bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF FARMYARD MANURE, FERTILIZERS AND GREEN MANURING IN RICE-WHEAT SYSTEMS IN BHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A LONG-TERM EXPERIMENT
Authors: CHETTRI G. B. , GHIMIRAY M. , FLOYD C. N.
Published: April 2003

An experiment conducted from 1988 to 1997 to determine the effects of the timing of application
and nutrient supply (particularly of phosphorus) is reported. The sources of applied nutrients that
were compared were farmyard manure, pre-rice green-manuring with Sesbania aculeata and
fertilizer application in a rice-wheat rotation on a typic ustifluvent. The application of seven
tonnes farmyard manure per hectare to both the rice and the wheat crops over eight years increased
organic carbon levels from 1.4 to 1.6% but had no yield effect on either crop. Phosphorus application
through farmyard manure was not adequate for rice, whilst an application of 34 kg P ha−1 to
the rotation gave an economic yield increase only in rice and then only in the first four years of the
experiment. From the third year, green manuring was able to replace the effects of the recommended
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer applications in increasing rice yield. Green manuring
had no effect on the wheat yield but the recommended fertilizer application increased yield. Green
manuring increased soil total nitrogen and available potassium levels and reduced base saturation.
After adjusting rice yields for variation in transplanting date between years there was no statistical
evidence of a yield trend in either crop over the period of the experiment. Farmers' practice of
applying seven tonnes farmyard manure per hectare appears adequate to produce stable rice paddy yields
of 4–6 t ha−1 a−1.
Bolshevism, Stalinism, and Social Welfare (1917–1936)
Authors: Caroli Dorena
Published: April 2003

This article examines the main characteristics of the reform of the Soviet social security system in the 1920s and the early years of Stalinism. It uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the development of the system from many angles: the beneficiaries, the political debates, and the methods used to finance it. The reforms introduced during this period show that the Soviet welfare system depended almost entirely on economic progress; in 1927, the only state-funded provision was for disabled war veterans. Hence, the welfare system was quite specific: it was used as a tool to promote the industrialization of the country, favouring the workers at the expense of the disabled and unemployed, who were forced to fall back on various self-help strategies, some legal, some illegal. The disabled and unemployed constituted the main social problem of the 1920s. Social legislation between 1931 and 1932, under the shadow of the impact which the Great Depression was having on Soviet society, progressively excluded the disabled and unemployed from the welfare system. Thus the USSR attempted to solve the unemployment problem by means of social exclusion.
Geographical variation, population structure and gene flow between populations of Chrysophtharta agricola (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a pest of Australian eucalypt plantations
Authors: Nahrung H.F. , Allen G.R.
Published: April 2003

Chrysophtharta agricola (Chapuis) is a pest of commercial eucalypt plantations in Tasmania and Victoria. Vagility of pest populations may result in difficulty predicting temporal and spatial pest outbreaks, and influence genetic resistance to chemical control. Gene flow in this pest species was estimated to assess predicability of attack, the potential efficacy of natural enemies, and the likelihood of resistance build-up. Ten geographic populations of C. agricola (six from Tasmania, one from the Australian Capital Territory, one from New South Wales and two from Victoria) were examined for genetic variation and gene flow using cellulose acetate allozyme electrophoresis. Six enzyme systems (PGI, PGD, PGM, IDH, HEX and MPI) were consistently polymorphic and scorable and were used to quantify estimated gene flow between populations. FST values and analysis of molecular variance indicated that gene flow was restricted between populations. Chrysophtharta agricola exhibited high levels of heterozygosity, probably because of high allelic diversity, and because all loci examined were polymorphic. The southern-most population was the most genetically different to other Tasmanian populations, and may also have been the most recently colonized. Limited gene flow implies that outbreaks of C. agricola should be spatially predictable and populations susceptible to control by natural enemies. Our results also imply that genetic resistance to chemical control may occur under frequent application of insecticide. However, testing population movement between plantations and native forest also needs to be conducted to assess gene flow between forest types.
Features of organizational culture in manufacturing organizations: a metaphorical analysis
Authors: Erdem Ferda , Satir Cigdem
Published: April 2003

This study examines organization culture within manufacturing organizations (from the point of weak‐strong and positive‐negative features) through the use of metaphors. These are used to uncover quickly and easily true feelings about an organization. The study suggests that employees in manufacturing organizations have strong feelings about and towards their organization. At the same time, perhaps because of the long history of well‐established organizations, there is a consistency and homogeneity of view. One important finding is that in a period of significant organizational change, employees may have negative perceptions of the organization and its culture. The study demonstrates that the use of metaphors is a useful tool for uncovering feelings towards an organization and suggests that it might be important for managers, researchers and consultants to understand, and be sensitive to, their use.
One for all: unified messaging comes of age
Authors: Hulme Roger
Published: April 2003

The number of messaging methods and media available – print, telephone, e‐mail, text messaging, fax, etc. – can result in key members of an organisation spending significant parts of their working day simply managing their messages and the resulting responses. Because they arrive in different ways at different times, such management is difficult. Unified messaging attempts to make all messages – however they originate – available via a single interface, allowing priority and importance to be more easily discerned. This raises individual productivity and removes some of the stresses of “keeping up to date and in touch”. This paper explains the technology and suggests that a range of factors has come together finally to make unified messaging a realistic, feasible and effective solution.
AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF RADIATION FIELDS IN DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHIC IMAGES
Authors: LUO JIEBO , SENN ROBERT A.
Published: April 2003

In computerized radiography (CR) imaging, collimation is frequently employed to shield body parts from unnecessary radiation exposure and minimize radiation scattering using X-ray opaque material. The radiation field is therefore the diagnostic region of interest which has been exposed directly to X-rays. We present an image analysis system for the recognition of the collimation, or equivalently, detection of the radiation field. The purpose is to (1) facilitate optimal tone scale enhancement, which can be driven only by the diagnostically useful part of the image data, and (2) minimize the viewing flare caused by the unexposed area. This system consists of three stages of operations: (1) pixel-level detection and classification of collimation boundary transition pixels; (2) line-level delineation of candidate collimation blades; and (3) region-level determination of the collimation configuration. This system has been reduced to practice and tested over 807 images of 11 exam types and a success rate in excess of 99% has been achieved for tone scale enhancement and masking. Due to the novel design of the system, its computational efficiency lends itself to online operations.
RELEVANCE-BASED INCREMENTAL BELIEF UPDATING IN BAYESIAN NETWORKS
Authors: LIN YAN , DRUZDZEL MAREK J.
Published: April 2003

Relevance reasoning in Bayesian networks can be used to improve efficiency of belief updating algorithms by identifying and pruning those parts of a network that are irrelevant for computation. Relevance reasoning is based on the graphical property of d-separation and other simple and efficient techniques, the computational complexity of which is usually negligible when compared to the complexity of belief updating in general.

This paper describes a belief updating technique based on relevance reasoning that is applicable in practical systems in which observations and model revisions are interleaved with belief updating. Our technique invalidates the posterior beliefs of those nodes that depend probabilistically on the new evidence or the revised part of the model and focuses the subsequent belief updating on the invalidated beliefs rather than on all beliefs. Very often observations and model updating invalidate only a small fraction of the beliefs and our scheme can then lead to sub stantial savings in computation. We report results of empirical tests for incremental belief updating when the evidence gathering is interleaved with reasoning. These tests demonstrate the practical significance of our approach.
UNSUPERVISED SEGMENTATION OF 3D AND 2D SEISMIC REFLECTION DATA
Authors: KÖSTER KLAUS , SPANN MICHAEL
Published: April 2003

An unsupervised method to extract 2D and 3D inner earth structures from seismic reflection measurements is described. The application is a typical texture segmentation problem, which can be split up into a feature extraction stage and a segmentation stage. As a texture feature, the locally emergent frequency is estimated by a Gabor filter bank. The instantaneous frequency (IF) has already been successfully used for seismic trace analysis21 and will be compared with the results of the filter bank. The second stage of the algorithm involves a region-growing method to compute the final object structure. The extremely flexible segmentation scheme is appropriate for application to 2D and 3D images of arbitrary vectorial dimension. The merging decision is based on the mutual inlier ratio of two adjacent regions. This ratio is computed by robust regression techniques19 to avoid noise artifacts. A mutual inlier ratio discrimination function to recognize identical Gaussian distributions, guaranteeing a 97.5% certainty, is derived. This method is compared with the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and results of the application in a segmentation algorithm are shown. The segmentation stage is also tested with different benchmark data sets from other computer vision problems to demonstrate its general flexibility.
CHARACTER SEGMENTATION USING CONVEX-HULL TECHNIQUES
Authors: CHANG TIEN-CHIEN , CHEN SHU-YUAN
Published: April 2003

A novel character segmentation method for printed documents is proposed in this paper. It is very difficult to process touching, overlapping and broken characters simultaneously. The strategy of our method is to adjust the binarization parameters such that broken characters can be avoided. On the contrary, adjacent characters may spread into each other seriously. Henceforth, the character segmentation problem can be focused on touching-character detection and separation. In the proposed approach, touching characters can be detected using the topological attributes of characters and the typographical relationship between characters. More specifically, the topological attributes are derived from the spatial organization of concave residua contained in the convex hull enclosing the characters. A shortest-path algorithm together with the convex-hull information is used to separate the composite. Since these features based upon the convex hull are insensitive to character fonts and sizes, the touching-character problem of various fonts and sizes can be managed even for heavily touching characters or italic-type overlapping characters without prior slant correction. The proposed method has been applied to extract isolated characters from the contents of technical journals, which contain characters of various fonts and sizes. The promising experimental results prove the practicality and feasibility of the proposed method.
A HIERARCHY RESULT FOR RANDOM FORBIDDING CONTEXT PICTURE GRAMMARS
Authors: EWERT SIGRID , VAN DER WALT ANDRIES
Published: April 2003

We use random context picture grammars to generate pictures through successive refinement. The productions of such a grammar are context-free, but their application is regulated — "permitted" or "forbidden" — by context randomly distributed in the developing picture. Grammars using this relatively weak context often succeed where context-free grammars fail, e.g. in generating the Sierpiński carpets. On the other hand it proved possible to develop iteration theorems for three subclasses of these grammars, namely a pumping–shrinking, a pumping and a shrinking lemma for context-free, random permitting and random forbidding context picture grammars, respectively. Finding necessary conditions is problematic in the case of most models of context-free grammars with context-sensing ability, since they consider a variable and its context as a finite connected array.

We have already shown that context-free picture grammars are strictly weaker than both random permitting and random forbidding context picture grammars, also that random permitting context is strictly weaker than random context. We now show that grammars which use forbidding context only are strictly weaker than random context picture grammars.
Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Spontaneous Bovine Bronchopneumonia
Authors: Fligger J. M. , Waldvogel A. S. , Pfister H. , Jungi T. W.
Published: April 2003

The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), major histocompatibility class II molecules (MHC-II), CD68, and the calcium-binding proteins S100A8 and S100A9 (also called MRP8 and MRP14, respectively) was assessed in lung tissues from cattle that succumbed to pneumonia. Expression patterns of these markers were related to the types of lung lesion. iNOS expression was only observed in lungs infected with Arcanobacterium pyogenes or Pasteurella haemolytica but not in lungs from cattle with subacute chronic interstitial pneumonia and acute interstitial pneumonia due to Escherichia coli infection. High levels of iNOS were expressed by cells (probably leukocytes) surrounding necrotic foci. Occasionally, iNOS was expressed by intraalveolar macrophages in viable parenchyma, by leukocytes within the airways, and by some chondrocytes in the supporting cartilage of bronchi. Cells expressing MHC-II were distributed relatively evenly throughout areas of inflammation and did not display any clear association with necrotic foci. Cell types expressing MHC-II included type II alveolar epithelial cells, spindle-shaped cells of the interstitium, cells in bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue, and leukocytes in lymph and blood vessels but largely excluded iNOS-positive cells. Likewise, CD68-positive cells were rarely positive for iNOS and were not confined to the areas surrounding necrotic tissue. As with MHC-II and CD68, there was little if any coexpression of iNOS and either of the S100 proteins tested. Thus, in cattle with necrotizing bronchopneumonia, iNOS-expressing cells were largely restricted to the cellular zone surrounding necrotic areas.
Intramuscular Desmoid Tumor (Musculoaponeurotic Fibromatosis) in Two Horses
Authors: Valentine B. A. , Piero F. Del , Edwards R. B.
Published: April 2003

Intramuscular desmoid tumors (musculoaponeurotic fibromatosis) were discovered in two young adult horses. The tumor in one horse was in the lateral cervical musculature, and that in the second horse occurred in the pectoral musculature. Histopathologic features were similar in both horses and included proliferation of fibroblasts and cells expressing muscle actin (myofibroblasts), with extensive dissecting fibrosis within muscle. These features are similar to those of desmoid tumors in humans, particularly those also known as musculoaponeurotic fibromatosis. Dissection of these lesions revealed a single central (horse No. 1) or multiple central (horse No. 2) fluid-filled cavities with associated sterile inflammation. The presence of these cavities supports the hypothesis that equine desmoid tumors are traumatic in origin, possibly occurring at sites of injections or bursal rupture. Surgical excision of the tumor in horse No. 1 was apparently curative, but the extent of the tumor in horse No. 2 precluded surgical excision.
Multiple Eyelid Cysts Resembling Apocrine Hidrocystomas in Three Persian Cats and One Himalayan Cat
Authors: Chaitman J. , van der Woerdt A. , Bartick T. E.
Published: April 2003

Multiple eyelid cysts were evaluated and treated in four cats. Surgical removal of the cysts was performed in two cats. Histopathologic examination revealed multilocular cystic structures of various size. The cysts were lined by cuboidal to columnar cells with papillary or cystic projections into the cyst lumen. Periodic acid–Schiff-positive, diastase-resistant granules were seen within the apical cytoplasm of many of the cells. The eyelid masses in these cats resembled apocrine hidrocystomas in human beings, both clinically and on histopathologic examination.
Topographic Distribution of bcl-2 Protein in Feline Tissues in Health and Neoplasia
Authors: Madewell B. R. , Candour-Edwards R. , Edwards B. F. , Walls J. E. , Griffey S. M.
Published: April 2003

The bcl-2 family of genes encodes proteins that influence apoptosis. In the present immunohis-tochemical study, the topographic distribution of bcl-2 protein was examined in healthy feline fetal, neonatal, and adult tissues, a feline renal cell line, and feline tumors obtained from a veterinary hospital. The topographic distribution of bcl-2 in healthy tissues was similar to that described in human tissues. In lymphoid tissues, follicular mantle cells strongly expressed bcl-2. In complex and differentiating epithelium, bcl-2 expression was detected in stem cell and proliferation zones. Bcl-2 expression was also detected in lower crypts of the intestine and in skin basal layers. The feline Crandell kidney cells expressed bcl-2 diffusely throughout the cytoplasm. Of 180 tumors examined, bcl-2 was expressed almost uniformly in cutaneous basal cell tumors, thyroid adenomas, and mammary carcinomas and in 50% of the lymphomas examined. Bcl-2 may play a role in blocking apoptotic cell death in a broad range of normal feline tissues, whereas dysregulated bcl-2 may extend the life of certain tumors or render certain tumors resistant to therapy because most chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic agents eliminate tumor cells by triggering apoptosis.
Pathogenesis of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus-induced Increase in Susceptibility to Streptococcus suis Infection
Authors: Thanawongnuwech R. , Brown G. B. , Halbur P. G. , Roth J. A. , Royer R. L. , Thacker B. J.
Published: April 2003

Eighty 3-week-old crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to six groups (13–14 pigs/group). Group 1 pigs served as uninoculated controls, group 2 pigs were inoculated intranasally (IN) with Streptococcus suis serotype 2, group 3 pigs were inoculated IN with a modified live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccine, group 4 pigs were inoculated IN with the same vaccine and with S. suis, group 5 pigs were inoculated IN with VR-2385 (a high-virulence strain of PRRSV), and group 6 pigs were inoculated IN with VR-2385 and S. suis. Pigs exposed to both PRRSV and S. suis were inoculated with PRRSV 7 days prior to S. suis inoculation. The pigs were 26 days old when inoculated with S. suis. Respiratory disease was significantly more severe in groups 5 and 6. Mortality rate was the highest in group 6 (87.5%). This rate was significantly higher than that observed in all other groups except group 4 (37.5%). The mortality rate in group 2, inoculated with S. suis alone, was 14.3%. No pigs from groups 1, 3, or 5 died prior to the scheduled necropsies at 10 and 28 days postinoculation with PRRSV (DPI). To study the effect of PRRSV and/or S. suis on pulmonary clearance by pulmonary intravascular macrophages, six pigs from each group were intravenously infused with 3% copper phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid in saline prior to necropsy at 10 DPI. Mean copper levels in the lungs of pigs in groups 2, 5, and 6 were significantly lower than those in control pigs. The mean percentage of lung tissue grossly affected by pneumonia at 10 DPI was 0%, 1%, 0%, 3%, 64%, and 62% for groups 1–6, respectively. Both gross and microscopic interstitial pneumonia lesions were significantly more severe in the VR2385-inoculated groups (5 and 6). PRRSV was isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected at necropsy from 100% of the pigs in groups 5 and 6, 71.4% of pigs in group 4, 38.5% of pigs in group 3, and none of the pigs in groups 1 or 2. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 was cultured from the internal tissues of 7.7%, 28.6%, and 78.6% of the pigs in groups 2, 4, and 6, respectively. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 was isolated from whole blood at necropsy from 7.7%, 35.7%, and 78.6% of pigs in groups 2, 4, and 6, respectively. Significantly more pigs in group 6 had S. suis isolated from whole blood and internal tissues. In summary, both high-virulence PRRSV and S. suis decreased copper clearance, and the incidence of isolation of S. suis and PRRSV was higher in dually inoculated pigs. PRRSV-induced suppression of pulmonary intravascular macrophage function may in part explain PRRSV-associated increased susceptibility to S. suis infection.
Pyogranulomatous Meningoencephalitis Due to Actinomyces sp. in a Dog
Authors: Couto S. S. , Dickinson P. J. , Jang S. , Munson L.
Published: April 2003

Actinomyces sp. are commensal, filamentous, gram-positive, acid-fast-negative bacteria that can cause pyogranulomatous inflammation in animals and humans. Central nervous system (CNS) disease is a rare presentation of actinomycosis and is usually due to extension from infected wounds or seeding from distant sites. A dog with progressive, poorly localized neurologic signs had primary CNS actinomycosis without history or evidence of previous trauma or other organ involvement. Histologically, there was a severe pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis with intralesional filamentous bacteria that were also visible on cytology of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) postmortem. Actinomyces sp. was cultured postmortem from the CSF, confirming the diagnosis. This case demonstrates that Actinomyces sp. can be a causative agent of primary CNS disease in dogs.
Comparison of Gastritis and Gastric Epithelial Proliferation in Helicobacter heilmannii-infected Nude and BALB/c Mice
Authors: Peterson R. A. , Danon S. J. , Eaton K. A.
Published: April 2003

Gastric mucosal hypertrophy/nodular hyperplasia occurs as a consequence of Helicobacter infection in mice and humans. The pathogenesis of this hyperplastic response is not understood. To determine the role of host cellular immunity in gastric mucosal hypertrophy/hyperplasia, 6-8-week-old female euthymic BALB/c ( n = 30) or NIH athymic nude ( n = 40) mice were inoculated with H. heilmannii. Equal numbers of uninoculated mice of each strain served as controls. Mice from each group were euthanatized at 0.5, 6, 12, and 18 months postinoculation (PI). Lymphoplasmacytic gastritis and lymphoid follicle development were less severe in nude mice than in euthymic mice at < 6 months PI. The prevalence of gastritis at 0.5, 6, 12, and 18 months PI was 0%, 17%, 67%, and 88%, respectively, in infected nude mice and 33%, 83%, 71%, and 100%, respectively, in infected BALB/c mice. CD4+ T cells in infected nude mice were evident at ≥ 6 months PI but were less numerous than in infected BALB/c mice at comparable time intervals. However, numbers of CD4+ T cells increased substantially throughout the experiment in infected BALB/c mice. The prevalence of nodular mucosal hyperplasia at 0.5, 6, 12, and 18 months PI was 0%, 0%, 33%, and 20%, respectively, in infected nude mice and 0%, 33%, 80%, and 80%, respectively, in infected BALB/c mice. Nodular hyperplasia occurred in association with the appearance of chronic lymphoplasmacytic inflammation and CD4+ T cells at 12 and 18 months PI in nude mice. H. heilmannii-associated gastritis and mucosal remodeling is reduced in immunodeficient mouse strains lacking normal CD4+ T cell numbers as compared with the response in immunocompetent mice. Additionally, CD4 immunocompetence is an integral aspect of the mucosal hypertrophy/nodular hyperplasia in experimental H. heilmannii-associated disease of mice.
Application of Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization for Specific Diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia in Foals and Pigs
Authors: Jensen T. K. , Boye M. , Bille-Hansen V.
Published: April 2003

Fluorescent in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and Grocott's methenamine-silver nitrate staining were compared as diagnostic methods for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in formalin-fixed lung tissue from foals and pigs. An oligonucleotide probe targeting 18S ribosomal RNA of P. carinii was designed for in situ hybridization, and a commercially available monoclonal antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. Samples from six foals and 10 pigs with P. carinii pneumonia, as verified by Grocott's methenaminesilver nitrate staining, were examined concurrently with samples from seven animals with pneumonia caused by other pathogens. Fluorescent in situ hybridization showed distinctive positive reactions for P. carinii in all test samples. The immunohistochemical procedure, however, only revealed P. carinii in the foals. The number of P. carinii organisms observed by fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry far exceeded the number of organisms stained by Grocott's methenamine-silver nitrate staining. The results show that fluorescent in situ hybridization targeting ribosomal RNA can provide a specific diagnosis of P. carinii pneumonia in foals and pigs.
Experimentally manipulated change in children's proactive and reactive aggressive behavior
Authors: Phillips Nancy C. , Lochman John E.
Published: April 2003

The current study assessed the effectiveness of two behavior manipulations created to differentially lower aggressive responses in a laboratory task. It was hypothesized that the reactive anger manipulation would have the greatest effect for reactive aggressive behavior and the instrumental manipulation would significantly affect proactive aggressive behavior and slightly affect the reactive behavior. Fifty participants played pinball in competition for points against an unknown peer, whose responses were actually controlled by the experimenter. Participants could push a noise button, sending the peer an annoying noise; a tilt button, interfering with the opponent's game; or a no answer button, offering a pro‐social alternative to aggression. After playing four rounds, participants were randomly assigned to either a reactive anger or a positive instrumental manipulation group; they then played pinball again for four rounds. Results indicate that the instrumental manipulation significantly lowered aggressive responses for both reactive and proactive behavior. The reactive manipulation effected aggressive responses only for use of the noise button and produced significantly lower levels of anger. Aggr. Behav. 29:215–227, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pauson‐Khand‐Reaktion: Beginn der katalytischen Ära
Authors: Gibson (née Thomas) Susan E. , Stevenazzi Andrea
Published: April 2003

Als eine Folge des wachsenden Umweltbewusstseins sind heute Syntheseverfahren nicht mehr akzeptabel, die auf dem Einsatz von giftigen und teuren Übergangsmetallverbindungen in nichtkatalytischen Mengen beruhen. Eines der am längsten bekannten Beispiele für eine solche metallvermittelte Umwandlung ist die Pauson‐Khand‐Reaktion, eine [2+2+1]‐Cyclocarbonylierung mit einem Cyclopentenon als Produkt. Trotz der frühen Beschreibung katalytischer Varianten erneut durch Pauson et al. werden bis heute fast ausschließlich stöchiometrische Prozesse angewendet, allerdings wurde im vergangenen Jahrzehnt, und vor allem in den unmittelbar zurückliegenden Jahren, über eine Vielzahl an neuen Entwicklungen zur katalytischen Pauson‐Khand‐Reaktion berichtet, sodass mittlerweile mehrere katalytische Verfahren bekannt sind. Daneben hat sich die asymmetrische Katalyse bei der Pauson‐Khand‐Reaktion als tragfähiger Prozess herausgestellt. Mit Blick auf die eindrucksvollen Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre sind wir der Auffassung, dass ein umfassender und kritischer Überblick über die katalytische Pauson‐Khand‐Reaktion geeignet ist, Wege zur praktischen Anwendung und zukünftige Entwicklungen aufzuzeigen.
What consumers know and what they do: An investigation of consumer knowledge, awareness, and use of privacy protection strategies
Authors: Dommeyer Curt J. , Gross Barbara L.
Published: April 2003

This study examines consumer knowledge of privacy-related laws and practices, and consumer awareness and use of strategies that may protect the consumer's privacy. Consumers were found to have very little knowledge of direct marketing practices and regulations. While consumers were fairly well informed on privacy-protection strategies, their use of these strategies was quite low.

This study also investigates whether several consumer traits, namely gender, age, telephone number listing status, and desire to receive direct marketing solicitations, had any relationship to the consumer's awareness and use of privacy-protection strategies. It was found that males and young people were more likely than their counterparts to be aware of privacy-protection strategies. Those most likely to use privacy-protection strategies were young people and people who disliked receiving direct marketing solicitations.
Determinants of health care utilization by German sickness fund members ‐ with application to risk adjustment
Authors: Breyer Friedrich , Heineck Martin , Lorenz Normann
Published: April 2003

In many countries, social health insurance systems are being reformed in favor of more competition among insurers, while premiums are community rated by regulation. The implicit incentives for insurers to engage in risk selection can only be curtailed using appropriate systems of risk‐adjusted equalization payments among insurers. To develop these systems, predictors of individual utilization patterns have to be identified, e.g. via regression analysis using previous utilization data. In some countries such as Germany, such data are hardly ever available. In the early nineties, a number of sickness funds participated in an experiment in which individual utilization data were collected. Our data set covers more than 70 000 members of company sickness funds over a 5‐year period. We analyze socio‐demographic determinants of utilization which could be used as risk adjusters in a risk equalization scheme. Our results suggest that besides age and sex, the set of risk adjusters should include income, family status and a dummy for the last year of life. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Missing.... presumed at random: cost‐analysis of incomplete data
Authors: Briggs Andrew , Clark Taane , Wolstenholme Jane , Clarke Philip
Published: April 2003

When collecting patient‐level resource use data for statistical analysis, for some patients and in some categories of resource use, the required count will not be observed. Although this problem must arise in most reported economic evaluations containing patient‐level data, it is rare for authors to detail how the problem was overcome. Statistical packages may default to handling missing data through a so‐called ‘complete case analysis’, while some recent cost‐analyses have appeared to favour an ‘available case’ approach. Both of these methods are problematic: complete case analysis is inefficient and is likely to be biased; available case analysis, by employing different numbers of observations for each resource use item, generates severe problems for standard statistical inference. Instead we explore imputation methods for generating ‘replacement’ values for missing data that will permit complete case analysis using the whole data set and we illustrate these methods using two data sets that had incomplete resource use information. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A bibliometric analysis of health economics articles in the economics literature: 1991‐2000
Authors: Rubin Rose M. , Chang Cyril F.
Published: April 2003

This paper describes and analyzes trends in health economics articles indexed in the economics literature from 1991 to 2000, demonstrating the robust state of publication in the field during the past decade. While articles, pages, and the number of journals increased, single authorship declined dramatically from almost half of articles published to only one‐third, and papers with four or more authors increased three‐fold. Over three‐fourths of articles were analyses of healthcare markets or health production, while policy oriented articles constituted the third largest share. Author concentration ratios decreased almost by half and the Herfindhal–Hirschman index of author concentration declined from 14 in 1991 to only 4 in 1999. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MRI of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) with gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd‐BOPTA) and SPIO (ferumoxides): An intra‐individual comparison
Authors: Grazioli Luigi , Morana Giovanni , Kirchin Miles A. , Caccia Paolo , Romanini Laura , Bondioni Maria P. , Procacci Carlo , Chiesa Antonio
Published: April 2003

Purpose

To compare the efficacy of two different MR contrast agents for the detection and diagnosis of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH).

Materials and Methods

Fifty patients with 83 FNH lesions detected on spiral CT were studied in two different MRI sessions with Gd‐BOPTA (MultiHance®) and ferumoxides (Endorem®). MRI with Gd‐BOPTA was performed precontrast (T1wGRE and T2wTSE sequences) and during the dynamic and late (1–3 hours) phases after injection (T1wGRE sequences only). MRI with ferumoxides (T1wGRE and T2wTSE sequences) was performed before and at least 30 minutes after injection. Hyper‐ or isointensity of FNH in the late phase was considered typical for Gd‐BOPTA, while isointensity or lesion hypointensity was considered typical for ferumoxides.

Results

With Gd‐BOPTA, 83 FNH lesions (100%) appeared hyperintense during the arterial phase of dynamic MRI. All but one lesion was iso‐ or slightly hyperintense in the portal‐venous and equilibrium phases. In the late phase, 81 FNH lesions were hyper‐ or isointense to the surrounding parenchyma, with two lesions appearing slightly hypointense. With ferumoxides, a significant (P < 0.001) number (21/83, 25.3%) of FNH lesions (mean diameter = 16.8 ± 6.6 mm) were not visible. Of the visible FNH lesions, 38/62 were slightly hyperintense, and 24/62 were isointense to the surrounding parenchyma on the T2wTSE images. On the T1wGRE images, 42/62 lesions were isointense, 19/62 were slightly hyperintense, and one lesion was slightly hypointense. Seventeen lesions in 12 patients with previous neoplasia were all detected after Gd‐BOPTA administration, whereas only nine of these 17 lesions (52.9%) were detected after ferumoxide administration. Two of these nine lesions showed atypical enhancement features.

Conclusion

Gd‐BOPTA‐enhanced MRI is significantly better than ferumoxide‐enhanced MRI for the identification and characterization of FNH. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;17:593–602. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ex vivo magnetic resonance microscopy of an osteochondral transfer
Authors: Petersen Erik F. , Fishbein Kenneth W. , Laouar Leila , Spencer Richard G.S. , Wenz James F.
Published: April 2003

A 49‐year‐old woman with right knee pain and a chondral defect on the medial femoral condyle underwent an osteochondral transfer. The patient initially had pain relief, but then sustained a twisting injury and had progressive chondromalacia and pain on the affected side. She subsequently underwent a total knee replacement, and the tissue from the osteochondral transfer (OATS) site was harvested for analysis. In vitro MR microimaging of the excised joint segment revealed undamaged, full‐thickness cartilage on the OATS plug, intact cartilage on the posterior condyle, and severely thinned and damaged cartilage on the anterior condyle. Alcian blue‐stained sections revealed that proteoglycans were present throughout the OATS core but were nearly absent in the native cartilage. Quantitative T1 data acquired after equilibration with Gd‐DTPA indicated a distribution of matrix fixed charge in the OATS plug and anterior tissue that agreed well with histology and literature observations, while the posterior native cartilage appeared to have fixed charge similar to that of the OATS tissue. Histology revealed poor graft integration between OATS and native cartilage, with a distinct layer of fibrous tissue at the posterior interface. MRI images, by comparison, showed a hypointense feature at the posterior interface but uniform intensity across the anterior interface. Quantitative T2, magnetization transfer and T1 data acquired with and without gadolinium contrast showed dependences on depth, location, and pathology that were consistent with measurements reported in the literature for articular cartilage. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;17:603–608. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Large‐scale soil maps and a supplementary database for land use planning in Estonia
Authors: Reintam Loit , Kull Ain , Palang Hannes , Rooma Igna
Published: April 2003

A soil map at the scale 1:10,000 serves as a major important document for land owners and local governments, which allows them to use soil information in their daily activity. The intensity of exploitation of soil maps will increase when the very map and its legend are supplemented, within colored and indexed polygons, with information about soil texture and reaction by layers, but also about the thickness and characterization of the epipedon, quality indices for soil assessment, classes of stoniness, and prevalent fractions of stones, erosion risk, etc. Special maps of agronomical status, with a list of proper measures for improvement of soils and their associations, should form a regular component of large‐scale mapping. As decrease in arable land and increase in the forest area are common trends in land use, these maps and general soil data should serve as the fundamental source of information for decision making concerning land use. Data indicating the suitability of any soil for any crop should be entered in a database. Application of GIS on any level of national economy, digitization of a large‐scale soil database and making it accessible to land users would allow to expand the amount of available information for each soil map polygon.
Crosslinked Poly(amido‐amine)s as Superior Matrices for Chemical Incorporation of Highly Efficient Organic Nonlinear Optical Dyes
Authors: Abbotto Alessandro , Beverina Luca , Chirico Giberto , Facchetti Antonio , Ferruti Paolo , Gilberti Manuela , Pagani Giorgio A.
Published: April 2003

We report on the synthesis and characterization of new crosslinked polymeric matrices, pertaining to the class of poly(amido‐amine)s (PAAs), functionalized with highly performing nonlinear optical (NLO) heterocycle‐based dyes as side‐chain substituents. Linear, soluble, and highly crosslinked NLO‐functionalized PAA networks can be easily prepared under mild conditions. The wide‐ranging tunability of optical and mechanical properties of these matrices makes them a superior alternative to conventional high‐Tg thermoplastic polymers.

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Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Azobenzene Liquid Crystalline Polymers
Authors: Pavel Dumitru , Shanks Robert , Sangari Samra , Alazaroaie Silvia , Hurduc Nicolae
Published: April 2003

This paper presents a computational conformational study undertaken to explain the liquid crystalline behaviour of some polyethers with high transition temperature values. The study is based on a very significant number of polymers and copolymers (over 1 400) that were simulated to investigate the correlation between the chain geometry, flexibility, inter‐chain interactions and orientational properties over liquid crystalline behaviour. Some of the simulated polymers were synthesised from 3,3‐bis(chloromethyl)oxetane and various bisphenols with linear or bent geometry, such as: 4,4′‐dihydroxyazobenzene, 4,4′‐dihydroxydiphenyl, bisphenol‐A, 4,4′‐dihydroxybenzophenone and 4,4′‐dihydroxydiphenylsulfone. These polymers are of great interest as they allow chemical modifications due to the reactivity of the oxetane ring. For certain structures the molecular simulation evidenced difficult conformational changes associated with the distribution of the structural units in the chain. The phase transfer catalysis technique used for the polymer synthesis can generate different transfer ratios (from aqueous to the organic phase) for each bisphenol, with direct implications to the chain conformation. Therefore, the reaction conditions of the phase transfer catalyst can strongly influence chain conformation and the physical properties.

A typical conformation of a random copolymer chain corresponding to sample 1, with predictive ‘discotic’ mesophase.

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A typical conformation of a random copolymer chain corresponding to sample 1, with predictive ‘discotic’ mesophase.
The Quenched Instationary Polymerization Systems (QUIPS)
Authors: Schnöll‐Bitai Irene
Published: April 2003

The common element of quenched instationary polymerization systems is that at a given time all radicals present are deactivated by an efficient and fast quench reaction. Quenched instationary polymerizations can be carried out in a variety of ways distinguished by the way periods differing in their initiation characteristics are combined. The total chain length distribution of the resulting polymer is always the sum of the quenched radical and polymer chain length distribution. This distribution is either completely or at least partially dominated by the contribution of the quenched radical spectrum. Depending on the experimental conditions monomodal or multimodal distributions are obtained which can be characterized by their extrema (maximum, points of inflection) and peak widths (absolute, relative). The location of the extrema are related to the experimental parameters and can be used in an unambiguous way for the direct determination of the rate constant of propagation. Absolute peak widths (defined as the difference between two succeeding points of inflection) are invariant quantities with respect to the number, molar mass and hyper distribution which is only true for Poisson (and narrow Gauss) distributions. Relative peak widths are a valuable tool for the direct determination of axial dispersion which occurs in size exclusion chromatography. Comparison of experimental and ideal relative peak widths can be used for the direct determination of the axial dispersion.

The influence of the type of termination and [R0] (termination by combination) on the total (number) chain length distribution for single δ‐pulse initiation.

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The influence of the type of termination and [R0] (termination by combination) on the total (number) chain length distribution for single δ‐pulse initiation.
Overexpression of the immunoglobulin superfamily members CDO and BOC enhances differentiation of the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line RD
Authors: Wegorzewska Marta , Krauss Robert S. , Kang Jong‐Sun
Published: April 2003

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a childhood tumor of the skeletal muscle lineage in which cells display defects in both biochemical and morphological aspects of differentiation. The immunoglobulin superfamily members CDO and BOC are components of a cell surface receptor that positively regulates myogenesis in vitro. Expression of Cdo and Boc in myoblast cell lines is downregulated by the ras oncogene, and forced re‐expression of either Cdo or Boc can override ras‐induced inhibition of myogenic differentiation [Kang et al., J Cell Biol 1998; 143:403–413; Kang et al., EMBO J 2002; 21:114–124]. The current study sought to test whether the promyogenic properties of CDO and BOC could be extended to a human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, RD. Stable overexpression of CDO or BOC in RD cells led to enhanced expression of two markers of muscle cell differentiation, troponin T and myosin heavy chain, and to increased formation of elongated, myosin heavy chain–positive myotubes. These observations are consistent with the notion that CDO and BOC play a role in the inverse relationship between differentiation and transformation of cells in the skeletal muscle lineage. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Design recommendations for the use of FRP for reinforcement and strengthening of concrete structures
Authors: Rizkalla Sami , Hassan Tarek , Hassan Nahla
Published: April 2003

The use of fibre reinforced polymer, FRP, as reinforcement for concrete structures has been growing rapidly in recent years. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge of these materials and highlights the various FRP strengthening techniques that have been used for concrete and masonry structures. Material characteristics of FRP and fundamental design considerations are discussed. Selection of the appropriate materials and their corresponding advantages and disadvantages are highlighted. Design philosophies for concrete members reinforced and/or strengthened with FRP are enumerated. Fundamental flexure, shear and bond behaviour of concrete members reinforced and/or strengthened with FRP according to the current ACI design guidelines are examined. The paper also reviews the durability aspects of FRP and describes selected field applications of these materials. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electronic propertiesof InAs/GaAs self‐assembled quantum dots: beyond the effective mass approximation
Authors: Sheng Weidong , Leburton Jean‐Pierre
Published: April 2003

The electronic properties of InAs/GaAs self‐assembled quantum dots (SAD) are investigated as a function of their shapes, sizes and stoichiometric compositions with an eight‐band k � p method. Emphasis is placed on the three‐dimensional strain distribution, which is obtained by minimizing the strain energy around the dot region, and the piezoelectric potential, which is calculated by solving the corresponding Poisson equation. Novel features of intraband and interband optical transitions are presented and discussed in relation with the 3D SAD k � p band structure, and their response to external electric fields. Finally, particular attention is paid to the quantum Stark effect in vertically coupled lens‐shaped SADs.