bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance Management Design and Effectiveness in Quality‐Driven Organizations
Authors: III Victor Y. Haines , St‐Onge Sylvie , Marcoux Alexandre
Published: September 2010

Performance management practices, such as performance appraisals, are often considered incompatible with the principles of quality management. If designed appropriately, however, performance management systems could support rather than hinder quality. This study investigates the alignments of performance management system components to a strategic emphasis on quality. Findings from a sample of 312 organizations generally support the idea that organizations are adapting their performance management systems in ways that are compatible with a quality emphasis. In addition, the study shows that a greater alignment of quality and performance management is associated with greater perceived effectiveness of the performance management system.

Les pratiques de gestion du rendement, comme les évaluations du rendement, sont souvent considérées incompatibles avec les principes de la gestion de la qualité. Cependant, si elles sont développées correctement, les systèmes de gestion du rendement peuvent soutenir plutôt que nuire à la qualité. La présente étude s'intéresse aux alignements entre les composantes des systèmes de gestion du rendement et l'emphase stratégique sur la qualité. Les analyses réalisées avec un échantillon de 312 organisations indiquent une certaine cohérence entre les systèmes de gestion du rendement et l'emphase stratégique sur la qualité. Les organisations semblent donc adapter leurs systèmes de gestion du rendement aux exigences de la qualité. De plus, une plus grande cohérence entre la stratégie qualité et la gestion du rendement est associée avec des perceptions positives à l'égard de l'efficacité du système de gestion du rendement.
Multinational Multilingualism on the Internet: The Use of Japanese on Corporate Web Sites
Authors: Tiessen James H.
Published: September 2010

This study investigates factors associated with the use of Japanese on the Web sites of 362 non‐Japanese companies listed on the Fortune Global 500. The results showed that business to consumer (B2C) firms were more likely to offer Japanese than those in business to business (B2B). Companies in the financial services sector did not tend to have Japanese on their sites. B2C service firms (e.g., retailers) were less likely to adapt to Japan's market than the others. Only 35% of the companies with subsidiaries or offices in Japan offered Japanese. This group, not surprisingly, was more likely to provide information in its host country's language. The study's findings indicate that international market factors and the economics of language act in tandem to affect the Internet multilingualism strategies of multinationals.

Cette étude se penche sur les facteurs associés à l'utilisation du japonais sur les sites Web de 362 sociétés non japonaises figurant sur la liste du Fortune Global 500. Les résultats ont révélé que les sociétés orientées vers le grand public (business to consumer ou «B2C») sont plus nombreuses que les sociétés de services interentreprises (business to business ou «B2B») à proposer des pages en japonais. Les sociétés du secteur des services financiers n'ont pas en général de pages en japonais sur leur site. Ce sont les sociétés de services orientées vers le grand public, comme les détaillants, qui sont le moins susceptibles de s'adapter au marché japonais. Seulement 35 % des sociétés comportant des filiales ou des bureaux au Japon proposent des pages en japonais. Comme il fallait s'y attendre, ce groupe est plus enclin à fournir de l'information dans la langue de son pays d'accueil. Les observations de l'étude indiquent que les facteurs du marché international et les aspects économiques de la langue agissent en parallèle sur les stratégies de plurilinguisme sur Internet adoptées par les multinationales.
Enabling Industrial Ecology through the Forecasting of Durable Goods Disposal: Televisions as an Exemplar Case Study
Authors: Linton Jonathan D. , Yeomans Julian Scott , Yoogalingam Reena
Published: September 2010

A lack of understanding of the waste flow of durable goods complicates decision making, especially in the face of technological change and obsolescence. To address the problem, this study considers the modeling of the waste flow of durable goods, using televisions to illustrate the requirements for forecasting and the magnitude of the associated uncertainty. A combination of laws in various jurisdictions and the emergence of alternate technology trajectories for televisions—the flat panel display and phase‐out of analogue broadcasting— make this example particularly timely. The findings suggest that the reuse of lead‐containing cathode ray tube (CRT) glass is worth consideration, even though the adoption of flat panel TV technology will eliminate this controversial waste stream at some point in the future. The findings also indicate the range of the quantity of waste that can be displaced from municipal landfills and requires an alternative collection infrastructure, important information for both developing a collection infrastructure and processing alternatives to extract the residual value of the discarded televisions.

L'ignorance du flux des déchets des biens durables rend la prise de décision difficile, surtout au regard du contexte technologique actuel marqué par l'obsolescence et le changement. La présente étude, qui s'appuie sur la gestion des déchets de télévision pour mettre en exergue les impératifs d'une approche préventive et l'ampleur de l'incertitude qu'elle comporte, se propose d'aborder le problème sous l'angle d'une modélisation du flux des déchets des biens durables. L'exemple utilisé est d'autant plus indiqué qu'on note une combinaison de lois dans diverses juridictions et l'apparition des lignes de technologie alternative pour la télévision, avec l'affichage sur écrans plats et l'abandon progressif de la radiodiffusion analogique. Les conclusions de notre étude indiquent que la réutilisation des tubes cathodiques en verre contenant du plomb (CRT) est une solution qui mérite d'être envisagée, même s'il est vrai que l'adoption de la technologie des écrans plats éliminera, avec le temps, ce flux de déchets. Les résultats montrent également qu'il faudra disposer de beaucoup d'informations pour développer de nouvelles infrastructures de collectes et de traitements des déchets (par exemple les télévisions en panne) qui ne pourront plus être déposés dans les décharges municipales, et pour l'extraction de leur valeur résiduelle.
Promotion Thresholds: Price Change Insensitivity or Risk Hurdle?
Authors: Krider Robert E. , Han Sangman
Published: September 2010

Threshold effects in consumer response to price promotions are usually explained as insensitivity to small differences between an observed price and an internal reference price. In this research, we develop an alternative mechanism whereby the threshold effect arises from consumer uncertainty of the normal reference price, rather than from insensitivity to small gains and losses. We compare two variations of this mechanism with the usual insensitivity‐based promotion threshold mechanism. We find that a risk‐hurdle mechanism has the best empirical support, as well as desirable theoretical characteristics. Such a mechanism implies that (a) promotion strategies that assume insensitivity to small changes may be problematic; (b) tactics that influence consumer uncertainty can affect brand choice; and (c) customers' purchase sequence histories have a major impact on deal response.

Dans les réactions des consommateurs aux promotions des ventes, les effets du seuil sont habituellement préséntés comme une insensibilité aux différences minimes entre un prix observé et un prix de référence interne. Dans la présente étude, nous exposons un mécanisme alternatif dans lequel l'effet du seuil est produit par l'incertitude qui s'empare du consommateur devant le prix témoin et non par son insensibilité aux micro gains et pertes. Deux variations de ce mécanisme sont comparées au mécanisme habituel du seuil oscillatoire de promotion basé sur l'indifférence. Les résultats indiquent que le mécanisme à risque présente les meilleures bases empiriques et les caractéristiques théoriques souhaitables. Un tel mécanisme implique: d'un, que les stratégies de promotion qui présument l'insensibilité aux changements mineurs peuvent être problématiques; de deux, que les tactiques qui influencent l'incertitude du consommateur peuvent affecter le choix de la marque; enfin, que les séquences historiques des achats du consommateur ont un impact majeur sur la réaction réservée à une aubaine.
Ajustement Mutuel et Auto‐Coordination en Entreprise
Authors: Alséne Éric , Pichault François
Published: September 2010

L'auto‐coordination en entreprise, ou coordination des activités produite par les employés eux‐mêmes plutôt que par des tiers, est un phénomène encore mal appréhendé par les sciences administratives. La notion d'ajustement mutuel avancée par certains auteurs apparaît notamment comme une notion passablement réductrice. Cet article fait part de certains des résultats d'une recherche exploratoire effectuée récemment dans une entreprise québécoise de services sur le thème de la coordination, qui confirment les limites des théories courantes en matiére d'auto‐coordination, et qui apportent diverses pistes d'élargissement de la compréhension de cet espace de pratiques.

Self‐coordination within an enterprise, or the coordination of activities performed by the employees themselves rather than by third parties, is a phenomenon that remains poorly understood by the administrative sciences. In particular, the notion of mutual adjustment put forward by some authors appears to be a rather limited one. This article presents some of the results of an exploratory research work conducted recently in a Quebec services enterprise on the topic of coordination, confirming the limits of current theories on the subject of self‐coordination, and opening up various avenues for broadening our understanding of this area of practices.
The Small World of Canadian Capital Markets: Statistical Mechanics of Investment Bank Syndicate Networks, 1952–1989
Authors: Baum Joel A.C. , Rowley Timothy J. , Shipilov Andrew V.
Published: September 2010

We investigate the structure of investment bank syndicate networks in Canada. We consider two banks to be connected if they have participated in an underwriting syndicate together, and construct networks of such connections using data drawn from the Record of New Issues (Financial Data Group). We show that these interfirm networks form “small worlds”, in which banks are both locally clustered and globally connected by short paths of intermediate banks, and are “scale free”, in which the connectivity of the network is highly skewed and with most banks tied to a small set of prominent banks. We examine changes over time in the network's small‐world and scale‐free properties, and demonstrate their theoretical and practical implications for the structure and operation of Canadian capital markets by linking these properties to the network's cliquey‐ness, resilience, and speed of information transmission.

Cette étude porte sur la structure des réseaux que for‐ment les syndicats d'émission des banques d'investissement au Canada. Nous posons que deux banques sont liées si elles ont participé ensemble à un syndicat d'émission, et nous retraçons les réseaux de liens en utilisant des données extraites du Record of New Issues (Financial Data Group). Nous montrons que ces réseaux interorganisationnels (RIO)forment des petits mondes dans lesquels les banques sont à la fois localement regroupées et mondialement reliées par des courts chemins de banques intermédiaires. Les RIO sont également sans échelle (scale free): la connectivité dans le réseau est fortement inégale et la plupart des banques sont liées à un petit nombre de banques dominantes. Nous examinons l'évolution des propriétés de petit monde et d'absence d'échelle du réseau et mettons en Evidence leurs implications théoriques et pratiques pour la structure et le fonctionnement du marché canadien des capitaux en reliant ces propriétés aux caractères de clique, de résilience et de vitesse de transmission de l'information du réseau.
The Impact of Brand Commitment on Loyalty to Retail Service Brands
Authors: Fullerton Gordon
Published: September 2010

This paper incorporates the developing body of literature in relationship marketing to the study of brand loyalty. Relationship marketing literature has established that customer commitment is a central, complex construct consisting of at least an affective component and a continuance component. This study examined the extent to which affective and continuance commitment serve as mediators of the brand satisfaction—loyalty intentions relationship. The study found that, in two retail service brand settings, the two components of commitment fully mediate the relationship between brand satisfaction and both repurchase intentions and advocacy intentions. In addition, the study found that affective commitment to the brand was strongly and positively related to both repurchase intentions for the brand and willingness to act as an advocate on behalf of the brand. Continuance commitment was at best only weakly but positively related to repurchase intentions, but negatively related to advocacy intentions for the brand.

Le présent article combine les publications de plus en plus nombreuses relatives au marketing ciblé et l'étude de la fidélité à la marque. Les publications relatives au marketing ciblé ont établi que l'engagement du client est un concept central et complexe qui comprend au moins une composante affective et une composante de continuation. Cette étude examine dans quelle mesure l'engagement affectif et l'engagement de continuation médiatisent la satisfaction par rapport à la marque—rapport d'intentions de fidélité. L'étude révèle que dans deux contextes de service de détail de marque, les deux composantes d'engagement médiatisent complètement le rapport entre la satisfaction par rapport à la marque d'une part, les intentions de rachat et les intentions de promotion d'autre part. Par ailleurs, l'engagement affectif à la marque est fortement et positivement relié aux intentions de rachat de la marque et à la volonté de recommander et de défendre la marque. L'engagement de continuation est au mieux relié uniquement, faiblement mais positivement aux intentions de rachat. Cependant, il est négativement relié aux intentions de recommandation pour la marque.
A Content Analysis of Risk Management Disclosures in Canadian Annual Reports
Authors: Lajili Kaouthar , Zéghal Daniel
Published: September 2010

This research paper examines risk information disclosures in Canadian annual reports to provide insights into the current risk disclosure environment, its characteristics, and the analytical usefulness of the information disclosed to the firm's stakeholders. Following a content analysis, the authors describe and then analyze in greater detail the subject matter of risk disclosures of TSE 300 Canadian companies by summarizing and classifying disclosed risk‐related information. Results show a high degree of risk disclosure intensity reflecting both mandatory and voluntary risk management disclosures. However, the analytical power of such disclosures, as captured by the risk assessment analysis, appears to lack uniformity, clarity, and quantification, thus potentially limiting their usefulness. The authors conclude that more formalized and comprehensive risk disclosures might be desirable in the future to effectively reduce information asymmetries between management and stakeholders.

La présente étude analyse les divulgations d'informations sur le risque dans les rapports annuels canadiens. Elle se propose de jeter une lumière sur l'environnement actuel de divulgation des risques, ses caractéristiques, et l'utilité analytique des informations divulguées pour les acteurs de l'industrie canadienne. Grâce à la méthode de l'analyse du contenu, les auteurs décrivent puis analysent de faĉon plus détaillée le contenu actuel des divulgations d'informations sur le risque des entreprises du TSE 300. Ils y parviennent en synthétisant et en catégorisant les informations divulguées. Les résultats montrent que les divulgations se font à une fréquence assez élevée, consécutive aux divulgations obligatoires et volontaires de gestion des risques. Cependant, vu la manière dont l'analyse d'évaluation des risques divulgue ces informations, leur pouvoir analytique semble manquer d'homogénéité, de clarté, et de quantification, ce qui limite potentiellement leur utilité. Les auteurs concluent qu'à l'avenir, les divulgations de risques gagneraient à être plus formalisées et plus complètes. Ceci permettrait de réduire l'asymétrie des informations entre les gestionnaires des risques et les investisseurs.
Another Demo of the Unusual Thermal Properties of Rubber
Authors: Liff Mark I.
Published: September 2010

The unusual thermal behavior of rubbers, though discovered a long time ago, can still be mind-boggling for students and teachers who encounter this class of polymeric systems. Unlike other solids, stretched elastic polymers shrink upon heating. This is a manifestation of the Gough-Joule (G-J) effect.1–4 Joule in the 1850s studied the thermal behavior of rubbers that was initially explored by Gough in 1805. Properties of rubbers such as contraction upon heating, or the related phenomenon of heating upon fast expansion, did not make much sense at that time. Joule's work validated Gough's results, but the molecular basis of the unusual thermal behavior of rubbers remained unexplained for another 70 years. The physical ideas, taking into account gigantic conformational entropy of elastic polymers that explain their contraction on heating, were developed by Staudinger, Kuhn, and others only in the 1920s and 1930s.5
Simple Animations with Excels
Authors: Blickensderfer Roger
Published: September 2010

In recent years there has been a rapid expansion in the use of animated drawings for teaching physics. The benefits to the students are obvious. Rather than looking at still pictures in a textbook, they can observe a physical event and see how it plays out over time.
Digitizing Sound: How Can Sound Waves be Turned into Ones and Zeros?
Authors: Vick Matthew
Published: September 2010

From MP3 players to cell phones to computer games, we're surrounded by a constant stream of ones and zeros. Do we really need to know how this technology works? While nobody can understand everything, digital technology is increasingly making our lives a collection of “black boxes” that we can use but have no idea how they work. Pursuing scientific literacy should propel us to open up a few of these metaphorical boxes. High school physics offers opportunities to connect the curriculum to sports, art, music, and electricity, but it also offers connections to computers and digital music. Learning activities about digitizing sounds offer wonderful opportunities for technology integration and student problem solving. I used this series of lessons in high school physics after teaching about waves and sound but before optics and total internal reflection so that the concepts could be further extended when learning about fiber optics.
Swing Weights of Baseball and Softball Bats
Authors: Russell Dan
Published: September 2010

Baseball and softball bats are sold according to length in inches and weight in ounces.1 Much to the consternation of players buying new bats, however, not all bats that weigh the same swing the same. The reason for this has to do with moment of inertia of the bat about a pivot point on the handle, or what the sporting goods industry refers to as swing weight.2–3 A number of recent field studies4–7 have confirmed that the speed with which a player can swing a baseball or softball bat depends more on the bat's moment of inertia than on its mass. In this paper we investigate the moment of inertia (swing weight) of a variety of baseball and softball bats.
Is Magnification Consistent?
Authors: Graney Christopher M.
Published: September 2010

Is the phenomenon of magnification by a converging lens inconsistent and therefore unreliable? Can a lens magnify one part of an object but not another? Physics teachers and even students familiar with basic optics1 would answer “no,” yet many answer “yes.” Numerous telescope users believe that magnification is not a reliable phenomenon in that it does not work for stars. This belief was central to the arguments of one of science's most prominent modern critics—a great story of how misunderstanding basic optics helped to yield bad ideas about science. So magnification is a great topic! It is accessible to students. It gives students insight into the workings of a familiar device such as a telescope that even frequent telescope users often lack. And it has a fascinating side story about how misunderstanding basic science led to interesting consequences.
Falling and Rising in Water
Authors: Mohazzabi Pirooz
Published: September 2010

When an object is immersed in a liquid and released, it may sink to the bottom or rise to the surface and float. If the object's density is greater than that of the liquid, it sinks. If the object's density is less than the density of the liquid, it floats. In the special case when the object's density matches the density of the liquid, it will remain in neutral equilibrium.
Quantum Mechanics for Beginning Physics Students
Authors: Schneider Mark B.
Published: September 2010

The past two decades of attention to introductory physics education has emphasized enhanced development of conceptual understanding to accompany calculational ability. Given this, it is surprising that current texts continue to rely on the Bohr model to develop a flawed intuition, and introduce correct atomic physics on an ad hoc basis. For example, Halliday, Resnick, and Walker1 describe the origin of atomic quantum numbers as such: “The restrictions on the values of the quantum number for the hydrogen atom, as listed in Table 39-2, are not arbitrary but come out of the solution to Schrödinger's equation.” They give no further justification, but do point out the values are in conflict with the predictions of the Bohr model.
IDH2
Mutations in Patients with
d
-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria
Authors: Kranendijk Martijn , Struys Eduard A. , van Schaftingen Emile , Gibson K. Michael , Kanhai Warsha A. , van der Knaap Marjo S. , Amiel Jeanne , Buist Neil R. , Das Anibh M. , de Klerk Johannis B. , Feigenbaum Annette S. , Grange Dorothy K. , Hofstede Floris C. , Holme Elisabeth , Kirk Edwin P. , Korman Stanley H. , Morava Eva , Morris Andrew , Smeitink Jan , Sukhai Rám N. , Vallance Hilary , Jakobs Cornelis , Salomons Gajja S.
Published: September 2010

A mutation that changes the specificity of an enzyme in human cancer is also found in an inherited metabolic disorder.
Fast Vesicle Fusion in Living Cells Requires at Least Three SNARE Complexes
Authors: Mohrmann Ralf , de Wit Heidi , Verhage Matthijs , Neher Erwin , Sørensen Jakob B.
Published: September 2010

Three's the Charm

The molecular machinery mediating membrane fusion during secretion from a cell requires a complex of so-called SNARE protein that forms a coiled bundle of four parallel α-helices.

Mohrmann
et al.

(p.
502
, published online 16 September) developed an elegant approach to find out how many SNARE complexes are required to promote secretion of individual secretory vesicles in living chromaffin cells by titrating the ratio of wild-type and mutant SNARE proteins expressed. For fast synchronous release, a minimum of three SNARE complexes per vesicle were required. Fewer SNARE complexes resulted in slower release.
Propane Respiration Jump-Starts Microbial Response to a Deep Oil Spill
Authors: Valentine David L. , Kessler John D. , Redmond Molly C. , Mendes Stephanie D. , Heintz Monica B. , Farwell Christopher , Hu Lei , Kinnaman Franklin S. , Yvon-Lewis Shari , Du Mengran , Chan Eric W. , Tigreros Fenix Garcia , Villanueva Christie J.
Published: September 2010

Diving into Deep Water

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the largest oil spills on record. Its setting at the bottom of the sea floor posed an unanticipated risk as substantial amounts of hydrocarbons leaked into the deepwater column. Three separate cruises identified and sampled deep underwater hydrocarbon plumes that existed in May and June, 2010—before the well head was ultimately sealed.

Camilli
et al.

(p.
201
; published online 19 August) used an automated underwater vehicle to assess the dimensions of a stabilized, diffuse underwater plume of oil that was 22 miles long and estimated the daily quantity of oil released from the well, based on the concentration and dimensions of the plume.

Hazen
et al.

(p.
204
; published online 26 August) also observed an underwater plume at the same depth and found that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were enriched in the plume and were breaking down some parts of the oil. Finally,

Valentine
et al.

(p.
208
; published online 16 September) found that natural gas, including propane and ethane, were also present in hydrocarbon plumes. These gases were broken down quickly by bacteria, but primed the system for biodegradation of larger hydrocarbons, including those comprising the leaking crude oil. Differences were observed in dissolved oxygen levels in the plumes (a proxy for bacterial respiration), which may reflect differences in the location of sampling or the aging of the plumes.
DYNAMICAL BOUNDS FOR STURMIAN SCHRÖDINGER OPERATORS
Authors: MARIN L.
Published: September 2010

The Fibonacci Hamiltonian, that is a Schrödinger operator associated to a quasiperiodical Sturmian potential with respect to the golden mean has been investigated intensively in recent years. Damanik and Tcheremchantsev developed a method in [10] and used it to exhibit a non trivial dynamical upper bound for this model. In this paper, we use this method to generalize to a large family of Sturmian operators dynamical upper bounds and show at sufficently large coupling anomalous transport for operators associated to irrational number with a generic diophantine condition. As a counterexample, we exhibit a pathological irrational number which does not verify this condition and show its associated dynamic exponent only has ballistic bound. Moreover, we establish a global lower bound for the lower box counting dimension of the spectrum that is used to obtain a dynamical lower bound for bounded density irrational numbers.
GENERATION OF CLUSTER STATES WITH SUPERCONDUCTING QUANTUM-INTERFERENCE DEVICES IN A CAVITY VIA A RAMAN TRANSITION
Authors: JIANG XIU-MEI , LIU DA-MING , ZHENG YI-ZHUANG
Published: September 2010

We propose a scheme to create cluster states with superconducting quantum-interference devices (SQUIDs) with the help of an auxiliary qubit, by using a quantized cavity field and classical microwave pulses, via Raman transition. In our scheme, no transfer of quantum information between the SQUIDs and the cavity is required. The cavity is only virtually excited during the whole operation and thus the cavity decay is suppressed during the operations and the requirement on the quality factor of the cavity is much relaxed, which could greatly reduce the experimental challenge.
ENTANGLEMENT DYNAMICS OF FLUCTUATIONS IN TWO-MODE BOSE–EINSTEIN CONDENSATES
Authors: SHU P. L. , WANG L. C. , YI X. X.
Published: September 2010

The entanglement dynamics of fluctuations in two weakly coupled Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) is studied in this paper. By calculating the time evolution of entanglement between two fluctuations of condensates in a double-well potential, we show that the nonlinear tunneling transition can be reflected in the entanglement dynamics of fluctuations in BECs. This complements the study on the entanglement dynamics of BECs based on the mean-field approximation.
NEW APPROACH TO DERIVING THE THERMO-MINIMUM UNCERTAINTY STATES AND ITS WIGNER FUNCTION
Authors: YUAN HONG-CHUN , XU XUE-XIANG , FAN HONG-YI
Published: September 2010

Based on our previous study [Mod. Phys. Lett. A18 (2003) 677] in which minimum uncertainty states for thermo-field dynamics were proposed, we use a new approach to derive the thermo-minimum uncertainty states via the relation of two-variable Hermite polynomial. In addition, the compact expression for its corresponding Wigner function is obtained analytically by using the Weyl-ordered invariance under the similar transformations, which seems a new result.
THE ISOSPIN DEPENDENCE OF THE NUCLEAR PHASE TRANSITION NEAR THE CRITICAL POINT
Authors: CHEN Z. , WADA R. , BONASERA A. , KEUTGEN T. , HAGEL K. , WANG J. , HUANG M. , QIN L. , NATOWITZ J. , MATERNA T. , KOWALSKI S. , SAHU P. K. , NAKAGAWA T.
Published: September 2010

The experimental results reveal the isospin dependence of the nuclear phase transition in terms of the Landau Free Energy description of critical phenomena. Near the critical point, different ratios of the neutron to proton concentrations lead to different critical points for the phase transition which is analogous to the phase transitions in He 4- He 3 liquid mixtures. The antisymmetrized molecular dynamics (AMD) and GEMINI models calculations were also performed and the results will be discussed as well.
SYSTEMATIC CALCULATION OF α-DECAY HALF-LIVES WITHIN GENERALIZED DENSITY-DEPENDENT CLUSTER MODEL
Authors: NI DONGDONG , REN ZHONGZHOU
Published: September 2010

An improved version of the generalized density-dependent cluster model is presented to describe an α particle tunneling through a microscopic potential barrier. The microscopic potential is numerically constructed in the double folding model for both the Coulomb potential and the nuclear potential. The decay width is computed using the integral of the quasibound state wave function, the scattering state wave function, and the difference of potentials. We perform a systematic calculation of α-decay half-lives for even-even, odd-A, and odd-odd nuclei ranging from N = 84 to N = 126. The calculated α-decay half-lives are found to be in good agreement with the experimental values.
MEDIUM EFFECTS ON CHARGED PION RATIO IN HEAVY ION COLLISIONS
Authors: KO CHE MING , OH YONGSEOK , XU JUN
Published: September 2010

We have recently studied in the delta-resonance–nucleon-hole model the dependence of the pion spectral function in hot dense asymmetric nuclear matter on the charge of the pion due to the pion p-wave interaction in nuclear medium. In a thermal model, this isospin-dependent effect enhances the ratio of negatively charged to positively charged pions in neutron-rich nuclear matter, and the effect is comparable to that due to the uncertainties in the theoretically predicted stiffness of nuclear symmetry energy at high densities. This effect is, however, reversed if we also take into account the s-wave interaction of the pion in nuclear medium as given by chiral perturbation theory, resulting instead in a slightly reduced ratio of negatively charged to positively charged pions. Relevance of our results to the determination of the nuclear symmetry energy from the ratio of negatively to positively charged pions produced in heavy ion collisions is discussed.
PROJECTILE FRAGMENTATION OF 36,40Ar INDUCED REACTIONS
Authors: TIAN W. D. , MA Y. G. , WANG H. W. , LIU G. H. , MA C. W. , SU Q. M. , YAN T. Z. , CAI X. Z. , FANG D. Q. , CHEN J. G. , GUO W. , SHI Y. , WANG K. , XU H. S. , HU Z. G. , XIAO Z. G. , SUN Z. Y. , GUO Z. Y. , XIAO G. Q. , LEI X. G. , LI B. , YUAN X. H. , ZHANG H. B. , YAO X. W. , GUO W. T. , ZHANG X. H. , GAO Q. , ZHENG C. , GAO H. , XU Z. G. , FU F. , HAN J. L. , FAN R. R.
Published: September 2010

Fragment yields for Z ≥ 5 from projectile fragmentation using primary beams of 36,40Ar at 50 MeV/nucleon on 64 Ni target have been measured in RIBLL fragment separator. We compare the fragment cross sections with the predictions of the empirical EPAX parametrization of fragmentation cross-sections and Statistical Abration-Ablation model (SAA) by considering the RIBLL separator transmission rate. Isotope yield ratios between these two reactions were calculated and isoscaling parameters α and β are extracted, their dependences on fragment atomic number Z and neutron number N were presented.
MEASUREMENT OF THE PROTON-PROTON CORRELATION FUNCTION FROM THE BREAK-UP OF 22Mg AND 20Ne
Authors: SUN X. Y. , CHEN J. G. , FANG D. Q. , MA Y. G. , CAI X. Z. , GUO W. , TIAN W. D. , WANG H. W. , ZHOU P. , ZHANG G. Q. , CAO X. G. , FU Y. , HU Z. G. , WANG J. S. , WANG M. , TOGANO Y. , AOI N. , BABA H. , HONDA T. , OKADA K. , HARA Y. , IEKI K. , ISHIBASHI Y. , ITOU Y. , IWASA N. , KANNO S. , KAWABATA T. , KIMURA H. , KONDO Y. , KURITA K. , KUROKAWA M. , MORIGUCHI T. , MURAKAMI H. , OISHI H. , OTA S. , OZAWA A. , SAKURAI H. , SHIMOURA S. , SHIODA R. , TAKESHITA E. , TAKEUCHI S. , YAMADA K. , YAMADA Y. , YASUDA Y. , YONEDA K. , MOTOBAYASHI T.
Published: September 2010

An experiment of 22 Mg and 20 Ne beams bombarding on a 12 C target at an energy of 60~70 A MeV has been performed at the RIKEN projectile fragment separator (RIPS) in the RIKEN Ring Cyclotron Facility to study the two-proton correlated emission from 22 Mg and 20 Ne excited states. The two-protons momentum correlation functions have been obtained for 22 Mg and 20 Ne , respectively. The trajectories of the 22 Mg decayed products (20 Ne + p + p ) were also measured to get the angular correlations between the two protons in Center of Mass of decaying system by relativistic-kinematics reconstruction. The results exhibit that 22 Mg has the features of 2 He cluster decay mechanism.
HYPERNUCLEUS PRODUCTION AT RHIC AND HIRFL-CSR ENERGY
Authors: ZHANG SONG , CHEN J. H. , MA Y. G. , TANG Z. B. , XU Z. B.
Published: September 2010

We calculated the hypertriton production at RHIC-STAR and HIRFL-CSR acceptance, with a multi-phase transport model (AMPT) and a relativistic transport model (ART), respectively. In specific, we calculated the Strangeness Population Factor [Formula: see text] at different beam energy. Our results from AGS to RHIC energy indicated that the collision system may change from hadronic phase at AGS energies to partonic phase at RHIC energies. Our calculation at HIRFL-CSR energy supports the proposal to measure hypertriton at HIRFL-CSR.
HOW DOES PARTON CASCADE PRODUCE A DOUBLE-PEAK STRUCTURE IN AMPT MODEL?
Authors: MA GUO-LIANG
Published: September 2010

In order to search for the origin of double-peak structure in di-hadron azimuthal correlation at RHIC, a γ-jet with known production point and momentum is triggered in a multi-phase transport model. Partonic medium presents different shapes of responses to different geometry configurations of triggered γ-jet. The key of the double-peak structure is found to be a strong shadowing effect of dense core, which is related to transverse expansion and radial flow of partonic matter.
MATTER BELOW THE CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
Authors: XU XIAOMING , PENG RU
Published: September 2010

Form of matter created in high-energy heavy ion collisions is pertinent to color deconfinement. We calculate time dependences of number densities of pions, rhos, kaons, vector kaons, free quarks and antiquarks. Due to medium screening which leads to constant confinement at large distances, meson-meson reactions [Formula: see text] in hadronic matter below the critical temperature Tc produce an appreciable amount of quarks and antiquarks freely moving in hadronic matter and establish a new mechanism for deconfinement of quarks and antiquarks in hadronic matter. We therefore arrive at a new form of matter below Tc: hadrons plus free quarks and antiquarks.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Authors: SAKURAI HIROYOSHI
Published: September 2010

I have been very pleased to join this international workshop and have enjoyed it very much. It is my great pleasure to summarize what I have learned in this workshop.
VOLUME CLUTTER ELIMINATION, ROUGH INTERFACE REVERBERATION SUPPRESSION, AND TARGET RESONANCE CONVERGENCE IN HETEROGENEOUS MEDIA USING AN ITERATIVE TIME REVERSAL MIRROR
Authors: YING YINGZI , MA LI
Published: September 2010

The presence of the clutter of volume scattering and the echo return from rough interface hinders the detection of target in heterogeneous media. This work investigates the application of an iterative time reversal mirror to mitigate the difficulties. Numerical simulations based on pseudospectral finite-difference time-domain method are performed in one and two layered media. A wideband probe pulse is launched to initiate the process, and the time-reversed echo received at the same position is retransmitted as the renewed input signal for next iteration, and repeat the procedures iteratively. The results illustrate as the number of iteration increases, small volume clutter is eliminated, interface reverberation is suppressed relatively, and the echoes will converge to a time-harmonic waveform that corresponds to an object's dominant resonance mode. The detection of target is achieved by extracting this important acoustic signature.
A NEW ENERGY-FLUX MODEL OF WAVEGUIDE REVERBERATION BASED ON PERTURBATION THEORY
Authors: WU J. R. , SHANG E. C. , GAO T. F.
Published: September 2010

The modal shallow water reverberation theory and the energy-flux shallow water reverberation theory were combined to get a new energy-flux model of waveguide reverberation based on Perturbation theory. There are only three environmental parameters (P, Q, μ) in the new reverberation model. It has clear physical picture and it is satisfied the waveguide constraint without any adjustable parameters. The new energy-flux reverberation model was compared with the modal reverberation model (full-wave reverberation model). The results show that the new model can explain the shallow water reverberation in most cases. It is shown that the contributions of parameter P and Q are mutual compensated (coupled) for a fixed reverberation data, therefore it is hard to extract both of them simultaneously. Finally, parameters P and μ at different frequencies were extracted from the reverberation data of "Qingdao-2005 experiment" in Yellow sea shallow-water area where the parameter Q has been extracted from mode filtering approach previously.
Spontaneous Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+ homeostasis in a minimal model of permeabilized ventricular myocytes
Authors: Hartman Jana M. , Sobie Eric A. , Smith Gregory D.
Published: September 2010

Many issues remain unresolved concerning how local, subcellular Ca2+ signals interact with bulk cellular concentrations to maintain homeostasis in health and disease. To aid in the interpretation of data obtained in quiescent ventricular myocytes, we present here a minimal whole cell model that accounts for both localized (subcellular) and global (cellular) aspects of Ca2+ signaling. Using a minimal formulation of the distribution of local [Ca2+] associated with a large number of Ca2+-release sites, the model simulates both random spontaneous Ca2+ sparks and the changes in myoplasmic and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) [Ca2+] that result from the balance between stochastic release and reuptake into the SR. Ca2+-release sites are composed of clusters of two-state ryanodine receptors (RyRs) that exhibit activation by local cytosolic [Ca2+] but no inactivation or regulation by luminal Ca2+. Decreasing RyR open probability in the model causes a decrease in aggregate release flux and an increase in SR [Ca2+], regardless of whether RyR inhibition is mediated by a decrease in RyR open dwell time or an increase in RyR closed dwell time. The same balance of stochastic release and reuptake can be achieved, however, by either high-frequency/short-duration or low-frequency/long-duration Ca2+ sparks. The results are well correlated with recent experimental observations using pharmacological RyR inhibitors and clarify those aspects of the release-reuptake balance that are inherent to the coupling between local and global Ca2+ signals and those aspects that depend on molecular-level details. The model of Ca2+ sparks and homeostasis presented here can be a useful tool for understanding changes in cardiac Ca2+ release resulting from drugs, mutations, or acquired diseases.
Myocardial contraction-relaxation coupling
Authors: Janssen Paul M. L.
Published: September 2010

Since the pioneering work of Henry Pickering Bowditch in the late 1800s to early 1900s, cardiac muscle contraction has remained an intensely studied topic for several reasons. The heart is located centrally in our body, and its pumping motion demands the attention of the observer. The contraction of the heart encompasses a complex interplay of mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties, and its function can thus be studied from any of these viewpoints. In addition, diseases of the heart are currently killing more people in the Westernized world than any other disease. When combined with the increasing emphasis of research to be clinically relevant, this contributes to the heart remaining a topic of continued basic and clinical investigation. Yet, there are significant aspects of cardiac muscle contraction that are still not well understood. A big complication of the study of cardiac muscle contraction is that there exists no equilibrium among many of the important governing parameters, which include pre- and afterload, intracellular ion concentrations, membrane potential, and velocity and direction of movement. Thus the classic approach of perturbing an equilibrium or a steady state to learn about the role of the perturbing factor in the system cannot be unambiguously interpreted, since each of the parameters that govern contraction are constantly changing, as well as constantly changing their interaction with each other. In this review, presented as the 54th Bowditch Lecture at Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim in April 2010, I will revisit several governing factors of cardiac muscle relaxation by applying newly developed tools and protocols to isolated cardiac muscle tissue in which the dynamic interactions between the governing factors of contraction and relaxation can be studied.
Vestibular-mediated increase in central serotonin plays an important role in hypergravity-induced hypophagia in rats
Authors: Abe Chikara , Tanaka Kunihiko , Iwata Chihiro , Morita Hironobu
Published: September 2010

Exposure to a hypergravity environment induces acute transient hypophagia, which is partially restored by a vestibular lesion (VL), suggesting that the vestibular system is involved in the afferent pathway of hypergravity-induced hypophagia. When rats were placed in a 3-G environment for 14 days, Fos-containing cells increased in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the central nucleus of the amygdala, the medial vestibular nucleus, the raphe nucleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract, and the area postrema. The increase in Fos expression was completely abolished or significantly suppressed by VL. Therefore, these regions may be critical for the initiation and integration of hypophagia. Because the vestibular nucleus contains serotonergic neurons and because serotonin (5-HT) is a key neurotransmitter in hypophagia, with possible involvement in motion sickness, we hypothesized that central 5-HT increases during hypergravity and induces hypophagia. To examine this proposition, the 5-HT concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid were measured when rats were reared in a 3-G environment for 14 days. The 5-HT concentrations increased in the hypergravity environment, and these increases were completely abolished in rats with VL. Furthermore, a 5-HT2Aantagonist (ketanserin) significantly reduced 3-G (120 min) load-induced Fos expression in the medial vestibular nucleus, and chronically administered ketanserin ameliorated hypergravity-induced hypophagia. These results indicate that hypergravity induces an increase in central 5-HT via the vestibular input and that this increase plays a significant role in hypergravity-induced hypophagia. The 5-HT2Areceptor is involved in the signal transduction of hypergravity stress in the vestibular nucleus.
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cancer Mortality in the NHANES III Study (1988–2006)
Authors: Freedman D. Michal , Looker Anne C. , Abnet Christian C. , Linet Martha S. , Graubard Barry I.
Published: September 2010

Vitamin D has been hypothesized to protect against cancer. We followed 16,819 participants in NHANES III (Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey) from 1988 to 2006, expanding on an earlier NHANES III study (1988–2000). Using Cox proportional hazards regression models, we examined risk related to baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] for total cancer mortality, in both sexes, and by racial/ethnic groups, as well as for site-specific cancers. Because serum was collected in the south in cooler months and in the north in warmer months, we examined associations by collection season (“summer/higher latitude” and “winter/lower latitude”). We identified 884 cancer deaths during 225,212 person-years. Overall cancer mortality risks were unrelated to baseline 25(OH)D status in both season/latitude groups, and in non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican-Americans. In men, risks were elevated at higher levels {e.g., for ≥100 nmol/L, relative risk (RR) = 1.85 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–3.35] compared with <37.5 nmol/L}. Although risks were unrelated to 25(OH)D in all women combined, risks significantly decreased with increasing 25(OH)D in the summer/higher latitude group [for ≥100 nmol/L, RR = 0.52 (95% CI, 0.25–1.15) compared with <37.5 nmol/L; Ptrend = 0.03, based on continuous values]. We also observed a suggestion of an inverse association with colorectal cancer mortality (Ptrend = 0.09) and a positive association with lung cancer mortality among males (Ptrend = 0.03). Our results do not support the hypothesis that 25(OH)D is associated with reduced cancer mortality. Although cancer mortality in females was inversely associated with 25(OH)D in the summer/higher latitude group, cancer mortality at some sites was increased among men with higher 25(OH)D. These findings argue for caution before increasing 25(OH)D levels to prevent cancer. Cancer Res; 70(21); 8587–97. ©2010 AACR.
Genetic Risk Profiles Identify Different Molecular Etiologies for Glioma
Authors: Simon Matthias , Hosking Fay J. , Marie Yannick , Gousias Konstantinos , Boisselier Blandine , Carpentier Catherine , Schramm Johannes , Mokhtari Karima , Hoang-Xuan Khe , Idbaih Ahmed , Delattre Jean-Yves , Lathrop Mark , Robertson Lindsay B. , Houlston Richard S. , Sanson Marc
Published: September 2010

Purpose: Genome-wide association studies have recently identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in five loci at 5p15.33 (rs2736100, TERT), 8q24.21 (rs4295627, CCDC26), 9p21.3 (rs4977756, CDKN2A/CDKN2B), 20q13.33 (rs6010620, RTEL1), and 11q23.3 (rs498872, PHLDB1) to be associated with glioma risk. Because gliomas are heterogeneous in histology, molecular alterations, and clinical behavior, we have investigated these polymorphisms for potential correlations with tumor histology and patient survival.

Experimental Design: We studied the relationship between SNPs and glioma subtype in two large patient cohorts from France and Germany, totaling 1,577 patients, as well as the relationship between SNP genotype and overall survival.

Results: In both cohorts, the frequencies of rs2736100 and rs6010620 risk genotypes were highly correlated with high-grade disease (P < 0.001), whereas rs4295627 and rs498872 risk genotypes were inversely related to tumor grade (P < 0.001). These data show that genetic variations at these loci have subtype-specific effects on the risk of developing glioma. In contrast, the rs4977756 genotype was not correlated with tumor grade, consistent with the causal variant having a generic influence on glioma development. None of the five SNPs was associated with prognosis independent of tumor grade.

Conclusions: Our findings provide novel insight into etiologic pathways in the different glioma subtypes. Clin Cancer Res; 16(21); 5252–9. ©2010 AACR.