bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modulatory effects of somatosensory electrical stimulation on neural activity of the dorsal cochlear nucleus of hamsters
Authors: Zhang Jinsheng , Guan Zhenlong 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe effects of somatosensory electrical stimulation on the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) activity of control and tone‐exposed hamsters were investigated. One to three weeks after sound exposure and control treatment, multiunit activity was recorded at the surface of the left DCN before, during, and after electrical stimulation of the basal part of the left pinna. The results demonstrated that sound exposure induced hyperactivity in the DCN. In response to electrical stimulation, neural activity in the DCN of both control and exposed animals manifested four response types: S‐S, suppression occurring during and after stimulation; E‐S, excitation occurring during stimulation and suppression after; S‐E, suppression occurring during stimulation and excitation after; and E‐E, excitation occurring during and after stimulation. The results showed that there was a higher incidence of suppressive (up to 70%) than of excitatory responses during and after stimulation in both groups. In addition, there was a significantly higher degree of suppression after, rather than during stimulation. At high levels of electrical current, the degree of the induced suppression was generally higher during and after stimulation in exposed animals than in controls. The similarity of our results to those of previous clinical studies further supports the view that DCN hyperactivity is a direct neural correlate of tinnitus and that somatosensory electrical stimulation can be used to modulate DCN hyperactivity. Optimization of stimulation strategy through activating only certain neural pathways and applying appropriate stimulation parameters may allow somatosensory electrical stimulation to be used as an effective tool for tinnitus suppression. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Myocardial 123metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake in genetic Parkinson's disease
Authors: Quattrone Aldo , Bagnato Antonio , Annesi Grazia , Novellino Fabiana , Morgante Letterio , Savettieri Giovanni , Zappia Mario , Tarantino Patrizia , Candiano Innocenza Claudia Cirò , Annesi Ferdinanda , Civitelli Donatella , Rocca Francesca Emanuela , D'Amelio Marco , Nicoletti Giuseppe , Morelli Maurizio , Petrone Alfredo , Loizzo Piercostanzo , Condino Francesca 
Published: November 2007

AbstractMyocardial 123Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) enables the assessment of postganglionic sympathetic cardiac innervation. MIBG uptake is decreased in nearly all patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Our objective was to evaluate MIBG uptake in patients with genetic PD. We investigated MIBG uptake in 14 patients with PD associated with mutations in different genes (Parkin, DJ‐1, PINK1, and leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 ‐LRRK2), in 15 patients with idiopathic PD, and 10 control subjects. The myocardial MIGB uptake was preserved in 3 of the 4 Parkin‐associated Parkinsonisms, in 1 of the 2 patients with DJ‐1 mutations, in 1 of the 2 brothers with PINK1 mutations, in 3 of the 6 unrelated patients with Gly2019Ser mutation in the LRRK2 gene, whereas it was impaired in all patients with idiopathic PD. MIBG was preserved in all control subjects. Our study shows that myocardial MIGB uptake was normal in 8 of 14 patients with genetic PD, suggesting that cardiac sympathetic denervation occurs less frequently in genetic PD than in idiopathic PD. Our findings also demonstrate that MIGB uptake has a heterogeneous pattern in genetic PD, because it was differently impaired in patients with different mutations in the same gene or with the same gene mutation. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
User Behavior during the Book Selection Process
Authors: Wacholder Nina , Liu Lu , Liu Ying‐Hsang 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe study user behavior during the stage of the book selection process when people study the content of a book to decide whether it will be useful for their intended purpose. 24 undergraduates participated in a balanced study in which they were given a topic‐book pair and asked to decide whether the book was useful for the topic; half of the book‐topic pairs were presented to participants in print and half electronically. We report on the impact of the medium on the book selection process and the outcome. This research contributes to our understanding of factors that influence the book selection process and has implications for the design of electronic books.
Analyzing organizational schemes of information resources in library websites by user education approaches
Authors: Kim Soojung 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper examines the organizational schemes of information resources provided in 38 academic business libraries or collections from 50 top‐ranking business schools. A wide variety of schemes, ranging from a simple alphabetical list by database titles to research guides in which resources are inseparably embedded where relevant, were found to illustrate current practices in presenting information resources in the web‐based environment. In addition, the paper develops a typology by which the schemes are classified and assessed by resource integration dimension, resource/user orientation dimension, and user‐education approach dimension. This typology will assist in assessing existing schemes from the perspectives of both search and instruction as well as in developing new schemes.
Examining applications of motivational theories to the IT field
Authors: Parker Katie , Zhang Ping 
Published: November 2007

AbstractHumans increasingly interact with information technology (IT) in order to attain both individual and organizational goals. As a result, studies applying motivational theories to the IT field gain importance in the research literature. Emerging from several different scholarly disciplines, motivational theories seek to explain why individuals do what they do (Reeve, 2005). This paper surveys applications of motivational theories to the IT field using citation analysis of each theory's seminal work. First, the authors identify three approaches that have been used by researchers applying motivational theories to the IT field. Second, the authors examine these applications using an IT lifecycle framework. Last, the authors propose possible directions for future research in this area.
Towards Quality Culture in the Digital Environ: Management and Optimization of Services in Research Libraries of India
Authors: Sherikar Amruth , Jange Suresh 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNational Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has been established in India for ensuring quality and excellence in higher education and has developed a set of objective indicators for the library, as it is the fulcrum of support for the community of academic and research pursuits. This resulted a general consensus for rising demands of evaluation and accountability of academic and research libraries to develop performance evaluation and measure service quality and thereby build quality culture. Advancements in Information and Communication technology, transforming the world into the global village, contributed significant scope for development of electronic information resources and Internet resources in the Library for continuous quality improvement. Library and information centers needs to map the information needs of the customers; well‐defined quality policy and Quality Circle and translating into quality information services, by making use of various Information Technology based information retrieval tools. The quality gurus especially Parasuraman, Barry, and Zeithaml have developed the SERVQUAL to measure the quality dimension in the academic and research environ to measure the perceptions of service quality.In view of the emerging challenges for building quality culture in the techno‐environ, a total of 1200 questionnaires were distributed to the user community in Indian research libraries to go deeper into the realm of Quality Assessment and Use Techniques with a sincere effort to assess the performance of academic and research libraries in rendering their quality services to the users both from Librarians and users perceptions. Further, attempts were made to develop an instrument of acceptance of Internet technology known as Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) among faculty and Research scholars in India using the original constructs i.e. Perceived and Perceived Ease of Use. In this paper, efforts were also made to examine the relationship between the variables Use of Internet (UOI) and Level of Satisfaction (LOS), that resulted in coming out with a mathematical – regression model in which the results of Regression analysis shows that, the four variables age, teaching and research experience and level of satisfaction put together explains 39 per cent of variance in variable Use of Internet (UOI).The paper concludes based on research findings, valuable suggestions to develop a National Information Policy for quality control as a mandatory to provide due importance in establishing Library and Information Centers as Centers of Learning and research. Of necessity, the strategies must be situation specific, but some possible strategies for libraries to use are identified for planned organizational change to quality improvement.
Single‐fiber electromyography of masseter muscle in myasthenia gravis
Authors: Khuraibet Adnan J. , Rousseff Rossen T. , Behbehani Raed , Al‐Shubaili Asmahan F.K. , Khan Riyadh A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractJitter after axonal microstimulation in the masseter muscle was studied in 30 consecutive patients (12 women) with myasthenia gravis (MG). Patients' mean age was 42.3 (12–75), median disease duration was 3 months (1–72), and onset was ocular (15 cases), oculobulbar (7), bulbar (6), or generalized (2). There were 23 newly‐diagnosed patients. Nine cases developed purely ocular MG and 21 cases developed generalized MG. In the latter group, five subjects had a rapidly progressive course and 16 subjects had stable or well‐controlled disease (MGFA grade 2–3). Six patients did not have circulating anti–acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Masseter single‐fiber electromyography (SFEMG) was abnormal in 6 of 9 ocular MG patients and in all generalized cases (overall sensitivity 27 of 30 cases or 90%; confidence interval 79.3%–100.0% at P = 0.95). Masseter should be considered for SFEMG in diagnosis of MG, especially in cases with bulbar onset. Muscle Nerve, 2007
A new fictitious time for the dynamic relaxation (DXDR) method
Authors: Kadkhodayan M. , Alamatian J. , Turvey G. J. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper addresses the development of the DXDR method by introducing a modified fictitious time (MFT) increment. The MFT is determined by minimizing the residual force after each iteration. The rank of the convergence rate shows the advantage of the new method. The results obtained from plate and truss analyses demonstrate the potential of the new method. It is shown that, compared with a unit fictitious time, the MFT is more efficient, especially during the initial iterations. Moreover, MFT does not impose any additional constraints on the DXDR method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New‐immigrant women in urban Canada: insights into occupation and sociocultural context
Authors: Martins Vanessa , Reid Denise 
Published: November 2007

AbstractRecent statistics have shown that women from South Asia comprise one of the largest sub‐groups of immigrants to enter Canada. The majority of this population has settled in the city of Toronto. As immigrants adapt to new physical, social, political, and economic environments in a new country, they are also subject to changes in occupational roles and expectations. Little research has been conducted with new immigrant women from South Asia from an occupational adjustment perspective in Canada. This qualitative study sought to understand the adjustment experiences of immigrant women from South Asia regarding the influence of a Canadian urban environment on their occupations. Twelve recently immigrated women from South Asia to Canada were interviewed about their experiences of living in the city of Toronto with respect to their adjustment to a new environment and engagement in new daily occupations. Using a modified grounded theory approach to analysis, results from the study revealed many challenges these women face and the major factors that aid in the adjustment process. A framework for understanding occupational adjustment in new immigrants is discussed with implications for occupational therapy theory and practice. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Seeing white: a critical exploration of occupational therapy with Indigenous Australian people
Authors: Nelson Alison 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper aims to critique current occupational therapy practice and theory using Indigenous Australian people as a case example. Critical race theory will be used to help question the privileged position of an occupational therapist from a dominant Westernized culture. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 15 (eight female and seven male) Indigenous Australian young people about their perspectives of health and physical activity. In addition, the Kawa model was used as an alternative data‐collection tool and detailed field notes and researcher reflections were used as data sources. Preliminary analysis of data is used to illustrate the ways in which critical race theory can inform occupational therapy practitioners and researchers about the ways Indigenous Australian young people view their health. Methodological dilemmas are also discussed. The paper is based on preliminary findings and further analysis needs to continue. Cross‐cultural research is inherently complex but can offer those from the dominant culture valuable insights into their taken‐for‐granted assumptions. Further use of critical race theory may prove useful as the occupational therapy profession continues to evolve its understanding of cultural safety. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monte Carlo simulation of ferroelectric composites
Authors: Jiang S.L. , Liu D. , Tong J.Y. , Jin X.M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractOn the basis of 0–3/1–3 mix‐connectivity model of composites, a new computer model was introduced to simulate the changing of small ceramic particle size of composites. Monte Carlo algorithm was applied to calculate the effects of particle size on dielectric constant, piezoelectric coefficient, pyroelectric coefficient, and other electrical parameters. Compared with other models, this new model was proved to be more reasonable. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:739–742, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Poetry: a reflective practice tool for nurses and midwives
Authors: Foureur Maralyn , Bush Rachel , Duke Jan , Walton Cate 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis article describes the practice of a ‘poet‐in‐residence’ in a tertiary hospital in New Zealand, a country with a unique bicultural foundation. During her residency, the poet worked with hospital staff to gain insight into how nurses and midwives contribute to health outcomes. As well as creating 12 poems which make the work of nurses and midwives more visible, the poet provided poetry readings in two clinical areas and conducted a reflective practice exercise using the co‐creation of poetry, with a group of newly graduated nurses. This residency demonstrated the importance of connecting the world of science and technology with the world of lived experience and how poetry can help nurses and midwives to express the complexity of human care practice. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Step to it: a toolkit for evidence‐based practice
Authors: Ryton Bev , Grant Vicky , Little Alison , Gilsenan Irene 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe ease with which evidence‐based practice can be applied will have a significant impact on whether it is effectively utilised by health care professionals. This article describes how members of the Evidence‐Based Council within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust resolved this issue by developing a user‐friendly toolkit and workbook which systematically introduces the key elements that need to be considered and applied in order to enhance evidence‐based practice at ward level. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Triboelectrostatic separation of covering plastics in chopped waste electric wire
Authors: Park Chul‐Hyun , Jeon Ho‐Seok , Cho Bong‐Gyoo , Park Jai‐Koo 
Published: November 2007

AbstractTo develop a triboelectrostatic separation technique for covering plastics in waste electric wire, process variables such as charger material, relative humidity, air velocity, electrode potential, and splitter position have been studied. Polypropylene was found to be the most effective material for a tribo‐charger in the separation of cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The charge density of XLPE and PVC was increased with deceasing relative humidity and increasing air velocity in the tribo‐charger. The charge density of a 1:1 mixture of XLPE and PVC was determined to be higher than that of individual XLPE and PVC. A dominant charging mechanism in the tribo‐charger with a 1:1 mixture of XLPE and PVC seems to be the charging of a combination of particle‐particle and particle‐charger surface. However, in case of individual plastics, the charging of particle‐particle occurred. Over 98.05% PVC recovery with 99.50% grade was successfully obtained under the conditions of a splitter position of +2 cm from the center, 25 kV electrode potential and over 13 nC/g PVC charge density for the optimum triboelectrostatic separation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1975–1982, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Miscibility and crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) blends
Authors: Chiu Hsiu‐Jung 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe miscibility and crystallization kinetics of the blends of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (aPET) have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). It was found that PTT/aPET blends were miscible in the melt. Thus, the single glass transition temperature (Tg) of the blends within the whole composition range and the retardation of crystallization kinetics of PTT in blends suggested that PTT and aPET were totally miscible. The nucleation density of PTT spherulites, the spherulitic growth, and overall crystallization rates were depressed upon blending with aPET. The depression in nucleation density of PTT spherulites could be attributed to the equilibrium melting point depression, while the depression in the spherulitic growth and overall crystallization rates could be mainly attributed to the reduction of PTT chain mobility and dilution of PTT upon mixing with aPET. The underlying nucleation mechanism and growth geometry of PTT crystals were not affected by blending, from the results of Avrami analysis. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2005–2011, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Phase structure and morphology of wollastonite‐reinforced polypropylene composites modified with SEBS and SEBS‐g‐MA elastomers
Authors: Švab Iztok , Musil Vojko , Jurkin Tanja , Šmit Ivan 
Published: November 2007

AbstractSupermolecular structure of isotactic polypropylene/wollastonite/styrenic rubber block copolymers composites were studied as a function of elastomeric poly‐ (styrene‐b‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐b‐styrene) triblock copolymer (SEBS) and the SEBS grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS‐g‐MA) content (from 0 to 20 vol%) by optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Wollastonite particles disturbed the spherulitization of polypropylene matrix. Both elastomers affected the crystallization of polypropylene matrix mainly by solidification effect. Although SEBS‐g‐MA encapsulated wollastonite particles more expressive than SEBS forming thus core‐shell morphology in higher extent, scanning electron micrographs indicated more constrained wollastonite particles in fractured surfaces of composites with SEBS elastomer. Moreover, SEBS‐g‐MA disorientated wollastonite particles and affected reorientation of the polypropylene crystallites stronger than SEBS elastomer. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2145–2154, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effects of surface roughness on microinjection molding
Authors: Zhang H.L. , Ong N.S. , Lam Y.C. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractInjection molding is one of the most common processes for cost‐effective mass production of microplastic parts. When the dimensions of the part, and thus the cavity of the mold, are small, microscale factors which are normally neglected in the analysis of conventional injection molding may play an important role. This investigation addresses the effects of mold surface roughness on the injection of polymer melt, which is a non‐Newtonian fluid, during the filling stage of microinjection molding. The surface roughness effect on the volume of the mold cavity is discussed. A simple, but effective model, to describe the conductivity and the specific heat of the surface roughness is proposed. Subsequently, by employing the finite volume method and the level set method, a numerical procedure incorporating the proposed surface roughness model to describe the flow behavior of the polymer melt in the cavity is implemented. Finally, simulation on the melt flow injected into a microdisk cavity is performed using the proposed model and the results are found to be in good agreement with experiment. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2012–2019, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
The effect of polyvinylidene fluoride on nonisothermal crystallization behavior of polyoxymethylene
Authors: Ding Qiong , Dai Wen‐Li , Zhang Ping 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe effect of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) on the crystallization behavior of polyoxymethylene (POM) was investigated using polarized light microscopy, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. From these results, it is seen that with the addition of PVDF, the spherulitic size of POM was greatly decreased, but no change occurred for the hexagonal system of POM crystal. Three methods, namely, Avrami, Ozawa, and Mo, were carried out to analyze the nonisothermal crystallization data. The results showed that the PVDF dispersed in POM acted as the heterogenous nuclei and accelerated the rate of nucleation, but hindered the crystal growth rate of POM which can be seen from the activation energy of pure POM and POM/PVDF blend. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2034–2040, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of fill factor and validation of characterizing the degree of mixing in polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Kim Dongsik , Lee Jun S. , Barry Carol M.F. , Mead Joey L. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractPolymer nanocomposites have been studied extensively, but few references mention the importance of processing and how to characterize the degree of mixing. In this work, we report the influence of fill factor on the degree of mixing and thermal properties for a nanocomposite system consisting of alumina nanoparticles in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) prepared in a batch mixer. The degree of mixing for the resultant polymeric nanocomposites was quantified by three different techniques; TEM particle density, Morisita's index, and skewness. All of these methods quantify the degree of mixing based on the number of the particles in selected areas of TEM images using image analysis software. TEM particle density and skewness gave similar results, with a maximum in the degree of mixing around a fill factor of 0.70, while Morisita's index displayed a constant increase in degree of mixing with increasing fill factor. Tg was depressed by the filler and with increasing degree of mixing. The depression of Tg in the composite was maximized at a fill factor of 0.70, confirming that the analysis of TEM particle density and skewness are valid techniques to assess the degree of mixing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2049–2056, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers