bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality criteria for patient advice and liaison services: what do patients and the public want?
Authors: Abbott Stephen , Meyer Julienne , Copperman Jeannette , Bentley Jane , Lanceley Anne
Published: April 2005

Background  Every NHS trust and Primary Care Trust (PCT) in England now has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which provides an identifiable person to whom service users can turn if they have a problem or need information while using the NHS. This paper reports data from a 2‐year qualitative study of London PALS.

Objective  To develop patient‐centred criteria by which to assess PALS.

Design  Data were generated from qualitative interviews with 15 PALS service users and 15 members of local user/carer organizations, and from a workshop with representatives of 14 user/carer organizations (national and London‐wide). Emergent findings were circulated to other user/carer organizations (n = 32) for critique and comment.

Results  Findings suggest that users and their representatives want PALS to: be responsive to the needs and wishes of individuals; be accessible to all sections of the community, including older people, ethnic minorities and groups with special needs; offer clear, accurate and comprehensive information about local health and other services; work with their NHS organization to create a more patient‐centred service; collaborate effectively with other organizations; be adequately resourced.

Conclusions  These criteria resemble the national standards for PALS compiled by the Department of Health, with the exception of the need for adequate resourcing. They also resemble previous work on users’ and carers’ criteria for service delivery. Interestingly, PALS’ lack of independence was not a major concern, though clients do need access to independent advocacy when ‘insider’ trouble‐shooting fails. Although an alternative to the adversarial approach of complaints is welcome, PALS, like complaints procedures, may be under‐used by marginalized or demoralized service users.
Breast cancer in two regimes: the impact of social movements on illness experience
Authors: Klawiter Maren
Published: April 2005

This article uses the narrative of one woman, Clara Larson, to explore changes over time in the experiences of illness available to women diagnosed with breast cancer. To claim that different illness experiences become available at different times is simply to acknowledge that experiences of disease are shaped not only by the individual circumstances of disease sufferers and the particular character of their pathologies, but by culturally, spatially and historically specific regimes of practices. This article explores the impact of social movements on the regime of breast cancer and makes four contributions to the scholarship on illness experience. First, it offers the concept disease regime as a way of conceptualising the structural shaping of illness experience. Second, it demonstrates the value of incorporating social movements more thoroughly into the study of illness experience. Third, it proposes that social movements change illness experiences in two ways: (1) by changing the sufferer or her relationship to the regime's practices; and (2) by changing and expanding the regime's actual practices. And fourth, it demonstrates how gender and sexuality are constituted within disease regimes and are challenged by social movements. This article is informed by four years of ethnographic research conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1994 and 1998, supplemented by historical research and more than 40 taped interviews and oral histories with current and former breast cancer patients, activists, educators, scientists, support group leaders and volunteers.
SECOND HOMES IN GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS: OWNERSHIP AND TRAVEL IMPACT EXPLAINED
Authors: DIJST MARTIN , LANZENDORF MARTIN , BARENDREGT ANGELA , SMIT LEO
Published: April 2005

In Western countries, the scale of second home ownership increased enormously in the last decades. Yet, the outcomes of this development on spatial patterns and behaviour are unclear. In this paper we focus on two issues that arise from this trend: first, the impact of the residential environment of the primary dwelling on second home ownership and, second, the impact of second homes on travel. The paper is based on two empirical studies carried out in the Netherlands and in Germany. In the Netherlands, the owners of second homes frequently compensate for the lack of leisure opportunities at home or in close vicinity of their home in urbanised areas in which they primarily live. The same is true for allotment owners in Germany. However, Dutch non‐mobile caravan owners and German owners of second homes do not follow any compensation strategies. In both countries the use of the private car is dominant although in Germany travel distances are larger than in the Netherlands. Based on a typology of second homeowners a sketch of future developments will be given. Some recommendations for housing and transportation policies will be formulated.
TRAJECTORIES OF REGIONS AND SPATIAL INTEGRATION IN THE WORLD‐SYSTEM
Authors: DE WACHTER ASTRID , SAEY PIETER
Published: April 2005

In this paper, we reconstruct the trajectories of the southern Low Countries as part of the world‐system and of the Campine, initially as part of the Duchy of Brabant (itself part of a small world‐economy), and later as part of the southern Low Countries, on the basis of a hypothesis that spatial integration/fragmentation involves the upgrading/downgrading of the status of a region in the world‐economy. Spatial integration is conceived of as a process of transformation that (re)produces a coherent pattern of functional shapes. However, the degree of coherence is not necessarily measured by the volume of horizontal relations between the integrated areas. Moreover, a distinction should be made between the factors of transformation that (re)produce the pattern and other factors that produce a configuration that happens to coincide with that pattern. Finally, the world‐economy should be considered as an autopoietic system, functioning in the manner of a transformation matrix.
PEACEFUL RELATIONS IN A STATELESS REGION: THE POST‐WAR MARONI RIVER BORDERS IN THE GUIANAS
Authors: KRUIJT DIRK , HOOGBERGEN WIM
Published: April 2005

ABStRACT

One effect of Surinam's civil war (1986–1992) has been the migration of the Maroon population and of Brazilian gold diggers to the frontier territory of the Maroni river basin. The region's new political structure is the product of a ‘partial state failure’ or a government void. In Latin America this phenomenon is generally associated with uncontrollable violence of a variety of non‐state armed actors. In our case, extreme violence is absent. The region is even the locus of a fairly peaceful multi‐ethnic social fabric, a peaceful multicultural coexistence of Maroons and Brazilian migrants, but Surinamese Maroons fled to French Guiana. In French Guiana the authorities tend to turn a blind eye to the stream of migrants, in Surinam they are more or less openly tolerated. The institutional perpetrators of the civil war violence have withdrawn from the region, alliances and treaties between the several Maroon clans and the regional indigenous village chiefs have been struck. The (informal) gold economy and the influx of Brazilian garimpeiros brings short‐term prosperity and both ethnic groups enjoy their share of the surplus, whereas transport is protected by local Maroon authorities. The Brazilian migrants have learnt to pay their informal taxes and respect the customary laws of sexual relations and marriage.
SIMULATING THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE IN THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: KOOMEN ERIC , KUHLMAN TOM , GROEN JAN , BOUWMAN ARNO
Published: April 2005

The agricultural sector in the Netherlands has lost much of its importance over the last 50 years in terms of the number of people involved and its relative contribution to the economy – even though production is still increasing. Yet, the area under agricultural use has changed relatively little: farmland still dominates the country. The question for the future is how expected further changes in agriculture will affect agricultural land use: how much land will be taken out of production and to what use it will be put. This is especially relevant now that the Dutch Government has decided to loosen its grip on spatial planning. Two opposing socio‐economic scenarios are therefore drafted that offer a coherent view on agricultural change, external pressures and government intervention. Implementing these in a land use simulation model provides an initial answer to the possible future of agricultural land in the country.
Applications of Evidence‐Based Medicine: Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injury Repair in the Dog
Authors: Aragon Carlos L. , Budsberg Steven C.
Published: April 2005

Objective—To evaluate the literature reporting surgical interventions pertaining to canine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury using an evidence‐based medicine paradigm.

Study Design—Systematic literature review.

Methods—An on‐line bibliographic search through Medline, PubMed, Veterinary Information Network, and Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau Abstracts was performed during August 2004. Two hundred and forty resources of information were identified. Studies were compared and evaluated with regard to study design (retrospective, prospective, randomization), surgical technique, short‐ and long‐term follow‐up, and evidence classification.

Results—Twenty‐eight resources qualified to assist with evidence classification. No class I or class II studies were present, 5 studies were categorized as a class III and 23 studies were categorized as a class IV. Seventeen studies were retrospectively designed and 11 studies were prospectively designed. Proposed results ranged from a wide variety of subjective findings including clinical impression, radiographic analysis, synovial fluid analysis, gross pathology, and histopathology. Objective results, although infrequent, included force plate analysis and cadaveric biomechanical testing.

Conclusions—At this time, the application of evidence‐based medicine in analyzing the current available evidence suggests that there is not a single surgical procedure that has enough data to recommend that it can consistently return dogs to normal function after CCL injury. The requirement for assessing and categorizing the available evidence becomes increasingly important as more data becomes available and the quality of research improves.

Clinical Relevance—An evidence‐based medicine paradigm did not provide sufficient evidence favoring 1 surgical technique for management of canine CCL injury.
Ultrasonographic and Radiographic Assessment of Uncomplicated Secondary Fracture Healing of Long Bones in Dogs and Cats
Authors: Risselada Marije , Kramer Martin , De Rooster Hilde , Taeymans Olivier , Verleyen Piet , Van Bree Henri
Published: April 2005

Objectives— To evaluate the use of ultrasonography (US) to detect bone healing in uncomplicated diaphyseal fractures of dogs and cats, and to compare these observations with detection of healing by radiography (RG).

Study Design— Clinical study.

Animals— Dogs (33) and cats (11).

Methods— RG and brightness mode US were used to follow uncomplicated secondary fracture healing. Fractures were examined at admission and then every 2–4 weeks until healed or implant removal. Temporal differences in definitive detection of healed fracture by imaging technique were examined by species, patient age, bone, and fracture type.

Results— US images obtained during uncomplicated secondary fracture healing were consistent with images of fracture healing described in humans. Mean time to US diagnosis of a healed fracture (mean 46 days) was significantly shorter than by RG (mean 66 days). Mean time until diagnosis of a healed fracture (US and RG) did not differ significantly between open and closed treatment. Patients ≤7 months (n=9) healed significantly faster (P<.05) than animals aged 7–36 months (n=24) and animals >36 months (n=11), but there was no significant difference between the latter 2 groups. Diagnosis of a healed simple fracture by US was significantly quicker than for a comminuted fracture (P<.05), but no difference was noted when using RG.

Conclusions— US can be used to evaluate secondary fracture healing in biologically treated fractures in dogs and cats. US permits detection of a healed fracture earlier than RG.

Clinical Relevance— Earlier diagnosis of a healed fracture by US can prevent unnecessarily long limb immobilization and allow earlier dynamization.
Long‐Term Radiographic Comparison of Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy Versus Extracapsular Stabilization for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in the Dog
Authors: Lazar Tibor P. , Berry Clifford R. , Dehaan Jacek J. , Peck Jeffrey N. , Correa Maria
Published: April 2005

Objective—Comparison of 2 methods of surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury in large‐breed dogs using a radiographic osteoarthrosis (OA) scoring system.

Study design—Retrospective study.

Animals—Client‐owned dogs (n=66).

Methods—Radiographs were evaluated from dogs weighing ≥22.7 kg, with surgical management of CCL rupture using extracapsular repair (ECR) or tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). Radiographs were taken immediately before surgery and ≥12 months later. An OA score was assigned to each set of radiographs taken at the preoperative and final examinations by evaluating 32 specific features of stifle OA. The difference between preoperative and final OA scores were subtracted and 2 final score categories of a change ≤5 or >5 were created. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effect of right versus left pelvic limb, age, preoperative weight, postoperative weight, days from surgery until final radiographic recheck, cranial cruciate status at surgery, medial meniscus status at surgery, and ECR versus TPLO.

Results—The ECR group had 27 stifles (22 dogs) and the TPLO group had 52 stifles (44 dogs). ECR dogs had a preoperative weight of 33.4±9.3 kg (range 22.7–54.1 kg) and a preoperative OA score of 13.0±8.4 (range 1–34) compared with TPLO dogs that had a preoperative weight of 38.9±9.1 kg (range 25–63.9 kg) and preoperative OA score of 15.9±8.4 (range 4–44). Postoperative weights for ECR and TPLO dogs were 33.6±9 kg (range 21.8–54.6 kg) and 39.4±10.1 kg (range 24–72 kg), respectively. Final OA scores were: ECR dogs, 26.3±10.8 (range, 10–54); TPLO dogs, 23.3±9.5 (range, 12–50). Dogs with a final change in OA score of ≥6 were 5.78 times more likely to have had ECR compared with those that had TPLO as stabilization procedure (odds ratio=5.78; Log‐likelihood testP‐value=.025). Other dependent variables were not significant.

Conclusions—Based on logistic regression analysis, dogs with larger OA score differences were 5.78 times more likely to have had ECR than TPLO.

Clinical Relevance—Prospective, randomized surgical trials with pre‐defined objective measures would be required to further evaluate the clinical importance of these preliminary findings which suggest that TPLO may help stabilize the cranial tibial thrust as originally proposed.
Use of an Ultrasonically Activated Scalpel for Splenectomy in 10 Dogs with Naturally Occurring Splenic Disease
Authors: Royals Stephen R. , Ellison Gary W. , Adin Chris A. , Wheeler Jason L. , Sereda Colin W. , Krotscheck Ursula
Published: April 2005

Objective— To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an ultrasonically activated scalpel for performing splenectomy, with minimal ligation, in dogs.

Study Design— Prospective clinical study.

Animals— Dogs (10) with naturally occurring splenic disease.

Methods— Between October 2003 and February 2004, splenectomy was performed using an ultrasonically activated scalpel and a double seal method, in 10 dogs with naturally occurring splenic disease. Time for splenectomy and number of ligatures required were recorded. Intraoperative hemostasis, device ease of use, postoperative hemorrhage, and short‐term survival were evaluated.

Results— Mean operative time for splenectomy, exclusive of celiotomy and closure, was 18 minutes (range, 8–25 minutes). The mean number of ligatures needed to perform splenectomy was 1 (range, 0–2 ligatures). One dog hemorrhaged from the splenic vein after ultrasonic scalpel transection of a vessel >5‐mm diameter and required a ligature. The ultrasonic scalpel was easy to use, with a minimal learning curve. None of the dogs had postoperative abdominal hemorrhage; 9 dogs were discharged and 1 dog was euthanatized because of septicemia.

Conclusion— Ultrasonic activated scalpel may be used to achieve efficient and safe hemostasis of the splenic vascular pedicle in dogs with minimal need for vascular ligation.

Clinical Relevance— Ultrasonic scalpels can be used to perform splenectomy in dogs with naturally occurring splenic disease.
The Influence of Social Hierarchy on Primate Health
Authors: Sapolsky Robert M.
Published: April 2005

Dominance hierarchies occur in numerous social species, and rank within them can greatly influence the quality of life of an animal. In this review, I consider how rank can also influence physiology and health. I first consider whether it is high- or low-ranking animals that are most stressed in a dominance hierarchy; this turns out to vary as a function of the social organization in different species and populations. I then review how the stressful characteristics of social rank have adverse adrenocortical, cardiovascular, reproductive, immunological, and neurobiological consequences. Finally, I consider how these findings apply to the human realm of health, disease, and socioeconomic status.
Early Local Last Glacial Maximum in the Tropical Andes
Authors: Smith Jacqueline A. , Seltzer Geoffrey O. , Farber Daniel L. , Rodbell Donald T. , Finkel Robert C.
Published: April 2005

The local last glacial maximum in the tropical Andes was earlier and less extensive than previously thought, based on 106 cosmogenic ages (from beryllium-10 dating) from moraines in Peru and Bolivia. Glaciers reached their greatest extent in the last glacial cycle ∼34,000 years before the present and were retreating by ∼21,000 years before the present, implying that tropical controls on ice volumes were asynchronous with those in the Northern Hemisphere. Our estimates of snowline depression reflect about half the temperature change indicated by previous widely cited figures, which helps resolve the discrepancy between estimates of terrestrial and marine temperature depression during the last glacial cycle.
Horsfield's Hawk-Cuckoo Nestlings Simulate Multiple Gapes for Begging
Authors: Tanaka Keita D. , Ueda Keisuke
Published: April 2005

Nestlings of some brood parasitic birds evict hosts' eggs and young soon after hatching, thereby avoiding discrimination by hosts while monopolizing parental care. Eviction carries a cost, however, because lone parasitic nestlings attract a reduced provisioning rate. Here we describe a form of visual signaling used by the evicting Horsfield's hawk-cuckoo (
Cuculus fugax
) to obtain sufficient food. The chick displays a gape-colored patch on the wing to the host parents as they deliver food, simulating the gaping display of more than one nestling.
All-Optical Switching in Rubidium Vapor
Authors: Dawes Andrew M. C. , Illing Lucas , Clark Susan M. , Gauthier Daniel J.
Published: April 2005

We report on an all-optical switch that operates at low light levels. It consists of laser beams counterpropagating through a warm rubidium vapor that induce an off-axis optical pattern. A switching laser beam causes this pattern to rotate even when the power in the switching beam is much lower than the power in the pattern. The observed switching energy density is very low, suggesting that the switch might operate at the single-photon level with system optimization. This approach opens the possibility of realizing a single-photon switch for quantum information networks and for improving transparent optical telecommunication networks.
Structure of the Rotor Ring of F-Type Na
+
-ATPase from
Ilyobacter tartaricus
Authors: Meier Thomas , Polzer Patrick , Diederichs Kay , Welte Wolfram , Dimroth Peter
Published: April 2005

In the crystal structure of the membrane-embedded rotor ring of the sodium ion–translocating adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) synthase of
Ilyobacter tartaricus
at 2.4 angstrom resolution, 11 c subunits are assembled into an hourglass-shaped cylinder with 11-fold symmetry. Sodium ions are bound in a locked conformation close to the outer surface of the cylinder near the middle of the membrane. The structure supports an ion-translocation mechanism in the intact ATP synthase in which the binding site converts from the locked conformation into one that opens toward subunit a as the rotor ring moves through the subunit a/c interface.
A MINIMAL MODEL FOR QUANTUM GRAVITY
Authors: ZIZZI PAOLA A.
Published: April 2005

We argue that the model of a quantum computer with N qubits on a quantum space background, which is a fuzzy sphere with n = 2N elementary cells, can be viewed as the minimal model for quantum gravity. In fact, it is discrete, has no free parameters, is Lorentz-invariant, naturally realizes the holographic principle, and defines a subset of punctures of spin networks' edges of loop quantum gravity labelled by spins j = 2N-1-½. In this model, the discrete area spectrum of the cells, which is not equally spaced, is given in units of the minimal area of loop quantum gravity (for j = 1/2), and provides a discrete emission spectrum for quantum black holes. When the black hole emits one string of N bits encoded in one of the n cells, its horizon area decreases of an amount equal to the area of one cell.
Differential Characteristics of Face Neuron Responses Within the Anterior Superior Temporal Sulcus of Macaques
Authors: De Souza Wania C. , Eifuku Satoshi , Tamura Ryoi , Nishijo Hisao , Ono Taketoshi
Published: April 2005

The anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) of macaque monkeys is thought to be involved in the analysis of incoming perceptual information for face recognition or identification; face neurons in the anterior STS show tuning to facial views and/or gaze direction in the faces of others. Although it is well known that both the anatomical architecture and the connectivity differ between the rostral and caudal regions of the anterior STS, the functional heterogeneity of these regions is not well understood. We recorded the activity of face neurons in the anterior STS of macaque monkeys during the performance of a face identification task, and we compared the characteristics of face neuron responses in the caudal and rostral regions of the anterior STS. In the caudal region, facial views that elicited optimal responses were distributed among all views tested; the majority of face neurons responded symmetrically to right and left views. In contrast, the face neurons in the rostral region responded optimally to a single oblique view; right-left symmetry among the responses of these neurons was less evident. Modulation of the face neuron responses according to gaze direction was more evident in the rostral region. Some of the face neuron responses were specific to a certain combination of a particular facial view and a particular gaze direction, whereas others were associated with the relative spatial relationship between facial view and gaze direction. Taken together, these results indicated the existence of a functional heterogeneity within the anterior STS and suggested a plausible hierarchical organization of facial information processing.
Neural Correlates and Mechanisms of Spatial Release From Masking: Single-Unit and Population Responses in the Inferior Colliculus
Authors: Lane Courtney C. , Delgutte Bertrand
Published: April 2005

Spatial release from masking (SRM), a factor in listening in noisy environments, is the improvement in auditory signal detection obtained when a signal is separated in space from a masker. To study the neural mechanisms of SRM, we recorded from single units in the inferior colliculus (IC) of barbiturate-anesthetized cats, focusing on low-frequency neurons sensitive to interaural time differences. The stimulus was a broadband chirp train with a 40-Hz repetition rate in continuous broadband noise, and the unit responses were measured for several signal and masker (virtual) locations. Masked thresholds (the lowest signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, for which the signal could be detected for 75% of the stimulus presentations) changed systematically with signal and masker location. Single-unit thresholds did not necessarily improve with signal and masker separation; instead, they tended to reflect the units' azimuth preference. Both how the signal was detected (through a rate increase or decrease) and how the noise masked the signal response (suppressive or excitatory masking) changed with signal and masker azimuth, consistent with a cross-correlator model of binaural processing. However, additional processing, perhaps related to the signal's amplitude modulation rate, appeared to influence the units' responses. The population masked thresholds (the most sensitive unit's threshold at each signal and masker location) did improve with signal and masker separation as a result of the variety of azimuth preferences in our unit sample. The population thresholds were similar to human behavioral thresholds in both SNR value and shape, indicating that these units may provide a neural substrate for low-frequency SRM.
Asymptotic analysis for vanishing acceleration in a thermoviscoelastic system
Authors: Bonetti Elena , Bonfanti Giovanna
Published: April 2005

We have investigated a dynamic thermoviscoelastic system (2003), establishing existence and uniqueness results for a related initial and boundary values problem. The aim of the present paper is to study the asymptotic behavior of the solution to the above problem as the power of the acceleration forces goes to zero. In particular, well‐posedness and regularity results for the limit (quasistatic) problem are recovered.
A new topological degree theory for densely defined quasibounded (S˜+)‐perturbations of multivalued maximal monotone operators in reflexive Banach spaces
Authors: Kartsatos Athanassios G. , Skrypnik Igor V.
Published: April 2005

Let X be an infinite‐dimensional real reflexive Banach
space with dual space X∗ and G ⊂ X open and bounded. Assume that X and X∗ are locally uniformly
convex. Let be maximal
monotone and C : X⊃D(C) → X∗ quasibounded and of
type . Assume that L ⊂ D(C),
where L is a dense subspace of X, and 0 ∈ T(0). A
new topological degree theory is introduced for the sum T + C. Browder′s degree theory has thus been extended to
densely defined perturbations of maximal monotone operators
while results of Browder and Hess have been extended to
various classes of single‐valued densely defined generalized
pseudomonotone perturbations C. Although the main results
are of theoretical nature, possible applications of the new
degree theory are given for several other theoretical
problems in nonlinear functional analysis.
A study of the inverse of a free‐surface problem
Authors: Yahia-Djouadi R. Ait , Hernane-Boukari D. , Teniou D.
Published: April 2005

We prove the existence of an
obstacle lying on the bottom of an infinite channel inducing a
surface on the upper bound of the fluid domain. This problem is
the inverse of the free‐surface problem flow which has been
studied by several authors. We use the implicit function theorem
to establish the existence of the solution of the problem.
Multiple solutions for singularly perturbed semilinear elliptic equations in bounded domains
Authors: Ishiwata Michinori
Published: April 2005

We are concerned with the multiplicity of solutions of the
following singularly perturbed semilinear elliptic equations
in bounded domains Ω : −ε2Δu + a(⋅)u = u|u|p−2 in Ω, u > 0 in Ω, u = 0 on ∂Ω. The main purpose of this
paper is to discuss the relationship between the multiplicity of
solutions and the profile of a(⋅) from the variational point
of view. It is shown that if a has a “peak” in Ω, then (P) has at least three solutions for sufficiently small ε.
Strong convergence theorems for infinite families of nonexpansive mappings in general Banach spaces
Authors: Suzuki Tomonari
Published: April 2005

In 1979, Ishikawa proved a strong convergence theorem for finite families of nonexpansive mappings in general Banach spaces. Motivated by Ishikawa's result, we prove strong convergence theorems for infinite families of nonexpansive mappings.
A comparative study on optimization methods for the constrained nonlinear programming problems
Authors: Yeniay Ozgur
Published: April 2005

Constrained nonlinear programming problems often arise in many
engineering applications. The most well‐known optimization methods
for solving these problems are sequential quadratic programming
methods and generalized reduced gradient methods. This study
compares the performance of these methods with the genetic
algorithms which gained popularity in recent years due to advantages
in speed and robustness. We present a comparative study that is performed
on fifteen test problems selected from the literature.
Stability analysis of linear neutral systems with multiple time delays
Authors: Zhang Keyue
Published: April 2005

This paper studies the asymptotic stability of linear
neutral systems with multiple time delays. Using the
characteristic equation of the system, new delay‐independent
stability criteria are derived in terms of the spectral radius of
modulus matrices. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the
validity of our new criteria.
Robust controllers for variable reluctance motors
Authors: Zribi Mohamed , Alrifai Muthana T.
Published: April 2005

This paper investigates the control problem of variable
reluctance motors (VRMs). VRMs are highly nonlinear motors; a
model that takes magnetic saturation into account is adopted
in this work. Two robust control schemes are developed for the
speed control of a variable reluctance motor. The first
control scheme guarantees the uniform ultimate boundedness of
the closed loop system. The second control scheme guarantees
the exponential stability of the closed loop system.
Simulation results of the proposed controllers are presented
to illustrate the theoretical developments. The simulations
indicate that the proposed controllers work well, and they are
robust to changes in the parameters of the motor and to
changes in the load.
On rational classical orthogonal polynomials and their application for explicit computation of inverse Laplace transforms
Authors: Masjed-Jamei Mohammad , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: April 2005

From the main equation , n ∈ ℤ+, six finite
and infinite classes of orthogonal
polynomials can be extracted. In this work, first we have a
survey on these classes, particularly on finite classes, and
their corresponding rational orthogonal polynomials, which are
generated by Mobius transform x = pz−1 + q, p ≠ 0, q ∈ ℝ. Some new integral relations are also given in
this section for the Jacobi, Laguerre, and Bessel orthogonal
polynomials. Then we show that the rational orthogonal
polynomials can be a very suitable tool to compute the inverse
Laplace transform directly, with no additional calculation for
finding their roots. In this way, by applying infinite and finite
rational classical orthogonal polynomials, we give three basic
expansions of six ones as a sample for computation of inverse
Laplace transform.
Excitation of shear waves in a piezoceramic medium withpartially electrodized tunnel openings strengthened by a rigidstringer
Authors: Bardzokas D. I. , Sfyris G. I.
Published: April 2005

An antiplane mixed boundary electroelasticity of a stationary wave
process in an unbounded piezoceramic medium containing tunnel
heterogeneities of opening or thin rigid inclusion (stringer) type
is considered. The excitation of an electric field occurs at the
expense of differences of electric potentials applied to the
system of electrodes located on a free from stresses opening
surface. Using the correct integral representations of the
solutions, the boundary problem is reduced to the system of
singular integrodifferential equations of the second type with
resolvent kernels. The results of the parametric investigations
characterizing the behavior of the components of an electroelastic
field in the medium area and on the opening surface are given. A
system of singular integrodifferential equations is obtained for
investigation of a conjugated electroelastic field in a
piezomedium with a tunnel along the material axis opening a rigid
curvilinear inclusion, excited by a system of
active electrodes, located on the opening surface. The solvable
system of equations of the boundary problem is reduced to two
differential equations of Helmhöltz and Laplace with
respect to the amplitude of shear displacement and some auxiliary
functions. The obtained system is solved numerically by a special
scheme of the method of quadrature.
The Effects of Peer Group Network Properties on Drug Use Among Homeless Youth
Authors: Rice Eric , Milburn Norweeta G. , Rotheram-Borus Mary Jane , Mallett Shelley , Rosenthal Doreen
Published: April 2005

The authors examine how the properties of peer networks affect amphetamine, cocaine, and injection drug use over 3 months among newly homeless adolescents, aged 12 to 20 in Los Angeles (n = 217; 83% retention at 3 months) and Melbourne (n = 119; 72% retention at 3 months). Several hypotheses regarding the effects of social network properties on the peer influence process are developed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that higher concentrations of homeless peers in networks at recruitment were associated with increased likelihood of amphetamine and cocaine use at 3-month follow-up. Higher concentrations of injecting peers were associated with increased risk of injection drug use 3 months later. Change in network structure over time toward increased concentrations of homeless peers was associated with increased risk of cocaine use and injecting. Higher density networks at baseline were positively associated with increased likelihood of cocaine and amphetamine use at 3 months.
Not Sheltered, Not Homeless
Authors: Wakin Michele
Published: April 2005

Since its recognition as a social problem in the 1980s, homelessness has not abated. A signature feature of contemporary homelessness is a life in public. Sociological research on the relationship between “sheltered” and “street” homeless populations emphasize their overlapping nature. Yet many homeless people who create “makeshift” housing solutions actively resist shelterization and contest the view that they are in fact homeless. Examining the resources and risks associated with makeshift housing suggests that it provides increased social and structural opportunities yet comes with risks that threaten community longevity. Vehicles are a type of makeshift housing that offer the potential for privacy, ownership, and mobility, unique resources among makeshifts. Using the case of otherwise homeless people living in their vehicles in Santa Barbara, California, this article examines how they acquire and maintain their vehicles and explores the conditions that provide for or threaten their status as a semipermanent housing solution.
The Sociospatial Exclusion of Single Homeless People in Berlin and Los Angeles
Authors: von Mahs Jürgen
Published: April 2005

This article examines the effects of homeless policy on single homeless people’s exit potential in Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany, to understand why the numbers and characteristics of the city’s homeless populations are similar despite different welfare systems. The article shows that homeless people in both places are similarly affected by local welfare state deficiencies, by displacement and criminalization, and by the containment of services in inhospitable urban areas. The combined effect of such policy practices is that homeless people in both cities become both socially and spatially excluded with negative ramifications on their ability to overcome homelessness.
Exclusionary Practices and the Delegitimization of Client Voice
Authors: Joniak Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2005

This article provides a case study of a drop-in center serving homeless youth, focusing on staff-client conflict. It is the result of approximately 200 hours of ethnographic research and in-depth interviews with staff members. This article explores how and why staff actively utilize the exclusionary practices of withdrawal, nonengagement, and silencing. Second, it examines how these practices, which are meant to be therapeutic and prevent conflict, paradoxically create, sustain, and escalate much of the staff-client conflict within the center, forcing staff to rely heavily on expulsion to maintain control of clients. A closing example is offered as evidence.
Economic Globalization and Homelessness in Japan
Authors: Hasegawa Miki
Published: April 2005

This article traces the origins of the recent growth of homelessness in Japan to the following three structural changes that occurred in the 1980s in association with economic globalization: (a) a shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, (b) urban redevelopment, and (c) government policy shifts toward deregulation and privatization. The study indicates that a growing segment of Japan’s low-income workforce has been subject to exclusion from employment, housing, and welfare.
The Effect of Economic Stability on Family Stability among Welfare Recipients
Authors: Lewin Alisa C.
Published: April 2005

The main rationale for defining two-parent families eligible for welfare was to keep families intact by eliminating an incentive for union dissolution. But there are other reasons for family instability, most notably women’s reduced economic gain from marriage associated with having a chronically unemployed husband. This article explores the hypothesis that husband’s unemployment increases union dissolution among welfare recipients. The analysis uses data from California’s Link-Up demonstration project. A discrete-time event-history methodology was employed to examine family instability. The findings show that husband’s unemployment and the family’s long-term welfare dependency lead to breakup, net of race, age, and number of children.
Increasing the Degrees of Freedom in Existing Group Randomized Trials
Authors: Blitstein Jonathan L. , Hannan Peter J. , Murray David M. , Shadish William R.
Published: April 2005

This study describes a method for incorporating external estimates of intraclass correlation to improve the precision for the analysis of an existing group-randomized trial. The authors use a random-effects meta-analytic approach to pool the information across studies, which takes into account any interstudy heterogeneity that may exist. This approach can be used in several different situations to estimate the degrees of freedom available for an adjusted test of the intervention effect in a study where the challenges of group-randomized trials were not fully considered when the study was planned. The authors discuss the limitations of this approach and the circumstances in which it is likely to be helpful.
Employee Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, and Financial Performance
Authors: Loveman Gary W.
Published: April 2005

The service profit chain is a simple conceptual framework linking employee satisfaction and loyalty, customer satisfaction and loyalty, and financial performance. Although widely used by practitioners, the service profit chain's series of hypothesized relationships between employee, customer, and financial outcomes has not been rigorously tested using data that span all components of the model. Panel data from the branches of a large regional bank are used to test individually each of the service profit chain's constituent hypotheses. The results generally support the model, but there are some exceptions. Further work is needed to refine and simplify several critical measures and to enhance the analysis to test the service profit chain as a complete system of related hypotheses.
Cognitive Networks of Services
Authors: Iacobucci Dawn
Published: April 2005

In this article, the author examines qualities of service industries, focusing on five service sectors as exemplars: airlines, tourism, health care, social issues, and religions. The author compares these service sectors on fairly standard industry qualities, such as intangibility, complexity, and fragmentation. In addition, data are obtained using a method that blends qualitative and quantitative judgments to allow respondents to describe the industries in ways they see fit. The resulting data are modeled in the form of cognitive networks, a representation thought to mimic memory and one that is associated with a number of analytical tools. These cognitive network analyses are then interwoven together with the industry properties to provide an integrated picture of this stream of services marketing research.
An Experimental Investigation of Customer Reactions to Service Failure and Recovery Encounters
Authors: Smith Amy K. , Bolton Ruth N.
Published: April 2005

This study develops a model that addresses the following: (a) How does a customer's satisfaction with a service failure and recovery encounter affect cumulative satisfaction judgments and repatronage intentions? (b) To what extent do a customer's prior assessments of overall satisfaction and repatronage intentions formed before the service failure and recovery encounter carry over to influence subsequent overall satisfaction and repatronage intentions? (c) Can a highly satisfying service failure and recovery encounter enhance a customer's overall satisfaction with a service organization and increase repatronage intentions? The model is operationalized with data from two experiments conducted in different service settings in which actual customers "experienced" a hypothetical service failure and recovery encounter at an organization they had recently patronized. The results suggest that although excellent service recoveries can enhance customer satisfaction and increase repatronage intentions, viewing service failures as opportunities to impress customers with good service performance may involve substantial risks.
The Effect of Corporate Image in the Formation of Customer Loyalty
Authors: Andreassen Tor Wallin , Lindestad Bodil
Published: April 2005

Based on theory from consumer behavior; cognitive psychology, and social cognitive psychology, this article explores the effect of corporate image in the formation of customer loyalty. Findings from the goods and service sector indicate that corporate image has a significant but indirect impact on customer loyalty. In conclusion, the authors claim that customer loyalty is driven both by disconfirmation of expectations and corporate image.
Phenotypic and functional characteristics of CD34+ cells are related to their anatomical environment: is their versatility a prerequisite for their bio-availability?
Authors: Lataillade Jean-Jacques , Clay Denis , David Catherine , Boutin Laetitia , Guerton Bernadette , Drouet Michel , Hérodin Françis , Le Bousse-Kerdilès Marie-Caroline
Published: April 2005

Human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors (HP) are mainly resident in adult bone marrow (BM). However, their recent revelation in nonhematopoietic tissues implies their circulation through peripheral blood (PB). The intimate mechanisms of this physiological process are not yet understood. Our results showed that steady-state CD34+ HP exhibit a differential phenotypic profile according to their BM versus PB localization. We demonstrated that this phenotype could be modulated by incubation in the presence of their counterpart mononuclear cells (MNC) through cell interactions and cytokine production. Such a modulation mainly concerns migration-mediated cytokine and chemokine receptors as well as some adhesion molecules and partly results from MNC specificity. These phenotypic profiles are associated with distinct cell-cycle position, cloning efficiency, and migration capacity of CD34+ cells from the different anatomical sources. We therefore propose a definition for a circulating versus resident CD34+ cell profile, which mostly depends on their cellular environment. We suggest that blood would represent a supply of cells for which phenotypic and functional characteristics would be a prerequisite for their bio-availability.
Development and functional consequences of LPS tolerance in sinusoidal endothelial cells of the liver
Authors: Uhrig Anja , Banafsche Ramin , Kremer Michael , Hegenbarth Silke , Hamann Alf , Neurath Markus , Gerken Guido , Limmer Andreas , Knolle Percy A
Published: April 2005

Kupffer cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) clear portal venous blood from gut-derived bacterial degradation products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) without inducing a local inflammatory reaction. LPS tolerance was reported for Kupffer cells, but little is known whether sensitivity of LSEC toward LPS is dynamically regulated. Here, we demonstrate that LSEC react to LPS directly as a function of constitutive Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/CD14 expression but gain a LPS-refractory state upon repetitive stimulation without loss of scavenger activity. LPS tolerance in LSEC is characterized by reduced nuclear localization of nuclear factor-κB upon LPS rechallenge. In contrast to monocytes, however, TLR4 surface expression of LSEC is not altered by LPS stimulation and thus does not account for LPS tolerance. Mechanistically, LPS tolerance in LSEC is linked to prostanoid production and may account for cross-tolerance of LPS-treated LSEC to interferon-γ stimulation. Functionally, LPS tolerance in LSEC results in reduced leukocyte adhesion following LPS rechallenge as a consequence of decreased CD54 surface expression. Furthermore, LPS tolerance is operative in vivo, as we observed by intravital microscopy-reduced leukocyte adhesion to LSEC and improved sinusoidal microcirculation in the liver after repetitive LPS challenges. Our results support the notion that LPS tolerance in organ-resident scavenger LSEC contributes to local hepatic control of inflammation.
Phosphoinositide-3 kinases critically regulate the recruitment and survival of eosinophils in vivo: importance for the resolution of allergic inflammation
Authors: Pinho Vanessa , Souza Danielle G , Barsante Michele M , Hamer Fabiana P , De Freitas Marta S , Rossi Adriano G , Teixeira Mauro M
Published: April 2005

The phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) family of signaling enzymes plays a crucial role in leukocyte recruitment and activation and hence, likely regulates the induction and propagation phases of inflammation. However, little data have emerged showing a role for these processes in the resolution phase in models of in vivo inflammation. Here, we have evaluated the role of PI3K for the migration and survival of eosinophils in a model of allergic pleurisy in mice. Eosinophil accumulation in PI3Kγ-deficient mice was inhibited at 48 h, as compared with wild-type mice but not at earlier time-points (6 and 24 h). Experiments with adoptive transfer of bone marrow showed that PI3Kγ in eosinophils but not in non-bone marrow-derived cells was required for their accumulation. Systemic treatment with PI3K inhibitors before antigen challenge prevented the recruitment of eosinophils. This was associated with decreased Akt phosphorylation, interleukin-5 production, and eosinophil release from the bone marrow. Treatment with PI3K inhibitors 24 h after antigen challenge markedly cleared the accumulated eosinophils, an effect associated with inhibition of Akt phosphorylation and an increased number of apoptotic events. Altogether, our data demonstrate an important role of PI3Kγ for the maintenance of eosinophilic inflammation in vivo, whereas other isoforms of PI3K may be relevant for the recruitment process.