bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contact effects in Cu(TCNQ) memory devices
Authors: Hefczyc Artur , Beckmann Lars , Becker Eike , Johannes Hans‐Hermann , Kowalsky Wolfgang 
Published: January 2008

AbstractReversible electrical switching and memory effects have been reported for a range of organic materials and device configurations. The underlying mechanism is still not clarified and subject of investigations. We present a detailed summary of our experiments on the influence of the contacts on the switching properties of bistable Cu(TCNQ) devices. We have electrically characterized devices with a number of different contact metals as well as different contact and device configurations. In the case of noble metal top contacts, switching was only observed when the contact area was small or when an oxide interlayer was used. These devices reversibly lost there switching properties when no oxygen was present in the ambience. We observed a dependence of the switching polarity on the work function of the contact met al. While devices in the commonly used stacked configuration have an asymmetric electrical characteristic, we were able to produce symmetric, planar devices with symmetric switching behaviour. A device structure comprising three electrodes allowed us to localize the switching process in the vicinity of the metal electrode with the lower work function. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Numerical studies of optical gain of coupled quantum wells based on InGaAsN material system
Authors: Wartak M. S. , Weetman P. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe optical gain of two coupled quantum wells fabricated from a new material system of InGaAsN/GaAs is studied by applying 10‐band k·p Hamiltonian matrix. A self‐consistent scheme which involves simultaneous solution of matrix Schrödinger and Poisson equations was applied. The optical gain spectra were obtained and analyzed for various values of nitrogen composition and barrier widths. They show optimum values for particular barrier width, although the variations are not significant. However, the magnitude of gain peak undergoes significant changes when varying nitrogen composition. The determined parameters and their variations can play significant role in designing practical structures based on InGaAsN/GaAs material systems. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Phonons in Bx Ga1–xN/GaN epilayers studied by means of UV Raman scattering
Authors: Cuscó R. , Alarcón‐Lladó E. , Ibáñez J. , Artús L. , Gautier S. , Ougazzaden A. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWe present UV Raman scattering measurements on Bx Ga1–x N epilayers with boron composition up to 3.6%. The resonant enhancement of the longitudinal optical modes allows us to detect multiphonon scattering by A1(LO) modes. For low boron compositions (≲2%), both the E2 and the A1(LO) modes show a consistent frequency increase with boron composition due to alloying effects. Higher disorder and expansive strain are observed in alloys with higher boron content. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Tight binding modelling of electronic structure of GaPN/GaP, InAsN/InAs and GaAsN/GaAs heterostructures
Authors: Akıncı Özden , Gürel H. Hakan , Ünlü Hilmi 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWe present a second nearest neighbor semi‐empirical sp3s*tight binding model to calculate the electronic band structure of nitride/arsenide or phosphide heterostructures. The sp3s*model Hamiltonian includes the spin‐orbit coupling of p‐states, second nearest neighbor (2NN) atomic interactions. Atomic energy levels and bond lengths of ternary semi‐ conductors are taken as nonlinear function of alloy com‐ position. The model findings for InAsN/InAs, GaPN/GaP and GaAsN/GaAs structures are in excellent agreement with experiment for the band gaps at Γ, L and X symmetry points. It is found that the bulk band structure properties and lattice mismatch strain have significant effects on band offsets and GaPN/GaP, InAsN/InAs and GaAsN/GaAs heterostructures are type II for small composition (0.0 < x < 0.50) and become type I for large composition 0.50 < x < 1.0. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Enhanced radiation hardness of ZnO nanorods versus bulk layers
Authors: Burlacu A. , Ursaki V. V. , Lincot D. , Skuratov V. A. , Pauporte T. , Rusu E. , Tiginyanu I. M. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractIt is shown that ZnO nanorods grown by MOCVD exhibit enhanced radiation hardness against high energy heavy ion irradiation as compared to bulk layers. The decrease of the luminescence intensity induced by 130 MeV Xe+23 irradiation at a dose of 1.5 × 1014 cm–2 in ZnO nanorods is nearly identical to that induced by a dose of 6 × 1012 cm–2 in bulk layers. The change in the nature of electronic transitions responsible for luminescence occurs at an irradiation dose around 1 × 1014 cm–2 and 5 × 1012 cm–2 in nanorods and bulk layers, respectively. High energy heavy ion irradiation followed by thermal annealing is also effective on the quality of ZnO nanorods grown by electrodeposition. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Investigating aluminum thin films properties by stochastic analysis
Authors: Hosseinabadi S. , Mortezaali A. , Masoudi A. A. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractIn this article, we investigate about stochastic properties of a thin film such as aluminum thin film that is formed by thermal evaporation in high vacuum. So we prepare thin films with different thicknesses on glass surfaces in high vacuum chamber with 10−6 torr. Then, we use Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), for determining the height fluctuations of aluminum thin films in different growth stages and use an inverse method that utilizes data from AFM to construct a simple equation that governs the stochastic process and a relation between stochastic parameters such as roughness, correlation and Markov length, drift, and diffusion coefficients during the growth process. Also we show that aluminum thin films, during growth by evaporating in high vacuum chamber, have a mono fractal behavior in small distances(little than 100 nm) on the surfaces. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Iridium‐Complex‐Functionalized Fe3O4/SiO2 Core/Shell Nanoparticles: A Facile Three‐in‐One System in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Luminescence Imaging, and Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Lai Chih‐Wei , Wang Yu‐Hsiu , Lai Cheng‐Hsuan , Yang Meng‐Ju , Chen Chun‐Yen , Chou Pi‐Tai , Chan Chi‐Shun , Chi Yun , Chen Yu‐Chun , Hsiao Jong‐Kai 
Published: January 2008

AbstractHighly uniform Fe3O4/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles functionalized by phosphorescent iridium complexes (Ir) have been strategically designed and synthesized. The Fe3O4/SiO2(Ir) nanocomposite demonstrates its versatility in various applications: the magnetic core provides the capability for magnetic resonance imaging and the great enhancement of the spin–orbit coupling in the iridium complex makes it well suited for phosphorescent labeling and simultaneous singlet oxygen generation to induce apoptosis.
A method for re‐planning of software releases using discrete‐event simulation
Authors: Al‐Emran Ahmed , Pfahl Dietmar , Ruhe Günther 
Published: January 2008

AbstractSoftware release planning can be described as a process consisting of the following three phases: (i) strategic release planning, i.e. the assignment of features to subsequent releases, (ii) operational release planning, i.e. the allocation of resources to tasks within each individual release, and (iii) dynamic re‐planning, i.e. the revision of plans to handle unexpected changes imposed on product/project managers responsible for the realization of individual releases. Example changes include the addition or removal of features and/or developers, adjustments due to over‐estimated developer productivity, or under‐estimated work volume of feature‐specific tasks, and adjusted degrees of task dependencies. The research presented in this article mainly focuses on phase (iii), in conjunction with phase (ii), of the release planning process, assuming that phase (i) has already been completed. For that purpose, we present a hybrid intelligence decision‐support method PRP (Planning/Re‐planning), and as its integral part a discrete‐event simulation model called DynaReP (Dynamic Re‐planner). The applicability, effectiveness, and efficiency of the proposed method and model are illustrated through a series of typical release planning and re‐planning scenarios on operational level. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of service‐oriented architecture on software development lifecycle activities
Authors: Lewis Grace A. , Morris Edwin , Simanta Soumya , Wrage Lutz 
Published: January 2008

AbstractService‐Oriented Architecture (SOA) is having a major impact on the development of software systems because of its potential for increased business agility, adaptability of applications, interoperability between systems, and reuse of legacy assets. However, organizations often make decisions on SOA adoption without carefully analyzing the implications of their decisions. This article outlines a set of common misconceptions about SOA and suggests ways in which software development lifecycle activities can be adapted to account for the characteristics of SOA‐based systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association between intrapulmonary arterial Doppler parameters and degree of lung growth as measured by lung‐to‐head ratio in fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Authors: Moreno‐Alvarez O. , Hernandez‐Andrade E. , Oros D. , Jani J. , Deprest J. , Gratacos E. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo describe the association between the intrapulmonary circulation and the degree of lung growth in fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).MethodsThirty‐six fetuses with isolated left CDH at 22–29 weeks of gestation were studied. Four groups were defined according to lung‐to‐head ratio (LHR), expressed as the ratio of observed to expected LHR for gestational age (O/E LHR). Pulsatility index (PI), peak systolic velocity (PSV), peak early‐diastolic reversed flow (PEDRF), end‐diastolic velocity (EDV), acceleration time (AT), time averaged velocity (TAV) and the ratio AT to ejection time (AT/ET) were measured in all fetuses in the proximal arterial branch of both lungs. For analysis, Doppler values were converted to Z‐scores.ResultsIt was possible to record all Doppler parameters from the contralateral lung of all CDH fetuses, and from the ipsilateral lung in 28 (77.7%). PEDRF significantly increased in relation to the decrease in O/E LHR in both lungs (contralateral: r = − 0.65, P = 0.01; ipsilateral: r = − 0.43, P = 0.02). PI increased significantly with the reduction in O/E LHR but only on the side contralateral to the hernia (r = − 0.55, P = 0.02). In the ipsilateral pulmonary artery, PI values showed a significant overall increase but no differences were observed among the O/E LHR groups. PSV, EDV and TAV were reduced in both lungs with respect to normal values, but no association was found with the O/E LHR. No changes in AT or AT/ET were observed in either lung.ConclusionsPEDRF is quick and easy to calculate, and showed the strongest and most consistent correlation with O/E LHR. The association between PEDRF and LHR might be an additional parameter that could help to establish prognosis in fetuses with CDH. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prognostic Models for Predicting Death after Hepatectomy in Individuals with Hepatic Metastases from Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Kanemitsu Yukihide , Kato Tomoyuki 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackgroundAppropriate cancer treatment policies should include an accurate estimate of a patient’s baseline risk of death, determined by the tumor load. Few prognostic models have reached the stage at which they can be used to select patients who would benefit from hepatectomy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Establishing the prognosis of patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer is an important part of their evaluation and treatment.MethodsPre‐ and post‐treatment prognostic nomograms were developed using Cox regression and multiple imputation from 578 patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer who were candidates for hepatectomy.ResultsThe preoperative nomogram included the following prognostic factors: primary histology, number of metastatic lymph nodes associated with the primary lesion, number of hepatic tumors, extrahepatic disease, and prehepatectomy carcinoembryonic antigen level. Plots of predicted versus actual outcomes suggested that the nomogram was well calibrated for predicting death after hepatectomy. The concordance index of the nomogram was 0.66, higher than those of other models for hepatic metastatic colorectal cancer in the literature. A postoperative nomogram was also prepared.ConclusionsThese models have improved predictive ability in individuals with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer, which may be helpful in counseling patients and making treatment decisions.
Disparities in Oncologic Surgery
Authors: Greenberg Caprice C. , Weeks Jane C. , Stain Steven C. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractSurgical oncology is one of the most frequently studied surgical specialties with regard to disparities in quality of care. There is variation in the care received according to nonclinical factors such as age, race and ethnicity, education, income, and even geographic region. Differences exist with regard to who gets treatment, what treatment is received, and the outcomes of those treatments. Although the existence of such disparities is no longer in doubt, the etiology is still being investigated. Ongoing research and quality improvement initiatives move beyond the mere description of existing disparities in one of three ways: (1) identifying and understanding the factors that lead to disparities; (2) advancing available methods to measure and track disparities; and (3) developing an approach to improvement. In this article, we start out by offering a framework to describe potential factors that lead to disparities, using examples from surgical oncology. We then describe the approaches to measuring and tracking disparities that are being used in research and quality improvement. Finally, we attempt to illustrate how all of these factors interact and offer some potential strategies to close the gap and alleviate disparities within the discipline.
Viscoelastic Properties of a Biological Hydrogel Produced from Soybean Oil
Authors: Xu Jingyuan , Liu Zengshe , Erhan Sevim Z. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractHydrogels formed from biopolymers or natural sources have special advantages because they may have biodegradable and biocompatible properties. The viscoelastic properties of a newly developed biological hydrogel made from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) were investigated. The material called HPESO is a hydrolytic product of polymerized ESO (PESO). HPESO exhibited viscoelastic solid or gel behavior above 2% (wt. %) concentration at room temperature and viscous liquid behavior at 55 °C. The thermal assembly disassembly reassembly function of the HPESO hydrogel was completely reversible. The viscoelastic properties of HPESO were dependent on concentration. Analysis of modulus and concentration dependence and stress relaxation measurement indicated that HPESO was a physical gel where the cross‐linkers between the molecules were physical junctions. HPESO hydrogel also exhibited fast initial recovery of its viscoelastic properties after being subjected to mechanical shear disruption. The function and behavior of the HPESO hydrogel suggest that this biomaterial may be suitable for applications in drug delivery and scaffolds of bioengineering and tissue engineering.
Polycystin‐1 induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in cancer cells
Authors: Zheng Rong , Zhang Zheng , Lv Xiaoyan , Fan JunMing , Chen Ye , Wang Yidong , Tan Ruizhi , Liu Yuhang , Zhou Qin 
Published: January 2008

AbstractStudies have shown that polycystin‐1, encoded by PKD1, the major ADPKD, may have a central role in regulating both apoptosis and proliferation, which could prevent the malignant transformation of affected cells. However, as a putative tumor suppressor, direct studies on the possibility that polycystin‐1 may play a role in cancer cells' biological properties have not yet been reported. We have demonstrated that the apoptosis of cancer cells was induced by overexpression of polycystin‐1. After transfection with polycystin‐1, three cancer cell lines, HepG2, A549, and SW480, showed significantly increased apoptosis compared with the respective control groups. This was accompanied by cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase, whereas cell proliferation was not significantly affected. Overexpression of polycystin‐1 induces apoptosis in cancer cells, at least partially, through Wnt and a caspase‐dependent pathway.
Adolescent social development and chronic pain
Authors: Eccleston Christopher , Wastell Sarah , Crombez Geert , Jordan Abbie 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAdolescents with chronic pain report disability, distress and reduced social functioning. A clinical sample of 110 adolescents, with a mean four year history of pain, was investigated for the psychosocial impact of pain on social development. All participants completed a range of self‐report measures of pain intensity, disability, distress, social and family functioning. Also completed was the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire, including its development subscale. The development subscale measures the extent to which adolescents perceive themselves to be ahead or behind their peers on 11 aspects of social development. Three related analyses were undertaken. First, over 50% of adolescents reported themselves to be less developed than their peers on four or more aspects. The item with the highest endorsement of being ahead compared with peers was “dealing with problems”. Second, factor analyses revealed three factors of adolescent social development labelled ‘independence’, ‘emotional adjustment’ and ‘identity formation’. Third, regression analyses revealed that peer support had a positive effect on all three factors, disability and anxiety had a negative effect on perceptions of independence, greater family dysfunction had a negative effect on emotional adjustment, and depressive mood had a negative effect on identity formation. Pain intensity had a negative effect on all three factors. Findings suggest that adolescents with chronic pain judge themselves to be less developed than their peers. Pain intensity has a negative effect on this perception, but peer relations may play a protective role: strong peer relationships are associated with positive social comparisons of the level of social development.
Practicality of a computerized system for cognitive assessment in the elderly
Authors: Fillit Howard M. , Simon Ely S. , Doniger Glen M. , Cummings Jeffrey L. 
Published: January 2008

BackgroundEarly detection and diagnosis are critical to dementia care. However, many early cases remain undiagnosed as a result of the impracticality of neuropsychological testing, particularly in primary care. Mindstreams is an office‐based computerized system for measuring cognitive function in multiple domains, with demonstrated validity, test‐retest reliability, and sensitivity to treatment effects. This study evaluated its feasibility for assessment of the elderly.MethodsUsability data were collected after each of 2,888 consecutive initial‐visit testing sessions at the first 11 clinical centers to use Mindstreams. The χ2 goodness‐of‐fit test was employed to determine whether patients and supervisors more often rated tests easy versus hard to use. Separate analyses were run for non–computer users, patients older than 75 years, and poor performers (≤1 standard deviation on overall battery performance).ResultsFor all patients (n = 2,888; age, 64.7 ± 18.2 years), 83% rated the tests easy to use (P < .001). Seventy‐three percent of non–computer users, 70% of patients older than 75, and 69% of poor performers rated them easy to use (Ps < .001). Supervisor ratings and ease of understandability ratings were similar. For all patients, 76% of supervisor ratings indicated no patient frustration (P < .001). Seventy‐eight percent of ratings for non–computer users, 76% for patients older than 75, and 74% for poor performers indicated no frustration (Ps < .001).ConclusionsMindstreams was easily employed, including in patients with considerable cognitive impairment, supporting its practicality for in‐office cognitive assessment of the elderly. The availability of such valid and practical assessment suggests the feasibility of integrating the technology within a clinical algorithm for improved detection of cognitive decline.
Stalin and the Politics of Kinship: Practices of Collective Punishment, 1920s–1940s
Authors: Alexopoulos Golfo 
Published: January 2008

At a Kremlin reception on 7 November 1937, Stalin declared that enemies should be eliminated as kinship groups: “And we will eliminate every such enemy [of the state and peoples of the USSR]… . we will eliminate his entire lineage (rod), his family! … Here's to the final extermination of all enemies, both themselves and their clan (rod).”1In the Soviet Union, political enemies were rounded up in groups of kin, family ties marked people as disloyal, and “counterrevolutionary” charges against one person threatened also his or her relatives. The Soviet security police or OGPU-NKVD issued detailed instructions regarding the punishment that should be assigned to the spouses, children, siblings, parents, and even ex-wives of state enemies. Campaigns against anti-Soviet elements rounded up kinship groups, whether these counterrevolutionaries were identified as so-called kulaks, enemies of the people, or traitors to the motherland. To be sure, the collective punishment of kin did not accompany every act of Stalinist repression. The regime's draconian criminal legislation also constituted a form of terror, yet persons sentenced under such laws as those punishing theft of socialist property were dealt with individually; their relatives were not targeted. Only the “politicals,” that is, people accused of disloyalty, treason, or other counterrevolutionary activities experienced terror as family units. It was the collective punishment of kin that made political repression under Stalin truly a mass phenomenon.
The Beauty of the Redemption of the World: The Theological Aesthetics of Maximus the Confessor and Jonathan Edwards
Authors: Gibson Michael D. 
Published: January 2008

Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, in hisHerrlichkeit, laments the eclipse of the aesthetic in modern theology, noting that thebeingof a Christian is itself a thing of beauty inscribed by the grace of God; that is, it is a form of existence “opened up to us by the God-Man's act of redemption. . . . God's incarnation perfects the whole ontology and aesthetics of created being.” Von Balthasar traces the loss of the aesthetic dimension from Protestant theology to the Reformation principle ofsola scriptura, which seeks to abstract “data” of scriptural revelation into objective formulae. This approach leads to the historicism of Hegel, Schelling, Schleiermacher, and Barth, effectively removing the meditative gaze from theological contemplation. Von Balthasar's ultimate argument is that it is necessary for Protestant theology to revive the Alexandrian tradition in order to recover the “transcendent principle of beauty as derived from and most proper to God,” which is to be “for us the very apex and archetype of beauty in the world.”