bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Mainland Southeast Asian Landscapes in the First Millennium A.D.
Authors: Stark Miriam T.
Published: June 2006

Southeast Asia's earliest states emerged during the first millennium A.D. from the Irawaddy River of Myanmar to the Red River delta of northern Vietnam. Developments during this time laid the groundwork for the florescence of the region's later and better-known civilizations such as Angkor and Pagan. Yet disciplinary and language barriers have thus far precluded an anthropological synthesis of cultural developments during this time. This review uses a landscape focus to synthesize current knowledge of mainland Southeast Asia's earliest states, which emerged in the first millennium A.D. Research from archaeology and history illuminates articulations between physical and social factors in several kinds of Early Southeast Asian landscapes: economic, urban, and political. Social and ideological forces that shaped these first-millennium-A.D. landscapes are discussed as integral aspects of early state formation.
Activation of dopamine D2 receptors simultaneously ameliorates various metabolic features of obese women
Authors: Kok Petra , Roelfsema Ferdinand , Frölich Marijke , van Pelt Johannes , Stokkel Marcel P. M. , Meinders A. Edo , Pijl Hanno
Published: June 2006

The metabolic syndrome comprises a cluster of metabolic anomalies including insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Previous studies suggest that impaired dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) signaling is involved in its pathogenesis. We studied the acute effects of bromocriptine (a D2R agonist) on energy metabolism in obese women; body weight and caloric intake remained constant. Eighteen healthy, obese women (BMI 33.2 ± 0.6 kg/m2, mean age 37.5 ± 1.7, range 22–51 yr) were studied twice in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle in a prospective, single-blind, crossover design. Subjects received both placebo (P; always first occasion) and bromocriptine (B; always second occasion) on separate occasions for 8 days. At each occasion blood glucose and insulin were assessed every 10 min for 24 h, and circadian plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and triglyceride (TG) levels were measured hourly. Fuel oxidation was determined by indirect calorimetry. Body weight and composition were not affected by the drug. Mean 24-h blood glucose ( P < 0.01) and insulin ( P < 0.01) were significantly reduced by bromocriptine, whereas mean 24 h FFA levels were increased ( P < 0.01), suggesting that lipolysis was stimulated. Bromocriptine increased oxygen consumption ( P = 0.03) and resting energy expenditure (by 50 kcal/day, P = 0.03). Systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced by bromocriptine. Thus these results imply that short-term bromocriptine treatment ameliorates various components of the metabolic syndrome while it shifts energy balance away from lipogenesis in obese humans.
Differentiation of Cyclooxygenase 1- and 2–Derived Prostanoids in Mouse Kidney and Aorta
Authors: Qi Zhonghua , Cai Hui , Morrow Jason D. , Breyer Matthew D.
Published: June 2006

Accumulating evidence indicates cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and COX2 differentially regulate cardiovascular and renal function. We have demonstrated previously in mice that COX2 inhibition enhances angiotensin II-induced hypertension, and COX1 inhibition attenuates the pressor effect of angiotensin II. To further elucidate the mechanism underlying the functional difference of COX1 versus COX2 inhibition, the present studies examined the prostaglandin (PG) profiles derived in COX1- or COX2-inhibited mouse kidney and aorta using gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric assays. PGE
2
is the most abundant prostanoid in both renal cortex and medulla in normal C57BL/6J mice, followed by PGI
2
, PGF
2α
and thromboxane A
2
. In contrast PGI
2
was most abundant in aorta followed by thromboxane A
2
, PGE
2
, and PGF
2α
. PGD
2
was undetectable in control kidney or aorta. At baseline, inhibition of COX1 decreased total prostaglandins in renal cortex, medulla, and aorta, whereas COX2 inhibition decreased total prostaglandins only in renal medulla. Angiotensin II infusion significantly increased COX2-dependent/COX1-independent PGE
2
and PGI
2
in renal cortex and medulla. Angiotensin II also significantly increased renal PGF
2α
in cortex, but not in medulla, through both COX1- and COX2-dependent mechanisms. These studies demonstrate that although COX1 primarily contributes to basal prostanoid production in the kidney and aorta, angiotensin II increases renal vasodilator prostanoids predominately via COX2 activity. These effects may contribute to the specific effect of COX2 inhibitors to increase blood pressure.
Reducing Delay in Seeking Treatment by Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and Stroke
Authors: Moser Debra K. , Kimble Laura P. , Alberts Mark J. , Alonzo Angelo , Croft Janet B. , Dracup Kathleen , Evenson Kelly R. , Go Alan S. , Hand Mary M. , Kothari Rashmi U. , Mensah George A. , Morris Dexter L. , Pancioli Arthur M. , Riegel Barbara , Zerwic Julie Johnson
Published: June 2006

Patient delay in seeking treatment for acute coronary syndrome and stroke symptoms is the major factor limiting delivery of definitive treatment in these conditions. Despite decades of research and public education campaigns aimed at decreasing patient delay times, most patients still do not seek treatment in a timely manner. In this scientific statement, we summarize the evidence that (1) demonstrates the benefits of early treatment, (2) describes the extent of the problem of patient delay, (3) identifies the factors related to patient delay in seeking timely treatment, and (4) reveals the inadequacies of our current approaches to decreasing patient delay. Finally, we offer suggestions for clinical practice and future research.
Characterization of the Peri-Infarct Zone by Contrast-Enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is a Powerful Predictor of Post–Myocardial Infarction Mortality
Authors: Yan Andrew T. , Shayne Adolphe J. , Brown Kenneth A. , Gupta Sandeep N. , Chan Carmen W. , Luu Tuan M. , Di Carli Marcelo F. , Reynolds H. Glenn , Stevenson William G. , Kwong Raymond Y.
Published: June 2006

Background—

Accurate risk stratification is crucial for effective treatment planning after myocardial infarction (MI). Previous studies suggest that the peri-infarct border zone may be an important arrhythmogenic substrate. In this pilot study, we tested the hypothesis that the extent of the peri-infarct zone quantified by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is an independent predictor of post-MI mortality.

Methods and Results—

We studied 144 patients with documented coronary artery disease and abnormal myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE) consistent with MI. A computer-assisted, semiautomatic algorithm quantified the total infarct size and divided it into the core and peri-infarct regions based on signal-intensity thresholds (>3 SDs and 2 to 3 SDs above remote normal myocardium, respectively). The peri-infarct zone was normalized as a percentage of the total infarct size (%MDE
periphery
). After a median follow-up of 2.4 years, 29 (20%) patients died. Patients with an above-median %MDE
periphery
were at higher risk for death compared with those with a below-median %MDE
periphery
(28% versus 13%, log-rank
P
<0.01). Multivariable analysis showed that left ventricular systolic volume index and %MDE
periphery
were the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] for %MDE
periphery
, 1.45 per 10% increase;
P
=0.002) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR, 1.51 per 10% increase;
P
=0.009). Similarly, after adjusting for age and left ventricular ejection fraction, %MDE
periphery
maintained strong and independent associations with all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.42;
P
=0.005) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR, 1.49;
P
=0.01).

Conclusions—

In patients with a prior MI, the extent of the peri-infarct zone characterized by CMR provides incremental prognostic value beyond left ventricular systolic volume index or ejection fraction. Infarct characteristics by CMR may prove to be a unique and valuable noninvasive predictor of post-MI mortality.
Inflammation in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Deguchi Jun-o , Aikawa Masanori , Tung Ching-Hsuan , Aikawa Elena , Kim Dong-Eog , Ntziachristos Vasilis , Weissleder Ralph , Libby Peter
Published: June 2006

Background—

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in inflamed atherosclerotic plaques may contribute to extracellular matrix remodeling and the onset of acute thrombotic complications.

Methods and Results—

To test the hypothesis that optical molecular imaging with the use of an activatable near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) probe can detect enzymatic action of MMP in atherosclerotic plaques, we used a NIRF substrate for gelatinases (MMP-2/gelatinase-A and MMP-9/gelatinase-B) in apolipoprotein E–deficient (apoE
−/−
) mice that consumed a high-cholesterol diet for 12 weeks and age-matched apoE
+/+
mice as control. The aortas of apoE
−/−
mice at 24 hours after probe yielded intense NIRF signals, as detected by NIRF reflectance ex vivo, compared with negligible signals in aortas of apoE
+/+
mice with/without probe administration or atherosclerotic apoE
−/−
aortas without probe. Gelatinase inhibitor treatment abolished NIRF signals in apoE
−/−
mouse aortas ex vivo. Sites of gelatinase activity visualized by NIRF colocalized with macrophage accumulation, immunoreactive MMP-2 and MMP-9, and gelatinolytic activity detected by in situ zymography. Furthermore, fluorescence molecular tomography indicated in vivo that atherosclerotic aortas of apoE
−/−
mice produced NIRF signals for gelatinase action, whereas aortas of apoE
+/+
mice injected with the probe or apoE
−/−
aortas with no probe exhibited negligible NIRF signals.

Conclusions—

These results suggest the feasibility of noninvasively imaging the enzymatic action of MMPs in vivo, an approach that may gauge inflammatory foci in atherosclerosis, assess cardiovascular risk, and evaluate the effects of therapeutic interventions.
The PARADISE Evaluation Framework: Issues and Findings
Authors: Hajdinjak Melita , Mihelič France
Published: June 2006

There has been a great deal of interest over the past 20 years in developing metrics and frameworks for evaluating and comparing the performance of spoken-language dialogue systems. One of the results of this interest is a potential general methodology, known as the PARADISE framework. This squib highlights some important issues concerning the application of PARADISE that have, up to now, not been sufficiently emphasized or have even been neglected by the dialogue-system community. These include considerations regarding the selection of appropriate regression parameters, normalization effects on the accuracy of the prediction, the influence of speech-recognition errors on the performance function, and the selection of an appropriate user-satisfaction measure. In addition, it gives the results of an evaluation of data from two Wizard-of-Oz experiments. These evaluations include different dependent variables and examination of individual user-satisfaction measures.
The Effects of Exfoliated Nano-clay on the Extrusion Microcellular Foaming of Amorphous and Crystalline Nylon
Authors: Zheng Wenge , Lee Yoon Hwan , Park Chul B.
Published: June 2006

This article demonstrates the effect of exfoliated nano-clay on the microcellular foam processing of amorphous and crystalline nylon. Amorphous and crystalline nylon 6 nanocomposites are prepared using a twin-screw extruder. The exfoliated nanocomposite structures are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nylon and its nanocomposites are foamed in extrusion using supercritical CO2. Subsequently, the cell morphologies of nylon and its nanocomposite foams are investigated. It appeared that the nano-clay not only enhanced cell nucleation, but also suppressed cell deterioration during the microcellular foaming of nylon.
A Quantitative Investigation of the Effect of the Recipe on the Trimer-yield in Polyisocyanurate Foams
Authors: Lövenich Catherine J. , Raffel Bolko
Published: June 2006

The effect of the recipe on the isocyanurate yield in polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams has been studied quantitatively using ATR—FTIR spectroscopy and the adiabatic temperature method based on the measurement of the reaction temperature during the course of the reaction. In this way, the effect of the index on the PIR reaction could be studied quantitatively. The significance of isocyanurate concentration and isocyanurate yield with respect to flammability properties is also investigated. It could also be shown that, for example, the presence of water reduces the isocyanurate yield dramatically. During an investigation of various commercially available PIR-catalysts, it is shown that potassium 2-ethylhexanoate in diethylene glycol (75: 25) leads to higher isocyanurate yields than potassium acetate in diethylene glycol (25: 75). Even when different concentrations of active components in commercially available catalysts are taken into account, this is still found to be the case.
Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Rubber-toughened Polyamide 6/Polypropylene Nanocomposites Prepared by Different Methods of Compounding
Authors: Wahit M. U. , Hassan A. , Rahmat A. R. , Ishak Z. A. Mohd
Published: June 2006

The nanocomposites based on polyamide 6/polypropylene blends (PA6/PP), polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PPgMAH), ethylene octene copolymer (POE), and organically modified montmorillonite (organoclay) are prepared through different mixing sequences of melt intercalation technique. The processes used are: (1) direct melt intercalation single extrusion process (SD), (2) two times direct melt intercalation (S2x), (3) two steps melt intercalation i.e., mixing of preblend PA6/organoclay with preblend PP/ PPgMAH/POE (S2sa), and (4) two steps melt intercalation i.e., mixing of preblend PA6/PP/PPgMAH/organoclay with POE (S2sb). The effect of various processing techniques on the structural, morphological, and mechanical properties of nanocomposites is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), tensile, flexural, and Izod impact testing. The results show that all the methods give generally exfoliated structures based on XRD. It is also found that the melt intercalation technique significantly influences the dispersion behavior of POE in the PA6/PP matrix and thus the impact properties. However, no significant blending sequence effect is found for tensile and flexural properties of nanocomposites. Overall, the method S2sa gives the best mechanical properties due to its good dispersion of organoclays and elastomer in the continuous PA6/PP matrix.
From phenomenology to critical theory
Authors: Wolff Ernst
Published: June 2006

This article investigates the importance of the evolution of Adorno’s interpretation of Husserl for the formation of his own philosophy. The weakness of Husserl’ notion of immediate data is revealed within the light of Hans Cornelius’s Transcendentale Systematik. When Adorno discovers in his Habilitationsschrift the importance of the social setting and ideological function of theory, he departs from Cornelius’ transcendentalism as norm for his reflection - and this insight is deployed against Husserl. Henceforth, Husserl’s philosophy is interpreted as idealist, as a prima philosophia, as a philosophy of identity and totality and ultimately in service of the totalitarian political tendencies
Alternative secularisms
Authors: Redhead Mark
Published: June 2006

This article focuses on Charles Taylor’s and William Connolly’s attempts to fashion alternative forms of secular public reasoning to those of liberals like Rawls and Galston. I provide a weak defense of Taylor against both Connolly and many of Taylor’s liberal secular foes. Despite its noted shortcomings that Connolly can help to address, Taylor’s model does provide a more adequate basis for thinking through a public morality appropriate to the times because it takes seriously the hold certain values have on non-secular individuals, and thus is very much attuned to the realities of ethical deliberation in early 21st-century western democracies
‘Like leaves in the wind’: desperately seeking asylum in the UK
Authors: Hintjens Helen
Published: June 2006

In June 2005, the author interviewed five Sudanese men. All but one had been failed by UK asylum procedures. Their stories are related to other examples of similarly desperate asylum seekers throughout the UK and the effects of policies of forced destitution, detention and deportation are described.
What caused the Cronulla riot?
Authors: Poynting Scott
Published: June 2006

The outbreak of mass racist violence against young men of ‘Middle Eastern appearance’ on Cronulla beach, Sydney, in December 2005 was the culmination of a campaign of populist incitement waged in the media and by the state. The battle to reclaim control of the beach for white Australia mirrored, it is suggested here, the battle that the Howard government has waged to reclaim control of the nation itself from asylum seekers and the Muslim/Middle Eastern ‘enemy’.
You are now entering Eurabia
Authors: Carr Matt
Published: June 2006

In recent years, an increasingly influential intellectual consensus on both sides of the Atlantic has presented Europe as a doomed and decadent continent that is being transformed into an Islamic colony called ‘Eurabia’. The term was originally coined by the British-Swiss historian Bat Ye’or to describe what she identified as a secret project between European politicians and the Arab world for the ‘Islamicisation’ of Europe. What began as an outlandish conspiracy theory has become a dangerous Islamophobic fantasy that has moved ever closer towards mainstream respectability, as conservative historians and newspaper columnists, right-wing Zionists and European neofascists find common cause in the threat to ‘Judeo-Christian’ civilisation from Muslim immigrants with supposedly incompatible cultural values.
Digital Radiographic Evaluation of Medial Joint Space Narrowing after Partial Meniscectomy of Bucket-Handle Medial Meniscus Tears in Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Intact Knees
Authors: Shelbourne K. Donald , Dickens Jonathan F.
Published: June 2006

Background

Few studies exist that evaluate the effect of partial medial meniscectomy in knees with intact anterior cruciate ligaments.

Hypothesis

Partial meniscectomy of bucket-handle medial meniscus tears will cause joint space narrowing.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Between 1982 and 2001, 135 patients met the study criteria of a partial medial meniscectomy, intact ligaments, no surgery to the contralateral knee, and no chondromalacia greater than grade II. Seventy-nine patients living within 150 miles of the clinic were asked to return for physical examination. Joint space narrowing was measured from the middle of the femoral condyle to the middle of the tibial plateau using digitally magnified weightbearing 45° flexed posteroanterior and full-extension anteroposterior radiographs. Measurements were performed twice with the observer blinded to the previous measurements. Subjective follow-up was obtained prospectively on an annual basis with International Knee Documentation Committee and modified Noyes knee questionnaires.

Results

Forty-nine patients were examined at a mean of 11.8 years postoperatively. Mean medial joint space narrowing was 1.2 ± 0.5 mm on 45° flexed posteroanterior radiograph and 0.2 ± 0.9 mm on full-extension anteroposterior radiographs (P <. 001). Four patients had 2 mm or more of joint space narrowing. Subjective surveys obtained from 95 patients showed a mean subjective score of 89.9 points. Subjective scores did not decrease through time, and there was no correlation of joint space narrowing to lower subjective scores.

Conclusion

Partial medial meniscectomy in stable knees causes only mild joint space narrowing (mean, 1.2 mm) at a mean 12-year follow-up. Digitally magnified 45° flexed posteroanterior radiographs are more likely to demonstrate joint space narrowing than are full-extension anteroposterior radiographs.
Dynamic Ultrasound as a Selection Tool for Reducing Achilles Tendon Reruptures
Authors: Kotnis Rohit , David Saronjini , Handley Robert , Willett Keith , Ostlere Simon
Published: June 2006

Background

The optimal method of treatment for acute tendo-Achilles ruptures continues to be debated.

Hypothesis

The reported lower rerupture rate for operatively treated patients is an effect of tendon end apposition during the healing process, and patients in whom apposition can be demonstrated using ultrasound will have a similar rate of rerupture if treated nonoperatively.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Method

The authors reviewed all patients with an Achilles tendon rupture who were treated to a standard protocol during a 5-year period (2000-2005). Patients with a gap of 5 mm or more in equinus on ultrasound underwent surgery; those with a gap of less than 5 mm received nonoperative treatment. All patients were followed up to a minimum of 12 months.

Results: After exclusions, 125 patients were included

67 treated operatively and 58 nonoperatively. There were 2 reruptures in the nonoperative group and 1 with surgery. There was no significant difference between the groups for any complication.

Conclusion

Reduction of rerupture and surgery risks may be possible using dynamic ultrasound case selection. Further studies are needed to show whether functional results are the same with surgical and nonsurgical treatment when dynamic ultrasound criteria are used for case selection.
An Experimental Study of Smoke Movement Under Reduced Gravity Conditions in a Simple Enclosure
Authors: Barber T. J.
Published: June 2006

With the recent construction of the International Space Station the movement of smoke in an enclosed environment, with limited gravity, has increased relevance. The previous work related to reduced gravity fire science is concentrated on flame shape and size, material combustion, smoke particle production, and smoke detection. This project uses a drop tower facility to examine a simple case of smoke distribution in an enclosure, determining the variation in smoke movement for Earth gravity and the reduced gravity conditions, and proves the suitability of such a test case for further investigations.
Perspectives on: Chitosan Drug Delivery Systems Based on their Geometries
Authors: Denkbas Emir Baki , Ottenbrite Raphael M.
Published: June 2006

Chitosan is a natural polymer that has many physicochemical (polycationic, reactive OH and NH2 groups) and biological (bioactive, biocompatible, biodegradable) properties. These unique properties make chitosan an excellent material for the development of new biomedical applications. One of the most well known biomedical chitosan applications is in drug delivery systems. Chitosans have been used in the design of many different types of drug carriers for various administration routes such as oral, bucal, nasal, transdermal, parenteral, vaginal, cervical, intrauterine and rectal. Chitosan can be engineered into different shapes and geometries such as nanoparticles, microspheres, membranes, sponges and rods. This paper is a perspective on the preparation of the chitosan drug delivery systems based on different structural geometries. In this respect, special preparation techniques are used to prepare chitosan drug carriers by altering such parameters as crosslinker concentration, chitosan molecular weight, drug/polymer ratio and processing conditions all of which affect the morphology of chitosan drug carriers and release rate of the loaded drug.
Preparation and Characterization of Polyurethane Microspheres Containing Theophylline
Authors: Rafienia Mohammad , Orang Fariba , Emami Shahriar Hojjati
Published: June 2006

Microencapsulation of theophylline in polyurethane was developed with 4, 4'-methylenediphenyl isocyanate (MDI), castor oil (CO) and ethylene diamine as a chain extender. Polyurethane microspheres were prepared in two steps pre-polymer preparation and microspheres formation. CO, MDI and theophylline were mixed first before suspending the mixture in an aqueous medium (stirred at 4, 000rpm) of the second reaction. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was employed to confirm polyurethane formation during the course of reactions. SEM illustrated microspheres with uniform spherical morphology. Particle size investigation with optical microscopy revealed size distribution of 27–128 m. Controlled release experiment of theophylline was performed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 with ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer at 274nm. Drug release profiles showed initial release of 2–40% and further release for more than 10 days.
Design of Tissue-engineered Nanoscaffold Through Self-assembly of Peptide Amphiphile
Authors: Hosseinkhani Hossein , Hosseinkhani Mohsen , Kobayashi Hisatoshi
Published: June 2006

In order to mimic in vivo topography of the native tissue created by extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which make up all soft tissues, the surface features of each biomaterial should be considered as a nanodimensional structure. In this study, an artificial ECM was designed to mimic the nanostructured topography created by ECM components in native tissue. The proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was investigated in a three dimensional (3-D) network of nanofibers formed by the self-assembly of peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules. PA was synthesized by standard solid phase chemistry that ends with the alkylation of the NH2 terminus of the peptide. The sequence of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) was included in peptide design as well. A 3-D network of nanofibers was formed by mixing MSC suspensions in a media with dilute aqueous solution of PA. The attachment, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs were influenced by the self-assembled PA nanofibers as the cell scaffold and the values were significantly high compared with those in the static culture (2-D tissue culture plate).
Compressive Damage in Three-Axis Woven Thermoplastic Composites
Authors: Kuo Wen-Shyong , Ko Tse-Hao , Shiah Yui-Chuin
Published: June 2006

This work examines compression-induced damage in a three-dimensional woven carbon/Nylon 6 composite. A carbon yarn commingled with Nylon 6 powder was used to make the woven fabric, which has a 3-axis orthogonal yarn structure in the interior. The fabric was hot-pressed along the thickness direction to form the three-dimensional thermoplastic composites. A matched mold was designed for hot-pressing the composites into a fixed thickness. The influence of the molding temperature on the compressive strength was studied. The compressive tests were conducted using an end-supported, end-loaded fixture. The induced damage modes inside the composite were observed. The major mode of damage is a miniscopic kink-band, in which axial yarns tend to buckle as a whole. The miniscopic kink-band contains a number of smaller modes of damage, such as microscopic fiber buckling, yarn deflection, yarn debonding, yarn split, and shear deformation in transverse yarns. The miniscopic kink-band is inclined at 45° to the loading direction, suggesting that the compression-induced, through-thickness shear is the cause of failure. Even under excessive strain, the specimen showed no breaking apart and was still able to resist the load. The roles of the through-thickness yarns and the 3D structure in the damage mechanisms are discussed.
Experimental Study of the Vibration-assisted MIM Process on Cavity Pressure
Authors: Yin Xiaochun , Qu Jinping
Published: June 2006

In this study, a new type of vibration-assisted metal powder injection molding (MIM) machine is introduced, including its principle, structure, and application. The effects of the vibration amplitude and vibration frequency on cavity pressure are discussed in detail. The results show that at the same injection velocity (28.27 cm3/s) the maximum cavity pressure at different radial position decreases with the increase in amplitude/frequency when the vibration frequency/amplitude is fixed. The maximum cavity pressure at r 1/4 15 mm decreased 22.3% with the increase of vibration amplitude from 0 to 0.4 mm at fixed frequency 5 Hz. The maximum cavity pressure at r 1/4 20 mm decreased 21% as the vibration frequency increased from 0 to 20 Hz at fixed vibration amplitude 0.25 mm.
Effect of Hygrothermomechanical Aging on the Interlaminar Fracture Behavior of Woven Fabric Fiber/PEI Composite Materials
Authors: Zenasni R. , Bachir A. S. , Viña I. , Arguelles A. , Viña J.
Published: June 2006

This article addresses the experimental characterization of the mechanical properties of three types of woven fabric composites taking into account the effects of hygrothermal and hygrothermomechanical aging. Characterization was carried out using the mode I, double cantilever beam (DCB) and the mode II, end notched flexural (ENF) interlaminar fracture tests in order to determine the loss in crack propagation resistance. The materials used were two types of woven (2/2 Twill, 8-Harness Satin) glass fiber, and 8-Harness Satin carbon fiber. The matrix was polyetherimide (PEI). The critical values of the energy release rate in mode I and mode II were calculated using the corrected beam theory. The material reinforced with 8-Harness Satin glass fiber presented the best behavior in mode I and mode II. The decrease in fracture strength is more important in the material reinforced with carbon fiber.
Transfiguring Relations
Authors: Stephenson Niamh , Kippax Susan
Published: June 2006

What is the relationship between social action initiatives and theory? In this paper we suggest that, like social action, theory is a means of intervening in social problems and is integrally linked with future possibilities. Devising the means of effective intervention requires the ability to understand and harness people's ways of actively striving to deal with the social problems which emerge in their everyday lives. Such efforts involve communicating across difference. For example, regarding the problems of HIV prevention and positive living, gay men in Sydney are positioned differently from each other in relation to the virus, sexual practice, understanding and use of biomedical developments in the development of safe-sex strategies. How do everyday struggles to communicate across difference feed into effective social action, and what is the role of theory in supporting and driving these efforts? In this paper we consider the limitations of notions of intersubjectivity which overemphasize the role of ‘mutual recognition’ in the development of relationships between actors. Talk of ‘mutual recognition’ overlooks the fact that communication is essentially ambiguous. The result is a failure to theorize the emergence of productive connections between people which work through openness to this ambiguity. The absence of recognition can give rise to confusion, but it also an important element in the development of new ways of connecting with others. In turn, the mechanisms of socio-political change can be affected through the development of new forms of connection between actors. That is, modes of intersubjectivity which are based on misrecognition and difference can function as transfiguring relations, opening new possibilities for actively tackling social problems. We argue that effective social action harnesses transfiguring relations. This approach to social action demands that we develop our understanding of social relations, and take account of the productive role of misrecognition.
The Modern Degenerate
Authors: Jalava Jarkko
Published: June 2006

This paper illustrates the tendency of intuitively appealing psychological theories to survive through mutation their official discreditation. This is done by way of a case study, involving the theoretical continuum between the late 19th-and early 20th-century sociological/ biological/psychological/literary theory of degeneration (illustrated by, for example, Lombroso's theory of the born-criminal type) and modern psychopathy research and theory. It will be argued that although the theory of degeneration became obsolete by the end of World War II, its basic tenets have survived into mainstream scientific work regarding what is known as the psychopath. Reasons for the endurance of degeneration theory are briefly examined.
Do Personality Traits Contribute to Vocational Self-Efficacy?
Authors: Larson Lisa M. , Borgen Fred H.
Published: June 2006

Although personality is viewed as a precursor to self-efficacy and interest development (e.g., Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), little research concerns linkages between personality and self-efficacy. This article bridges the relation by presenting the pattern of findings across four university samples. Three general and 11 specific personality traits were operationalized using Tellegen’s Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (Tellegen, 1982, 2000; Tellegen & Waller, in press). Vocational self-efficacy across Holland’s hexagon (i.e., Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional domains) was operationalized using the Skills Confidence Inventory (Betz, Borgen, & Harmon, 1996, 2005). Most of the contributions of personality to vocational confidence were with Positive Emotional Temperament and its related primary traits. Moreover, these same personality traits were also related to the elevation of a person’s profile overall (mean confidence level). Finally, Absorption, affiliated with both Positive and Negative Emotional Temperament, contributed to Artistic confidence whereas Harmavoidance (-) partially explained Realistic confidence.
Are Success Learning Experiences and Self-Efficacy Beliefs Associated With Occupational Interests and Aspirations of At-Risk Urban Youth?
Authors: Jackson Margo A. , Potere Jodi C. , Brobst Karen A.
Published: June 2006

To help increase access to educational and occupational options for a growing yet underrepresented population of low-income, culturally diverse, urban middle school students, we need to increase our understanding of important factors in their career development. The results of this study supported some applications of Krumboltz’s social learning theory to at-risk urban youth and found (a) a significant and positive association between participants’ success learning experiences and their expressed occupational interests, and (b) a positive association between their career self-efficacy beliefs and inventoried occupational interests. However, no association was found between participants’ success learning experiences and their highest or most ideal occupational aspirations. Further research with methods and measures that are reliable and validated with this population is needed to replicate the results of this study. In turn, career counselors might use this understanding to better design effective interventions for at-risk diverse urban youth.
Construct Validity and Predictive Validity of the Career Planning Inventory
Authors: Westbrook Bert , Sloan Stephanie
Published: June 2006

A longitudinal design was used to test the hypotheses that career development indices account for significant amounts of variance in the prediction of high school success, and account for unique variance beyond that of academic predictors of high school success. The participants included 188 11th-grade students who were followed-up in the 12th grade. Career knowledge scores predicted high school GPA and accounted for a significant amount of variance beyond that of the academic prediction of high school success. The results supported the hypotheses. Bivariate correlation and multiple regression indicate that career knowledge scores predicted high school GPA and accounted for a significant amount of variance beyond that of the academic predictor of high school success.
The Viagra Phenomenon
Authors: Tiefer Leonore
Published: June 2006

Contemporary constructions of sexuality can change direction faster than a competitive ballroom dancer and it can be hard to keep track of all the new developments. Regulatory regimes abound and even proliferate yet mass media proclaim the end of the double standard and the advent of sexual emancipation. In 1998, in yet another major twist, a new sexuopharmaceutical era was inaugurated by governmental approval of Viagra, a drug to treat impotence that rapidly achieved amazing levels of global recognition. It will be important to sexuality studies and to sexuality policy that this topic develops sufficient empirical and theoretical traction to pursue analyses of its meanings and effects on sociocultural, political, economic and personal dimensions as they unfold over time. One important challenge of such ‘Viagra Studies’ is to examine the phenomenon of Viagra itself, beginning with the legend of its discovery and the media spectacle surrounding its approval. This essay begins with the galloping popularity of pill-taking as an element in trajectories both of the medicalization and demedicalization of sexuality. Although new systems of regulation often serve to reinscribe old forms of control, and urologists' current involvement in sexuality classification and treatment seems to follow old paths of biological reduction and medical authority, factors such as the Internet may shift the sexuality dance in unpredicted directions. After tracing some of the less-known stories behind the Viagra legend, this essay concludes with a nod to rising coalitions of resistance.
Spreading the Word, but What Word is That? Viagra and Male Sexuality in Popular Culture
Authors: Vares Tiina , Braun Virginia
Published: June 2006

Viagra was released in 1998 and, as Abraham Morgentaler so aptly wrote in his book The Viagra Myth (2003), ‘the world has not been the same since’. Representations of Viagra appeared in a variety of popular cultural and media texts and participated in the ‘craze’ known as ‘Viagramania’. Drawing on, and extending the work of Meika Loe, The Rise of Viagra (2004) in the United States, we explore some of the changes in depictions of Viagra and masculine sexualities in the New Zealand context under the framings: ‘Viagra-as-Joke’, ‘Legitimate Viagra’ (which includes ‘Romance Drug Viagra’ and ‘Masculinity Pill Viagra’), and ‘Party Pill Viagra’. We suggest that changes in popular portrayals of Viagra from 1998 to the present, as well as a decrease in the range of popular genres/forms in which Viagra appears, contribute to a narrowing in discourses of masculine sexuality in which the emphasis is increasingly on penile performance and enhancement.
The New Virility: Viagra, Male Aging and Sexual Function
Authors: Marshall Barbara L.
Published: June 2006

While it was once assumed that sexual function and virility naturally declined with age, the sexual capacities of the aging body have more recently been aligned to new performative standards, particularly for men. This article explores the history and contemporary dimensions of this new culture of virility. The first section reviews shifting scientific and cultural narratives of the sex/age problematic. The latter part of the article explores how the robust post-Viagra ‘men's health’ industry has expanded the medicalization of masculinity and male sexuality in later life, particularly via the recuperation of the ‘male menopause’ as ‘androgen deficiency in the aging male’. As the aging male body is opened up to new manifestations of dysfunction and disorder, attention is drawn to emerging understandings of risk, health and surveillance in relation to sexual function.
A realist agenda for tourist studies, or why destination areas really rise and fall in popularity
Authors: Gale Tim , Botterill David
Published: June 2006

This article proposes a (critical) realist agenda for tourist studies, centred around the question, ‘What makes tourism possible?’. In asserting realism as the philosophy of social science most likely to advance tourism theory, it offers a critique of prevailing epistemologies, notably positivism and constructivism (and critical theory), with a view to provoking engagement by the tourism research community with ontological and epistemological arguments, which we would contend is the hallmark of a mature subject area that is not derivative of disciplines. In the furtherance of this cause a critical assessment is made of the ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions underpinning an idea or assemblage of ideas within tourist studies that might be construed as ‘orthodox’, here represented by the tourist-area life cycle and subsequent applications, and also of radical reactions to that orthodoxy. We follow this with a case study of seaside resort decline (Rhyl, North Wales), which demonstrates how a realist philosophy of social science may permit a more satisfactory understanding of, in this instance, tourism destination development than that afforded by actualism or non-realism.
‘That playfulness of white masculinity’
Authors: Frohlick Susan
Published: June 2006

This article draws upon ethnographic fieldwork carried out at mountain film festivals in three Canadian cities to show how women viewers reacted to and talked about the predominantly masculine narratives and active male subjects that they were bombarded with in the mediated hype of the festival. The women viewers’ interpretations of the films complicated the ‘alleged neutrality’ of men's bodies by drawing attention to nuanced constructions of the unmarked male adventure subject, such as world explorer, elite athlete and extreme adventurer. At the same time, the women's narratives demonstrate that ‘playful, white masculinity’ is repeatedly represented in these media spaces, which effectively displaces women and non-white men to the periphery of the adventure imaginary. Positioned as consuming subjects, female viewers do not blithely accept these images but as white, educated, middle-class western women both distance themselves from and place themselves within these imaginaries, and engage with ambivalent re-articulations of adventure.
Identification of putative domain linkers by a neural network – application to a large sequence database
Authors: Miyazaki Satoshi , Kuroda Yutaka , Yokoyama Shigeyuki
Published: June 2006

Background

The reliable dissection of large proteins into structural domains represents an important issue for structural genomics/proteomics projects. To provide a practical approach to this issue, we tested the ability of neural network to identify domain linkers from the SWISSPROT database (101602 sequences).

Results

Our search detected 3009 putative domain linkers adjacent to or overlapping with domains, as defined by sequence similarity to either Protein Data Bank (PDB) or Conserved Domain Database (CDD) sequences. Among these putative linkers, 75% were "correctly" located within 20 residues of a domain terminus, and the remaining 25% were found in the middle of a domain, and probably represented failed predictions. Moreover, our neural network predicted 5124 putative domain linkers in structurally un-annotated regions without sequence similarity to PDB or CDD sequences, which suggest to the possible existence of novel structural domains. As a comparison, we performed the same analysis by identifying low-complexity regions (LCR), which are known to encode unstructured polypeptide segments, and observed that the fraction of LCRs that correlate with domain termini is similar to that of domain linkers. However, domain linkers and LCRs appeared to identify different types of domain boundary regions, as only 32% of the putative domain linkers overlapped with LCRs.

Conclusion

Overall, our study indicates that the two methods detect independent and complementary regions, and that the combination of these methods can substantially improve the sensitivity of the domain boundary prediction. This finding should enable the identification of novel structural domains, yielding new targets for large scale protein analyses.
Highly variable sperm precedence in the stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni
Authors: Corley Laura S , Cotton Samuel , McConnell Ellen , Chapman Tracey , Fowler Kevin , Pomiankowski Andrew
Published: June 2006

Background

When females mate with different males, competition for fertilizations occurs after insemination. Such sperm competition is usually summarized at the level of the population or species by the parameter, P
2, defined as the proportion of offspring sired by the second male in double mating trials. However, considerable variation in P
2 may occur within populations, and such variation limits the utility of population-wide or species P
2 estimates as descriptors of sperm usage. To fully understand the causes and consequences of sperm competition requires estimates of not only mean P
2, but also intra-specific variation in P
2. Here we investigate within-population quantitative variation in P
2 using a controlled mating experiment and microsatellite profiling of progeny in the multiply mating stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni.

Results

We genotyped 381 offspring from 22 dam-sire pair families at four microsatellite loci. The mean population-wide P
2 value of 0.40 was not significantly different from that expected under random sperm mixing (i.e. P
2 = 0.5). However, patterns of paternity were highly variable between individual families; almost half of families displayed extreme second male biases resulting in zero or complete paternity, whereas only about one third of families had P
2 values of 0.5, the remainder had significant, but moderate, paternity skew.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that all modes of ejaculate competition, from extreme sperm precedence to complete sperm mixing, occur in T. dalmanni. Thus the population mean P
2 value does not reflect the high underlying variance in familial P
2. We discuss some of the potential causes and consequences of post-copulatory sexual selection in this important model species.
Metabolic engineering of potato tuber carotenoids through tuber-specific silencing of lycopene epsilon cyclase
Authors: Diretto Gianfranco , Tavazza Raffaela , Welsch Ralf , Pizzichini Daniele , Mourgues Fabienne , Papacchioli Velia , Beyer Peter , Giuliano Giovanni
Published: June 2006

Background

Potato is a major staple food, and modification of its provitamin content is a possible means for alleviating nutritional deficiencies. beta-carotene is the main dietary precursor of vitamin A. Potato tubers contain low levels of carotenoids, composed mainly of the xanthophylls lutein, antheraxanthin, violaxanthin, and of xanthophyll esters. None of these carotenoids have provitamin A activity.

Results

We silenced the first dedicated step in the beta-epsilon- branch of carotenoid biosynthesis, lycopene epsilon cyclase (LCY-e), by introducing, via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, an antisense fragment of this gene under the control of the patatin promoter. Real Time measurements confirmed the tuber-specific silencing of Lcy-e. Antisense tubers showed significant increases in beta-beta-carotenoid levels, with beta-carotene showing the maximum increase (up to 14-fold). Total carotenoids increased up to 2.5-fold. These changes were not accompanied by a decrease in lutein, suggesting that LCY-e is not rate-limiting for lutein accumulation. Tuber-specific changes in expression of several genes in the pathway were observed.

Conclusion

The data suggest that epsilon-cyclization of lycopene is a key regulatory step in potato tuber carotenogenesis. Upon tuber-specific silencing of the corresponding gene, beta-beta-carotenoid and total carotenoid levels are increased, and expression of several other genes in the pathway is modified.