencies, dampings, and mode shapes corresponding to electromechanical modes can be estimated as eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the identified model. In the paper, in order to advance our approach to a practical technique, it is mainly discussed how to select a small number of machines suitable for measurement locations to estimate eigenvalues associated with dominant slow modes. Such machines can be detected by identifying coherent groups related to the slow modes. The reference generators that behave representatively in each coherent group are the optimal ones to be measured. Therefore, the slow modes can be obtained by observing one generator from each group. The verification of the new modal analysis and coherency‐based machine selection is done through simulation studies using the IEEJ EAST 10‐machine system model. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 164(4): 24–32, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20428
A solid electrolyte nanometer switch
Authors: Sakamoto Toshitsugu , Kaeriyama Shunichi , Mizuno Masayuki , Kawaura Hisao , Hasegawa Tsuyoshi , Terabe Kazuya , Aono Masakazu
Published: June 2008

We have investigated solid electrolyte switches that utilize electrochemical reactions (deposition and dissolution) of metallic ions. The switch turns off or on when a metallic bridge electrochemically forms or dissolves in the solid electrolyte. Each state is nonvolatile and the switching is repeatable up to 105cycles. The promising application is a programmable switch in a field programmable logic because of its small size (<30 nm) and low ON resistance (<100Ω). This paper discusses the electrical characteristics, operation principle, and applications of the solid electrolyte switch. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(1): 68–73, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20542