bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phosphate Handling: New Genes, New Molecules
Authors: Prié Dominique , Torres Pablo Ureña , Friedlander Gérard
Published: July 2011

Background: Inappropriate renal phosphate transport may alter serum phosphate concentration and bone mineralization, and it may also increase the risk of renal lithiasis or soft-tissue calcifications. Molecular identification of renal phosphate transporters and regulatory proteins has improved our knowledge of the mechanisms that control phosphate balance. This summary reviews recent findings regarding the consequences of mutations affecting several human genes encoding for phosphate transporters or regulatory proteins. Further, it describes the role played by the fibroblast growth factor 23–Klotho axis in phosphate homeostasis and its involvement in the pathophysiology of phosphate disturbances in chronic kidney diseases. Conclusions: This progress may allow development of new drugs that interfere with phosphate transporters, hormonal receptors or associated proteins to improve treatment and to help prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Treatment Approaches for Diabetes and Dyslipidemia
Authors: Wu Mingyuan , Lyons Timothy J.
Published: July 2011

Background: Dyslipidemia is an important risk factor for cardiovascular complications in persons with diabetes. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is the ‘cornerstone’ for assessment of lipoprotein-associated risk. However, LDL-C levels do not reflect the classic ‘diabetic dyslipidemia’ of hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). Measurements of plasma apolipoprotein B100 concentrations and non-HDL-C may improve the definition of dyslipidemia. Statins, nicotinic acid and fibrates have roles in treating dyslipidemia in diabetes. Residual risk (i.e. risk that persists after correction of ‘conventional’ plasma lipoprotein abnormalities) is a new concept in the role of dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. For example, regardless of plasma levels, lipoprotein extravasation through a leaking retinal blood barrier and subsequent modification may be crucial in the development of diabetic retinopathy. The current approach to the management of dyslipidemia in diabetes is briefly summarized, followed by a discussion of new concepts of residual risk and emerging lipoprotein-related mechanisms for vascular disease in diabetes. Conclusions: Effective treatments must correct adverse quantitative plasma lipoprotein levels and a spectrum of qualitative abnormalities in plasma and tissue, as well as the processes by which lipoproteins and cells interact at the sites of disease.
Growth Hormone and Testosterone: Anabolic Effects on Muscle
Authors: Urban Randall J.
Published: July 2011

Background: The loss of skeletal muscle mass that occurs with aging, chronic disease or acute injury is clinically important in the health of humans. The mechanisms relating to the synthesis and breakdown of skeletal muscle are now being intensely investigated. Current studies and possible mechanisms for skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation will be reviewed with a specific focus on growth hormone and testosterone. Conclusions:Investigation of the mechanisms of action of growth hormone and testosterone in skeletal muscle will likely lead to new therapies to prevent skeletal muscle loss and new awareness of the importance of skeletal muscle in health and disease.
Thyroid Disorders during Pregnancy: Impact on the Fetus
Authors: Polak Michel
Published: July 2011

Background: Advances in prenatal imaging techniques and in fetal hormonology now allow for identification of disorders of thyroid function in the fetus. These can potentially be treated in utero by giving drugs to the mother. Aims: This review examines the feasibility of in utero treatment of fetal thyroid disorders, either indirectly by treating the mother or by giving the necessary drugs directly to the fetus. Methodologies: In women with Graves’ disease, autoimmune fetal hyperthyroidism can generally be treated in a noninvasive way by optimizing treatment of the mother, such as by increasing the dose of antithyroid drugs. For goitrous fetal hypothyroidism leading to hydramnios, repeated intra-amniotic injections of thyroxine have been reported to decrease the size of the fetal thyroid. Results: Experience with such procedures is limited but positive. The risk that direct in utero treatment of the fetus may provoke premature labor or cause infection should be carefully evaluated. Conclusions: Follow-up of the efficacy and the possible long-term consequences of medical interventions to normalize thyroid function of the fetus are of great importance. Specialized care of the fetus should be provided by skilled teams with extensive experience in prenatal care.
Prospective, Non-Interventional, Multi-Centre Trial of Tigecycline in the Treatment of Severely Ill Patients with Complicated Infections – New Insights into Clinical Results and Treatment Practice
Authors: Eckmann Christian , Heizmann Wolfgang R. , Leitner Eva , von Eiff Christof , Bodmann Klaus-Friedrich
Published: July 2011

Background: Only few data are available on the efficacy of tigecycline in critically ill patients. Methods: This prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study investigated the efficacy and safety of tigecycline in hospitalized, severely ill patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and/or complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI). Documentation included diagnosis, clinical findings, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, laboratory assessments, surgery, clinical outcomes, and adverse events. Results: Six hundred and fifty-six patients (mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 19.1) with cIAI (41%), cSSTI (16%), multiple infection sites (13%) and/or other severe infections (31%) received tigecycline – 51% as monotherapy – due to failure of previous antibiotics (55%) or since resistant pathogens were suspected or proven (45%); clinical cure/improvement rates were 75, 82, 76 and 67% for cIAI, cSSTI, other severe infections and multiple infection sites, respectively. Drug-related adverse events occurred in 6.7% of patients. Conclusions: The efficacy and safety of tigecycline was demonstrated in a population of severely ill patients with complicated infections.
Development and Validation of a Predictive Screening Tool for Uninterpretable Coronary CT Angiography Results
Authors: Vanhecke Thomas E. , Madder Ryan D. , Weber James E. , Bielak Lawrence F. , Peyser Patricia A. , Chinnaiyan Kavitha M.
Published: July 2011

Background—

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is an excellent tool for noninvasive assessment of coronary arteries in low- to intermediate-risk individuals. However, the accuracy of CCTA heavily depends on image quality. Our objective was to develop and validate a tool to predict pre-CCTA risk of obtaining an uninterpretable result in symptomatic patients.

Methods and Results—

Among 8585 symptomatic patients, we identified variables independently associated with the presence of at least 1 uninterpretable major coronary segment to create the uninterpretable risk score (URS). This risk score was developed using both clinical variables and patient variables acquired at the time the CCTA was performed (heart rate and coronary calcium). The URS was then prospectively validated among an additional 915 symptomatic patients. The URS was predictive of uninterpretable results in both the development and the validation cohorts. For every 4-point increase in the URS (range, 0 to 12), the rate of at least 1 uninterpretable coronary segment per 100 CCTA studies increased ≈1.5 fold. Increased heart rate and coronary artery calcium score were predictive of uninterpretable CCTA study results. Uninterpretable results were associated with 3-month outcomes in the development cohort.

Conclusions—

The URS can categorize patients who are likely to have at least 1 uninterpretable major coronary segment on CCTA. This may aid in appropriate patient selection for CCTA and avoiding radiation exposure in those likely to have an uninterpretable study.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http:///www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00640068.
Biogenesis and Regulation of Cardiovascular MicroRNAs
Authors: Bauersachs Johann , Thum Thomas
Published: July 2011

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and fundamentally impact on cardiovascular function in health and disease. A tight control of miRNA expression is crucial for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. However, a comprehensive understanding of the various levels of miRNA regulation is in its infancy. We here summarize the current knowledge about regulation of cardiovascular miRNAs at the transcriptional level by transcription factors, during processing by the Drosha and Dicer complexes and the importance of miRNA modification, editing, and decay mechanisms. As an example, miRNA regulation in diabetic and hypoxic cardiovascular disease conditions is discussed. Better knowledge about regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in cardiovascular disease will probably lead to improved and novel miRNA-based therapeutic therapies.
The Contemporaneity of Environmental History: Negotiating Scholarship, Useful History, and the New Human Condition
Authors: Sörlin Sverker
Published: July 2011

Although a ‘product’ of the contemporary period, environmental history brings other disciplines, such as the natural sciences, to bear upon our understanding of contemporary history. It also expands our view of the contemporary era as one essentially linked to earlier epochs, linking twentieth-century ideas like the ‘environment’ to earlier special and cultural concepts. Environmental history complicates our view of contemporary history, challenging assumptions of modernization with narratives of decline and destruction. Environmental history, then, broadens our understanding of contemporary history, adding cultural, social, and scientific dimensions to deeply political issues.
European Intellectual History as Contemporary History
Authors: Müller Jan-Werner
Published: July 2011

The first part of this essay examines the peculiar role European intellectual history played in coming to terms with the twentieth century as an ‘Age of Extremes’ and the different weight it was given for that task at different times and in different national contexts up to the 1970s. The second part looks at the contemporary history of politically focused intellectual history — and the possible impact of the latter on the writing of contemporary history in general: it will be asked how the three great innovative movements in the history of political thought which emerged in the last fifty years have related to the practice of contemporary history: the German school of conceptual history, the ‘Cambridge School’, and the ‘linguistic turn’. The third part focuses on recent trends to understand processes of liberalization — as opposed to the older search for causes of political extremism. It is also in the third part that the so far rather Euro-centric perspective is left behind, as attempts to create an intellectual history of the more or less new enemies of the West are examined. Finally, the author pleads for a contemporary intellectual history that seeks novel ways of understanding the twentieth century and the ‘newest history’ since 1989 by combining tools from conceptual history and the Cambridge School.
Tracking the Language of Space and Time, 1948-2008
Authors: Hart Roderick P. , Lim Elvin T.
Published: July 2011

This article explores how contemporary historians can avail themselves of quantitative approaches to examine how elusive concepts like ‘time’ and ‘space’ have been used in the public domain. By making use of specifically designed programs, historians can use digital tools to harness an unprecedented mass of information. This is a particularly important methodological innovation at a time of rapidly expanding data: news, speeches, and commentary are available first electronically, and they are available on countless sites in an unprecedented array of formats. Mastering these sources digitally is not only imperative for the contemporary historian; it also provides essential source material for understanding how language and meanings change over time, between contexts, and across different media.
A reservation about Miroslav Volf’s theory of non-remembrance
Authors: Horne Jon
Published: July 2011

If it is to allow for the transformation of memory, then Miroslav Volf’s theory of non-remembrance stands in need of Christological qualification.
The praise of non-beings
Authors: Hovey Craig
Published: July 2011

Christian theology has said much about existence and being – whether God’s being is the same as that of creatures, whether existence is good or morally neutral, and whether we can say anything meaningful about how God relates to things that do not exist. This article sketches an outline of some of these difficult concepts with an eye to understanding them better, where the possible tensions lie, and why they matter. In particular, it looks to theologians such as Dionysius, Thomas Aquinas and others who not only push the question of whether God’s transcendence of being has implications for the things that God has created, but even dare to ask about non-beings.
Prophecy as a genre of revelation: Synergisms of inspiration and imagination in the book of Isaiah
Authors: Franke William
Published: July 2011

This essay attempts to reconceptualize prophecy in the wake of the recent theological turn in phenomenology. It stresses how prophecy continues and intensifies the process of actualizing revelation in present acts of interpretation that mythic and historical imagination in their different ways inaugurate in biblical tradition. Revelation in this sense turns on the present dimension of the interpreters’ lived experience, in which the event of revelation occurs – or rather recurs – as fully actual in new cultural contexts and existential situations. The role of poetic language turns out to be key for this paradoxically original experience of revelation as prophecy.
Effect of Functionalized MWCNTs with Surfactant and Coupling Agent on Properties of LDPE/POE Blends
Authors: Chen Z. , Chen S. , Zhang J.
Published: July 2011

The surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (NaDDBS) and coupling agents, γ-aminopropyltriethoxy sliane (KH550) and isopropyl dioleic(dioctylphosphate) titanate (NDZ101) were used to treat multiwalled carbon nanotubes in this work. The effects of surface modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on crystallization behavior, mechanical properties, and electrical properties of low density polyethylene/polyolefin elastomer/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites were studied. The results showed that NaDDBS, KH550, and NDZ101 had a favorable effect of improving the dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, but it cannot improve the interfacial interactionbetween multiwalled carbon nanotubes and the matrix. The improvement in dispersion favored the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties. Modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes had a better acceleration nucleation effect than raw multiwalled carbon nanotubes on low density polyethylene/polyolefin elastomer blends at low content (≤1 wt%). The tensile strength of low density polyethylene/polyolefin elastomer/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites with modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes increased with lower multiwalled carbon nanotubes content (≤1 wt%), and KH550 and NDZ101 led low density polyethylene/polyolefin elastomer/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites to possess a higher tensile strength than that of NaDDBS with 1 wt% content. NaDDBS, KH550, and NDZ101 had a minor influence on the dielectric properties of the composites and even caused a decrease in the dielectric loss of composites with 10 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes content.
Structural modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) by electron beam radiation in air
Authors: Oladhosseini S. , Khorasani S. Nouri
Published: July 2011

In this research, structural modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) radiated by electron beam at room temperature in air has been studied. Degree of crystallinity was measured using density measurement, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical properties of radiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) including tensile strength and % strain to failure were also tested and reported. The results of this research provide a better understanding of the morphology and thermal behavior of radiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene). Density measurement shows that the crystallinity of radiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) increases with increasing radiation dose, up to 100 kGy. The number-average molecular weights were estimated from the heat of crystallization measured by differential scanning calorimetry technique. Results from X-ray diffraction patterns of radiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) samples give only one well-defined crystalline peak at a scattering angle of 2 θ = 17.5–18.6°. Mechanical testing of radiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) reveals that dose at which half value of the elongation at break appears is about 10 kGy, while the dose at which half value of the tensile strength appears is about 7 kGy. Results from this research can be used in recycling of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) as well as extending its application in polymer industries as a fluoroadditive or micropowder.
Executive Agencies, Ministers, and Departments
Authors: Verschuere Bram , Bach Tobias
Published: July 2011

The creation of executive agencies outside core departments has been a major element of administrative reforms throughout Europe during the past two decades, driven by a managerial logic, which also has been at the core of most academic works on “agencification.” In this article, the authors take a different perspective by focusing on executive agencies’ influence in the policy process. The authors analyze the policy influence of a large executive agency with service delivery tasks in the context of a parliamentary system of government (Flanders, Belgium). A comparison of the agency’s influence in two major policy processes shows that a complex interplay of policy content, patterns of interaction, and mutual trust with the political leadership and organizational characteristics helps in explaining the observed patterns of influence. The findings also raise normative concerns regarding potential problems of disconnecting operations from policy formulation via agencification.
After Managerialism
Authors: Overeem Patrick , Tholen Berry
Published: July 2011

Disappointing results and negative consequences of government reforms inspired by New Public Management (NPM) ideas have recently stimulated Public Administration scholars to develop alternative approaches to governance. Prominent alternatives in current debates are the Neo-Weberian State, Public Value Management, new arrangements of civic participation, and evidence-based policy making. In this article, the authors build on a reconstruction of the ideas of Alasdair MacIntyre to argue that these alternatives are likely to become as disappointing after their implementation as NPM, as they share its basic modernist and managerialist flaws. They believe MacIntyre’s lessons for Public Administration point toward a more promising route.
Governing Alone and With Partners
Authors: Bumgarner John , Newswander Chad B.
Published: July 2011

Seeking to close the gap between expectations and capacity, presidents have utilized a broad interpretation of executive power to control administrative affairs. However, the emergence of a post–New Public Management environment characterized by loosely constructed networks and a surge of governmental activity has required an evolution in the tools needed to govern. In exploring this dynamic through a constitutional governance model, it becomes evident that a new ethos of presidential governance is starting to develop that is marked by a mixture of governing alone and governing with partners. This dynamic potentially enables more effective and responsible execution of public laws.
Steady-state operating performance modelling and prediction for a direct expansion air conditioning system using artificial neural network
Authors: Li Ning , Xia Liang , Shiming Deng , Xu Xiangguo , Chan Ming-Yin
Published: July 2011

A two-in two-out steady-state artificial neural network (ANN)-based model for an experimental variable speed direct expansion (DX) air conditioning (A/C) system has been developed for simulating its total output cooling capacity and equipment sensible heat ratio under different combinations of compressor and supply fan speeds. Experiments were carried out, and totally 169 sets of experimental data were obtained for ANN training and testing. An ANN-based model having the configuration of 2 neurons in the input layer, 2 neurons in the output layer and 6 neurons in each of the 2 hidden layers, i.e. 2-6-6-2 configuration, was thus developed. The ANN-based model developed can be used to predict the operating performance of the DX A/C system with a higher accuracy. It is expected that the model developed can help design a multivariable-input multivariable-output strategy to simultaneously control indoor air temperature and humidity.

Practical applications: The work reported in this paper demonstrates that the operating performance of a DX A/C system under different compressor and supply fan speeds can well be represented using ANN model technique, as an alternative to traditional physical-based modelling techniques, with a higher predicting accuracy and less computational effort. The ANN-based model for the DX A/C system is expected to be very useful in developing an efficient control algorithm for simultaneous indoor temperature and humidity using the ANN technique.
The enforcement approach to crime prevention
Authors: Darke Sacha
Published: July 2011

When local government authorities began to develop criminal policies with the police in the 1980s, crime prevention was advocated as an inclusive, holistic approach to crime control that had the potential to challenge the prevailing justice paradigm. To date this new prevention paradigm has not been realized in England and Wales. The police and courts are being relied upon more than ever, and relatively few crime prevention initiatives are directed towards the underlying social and economic determinants of crime. Moreover, in the past 15 years crime prevention partnerships have increasingly resorted to administrative and civil law powers such as fixed penalty notices and injunctions. Rather than provide an alternative to the enforcement approach of the criminal justice system, in England and Wales crime prevention has so far proven to be an addition to, even an extension of criminal justice.
The first five years of euthanasia legislation in Belgium and the Netherlands: Description and comparison of cases
Authors: Rurup Mette L , Smets Tinne , Cohen Joachim , Bilsen Johan , Onwuteaka-Philipsen Bregje D , Deliens Luc
Published: July 2011

Background: The Netherlands and Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002.

Aim: In this study we describe and compare cases of reported euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the first 5 years of legislation.

Design/Setting/participants: The databases of the cases reported in Belgium and the Netherlands were made available by the review committees. We compared characteristics of all cases reported between September 2002–December 2007.

Results: In the Netherlands 10,319 cases were reported, in Belgium 1917. Gender and age distributions were similar in both countries. Most patients suffered from cancer (83–87%), but patients more often suffered from diseases of the nervous system in Belgium (8.3% vs. 3.9%). In the Netherlands, reported euthanasia more often occurred at home compared with Belgium (81% vs. 42%), where it occurred more often in hospital (52% vs. 9%). In the Netherlands, all cases were based on the oral request of a competent patient. In Belgium, 2.1% of the reported cases was based on an advance directive.

Conclusions: We conclude that countries debating legislation must realise that the rules and procedures for euthanasia they would agree upon and the way they are codified or not into law may influence the practice that develops once the legislation is effected or what part of that practice is reported.
Motor Neurone Disease family carers’ experiences of caring, palliative care and bereavement: An exploratory qualitative study
Authors: Aoun Samar M , Connors Sianne Lee , Priddis Lynn , Breen Lauren J , Colyer Sue
Published: July 2011

Background:

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease with a sudden onset, a rapid progression, a profile of complex disabilities and fatal consequences. Caring for a person with MND is an unremitting commitment, yet little research has examined the experiences and needs of carers for palliative care and bereavement care.

Aim:

This study explored the experiences of MND family carers, both during their time as carers and following bereavement. Particular attention was paid to the carers’ prolonged grief status and to the implications for service delivery, including palliative care.

Design:

A qualitative approach consisted of interviews with 16 bereaved family carers. The Prolonged Grief tool (PG-13) measured the carers’ prolonged grief.

Setting/participants:

sixteen family carers participated in the study, between one and four years after the death of their spouse from MND in Western Australia.

Results:

The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed five themes – the work of family carers, the change in relationship from spouse to family carer, family caring as a series of losses, coping mechanisms of family carers and supportive and palliative care experiences of family carers. The six participants who met the criteria for prolonged grief disorder accessed palliative care at a later stage in the disease trajectory.

Conclusions:

The study provided a basis for more research into the role palliative care services has in supporting MND carers before and after the death of their spouse and in particular the provision of more tailored respite and bereavement support.
Different factors affecting the mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of HDPE reinforced with micro-CaCO3
Authors: Elleithy Rabeh , Ali Ilias , Al-haj Ali Mohammad , Al-Zahrani S.M.
Published: July 2011

In this study, we manufactured the HDPE/micro-calcium carbonate (CaCO3) composites. A twin screw extruder was used to melt blend different loadings of CaCO3 masterbatch, from 5% to 20%, with HDPE. Furthermore, injection-molded samples were manufactured using different molding conditions, namely pressure and cooling time. The presence of CaCO3 increased the viscosity and the stiffness of the composites. The viscoelastic analysis indicated that adding more than 15% on the CaCO3 masterbatch apparently affected the way the material behaves, as indicated by an abrupt change of some properties of the composite containing 20% masterbatch. As the molding pressure and cooling time increased, the shrinkage of the molded samples decreased. The tensile strength and the ductility of the composite decreased as the content of the CaCO3 increased and as the cooling time or the molding pressure decreased. The fracture surface of all samples had the characteristic dimples of polyethylene fracture; however, neat resin showed extensive fibrillation which was absent at high loadings of CaCO3.
Effects of micro-Al(OH)3 and nano-SiO2 on wear behavior of GF/epoxy composites in high-friction velocity
Authors: Guirong Peng  , Zaiji Zhan  , Lijun Gao  , Ruihong Wang
Published: July 2011

Effects of micro-Al(OH) 3 powders on wear behavior of GF/EP composites are studied in friction velocity from 15 to 45 m/s. The results show that friction coefficients change insignificantly with increase of loads and addition of powders, but change significantly with the variation of friction velocity. Abrasion rates increase dramatically with the increase of friction velocity and load. The addition of nano-SiO2 increases the abrasion rate under the same load, the addition of Al(OH)3 powders decreases the abrasion rate. The wear mechanisms are adhesive and fatigue, which do not change with addition of either micro-Al(OH)3 powders or nano-SiO2. In the previous study, abrasive friction is the major wear mechanism in lower velocity friction condition. Different from low-velocity friction, the friction between the GF/EP composites and the transfer film is predominating in high-friction velocity, which results in dramatical increase in wear rate and decrease in friction coefficient in higher friction velocity. The effects of Al(OH) 3 powders on wear rate are attributed to the heat absorption when Al(OH) 3 powder decomposes, which is testified by the endothermic effect between 200°C and 300°C in DSC curves.
Evaluation and prediction of temperature-dependent tensile strength of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites
Authors: Shenghu Cao  , Xin Wang  , Zhishen Wu
Published: July 2011

To predict temperature-dependent tensile strength of unidirectional CFRP composites, numerical analysis and model simulation were conducted in terms of experimental results. The effect of elevated temperatures on tensile strength of CFRP sheets was evaluated between 20°C and 120°C, and the storage moduli of two types of epoxy resins, with glass transition temperatures (T g) of 42°C and 45°C, were tested by DMA. The tensile experiments of CFRP sheets show that the tensile strength exhibits stable behavior at the low-temperature range (below glass transition temperature), but drops rapidly during the glass transition region, and then reaches a plateau. Analysis results indicate that the degradation of tensile strength is mainly due to matrix softening and loss of fiber—matrix adhesion, based on which a semi-empirical model is proposed to precisely describe tensile strength reduction as the temperature increases. The parameters of the model consist of the glass transition temperature of polymer matrix, the polymer glass transition region, and the residual strength after the glass transition region. Model prediction of tensile strength vs. temperature shows good agreement with the experimental results.
Effect of low-profile additives on thermo-mechanical properties of glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites
Authors: Khoun Loleï , Chaudhuri Rehnooma I. , Hubert Pascal
Published: July 2011

Low profile additives (LPA) are thermoplastics particles incorporated into unsaturated polyester (UP) resin in order to improve the surface finish of fiber glass/UP composites by shrinkage compensation. They are widely used in automotive applications where high-quality surface finish is required. In this article, the effect of low-profile additives on the thermo-mechanical properties of resin transfer molded fiber glass/UP panels is investigated. A combination of poly vinyl-acetate and poly methyl-methacrylate additives was tested with three concentrations (0%, 10%, and 40%). The flexural and shear properties were measured by three-point bending and short-beam tests. Thermo-mechanical and dynamic mechanical analyses were performed to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion and the glass transition temperature. The mechanical properties as well as the coefficient of thermal expansion were reduced upon addition of low-profile additives, whereas the glass transition temperature was improved with the content of low profile additives due to a better compatibility of the LPA/UP system.
The Health of Jail Inmates
Authors: Potter Roberto Hugh , Lin Hefang , Maze Allison , Bjoring Donell
Published: July 2011

Jails are often referred to as “reservoirs of disease” and presented as the origin of infectious diseases or for the development of chronic diseases. The present article argues that the data behind this metaphor are generally taken from nonrepresentative studies by analyzing non-TB-focused studies of jail inmate health issues published in both health and criminal-justice-related journals. Issues such as the use of extremely large jail systems, geographic location, diseases studied, and the lack of attention to jail processes are examined. The article explores the “length of stay” variable from booking to release known as “flow” and how the flow of detainees through jails over time affects who is left for data collection. Data on releases from a large Florida urban jail system for a 1-year period are analyzed to determine the impact of factors associated with release decisions. These, in turn, are related to the representativeness and generalizability of the observed data in previous research and analyzed in terms of potential bias for our understanding of the relationship between jail populations and community health. Issues of health-focused practice standards and recommendations issued without reference to “flow” factors are discussed. Finally, suggestions how criminologists and criminal justice researchers can inform the research on health among jail inmates are canvassed.
Experimental study of burning behaviors of intumescent coatings and nanoparticles applied on flaxboard
Authors: Zhang Jianping , Delichatsios Michael , McKee Maurice , Ukleja Sebastian , Pagella Claudio
Published: July 2011

This article presents an experimental investigation of ignition and burning behaviors of intumescent coatings and nanoparticles applied on flaxboard using the cone calorimeter, single burning item (SBI) and reduced scale (one-third) ISO room. The effects of intumescent coatings and nanoparticles on time to ignition (TTI), mass loss rate (MLR), heat release rate (HRR), production of toxic gases (carbon monoxide and smoke) were investigated. The performance of intumescent coatings in under-ventilated condition was examined by performing tests in the one-third ISO room with reduced opening sizes. Results in the cone calorimeter and SBI indicated that (1) there is a substantial increase of TTI and decrease of MLR/HRR by intumescent coatings and (2) the addition of nanoparticles results in a further increase of TTI as well as a decrease of MLR/HRR owing to increased stability of the char. Tests in the one-third ISO room showed that although the intumescent coatings reduce the HRR the reduction is much less substantial than that in the cone calorimeter or SBI.
Is there really a turnout paradox?
Authors: Medina Luis Fernando
Published: July 2011

This paper challenges the notion that voting games with purely instrumental players cannot account for high turnout (the ‘turnout paradox’). Although it has been known for over 25 years that such games can generate high-turnout equilibria, the said equilibria have been rejected on the grounds that they are fragile. This paper shows that this claim is incorrect because it is based on a computation of pivot probabilities that is not consistent with equilibrium analysis. Once the relevant computations are corrected, it becomes possible to obtain upper bounds on the cost of voting compatible with high-turnout equilibria showing that these equilibria are indeed quite robust. This paper concludes by extending the model to include continuous outcome functions, showing that while they preserve the high-turnout equilibria obtained before, they allow for better characterizations of the results.
Constituency size and stability of two-party systems
Authors: Rozenas Arturas
Published: July 2011

This paper investigates how constituency size affects spatial competition in a two-party system with a new entrant. When the electorate is small, two-party systems are stable only if the following conditions hold: the candidates are neither too certain nor too uncertain about voters’ preferences; competition is sufficiently costly; and the candidates have binding policy commitments. Moreover, whenever equilibrium exists in small constituencies, the two parties are considerably polarized. In contrast, when the electorate is large, two-party equilibrium obtains under a much wider set of conditions and exhibits low polarization. The Downsian prediction of two-party convergence and the Duvergerian prediction of plurality rule leading to a two-party system are more robust in larger electorates.
A facile process for preparation of polyaniline/polyacrylic acid composite electrochromism films
Authors: Xu Na , Shen Xiaodong , Cui Sheng , Yi Xibin
Published: July 2011

The polyaniline was synthesized by the emulsion polymerization and the polyaniline/polyacrylic acid (PANI/PAA) composite films were prepared through a layer-by-layer method. The porous PAA layer was used as a template for the deposition of PANI, and finally the composite film showed a network structure with large surface area and high porosity. The facile process for preparation of PANI/PAA composite films was good for large-scale production and application. The electrochromic performance of the PANI/PAA composite film was investigated by means of cyclic voltammogram, chronoamperometry and transmittance measurements. The composite film showed three typical redox couples, and the response time for reduction and oxidation was 90 and 102 ms, respectively. The PANI/PAA films also exhibited remarkable electrochromism ability with a reversible color change from yellow to purple and a transmittance change from 68 to 27% at 550 nm.
Scrap wafer regeneration by precise abrasive jet machining with novel composite abrasive for design of experiments
Authors: Ke J-H , Tsai F-C , Hung J-C , Yang T-Y , Yan B H
Published: July 2011

Great quantities of silicon wafers have been used in the semiconductor industry, resulting in a shortage of raw materials required for wafer production. Unfortunately, conventional wafer regeneration processes still have some issues of machining properties. In this study a precise abrasive jet machining (AJM) method with a novel composite abrasive is employed to reduce the surface roughness of recycled wafers. Experiments designed using the Taguchi method was conducted for removal of patterns from the wafer surface to explore the impact of different processing parameters on surface quality and to optimize the combination of processing parameters. Experimental results show that the optimal parameters for achieving a smooth surface with minimum subsurface damage are composite abrasive coated SiC mesh of # 3000, impact angle of 30, stand-off distance of 70 mm, jet pressure of 0.4 MPa, and platform revolution of 250 r/min. With these parameters, all surface patterns can be removed completely with machining for 5 min. The electronic data systems (EDS) results prove that no residual elements exist on silicon wafer and surface roughness is reduced to 0.118 μm Ra, which cntributes to surface improvement and shortens the post-processing time required for silicon wafer regeneration.
Shaped metal deposition of 300M steel
Authors: Skiba T , Baufeld B , Van der Biest O
Published: July 2011

A component prepared by shaped metal deposition (SMD) using 300M steel wire is studied to reveal structure and material properties. The component exhibits a bainitic microstructure changing from distinct sheaves to homogenous from top to bottom. This change in microstructure is reflected by a step-like increase of the volume fraction of austenite towards the bottom of the component, and a step-like decrease of the microhardness. A certain deviation of the general change in the morphology of bainite from top to bottom appears at the very bottom of the component, caused by the influence of the base plate. Tensile tests show a very high ultimate tensile strength of about 1500 MPa and an elastic modulus of 200 GPa, which is comparable to that of material in cast condition.
Integrated precision evaluation method for three-dimensional optical measurement system
Authors: Zhang D H , Liang J , Guo C , Chen Z
Published: July 2011

An integrated precision evaluation method (IPEM) for evaluating the capabilities of sophisticated optical measurement systems is proposed. The method, which has the advantages of the VDI/VDE2634 guidelines and the Standardization Project for Optical Techniques of Strain measurement procedure, is developed on the basis of three-dimensional (3D) optical measurement technology and statistical principles. The application of the IPEM to a combination of an in-house developed 3D optical measurement system and an in-house developed photogrammetry measurement system is investigated for the case of measuring features on a large-scale waterwheel blade. It is shown that the proposed method is appropriate and feasible for application in manufacturing industries.
Multi-input multi-output control of an automotive active engine mounting system
Authors: Hillis A J
Published: July 2011

This paper describes the control of automotive active engine mounts, consisting of a conventional passive hydraulic mount and an internal electromagnetic actuator. The actuator generates a force dependent on a control signal from an algorithm implemented in real time. The filtered- x least-mean-square (FXLMS) adaptive filter is applied to a system of two active mounts fitted to a saloon car equipped with a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. The steady state and transient performance of the active system is experimentally evaluated, and is found to typically reduce chassis vibration by 50 per cent to 90 per cent under normal driving conditions.
The Jekyll and Hyde of Emotional Intelligence
Authors: Côté Stéphane , DeCelles Katherine A. , McCarthy Julie M. , Van Kleef Gerben A. , Hideg Ivona
Published: July 2011

Does emotional intelligence promote behavior that strictly benefits the greater good, or can it also advance interpersonal deviance? In the investigation reported here, we tested the possibility that a core facet of emotional intelligence—emotion-regulation knowledge—can promote both prosocial and interpersonally deviant behavior. Drawing from research on how the effective regulation of emotion promotes goal achievement, we predicted that emotion-regulation knowledge would strengthen the effects of other-oriented and self-oriented personality traits on prosocial behavior and interpersonal deviance, respectively. Two studies supported our predictions. Among individuals with higher emotion-regulation knowledge, moral identity exhibited a stronger positive association with prosocial behavior in a social dilemma (Study 1), and Machiavellianism exhibited a stronger positive association with interpersonal deviance in the workplace (Study 2). Thus, emotion-regulation knowledge has a positive side and a dark side.
Phonology Contributes to Writing
Authors: Qu Qingqing , Damian Markus F. , Zhang Qingfang , Zhu Xuebing
Published: July 2011

Is the production of written words affected by their phonological properties? Most researchers agree that orthographic codes can be accessed directly from meaning, but the contribution of phonological codes to written word production remains controversial, mainly because studies have focused on languages with alphabetic scripts, and it is difficult to dissociate sound from spelling in such languages. We report results from a picture-word interference task in which Chinese participants wrote the names of pictures while attempting to ignore written distractor words. On some trials, the distractors were phonologically and orthographically related to the picture names; on other trials, the distractors were only phonologically related to the picture names; and on still other trials, the distractors and picture names were unrelated. Priming effects were found for both types of related distractors relative to unrelated distractors. This result constitutes clear evidence that phonological properties constrain orthographic output. Additionally, the results speak to the nature of Chinese orthography, suggesting subsemantic correspondences between sound and spelling.
Cross-Language Intrusion Errors in Aging Bilinguals Reveal the Link Between Executive Control and Language Selection
Authors: Gollan Tamar H. , Sandoval Tiffany , Salmon David P.
Published: July 2011

Bilinguals outperform monolinguals on measures of executive control, but it is not known how bilingualism introduces these advantages. To address this question, we investigated whether language-control failures increase with aging-related declines in executive control. Eighteen younger and 18 older Spanish-English bilinguals completed a verbal-fluency task, in which they produced words in 18 categories (9 in each language), and a flanker task. Performance on both tasks exhibited robust effects of aging, but cross-language and within-language errors on the verbal-fluency task differed in a number of ways. Within-language errors occurred relatively often and decreased with higher levels of education in both younger and older bilinguals. In contrast, cross-language intrusions (e.g., inadvertently saying an English word on a Spanish-language trial) were rarely produced, were not associated with education level, and were strongly associated with flanker-task errors in older but not younger bilinguals. These results imply that executive control plays a role in maintaining language selection, but they also suggest the presence of independent forces that prevent language-selection errors.
New insights into the invasive process of the eastern house mouse (Mus musculus musculus): Evidence from the burnt houses of Chalcolithic Romania
Authors: Cucchi T. , Bălăşescu A. , Bem C. , Radu V. , Vigne J.-D. , Tresset A.
Published: July 2011

The house mouse invasion of the European continent has crucial implications for our understanding of the synanthropization process of European small mammals during the Holocene. Mice remains collected from a Chalcolithic burnt house in southern Romania, provided a unique opportunity to document which of the two house mouse subspecies was the commensal taxa of the late Neolithic Romania and question the factors of its invasive process. To obtain the subspecific status of the Mus remains, we performed molar shape analysis with geometric morphometrics, using 160 specimens sampling the extant Eastern European Mus taxa as modern comparatives. Along with an overwhelming majority of eastern house mice ( Mus musculus musculus) living constantly in the Chalcolithic house, indigenous small mammals (common hamster, field mice, voles and white toothed shrews) were also occupying the settlement sporadically, highlighting the antiquity of the synanthropisation of European small mammals. This secured occurrence of the eastern house mouse in late Neolithic Romania, led us to propose two testable research hypotheses: first, an eastern house mouse commensalism center in Eastern Europe happening during the sixth millennium bc, when neolithization reached the natural distribution of free living populations of Mus musculus musculus in the Pontic steppes of Ukraine; second, new trajectories of trading networks, stimulated by copper metallurgy around the fifth millennium bc, having allowed long-distance translocation of the commensal eastern house mouse from Eastern to Southern Europe Neolithic settlements.
Regional convergence and growth in Europe: understanding patterns and determinants
Authors: Petrakos George , Kallioras Dimitris , Anagnostou Ageliki
Published: July 2011

The paper examines the pattern of regional convergence and the determinants of regional growth in Europe, providing a discussion of the issues that are of relevance to the theoretical conceptions and the subsequent design of regional development policy, supported by an illustrative empirical analysis. The analysis covers 249 NUTS II regions of the European Union in the period 1990–2003. Using as its basis the standard framework of (absolute) β-convergence, the paper detects a mirror-image J-shaped relationship between regional growth and regional development levels. This type of relationship indicates that regional divergence factors are getting stronger, and, eventually, dominate, at more advanced levels of development. On the basis of a regional growth model, factors such as agglomeration economies, geography, economic integration and economic structure seem to create an overall unfavourable economic environment for lagging (and, possibly, less favoured) regions. Such an environment generates dilemmas and questions concerning the mix of policies that may promote growth and at the same time reduce regional inequalities in the European Union.