bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non-adiabatic cluster expansion after ultrashort laser interaction
Authors: Faenov A.Ya. , Magunov A.I. , Pikuz T.A. , Skobelev I.Yu. , Giulietti D. , Betti S. , Galimberti M. , Gamucci A. , Giulietti A. , Gizzi L.A. , Labate L. , Levato T. , Tomassini P. , Marques J.R. , Bourgeois N. , Dobosz dufrenoy S. , Ceccotti T. , Monot P. , Reau F. , Popescu H. , D'oliveira P. , Martin PH. , Fukuda Y. , Boldarev A.S. , Gasilov S.V. , Gasilov V.A. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractWe used X-ray spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for investigating the properties of laser-cluster interactions at the stage in which non-adiabatic cluster expansion takes place and a quasi-homogeneous plasma is produced. The experiment was carried out with a 10 TW, 65 fs Ti:Sa laser focused on CO2 cluster jets. The effect of different laser-pulse contrast ratios and cluster concentrations was investigated. The X-ray emission associated to the Rydberg transitions allowed us to retrieve, through the density and temperature of the emitting plasma, the time after the beginning of the interaction at which the emission occurred. The comparison of this value with the estimated time for the “homogeneous” plasma formation shows that the degree of adiabaticity depends on both the cluster concentration and the pulse contrast. Interferometric measurements support the X-ray data concerning the plasma electron density.
The role of hollow atoms in the spectra of an ultrashort-pulse-laser-driven Ar cluster target
Authors: Colgan J. , Abdallah J. , Faenov A. Y. , Pikuz T. A. , Skobelev I. Y. , Fortov V. E. , Fukuda Y. , Akahane Y. , Aoyama M. , Inoue N. , Yamakawa K. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAn investigation is made of the role of hollow atoms in the spectra of an ultrashort-pulse-laser-driven Ar cluster target. Experimental measurements are presented from an Ar cluster-gas target using short-pulse lasers with various intensities, durations, and contrasts. Calculations in support of these measurements have been performed using a detailed atomic kinetics model with the ion distributions found from solution of the time-dependent rate equations. The calculations are in good agreement with the measurements and the role of hollow atoms in the resulting complicated spectra is analyzed. It is demonstrated that, although the presence of hollow atoms is estimated to add only around 2% to the total line emission, signatures of hollow atom spectra can be identified in the calculations, which are qualitatively supported by the experimental measurements.
Development of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for microanalysis applications
Authors: Godwal Y. , Taschuk M.T. , Lui S.L. , Tsui Y.Y. , Fedosejevs R. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractLaser induced breakdown spectroscopy is a fast non-contact technique for the analysis of the elemental composition of any sample. Our focus is to advance this technique into a regime where we use pulse energies below 100 µJ. This regime is referred to as micro-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy or µLIBS. At present we have concentrated on two application areas : (1) The imaging of latent fingerprints and (2) the extension to laser ablation followed by laser-induced fluorescence (LA-LIF) for very high sensitivity analysis of contaminants in water. Preliminary pulse emission scaling of Na in latent fingerprints has been investigated for ~130 fs, 266 nm pulses with energies below 15 µJ. The lowest energy for reliable single shot detection of Na is approximately 3.5 µJ. A 2D map of a fingerprint on a Si wafer has been successfully demonstrated using 5 µJ pulses. In LA-LIF the detection sensitivity of micro-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (µLIBS) is improved by coupling it with a second resonant probe pulse. This technique was investigated for the detection of Pb at low concentrations when ablated by 266 nm, 170 µJ pulses. After a short delay the resulting plume was re-excited with a nanosecond laser pulse tuned to a specific transition of Pb. In the case of the resonant dual-pulse LIBS the limit of detection was found to be approximately 60 ppb for Pb in water for 1000 shots. It is expected that this result could be implemented with fiber or microchip lasers with multi-kHz repetition rates and fiber Bragg grating tuning elements. The results are promising for the development of portable µLIBS water monitoring systems and portable fingerprint scanners.
Gauss paragraphs of classical links and a characterization of virtual link groups
Authors: KURLIN VITALIY 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA classical link in 3-space can be represented by a Gauss paragraph encoding a link diagram in a combinatorial way. A Gauss paragraph may code not a classical link diagram, but a diagram with virtual crossings. We present a criterion and a linear algorithm detecting whether a Gauss paragraph encodes a classical link. We describe Wirtinger presentations realizable by virtual link groups.
Effects of Organic Phase, Fermentation Media, and Operating Conditions on Lactic Acid Extraction
Authors: Hossain Md Monwar , Maisuria J. L. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractLactic acid has extensive uses in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industry. Lately, its use in producing biodegradable polymeric materials (polylactate) makes the production of lactic acid from fermentation broths very important. The major part of the production cost accounts for the cost of separation from very dilute reaction media where productivity is low as a result of the inhibitory nature of lactic acid. The current method of extraction/separation is both expensive and unsustainable. Therefore, there is great scope for development of alternative technology that will offer efficiency, economic, and environmental benefits. One of the promising technologies for recovery of lactic acid from fermentation broth is reactive liquid‐liquid extraction. In this paper the extraction and recovery of lactic acid based on reactive processes is examined and the performance of a hydrophobic microporous hollow‐fiber membrane module (HFMM) is evaluated. First, equilibrium experiments were conducted using organic solutions consisting of Aliquat 336/trioctylamine (as a carrier) and tri‐butyl phosphate (TBP)/sunflower oil (as a solvent) The values of the distribution coefficient were obtained as a function of feed pH, composition of the organic phase (ratio of carrier to solvent), and temperature (range 8–40 °C). The optimum extraction was obtained with the organic phase consisting of a mixture of 15wt % tri‐octylamine (TOA) and 15% Aliquat 336 and 70% solvent. The organic phase with TBP performed best but is less suitable because of its damaging properties (toxicity and environmental impact) and cost. Sunflower oil, which performed moderately, can be regarded as a better option as it has many desirable characteristics (nontoxic, environment‐ and operator‐friendly) and it costs much less. The percentage extraction was approximately 33% at pH 6 and at room temperature (can be enhanced by operating at higher temperatures) at a feed flow rate of 15–20 L/h. These results suggest that the hollow‐fiber membrane process yields good percentage extraction at the fermentation conditions and its in situ application could improve the process productivity by suppressing the inhibitory effect of lactic acid.
Understanding Marine Biotic Responses to Fossil Fuel Emissions: ESF EuroCLIMATE Workshop: Atmospheric CO2, Ocean Acidification, and Ecological Changes in Planktonic Calcifying Organisms; Barcelona, Spain, 26–28 September 2007
Authors: Ziveri Patrizia , Young Jeremy , Fabry Victoria , Bijma Jelle , Turk Daniela , Kiefer Thorsten , Eisenhauer Tony 
Published: April 2008

Ocean acidification (OA) is increasingly recognized as an additional effect of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. To study this, a workshop, funded by the European Science Foundation EuroCLIMATE Programme and the Past Global Changes (PAGES) project, brought together a range of experts to review knowledge of the likely effects of OA on planktonic calcifying organisms and marine biogeochemistry in the upper ocean and to prioritize research for the near future.The 45 participants reviewed research on four core‐topic sessions: (1) Biocalcification mechanisms and their vulnerability to OA; (2) Genetics and physiology: Investigating organismal responses to OA; (3) Ecology and biogeography: Predicting the effects of population responses to OA; and (4) Lessons from the fossil record: Past responses to OA. Results and discussion will be published; a detailed report is available at http://www.esf.org/acidification‐workshop/venue.html and http://the‐eggs.org/articles.php?id=112.
Review of the Carbon Dioxide Splitting Patent Literature
Authors: Rayne Sierra 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIncreasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have stimulated significant global research and development efforts regarding the reduction in emissions from all point and non-point sources. In addition to technologies that do not use carbon feedstocks or which capture and "permanently" store carbon dioxide (i.e., sequestration), there is considerable worldwide interest for dissociating waste stream carbon dioxide molecules into their constituent carbon and oxygen atoms ("CO2 splitting") as a final "end-of-pipe" treatment option. This document presents a review of on-point issued and applied for patents in the field of carbon dioxide splitting. The findings suggest patents in this area appear to be subject to a higher standard because of the global importance of the carbon dioxide issue. Authorities may be hesitant, on policy grounds, to issue broad-ranging patents for carbon dioxide splitting in order to prevent a worldwide reluctance towards adopting feasible treatment methods because of the high patent licensing costs that may accrue.
Placental pathology in women with gestational diabetes
Authors: DASKALAKIS GEORGE , MARINOPOULOS SPYROS , KRIELESI VASILIKI , PAPAPANAGIOTOU ANGELIKI , PAPANTONIOU NIKOLAOS , MESOGITIS SPYROS , ANTSAKLIS ARIS 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground. The aim of this study was to investigate pathologic differences of the placenta in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes compared to non‐diabetic pregnancies. Methods. Forty singleton pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes were recruited and compared to 40 consecutive normal pregnancies. A pathologist, blinded to all clinical data, reviewed all histological samples of the placentas. The histological assessment was carried out with regard to the following aspects: fetal vessel thrombosis, villous immaturity, chorangiosis, presence of nucleated fetal red blood cells (NFRBCs), ischemia, infarction, presence of hydropic or avascular villi, lymphohistiocytic villitis and villous fibrinoid necrosis. Results. The presence of degenerative lesions such as fibrinoid necrosis and vascular lesions like chorangiosis was apparent, mainly in the diabetes group. Villous immaturity and the presence of NFRBC as an indication of chronic fetal hypoxia were significantly increased in the placentas of women with diabetes compared with the control group. Fetal/placental weight ratio was significantly lower in the diabetic group. Conclusion. Histological abnormalities were observed more frequently in the diabetic placentas compared to the controls. These findings support the hypothesis that impaired placental function is one of the main reasons for the increased frequency of fetal complications in diabetic pregnancies.
Impaired maternal cognitive functioning after pregnancies complicated by severe pre‐eclampsia: a pilot case‐control study
Authors: BRUSSÉ INGRID , DUVEKOT JOHANNES , JONGERLING JORAN , STEEGERS ERIC , DE KONING INGE 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground. Pre‐eclampsia is the most significant cause of neurological symptoms in pregnancy. Neurological symptoms may persist even after pregnancy. Somatic symptoms of pre‐eclampsia, such as hypertension and proteinuria, generally disappear after delivery. However, formerly pre‐eclamptic women more often complain of cognitive disturbances compared to women after uncomplicated pregnancies. Methods. Three to eight months postpartum, a neuropsychological test battery was performed in 10 former severely pre‐eclamptic women (according to the guidelines of the American College Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and 10 women after uncomplicated normotensive pregnancies. The control group was matched for age, educational level and mode of anesthesia. All women delivered by cesarean section either under general or regional anesthesia. Tests were performed for premorbid intelligence, short‐ and long‐term memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, visual and spatial abilities. Anxiety and depression levels were measured. Results. The formerly pre‐eclamptic women had significantly lower scores on most indices of the auditory‐verbal memory test. Formerly pre‐eclamptic patients learned considerably fewer words than controls and recalled less after interference. Both case and control group did not differ in age, parity or level of education. There were no differences in the level of intellectual functioning and language tests, such as naming and word fluency. No persistent differences were observed in tests for attention/concentration and executive functioning. There were no significant differences on depression and anxiety scales. Conclusions. Maternal memory seems to be impaired after pregnancies complicated by severe pre‐eclampsia. This effect cannot be attributed to depression and/or anxiety or method of anesthesia.
Serum visfatin levels in late pregnancy and pre‐eclampsia
Authors: HU WENSHENG , WANG ZHENGPING , WANG HANZHI , HUANG HEFENG , DONG MINYUE 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectives. To characterise the changes in serum visfatin levels in late normal pregnancy and pre‐eclampsia. Methods. Twenty‐seven women with pre‐eclampsia were recruited. Twenty‐eight women in the third trimester of normal pregnancy served as pregnant control and 28 healthy non‐pregnant women as non‐pregnant control. Serum levels of visfatin were measured with an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The means of serum visfatin were 626.4±45.5ng/ml (mean±SEM) in non‐pregnant control, 695.9±92.5ng/ml in pregnant control, and 308.3±80.0 ng/ml in pre‐eclampsia, respectively, and were significantly different among the groups (p <0.001). Visfatin level was significantly lower in pre‐eclampsia compared to non‐pregnant control (p = 0.004) and pregnant control (p <0.001). Women with severe pre‐eclampsia had a significantly lower serum visfatin level than those with mild pre‐eclampsia (114.6±80.9 versus 425.2±122.1ng/ml, p = 0.037). Conclusions. A decrease in visfatin level was demonstrated in pre‐eclampsia, suggesting that visfatin and adipokine‐associated metabolic abnormalities are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Genital prolapse surgery after a shift in treatment tradition: an analysis of subsequent prolapse surgery
Authors: CRAFOORD KRISTINA , SYDSJÖ ADAM , KJØLHEDE PREBEN 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective. To determine whether the shift in treatment tradition of genital prolapse surgery was followed by a change in the occurrence of subsequent prolapse surgery, and to analyze the complementary and recurrent surgery with respect to the size of the prolapse and the extent of the primary surgery. Methods. A retrospective study of patients consecutively operated with primary prolapse surgery in three Swedish hospitals in two time periods: 261 patients in 1983 (Period I) and 281 patients in 1993 (Period II). Clinical data were obtained from the patient records. A follow‐up period of 6 years was used for both periods. Results. Subsequent prolapse surgery was seen significantly more often in Period II than in Period I (7.7 versus 2.7%), and after selective repairs compared with complete repairs (7.7 versus 3.2%). Despite a significant reduction in the use of posterior repair between the time periods, no significant increase was seen in complementary posterior repairs compared with complementary repair in any of the other compartments. Size of the prolapse at the primary surgery or hysterectomy did not seem to influence the occurrence of subsequent prolapse surgery. The postoperative complication rate was significantly higher after complete repairs than after selective repair, and especially when posterior repair was included in the operation. Conclusion. Subsequent prolapse surgery is slightly more common after selective repair than after complete repair. However, selective repairs are encumbered with a lower complication rate. The results of this study appear to be in favor of a restrictive use of ‘prophylactic’ posterior repair.
Prognostic significance of the micropapillary pattern in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors
Authors: CHANG SUK‐JOON , RYU HEE‐SUG , CHANG KI‐HONG , YOO SEUNG‐CHUL , YOON JONG‐HYUCK 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackground. The impact of micropapillary histology on survival in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors is not established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance and influence of micropapillary pattern on clinical outcome of patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors. Methods. Eighty‐five patients who underwent surgery and were diagnosed with serous borderline ovarian tumors were retrospectively studied. Among these patients, 18 patients showed micropapillary pattern on histologic examination, while the remaining 67 patients did not. The significance of the presence of micropapillary pattern and relationship with various clinicopathologic findings and progression‐free survival were evaluated by statistical analysis. Results. No differences with regard to age, parity, body mass index, pretreatment CA‐125 level, tumor size, bilaterality, and the duration of follow‐up were observed between the two groups, but there was a significant difference in terms of FIGO stage (p<0.001), invasive implants (p = 0.004), performing lymphadenectomy (p = 0.009), operation time (p = 0.003), estimated blood loss (p<0.001), residual disease>1 cm (p = 0.001), adjuvant chemotherapy (p<0.001), and the length of hospital stay (p = 0.013). Progression‐free survival was found to be significantly decreased in patients with invasive implants (HR, 5.06; p = 0.025) and micropapillary pattern (HR, 4.20; p = 0.056) on multivariate analysis. Conclusions. Micropapillary serous borderline ovarian tumors were associated with a more aggressive clinical course compared with typical serous borderline ovarian tumor. The presence of invasive implants and micropapillary pattern were significant prognostic factors in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors.
Interleukin‐10 −1082 G/A promoter polymorphism and pregnancy complications: results of a prospective cohort study in 1,616 pregnant women
Authors: STONEK FELIX , METZENBAUER MARTIN , HAFNER ERICH , PHILIPP KARL , TEMPFER CLEMENS 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective. To investigate the frequency of the interleukin‐10 (IL‐10)−1082 G/A single nucleotide polymorphism in women with intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), pre‐eclampsia (PE), preterm delivery (PD), and small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Methods. In a prospective cohort study, DNA from 1,616 consecutive pregnant women was analyzed for IL‐10 −1082 G/A by polymerase chain reaction. Women who developed at least one of the predefined pregnancy complications were used as cases and compared to women without pregnancy complications. Results. Of 1,616 women, 254 (15.7%) developed at least one pregnancy complication. IL‐10 −1082 G/A allele frequencies (G: 233/508 [45.9%] and A: 275/508 [54.1%] versus G: 1,143/2,724 [42.0%] and A: 1,581/2,724 [58.0%], respectively; p = 0.10; OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.69–1.04) and genotype distributions (A/A+G/A: 201/254 [79.1%] and G/G 53/254 [20.9%] versus A/A+G/A: 1,125/1,362 [82.6%] and G/G 237/1,362 [17.4%], respectively, p = 0.19; OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.54–1.15) were not significantly different between cases and controls. We observed no statistically significant difference in IL‐10 −1082 G/A genotype distribution comparing controls and women with IUFD, PE, PD <37 weeks gestation, and SGA infants (<10th percentile). Conclusion. IL‐10 −1082 G/A polymorphism is not a genetic marker for identifying women at increased risk of common pregnancy complications.
History & Identity in the Construction of China's Africa Policy
Authors: Alden Chris , Alves Cristina 
Published: April 2008

One of the most notable features of the forging of China's new activist foreign policy towards Africa is its emphasis on the historical context of the relationship. These invocations of the past, stretching back to the 15th century but rife with references to events in the 19th century and the cold war period, are regular features of Chinese diplomacy in Africa. Indeed, it is the persistence of its use and the concurrent claim of a continuity of underlying purpose that marks Chinese foreign policy out from western approaches which have by and large been content to avoid discussions of the past (for obvious reasons) or insisting on any policy continuities. However, beneath the platitudes of solidarity is a reading of Chinese historical relations with Africa emanating from Beijing that is, as any student of contemporary African history will know, at times at odds with the historical record of Chinese involvement on the continent.
This article will examine the use and meaning of history in the construction of China's Africa policy. It will do so through first, a brief discussion of the relationship between foreign policy, identity and history; second, a survey of Chinese foreign policy towards Africa from 1955 to 1996; third, an analysis of the implications of Beijing's approach for its efforts to achieve foreign policy aims regionally and globally.
Sectioning of Brain Tissues
Authors: Paul Carol Ann , Beltz Barbara , Berger-Sweeney Joanne 
Published: April 2008

INTRODUCTIONA fixed brain, although harder than the brain in its natural state, is still not hard enough to cut into very thin slices. To make uniform, thin sections, the brain must be frozen. A wide variety of sectioning devices are available, each with their own requirements. With a microtome, for example, a very sharp knife is drawn manually across a brain that has been frozen to a chilled platform using dry ice. After each cut, the knife is lowered mechanically by a preset amount, giving consistent sections of a required thickness. A drawback of this instrument is that the temperature of the platform can fluctuate, thus causing changes in the quality of the sections. Other instruments, such as a cryostat, maintain the platform-mounted brain and the knife inside an enclosed refrigerated compartment. The temperature is kept at -20°C, and electronics are used to control the speed of the knife and the thickness of the sections. Some models can be set up to make a series of sections automatically.
Perfusion of Brain Tissues with Fixative
Authors: Paul Carol Ann , Beltz Barbara , Berger-Sweeney Joanne 
Published: April 2008

INTRODUCTIONIn many experiments it is necessary to section the brain to determine the location of a treatment (lesion or electrode) or to look at the histology of the brain using various staining techniques. Because the texture of the brain is so soft (often likened to soft cheese), it must be “fixed” before it can be removed from the skull. A fixative is a chemical that cross-links the molecules of the tissue, rendering it hard and preserving the tissue. This protocol describes a method for perfusing the brain with fixative (specifically, it describes how to perfuse a rat brain; slight modifications may be needed for different animals). A relatively simple gravity feed and the pumping mechanism of the heart is used to get fixative into the brain. A cannula is placed in the heart, or directly in the ascending aorta, of a deeply anesthetized animal. Blood is flushed out with saline first, and then with a fixative. The choice of fixative is often important if a specific staining technique is to be used, especially in immunocytochemistry, because the fixative can interfere with the staining sensitivity.