bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrating technology readiness into technology acceptance: The TRAM model
Authors: Lin Chien‐Hsin , Shih Hsin‐Yu , Sher Peter J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBased on previous theoretical streams, the present study integrates technology readiness (TR) into the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the context of consumer adoption of e‐service systems, and theorizes that the impact of TR on use intention is completely mediated by both perceptions of usefulness and ease of use. TAM was originally developed to predict people's technology‐adopting behavior at work environments, but this research stemmed from a questioning of its applicability in marketing (i.e., non‐work) settings. The differences between the two settings are exhibited by consumers' self‐determining selection behavior and their high involvement in the e‐service creation and delivery process. This paper first reviews the TAM and the construct of technology readiness, and then proposes and empirically tests an integrated Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) to augment TAM by taking technology readiness construct into the realm of consumers' adoption of innovations. The results indicate that TRAM substantially broadens the applicability and the explanatory power of either of the prior models and may be a better way to gauge technology adoption in situations where adoption is not mandated by organizational objectives. Further, theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interactions between metal chlorides and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) in concentrated solutionsand solid‐state films
Authors: Hao Chaowei , Zhao Ying , Zhou Yong , Zhou Lijuan , Xu Yizhuang , Wang Dujin , Xu Duanfu 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe rheological behavior of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)/N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions containing metal chlorides (LiCl, CaCl2, and CoCl2) were investigated, and the results showed that the nature of the metal ions and their concentration had an obvious effect on the steady‐state rheological behavior of PVP–DMF solutions with different molecular weights. The apparent viscosity of the PVP–DMF solutions increased with an increasing metal‐ion concentration, and the viscosity increment was dependent on the metal‐ion variety. For a CaCl2‐containing PVP–DMF solution, for example, the critical shear rate at the onset of shear thinning became smaller with increasing CaCl2 concentration. It was believed that multiple interactions among metal ions, carbonyl groups of PVP, and amide groups in DMF determined the solution properties of these complex fluids; therefore, 13C NMR spectroscopy was used to detect the interactions in systems of PVP–CaCl2–DMF and PVP–LiCl–DMF solutions. NMR data showed that there were obvious interactions between the metal ions and the carbonyl groups of the PVP segments in the DMF solutions. Furthermore, IR spectra of the PVP/metal chloride composites demonstrated that the interaction between the metal ions and carbonyl groups in the PVP unit occurred and that the PVP chain underwent conformational variations with the metal‐ion concentration. DSC results indicated that the glass transition temperatures of the PVP/metal chloride composites increased with the addition of metal ions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1589–1598, 2007
Formation of β‐iPP in isotactic polypropylene/ethylene–propylene rubber blends: Effects of preparation method, composition, and thermal condition
Authors: Shangguan Yonggang , Zhao Li , Tao Liyang , Zheng Qiang 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe effects of preparation method, composition, and thermal condition on formation of β‐iPP in isotactic polypropylene/ethylene–propylene rubber (iPP/EPR) blends were studied using modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and phase contrast microscopy (PCM). It was found that the α‐iPP and β‐iPP can simultaneity form in the melt‐blended samples, whereas only α‐iPP exists in the solution‐blended samples. The results show that the formation of β‐iPP in the melt‐blended samples is related to the crystallization temperature and the β‐iPP generally diminishes and finally vanishes when the crystallization temperature moves far from 125 °C. The phenomena that the lower critical temperature of β‐iPP in iPP/EPR obviously increases to 114 °C and the upper critical temperature decreases to 134 °C indicate the narrowing of temperature interval, facilitating the formation of β‐iPP in iPP/EPR. Furthermore, it was found that the amount of β‐iPP in melt‐blended iPP/EPR samples is dependent on the composition and the maximum amount of β‐iPP formed when the composition of iPP/EPR blends is 85:15 in weight. The results through examining the effect of annealing for iPP/EPR samples at melt state indicate that this annealing may eliminate the susceptibility to β‐crystallization of iPP. However, only α‐iPP can be observed in solution‐blended samples subjected to annealing for different time. The PCM images demonstrate that an obvious phase‐separation happens in both melt‐blended and solution‐blended iPP/EPR samples, implying that compared with the disperse degree of EPR in iPP, the preparation method plays a dominant role in formation of β‐iPP. It is suggested that the origin of formation of β‐iPP results from the thermomechanical history of the EPR component in iPP/EPR. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1704–1712, 2007
Novel ethero atoms containing polyesters based on 2,6‐naphthalendicarboxylic acid: A comparative study with poly(butylene naphthalate)
Authors: Soccio Michelina , Finelli Lara , Lotti Nadia , Siracusa Valentina , Ezquerra Tiberio A. , Munari Andrea 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPoly(butylene naphthalate) (PBN), poly(diethylene naphthalate) (PDEN), and poly(thiodiethylene naphthalate) (PTDEN) were synthesized and characterized in terms of chemical structure and molecular weight. The polyesters were examined by TGA, DSC, and DMTA. All the polymers showed a good thermal stability, even though depending on chemical structure. At room temperature they appeared as semicrystalline materials; the effect of the introduction along the PBN polymer chain of ether oxygen atoms or sulfur ones was a lowering in the Tg value, a decrement of Tm, and a decrease of the crystallization rate. Changing in chemical structure also affects the main α absorption associated with the glass transition which moves to lower temperature and whose energetic requirements decrease. The results were explained as due to the presence of highly flexible CSC or COC bonds in the polymeric chain. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1694–1703, 2007
The family context and residential choice: A challenge for new research
Authors: Mulder Clara H. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractEven in today's Western societies, a substantial influence can be expected on residential choice (behaviour with respect to residential mobility, migration, location choice and housing quality) from the wider family context (parents, children and siblings living outside the household). In this paper, an agenda is presented for research investigating the influence of the wider family context on the residential choices of households and the feedback of these choices to segregation with regard to socioeconomic status and ethnicity. The results of the research will contribute to the academic literature on residential choice, family migration, family solidarity, and to societal and policy debates on social inequality and residential segregation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of cooling rate on the room‐temperature indentation creep of cast lead‐free Sn–Bi solder alloys
Authors: Mahmudi R. , Geranmayeh A. R. , Mahmoodi S. R. , Khalatbari A. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe influence of cooling rate on the creep behavior of cast Sn–(1–5)%Bi solder alloys was studied by indentation testing at room temperature. The alloys were prepared at two different cooling rates of 0.01 Ks–1 and 8 Ks–1. This affected the microstructure and thus, the creep behavior of the materials. The stress exponents were found to be about 9.5 and 14.5 for slowly cooled (SC) and fast cooled (FC) conditions, respectively. For a given level of Bi, the FC samples with the Bi mainly in solid solution were more creep resistant than the SC conditions. The lower creep resistance of the SC materials can be explained by the massive precipitation of Bi particles, which tend to segregate as a network in the matrix of the material. This leaves less Bi in solid solution and thus, weakens the hardening mechanism and decreases the creep resistance of these soft solder alloys. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Methods for one‐sided testing of the difference between proportions and sample size considerations related to non‐inferiority clinical trials
Authors: Dann Rebekkah S. , Koch Gary G. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAssessment of non‐inferiority is often performed using a one‐sided statistical test through an analogous one‐sided confidence limit. When the focus of attention is the difference in success rates between test and active control proportions, the lower confidence limit is computed, and many methods exist in the literature to address this objective. This paper considers methods which have been shown to be popular in the literature and have surfaced in this research as having good performance with respect to controlling type I error at the specified level. Performance of these methods is assessed with respect to power and type I error through simulations. Sample size considerations are also included to aid in the planning stages of non‐inferiority trials focusing on the difference in proportions. Results suggest that the appropriate method to use depends on the sample size allocation of subjects in the test and active control groups. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bounds on potential risks and causal risk differences under assumptions about confounding parameters
Authors: Chiba Yasutaka , Sato Tosiya , Greenland Sander 
Published: May 2007

AbstractNonparametric bounds on causal effects in observational studies are available under deterministic potential‐outcome models. We derive narrower bounds by adding assumptions regarding bias due to confounding. This bias is defined as the difference between the expectation of potential outcomes for the exposed group and that for the unexposed group. We show that crude effect measures bound causal effects under the given assumptions. We then derive bounds for randomized studies with noncompliance, which are given by the per protocol effect. With perfect compliance in one treatment group, the direction of effect becomes identifiable under our assumptions. Although the assumptions are not themselves identifiable, they are nonetheless reasonable in some situations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A solution to the controversy between rate and temporal coding
Authors: Shinomoto Shigeru , Koyama Shinsuke 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe apparent irregularity ofin vivospike sequences could be read as being derived either irregularly in time from a constant rate or regularly from a fluctuating rate. We recently proposed the Empirical Bayes method that selects one out of the alternative interpretations (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.2005;38:L531–L537). In this paper, we demonstrate that this method may also give a solution to the controversy between rate and temporal coding. For a given single sequence of spikes, the method may indicate two potential hypothetical rate processes, nearly constant and highly fluctuating, and selects one according to the statistical plausibility. As the rate fluctuation of a spike sequence is increased, the Bayesian interpretation exhibits a discontinuous transition from one to the other. In this way, a sequence of spikes can be distinctly categorized as either rate or temporal coding, according to the estimated degree of rate fluctuation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Persistent and redundant eustachian valve simulating atrial tumor: prenatal diagnosis
Authors: Arenas Ramírez J. , Castro C. Fernandez , Chouza M. Otero , Parugues B. Duplá , Sanchez R. Montes 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe eustachian valve, or valve of the inferior vena cava, is an embryogenic derivative of the right valve of the sinus venosus. Although it generally disappears during fetal life, its persistence may simulate symptoms of cardiac disease, particularly those associated with atrial tumors. We describe a case of prenatal diagnosis of a persistent, large and prominent eustachian valve with redundant tissue attached to the junction of the inferior vena cava and the right atrium. The neonate was asymptomatic and was healthy at 7 months of age at the time of writing. This is the first time that this finding has been diagnosed prenatally. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Standardization of three‐dimensional images in obstetrics and gynecology: consensus statement
Authors: Merz E. , Benoit B. , Blaas H. G. , Baba K. , Kratochwil A. , Nelson T. , Pretorius D. , Jurkovic D. , Chang F. M. , Lee A. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractStandardization of the display of ultrasound images has so far only been achieved in transabdominal two‐dimensional (2D) sonography. In contrast, there is a lack of uniformity in the demonstration of transvaginal 2D ultrasound images. The described non‐uniformity frequently leads to confusion in the assessment of an image, in particular with regard to the accurate anatomical assignment of left/right and dorsal/ventral. Three‐dimensional (3D) sonography offers a unique opportunity to avoid this confusion in the interpretation of ultrasound images, because, independent of primary volume acquisition, the volume can always be rotated so that the stored object can at all times be visualized in a known anatomical position, rendering it of no importance whether the image acquired transvaginally is demonstrated from above or from below. This will also be important in allowing fusion of ultrasound image data with computed tomographic, magnetic resonance and/or positron emission tomography images. In this article we suggest that standardization of transabdominal and transvaginal 3D images does not only provide the inexperienced physician/sonographer with a guide to spatial orientation, but also serves to avoid erroneous topographical interpretations. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Population‐based study of antenatal detection of congenital heart disease by ultrasound examination
Authors: Chew C. , Halliday J. L. , Riley M. M. , Penny D. J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractObjectivesUltrasound‐based screening is widely employed for the detection of congenital malformations in utero including congenital heart disease (CHD), but there is widespread variability in the efficacy of screening programs. We aimed to evaluate current antenatal detection rates of selected congenital heart defects in Victoria.MethodsData were collected from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit and Birth Defects Registry. There were 631 209 births in Victoria (1993–2002), of which 4897 cases had CHD. Cases included live births, stillbirths and termination of pregnancies because of CHD. We reviewed all cases from 1999 to 2002 with atrioventricular septal defect, simple coarctation of the aorta, double‐inlet or ‐outlet ventricle, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, simple transposition of the great arteries (TGA), tetralogy of Fallot and truncus arteriosus. Outcome measures were antenatal diagnosis, pregnancy outcome and associated malformations.ResultsThe overall birth prevalence of CHD from 1993 to 2002 in Victoria was 7.8/1000. The antenatal detection rate for the seven selected defects from 1999 to 2002 was 52.8%. All but 4.8% of the cases had an ultrasound examination at > 13 weeks' gestation. Antenatal detection was highest for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (84.6%) and lowest for simple TGA (17.0%).ConclusionsThis study shows wide variation in the antenatal detection rate of CHD in Victoria. The low antenatal detection rate of TGA, a defect that should be detected easily, demonstrates suboptimal routine obstetric anomaly scanning. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A thin and regular endometrium on ultrasound is very unlikely in patients with endometrial malignancy
Authors: Van den Bosch T. , Van Schoubroeck D. , Domali E. , Vergote I. , Moerman P. , Amant F. , Timmerman D. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical and sonographic features in patients with endometrial malignancy in whom endometrial thickness on ultrasound examination had been recorded in our database to be < 5 mm.MethodsThis was a retrospective observational study on 187 consecutive patients diagnosed with endometrial malignancy in whom an ultrasound evaluation of the endometrium had been performed in our institution. The characteristics of those patients presenting with an endometrial thickness < 5 mm were analyzed.ResultsThe median endometrial thickness was 15 mm: 12 mm for the women who underwent endometrial sampling before ultrasound examination vs. 17 mm in those who did not (P = 0.0086). In 13 women (6.9%), the endometrial thickness recorded in our database was < 5 mm. In 12 of these the measurment was compromised in some way: nine of these patients had undergone endometrial sampling (Pipelle biopsy in one and dilatation and curettage in eight patients) before the ultrasound examination, in two cases, focal malignant lesions were not included in the recorded endometrial thickness and in one, the endometrial thickness was visualized poorly due to myometrial distortion. In only one case was was the endometrium correctly measured to be < 5 mm; this woman had diffuse uterine and endometrial metastases of a breast cancer.ConclusionsA thin and regular endometrial line is very reliable for the exclusion of endometrial carcinoma. The suspicion of focal lesions as well as incomplete visualization of the endometrium on sonography should be considered abnormal. Recently performed endometrial sampling makes measurement of the endometrial thickness unreliable. Copyright © 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A practical analysis of communication characteristics for mobile and distributed pollution measurements on the road
Authors: Lahde Sven , Doering Michael , Pöttner Wolf‐Bastian , Lammert Gerrit , Wolf Lars 
Published: May 2007

AbstractMeasuring environmental data in city areas has become an important issue for municipalities due to several climate directives. As fixed measuring stations are inflexible, cost‐intensive, and limited to monitoring a specific spot, we developed a distributed environmental monitoring network called Environmental Monitoring in Metropolitan Areas (EMMA). This architecture is based on the delay tolerant networking approach and can be integrated into existing Public Transportation Networks (PTNs). Buses or other vehicles can be equipped with sensor nodes that gather data and forward messages. In order to evaluate the basic ideas of this project we performed a series of real‐world experiments. Besides analyzing the behavior of 802.11‐based Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) between moving vehicles in a controlled environment, we also evaluated the communication performance in urban environments. Moreover, we examined the qualification of a Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) implementation for spreading measurement results throughout the network. The suitability of EMMA's architecture has been successfully demonstrated by these experiments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SYNC‐NET: distributed time synchronization in clustered sensor networks
Authors: Younis Ossama , Fahmy Sonia 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTime synchronization is essential for several ad‐hoc network protocols and applications, such as TDMA scheduling and data aggregation. In this paper, we propose a time synchronization framework for clustered, multi‐hop sensor networks. We assume that relative node synchronization is sufficient, that is, consensus on one time value is not required. Our goal is to divide the network into connected synchronization regions (nodes within two‐hops) and perform inter‐regional synchronization in O(LLSync) × Niter time, where O(LLSync) denotes the complexity of the underlying low‐level synchronization technique (used for single‐hop synchronization), and Niter denotes the number of iterations where the low‐level synchronization protocol is invoked. Thus, our main objective is rapid convergence. We propose novel fully distributed protocols, SYNC‐IN and SYNC‐NET, for regional and network synchronization, respectively, and prove that Niter is O(1) for all protocols. Our framework does not require any special node capabilities (e.g., being global positioning systems (GPS)‐enabled), or the presence of reference nodes in the network. Our framework is also independent of the particular clustering, inter‐cluster routing, and low‐level synchronization protocols. We formulate a density model for analyzing inter‐regional synchronization, and evaluate our protocols via extensive simulations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Der instationäre Nachlauf hinter schlanken Auftriebskörpern in inkompressibler Strömung
Authors: Send W. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractDer von einem harmonisch schwingenden, stromlinienförmigen Auftriebskörper im Grenzfall unendlich großer Reynoldszahl erzeugte Nachlauf läßt sich durch eine infinitesimal dünne Wirbelschicht annähern, deren Abfluß die Wirbeltransportgleichung beschreibt. Angegeben wird ein analytisches Berechnungsverfahren für das durch diese Wirbelschicht im Raum hervorgerufene Geschwindigkeitsfeld und letzteres an einem Beispiel graphisch dargestellt.
An Extension of the Schwarz‐Christoffel Theory with Applications to Two‐Dimensional Ideal Flow Hydrodynamics
Authors: Owen D. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn a previous paper a general theory for the inverse mapping of curves onto the real axis was developed. In the present paper we illustrate how this theory can be used to solve certain two‐dimensional hydrodynamical problems involving the direct flow of an ideal infinite liquid past almost any symmetrically shaped body, finite or semi‐infinite. Eleven bodies are examined and the corresponding surface speed distributions are calculated.
Integralkonzepte für die Rißbewertung — eine aktuelle Trendanalyse von Rißkriterien der modernen Bruchmechanik
Authors: Michel B. , Will P. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractSeit den Arbeiten von Rice und Tscherepanow zum J‐Integral haben sich die integralen Rißkriterien zu einem bedeutenden Schwerpunkt der Bruchmechanik entwickelt. Der vorliegende Artikel ist der Versuch einer aktuellen Trendanalyse dieses Forschungsgebietes. Das Ziel der Studie besteht darin, die modernen, verallgemeinerten Bruchkriterien unter einem vereinheitlichenden Standpunkt zusammenzufassen und zu bewerten.
Stochastic Behaviour of Auto‐Oscillating Systems with Inertial Self‐Excitation
Authors: Babitsky V. I. , Landa P. S. , Ol'khovoi A. F. , Perminov S. M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn this paper the stochastic behaviour of self‐oscillating systems with inertial self‐excitation is investigated. As was already shown there exist two mechanisms for the excitation of stochastic self‐oscillation in such systems which depend on the type of the nonlinear terms in the corresponding differential equations. Both mechanisms are studied by means of numerical methods using the whole complex of criteria that oscillations have stochastic character. The influence of external periodic forces to the systems under investigation is studied, too.
An Elongated Porous Wedge under the Action of Pressure
Authors: Gollub W. , Kowalski S. J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe present paper performs an example towards the theory of the slip line field for fluid‐saturated porous solids. The limit load, the stress distribution in the plastic region and the slip line field are determined for an elongated obtuse wedge under the action of one‐sided pressure. The non‐porous solid wedge arises from the present calculations as a limiting case.