bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Probing the viscoelastic properties of brominated isobutylene‐co‐p‐methylstyrene rubber/tackifier blends using a rubber process analyzer
Authors: Kumar K. Dinesh , Gupta Sanjiv , Sharma B.B. , Tsou Andy H. , Bhowmick Anil K. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThe viscoelastic behavior of brominated isobutylene‐co‐p‐methylstyrene (BIMS) rubber/hydrocarbon resin blends and BIMS/phenol formaldehyde resin blends was studied with the use of a rubber process analyzer. Dynamic mechanical analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the compatibility between the BIMS/tackifier blends. Strain sweep tests at temperature below the softening point of the tackifiers showed the formation of resin–resin networks in the incompatible BIMS/phenolic resin blends. However, resin–resin network was not prominent in the case of the compatible BIMS/hydrocarbon resin blends. Frequency sweep tests were performed at the strain amplitude within the linear region at several temperatures and the variations of shear storage modulus, G′ and complex viscosity, η* against frequency were recorded. The tackifying resins modified the viscoelastic properties of the BIMS rubber by reducing the storage modulus at lower frequency and by increasing the storage modulus at higher frequencies. However, this action was found to be highly dependent on (a) rubber‐tackifier compatibility, (b) blend proportions, and (c) test temperature. Furthermore, stress relaxation measurements of the BIMS/tackifier blends at temperature below the softening point of the tackifiers showed longer period of relaxation for the incompatible BIMS/phenolic resin blends. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
Shunting problems due to sub‐micron pinholes in evaporated solid‐phase crystallised poly‐Si thin‐film solar cells on glass
Authors: Kunz O. , Wong J. , Janssens J. , Bauer J. , Breitenstein O. , Aberle A.G. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractRecent progress in the metallisation of poly‐silicon thin‐film solar cells on glass, created by solid phase crystallisation (SPC) of evaporated amorphous silicon (EVA), revealed that shunting through sub‐micron holes (density 100–200 mm−2) in the films causes severe shunting problems when the air‐side metal contact is deposited onto these diodes, by creating effective shunting paths between the two highly doped layers of EVA cells. We present evidence of these pinholes by optical transmission and focussed ion beam (FIB) microscopic images and confirm the point‐like pinhole shunts using lock‐in thermographic images. The latter revealed that the Al rear electrode induces strong ohmic shunts below the grid lines and a high density of weak non‐linear shunts away from the grid lines. Two distinctly different approaches are shown to reduce the shunting problem to a negligible level: (i) to contact only a small fraction of the rear Si surface via a point contacting scheme, whereby the metal layer needs to be thin (<1 µm) and the fractional area coverage small (<5%), and (ii) to deposit line contacts in a bifacial interdigitated scheme, whereby a thick layer of metal is deposited followed by a wet‐chemical etching step that effectively reduces shunting by preferentially etching away the shunting paths. Test devices with an area of 1 cm2achieve pseudo fill factors (pFF) of above 75% and diode ideality factors of below 1·3, demonstrating that the proposed methods are well suited for the metallisation of the rear surface of EVA solar cells. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are psychedelic drug treatments seeing a comeback in psychiatry?
Authors: St John Sessa Benjamin 
Published: October 2008

AbstractAfter a hiatus of nearly 40 years, psychedelic drugs (or hallucinogens) are being increasingly researched as possible adjuncts to psychotherapy for treatment‐resistant anxiety disorders and addictions.This research offers an exciting future for this class of drugs whose image has been tarnished by recreational use since the 1960s.Through cautious and evidence‐based studies, these medications could be finding their way back to where they began their lives: as valid and effective tools for clinical medicine and neuroscientific research. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd
Circadin: a new option in sleep disorders
Authors: Greener Mark 
Published: October 2008

AbstractCircadin ‐ a prolonged‐release formulation containing 2mg melatonin ‐ offers a promising short‐term treatment for primary insomnia that is characterised by poor sleep quality in patients aged 55 years or over. Medical writer, Mark Greener, reviews this new addition to the sleep treatment armamentarium. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd
Advances and frustrations in paediatric psychiatry ‐ Interview with Professor Sir Michael Rutter
Authors: Greener Mark 
Published: October 2008

AbstractRutter's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is one of the best‐established and highly regarded textbooks covering paediatric psychiatry. To mark the publication of the 5th edition of this influential volume, Progress talked to chief editor Professor Sir Michael Rutter, from the Institute of Psychiatry. Professor Rutter discussed some of the advances that prompted the new edition;his concerns regarding the disconnect between science and service provision, and his belief that clinicians and bureaucrats need to view mental disorders from a life course perspective. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd
British Association for Psychopharmacology Summer meeting: Can't sleep, won't sleep – But why not?
Authors: Anaokar Maya 
Published: October 2008

AbstractCircadian rhythm is no longer an unknown black box but an increasingly well‐understood aspect of human biology that plays a crucial role in sleep. Medical writer, Maya Anaokar, reports from a satellite symposium organised by Lundbeck at the British Association for Psychopharmacology's Summer meeting in July. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd
Predictive QSPR modeling of the acidic dissociation constant (pKa) of phenols in different solvents
Authors: Roy Kunal , Popelier Paul L. A. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractGiven the importance of ionization constant (pKa) of phenols in explaining the mechanism of their toxicity, it is of interest to develop theoretical models for the prediction of pKa values of phenols in different solvent systems. In the present communication, we developed predictive QSPR models for pKa values of substituted phenols in seven different solvent systems such as water, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol, dimethylformamide (DMF), acetonitrile (AN), isopropanol, and tert‐butanol using quantum topological molecular similarity (QTMS) descriptors. The data set was divided into training and test sets, and models were developed using partial least squares (PLS) regression from the training set. The predictive potential of the developed models was assessed by the prediction of pKa values of the test set compounds. Root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values were used as objective function for selection of the best models in different solvent systems. Good predictive models were developed in all solvent systems except isopropanol. Considering all seven solvent systems, distance descriptors give consistently good results whereas ellipticity descriptors are of less importance. Moreover, plots of ‘variable importance in the projection’ (VIP) for the best models highlight the importance of the bond connecting the phenolic oxygen to the aromatic ring. This suggests the diagnostic nature of QTMS descriptors in identifying the reaction center in acidic dissociation of phenols. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A [‐2]proPSA‐based artificial neural network significantly improves differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostatic diseases
Authors: Stephan Carsten , Kahrs Anna‐Maria , Cammann Henning , Lein Michael , Schrader Mark , Deger Serdar , Miller Kurt , Jung Klaus 
Published: October 2008

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to combine the new automated Access [‐2]proPSA (p2PSA) assay with a percent free PSA (%fPSA) based artificial neural network (ANN) or logistic regression (LR) model to enhance discrimination between patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and with no evidence of malignancy (NEM) and to detect aggressive PCa.MethodsSera from 311 PCa patients and 275 NEM patients were measured with the p2PSA, total PSA (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) assays on Access immunoassay technology (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA) within the 0–30 ng/ml tPSA range. Four hundred seventy‐five patients (264 PCa, 211 NEM) had a tPSA of 2–10 ng/ml. LR models and leave‐one‐out (LOO) ANN models with Bayesian regularization by using tPSA, %fPSA, p2PSA/fPSA (%p2PSA), age and prostate volume were constructed and compared by receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.ResultsThe ANN and LR model each utilizing %p2PSA, %fPSA, tPSA and age, but without prostate volume, reached the highest AUCs (0.85 and 0.84) and best specificities (ANN: 62.1% and 45.5%; LR: 53.1% and 41.2%) compared with tPSA (22.7% and 11.4%) and %fPSA (45.5% and 26.1%) at 90% and 95% sensitivity. The %p2PSA furthermore distinguished better than tPSA and %fPSA between pT2 and pT3, and Gleason sum <7 and ≥7 PCa.ConclusionsThe automated p2PSA assay offers a new tool to improve PCa detection, and especially aggressive PCa detection. Incorporation of %p2PSA into an ANN and LR model further enhances the diagnostic accuracy to differentiate between malignant and non‐malignant prostate diseases. Prostate 69: 198–207, 2009. © 2008 Wiley–Liss, Inc.
Dihydrotestosterone sensitises LNCaP cells to death induced by epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) or an IGF‐i receptor inhibitor
Authors: Thomas Francis , Patel Suril , Holly Jeff M.P. , Persad Raj , Bahl Amit , Perks Claire M. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractBACKGROUNDCompelling evidence has accumulated for chemopreventive effects for the active component of green tea Epigallocatechin‐3‐Gallate (EGCG) particularly for prostate cancer (CaP).METHODSWe have assessed interactions between the effects of EGCG and two main regulators of prostate cell function, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐I). Using LNCaP (androgen‐sensitive), PC3 and DU145 (androgen‐resistant) CaP cell lines, we assessed the effect of EGCG alone on growth (0–200 µM) and on cell death (0–50 µM).RESULTSEGCG decreased the proliferation of all the CaP cancer cells in a dose‐dependent manner with an increase in apoptosis from 30 to 50 µM. With DU145 cells, a sub‐apoptotic dose of EGCG (10–20 µM) reduced IGF‐induced growth. With LNCaP cells, a sub‐apoptotic dose of EGCG (8 µM) switched DHT from a growth promoter to a growth inhibitor. A similar reversal of DHT effect was seen in the presence of an IGF‐I receptor inhibitor, AG1024 (1 µM). These responses appeared to be due to DHT sensitizing the cells to apoptosis by EGCG and AG1024 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001 respectively).CONCLUSIONSOur data suggests that both green tea and AG1024 are effective in inhibiting cell growth and inducing death in CaP cells but the effects of both are more effective in the presence of androgen. Prostate 69: 219–224, 2009. © 2008 Wiley–Liss, Inc.
G protein inactive and active forms investigated by simulation methods
Authors: Khafizov Kamil , Lattanzi Gianluca , Carloni Paolo 
Published: October 2008

AbstractMolecular dynamics and computational alanine scanning techniques have been used to investigate G proteins in their inactive state (the Gαi1β1γ2 heterotrimer) as well as in their empty and monomeric active states (Gαi1 subunit). We find that: (i) the residue Q204 of Gαi1 plays a key role for binding Gβ1γ2 and is classified among the most relevant in the interaction with a key cellular partner, the so‐called regulator of G protein signaling protein. The mutation of this residue to L, which is observed in a variety of diseases, provides still fair stability to the inactive state because of the formation of van der Waals interactions. (ii) The empty state turns out to adopt some structural features of the active one, including a previously unrecognized rearrangement of a key residue (K46). (iii) The so‐called Switch IV region increases its mobility on passing from the empty to the active state, and, even more, to the inactive state. Such change in mobility could be important for its several structural and functional roles. (iv) A large scale motion of the helical domain in the inactive state might be important for GDP release upon activation by GPCR, consistently with experimental data. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fullerene solubility–current density relationship in polymer solar cells
Authors: Renz Joachim A. , Troshin Pavel A. , Gobsch Gerhard , Razumov V. F. , Hoppe Harald 
Published: October 2008

AbstractDuring the last decade polymer solar cells have undergone a steady increase in overall device efficiency. To date, essential efficiency improvements of polymer–fullerene solar cells require the development of new materials. Whilst most research efforts aim at an improved or spectrally extended absorption of the donor polymer, not so much attention has been paid to the fullerene properties themselves. We have investigated a number of structurally related fullerenes, in order to study the relationship between chemical structure and resulting polymer–fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic properties. Our study reveals a clear connection between the fullerene solubility as material property on one hand and the solar cells short circuit photocurrent on the other hand. The tendency of the less soluble fullerene derivates to aggregate was accounted for smaller current densities in the respective solar cells. Once a minimum solubility of approx. 25 mg/ml in chlorobenzene was overcome by the fullerene derivative, the short circuit current density reached a plateau, of about 8–10 mA/cm2. Thus the solubility of the fullerene derivative directly influences the blend morphology and displays an important parameter for efficient polymer–fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cell operation. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The relationship between geomorphic river adjustment and management actions over the last 50 years in the Upper Hunter Catchment, NSW, Australia
Authors: Spink Alexandra , Fryirs Kirstie , Brierley Gary 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThe installation of 517 river works in the upper Hunter catchment, New South Wales over the last 50 years is linked to geomorphic river adjustment and flood history at catchment and reach scales. Nineteen types of works are classified into three categories consisting of engineering, heavy machinery and vegetation works. Since 1952, a transition in techniques has been detected from engineering‐based approaches, to river training/maintenance, to more ecosystem‐based approaches. From the 1950s to the mid‐1980s extensive river engineering was undertaken. Projects were concentrated along laterally unconfined rivers and were generally implemented after major phases of geomorphic river adjustment. Neither the type of river nor the type of river adjustment guided the implementation of differing management techniques or their distribution in the catchment. A blanket approach was adopted, applying the same types of works across all types of river. Emphasis was placed upon concerns for bank instability rather than bed instability. Hence in many cases, river works addressed the symptoms (i.e. bank erosion) rather than the underlying causes of river change (i.e. bed incision). Since the mid 1980s, techniques have evolved towards vegetation‐based procedures. The development of more effective river rehabilitation programmes requires that greater consideration is given to proactive strategies which build upon an understanding of geomorphic river adjustments at the catchment scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carrier phase recovery for turbo‐coded systems with pre‐coded GMSK modulation
Authors: Wu Zhuo , Zhou Liang , Burr Alister G. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractA carrier phase recovery scheme suited for turbo‐coded systems with pre‐coded Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) modulation is proposed and evaluated in terms of bit‐error‐rate (BER) performance. This scheme involves utilizing the extrinsic information obtained from the turbo‐decoder to aid an iterative carrier phase estimation process, based on a maximum‐likelihood (ML) strategy. The phase estimator works jointly with the turbo‐decoder, using the updated extrinsic information from the turbo‐decoder in every iterative decoding. A pre‐coder is used to remove the inherent differential encoding of the GMSK modulation. Two bandwidths of GMSK signals are considered: BT=0.5 and 0.25, which are recommended by the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS). It is shown that the performance of this technique is quite close to the perfect synchronized system within a wide range of phase errors. This technique is further developed to recover nearly any phase error in [−π,+π] by increasing the number of phase estimators and joint decoding units. This, however, will increase the complexity of the system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Opportunity discovery, entrepreneurial action, and economic organization
Authors: Klein Peter G. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThis article reviews and critiques the opportunity discovery approach to entrepreneurship and argues that entrepreneurship can be more thoroughly grounded, and more closely linked to more general problems of economic organization by adopting the Cantillon‐Knight‐Mises understanding of entrepreneurship as judgment. The article begins by distinguishing among occupational, structural, and functional approaches to entrepreneurship and distinguishing among two influential interpretations of the entrepreneurial function—discovery and judgment. It turns next to the contemporary literature on opportunity identification and argues that this literature misinterprets Kirzner's instrumental use of the discovery metaphor and mistakenly makes opportunities the unit of analysis. The article then describes an alternative approach in which investment is the unit of analysis and link this approach to Austrian capital theory. I close with some applications to organizational form and entrepreneurial teams. Copyright © 2008 Strategic Management Society.
A Bayesian multilevel model for estimating the diet/disease relationship in a multicenter study with exposures measured with error: The EPIC study
Authors: Ferrari Pietro , Carroll Raymond J. , Gustafson Paul , Riboli Elio 
Published: October 2008

AbstractIn a multicenter study, the overall relationship between diet and cancer risk can be broken down into: (a) within‐center relationships, which reflect the relationships at the individual level in each of the centers, and (b) a between‐center relationship, which captures the association between exposure and disease risk at the aggregate level. In this work, we propose the use of a Bayesian multilevel model that takes into account the within‐ and between‐center levels of evidence, using information at the individual and aggregate level. Correction for measurement error is performed in order to correct for systematic between‐center measurement error in dietary exposure, and for attenuation biases in relative risk estimates within centers. The estimation of the parameters is carried out in a Bayesian framework using Gibbs sampling. The model entails a measurement, an exposure, and a disease component. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) the association between lipid intake, assessed through dietary questionnaire and 24‐hour dietary recall, and breast cancer incidence was evaluated. This analysis involved 21 534 women and 334 incident breast cancer cases from the EPIC calibration study. In this study, total energy intake was positively associated with breast cancer incidence at the aggregate level, whereas no effect was observed for fat. At the individual level, height was positively related to breast cancer incidence, whereas a weaker association was observed for fat. The use of multilevel models, which constitute a very powerful approach to estimating individual vs aggregate levels of evidence should be considered in multicenter studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling of viral dynamics in hepatitis B and hepatitis C clinical trials
Authors: Sypsa Vana , Hatzakis Angelos 
Published: October 2008

AbstractIn the recent years, studies of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) dynamics have drawn great attention as they provide insight into the process of virus elimination/production and of infected cells decay during antiviral treatment. Estimates of viral dynamic parameters may be used to determine the lifetime of HCV/HBV virions and of infected cells, to estimate how long patients need to be treated and to evaluate antiviral therapies. The implementation of viral dynamics studies is difficult because they involve an intensive blood‐sampling schedule and subsequent viral load quantification. In the majority of these studies, a model proposed by Neumann et al. (Science 1998; 282:103–107) is used under various assumptions, such as ignoring the delay in initial viral load decay, assuming time‐constant treatment efficacy in reducing virion production and/or complete blocking of new infections, etc. However, only recently the effect of some of these assumptions on the estimated parameters has been evaluated. In this paper we provide a detailed review of the model, its underlying assumptions as well as the assumptions usually made by researchers during the design and analysis of viral dynamics studies. Then, we investigate the effect of these assumptions on the estimated parameters using simulations and draw useful conclusions concerning the analysis of these studies. Real data examples from a clinical trial on hepatitis B are provided as illustrations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Sago Starch Addition and Steaming Time on Making Cassava Cracker (Keropok)
Authors: Tongdang Taewee , Meenun Mutita , Chainui Janphen 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThis work was aimed at investigating the effects of steaming time and different fractions of sago starch (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24%) in mixtures with cassava starch on the properties of crackers as compared to cassava crackers. In the hydrothermal process, the steaming period was varied from 25 to 120 min. The properties of raw starches, half‐finished crackers (HFC) and puffed crackers (PC) were determined. Raw cassava starch had lower amylose content, smaller granule size, lower gelatinization and lower swelling power than sago starch. The properties of the raw starch mixtures varied according to the mixing proportions. Both sago starch content and steaming time influenced cracker quality, especially its expansion, which was related to the degree of gelatinization (DG). Increasing sago starch content caused decreased DG of HFC and hence decreased cracker expansion. Two groups of HFC were obtained; low DG (55–65%, 25‐45 min steaming time) and high DG (>80%, 60‐120 min steaming time) HFC. Generally the expansion increased as the DG increased – however, a too long steaming period (>75 min) again reduced expansion, apparently the thinner starch gel allowed collapse of the air cells. No treatment gave complete gelatinization; which could be due to insufficient water for starch to gelatinize.