bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Distinguishing between Peripheral and Central High Energy Collisions
Authors: Michejda L.
Published: July 2007

The idea of peripheral or central high‐energy collisions is expressed in terms of partial inelastic cross sections s̀l corresponding to the initial particles being in the angular momentum state l. Various attempts to determine the total angular momentum J of the many‐body states and hence also of the cross sections s̀l via the overlap function are discussed. It is shown that for the 8 GeV/c π+p interactions neither the uncorrelated jet model nor the multi‐Regge‐exchange model yield the angular momenta which would satisfy the unitarity condition of the S‐matrix, unless the variable phase of the wave function is introduced. From the fact that most of the anisotropy required by the high values of J expected from the data on elastic scattering is hidden in a phase dependence, and from a study of models with variable phase, we conclude that at the moment it is not possible to solve the question of distinguishing between peripheral and central collisions.
The Monodromy Rings of the Necklace Graphs
Authors: Regge Tullio , Speer Eugene R. , Westwater Michael J.
Published: July 2007

A necklace graph is a Feynman graph obtained from a single loop graph by replacing each internal line by a multiplet (i.e. a set of one or more internal lines joining the same two vertices). In this paper the monodromy rings of the necklace graphs are determined.
Quasiclassical Approach to Collective Nuclear Phenomena
Authors: Kleinert H.
Published: July 2007

We point out that large‐amplitude collective excitations, tunneling phenomena, condensation of higher particle clusters, and excitation spectra beyond Landau's theory of Fermi liquid are most conveniently described in terms of successive effective actions. These are functionals depending explicitly on two‐particle, four‐particle, etc. correlations which have a simple quasi‐classical expansion. Their extrema account for the above described phenomena. Contrary to the path integral approach to collective phenomena, the lowest approximation contains exchange and pairing effects and is therefore suited for systems in which the time‐dependent Hartree‐Fock‐Bogoljubov equations are required for a proper understanding of the phenomena.
Renormalization of Path Ordered Phase Factors and Related Hadron Operators in Gauge Field Theories
Authors: Dorn H.
Published: July 2007

We give a review of the renormalization and short distance properties of path ordered phase factors in nonabelian gauge field theories. It includes nonlocal gauge invariant meson, baryon and gluonium operators constructed with the help of such phase factors. Furthermore, the renormalization properties of functional derivatives of phase factors as they are needed in dynamical equations are considered. The discussion is based on an one dimensional auxiliary field formalism which enables the application of the usual language of local Green's functions.
New methods for specification and determination of component reliability characteristics
Authors: Møltoft Jørgen
Published: July 2007

In the last two decades it has become clear that component lifetime distributions are seldom exponential. Early failures due to flaws have been of major concern. Various models to cater for this observation have been suggested. The models have been developed from a component rather from a system point of view. Furthermore, no substitute for the heavily criticized MIL‐HDBK‐217‐type prediction handbooks has been offered.

This paper describes a recently developed methodology to arrive at realistic component reliability characteristics, which take into account the non‐exponential component lifetime distributions. These characteristics are developed from a system's point of view, which makes it easier for the system manufacturer to assess the reliability of their systems in the field.

The methodology is based on six years of research in field performance of electronic systems. The research has been carried out in close co‐operation with industrial companies.
Detection of process upsets—sample autocorrelation control chart and group autocorrelation control chart applications
Authors: Yourstone Steven A. , Montgomery Douglas C.
Published: July 2007

This paper presents an application of the sample autocorrelation function to statistical process control where the process data are serially correlated. Two innovative control charts are illustrated: the sample autocorrelation control chart and the group autocorrelation control chart. The important feature is that these control charts will detect shifts in the autocorrelative structure as well as shifts in the mean of the process. The sample autocorrelation function is typically used to identify an appropriate ARIMA model for a time series. The sample autocorrelation function may also be used as the basis of control charts to detect process upsets. Two unique features distingush this application of the sample autocorrelation function to statistical process control. First, the sample autocorrelations are exponentially smoothed estimates. This allows the user to control the sensitivity of the sample autocorrelation control chart. Secondly, the sample autocorrelation control chart is applied to a continuous stream of data—rather than to a static set of data that has been used to fit an ARIMA model.
Application of weibull proportional hazards modelling to bad‐as‐old failure data
Authors: Love C. E. , Guo R.
Published: July 2007

In this paper, an analysis is conducted of the equipment failure regime known as bad‐as‐old. In such a regime, the repair of the machine after an unexpected emergency breakdown does not reset the hazard rate. Only a planned overhaul refreshes the hazard rate. This bad‐as‐old regime is modelled as a non‐homogeneous Poisson process. The structure is comprised of a base‐line hazard rate, here assumed to be Weibull, plus a covariate structure, since such (covariate) factors are found to influence equipment failure times. The results are compared to similar results1when the underlying failure regime is assumed to be good‐as‐new. The analysis performed here is also compared to a previous analysis2in which the base‐line hazard rate was of a non‐parametric form. Several tests are presented as well as an examination of the residuals in order to verify the appropriateness of the model chosen.
Process capability indices—an overview of theory and practice
Authors: Porter Leslie J. , Oakland John S.
Published: July 2007

A range of process capability indices is widely used to measure process performance. The simplicity of the formulae for these capability indices is both a strength and a weakness. The underlying assumptions behind capability indices are frequently overlooked. Capability studies usually result in single point estimates which may result in misleading assessments of process performance. Point estimates ignore sampling error, and safer estimates can be obtained by constructing confidence intervals. The construction of confidence intervals is considered in some detail. Testing or measurement variability give rise to additional uncertainty in process capability assessments. Inaccurate assessments of process performance can result if the basic assumptions and sources of uncertainty are overlooked.
The physical basis for the roller‐coaster hazard rate curve for electronics
Authors: Wong Kam L.
Published: July 2007

This is the final installment of a series of three articles under the general topic ‘Off the bathtub onto the roller‐coaster curve’. A short version was presented at the 1988 Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium in the U.S.A. The first article was entitled ‘The bathtub does not hold water any more’, and the second was entitled ‘The roller‐coaster curve is in’. The three articles provide detailed discussions of the findings leading to the conclusions on the roller‐coaster characteristics for the hazard rate curve for electronics. The first article discussed the problems with the bathtub and the second explored the shape of the hazard rate curve in view of some recent observations. This article suggests some plausible physical reasons for the formation of the roller‐coaster shape. The generation of the shape starts with the basic failure mechanisms, which leads to the generally decreasing hazard rate. The humps could be caused by changing hazard conditions, wear‐out failure distribution of flawed items, distribution of flaw sizes or residue small size flaws left in the equipment because of test and inspection limitations.
Total customer satisfaction as a business strategy
Authors: Smith William B.
Published: July 2007

There are two fundamental goals which are universal in business. The first is to grow market share, and the second to grow profits. In order to accomplish these goals, the company must differentiate itself from its competitors, in the customer's view, in one or more of the five following areas: (1) price, (2) delivery, (3) performance, (4) quality, (5) total customer experience.

Stressing one area of differentiation to the exclusion of the others will not achieve the goals. For example, in stressing price alone, a company has defined its products as a commodity and as Dev Dion of the Strategic Planning Institute once said, ‘The producers of commodities reap commensurate rewards.’ Similarly, stressing fast delivery of a product of poor quality, or stressing superior quality for a product providing marginally useful performance are both losing strategies.

The only strategy I know of which provides equally balanced focus on all five major areas of differentiation is total customer satisfaction, as the fundamental objective of the company. Bob Galvin, when Chairman of Motorola, summed it up by saying, ‘If you take care of the customer better than any of your competition, the business will take care of itself.’ In saying this, however, he meant not only the product, but all of the other ways in which you and the customer interact.
Maintenance planning and resource allocation in a urea fertilizer plant
Authors: Kumar Dinesh , Pandey P. C.
Published: July 2007

This paper is devoted to the analysis and computation of overall as well as various subsystem availabilities of a urea fertilizer plant. Based on the analysis, appropriate maintenance strategies for different situations have been developed. Using Lagrange's multiplier technique the cost of maintenance and manpower is analysed. By minimizing the maintenance cost allocation to various subsystems, the optimum repair policy is determined.
A review of the literature on the use of SPC in batch production
Authors: Al‐Salti M. , Statham A.
Published: July 2007

The major concern of this paper is to provide a review of the use of SPC techniques in batch production. Data transformation is considered as one of the most important activities when implementing SPC in such an environment. Other activities include focusing attention on the process rather than on the product and the use of standardized control charts (SCCs) in place of traditional charts. Aspects of data transformation are dealt with especially with regard to explaining the mechanism of data transformation and selecting as well as evaluating several transformation techniques. In addition, a method of sensitivity analysis for SCCs is also included.
Reliability engineering based on field information—The way ahead
Authors: Møltoft Jørgen
Published: July 2007

Based on analysis of field reliability information a reliability model proper for engineering is developed and demonstrated. The development of the model is performed by applying the well known but often forgotten scientific method in which theoretical models are continuously compared with observations and subsequently modified/further developed until a reasonable consistency has been achieved. The tools used are by no means advanced. The model presented has been applied successfully in many industrial case studies, one of which will be described in the paper.
A shewhart‐like charting technique for high yield processes
Authors: Xie W. , Xie M. , Goh T. N.
Published: July 2007

A Shewhart‐like charting technique is developed in this paper to overcome the difficulties the traditional control chart encounters in the control of processes with a very low fraction non‐conforming. The technique uses the number of conforming items between two consecutive non‐conforming ones to monitor the fraction non‐conforming of a process, leading to a chart that is informative and easy to interpret. The approach discussed is especially suitable for real‐time and automatic statistical quality control.
Lifetime modelling with aid of a modified complementary weibull distribution
Authors: Gera Amos E.
Published: July 2007

The complementary Weibull distribution may serve as a lifetime model for various applications. A modification of this distribution is introduced. Its purpose is to enable the calculation of the MTBF integral, which does not exist for the regular complementary Weibull function. An efficient quadrature technique is provided. Its utility is validated through some examples.
Risk assessment of a new high speed railway
Authors: Leighton C. L. , Dennis C. R.
Published: July 2007

A quantitative risk assessment has been carried out by W. S. Atkins Ltd. and Kennedy and Donkin Transportation Ltd. for the conceptual stage of the proposed Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The assessment is one of the first for a railway system. It includes an integrated computer model. The whole risk model for the CTRL from base event data, through fault and event trees, to individual, collective and societal risks is processed using Lotus 1‐2‐3 spreadsheets. Variations to the design and operational assumptions and to the input data can be introduced into the model and the effect on risk calculated rapidly. This versatility is particularly useful because of the early stage of the project. It can be used to assist designers in consideration of possible design changes.
Speech recognition based on top‐down and bottom‐up phoneme recognition
Authors: Matsunaga Sho‐Ichi , Shikano Kiyohiro
Published: July 2007

This paper discusses a speech recognition system which integrates the top‐down and bottom‐up phoneme recognitions. The system is based on the recognition of phonemes, where the top‐down and bottom‐up processings are combined using a table called a blackboard. In top‐down processing, the segmentation and the scoring are performed for each phoneme in the total speech interval, and in the bottom‐up processing, only for the interval in which the phoneme segmentation can be performed with certainty. By this scheme, the two recognition processings cooperate, while maintaining their independence. In the proposed system, the linguistic processing and the acoustic processing are structured hierarchically. The two parts are combined through the blackboard, avoiding duplicated processings in the same environment. To evaluate the constructed system, a spoken word recognition experiment with the word dictionaries composed of 100 or 643 city names, and the continuous speech recognition experiment for 235 minimal phrases uttered by two examinees were performed. It was observed as a result that the recognition performance by the traditional top‐down processing is almost maintained, while the processing time is decreased to one‐half or one‐third in word recognition and less than one‐fourth in minimal phrase recognition.
Design and implementation of an nmos image processor based on quaternary logic
Authors: Hanyu Takahiro , Kameyama Michitaka , Higuchi Tatsuo
Published: July 2007

In 4‐valued image processing, cellular logic operations can be performed by template or pattern matching. The simplification of the image processing algorithm is discussed using a minimization technique of multiple‐valued logic functions. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of hardware implementation, a new pattern matching scheme is proposed so that two different templates can be processed simultaneously in a pipelining manner. Based on these double pattern matching cells, a compact NMOS image processing chip has been implemented. It is demonstrated that the compactness derives from deduced interconnections in the double pattern matching cells using a quaternaryT‐gate realized with pass transistors.
Design of VLSI‐oriented radix‐4 signed‐digit arithmetic circuits using multiple‐valued logic
Authors: Kawahito Shoji , Kameyama Michitaka , Higuchi Tatsuo
Published: July 2007

Radix‐4 signed‐digit (SD) arithmetic circuits using multiple‐valued logic are proposed from the viewpoint of VLSI implementation. Because of the property of sign‐symmetry in the SD number representation, a new bi‐directional current‐mode MOS technology is employed very effectively in implementing very fast and compact SD arithmetic circuits. These basic operations are simulated and evaluated using SPICE2. Finally, it is demonstrated that these arithmetic circuits can be fabricated using 2 um CMOS technology. For example, a multiply time of 40 ns can be achieved in the SD multiplier with a 17 × 16 bit precision.
High‐efficient coding for ct‐image archiving
Authors: Hiroyuki  , Yoshinao Koizumi,  , Tsuneo
Published: July 2007

This paper considers a new high‐efficient coding scheme of the CT image and projection data. There are two kinds of redundancies in the CT image: one is the statistical redundancy based on the correlation between pixels; the other is the deterministic redundancy resulting from the image formation process—i.e., the CT images are reconstructed from a finite number of sampled projection data. The significant information about an object in the CT image can be specified by considering the reconstruction process. Based on the investigation of such redundancies, a new reversible coding scheme of CT image with high compression ratio is proposed in which both statistical and deterministic redundancies can be removed.
A hypercube design on wafer‐scale integration
Authors: Ito Hideo , Suzuki Nobuyuki
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a hypercube network (HC) design on the wafer‐scale LSI (WSI). HC is considered interesting as a network structure, which is suited to the general or dedicated parallel processing machine. There also exist commercial HC machines. With the development of LSI fabrication technologies as the background, WSI is now feasible where a large‐scale parallel processing system is installed on a wafer.

The major problems in WSI are how to build in the required network structure on the planar structure wafer, and how to improve the yield by avoiding the defects generated in the fabrication process. In most of the past studies, the array (lattice) structure is employed in the realization of the network on WSI, and HC is seldom employed. In this paper sub‐HC with 2PPEs is constructed as the row network (RN); and by connecting 2d‐pRNs along the column direction, HC with 2dPEs is constructed.

In other words, RN is constructed by the Diogenes method to compose an HC as a one‐dimensional structure, and then the structure is extended to two dimensions by adding new switches and bus structures, resulting in a structure suited to WSI. Two structures are considered: the structure with redundant PE only in RN and the structure containing redundant RNs. A rough evaluation for the yield also is presented.
Data compression and depth shape reproduction of stereoscopic images
Authors: Yamaguchi Hiroyuki , Tatehira Yasushi , Akiyama Kenji , Kobayashi Yukio
Published: July 2007

Three‐dimensional visual communications, realized with stereoscopic images, can achieve total display realism. To create a three‐dimensional (3‐D) transmission and display system, the large amount of information typically contained in natural images must be reduced and coded by an efficient technique appropriate for stereoscopic images.

As the initial step in realizing such a coding scheme, statistical characteristics of stereoscopic images and image characteristics viewed from the aspect of human stereopsis are presented.

First, the possibility of data compression that exploits the cross correlation between right and left images is shown. Based on this, a method that shifts one image horizontally and subtracts it from the corresponding area of the other is proposed and evaluated. Next, it is shown that complete depth amplitude reproduction of stereoscopic images through the use of existing CRT display systems is difficult. This is due to the poor horizontal resolution of the forementioned systems even though the depth spatial frequency bandwidth of stereoscopic images can be reduced without deteriorating depth shape reproduction accuracy. Finally, a method for overcoming discontinuous depth reproduction is proposed and its effectiveness is confirmed.
A scene interpretation system that solves multiplicity of scene description
Authors: Etoh Minoru , Kishino Fumio
Published: July 2007

It is desirable to arrive at the scene description at a higher level, by grouping such image features as edges and region boundaries to generalize the scene interpretation or to recognize the object with a structure. Often, however, the feature extraction and the grouping are not unique, conflicting, or contain errors. Here, this problem is called the multiplicity of scene description.

The basic framework is presented for constructing a system to solve this problem, which is composed of the following two processes: (1) the image features and the spatial relationships are considered as hypothesis and are managed in ATMS. The conflicting scene descriptions are represented by the multiple context; and (2) the bottom‐up processing is realized by the rule base. The rule base is composed of the hypothetic knowledge permitting contained errors and the constraining knowledge declaring the relations among alternative data. Based on this framework, the following system is realized. The feature extraction and structurization are executed for the stereo color gray‐level images. A subclass of generalized plane composing an orthogonal hexahedron are derived as the three‐dimensional description elements for the scene. Then the scene is interpreted by the matching to the model.

In the proposed system, the scene description and interpretation are derived as more than one maximal set composed of the hypothesis together with its derivation, which can account for the largest number of observed edges and region boundaries. Some examples of processing also are shown.
Collision avoidance with the omnidirectional image sensor COPIS
Authors: Yagi Yasushi , Kawato Shinjiro , Tsuji Saburo
Published: July 2007

Recently there has been vigorous research on intelligent mobile robots equipped with vision that can understand and move around in the environment. When a robot moves around in man‐made environments, e.g., in buildings, not only is there the danger of collisions with obstacles in front of the robot but there is also the danger of collisions with moving objects approaching the robot from the sides and from behind. For this reason, acquiring information from all directions while the robot is moving is desired.

This paper presents a method that uses the omni‐directional image sensor COPIS to detect moving objects in man‐made environments (such as in a room) and avoids collisions. Moving objects and obstacles in danger of colliding with the robot are detected from changes in the azimuth angles of the objects from the robot motion. Furthermore, the robot velocity is changed by decelerating as the way to avoid collisions, and the motion and position information of these objects are determined. This motion and position information is obtained by calculating the direction of relative motion between the robot and an object from the movement loci of the azimuth angle of the object obtained from the temporal image sequence before and after a velocity change. The COPIS system can acquire in real time visual images of all the surroundings of the robot by using a conic mirror. Additionally, the results of actual tests are presented when the proposed method is used for a robot moving inside a building in which there are moving objects.
A functional disk system for relational database processing: Design and performance evaluation
Authors: Kitsuregawa Masaru , Nakano Miyuki
Published: July 2007

This paper considers a relational database processing system and proposes a new high‐performance secondary memory system and a functional disk system aiming at the high‐speed processing. The traditional commercial relational DBMS employs the simple nest‐loop and sort‐merge as processing methods for relational algebra operations. However, the proposed functional disk system employs the dynamic clustering algorithm so that the processing load is reduced drastically. Such processes as the hash operation, the cluster management mechanism, the record extraction from the physical block and on‐the‐fly operation, which takes time by the software, are implemented by hardware. The clustering following the data transfer from the disk is then realized.

The performance is improved further by using several processors so that the generated clusters are processed in parallel. Usually, the performance is deteriorated greatly due to the mismatch between OS and DBMS constructed on OS. To solve this problem, the dedicated input/output driver and the buffer management routine were developed in the functional disk system by optimizing the dynamic clustering technique.

The functional disk system aims at the drastic performance improvement by introducing the database processing mechanism into the secondary memory system. To verify the effectiveness of this idea, an experimental system was constructed. In spite of the simple structure composed of a disk and 4 MC68020, the experimental system achieved a much higher performance than the existing commercial relational database system in the performance evaluation using the Wisconsin benchmark. Thus, the effectiveness of the functional disk system is verified.
Speech recognition using various sequential networks
Authors: Nakagawa Seiichi , Hayakawa Isao
Published: July 2007

In this paper, we describe two neural network‐based approaches to speech recognition. One is a purely neural network approach that approximates a multipleorder hidden Markov model (HMM). It is an extension of a sequential network and is called the neural Markov model (NMM). The other approach is a combination of sequential networks and the DP matching (DTW) method.

NMM is based on the idea that a sequential network is similar to a hidden Markov model (HMM) with one state; we attempt to approximate an HMM with several states by concatenating sequential networks.

For this purpose, we tried two approaches: (1) using only neural networks, and (2) applying the DP matching method to the output of the networks. The speaker‐independent recognition rate using the first approach was 65.4 percent for nine syllables that included voiced plosive consonants. The second method produced a 88.1 percent recognition rate for artificial word data consisting of two concatenated syllables. These results outperformed those obtained with the HMM.
Declining maternal mortality ratio in Uganda: Priority interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goal
Authors: Mbonye A.K. , Mutabazi M.G. , Asimwe J.B. , Sentumbwe O. , Kabarangira J. , Nanda G. , Orinda V.
Published: July 2007

Purpose: We conducted a survey to determine availability of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and to provide data for advocating for improved maternal and newborn health in Uganda. Methods: The survey, covering 54 districts and 553 health facilities, assessed availability of EmOC signal functions, documented maternal deaths and the related causes. Three levels of health facilities were covered. Findings: Few health units had running water; electricity or a functional operating theater. Yet having these items had a protective effect on maternal deaths as follows: theater (OR 0.56, P < 0.0001); electricity (OR 0.39, P < 0.0001); laboratory (OR 0.71, P < 0.0001) and staffing levels (midwives) OR 0.20, P < 0.0001. The availability of midwives had the highest protective effect on maternal deaths, reducing the case fatality rate by 80%. Further, most (97.2%) health facilities expected to offer basic EmOC, were not doing so. This is the likely explanation for the high health facility‐based maternal death rate of 671/100,000 live births in Uganda. Conclusion: Addressing health system issues, especially human resources, and increasingaccess to EmOC could reduce maternal mortality in Uganda and enable the country to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
Nonlinear gyrokinetic theory of toroidal momentum pinch
Authors: Hahm T. S. , Diamond P. H. , Gurcan O. D. , Rewoldt G.
Published: July 2007

The turbulent convective flux of the toroidal angular momentum density is derived using the nonlinear toroidal gyrokinetic equation which conserves phase space density and energy [T. S. Hahm, Phys. Fluids, 31, 2670 (1988)]. A novel pinch mechanism is identified which originates from the symmetry breaking due to the magnetic field curvature. A net parallel momentum transfer from the waves to the ion guiding centers is possible when the fluctuation intensity varies on the flux surface, resulting in imperfect cancellation of the curvature drift contribution to the parallel acceleration. This mechanism is inherently a toroidal effect, and complements the k‖ symmetry breaking mechanism due to the mean E×B shear [O. Gurcan et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 042306 (2007)] which exists in a simpler geometry. In the absence of ion thermal effects, this pinch velocity of the angular momentum density can also be understood as a manifestation of a tendency to homogenize the profile of “magnetically weighted angular momentum density,” nmiR2ω‖∕B2. This part of the pinch flux is mode-independent (whether it is trapped electron mode or ion temperature gradient mode driven), and radially inward for fluctuations peaked at the low-B-field side, with a pinch velocity typically, VAngTEP∼−2χϕ∕R0. Ion thermal effects introduce an additional radial pinch flux from the coupling with the curvature and grad-B drifts. This curvature driven thermal pinch can be inward or outward, depending on the mode-propagation direction. Explicit formulas in general toroidal geometry are presented.
Grazing incident small angle x-ray scattering study of polymer thin films with embedded ordered nanometer cells
Authors: Yokoyama Hideaki , Dutriez Cedric , Li Lei , Nemoto Taichi , Sugiyama Kenji , Sasaki Sono , Masunaga Hiroyasu , Takata Masaki , Okuda Hiroshi
Published: July 2007

Analysis of nanostructures is of increasing importance with advances of nanotechnology. Embedded nanostructures in thin films in particular are of recent interest. Grazing incident small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) has been recognized to be a powerful method to probe such embedded nanostructures; however, quantitative analysis of scattering pattern is not always trivial due to complex refraction and reflection at surface and interfaces. We prepared nanocellular thin films using block copolymer template with carbon dioxide (CO2); CO2 “bubbles” were formed in the CO2-philic block domains. Such nanocellular structures were analyzed by GISAXS and simulated using distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA). Unlike traditional transmission x-ray scattering, GISAXS requires a careful choice of incident angle to analyze the form factor of scatters embedded in a thin film. Nevertheless, the GISAXS measurements under optimized geometry with quantitative calculations using DWBA revealed that the nanocells are spherical and aligned in a single layer of hexagonal lattice and are surrounded by CO2-philic block domains.
Magnetocaloric effect in Mn-containing Hitperm-type alloys
Authors: Franco V. , Conde C. F. , Blázquez J. S. , Millán M. , Conde A.
Published: July 2007

The magnetocaloric effect of Fe60−xMnxCo18Nb6B16 (x=0,2,4) is studied. Mn addition decreases the Curie temperature of the alloys but also reduces the peak entropy change and the refrigerant capacity of the material. The estimated adiabatic temperature change, for a maximum applied field of 15 kOe, is 1.3 K. Obtained values are comparable to those of some Nanoperm-type alloys. The magnetic entropy change, ΔSM, of the studied samples follows a master curve, which is the same for all of them. The exponent controlling the field dependence of ΔSM scales with reduced temperature in the same way as the master curve does.
Iranian Studies in Poland
Authors: Krasnowolska Anna
Published: July 2007

As a result of its union with Lithuania at the end of the fourteenth century, Poland, for about 400 years, came into the immediate neighborhood of Muslim states the Golden Horde, the Khanate of Crimea and, last but not least, Ottoman Turkey. Poland's relations with her Eastern and Southeastern neighbors, though often hostile, were not limited to wars; diplomatic and economic contacts were maintained, and Eastern provinces of the country became a territory of symbiosis and mutual cultural influence. Oriental minorities living within the borders of the Polish state--Armenians, Tatars, Karaites--assumed the role of mediators between the Christian and Muslim realms. Thus, Poland's contact with the Islamic world was relatively close in this period. Both practical and theoretical Oriental interests in Poland were focused on the Ottoman Empire, as was natural for both Poland and other European countries in this epoch of Ottoman domination of the entire Near East.
Refashioning Iran: Language and Culture During the Constitutional Revolution
Authors: Tavakoli‐Targhi Mohamad
Published: July 2007

The dialogic interaction among India, Europe, and the Arab-Islamic culture in the 18th and 19th centuries led to a refashioning of Iran and a rescripting of “the people” and “the nation” in Iranian political and historical discourses. The newly imagined Iran, constructed of textual traces and archaeological ruins, fashioned a new syntax for the reconstruction of the past and the formation of a new national time, territory, writ, culture, literature, and politics. Language, the medium of communication and signification, and the locus of tradition and cultural memory, was restyled. Arabic words were purged, “authentic” Persian terms forged, and neologisms and lexicography were constituted as endeavors for “national reawakening.” Iran-centered histories displaced dynastic and Islam-centered chronicles. In order to recover from historical amnesia, people reinvented pre-Islamic Iran as a lost Utopia with Kayumars as a Persian prophet predating Adam, Mazdak as a theoretician and practitioner of freedom and equality, Kavah-yi Ahangar as the originator of “national will”(himmat-i milli),and Anushirvan as a paradigmatic just-constitutional monarch.
Archaeological Evidence for Textiles in Pre‐Islamic Iran
Authors: Kawami Trudy S.
Published: July 2007

The production of textiles began very early in the Near East, even before the development of settled villages and the domestication of plants and animals in the Neolithic Period (New Stone Age, the 7th and 6th millennia B.C.). Flax was one of the first fibers to be woven; it appears in an elegantly knotted net with a woven border found in the Nahal Hemar Cave on the southwest banks of the Dead Sea. “Flax also appears about the same time in Anatolia at Çatal Hüyük, a partially excavated site once covering some 32 (?) acres. The Çatal Hüyük textiles, which also included wool ormohair worked in S- and Z-spun two-ply yarns, came from intramural burials where they bound up the bones of the dead and in one case filled a skull. Unfortunately, the fires that destroyed the site on several occasions charred the fabrics so that no trace of color now remains. However, the dye plants woad, madder and weld are native to the region, and the excavator believed that they were used at Çatal Hüyük.
The “Jews of Silence”—the “Jews of Hope”—the “Jews of Triumph”: Revisiting Methodological Approaches to the Study of the Jewish Movement in the USSR
Authors: Zisserman-Brodsky Dina
Published: July 2007

In December 2001, over 150 citizens of Russia, Israel, the U.S., Ukraine and some other countries gathered in Moscow in their capacity as former activists of the non-official Jewish movement in the USSR to celebrate the 25th anniversary of an event that had never taken place—an unofficial Moscow Symposium on Jewish Culture. The symposium, which had been forbidden by the KGB, acquired an important, but symbolic, meaning (as vivid evidence of the suppression of Jewish culture in the USSR) for the very fact of its non-performance. Celebrating this (non-)event 25 years later, members of the Jewish movement who had been active for some time in the period from the late 1960s to the late 1980s talked about their struggle against the Soviet regime, emphasizing the victory they had gained together with other dissenting groups. They called for the “political support of Israel, the United States, and Russia in their fight against international terrorism,” spoke on behalf of repeal of the Jackson–Vannick amendment, voted for the establishment of a transnational association of Russian (or Russian-speaking or former Soviet) Jews, and even discussed the “historical mission of Russian Jewry.” The issue of Jewish culture was virtually omitted from the discussion.
Representing the Empire: The Meaning of Siberia for Russian Imperial Identity
Authors: Weiss Claudia
Published: July 2007

Would you like to travel to outer space? Explore like real astronauts the slow, gentle movements characteristic of a weightless environment? The Houston Space Center offers its visitors such a trip through the ISS, the International Space Station. It presents America's space programme by using a simulator to create a compelling environment, complete with 3,000 accurately placed stars that mimic what the real astronauts experience in the ISS.1 You can feel the glory of current-day American scientific progress, the power of the US, the world's number one power.
DRUG RESOURCE UNITS: ON BEING USED BY THE COMMUNITY
Authors: POLS R.G.
Published: July 2007

Interdisciplinary co‐operation is discussed from the perspective of the Drug Resource Unit. Drug Resource Units are defined and the interplay with Drug Resource Units and the community served is also discussed.

Alternative models of General Hospital Drug Resource Units are presented and discussed from community health and consultation/liaison points of view.

Difficulties of implementation are highlighted.
A Profile of Drink‐Drivers with Impaired Hepatic Function
Authors: Cooke R.D. , Pols R.G.
Published: July 2007

Abstract: Fifty‐one offender drink drivers with impaired liver function tests, were extracted from a total population of drivers attending a driver assessment clinic (DAC) in 1982. A clinical profile is presented of these drink drivers who could be considered at risk for the development of alcohol related cirrhosis of the liver.
The first loss of freedom: early opium laws in Australia
Authors: Manderson D.R.A.
Published: July 2007

Abstract: The article considers opiate usage and legislation in nineteenth century Australia, focusing on the contrast with contemporary laws controlling drugs of addiction. It then goes on to consider the first laws which prohibited the use of a particular drug for non‐medicinal purposes, concluding that the origins of the opium prohibition laws had nothing to do with the health risks involved with drug use or dependence, but were rather a reflection of racism and a consequence of political expediency.
Endogenous Mechanisms of Inhibition of Platelet Function
Authors: JIN RICHARD C. , VOETSCH BARBARA , LOSCALZO JOSEPH
Published: July 2007

Platelets play an important role in coagulation, in maintenance of hemostasis, and in the pathophysiology of thrombotic diseases. In response to blood vessel injury, platelets accumulate at the site, recruit other platelets, promote clotting, and form a hemostatic plug to prevent hemorrhage. By contrast, several inhibitory mechanisms modulate platelet function and act in a synergistic manner to prevent pathologic thrombus formation. This review focuses on the principal endogenous inhibitors of platelet function and the central role of the normal endothelium in these inhibitory processes. The main endothelium‐derived platelet inhibitors include nitric oxide, prostacyclin, and Ecto‐ADPase/CD39/NTPDase. Each of these factors is discussed in turn, and the specific mechanisms by which they inhibit platelet function are reviewed.
Noninvasive Imaging of Angiogenesis Inhibition Following Nitric Oxide Synthase Blockade in the Ischemic Rat Heart in Vivo
Authors: WALLER CHRISTIANE , HILLER KARL‐HEINZ , RüDIGER THOMAS , KRAUS GüNTER , KONIETZKO CHRISTIAN , HARDT NELLY , ERTL GEORG , BAUER WOLFGANG RUDOLF
Published: July 2007

Objective: Nitric oxide synthase inhibition has anti‐angiogenic properties. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used to image the functional significance of these microvascular changes in a rat model of chronic ischemic myocardium in vivo.

Methods: The authors quantitatively determined myocardial perfusion and regional blood volume, left ventricular geometry, and function using MR imaging. Animals received either L‐NAME + hydralazine or no treatment and were investigated 1 and 2 weeks after induction of coronary artery stenosis or sham operation at rest and during vasodilatation. Double‐labeling immunohistochemistry was used to visualize angiogenesis and to compare with data obtained by MR imaging.

Results: Left ventricular mass and end‐diastolic volumes were comparable in both groups 2 weeks after treatment. However, basal and maximum perfusion in animals with L‐NAME + hydralazine treatment were reduced compared to animals not treated (p < .05). Basal regional blood volume remained constant in all groups, whereas maximum regional blood volume was reduced by L‐NAME + hydralazine (p < .05). Endothelial cell proliferation, a direct marker for angiogenesis, was reduced by L‐NAME + hydralazine (p < .01). Conclusions: MR imaging allows noninvasive quantification of functional microcirculation and angiogenesis in the rat heart in vivo. Nitric oxide synthase blockade results in changes in functional microcirculation and in an inhibition of angiogenesis in both ischemic and nonischemic myocardial tissue.
Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Microvessel Density
Authors: Frisbee Jefferson C.
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

The growing incidence and prevalence of the overweight/obese condition across developed economies worldwide has an enormous impact on increasing the risk for the development of impaired glycemic control or insulin resistance and ultimately peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in afflicted individuals. This places an enormous economic and social burden on these societies, in terms of additional health care costs and lost productivity and through a reduction in the quality of life of the individual owing, in part, to the progressive PVD. Characterized by an inability of the vascular systems to adequately perfuse tissues and organs relative to their metabolic demand, PVD is in part a function of a structural remodeling of the microvascular networks such that the density of microvessel and capillaries within tissues is reduced below that under normal conditions, with the potential for profound negative impacts on the processes of mass transport and exchange. The review discusses the severity of the obesity “epidemic” from the perspective of PVD and the effects of the development of the obese, insulin‐resistant condition on tissue/organ microvessel density. Additional material is reviewed that addresses ameliorative treatments, primarily exercise training, on blunting microvessel loss in the obese, insulin‐resistant individual, and on potential mechanistic contributors that warrant considerable future investigation.
Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Renal Function
Authors: Knight Sarah F. , Imig John D.
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that obesity and insulin resistance contribute to the progression of renal disease. A low‐grade inflammatory response occurs in obesity and insulin resistance that causes an increase in macrophage infiltration into the adipose tissue and the kidney. The infiltration of macrophages gives rise to the production of an array of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and downstream elements such as interleukin‐6, NFκB, and cellular adhesion molecules. In addition, increased adiposity triggers the release of adipokines such as leptin that can cause vascular remodeling and disruption of renal function. Insulin resistance can alter the balance between endogenous vasoactive molecules such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species, resulting in altered renal endothelial function. Moreover, hyperinsulinemia has direct renal effects such as induced relaxation of the afferent arteriole, resulting in glomerular hyperfiltration and renal damage. High insulin levels also stimulate angiogenesis and mesangial cell proliferation, associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy. Current evidence indicates a direct link between increased adiposity and insulin resistance with renal vascular injury; however, further investigation into the renal microvascular effects of obesity and insulin resistance are required to better understand this disease process.
Organization of the XYL genes in a thermophilic Bacillus species
Authors: Liao Wu‐Xiang , Earnest Linda , Kok Siew Ling , Jeyaseelan Kandiah
Published: July 2007

The organization of the genes involved in xylose catabolism in a thermophilic Bacillus sp. LW2 was found to be different from that of mesophiles such as B. subtilis and Escherichia coli. We have reported previously the cloning and characterization of the xylose isomerase gene (xylA) from this thermophilic Bacillus sp. A xylose transport permease gene (xylP) was located immediately upstream of xylA. This gene encoded a hydrophobic protein (392 amino acids) with a calculated molecular weight of 42,307. Further upstream of xylP, another related gene xylO encoding a sugar transport ATP‐binding protein was observed. A xylulose kinase gene (xylB) was identified downstream of xylA. Its open reading frame extended up to 1122 bp and represented a part (372 aa) of the enzyme. The order of the xyl genes in the thermophilic Bacillus sp. is therefore 5′‐xylO (ATP‐binding protein) ‐ xylP (xylose permease) ‐ xylA (xylose isomerase) ‐ xylB (xylulose kinase) ‐3′. The polarity of expression of these four genes was found to be unidirectional from xylO to xylB.
Protein phosphatases are pest containing proteins
Authors: Gomes Aldrin V. , Barnes Junor A.
Published: July 2007

Protein phosphatases are required for removing phosphoryl groups in proteins involved in many physiological processes. Investigation of these enzymes for regions rich in proline (P), glutamic acid (E), serine (S) and threonine (T), called PEST regions showed that greater than 85% of the phosphatases investigated contained these regions. These regions are believed to be signals for degradation and could possibly serve as regulators of the intracellular localization and catalytic activity via limited proteolysis or as conditional signals for rapid degradation of these proteins by the ATP/ubiquitin‐dependent and/or the ATP non‐ubiquitin dependent proteolytic pathway. Many of these phospbatases were also found to contain a pentapeptide sequence bioehemically related to the KFERQ motif which targets proteins for lysosomal degradation which suggest that several pathways may exist for the degradation of protein phosphatases.
Proton‐donative antioxidant activity of fucoxanthin with 1,1‐Diphenyl‐2‐Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)
Authors: Nomura Takaharu , Kikuchi Masako , Kubodera Akiko , Kawakami Yasushi
Published: July 2007

Reactions between a carotenoid, fucoxanthin and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl were investigated both under anoxic and aerobic conditions. Fucoxanthin equimolarly reacted with 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl under anoxic conditions. Under aerobic conditions, only a part of fucoxanthin consumed 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl and the degree of reaction fluctuated with repeated trials. β‐Carotene or other carotenoids, β‐cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, licopen and lutein, were also examined in the reaction with 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl under anoxic conditions. All these compounds scarcely reacted with 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl.