bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Explosion Cladding: An Enabling Technology for Zirconium in the Chemical Process Industry
Authors: Banker John G.
Published: July 2010

Zirconium is a commonly used material for containment of corrosive media by the chemical process industry (CPI). Zirconium’s corrosion resistance is exceptional in a broad range of aggressively corrosive environments. However, zirconium is significantly more expensive than most of the alternative, but often inferior, corrosion resistant alloys. Explosion cladding has enabled CPI companies to cost effectively benefit from the superior performance features of zirconium in heavy-wall pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Explosion cladding is a unique technology that uses the energy of an explosive detonation to produce a metallurgical bond between metal plates. Since its discovery and industrialization in the 1960s, explosion cladding has proven to be a highly reliable, robust manufacturing technology. Zirconium clad has become a broadly accepted material of construction for a significant range of chemical process equipment. Zirconium clad equipment is used in manufacture of an extensive range of chemical products or intermediates including nitric acid, acetic acid, urea, and various organic acids. Zirconium clad and related design, manufacture, and fabrication processes have been shown to be highly reliable and to reduce both capital and operating cost.
Experiences of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of Semmelweis University during the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza outbreak
Authors: Iványi Zsolt , Valkó L. , Hauser B. , Kristóf K. , Hargitai Z. , Lorx A. , Madách K. , Gál J.
Published: July 2010

Introduction:
The 2009 pandemic 2009 H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza A virus shows a markedly different disease pattern than seasonal strains, causing critical illness in relatively young, female, pregnant individuals as well as in comorbid patients. Materials and methods: The Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of Semmelweis University served as a regional influenza center for the adult critically ill during the winter of pH1N1 outbreak. We analyzed data collected from 26 suspected pH1N1 critically ill patients treated in our unit during this period. Results: Sixteen cases were confirmed as pH1N1 infection with RT-PCR, while the other 10 patients with influenza like illness showed tendency to a different age and comorbidity, as well as outcome characteristics, suggesting a different pathogenesis. Confirmed pH1N1 patients showed a mean age of 50.5 years (median: 44; range: 20–85), with female predominancy (69%). Comorbidity was present in 69% of cases (chronic heart conditions, chronic pulmonary disease, previous history of malignancy present in 31; 25 and 19%, respectively). Twenty-five percent of the patients were pregnant women. Nineteen percent of the cases received previous pH1N1 vaccination. But two patients were later readmitted for worsening chronic conditions that led to death, which resulted in a total mortality rate of 31%. Mean APACHE II and SOFA scores on admittance were 12.2 and 5.3, respectively. Average length of treatment was 11.5 days (median: 6.5; range 2–50 days). All patients received ventilatory assistance, 69% of patients received invasive, while 31% of patients received non-invasive ventilatory assistance. The average number of days of invasive ventilation was 10.5 days (median: 5.5; range: 2–45). Forty-five percent of ventilated patients required rescue ARDS therapy. Complications included hemodynamic instability (56%); acute renal failure (13%) and pneumothorax (13%). Superinfection with other microbes were observed in 56% of the patients. Conclusions: In our study, pH1N1 infected critically ill patients had a wide age range, but were more commonly female, pregnant, or had a previously described underlying disease. Mortality, length of treatment, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, length of mechanical ventilation, major complication rates were similar to those previously described. A previously not reported relatively high occurrence of pneumothorax was noted, which is possibly a long-term complication of severe viral pneumonitis.
Hepatitis C infected hemodialysis and renal transplant patients with elevated α-glutathione S-transferase have increased risk for liver damage
Authors: Sárváry Enikő , Gerlei Zs. , Dinya E. , Tóth E. , Varga M. , Chmel R. , Molnar M. , Remport A. , Nemes B. , Kobori L. , Görög D. , Fazakas J. , Gaal I. , Járay J. , Perner F. , Langer R.
Published: July 2010

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) and renal transplant recipients (RT) have a high prevalence of HCV infection. Theaimof our study was to determine the prevalence of HCV-RNA in the anti-HCV positive patients and to compare the biochemical parameters of PCR(+) and PCR(−) subgroups.Methods:The 525 sera were screened for anti-HCV. HCV-RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and liver enzymes [SGOT, SGPT, GGT,α-glutathione S-transferase (GST)] were measured.Results:Active viraemia was found only in 187 of 289 (65%) seropositive HD patients in contrast to 53 of 53 (100%) of seropositive RT patients. Significantly increased (p<0.05) GST values (9.9 μg/l) were found in the PCR(+) subgroups compared to GST levels (2.7 μg/l) of the PCR(−) subgroups. Elevated GST concentration was found in 80% (208/251) of PCR(+) patients. The measured enzymes were not elevated in HCV infected patients. Six percent of HD and 11% of RT patients were screened before seroconversion. Diagnostic sensitivity (80%) and specificity (79%) of GST were calculated as good for early liver damage caused by HCV. In contrast, the sensitivity of the measurement of other liver enzymes were very weak (SGOT: 8%; SGPT: 10%; GGT: 42%).Conclusion:The significantly higher viraemia of the RT subgroup could be related to the immunosuppressive therapy. Increased GST level may be a useful indicator of tissue damage during HCV infection. If HCV infection is suspected, PCR and GST measurement should be performed, even if anti-HCV result is negative.
Introduction to Supercritical Fluids: Basic Principles and Applications
Authors: Nunes da Ponte M.
Published: July 2010

This paper provides a short overview of developments in the field of supercritical fluids in the last
thirty yearsand of actual and prospective applications
Applications of Supercritical Expansion Processes for Particle Formation
Authors: Rita C. Duarte Ana
Published: July 2010

Pharmaceutical sciences are experiencing a revolution as regards the existing technologies and the
development of entirely new ones. Engineering drug itself has emerged as a new strategy for drug delivery and
supercritical fluid technology offers exciting opportunities in this field. The application of supercritical fluids to
the processing of pharmaceuticals has already proven its feasibility and also its applicability in the area of
polymer processing as well as in the preparation of controlled release systems. It is of particular interest the key
role that materials have in the development of these new drug delivery systems, from polymers, to ceramics or
even metals. When a pharmaceutical agent is encapsulated within, or attached to, a polymer or lipid, drug safety
and efficacy can be greatly improved and new therapies are possible. This has been the driving force for active
study of the design of these materials, intelligent delivery systems and approaches for delivery through different
administration routes. A review of the state of the art indicates that, in the past two decades, a lot of effort has
been put in the development of new particle formation processes. The precipitation of solids with supercritical
fluids has attracted many researchers as it enables the production of very small size particles with a narrow size
distribution using mild and inert conditions. In this chapter a review of the supercritical expansion processed
applied to pharmaceutical purposes is presented.
Particles from Gas-Saturated Solutions and Related Methods for Particle Engineering
Authors: R. Sampaio de Sousa A. , M. M. Duarte Catarina
Published: July 2010

One of the most promising methods for particle engineering using supercritical fluids is the PGSS –
Particles from gas saturated solutions and derived methods. It has been used to micronized drugs and active
compounds and to produce composite particles, mainly for pharmaceutical applications, however food
applications are starting to arise among experimental work with potential for industrial applications. The
morphology and size of the particles obtained is diverse depending on the system used, but they are usually in a
micro-nano size range. This chapter presents an overview of the basic principles of the method, several
developments that were further undertaken, and a compilation of different examples and systems.
Fundamentals and Modeling of Supercritical Precipitation Processes
Authors: Martin Angel , Jose Cocero Maria
Published: July 2010

Precipitation processes based on the use of supercritical fluids have undergone considerable
development during the last years. One of the main pending tasks at this moment is the development of a
systematic procedure for the design and scale-up of these processes. This requires not only empirical knowledge,
but also information about the fundamentals of the process. This work aims to review the published literature
dealing with a fundamental investigation and modeling of supercritical fluid precipitation processes.
Ionic Liquids and Carbon Dioxide as Combined Solvents for Reactions and Separations: The Miscibility Switch
Authors: Kuhne E. , J. Witkamp G. , J. Peters C.
Published: July 2010

Ionic liquids (ILs) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are emerging as candidates to replace volatile organic
solvents in synthesis and extraction processes. ILs are a relatively new class of substances composed only of ions
and liquid at temperatures below 100oC. As a major attractive characteristic, they have negligible vapor pressure -
reducing solvent loss by evaporation and environmental pollution. When used simultaneously with carbon
dioxide for reactions and extractions, the process will be based on non-toxic, non-flammable solvents and will be
applicable for a wide variety of compounds. It has been recently shown that carbon dioxide can be used to split
phases in homogenous one-phase systems with ILs. This miscibility switch allows reactions to be carried out in
one phase, and by simply changing CO2 pressure, extractions can be carried out more efficiently under
heterogeneous conditions. This chapter presents an overview on ionic liquids and carbon dioxide, together with
an explanation on the phenomenon of miscibility switch.
Introduction
Authors: AlJaroudi Wael
Published: July 2010

Approximately 40,000 infants are born each year with a congenital heart disease (CHD) in the United
States. CHD is defined as any abnormality that affects the cardiac anatomy or physiology, with some
forms manifesting at birth, or during infancy, as cyanosis, failure to thrive, or heart failure (HF), while
others are discovered in adulthood or incidentally. Newer imaging modalities, improved surgical
techniques and medical care, have increased the survival rate of these patients [1]. In the year 2000, it was
estimated that there were 485,000 adults with complex CHD and 300,000 with simple CHD in the United
States [2]; these numbers have been increasing exponentially over the years. As these patients grow older,
they may develop arrhythmias, HF, shunts, conduit failures, valvular insufficiency, and pulmonary
hypertension (PHT). In addition, they are 25-100 times more likely to experience sudden cardiac death
than the general population [3]. Also, adult women with surgically repaired complex CHD often
encounter additional problems during pregnancy.....
Oral Microbial Flora
Authors: K. Markopoulos Anastasios
Published: July 2010

The normal oral flora of humans is exceedingly complex and consists of more than
200 species of bacteria. The composition of the oral flora may be influenced by various
factors, including oral hygiene, genetics, age, sex, stress and diet of the individual. At birth,
the mucous membranes of the mouth and pharynx are often sterile at birth but may be
contaminated by passage through the birth canal 4-12 hours after birth. The development of
the teeth is accompanied by the appearance of other regions, which may provide suitable
conditions for growth of microorganisms.
Mastication
Authors: K. Markopoulos Anastasios
Published: July 2010

Mastication is the first stage in the process of digestion. In most mammals, controlled
vertical and transverse movements of the mandible, as well as protrusion and retrusion of the tongue
characterize mastication.

These controlled movements of the mandible contribute also in swallowing and production of speech.
In these functions significant is also the contribution of tongue and certain muscles controlling perioral
area, pharynx and larynx.

The controlled movements of mastication are not observed from the initial stages of life. However,
some non-synchronized movements of mandible start from embryonic life in all mammals. During
neonatal life, several masticatory movements are observed, but most mammals are feeded with sucking.
Later a gradual shift of kinetic prototypes of sucking to the prototypes of mastication occurs.
Mechanisms controlling this shift are multifactorial and are probably related with maturation of neural
and anatomic components.
Origin and Relationships of Amelogenin, and the Evolutionary Analysis of its Conserved and Variable Regions in Tetrapods
Authors: Jean-Yves Sire
Published: July 2010

Hypermineralized tissues related to enamel are identified in early vertebrates, 450 millions years ago (Ma). The enamel matrix proteins (EMPs), amelogenin (AMEL), ameloblastin (AMBN) and enamelin (ENAM) being enamel specific, we can deduce that they were recruited early in vertebrate evolution. Molecular analyses support their presence by the end of Precambrian period ( > 600 Ma), i.e., prior vertebrates differentiated a mineralized skeleton. However, our knowledge of EMPs is currently limited to tetrapods, i.e., 360 Ma. AMEL was created from AMBN, itself resulting from a duplication of ENAM. EMP genes are therefore paralogs. The evolutionary analysis of AMEL highlights conserved and variable regions. The N- and C-terminal regions contain numerous residues that were unchanged during 360 Ma, which supports important functions. Only a few positions are known to play a role. Other positions are considered as being crucial because they are unchanged. Five of them are known to lead to a genetic disease, X-linked amelogenesis imperfecta (AIH1) when substituted. The largest AMEL region, encoded by exon 6, is less variable in mammals than in sauropsids and amphibians, but it accumulates numerous indels in all lineages. It was created through the repeat of PXQ triplets. Similar repeats occurred independently at the same locus in mammalian species, but their meaning is still obscure. The evolutionary analysis of AMEL allowed to validate functional residues and positions known to lead to AIH1 when changed. It also highlighted residues that could have interesting functions and predicts these conserved positions will lead to AIH1 when substituted.
Potential Role of Adaptor Protein Complex-3 (Ap-3) In Amelogenesis
Authors: Jason L. Shapiro  , Rodrigo S. Lacruz  , S. Petter Lyngstadaas  , Michael L. Paine
Published: July 2010

As identified using in vitro methodologies, the enamel matrix proteins (EMPs) bind a class of proteins called lysosomal associated membrane proteins (LAMPs), whose members are LAMP1, LAMP2 and CD63/LAMP3. LAMPs are transmembrane proteins present in the plasma membrane, and all three directly interact with the AP-3 complex to initiate receptor-mediated endocytosis. In yeast, AP-3 associated endocytosis is clathrin-independent, while in higher organisms the requirement of clathrin is unclear. AP-3 is a protein complex with four subunits referred to as β, δ, μ and σ Three other adaptor protein complexes (AP-1, AP-2 and AP-4), each having four similar but unique subunits, are also involved with endocytosis and are either clathrin-dependent (AP-1 and AP-2) or clathrin-independent (AP-4). Only AP-3 interacts directly with plasma membrane-bound LAMPs. It is likely that endocytosis of the degraded EMPs plays a significant role in enamel maturation, and if so, AP-3 dysfunction may result in enamel abnormalities. We have initiated in vivo studies to better define the dental phenotype in a strain of mice null for the β subunit of AP-3 (coded by the AP3B1 gene), which results in the loss of AP-3 function. The driving hypothesis of future studies is that “failure of normal ameloblast endocytosis of the degraded EMPs during enamel maturation results in functionally inferior enamel more prone to dental disease”. The question we expect to answer from these mice studies is whether the receptor-mediated AP-3 endocytotic pathway is a prominent feature of amelogenesis. This chapter discusses the potential role of AP-3 mediated endocytosis in amelogenesis and describes animal experimental models that could be used to examine such a relationship.
Consequences of Amelogenin Mutations: Implications in Amelogenesis Imperfecta
Authors: Timothy Wright J
Published: July 2010

The amelogenin gene (AMELX) was the first extracellular enamel matrix coding gene to be discovered. Mutations in AMELX cause a variety of changes in the amelogenin protein that cause abnormal enamel formation. The resulting clinical phenotypes are diverse and are referred to as amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). To date, fourteen allelic AMELX mutations have been described that purportedly result in markedly different expression and types of amelogenins. Interestingly, the different protein domains affected by distinct AMELX gene mutations result in unique and functionally altered amelogenin proteins that are associated with several rather distinct AI phenotypes. The AMELX mutations and associated phenotypes fall generally into three categories. Mutations (e.g. signal peptide mutations) causing a total of loss of amelogenin protein are associated with a predominantly hypoplastic phenotype (though mineralization defects can also occur). Missense mutations affecting the Nterminal region, especially those causing changes in the putative lectin-binding domain and Tyrosine Rich Amelogenin Protein region that contains several critical protease cleavage sites, result in a predominantly hypomineralization / hypomaturation AI phenotype with enamel that is discolored and has retained amelogenin. Mutations causing loss of the amelogenin C terminus result in a phenotype characterized by hypoplasia. The phenotype – genotype correlations indicate there are important functional domains of the amelogenin molecule that are critical for the development of normal enamel structure, composition and thickness and that perturbations in these different domains can result in different clinical phenotypes.
Degradation of Enamel Matrix Proteins
Authors: John D. Bartlett  , Coralee E Tye  , Tabitha A. Abrazinski  , Jerry Antone  , Grace F. Lopez  , Ramaswamy Sharma
Published: July 2010

MMP20 (matrix metalloproteinase-20; enamelysin) and KLK4 (Kallikrein-4) are the two major, and perhaps only, proteinases present in developing dental enamel. MMP20 cleaves enamel resident proteins during the early developmental stages when the enamel grows in thickness and KLK4 cleaves enamel proteins prior to their absorption by the ameloblasts that sit atop full thickness enamel. KLK4 is expressed when the enamel starts to harden into its final mature form. Mutations in humans that eliminate the function of either MMP20 or KLK4 cause non-syndromic enamel malformations termed amelogenesis imperfecta. Homozygous deletion of either of these proteinases from the mouse genome will also result in severely malformed dental enamel. With the exception of malformed enamel, no other phenotype is yet known to occur when either of these proteinases are rendered functionless in humans or mice. Therefore, both MMP20 and KLK4 are essential for enamel formation. This chapter will provide historical insights into the discovery of these proteinases and will provide insights into the mechanistic function of how these proteinases act to direct enamel development.
Role of Spliced Forms of Amelogenins as Signaling Molecules
Authors: Arthur Veis  , Kevin A. Tompkins  , Stanca Iacob
Published: July 2010

The amelogenin (AMEL) gene intron-exon structure, order and nucleotide sequence has been well preserved during evolutionary development. The variations of splicing of the nuclear pre-mRNA to produce the mRNA and subsequently translated proteins, depend on the sequence lengths of both the introns and exons, the presence of possible cryptic splice sites in large exons, the intrinsic “strengths” of the splice boundary sequences in interaction with the spliceosome components and the intervention of a variety of tissue and species specific accessory factors. A large number of splice isoforms has indeed been found; 16 alternative protein isoforms have been reported in mouse amelogenin, but the actual splicing patterns do differ in different animals. The major higher mass isoforms are used in building the amelogenin ECM and directing the organization and mineralization of the enamel. The question raised here is the role of the smaller isoforms? Their role appears to be largely as participants in regulatory processes during development of the enamel organ and in odontogenesis. However, it is becoming clear that amelogenin expression is not restricted to the enamel organ. Amelogenin peptides have been found in such diverse organs as brain, eye, cartilage and bone during embryogenesis. The knockout of amelogenin gene is not lethal, and these non-odontogenic tissues do form and appear to function normally, suggesting that the normal in vivo effects of the smaller splice isoforms may be subtle, modifying developmental rates, but it is evident that individual small amelogenin protein isoforms, added exogenously in vivo and in culture can markedly alter phenotypic expression in non-odontogenic tissues, as well as induce various forms of tissue repair in teeth. Thus, the study of the AMEL gene small isoforms and their mechanisms of action are fields worthy of extended study.
Amelogenin Exons 8 and 9
Authors: Wu Li, , , , , n  , Jean Yves-Sire  , Yoshiro Takano  , Mary MacDougall  , Pamela DenBeste
Published: July 2010

Exons 8 and 9 are two novel exons found in several transcripts of rodent amelogenin gene. These transcripts result from alternative splicing, in which exon 7 is replaced by exons 8 and 9, and they add a unique 3' terminus to amelogenin isoforms. Therefore, the alternatively spliced amelogenins end either at exon 7, encoding a single aspartic acid, or at exons 8 and 9, coding for 14 amino acids. So far, a total of seven alternatively spliced amelogenin mRNAs ending at exons 8 and 9 have been identified in rodents. The formation of these two exons results from a duplication of a DNA region containing exon 5, followed by its translocation dowstream exon 7. This event occurred during evolution of the rodent lineage at a period that postdates the divergence of the squirrel lineage, around 50 millions years ago. Therefore, exon 8 is homolog to exon 5. The amelogenins carrying the region encoded by exons 8 and 9 locate not only in ameloblasts and the enamel matrix but also in odontoblasts and dentin. The replacement of exon 7 by exons 8 and 9 leads to an additional hydrophilic domain, the function of which is not known, but may in part be related to the uniquely different rod and interrod structure seen in rodent enamel as compared to human enamel. The function of the amelogenins with exons 8 and 9 terminal peptides has been preliminarily investigated. They were found to enhance the proliferation of mesenchymal cells.
Cell to Matrix Interactions Suggests a Pathway for Enamel Regeneration Using Artificial Matrices
Authors: M. L. Snead  , Z. Huang  , C. J. Newcomb  , M. L. Paine  , S. N. White Y. Xu  , Y. Zhou  , R. S. Lacruz  , S. I. Stupp
Published: July 2010

The developing tooth is a well-recognized model for epithelial-mesenchyme organ formation. It is also a model for biomineralization, in which the formation of several unique bioceramic tissues, dentine, enamel and cementum are formed by the influence exerted by the protein matrix on their mineral habit. Enamel is the only ectodermal derived tissue to biomineralize and demonstrates several informative strategies to meet the requirement to produce a tissue that last a lifetime in a wet, bacterial laden environment subjected to the stresses associated with food ingestion. Enamel formation is dependent upon protein self-assembly to fabricate a precursor protein matrix to direct the mineral phase. Cell to matrix interactions are used to continuously monitor matrix fabrication and the mineral conversion process. We demonstrate the use of an artificial matrix created by nanotechology in which peptide amphiphiles undergo self-assembly into nanofibers that support cell proliferation and whose surfaces can be engineered to present biological signals to direct ameloblast differentiation. This biologically inspired technology may be used for regeneration of enamel tissue, offering a biomimetic alternative to traditional dental materials.
The Nature of Exemplary Doctoral Advisors' Expectations and the Ways They May Influence Doctoral Persistence
Authors: Barnes Benita J.
Published: July 2010

The high attrition rate from doctoral programs has been called a “hidden crisis” in graduate education (Lovitts & Nelson, 2000). Previous research has identified a constellation of factors that may contribute to doctoral attrition. However, the literature suggests that one of the most powerful influences on doctoral persistence is the relationship doctoral students develop with their advisors (Berg & Ferber, 1983; Ferrer de Valero, 2001; Girves & Wemmerus, 1988). Although there is a growing body of literature that has explored the advisor-advisee relationship with respect to persistence, little attention has been given to the examination of the expectations that advisors have of their advisees and how these expectations might impact degree completion. Therefore, this exploratory qualitative study examined the expectations that 25 exemplary advisors have of their doctoral advisees. Findings revealed 5 specific expectations advisors hold that, if met, could lead to improved doctoral student retention.
Cognitive Apprenticeship in Computer-Mediated Feedback: Creating a Classroom Environment to Increase Feedback and Learning
Authors: Boling Erica C. , Beatty Jeanine
Published: July 2010

This qualitative case study of 1 teacher and 10 students in an Advanced Placement English class explores the role of computer-mediated feedback in the creation of a classroom learning environment that was supported through hybrid learning experiences. Data sources included classroom observations, online conversations, interviews with 10 high school students, and informal conversations with a high school English teacher. Both inductive and deductive analyses, framed using a cognitive apprenticeship model, revealed how asynchronous online discussions can support the development of safe and productive communities where students actively engage in subject matter learning. The study reveals how online discussion forums can provide an excellent medium where students observe models of writing, engage in the writing process, and observe, reflect upon, and discover expert strategies in context. This study illustrates how both the quantity and quality of computer-mediated feedback increased over time, resulting in students learning not only from their teacher but from each other.
Ethics for Environmental Health Research: The Case of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Industry
Authors: Wing Steve
Published: July 2010

Exploitation of workers and communities based on class and race has profoundly influenced occupational and environmental health. During production and testing of nuclear weapons in the United States, class and race have affected exposures to radiation and other hazards as well as protection programs and monitoring of exposures. This situation has contributed to health disparities and has hindered advancement of research into the health effects of ionizing radiation and other exposures from nuclear weapons production. Organizing by workers and affected communities can bring about a better understanding of the health effects of ionizing radiation as well as more ethical research practices.
Participation and Influence of Migrant Workers on Working Conditions: A Qualitative Approach
Authors: López-Jacob María J. , Safont Eva Canaleta , García Ana M. , Garí Aitana , Agudelo-Suárez Andrés , Gil Angel , Benavides Fernando G.
Published: July 2010

Workers participation in the management of employment and working conditions is an important determinant of both positive and negative effects of work on human health. Through a qualitative approach, this study analyzes the degree of control and influence that migrant workers in different Spanish cities have over their own working conditions (Immigration, Work, and Health [ITSAL] Project). Results showed that migrant workers had little influence on employment and working conditions. Immigrant workers are mostly interested in issues such as salaries, hiring, and hours of work. Fear of dismissal makes immigrant workers reluctant to demand improved working conditions. We received limited information about immigrant workers' understanding of their rights and their perceptions of the possibilities to influence working conditions through trade union activity. Informal social networks play an essential role in disseminating information on workers' rights, although the effect is not always positive. Unions need to increase attention to and adapt measures for this particularly vulnerable group of workers.
What Real Hard Work Means: Excerpts from Linnane in London
Authors: Furey Kieran
Published: July 2010

Linnane in London is a slightly novelized documentary book studded throughout with the author's own poems. This 120-page hybrid deals with the lives and labors of Irish construction workers in London in the 1970s. To write it, the author, Kieran Furey, worked for four months alongside the men concerned, concealing his own academic background. This is, in other words, a “deep immersion” project, somewhat in the spirit of Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and book author. The result is sometimes poignant, always interesting, and never less than comic, with the joke—as often as not—being at the author's own expense as he discovers what real hard work means.
Asbestos is Still with Us: Repeat Call for a Universal Ban
Authors: Ramazzini Collegium , Soffritti Morando
Published: July 2010

All forms of asbestos are proven human carcinogens. All forms of asbestos cause malignant mesothelioma, lung, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers, and may cause gastrointestinal and other cancers. No exposure to asbestos is without risk, and there is no safe threshold of exposure to asbestos. Asbestos cancer victims die painful lingering deaths. These deaths are almost entirely preventable. When evidence of the carcinogenicity of asbestos became incontrovertible, concerned parties, including the Collegium Ramazzini, called for a universal ban on the mining, manufacture and use of asbestos in all countries around the world [1]. Asbestos is now banned in 52 countries [2], and safer products have replaced many materials that once were made with asbestos. Nonetheless, a large number of countries still use, import, and export asbestos and asbestos-containing products. And still today in many countries that have banned other forms of asbestos, the so-called “controlled use” of chrysotile asbestos continues to be permitted, an exemption that has no basis in medical science but rather reflects the political and economic influence of the asbestos mining and manufacturing industry. To protect the health of all people in the world—industrial workers, construction workers, women and children, now and in future generations—the Collegium Ramazzini calls again today on all countries of the world, as we have repeatedly in the past to join in the international endeavor to ban all forms of asbestos. An international ban on asbestos is urgently needed. New Solutions is one of ten international journals that have agreed to publish the Repeat Call in order to bring the message to a wide readership.
Document-Based Decision Making and Design: An Analysis of Medicare Part D
Authors: Brumberger Eva R.
Published: July 2010

This article analyzes the impact of the design of the Medicare handbook and website on individuals' ability to make effective decisions about prescription drug coverage. The article summarizes Medicare Part D, discusses the characteristics of potential enrollees, and provides an overview of document-based decision making. It uses a rhetorical framework to evaluate the Medicare documents as decision-making tools, arguing that design flaws hinder users'understanding, discourage them from taking appropriate action, and negatively shape perceptions of ethos. The article concludes by discussing implications for functional documents more generally, underscoring the importance of a design cycle that is both user-centered and performance-centered.
Axial Mixing in a Novel Perforated Plate Bubble Column
Authors: Dhanasekaran S. , Karunanithi T.
Published: July 2010

This investigation reports the experimental and theoretical results carried out to evaluate the axial dispersion number for an air-water system in a novel hybrid rotating and reciprocating perforated plate bubble column for single phase and two phase flow conditions. Axial dispersion studies are carried out using stimulus response technique. Sodium hydroxide solution is used as the tracer. Effects of superficial liquid velocity, agitation level and superficial gas velocity on axial dispersion number were analyzed and found to be significant. For the single phase (water) flow condition, it is found that the main variables affecting the axial dispersion number are the agitation level and superficial liquid velocity. When compared to the agitation level, the effect of superficial liquid velocity on axial dispersion number is more predominant. The increase in superficial liquid velocity decreases the axial dispersion number. The same trend is shown by agitation level but the effect is less. The rotational movement of the perforated plates enhances the radial mixing in the section; hence, axial dispersion number is reduced. For the two phase flow condition, the increase in superficial liquid velocity decreases the axial dispersion number, as reported in the single phase flow condition. The increase in agitation level decreases the axial dispersion number, but this decreasing trend is non-linear. An increase in superficial gas velocity increases the axial dispersion number. Correlations have been developed for axial dispersion number for single phase and two phase flow conditions. The correlation values are found to concur with the experimental values.
Modeling of Thin-Layer Drying of Apple Slices in a Semi-Industrial Continuous Band Dryer
Authors: Aghbashlo Mortaza , Kianmehr Mohammad Hossien , Arabhosseini Akbar
Published: July 2010

The drying kinetics of apple slices was investigated in a semi-industrial continuous band dryer. Apple slices with a thickness of 5 mm were dried at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70 °C, air velocities of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s and chain linear velocity of 1.85E-04, 2.22E-04 and 2.78E-04 m/s. The Weibull model was fitted to the experimental data of moisture ratio against sample position using MATLAB computer program. The low reduced chi-square and RMSE and the high regression coefficients indicated the suitability of the Weibull model for predicting moisture ratio of apple slices during drying in length of continuous band dryer. Correlations of the scale and shape parameter of the Weibull model with the variables of T, Ua and Uc were determined. The transport of water during drying was described by Ficks second low and effective diffusivity varied from 9.24E-08 to 3.5E-07 m2/s. The energy of activation was described by the Arrhenius equation and varied from 35.37 to 45.51 kJ/mol.
An Equilibrium Analysis of the Insurance Market with Horizontal Differentiation
Authors: Okura Mahito
Published: July 2010

This article analyzes the life and nonlife insurance markets with horizontal differentiation and brand loyalties using a spatial competition model. We construct a three-stage game that includes sales promotion in the first stage, insurance product characteristics in the second stage, and premiums in the third stage. The analysis derives the following results. First, an insurance firm with greater brand loyalty realizes a higher degree of differentiation and sets a relatively higher premium. Second, introducing regulation in insurance product characteristics leads to a lower degree of differentiation and a lower level of sales promotion. Such regulation may then be desirable in terms of social surplus.
On Modeling Diversification Benefits in Insurance Portfolios--An Australian Perspective
Authors: Li Jackie
Published: July 2010

Empirical measurement of dependency between different lines of non-life insurance business remains an open problem. International regulatory requirements and accounting standards are moving towards increased disclosure of the variability of insurance liabilities. In estimating the variability, it is required to take diversification benefits into account, as it is generally believed that different lines of business are not perfectly dependent on one another. Due to data limitations and the complicated nature of non-life insurance business, however, direct quantification of dependency and so diversification benefits between individual lines is a difficult task. In this article, we set forth some practical considerations in modeling dependency and diversification benefits under Australian regulatory environment. We start with providing a summary of the underlying factors causing dependency and examining the reasonableness of some industry correlation figures based on these factors. We also study the correlations between the historical loss ratios of several lines of Australian business. Afterward we carry out extensive simulation studies to investigate the effects of applying some recently suggested methodologies for tackling the problem of evaluating diversification benefits.
A Reexamination of the Relationship between Organizational Forms and Distribution Channels in the U.S. Property Liability Insurance Industry
Authors: Chang Vincent Y. , Wang Jennifer L. , Tzeng Larry Y.
Published: July 2010

How do property liability insurance companies choose their organizational forms and distribution channels? Prior studies have not yet provided a consistent conclusion. In this paper, we propose a reduced form approach to reexamine the relationship between organizational forms and distribution channels in the insurance industry, using cross-sectional data pertaining to U.S. property liability insurance companies in 2004. We adopt a conditional dependence test, which can overcome the sensitivity problem of the structural form setting. The results show that after we control for all explanatory variables, the relationship between organizational forms and distribution channels is conditionally uncorrelated. The result is consistent with Regan and Tzeng (1999), but contradicts the findings of Baranoff and Sager (2003) and Kim et al. (1996).
Liquid-liquid equilibria in solutions with potential ecological importance
Authors: Visak Zoran
Published: July 2010

In the last three years, our research follows two main issues, defined by the slogans: ?Green Meets Toxic? and ?Green Meets Green?. The first issue considers the potential use of ambient friendly solvents for toxic organic compounds of industrial and practical importance. The other is related to liquid phase behavior in solutions of ecologically sustainable substances. The ?Green? solvents studied are: ionic liquids, liquid poly(ethylene glycol), glycerol and 1,2 and 1,3-propanediol.
Stream networks and knickpoints in the Sanjiangyuan Region
Authors: Wang Zhaoyin , Yu Guo-An , Brierley Gary , Liu Le
Published: July 2010

Stream networks and knickpoints in the Sanjiangyuan Region

The source area of the Lancang (Mekong), Yangtze and Yellow rivers is named in Chinese Sanjiangyuan (source of three rivers). Geographical characteristics of these rivers, and various rivers at the margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Jialing, Minjiang, Dadu, Yalong and Jinsha) are summarized from field investigations along with digital elevation model (DEM) analyses and satellite images. Uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has resulted in an asymmetrical distribution of tributaries for stream networks at the margins of the plateau. Almost all tributaries join the trunk stream from the northwest. Three types of drainage network are evident: plume, nervation and dendritic. In general, plume networks have a large number of first order streams. Nervation networks have a main stream and parallel tributaries. Dentritic networks are characrterized by continuous bifurcation and have a branch-like appearance. Most stream networks in the Sanjiangyuan region are of the nervation type. Several large knickpoints are evident along the longitudinal profiles of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Channel aggradation immediately upstream of these knickpoints marks a transition in river processes from vertical bed evolution (i.e. incision) to horizontal channel adjustment (and associated braided and anabranching channels).
Socio-economic aspects and impact of land use change on sediment production dynamics in the northeastern region of India
Authors: Sharma U. , Sharma Vikas
Published: July 2010

Socio-economic aspects and impact of land use change on sediment production dynamics in the northeastern region of India

The northeastern region of India, with an area of 255 090 km2, is predominantly hilly. Major socio-economic factors affecting sediment production in the region are; shifting cultivation, land tenure system, fast growing population, small land-holdings, deforestation and free range grazing. A multi-disciplinary long-term study showed that 92.9 to 99.1% of rainwater can be retained in-situ, compared to 66.3% in shifting cultivation. Mean annual soil loss varied from 11.2 to 97.2 t km-2 in new land use systems as against 3621.3 t km-2 in shifting cultivation. The sediment load per litre of runoff from watersheds varied from 1250-20,300 mg suspended sediment, 5.4 to 23.6 mg NO3 - N, 2.3 to 6.5 mg P-PO4, 17.2 to 35.8 mg K2O, 0.4 to 1.8 mg Zn, 0.9 to 2.7 mg Mn, 6.5 to 12.0 mg Mg, 7.1 to 18.4 mg Fe and 4.0 to 7.2 mg SO4. The sediment transport from the catchments showed spatial and temporal variations.
A study on the sustainable management framework and the economic value evaluation for Taiwan Reservoir Watershed
Authors: Lu Shih-Chung , Peng Szu-Hsien , Ma Hwong-Wen
Published: July 2010

A study on the sustainable management framework and the economic value evaluation for Taiwan Reservoir Watershed

Recently lack of sustainable management for the reservoir watershed becomes a predicament for the water issues in Taiwan. The study tried to recognize the framework of the sustainable management of the Taiwan reservoir watershed and its key factors by using the analytic hierarchy process and the Delphi method. Through the identification questionnaires and the CVM (contingent valuation method), it also discussed the gap of expert and public for the identification of satisfaction, environmental protection and the potential value for the recent reservoir watershed. However, the results showed that the "natural stability" is the significant factor in the first level and the "Nature resources conservation" and "Water storage amount" are the most important factors for the detailed level. In addition, the expert opinions were not proved by public identification, and the present governance budgets are too low to respond to the potential values of public expectancy.
Capitalism and Crime: Brechtian Economies inThe Threepenny OperaandLove, Crime and Johannesburg1
Authors: Becker Florian Nikolas
Published: July 2010

In 1999, nine years after Nelson Mandela's release, the Johannesburg-based, formerly Marxist Junction Avenue Theatre Company premiered its first post-apartheid play, Love, Crime and Johannesburg – a rewriting of Brecht's Threepenny Opera. This article asks to what use the South African group puts Brecht's play and theatrical method, in the postcolonial and neo-liberal moment of the 1990s and 2000s. What does the play suggest about historical and contemporary relations between crime and capitalism, crime and apartheid, and capitalism and apartheid? Does it seek to emancipate itself from the Marxian view that capitalism and crime are aspects of one and the same condition that can be overcome only as a whole? What remains of the Brechtian conviction that theatre can be realistic only to the extent that it contributes practically to solving the problems it represents? I argue that the play exposes the discourse of “lawlessness” that has replaced “reconciliation” as the near-universal currency for articulating South Africa's post-liberation predicament. The play also foregrounds the accelerating displacement of the biogeography of apartheid by the post-urban topography of spectacular capitalism. Both tendencies efface history, concealing structures of domination that continue to shape the city and the country. While the play does not “estrange” or explain these structures, it points to a global economic dispensation that prevents the twin legacies of imperialism and apartheid from being redressed. In doing so, it may also accentuate its own incapacity to envision itself as part of a solution to the problem it analyses.
Making a Whore of Freedom: Büchner's Marion Episode
Authors: Buckley Matthew S.
Published: July 2010

No moment in Georg Büchner's drama has been assigned more significance as a marker of his radical modernity than the “Marion episode.” Apparently unprecedented in form and content, this brief, enigmatic exchange between a prostitute and the protagonist of Dantons Tod [Danton's Death] is taken as the archetype of Büchner's jagged, proto-montage aesthetic, as the first example of his proto-psychological focus on the close rendering of sensation, and as the foundational statement of what is taken to be his proto-nihilist repudiation of history. This essay suggests that such impressions are mistaken. It reveals the Marion episode to be a tightly constructed allegory of French Revolutionary history, and one that takes as its precedent and pretence the most widely known work of pre-Revolutionary pornography in Europe, the once-forbidden Thérèse philosophe [Thérèse the Philosopher]. Linking the pornographic to the political, mirroring each in the other, the Marion episode, it suggests, does not use eroticism to break with history so much as to illuminate it, figuring the Revolution as a process shaped and driven by a libertine structure of desire that its violence exhausts and destroys. Rather than marking out Büchner as a proleptic modernist, the “Marion episode,” it concludes, places him firmly, with Baudelaire, in second-generation modernity, registering the emergence of the modern from the destructive violence of the past.
An O(n)-Round Strategy for the Magnus-Derek Game
Authors: Nedev Zhivko
Published: July 2010

We analyze further the Magnus-Derek game, a two-player game played on a round table with n positions. The players jointly control the movement of a token. One player, Magnus, aims to maximize the number of positions visited while minimizing the number of rounds. The other player, Derek, attempts to minimize the number of visited positions. We present a new strategy for Magnus that succeeds in visiting the maximal number of positions in 3(n – 1) rounds, which is the optimal number of rounds up to a constant factor.