bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delivering on the Potential of the New CAP
Authors: Boel Mariann Fischer
Published: September 2006

Recent discussions on the CAP have focused on the budget. However, in the public debate the policy itself is often still a caricature of the old CAP that existed until the early 1990s. The CAP has changed fundamentally over the past decade. The recent direction of the CAP – markets and rural development – was set by the European Council in Göteborg and Lisbon. Strong economic performance must go hand in hand with the sustainable use of natural resources. The key elements of the new CAP are a market policy where intervention is a safety net, income stabilisation is delivered through decoupled aids subject to cross‐compliance, and a reinforced rural development policy that focuses on jobs, growth and sustainability. We must use the new CAP to unlock the potential for growth, jobs and innovation and put good ideas into practice. We need to work in partnership with farmers, foresters, the agrifood business, NGOs, the population of rural areas, the research community and of course public authorities. But to achieve all of this we need a stable budgetary environment, in which farmers and businesses can plan. In short, we need the resources to deliver on the potential of the new CAP.
The CAP for Turkey? Potential Market Effects and Budgetary Implications
Authors: Grethe Harald
Published: September 2006

EU accession negotiations with Turkey are scheduled to start in October 2005. The period of accession negotiations will probably last for ten years or longer, but the effects of applying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to Turkey are currently a controversial discussion in the EU. Effects of Turkish accession on EU agricultural markets are likely to be small. The EU would gain additional export opportunities for cereals and animal products. On the other hand, Turkish agricultural exports to the EU are projected to increase for only a few fruit and vegetable products. EU budgetary outlays for the application of the CAP to Turkey could total between £3.5 and £6.3 billion in 2015 – depending on whether direct payments are phased in or not – and £5.4 billion in 2025. Most of these outlays would be for direct payments to agricultural producers and that may not be in Turkey's best interest. This is because direct payments tend to be capitalized in land prices and may thus inhibit the necessary process of improving the Turkish agricultural structure. Transfers under the second pillar of the CAP may hold more interest for Turkey, because they can be targeted at improving productivity and thereby income. Projected outlays for the CAP take a backseat to projected transfers to Turkey under the structural policy of the EU.
Botching the Balkans: Germany's Recognition of Slovenia and Croatia
Authors: Hodge Carl Cavanagh
Published: September 2006

On December 23, 1991, the Federal Republic of Germany announced its intention to proceed with unilateral diplomatic recognition of the secessionist Yugoslav states of Croatia and Slovenia, unquestionably one of the most precipitous acts in post-Cold War Europe. With it the Bonn government in effect renounced the legitimacy of the existing Yugoslav state and pressured other European governments to do the same. Within weeks the Yugoslav federation came apart at every seam, while its civil affairs degenerated into an anarchy of armed violence as convoluted in many respects as the Thirty Years' War.

In Germany's defense, it should be conceded at the outset that an alternative approach to recognition would not necessarily have produced a fundamentally more peaceful transformation of Yugoslavia. In light of the deepening political and economic cleavages with which the multinational state had been wrestling since the 1970s, the reasonable question is not whether the serial wars of the Yugoslav succession could have been avoided altogether, but whether Germany's action offered Yugoslavia and its populace the best chance for a more peaceful course of change given the circumstances. Did Bonn apply the best of its diplomatic and political brains to the issues of sovereignty, self-determination, and human rights? Were its actions morally responsible with regard to Balkan, German, and European history?
Islam, Christianity, and Forcible Humanitarian Intervention
Authors: Ramsbotham Oliver P.
Published: September 2006

At a time when some informed Muslims believe Islam to be “set on a collision course with the West” and some Christians warn of a “perhaps irrational but surely historical reaction of an ancient rival against our Judeo-Christian heritage,” it may be helpful to ask what both traditions teach about current issues of joint concern. One of the most urgent of these issues is the question of forcible humanitarian intervention. Setting aside broader questions of interpretation, such as the extent to which Islam can be identified with political radicalism and Christianity with Western political interests, this essay compares Muslim and Christian teachings on this issue. Both traditions have had to confront questions of political violence, suffering, and war since at least the time of the conversion of Constantine in one case (1,600 years ago) and the founding of the first Islamic state at Medina in the other (1,300 years ago). The central argument in this essay is that there is a surprising measure of agreement between the two traditions on the question of forcible humanitarian intervention, enough to provide the basis for a shared doctrine.
Empathy, Respect, and Humanitarian Intervention
Authors: Sherman Nancy
Published: September 2006

This essay explores several moral attitudes that undergird a commitment to humanitarian intervention. Humanitarian intervention is usually understood to mean assistance or relief, often in the form of a rescue response by the international community to such emergencies as natural disasters, systematic human rights violations, or genocides that take place within the borders of sovereign states. But the term can equally mean aid before the fact, or prevention, as well as longer-term commitments to international justice that go beyond emergency relief. Whether the aid is relief or prevention, short- or long-term, and however it relates to broader questions of international justice, the same question applies: How do we come to feel the ethical imperative to ally ourselves with those outside our borders? If, as Kant puts it, “ought implies can,” then what makes the “oughts” of intervention psychologically feasible? Of course in international affairs the issue is, more typically, whether certain proposed interventions are politically feasible, Do they promote our national interest? Are they cost effective? Even more practically, will food relief get where it is intended to go? Do the rules of military engagement allow us to protect the victims we are trying to help?
Enforcement, risk and discretion: the case of dangerous consumer products
Authors: Cartwright Peter
Published: September 2006

This paper considers the effectiveness of the enforcement provisions of consumer product safety law by examining the new legislation in this area (the General Product Safety Regulations 2005), and the broader context in which it operates. The paper suggests that to understand the likely effectiveness of the Regulations, it is necessary to examine what the author refers to as the internal and external dimensions of enforcement. The paper is divided into three parts: part one sets out the enforcement provisions of the Regulations; part two examines the internal elements of enforcement; part three examines the external elements of enforcement. The internal elements are those provisions found in the statute that direct enforcement authorities in the action they can take. The external elements are those pressures outside the statute that inevitably impinge upon the ability of the enforcement authority to make a decision. It will be argued that while recent developments make some important strides forward in protecting consumers from dangerous products, there is a risk that the law will not be enforced satisfactorily.
Craniocentric body‐sway responses to 500 Hz bone‐conducted tones in man
Authors: Welgampola Miriam S. , Day Brian L.
Published: September 2006

Whole‐body responses evoked by bone‐conducted sound, a stimulus known to activate vestibular afferents, were recorded in standing subjects deprived of vision. With the head facing forward, unilateral mastoid vibration (500 Hz, 2 s, 136 dB force level) produced an oblique body sway with a consistent lateral component away from the stimulated ear and an average forward component. The side of stimulation had a powerful influence on the direction but not the magnitude of sway. Individuals' mean response directions were significantly clustered between subjects, as well as within subjects for 12 of 16 subjects when tested on five occasions. Single trial analysis did not reveal any habituation of the response. To investigate whether muscle spindle activation might be responsible for the response, vibration was applied directly over posterior and anterior neck muscles and tendons. This generally produced responses that were smaller and with different direction characteristics than with mastoid vibration. In contrast, stimulation over the temporal fossa produced responses similar in magnitude and direction to mastoid stimulation. When the head was turned in yaw to face in different directions the sway response changed direction by the same amount but with no change in magnitude, suggesting response organization in a craniocentric reference frame. Whole‐body sway evoked by 500 Hz vibration delivered over sites close to the ear is thus likely to represent a vestibular‐evoked balance response. When compared with sway responses evoked by 500 Hz vibration of the left temporal fossa, responses to 1 mA left cathodal galvanic vestibular stimulation were of similar magnitude, yet significantly different in direction, suggesting differences in the end organ afferents activated by these two stimuli. This may enable investigation of previously inaccessible aspects of vestibular function in intact freely behaving human subjects.
Pyeloureteric peristalsis: role of atypical smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal‐like cells as pacemakers
Authors: Lang Richard J. , Tonta Mary A. , Zoltkowski Beata Z. , Meeker William F. , Wendt Igor , Parkington Helena C.
Published: September 2006

Pyeloureteric peristalsis has long been considered to be triggered by pacemaker atypical smooth muscle cells (SMC) located in the proximal regions of the renal pelvis. However, interstitial cells with many of the morphological features and c‐Kit immuno‐reactivity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the established pacemaker cells in the intestine, have been demonstrated to be present in small numbers within the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) of many mammals. Freshly isolated ICC‐like cells (ICC‐LC) of the mouse UPJ also display autorhyhmicity. This review discusses the notion that ureteric peristalsis depends on the presence of both atypical SMC and ICC‐LC which form separate but interconnected networks that drive electrically quiescent typical SMC. In contrast to the intestine or prostate, all regenerative potential discharge in the mouse UPJ is abolished by the L‐type Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine revealing a fundamental pacemaker signal. Whether these pacemaker transients arise from atypical SMC or ICC‐LC or both has yet to be established. We speculate that the presence of spontaneously active ICC‐LC in the distal regions of the UPJ maintains rudimentary peristaltic waves and movement of urine towards the bladder after pyeloureteral obstruction or pyeloplasty and disconnection from the proximal pacemaker drive.
Resonance (∼10 Hz) of excitatory networks in motor cortex: effects of voltage‐dependent ion channel blockers
Authors: Castro‐Alamancos Manuel A. , Rigas Pavlos , Tawara‐Hirata Yoshie
Published: September 2006

The motor cortex generates synchronous network oscillations at frequencies between 7 and 14 Hz during disinhibition or low [Mg2+]o buffers, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. These oscillations, termed here ∼10 Hz oscillations, are generated by a purely excitatory network of interconnected pyramidal cells because they are robust in the absence of GABAergic transmission. It is likely that specific voltage‐dependent currents expressed in those cells contribute to the generation of ∼10 Hz oscillations. We tested the effects of different drugs known to suppress certain voltage‐dependent currents. The results revealed that drugs that suppress the low‐threshold calcium current and the hyperpolarization‐activated cation current are not critically involved in the generation of ∼10 Hz oscillations. Interestingly, drugs known to suppress the persistent sodium current abolished ∼10 Hz oscillations. Furthermore, blockers of K+ channels had significant effects on the oscillations. In particular, blockers of the M‐current abolished the oscillations. Also, blockers of both non‐inactivating and slowly inactivating voltage‐dependent K+ currents abolished ∼10 Hz oscillations. The results indicate that specific voltage‐dependent non‐inactivating K+ currents, such as the M‐current, and persistent sodium currents are critically involved in generating ∼10 Hz oscillations of excitatory motor cortex networks.
Reactivity, stability, and strength performance capacity in motor sports
Authors: Baur H , Müller S , Hirschmüller A , Huber G , Mayer F
Published: September 2006

Background:Racing drivers require multifaceted cognitive and physical abilities in a multitasking situation. A knowledge of their physical capacities may help to improve fitness and performance.

Objective:To compare reaction time, stability performance capacity, and strength performance capacity of élite racing drivers with those of age-matched, physically active controls.

Methods:Eight élite racing drivers and 10 physically active controls matched for age and weight were tested in a reaction and determination test requiring upper and lower extremity responses to visual and audio cues. Further tests comprised evaluation of one-leg postural stability on a two-dimensional moveable platform, measures of maximum strength performance capacity of the extensors of the leg on a leg press, and a test of force capacity of the arms in a sitting position at a steering wheel. An additional arm endurance test consisted of isometric work at the steering wheel at +30° and −30° where an eccentric threshold load of 30 N.m was applied. Subjects had to hold the end positions above this threshold until exhaustion. Univariate one way analysis of variance (α  =  0.05) including a Bonferroni adjustment was used to detect group differences between the drivers and controls.

Results:The reaction time of the racing drivers was significantly faster than the controls (p  =  0.004). The following motor reaction time and reaction times in the multiple determination test did not differ between the groups. No significant differences (p>0.05) were found for postural stability, leg extensor strength, or arm strength and endurance.

Conclusions:Racing drivers have faster reaction times than age-matched physically active controls. Further development of motor sport-specific test protocols is suggested. According to the requirements of motor racing, strength and sensorimotor performance capacity can potentially be improved.
Coronary risk in a cohort of Paralympic athletes
Authors: Filho J A O , Salvetti X M , de Mello M T , da Silva A C , Filho B L
Published: September 2006

Objective:To determine the prevalence of coronary risk factors in Paralympic athletes and evaluate their risk of coronary events.

Method:An observational prospective cross sectional study of 79 consecutive Brazilian Paralympic athletes (mean (SD) age 27.8 (6.7) years (median 26 years)). There were 56 men and 23 women, 67 with physical and 12 with visual disabilities. The occurrence of systemic hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking, familial antecedents, obesity, and hypertriglyceridaemia was investigated. The risk of coronary events was calculated using the American Heart AssociationCoronary risk handbook, and also the 10 year probability of a coronary event using the Framingham risk score.

Results:The prevalence of risk factors was: systemic hypertension, 11%; familial antecedents, 10%; smoking, 9%; hypertriglyceridaemia, 6%; hypercholesterolaemia, 1.3%; obesity, 4%; diabetes, 0%. They occurred in 51% of the Paralympic athletes: one factor (41%), two factors (4%), and three factors (6%). The risk of coronary events was absent in 80%, slight in 17%, and moderate in 3%. This could only be evaluated in 81% of the athletes, as 8% had amputations, 9% were young, and 2% had unknown familial antecedents. The Framingham risk score ranged from −14 to +6, predicting a 10 year probability of a coronary event of 3.3 (3.8)%.

Conclusion:This study shows a reasonably high prevalence of coronary risk factors (51%), despite a low probability of coronary events in Paralympic athletes. The lipid and blood pressure profiles were similar in ambulatory and wheelchair athletes.
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma: a practical guide for pathologists
Authors: Bacon Chris M , Du Ming-Qing , Dogan Ahmet
Published: September 2006

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is the third most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype, accounting for around 6–8% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas in the Western hemisphere. Although MALT lymphomas are clinically indolent, the disease is typically chronic, requiring long-term clinical surveillance and, often, repeated biopsies. Pathologists thus play a central role in the diagnosis and management of these patients. The optimal diagnosis and management of a MALT lymphoma requires careful integration of morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular information, together with close cooperation with the clinician treating the patient. This review discusses recent developments in the molecular pathogenesis of MALT lymphoma and provides strategies for integrating this information into daily pathological practice.
Experiences from the front-line routine consenting of surplus surgically removed tissue: without investment by the National Health Service fully informed consent for all is not available
Authors: Wheeler Janet , Agarwal Monica , Sugden John , Bladon Meriel , Quirke Philip
Published: September 2006

The study investigated the routine introduction of a new surgical consent form containing a tissue consent section to investigate patient attitudes to the use of surplus tissue for research (after the Alder Hey inquiry) and also the differing approaches by consent takers. All surgical consent forms received in histopathology for the same 2-month period in 2 consecutive years were analysed, recording available information about the specimen, the tissue consent section and, for the second year, the consent taker. The findings showed that <5% of patients whose views were recorded disagreed with the use of their tissue for research. They also showed that the number of completed forms sent to histopathology had increased but the pattern of completion had changed very little. A wide variation between departments and also between clinicians was apparent in the levels of completion of the tissue consent section, suggesting wide variability in the quality of the consenting process. When asked, patients rarely object (<5%) but if the highest standards of consent for surgical tissue are to be achieved and the wishes of patients to donate tissue are to be effectively recorded then new resources or approaches will be needed for this process.
A CLASS OF C*-ALGEBRAS GENERALIZING BOTH GRAPH ALGEBRAS AND HOMEOMORPHISM C*-ALGEBRAS II, EXAMPLES
Authors: KATSURA TAKESHI
Published: September 2006

We show that the method to construct C*-algebras from topological graphs, introduced in our previous paper, generalizes many known constructions. We give many ways to make new topological graphs from old ones, and study the relation of C*-algebras constructed from them. We also give a characterization of our C*-algebras in terms of their representation theory.
NLO QCD CORRECTIONS TO THE PRODUCTION OF HEAVY CHARGED LEPTONS BY GLUON FUSION AT THE LHC
Authors: CAPRINI IRINEL , ROTARU MARINA
Published: September 2006

The search for heavy charged leptons predicted by generalizations of the standard model is an objective of the experiments at future colliders, in particular at the LHC. We compute the Next-to-Leading Order (NLO) QCD virtual corrections to the production of pairs of heavy charged leptons by gluon fusion. The radiative corrections increase the production rate by about 30% and reduce its dependence on the renormalization and the factorization scales. The effect of a fourth family of quarks on the production cross-section is briefly discussed.
MOTION OF A VECTOR PARTICLE IN A CURVED SPACETIME III: DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUES OF CALCULATIONS
Authors: TURAKULOV Z. YA. , MUMINOV A. T.
Published: September 2006

The studies of influence of spin on a photon's motion in a Schwarzschild spacetime is continued. In the previous paper13the first-order correction to the geodesic motion is found for the first half of the photon world line. The system of equations for the first-order correction to the geodesic motion is reduced to a non-uniform linear ordinary differential equation. The equation obtained is solved by the standard method of integration of the Green function.
TARGET MASS EFFECTS IN POLARIZED DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING
Authors: SIDOROV ALEKSANDER V. , STAMENOV DIMITER B.
Published: September 2006

The target mass effects in polarized DIS have been studied. It was demonstrated that taking into account the first-order target mass corrections to g1 a very good approximation of the exact formula is achieved. It was also shown that their magnitude in the pre-asymptotic DIS region is small except for x > 0.65, where their large effect is partially suppressed by the large values of Q2 due to the cut W2 > 4 GeV 2. The difference between the size of the target mass and higher twist corrections is illustrated.
GAUGE COUPLING UNIFICATION IN ORBIFOLD GUT'S
Authors: KOBAKHIDZE ARCHIL , TUREANU ANCA
Published: September 2006

We discuss Kaluza–Klein (KK) decomposition in five-dimensional (5D) field theories with orbifold compactification. Kinetic terms localized at orbifold fixed points, which are inevitably present in any realistic model, modify the standard KK mass spectrum and interactions of KK modes. This, in turn, can significantly affect phenomenology of the orbifold models. As an example, we discuss gauge coupling unification in N = 1 supersymmetric 5D orbifold SU(5) model. We have found that uncertainties in the predictions of the model related to modification of the KK masses are large and essentially uncontrollable.
MASSES AND INTERACTIONS OF q-FERMIONIC KNOTS
Authors: FINKELSTEIN ROBERT J. , CADAVID A. C.
Published: September 2006

The q-electroweak theory suggests a description of elementary particles as solitons labeled by the irreducible representations of SU q(2). Since knots may also be labeled by the irreducible representations of SU q(2), we study a model of elementary particles based on a one-to-one correspondence between the four families of fermions (leptons, neutrinos, (-1/3) quarks, (2/3) quarks) and the four simplest knots (trefoils). In this model the three particles of each family are identified with the ground and first two excited states of their common trefoil. Guided by the standard electroweak theory, we calculate conditions restricting the masses of the fermions and the interactions between them.

In its present form the model predicts a fourth generation of fermions as well as a neutrino spectrum. The same model with q ≅ 1 is compatible with the Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix. Depending on the test of these predictions, the model may be refined.
DEVELOPMENT OF PEROVSKITE INPrSUBSTITUTEDPb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3AND DIELECTRIC CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: UDOMKAN N. , LIMSUWAN P. , WINOTAI P. , TUNKASIRI T.
Published: September 2006

The purpose of this research is to investigate the structure of lead zirconate titanate ceramics ( Zr:Ti =52:48) when doped with Pr2O3and the corresponding properties such as micro-structural properties, physical properties, dielectric constant (εr), piezoelectric properties (kp, Qm, and d33), and the ferroelectric property. The materials were prepared via conventional mixed oxide method and sintered at 1200°C. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns and combination of both patterns revealed the tetragonal structure for all samples to have space group of P4mm. For higher dopant content (10 mol%), the pyrochlore phase of Pr2O3also appeared in the respective samples. These pyrochlore phases caused the detriment of dielectric and piezoelectric properties. For those with lower dopant content (1.00 mol%), the Pr ion substituted at the A and B sites with isovalent dopant effects, i.e. a lower value of εr, and kp. The hysteresis loops indicated the ferroelectric property for all samples. The microstructure showed dense grain according to a high density and the additional phases of Pr2O3were clearly observed for 10 mol% doping. The Curie temperature decreased with increasing dopant content, as determined from high temperature X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry.
POLAR-OPTICAL PHONON-LIMITED ELECTRON MOBILITY IN QUANTUM WIRES
Authors: VARTANIAN ARSHAK L.
Published: September 2006

The electron mobility conditioned by confined and interface polar-optical phonons for a quasi-one-dimensional cylindrical quantum wire embedded in a dielectric medium is investigated analytically. It is shown that the inclusion of the polar optical phonon confinement effects is crucial for accurate calculation of the low-field electron mobility in quantum wire. Taking into account the inelasticity of the electron-polar optical phonon interaction, the electron mobility is derived by a method which was successfully applied in three- and quasi-two-dimensional cases. The contribution of intersubband transitions to electron mobility for the Cd 0.35 Zn 0.65 Se quantum wire embedded in the CdZn dielectric medium is estimated. The extremums on the mobility dependences on wire radius and Cd concentration are obtained.
FINITE SIZE CORRECTION ON THE SURFACE WIDTH OF RANDOM DEPOSITION WITH SURFACE RELAXATION MODEL
Authors: MASOUDI A. A. , ZARGINI R.
Published: September 2006

The Kardar–Parizi–Zhang equation for surface growth has been analyzed in the regime where the nonlinear coupling constant, λ, is small (Edwards–Wilkinson equation). By using the Fourier transformation the finite size corrections on the mean-square width could be calculated. It is found that the calculated interface width for [Formula: see text] behaves as [Formula: see text] and for [Formula: see text] behaves like [Formula: see text].
MAGNETO-OPTIC EFFECTS IN NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DOPED WITH AZO-DYES
Authors: MOTOC CORNELIA , IACOBESCU GABRIELA
Published: September 2006

Nematic liquid crystal cells were subjected to different DC magnetic fields and the optical transmission of a He-Ne laser beam was recorded for different field values. It was found that a small addition of Methyl Orange (MO) induced optical activity into the nematic sample. When the cells were subjected to increasing magnetic field, the rotatory power (rotation angle) varied periodically; the same occurred for the light transmission and ellipticity. We found that the light emerging from the liquid crystal cell is elliptically polarized and in some cases circularly polarized. After UV light irradiation (365 nm) the rotatory power of the sample increases. The position of rotation angle maxima and minima is slightly affected by the irradiation.
NANOSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF INDIUM TIN OXIDE (ITO) FILMS PRODUCED BY ELECTRON BEAM EVAPORATION
Authors: POKAIPISIT ARTORN , UDOMKAN NITINAI , LIMSUWAN PICHET
Published: September 2006

Nanocrystal indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were grown by electron beam evaporation (e-beam). The ITO films were fabricated at substrate temperatures ranging from 100 to 400°C in O 2 partial pressure ranging from 0.10 to 100 mTorr. The surface morphology was monitored using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The charge in the surface morphology of ITO films was discussed in terms of grain size and crystallographic orientations. Grain size measurements of the solid dispersed and the AFM study for nanostructure showed that the oxides were in the nano range (20–30 nm). In general, the values of the optical bandgap for the films are consistently blue-shifted as compared with the crystal size. The average crystalline size determined from the shift of the optical gap were found to be in the range 20–30 nm, which is in excellent agreement with the data obtained from AFM. All ITO films average grain size was ~ 20 nm deposited by e-beam evaporation. The average optical transmittance was 90.50% in the visible range (400–700 nm) and the average bandgap was 3.98 eV. ESR spectrum of ITO film showed random oxygen vacancies which arise due to the changing crystal field effects.
FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR LINEARLY-DISPERSIVE COOPER PAIRS
Authors: DE LLANO M. , VALENCIA J. J.
Published: September 2006

A recent Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) model of several cuprate superconductors is based on bosonic Cooper pairs (CPs) moving in 3D with a quadratic energy-momentum (dispersion) relation. The 3D BEC condensate-fraction versus temperature formula poorly fits penetration-depth data for two cuprates in the range 1/2<T/Tc≤1 where Tc is the BEC transition temperature. We show how these fits are dramatically improved, assuming cuprates to be quasi-2D, and how equally good fits are obtained for conventional 3D and quasi-1D nanotube superconducting data, provided the correct linear CP dispersion is assumed in BEC at their assumed corresponding dimensionalities. This is offered as additional concrete empirical evidence for linearly-dispersive pairs in another recent BEC scenario of superconductors within which a BCS condensate turns out to be a very special case.
ON THE CRYSTAL FIELD ANALYSIS OFCr4+ENERGY LEVELS INRb2CrF6
Authors: BRIK M. G.
Published: September 2006

Optical absorption spectrum of Cr4+ion in Rb2CrF6is analyzed using the exchange charge model of crystal field theory. The crystal field parameters acting on the optical electrons of Cr4+are calculated using the crystal structure data; a good agreement between the calculated and observed energy levels of Cr4+in the title host is demonstrated. The crystal field strength Dq=2159 cm-1and Racah parameters B=639 cm-1, C=3605 cm-1were evaluated from the experimental spectrum.
A TOOL TO AUTOMATICALLY MAP IMPLEMENTATION-BASED TESTING TECHNIQUES TO CLASSES
Authors: CLARKE PETER J. , DING JUNHUA , BABICH DJURADJ , MALLOY BRIAN A.
Published: September 2006

The object-oriented (OO) paradigm provides several benefits during analysis and design of large-scale software systems, but scores lower in terms of testability. The low testability score for OO software is due mainly to the composition of OO systems exhibiting the characteristics of abstraction, encapsulation, genericity, inheritance, polymorphism, concurrency and exception handling. To address the difficulty of testing the features of a class, a plethora of implementation-based testing techniques (IBTTs) have been developed. However, no one IBTT has emerged as the preferred technique to test the implementation of a class. In this paper we present a technique that automatically identify those IBTTs that are most suitable for testing a class based on the characteristics of that class. Our approach uses a taxonomy of OO classes that is used to succinctly abstract the characteristics of a class under test (CUT). We have implemented a tool that automates the process of mapping IBTTs to a class. In addition to identifying the IBTTs that would be best suited for testing a class, our tool provides feedback to the tester facilitating the identification of the characteristics of the class that are not suitably tested by any of the IBTTs in the list. We provide results of a study supporting the notion that using more than on IBTT during testing improves test coverage of a CUT.
MODELLING THE NON-PERTURBATIVE VACUUM OF QCD
Authors: CIVITARESE O. , HESS P. O.
Published: September 2006

The properties of the non-perturbative vacuum of QCD are modelled within the framework of a bosonized QCD Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian includes fermion (valence quarks and quark-antiquark pairs) and bosons (pairs of gluons) interacting via effective interactions. The couplings between these degrees of freedom are fixed from the phenomenology and the Hamiltonian is transformed into a boson basis to map quark-antiquark pairs and pairs of gluons. With these elements we calculate the parameters which define gluon and fermion condensates and compare their values with the ones obtained by applying sum rule techniques. The agreement between the results is rather good, in spite of the simplicity of the model.
HIGHER TWIST EFFECTS IN PROTON-PROTON COLLISIONS
Authors: AHMADOV A. I. , BOZTOSUN I. , MURADOV R. KH. , SOYLU A. , DADASHOV E. A.
Published: September 2006

In this article, we investigate the contribution of the high twist Feynman diagrams to the large-pT pion production cross section in proton-proton collisions and we present the general formulae for the high and leading twist differential cross sections. The pion wave function where two non-trivial Gegenbauer coefficients a2 and a4 have been extracted from the CLEO data, two other pion model wave functions, P2, P3, the asymptotic and the Chernyak-Zhitnitsky wave functions are used in the calculations. The results of all the calculations reveal that the high twist cross sections, the ratios R, r, the dependence transverse momentum pT and the rapidity y of pion in the Φ CLEO (x,Q2) wave function case is very close to the Φ asy (x) asymptotic wave function case. It is shown that the high twist contribution to the cross section depends on the choice of the meson wave functions.
PENETRATION THROUGH THE GAMOW BARRIER OF A TWO-FRAGMENT NUCLEUS IN THE THREE-BODY APPROACH
Authors: KHARCHENKO V. F. , KHARCHENKO A. V.
Published: September 2006

On the basis of the Faddeev integral equations method and the Watson-Feshbach concept of the effective (optical) interaction potential, a consistent three-body approach to the description of the penetration of a charged particle through the Coulomb field of a two-particle bound complex (composed of one charged and one neutral particles) has been developed. A general formalism has been elaborated and on its basis, to a first approximation in the Sommerfeld parameter, the influence of the nuclear structure on the probability of the penetration of a charged particle (the muon and the proton) through the Gamow barrier of a two-fragment nucleus (the deuteron and the two lightest lambda hypernuclei, [Formula: see text]H and [Formula: see text]He) has been calculated and studied.
Cost Structure and Efficiency of the Credit Departments of the Farmers' Associations in Taiwan
Authors: Lee Cheng-Few , Wang Kehluh , Peng Ya-Hui
Published: September 2006

This study addresses the cost structure and operational efficiency of the credit departments of the farmers' associations in Taiwan, adopting both stochastic cost frontier analysis and data envelopment analysis. The factors that influence operational efficiency are also examined. In particular, problems of loan quality are considered to account for the considerable amount of non-performing loans. The results of this study indicate that economies of scale exist. However, the credit departments of the farmers' associations do not benefit from economies of scope. Non-performing loans are associated with a cost increase of approximately 17.6%. Regression analysis verifies that the non-performing loan ratio significantly and negatively influences all indicators of efficiency and that the 1997 Asian financial crisis also has a negative impact on efficiencies.
News and Asian Emerging Markets
Authors: Miyakoshi Tatsuyoshi
Published: September 2006

This paper investigates the effects of news on conditional variances in the six Asian emerging markets by using the composite index of news from January 1995 to April 2000. Our results are as follows. First, the greater is the volume of current news, the greater is the volatility in all markets. The effects of current news last for one day in Taiwan and Thailand, but last for at least two days in the other countries. Second, we identify Thailand and Indonesia as "news-rich" markets. Third, we confirm the robustness of results based on the composite index of news by using data from Japanese and US markets. Detailed analysis of news items, which is popular in advanced countries, is necessary even in developing countries to earn extra profits by responding quickly to news.
Debt and Equity Market Reaction to Employment Reports
Authors: Ghosh Asim , Clayton Ronnie
Published: September 2006

Several researchers have recently shown an interaction between macroeconomic variables and stock returns. Most of these studies have concentrated on interest rates and inflation. These and other variables, of course, have an influence on the debt markets as well. Other variables that can influence the debt and equity markets include employment information. On the first Friday of each month the government releases its employment report for the previous month. Strong growth in employment generally bodes well for economic output and growth in the economy. Any inflation and interest rate implications of a strong employment report will ultimately be reflected in bond and stock prices. It is generally observed that if payroll employment growth is moderately strong prices in the bond market drop while prices in the stock market rise. The empirical evidence presented supports these observations. This study documents the reaction of the bond and the stock markets in response to the employment reports. As the unemployment rate tends to rise so do the bond and the stock markets.
ANALYSIS OF MEMBRANE-BINDING PROTEIN MOBILITY IN LIVING CELLS USING TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION FLUORESCENCE CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: OHSUGI Y. , KINJO MASATAKA
Published: September 2006

Total internal reflection fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) is an appropriate method for measuring diffusion constants and the number of fluorescent molecules very close to the coverglass surface. Recently, we have reported the application of TIR-FCS to cell biology, measuring membrane-binding farnesylated green fluorescent proteins (EGFP-F) in living cells. In this research, we measured the signal transduction molecule, protein kinase C (PKC), fused with EGFP in living HeLa cells by using TIR-FCS. We observed two different diffusional mobilities of PKCβII-EGFP, three-dimensional faster diffusion near the plasma membrane and slower lateral diffusion on the plasma membrane after adinosine tri phosphate (ATP) activation. These results indicate that it is possible to use TIR-FCS in the study of molecular dynamics and interactions of signal transduction proteins on the plasma membrane of the living cell.
Insect Conservation: A Synthetic Management Approach
Authors: Samways Michael J.
Published: September 2006

Threats to insect diversity range from habitat loss and invasive alien organisms to environmental contamination and biological control. Many of the threats are synergistic, with the joint impact of habitat loss and global climate change being highly adversely synergistic. Recent research on insect conservation has elucidated some basic principles for conservation management. There are six basic principles that are interrelated and together provide guidelines for synthetic conservation management of insects. They are maintain reserves (principle 1), maintain as much quality landscape heterogeneity as possible (principle 2), reduce contrast between remnant patches and neighboring disturbed patches (principle 3), outside reserves, introduce land sparing (principle 4), simulate natural conditions and disturbance (principle 5), and connect similar patches of quality habitat (principle 6). These six principles constitute a coarse-filter, landscape approach. Permeating all six is the principle of maintaining healthy population levels, which require the combined support of the metapopulation trio of large patch (habitat) size, good patch quality, and reduced patch isolation. In addition to these six coarse-filter principles is an overlay of the fine-filter, species approach, in which particular species are given focused attention and management.
Rectal sensorimotor dysfunction in women with fecal incontinence
Authors: Andrews Christopher , Bharucha Adil E. , Seide Barb , Zinsmeister A. R.
Published: September 2006

The rate and pattern of rectal distension affect rectal distensibility, perception, and anal relaxation in health. Because rectal urgency is a prominent symptom in fecal incontinence (FI), we assessed rectal distensibility, contractions, perception, and anal pressures during rectal distention in 21 healthy, asymptomatic women (age 61 ± 2 yr, mean ± SE) and 51 women with FI (60 ± 2 yr). Rectal staircases (0–32 mmHg, 4-mm steps) and ramp distensions [0–200 ml at 25, 50, and 100 ml/min with a phase of sustained distension (SD), lasting 1 min, between inflation and deflation]. The rectum was stiffer during rapid than slow ramp distention. This effect was more prominent at a lower volume (50 ml) and was also more pronounced in older subjects and in FI. A rectal contractile response was observed not only during inflation but also during SD and during deflation. During inflation, this contractile response was rate dependent in controls but not in FI. During staircase but not ramp distentions, the threshold for the desire to defecate was lower in FI. During ramp distentions, the duration of perception was significantly longer in FI. The rate of distention did not affect rectal perception (i.e., sensory thresholds or duration of perception) during ramp distentions. Baseline anal pressures and the magnitude of anal relaxation during rectal distention were also reduced in FI. In addition to reduced rectal capacity and compliance, women with FI had an exaggerated rate-dependent reduction in rectal distensibility, lower sensory thresholds, and more prolonged perception, indicative of rectoanal dysfunctions.
Hepatocyte NF-κB activation is hepatoprotective during ischemia-reperfusion injury and is augmented by ischemic hypothermia
Authors: Kuboki Satoshi , Okaya Tomohisa , Schuster Rebecca , Blanchard John , Denenberg Alvin , Wong Hector R. , Lentsch Alex B.
Published: September 2006

The present study examined the role of hepatocyte NF-κB activation during ischemia-reperfusion injury. Second, we evaluated the effects of ischemic hypothermia on NF-κB activation and liver injury. C57BL/6 mice underwent 90 min of partial hepatic ischemia and up to 8 h of reperfusion. Body temperature was regulated during the ischemic period between 35 and 37°C, 33 and 35°C, 29 and 33°C or unregulated, where temperature fell to <29°C. Liver injury, as measured by serum alanine aminotransferase as well as liver histopathology, was inversely proportional to regulated body temperature, with the unregulated group (<29°C) being highly protected and the normothermic group (35–37°C) displaying the greatest injury. Inflammation, as measured by production of TNF-α and liver recruitment of neutrophils, was greatest in the normothermic groups and lowest in the ischemic hypothermia groups. Interestingly, hepatocyte NF-κB activation was highest in the hypothermic group and least in the normothermic group. Paradoxically, degradation of IκB proteins, IκB-α and IκB-β, was greatest in the normothermic group, suggesting an alternate NF-κB regulatory mechanism during ischemia-reperfusion injury. Subsequently, we found that NF-κB p65 protein was increasingly degraded in normothermic versus hypothermic groups, and this degradation was specific for hepatocytes and was associated with decreased expression of the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1. The data suggest that NF-κB activation in hepatocytes is a protective response during ischemia-reperfusion and can be augmented by ischemic hypothermia. Furthermore, it appears that Pin1 promotes NF-κB p65 protein stability such that decreased expression of Pin1 during ischemia-reperfusion results in p65 degradation, reduced nuclear translocation of NF-κB, and enhanced hepatocellular injury.
The functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) for evaluation of the esophagogastric junction
Authors: McMahon Barry P. , Frøkjær Jens B. , Kunwald Peter , Liao Donghua , Funch-Jensen Peter , Drewes Asbjørn M. , Gregersen Hans
Published: September 2006

There is a need for new methods to study the dynamics of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). The aims were to verify the efficacy and usefulness of a “functional lumen imaging probe” (FLIP) for the evaluation of the EGJ. Eight healthy volunteers (6 men), median age 26 (21–35) yr, and two achalasia patients underwent the FLIP procedure. The EGJ was located by manometry. The FLIP measured eight cross-sectional areas (CSAs) 4 mm apart together with the pressure inside a saline-filled cylindrical bag. The data showed the geometric profile of the EGJ reconstructed in a video animation of its dynamic activity. A plot of curve-fitted data for the smallest CSA vs. pressure after balloon distension indicated that the pressure increased from 18 cmH2O at a CSA of 38 mm2 to a pressure of 37 cmH2O at a CSA of 230 mm2 for the healthy controls. In one achalasia patient (unsuccessfully treated with dilations), the CSA never rose above the minimal measurable value despite the pressure increasing to 50 cmH2O. In another achalasia patient (successfully treated with dilations), the pressure only reached 15 cmH2O despite opening to a CSA of 250 mm2. In conclusion, FLIP represents the first dynamic technique to profile the function and anatomy of the EGJ. The method can be used practically to evaluate difficult cases of EGJ dysfunction and may provide a role in evaluating patients before and after therapies for diseases affecting the EGJ such as achalasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Improved postischemic function following acute exercise is not mediated by nitric oxide synthase in the rat heart
Authors: Taylor Ryan P. , Olsen Marissa E. , Starnes Joseph W.
Published: September 2006

The mediators of acute exercise-induced preconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion injury are not understood. This study assesses the role of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), a reported mediator of other forms of preconditioning. Male Fischer 344 rats were divided into five groups ( n = 6–7): sedentary (Sed); exercised 2 days on a treadmill at 20 m/min, 6° grade, for 60 min (Run); sedentary, perfused with 100 μM Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME) to inhibit NOS (Sed/L-N); exercised, perfused with l-NAME (Run/L-N); and exercised in a 4°C environment, perfused with l-NAME (CRun/L-N). Twenty-four hours following exercise, isolated, perfused working hearts were subjected to 22.5 min of global ischemia plus 30 min of normoxic reperfusion. Left ventricle contents of several putative preconditioning mediators were determined. Postischemic recovery of cardiac output times systolic pressure was better in Run than Sed (78.4 vs. 50.2% of preischemia, P < 0.05). Inhibition of NOS did not abrogate the improved recovery in the exercise groups or alter recovery in Sed. All exercise groups also displayed improved myocardial efficiency (cardiac output times systolic pressure/oxygen consumption) postischemia and less lactate dehydrogenase release ( P < 0.05). l-NAME appeared to lower lactate dehydrogenase release independent of exercise. The only change in antioxidant enzyme activity was a decrease in manganese superoxide dismutase in CRun/L-N ( P < 0.05). Heat shock protein 72 expression increased only in Run and Run/L-N and endothelial NOS only in CRun/L-N ( P < 0.05). Acute exercise-induced preconditioning of the Fischer 344 rat heart is not mediated by NOS and does not require increases in heat shock protein 72 or antioxidant enzymes.