bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biases of SRTM in high‐mountain areas: Implications for the monitoring of glacier volume changes
Authors: Berthier E. , Arnaud Y. , Vincent C. , Rémy F.
Published: April 2006

Because of its nearly global coverage, the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) topography is a promising data set for estimating mountain glacier volume changes. But, first, its absolute accuracy must be thoroughly investigated in a glacial environment. We use topographic data available in the French Alps to assess the usefulness of SRTM for the monitoring of glacier volume variations. We observe clear biases with altitude both on ice‐free and glacier‐covered areas. At high altitudes, SRTM elevations are underestimated by up to 10 m. These biases can have a significant impact on any estimate of glacier volume changes. If SRTM is the most recent of the two compared topographies, the volume loss is overestimated (and vice versa). We cannot conclude definitively on the origin of these biases and whether they affect all high‐mountain areas but our findings invite reconsideration of previous estimates of glacier wastage based on SRTM.
Osmotic coefficients of atomistic NaCl (aq) force fields
Authors: Hess Berk , Holm Christian , van der Vegt Nico
Published: April 2006

Solvated ions are becoming increasingly important for (bio)molecular simulations. But there are not much suitable data to validate the intermediate-range solution structure that ion-water force fields produce. We compare six selected combinations of four biomolecular Na–Cl force fields and four popular water models by means of effective ion-ion potentials. First we derive an effective potential at high dilution from simulations of two ions in explicit water. At higher ionic concentration multibody effects will become important. We propose to capture those by employing a concentration dependent dielectric permittivity. With the so obtained effective potentials we then perform implicit solvent simulations. We demonstrate that our effective potentials accurately reproduce ion-ion coordination numbers and the local structure. They allow us furthermore to calculate osmotic coefficients that can be directly compared with experimental data. We show that the osmotic coefficient is a sensitive and accurate measure for the effective ion-ion interactions and the intermediate-range structure of the solution. It is therefore a suitable and useful quantity for validating and parametrizing atomistic ion-water force fields.
Simple way to determine the edge of an electron-free sheath with an emissive probe
Authors: Wang X. , Hershkowitz N.
Published: April 2006

A new technique to determine the edge of an electron-free sheath is presented. The technique takes advantage of the variation of the inflection point of the emissive probe I-V characteristic with electron emission. The edge of the electron-free sheath is identified as the position where the inflection point changes from increasing with emission to decreasing with emission.
La qualité de prise en charge des urgences obstétricales dans les maternités de référence au Bénin: Le point de vue des «Echappées Belles» et leurs attentes
Authors: Saizonou J. , Godin I. , Ouendo E. M. , Zerbo R. , Dujardin B.
Published: April 2006

Objectif  Evaluer les soins obstétriques d'urgence et les perceptions et attentes des femmes ayant vécu l'expérience d'avoir été‘presque perdue’, dans le but d'améliorer la santé au Bénin.

Méthode  Surveillance qualitative dans 7 hôpitaux dans les trois niveaux de référence de la pyramide de la santé, de juillet à octobre 2003. Nous avons utilisé deux méthodes: en premier lieu, 557 femmes qui ont été‘presque perdues’ ont été interviewées à l'hôpital et un questionnaire standard a été rempli, puis des entretiens individuels semi structurés ont été menés à domicile avec 42 de ces 557 femmes.

Résultats  Les soins procurés, le logement, les services, le coût et les modalités de récupération, l'hygiène des prémices, le dynamisme, l'expertise, le soutien social, le comportement et l'attitude du personnel ont été les critères utilisés pour exprimer la satisfaction des patientes. La plupart des femmes interviewées à l'hôpital étaient satisfaites de l'accès physique, de l'organisation, du fonctionnement et de l'environnement. Cependant, les coûts excessivement élevés et les exigences de récupération des dépenses, les failles du système de référence, le manque d'empathie et la discrimination de la part du personnel infirmier, le manque de ressources d'urgence, le manque d'hygiène et de confort des prémices ont été soulignés par les femmes interviewées à domicile.

Conclusion  Le système de santé maternel actuel n'arrive pas à faire face de façon effective aux complications obstétriques. Ce système a besoin d'un meilleur financement, d’être plus accessible, moins coûteux et de la prise en compte des besoins des femmes.
Scale for resource selection functions
Authors: Boyce Mark S.
Published: April 2006

Resource selection functions (RSFs) are statistical models defined to be proportional to the probability of use of a resource unit. My objective with this review is to identify how RSFs can be used to unravel the influence of scale in habitat selection. In wildlife habitat studies, including radiotelemetry, RSFs can be estimated using a variety of statistical methods, all of which can be used to explore the role of scale. All RSFs are bounded by the resolution of data and the spatial extent of the study area, but also allow predictor covariates to be measured at a variety of scales. Conditional logistic regression permits designs (e.g. matched case) that relate the process of habitat selection to a limited domain of resource units that might better characterize what is truly ‘available’ to the animal. Scale influences the process of habitat selection, e.g. food resources are often selected at fine spatial scales, whereas landscape patterns at much larger scales typically influence the location of home ranges. Scale also influences appropriate sampling in many ways: (1) heterogeneity might be obliterated (transmutation) if resolution or grain size is too large, (2) variance of habitat characteristics might be undersampled if extent or domain is too small, (3) timing and duration of observations can influence RSF models, and (d) both spatial and temporal autocorrelations can vary directly with the intensity of sampling. Using RSFs, researchers can examine habitat selection at multiple scales, and predictive models that bridge scales can be estimated. Using Geographical Information Systems, predictor covariates in RSF models can be measured at different scales easily so that the predictive ability of models at alternative spatial and temporal domains can be explored by the investigator. Identification of the scale that best explains the data can be evaluated by comparing alternative models using information‐theoretic metrics such as Akaike Information Criteria, and predictive capability of the models can be assessed using k‐fold cross validation.
Presence of intratumoral anechoic foci predicts an increased number of endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration passes required for the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Cheng Tsu‐Yao , Wang Hsiu‐Po , Jan I‐Shiow , Chen Jiann‐Hwa , Lin Jaw‐Town
Published: April 2006

Background and Aim:  For reduction in cost, time and risk of complications, the number of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) passes should be minimized. Previous studies have shown that tumor differentiation and site of aspiration will affect the number of passes in patients with pancreatic cancer. There have been no reports that EUS features of pancreatic malignancies per se will influence the number of passes. Our aim was to prospectively assess various factors that would affect the number of passes in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods:  Between May 2003 and December 2004, 41 patients with presumed pancreatic cancer were studied. EUS‐guided FNA was performed with an Olympus GF‐UC2000P echoendoscope and a 22‐gauge needle. On‐site assessment of the specimen by a cytopathologist was available during the procedure.

Results:  Adenocarcinomas were confirmed in 25 patients. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas with intratumoral anechoic foci required a higher number of diagnostic passes than those without anechoic change (3.40 vs 2.27, P < 0.05). An average of 4.00 FNA passes for diagnosing a well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma was also significantly higher than the 2.40 diagnostic passes for a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and the 2.00 passes for a poorly differentiated one (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:  The existence of intratumoral anechoic foci was not a rare finding under detailed EUS investigation of pancreatic cancer. Both the existence of intratumoral anechoic foci and the differentiation of the cancer are significant predictive factors for the number of diagnostic EUS‐FNA passes.
Sustained elevation of extracellular adenosine and activation of A1 receptors underlie the post‐ischaemic inhibition of neuronal function in rat hippocampus in vitro
Authors: Pearson Tim , Damian Karen , Lynas Rachel E. , Frenguelli Bruno G.
Published: April 2006

Adenosine is released from the compromised brain and exerts a predominately neuroprotective influence. However, the time‐course of adenosine release and its relationship to synaptic activity during metabolic stress is not fully understood. Here, we describe experiments using an enzyme‐based adenosine sensor to show that adenosine potently (IC50 ∼ 1 µm) inhibits excitatory synaptic transmission in area CA1 during oxygen/glucose deprivation (‘ischaemia’), and that the prolonged post‐ischaemic presence of extracellular adenosine sustains the depression of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP). N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism promotes post‐ischaemic recovery of the fEPSP, in parallel with reduced release of adenosine. Paradoxically, however, after ischaemia the fEPSP recovers in the face of concentrations of adenosine capable of fully eliminating synaptic transmission during ischaemia. This hysteresis is not prevented by NMDA receptor antagonism, is observed during repeated ischaemia when adenosine release is reduced, and does not reflect desensitization of adenosine A1 receptors. We conclude that adenosine exerts powerful inhibitory actions on excitatory synaptic transmission both during, and for some considerable time after, ischaemia. Therapeutic strategies designed to exploit both the continued presence of adenosine and activity of A1 receptors could provide benefits in individuals who have suffered acute injury to the CNS.
Angular resolution of terrestrial laser scanners
Authors: Lichti Derek D. , Jamtsho Sonam
Published: April 2006

Knowledge of a laser scanner's spatial resolution is necessary in order to prevent aliasing and estimate the level of detail that can be resolved from a scanned point cloud. Spatial resolution can be decoupled into range and angular components. The latter is the focus of this paper and is governed primarily by sampling interval and laser beamwidth. However, emphasis is often placed on one of these—typically sampling interval—as an indicator of resolution. Since both affect the resolution of a scanned point cloud, consideration of only one factor independent of the other can lead to a misunderstanding of a system's capabilities. This will be demonstrated to be inappropriate except under very specific conditions. A new, more appropriate resolution measure for laser scanners, the effective instantaneous field of view (EIFOV), is proposed. It is derived by modelling the shift variance of the equal angular increment sampling process, laser beamwidth‐induced positional uncertainty and observed angle quantisation with ensemble average modulation transfer functions (AMTFs). Several commercially available terrestrial laser scanner systems are modelled and analysed in terms of their angular resolution capabilities using the EIFOV.
Cartducin stimulates mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cell proliferation through both extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/Akt pathways
Authors: Akiyama Hironori , Furukawa Souhei , Wakisaka Satoshi , Maeda Takashi
Published: April 2006

Cartducin, a paralog of Acrp30/adiponectin, is a secretory protein produced by both chondrogenic precursors and proliferating chondrocytes, and belongs to a novel C1q family of proteins. We have recently shown that cartducin promotes the growth of both mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells and chondrosarcoma‐derived chondrocytic cells in vitro. However, the cartducin‐signaling pathways responsible for the regulation of cell proliferation have not been documented. In this study, we examined whether cartducin exists in serum and further investigated the intracellular signaling pathways stimulated by cartducin in mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells. Western blot analysis showed that, unlike Acrp30/adiponectin, cartducin was undetectable in mouse serum. Next, mesenchymal chondroprogenitor N1511 cells were stimulated with cartducin, and three major groups of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways and the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway were examined. Cartducin activated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt, but not c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) nor p38 MAPK. The MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, blocked cartducin‐stimulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and suppressed the DNA synthesis induced by cartducin in N1511 cells. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, blocked cartducin‐stimulated Akt phosphorylation and a decrease in cartducin‐induced DNA synthesis in N1511 cells was also observed. These data suggest that cartducin is a peripheral skeletal growth factor, and that the proliferation of mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells stimulated by cartducin is associated with activations of the ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.
A Phase 1 Clinical Study of Intravenous Administration of PV701, an Oncolytic Virus, Using Two-Step Desensitization
Authors: Laurie Scott A. , Bell John C. , Atkins Harold L. , Roach Joanne , Bamat Michael K. , O'Neil James D. , Roberts M. Scot , Groene William S. , Lorence Robert M.
Published: April 2006

Purpose: In a previous phase 1 study, adverse events, especially flu-like symptoms, were observed mainly following the first i.v. bolus dose of PV701, an oncolytic Newcastle disease virus. Desensitization to adverse events of subsequent doses occurred, allowing a 10-fold increase in the maximum tolerated dose for these doses. Although one-step desensitization (a single desensitizing dose with higher subsequent doses) addressed the tolerability of high repeat doses, additional testing was required to further improve tolerability of the initial dose. This study tested the hypothesis that two-step desensitization, using two dose increments before high repeat doses, would be well tolerated.

Experimental Design: Sixteen adults with incurable solid tumors were enrolled. Cycles consisted of six PV701 doses over 2 weeks followed by a 1-week rest. Doses 1 to 2 were 1 and 12 × 109 plaque-forming units (pfu)/m2, respectively, whereas doses 3 to 6 were escalated by cohort from 24 to 120 × 109 pfu/m2.

Results: No dose-limiting toxicities were observed, permitting dose escalation through cohort 4 (1, 12, 120, 120, 120, 120 × 109 pfu/m2). Mild flu-like symptoms were common following the first infusion, diminished with repeated dosing, and were less pronounced than those seen previously. Tumor regression was observed in a patient with anal carcinoma who enrolled with stable disease following palliative radiotherapy. Four patients with clearly progressing cancer before enrollment had disease stabilization of ≥6 months.

Conclusions: This novel two-step desensitization improved patient tolerability compared with the previous regimen. Toxicities were predictable and manageable. PV701, the first oncolytic virus to enter phase 1 i.v. testing, continues to show single-agent activity, warranting planned phase 2 trials.
Cardiovascular Function in Mice During Normal Pregnancy and in the Absence of Endothelial NO Synthase
Authors: Kulandavelu Shathiyah , Qu Dawei , Adamson S. Lee
Published: April 2006

In humans, the increased cardiovascular demands of pregnancy are met by increases in cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), plasma volume (PV), and cardiac and aortic inner dimensions and a concurrent decrease in arterial pressure that indicates a fall in total peripheral vascular resistance. The mechanisms responsible for these changes are incompletely understood, but NO synthase (NOS) is believed to play a central role. We assessed whether C57Bl/6J (B6) mice show similar changes and whether these changes are altered in mice lacking the gene for endothelial NOS (eNOS). The CO of B6 mice increased 28% by day 9.5 of gestation because of a 25% increase in SV, and increased 48% by day 17.5 because of a 41% increase in SV. The increase in SV at day 17.5 was associated with a 27% increase in PV, a 15% decrease in arterial pressure, and 10% to 15% increases in aortic and left-ventricular inner dimensions. In the absence of eNOS, CO increased 22% by day 9.5 because of increases in SV (14%) and heart rate (9%), but increased no further by day 17.5. SV near term was lower than B6 mice despite similar 26% increases in PV and 14% decreases in arterial pressure in association with blunted left-ventricular chamber enlargement. All reported changes are
P
<0.05. We conclude that cardiovascular changes during pregnancy are similar in B6 mice and humans. eNOS plays a critical role in increasing stroke volume in late gestation by promoting cardiac remodeling.
Matrix Metalloproteinases/Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases
Authors: Ahmed S. Hinan , Clark Leslie L. , Pennington Weems R. , Webb Carson S. , Bonnema D. Dirk , Leonardi Amy H. , McClure Catherine D. , Spinale Francis G. , Zile Michael R.
Published: April 2006

Background—

Chronic hypertension may cause left ventricular (LV) remodeling, alterations in cardiac function, and the development of chronic heart failure (CHF). Changes in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) known to occur in hypertension are believed to be causally related to these structural, functional, and clinical outcomes. However, whether the determinants of ECM composition, such as the balance between ECM proteases (matrix metalloproteinases [MMPs]) and their tissue inhibitors [TIMPs]), are altered in hypertensive heart disease is unknown.

Methods and Results—

Plasma MMP-2, -9, and -13 values, TIMP-1 and -2 values, and Doppler echocardiography images were obtained for 103 subjects divided into 4 groups: (1) reference subjects (CTL) with no evidence of cardiovascular disease, (2) hypertensive (HTN) subjects with controlled blood pressure and no LV hypertrophy, (3) hypertensive subjects with controlled blood pressure and with LV hypertrophy (HTN+LVH) but no CHF, and (4) hypertensive subjects with controlled blood pressure, LVH, and CHF (HTN+LVH+CHF). Compared with CTL, patients with HTN had no significant changes in any MMP or TIMP. Patients with HTN+LVH had decreased MMP-2 and MMP-13 values and increased MMP-9 values. Only patients with HTN+LVH+CHF had increased TIMP-1 values. A TIMP-1 level >1200 ng/mL was predictive of CHF.

Conclusions—

Patients with hypertension but normal LV structure and function had normal MMP/TIMP profiles. Changes in MMP profiles that favor decreased ECM degradation were associated with LVH and diastolic dysfunction. An increased TIMP-1 level predicted the presence of CHF. Although these findings should be confirmed in a larger prospective study, these data do suggest that changes in the MMP/TIMP balance may play an important role in the structural, functional, and clinical manifestations of hypertensive heart disease.
‘After all, I am partly Māori, partly Dalmatian, but first of all I am a New Zealander’
Authors: Božić-Vrbančić Senka
Published: April 2006

This article explores the complexity of the processes of identity construction for ‘mixed-race’ individuals in New Zealand. It focuses on two life stories told by Māori-Croatian women in order to analyse how individuals of Māori-Croatian background constitute their own identity within the heterogeneous discursive practices (race, ethnicity, gender, class, nation) that have operated in New Zealand from colonial times to the bicultural New Zealand of the present. Experience of the hybridization of identity is placed within a framework of power relationships and the varieties of social struggles which help to constitute it from below.
Implications of molecular characters for the phylogeny of the Microbotryaceae (Basidiomycota: Urediniomycetes)
Authors: Kemler Martin , Göker Markus , Oberwinkler Franz , Begerow Dominik
Published: April 2006

Background

Anther smuts of the basidiomycetous genusMicrobotryumon Caryophyllaceae are important model organisms for many biological disciplines. Members ofMicrobotryumare most commonly found parasitizing the anthers of host plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, however they can also be found on the anthers of members of the Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, Lentibulariaceae, and Portulacaceae. Additionally, some members ofMicrobotryumcan be found infecting other organs of mainly Polygonaceae hosts. Based on ITS nrDNA sequences of members of almost all genera in Microbotryaceae, this study aims to resolve the phylogeny of the anther smuts and their relationship to the other members of the family of plant parasites. A multiple analysis strategy was used to correct for the effects of different equally possible ITS sequence alignments on the phylogenetic outcome, which appears to have been neglected in previous studies.

Results

The genera of Microbotryaceae were not clearly resolved, but alignment-independent moderate bootstrap support was achieved for a clade containing the majority of theMicrobotryumspecies. The anther parasites appeared in two different well-supported lineages whose interrelationship remained unresolved. Whereas bootstrap support values for some clades were highly vulnerable to alignment conditions, other clades were more robustly supported. The differences in support between the different alignments were much larger than between the phylogenetic optimality criteria applied (maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood).

Conclusion

The study confirmed, based on a larger dataset than previous work, that the anther smuts on Caryophyllaceae are monophyletic and that there exists a native North American group that diverged from the European clade before the radiation of the European species. Also a second group of anther smuts was revealed, containing parasites on Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, and Lentibulariaceae. At least the majority of the parasites of Asteraceae appeared as a monophylum, but delimitations of some species in this group should be reconsidered. Parasitism on Polygonaceae is likely to be the ancestral state for the Microbotryaceae on Eudicot hosts.
Portable Advanced Medical Simulation for New Emergency Department Testing and Orientation
Authors: Kobayashi Leo , Shapiro Marc J. , Sucov Andrew , Woolard Robert , Boss Robert M. , Dunbar Jennifer , Sciamacco Ronald , Karpik Kelly , Jay Gregory
Published: April 2006

Objectives:
Efforts to mitigate unexpected problems during transition of an active emergency department (ED) to a new physical plant are imperative to ensure effective health care delivery and patient safety. The authors used advanced medical simulation (SIM) to evaluate the capacity of a new ED for emergent resuscitative processes and assist facility orientation before opening day.

Methods:
Operational readiness testing and orientation to the new ED of a large academic center were arranged through a Transportable Enhanced Simulation Technologies for Pre‐Implementation Limited Operations Testing (TESTPILOT) project. Using a portable life‐sized computerized manikin, the project required participants to perform assorted patient care interventions on‐site. Cardiac arrest, multitrauma, uroseptic shock, and pediatric toxicology scenarios elicited the dynamics of real‐life ED activities. Debriefings and surveys assessed participants' perceptions of the new facility's clinical readiness and identified areas needing administrative attention. Subjective utility of SIM orientation was compared with that of standard facility orientation.

Results:
Fourteen ED clinicians and five SIM facilitators participated over two sessions. The new facility received mean (± SD) and median five‐point Likert scale scores of 4.4 (± 0.8) and 5 for ability of clinical staff to perform resuscitations. The respective scores for ability of simulated scenarios to prepare staff for new ED function were 4.6 (± 0.5) and 5, compared with 4.2 (± 1.0) and 4 for non‐SIM orientation (p = 0.22; not significant). Problems with equipment location, inadequate procedural surfaces, and insufficient orientation were discovered and rapidly corrected.

Conclusions:
Transportable SIM was used to evaluate the clinical functions of a new ED. Significant operational issues identified by participants were corrected before opening of the facility. Limited comparison did not reveal SIM enhancement of orientation.
Phase I/II Study of Preoperative Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil, and External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Cancer and Leukemia Group B 89901
Authors: Ryan David P. , Niedzwiecki Donna , Hollis Donna , Mediema Brent E. , Wadler Scott , Tepper Joel E. , Goldberg Richard M. , Mayer Robert J.
Published: April 2006

Purpose

The addition of oxaliplatin to fluorouracil in patients with advanced colorectal cancer improves survival. This phase I/II study evaluated the addition of weekly oxaliplatin to preoperative continuous infusion fluorouracil (FU) and external-beam radiation therapy (RT) in patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma.

Patients and Methods

Patients with clinical T3/T4 rectal adenocarcinoma and no evidence of metastases were treated with weekly oxaliplatin, continuous infusion FU 200 mg/m2 intravenously, and RT. A total of 6 weekly doses of oxaliplatin were planned. RT dose was 1.8 Gy/fraction to a total dose of 50.4 Gy. In the phase I portion, oxaliplatin was escalated from 30 to 60 mg/m2.

Results

Forty-four patients were entered onto the study, 18 on the phase I portion and 26 on the phase II portion. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) for oxaliplatin was determined to be 60 mg/m2. At the MTD, 12 patients experienced grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, two patients experienced grade 3 neutropenia, and one patient experienced grade 3 thrombocytopenia. Fifty-six percent of patients entered at the MTD completed all 6 weeks of oxaliplatin. Eight (25%) of 32 patients enrolled at the phase II dose experienced a pathologic complete response.

Conclusion

In this multicenter study, the addition of oxaliplatin to intravenous continuous infusion FU and RT for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer was associated with a high pathologic complete response rate but more toxicity than when FU is used alone. A regimen of weekly oxaliplatin, continuous infusion FU, and radiation therapy is now being evaluated by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.
Performance Evaluation of PLA against Existing PET and PS Containers
Authors: Auras R , Singh SP , Singh J
Published: April 2006

Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymers are environmentally-friendly biodegradable materials that have garnered growing attention in the past few years as food packaging materials since packages made from PLA have the advantage of being produced from renewable resources, provides significant energy savings, and can be recyclable and compostable. PLA's optical, physical, and mechanical properties have been compared to those of polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) although studies comparing and showing the actual performance of PLA, PS, and PET packages are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate and to compare the role of PLA for the food service industry. Two of the commonly used materials to make containers to package fresh food, PET and oriented polystyrene (OPS), were compared with oriented PLA (OPLA). This study involved a number of tests to quantify the physical, mechanical, barrier, and compatibility properties that would affect the selection criteria for containers to be used for food service applications. Based on the results, OPLA, OPS, and PET performances were evaluated. Exposures of the three materials to weak and strong acids for seven days show a minimal reduction in the performance of these polymers. At ambient temperature, PET has the highest impact resistance followed by OPLA and OPS. PET shows the highest oxygen barrier followed by OPLA and OPS. Thus, several of the relevant properties for packaging applications of OPLA are between PET and OPS properties, suggesting that OPLA would also be suitable for some of these applications.
Speciation of technetium and rhenium complexes byin situXAS-electrochemistry
Authors: Poineau Frédéric , Fattahi Massoud , Auwer Christophe Den , Hennig C. , Grambow Bernd
Published: April 2006

A spectro-electrochemical cell was developed in order to study the speciation of radio-elements in thermodynamic unstable redox states usingin situXAS spectroscopy. This cell was used for the speciation of Re and Tc complexes in chloride media. Experiments on Re were carried out with the aim to validate the functionality of the experimental set-up. During electro-reduction of Re(VII) in HCl media, EXAFS and XANES studies were performed in order to reveal the formation of chloro-oxygenated compounds of Re(IV). The speciation of technetium in aqueous solutions of deep geological deposits for radioactive waste is important to predict its mobility under reducing conditions. XANES spectra showed that electro-reduction of Tc(VII) in chloride media leads to a position ofK-edge absorption which agrees with a Tc(IV)/Tc(III) mixture.
Telling Differences
Authors: JAMESON ELIZABETH , MOUAT JEREMY
Published: April 2006

This article describes the competing meanings that U.S. and Canadian historians have assigned to their common borders and respective Wests. It compares how frontier,region, and a common border have shaped U.S. and Canadian histories and identities,as well as the complicity of historiography in telling the differences. Assuming that neither the nation state nor national identity is fixed or absolute, it argues that similarities and differences in how each country incorporated its West led to specific understandings of national origins, colonial relationships, and distinct notions of frontier and region. These distinctions shaped the ways each nation legitimized its claim to the continent and are reflected in historical narratives that have functioned as respective national creation stories. The ways that Canadians and Americans have understood their pasts and common border also illuminate the meanings of national identity in our present age.
"Still Potentially Dangerous in Some Quarters"
Authors: ISSEL WILLIAM
Published: April 2006

The charges that led Gen. John L. DeWitt to deport Sylvester Andriano from the Western Defense Region in 1942 were bogus, the product of an anti-Catholic campaign by Communist Party activists, Masonic anti-Catholics in the Italian community, and recent Italian anti-Fascist exiles (fuorusciti). This wartime abuse of civil rights in the name of national security grew from a discourse of demonizing the religious, not solely the racial and ethnic, Other. The article makes several arguments about ethnicity and religion on the Pacific Coast: Faith-based political activism played a significant role in the region's urban political culture, as did cultural politics between Catholics and anti-Catholics. Irish American Catholic clergy welcomed, rather than excluded, Italian American laymen into the Church's highest councils in San Francisco,where the Irish had long dominated civic life. However, Italian Americans were bitterly divided between devout Catholics and disaffected anti-clericals.
The Combined Contraceptive Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing): Evaluation of the Clinical and Pharmacological Evidence
Authors: Gruber Christian J
Published: April 2006

The NuvaRing® is a vaginal ring contraceptive that releases a daily dose of 15 μg ethinylestradiol and 120 μg etonogestrel through the vaginal epithelium, thereby avoiding the daily fluctuations in serum levels typically observed with combined oral contraceptives. Each ring is designed for a single 3-week use followed by a 1-week ring-free period. The ring offers robust inhibition of ovulation, yielding a Pearl Index of 0.65 for European women in registration trials. The ring has the same contraindications as combined oral contraceptives. The vaginal ring is a highly effective, safe and well-tolerated method of hormonal contraception designed for reproductive-aged women who desire freedom from the daily pill.
The Investment Boom In British-Texan Cattle Companies 1880–1885
Authors: Graham Richard
Published: April 2006

Like most speculative extravaganzas, the Western cattle boom was compounded out of a bona fide opportunity, exaggeration, gullibility, inadequate communications, dishonesty, and incompetence. There were some solid residual benefits, representing, in effect, an involuntary gift by British investors to their American cousins.
The Motor Transportation Revolution
Authors: Roberts Merrill J.
Published: April 2006

Only recently have business historians turned their attention to the motor transportation industry. Interest in this “new” and obviously important field is well served by an historical analysis of major industry-wide trends. Too often the historian and the businessman alike work without benefit of such perspective. The evolution of the motor transportation industry is here divided into four major chronological divisions, with some summary observations about post-World War II conditions. Major emphasis is laid upon the different developmental patterns exhibited by various motor carrier classifications, upon the competitive interreaction of rail and motor transport interests, and upon the far-reaching effect of state and federal regulation. The history of the motor transportation revolution yields information of value about railroad developments and provides a background for understanding basic twentieth-century trends in commodity distribution.
Sons of the Wild Jackass and the Stock Market
Authors: Cowing Cedric B.
Published: April 2006

Heirs to the Populist-Progressive tradition in Congress declaimed, in the 1920', against low rediscount rates, the use of bank credit for speculative purposes, the rising volume of brokers' loans, and the flow of money to New York from the hinterland. In the bull market environment of the day the warnings went unheeded, in part at hast because of their origins.
Small City Industrialists in the Age of Organization: Case Study of the Manufacturers' Association of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1908–1958
Authors: Soltow James H.
Published: April 2006

The movement for nation-wide association among businessmen was echoed at the local level as well. This study of why and how a “grass roots” association developed suggests that the causative forces included not only material benefits but also a desire for status.
Can the Records Manager Help the Business Historian?
Authors: Overton Richard C.
Published: April 2006

Business history and business inevitably share the problem of dealing with records in bulk. Here is a suggestion that historians borrow and adapt certain techniques that have proved effective in solving the problem for business.
The Business Use of Business History
Authors: Soltow James H.
Published: April 2006

The appeal by scholars for businessmen to incorporate historical consideration in their records management programs is likely to be more widely heeded if businessmen (and scholars) are aware of contemporary experience with business history. Until recently no systematic effort had been made to determine what that experience had been. The present article surveys the factors which have led to authorization of company histories; experiences in selecting authors; uses to which company histories have actually been put; impacts on employee, customer, and public relations programs; and comparative costs incurred in specific instances.
Borden at the Century Mark: Case Study of a Centennial Observance
Authors: Frantz Joe B.
Published: April 2006

How should a company observe the venerable occasion of a Centennial birthday? Many businessmen question the dollars-and-cents wisdom of elaborate ceremonies; others have made corporate birthdays a fetish. The Borden Company formulated the unconventional answer that its Centennial should serve as a springboard for increased sales and profits.
Integration Into Crude Oil Transportation in the 1930's – A Case Study: The Standard Oil Co. (Ohio)
Authors: Ellsworth Catherine C.
Published: April 2006

This searching probe goes beneath the common generalizations about integration to reveal in detail the causes, techniques, and results, not only as they relate to costs but also to problems of competitive strategy and over-all administration.
Samuel Insull and the Movement for State Utility Regulatory Commissions
Authors: McDonald Forrest
Published: April 2006

It was one of history's sardonic pranks that the forces deriding business efficiency and clamoring for regulation made Samuel Insull a favorite scapegoat. He had built his early electric system in Chicago with vision, administrative and political skill, and a conspicuously advanced concept of public relations. Insull espoused the “natural monopoly” principle, but he shocked contemporaries by insisting upon the corollary necessity for public control. He fought hard and effectively for state regulation, not as a radical theorist hut as a realist with a record of public service unsurpassed in the infant electric utility industry.
The Little Businessman: A Study of Business Proprietors in Poughkeepsie, New York
Authors: Newcomer Mabel
Published: April 2006

This cross-sectional study of small business tests conventional assumptions regarding backgrounds, motivation, characteristics, function, risks, and longevity, proving many of those assumptions to be imprecise or false. Quantification in historical depth reveals definite patterns both of fixity and change.
Water Rights and Cabinet Shuffles: How Claus Spreckels' Hawaiian Career Began
Authors: Adler Jacob
Published: April 2006

Many Hawaiians viewed the great irrigation project and its vigorous promoter with enthusiasm and awe. Unfortunately, not all aspects of American entrepreneurship were palatable to the Islanders.
Theodore Roosevelt and the State Trust Company
Authors: Andrews Avery D.
Published: April 2006

The affair of the State Trust Company, which General Andrews recounts here, occurred in 1900, when trust companies were increasing in number and expanding so rapidly as to arouse current comment in financial journals. Since such companies were less stringently regulated by law than other types of banking houses, their rise was viewed with interest tinged in some quarters by alarm. The rumor of sharp practices in the State Trust Company found, eager acceptance. There were those who wanted to make political hay immediately by claiming negligence on the part of the Superintendents of Banking and of Insurance, seeking thus — in an election year — the discomfiture of Theodore Roosevelt, Governor of New York. Others used the incident as a grim example when, during the next few years, muckraking became a popular journalistic sport.

The State Trust Company had been organized in 1890. It was affiliated with the American Surety Company, and could handle investment business in which the insurance firm could not legally engage. In 1898 both companies came under the control of the group of financiers mentioned in this article. The trust company had continued to prosper, and in November of 1899 the State Bank Examiner had certified that it was in sound condition.
Vicissitudes of the South Carolina Railroad, 1865-1878: A Case Study in Reconstruction and Regional Traffic Development
Authors: Doster James F.
Published: April 2006

The Best Friend of Charleston was a famous locomotive engine, but the real best friend of Charleston was the engine's owner, the South Carolina Railroad. Together the city and the railroad faced and endured the rigors of Reconstruction; both held fast to an ante-bellum dream of regional dominance. The railroad made bold moves to acquire the trunk lines and feeder systems that would make Charleston a Gateway to the West. But frustrating forces were at work. Developing traffic patterns did not favor Charleston, and profligate multiplication of competing lines cut into existing business. Rate agreements and pooling arrangements gave the company only mild relief at best. By 1878 Charleston had resigned itself to its role as a local trading center, and the SCRR was in bankruptcy, the victim of circumstances too powerful for even the most competent of managements to combat.
Western Businessmen in Russia: Practices and Problems
Authors: Kirchner Walther
Published: April 2006

As a challenge for further research and analysis, Professor Kirchner suggests some of the cultural differences encountered by Western businessmen in Russia which significantly shaped their conduct of trade.
The Changing Nature of Innovation in Marketing: A Study of Selected Business Leaders, 1852-1958
Authors: Silk Alvin J. , Stern Louis William
Published: April 2006

Significant changes in the process of business innovation are suggested in this comparative study of nineteenth- and twentieth-century leaders in marketing.
The Takashima Mine: British Capital and Japanese Industrialization
Authors: McMaster John
Published: April 2006

As a notable instance of British investment in protectionist Meiji Japan, the history of the Takashima coal mine well illustrates the complications of foreign capital commitments in the Far East during the nineteenth century.
British Business History: A Review of Recent Books
Authors: Hyde Francis E.
Published: April 2006

A distinguished British scholar and one of the Review's International Correspondents raises interesting questions concerning the writing of business and economic history.
The Structure of American Industry in the Twentieth Century: A Historical Overview
Authors: Chandler Alfred D.
Published: April 2006

Professor Chandler uses data compiled by two of his students, Harold C. Livesay and P. Glenn Porter, whose work is condensed in the charts and tables which accompany this article, to propose a historical explanation for the changing industrial structure of the modem American economy.
An American Enterprise Abroad: American Radiator Company in Europe, 1895–1914
Authors: Wilkins Mira
Published: April 2006

Although Singer was the first American manufacturing firm to produce and market extensively in Europe, the American Radiator Company is perhaps more typical of the United States firms that expanded abroad in the nineteenth century. Professor Wilkins documents the evolution of this multinational enterprise and offers her study as a test of recent theories on direct investment abroad.
Records of the Bohemian Iron Industry, 1694–1875: The Basis for a Comprehensive Study of Modern Factories
Authors: Freudenberger Herman
Published: April 2006

In the manner of the Creole tradesmen of Louisiana, whose lagniappe to their patrons is legendary, the Editor offers a similar bonus to readers of the Review. Instead of trifling presents added to a purchase, however, our lagniappe will be notes and documents illustrative of the evolution of business enterprise.
What Price Style? The Fabric-Advisory Function of the Drygoods Commission Merchant, 1850-1880
Authors: Siegenthaler Hansjörg
Published: April 2006

Using data from nineteenth-century New England, Dr. Siegenthaler isolates a value for the most important function which drygoods marketing agencies performed for the mills they represented. His conclusions cast new light on the key role played by fashion considerations in decision making within the textile industry.
The Present State of Business History in France
Authors: Fohlen Claude
Published: April 2006

To facilitate research in business history among scholars throughout the world, the Review presents the fourth in its current series of reports by our International Correspondents. It is our hope that comparative studies of common problems and the exchange of data and ideas will continue to follow.
The Economic Evolution of the Modern World: A Review Article
Authors: Checkland S. G.
Published: April 2006

Professor Checkland reviews the conceptualization, accomplishments, and challenges of volume VI of the Cambridge Economic History of Europe.
The Morgan-Belmont Syndicate of 1895 and Intervention in the Foreign-Exchange Market
Authors: Simon Matthew
Published: April 2006

In response to crisis conditions, and for eight months during 1895, the American government subcontracted its responsibility for the maintenance of monetary stability to a private syndicate of businessmen. This action and its results challenged both political and economic orthodoxy and represent one of the most important episodes in government-business relations during the nineteenth century. While previous studies of the Morgan-Belmont syndicate have emphasized its political and social costs, Professor Simon's concerns are to clarify and weigh the economic benefits of this remarkable arrangement.
Standard Oil and Petroleum Development in Early Republican China
Authors: Pugach Noel H.
Published: April 2006

Despite the efforts of American government officials, attempts to establish a joint Chinese-American company to develop China's petroleum potential met with failure during the initial years of the Wilson administration. Duplicity and misunderstanding on the part of Standard Oil and of the Chinese government added another chapter to the dismal history of American business in China.
Kansas City to Denver to Cheyenne: Pacific Railroad Construction Costs and Profits
Authors: Petrowski William R.
Published: April 2006

Professor Petrowski examines the question of promoters' profits from the building of the Kansas Pacific and the Denver Pacific railroads.
Pressure from Leadenhall: The East India Company Lobby, 1660–1678
Authors: Sherman Arnold A.
Published: April 2006

Dramatic evidence of the vital role played by the British East India Company in Britain's rise to preeminence in world trade is revealed in the intimate relations between the Company, Parliament, and Charles II. Britain needed an agency for pressing the struggle against the resourceful Dutch, and the King needed revenue. The Company needed assurance in the form of a charter that its existence would be continuous; Navigation Acts to give meaning to its trading monopoly; laws against “interlopers” in its trading areas; and relief from mercantilist prejudices so that it could buy for cash where British goods were not in demand. Government and Company provided each other with all these, in a pragmatic arrangement that overrode prejudices and political sensitivities.
Family and Bureaucracy in German Industrial Management, 1850–1914: Siemens in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Kocka Jürgen
Published: April 2006

This study analyzes the changing role of pre-industrial family and bureaucratic traditions in the development of Germany's leading electrical manufacturing firm. The Siemens company developed a decentralized, multi-divisional structure ten to twenty years before duPont and General Motors pioneered a similar organization in the United States. The pre-industrial bureaucratic traditions, considered in a multi-national context, facilitated the development of efficient modern management in Germany and help explain the relative success of German industry in the two decades before World War I.
Negotiable Instruments and the Federal Courts in Antebellum American Business
Authors: Freyer Tony A.
Published: April 2006

That human needs and social realities are the roots of all systems of jurisprudence is nowhere more demonstrable than in the evolution of the law of business. Professor Freyer shows that neither the English common law of negotiable instruments nor the modifications made in it in the colonial era were adequate in the lusty, far-flung, and rapidly growing young nation that the Constitution of the United States created. Innovation, he reveals, promptly followed.