bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Field Test on Vibration Control of Vehicle Suspension System Featuring ER Shock Absorbers
Authors: Choi Seung-Bok , Han Young-Min , Song Hyun Jung , Sohn Jung Woo , Choi Hyoung Jin
Published: November 2007

This study presents vibration control responses of a passenger vehicle equipped with continuously controllable electrorheological (ER) shock absorbers. As a first step, four ER shock absorbers (two for front parts and two for rear parts) are designed and manufactured based on the damping force levels and mechanical dimensions required for the middle-sized passenger vehicle. After experimentally evaluating the field-dependent damping force property and controllability, the manufactured ER shock absorbers are incorporated with the suspension of a car to be tested. Subsequently, the skyhook control algorithm, which is simple, but very effective in real field, is formulated by considering vertical, pitch, and roll motions. The controller is then realized by integrating feedback sensors, such as accelerometer and the field test is undertaken under bump and random road conditions. The control responses for the ride quality and steering stability are evaluated in both time and frequency domains. In addition, the performance comparison between conventional suspension and ER suspension is carried out.
Speed Control of DC Motor using Electrorheological Brake System
Authors: Choi Seung-Bok , Yook Ji-Yong , Choi Min-Kyu , Nguyen Quoc Hung , Lee Yang-Sub , Han Moon-Sik
Published: November 2007

This study presents robust control performance of a direct current (DC) motor with brake system adopting the giant electrorheological (GER) fluid, whose distinguished feature is an extremely high value of yield stress. As a first step, Bingham characteristics of the GER fluid is experimentally investigated using the Couette type electroviscometer. A cylindrical type of electrorheological (ER) brake is then devised based on the Bingham model, and its braking torque is experimentally evaluated. The ER break is then incorporated with a DC motor. After formulating the governing equation of motion for the DC motor with ER brake system, a sliding mode control algorithm, which is very robust to external disturbances and parameter uncertainties, is synthesized and experimentally realized in order to achieve desired rotational speed trajectories. The tracking responses of the control strategy are then evaluated for various sinusoidal trajectories. In addition, their tracking errors are evaluated and compared with those obtained from traditional PID controller.
Magnetorheological Fluid Fan Drive for Trucks
Authors: Smith Anthony L. , Ulicny John C. , Kennedy Lawrence C.
Published: November 2007

A magnetorheological fluid (MRF) fan drive prototype for automotive truck application is designed and tested for both performance and durability. A dual concentric gap with drum rotor design is chosen to meet the required torque capacity, packaging, and mass constraints. Finite element magnetostatic modeling is performed to size the electromagnetic circuit and achieve the desired flux density levels in the MR fluid gaps. The clutch is filled with a custom-formulated MR fluid. Performance testing shows excellent speed control and response. The required 40 N-m torque capacity is achieved along with low drag speed, which is a key design characteristic of the fan drive. The clutch successfully passed several 500 h durability tests in a test cell environment. Performance testing indicates that the MRF clutch maintains its required torque capacity with very little increase in drag speed over the duration of the tests indicating no fluid thickening issues. The total dissipated energy in these tests is about 3.8 GJ. The total specific dissipated energy for these tests is more than seven times higher than the 107 J/cm3 upper limit previously suggested in the literature.
Qualitative Analysis of Magneto-Rheological Tuned Vibration Absorbers: Experimental Approach
Authors: Koo Jeong-Hoi , Ahmadian Mehdi
Published: November 2007

The primary purpose of this study is to provide an experimental evaluation of some of the characteristics and benefits of magneto-rheological tuned vibration absorbers (MR TVAs). Tuned vibration absorbers (TVAs) often provide a simple and elegant solution to many vibration problems. To extend the concept of passive TVAs to MR TVAs, we discuss four different control methods, called velocity-based on—off groundhook control, velocity-based continuous groundhook control, displacement-based on—off groundhook control, and displacement-based continuous groundhook control. Using the test apparatus, a series of tests were conducted to investigate the dynamics of the MR TVA with each control policy. The performances of each of the cases were then analyzed along with the equivalent passive TVA. The performance index was the transmissibility between the input and the output displacement of the structure. The experimental results indicate that the most suitable control method for MR TVAs is the displacement-based groundhook control.
Microfluidic Manipulation in Lab-chips Using Electrorheological Fluid
Authors: Niu Xize , Liu Liyu , Wen Weijia , Sheng Ping
Published: November 2007

Microfluidic manipulation is one of the main concerns in lab-chip society. This article presents the design, fabrication and testing methodologies of electrorheological (ER) fluid-controlled active microfluidics chips. All of the fundamental building blocks, such as microvalves, micropumps and micromixers, are fabricated with similar processes in PDMS-based chips for easy integration. Such building blocks can be digitally controlled by on—off switching of electric fields applied on the parallel electrodes along the ER fluid channels. Experimental results show reliable functionalities of these devices. The ER active control scheme supplies additional flexibilities over the passive control of microfluidics. A hybrid approach of active mixers, combining the ER active actuation with the passive baffle structures, was applied to achieve more efficient chaotic mixing than the passive mixers available.
Development of Normally Closed Type of Magnetorheological Clutch and its Application to Safe Torque Control System of Human-Collaborative Robot
Authors: Saito Tsuyoshi , Ikeda Hiroyasu
Published: November 2007

In this study, a normally closed (NC) type clutch using magnetorheological (MR) suspension and a rare-earth permanent magnet is proposed as a safety device for human-collaborative robots. This clutch can transmit an effective torque under various conditions and function as a holding brake and a changeable torque limiter. To design this clutch to achieve both good controllable characteristics and safety performance, the normally closed structure with a permanent magnet was realized by placing two facing magnetic poles asymmetrically for efficient generation of the magnetic field, and by adopting the multi-sheet rotor for the improvement of the torque output. As the analysis results show, it was confirmed that the three-sheet rotor obtained about 1.5 times torque output as much as the single-sheet rotor. When the exciting current was 0.8A, the transmitted torque marked the minimum; when the exiting current was 0A, the torque output of approx. 41 Nm was generated with the time constant of 0.15 s.
Photolanguage
Authors: Bessell Ann G. , Deese William B. , Medina Adriana L.
Published: November 2007

Program evaluators need methods that can be used in a variety of situations to help gather data. Photolanguage is one such technique that uses black-and-white photographs to elicit responses from individuals. It is particularly useful in situations where the respondents may give restricted or only minimal data. This article provides 1the step-by-step process for implementation of Photolanguage, explores the possibility of uses for Photolanguage as a tool for small-group evaluation, and supplies data showing its benefits as a method of evaluation.
A Trans-Tasman business elite?
Authors: Harrigan Nicholas , Goldfinch Shaun
Published: November 2007

This article examines the close relationship between the Australian and New Zealand business communities to ask whether the relationship is best characterized as simply a bi-lateral trading relationship, or whether there is evidence of the formation of a transnational business community. This article also seeks to explore the nature of Australia—NewZealand integration, and specifically the degree to which the relationship is interdependent or asymmetrical. Data are drawn from quantitative sources — including a dataset developed from the IBISWorld's Largest 2000 Enterprises in Australia and New Zealand, Who's Who in Australia, and Who's Who in Business in Australia — and qualitative sources, including interviews with business and policy elites. Our findings are that the relationship between the Australian and New Zealand business communities is much deeper than a bi-lateral trading relationship, but also falls short of forming one transnational community. We also find that the relationship is substantially asymmetrical in nature, raising concerns among a number of New Zealand business executives about New Zealand sovereignty.
Men's business
Authors: Bowman Dina
Published: November 2007

Entrepreneurs are mostly ignored by classical and neo-classical economic theory but they resonate as an archetype of neo-liberalism. Our understanding of the attitudes and practices of entrepreneurs tends to come from management literature and business journalism. Consequently, our understanding of entrepreneurial masculinity may reflect its portrayal more than its practice. This article draws on Bourdieu's concepts of fields, habitus and capitals to explore the fit or lack of fit of Australian male entrepreneurial habitus with the fields of entrepreneurial business and family. I suggest that entrepreneurial business reflects and reinforces a gendered habitus that conflicts with changing expectations of family as a site for intimate, egalitarian relationships.
`To be or not to be?': The politics of teaching phonics in England and New Zealand
Authors: Soler Janet , Openshaw Roger
Published: November 2007

There is currently intense national and international interest in which particular methods of teaching reading are the most effective for early literacy acquisition. The great bulk of research work that is cited in these debates, however, focuses almost exclusively on the evaluation and comparison of particular programmes underpinned either by phonics or whole language approaches (Soler and Openshaw, 2006). Despite the fact that policy makers and literacy educators around the world are able to draw upon a common body of literacy research, there is a huge variation in the extent to which phonics is adopted as the major programme in different national contexts. This article provides a comparative study of the widely differing reception accorded the teaching of phonics in England and New Zealand respectively.
Standing out from the crowd: the visibility-enhancing effects of IPO-related signals on alliance formation by entrepreneurial firms
Authors: Pollock Timothy G. , Gulati Ranjay
Published: November 2007

In this study, we explore how multiple signals related to entrepreneurial companies at the time of their initial public offering (IPO) influence the firms' ability to acquire non-financial resources over time. Specifically, the study looks at how signals based on investors' initial reactions to the IPO, analyst coverage and affiliations with experienced venture capitalists and prominent underwriters combine to enhance the IPO firm's visibility and reduce uncertainty, thereby influencing its ability to form post-IPO alliances. We also consider the extent to which the effects of each of the signals are sustained or diminish over time.Their analysis of 404 IPOs conducted by technology companies between 1995 and 2000 shows that these signals are positively related to alliance formation patterns, and that the effects of these signals deteriorate at different rates over time.
An investigation into the perceptions of clinical supervision experienced by learning disability nurses
Authors: Sines David , McNally Steve
Published: November 2007

This study explored perceptions of clinical supervision among community-based residential learning disability nurses in south-east England. A questionnaire generated a sample of 35, of whom 26 engaged regularly in clinical supervision. Respondents reported that supervision provided protected time to reflect on their skills and on their professional and personal development. They identified a need for greater clarity in the roles of supervisor and supervisee, and a clearer separation of managerial and developmental imperatives. They wanted support and preparation for supervision, and range of options for type of supervision and choice of supervisor. Thus supervision was found to be important for staff working in isolated community-based services for people with learning difficulties. However, little research has been carried out in this area. This study could help to shape and unify the future provision of clinical supervision.
Staff working with people who have intellectual disabilities within secure hospitals
Authors: Langdon Peter E. , Yágüez Lidia , Kuipers Elizabeth
Published: November 2007

Studies involving professional carers of people with mental health problems have investigated the relationship between burnout, job satisfaction, the coping strategies employed by carers, and expressed emotion (EE). We undertook a similar study involving carers of adults with intellectual disabilities detained within a secure hospital. Twenty-seven nursing staff completed a Five Minute Speech Sample regarding a keyworked client. EE was coded, and measures of coping strategies, burnout, attitudes to psychiatric treatment and job satisfaction were administered. Sixty-three percent of the sample were coded as having high EE. These subjects reported significantly higher levels of depersonalization and lower levels of personal accomplishment. They used coping strategies more frequently: specifically they reported trying to reorganize their work and to seek support from others. The results are discussed in light of the findings of previous studies. It is noted that the study was not causal and the sample size was small.
Levels of anxiety and sources of stress in adults with autism
Authors: Gillott Alinda , Standen P.J.
Published: November 2007

Clinical reports suggest that anxiety is a pertinent issue for adults with autism. We compared 34 adults with autism with 20 adults with intellectual disabilities, utilizing informant-based measures of anxiety and stress. Groups were matched by age, gender and intellectual ability. Adults with autism were almost three times more anxious than the comparison group and gained significantly higher scores on the anxiety subscales of panic and agoraphobia, separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. In terms of sources of stress, significant differences between the two groups were also found, and stress was found to correlate with high anxiety levels for the autism group, particularly the ability to cope with change, anticipation, sensory stimuli and unpleasant events. That is, the more anxious the individual with autism, the less likely they were able to cope with these demands. This has important implications for clinicians in terms of both assessment and treatment.
Adolescents with intellectual disabilities as victims of abuse
Authors: Reiter Shunit , Bryen Diane N. , Shachar Ifat
Published: November 2007

Abuse of persons with disabilities continues to remain largely invisible, in spite of estimates suggesting that it is perpetrated against them more frequently than against those without disabilities. The aim of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation regarding the frequency and type of abuse of a selected group of students with intellectual disabilities in one high school in Israel and compare the findings with the frequency and type of abuse reported by non-disabled youth from a similar socioeconomic background. A total of 100 students answered the `Ending the Silence' questionnaire, 50 of them with intellectual and other disabilities. The main findings indicate that students with intellectual and other disabilities suffered from abuse more frequently than their peers; most of the instances of abuse occurred within the close social environment of the victim and were repeated over time.
Experimental-confirmation and functional-annotation of predicted proteins in the chicken genome
Authors: Buza Teresia J , McCarthy Fiona M , Burgess Shane C
Published: November 2007

Background

The chicken genome was sequenced because of its phylogenetic position as a non-mammalian vertebrate, its use as a biomedical model especially to study embryology and development, its role as a source of human disease organisms and its importance as the major source of animal derived food protein. However, genomic sequence data is, in itself, of limited value; generally it is not equivalent to understanding biological function. The benefit of having a genome sequence is that it provides a basis for functional genomics. However, the sequence data currently available is poorly structurally and functionally annotated and many genes do not have standard nomenclature assigned.

Results

We analysed eight chicken tissues and improved the chicken genome structural annotation by providing experimental support for the in vivo expression of 7,809 computationally predicted proteins, including 30 chicken proteins that were only electronically predicted or hypothetical translations in human. To improve functional annotation (based on Gene Ontology), we mapped these identified proteins to their human and mouse orthologs and used this orthology to transfer Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotations to the chicken proteins. The 8,213 orthology-based GO annotations that we produced represent an 8% increase in currently available chicken GO annotations. Orthologous chicken products were also assigned standardized nomenclature based on current chicken nomenclature guidelines.

Conclusion

We demonstrate the utility of high-throughput expression proteomics for rapid experimental structural annotation of a newly sequenced eukaryote genome. These experimentally-supported predicted proteins were further annotated by assigning the proteins with standardized nomenclature and functional annotation. This method is widely applicable to a diverse range of species. Moreover, information from one genome can be used to improve the annotation of other genomes and inform gene prediction algorithms.
The importance of physician knowledge of autism spectrum disorder: results of a parent survey
Authors: Rhoades Rachel A , Scarpa Angela , Salley Brenda
Published: November 2007

Background

Early diagnosis and referral to treatment prior to age 3–5 years improves the prognosis of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, ASD is often not diagnosed until age 3–4 years, and medical providers may lack training to offer caregivers evidence-based treatment recommendations. This study tested hypotheses that 1) children with ASD would be diagnosed between ages 3–4 years (replicating prior work), 2) caregivers would receive little information beyond the diagnosis from their medical providers, and 3) caregivers would turn to other sources, outside of their local health care professionals, to learn more about ASD.

Methods

146 ASD caregivers responded to an online survey that consisted of questions about demographics, the diagnostic process, sources of information/support, and the need and availability of local services for ASDs. Hypotheses were tested using descriptives, regression analyses, analyses of variance, and chi-squared.

Results

The average age of diagnosis was 4 years, 10 months and the mode was 3 years. While approximately 40% of professionals gave additional information about ASD after diagnosis and 15–34% gave advice on medical/educational programs, only 6% referred to an autism specialist and 18% gave no further information. The diagnosis of Autism was made at earlier ages than Asperger's Disorder or PDD-NOS. Developmental pediatricians (relative to psychiatrists/primary care physicians, neurologists, and psychologists) were associated with the lowest age of diagnosis and were most likely to distribute additional information. Caregivers most often reported turning to the media (i.e., internet, books, videos), conferences, and other parents to learn more about ASD.

Conclusion

The average age of ASD diagnosis (4 years, 10 months) was later than optimal if children are to receive the most benefit from early intervention. Most professionals gave caregivers further information about ASDs, especially developmental pediatricians, but a sizeable minority did not. This may reflect a lack of training in the wide range of behaviors that occur across the autism spectrum. Parents turned to outside sources to learn more about ASD. We recommend that all physicians receive specialized training about ASDs to improve upon early screening and diagnosis, and then advise caregivers about empirically-supported services.
Characterization of body weight and composition changes during the sophomore year of college
Authors: Hull Holly R , Morrow Michelle L , Dinger Mary K , Han Jennifer L , Fields David A
Published: November 2007

Background

Years spent in college represents a critical time for obesity development though little information is known regarding how body weight and composition changes beyond the first year of college. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in body weight and composition and the factors influencing those changes among sophomore females.

Methods

Body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was obtained in participants beginning during their freshman year and continued through their sophomore year.

Results

No difference was observed between sophomore year fall and spring visits for body weight (60.4 versus 60.6 kg) or fat mass (19.3 versus 18.7 kg). However, a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease was observed for body fat (31.9 versus 30.9 %fat) and a significant increase was observed for fat-free mass (37.7 versus 38.4 kg). Participants living off campus significantly (P ≤ 0.05) declined in body fat (33.0 versus 31.0 %fat) and fat mass (19.4 versus 18.2 kg) and increased in fat-free mass (36.1 versus 37.2 kg) with no differences in those living on campus.

Conclusion

No change in body weight was observed in females during their sophomore year. However, an increase in fat-free mass accompanied with a decrease in fat mass resulted in a decrease in body fat. Participants living off campus had favorable changes in their body composition by means of decreasing %fat and fat mass while increasing fat-free mass. Participants living on campus did not demonstrate these favorable changes.
Randomized Trial of High-Dose Chemotherapy With Autologous Peripheral-Blood Stem-Cell Support Compared With Standard-Dose Chemotherapy in Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: NCIC MA.16
Authors: Crump Michael , Gluck Stefan , Tu Dongsheng , Stewart Doug , Levine Mark , Kirkbride Peter , Dancey Janet , O'Reilly Susan , Shore Tsiporah , Couban Stephen , Girouard Caroline , Marlin Susan , Shepherd Lois , Pritchard Kathleen I.
Published: November 2007

Purpose

We conducted a multicenter, randomized trial to compare progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and quality of life in women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) receiving high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT; HDCT) compared with standard-dose therapy.

Patient and Methods

Between April 1997 and December 2000, 386 women with MBC and no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were registered. After initial response to anthracycline- or taxane-based induction chemotherapy, 224 patients were randomly assigned: 112 to high-dose cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, and carboplatin chemotherapy and ASCT (HDCT), and 112 to standard therapy (ST). Median age was 47 years (range, 25 to 67 years). Thirty two percent of women randomly assigned had estrogen and progesterone receptor–negative breast cancer, 42% had visceral metastases, and 58% had bone metastases. Complete remission rates before random assignment were 11% for those receiving HDCT and 12% for those receiving ST.

Results

After a median follow-up of 48 months, 79 deaths were observed in the HDCT arm and 77 deaths were observed in the ST arm; seven patients (6%) in the HDCT arm died as a result of toxicity. The median OS was 24 months for the HDCT arm (95% CI, 21 to 35 months) and 28 months for ST (95% CI, 22 to 33 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.2; P = .43). PFS was 11 months for HDCT and 9 months for ST (HR, 0.6 in favor of HDCT; 95% CI, 0.5 to 0.9; P = .006).

Conclusion

HDCT did not improve OS in women with MBC when used as consolidation after response to induction chemotherapy.
France, Europe, and the Mediterranean in a Sarkozy Presidency
Authors: Bowen Norman
Published: November 2007

Nicholas Sarkozy.s campaign documents and speeches reveal more continuity than rupture with past French foreign policy. The US will welcome his support for missile defense and possible unilateral action outside of the UN. However, like previous French presidents, Sarkozy extolled multipolarity and independent European Union military capacity while opposing a global role for NATO. He called for protection against the negative impacts of globalization and promoted EU.wide industrial .champions.. He opposed Turkey.s entry into the EU on cultural and antiterrorist grounds. Instead, he proposed to create a new Mediterranean Union. Anti.immigrant policies at home combined with an unapologetic view of French colonialism make it unlikely that Sarkozy will be able to revive the EU.s Mediterranean initiative and with it France.s fading leadership in North Africa.
From the EU Project to the Iraq Project and Back Again? Kurds and Turks After the 22 July 2007 Elections
Authors: Olson Robert
Published: November 2007

This essay argues that from the first of January 2007 to Turkey.s general elections on 22 July the ruling Justice and Development Party.s (AKP) major focus was on the .Iraq project. rather than the established .EU project.. The Iraq project refers to the challenge of Kurdish nationalism in Iraq represented by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the influence that these two parties could potentially have on the domestic politics of Turkey, especially the challenge from the Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas ensconced in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq. The essay concludes that the landslide victory of the AKP allows the government to once again focus its efforts on gaining admittance to the EU and the necessary reforms to achieve that status. The fact that DTP candidates won only twenty parliamentary seats while the AKP won some fifty seats in heavily populated Kurdish regions also somewhat eased AKP concerns of the challenge of Kurdish nationalism within Turkey to the government and the state.
What Is Public Diplomacy? Past Practices, Present Conduct, Possible Future
Authors: Roberts Walter R.
Published: November 2007

The term public diplomacy has only recently reached the American lexicon but has not obtained a definitive interpretation. This essay attempts to present a definition based on history and practical usage. It traces the public diplomacy program from its beginnings, explains its application, and describes some of its successes. It stresses the point that even the best public diplomacy programs cannot succeed if a country.s policies are rejected by foreign publics. The essay recommends that the director of the public diplomacy program be invited to the table when overall foreign policies are formulated.
Peculiarities of the use of acceleration-dependent forces in mechanical problems
Authors: Zhechev M M
Published: November 2007

Until very recently, the wrong belief that given forces in mechanics cannot depend on acceleration was a wide-spread opinion. As a consequence, little effort, if any, has been made to develop a formal mechanical theory for such forces.

At the present time, a class of new problems involving the study of mechanical systems acted on by forces that depend on acceleration and higher derivatives can be considered on the basis of traditional statements of mechanical problems (of stabilization, stability, optimal control, etc.).

The current paper is primarily devoted to equilibrium stabilization using acceleration-dependent forces. For definiteness, the analysis is concerned with the tilting railway car, which is a mechanical system where the use of such forces is indispensable. In spite of the specificity of this system, the analysis allows one to get an idea of the generalities of the use of acceleration-dependent forces in mechanics and shows that they can be used in practice to good advantage.
Vibration analysis of Timoshenko beams under uniform partially distributed moving masses
Authors: Ziaei-Rad S , Ariaei A , Imregun M
Published: November 2007

The current article presents an analytical approach, as well as a calculation method for determining the dynamic response of Timoshenko beams under uniform partially distributed moving masses, using the so-called discrete element technique (DET). It is shown that the proposed methodology offers a compact and computationally efficient way of conducting parametric studies to evaluate the dynamic response of the beam-like structures with arbitrary boundary conditions such as railway and road bridges. First, a formulation is presented in a matrix form for beams under partially distributed masses. The results have been validated against analytical formulations, finite difference, and finite element results. A number of parametric studies were conducted to assess the effects of the moving mass velocity and moving mass length on the beam deflection. A major aspect of the work is the study of successive travelling masses for which the transient effects are important. Both analytical and DET results showed that the critical speeds were affected for successive moving masses. Finally, the effects of rotary inertia were studied for a range of inertia values to quantify the error arising from using the Bernoulli-Euler formulation for beams with large inertias.
Heteropoly Acid-catalyzed Direct Substitution of 2-Propynyl Alcohols with Sulfonamides
Authors: Yadav J S , Reddy B V Subba , Rao T Srinivasa , Krishna B Bala M , Kumar G G K S Narayana
Published: November 2007

Direct substitution of the hydroxy group in 2-propynyl alcohols with sulfonamides has been achieved using 5 mol % of phosphomolybdic acid supported on silica gel (PMA/SiO2) under mild reaction conditions to produce 2-propynyl amides in excellent yields and with high selectivity.
Ring-opening Bulk Polymerization of l-Lactide in Porous Hydroxyapatite
Authors: Sugiyama Nami , Kunibu Ryoko , Yoshizawa-Fujita Masahiro , Takeoka Yuko , Aizawa Mamoru , Rikukawa Masahiro
Published: November 2007

Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) has been synthesized by ring-opening bulk polymerization of l-lactide in porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) matrix without any additional catalyst, and this hybridizing process directly provided artificial bone materials. The obtained PLLA/HAp composites had enough mechanical properties with a bending strength of 53.7 MPa, which was 2.3 times stronger than porous HAp, and showed excellent biocompatibility for clinical applications.
Enantiofacial Control of Planar Chiral Arene Ru Complexes Bearing Tropos Biphenyl Ligands
Authors: Aikawa Kohsuke , Kaito Isao , Mikami Koichi
Published: November 2007

A variety of planar chiral Ru-complexes bearing tropos ortho-substituted biphenyl ligands were synthesized. The planar chirality control of the Ru complexes by enantiopure (R)-H8–DABN selectively gave the thermodynamically stable diastereomers via association of solvents employed.
Critical Control by Temperature and Pressure of Enantiodifferentiating Anti-Markovnikov Photoaddition of Methanol to Diphenylpropene in Near Critical and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Nishiyama Yasuhiro , Wada Takehiko , Mori Tadashi , Inoue Yoshihisa
Published: November 2007

The enantiomeric excess of photoadduct obtained in the title reaction was critically manipulated not only by pressure (P) but also by temperature (T), exhibiting substantially different P-dependence profiles at different T, yet sharing a sudden leap near the critical density at each T, for which the difference in clustering property of methanol in near and supercritical CO2 is thought to be responsible.
A Constraint Logic Programming Algorithm for Modeling Dynamic Pricing
Authors: Oliveira Fernando S.
Published: November 2007

We extend Lemke's algorithm to solve a dynamic pricing problem. We identify an instance in which Lemke's algorithm fails to converge to an optimal solution (when an optimum does exist) and propose a constraint logic programming solution to this problem. We analyze the complexity of the extended Lemke's algorithm. Our analysis shows that, in the short term, dynamic pricing can be used to improve resource management efficiency. It is also shown that dynamic pricing can be used to manage the long-term behavior of demand.
A Hybrid Guided Local Search for the Vehicle-Routing Problem with Intermediate Replenishment Facilities
Authors: Tarantilis Christos D. , Zachariadis Emmanouil E. , Kiranoudis Chris T.
Published: November 2007

We propose a three-step algorithmic framework for solving a new variant of the vehicle-routing problem (VRP) called the vehicle-routing problem with intermediate replenishment facilities (VRPIRF). The aim of this problem is to determine optimal routes for a fleet of vehicles that can renew their capacity at intermediate replenishment stations. Although this problem is often met in real-life scenarios of transportation logistics, it has not received much attention by researchers. Our proposed framework employs a combination of algorithmic blocks based on powerful metaheuristic methodologies designed to achieve a desirable intensification and diversification interplay. In the first step of the solution approach, the initial solution is obtained by a cost-saving construction heuristic. In the second step, the initial solution is improved by employing tabu search within the variable neighborhood search methodology. Finally, guided local search is applied in the third step, to eliminate low-quality features from the final solution produced. The proposed algorithmic framework was successfully applied to benchmark instances in the literature, generating several new best solutions. To motivate the proposed algorithmic choices and test the robustness of the algorithm, we also developed new classes of VRPIRF benchmark instances with diverse problem characteristics.
A Minority Game with Bounded Recall
Authors: Renault Jérôme , Scarsini Marco , Tomala Tristan
Published: November 2007

This paper studies a repeated minority game with public signals, symmetric bounded recall, and pure strategies. We investigate both public and private equilibria of the game with fixed recall size. We first show how public equilibria in such a repeated game can be represented as colored subgraphs of a de Bruijn graph. Then we prove that the set of public equilibrium payoffs with bounded recall converges to the set of uniform equilibrium payoffs as the size of the recall increases. We also show that private equilibria behave badly: A private equilibrium payoff with bounded recall need not be a uniform equilibrium payoff.
The Importance of Communication in the Implementation of Government Policy at Local Level
Authors: Nixon Jaqi
Published: November 2007

This paper examines the nature of policy which government seeks to implement and then focusses on the ways in which central departments communicate a new policy to the local level. Having suggested a theoretical model of the implementation process, the paper goes on to discuss a part of this process within the context of the national policy on equal opportunity, derived mainly from the Race Relations Act of 1976. It draws on research which the author is undertaking on the implementation of equal opportunity policy at central and local government level. This includes a study of different government departments as well as of 2 London boroughs with contrasting characteristics and very different experiences of immigrant and ethnic minority communities.
The Illusion of Change in the National Health Service
Authors: Levitt Ruth
Published: November 2007

The Government’s consultative document Patients First proposes a number of changes in the structure and management of the National Health Service. These are unlikely to help the NHS address the fundamental problems facing it, and will probably divert attention away, much as the last reorganisation in 1974 appears to have done. The key policy questions concerning objectives for the NHS and appropriate resources to make it work better are discussed.
The Public Purchase of Social Care: British Confirmation of the American Experience
Authors: Judge Ken
Published: November 2007

This article identifies certain characteristic features of purchase of service contracting (POSC) in the English personal social service and compares them with the experience of the USA. It begins with a brief examination of the financial data about POSC and suggests a simple typology for categorising it. Next, the substantive part of the article discusses the practice of POSC in England and the USA. This section focuses upon three particular topics: why public agencies decide to contract-out; the management and monitoring of POSC; and policy issues such as the alleged conflict between public accountability and the autonomy of voluntary organisations. The final section outlines the kind of research agenda which needs to be tackled before making decisive judgments about the utility of POSC as a strategic instrument of social policy. On the basis of existing knowledge, however, the article concludes by outlining a personal view of the essential prerequisites, for developing POSC in the shorter term.
Research and the Policy-Making Process in Local Government
Authors: Deakin Nicholas
Published: November 2007

The current state of local government research and intelligence is in part a reflection of the manner of its rapid growth during the course of the past decade. During this period, a large number of Units were established, with a bewildering variety of functions and a wide range of academic disciplines represented among their staffs. This expansion was in part a response to the expansion of the size of local government’s general responsibilities and, in part, the result of specific enthusiasm for new styles of policy analysis and the associated quest for rationality in decision taking in government.

By the end of the seventies, the atmosphere had completely changed and the prospects for research and intelligence have become correspondingly bleak. Nevertheless, the need for well-focussed policy related research still exists: provided that certain well-organised traps are avoided, the research manager in local government should be able to survive, if not prosper, even in the changed environment of the eighties.
Residential Decay, Household Movement and Class Structure
Authors: Reade E. J.
Published: November 2007

This paper, which arose out of research into ‘vandalism’ on council estates, attempts to relate the physical decay of residential areas to patterns of household movement. The latter, it suggests, are to a large extent an inevitable consequence of the highly competitive system of social stratification which exists in Britain. It is suggested that in this situation, the ability of the public housing sector to operate on non-market criteria is very limited; what happens, rather, is that its operations, and thus, the physical forms and spatial patterns which it produces, reflect the value-system of the wider society.
Critical Reason and Political Power in Project Review Activity: Serving Freedom in Planning and Public Administration
Authors: Forester John
Published: November 2007

If planners and public administrators are to conduct well-informed and publicly responsive project reviews, they need accurate information, trustworthy sources, an involved citizenry, and clearly formulated issues to addess. These conditions of project review are precarious, though, for they are shaped by social and political-economic inequalities of power, wealth, information, and expertise. Indeed, planners, administrators, and affected citizens too can ordinarily expect to face systematically and inequitably structured agendas in their practical work of project review. Such biased agenda-setting operates through the management of public consent, belief, trust, and attention to suppress responsive, informed project review discussions. By anticipating such obstacles, planners, public administrators, and citizens alike may counteract such agenda-setting and thus foster democratic and accountable project review processes. Anticipating and encouraging practical responses to inequitable agenda-setting, critical reason may empower radically democratic professional practices and genuinely democratic planning and public administration in the face of anti-democratic political-economic forces.
The Rise and Fall of the CSD
Authors: Chapman Richard A.
Published: November 2007

The Civil Service Department (CSD), the central department of personnel management in the British civil service, was created in 1968 and disbanded in 1981. This article provides an account of the long pre-history of the CSD from the nineteenth century, through the hectic period in this century when so many official committees made recommendations relevant to this aspect of central management of the civil service, to the eventual creation of the Department as a result of a major recommendation of the Fulton Committee on the Civil Service (1966–68). It also highlights the achievements and disappointments of the Department in its thirteen years of existence. The article concludes with an analysis of the most important influences on the creation, life, and abolition of the CSD. It provides an account of a significant aspect of institutional change in contemporary British government, together with insights into the factors which determine the way public administration actually works, and their interrelationships in the British system of government.
Patterns of Efficiency Improving Innovation: Social Care and the Elderly
Authors: Davies Bleddyn , Ferlie Ewan
Published: November 2007

Literature relating to territorial variations in the pattern of service development is well established. Less emphasis has been placed on accounting for variations in the determinants of innovation through time. 1980 and 1982 data sets are compared with special emphasis on the changing role of financial variables. There appears to have been a switch from distress to growth-led innovation, at least in domiciliary care. Wider implications for policy are outlined.
New Directions for Employment Policy
Authors: Gould Arthur
Published: November 2007

Many of the inequalities in our society result from the hierarchical divisions of labour. These can only be alleviated together with the associated problems of unemployment and de-skilling if employment policies in the future make schemes for work-sharing and improving the quality of working life, a priority. The author argues that similar schemes in the past have been viewed with suspicion as the redistribution of work and non-work envisaged was horizontal in nature. Only the application of the concept of vertical redistribution can equalise occupational opportunity.
Policy Changes, Configurations and Catastrophes
Authors: Starkie David
Published: November 2007

The paper discusses forms or patterns of policy change and how catastrophe theory may, in certain circumstances, provide a useful technique for formalising these changes. The first section reviews different configurations of change and focuses on discontinuous and incremental patterns and the factors explaining them. The second section considers, in the light of the preceding dichotomy, evidence on the nature of change in UK road policies. It is suggested that in this policy area there is a tendency for discontinuous change which may be susceptible to more rigorous analysis using techniques of catastrophe theory. In a third section these techniques are applied specifically to trunk road policies in order to examine the hypothesis that pressure groups have played an influential role. The approach is an exploratory one and the application of the technique is kept informal to encourage further research from this perspective.
The Politics of Self-Regulation: The case of advertising control
Authors: Baggott Rob , Harrison Larry
Published: November 2007

Studies of quasi-government have tended to focus on public sector ‘quangos’ and their implications for accountability and democracy. In contrast, this article focuses on a rather neglected aspect of quasi-government: the role of semi-private bodies and how they emerge and develop. By focusing on the emergence, development and persistence of the self-regulatory system of advertising control, a number of important insights for quasi-government, politics and the policy formation process are provided.
Effect of Local Hydride Accumulations on Zircaloy Cladding Mechanical Properties
Authors: Hermann Armin , Yagnik Suresh K. , Gavillet Didier
Published: November 2007

Mechanical response of fuel cladding with local hydride accumulations is crucial in the assessment of cladding integrity at high burn-ups. We have performed high-temperature low-strain rate burst tests on irradiated cladding samples with and without hydride lenses or blisters to seek answers to the following questions: Does the presence of a hydride lens inevitably lead to rupture at a lower pressure? How does it mechanistically affect the crack initiation and propagation? The irradiated samples in our investigation were taken from the regions of the fuel cladding with oxide spallation. Subsequently, we used neutron radiography to further select samples covering a range of hydride blister sizes on which the burst testing was performed. Rupture pressure, hoop strength, and circumferential strain data will be reported. For each sample tested, detailed metallography and fractography were performed on 2-mm size sections containing the burst opening to provide insights into the mechanism of crack initiation and propagation. Local and mean hydrogen concentrations were measured. The paper will include and elucidate new details often not fully investigated by other burst test investigations reported in the open literature. In samples with multiple blisters, the crack initiates at the largest one, which also governs the fracture mode. Reduction in the rupture pressure can be simply correlated to the reduction in sample wall thickness excluding the blister (i.e., its remaining ligament). There is a lower bound on the blister size to have any influence on the rupture pressure. Further, local plastic circumferential strain at each blister can be correlated to relative hydride lens area, as projected onto the cladding surface.