bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystallization Behavior of Sputtered Amorphous Silicon Films by Blue-Multi-Laser-Diode Annealing
Authors: Shirai Katsuya , Mugiraneza Jean de Dieu , Suzuki Toshiharu , Okada Tatsuya , Noguchi Takashi , Matsushima Hideki , Hashimoto Takao , Ogino Yoshiaki , Sahota Eiji
Published: February 2011

Semiconductor blue-multi-laser-diode annealing (BLDA) for amorphous silicon film prepared by radio frequency (RF) sputtering was performed to investigate the controllability of the crystallization behavior by changing the scanning velocity of BLDA ranging from 300 to 500 mm/s at a constant power of 3.4 W. From the evaluation results of polycrystallized Si films, crystallization occurred in solid phase under high temperature heating, and rather small grains of dendrite-like structure with distinctly preferred crystal orientation of (111) face was observed at the higher scanning velocity of 500 mm/s. On the other hand, crystallization occurred in liquid phase and randomly oriented rather larger grains with the size of 100–200 nm were observed for the scanning velocity at 300 mm/s. It was verified successfully that high crystallinity poly-Si films of arbitrary grain structure could be obtained by controlling the scanning velocity of BLDA.
Correlation Between Tolerance Factor and Temperature Coefficient of Dielectric Constant of (Ba,Sr)(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 Dielectric Resonator
Authors: Venkatesh Janakiraman , Murthy Vemuri Ramakrishna
Published: February 2011

The effect of substitution of Sr at the A site of Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 was investigated with respect to tolerance factor (t) which determines the degree of packing of A and B site ions of perovskite unit cell, with an intension to understand the correlation between the temperature dependent dielectric properties with structure. The investigation reveals that the Ba rich compositions with highly symmetric cubic phase exhibits negative variation of dielectric constant with temperature and the Sr rich compositions with distorted structure always show positive variation of dielectric constant with temperature. The profile of τε variation of all the compositions was scaled with respect of reduced temperature which exhibits an exact signature of τε variation with the compositions at room temperature. The observed mechanism was explained using Clausius Mossoti equation.
Large Memory Effect and High Carrier Mobility of Organic Field-Effect Transistors Using Semiconductor Colloidal Nano-Dots Dispersed in Polymer Buffer Layers
Authors: Kajimoto Kaori , Kurokawa Atsushi , Uno Kazuyuki , Tanaka Ichiro
Published: February 2011

We fabricated organic memory field-effect transistors (FETs) using PbS colloidal nano-dots (NDs) dispersed in thin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) layers inserted between gate insulators (SiO2) and pentacene active layers as floating gates. The colloidal NDs were dispersed in chloroform solution with PMMA, and spin-coated on SiO2 surfaces. The fabricated memory FETs showed significantly large threshold voltage shifts of 64.5 V at maximum after a writing voltage of 100 V was applied to their control gates, and a maximum carrier mobility of 0.36 cm2 V-1 s-1, which was comparable to that of reference pentacene FETs without colloidal NDs, was obtained because of the improved crystallinity of the pentacene films.
Shape Retention in Polyaniline Artificial Muscles
Authors: Kaneto Keiichi , Hashimoto Hikaru , Tominaga Kazuo , Takashima Wataru
Published: February 2011

Behaviors of polyaniline artificial muscle under high tensile loads have been studied. The artificial muscle based on the electrochemomechanical deformation exhibits a large creep under high tensile loads. However, the creep is recovered by the removal of tensile loads and several electrochemical cycles. The facts indicate that the creep is due to the one dimensional anisotropic deformation. The anisotropic deformation is retained by the ionic crosslink at the oxidized state, and released by the cycling under load free.
Efficient Carrier-Envelope Offset Locking with a Simplified Configuration of an f-to-2f Interferometer
Authors: Ishizawa Atsushi , Nishikawa Tadashi , Aozasa Shinichi , Mori Atsushi , Tadanaga Osamu , Asobe Masaki , Nakano Hidetoshi
Published: February 2011

We demonstrate a carrier-envelope-offset (CEO) locking of a frequency comb in the 1.5-µm band with 500-pJ laser pulse energy. To achieve the CEO locking in the 1.5-µm band with low laser pulse energy, we improve the efficiency of the laser coupling into our tellurite photonic crystal fiber using angled V-groove splicing. In addition, we use a minimum number of optics in a collinear f-to-2f interferometer to avoid connection and propagation losses. Our method does not need any devices for group delay adjustment. Since we use a short, highly nonlinear fiber with low chromatic dispersion for octave-spanning supercontinuum (SC) generation, the group delay between the short- and long-wavelength on an octave-wide SC spectrum is about 3 ps, which does not cause serious degradation of the CEO beat signal.
Theoretical Analysis of Length Measurement Using Interference of Multiple Pulse Trains of a Femtosecond Optical Frequency Comb
Authors: Wei Dong , Takahashi Satoru , Takamasu Kiyoshi , Matsumoto Hirokazu
Published: February 2011

As an alternative to the conventional method of measuring length as a function of the wavelength of a monochromatic laser source, we investigated the possibility of arbitrary distance estimation using the repetition interval of a femtosecond optical frequency comb (FOFC). The investigation is based on an analysis of the formation of the interference fringes of multiple pulse trains. It is found that distance can be measured as a function of the repetition interval between pulses by determining two values from the interference fringes of multiple pulse trains. One is the distance between temporal coherence peaks, and the other is the phase relation between the multiple interference fringes. Theoretical analysis and numerical investigations pave the way for the development of a new length traceability system directly linked to a stable FOFC for both scientific and industrial uses.
Surface and Interface Modifications of Aluminum Thin Films on Silica Glass Substrate Using 157 nm F2 Laser for Selective Metallization
Authors: Iwai Kazufumi , Okoshi Masayuki , Nojiri Hidetoshi , Inoue Narumi
Published: February 2011

A 157 nm F2 laser induced strong oxidation of an Al thin film surface, allowing it to show chemical resistance to KOH aqueous solution used for selective metallization on silica glass or native oxide Si substrate. The strong oxidation reactions on the surface and in the depth direction were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A high adhesion strength of 663 kgf/cm2 between Al and silica glass was also obtained for the F2-laser-irradiated sample, compared with that of the nonirradiated sample, 16 kgf/cm2. The suitable thickness of Al thin films for the F2-laser-irradiated surface and interface modifications was examined to be approximately 20 nm. The mechanism of the F2-laser-induced interface modification was discussed regarding the dependence of substrate material and the analyses of the chemical bonding state of silica glass underneath Al thin films.
Effect of Channel Layer Thickness on Characteristics and Stability of Amorphous Hafnium–Indium–Zinc Oxide Thin Film Transistors
Authors: Kim Sun-Jae , Lee Soo-Yeon , Lee Young-Wook , Lee Woo-Geun , Yoon Kap-Soo , Kwon Jang-Yeon , Han Min-Koo
Published: February 2011

We investigated the channel layer thickness dependence of the characteristics and stability in amorphous hafnium indium zinc-oxide (HIZO) thin film transistors (TFTs). HIZO TFTs were prepared with various channel thicknesses from 400 to 700 Å. In HIZO TFTs, carrier concentration is considerably high, which leads to channel layer thickness dependence. The threshold voltages of TFTs negatively shifted as the channel thickness increased. The threshold voltage shift at a high temperature is more severe in TFTs with thicker channel layers. The channel thickness dependence of the bias stability of HIZO TFTs is closely related to the back interface, rather than the bulk state.
New Driving Scheme to Improve Hysteresis Characteristics of Organic Thin Film Transistor-Driven Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode Display
Authors: Yamamoto Toshihiro , Nakajima Yoshiki , Takei Tatsuya , Fujisaki Yoshihide , Fukagawa Hirohiko , Suzuki Mitsunori , Motomura Genichi , Sato Hiroto , Tokito Shizuo , Fujikake Hideo
Published: February 2011

A new driving scheme for an active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display was developed to prevent the picture quality degradation caused by the hysteresis characteristics of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). In this driving scheme, the gate electrode voltage of a driving-OTFT is directly controlled through the storage capacitor so that the operating point for the driving-OTFT is on the same hysteresis curve for every pixel after signal data are stored in the storage capacitor. Although the number of OTFTs in each pixel for the AMOLED display is restricted because OTFT size should be large enough to drive organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to their small carrier mobility, it can improve the picture quality for an OTFT-driven flexible OLED display with the basic two transistor-one capacitor circuitry.
Quantum Compact Model of Drain Current in Independent Double-Gate Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors
Authors: Munteanu Daniela , Autran Jean-Luc , Moreau Mathieu
Published: February 2011

A continuous compact model of drain current in independently driven double-gate (IDG) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) is presented. The model describes drift-diffusion transport and is continuous over all operation regimes, which makes it very suitable for implementation in circuit simulators. Our approach takes into account two-dimensional (2D) electrostatics and vertical carrier quantum confinement in the channel through the inversion charge evaluated quantum-mechanically. The model effectively reproduces the threshold voltage and the current modulation by the back-gate bias, as well as the quantum confinement effects on the inversion charge. A full 2D quantum–mechanical numerical simulation code (solving the 2D Poisson equation self-consistently coupled with the 1D Schrödinger equation) is used to validate the model. The model is shown to fit with good accuracy the numerically simulated quantum drain current in double-gate devices with either independent or connected gates.
Thermoelectric Properties of Double Quantum Dots Embedded in a Nanowire
Authors: Kuo David M.-T.
Published: February 2011

We theoretically investigate the thermoelectric properties of a serial double quantum dot junction system. A two-level Anderson model including electron hoppings and intradot Coulomb interactions as well as interdot Coulomb interactions is employed to simulate the system. The charge and heat currents in the Coulomb blockade regime are calculated by Keldysh Green's function technique. The electrical conductance, Seebeck coefficient, electronic thermal conductance, and figure of merit (ZT) of the system are calculated in the linear response regime. We find that the figure of merit ZT is markedly reduced by the size fluctuation and Coulomb interactions.
Nanoscale Texture Control of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Using Spray Layer-by-Layer Method
Authors: Kyung Kyu-Hong , Shiratori Seimei
Published: February 2011

Weak polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films deposited by sequential spraying of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) solutions are described. Using the spray layer-by-layer (spray-LBL) method, nanoscale texture structures were fabricated considering several factors such as the concentration of spray solution, spray quantity, and the flow rate of spray solution. It was also found that the formation of nanoscale texture structures was dependent on all three factors. Then, their surface morphologies were characterized. The surface morphologies of the fabricated films were observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The FE-SEM and AFM images showed that using the spray-LBL method, the surface morphology can be controlled with nanometer-order accuracy. As a result, the speed of fabricating thin films by the spray-LBL method was markedly increased compared with that by the dipping LBL method.
Fabrication of BaTiO3-Based Dielectrics for Ultrathin-Layer Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor Application by a Modified Coating Approach
Authors: Tian Zhibin , Wang Xiaohui , Zhang Yichi , Song Tae-Ho , Hur Kang Heon , Li Longtu
Published: February 2011

The development of multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) with base metal electrode (BME) requires precise controlling of the microstructure in a very thin dielectric layer (<1 µm). In this paper, a modified coating approach for high coverage of BaTiO3powder for further MLCC application has been developed. The well dispersed and coated BaTiO3powders are prepared and the relative mechanism has been discussed. Furthermore, the ultrafine grained X7R dielectric ceramics were produced by both conventional mixing and modified coating methods. Compared with the conventional mixing method, the ceramics prepared by the coating approach exhibited better TCC (the temperature coefficient of capacitance) performance, with dielectric constant over 2000 and grain size below 150 nm. In addition, it is found through the coating method the content of additives can be reduced to a relatively smaller amount than that required in conventional mixing method.
Piezoelectric Properties of Pb0.98Bi0.02Zr0.51Ti0.48Zn0.01O3 Ceramics
Authors: He Wenze , Yu Jian
Published: February 2011

On the basis of eutectic behavior of PbTiO3–PbZrO3–Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3 ternary system, perovskite-structured Pb0.98Bi0.02Zr0.51Ti0.48Zn0.01O3 ceramics were able to be prepared using conventional electronic ceramic processing at low sintering temperature compatible with Ag as inner electrode materials, promising for co-firing technology to fabricate monolithic multilayer piezoelectric transducers. The dependence of its piezoelectric properties on sintering temperature and various dopants were investigated experimentally and a piezoelectric property with dielectric constant of ε33

T
/ε0=1190, dielectric loss of tan
δ=0.6%, piezoelectric coefficient of d
33=270 pC/N, planar coupling coefficient of k
p=0.54, thickness coupling coefficient of k
t=0.46 and Curie temperature of T
c=346 °C was obtained for the 0.5% Co-doped Pb0.98Bi0.02Zr0.51Ti0.48Zn0.01O3 ceramics sintered at 950 °C.
Characteristics of Vanadium Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Metal–Organic Decomposition for Bolometer Detectors
Authors: Son Le Ngoc , Tachiki Takashi , Uchida Takashi
Published: February 2011

Highly axis-oriented V2O5 thin films were fabricated by metal–organic decomposition (MOD) on SiO2/Si substrates. V2O5 thin films were reduced to VO
x
thin films by heat treatment with a temperature of 530–580 °C, pressure of 1.2–3 Pa in O2 and heating time of 2–5 h. The VO
x
thin films exhibited an abrupt transition, with a resistivity change of up to 3 orders of magnitude at a transition temperature of about 55 °C. The hysteresis loop width in the transition was about 3 °C. The grain size of the VO
x
thin films with an abrupt transition was 200–300 nm. Furthermore, these films had a temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of up to 2.2%/K at 300 K.
Electron Cloud Effects in Cornell Electron Storage Ring Test Accelerator and International Linear Collider Damping Ring
Authors: Jin Hyunchang , Yoon Moohyun , Ohmi Kazuhito , Flanagan John W. , Palmer Mark A.
Published: February 2011

In this paper, the effects of electron cloud are discussed for the ultra low emittance positron beam in Cornell Electron Storage Ring Test Accelerator (Cesr-TA) and the International Linear Collider (ILC) damping ring. We have investigated the electron-cloud instabilities with Cesr-TA which has been operating to experiment for the ILC damping ring with different positron beam energies: 2 and 5 GeV. The electron phase factor, ωe,y
σ
z
/c, is given differently to each case. The single-bunch instability is investigated with a simulation based on the strong-strong model by using the simplified lattice. The threshold densities obtained by simulations agree with the predicted values within a factor 1.3. We investigate the effects of the bunch-by-bunch feedback of about 50 turns and non-zero dispersion. The simulation results show that the feedback system suppresses the dipole motion and increases the threshold density in 2 GeV case, but is less effective in 5 GeV case. The threshold densities are degraded with non-zero dispersion in both cases, but the rates of degradation appear differently. We discuss an incoherent emittance growth using the realistic lattice model for Cesr-TA. Below the threshold, the incoherent emittance growth may not be serious in Cesr-TA and the ILC damping ring.
X-ray Angle-Resolved Computed Tomography Using an Asymmetric Analyzer Crystal
Authors: Hirano Keiichi
Published: February 2011

Because X-ray angle-resolved computed tomography is sensitive to the X-ray phase gradients produced by a sample, it has much higher sensitivity than the conventional techniques based on the absorption contrast. To improve this technique, we introduced an asymmetrically cut crystal for the analyzer, which functions as either a magnifier or demagnifier. For image magnification at a wavelength of 0.0766 nm, we utilized an asymmetric Si(220) crystal (θB=11.5°), the diffraction plane of which was inclined by 8° from the crystal surface. The magnification ratio,m, was 5.47 and improvement of spatial resolution was successfully observed. In the image demagnification experiment, another asymmetric Si(220) crystal (m=0.49) was used, and cross-sectional images were successfully reconstructed for a sample larger than the viewing field of the X-ray charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor. The asymmetric analyzer opens up new ways, for example, to improve the spatial resolution of pixel array detectors (PADs) for high-sensitivity and high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray imaging.
Charge Accumulation Type Hydrogen Ion Image Sensor with High pH Resolution
Authors: Takenaga Shoko , Tamai Yui , Ishida Makoto , Sawada Kazuaki
Published: February 2011

We propose a charge transfer type ion image sensor operated using a charge accumulation technique that accumulates the output signal and integrates it temporally. This technique is expected to image hydrogen ion distributions with a high signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. The sensor was fabricated using large-scale integration technology, so that its size was very compact, and its specialized charge transfer characteristics allowed it to amplify the signal without any external amplification. The sensor noise was independent of the sensing area size, and the noise power was determined by the noise of the source follower circuit. In 5 accumulation cycles, the S/N ratio increased by √5 times and the pH-referred noise, which indicates the pH sensor resolution, was reduced from 0.09 to 0.06 pH. The sensor effectively obtained a real-time image of the hydrogen ion distribution in a solution with a resolution of pH 0.1, which would not be possible without charge accumulation.
High Power (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3-Based Lead-Free Piezoelectric Transformer
Authors: Gurdal Erkan A. , Ural Seyit O. , Park Hwi-Yeol , Nahm Sahn , Uchino Kenji
Published: February 2011

Though there is a lot of research related with lead-free piezoelectric materials, high power characteristics of the candidate lead-free materials have not been looked into in the literature under equilibrium conditions. This paper reports high power characteristics of a sodium potassium niobate (NKN) based ceramic under equilibrium conditions, and its application as a candidate material for piezoelectric transformers compared with hard lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT). (Na0.5K0.5)(Nb0.97Sb0.03)O3 was prepared with 1.5 mol % CuO addition. Disk-shaped samples were sintered with conventional sintering methods. High power characteristics were investigated with our high power piezoelectric characterization system (HiPoCS). Distinctly different from PZTs, the NKN ceramics did not exhibit a decrease in mechanical quality factor (Q
m) with increasing vibration velocity (up to 0.4 m/s). Ring-dot piezoelectric transformers made from a disk shaped NKN ceramic revealed power density as high as 25 W/cm3, almost comparable to that obtained for the conventional PZT transformers. In conclusion, NKN ceramics possess good high power characteristics, which are satisfactorily applicable to piezoelectric transformers.
Spectral Classification of Non‐Coaxiality for Two‐Dimensional Incremental Stress‐Strain Response
Authors: Qian Jiangu , Bardet Jean-Pierre , Huang Maosong
Published: February 2011

The present study examines the non‐coaxial aspects of incremental material behavior, and attempts to classify the incremental non‐coaxiality that relates stress and strain increments. In the solid mechanics literature, non‐coaxiality (NC) refers usually to incremental strains and stress states having different principal directions. Departing from conventional non‐coaxiality, the analysis investigates the incremental non‐coaxiality (INC) of linearized rate‐type solids. This study uses the concept of deviatoric second‐order work for examining the relations between stability and incremental non‐coaxiality. Based on a spectral analysis of the constitutive compliance matrix, it proposes three classifications for distinguishing various degrees of incremental non‐coaxiality and stability. These classifications determine the conditions for the existence of incremental coaxiality (i.e., colinearity of stress and strain increments), stability, instability, and stable‐instable transition (i.e., positive, negative, or zero second‐order deviatoric work). The study illustrates these classifications in the cases of generic elastic and elastoplastic constitutive models. The analysis pertains to two‐dimensional cases. Additional research is required to extend the analysis from two to three dimensions.
Large Deflections Mechanical Analysis of a Suspended Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube under Thermoelectrical Loading
Authors: Ya'akobovitz Assaf , Krylov Slava , Hanein Yael
Published: February 2011

Following the recent progress in integrating single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into silicon-based micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), new modeling tools are needed to predict their behavior under different loads, including thermal, electrical and mechanical. In the present study, the mechanical behavior of SWCNTs under thermoelectrical loading is analyzed using a large deflection geometrically nonlinear string model. The effect of the resistive heating was found to have a substantial influence on the SWCNTs behavior, including significant enhancement of the strain (up to the millistrains range) and buckling due to the thermal expansion. The effect of local buckling sites was also studied and was found to enhance the local strain. The theoretical and numerical results obtained in the present study demonstrate the importance of resistive heating in the analysis of SWCNTs and provide an additional insight into the unique mechanics of suspended SWCNTs.
Photoresponsive Release from Azobenzene-Modified Single Cubic Crystal NaCl/Silica Particles
Authors: Jiang Xingmao , Liu Nanguo , Assink Roger A. , Jiang Yingbing , Brinker C. Jeffrey
Published: February 2011

Azobenzene ligands were uniformly anchored to the pore surfaces of nanoporous silica particles with single crystal NaCl using 4-(3-triethoxysilylpropylureido)azobenzene (TSUA). The functionalization delayed the release of NaCl significantly. The modified particles demonstrated a photocontrolled release by trans/cis isomerization of azobenzene moieties. The addition of amphiphilic solvents, propylene glycol (PG), propylene glycol propyl ether (PGPE), and dipropylene glycol propyl ether (DPGPE) delayed the release in water, although the wetting behavior was improved and the delay is the most for the block molecules with the longest carbon chain. The speedup by UV irradiation suggests a strong dependence of diffusion on the switchable pore size. TGA, XRD, FTIR, and NMR techniques were used to characterize the structures.
Contact-Allergic Reactions to Cosmetics
Authors: Goossens An
Published: February 2011

Contact-allergic reactions to cosmetics may be delayed-type reactions such as allergic and photo-allergic contact dermatitis, and more exceptionally also immediate-type reactions, that is, contact urticaria. Fragrances and preservative agents are the most important contact allergens, but reactions also occur to category-specific products such as hair dyes and other hair-care products, nail cosmetics, sunscreens, as well as to antioxidants, vehicles, emulsifiers, and, in fact, any possible cosmetic ingredient. Patch and prick testing to detect the respective culprits remains the golden standard for diagnosis, although additional tests might be useful as well. Once the specific allergens are identified, the patients should be informed of which products can be safely used in the future.
Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Activity Regulates Brain Expression of P-Glycoprotein in the Kainic Acid-Induced Seizure Rats
Authors: Yu Nian , Di Qing , Liu Hao , Hu Yong , Jiang Ying , Yan Yu-kui , Zhang Yan-fang , Zhang Ying-dong
Published: February 2011

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of NF-κB activity on the seizure susceptibility, brain damage, and P-gp expression in kainic acid- (KA-) induced seizure rats. Male SD rats were divided into saline control group (NS group), KA induced epilepsy group (EP group), and epilepsy group intervened with NF-κB inhibitor-pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate salt (PDTC group) or with dexamethasone (DEX group). No seizures were observed in the rats of NS group. Compared with NS group, increased P-gp expression and NF-κB activation in the rat brain of the EP group were observed after KA micro-injection. Both PDTC and DEX pre-treatment significantly increased the latency to grade III or V seizure onset compared to EP group but failed to show neuron-protective effect as the number of survival neurons didn't significantly differ from that in EP group. Furthermore, PDTC pre-treatment significantly decreased P-gp expression along with NF-κB activation in the hippocampus CA3 area and amygdala complex of rats compared with the EP group, implying that NF-κB activation involved in the seizure susceptibility and seizure induced brain P-gp over-expression. Additionally, DEX pre-treatment only decreased P-gp expression level without inhibition of NF-κB activation, suggesting NF-κB independent pathway may also participate in regulating seizure induced P-gp over-expression.
Reference Values and Early Determinants of Intra-Abdominal Fat Mass in Primary School Children
Authors: von Schnurbein J. , Klenk J. , Galm C. , Berg S. , Gottmann P. , Steinacker J.M. , Kratzer W. , Brandstetter S. , Wartha O. , Peter R. , Weiland S. , Wabitsch M.
Published: February 2011

Background: Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) is a valuable predictor of cardiovascular morbidity. However, neither reference values nor determinants are known in children. Methods: IAF was assessed as sonographically measured intra-abdominal depth in 1,046 children [median age 7.6 years, interquartile range (IQR) 7.2–7.9; 54% boys] of the URMEL-ICE study. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient for intraobserver agreement was 0.93. The median IAF showed a significant gender difference (boys: 54.6 mm, IQR 50.1–59.3, vs. girls: 51.7 mm, IQR 46.3–56.4; p < 0.001). Age- and gender-specific centiles were generated. IAF showed a positive correlation to systolic blood pressure [regression coefficient (β) = 0.24 mm Hg/mm; p < 0.001] and a negative correlation to HDL cholesterol (β = –0.01 mmol/l/mm; p < 0.001). IAF showed a positive association with increased paternal and maternal BMI (β = 0.28 mm/kg/m2 and 0.27 mm/kg/m2; p < 0.001), increased weight gain in the first 2 years of life (β = 3.04 mm; p < 0.001), and maternal smoking during pregnancy (β = 2.4 mm; p = 0.001). Increased parental education was negatively associated with IAF (maternal: β = –0.65 mm/degree; p = 0.004, and paternal: β = –0.61 mm/degree; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Sonography was a reliable tool to estimate IAF. Factors influencing IAF included rapid infant weight gain, smoking during pregnancy, and parental BMI and education. Since IAF showed an association with cardiovascular risk factors even in prepubertal children, it might become a valuable predictor of cardiovascular vulnerability.
Assessment of the Long-term Shear Behavior of Epoxy Polymer Lap Joint Used to Bond Steel and Concrete Composite Structure
Authors: Si Larbi A. , Gabor A. , Ferrier E.
Published: February 2011

This article presents the results of an experimental study concerning the evolution in time of the shear modulus of an epoxy resin used for bonding together steel girders and concrete slabs. For this purpose, two experimental methodologies are set up. The first one, based on mechanical spectroscopy measurements allows to assess a rheological model adapted to the polymer resin (Zener’s model). In this case, the analysis of the shear behavior of the material itself is carried out. The second one, based on the time-temperature equivalency principle, analyzes the long-term shear behavior of epoxy joints under real loading conditions: double shear tests are performed on steel-concrete lap joint bonded together with an epoxy adhesive. The results of the two procedures permit to assess the evolution of the shear modulus for a time period of 109 s (~50 years). Analyzing only the intrinsic behavior of the material is insufficient for this time range, because additional mechanisms occur at the concrete-epoxy interface.
Communication Styles as Dimensions of National Culture
Authors: Smith Peter B.
Published: February 2011

Evidence is presented that national cultures may be distinguished in terms of prevalent styles of communication, as exemplified by survey response styles. A distinction is made between the average communication style within a given nation and the nation-level dispersion of communication styles. Secondary analyses of published values, beliefs, and personality data are used to test hypotheses concerning the attributes of nations that differ in terms of their citizens’ tendencies to agree and to disagree, and in terms of frequency of response extremity versus moderation. The tendency of individuals in different nations to agree or disagree is most concisely explained by measures derived from the concept of individualism-collectivism. The nation-level frequencies of agreement plus disagreement are best explained by Minkov’s dimension of monumentalism-flexumility. The benefits of controlling these response tendencies for extracting valid measures of cultural variation and for defining a fuller range of cultural dimensions are discussed.
Schwartz Values Clusters in the United States and China
Authors: Lee Julie Anne , Soutar Geoffrey N. , Daly Timothy M. , Louviere Jordan J.
Published: February 2011

People differ in the importance they place on values. However, most research has selected a few values and examined their relationships with one or more variable(s) of interest. The current research differs as it examined subgroups of people who differ in the importance they attached to Schwartz’s values. Data collected from matched samples of adult international travelers (Study 1) and young adults (Study 2) produced very similar subgroups in the United States and China that reflected Schwartz’s shared motivational orientations of adjacent values in a similar manner to how we would expect individuals to differ in their personal values priorities. The subgroups had all the expected relationships with travel benefits, status consumption, and materialism in the United States and some of these expected relationships in China.
Studying Values: Personal Adventure, Future Directions
Authors: Schwartz Shalom H.
Published: February 2011

This article first gives a brief overview of my adventures in developing two theories of values and the methods to measure them. First came my theory of the basic values on which individuals in all cultures differ. Then, quite unexpectedly, the opportunity arose to develop a theory of cultural values on which societies differ. As the story unfolds, I tell of failures, triumphs, and challenges. Values research has expanded in the past two decades beyond my wildest early imaginings. The second section of the article presents some ideas about future directions worth pursuing in values research. It describes competing theories and controversies as well as ways to go beyond them. I hope it will stimulate further advances in this field to which I have devoted more than 20 years.
The Religious Significance of Christian Engagement in the Culture Wars
Authors: Tanner Kathryn
Published: February 2011

The churches need to recover a sense for how their engagement in the culture wars involves them in fundamental religious disagreements. They also need to understand what is at stake in that engagement in a concrete enough way to allow for adjudication of the arguments pro and con on specifically religious grounds. The more discussion turns in these two directions, the more I believe the merits of a progressive position are likely to become apparent in the church universal.
“Americans”
Authors: Robinson Marilynne
Published: February 2011

Americans of all persuasions have long assumed that it is meaningful to speak in terms of cultural decline. In general, those on the right measure decline against what they take to have been the national past, and those on the left measure it against what they consider to be the civilization of the west. To attribute malfeasance or malaise to cultural decline is to magnify isolated or imagined grievance into grounds for alienation and pessimism, to make conflict chronic and intractable, to make mutual disparagement an expression of lofty standards and historical insight. Our “culture wars” reflect our tendency to consider antagonism toward ourselves a handsome moral posture.
Opening Windows onto Reality
Authors: Polkinghorne John
Published: February 2011

Human rational inquiry affords a series of windows onto reality, the combination of whose perspectives provides the basis for a worldview. Through scientific windows, we perceive signs of fruitfulness, threat, and futility; through humane windows, signs of finitude and hope; through biblical windows, the great sign of Christ's resurrection. The increasing, scientific importance of the concept of information encourages a recovery of the Aristotelian-Thomistic concept of the soul as the form of the body. Combining all these insights leads to an articulation of Christian eschatological hope that respects both traditional understanding and contemporary thought.
The Lectionary
Authors: Willimon William H.
Published: February 2011

A revolution in preaching began in 1963, when Vatican II mandated the replacement of the Missale Romanum of 1570. Thus began the process that led to our Revised Common Lectionary of 1992. The use of the lectionary as a source for texts for preaching has had many benefits. Today, thanks to the lectionary, our preaching is more biblical, there are more aids for biblical preaching than ever in the history of preaching, and congregations hear more Scripture read than in the past. Yet, there are limits to the lectionary as a preaching resource: The treatment of the Old Testament is limited and often is determined by tenuous connections to the Gospel, troublesome texts (just the sort of texts that can spur interesting sermons) are often omitted, and the lectionary sometimes cuts and chops texts beyond comprehension. Still, the lectionary is a great gift to preachers and a major reason for the resurgence of preaching in today's church.
Judging Judgment
Authors: Williams Janet
Published: February 2011

This article proposes that the “eschatological renaissance” characteristic of twentieth-century theology needs to proceed further with a renewal of pastoral concern for judgment. After a brief review of the difficulties associated with traditional talk of judgment, the article suggests that the apophatic tradition may furnish the resources necessary to such a renewal. An outline sketch of the nature of apophasis is followed by some particular suggestions as to how an apophatic strategy might be brought to bear upon the topic of judgment. In conclusion, the article sets out the criteria that would characterize an apophatic discourse upon judgment.
Genetic Engineering and Theology
Authors: Chapman Audrey R.
Published: February 2011

This article provides an overview of the response of religious thinkers to the challenge of applying religious values and frameworks to the new and frequently unprecedented issues posed by genetic knowledge and technologies. It explores the kinds of issues that genetic developments raise for both theology and ethics. It then evaluates the efforts of religious thinkers and communities to interpret and illuminate genetic knowledge and significant ethical choices now before society.
Speaking Judgment
Authors: Williams Janet
Published: February 2011

Following an earlier argument for an apophatic approach to theologizing about judgment, this essay investigates some theological resources for imagining judgment. After briefly recapitulating the typical imagery of judgment and some problems arising from simple positing of it, the essay develops a series of reflections on three themes: the judge, the accused, and the sentence, paying particular attention to their pastoral significance. God is affirmed kenotically, eschatologically, and apophatically as judge. The nature, necessity, and preliminary status of human judgment is explored. The importance of not interrupting the human accusation of God is asserted, as is the sense in which judgment is not simply accusation but therapeutic disclosure of who we are. Finally, judgment is affirmed as deferred and as polysemic, iterative, and inclusive of different conclusions.
Natural Law as a Scriptural Concept
Authors: Porter Jean
Published: February 2011

We typically regard biblical and natural-law ethics as two distinct approaches to Christian moral reflection. Yet, for the scholastic theologians of the high Middle Ages, the natural law was a scriptural doctrine, in the sense that the existence of a natural law is attested in Scripture. Furthermore, these scholastics took some of their starting points and substantive content, as well as justification for their systematic reflections on the natural law, from these scriptural attestations. I have argued for this point in more detail elsewhere, and I summarize these arguments in the first section of this essay. The main aims of this article are to draw out some of the theological implications of the scholastics' approach to the natural law and more particularly to explore its implications for the interpretation of Scripture itself.
The Name of the Holy Trinity
Authors: Soulen R. Kendall
Published: February 2011

Christian thinking about the name of the Trinity can be more adequate to the Scriptures and to the identity and mystery of the Trinity by becoming more genuinely trinitarian in character. The name of the Trinity is best understood as one name in three inflections. Each inflection designates all three persons of the Trinity, but in an idiom that is especially characteristic of one person. Thus, the divine name consists in the unity of three inflections that—like the persons of the Trinity—are irreducibly distinct yet inseparably related. This approach provides a fruitful way to frame two contemporary questions concerning the name of the Trinity.
A Mother and A Saint
Authors: McCutcheon R. R.
Published: February 2011

I never expected to conceive my mother's eulogy long before she needed it; and, a lifelong Presbyterian, I never expected to find its text in the polemical writings of a Catholic saint, Thomas More. However, his description of Mary's womb as a “holy closet,” incapable of admitting any offspring after Jesus, led me to meditate on the secrecy of other souls, even that of my mother, with whom I was once physically united. As I have whenever confronted with a spiritual mystery, I looked to the life and afterlife of language for clues.
“The Eye of God”
Authors: Schmid Muriel
Published: February 2011

At the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, prison reformers were engaged in a broad debate about punishment, legal theories, and the rehabilitation of criminals. At that time, philosophical and theological arguments were tightly entangled. Eastern State Penitentiary, built in 1829 in Philadelphia by Quakers, was the sole, radical example of a strict regime of solitary confinement, and became the embodiment of a Christian view of punishment as penitence. This article suggests a reading of Eastern State within its Christian background and raises the broader issue of how Christian beliefs influenced the modern philosophy of punishment.
Developing an Apophatic Christocentrism
Authors: McFarland Ian A.
Published: February 2011

A thoroughly apophatic commitment to divine unknowability appears incompatible with the claim that God is known in Christ. The theological writings of Maximus the Confessor, however, provide a way of combining these two theological imperatives so that the more authentically apophatic one is, the more christocentric one will be (and vice versa). This relationship is expressed most clearly in Maximus's exposition of the transfiguration, in which Christ is both the source of illumination that constitutes human knowledge of God and, in his ineffable brightness, the only proper basis for human recognition of the inherent unknowability of the divine essence.
Spheres of Management
Authors: Stackhouse Max L.
Published: February 2011

This paper explores the range of problems facing contemporary “management.” The United States is now “managing” another country, and a large share of the world's oil supply. It is also the case that industrial engineering is on the brink of managing the biosphere more extensively than ever before. Yet, confidence in the human capacity to manage great, complex systems has been damaged by the recent series of management scandals. Certain relationships of managerial functions to both the values of democracy and the resources of theology and ethics are explored.
The Ontological Argument Works! (Sort of)
Authors: Cathcart Thomas W.
Published: February 2011

This article attempts to answer the question, “What on earth was St Anselm thinking in formulating the ontological argument?” How could one of the great theological minds of the Middle Ages have created an argument that makes freshmen students laugh? Starting from the premise that Anselm must have had something in mind, this paper rigorously—and playfully—attempts to figure out what that something was, discovering, in the process, that contemporary theologians are right when they insist that faith is not a belief about beings, but rather a hermeneutical lens for interpreting what is of ultimate value in the world.
What can a Natural Theologian Learn from Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein?
Authors: Rozema David
Published: February 2011

Most natural theologians purport to give reasons for believing in a God possessing certain attributes. The implication is that belief in God is a matter of rational decision. But this way of looking at religious belief can lead to the danger of thinking that one has “become a believer” when, in fact, one is living under the illusion of having religious faith. Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard provide insight into the causes and effects of this illusion, thereby pointing the way to its dissolution. Both writers show how one can speak the language of “rational Christianity” without actually having Christian faith.
The Face of God in Suffering
Authors: Yaqob Olga
Published: February 2011

Media coverage of Iraq generally has overlooked the daily lives of ordinary Iraqis. In all the wars Iraq has endured since 1980, we have lost sight of human faces. Every nation is its people, not merely its geographic territory, and these people are all made in the image of God. The illustrations accompanying this article include both images of Iraq's geography (the land) and an image, in the shape of Iraq, formed out of the faces of many different ordinary Iraqi people, from all different religious and geographical areas of the country. In the center of this image is the face of Jesus on the cross. In the suffering of the Iraqi people, I have seen the face of God.
Toward a Christological Missiology Today with the Guide-Who-Stands-Aside
Authors: Sebastian J. Jayakiran
Published: February 2011

In the multifaith, multicultural context of India today, we need a christological missiology that avoids past triumphalism by orienting itself to an understanding of Christ as the guide-who-stands-aside. This missiology would witness in a non-vicious, non-violent, and non-vociferous way and, without loosing its critical edge, would acknowledge and respect, in a spirit of honest openness, the reality of other living religions with their own “missions.”
Jacques Martitain (1882–1973): A Beggar for Heaven on the Byways of the World
Authors: Doering Bernard
Published: February 2011

Jacques Maritain insisted that he was not a theologian, but a philosopher who considered certain theological subjects as a philosopher. However, many intellectuals, Catholic and non-Catholic, thought otherwise. Pius XII once admonished him to limit his writings to speculative philosophy. His Humanisme intégral barely escaped being placed on the Index of Forbidden Books. As he advanced in age, he turned more and more to theological reflections. At the close of Vatican II, Paul VI placed the Council's message to the intellectuals of the world into the hands of this aging philosopher. Marie-Joseph Nicolas, OP, asks: “Who will ever distinguish what he owes to the Church from what the Church owes to him?”
Henri de Lubac, SJ (1896–1991): Theologian of the Church
Authors: Wood Susan K.
Published: February 2011

Henri de Lubac was a leading figure in the theological movement in France in the 1940s known as the “New Theology,” which sought to revitalize theology through a return to Scripture, revival of patristic studies, and liturgical renewal that reaffirmed symbolic elements of liturgical worship. His major accomplishments were a study of patristic and medieval spiritual exegesis, a study of the term corpus mysticum (mystical body), and his reinterpretation of nature and grace in Thomistic theology. Within the categories offered by the “spiritual senses” of medieval exegesis, he integrates a theology of the Eucharist and of the church with a social interpretation of Catholicism.
Edward Schillebeeckx, OP (1914-): Encountering God in a Secular and Suffering World
Authors: Hilkert Mary Catherine
Published: February 2011

Throughout six decades as a theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx has attempted to interpret Christian faith in a credible way in the context of contemporary culture. After reviewing Schillebeeckx's early groundbreaking contributions to sacramental theology, this article highlights his turn to history in the mid-1960s, the hermeneutical and critical shifts in his theological method, his proposals for rethinking a theology of ministry, and the impact of his monumental christological trilogy. Pervading the shifts in Schillebeeckx's theology is the sacramental conviction that the mystery of God can be encountered in creation and human history, even in a secularized and suffering world.
Lifting the Burden: Reading Matthew's Gospel in the Church Today: Brendan Byrne, SJ, Collegeville, Liturgical, 2004. 249 pp. $19.95
Authors: Black C. Clifton
Published: February 2011

Spirituality of the Beatitudes: Matthew's Vision for the Church in an Unjust World. Michael H. Crosby, OFM CAP., Maryknoll, Orbis, 2005. 221 pp. $20.00.