bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A spiral process model for case studies on software quality monitoring—method and metrics
Authors: Andersson Carina , Runeson Per 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThis article presents a spiral process model for an iterative case study on quality monitoring, conducted in an industrial environment. In a highly iterative project, everything seems to happen at the same time: analysis, design and testing. We propose a spiral process model for case studies, and present a study conducted according to the proposed process. In the study, metrics collected from three software development projects are analysed to investigate which characteristics are stable across projects and feature groups of the product. The contribution of the article is multi‐fold, detailing the case study methodology used with its sub‐goals and procedures. Furthermore, the article presents the metrics collected and the results as such from the case study, which gives insights into a complex development environment and the trends of the retrieved data. The analysed data serve as feedback to the project staff to facilitate identification of software process improvement. The data have also been used for defect prediction. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Smoothness of weak solutions of the Ramberg/Osgood equations on plane domains
Authors: Bildhauer M. , Fuchs M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWe discuss the weak form of the Ramberg/Osgood equations (also known as the Norton/Hoff model) on two‐dimensional domains and prove continuity of the stress and the strain tensor. These equations are of great importance since they can be used as an approximation for elastic‐perfectly plastic Hencky materials.
A rationale for cystine supplementation in severe homocystinuria
Authors: Lee P. J. , Briddon A. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryPrevious studies have shown that the thiol redox, as measured by the ratio of free/bound cyst(e)ine in unaffected individuals, remains relatively constant. In severe homocystinuria (HCU) where cyst(e)ine moieties are significantly reduced, this redox is only restored when homocyst(e)ine moieties are also taken into account. This appears to stem from an increase in the free/bound homocyst(e)ine ratio with free homocystine acting as a surrogate for free cystine. We examined these ratios in 47 patients (two with a cobalamin C defect, two with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency, 16 with pyridoxine‐responsive HCU and 27 with pyridoxine‐nonresponsive HCU). Comparing free/bound homocyst(e)ine ratios to the total cysteine concentration indicates a relative increase of free homocystine as total cysteine concentrations fall below 170 μmol/L. This provides a rationale and treatment algorithm for cyst(e)ine supplementation in homocystinuria.
Occurrence of Conjugated Linolenic Acids in Purified Soybean Oil
Authors: Kinami Tomohisa , Horii Naoto , Narayan Bhaskar , Arato Shingo , Hosokawa Masashi , Miyashita Kazuo , Negishi Hironori , Ikuina Junichi , Noda Ryuji , Shirasawa Seiichi 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and conjugated linolenic acids (CLN). Methyl esters prepared from purified lipid fractions of soybean oil were analyzed using an HPLC system equipped with photodiode‐array detector to detect peaks having maximum absorption around 233 and 275 nm. These peaks were concentrated by AgNO3‐silicic acid column chromatography and reversed‐phase HPLC. The structural analysis, of dimethyloxazoline (DMOX) derivatized methyl esters, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) showed the occurrence of 9,11‐ and 10,12‐CLA and 8,10,13‐, 8,10,12‐, and 9,11,13‐CLN. The comparison of these conjugated fatty acids with authentic isomers by HPLC revealed the presence of isomeric mixtures of CLA [cis (c),trans(t) or t,c and t,t] and CLN (c,t,t or t,t,c and t,t,t). Traces of 9,11‐ and 10,12‐CLA (c,t or t,c) were found in crude oil. CLN isomers (8,10,12‐18:3 and 9,11,13‐18:3) were found to be forming during the bleaching phase of soybean oil processing. 8,10,13‐CLN and 9,11‐ and 10,12‐CLA (t,t) were only found in soybean oil after the deodorization step. CLN contents in commercial soybean oil varied from 387 to 1,316 mg/kg oil. A decreased level of bleaching earth and temperature resulted in a reduced CLN content. It is possible that CLN would be derived from the linoleate hydroperoxides formed during the processing and storage of soybean oil.
Riemannian metric of the averaged energy minimization problem in orbital transfer with low thrust
Authors: Caillau Jean-Baptiste , Bonnard Bernard 
Published: December 2006

This article deals with the optimal transfer of a satellite between Keplerian orbits using low propulsion and is based on preliminary results of Epenoy et al. (1997) where the optimal trajectories of the energy minimization problem are approximated using averaging techniques. The averaged Hamiltonian system is explicitly computed. It is related to a Riemannian problem whose distance is an approximation of the value function. The extremal curves are analyzed, proving that the system remains integrable in the coplanar case. It is also checked that the metric associated with coplanar transfers towards a circular orbit is flat. Smoothness of small Riemannian spheres ensures global optimality of the computed extremals.

Résumé
Cet article concerne le problème du transfert d'un satellite entre orbites elliptiques dans le cadre de la poussée faible et se fonde sur les résultats préliminaires d'Epenoy et al. (1997) où les trajectoires optimales du problème de minimisation de l'énergie sont approchées par moyennation. On fait un calcul explicite du Hamiltonien moyenné et on prouve qu'il s'agit du Hamiltonien associé à un problème Riemannien dont la distance approche la fonction valeur. On montre en analysant les extrémales que le système moyenné reste intégrable dans le cas coplanaire, et on vérifie que la métrique associée est plate dans le cas de transferts coplanaires vers des orbites circulaires. La régularité des sphères Riemanniennes de petit rayon garantit l'optimalité globale des extrémales calculées.
Lignes de divergence pour les graphes à courbure moyenne constante
Authors: Mazet Laurent 
Published: December 2006

This paper is devoted to the study of convergence of sequences of solutions to the constant mean curvature

H

equation. The convergence domain is defined. The main theorem (Theorem 8) characterizes the complement of this convergence domain: it shows that circle arcs of curvature

2H

compose this complement. We then give results which allow us to use this theorem.

Résumé

Cet article est consacré à l'étude de la convergence des suites de solutions de l'équation des surfaces à courbure moyenne constante

H

. Nous définissons le lieu de convergence de la suite. Le principale théorème (théorème 8) caractérise le complémentaire de ce lieu de convergence : il montre que ce complémentaire est composé d'arcs de cercle de courbure

2H

. Nous donnons ensuite des résultats permettant d'exploiter ce théorème.
The Wigner–Poisson–Fokker–Planck system: global-in-time solution and dispersive effects
Authors: Arnold Anton , Dhamo Elidon , Manzini Chiara 
Published: December 2006

This paper is concerned with the Wigner–Poisson–Fokker–Planck system, a kinetic evolution equation for an open quantum system with a non-linear Hartree potential. Existence, uniqueness and regularity of global solutions to the Cauchy problem in 3 dimensions are established. The analysis is carried out in a weighted

L^{2}

-space, such that the linear quantum Fokker–Planck operator generates a dissipative semigroup. The non-linear potential can be controlled by using the parabolic regularization of the system.

The main technical difficulty for establishing global-in-time solutions is to derive a-priori estimates on the electric field: Inspired by a strategy for the classical Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation, we exploit dispersive effects of the free transport operator. As a “by-product” we also derive a new a-priori estimate on the field in the Wigner–Poisson equation.

Résumé

On considère le système de Wigner–Poisson–Fokker–Planck, une équation évolutive cinétique pour un système quantique ouvert sujet à un potentiel non-linéaire du type Hartree. On démontre l'existence, l'unicité et la régularité pour les solutions du problème de Cauchy en dimension 3. On travaille dans un espace

L^{2}

avec poids, où l'opérateur de Fokker–Planck engendre un semi group dissipatif. La régularisation parabolique du dernier operateur contrôle le potentiel non-linéaire.

D'un côté technique, la difficulté principale pour établir l'existence globale en temps des solutions réside démontrer des bornes a-priori pour le champ électrique : on étend une stratégie issue de l'équation classique de Vlasov–Fokker–Planck qu'utilise les effets dispersifs d'équation du transport libre. En conséquence, on obtient aussi une nouvelle borne pour le champ dans le cas de Wigner–Poisson.
An evolutionary double-well problem
Authors: Tang Qi , Zhang Kewei 
Published: December 2006

We establish the existence theorem and study the long time behaviour of the following PDE problem:

\begin{cases}
u_{t}−\mathrm{div}\mathrm{∇}W(\mathrm{∇}u)−f(x) = 0 &\text{in }\Omega \times (0,−\infty ), \\ \mathrm{∇}W(\mathrm{∇}u) \cdot \mathbf{n}|_{\partial \Omega \times (0,\infty )} = 0, \\
u(x,0) = u_{0}(x)&\text{in }\Omega
\end{cases}

where

W

is a specially given quasiconvex double-well function and

f \in L^{2}(\Omega )

is a given function independent of time

t

. In particular, the existence theorem is established for general given source term

f

, the long time behaviour is analyzed under the assumption that

\int _{\Omega }f(x)\:\mathrm{d}x = 0

.

The system is an evolutionary quasimonotone system. We believe that the existence of solutions established here is stronger than the usual Young Measure solution and is the first of its kind. The existence of a compact

ω

-limit set as

t\rightarrow \infty

is also established under some non-restrictive conditions.
A review of gene linkage, association and expression studies in autism and an assessment of convergent evidence
Authors: Yang Mao Sheng , Gill Michael 
Published: December 2006

AbstractAutism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high heritability and a likely complex genetic architecture. Much genetic evidence has accumulated in the last 20 years but no gene has been unequivocally identified as containing risk variants for autism. In this article we review the past and present literature on neuro‐pathological, genetic linkage, genetic association, and gene expression studies in this disorder. We sought convergent evidence to support particular genes or chromosomal regions that might be likely to contain risk DNA variants.The convergent evidence from these studies supports the current hypotheses that there are multiple genetic loci predisposing to autism, and that genes involved in neurodevelopment are especially important for future genetic studies. Convergent evidence suggests the chromosome regions 7q21.2–q36.2, 16p12.1–p13.3, 6q14.3–q23.2, 2q24.1–q33.1, 17q11.1–q21.2, 1q21–q44 and 3q21.3–q29, are likely to contain risk genes for autism. Taken together with results from neuro‐pathological studies, genes involved in brain development located at the above regions should be prioritized for future genetic research.
The use of GIS to evaluate and map extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in Spain
Authors: Luna M. Y. , Morata A. , Almarza C. , Martín M. L. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractSpanish building legislation has recently changed and now requires an updated and restructured Technical Building Code which is in accordance with European directives. The norm contained in this Code is based on studies of extreme values for climatic elements such as temperature, precipitation and wind. Revised maps of extreme values for climatic elements with a 50‐year recurrence interval are required. Here, extreme maximum and minimum temperature maps for Spain are evaluated and mapped by means of geographical information technology. The data are extracted from the historical database held by the Spanish Meteorological Institute. Daily extreme temperatures from 1,181 stations with records going back more than 30 years have been used. The maximum and minimum temperatures are determined as 50‐year mean recurrence interval values. To obtain these values, a Gumbel distribution is fitted to the extreme annual values extracted from the database. Spatial interpolation in a regular 5 km×5 km grid of the annual maximum temperature is made by ordinary kriging. Meanwhile, for the annual minimum temperature a residual kriging has been applied due to its strong dependence on altitude. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synoptic characteristics of dust storms observed in Inner Mongolia and their influence on the downwind area (the Beijing–Tianjin Region)
Authors: Tao Gao , Yongfu Xu , Yuhua Bo , Xiao Yu 
Published: December 2006

AbstractSpringtime meteorological and satellite data from 1971 to 2000 have been used to assess surface desertification and grassland deterioration to obtain a better understanding of the synoptic characteristics of dust storms observed in Inner Mongolia, the relationship between dust storms and their impact on the Beijing‐Tianjin Region, and the effect of climatic change on the surface environment of dust storm source areas in Inner Mongolia. Based on the statistics and the analysis of weather charts during each dust storm event, details and characteristics of sand and dust source regions, such as cold air paths, areas of strong winds and typical synoptic types were obtained. Temperature was found to be the most significant indicator of climate change in the dust storm source regions, having increased by 1.01°C in the Alxa source region and by 0.96°C in Hunshdak over the past three decades. Other factors include lack of precipitation, higher evaporation, lower relative humidity, soil desertification and decrease of grasslands in the source regions. As a consequence, nearly two‐thirds of the very strong dust storm events observed in Inner Mongolia (characterised by horizontal visibility below 1000 m and wind speeds of 12 m s−1 or over) led to suspended dust or dust storms in the downwind area, the Beijing‐Tianjin Region. This study also analyses the upper air and surface weather charts of 58 very strong dust storm events and established the direction of three cold air paths: northwesterly, westerly and northerly. The northwesterly cold air path is seen as the major one, responsible for 58.6% of the dust storm episodes. In addition, the observed areas where strong winds occur lie mostly across the central‐west and central regions of Inner Mongolia. Finally, the synoptic situations associated with dust storm events can be classified into three types: trough, northwesterly current and Mongolian vortex. The predominant synoptic system is the trough, responsible for 63.8% of the 58 events analysed in this study. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Climate for crops: integrating climate data with information about soils and crop requirements to reduce risks in agricultural decision‐making
Authors: Wratt D. S. , Tait A. , Griffiths G. , Espie P. , Jessen M. , Keys J. , Ladd M. , Lew D. , Lowther W. , Mitchell N. , Morton J. , Reid J. , Reid S. , Richardson A. , Sansom J. , Shankar U. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractLocally applicable information about climate and soil properties can help farmers identify opportunities and reduce risks associated with changing to new land uses. This article describes techniques for preparing high‐resolution regional maps and GIS surfaces of agriculturally relevant climate parameters. Ways of combining these climate surfaces with soil data and information about the physical requirements of crops to identify areas likely to be the most suitable for new high‐value crops are then outlined. Innovative features include methods for merging observations from temporary climate stations installed for one to two years in conjunction with longer‐term climate station observations to improve input data for the maps, and techniques for mapping quantiles of climatic factors that may constrain agricultural operations. Examples are the expected ‘one‐in‐five year’ first and last frost dates, and the ‘one‐in‐five year’ lowest and highest seasonal rainfalls. The use of night‐time satellite infrared observations to improve spatial resolution of frost hazard maps is also described. Typical standard errors of these climate mapping techniques are summarised. The benefits of ongoing consultation with local farmers and local government staff during the design and implementation of climate/soil/crop potential studies are described. These include optimising products to meet local needs, quality control of the resulting maps and GIS surfaces through local knowledge, and improved uptake of information by users. Further applications of techniques described in this paper include products useful to the energy sector, preparation of daily gridded climate data estimates for use in water quality and plant growth modelling, and development of regional climate change scenarios. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthetic dataset to benchmark global tomographic methods
Authors: Qin Yilong , Capdeville Yann , Maupin Valerie , Montagner Jean‐Paul 
Published: December 2006

A new set of global synthetic seismograms calculated in a three‐dimensional (3‐D), heterogeneous, anisotropic, anelastic model of the Earth using the spectral element method has been released by the European network SPICE (Seismic Wave Propagation and Imaging in Complex Media: a European Network). The set consists of 7424 three‐component records with a minimum period of 32 seconds, a sampling rate of one second, and a duration of 10,500 seconds.The aim of this synthetic data set is to conduct a blind test of existing global tomographic methods based on long‐period data, in order to test how current imaging techniques are limited by approximations in theory and by the inadequacy of data quality and coverage.The correlation between modern global tomographic models is generally correct at long wavelengths, but these tomographic models are less similar at shorter wavelengths [Becker and Boschi, 2002].In order to interpret the fine details of tomographic models, it is a fundamental prerequisite to understand quantitatively the resolving properties of specific imaging algorithms. Without knowledge of the true model, it is difficult to properly evaluate the tomographic methods.
Toward broad community collaboration in geoinformatics
Authors: Fox Peter , Gundersen Linda , Lehnert Kerstin , McGuinness Deborah , Sinha Krishna , Snyder Walt 
Published: December 2006

A Town Hall meeting at the upcoming AGU Fall Meeting will be held under the theme “Envisioning the future of Earth science data and knowledge access through a broad national geoinformatics collaboration.”Geoinformatics (GI) is understood as a distributed, integrated digital information system and working environment that provides innovative means for the study of the Sun‐Earth system and other planets through the use of advanced information technologies. It is an emerging science and technology frontier, and it is increasingly recognized as a relevant part of the broader cyberinfrastructure for the sciences (see U.S. National Science Foundation Blue Ribbon Panel Report at http://www.nsf.gov/od/oci/reports/toc.jsp), both within the academic and applied Earth and planetary science and computer science communities as well as in federal and state agencies.
Effect of standard medication on quality of life of patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: KAWASHIMA Makoto , HARADA Shotaro 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTPatients with atopic dermatitis present with debilitating symptoms, including pruritus and subsequent excoriation, which significantly reduces their quality of life (QOL). At present, the standard therapy for atopic dermatitis constitutes a topical steroid and/or a topical immunomodulator, an emollient and an oral antihistamine, although few studies have reported the effect of this treatment regimen on QOL. The current study aimed to verify the efficacy of the standard therapy for both clinical symptom severity and patient QOL, assessed using the validated Skindex‐16 questionnaire. Atopic dermatitis patients receiving the standard therapy (n = 771) were enrolled in the current phase IV, multicenter, 12‐week, open‐label study. The Rajka and Langeland scale (used to rate the severity of atopic dermatitis symptoms) and the Skindex‐16 QOL questionnaire were completed at weeks 0 (baseline), 4 and 12. Of 415 patients completing the questionnaire at all time points (per‐protocol population), 95.2% were prescribed the antihistamine fexofenadine HCl 60 mg. There were significant improvements in symptoms, emotions and functioning scale scores at weeks 4 and 12 compared with baseline (P < 0.005). Discomfort associated with itching, as assessed by item 1 on the Skindex‐16, improved over the treatment period (score decreased by 1 and 2 in 75.2% and 50.9% of patients, respectively). Significant (P < 0.005) improvements from baseline in global scores were also observed at weeks 4 and 12, and for week 12 compared with week 4. Severity scores improved significantly (P < 0.005) from weeks 0–4 and from weeks 4–12. The standard therapy was generally well tolerated with only mild adverse events reported (0.5%). These data suggest that patients with atopic dermatitis and associated pruritus experience significant improvements in both symptom severity and QOL when receiving standard therapy.
Effectiveness of modified phenol peel (Exoderm) on facial wrinkles, acne scars and other skin problems of Asian patients
Authors: PARK Jeong‐Hoon , CHOI Yun‐Duck , KIM Sung‐Wan , KIM Yang‐Che , PARK Sung‐Wook 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTDeep depth peeling using phenol is one of the most effective chemical peeling methods. However, it has been rarely used on Asian people because of side‐effects, especially hypopigmentation. In order to reduce side‐effects, a number of modified phenol peeling formulas were developed. Exoderm, a modified phenol peel, has shown reduced side‐effects such as arrhythmia, long‐lasting erythema, hypopigmentation, hypertrophic scar and keloid. In the present study, our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of Exoderm on wrinkles, acne scars, and melasma and its safety for Asian patients. Forty‐six patients were treated with Exoderm. Twenty‐eight patients (61%) were treated for wrinkles and 11 patients (24%) for acne scars. Clinical improvement and side‐effects were evaluated and the degree of improvement was graded into four stages. The overall average improvement scores were 3.39 and 3.30 out of 4.00 as evaluated by the doctor and patient, respectively. Forty‐one patients (89%) showed 51% or more improvement. All patients with wrinkles improved 51% or more and their average improvement score was 3.64 out of 4.00. Seven of 11 patients (64%) with acne scars improved 51% or more and their average improvement score was 2.73 out of 4.00. The most frequent side‐effect was postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (74%). Prolonged erythema, keloid and milia were observed temporarily, however, hypopigmentation persisted for 6 months in the follow‐up period. All side‐effects were tolerable and reversible except for one complication of hypopigmentation. We conclude that Exoderm is very effective for treating the facial wrinkles and acne scars of Asian patients.