bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intrapulmonal dislocation of a totally implantable venous access device
Authors: Hackert Thilo , Tjaden Christin , Kraft Angelika , Sido Bernd , Dienemann Hendrik , Buchler Markus W
Published: April 2005

Background

Totally implantable venous access devices are widely used for infusion of chemotherapy or parenteral nutrition. Device associated complications include technical operative problems, infections, paravasal infusions and catheter or punction chamber dislocation.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 49-year-old patient with the rare complication of a intrapulmonal catheter dislocation of a totally implantable venous access system. Treosulfane for chemotherapy of metastatic breast cancer was infused via the catheter causing instant coughing and dyspnoea which lead to the diagnosis of catheter dislocation. The intrapulmonal part of the catheter was removed under thoracoscopic control without further complications.

Conclusion

Intrapulmonal catheter dislocation is a rare complication of a totally implantable venous access device which can not be avoided by any prophylactic measures. Therefore, the infusion system should be tested before each use and each new symptom, even when not obviously related to the catheter should be carefully documented and evaluated by expert physicians to avoid severe catheter-associated complications.
Chiropractic & Osteopathy. A new journal
Authors: Walker Bruce F , French Simon D , Cameron Melainie
Published: April 2005

Both chiropractic and osteopathy are over a century old. They are now regarded as complementary health professions. There is an imperative for both professions to research the principles and claims that underpin them, and the new journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy provides a scientific forum for the publication of such research.
Angular and Linear Vestibulo‐Ocular Responses in Humans
Authors: HOUBEN M M J , GOUMANS J. , DEJONGSTE A H C , VAN DER STEEN J.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: A new technique is introduced to measure linear and angular vestibulo‐ocular responses in three dimensions. Using a three‐dimensional motion platform, human subjects underwent whole‐body rotations and translations. Eye movements were measured with an infrared video recording device and/or with scleral search coils. Subjects were tested with sinusoidal stimulation and impulses under light and dark conditions. The results show that for sinusoidal stimulation, torsion compensatory eye movements (roll stimulation) have a low gain compared to horizontal (yaw) and vertical (pitch) compensatory eye movements. With impulses, we reliably assessed gain and delay for rotations in yaw, pitch, and roll. Under this stimulus condition the gain for roll (torsion eye movements) was also low compared to yaw and pitch (horizontal and vertical eye movements). For translations, the gain of eye‐movement responses varied between 0.7 and 1 in the light. In the dark, responses were lower and more variable.
Saccular Projections in the Human Cerebral Cortex
Authors: MIYAMOTO TAMAKI , FUKUSHIMA KIKURO , TAKADA TOSHIHISA , DE WAELE CATHERINE , VIDAL PIERRE‐PAUL
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The cerebral cortical areas processing saccular information were investigated in human subjects using the fMRI method and loud clicks, which selectively activate the saccule. The results were compared with previous vestibular evoked potential (VEP) studies in anesthetized patients following vestibular nerve stimulation. Nine normal subjects participated in fMRI studies. By comparing the cortical areas activated by a click at 85 dB (auditory activation) with those activated by 102 dB (auditory plus saccular activation), the following cortical areas were selectively activated by saccular stimulation: intraparietal sulcus, frontal eye fields, prefrontal cortex, and postcentral gyrus, in addition to insula, supplementary motor area, and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex. Previous VEP studies also revealed similar activation areas by vestibular nerve stimulation with latencies at 6 ms, suggesting that the shortest pathways for activation of cerebral cortical neurons from the labyrinth are trisynaptic, with a relay in the thalamus. The activated areas are also consistent with results in previous studies using caloric stimulation, which primarily activates horizontal semicircular canals. These results suggest that canal and otolith information is processed largely by similar cortical areas in humans. Multiple cortical areas activated by these studies suggest that these areas are involved in different aspects of processing vestibular information. The saccular projections to the prefrontal and frontal cortex suggest that these areas are involved in planning motor synergies to counteract loss of equilibrium.
Visual Motion Perception at the Time of Saccadic Eye Movements and its Relation to Spatial Mislocalization
Authors: LEE CHOONGKIL , LEE JUNGAH
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The same retinal image motion can be produced by a variety of combinations of eye and target motion. In natural conditions, extraretinal information disambiguates retinal information for motion perception. By controlling the timing of visual motion with respect to saccades, it was possible to appraise the roles for motion perception of the signal related to saccades occurring in the vicinity of visual motion. When a visual motion was seen before or after a saccade, its perceived direction was biased in the direction opposite to the saccade. The magnitude of the bias depended on the timing of the visual motion with respect to the saccade and the meridian of the visual motion. The bias appears to be independent of the deformation of visual space reported to occur before and after saccades.
Initial Ocular Following in Humans Depends Critically on the Fourier Components of the Motion Stimulus
Authors: CHEN K J , SHELIGA B M , FITZGIBBON E J , MILES F.A.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Visual motion is sensed by low‐level (energy‐based) and high‐level (feature‐based) mechanisms. Our interest is in the motion detectors underlying the initial ocular following responses (OFR) that are elicited at ultrashort latencies by sudden motions of large images. OFR were elicited in humans by applying horizontal motion to vertical square‐wave gratings lacking the fundamental. In the frequency domain, a pure square wave is composed of the odd harmonics—first, third, fifth, seventh, etc.—such that the third, fifth, seventh, etc., have amplitudes that are one‐third, one‐fifth, one‐seventh, etc., that of the first, and the missing fundamental stimulus lacks the first harmonic. Motion consisted of successive quarter‐wavelength steps, so the features and 4n+1 harmonics (where n= integer) shifted forward, whereas the 4n−1 harmonics—including the strongest Fourier component (the third harmonic)—shifted backward (spatial aliasing). Thus, the net Fourier energy and the non‐Fourier features moved in opposite directions. Initial OFR, recorded with the search coil technique, had minimum latencies of 60 to 70 ms and were always in the direction of the third harmonic, for example, leftward steps resulted in rightward OFR. Thus, the earliest OFR were strongly dependent on the motion of the major Fourier component, consistent with mediation by oriented spatiotemporal visual filters as in the well‐known energy model of motion detection. Introducing interstimulus intervals of 10 to 100 ms (during which the screen was uniform gray) reversed the initial direction of tracking, consistent with extensive neurophysiological and psychophysical data suggesting that the visual input to the motion detectors has a biphasic temporal impulse response.
Asymmetry of the Pitch Vestibulo‐Ocular Reflex in Patients with Cerebellar Disease
Authors: WALKER MARK F. , ZEE DAVID S.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Responses to pitch head impulses were measured in 15 patients with cerebellar degeneration and downbeat nystagmus and in 5 control subjects, using three‐axis search coils. For each subject, response gains were calculated as (1) the ratio of instantaneous vertical eye velocity to pitch head velocity (at 30 ms and at 70 ms into the response), and (2) the ratio of peak eye velocity to peak head velocity. Gains varied more widely among patients. When calculated at 70 ms and using peak values, patients had higher gains for downward pitch, and normal subjects had symmetric gains. At 30 ms, gains were more symmetric in patients, but at that point control subjects actually had lower gains for downward pitch. Thus, the pitch gain ratio (ratio of downward gain to upward gain) was consistently greater in patients than in normal subjects. Because downward impulses were generally faster, eye velocities during downward and upward pitch for equivalent head speeds were also compared. Again, patients had higher gains for downward pitch. These results are consistent with the authors' hypothesis that cerebellar disease results in a higher sensitivity of anterior than posterior semicircular canal pathways, perhaps through loss of inhibition from the flocculus/paraflocculus complex on anterior canal secondary neurons in the vestibular nuclei. The pitch gain asymmetry was larger than, and did not correlate with, the velocity of spontaneous upward drift. This supports the notion that other mechanisms are likely to contribute to downbeat nystagmus in these patients.
Saccade Velocity as a Surrogate Disease Marker in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2
Authors: SEIFRIED C , VELÁZQUEZ‐PÉREZ L , SANTOS‐FALCÓN N , ABELE M , ZIEMANN U , ALMAGUER L E , MARTÍNEZ‐GÓNGORA E , SÁNCHEZ‐CRUZ G , CANALES N , PÉREZ‐GONZÁLEZ R , VELÁZQUEZ‐MANRESA M , VIEBAHN B , STUCKRAD‐BARRE S , KLOCKGETHER T , FETTER M. , AUBURGER G
Published: April 2005

Abstract: We measured in 82 spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) patients and in 80 controls maximal saccade velocity (MSV) and correlated it to polyglutamine expansion size and disease duration. MSV is strongly decreased in SCA2 patients and is influenced mostly by polyglutamine size.
Familial Positional Downbeat Nystagmus and Cerebellar Ataxia: Clinical and Pathologic Findings
Authors: KATTAH JORGE C. , GUJRATI MEENA
Published: April 2005

Abstract: A family with progressive cerebellar ataxia is reported. The earlier signs of cerebellar dysfunction was positional downbeat nystagmus (PDBN). An autopsy of one member with PDBN, who died early in the disease of unrelated causes, showed loss of Purkinje cells primarily in the nodulus.
Predictive Saccades to a Regularly Alternating Target in Cerebellar Patients
Authors: LASKER A G. , ISOTALO E H. , ZEE D S.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Predictive saccade tracking (targets stepping back and forth at frequencies of 1.25 = 1.0 Hz) and self‐paced saccades between two stationary targets were measured in patients with cerebellar degeneration and in normal subjects. Cerebellar patients produced similar predictive latencies and generated the same percentage of predictive saccades as did normal subjects. Only the variability in the self‐paced saccade paradigm was different between the groups.
Drift in Ocular Counterrolling during Static Head Tilt
Authors: PANSELL TONY , TRIBUKAIT ARNE , BOLZANI ROBERTO , SCHWORM HERMANN D. , YGGE JAN
Published: April 2005

Abstract: A decreasing drift of the counter‐rolled eye position (OCR) during head tilt was recently described. The underlying mechanism is not known. OCR in eleven healthy subjects was recorded (Search coil, Skalar) during a head tilt paradigm in two test conditions. The head was tilted with a velocity below (test 1) and above (test 2) detection threshold for the semicircular canals (SC) and held static for eight minutes. A significant drift of OCR was revealed in test 2 (P = .0006, ANOVA) and close to significant in test 1 (P = .07). No statistical difference was found between the two test conditions. The results suggest that the OCR drift was not caused by the SC complex merely.
Video‐Based Eye Tracking: Our Experience with Advanced Stimuli Design for Eye Tracking Software
Authors: RUFA A , MARIOTTINI G L , PRATTICHIZZO D , ALESSANDRINI D , VICINO A , FEDERICO A
Published: April 2005

Abstract: We present an independent, flexible, and easily programmable software program for generating a wide set of visual stimuli paradigms in eye‐movement studies. The software, called ASTIDET (Advanced Stimuli Design for Eye Tracking), has been interfaced in real time with a high speed video‐based eye tracking system in order to obtain a reliable measurement of saccades. Two saccadic paradigms have been tested (gap and memory guided tasks) in 10 normal subjects. The preliminary results confirm that ASTIDET is a user‐friendly software and can be interfaced with a video‐based eye‐tracking device in order to obtain reliable measurement of saccades.
Ablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Adults 60 Years of Age and Older
Authors: Wallen Herschel , Gooley Theodore A. , Deeg H. Joachim , Pagel John M. , Press Oliver W. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Storb Rainer , Gopal Ajay K.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

To evaluate outcomes of ablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in older patients with hematologic malignancies.

Patients and Methods

We treated 52 patients from 1979 to 2002 with a median age of 62.8 years (range, 60.1 to 67.8 years) using ablative preparative regimens followed by allogeneic HCT from sibling donors. Diagnoses included myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 35), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; n = 8), acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n = 6), and other (n = 3). Conditioning regimens included cyclophosphamide (CY) and busulfan (BU) (67%), total-body irradiation and CY (21%), BU-fludarabine (10%), and CY (2%).

Results

Eighteen (35%) of 52 patients are alive at a median of 4.6 years (range, 0.8 to 9.1 years) after transplantation. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were 300 and 218 days, respectively. Three-year OS and relapse rates are estimated to be 34% and 24%, respectively. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) rates at 100 days and 3 years are estimated to be 27% and 43%, respectively. Grade 3 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 20% of patients, and chronic extensive GVHD was described in 53% of patients. Fourteen (40%) of 35 patients with MDS are alive at a median of 2.8 years (range, 0.8 to 8.2 years). Four of six patients with CML in chronic or accelerated phase are alive at a median of 6.9 years (range, 4.1 to 9.1 years) after transplantation. None of the patients with AML, CML in blast crisis, or other diagnoses have survived. Patients who underwent transplantation after 1993 had improved survival.

Conclusion

These data suggest that allogeneic HCT is feasible in selected patients ≥ 60 years of age, although novel methods to reduce NRM while maintaining efficacy are needed.
Ausreichende Bedämpfung von Netzpendelungen, auch bei deregulierter Marktwirtschaft und Verbundnetz-Erweiterung (Sufficient Damping of Inter-Area-Oscillations, also under Deregulated Market Conditions and Power System Enlargement)
Authors: Kurth Marcus , Welfonder Ernst
Published: April 2005

Zur Analyse des schlechten Dämpfungsverhaltens von langsamen Verbundnetzpendelungen, die immer wieder im europäischen Verbundnetz auftreten, sind gezielte Simulationsuntersuchungen durchgeführt worden. Um anwendungsorientierte Ergebnisse zu erhalten, sind die Simulationsuntersuchungen anhand eines detaillierten Dynamik-Modells des europäischen Verbundnetzes durchgeführt und mit entsprechenden, im Verbundnetz gemessenen Pendelungen, verglichen worden.

Darauf aufbauend werden zum einen anhand von Analysemethoden im Zeit- und Frequenzbereich einfach anwendbare Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung des Pendeldämpfungsverhaltens aufgezeigt. Zum anderen wird die vorgesehene Erweiterung des europäischen Verbundnetzes zum mediterranen Ring untersucht. Auch diese prädikativen Betrachtungen führen zu interessanten Ergebnissen bezüglich des Schwingungs- und Dämpfungsverhaltens des derart erweiterten europäischen Strom-Verbundnetzes.
Verified Java Bytecode Verification (Verified Java Bytecode Verification)
Authors: Klein Gerwin
Published: April 2005

Der Bytecode Verifier ist ein essenzieller Bestandteil der Sicherheitsarchitektur der Programmierplattform Java. Die vorliegende Dissertation stellt eine formale, ausführbare Spezifikation des Bytecode Verifiers vor sowie den Beweis, dass diese korrekt ist. Die Formalisierung, vollständig im Theorembeweiser Isabelle durchgeführt, besteht aus einem abstrakten Framework für Bytecode-Verifikation, das mit zunehmend ausdrucksstarken Typsystemen instanziiert wird. Diese decken sämtliche wichtigen Eigenschaften der Java-Plattform ab. Die Formalisierung liefert zwei ausführbare, verifizierte Bytecode Verifier: den Standard-Algorithmus, wie er auf normalen Desktop-Rechnern benutzt wird, und einen Lightweight Bytecode Verifier für eingebettete Systeme mit Ressourcenbeschränkungen wie z.B. Java SmartCards.
TinyCubus: An Adaptive Cross-Layer Framework for Sensor Networks (TinyCubus: Ein Adaptives Cross-Layer Framework für Sensornetze)
Authors: Marrón Pedro José , Minder Daniel , Lachenmann Andreas , Rothermel Kurt
Published: April 2005

Summury

With the proliferation of sensor networks and sensor network applications, the overall complexity of such systems is continuously increasing. Sensor networks are now heterogeneous in terms of their hardware characteristics and application requirements even within a single network. In addition, the requirements of currently supported applications are expected to change over time. All of this makes developing, deploying, and optimizing sensor network applications an extremely difficult task. In this paper, we present the architecture of TinyCubus, a flexible and adaptive cross-layer framework for TinyOS-based sensor networks that aims at providing the necessary infrastructure to cope with the complexity of such systems. TinyCubus consists of a cross-layer framework that enables optimizations through cross-layer interactions, a configuration engine that distributes components efficiently by considering the roles of the sensor nodes and provides support to install components dynamically, and a data management framework that selects and adapts both system and data management components. Finally, relevant research challenges associated with the development of each framework are identified and discussed in the paper.
An IPQ Format based Toolbox to Support IP based Design (Ein IPQ Format basierter Werkzeugsatz zur Unterstützung von IP basiertem Entwurf)
Authors: Visarius Markus , Hardt Wolfram
Published: April 2005

Summury

In the field of IP based design, a SoC designer usually searches for IPs and after he has purchased some, he needs to further process them. To support these steps, a unified data exchange format like the IPQ Format is necessary. Based on this format, a toolbox has been developed which makes use of current Web Service technologies. Its concept supports a dynamic set of usable IP related Web Services. This enables the toolbox to be extended at any time without changing the code of the existing tools. It can be used to search for, parameterize, deliver, simulate, exchange IPs, etc. The results prove the applicability of the toolbox in the field of IP based design.
In the Shadow of Oil: Francisco J. Múgica vs. Telephone Transnational Corporations in Cardenista Mexico
Authors: Dickter Arturo Grunstein
Published: April 2005

Most historians maintain that Mexican revolutionary nationalism reached its apex during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas (1934–1940), as evidenced by the oil expropriation of 1938. However, British historian Alan Knight recently has dismissed this traditional interpretation. Instead, he suggests, “more than ever oil was a special case,” and that otherwise moderation and pragmatism, rather than doctrinaire nationalism, characterized Cardenista foreign investment policies. This argument is based on insufficient consideration of developments in other sectors. Toward answering the central question, “What were the factors influencing the Cardenista government's divergent policies toward foreign investments and corporations operating in different industries?” this article looks at the (scarcely studied) telephone industry. Between 1935 and 1940, the Cárdenas government, led by Secretary of Communications Francisco J. Múgica, waged an increasingly intense conflict against two telephone transnational corporations over monopoly, tariffs, taxes, and corporate nationality. The partial evidence drawn from the telephone industry tends to weaken Knight's position: oil was less exceptional than he suggests.

Para la mayoría de los historiadores, el nacionalismo revolucionario llegó a su apogeo en México durante la presidencia de Lázaro Cárdenas, tal como lo demuestra la expropiación petrolera de 1938. Esta interpretación convencional ha sido puesta en tela de juicio recientemente por el historíador británico Alan Knight. Éste último sostiene que el episodio del petróleo se trató más bien de una “excepción espectacular,” y que, en realidad, laspolíticas cardenistas hacia el capital extranjero se caracterizaron por su “moderación” y “pragmatismo.” Los argumentos de Knight, sin embargo, se basan en información histórica insuficiente de otros sectores. El objetivo principal del siguiente ensayo, es identificar algunos de los factores que influyeron en las políticas divergentes del cardenismo hacia las empresas de propiedad extranjera, mediante el estudio de caso de la telefonía. Entre 1935 y 1940, la administración cardenista, encabezada por su miembro más radical, el Secretario de Comunicaciones y Obras Públicas Francisco J. Múgica, entabló un fuerte conflicto con las subsidiarias de dos grandes transnacionales, a raíz de los esfuerzos de los consorcios extranjeros por monopolizar los servicios telefónicos en México. La evidencia indica que la animosidad del cardenismo hacia el capital extranjero fue menos excepcional de lo que Knight supone.
The Mexican Intelligentsia, 1950–1968: Cosmopolitanism, National Identity, and the State
Authors: Cohn Deborah
Published: April 2005

This essay explores the positions of Mexico's intelligentsia on the nation's choice of cultural models during the 1950s and 1960s. It traces the consolidation of a hegemonic group of intellectuals who sought to establish a cosmopolitan definition of Mexican culture, and it studies the media and institutions that they used to disseminate their views. It also studies the relationship between the cosmopolitan intellectuals and the State. On the one hand, their internationalism dovetailed with Mexico's political and economic strategies after World War II; on the other, both their projects and their freedom of expression were sometimes supported and sometimes restricted by the State.

Este artículo estudia las posiciones tomadas por un grupo de intelectuales mexicanos respecto a los modelos culturales a seguir durante los 50 y 60. Se deslinda la consolidación de un grupo hegemónico de intelectuales que abogaban por una visión cosmopolita de la cultural nacional, y se estudian los medios y las instituciones por medio de los cuales se diseminaba esta visión. También se analiza la relación entre los intelectuales cosmopolitas y el Estado: por un lado, la orientación internacionalista de aquéllos reflejaba estrategias políticas y económicas oficiales después la segunda Guerra Mundial; por otro, los proyectos y la libertad de expresión de la inteligencia a veces fueron apoyados y a veces restringidos por el aparato estatal.
Conflicto y colaboración entre poderes. La experiencia reciente de los gobiernos divididos en México
Authors: Rodríguez Rogelio Hernández
Published: April 2005

This essay examinesthe institutional changes undergone by the executive and legislative branches of government in Mexico since 1997 when PRI lost its dominance in congress. It considers the nature of divided government and its potential for conflict as well as the constitutional power of both branches during the period of PRI hegemony. It demonstrates that congress always possessed the right to balance and even control the executive branch while the latter had little power to dominate the former. The traditional subordination of the legislative branch to the executive derived from the political uniformity established by PRI during its period of dominance. Once that uniformity ended, the executive faced a plural congress that it could not control. To demonstrate that reality, the author evaluated the relations between the two branches of government since 1997 and concludes that the friction between the two branches results from the executive's political inability to negotiate with a new autonomous legislature.

El ensayo analiza los cambios institucionales que han experimentado los poderes ejecutivo y legislativo en México desde que la alternancia ocurrió en el Congreso federal en 1997. Por un lado, revisa el tema de los gobiernos divididos y su potencial riesgo de conflicto y, por otro, analiza las atribuciones constitucionales de ambos poderes durante el periodo de hegemonía del PRI. Plantea que el Congreso siempre estuvo dotado de facultades para equilibrar y aun para controlar al ejecutivo mientras que éste cuenta con muy pocas para someter al Congreso. La tradicional subordinación del legislativo se debió a la uniformidad política que estableció el control del PRI y una vez que ésta ha desaparecido, el ejecutivo encuentra a un Congreso plural al que no puede imponer medidas. Para comprobarlo, el autor revisa las relaciones de ambos poderes desde 1997 y concluye que las fricciones entre poderes se han debido a una sensible falta de habilidad política para negociar con un Nuevo Congreso autónomo.
Octavio Paz: An Intellectual and his Critics
Authors: Grenier Yvon
Published: April 2005

Las Guerras Culturales de Octavio Paz. By Armando González Torres. Puebla: Secretaría de Cultura; Mexico: Editorial Colibrí, 2002.

Octavio Paz, A Meditation. By Ilan Stavans. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 2001.

Octavio Paz y la poética de la historia mexicana. By David A. Brading. Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2002.

Octavio Paz, Itinerary, An Intellectual Journey. Translated by Jason Wilson. San Diego: Harcourt Inc., 1999. Foreword by Charles Tomlinson and Afterword by Jason Wilson.
Rethinking the “Spectacle of the Scaffold”: Juridical Epistemologies and English Revenge Tragedy
Authors: HUTSON LORNA
Published: April 2005

ABSTRACT Michel Foucault's analysis of penal torture as part of a regime of truth production continues to be routinely applied to the interpretation of English Renaissance drama. This paper argues that such an application misleadingly overlooks the lay participation that was characteristic of English criminal justice. It goes on to explore the implications of the epistemological differences between continental inquisitorial models of trial and the jury trial as it developed in sixteenth-century England, arguing that rhetorical and political differences between these two models are dramatized in the unfolding action of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome among Quarry Workers in Vietnam
Authors: Futatsuka Makoto , Shono Masahiro , Sakakibara Hisataka , Quan Pham Quoc
Published: April 2005

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome among Quarry Workers in Vietnam: Makoto Futatsuka, et al. Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University—Few studies have focused on the health effects of vibrating tools on workers in the tropical area. Work conditions and health effects related to rock drill operation were studied in 102 quarry workers, including 73 rock drill operators in Vietnam. We aimed to clarify (1) risk of vibration exposure, (2) occurrence of vibration‐induced white finger (VWF), and (3) characteristics of handarm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Total weighted r.m.s. acceleration of the Chinese ‐or Russian‐made rock drills, was 45–55 m/s2. According to work observation studies, daily exposure time to vibration was 160–210 min. ISO5349 predicted that this exposure level would be associated with a high risk of HAVS in workers. We found no clear evidence of VWF. There may be several reasons why no worker exhibited VWF: (1) warmer work conditions, (2) younger and less experienced workers, (3) seasonal changes in work operations, and (4) healthy worker effect. On the other hand, 5–10% of rock drill operators might be suffering from moderate HAVS which was sensori‐neural type dominant. There may be some characteristic features of HAVS among quarry workers in the tropical area.
Two Adjustable Waterfalls for Evaluating Fish Jumping Performance
Authors: Kondratieff Matthew C. , Myrick Christopher A.
Published: April 2005

Instream obstacles such as low‐head dams and waterfalls are important in fisheries management because they can restrict the movement of fishes. This can have detrimental or beneficial effects on a fish population, depending on whether a particular structure operates as a barrier to migration or as a barrier to invasion. We developed flashboard‐type and flume‐type adjustable waterfalls in the laboratory to study the effects of waterfall height and plunge pool depth on fish jumping performance. Our ultimate goal was to provide a quantitative method of evaluating pool‐and‐weir fish passage structures and waterfall barriers that could be applied to field situations. The adjustable waterfalls were successfully tested using adult Rio Grande cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis. The flashboard waterfall worked well in experiments where the combined waterfall height and plunge pool depth were less than the depth of the raceway. The flume waterfall worked well for the same conditions, but as designed, its minimum waterfall height was 30 cm. The flume‐type waterfall also worked well for tests where the waterfall height exceeded the maximum depth of the raceway. Of the two waterfalls developed, we recommend using the flume‐type for future studies because of its greater flexibility, even though it has a higher construction cost and is slightly more difficult to operate.
Starch
Authors: Bastioli Catia
Published: April 2005

This article reviews the main results obtained in the fields of starch‐filled plastics and thermoplastic starch with particular attention to the concepts of gelatinization, destructurization, extrusion cooking, and the complexation of amylose by means of polymeric complexing agents with the formation of specific supramolecular structures. The behaviors of products now in the market are considered in terms of processability, properties, and biodegradation rates.
Photorefraction
Authors: Andrews James H. , Zrebiec Karen
Published: April 2005

Photorefraction is the spatial modulation of the index of refraction of a material arising from an intensity modulation of the incident light. The specific mechanism for photorefraction requires the photo‐generation of mobile charges (typically holes in polymers), transport and trapping of the charges through photoconduction, and the modulation of the index of refraction by space‐charge fields through the electro‐optic effect and orientational alignment of molecular dipoles. A model for photorefractive processes, including orientational enhancement effects, is presented. Commonly studied polymer composites suited for photorefractive applications are described along with methods for assessing figures of merit for applications of photorefractive polymeric materials.
Use of the glycophorin A somatic mutation assay for rapid, unambiguous identification of Fanconi anemia homozygotes regardless of GPA genotype
Authors: Evdokimova Viktoria N. , McLoughlin Reagan K. , Wenger Sharon L. , Grant Stephen G.
Published: April 2005

A 7‐year‐old girl was hospitalized with pancytopenia requiring blood transfusion. She and an older brother with suspicious symptoms were referred for laboratory testing to confirm a clinical diagnosis of Fanconi anemia (FA). Blood samples from these two children and one parent were examined with the GPA somatic mutation assay. The patient's total GPA somatic mutation frequency of 1.4 × 10−4 was determined despite the confounding effects of her recent transfusion, and was greater than 10‐fold higher than that of a population of pediatric controls, consistent with the known FA phenotype. Her brother was not informative for the standard GPA assay, which requires heterozygosity for the MN blood group, but was analyzed with a modified assay that measured only allele loss mutation. His mutation frequency, 6.8 × 10−4 was also supportive of a diagnosis of FA. Both analyses also showed evidence of ongoing mutation through terminal erythroblast differentiation, a characteristic of patients with DNA repair syndromes which further confirmed the diagnoses. These conclusions were confirmed with traditional DEB‐induced chromosome breakage studies. The quantitative and qualitative aspects of the GPA assay relevant for applying this test for FA diagnosis, and perhaps for carrier detection, are discussed. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company
Quantitation and stability of piperacillin and tazobactam in plasma and ultrafiltrate from patients undergoing continuous venovenous hemofiltration by HPLC
Authors: Arzuaga A. , Isla A. , Gascón A. R. , Maynar J. , Martín A. , Solinís M. A. , Toral D. , Pedraz J. L.
Published: April 2005

Simple and reproducible HPLC methods for the determination of piperacillin and tazobactam have been developed and a complete stability study carried out. The method for piperacillin plasma samples consisted of protein precipitation with methanol using penicillin G as internal standard. No sample preparation was needed for ultrafiltrate samples. Tazobactam sample preparation involved protein precipitation with acetonitrile and the removal of lipids with dichloromethane. Piperacillin separation was performed on a µBondapack™ C18 column (300 × 3.9, 10 µm) and tazobactam on a Novapack™ C18 column (150 × 3.9, 4 µm) with UV detection set at 229 and 225 nm, respectively. The mobile phase consisted of phosphate buffer–acetonitrile, delivered at 1.5 mL[sol ]min. Calibration curves determination coefficients were ≥0.999 and response factors CV% < 5%. Intra‐ and inter‐assay precision and accuracy of the quality control and limit of quantification were satisfactory. Plasma and ultrafiltrate samples were stable at −20 and −80°C for 2 months and after three freeze–thaw cycles. In the chromatographic rack, tazobactam ultrafiltrate samples were stable for 24 h and plasma samples for 12 h, piperacillin ultrafiltrate samples for 8 h, but plasma samples for only 4 h. Storage of piperacillin samples at 4°C until analysis is recommended. Piperacillin was stable in the presence of tazobactam. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real‐time update of eye features on the 3D head model texture
Authors: Inostroza Patricio
Published: April 2005

In this paper, a real‐time tracking/synthesis loop is proposed to animate the eye texture of a 3D head model using a video camera. The user's eyes, captured by a video camera, are tracked by means of a frame‐rate pupil detector technique, based on an active illumination scheme. A small area of interest is selected around each pupil detected in the video. These areas contain the eye and eyebrow features. Substituting the captured areas on the texture of the 3D model, animation of the eyes and eyebrows is created. To avoid the ‘collage’ effect, the extracted areas are colour‐corrected, stretched and blended with the texture. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design and evaluation of Elva: an embodied tour guide in an interactive virtual art gallery
Authors: Yuan Xiang , Chee Yam San
Published: April 2005

The technology of embodied conversational agents provides an attractive approach to achieving natural human—computer interaction if the interaction design is handled sensitively. In view of this, we designed and developed an embodied tour guide, Elva, ‘who’ is able to engage conversationally with users about gallery exhibits and also capable of behaving non‐verbally using gesture and facial expression. The research focuses on the attributes of agent autonomy and believability. To achieve autonomy, we present a three‐layer architectural design to ensure appropriate coupling between the agent's perception and action. With regard to believability, we utilize the notion of schema to support structured and coherent verbal behaviours. We also pay careful attention to the design of non‐verbal interactions that establish social facts within the virtual world. A user study was performed to evaluate user satisfaction and agent believability. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mapping cityscapes into cyberspace for visualization
Authors: Zheng Jiang Yu , Shi Min
Published: April 2005

This work establishes a cyberspace of a real urban area for visiting on the Internet. By registering entire scenes along every street and at many locations, viewers can visually travel around and find their destinations in cyberspace. The issues we discuss here are mapping of a large‐scale area to image domains in a small amount of data, and effective display of the captured scenes for various applications. Route Panoramas captured along streets and panoramic views captured at widely opening sites are associated to a city map to provide navigation functions. This paper focuses on the properties of our extended images—route panorama, addressing the archiving process applied to an urban area, an environment developed to transmit image data as streaming media, and display for scene traversing on the WWW in real time. The created cyberspaces of urban areas have broad applications such as city tour, real estate searching, e‐commerce, heritage preservation, urban planning and construction, and vehicle navigation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using the Diphosphanyl Radical as a Potential Spin Label: Effect of Motion on the EPR Spectrum of an R1(R2)PPR1 Radical
Authors: Cataldo Laurent , Dutan Cosmina , Misra Sushil K. , Loss Sandra , Grützmacher Hansjörg , Geoffroy Michel
Published: April 2005

The EPR spectrum of the novel radical Mes*(CH3)PPMes* (Mes*=2,4,6‐(tBu)3C6H2) was measured in the temperature range 100–300 K, and was found to be drastically temperature dependent as a result of the large anisotropy of the 31P hyperfine tensors. Below 180 K, a spectrum of the liquid solution is accurately simulated by calculating the spectral modifications due to slow tumbling of the radical. To achieve this simulation, an algorithm was developed by extending the well‐known nitroxide slow‐motion simulation technique for the coupling of one electron spin to two nuclear spins. An additional dynamic process responsible for the observed line broadening was found to occur between 180 K and room temperature; this broadening is consistent with an exchange between two conformations. The differences between the isotropic 31P couplings associated with the two conformers are shown to be probably due to an internal rotation about the PP bond.
Electronic Structural Changes between Nickel(II)–Semiquinonato and Nickel(III)–Catecholato States Driven by Chemical and Physical Perturbation
Authors: Ohtsu Hideki , Tanaka Koji
Published: April 2005

The selective synthesis of tetracoordinate square‐planar low‐spin nickel(II)–semiquinonato (NiII‐SQ) and nickel(III)–catecholato (NiIII‐Cat) complexes, 1 and 2, respectively, was achieved by using bidentate ligands with modulated nitrogen‐donor ability to the nickel ion. The electronic structures of 1 and 2 were revealed by XPS and EPR measurements. The absorption spectra of 1 and 2 in a noncoordinating solvent, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), are completely different from those in tetrahydrofuran (THF), being a coordinating solvent. As expected from this result, the gradual addition of N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), which is also a coordinating solvent like THF, into a solution of 1 or 2 in CH2Cl2 leads to color changes from blue (for 1) and brown (for 2) to light green, which is the same color observed for solutions of 1 or 2 in THF. Furthermore, the same color changes are induced by varying the temperature. Such spectral changes are attributable to the transformation from square‐planar low‐spin NiII‐SQ and NiIII‐Cat complexes to octahedral high‐spin NiII‐SQ ones, caused by the coordination of two solvent molecules to the nickel ion.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
Authors: Monneret Claude
Published: April 2005

For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.
An investigation of methods to improve input/output waveforms in matrix converters
Authors: Sung Kyungmin , Nakakoji Hajime , Kobayashi Kosuke , Sato Yukihiko
Published: April 2005

The matrix converter is a three‐phase AC‐to‐AC direct converter without any energy storage requirement such as DC link capacitors. However, the matrix converter has some practical problems such as the necessity for bidirectional power devices, necessity for special commutation sequence, and complexity of the control method. Thus, there are no practical systems in which matrix converters are used. In this paper, the control strategy for matrix converters with basic configuration is investigated so as to realize practical matrix converters. First, the necessity of the phase detector for the input voltage and the output current sensor is pointed out from the viewpoint of realization of the basic operation. With these sensors required in the basic configuration, the instantaneous control of the output current is realized. It is also pointed out that three‐phase switching is effective in improving the input current waveforms. Some methods for implementation of three‐phase switching are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed control methods is confirmed by some experimental results employing a test system. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 151(4): 55–64, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20031
Effects of hyperbaric oxygen exposure on experimental head and neck tumor growth, oxygenation, and vasculature
Authors: Shi Yuquan , Lee Caroline S. , Wu Junmin , Koch Cameron J. , Thom Stephen R. , Maity Amit , Bernhard Eric J.
Published: April 2005

Background.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) is used to promote healing in irradiated tissues, but concern persists about the possibility that it may promote residual tumor growth.

Methods.

The tumor growth of SQ20B and Detroit 562 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenografts were studied after single‐dose irradiation and 5×/week HBO2 treatment at 2.4 atm absolute for 90 minutes. The effect of HBO2 treatment on tumor hypoxia and vasculature was also examined by immunohistochemical analysis.

Results.

HBO2 treatment increased tumor oxygenation during the treatment interval but did not promote the growth of either irradiated or unirradiated tumors. No increase in tumor vascular endothelial growth factor expression or vascularization was detected.

Conclusions.

This study found no evidence for persistent changes in tumor microenvironment or tumor growth promotion caused by hyperbaric oxygen exposure. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 27: XXX–XXX, 2005
Functional expression of TRAIL and TRAIL‐R2 during human megakaryocytic development
Authors: Melloni Elisabetta , Secchiero Paola , Celeghini Claudio , Campioni Diana , Grill Vittorio , Guidotti Lia , Zauli Giorgio
Published: April 2005

The expression and function of surface TRAIL and TRAIL receptors were investigated in primary megakaryocytic cells, generated in serum‐free liquid phase from peripheral human CD34+ cells. The surface expression of both TRAIL and “death receptor” TRAIL‐R2 became detectable starting from the early phase of megakaryocytic differentiation (day 6 of culture) and persisted at later (days10–14) culture times. On the other hand, “death receptor” TRAIL‐R1, “decoy receptors” TRAIL‐R3, and TRAIL‐R4 were barely detectable or undetectable at any time point examined. Addition of recombinant TRAIL at day 6 of culture increased the rate of spontaneous apoptosis of CD34+/CD41dim megakaryoblasts and it significantly decreased the total output of mature megakaryocytic cells evaluated after additional 4–8 days of culture. Conversely, addition in culture of TRAIL‐R2‐Fc chimera, which blocked the interaction between endogenous TRAIL and TRAIL‐R2 on the surface of cultured megakaryocytic cells, increased the total megakaryocytic cell count. In addition, recombinant TRAIL promoted a small but reproducible increase of maturation in the surviving megakaryocytic cell population, evaluated by both phenotypic analysis and morphology. A similar pro‐maturation effect was observed when TRAIL was added to bone marrow‐derived CD61+ megakaryocytic cells. Thus, our data suggest a role of TRAIL as a regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Temporal and spatial expression of TGF‐β2 in chicken somites during early embryonic development
Authors: Aramaki Shinya , Sato Fuminori , Soh Tomoki , Yamauchi Nobuhiko , Sakai Takafumi , Hattori Masa‐Aki
Published: April 2005

A multifunctional growth and differentiation factor TGF‐β is expressed at various developmental stages, and its principle role may be involvement in organogenesis. The present study was performed to evaluate the temporal and spatial expression of TGF‐β2 mRNA in developing somites of chicken embryos during their early developmental periods. TGF‐βs were expressed in various tissues of the whole embryo obtained at stage 26 (5 days of incubation) as revealed by whole‐mount in situ hybridization. TGF‐β2 mRNA was predominantly expressed in somites as well as the head, branchial arch, wing buds, and leg buds. TGF‐β2 mRNA first appeared in the rostral somites on E4, and its expression sites expanded to the middle range of somites at stage 26. At stages 29–31 (6–7 days), expression in the rostral somites disappeared, and it appeared in the caudal somites. TGF‐β2 expression was also analyzed in sections of the embryo by in situ hybridization. The expression sites of TGF‐β2 were clearly observed in the myotomal somite tips as well as the neural tube. RT‐PCR analysis showed that TGF‐β2 expression was very low in the blastocyte stage embryo and thereafter increased linearly in the whole trunk until stage 26. These data indicate that TGF‐β2 may be a regulatory factor participating in the somitogenesis of chicken embryos. J. Exp. Zool. 303A:323–330, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐efficiency stimulated Raman scattering from alcohols: theory and experiments
Authors: Echevarría Lorenzo , Rodríguez Luis , Karasiev Valentin , Piscitelli Vincent , Arístides Marcano O.
Published: April 2005

The coherent Raman emission from primary alcohols [CH3(CH2)nOH, n = 0–10], 2‐propyl alcohol and tert‐butyl alcohol was studied using a frequency‐doubled Nd:YAG pump laser (532 nm). We show that increases in the chain length (CH2 groups) and the number of CH3 groups in the alcohols (CH3 > CH2) enhance the Raman emission efficiency. Theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations and frequency scaling allow one to associate the vibrational wavenumbers with the molecular fragment responsible for the vibration. We obtained good agreement between the observed phenomena and the predictions of the theory. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cover Picture: Macromol. Rapid Commun. 7/2005
Authors: Lutz Jean‐François , Börner Hans G. , Weichenhan Katja
Published: April 2005

Cover: The combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and “click” chemistry was found to be a very efficient and versatile method for preparing well‐defined end‐functional polymers. Polystyrene prepared by ATRP was first transformed into an azide‐functional polymer, which was subsequently involved in 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions with various functional alkynes. In all cases, the chain‐end transformation reactions were found to be quantitative. Further details can be found in the Communication by J.‐F. Lutz,* H. G. Börner, and K. Weichenhan on page 514.