bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Erosion rates of waterfalls in post‐volcanic fluvial systems around Aso volcano, southwestern Japan
Authors: Hayakawa Yuichi S. , Yokoyama Shozo , Matsukura Yukinori 
Published: November 2007

AbstractEstimation of the recession rate of waterfalls is a crucial issue in bedrock river erosion because waterfall recession can cause a major impact on bedrock incision, especially when waterfall recession rates are high. Areas of active volcanoes are often characterized by many waterfalls in the volcanic edifice. This study examines recession rates of waterfalls in welded Aso‐1 ignimbrite from the Aso volcano in southwestern Japan using an empirical equation, which comprises a force/resistance index composed of measurable geomorphic parameters. The estimated recession rates are on the order of 0·01–0·07 m a−1. The estimated rates are then validated by examining the duration and distance of their recession. The duration of waterfall recession is derived from eruptive ages of the Aso ignimbrites, giving waterfall recession distances of approximately 10 km. Although the original locations of the waterfalls suggested by the recession distances exceed the downstream limit of the present Aso‐1 ignimbrite remnants along valley floors, features of the surrounding topography are consistent with these localities being where the waterfalls formed. The use of an equation to estimate recession rates is therefore considered to be valid and practical. The contrast between the highly dissected landforms downstream of the present waterfalls and the gentle landscapes upstream of the waterfalls suggests that the rapid recession of the waterfalls is the major cause of post‐eruptive fluvial erosion into ignimbrites. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Drag prediction, decomposition and visualization in unstructured mesh CFD solver of TAS‐code
Authors: Yamazaki Wataru , Matsushima Kisa , Nakahashi Kazuhiro 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe accuracy of drag prediction in unstructured mesh CFD solver of TAS (Tohoku University Aerodynamic Simulation) code is discussed using a drag decomposition method. The drag decomposition method decomposes total drag into wave, profile, induced and spurious drag components, the latter resulting from numerical diffusion and errors. The mesh resolution analysis is conducted by the drag decomposition method. The effect of an advanced unstructured mesh scheme of U‐MUSCL reconstruction is also investigated by the drag decomposition method. The computational results show that the drag decomposition method reliably predicts drag and is capable of meaningful drag decomposition. The accuracy of drag prediction is increased by eliminating the spurious drag component from the total drag. It is also confirmed that the physical drag components are almost independent of the mesh resolution and scheme modification. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aggregation rules for cost–benefit analysis: a health economics perspective
Authors: Borghi Josephine 
Published: November 2007

AbstractFew willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) studies in the health sector have used their results within a cost–benefit analysis (CBA), an essential step to informing resource allocation decisions. This paper provides an overview of aggregation methods, reviews current evidence of practice in the health sector, and presents estimates of the total economic value of a women's group programme to improve mother and newborn health using different aggregation rules. A contingent valuation survey was conducted with 93 women's group members, 70 female non‐members and 33 husbands. Aggregation was conducted with and without the values of non‐users, and with different units of aggregation. The unadjusted mean, median and a weighted mean transfer were used to aggregate values. Equity weights were introduced to adjust WTP for income. Total WTP more than doubled when the values of husbands were added to that of women, and increased over 10‐fold when the values of women who were not members of the group were added. The inclusion of non‐use values, and the unit of aggregation, had the greatest effect on results. Researchers must reach agreement on the most acceptable method of aggregating WTP values to promote the use of WTP in resource allocation decisions in the health sector. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social costs of robbery and the cost‐effectiveness of substance abuse treatment
Authors: Basu Anirban , Paltiel A. David , Pollack Harold A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractReduced crime provides a key benefit associated with substance abuse treatment (SAT). Armed robbery is an especially costly and frequent crime committed by some drug‐involved offenders. Many studies employ valuation methods that understate the true costs of robbery, and thus the true social benefits of SAT‐related robbery reduction. At the same time, regression to the mean and self‐report bias may lead pre–post comparisons to overstate crime reductions associated with SAT.Using 1992–1997 data from the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study (NTIES), we examined pre–post differences in self‐reported robbery among clients in five residential and outpatient SAT modalities. Fixed‐effect negative binomial regression was used to examine incidence rate reductions (IRR) in armed robbery. Published data on willingness to pay to avoid robbery were used to determine the social valuation of these effects. Differences in IRR across SAT modalities were explored to bound potential biases.All SAT modalities were associated with large and statistically significant reductions in robbery. The average number of self‐reported robberies declined from 0.83/client/year pre‐entry to 0.12/client/year following SAT (p<0.001). Under worst‐case assumptions, monetized valuations of reductions in armed robbery associated with outpatient methadone and residential SAT exceeded economic costs of these interventions. Conventional wisdom posits the economic benefits of SAT. We find that SAT is even more beneficial than is commonly assumed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fuzzy‐logic‐based decision‐making system for stock allocation in a distribution supply chain
Authors: Xie Ying , Petrovic Dobrila 
Published: November 2007

AbstractStock allocation in a distribution supply chain (DSC) means that the warehouse has to determine quantities of the available stock to be delivered to each retailer. Different allocation rules have been developed with various aims. In this paper, a new fuzzy‐logic‐based decision‐making system for stock allocation (DMS_SA) is presented, and the objective is to achieve the target DSC fill rate whilst incurring an acceptable total holding cost, or to achieve the target holding cost whilst with a certain level of fill rate. It is shown how DMS_SA can be extended to be applied to a multi‐echelon DSC. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hybrid approach with an expert system and a genetic algorithm to production management in the supply net
Authors: Ławrynowicz Anna 
Published: November 2007

AbstractA new approach to solving production management problems in the supply net is proposed. An expert system designed to help companies in medium‐term and short‐term production planning is discussed. The proposed expert system considers alternative process plans for a job and outsourcing, when a bottleneck exists in the machine. The proposed hybrid system uses the output of the expert system as the input of the genetic algorithm. The output of the genetic algorithm is a near optimal schedule. The proposed method does not require any unrealistic assumptions. It can be used to solve highly complicated and non‐linear functions of a realistic problem. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Data mining for improving the solder bumping process in the semiconductor packaging industry
Authors: Chien Chen‐fu , Li Huan‐chung , Jeang Angus 
Published: November 2007

AbstractModern semiconductor manufacturing is very complex and expensive. Maintaining high quality and yield enhancement have been recognized as important factors to build core competences for semiconductor manufacturing companies. Data mining can find potentially useful information from huge databases. This paper proposes a data‐mining framework based on decision‐tree induction for improving the yield of the solder bumping process in which the various (physical and chemical) input variables that affect the bumping process exhibit highly complex interactions. We conducted an empirical study in a semiconductor fabrication facility in Taiwan to validate this approach. The results show that the proposed approach can effectively derive the causal relationships among controllable input process factors and the target class to enhance the yield. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Changing investment styles: style creep and style gaming in the hedge fund industry
Authors: Baghai‐Wadji Ramin , El‐Berry Rami , Klocker Stefan , Schwaiger Markus 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNotwithstanding their common features, hedge funds remain an extremely diverse asset class. Information on fund styles is important for numerous purposes, such as portfolio construction, performance attribution and risk management. With fund self‐declaration being prone to (strategic) misclassification, return‐based taxonomies grouping funds along similarities in realized returns provide a useful alternative. We provide a consistent classification system of homogeneous groups of hedge funds based on self‐organizing maps. Whereas some fund categories such as managed futures are largely consistent in their self‐declared strategies, others, especially so‐called ‘equity hedge’ funds, display no or very limited return similarities. Furthermore, we also find evidence of fund managers performing undisclosed changes of their trading style over time. Those funds that misclassified themselves once are particularly likely to change their trading style again. Although style self‐declaration can, therefore, be quite misleading, our results indicate that hedge funds do not misdeclare their style strategically to improve their relative performance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing early warning signals of currency crises: a fuzzy clustering approach
Authors: Liu Shuhua , Lindholm Christer K. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn the period of 1990s alone, four waves of financial crises occurred around the world. The repeated occurrence of financial crises stimulated a large number of theoretical and empirical studies on the phenomena, in particular studies on the determinants of or early warning signals of financial crises. Nonetheless, the different studies of early warning systems have achieved mixed results and there remains much room for further investigation. Since, so far, the empirical studies have focused on conventional economic modelling methods such as simplified probabilistic models and regression models, in this study we examine whether new insights can be gained from the application of the fuzzy clustering method.The theories of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic offer us the means to deal with uncertainties inherent in a wide variety of tasks, especially when the uncertainty is not the result of randomness but the result of unknown factors and relationships that are difficult to explain. They also provide us with the instruments to treat vague and imprecise linguistic values and to model nonlinear relationships. This paper presents empirical results from analysing the Finnish currency crisis in 1992 using the fuzzy C‐means clustering method. We first provide the relevant background knowledge and introduce the fuzzy clustering method. We then show how the use of fuzzy C‐means method can help us to identify the critical levels of important economic indicators for predicting of financial crises. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combining heterogeneous classifiers for stock selection
Authors: Albanis George , Batchelor Roy 
Published: November 2007

AbstractCombining unbiased forecasts of continuous variables necessarily reduces the forecast error variance below that of a typical individual forecast. However, this does not necessarily hold for forecasts of discrete variables, or where the costs of errors are not directly related to the error variance. This paper investigates the benefits of combining forecasts of outperforming shares, based on one linear and four non‐linear statistical classification techniques, including neural network and recursive partitioning methods. All produce excess returns. Combining by simple ‘majority voting’ improves accuracy and profitability. Much greater gains come from applying the ‘unanimity principle’, whereby a share is not held in the high‐performing portfolio unless all classifiers agree. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of nearest neighbours, discriminant and logit models for auditing decisions
Authors: Gaganis Chrysovalantis , Pasiouras Fotios , Spathis Charalambos , Zopounidis Constantin 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis study investigates the efficiency of k‐nearest neighbours (k‐NN) in developing models for estimating auditors' opinions, as opposed to models developed with discriminant and logit analyses. The sample consists of 5276 financial statements, out of which 980 received a qualified audit opinion, obtained from 1455 private and public UK companies operating in the manufacturing and trade sectors. We develop two industry‐specific models and a general one using data from the period 1998–2001, which are then tested over the period 2002–2003. In each case, two versions of the models are developed. The first includes only financial variables. The second includes both financial and non‐financial variables. The results indicate that the inclusion of credit rating in the models results in a considerable increase both in terms of goodness of fit and classification accuracies. The comparison of the methods reveals that the k‐NN models can be more efficient, in terms of average classification accuracy, than the discriminant and logit models. Finally, the results are mixed concerning the development of industry‐specific models, as opposed to general models. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Age‐related differences in susceptibility to toxic effects of valproic acid in rats
Authors: Espandiari Parvaneh , Zhang Jun , Schnackenberg Laura K. , Miller Terry J. , Knapton Alan , Herman Eugene H. , Beger Richard D. , Hanig Joseph P. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractA multi‐age rat model was evaluated as a means to identify a potential age‐related difference in liver injury following exposure to valproic acid (VPA), a known pediatric hepatotoxic agent. Different age groups of Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats (10‐, 25‐, 40‐, 80‐day‐old) were administered VPA at doses of 160, 320, 500 or 650 mg kg−1 (i.p.) for 4 days. Animals from all age groups developed toxicity after treatment with VPA; however, the patterns of toxicity were dissimilar within each age group. The high dose of VPA caused significant lethality in 10‐ and 25‐day‐old rats. All doses of VPA caused decrease in the platelet counts (10‐, 25‐day‐old rats) and the rate of growth (40‐day‐old rats) and increases in the urine creatine concentration (high dose, 80‐day‐old rats). VPA induced hepatic and splenic alterations in all age groups. The most severe lesions were found mostly in 10‐ and 80‐day‐old rats. Significant changes in blood urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were observed in 10‐day‐old pups after treatment with low doses of VPA. The highest VPA dose caused significant decreases in the levels of serum total protein (40‐ and 80‐day‐old rats). Principal component analysis of spectra derived from terminal urine samples of all age groups showed that each age group clusters separately. In conclusion, this study showed that the vulnerability profile of each age group was different indicating that a multi‐age pediatric animal model is appropriate to assess more completely age‐dependent changes in drug toxicity. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transformation of nacre coatings into apatite coatings in phosphate buffer solution at low temperature
Authors: Guo Yaping , Zhou Yu 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNacre coatings were deposited on Ti6Al4V substrates by electrophoretic technique, and subsequently converted into apatite coatings with hierarchical porous structures by treatment with a phosphate buffer solution. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The results show that the nacre coatings are converted into the plate‐like apatite coatings via a dissolution–precipitation reaction, while the organic components of the nacre are reserved. The mesopores with pore size of ˜4.4 nm are formed within the plate‐like structure, and the macropores are formed among the plate‐like structure. Simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion tests reveal that the apatite coatings have a good in vitro bioactivity. Bone‐like apatite crystals are formed on the surfaces of the apatite coatings after soaking in SBF for 12 h, and fill up the macropores on the coatings with increasing the soaking time. In addition, XPS indicates that a TiOx layer and PO43− ions appear on the substrate surfaces by pretreatment with a H3PO4/HF solution. The TiOx layer and PO43− ions can induce the formation of apatite crystals, resulting in a composition gradient from the oxide layer to the external apatite layer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2008
1,25‐Dihydroxyvitamin D3 stimulates bone neovascularization by enhancing the interactions of osteoblasts‐like cells and endothelial cells
Authors: Li Tao , Yu Yao‐Ting , Wang Jing , Tang Tian‐Si 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe current work investigated whether 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3(1,25‐(OH)2D3) can promote the neovascularization of tissue‐engineered bone. Human osteoblast‐like cells (HOB) and endothelial cells (EC) were isolated and cultured. HOB and EC were inoculated at the ratio of 2:1 onto the coral‐derived hydroxyapatite (CHA) scaffolds coated with and without 1,25‐(OH)2D3. Tissue‐engineered bones were cultured for 3 days before implantation into the backs of nude mice. Four and 8 weeks after the operation, the retrieved scaffolds and cells were examined histologically and by scanning electron microscope, and the vascular area was measured. The immature bone grew into the pores of CHA scaffolds in both groups. At each time interval, there was a conspicuous neovascularization in the 1,25‐(OH)2D3 treatment group, with a larger amount of new capillaries accompanying immature bone. In the 1,25‐(OH)2D3 group, scanning electron microscopy revealed luminal sprouting from the larger vessels. Maturation of the new bone was paralleled by the occurrence of the new capillaries. The vascular areas were 28.74% ± 7.81% and 19.52% ± 4.57% at 4‐week intervals (p < 0.05) and 24.66% ± 7.38% and 17.84% ± 5.22% at 8‐week intervals (p < 0.05) in test and control groups, respectively. These results imply that 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 may be useful as a cytokine for tissue engineering bone for neovascularization. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 2008
In vitro fibroblast response to polyurethane organosilicate nanocomposites
Authors: Styan K. E. , Martin D. J. , Poole‐Warren L. A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe term nanocomposite refers to organic:inorganic composites where one phase, typically the inorganic phase, has dimensions on the nanoscale. Several authors have noted the potential benefit of biomedical application of nanocomposite technology, and have suggested using quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) as an organic modification to enhance dispersion of nanoparticles within polymer matrices. This study aimed to examine fibroblast responses in vitro to a range of nanocomposites using different organic modifiers. Composite materials were prepared from a polyether urethane (PEU) and various unmodified and organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles. QAC and amino undecanoic acid (AUA) modified‐MMT were added to PEU at loadings ranging from ∼1 to 15 wt %. Composites with organically modified QAC and AUA particles displayed partially exfoliated and intercalated silicate morphology, respectively. Nanocomposites showed increases in ultimate tensile properties for materials with lower QACMMT loadings. However QAC was shown to significantly inhibit cell growth following release from PEU‐QACMMT under extraction conditions mimicking those of the physiological environment. Materials containing silicate modified using AUA were cytocompatible. The results of this study suggest that QAC may be unsuitable as organic modifiers for nanoparticles destined for biomedical use. Alternative modifiers based on AUA confer equivalent dispersion and are of low toxicity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 2008
Cigarette smoke and dopaminergic system
Authors: Miller Leah R. , Mukherjee Shyamali , Ansah Twum A. , Das Salil K. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIt has been reported that there is an ameliorative effect of cigarette smoking on certain neurological responses and neurodegenerative disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the neurochemical and neurobehavioral response of cigarette smoke (CS) in the adult male guinea pig brain. Both acute and chronic CS exposure enhanced locomotor behavior and caused a decrease in midbrain dopamine (DA) levels and corresponding increase in 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels. In addition, CS caused a significant increase in the protein levels of the dopamine D1 and D2 receptors. CS caused a significant increase in the binding capacity of the D1 receptor and a significant decrease in the binding capacity of D2. Furthermore, CS caused a significant increase in the binding capacity of the dopamine transporter (DAT). The mechanism by which cigarette smoke exposure increases locomotor activity remains to be elucidated but may include modulation of dopamine neuron activity that emerges after repeated direct smoke exposure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 21:325–335, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20197
Cardioprotective effect of α‐mangostin, a xanthone derivative from mangosteen on tissue defense system against isoproterenol‐induced myocardial infarction in rats
Authors: Devi Sampath Pandima , Vijayaraghavan Kannan 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIncreased oxidative stress and antioxidant deficit have been suggested to play a major role in isoproterenol‐induced myocardial infarction. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of α‐mangostin on the antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation against isoproterenol‐induced myocardial infarction in rats. Induction of rats with ISO (150 mg/kg body weight, ip) for 2 days resulted in a marked elevation in lipid peroxidation, serum marker enzymes (LDH, CPK, GOT, and GPT) and a significant decrease in the activities of endogenous antioxidants (SOD, CAT, GPx, GST, and GSH). Pre‐treatment with α‐mangostin (200 mg/kg of body weight per day) orally for 6 days prior to the ISO administration and 2 days along with ISO administration significantly attenuated these changes when compared to the individual treatment groups. These findings indicate the protective effect of α‐mangostin on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant tissue defense system during ISO‐induced myocardial infarction in rats. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 21:336–339, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20199