bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structure, thermal stability, and photocrosslinking characterization of HDPE/LDH nanocomposites synthesized by melt‐intercalation
Authors: Ding Peng , Qu Baojun 
Published: September 2006

AbstractStructure, thermal properties, and influence of layered double hydroxide (LDH) fillers on photocrosslinking behavior of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/LDH nanocomposites have been studied in the present article. The X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis demonstrate that the completely exfoliated HDPE/LDH nanocomposites can be obtained by controlling the organomodified LDH loading via melt‐intercalation. The data from the thermogravimetric analysis show that the HDPE/LDH nanocomposites have much higher thermal stability than HDPE sample. When the 50% weight loss was selected as a comparison point, the decomposition temperature of HDPE/LDH sample with 5 wt % LDH loading is ∼40 °C higher than that of HDPE sample. The effects of UV‐irradiation on the HDPE/LDH nanocomposites show that the photoinitiated crosslinking can destroy the completely exfoliated structure to form the partially exfoliated structure, which decreased the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. However, the thermal stability of photocrosslinked samples can increase with increasing the UV‐irradiation time. The effect of LDH loading on the gel content of UV‐irradiated nanocomposites shows that the LDH materials can greatly absorb the UV irradiation and thus decrease the crosslinking efficiency. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3165–3172, 2006
Swelling behavior and solubility parameter of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)
Authors: Wu Han‐Lang , Ma Chen‐Chi M. , Li Chia‐Hsun , Chen Chih‐Yuan 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe solubility parameter of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) was investigated. SPEEK exhibited two solubility parameters, 26.4 and 35.7 J1/2 cm−3/2, and was similar in that respect to Nafion, which has two cohesive energy densities. The theoretical solubility parameter of SPEEK, 26.1 J1/2 cm−3/2, was determined with van Krevelen's method and corresponded to the experimental value. The theoretical volume fraction of SPEEK in the solvent was determined with Flory's equation. The trend of the theoretical volume fraction of SPEEK fit quite well with the experimental results when the solubility parameter of the solvent was lower than 35 J1/2 cm−3/2. A significant deviation of the experimental volume fraction of SPEEK with the high solubility parameter resulted from the presence of sulfonic acid groups. SPEEK in the sodium form exhibited similar solvent absorption in comparison with SPEEK in the acid form. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3128–3134, 2006
Stress and coping in hospice nursing staff. The impact of attachment styles
Authors: Hawkins Andrew C. , Howard Ruth A. , Oyebode Jan R. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractPrevious research suggests that the attachment style developed during childhood informs adult attachment styles, which in turn affects adult relationships and responses to stress. This study considers the sources of stress in hospice nurses and addresses the potential impact of their attachment styles on stress and coping experiences. Adult attachment style, stress and coping were measured in 84 nurses recruited from five hospices.The results supported previous research regarding the most common sources of stress in this nursing group. The study found partial support for the hypothesis that nurses with insecure attachment styles experience more stress than securely attached nurses. Hospice nurses with a fearful or dismissing attachment style were found to be less likely to seek emotional social support as a means of coping with stress than hospice nurses with a secure or preoccupied attachment style.Supervision, support and career‐long training for nurses in hospices are recommended. Further research is needed to clarify the involvement of attachment style in hospice nurse stress and coping experiences. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SPINFAST: Using structure alignment profiles to enhance the accuracy and assess the reliability of protein side‐chain modeling
Authors: Poleksic Aleksandar , Danzer Joseph F. , Palmer Brian A. , Olafson Barry D. , Debe Derek A. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWe present a novel, knowledge‐based method for the side‐chain addition step in protein structure modeling. The foundation of the method is a conditional probability equation, which specifies the probability that a side‐chain will occupy a specific rotamer state, given a set of evidence about the rotamer states adopted by the side‐chains at aligned positions in structurally homologous crystal structures. We demonstrate that our method increases the accuracy of homology model side‐chain addition when compared with the widely employed practice of preserving the side‐chain conformation from the homology template to the target at conserved residue positions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our method accurately estimates the probability that the correct rotamer state has been selected. This interesting result implies that our method can be used to understand the reliability of each and every side‐chain in a protein homology model. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immunopathology of RSV infection: prospects for developing vaccines without this complication
Authors: Littel‐van den Hurk S. van Drunen , Mapletoft J. W. , Arsic N. , Kovacs‐Nolan J. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractRespiratory syncytial virus is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. RSV clinical disease varies from rhinitis and otitis media to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. An increased incidence of asthma later in life has been associated with the more severe lower respiratory tract infections. Despite its importance as a pathogen, there is no licensed vaccine against RSV. This is due to a number of factors complicating the development of an effective and safe vaccine. The immunity to natural RSV infection is incomplete as re‐infections occur in all age groups, which makes it challenging to design a protective vaccine. Second, the primary target population is the newborn infant, which has a relatively immature immune system and maternal antibodies that can interfere with vaccination. Finally, some vaccines have resulted in a predisposition for exacerbated pulmonary disease in infants, which was attributed to an imbalanced Th2‐biased immune response, although the exact cause has not been elucidated. This makes it difficult to proceed with vaccine testing in infants. It is likely that an effective and safe vaccine needs to elicit a balanced immune response, including RSV‐specific neutralising antibodies, CD8 T‐cells, Th1/Th2 CD4 T‐cells and preferably secretory IgA. Subunit vaccines formulated with appropriate adjuvants may be adequate for previously exposed individuals. However, intranasally delivered genetically engineered attenuated or vectored vaccines are currently most promising for newborns, as they are expected to induce a balanced immune response similar to that elicited to natural infection and not be subject to interference from maternal antibodies. Maternal vaccination may be the optimal strategy to protect the very young infants. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Required limiting impedance and capacity of fault current limiter installed in customer system with synchronous generator
Authors: Iioka Daisuke , Yokomizu Yasunobu , Goto Masuo , Matsumura Toshiro , Shimizu Hirotaka 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWe investigated the required limiting impedance and capacity of a fault current limiter (FCL) installed at an incoming feeder of a customer system with a synchronous generator in a utility distribution system. It was assumed that two types of FCL were installed, i.e. a resistive type (R‐type) FCL and an inductive type (L‐type) FCL. A fault current out of the customer system and a voltage in the customer system were calculated following a three‐phase, short‐circuit fault occurrence. It was found that the required type of FCL and the required limiting impedance depended on the rated capacity of the generator in order to obtain the suppression of the fault current under 0.1 kASand to maintain of customer voltage between 85 and 100% of the nominal voltage (6.6 kV). The capacity of FCL consisting of the smallest limiting impedance is discussed. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Integrated method of determining transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations
Authors: Hayashi Yasuhiro , Takano Hirotaka , Matsuki Junya 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIn Japan, the secondary transmission system (66 kV, 77 kV) and distribution system (6.6 kV) with loop structures are operated using the radial configuration. The transmission and distribution network configurations must be determined so as to keep the radial configuration and satisfy the operational constraints such as line capacity, voltage drop, and so on. However, the configuration candidates are too many, and it is not easy to determine transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations comprehensively. In this paper, the authors propose an integrated method of determining the transmission and distribution loss‐minimum network configurations under the operational constraints within practical computation time. In order to check the validity of the proposed method of determination, numerical simulations using the proposed method are carried out for a real‐scale Japanese transmission and distribution network model with 22098configuration candidates. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Comparisons between impulse voltage calibrators and digitizers
Authors: Wakimoto Takayuki , Ishii Masaru , Li Yi , Ik‐Soo Kim 
Published: September 2006

AbstractImpulse voltage calibrators are important instruments for the calibration of impulse voltage digitizers and other measurement devices. The impulse digitizers, on the other hand, are often sufficiently accurate for checking the performance of impulse voltage calibrators. Comparisons between impulse calibrators and digitizers are useful in determining the uncertainties of the instruments, especially when multiple devices are being cross compared.In this paper, comparisons among calibrators and digitizers from Nippon Institute of Technology (NIT), Japan, National Measurement Institute (NMI), Australia, and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), Korea, are reported. Comparisons of full lightning impulse and switching impulse waveforms were performed. The results of the comparisons are reported with an analysis of the sources of the uncertainties. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A study of autonomous reactive power control method for distributed power generators to maintain power quality of the grid
Authors: Hatta Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Hiromu 
Published: September 2006

AbstractDistributed power generators, such as cogenerators and renewable energy systems, have continued to advance and their penetration capacity is increasing. However, they may cause power quality problems in voltage regulation because of the reverse power flow. At present, when the distribution line voltage exceeds the limit value, distributed generators control reactive power to reduce the voltage, and if the reactive power output is not enough, they reduce the active power output. Therefore, an imbalance of active power output between distributed generators may occur because the voltage of generators varies by location and generators at lower voltage locations do not control the reactive power. A power control method for distributed generators needs to be established to solve these problems. In this study, an autonomous reactive power control method of sharing reactive power between distributed generators is proposed. The availability of this method is discussed experimentally and its applicability area is considered analytically by use of a model distribution system. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A new lightning protection system for wind turbines using two ring‐shaped electrodes
Authors: Yoh Yasuda 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWind turbines are often struck by lightning because of their special shape, their tall structure and their being placed in the open air. Besides seriously damaging the blades, lightning results in accidents in which low‐voltage and control circuit breakdowns frequently occur in many wind farms worldwide. Although some reports, such as IEC TR61400‐24 and NREL SR‐500‐31115, have indicated a methodology for protection against such accidents, a standard solution to these problems remains to be established.The author, focusing on a method for protection of low‐voltage and control circuits in a wind tower, proposed a new lightning protection system with two ring‐shaped electrodes attached to the wind turbine. The proposed system has two ring‐shaped electrodes of several meters diameter, one vertically attached to the nose cone and the other laterally placed at the top of the wind tower lying just below the nacelle. The pair of rings is arranged with a narrow gap of no more than 1 m in order to avoid mechanical friction during rotation of the blades and the nacelle's circling. When lightning strikes a blade, the current reaches the upper ring from a receptor through a conductive wire. Then, the electric field between the two rings becomes high and finally sparks over and the lightning current flows downwards. The current propagates along the lower ring and the grounding wire, which is arranged outside of the wind tower rather than inside, and is safely led to a grounding electrode placed far enough away from the tower's grounding system.In this paper, the author describes a basic experiment using a 1/100 downsized model, and also discusses the concept behind the present system. The result of the downsized experiment provides evidence of an effective advantage for lightning protection. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Lessons Learned from Initial Experience with Peritonectomy and Intra‐peritoneal Chemotherapy Infusion
Authors: Teo M. , Foo K.F. , Koo W.H. , Wong L.T. , Soo K.C. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIntroductionPatients diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatous usually survive for less than 6 months. Cytoreductive surgery allows relief of the obstruction and improvement in functional status, while intraperitoneal chemotherapy infusion provides high local concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents. Our institutional experience is reviewed to assess the selection criteria, peri‐operative complications, and outcomes.Materials and MethodsWe carried out a retrospective review of nine patients who had undergone aggressive cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra‐ and early post‐operative chemotherapy by a single surgeon between April 2000 and October 2004. The inclusion criteria were: (1) a demonstrated absence of extra‐peritoneal and hepatic spread, (2) fitness of the patient and ability to tolerate cytoreductive surgery and intra‐operative chemotherapy, and (3) the presence of a primary tumor originating form the gastro‐intestinal tract (colonic, appendiceal, and gastric primaries).ResultsSeven women and two men, with a median age of 55 years, were treated. The median duration of the operation was 12 hours and 55 minutes. Seven of the nine patients required the insertion of at least one chest tube. All patients were monitored in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) for a median of 1 day, started on feeds after a median of 6 days, and were hospitalized for a median of 16 days (range:11–18 days). There was no peri‐operative mortality and only one major peri‐operative complication (11.1%). At the time of analysis, the median follow‐up was 16 months (range: 2–40 months), and the median disease‐free survival was 8 months, with four of the nine patients showing no evidence of recurrence. To date, all of the patients are still alive. A 1‐year survival rate of 100% is also documented.ConclusionsThis article describes our initial experience with peritonectomy and intra‐operative, intra‐peritoneal chemotherapy infusion. Our initial problems included difficulty with leakage of the chemotherapeutic agents into the thoracic cavity that had to be overcome by the early insertion of chest‐tubes. With appropriate patient selection, cytoreductive surgery with the infusion of intra‐operative chemotherapy can be considered to be a therapeutic option for some patients with diffuse peritoneal metastases, and good disease‐free and overall survival can be achieved with minimal morbidity.
Subtotal Thyroidectomy: A Reliable Method to Achieve Euthyroidism in Graves’ Disease. Prognostic Factors
Authors: Moreno Pablo , Gómez José M. , Gómez Núria , Francos José M. , Ramos Emilio , Rafecas Antonio , Jaurrieta E. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractBackgroundSubtotal thyroidectomy is a widely accepted surgical procedure for Graves’ disease. The purpose of this work is to evaluate functional long‐term results and determine predictive prognostic factors of postoperative thyroid function.Study designThis is a retrospective study conducted on 202 patients with Graves’ disease undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy during the period 1979–2002. Predictive prognostic factors of final thyroid status were investigated by logistic ordinal regression, and probability of hypothyroidism during the years of follow‐up was obtained by the Kaplan–Meier method.ResultsSurgery controlled hyperthyroidism in 196 out of 202 patients (97%). The probability of hypo‐, eu‐, and hyperthyroidism at 5 years was 62.1%, 35.5%, and 2.4%, respectively. No statistical change in thyroid function occurred in the follow‐up after 60 months.Multivariate analysis by a logistic ordinal regression analysis showed that weight of the remnant, age, and gender seemed to influence long‐term thyroid function. The higher rates of euthyroidism were obtained when the remnant weight was between 6 and 8 g. No recurrence or persistence of hyperthyroidism occurred with remnant weights under 5 g.ConclusionsSubtotal thyroidectomy controlled hyperfunction symptoms in 97% of our patients. Cure (euthyroidism) of Graves’ disease patients should be attempted by leaving a thyroid tissue remnant between 6 and 8 g. Even more significant, our results suggest that euthyroidism rates could be improved by leaving a smaller remnant in elderly women and greater remnants in young men.
Pancreatoduodenectomy for Distal Cholangiocarcinoma: Prognostic Impact of Lymph Node Metastasis
Authors: Murakami Yoshiaki , Uemura Kenichiro , Hayashidani Yasuo , Sudo Takeshi , Ohge Hiroki , Sueda Taijiro 
Published: September 2006

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to identify useful prognostic factors in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma.MethodsThe records of 36 patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Potential clinicopathological prognostic factors that may affect survival were examined by univariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsThere was no mortality. Overall survival rates were 75%, 54%, and 50% for 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively (median survival time, 26 months). Univariate analysis found that age (≧ 65 years), pancreatic invasion, duodenal invasion, lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion and a positive surgical margin were significant predictors of poor prognosis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, lymph node metastasis was found to be a significant independent predictor of poor prognosis by multivariate analysis (P = 0.043). Moreover, there were significant differences in the 5‐year survival between patients with 2 or less involved lymph nodes and those with 3 or more positive nodes (P < 0.001). There were no 2‐year survivors of the group of patients with 3 or more positive nodes.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the presence and number of lymph nodes exhibiting metastatic disease might be useful in predicting the postsurgical outcome in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma.
Manageability, vulnerability and interaction: A qualitative analysis of acute myocardial infarction patients’ conceptions of the event
Authors: Johansson Ingela , Swahn Eva , Strömberg Anna 
Published: September 2006

Background Delay in seeking care remains a problem for many patients with myocardial infarction. There is a great deal of knowledge available about clinical factors contributing to this delay, while studies focusing on the patients’ own experiences are few. Aim Describe variations in how individuals perceived suffering symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction. Design A qualitative method using phenomenographic design was applied. Interviews were conducted with 15 strategically selected patients with myocardial infarction. Findings Eight sub-categories in the pre-hospital phase were summarised into three categories: manageability, vulnerability, and interaction. To manage their situation, patients expressed a need to understand it and to have a similar situation to compare with. They also described coping with the arising threat to their lives by self-medication or denying their symptoms. Patients expressed vulnerability, with feelings of anxiety, both as triggers and barriers to seeking medical care. In interaction with others, psychosocial support and guidance from the environment, was fundamental in helping the patients to manage the situation. Conclusions There were large variations in myocardial infarction patients’ conceptions of the event. To improve disease management in the pre-hospital phase, the awareness of this large variation in conceptions about suffering symptoms of an myocardial infarction could be used in the dialogue between patients and health care professionals, in cardiac prevention programmes, as well as in health care education.
Differential regulation of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase in the superior colliculus and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the adult rat brain following eye enucleation
Authors: Chacur Marucia , Matos Rhowena J.B. , Batista Samuel S. , Kihara Alexandre H. , Britto Luiz R.G. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractNitric oxide has been shown to play various physiological and pathological roles in the visual system. We studied here the expression of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase in the rat superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus after unilateral enucleation, by means of immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and real‐time PCR. Immunohistochemistry revealed an increase of nitric oxide synthase‐positive neurons in specific layers of the superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus between 1 and 30 days post‐lesion. Immunoblotting analyses confirmed that the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase is upregulated in the superior colliculus and in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus after retinal removal. Diaminofluorescein histochemistry suggested that nitric oxide production was increased in both deafferented retinorecipient areas. Our real‐time PCR results indicated that nitric oxide synthase transcript levels in the superior colliculus were not significantly altered after monocular enucleation, although an upregulation of the enzyme transcription was detected into the deafferented dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. These findings indicated that neuronal nitric oxide synthase may undergo different forms of regulation in the adult deafferented visual system.